O1B2F3E. TIMESHARE OVERSEAS 1983

MOMENTS IN OUR LIVES-1 2026-02-27

O1B2F3E. TIMESHARE OVERSEAS 1983

INTRODUCTION

There are moments in one's life that are woven like golden threads through your memory, and our five-week trip through Europe at the end of 2000 is undoubtedly one of them. It was more than just a vacation; it was one last great adventure as a family before the boys would set out on their own in the world.

This trip taught us that the road is sometimes long and full of challenges – from language barriers in France to snow-covered mountain passes in Austria – but that there is no greater wealth than discovering the world's beauty hand-in-hand with your loved ones. This is an incredibly precious memory for us. This account of our tour of Europe is not just a travelogue, but a beautiful time capsule of family ties, the freedom of the road, and the contrasts of European culture.

It is fascinating to read how we took full advantage of RCI's Timeshare system to make such an extensive trip possible. From the "longboat" in England to the majestic Alps and the art treasures of Florence and Paris - we truly experienced the heart of Europe. Driving through the snow and across borders with four adults and loads of luggage in a Peugeot 406 requires patience and good company! It is reminiscent of the classic "road trip" where the road itself is more important than the destination.

The story of the "King's Bar" in Reims is a classic example of the historical friction between the English and the French. Speaking Afrikaans first so they know you are not English can help you out of trouble!

The contrast between the quiet town of Schladming and our two boisterous, lively boys throwing rocks on the ice brings a smile to my face.

It is moving to read about Rinie's experience at the Mona Lisa. As an art student, it must have been like a pilgrimage for her. Florence, with Michelangelo's David, and the Louvre's Mona Lisa certainly remain among the most overwhelming places for any art lover.

This memory is a beautiful gift for our children and grandchildren to read one day. Here is a nicely structured version of our 2000 tour:

THE GREAT EUROPEAN TOUR (END OF 2000)

In the 1980s, we discovered Timeshare. At the time, we purchased membership with RCI by purchasing two units in Sedgefield. We rarely vacationed at our own timeshares. Most of the time, we exchanged, one of the great advantages of timeshare. At that time the timeshare market was not so crowded, and we almost always got a place at the resorts we applied for. I think you had to give a few alternatives in the order you want them. We have had some outstanding timeshare holidays over the years.

We also went on a 5-week tour of Europe with our timeshare at the end of 2000. This is where the exchange system works really well. You deposit your South African unit and you can then get a similar unit anywhere in the world, depending on availability. There was a lot of planning in advance with RCI. We looked through RCI’s world brochures for suitable resorts, of which there are thousands.

We decided to travel around Europe by car. At that time Christiaan was working in Holbeach, a small coastal town near Peterborough in the North East of England. He was planning to buy a small car. Then I said he should rather buy a mid-size car, half of which I would pay for, then the four of us could travel around Europe in it.

Marinus wrote his last matriculation subject on Friday morning. That evening he was on a plane for the first time in his life. It was a night flight over Africa, and we could see fires burning below over Angola.

I couldn’t sleep, because there is very little legroom in Economy class. I got up in the middle of the night and lay down in that little aisle at the back by the toilets that connect the two aisles and was asleep almost immediately - I was used to sleeping on the floor at work during my lunch breaks.

I don’t know how long I slept there, but one of the flight attendants woke me up and said I wasn’t allowed to lie there - I had to go back to my seat.

The next morning we flew in circles above the enormous area that is London - the sky had this pinkish-smoky dirty air sheen. Heathrow itself is enormous. After landing and getting our luggage, we got a brand new metallic green Renault Scenic from Europcar. It’s a lovely station wagon with plenty of room for all our luggage.

Guised by our map of Britain, we took the road to Holbeach via Peterborough. British roads are all in very good condition. We found Christiaan and then went looking for a 5-seater car. We found a Peugeot 406 in good condition at a second-hand dealer. It was a car that would carry us faithfully for thousands of kilometres, packed with all our luggage. There were now four of us in the Peugeot; the luggage was so much that Rinie and Marinus in the back seat couldn’t see each other.

WEEK 1: ENGLAND – THE CANAL LIFE

18 – 25 November 2000 | Milton Keynes Marina

Our journey began in a "longboat" on the English canals. It was a unique experience where the boat tilts slightly as you walk between the rooms. Milton Keynes (280,000 people) is a modern city, built in circles with no robots.

We wanted to go for a few beers the first night, then I used my Standard Bank credit card for the first time, and it worked like a dream. I used it for the entire 5-week tour without any problems, for payments and to withdraw cash.

We went to London by car for one day, just to the edge of the city, and by train further into the city centre, to get our Schengen visas, which give us access to all the European countries we would visit.

On the last day we found out that we could have sailed on the canal network by longboat, which is spread out like a road network over a large part of England. So we just went for a short ride on one of these canals, with only the “putt-putt” of the small diesel engine audible, turned around at a turning point, and sailed back to Milton Keynes.

WEEK 2: SCOTLAND – CASTLES AND HAGGIS

November 25 – December 2, 2000 | Kilconquhar Estate, Fife

The drive north was long. We left Milton Keynes at 10:00 on November 25 and took the A1(M). It is 595km to Edinburgh and we only got there at dusk. We drove according to the map and followed the signs to Kilconquhar Castle (which dates back to 1457), arriving directly at the gate in pitch darkness. It was already late November and in Scotland the sun already sets by 4:00 PM. That we were able to drive the entire way, especially from Edinburgh to Kilconquhar without a mistake, I attribute to the quality of their maps and excellent road signs. Christiaan drove the entire tour.

He cooked us a Scottish haggis polony one evening. I quite enjoyed it, but I don’t think Rinie or Marinus liked it, because it is made from all the meat of a sheep, including tripe, legs, heart, liver and lungs. You just shouldn’t think about it, but rather just enjoy the aroma.

We drove around, to Glasgow and Edinburgh, where there is a castle and beautiful old buildings. Edinburgh Castle stands on Castle Rock, which has been inhabited by people since at least the Iron Age. There is a royal castle built on the rock during the reign of Malcolm III in the 11th century, and the castle was a royal residence until 1633.

We also visited St. Andrews, where the British Golf Masters are held annually, and Glencoe on Loch Linnhe. On the way back we stopped at a real Scottish pub with an old-fashioned atmosphere, for a few beers around a crackling fire.

WEEK 3: AUSTRIA – MAJESTIC MOUNTAINS AND MOZART

December 2 – 9, 2000 | Alpine Club, Schladming

We left Kilconquhar early on December 2, as there was a long way to go. The sun rose at 8:00, but the day was only 7:48 hours long. We drove down the A1(M). What was striking was that the sun never rose above the treetops during the entire drive - it moved horizontally with us throughout the day as we progressed south.

We drove around London on the M25 ring road and then took the M20 to Folkstone. Here we waited in a long queue in a car park to get on a special train, which would take us via the 50km Eurotunnel under the English Channel to Calais in France.

It was quite an experience. When it is your turn, you drive over plates into a large high train truck that I think takes about 6 or more cars per truck. The tunnel itself was opened in 1994, is 75 meters below the seabed, 115 meters below sea level and the train reaches 160km per hour. You can get out of your car while the train is moving and there is no experience of speed, but I think the doors between the trucks are closed. The journey takes 35 minutes. The exit from the train was simple.

The only thing that was special now was that Christiaan had to remember to drive on the “wrong side” of the road - in Europe you drive on the right. Fortunately you mostly drive in a stream of vehicles, so it is easy to follow them and get used to driving on the right. Circles are quite difficult, because you are now driving “the wrong way around”.

The only time we almost had an accident was because Christiaan went into the wrong direction in a circle somewhere in France, and I suddenly saw a big BMW’s nose right up against my door. After a second, Christiaan slammed the Peugeot in first gear and accelerated out of danger.

After 273km, we arrived at Reims at dusk and decided to spend the night there. I had to look for a place and saw a bar called “King’s Bar”, which seemed to me a place where they will understand English. The barman seemed very friendly and asked me in French what I wanted. When I said “I am looking for a place to sleep”, his facial expression changed immediately and he barked at me “Out! Out!”, while pointing at the door with his arm.

I was completely taken aback and just walked out. It’s the old enmity between the French and the English that still exists in many places and also in the hearts of some people. I later heard that when you ask for directions or help in a strange place, first ask in Afrikaans, and if they don’t understand, then you switch to English, then at least the guy knows you’re not English.

We then found a place to sleep in a boarding house with a single toilet in the hallway. We bought food at a café.

Early the next morning we walked around the city a bit. The population at the time was about 186,000 - what was very special was the Roman Triumphal Arch, which dates from the 3rd century AD. There are 8 such Arches in France, and about 70 spread across the then Roman Empire, which dates from about 200BC to 400AD. After dinner we left there on our way to Austria.

Our route, according to Frommer’s Europe 1990, went over the A4 and A8, passing cities such as Metz (France), Baden-Baden, Karlsruhe (Germany). Somewhere along the autobahn we saw a stainless steel structure that looked like a public toilet and stopped there - it was one, very clean and tidy.

Then on past Stuttgart, Munich, Salzburg (Austria), to Schladming, where we arrived in the dark. We went up a hill to the Alpine Club, where we were warmly welcomed and we were able to sleep well after eating something.

The next morning at 7:00 we woke to the ringing of a church bell. When I got up and looked out over the valley, I saw the small town of Schladming (6400 people) completely covered with fog and behind it high mountains with clouds on top. The ringing was at a slow, peaceful pace. We stood there for a long time looking out until the fog eventually disappeared. And even later the cloud bank also evaporated in the sun, then we first saw the real, majestic mountains towering high in the sky over the little town!

Of course we explored Schladming and drove around a lot. There were tall pine forests everywhere, and there was a lot of snow on the mountain peaks. We drove to a ski slope and the boys slid down it. We must have been there out of season, because we hardly met anyone. Of course they threw snowballs at each other - luckily it's dry and doesn't wet your clothes.

One day we drove past a farmhouse, and Christiaan saw a beautiful golden house cat. He stopped immediately, got out and called the cat. To our surprise the cat came running up to him and stood there for him to rub her fur. These must be people who love their animals very much.

He missed our animals at home very much. He loves cats and later told me that if he got married one day, he wanted to keep 5 cats. He and Alida had 5 cats and two puppies in Johannesburg, when he taught Science at Bishop Bavin Anglican School.

One day as we wanted to go to Salzburg (100km), a warning light came on on the dashboard of the Peugeot. The gas station in Schladming said that I should go to Radstadt (4500 people), as there is a Peugeot agency. It was on the way to Salzburg and we went there. They said what time the car would be ready. While they were working on the Peugeot, we went to explore the village.

Along a sidewalk there were several landmarks, some dated back as far as 1289. Everything was quiet and neat, including the cemetery. A river runs through the village and it has a very thick layer of ice on it, while a flock of ducks were playing in the water higher up. Christiaan found a heavy stone and threw it from the bridge onto the ice and it broke a hole through it. Then both boys found any loose stone and threw it onto the ice - some broke through, the lighter stones just skated away on top of the ice. I tried to quiet them down, but I wasn’t very successful – they were so exuberant.

The town was dead quiet – people must have been watching the two lively boys from behind their windows. When the car was repaired, we continued on to Salzburg (152,000 people) and left the car in a parking garage. Christiaan didn’t want to explore the city with us – he wanted to go to pubs on his own. He was in one of his moods again and Marinus went with him for company.

We went into the city, past beautiful parks, and went to see Mozart’s birthplace (1756) in “Hagenauer Haus” at No. 9 Getreidegasse. We walked through the Hohensalzburg Fortress (built 1077), and in the evening drank hot gluhwein, and went to listen to a performance of Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.

When we got back to the car, the two boys were lying there waiting for us, probably for hours. Marinus must have really regretted not going with us, but he probably didn’t want Christiaan to go alone either. There’s a bond between the brothers. We then returned to Schladming in the dark.

One evening when we went for a walk in the town after dinner, I saw a woman busy hanging Christmas decorations on the outside of her shop’s front door. At a gun shop, the hunting rifles, revolvers and pistols were displayed in the window, with lights shining on them, without burglar bars. You could see that it was behind ordinary glass, not reinforced glass. This clearly says that there is no fear of theft.

We walked through the dark town streets to look at the Christmas decorations on the houses (it was December 6). A group of laughing young people came past us, giving us snacks, and said it was for Saint Nicholas Day. So innocent.

Christiaan bought a bottle of Stroh rum at the Spar (they are all over Europe, Asia and Africa), apparently much cheaper than he would have paid for it in England. We really enjoyed the week in Schladming.

WEEK 4: FRANCE & ITALY – ART AND COASTLINES

December 9 – 16, 2000 | Vaugrenier, Nice

We left Schladming at 10:00 on December 9th on our way to our next resort near Nice on the coast of southern France. Via Salzburg (Austria), Innsbruck, Bolzano (Italy), Trento, Verona, Brescia, Genoa, Sanremo, to Nice (France). It’s 955km via the E55, which means a full day’s drive. It’s all the way through the Alpine mountain ranges, and much of it through terribly long tunnels, kilometers, some so long that I became physically distressed. Just as we came out of one tunnel, we went into the next one.

Somewhere we stopped to urinate, then I saw something I’d never seen before. When I got up from the toilet, the seat turned around by itself, automatically wiping the seat! I actually called the boys to come and see the operation.

Later that day we were on a pass where there was thick snow lying along the road, so Christiaan stopped and he and Marinus first played in the snow. We arrived in Nice late in the evening and then had to find the way to the Vaugrenier Timeshare resort, which is in a vast rural area.

Our unit was a double storey in a block of three. Behind it were tennis courts, where the boys played boisterously. One of the other residents said he didn’t know tennis could be so loud. It’s a fairly large resort, 1500 acres, spread out with a variety of units and houses, lots of trees, shrubs, grass and plants. There is a large swimming pool, but no organised activities. It is located between Cannes and Nice.

Both cities had large Giant supermarkets at the time. We once went to eat at one and each of us received a free coffee mug with a picture of one of the Simpsons family - Homer (mine), Marge (Rinie), Bart (Christiaan), and Lisa (Marinus). Rinie still kept hers until recently. Of course, we drove around to explore the whole area, especially the two cities.

We drove to the old part of the cities where the narrow streets are paved with cobblestones, where the residents hang their laundry from one side of the street to the other on the second or third floors to dry. There are many shops offering everything and anything for sale.

One day we decided to drive to Florence in Italy and spend the night there. We went to Monaco and saw the famous yacht harbor where many billionaires' superyachts are moored. We saw where the Formula One race takes place annually in a street race. We also visited the pink palace of Prince Rainier III. His son, Prince Albert II, married Charlene Wittstock, a South African Olympic swimmer, in 2011.

We drove on the E80 for the 438km. Since it is a motorway, we had to go through toll gates at several places. There is a kind of funnel into which you can throw coins - the machine automatically counts the money and lets you through. We arrived in Florence (population 382,000) late in the afternoon and ended up at the station.

I asked where we could find accommodation for the night. They then explained in broken English where we should go. Fortunately, we found a three-story building that rented out rooms. We could park our car inside behind large garage doors for safety. It was a single large room with space for four, with a shower and toilet.

After we put down our luggage, we walked over cobblestone streets to the old part of the city that was bustling with people, Italians and tourists. It was quite comical when a short Italian girl left her friends and walked a small distance with Christiaan - her steps were much shorter than his and she almost had to jog to keep up with him. When she left him and returned to her friends, they chattered quite a bit in Italian. Christiaan is over 6’ 4”, a big, handsome young man to them.

All sorts of goods are offered for sale. One of them sold a belt to me that was supposedly leather - it later turned out that it wasn’t leather at all. We got delicious ice cream at one stall, apparently an Italian specialty.

After a good night’s sleep, we walked down the next morning to see several of Florence’s art treasures. The Duomo, Cathedral of Florence, was started in 1386 and took 6 centuries to complete, only in 1965. Napoleon was crowned King of Italy in the Duomo in 1805. The front doors are massive and enormously high.

The Galleria dell’Accademia houses Michelangelo’s “David” statue. It was created from 1501 to 1504 and is 17 feet high, so three times human height. You enter through an entrance hall where many statues and marble heads are on display. Then you come around the corner and “David” stands before you - a truly stunning masterpiece.

The Uffizi Gallery displays Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” and da Vinci’s “Annunciation”. There are truly amazing works of art in Florence. It is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance and Forbes named it the most beautiful city in the world in 2010. It was politically, economically and culturally one of the most important cities in Europe and the world between 1300AD and 1500AD.

Our time was running out and we had to return home. Rinie really wanted to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa (1173), but there was no time. Today I regret not going there - we could have driven back at night.

Another time late in the afternoon we drove to Nice along the seashore, and then stopped to walk a bit on the beach. There is no sand, just small smooth pebbles. There were many that had stripes through it, and Rinie picked up a bagful for herself - it came with her to South Africa.

Christiaan then saw a lot of driftwood lying on the beach and gathered it in a pile. This he then set on fire. Luckily there were no other people on the beach, although there was a restaurant right across from us, so there were people who could see us. There was a wall at the top of the beach, maybe it blocked their view.

There was an aerosol can lying on the beach and Christiaan threw it into the fire. For safety we climbed onto the wall, so that our legs dangled. The can exploded and hit the wall right under our feet with a bang. It could have been something serious if that can had hit one of us. On December 16th we left for the last leg of our holiday, Spain.

WEEK 5: SPAIN – BEACHES AND THE MONA LISA

December 16 – 23, 2000 | Club Jardines Paraisol, Salou

We went to Salou via the A9 on December 16, 737km away, so another full day’s drive. We went via Cannes (France), Marseille, Perpignan, Girona (Spain), and Barcelona to Salou (26,000 inhabitants), where we checked into the large apartment block of Club Jardines Paraisol. Ours was a large apartment, well equipped with everything and self catering. The beaches were pretty deserted, because it was mid-December, their winter.

A tractor with a purpose-built trailer drove over the beaches, picked up the top layer of sand, sifted it and dumped it back on the beach. It shows how much effort they put into keeping their beaches spotless. The boys played and we explored the world. I developed some kind of pain and went to a pharmacy. I struggled to explain to the Spanish pharmacist what I was looking for - he eventually gave me something.

One day we drove to Barcelona (1.6 million people) to explore the city. I didn’t want to use the motorway, a lovely road (AP-7, 108km), because of the cost of the many toll gates, and used a secondary road, narrower but in very good condition. We were late and in a hurry, but the traffic was slow and because of the solid white line for kilometers, Christiaan couldn’t pass and we were stuck. Finally in Barcelona we went to see some of the historical sights.

Somewhere we sat inside a large building’s open courtyard for a coffee. There was a group playing music, and I wanted to film them with the video camera, but the leader indicated me not to. I stood up and filmed the inside of the building with the camera, with the intention of filming them as I turned around. Then one of them came towards me with an aluminum pole, I could see with the intention of hitting me. The next moment I saw Christiaan standing next to me. The guy with the pole was much smaller than Christiaan. He then just touched me with the pole and said something in Spanish, to which I told him in English that I was a tourist and just wanted to film the beautiful places in his country. He went back to his group’s table, and we walked out.

Later we walked past a big castle with a soldier in ceremonial uniform standing guard at the entrance. When I wanted to take a picture of the castle, he indicated that it wasn’t allowed. I got angry and told him in English that I was a tourist and I wanted to take a picture of the beautiful places. He then told me in Spanish that it wasn’t allowed, so we left there quite annoyed. The two incidents left a bitter taste in my mouth.

The next day I saw a color photo in a Spanish newspaper of a soldier in uniform lying on a tarmac road with a thick stream of blood flowing from him. Then I had more understanding for the soldier of yesterday, because Spain has a long-standing struggle with the Catalans’ struggle for independence.

There are beautiful statues everywhere in Barcelona, ​​especially a large one of a rider on a horse. You can see they are a proud nation.

We drove around the area around Salou and there are very nice residential areas, but we saw few people. Maybe many of the places are holiday resorts that will be very busy in the summer.

We left Salou on December 22, taking the A75 via Narbonne (France), Beziers, to Bourges, where we slept the night - a journey of 902km. Christiaan drove and I, as often during our tour, photographed the interesting cloud formations, because it was winter and we rarely saw the sun. In the courtyard of the hotel we saw a beautiful blood red Ferrari convertible.

The next morning, December 23, we took the A71 via Orleans to Paris (249km). We went up to the top level of the Eiffel Tower (1887-1889), from where we could get a beautiful view of Paris.

We also went to the Louvre, a hyper-modern glass pyramid, where many works of art can be seen, including the Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1503. It is behind reinforced glass, and many people stood in a queue to view it. Rinie was in the queue until she was standing right in front of the famous painting, completely enthralled. She then fell back into the queue again to see it a second time - she couldn't believe her eyes. As an art student, it was the pinnacle of paintings, and here she was standing in front of it, within arm's length of Leonardo's most famous painting.

There is, among others, the beautiful statue of Venus de Milo with her arms down, paintings from the Italian Renaissance, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Caryatids, The Raft of the Medusa, the Slaves, and Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss.

We walked that evening to the Arc de Triomphe, where 12 roads meet, a nightmare to drive. Under it there is an eternal flame that has been burning since 1923, to commemorate French soldiers who died during the First World War. We walked along the Seine River with its 37 bridges. There are many large old buildings, many in the same conservative architectural style.

We bought a nice big hot dog, covered in cheese, and something to drink for each one. We were very hungry by then. On the way back to our place to sleep we passed an artist who insisted on making charcoal sketches of Rinie, myself and the two boys.

Paris is an art city where we could spend a whole week, just to scratch the surface, and we would have liked to have had a timeshare week there, but we couldn’t get it. We found a place to sleep for the night in a narrow, tall old-fashioned building, on the fourth and fifth floors in two small rooms. The next morning, December 24, I was woken up at five o’clock by singing. When I looked out I saw it was a street cleaner sweeping the street.

We left Paris early, but then got lost, and stopped at a gas station to ask the owner for directions. He explained in French. I struggled to understand and drove on, only to see that after a while we were driving past the same gas station again, but we were too embarrassed to ask again. Eventually we managed ourselves and then got out on the A1 to Calais - we had to catch the Eurotunnel train at 16:00.

Somewhere along the way we stopped for fuel. The owner came out of his office, straight to the Peugeot, walked around the car and showed me that the rubber on the left rear tire was down to the tarpaulin. He said “Dangereuse, dangereuse!”. It was sent from heaven, that he had come specifically to us from his shop. Fortunately he had the right size tire, and we were on our way. At Calais we stood in the queues and took the train through the tunnel to Folkstone, where we arrived in the dark. We took the M20+M25 to Heathrow (149km).

There we unloaded Rinie and me's luggage in a parking garage and said goodbye to the boys. Christiaan dropped Marinus off at his place of residence, from where he would go to work as a security officer for the first time the next morning. Christiaan returned to Holbeach in the Peugeot. Rinie and I went into the large Heathrow, which was deserted, because it was Christmas Eve. Only one small café was still open, where we found something to eat and drink.

That night of December 24, we lay down on two benches and slept, I with my hand around Rinie’s ankle for safety. During the night I woke up to someone’s sobbing, looked up and there opposite us was a little woman sitting and crying. I got up and went to ask her why she was crying. She was sad because she could see how protective I was to Rinie.

She was Irish. Her name was Loraine Vockins, married to Gary, an Englishman. She loved to hang out with men and her husband didn’t like it, so he threw away her wedding ring. She was there on her way to Dublin, where her family lives. I later wrote her 2 letters from South Africa to see how she was doing. She wrote back, saying that she and Gary had made up and were now happy with their children in Trim in Ireland.

I think our SAA flight to Oliver Tambo in Johannesburg departed Heathrow late on 25 December. There were very few people on the plane, probably because it was Christmas and most people had already reached their destinations. My and Rinie’s seats were on the right side of the fuselage, where there were 3 seats.

Late at night I was again very tired and could not sleep again, because of the limited legroom. So I lay down on the floor in front of our three seats with my head towards the outside of the fuselage, with my legs pulled up. I don’t know how long I slept, then a flight attendant woke me up again and said that I was not allowed to lie on the floor, I had to sit on my seat. Of course, when I was sleeping, my legs relaxed and stretched straight, with my feet stuck out into the aisle. I should have just lain down with my legs to the fuselage, then they wouldn’t have noticed me.

The next morning, December 26, we had to transfer to OR Tambo for a flight to Cape Town International. Someone came to pick us up in our Mazda. It was the end of a wonderful 5-week holiday in Europe with our two sons. They both stayed behind for their Working Holiday.

EPILOGUE: A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES

It was five weeks of challenges, incredible architecture, and most of all, precious family time. From the floor of an airplane to the top of the Eiffel Tower – it was the journey of a lifetime. It was the end of a wonderful 5-week holiday. We returned to South Africa with full hearts and rich memories, while Christiaan and Marinus stayed behind for their own new chapter abroad.

Today, more than a quarter of a century later in 2026, we look at these words on paper, not just as a travelogue, but as a monument to a time that will never return. The world has changed a lot since then, and we with it. The two lively boys who threw stones on the ice, and made fires on the beach of Florence, have since found their own paths in life.

When we recall today the images of the Alpine mist, or the wonder on Rinie's face before the Mona Lisa, we remember not only the places, but the sense of freedom and togetherness that defined those five weeks. It reminds us that the best investment one can ever make is not in things, but in moments – moments that, like the eternal flame at the Arc de Triomphe, will burn forever in our hearts.

This was our journey. This was our time. And what a privilege it was to be able to do it together.