Dream Homes : Mykonos

This property is actually two villas names Orpheus & Eurydice.

British owned and South African architect designed, they are also available for rental during the summer.

With five bedrooms, simple but stylish furnishings....they look the epitome of tranquility.

Their brief to the architect was that nothing in the house should distract from the dramatic views of the Aegean and that it should be as comfortable as possible.

The owners were married in the chapel above the pool, overlooking the sea....how lovely!

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(all images via MarieClaireMaison.com)

So much to think about when buying a home, for information on surveyors, valuers & surveyors negligence look online.

Ever Thought about a Cruise?

Our summer holiday destination, Villefranche Sur Mer, is a regular stop for cruise ships....

we throw open the shutters each morning & my son likes to see if, and how many, cruise ships have arrived for the day....they drop anchor out at sea and their passengers disembark via tenders....

 some taking the train to Monaco, some to Nice & some to the beach....

and in the evening, they head off into the sunset & a new destination.

 And in the evening, sometimes accompanied by fireworks, they head off into the sunset again for a night of feasting, dancing, any one of hundreds of activities on board, to be honest....

waking up the next morning in a new port.

The ships seem to get bigger & better every year and there is something very exciting about waking up in a new & exciting location every morning.

I used to wonder why you'd want to leave a place having only just arrived there....but actually now - and also having been on a Caribbean cruise myself - I can see there's something very appealing & exciting about discovering somewhere new each day....just seeing/doing/tasting enough to satisfy your senses or your curiosity....and then moving on, maybe dreaming of returning one day.

My children love the idea of spending a week aboard a gi-normous cruise ship and actually I'd happily do it again....I love the idea of cruising the fjords, sitting on deck wrapped up in a blanket, gazing glamorously out to sea....or sunning myself as we hop from one Mediterranean port to another.

Cruises are so much more affordable than they used to be, they're a great holiday option with so many different destinations to choose from....there is definitely something very romantic about travelling by ship.

There are now so many fantastic last minute cruise deals available....

a variety of destinations, definitely something for everyone.

Camper & Nicholson's luxury international marinas & berths for yachts and superyachts are situated in some of the beautiful locations in Europe & the Caribbean.

With exceptional levels of yacht care, facilities and customer service, they are renowned worldwide, their name is synonymous with quality and luxury.

If a cruise ship is too big, you could always charter your own boat :)  

A European Adventure....

I've already mentioned that we are heading to Italy this August for our annual summer holiday....

what I haven't said is that, instead of flying, we'll be driving...gulp!

We aren't planning to stop, apart from a coffee break or two, and the plan is really to get from A to B as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Every summer we fly to France...and every summer my husband suggests that we drive.

I've always refused....partly because the flight from London to Nice is only 2 hours & partly because my children get horrendously carsick. 

Hence, driving any considerable distance with them has never appealed to me in the slightest.

My husband has memories of happy & hilarious car journeys to Italy when he was 18 years old with his cousin/friends....

....naturally, vomiting children, endless requests for loo & howls of "are-we-there-yet?" were not part of those particular trips ;)

This year we decided to holiday in Italy instead of France & I have decided to embrace the whole idea as a great adventure....why not?

Hopefully driving the 904 miles / 1455 kilometres from London, via France & Switzerland to northern Italy will be a wonderful experience (as opposed to the first & last time we'll ever attempt it!)

Planning our trip has actually been a lot of fun....

having never done a long drive in Europe before, there is more to think about that I had realised, not just booking the Channel crossing, we've also had to think about timing since we are hoping to do the entire 14 hour drive in one day.

A 6am Channel crossing means an early start from London....

having driven down through France we hope to arrive at the Mont Blanc tunnel, which takes us through the Alps and into Switzerland, at just the right time to avoid long queues.

We looked into the best way to pay for the French tolls which you find everywhere on the motorways throughout the country - turns out there is a special chip you buy before travelling, you attach it to your windscreen enabling you to avoid long queues at the tollbooths & you pay one bill for your whole journey when you arrive back in England. Genius!!

We also need to change our breakdown cover & car insurance to cover us in Europe.

Lots of different options but whatever you do make sure you have it!

My uncle drives a beautiful & painstakingly restored Morgan, he took it to France last year....it has a fabulous new engine but for that kind of trip specialist car insurance is essential.

A friend broke down just outside Paris last summer with her 4 children - thankfully she was covered for the use of a hire car to continue her holiday.

Years ago, my brother was driving an old VW Beetle through France & Spain and broke down in the middle of nowhere in southern France....the cost of repairs & vehicle recovery etc was more than the value of the car & in the end he abandoned it.

It may still be there today, possibly with chickens living in it!

Travelling with our own car does has other benefits too - no 15kg baggage allowance for us & I have already mentally packed a box of tableware & linens from home for the fabulous al fresco dinners we'll be enjoying....

I loved this account of a road trip through Tuscany. 

     I found this photo of a home in Tuscany on Pinterest....

our house in Emilia Romagna is exactly the same size, shape & colour!