As our schedule continues to change I need to update the answer to the number one question we get “Where?!”. Our flight dates remain the same with us flying out of Calgary on the 18th of July and arriving in London.
We have booked an Air BnB in London from the 19th until the 25th. This will be a very fast London visit and we’re studying up to try and cram in as many sites as we can in those few days. Kew, the Royal Botanic Gardens is at the top of our list as are many of the Museums. I also want to visit The Globe theatre with the kids. There will be loads of history and fun that we want to pack into our London visit!
After London we head west to Bristol. We will pick up violins and a cello at the aptly named Bristol Violin Shop. They are one of the shops at the London Suzuki Groups International Summer school in Bryanston.
We’ve already arranged the drop off at the institute with them. This way our kids get instruments while we’re in Cerne and we don’t have to return them to Bristol (or anywhere else) once the summer institute is over. While we are in Bristol I’m excited that I’ll be able to visit one of my Grade 5 students from my very first year of teaching.
We will slow things down after Bristol and London as we head to the Benedictine monastery Cerne Abbey in Dorset. While we are there we will support them with work around the abbey. It will also give us time to explore the area with the kids. Our dates for being at the Abbey are July 27th- August 21st.
On the 21st of August we head to Bryanston (just West of Blandford Forum) for the London Suzuki Groups Summer camp. It will be a week of playing and practicing for our children. Heather is registered as a teacher observer. She will get some studying in for her piano studio. I’m counting on using it as a time for trip planning and cake eating. We’ve already had some of the summer camp paid for by bursaries and scholarships. I’ll write about that in another post though.
After the London Suzuki summer camp we are planning on crossing the English Channel to France. An overnight ferry would be a nice little adventure even though I’m we won’t sleep well. On the beaches of Northern France we will stop and visit the Canadian war memorials in either Juno or Vimy ridge. This is an essential stop for us as we reflect on what Canada has contributed to the world.
We have a few days set aside for a visit to Paris. No place to stay in Paris though. There are goals for us to visit:
- The Louvre (Mona Lisa might be a target)
- Notre Dame
- The Jewish War memorial at Norte Dame
- The Eiffel Tower (easy since you can see it from everywhere)
After Paris we take a train to Germany to help out at St. Lukaskirche in Leipzig. We will be there from the 4th to the 12 of September. They do outreach work there for refugees and immigrants from the Middle East. We have been told we’ll be helping with a festival. I’m not sure what that means yet but we’re up for the adventure.
From there we will travel North to Ferchesar, Brandenburg. This will be another quiet time where we will help Brigit with the work she needs done and get our children caught up on their studies. This will take us until the 6th of October where we fly West to spend time with Heather’s Parents in Portugal.
In Lisbon have rented an Air BnB from October 4th until the 18th. It is in the old part of the city. With two experienced travellers staying with us we know we will have a great time exploring Lisbon and the history of Portugal. In the mean time we will do our best to consume many Portuguese tarts from our local bakery in order to prepare our stomachs.
After that there are just big ideas, dreams, and dates we need to fill in. See the split year calendar at the top of this page to see the destinations we are interested as they line up with the calendar date. Keep us in your prayers and of course reach out to us if you have any advice or support.
Ball Family Travel 
One response to “Where?!- Update (April 29th)”
[…] adventure I knew I needed a way to track the decisions and details. I had my top down calendar (blog post here) that helped me to block out and shift dates around. It helped to show approximately where we would […]
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