Althea Halliday Hello darlings I cannot help thinking how richly you have immersed yourself in history during this trip. Your detailed description of the museums you have visited really highlights for me the unimaginable horrors that have been inflicted by human beings on each other. It is a very sobering contemplation. Fortunately, your description of flowers and food and blue skied days works as a counterpoint. I feel that we shall have many a long conversation about what you have seen and heard and felt. Take care of yourselves. Love as ever, Mum xx

Althea Halliday Hello darlings What a lovely shot of you, Amber, in the midst of such gilded beauty, and how wonderful to be able to 'lose' yourselves in the haunting sound of Schubert and Strauss. And the performance of the horses seemed to be quite out of the box. (I was fascinated by the history of the school, and the cleverness of the manoeuvres.) You will have so many stories to tell and pictures to share. Love as always, Mum xx

Althea Halliday Hello darlings Your writing about the Schonbrunn Palace brought back so many memories of 1989, particularly memories of you, Amber, and Gemma scooting around in the autumn leaves in pursuit of a squirrel. Your description of the palace captured its magnificence, and I quite like the understatement re the menswear, 'and purchases were made'. Again, what a wonderful time you are having. Love, Mum xx

Althea Halliday Hello darlings Your father read David's comment about the Tian Restaurant aloud to me, and I was impressed by the superlative 'best meal ever'. Now that I have read your blog for myself, I can understand why. Your photos of the ferris wheel were excellent, particularly one where the wheel seemed to be 'framed'. That is another thing that I really like doing: studying the photos. Haven't you packed a lot into this holiday! I am returning now to the gilded glitter that I saw on my way through. Love, Mum xx

Althea Halliday Hello darlings I know that I say this every time, but I genuinely enjoy reading your blogs. They are so informative and so well written. There is no doubt that on this trip you have experienced both the beauty and the terror. Thankfully, there has been mostly beauty. It was a pity that the whirlpool was out of action. You could have done a round for me! All the best for the rest of Budapest. (Dear me. I have taken to rhyme!) Love, Mum xx PS I have read the Vienna blogs, but I am going to return and write something about each of them.

Althea Halliday Hello darlings The blogs are wonderful. So informative and as always, so rich in detail. And aren't the photos splendid! There you are, beanied and scarved and gloved and jacketed, as you said, and there are the blue-skied days. Thank you for keeping us so much up to date. Today you would have been travelling to Poland, and tomorrow is your wedding anniversary. Can you believe that it is four years since we were swept up in the beauty and the sound and the sheer joy? Take care. I will be thinking of you as you visit Auschwitz. How important it is to treasure each day, and each other. Love as ever, Mum xx

Althea Halliday Hello darlings How wonderful to read this blog. It is written with such attention to detail,a perennially effective element that allows us to see and feel the experience. I simply love the flowers, and the photo of you, Amber, standing by the daffodils, together with the photo of the flower market made my heart sing. I also really appreciate the photos of the architecture and the canals and all the bikes, and what about that shot of the cheese with the reflection of the buildings in the glass? How good was that! I am so glad that you visited Anne Frank's house. I remember reading years ago how she wanted to 'go on living after [her] death', and she is, and I thought your comment re paying respect to her words was very appropriate. The pictures of Delft were also very beautiful and understandably your attention was caught by the long held tradition of porcelain art. All the best as you set out for Lund and Sund country in Denmark and Sweden. Love as ever, Mum xx

Harry Halliday Good to know you are enjoying life in Europe again! Do you plan to find 5 companions for Lily now that you have seen it in operation?