Hayden's 21st

Hayden is 21!!!!  I love this young man, and am very proud of him.

We had a dinner out with some of the rels while we were in Australia, to mark the occasion.  Here is a small taste of the evening:

July 2014 - Japan with Hayden and Alice

Hayden's third visit to Korea was low key and relaxed.  We went across to Japan for a few days, and visited Hiroshima, Miyajima and Kyoto.

For me, Hiroshima was the highlight, particularly the Peace Park, with many memorials to the victims of the A bombing of the city in 1945.  The memorials and museum in the park have an emphasis on remembering the victims, and focusing on the human cost of the bombing.  It was an amazing experience!

Alice and Hayden pretending to work out where we're going
and what we're doing.......

Our first meal in Hiroshima

At the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (A Bomb dome).
The Memorial gardens and museum were a
highlight of our trip!

At Miyajima - a beautiful island just south of Hiroshima.

This just gave me a chuckle...

Kyoto - full of history and beautiful buildings.

We saw a number of carriages like this on trains.

This was an amazing introduction to Japan for me, and certainly has inspired me to visit again one day.

Nicola's visit May-June 2014 ~ trip to the east coast of Korea

Nicola made another trip to visit us in May/June, arriving just in time for Alice's graduation, and spending time exploring Seoul with Alice and her friends, and travelling with us to the east coast for a few days.

This is the second trip Nicola has made to South Korea, and it has been wonderful to welcome her each time!!

Our trip to Sokcho on the east coast included a visit to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) on the border of South and North Korea, a wonderful art gallery, and a LONG drive home....... it was a long weekend, so EVERYONE was travelling back to Seoul at the same time.

Here's some photos of our time there: