Last night host Tessa had her "bloke " stay over so I did not feel as at ease as I had previously, seemed like a nice chap but they were talking well into the night, this should not be an issue, but with these "conversions" not quite as much privacy as one would like as you can hear everything. Also maybe I was a bit nervous about having to get to St Pancras for the Eurostar, anyway not a good night sleep.
Decided wth Tessa's help may as well get the tube to St Pancras & really very smooth & not an issue, plenty of time to get a coffee & croissant (getting in the mood) at the station. One thing I did not expect is that they do the security border checks at the station, also the French passport control is at the London end....who would have thought? In the end just a train trip.....with a very long tunnel in the middle....which I would have not allowed myself to think about too much if it wasn't for a kid behind asking, "are we under the water yet, are we under the water yet?"
Once at Gare du Nord remembered old metro tickets in my purse, so hopped on metro & with one change was in 17th arrondisement at 8 Rue Villebois Mareuil by 2pm. Then realised I did not have the floor number, but managed to rouse the conscierge who took me up. Now this is how I imagined a parisian apartment to be, very gracious, spacious, the host Carole is really very tres gentile, not sure how many of her kids are here. Got stuff settled then off to see the lay of the land, very close to Arc de Triomphe, walked there & then of course down Champs Elysees, heaving with people. Ended up at Place de la Madeleine & metro from there to Chatelet - right bank.
This took a while & by the time I got back was 6.30pm, so stopped for a cold drink on the corner of Avenue des Ternes & something else. It was good to stop & let the world go by & boy was it going by. In my innocence, once past Arc de Triomphe I imagined the pace slowed down, what a joke, it was frenetic, cars & people all other the place. I did enjoy the people watching however. I stopped at Monoprix for something for tea & headed home. Had a good chat with host Carole over tea. She is early 50s & a dental surgeon, 4 kids. She worked with her husband, another dentist & found out 2 years ago he had been having affairs with the patients!!!! Suffice to say she is now divorced, no longer works with him.... & is in a quandary aout how to move forward with her life. The building is a family building, I think she said that her grandparents built it in 1903, it is in the typical Parisian style, 6 floors, cream, black wrought iron balconies, she is on th 4th floor.
Friday, 31 August 2012
Thursday, 30 August 2012
Thursday 30th August 2012 London still
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| Part of the old London wall viewed from the Barbican walkway |
Once I emerged from the Barbican, I could see the the dome of St Pauls so walked in that direction, about 10 minutes. Against my better judgement stopped for a coffee at a chain very prevalent here (no, not Starbucks, have learnt that lesson, the coffee is shite) anyway the chain is Costa & the coffee was ok, but they serve is in these huge, thick, white cups - like drinking out of a chamber pot, not that I have done that, but I can imagine.
On from there I walked down Ludgate Hill & Fleet St & diverted off for Leicester Square, eventually found it (no mean feat) & purchased a matinee ticket for "Ghost the musical" 32 pounds (think 1990 film- Demi Moore & Patrick Swayze) recommended by L (not sure about T) with whom shared afternoon tea yesterday. Deal done, headed for the National Portrait Gallery & spent a good 2-3 hours there, it is like a history lesson , as it starts with the 1500s & moves up from there. I really enjoyed it. Just had time to grab some lunch before the matinee at 2.30.
Well the show, what can I say, I loved it, great fun & ended with a tear in the eye.....much like the film really. Full house & standing ovation. The male lead Mark Evans was excellent, the girl - not sure about her.
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| Ghost the musical at the Picadilly Theatre, just off Picadilly Circus |
After that, hopped on the tube to Knightsbridge, Harrods & did a bit of shopping, along with all the middle eastern shoppers, probably 7 to 3, I kid you not. Lucky they have a lot of oil currency with the prices in there, I could only afford the Harrods souvenirs (made in China- might as well buy them in Bali at 10th the price!)
Day done, back home to tangle with hair wash without a shower. Kneeling over the bath is de rigeur apparently & then to top it off, no powerpoint in the bathroom for the hair dryer, against the law in UK.
Host Tessa has her chap over for tea this evening, so quite happy to be fiddling with blog ....no more than 2 can fit in that kitchen anyway!
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Wednesday 29 August 2012 Claridges
Did not rush off this am, bit tired after big day yesterday. Negotiated the tube to Trafalgar Square heading for National Portrait Gallery. Trafalgar Square teeming with people as the Para olympic torch was coming past, so I only made it to the National Gallery, but 3 hours slipped by before I knew, I thought that I had seen 3 of the 4 Van Gogh sunflower paintings, but I can't have. I know I did see one in Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam & now this one, must be 2. Suffice to say I had a lovely time of it.
Before I knew it it was time to meet L & T for afternoon tea at Claridges....this had been arranged this morning... but it turns out that T had made the booking months ago, ( I was included at the last minute, aren't I lucky! ) as this event is so popular it is booked out months in advance. Very swish it is too, in the ladies loo the attendant goes in & flushes the loo when you come out....not sure what that is about... but it costs you a pound. The afternoon tea is a choice of with or without bubbly & then you choose your special scented tea, we all chose different ones, mine was Marco Polo which was divine.....and then they bring out the little sandwiches, all delicious & keep them coming and then the scones, with their special Claridges jam & clotted cream, oh the arteries. The scones were really special, an apple flavour...we had to have seconds of those also. By that time little cakes, but really to enjoy those to the fullest should not have overindulged earlier, so sad. I was really there as proxy for my friend S back in Adelaide so I gave it my best effort, you would have been proud!
Staggered/waddled back to the Oxford Circus tube, Victoria line, change at Kings Cross to Circle line to Barbican. Sounds like I know what I am doing, doesn't it?
Before I knew it it was time to meet L & T for afternoon tea at Claridges....this had been arranged this morning... but it turns out that T had made the booking months ago, ( I was included at the last minute, aren't I lucky! ) as this event is so popular it is booked out months in advance. Very swish it is too, in the ladies loo the attendant goes in & flushes the loo when you come out....not sure what that is about... but it costs you a pound. The afternoon tea is a choice of with or without bubbly & then you choose your special scented tea, we all chose different ones, mine was Marco Polo which was divine.....and then they bring out the little sandwiches, all delicious & keep them coming and then the scones, with their special Claridges jam & clotted cream, oh the arteries. The scones were really special, an apple flavour...we had to have seconds of those also. By that time little cakes, but really to enjoy those to the fullest should not have overindulged earlier, so sad. I was really there as proxy for my friend S back in Adelaide so I gave it my best effort, you would have been proud!
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| Ladies room entrance at Claridges |
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| L, T & I enjoying our afternoon tea |
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| Look at those sweet little cakes |
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| My humble abode in the Barbican for 4 days... T thinks 2 bedroom flat probably worth half a mill |
Staggered/waddled back to the Oxford Circus tube, Victoria line, change at Kings Cross to Circle line to Barbican. Sounds like I know what I am doing, doesn't it?
Tuesday 28th August 2012 Greenwich
Footsore & weary after big day at Greenwich. The B&B is on top floor- 5th - & the Barbican area is very convenient, 5 minutes to the tube on the circle line which goes to everything but, no B, just bed, so had to get some bread for toast & fruit, but would you believe it, no toaster, felt like I was in Italy! Had to make my toast under the griller! Just setting the scene, I'm not sure how old the building is but not much has happened internally since, I'd say. Infact the shower does not come from above, but is one of those ones where you have to sit in the bath & hold it, I kept looking for the hook to hold the nozzle, nothing. I am going to have to go the hairdresser & get hair washed, as I know from experience impossible task with this "shower" Anyway the bed is comfortable & the host Tess is a nice woman. She must lead a very cosmopolitan life as not much in the kitchen cupboards by way of crockery etc or food. It's all an experience.
Off early for my 11.30 booking for the Cutty Sark as not sure how long it would take to get there. Circle line tube from Barbican to Tower Hill, got right out at the Tower of London, & then around the corner to Tower Gateway for the Docklands Light Rail, on that one for a few stops & then off & onto the Lewisham line for Greenwich/Cutty Sark. Got there in plenty of time so visited the Old Royal Naval College - the painted Hall with painted ceiling bigger that the Sistine Chapel from 1707 & the Chapel, the whole complex was a Christpher Wren design. The Cutty Sark tour was interesting, such a sweet little boat, the sailors must have been short, judging by the length of the bunks! A good display of the history of the boat as a tea clipper & then wool from Australia & how it was rescued. After that back to the naval college chapel for recital, piano, young chap played for an hour or so, very dramatic, nothing I knew, one Liszt one was vaguely familiar.
I then walked up the hill to the Royal Observatory, this was a long walk due to the closing of access, due to Paraolympics still going on, but worth it, did a very good tour of history of the Chronometer & John Harrison many decade quest to create an accurate one, his attempts are there H1, 2 & 3 huge brass things & the final one a large pocket watch size, then he had to fight for another 10 or so years to get the 20,000 pound reward which had been promised. His son then led the life of the idle rich with the money as he had popped off by then!
The whole thing a good day out & was crawling with people.
Next stop was the National Maritime Museum, which had a lot on the old favourite Nelson & also a special exhibition on the Thames river & it's history re the Royals.
6 o'clock by then & took the Thames boat back, takes about 30-40 minutes, & worth it for different view. I got off at the Tower & walked around for a bit, really I was looking for the tube station, which proved elusive as was coming from a different angle.........finally got home, got some indian takeaway on the way. Host Tess not home, vegged out in front of the telly, 100 channels & nothing on, had to watch a bakeoff show, but once in bed did not need much rocking.
Off early for my 11.30 booking for the Cutty Sark as not sure how long it would take to get there. Circle line tube from Barbican to Tower Hill, got right out at the Tower of London, & then around the corner to Tower Gateway for the Docklands Light Rail, on that one for a few stops & then off & onto the Lewisham line for Greenwich/Cutty Sark. Got there in plenty of time so visited the Old Royal Naval College - the painted Hall with painted ceiling bigger that the Sistine Chapel from 1707 & the Chapel, the whole complex was a Christpher Wren design. The Cutty Sark tour was interesting, such a sweet little boat, the sailors must have been short, judging by the length of the bunks! A good display of the history of the boat as a tea clipper & then wool from Australia & how it was rescued. After that back to the naval college chapel for recital, piano, young chap played for an hour or so, very dramatic, nothing I knew, one Liszt one was vaguely familiar.
I then walked up the hill to the Royal Observatory, this was a long walk due to the closing of access, due to Paraolympics still going on, but worth it, did a very good tour of history of the Chronometer & John Harrison many decade quest to create an accurate one, his attempts are there H1, 2 & 3 huge brass things & the final one a large pocket watch size, then he had to fight for another 10 or so years to get the 20,000 pound reward which had been promised. His son then led the life of the idle rich with the money as he had popped off by then!
The whole thing a good day out & was crawling with people.
Next stop was the National Maritime Museum, which had a lot on the old favourite Nelson & also a special exhibition on the Thames river & it's history re the Royals.
6 o'clock by then & took the Thames boat back, takes about 30-40 minutes, & worth it for different view. I got off at the Tower & walked around for a bit, really I was looking for the tube station, which proved elusive as was coming from a different angle.........finally got home, got some indian takeaway on the way. Host Tess not home, vegged out in front of the telly, 100 channels & nothing on, had to watch a bakeoff show, but once in bed did not need much rocking.
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| One of John Harrisons first chronometers |
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| View from the Royal Observatory |
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| Part of the Royal Observatory |
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| The Cutty Sark |
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| "Beautiful" building development along the river |
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| Ditto |
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| The Prospect of Whitby, oldest pub on the river, from 1520 |
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| Love that gherkin building |
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| The big one's called the shard |
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| Obvious |
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| Good view of the Tower of London just out of the tube |
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| The Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich |
Monday, 27 August 2012
Monday 27th August 2012 to London
Not sure what is happening with the blog, but when I have been adding the photos which I was unable to on the boat trip, the dates are getting all higgedly-piggedly, not to worry , I shall cease & desist immediately.
Anyway today I arrived in London, the National Trust tour came to an end, the last property we visited was Biddulph Grange garden, an original garden created in the Victorian era, with different "rooms", or the garden was compartmentilised, an Italian garden, Egyption, Japanese etc, just beautiful, it was a horrible day, but the weather held off just long enough for us to get around the garden without too much trouble.
This last property was on the way home, as most were from Bath & points further south. I had arranged for the driver to drop me at the Bath train station to get the train to London. We left Lymm at 9.30am & arrived at Bath at 4pm, with the garden stop & one motorway services stop - this was an experience in itself. The services stop was "not very good" they said as it was an old one, but it had a Marks & Spencers (food only) a Costas (a coffee & food chain here) a Burger King, a newsagency chain & another food franchise - forgotten the name. The place was fairly hopping on a bank holiday Monday, just shows what can happen with a different market size. It made me wonder, doesn't anyone take a thermos & sandwiches anymore, obviously not.
It was nice seeing Bath again, very very pretty, so Georgian, Jane Austen, you can just about see her tripping along to the Assembly. No trouble getting ticket to London, 29 pounds, trains every 30 minutes. The train was crowded & trip 1.5 hours. When I got to Paddington, discretion being the better part of valour, took a taxi to the B&B in the Barbican, paid a bit extra as bank holiday, but was OK at 25 pounds...worth it!
Just a word on the tour, the people were very nice & inclusive. The thing about the english is that they are individuals, I enjoyed very much spending time with them & it was only a small group of 14. Let's put it this way, on the boat trip with a much larger sample of yanks, I was more comfortable with less of them, nuff said! I have the contact details of several, one of which Val is into family history for Somerset/ Dorset, where I have family from (few generations ago, of course) Another one Julie, from Wiltshire, we had great chats, just retired like moi!
B&B seems fine, host Tess a film-maker & lecturer & the flat on top floor of Peabody Building, she seems very nice, had a lot of information about the area & getting to any points of interest. I took a walk to the nearest Tescos , 5 minutes, to get something for tea.
Anyway today I arrived in London, the National Trust tour came to an end, the last property we visited was Biddulph Grange garden, an original garden created in the Victorian era, with different "rooms", or the garden was compartmentilised, an Italian garden, Egyption, Japanese etc, just beautiful, it was a horrible day, but the weather held off just long enough for us to get around the garden without too much trouble.
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| Biddulph Grange Garden |
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| The house at Biddulph Grange Garden, used to be a TB sanitorium |
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| The Japanese Garden |
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| Biddulph Grange Garden |
This last property was on the way home, as most were from Bath & points further south. I had arranged for the driver to drop me at the Bath train station to get the train to London. We left Lymm at 9.30am & arrived at Bath at 4pm, with the garden stop & one motorway services stop - this was an experience in itself. The services stop was "not very good" they said as it was an old one, but it had a Marks & Spencers (food only) a Costas (a coffee & food chain here) a Burger King, a newsagency chain & another food franchise - forgotten the name. The place was fairly hopping on a bank holiday Monday, just shows what can happen with a different market size. It made me wonder, doesn't anyone take a thermos & sandwiches anymore, obviously not.
It was nice seeing Bath again, very very pretty, so Georgian, Jane Austen, you can just about see her tripping along to the Assembly. No trouble getting ticket to London, 29 pounds, trains every 30 minutes. The train was crowded & trip 1.5 hours. When I got to Paddington, discretion being the better part of valour, took a taxi to the B&B in the Barbican, paid a bit extra as bank holiday, but was OK at 25 pounds...worth it!
Just a word on the tour, the people were very nice & inclusive. The thing about the english is that they are individuals, I enjoyed very much spending time with them & it was only a small group of 14. Let's put it this way, on the boat trip with a much larger sample of yanks, I was more comfortable with less of them, nuff said! I have the contact details of several, one of which Val is into family history for Somerset/ Dorset, where I have family from (few generations ago, of course) Another one Julie, from Wiltshire, we had great chats, just retired like moi!
B&B seems fine, host Tess a film-maker & lecturer & the flat on top floor of Peabody Building, she seems very nice, had a lot of information about the area & getting to any points of interest. I took a walk to the nearest Tescos , 5 minutes, to get something for tea.
Saturday 25 August 2012 Speke Hall & Quarry Bank Mill
After leisurely breakfast off to Speke Hall, a Tudor house built between 1530 & 1598. It has only had 2 families as owners in it's history, the Norres & then the Watt family. Something I didn't know was that in tudor times the wood was natural, it was the Victorians who painted the wooden beams & bits black. Sounds like a large extension of the house was financed by the slave trade, now there's a surprise! The house is full of heavily-carved dark wooden furniture, & of course dark wooden panelled walls. I reminded me of Carrick Hill, infact it could have been a house such as Speke Hall which was the source of the innards of Carrick Hill.
Lunch at the tearooms & then onto the next one which was completely different - Quarry Bank Mill - a restored Georgian mill from the industrial revolution, a 5 story red brick factory, really a showcase of working conditions in a big cotton mill. The complex was complete with an Apprentice house, for the child labour - probably orphaned children who came from the workhouse, the apprentices were not paid, just board & lodging.
Really good display of the combing, the spinning, the weaving, the powergeneration by giant waterwheel . The workers were doing 12-13 hour days 6 days a week, ... we don't know we're alive. The mill owner also had built workers cottages for his labour force.
Funny thing about both these properties was that they were right next to airports. Speke Hall was next to John Lennon Airport, Liverpool....yes they have named their airport after him... and Quarry Bank Mill next to Manchester Airport. (As we skirted Manchester Airport I had a flashback, yes only to yesterday & not a pleasant one, of negotiating the airport to get to the car rental return - 5th floor of the longstay carpark, it really is a miracle I got there!
What a luxury, just hop on the bus & be carted around, am loving it!!
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| Speke Hall |
Lunch at the tearooms & then onto the next one which was completely different - Quarry Bank Mill - a restored Georgian mill from the industrial revolution, a 5 story red brick factory, really a showcase of working conditions in a big cotton mill. The complex was complete with an Apprentice house, for the child labour - probably orphaned children who came from the workhouse, the apprentices were not paid, just board & lodging.
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| Georgian Cotton Mill - Quarry Bank |
Really good display of the combing, the spinning, the weaving, the powergeneration by giant waterwheel . The workers were doing 12-13 hour days 6 days a week, ... we don't know we're alive. The mill owner also had built workers cottages for his labour force.
Funny thing about both these properties was that they were right next to airports. Speke Hall was next to John Lennon Airport, Liverpool....yes they have named their airport after him... and Quarry Bank Mill next to Manchester Airport. (As we skirted Manchester Airport I had a flashback, yes only to yesterday & not a pleasant one, of negotiating the airport to get to the car rental return - 5th floor of the longstay carpark, it really is a miracle I got there!
What a luxury, just hop on the bus & be carted around, am loving it!!
Sunday, 26 August 2012
Thursday 9 August - Passau
Passau is at the junction of the Danube, Inn & Ilz rivers, originally settled by the celts, then the Romans. We took a walking tour with the local guide who pointed out the high water mark when the rivers have flooded, which sounded like not an uncommon occurence as the bottom floors of the houses were eventually left unused. The Cathedral of St Stephen is German baroque & it made a nice change, all white stucco cherubs & gilt. The stucco worker plus 13 little helpers took 17 years to complete all the decorations, started in 1677. I liked the chubby cherubs with their cheeky mischievous poses perched high on the walls. At midday there was an organ recitel, world's largest organ, the choice of music left me cold, but the noise certainly filled the cathedral. I kept waiting for the organist to launch into the Phantom of the Opera. When I looked around the people in the seat behind had their eyes shut in what looked like orgasmic pleasure...takes all kinds!
When we went through the Lochstein lock, there were 2 vessels in the lock at the same time & it was a neat fit. I watched the deck hand working hard attaching the rope to the pegs in wall of the lock to keep us close to our side as we descended the lock . This entailed judging when to slip the loop off the peg which was disappearing upwards & get over the next one down, quite a feat, hope he had remembered his deodorant
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| The most delicious monkfish wrapped in prosciutto |
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| A towel sculpture exhibiton by 2 of the waiting staff |
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| The Rhine meeting the Danube |
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| View from boat at Passau |
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| St Stephens Cathedral Passau |
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| The organ in St Stephens Cathedral Passau |
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| Me reclining in cafe in Passau where I ate cherry strudel, below |
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| Cherry strudel, delicious |
When we went through the Lochstein lock, there were 2 vessels in the lock at the same time & it was a neat fit. I watched the deck hand working hard attaching the rope to the pegs in wall of the lock to keep us close to our side as we descended the lock . This entailed judging when to slip the loop off the peg which was disappearing upwards & get over the next one down, quite a feat, hope he had remembered his deodorant
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| Chap keeing the boat close to the side as we went down in the lock |
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| Opening the lock |
Friday 24 August 2012 Lymm
Against all the odds, reasonable nights sleep, but wanted to get going earlyish to get rid of the car, back to Manchester Airport. Car delivered, thank god for the GPS, made reminder notes all over to take the suction cap & the cord of the GPS & not leave them in the car. In the end I had done 1300 miles approx, car had 43xx miles on it, & ended at 56xx, no wonder I'm exhausted. Big sigh of relief getting rid of the car, phew.
Taxi from Manchester Airport to Lymm was standard 34 GBP, about 12 miles, highway robbery. I arrived before the rest of the tour group, but the room was ready so could check in early. I went for a stroll down to the village & very sweet it is, on a canal with canal boats, with a couple of steets of village shops. I thought it was part of Warrington but not so. When I saw Warrington I am reminded of a B&B we stayed in in Clovelly in Cornwall in 2007, the people running it had moved down from Warrington, like chalk & cheese the 2 areas, this area up here must have a population density of 100 times Cornwall, at least that's how it seems, so much industry, the motorways all over the place etc.
By the time I got back the coach had arrived & we arranged for dinner at 8, as deal with the tour is halfboard at the hotel.
Dinner was nice, 3 courses, standard fare, (as I think anything will be after the food on the riverboat which was cordon bleu all the way) Other people on the tour are all local brits, mainly from the south, couple of them expressed incredulousness at my hearing about the National Trust tour......haven't they heard of the net?
Taxi from Manchester Airport to Lymm was standard 34 GBP, about 12 miles, highway robbery. I arrived before the rest of the tour group, but the room was ready so could check in early. I went for a stroll down to the village & very sweet it is, on a canal with canal boats, with a couple of steets of village shops. I thought it was part of Warrington but not so. When I saw Warrington I am reminded of a B&B we stayed in in Clovelly in Cornwall in 2007, the people running it had moved down from Warrington, like chalk & cheese the 2 areas, this area up here must have a population density of 100 times Cornwall, at least that's how it seems, so much industry, the motorways all over the place etc.
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| Canal boats in Lymm |
By the time I got back the coach had arrived & we arranged for dinner at 8, as deal with the tour is halfboard at the hotel.
Dinner was nice, 3 courses, standard fare, (as I think anything will be after the food on the riverboat which was cordon bleu all the way) Other people on the tour are all local brits, mainly from the south, couple of them expressed incredulousness at my hearing about the National Trust tour......haven't they heard of the net?
Friday, 24 August 2012
Koblenz
Friday 3 August 2012
The boat is going through a lock while I am sitting up in bed -did I mention the bed, like sleeping on a cloud, pure down pillows & doona, 1000 count egyption cotton, Molton Brown toiletries laid on in the bathroom, shall I go on? - on Sat morning, have been up to get cup of tea (no room service on Emerald deck, or Ruby, just the top one) Having a lie in as brunch is at 10 today. This is the first lock I have noticed, although there are 88 to Budapest. I think they are happening overnight, as I was aware of this change in engine speed, slowing & shuddering etc while I have been tossing, although last night quite good sleep after German version of irish coffee. Coffee, schnapps on top & then lit & whipped cream, I could only drink half!
Anyway back to start of day, arrived 7.30 in Koblenz, on the joining of the Rhine & Main rivers. We had a choice of a walking tour of old Koblenz or tour to Castle Marksburg. I chose the walking tour as I have gg grandparents who were born & married here before migrating to Australia in 1850's. I explained this to the guide & asked if she could point out possible churches which were around in those days. Sadly disappointed however, either she did not know or did not care, and when we got to the 3 possibilities, she added zilch to her usual commentary. Tour just ok, both S & I wished we had gone to the castle tour!
Back on board for sailing on & rest of day spent sailing through the Middle Rhine valley, castles perched on the hills to the left & right, also passed the Lorelei. This part has been the most scenic so far and of course the the hills are terraced (by the Romans apparently) & planted with reisling grapes on impossibly steep slopes, obviously getting enought for their grapes to justify getting everything done by hand, as no machinery would be able to go up that slope.
Lunch on board the usual gastronomic feast, large buffet spread as usual, but I started with the chef's entree selection of Slice of Veal Liver - grilled to perfection with sauteed onions, caramelised apple, creamy leek & mashed potato - their description, not mine, but they did not lie, wonderful! Main was pan fried turkey breast dipped in egg & cheese, served with bordeaux wine-basil risotto, tomato coulis & grilled vegetables. Wine was local reisling, of course, S even had half a local beer! After all that, S retired for a kip & I sat in the front of the lounge enjoying the view for the afternoon. Later on I even ventured into the gym & spent 20 minutes on the walking machine, starting to worry, don't want to have to buy new clothes(next size up) Distraught to see after 20 minutes only used 80 calories!
At 5pm we stopped in Rudesheim, a tourist trap, like German village theme park, but very cute. We took a mini train around the town, ending at Siegfried's Musikkabinet - a private collection of mechanical musical makers & boxes - really stunning collection, & guide turned them on & he was right, only one volume, full bore. They were housed in a 14th century house which had belonged to 4 knights, had a taller halftimbered part & the floor in one part was tiles salvaged from a 12th C building, they were in perfect condition, the size of cobblestones, but glazed with earthy green & brown. Wouldn't it be good if they could make tiles (or anything) now that lasted 8 centuries.
Our surprise for this excursion was a "bucket ride" over the vineyards from the town to the top of the hill. This was certainly a big surprise as could not understand Anna's Austrian accent, Anna being one of the boats tour directors, a lovely girl. Also never heard of ski lift referred to as bucket!
Wandered through the shops, wasn't tempted, due to "Made in China" sticker on most, that's the items which were marked, would have to assume not marked items made in the same place!
Tea in Rudesheimer Schloss, usual fare, pork schnitzel etc, nice evening, met Mike, Yank who was retired from Wall Street & his wife Barbara, who had a very marked NY accent, (think The Nanny) Mike's nephew had been killed in twin towers Sep11. The yanks are funny, this chap who was not an Obama fan as he is in the 1% who the President wants to tax more, just came out with that his property tax (council rates) was $20,000 & Income tax $250,000 !!!! PS we hadn't asked.
The boat is going through a lock while I am sitting up in bed -did I mention the bed, like sleeping on a cloud, pure down pillows & doona, 1000 count egyption cotton, Molton Brown toiletries laid on in the bathroom, shall I go on? - on Sat morning, have been up to get cup of tea (no room service on Emerald deck, or Ruby, just the top one) Having a lie in as brunch is at 10 today. This is the first lock I have noticed, although there are 88 to Budapest. I think they are happening overnight, as I was aware of this change in engine speed, slowing & shuddering etc while I have been tossing, although last night quite good sleep after German version of irish coffee. Coffee, schnapps on top & then lit & whipped cream, I could only drink half!
Anyway back to start of day, arrived 7.30 in Koblenz, on the joining of the Rhine & Main rivers. We had a choice of a walking tour of old Koblenz or tour to Castle Marksburg. I chose the walking tour as I have gg grandparents who were born & married here before migrating to Australia in 1850's. I explained this to the guide & asked if she could point out possible churches which were around in those days. Sadly disappointed however, either she did not know or did not care, and when we got to the 3 possibilities, she added zilch to her usual commentary. Tour just ok, both S & I wished we had gone to the castle tour!
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| Koblenz, the birthplace of my GG Grandparents |
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| Statue of Emperor Wilhelm I looking over the Rhine & Mosel Rivers joining, Koblenz |
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| Nice old house, Koblenz, probably not original, as Koblenz flattened in war |
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| Koblenz, you can't have enough dormer windows |
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| Main Square in Koblenz |
Back on board for sailing on & rest of day spent sailing through the Middle Rhine valley, castles perched on the hills to the left & right, also passed the Lorelei. This part has been the most scenic so far and of course the the hills are terraced (by the Romans apparently) & planted with reisling grapes on impossibly steep slopes, obviously getting enought for their grapes to justify getting everything done by hand, as no machinery would be able to go up that slope.
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| View from Koblenz side of Rhine |
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| Cruising the Rhine Valley |
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| Terraced vineyards along the Rhine Valley. |
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| Another castle |
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| Should have seen the Loreley here but did not |
Lunch on board the usual gastronomic feast, large buffet spread as usual, but I started with the chef's entree selection of Slice of Veal Liver - grilled to perfection with sauteed onions, caramelised apple, creamy leek & mashed potato - their description, not mine, but they did not lie, wonderful! Main was pan fried turkey breast dipped in egg & cheese, served with bordeaux wine-basil risotto, tomato coulis & grilled vegetables. Wine was local reisling, of course, S even had half a local beer! After all that, S retired for a kip & I sat in the front of the lounge enjoying the view for the afternoon. Later on I even ventured into the gym & spent 20 minutes on the walking machine, starting to worry, don't want to have to buy new clothes(next size up) Distraught to see after 20 minutes only used 80 calories!
At 5pm we stopped in Rudesheim, a tourist trap, like German village theme park, but very cute. We took a mini train around the town, ending at Siegfried's Musikkabinet - a private collection of mechanical musical makers & boxes - really stunning collection, & guide turned them on & he was right, only one volume, full bore. They were housed in a 14th century house which had belonged to 4 knights, had a taller halftimbered part & the floor in one part was tiles salvaged from a 12th C building, they were in perfect condition, the size of cobblestones, but glazed with earthy green & brown. Wouldn't it be good if they could make tiles (or anything) now that lasted 8 centuries.
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| View over vineyards to Rudesheim from the bucket |
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| Also from the bucket |
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| Most beautiful music box in Siegfried's Musikkabinet |
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| Frescoes on ceiling of Siegfried's Musikkabinet 12 C |
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| All the band played in this one |
Our surprise for this excursion was a "bucket ride" over the vineyards from the town to the top of the hill. This was certainly a big surprise as could not understand Anna's Austrian accent, Anna being one of the boats tour directors, a lovely girl. Also never heard of ski lift referred to as bucket!
Wandered through the shops, wasn't tempted, due to "Made in China" sticker on most, that's the items which were marked, would have to assume not marked items made in the same place!
Tea in Rudesheimer Schloss, usual fare, pork schnitzel etc, nice evening, met Mike, Yank who was retired from Wall Street & his wife Barbara, who had a very marked NY accent, (think The Nanny) Mike's nephew had been killed in twin towers Sep11. The yanks are funny, this chap who was not an Obama fan as he is in the 1% who the President wants to tax more, just came out with that his property tax (council rates) was $20,000 & Income tax $250,000 !!!! PS we hadn't asked.
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