My 1990s

The 80s was a busy decade and saw me going from a single journey away from the UK (to Brittany in 1978) to four wonderful trips to Greek Islands, the first being Rhodes in 1985. The second of these (Crete, May ’86) included an off-the-cuff proposed and a mere 6-months later, I married my wonderful hubby, Bri, and we honeymooned in Corfu. A year later saw our second trip to Crete, and we came back with our first addition to the family, a beautiful, bouncing son whose arrival in July meant we didn’t get away during 1988. After a short week in Yorkshire a year later, our daughter burst into the world on November 30th 1989, with merely a month to go before the new decade. 

1990 – Returning to work after maternity leave was harder this time, but I found a childminder who was a national treasure (Auntie Anne) and she brought up our first two way better than I could ever hope to. May/June Tremorel, Brittany (a gite most memorable for the full-sized pool table which dwarfed Chris) + Limousin in the Massif-Central - land-locked, lake-district with oppressive humidity.
September Dunoon, Scotland

1991 – Ambitious or what? A 3-week, 3-centre holiday took us back to Tremorel (Brittany), Biarritz (Pyrenees) & Loire.
Then in October, back to the Loire.

1992 – La Grange, Royan with a small pool heated by solar panels - way ahead of its time. Then in September, back to the Loire (again - we loved that river and its environs!)

1993 – 16th May our second daughter gave up the week-long struggle and finally emerged into the light - a massive 9lb 9oz and on the 90th percentile for height. She was only 3.5 months old when we took a 2 week holiday (Lorgues, Var) which ended up in Eurodisney, where Chris blended with the cowboys, Jo got a beautiful Belle ballgown and Tigger made a big fuss of Stephie.

1994 – Flayosc, Var (pool) + Disneyland, Paris

Steph took her first steps amid the vine-covered courtyard where we shared many a happy candle-lit barbeque. And Brian made the second of his daily pan-run journeys into town, accompanied by Garth Brooks' "Sail My Vessel." Wonderful stuff. More fond memories of Jo singing "Little Town," "A Whole New World" and her signature tune "Part of Your World." Most of which we have on DVDs which I torture her with on a regular basis. 

1995 – Flayosc, Var (pool) + Disneyland, Paris. Yep, a total repeat of the previous year's holiday. Except this time the fridge in the room had been switched off and turned around. Also, some rotten thief stole the camcorder (and Steph's nappy bag including my purse) on the second day so we have no video footage. Plenty of pix, though.

1996 - Moraira (with views of Calpe), Spain
Our first taste of the Costa Blanca, this beautiful market town is almost midway between Valencia (to the North) and Alicante (South) . First time we went, the place was very much an upmarket resort-in-the-making, including a spit-and-sawdust funfair. We were absolutely smitten with the Crazy Frog - the funkiest  ride ever which went forwards, backwards, spun, undulated and even hopped. Not for the weak-stomached. 

1997 - (Vidiago) Llanes, N.Spain
The coast of North Spain is nothing like as crowded and Brit-centric as the Eastern coast - chalk and cheese spring to mind. It's way closer to Brittany, with a similar climate, lush green vegetation and glorious beaches. We discovered the Beach of Caves (Playa Cuevas del Mar), and it drew us back to the area several times.

1998 - Marans, La Rochelle (pool) + Disneyland

A wonderful holiday, the highlights of which included Bri reprising his Indiana Jones role piloting a punt and a motor boat through Green Venice. The glossy sheen had definitely worn off Disneyland, with everything a tad care-worn, cheaper and less generous than the previous two visits. The fridge had disappeared completely from the room in the cowboy hotel, portion sizes seemed smaller and worst of all, they were no longer showing the Beauty and the Beast show in the main theatre (Videopolis) in Fantasyland.

1999 - Camango, N.Spain + Moraira (Norte Mer), Spain
Another ambitious one with a week exploring the mountains and after a two-day drive via Madrid, a week in the sun, including a trip to nearby Benidorm for a ride on a submarine.