We have met lots of interesting people on our Gap Year. In a many ways it’s the people who make the trip great for us.  Among those people were Tom and Carolyn and their children Emily and Georgia from Canada. When we were parting company in Strasbourg I said to Tom “you will never know where we will meet again” not expecting to meet them for some time as we were headed for the Mighty Rhine and they were travelling with friends, on the Canal du Marne au Rhin to Nancy in France in rhe opposite direction.

Emily Tom Carolyn Georgia (l/r)

Last year Tom and family decided to take a year off and do a boat trip in the USA. Then Carolyn asked, why not Europe? So they bought a boat in Holland and started their travels.  They had only intended traveling for one year but had such a good experience they decided to do another year.

Carolyn and Nuala after getting their hair done

Nuala was getting her hair done in Strasbourg and Carolyn joined her, and proceeded to get her hair cut. A bit like what Nuala did in Paris.  So both have short hair styles now and both are delighted with them.

Adrian helping “Jason” into Worms Marina

Thus my amazement when sitting on our boat in the marina in Worms on the Rhine to see their boat “Jason” motor in. We helped then get settled in and Tom told us his story.  They had intended to go to Nancy on the Canal du Marne au Rhine but when they got to the first lock, they were told there was a problem as the lock was leaking water with a commercial barge stuck in it and navigation would be closed for the next week.

The family and their friends

Rather than disappoint their visitors who had come for a boat trip they decided to come onto the Rhine instead (they had no other real choice) and hence they had shown up in Worms. We had a pleasant drink on board their boat and got to meet their visitors.  I reminded Tom of what I had said in Strasbourg.  Tom tells me that he plans to visit Ireland next year and will come and visit us, but I bet we will meet them again before then- somewhere like Berlin!

You can follow their travels on their blog: http://www.islandersaweigh.blogspot.ca