Hello to all
Today will be our last blog. We had a relatively early start as we went to Windsor Castle today. It is a four train journey to go Windsor but very efficient indeed. Lovely day not too hot as it has been very warm this week. Very pretty little town Windsor and we visited all the different parts of the Castle, first of all St George's Chapel, 1504 yet anor amazing place, lot of cleaning and resotration work happening, extremely interesting original Bibles and early translations, too amazing really. We then headed off to the Queen's Apartments, outstanding as well. That we can just go in and see what is there I think we are very fortunate indeed. It is a very well oiled machine the Royal Industry, I am sure the polulation of Japan was only 15 today because everyone else was at Windsor. All very orderly and you can take as much time as you wish. We then had some lunch at a lovely pub facing the Castle and made our way home on our four trains. I do not think even a seasoned Londoner could have made the journey from Windsor to Euston (where our hotel is) in such efficient time. We have had a rest, my tooth is feeling much better today so I am relieved just keep the antibiotics up until I get home. We are about to head out and have some dinner, tomorrow we will get organised to come home, go the laundromat, it is way easier to pack clean. If we are up to it we will perhaps go into town again. Anyway to all our readers, hope it has not been too boring it has been fun to do really and a very good diary of our journey, so it is goodbye from him(Sam) and goodbye from her (Sabine) All the best and look forward to seeing everyone on our return Love Sam and Sabine XXXX
Saturday, 6 August 2011
Friday, 5 August 2011
Friday 5th August,2011
Hello to all
Early start this morning. I have had a bit of a problem with a tooth the last few days (I had a temporary filling done the day before we left, it has literally just caused a problem that day) and this morning I know I could not wait until our return, spoke to the reception staff at the hotel who were very helpful,made a few phone calls and we finally found a dentist literally along the road from the hotel and they had had a cancellation so went straight down, he was a lovely chap,very kind and a very good dentist so put in anor temporary filling for me, along with antibiotics etc to get me home, how very fortunate I was to find someone to do it for me. Came back had a bit of a lie down and we set off about midday to go to Trafalgar Square, headed into the National Gallery and were given a flyer for an orchesteral concert at St Martin's in the Field Church nearby, so we bought some tickets for 7.30 this evening. We then headed off to see the National Portrait Gallery, a very good exhibition called Glamour of the Gods: Hollywood Portraits, extremely good. After this we headed toward to No 10 Downing Street, we thought we might go home and come back later for the concert but decided to get something to eat and go and sit in the grounds of Westminister Abbey and then we wandered up to the concert had a coffee in the Crypt Cafe and attended the concert at 7.30. Quite a beautiful event, amazing orchestra, very talented people and the church was only lit by candelabra and other candles, one would have thought one was in heaven, very very beautiful, one to remember. We then headed home by train only took 20 mins from centre of London to our hotel. We are hoping to go to Windsor Castle tomorrow and then get ready to head off on Monday. Hard to believe we only have 2 days left, has been amazing, we have done so much not wasted a second so we think we have been very fortunate indeed. I did forget we also went to see Household Cavalry Museum, so many things to see you could be here for 12 months. Sam is very much looking forward to coming home. Sam and Sabine (I am quite going to miss being Sabine)
Early start this morning. I have had a bit of a problem with a tooth the last few days (I had a temporary filling done the day before we left, it has literally just caused a problem that day) and this morning I know I could not wait until our return, spoke to the reception staff at the hotel who were very helpful,made a few phone calls and we finally found a dentist literally along the road from the hotel and they had had a cancellation so went straight down, he was a lovely chap,very kind and a very good dentist so put in anor temporary filling for me, along with antibiotics etc to get me home, how very fortunate I was to find someone to do it for me. Came back had a bit of a lie down and we set off about midday to go to Trafalgar Square, headed into the National Gallery and were given a flyer for an orchesteral concert at St Martin's in the Field Church nearby, so we bought some tickets for 7.30 this evening. We then headed off to see the National Portrait Gallery, a very good exhibition called Glamour of the Gods: Hollywood Portraits, extremely good. After this we headed toward to No 10 Downing Street, we thought we might go home and come back later for the concert but decided to get something to eat and go and sit in the grounds of Westminister Abbey and then we wandered up to the concert had a coffee in the Crypt Cafe and attended the concert at 7.30. Quite a beautiful event, amazing orchestra, very talented people and the church was only lit by candelabra and other candles, one would have thought one was in heaven, very very beautiful, one to remember. We then headed home by train only took 20 mins from centre of London to our hotel. We are hoping to go to Windsor Castle tomorrow and then get ready to head off on Monday. Hard to believe we only have 2 days left, has been amazing, we have done so much not wasted a second so we think we have been very fortunate indeed. I did forget we also went to see Household Cavalry Museum, so many things to see you could be here for 12 months. Sam is very much looking forward to coming home. Sam and Sabine (I am quite going to miss being Sabine)
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Thursday 4th August 2011
Hello to all
We started our day today with two train journeys to get us to see The Royal Mews, it was very wet, but we ended up at our destination in not too bad condition. We were very fortunate yet again just in time for a guided tour of The Mews. What they keep at The Mews are all Royal Carriages and the horses that are used from day to day. The Mews had an extremely interestng beginning,it was originally paddocks, the King and Queen of the time lived at St James' Palace and they built it as the stables, go forward many Kings, Queens etc. Buckingham House had been bought by a previous King but when Queen Victoria came to the throne she moved in very quickly, she finished improvements to convert it into a Palace, built all the State rooms etc, she had all this work done within 5 months. What she did was, the stables were just the stables but she said it was too difficult for the people who worked at the stables to have to be there each day by 6.00am so what she did was build anor storey on top of the stables which were apartments for the workers and their families. Today 130 people still live there, these are the families of the people who work there. We got the entire stories of all the coaches and why they were built etc. the Queens' favourite coach and the one she uses most is the coach Australia gave her in 1988 (our bi-centennial) this is a very comfortable coach, airconditioned, with hydraulic suspension etc. all very facinating. We were then taken to see where the horses used to be stabled, there is a name on each of the boxes and these are Her Majestey's horses. She has mostly Cleveland Bays, she actually rescued these from extinction, there were only 4 stallions left and she put in a program to breed them and now there are 100 stallions. When she is taken out in a carriage, only Windsor Greys are used. Because there are not occasions each day which require horse driven carriages, the Bays are used to take the mail coaches between the various palaces and this gives them the all important practice they need to have in public and on the roads etc. All the horses were on holidays today they all go for six weeks to frolic in a paddock and our guide said when they come back he can not do a thing with them. However we did see Daniel (a gray) the Queen's favourite and Mary Tudor who is 20 and she actually had a foal last year when she was 19, very beautiful she is too and then there was Flint and hamdsome he was too. At Christmas, all her horses are brought to the stables for her to wish each and every one of them a Merry Christmas and give each one a treat. What she also does is has a beautiful Christmas event for all of the children who live at the apartments, she organises Queen Victoria's sleigh to be brought into the centre of the stables where there is a Christmas Tree and all the trimmings and every child receives a gift. She really does sound like such a lovely lady.
We were going to see Buckingham Palace but there were no tickets left for today and the line with tickets was already one mile long. We decided to go and see Apsley House in Hyde Park, this was the Duke of Wellington's home, it was given to the public by the 7th Duke of Wellington in 1947 there had to be an act of Parliament passed to hand this over, the 8th Duke and his family still live there, it was very beautiful, some of the most amazing things, paintings etc. I could go on and on but I am runing out of time.
After this we did a quick visit to Harrods then on to The Imperial War Museum, an amazing place. The Holocaust Exhibition there was very comprehensive and a life changing experience, the best we had ever seen. Then we headed home, both completely exhausted. Sam said he could have said all this in six lines. Sam and Sabine
We started our day today with two train journeys to get us to see The Royal Mews, it was very wet, but we ended up at our destination in not too bad condition. We were very fortunate yet again just in time for a guided tour of The Mews. What they keep at The Mews are all Royal Carriages and the horses that are used from day to day. The Mews had an extremely interestng beginning,it was originally paddocks, the King and Queen of the time lived at St James' Palace and they built it as the stables, go forward many Kings, Queens etc. Buckingham House had been bought by a previous King but when Queen Victoria came to the throne she moved in very quickly, she finished improvements to convert it into a Palace, built all the State rooms etc, she had all this work done within 5 months. What she did was, the stables were just the stables but she said it was too difficult for the people who worked at the stables to have to be there each day by 6.00am so what she did was build anor storey on top of the stables which were apartments for the workers and their families. Today 130 people still live there, these are the families of the people who work there. We got the entire stories of all the coaches and why they were built etc. the Queens' favourite coach and the one she uses most is the coach Australia gave her in 1988 (our bi-centennial) this is a very comfortable coach, airconditioned, with hydraulic suspension etc. all very facinating. We were then taken to see where the horses used to be stabled, there is a name on each of the boxes and these are Her Majestey's horses. She has mostly Cleveland Bays, she actually rescued these from extinction, there were only 4 stallions left and she put in a program to breed them and now there are 100 stallions. When she is taken out in a carriage, only Windsor Greys are used. Because there are not occasions each day which require horse driven carriages, the Bays are used to take the mail coaches between the various palaces and this gives them the all important practice they need to have in public and on the roads etc. All the horses were on holidays today they all go for six weeks to frolic in a paddock and our guide said when they come back he can not do a thing with them. However we did see Daniel (a gray) the Queen's favourite and Mary Tudor who is 20 and she actually had a foal last year when she was 19, very beautiful she is too and then there was Flint and hamdsome he was too. At Christmas, all her horses are brought to the stables for her to wish each and every one of them a Merry Christmas and give each one a treat. What she also does is has a beautiful Christmas event for all of the children who live at the apartments, she organises Queen Victoria's sleigh to be brought into the centre of the stables where there is a Christmas Tree and all the trimmings and every child receives a gift. She really does sound like such a lovely lady.
We were going to see Buckingham Palace but there were no tickets left for today and the line with tickets was already one mile long. We decided to go and see Apsley House in Hyde Park, this was the Duke of Wellington's home, it was given to the public by the 7th Duke of Wellington in 1947 there had to be an act of Parliament passed to hand this over, the 8th Duke and his family still live there, it was very beautiful, some of the most amazing things, paintings etc. I could go on and on but I am runing out of time.
After this we did a quick visit to Harrods then on to The Imperial War Museum, an amazing place. The Holocaust Exhibition there was very comprehensive and a life changing experience, the best we had ever seen. Then we headed home, both completely exhausted. Sam said he could have said all this in six lines. Sam and Sabine
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Wednesday 3rd August 2011
HELLO TO ALL
Just think as of next week no one will have to read this anymore.
We had brekky and set off this mornig to start our day at St Paul's Cathedral, beyond beautiful, I know I say this about them all but this was just perfect, designed by Christopher Wren, who designed most of the churches in London after the great fire, but it is almost too beautiful. When it was built they did not embelish it but he had done all the plans for its embelishment and even though it was 300 years later,in the 19th century it was embelished and the altar he designed were all done, if you do not see anything else in London you need to see St Pauls, it only took 35 years to build. A banker named Fleming paid restoration work back 100 years or so ago and his descendants have just paid for the cleaning of the stone at a cost of eleven million inside and Paul Getty paid for the cleaning of the front at cost of six million, he passed away before it was done but his widow was at the opening of the newly cleaned building and she said he would have been very delighted. These people have an enormous amount of money but it was not for them and their generosity none of these amazing places would survive. Our guide was a very passionate fellow in his 70s gave us a fabulous guided tour, we missed out on nothing.
We had a coffee and cake in the cafe in the cathedral and then headed off to see the newly constructed Globe Theatre. They have done an amazing job and it is an authentic Elizabethan rebuild, we actually saw a rehearsal in progress and got to be part of the audience, Sam really enjoyed this, probably because it was not in an Abbey/Cathedral/Church I guess. You are very exhausted after these days, so we caught the train home, I do think London is so much nicer than Paris, the women dress so much better and they are way prettier too. There is just something about the place, you know how you get a feeling for a place. We have a lot planned for tomorrow so I will sign off Sam and Sabine
Just think as of next week no one will have to read this anymore.
We had brekky and set off this mornig to start our day at St Paul's Cathedral, beyond beautiful, I know I say this about them all but this was just perfect, designed by Christopher Wren, who designed most of the churches in London after the great fire, but it is almost too beautiful. When it was built they did not embelish it but he had done all the plans for its embelishment and even though it was 300 years later,in the 19th century it was embelished and the altar he designed were all done, if you do not see anything else in London you need to see St Pauls, it only took 35 years to build. A banker named Fleming paid restoration work back 100 years or so ago and his descendants have just paid for the cleaning of the stone at a cost of eleven million inside and Paul Getty paid for the cleaning of the front at cost of six million, he passed away before it was done but his widow was at the opening of the newly cleaned building and she said he would have been very delighted. These people have an enormous amount of money but it was not for them and their generosity none of these amazing places would survive. Our guide was a very passionate fellow in his 70s gave us a fabulous guided tour, we missed out on nothing.
We had a coffee and cake in the cafe in the cathedral and then headed off to see the newly constructed Globe Theatre. They have done an amazing job and it is an authentic Elizabethan rebuild, we actually saw a rehearsal in progress and got to be part of the audience, Sam really enjoyed this, probably because it was not in an Abbey/Cathedral/Church I guess. You are very exhausted after these days, so we caught the train home, I do think London is so much nicer than Paris, the women dress so much better and they are way prettier too. There is just something about the place, you know how you get a feeling for a place. We have a lot planned for tomorrow so I will sign off Sam and Sabine
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Tuesday, 2nd August 2011
Hello to all
I cannot believe we will be home next Tuesday evening. We are just going to miss the Census.
We started out early today. Had brekky and caught the train to the Tower of London, we were just in time for a guided tour which was very informative. We then continued on the tour on our own, we were fortunate we were early so our tour of the Crown Jewels was very leisurely as there were not many people waiting to see them when we went thru, they are magnificent really. When we came out it was a whole other story the lines were extremely long. We then did other parts of the Tower all very facinating.
After this we headed to see All Hallows Church the oldest church in the City of London, the Saxon Abbey of Barking founded the church in 675AD and an arch from the original church still remains. Beneath the arch is a Roman pavement discovered in 1926 evidence of city life on the site for the best part of two thousand years. It was severely bombed in 1940 but they soldiered on and rebuilt. They found amazing relics from the past when the bombing occurred.
After this we headed off to do a tour of Westminister Abbey, also incredible, very busy and many hours, we then headed home for a five minute rest and went down the street for some dinner. Another big day tomorrow. All the best Sam and Sabine
I cannot believe we will be home next Tuesday evening. We are just going to miss the Census.
We started out early today. Had brekky and caught the train to the Tower of London, we were just in time for a guided tour which was very informative. We then continued on the tour on our own, we were fortunate we were early so our tour of the Crown Jewels was very leisurely as there were not many people waiting to see them when we went thru, they are magnificent really. When we came out it was a whole other story the lines were extremely long. We then did other parts of the Tower all very facinating.
After this we headed to see All Hallows Church the oldest church in the City of London, the Saxon Abbey of Barking founded the church in 675AD and an arch from the original church still remains. Beneath the arch is a Roman pavement discovered in 1926 evidence of city life on the site for the best part of two thousand years. It was severely bombed in 1940 but they soldiered on and rebuilt. They found amazing relics from the past when the bombing occurred.
After this we headed off to do a tour of Westminister Abbey, also incredible, very busy and many hours, we then headed home for a five minute rest and went down the street for some dinner. Another big day tomorrow. All the best Sam and Sabine
Monday, 1 August 2011
Monday 1 August - London
Hello everyone
First day in London. Set off around 10am after a bit of a sleep in, our hotel is less than 100 metres from Euston Underground where we bought 7 day travelcards for our travel round London. We then headed towards Westminster where we caught a river cruise down river all the way to Greenwich. There we hopped off and went to see the National Maritime Museum, on the way we were near the Royal Observatory at Greenwich just in time to see the big red ball drop on the stroke of one pm which is actually 12 noon Greenwich Mean Time.
The Maritime Museum was very interesting and full of instruments and artefacts and lots of other stuff. We then went for a guided tour of the Queen's House, the beautiful royal palace built for Charles I's queen, Henrietta Maria, between 1616 and 1638 as England's first truly classical building.
We then returned to the quay and caught the river cruise back to Westminster. We went to look at the outside of Westminster Abbey, we will go in later in the week, then walked along the edge of St James' Park until we reached Buckingham Palace but Lizzie was probably a bit busy as we did not see her. We walked back to St James' Park tube station, there was a pub beside the station where we had a nice meal and drink, and we were back at our hotel just after 8pm, a bit weary. The weather was quite warm, around 28 degrees, and it promises to be warmer tomorrow.
Cheers Sabine and Sam.
First day in London. Set off around 10am after a bit of a sleep in, our hotel is less than 100 metres from Euston Underground where we bought 7 day travelcards for our travel round London. We then headed towards Westminster where we caught a river cruise down river all the way to Greenwich. There we hopped off and went to see the National Maritime Museum, on the way we were near the Royal Observatory at Greenwich just in time to see the big red ball drop on the stroke of one pm which is actually 12 noon Greenwich Mean Time.
The Maritime Museum was very interesting and full of instruments and artefacts and lots of other stuff. We then went for a guided tour of the Queen's House, the beautiful royal palace built for Charles I's queen, Henrietta Maria, between 1616 and 1638 as England's first truly classical building.
We then returned to the quay and caught the river cruise back to Westminster. We went to look at the outside of Westminster Abbey, we will go in later in the week, then walked along the edge of St James' Park until we reached Buckingham Palace but Lizzie was probably a bit busy as we did not see her. We walked back to St James' Park tube station, there was a pub beside the station where we had a nice meal and drink, and we were back at our hotel just after 8pm, a bit weary. The weather was quite warm, around 28 degrees, and it promises to be warmer tomorrow.
Cheers Sabine and Sam.
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Friday 29th July to Sunday 31st July
Hello to all
We set off this morning from Newquay a place we would not have seen but our B&B gave away our room and we had to find somewhere on short notice, a very busy place indeed, school hoilidays etc. Lovely coastline looks like it was probablay built around the 20s perhaps, a holiday place for everyone. We headed east towards our next destination of Southhampton, we stopped in a town called Salisbury very busy little town, these towns are so interesting I would like to spend much more time in all of these little places. We parked, quite a feat to find somewhere really, then we headed off to Salisbury Cathedral. What a setting, unbelievable to say the least. It has had an enormous amount of money spent on it in the last 20 or so years and is due for completion (restoration that is) in 2015. The Cathedral was bugun in 1220 and unlike most English Cathedrals was completed without a break to its original design. It has the tallest spire in all of England and the second highest in all of Europe. It has an original clock which of course has no hands but strikes the hour. There is also the Magna Carter Chapter all just amazing one could spend full days in all of these places. It has one of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carter, you know you remember so well learning about these amazing things in history then to see them, it is beyond what you can ever imagine. Our parking time was running out so we had to move on, still quite a way to Southhmapton.
We left Southhampton to continue eastward towards Ashford, we called in to see Brighton found a parking space very easily and walked along the promenade and then the pier then continued on to Hastings another lovely seaside town, very busy and then on to see the white cliffs of Dover and then on to Ashford (quite a task to find our hotel but we did) there was a wedding at the hotel so we went across to the hotel and had some dinner and just collapsed when we got back.
This morning we headed towards London very easy journey, our sat nav found our hotel for us we settled in and then Sam took the car back to Sanstead and I stayed at the hotel, it took the poor chap about five hours in all so he was pretty tired when he returned, a bit of a rest some dinner and we are just doing our emails etc, have had dramas with our email and blog but seems OK tonight.
We will start our London journey tomorrow, we have a six day London Pass and then we leave here on Monday 8th August to head home. All the best Sam and Sabine
We set off this morning from Newquay a place we would not have seen but our B&B gave away our room and we had to find somewhere on short notice, a very busy place indeed, school hoilidays etc. Lovely coastline looks like it was probablay built around the 20s perhaps, a holiday place for everyone. We headed east towards our next destination of Southhampton, we stopped in a town called Salisbury very busy little town, these towns are so interesting I would like to spend much more time in all of these little places. We parked, quite a feat to find somewhere really, then we headed off to Salisbury Cathedral. What a setting, unbelievable to say the least. It has had an enormous amount of money spent on it in the last 20 or so years and is due for completion (restoration that is) in 2015. The Cathedral was bugun in 1220 and unlike most English Cathedrals was completed without a break to its original design. It has the tallest spire in all of England and the second highest in all of Europe. It has an original clock which of course has no hands but strikes the hour. There is also the Magna Carter Chapter all just amazing one could spend full days in all of these places. It has one of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carter, you know you remember so well learning about these amazing things in history then to see them, it is beyond what you can ever imagine. Our parking time was running out so we had to move on, still quite a way to Southhmapton.
We left Southhampton to continue eastward towards Ashford, we called in to see Brighton found a parking space very easily and walked along the promenade and then the pier then continued on to Hastings another lovely seaside town, very busy and then on to see the white cliffs of Dover and then on to Ashford (quite a task to find our hotel but we did) there was a wedding at the hotel so we went across to the hotel and had some dinner and just collapsed when we got back.
This morning we headed towards London very easy journey, our sat nav found our hotel for us we settled in and then Sam took the car back to Sanstead and I stayed at the hotel, it took the poor chap about five hours in all so he was pretty tired when he returned, a bit of a rest some dinner and we are just doing our emails etc, have had dramas with our email and blog but seems OK tonight.
We will start our London journey tomorrow, we have a six day London Pass and then we leave here on Monday 8th August to head home. All the best Sam and Sabine
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Thursday 28 July Newquay
Hello everyone
Set off this morning to visit St Ives, the road to there was very busy and when we got there we were directed to a large car park above the town, the cars just poured in after us. We walked down steep paths into town, it's a pretty place but so crowded with people that you could hardly walk along the streets. It was a very warm day and after a while we decided we had seen enough and headed out of town again and back to Newquay. Had a bit of a rest before going for a walk, the coast in town consists of high cliffs with small beaches in between and is quite picturesque. Finished up in a pub for tea sitting overlooking the cliffs. Tomorrow we set off to head towards London, stopping overnight in Southampton.
Sabine and Sam
Set off this morning to visit St Ives, the road to there was very busy and when we got there we were directed to a large car park above the town, the cars just poured in after us. We walked down steep paths into town, it's a pretty place but so crowded with people that you could hardly walk along the streets. It was a very warm day and after a while we decided we had seen enough and headed out of town again and back to Newquay. Had a bit of a rest before going for a walk, the coast in town consists of high cliffs with small beaches in between and is quite picturesque. Finished up in a pub for tea sitting overlooking the cliffs. Tomorrow we set off to head towards London, stopping overnight in Southampton.
Sabine and Sam
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Wednesday 27th July Bath to Newquay
Hello everyone,
This morning at breakfast our B&B host suggested that we should report our fraud situation to Police, so that is what we did, we headed to the Bath police station and made a report. Once that was done we set off in lovely warm sunshine for Wells where there is a very large cathedral, however when we got there we faced the perpetual problem of finding a car park so we drove past the cathedral slowly and had a good look at the magnficent exterior. We then set out towards Cornwall, but our next stop was to the heritage fishing village of Clovelly, a village perched on a cliff edge with a small harbour 600 years old, and a favoured spot for smugglers in the old days. The streets are just very steep pathways with rough cobbles, walking is a bit difficult but the effort was worthwhile. Next stop was Port Isaac which is best known at the fictional village of Port Wenn in the TV series Doc Martin. We drove right through the centre of the town, past the school, the pub,the harbour, and looked across to Doc Martin's home. The street at times was only about six feet wide, a bit hairy at times but the whole place was very pretty. It was only a short drive from there to Newquay where our B&B is, arrived about 6.30pm and headed off to the pub for tea followed by a short walk along the foreshore.
Sabine and Sam
This morning at breakfast our B&B host suggested that we should report our fraud situation to Police, so that is what we did, we headed to the Bath police station and made a report. Once that was done we set off in lovely warm sunshine for Wells where there is a very large cathedral, however when we got there we faced the perpetual problem of finding a car park so we drove past the cathedral slowly and had a good look at the magnficent exterior. We then set out towards Cornwall, but our next stop was to the heritage fishing village of Clovelly, a village perched on a cliff edge with a small harbour 600 years old, and a favoured spot for smugglers in the old days. The streets are just very steep pathways with rough cobbles, walking is a bit difficult but the effort was worthwhile. Next stop was Port Isaac which is best known at the fictional village of Port Wenn in the TV series Doc Martin. We drove right through the centre of the town, past the school, the pub,the harbour, and looked across to Doc Martin's home. The street at times was only about six feet wide, a bit hairy at times but the whole place was very pretty. It was only a short drive from there to Newquay where our B&B is, arrived about 6.30pm and headed off to the pub for tea followed by a short walk along the foreshore.
Sabine and Sam
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Tuesday, 26th July, 2011
Hello to all
It is Tuesday morning and after brekky we headed off to do a city walk. They do these each morning. The guides are volunteers, our chap Terry,it was his 944th walk today, a very interesting chap, born in Bath and knew his city very well. It took about 2 1/4 hrs and then we headed off to the Abbey what an amazing place, we went in about 1.00 and there was to be a organ recital at 1.10 by a chap called Ian Ball,he is actually a lawyer specialising in employment law, before studying law he enjoyed a successful career as a musician. He taught at Cheltham's School of Music and other places and he held the position of Acting Director of Music at Gloucester Cathedral. An amazing fellow, and we actually got to hear him as a lunchtime recital, an amazing experience. The Abbey was incredible as well. I do have a history and will put this in later.
After this we did some more sightseeing, came back had a bit of a rest did a few emails etc and then went out again had some dinner at a lovely place called Browns and came home and watched 'Love Actually' we decided we needed to see something we both liked. We are both OK now Sam said he has the situation in a box and wants to totally forget it, but will support me in my quest for some justice not only for us but for all the other people who get scammed on a regular basis, he just does not want to have to get involved in it. We head off to Newquay, Cornwall, we had booked a place in St Ives but they cancelled us, they got an email from me I can tell you, anyway we have somewhere else to stay, main thing. We have two days there, then one day Southhampton and one day in Ashford in Kent and then on to London for 8 days and then home. Bath is a lovely place, the town gets 5 million visitors per year and there is no industry here just tourism. We have just seen on the news that there was a fire in the tunnel we used yesterday to get to Wales. Our B&B here is lovely and the lady who runs it is also. Close to everything, walking distance etc. The city does have a very interestin history. It has really warmed up in the last day or so. Sam and Sabine
It is Tuesday morning and after brekky we headed off to do a city walk. They do these each morning. The guides are volunteers, our chap Terry,it was his 944th walk today, a very interesting chap, born in Bath and knew his city very well. It took about 2 1/4 hrs and then we headed off to the Abbey what an amazing place, we went in about 1.00 and there was to be a organ recital at 1.10 by a chap called Ian Ball,he is actually a lawyer specialising in employment law, before studying law he enjoyed a successful career as a musician. He taught at Cheltham's School of Music and other places and he held the position of Acting Director of Music at Gloucester Cathedral. An amazing fellow, and we actually got to hear him as a lunchtime recital, an amazing experience. The Abbey was incredible as well. I do have a history and will put this in later.
After this we did some more sightseeing, came back had a bit of a rest did a few emails etc and then went out again had some dinner at a lovely place called Browns and came home and watched 'Love Actually' we decided we needed to see something we both liked. We are both OK now Sam said he has the situation in a box and wants to totally forget it, but will support me in my quest for some justice not only for us but for all the other people who get scammed on a regular basis, he just does not want to have to get involved in it. We head off to Newquay, Cornwall, we had booked a place in St Ives but they cancelled us, they got an email from me I can tell you, anyway we have somewhere else to stay, main thing. We have two days there, then one day Southhampton and one day in Ashford in Kent and then on to London for 8 days and then home. Bath is a lovely place, the town gets 5 million visitors per year and there is no industry here just tourism. We have just seen on the news that there was a fire in the tunnel we used yesterday to get to Wales. Our B&B here is lovely and the lady who runs it is also. Close to everything, walking distance etc. The city does have a very interestin history. It has really warmed up in the last day or so. Sam and Sabine
Monday, 25 July 2011
Monday 25th July 2011
Hello to all
It is Monday morning. Quite an eventful last 24 hours. We arrived in Pembroke Saturday evening after 7.00 settled ourselves into our B&B and headed out for dinner. Sam decided to call his cousin first so used the local phone box, when he came back to the car he looked ashen,he decided to check the balance of our savings account, he handed it to me, dear me, we had all but been cleaned out. We went back to the B&B to get my bag to check with my card same result. We made a phone call to the bank from our mobile while we were collecting my bag, but could not get thru, so headed out again checked the balance, no different then tried to call the bank from the phone box, absolutely impossible, we sat in the car for a few minutes to calm ourselves and then I said lets go and take whatever we can before the rest is taken in the morning or tonight. We had been left with £701.00. They had taken over £4,000.00 so we are looking at about $7,000.00 if you add in the fees probably £300.00 worth of fees. They took the maximum they could take each day. It is very difficult getting a balance as there is only one bank which gives a balance at all, none of the others give one so you are really stuck between a rock and a hard place. We had done all the right things, been careful, I always check for the card readers etc. but you know they are way smarter than us. Sam was beyond upset so I said we need to be practial, I did an email to my neighbour Phil and Elissa and did a copy letter to the bank as well and Elissa very kindly was at the bank with my letter as soon as they opened Monday morning. When we woke up this morning (being Monday afternoon your time) there was the email telling us the very bad news. I had asked for the cards to be stopped as we use this for everything. All has been taken care of now, the crime dept had been alerted to a concern on our account of Saturday but knew we were in the UK could not make contact with us, thought it was possibly OK. They think there is probably more than we think has gone so when their forensic team has gone through everything we will no doubt get the entire story. You know you can take care of everything, be as careful as you can be but if they are going to get you they will I'm afraid.
We have composed ourselves, I said they have taken our cash lets not let them ruin the next two weeks. We headed off to Bath today arrived at about 1.00 our B&B owner lovely lady gave us all the info so we have just done a full day,had some dinner and are now home.
I think we have done remarkably well all things considered, worse things happen, when we were in St David a little girl literally ran in front of us, Sam had slowed down because it was so busy and her Mum literally
grabbed her arm, we would have killed her if we had not been driving slowly and her Mum not on the ball, so I said if we had killed that little girl that would have been a tragedy, this we will get past, we have already drawn a line under it, I do not think we have any redress because we are out of the 5 day reporting a situation only by a day but we will see, we do not expect to get it back so as Julia would say moving forward, we just have to watch the little cash we have left along with our credit card. One never knows what a day will bring. It was very nice to have Elissa and Phil who we could ask to do what they did for us, and our branch manager is a terrific girl as well and our two girls got straight back to us as well. Candice rang us and it was lovely to talk to her I felt much better then as did Sam. Cheers Sabine and Sam, Sam said good news follows. We are ok now.
It is Monday morning. Quite an eventful last 24 hours. We arrived in Pembroke Saturday evening after 7.00 settled ourselves into our B&B and headed out for dinner. Sam decided to call his cousin first so used the local phone box, when he came back to the car he looked ashen,he decided to check the balance of our savings account, he handed it to me, dear me, we had all but been cleaned out. We went back to the B&B to get my bag to check with my card same result. We made a phone call to the bank from our mobile while we were collecting my bag, but could not get thru, so headed out again checked the balance, no different then tried to call the bank from the phone box, absolutely impossible, we sat in the car for a few minutes to calm ourselves and then I said lets go and take whatever we can before the rest is taken in the morning or tonight. We had been left with £701.00. They had taken over £4,000.00 so we are looking at about $7,000.00 if you add in the fees probably £300.00 worth of fees. They took the maximum they could take each day. It is very difficult getting a balance as there is only one bank which gives a balance at all, none of the others give one so you are really stuck between a rock and a hard place. We had done all the right things, been careful, I always check for the card readers etc. but you know they are way smarter than us. Sam was beyond upset so I said we need to be practial, I did an email to my neighbour Phil and Elissa and did a copy letter to the bank as well and Elissa very kindly was at the bank with my letter as soon as they opened Monday morning. When we woke up this morning (being Monday afternoon your time) there was the email telling us the very bad news. I had asked for the cards to be stopped as we use this for everything. All has been taken care of now, the crime dept had been alerted to a concern on our account of Saturday but knew we were in the UK could not make contact with us, thought it was possibly OK. They think there is probably more than we think has gone so when their forensic team has gone through everything we will no doubt get the entire story. You know you can take care of everything, be as careful as you can be but if they are going to get you they will I'm afraid.
We have composed ourselves, I said they have taken our cash lets not let them ruin the next two weeks. We headed off to Bath today arrived at about 1.00 our B&B owner lovely lady gave us all the info so we have just done a full day,had some dinner and are now home.
I think we have done remarkably well all things considered, worse things happen, when we were in St David a little girl literally ran in front of us, Sam had slowed down because it was so busy and her Mum literally
grabbed her arm, we would have killed her if we had not been driving slowly and her Mum not on the ball, so I said if we had killed that little girl that would have been a tragedy, this we will get past, we have already drawn a line under it, I do not think we have any redress because we are out of the 5 day reporting a situation only by a day but we will see, we do not expect to get it back so as Julia would say moving forward, we just have to watch the little cash we have left along with our credit card. One never knows what a day will bring. It was very nice to have Elissa and Phil who we could ask to do what they did for us, and our branch manager is a terrific girl as well and our two girls got straight back to us as well. Candice rang us and it was lovely to talk to her I felt much better then as did Sam. Cheers Sabine and Sam, Sam said good news follows. We are ok now.
Sunday, 24th July, 2011
Hello to all
I am doing this on Monday evening. Quite a traumatic day Sunday but am keeping my days ordered.
Our B&B is lovely. We did our laundromat duties this morning and then set off to see Gordon's cousin Margaret who lives very close by to where we are staying. We then went out for dinner, she knew of a lovely place she likes to go on special occasions etc. just opposite Carew Castle. We had a good night, Margaret enjoyed it too, we dropped her home and we went home ourselves and I did my ironing ready to move on Monday morning as we had quite a distance to travel. Lovely countryside once again, the drive from Shrewsbury to Pembroke was too lovely, we only stopped in St David to have a look at the cathedral, we could only see the outside as there was a concert at 7.30 that evening. Very flash affair by the looks of it, would have been lovely to stay but we knew our B&B owners would be wondering where we were and as it turned out luckily we did not stay. Talk soon. Sam and Sabine.
I am doing this on Monday evening. Quite a traumatic day Sunday but am keeping my days ordered.
Our B&B is lovely. We did our laundromat duties this morning and then set off to see Gordon's cousin Margaret who lives very close by to where we are staying. We then went out for dinner, she knew of a lovely place she likes to go on special occasions etc. just opposite Carew Castle. We had a good night, Margaret enjoyed it too, we dropped her home and we went home ourselves and I did my ironing ready to move on Monday morning as we had quite a distance to travel. Lovely countryside once again, the drive from Shrewsbury to Pembroke was too lovely, we only stopped in St David to have a look at the cathedral, we could only see the outside as there was a concert at 7.30 that evening. Very flash affair by the looks of it, would have been lovely to stay but we knew our B&B owners would be wondering where we were and as it turned out luckily we did not stay. Talk soon. Sam and Sabine.
Sunday, 24 July 2011
July 23 Shrewsbury to Pembroke
Hello everyone,
This morning as we were having breakfast in our Shrewsbury B&B our hostess Jo told us about some of the Shrewsbury sights that we should not miss, so we set off for a walk along the beautiful river bank and visited a stunning garden in the centre of town called Dingle Gardens with fantastic displays of seasonal flowers, blossoms and foliage, and manicured lawns, well worth the visit. On the way back to the car we visited two churches, St Chad's Church, a lovely church with the body of the church built in the round, then Shrewsbury Cathedral. Sabine can elaborate a bit further on this Roman Catholic cathedral which was begun in 1853. After this we got back to the car and headed off to a village called Much Wenlock which is a very lovely old English village with narrow streets and a busy marketplace in the centre. The place was very busy and there was a long queue at the bakery as it is famous for its products. We then continued on towards Ironbridge which is beautifully set within a steep valley, but is most famous for its bridge which was the first iron bridge ever built (hence the name of the town) and then came to the Victorian village of Blists Hill which in the 19th century was a busy coal mining town and which also was a major iron manufacturing centre with blast furnaces, wrought iron manufacturing, and clay mining and brick manufacturing. All these activities had pretty well ceased by early 20th century and much of the buildings and equipment were removed or demolished. Since the 1970's the village has been recreated and now is a working museum where life is lived and demonstrated as it was in Victorian times. The weather was beautiful and we stayed for a couple of hours. We then set off for Pembroke in Wales, we drove westward through mid Wales and the countryside was stunning, each corner revealed even more beauty. We reached the Welsh coast ay Aberystwyth and the headed south along the beautiful coastline towards St David's which is Britain's smallest city with a large Cathedral. The cathedral was being readied for a concert that evening so we could not see inside. We finally arrived in Pembroke just after 7.30 and found our B&B. There was also the Bishop's Palace which lay in ruins not sure when it was built probably 1000 or so years ago. Sabine will add in the info re Shrewsbury Cathedral in the next blog.
This morning as we were having breakfast in our Shrewsbury B&B our hostess Jo told us about some of the Shrewsbury sights that we should not miss, so we set off for a walk along the beautiful river bank and visited a stunning garden in the centre of town called Dingle Gardens with fantastic displays of seasonal flowers, blossoms and foliage, and manicured lawns, well worth the visit. On the way back to the car we visited two churches, St Chad's Church, a lovely church with the body of the church built in the round, then Shrewsbury Cathedral. Sabine can elaborate a bit further on this Roman Catholic cathedral which was begun in 1853. After this we got back to the car and headed off to a village called Much Wenlock which is a very lovely old English village with narrow streets and a busy marketplace in the centre. The place was very busy and there was a long queue at the bakery as it is famous for its products. We then continued on towards Ironbridge which is beautifully set within a steep valley, but is most famous for its bridge which was the first iron bridge ever built (hence the name of the town) and then came to the Victorian village of Blists Hill which in the 19th century was a busy coal mining town and which also was a major iron manufacturing centre with blast furnaces, wrought iron manufacturing, and clay mining and brick manufacturing. All these activities had pretty well ceased by early 20th century and much of the buildings and equipment were removed or demolished. Since the 1970's the village has been recreated and now is a working museum where life is lived and demonstrated as it was in Victorian times. The weather was beautiful and we stayed for a couple of hours. We then set off for Pembroke in Wales, we drove westward through mid Wales and the countryside was stunning, each corner revealed even more beauty. We reached the Welsh coast ay Aberystwyth and the headed south along the beautiful coastline towards St David's which is Britain's smallest city with a large Cathedral. The cathedral was being readied for a concert that evening so we could not see inside. We finally arrived in Pembroke just after 7.30 and found our B&B. There was also the Bishop's Palace which lay in ruins not sure when it was built probably 1000 or so years ago. Sabine will add in the info re Shrewsbury Cathedral in the next blog.
Friday, 22 July 2011
Friday, 22nd July, 2011
Hello to all
We set off this morning to do something as basic as a load of washing, the laundromat was packed and the street it was in was closed to any type of parking, after a drive around, parking is something one does not do easily in these small towns and even with Masie's assistance we went around the one way streets on a number of occasions, past a funeral at least five times, after driving up a bus lane I suggested to Sam we get out of there and do something more interesting than a load of washing. Found a car park near the tourist info picked up some brochures and found one that we thought would be good. We set out to see Attingham Hall, it was built for the 1st Lord Berwick in 1785 and owned by the same family for more than 160 years. It has an amazingly interesting history, our guide was a lady who was an actress and opera singer probably in her 70s and she was fabulous. She brought the entire place to life for us all, she knew the history down to the last detail and really had everyone enthrawled. It took about an hour an half and when she was finished everyone applauded her, on the way out I shook her hand and said that was just amazing, everyone following did the same, so to say the least and Sam and I have said this all the way thru the person you have as your guide makes or breaks the experience you have.
We then went on to have a quick look at Haughmond Abbey ruins,the extensive remains of an Augustinian Abbey, which include spectacular stone carvings and a roofed Chapter House, there is a connection to Attingham Hall.
We headed home and then went for a walk into town to see Shrewsbury Abbey, the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter and St Paul founded in 1083 by Roger de Montgomery and built on the site of a wooden Saxon Church. As a Benedictine Abbey it was one of the most influential foundations in England. Its Chapter House saw one of the first democratic parliaments in the land and one of its Abbots pleaded for long hours with Henry IV and Harry Hotspur to try to avoid the bloody Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403.
Unfortunately time was of the essence and it had to close but just before this the heavens opened and it was torrential, we sheltered in the doorway until they closed then sheltered in the pub across the street. It let up a little so we decided to head off to our pub we had been to the previous evening, we made it without getting too wet, had a lovely dinner and a bottle of Hardy's wine and wandered home. We set off tomorrow for Pembrokeshire and will catch up with anor cousin of Sams who lives in Pembroke Dock. All the best Sam and Sabine
We set off this morning to do something as basic as a load of washing, the laundromat was packed and the street it was in was closed to any type of parking, after a drive around, parking is something one does not do easily in these small towns and even with Masie's assistance we went around the one way streets on a number of occasions, past a funeral at least five times, after driving up a bus lane I suggested to Sam we get out of there and do something more interesting than a load of washing. Found a car park near the tourist info picked up some brochures and found one that we thought would be good. We set out to see Attingham Hall, it was built for the 1st Lord Berwick in 1785 and owned by the same family for more than 160 years. It has an amazingly interesting history, our guide was a lady who was an actress and opera singer probably in her 70s and she was fabulous. She brought the entire place to life for us all, she knew the history down to the last detail and really had everyone enthrawled. It took about an hour an half and when she was finished everyone applauded her, on the way out I shook her hand and said that was just amazing, everyone following did the same, so to say the least and Sam and I have said this all the way thru the person you have as your guide makes or breaks the experience you have.
We then went on to have a quick look at Haughmond Abbey ruins,the extensive remains of an Augustinian Abbey, which include spectacular stone carvings and a roofed Chapter House, there is a connection to Attingham Hall.
We headed home and then went for a walk into town to see Shrewsbury Abbey, the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter and St Paul founded in 1083 by Roger de Montgomery and built on the site of a wooden Saxon Church. As a Benedictine Abbey it was one of the most influential foundations in England. Its Chapter House saw one of the first democratic parliaments in the land and one of its Abbots pleaded for long hours with Henry IV and Harry Hotspur to try to avoid the bloody Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403.
Unfortunately time was of the essence and it had to close but just before this the heavens opened and it was torrential, we sheltered in the doorway until they closed then sheltered in the pub across the street. It let up a little so we decided to head off to our pub we had been to the previous evening, we made it without getting too wet, had a lovely dinner and a bottle of Hardy's wine and wandered home. We set off tomorrow for Pembrokeshire and will catch up with anor cousin of Sams who lives in Pembroke Dock. All the best Sam and Sabine
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Thursday, 21st July, 2011 - York to Shrewsbury
Hello to all
We left York this morning to head for Shrewsbury. We took a detour to see The Church of St John the Baptist, Kirk Hammerton,North Yorkshire. Originally dedicated to St Quentin,it is a truly marvellous example of an early stone church. Dating from c.950AD, the Saxon tower and south aisle are constructed from massive roughhewn stones giving a sense of permanence and solidity. Although restored and enlarged in the 19th century, this does not detract from this superb 10th century building.
We then travelled on to a place called Knaresborough. What a delightful village, looked prosperous, lots of lovely shops, lots of peoople around and I have not seen this many bakeries or tea shops in any one place ever. Extremely pretty place.
There are the ruins of Knaresborough Castle, the castle originally built around the 11th century. The view from the castle is magnificent, down to the river across the railway viaduct bridge, quite a view indeed. We had a walk around the town, one of those places one could have stayed quite easily for a few days, we would not have found this had we not been going to see the Parish Church of St John the Baptist yet anor amazing church, with a tower which has Norman foundations and the rest mainly late 12th century and the top storey is mainly 14th century. All these churches are too amazing to take in. They totally fascinate me, not Sam, he is a bit over churches, cathedrals and castles. Mind you if you do not go to the churches etc you do not learn anything about these places.
We then did the journey to Shrewsbury quite a way, but Maisie our sat nav took us on some very scenic routes and one particular road from Skipton to Colne had the most magnificent views over miles and miles of Yorkshire and Lancashire countryside, views to die for. We arrived in Shrewsbury about 4.30 booked into our B&B answered a few emails and went down the road for tea, we have a big day planned for tomorrow as this is a medieval town as well, more castles etc. Talk soon Sam & Sabine
We left York this morning to head for Shrewsbury. We took a detour to see The Church of St John the Baptist, Kirk Hammerton,North Yorkshire. Originally dedicated to St Quentin,it is a truly marvellous example of an early stone church. Dating from c.950AD, the Saxon tower and south aisle are constructed from massive roughhewn stones giving a sense of permanence and solidity. Although restored and enlarged in the 19th century, this does not detract from this superb 10th century building.
We then travelled on to a place called Knaresborough. What a delightful village, looked prosperous, lots of lovely shops, lots of peoople around and I have not seen this many bakeries or tea shops in any one place ever. Extremely pretty place.
There are the ruins of Knaresborough Castle, the castle originally built around the 11th century. The view from the castle is magnificent, down to the river across the railway viaduct bridge, quite a view indeed. We had a walk around the town, one of those places one could have stayed quite easily for a few days, we would not have found this had we not been going to see the Parish Church of St John the Baptist yet anor amazing church, with a tower which has Norman foundations and the rest mainly late 12th century and the top storey is mainly 14th century. All these churches are too amazing to take in. They totally fascinate me, not Sam, he is a bit over churches, cathedrals and castles. Mind you if you do not go to the churches etc you do not learn anything about these places.
We then did the journey to Shrewsbury quite a way, but Maisie our sat nav took us on some very scenic routes and one particular road from Skipton to Colne had the most magnificent views over miles and miles of Yorkshire and Lancashire countryside, views to die for. We arrived in Shrewsbury about 4.30 booked into our B&B answered a few emails and went down the road for tea, we have a big day planned for tomorrow as this is a medieval town as well, more castles etc. Talk soon Sam & Sabine
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Wednesday 20th July,2011
Hello to all
We arose early today, brekky under our belt we set off along the city wall, what a lovely view, it would be great if one lived here to do that each day one would be extremely fit. We took ourselves off the wall at one point and made our way down to the Railway Museum a fantastic place but you could easily spend the entire day there. The restoratin work done on the old locomotives is quite amazing and you do wonder how they built all these in the first place.
We found our way back to the wall and went back to our B&B to collect our car as we were heading out to Castle Howard, Granada Television made Brideshead Revisited in 1981 and then again Miramax made a newer version in 2007. This is a stunning house and garden complex, in an area of what is called 'outstandng natural beauty' and it certainly is. The Castle was started in 1699 by Charles Howard the 3rd Earl of Carlisle he had asked the playwright John Vanbrugh to build the house. The astonishng collaboration that followed produced one of England's grandest statley homes. Renowned for its architecture, rich collections and sublime landscaping, Castle Howard is still home to the Howard family. The house and grounds work hard what with visitors etc etc it keeps the place going financially. There was a massive fire on 9th November 1940, the dome was rebuilt and redecorated in 1960-1962. There were 20 rooms destroyed and they are only working towards doing something about them now, quite amazing place. The gardens are breathtaking. We left amid torrential rain but walked through the rose garden anyway too lovely to miss. We had seen the fountain (which had only started running today) as over the last number of years the freezing conditions had destroyed the tiles and it all had to be restored and replaced, so we were fortunate indeed. We had many other things planned but alas we ran out of time, came back had a rest and then walked down the road to a lovely Indian Restaursnt for dinner. We leave here tomorrow morning to go to Shrewsbury for two days. All the best Sam and Sabine PS You could easily have 10 days here. Delightful place and not just a tourist destination either.
We arose early today, brekky under our belt we set off along the city wall, what a lovely view, it would be great if one lived here to do that each day one would be extremely fit. We took ourselves off the wall at one point and made our way down to the Railway Museum a fantastic place but you could easily spend the entire day there. The restoratin work done on the old locomotives is quite amazing and you do wonder how they built all these in the first place.
We found our way back to the wall and went back to our B&B to collect our car as we were heading out to Castle Howard, Granada Television made Brideshead Revisited in 1981 and then again Miramax made a newer version in 2007. This is a stunning house and garden complex, in an area of what is called 'outstandng natural beauty' and it certainly is. The Castle was started in 1699 by Charles Howard the 3rd Earl of Carlisle he had asked the playwright John Vanbrugh to build the house. The astonishng collaboration that followed produced one of England's grandest statley homes. Renowned for its architecture, rich collections and sublime landscaping, Castle Howard is still home to the Howard family. The house and grounds work hard what with visitors etc etc it keeps the place going financially. There was a massive fire on 9th November 1940, the dome was rebuilt and redecorated in 1960-1962. There were 20 rooms destroyed and they are only working towards doing something about them now, quite amazing place. The gardens are breathtaking. We left amid torrential rain but walked through the rose garden anyway too lovely to miss. We had seen the fountain (which had only started running today) as over the last number of years the freezing conditions had destroyed the tiles and it all had to be restored and replaced, so we were fortunate indeed. We had many other things planned but alas we ran out of time, came back had a rest and then walked down the road to a lovely Indian Restaursnt for dinner. We leave here tomorrow morning to go to Shrewsbury for two days. All the best Sam and Sabine PS You could easily have 10 days here. Delightful place and not just a tourist destination either.
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Tuesday 19th July, 2011
Hello to all
It is 3 months today since we left home. We have done some amazing things and seen some absolutely beautiful places, very glad we have done this.
We set off from Haltwhistle this morning to head to York. We pretty much drove through torrential rain most of the way and had to stop a number of times in lay-bys as it was too wet to continue on. We arrived in York at about 1.00 and were able to book into our B&B another very well organised place by Sam.
We set off with our brollies and wet weather shoes to see what we could. We visited York Minster first, Northern Europe's largest Gothic Cathedral, a very beautiful place. We walked thru the lovely city, saw many beautiful churches (sheltering in St Wilfrid's Catholic Church) along with many others as there was torrential rain again. We then saw Treasurer's House which was owned by a Frank Green who gave it to The National Trust in about 1930 along with all furnishings etc, an amazing bequest. The original house in this location was built on Roman foundations, so has a 2,000 year history. We had to shelter here as well at the end of the day as torrential rain again. We had some dinner at a great pub and walked home. Very big day planned for tomorrow. Sam and Sabine
It is 3 months today since we left home. We have done some amazing things and seen some absolutely beautiful places, very glad we have done this.
We set off from Haltwhistle this morning to head to York. We pretty much drove through torrential rain most of the way and had to stop a number of times in lay-bys as it was too wet to continue on. We arrived in York at about 1.00 and were able to book into our B&B another very well organised place by Sam.
We set off with our brollies and wet weather shoes to see what we could. We visited York Minster first, Northern Europe's largest Gothic Cathedral, a very beautiful place. We walked thru the lovely city, saw many beautiful churches (sheltering in St Wilfrid's Catholic Church) along with many others as there was torrential rain again. We then saw Treasurer's House which was owned by a Frank Green who gave it to The National Trust in about 1930 along with all furnishings etc, an amazing bequest. The original house in this location was built on Roman foundations, so has a 2,000 year history. We had to shelter here as well at the end of the day as torrential rain again. We had some dinner at a great pub and walked home. Very big day planned for tomorrow. Sam and Sabine
Monday, 18 July 2011
Monday 18 July
Hello everyone,
Left Edinburgh this morning to head south towards England. Our first stop was in a town called Galashiels, about an hour south of Edinburgh, where Sam lived as a boy before coming to Australia. We then headed towards Jedburgh where there is a magnificent ruined abbey built in 1138, we stopped and took photos but by this time it ws raining again so we did not do the full visit of the abbey. Kept going towards England and as we crossed the border we stopped at a viewpoint but it was a bit wet to see much. Our next stop was at Hadrian's Wall which Sabine had always wanted to see and stand on, she got her wish as the rain had stopped temporarily. There were lots of other Roman ruins and forts to visit but the rain had started again so we just kept going until we reached our overnight stop in a cute little town called Haltwhistle. We had a nice meal in a cosy and very busy little pub. We head off to York tomorrow. Sabine and Sam.
Left Edinburgh this morning to head south towards England. Our first stop was in a town called Galashiels, about an hour south of Edinburgh, where Sam lived as a boy before coming to Australia. We then headed towards Jedburgh where there is a magnificent ruined abbey built in 1138, we stopped and took photos but by this time it ws raining again so we did not do the full visit of the abbey. Kept going towards England and as we crossed the border we stopped at a viewpoint but it was a bit wet to see much. Our next stop was at Hadrian's Wall which Sabine had always wanted to see and stand on, she got her wish as the rain had stopped temporarily. There were lots of other Roman ruins and forts to visit but the rain had started again so we just kept going until we reached our overnight stop in a cute little town called Haltwhistle. We had a nice meal in a cosy and very busy little pub. We head off to York tomorrow. Sabine and Sam.
Saturday 16th July and Sunday 17th July,2011 - Edinburgh
Hello to all
We are at the Marriott which is in a great location, Sam has done it again, the bus stop right out the front, so straight into the city to start our day. First of all we headed for the Castle, a little damp today but not too bad, intermittent downpours but we were fine. We thoroughly enjoyed the Castle especially The Scottish National War Memorial and also the National War Museum Scotland both within the Castle. We then headed down The Royal Mile and booked a tour of Mary King's Close for 7.00 that evening. We did a walking tour of the old town and saw many sites including the headstone of Greyfriar's Bobby (a little Skye Terrier who loved his owner so much that when his owner passed away he stayed by his grave through all types of conditions for 14 years, the town's people knew who he was and kept him fed and taken care of until he passed away himself, he was then buried in Greyfriar's cemetery and a headstone erected, this was in the late 1800s and to this day he has more visitors than anyone, there is also a fountain in his honour, for humans and dogs to use). Aftr this we took an open top bus tour for about an hour had our dinner and took our Mary King's Close tour (a facinating tour) then we took the bus home.
We headed out again on Sunday morning, had our brekky in the new town, sat beside a fellow who had lived in St Lucia and Indooroopilly in Brisbane, a small world indeed. We headed off to the Georgian House, a typical house for the era for a well off person to live in, all very well done. We then walked along Princes Street found a shoe shop, then we took the open top bus tour again (different guide) totally different slant on the place, very interesting. We took a tour of Gladstone's Land a typical example of a 17th century tenement building in the old town. We walked more and then had a look at The Scottish Art Gallery. Two very full days. Caught the bus home and then went out for dinner. Ready for anor day on the road.
We are at the Marriott which is in a great location, Sam has done it again, the bus stop right out the front, so straight into the city to start our day. First of all we headed for the Castle, a little damp today but not too bad, intermittent downpours but we were fine. We thoroughly enjoyed the Castle especially The Scottish National War Memorial and also the National War Museum Scotland both within the Castle. We then headed down The Royal Mile and booked a tour of Mary King's Close for 7.00 that evening. We did a walking tour of the old town and saw many sites including the headstone of Greyfriar's Bobby (a little Skye Terrier who loved his owner so much that when his owner passed away he stayed by his grave through all types of conditions for 14 years, the town's people knew who he was and kept him fed and taken care of until he passed away himself, he was then buried in Greyfriar's cemetery and a headstone erected, this was in the late 1800s and to this day he has more visitors than anyone, there is also a fountain in his honour, for humans and dogs to use). Aftr this we took an open top bus tour for about an hour had our dinner and took our Mary King's Close tour (a facinating tour) then we took the bus home.
We headed out again on Sunday morning, had our brekky in the new town, sat beside a fellow who had lived in St Lucia and Indooroopilly in Brisbane, a small world indeed. We headed off to the Georgian House, a typical house for the era for a well off person to live in, all very well done. We then walked along Princes Street found a shoe shop, then we took the open top bus tour again (different guide) totally different slant on the place, very interesting. We took a tour of Gladstone's Land a typical example of a 17th century tenement building in the old town. We walked more and then had a look at The Scottish Art Gallery. Two very full days. Caught the bus home and then went out for dinner. Ready for anor day on the road.
Friday, 15 July 2011
Friday 15 July 2011
Hello to all
This is our first blog for a week. We left Inverness on Saturday 9th July, 2011 and arrived at Sam’s cousin Katie and her husband Joe’s home in Huntly in the North East of Scotland. I had not met them prior to this but they welcomed me like one of their own family, the following day Sam’s other two cousins Margaret, and her husband Jimmy, and Donald (who is the same age as Sam, Donald and Sam spent many holidays together as young boys either at the farm of the family or at Dionald and Katies (brother and sister) family home , it was quite a reunion as none of them had seen one another for 40 years. It was as though they had seen one another yesterday. Katie and Joe’s daughter Dianne, and her husband George, and also their son Duncan and girlfriend Anne were there, we had a really lovely day. Donald, Margaret and Jimmy stayed along with us and we just had such a lovely week. Lots of laughs and reminisences by all the cousins.
Over the next few days Joe and Katie and Donald took us to many places where the family had lived, and to Wallakirk the family resting place and many other places besides. I was completely overawed by the absolute beauty of the landscape. There are many beautiful places in the world but Scotland is the frosting on the cake. I am sure when God made Scotland he left strict instructions not to mess anything up and no one has. I really did not quite know what to expect, Sam had not told me (even after 37 years) how lovely it all is, it has only been brushed by time not invaded, such beauty like a panoramic postcard that never ends. One really needs to see it for themselves. I could live here in a heartbeat,mind you all the locals have said you just wait until January. Perhaps this is true but gracious me January in Victoria is a challenge as well.
We also went to see Strathdon where Sam lived from the age of one year until the age of 14. His Dad was the schoolmaster at the local school and his Mum taught there as well. What a beautiful place,the River Don across the road, castles around the corner, things we cannot even imagine.
During our visit we were taken to little fishing villages such as Crovie (pronounced as ‘Crivie’) where there is no road thru the village and the residents have to bring all their supplies in by wheelbarrow. There are only two full time residents in the village the rest holiday accommodation. We also visited the village of Pennan where the film ‘Local Hero’ starring Burt Lancaster was filmed. The coastline was spectacular to say the least.
We very reluctantly left this morning to head for Edinburgh.We said farwelled Katie and Joe and they are going to come to Aust erarly next year. On the way we called in to see Donald, the three of us then went on to see St Andrews (the famous golf course and university town). So much beauty and history in such a small area. Sam and I said farewell to Donald in the carpark of the golf course it had been quite a reunion for them and for me as well but we know we will all see one another again. We then set off on our journey to Edimburgh where we are now. We are at a Marriott always very good accommodation. We have been out for dinner and have two very busy days ahead. All the best Sabine & Sam
This is our first blog for a week. We left Inverness on Saturday 9th July, 2011 and arrived at Sam’s cousin Katie and her husband Joe’s home in Huntly in the North East of Scotland. I had not met them prior to this but they welcomed me like one of their own family, the following day Sam’s other two cousins Margaret, and her husband Jimmy, and Donald (who is the same age as Sam, Donald and Sam spent many holidays together as young boys either at the farm of the family or at Dionald and Katies (brother and sister) family home , it was quite a reunion as none of them had seen one another for 40 years. It was as though they had seen one another yesterday. Katie and Joe’s daughter Dianne, and her husband George, and also their son Duncan and girlfriend Anne were there, we had a really lovely day. Donald, Margaret and Jimmy stayed along with us and we just had such a lovely week. Lots of laughs and reminisences by all the cousins.
Over the next few days Joe and Katie and Donald took us to many places where the family had lived, and to Wallakirk the family resting place and many other places besides. I was completely overawed by the absolute beauty of the landscape. There are many beautiful places in the world but Scotland is the frosting on the cake. I am sure when God made Scotland he left strict instructions not to mess anything up and no one has. I really did not quite know what to expect, Sam had not told me (even after 37 years) how lovely it all is, it has only been brushed by time not invaded, such beauty like a panoramic postcard that never ends. One really needs to see it for themselves. I could live here in a heartbeat,mind you all the locals have said you just wait until January. Perhaps this is true but gracious me January in Victoria is a challenge as well.
We also went to see Strathdon where Sam lived from the age of one year until the age of 14. His Dad was the schoolmaster at the local school and his Mum taught there as well. What a beautiful place,the River Don across the road, castles around the corner, things we cannot even imagine.
During our visit we were taken to little fishing villages such as Crovie (pronounced as ‘Crivie’) where there is no road thru the village and the residents have to bring all their supplies in by wheelbarrow. There are only two full time residents in the village the rest holiday accommodation. We also visited the village of Pennan where the film ‘Local Hero’ starring Burt Lancaster was filmed. The coastline was spectacular to say the least.
We very reluctantly left this morning to head for Edinburgh.We said farwelled Katie and Joe and they are going to come to Aust erarly next year. On the way we called in to see Donald, the three of us then went on to see St Andrews (the famous golf course and university town). So much beauty and history in such a small area. Sam and I said farewell to Donald in the carpark of the golf course it had been quite a reunion for them and for me as well but we know we will all see one another again. We then set off on our journey to Edimburgh where we are now. We are at a Marriott always very good accommodation. We have been out for dinner and have two very busy days ahead. All the best Sabine & Sam
Friday, 8 July 2011
8 July 2011 Skye to Inverness
Hello to all
We left our lovely B&B in Skye this morning, we were very well looked after by John and Iris a very lovely couple indeed. It was sunny this morning so Skye looked very pretty, a very unusual place.
On our journey we stopped at the lovely little village of Plockton (this is where they filmed Hamish McBeth) there is a castle there now used as a hotel. We continued on until we came to the swing bridge where we crossed the Caledonian Canal we were very fortunate to be the last car over the bridge before they swng it across for the boats to go thru. While we were there there was this lovely Golden Retriever called Skipper, he belonged to the chap who swung the bridge back and forth. This chap lives in a house by the bridge and just goes back and forth at the appointed times, very interesting, the boats do have to book a time for the crossing. We then continued on to a little town called Fort Augustus where there is a series of five locks for the boats to go thru so we waited to see the process even though we had gone thru locks when we were on the River Cruise. Loch Ness begins in Fort Augustus and stretches all the way to Inverness. We did a bit of sight seeing on our way, stopped to take a photo of Castle Urquhart, but we did do a detour to see Culloden Moor where the last big battle was fought on British soil, it was a battle between the Jacobites and the Government, the Jacobites were ill prepared and it was just slaughter really, there were about 1200 men killed in an hour and many more wounded, and many more killed in following days, the battle only lasted an hour just slaughter really. They have built a visitor centre which gives all the information and the battlefield is still there as it was that fateful day 16th April, 1746. We are so fortunate to have the life we have.
We arrived at at B&B in a beautiful house in Inverness lovely couple, we got settled and then went into town (a five minute walk) for dinner at an Indian place and we had a lovely view of the river. This is a very lovely town,we are now home and set off for Huntly in the morning. There are the most beautiful houses here just like a fairytale. This would be a place one could stay for a while I think. Sam and Sabine PS Our friend Graeme has worked out how to post comments: your browser has to be set to accept third party cookies.
We left our lovely B&B in Skye this morning, we were very well looked after by John and Iris a very lovely couple indeed. It was sunny this morning so Skye looked very pretty, a very unusual place.
On our journey we stopped at the lovely little village of Plockton (this is where they filmed Hamish McBeth) there is a castle there now used as a hotel. We continued on until we came to the swing bridge where we crossed the Caledonian Canal we were very fortunate to be the last car over the bridge before they swng it across for the boats to go thru. While we were there there was this lovely Golden Retriever called Skipper, he belonged to the chap who swung the bridge back and forth. This chap lives in a house by the bridge and just goes back and forth at the appointed times, very interesting, the boats do have to book a time for the crossing. We then continued on to a little town called Fort Augustus where there is a series of five locks for the boats to go thru so we waited to see the process even though we had gone thru locks when we were on the River Cruise. Loch Ness begins in Fort Augustus and stretches all the way to Inverness. We did a bit of sight seeing on our way, stopped to take a photo of Castle Urquhart, but we did do a detour to see Culloden Moor where the last big battle was fought on British soil, it was a battle between the Jacobites and the Government, the Jacobites were ill prepared and it was just slaughter really, there were about 1200 men killed in an hour and many more wounded, and many more killed in following days, the battle only lasted an hour just slaughter really. They have built a visitor centre which gives all the information and the battlefield is still there as it was that fateful day 16th April, 1746. We are so fortunate to have the life we have.
We arrived at at B&B in a beautiful house in Inverness lovely couple, we got settled and then went into town (a five minute walk) for dinner at an Indian place and we had a lovely view of the river. This is a very lovely town,we are now home and set off for Huntly in the morning. There are the most beautiful houses here just like a fairytale. This would be a place one could stay for a while I think. Sam and Sabine PS Our friend Graeme has worked out how to post comments: your browser has to be set to accept third party cookies.
Thursday, 7 July 2011
Thursday 7 July - Skye
Hello everyone,
Woke up this morning to find the rain had stopped and the sky was clear, very different from last night when the weather had closed in and visibility was very poor. After breakfast we set off to explore the island doing a circular loop, our first stop was in Portree which is the major population centre on the island. We did a bit of shopping, had a bit of a look around, then headed to a cafe when the rain started again. Once it stopped we continued our journey in clear weather and we could then see Skye in its glory, very pretty with lots of white houses dotted along the water's edge. We also visited a ruined church in Dunvegan which is near the ancestral home of the Clan McLeod, Dunvegan Castle, and in the church there were memorials to many of the chiefs of the clan over the centuries. We did not visit the castle, it is still lived in by the McLeods even though parts of it are over 700 years old. The McLeods are descended from a Viking chieftain called Leod. We then continued and completed the circle around the island, sometimes in the sun and sometimes in showers, but the views were always clear. We then headed down south to a place called Armadale where the ferry from the mainland comes in, again the scenery was stunning. Came home and went for dinner at an Indian restaurant then called it a day. Off to Inverness tomorrow. Sabine and Sam.
Woke up this morning to find the rain had stopped and the sky was clear, very different from last night when the weather had closed in and visibility was very poor. After breakfast we set off to explore the island doing a circular loop, our first stop was in Portree which is the major population centre on the island. We did a bit of shopping, had a bit of a look around, then headed to a cafe when the rain started again. Once it stopped we continued our journey in clear weather and we could then see Skye in its glory, very pretty with lots of white houses dotted along the water's edge. We also visited a ruined church in Dunvegan which is near the ancestral home of the Clan McLeod, Dunvegan Castle, and in the church there were memorials to many of the chiefs of the clan over the centuries. We did not visit the castle, it is still lived in by the McLeods even though parts of it are over 700 years old. The McLeods are descended from a Viking chieftain called Leod. We then continued and completed the circle around the island, sometimes in the sun and sometimes in showers, but the views were always clear. We then headed down south to a place called Armadale where the ferry from the mainland comes in, again the scenery was stunning. Came home and went for dinner at an Indian restaurant then called it a day. Off to Inverness tomorrow. Sabine and Sam.
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
Wednesday 6th July, 2011
hello to all
We left Oban this morning after a lovely brekky at our B&B lovely place and hosts very much enjoyed this place could have stayed a few more days, but one has to move on.
We were heading to Skye, a couple of ways we could have gone but Sam wanted to go and see Glencoe on our way as he only remembers it as a young person and he said it frightened the hell out of him. There is a visitor centre there now and we were able to get the entire story right from 300AD.
The massacre which everyone knows of but not the entire history of why etc Sam did not know the whole story I did not either, but there was a planned massacre on 12th Feb 1692, this was planned by the King (King William) of King William and Mary, he had deposed James 2nd. William wanted to get rid of the McDonalds in Glencoe because they supported the Jacobites who were James supporters. Anyway long story short he ordered his troops to go and stay with the McDonalds which they did for 12 days lived with them were looked after by them and then on the morning of the 12th Feb the troops just massacred these poor people who had entertained these troops and taken care of them. They killed 38 of them, burned their homes etc.etc. It is an amazingly beautiful place so we drove the length of the valley before we headed towards Skye. Sam said he was glad he went back to see it
We then continued on seeing lovely scenery and went to see Eilean Donan Castle sitting on the Island of Donan, they say it is most probably called after the 6th century Irish Saint,Bishop Donan.
The first fortified structure not built until the 13th century as a defence measure protecting the lands of Kintail against the Vikings. (Those Vikings were everywhere, killing, plundering etc.)
Many changes occurred over the centuries, the castle expanded and contracted in size. It played a role in the Jacobite risings of the 17th and 18th centuries which ultimately caused its destruction.
There was an uprising and ultimately the castle was destroyed.
For 200 years the ruins lay neglected and abandoned until Lt Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap bought the island in 1911, so along with his clerk of works Farquar Macrae he dedicated the next 20 years of his life to the reconstruction and restoration of the castle to its former glory. It was rebuilt according to the surviving ground plan of earlier phases and completed in 1932.
It is an amazing job really,it was late in the afternoon and there were hundreds of people there, about 10 buses, a huge attraction.
We then continued on to Skye which was about half hour away, booked into our B&B lovely couple, made us a cup of tea and then we looked at our emails and went to the Broadford Hotel which has been there since 1611, a few renovations along the way of course.
It is a bit damp but we have had lovely weather so we don't mind. We have tomorrow and tomorrow night here and then on to Inverness where the Scottish Open is being played, we did have trouble getting accommodation there this was months and months ago of course but we did know about the Open. One thing you do really need to have your accommodation booked, because even all these B&Bs are all booked out. Anyway I will sign off, I am sure you will all be very pleased Sam and Sabine
We left Oban this morning after a lovely brekky at our B&B lovely place and hosts very much enjoyed this place could have stayed a few more days, but one has to move on.
We were heading to Skye, a couple of ways we could have gone but Sam wanted to go and see Glencoe on our way as he only remembers it as a young person and he said it frightened the hell out of him. There is a visitor centre there now and we were able to get the entire story right from 300AD.
The massacre which everyone knows of but not the entire history of why etc Sam did not know the whole story I did not either, but there was a planned massacre on 12th Feb 1692, this was planned by the King (King William) of King William and Mary, he had deposed James 2nd. William wanted to get rid of the McDonalds in Glencoe because they supported the Jacobites who were James supporters. Anyway long story short he ordered his troops to go and stay with the McDonalds which they did for 12 days lived with them were looked after by them and then on the morning of the 12th Feb the troops just massacred these poor people who had entertained these troops and taken care of them. They killed 38 of them, burned their homes etc.etc. It is an amazingly beautiful place so we drove the length of the valley before we headed towards Skye. Sam said he was glad he went back to see it
We then continued on seeing lovely scenery and went to see Eilean Donan Castle sitting on the Island of Donan, they say it is most probably called after the 6th century Irish Saint,Bishop Donan.
The first fortified structure not built until the 13th century as a defence measure protecting the lands of Kintail against the Vikings. (Those Vikings were everywhere, killing, plundering etc.)
Many changes occurred over the centuries, the castle expanded and contracted in size. It played a role in the Jacobite risings of the 17th and 18th centuries which ultimately caused its destruction.
There was an uprising and ultimately the castle was destroyed.
For 200 years the ruins lay neglected and abandoned until Lt Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap bought the island in 1911, so along with his clerk of works Farquar Macrae he dedicated the next 20 years of his life to the reconstruction and restoration of the castle to its former glory. It was rebuilt according to the surviving ground plan of earlier phases and completed in 1932.
It is an amazing job really,it was late in the afternoon and there were hundreds of people there, about 10 buses, a huge attraction.
We then continued on to Skye which was about half hour away, booked into our B&B lovely couple, made us a cup of tea and then we looked at our emails and went to the Broadford Hotel which has been there since 1611, a few renovations along the way of course.
It is a bit damp but we have had lovely weather so we don't mind. We have tomorrow and tomorrow night here and then on to Inverness where the Scottish Open is being played, we did have trouble getting accommodation there this was months and months ago of course but we did know about the Open. One thing you do really need to have your accommodation booked, because even all these B&Bs are all booked out. Anyway I will sign off, I am sure you will all be very pleased Sam and Sabine
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Tuesday 5th July, 2011
Hello to all
We left Callander this morning. It was a lovely place and our B&B was perfectly lovely indeed our hosts Sue and Crawford were fabulous hosts and do an amazing job of running their small hotel call The Lubnaig.
We were heading for Oban but on our way we went to Inveraray Castle which is first and foremost a family home. The 12th Earl of Argyll lives there with his wife who was Eleanor Cadbury and their 3 young children. Half of the castle is for the public to enjoy and they use the other half. It is a true fairytale castle, the gardens etc very lovely indeed. It has an amazing history, the first castle was built there by Colin Campbell in the mid 1500s fell into disrepair and then rebuilt in the mid 1700s, it has not ever been attacked so it is all still in its glory. You can actually see where the first castle was built. It is quite amazing this has been kept for the future generations to see, all of these places do a fantastic job because the cost must be unbelievable. The entrance fees they charge would not even go close to the upkeep
We arrived in Oban a beautiful seaside place at sabout 3.30. Our B&B is lovely,very high up built into the cliff and our room faces the town so we have the most stunning view. We can enjoy it for a while because it does not get dark until about 11.30 and then light again by 4.30 in the morning.
We headed into the town,just a walk and then came and answered our emails etc and then went back for dinner to a lovely place at the bottom of the hill, Sam heard a pipe band on our way back so he wandered off to see that and I wandered back to the B&B. Lovely place very fortunate indeed.
We head off to Skye tomorrow for two days. All the best Sam & Sabine
We left Callander this morning. It was a lovely place and our B&B was perfectly lovely indeed our hosts Sue and Crawford were fabulous hosts and do an amazing job of running their small hotel call The Lubnaig.
We were heading for Oban but on our way we went to Inveraray Castle which is first and foremost a family home. The 12th Earl of Argyll lives there with his wife who was Eleanor Cadbury and their 3 young children. Half of the castle is for the public to enjoy and they use the other half. It is a true fairytale castle, the gardens etc very lovely indeed. It has an amazing history, the first castle was built there by Colin Campbell in the mid 1500s fell into disrepair and then rebuilt in the mid 1700s, it has not ever been attacked so it is all still in its glory. You can actually see where the first castle was built. It is quite amazing this has been kept for the future generations to see, all of these places do a fantastic job because the cost must be unbelievable. The entrance fees they charge would not even go close to the upkeep
We arrived in Oban a beautiful seaside place at sabout 3.30. Our B&B is lovely,very high up built into the cliff and our room faces the town so we have the most stunning view. We can enjoy it for a while because it does not get dark until about 11.30 and then light again by 4.30 in the morning.
We headed into the town,just a walk and then came and answered our emails etc and then went back for dinner to a lovely place at the bottom of the hill, Sam heard a pipe band on our way back so he wandered off to see that and I wandered back to the B&B. Lovely place very fortunate indeed.
We head off to Skye tomorrow for two days. All the best Sam & Sabine
Monday, 4 July 2011
Monday 4th July,2011 - Callander - Scotland
Hello to all
Had brekky in our B&B then headed off for a drive around the area, we went to Loch Lomond had to see Loch Lomond, then did a beautiful scenic drive back as we wanted to some lovely walks. We then set for Bracklinn Falls about an hour and half walk from our B&B, then we wandered back thru town but before we did this we walked past the house that was used in Dr Finlay's Casebook (about 45 years ago - I used to watch it when I was very young) we walked back had a coffee then answered a few emails and went next door to the hotel for a lovely dinner. Here we are again in Sue & Crawford's sitting room doing our blog etc. It is about 9.30 won't be dark for anor 2 hours or so does not get dark until 11.30 or so and then it is light by 4.30 it is quite strange really. Sam said the further north you go the lighter it is. We set off for Oban tomorrow, only one night there, then for Skye two nights there and then one in Inverness before we get to Huntly in Aberdeenshire where Katie, Sam's cousin lives and we will stay with her and her husband for 6 days. Hope all is well Sam & Sabine
Had brekky in our B&B then headed off for a drive around the area, we went to Loch Lomond had to see Loch Lomond, then did a beautiful scenic drive back as we wanted to some lovely walks. We then set for Bracklinn Falls about an hour and half walk from our B&B, then we wandered back thru town but before we did this we walked past the house that was used in Dr Finlay's Casebook (about 45 years ago - I used to watch it when I was very young) we walked back had a coffee then answered a few emails and went next door to the hotel for a lovely dinner. Here we are again in Sue & Crawford's sitting room doing our blog etc. It is about 9.30 won't be dark for anor 2 hours or so does not get dark until 11.30 or so and then it is light by 4.30 it is quite strange really. Sam said the further north you go the lighter it is. We set off for Oban tomorrow, only one night there, then for Skye two nights there and then one in Inverness before we get to Huntly in Aberdeenshire where Katie, Sam's cousin lives and we will stay with her and her husband for 6 days. Hope all is well Sam & Sabine
Sunday 3rd July, 2011 - Leaving for Callander in Scotland
Hello to all
We checked out about 9.30 this morning to drive to Callander in Scotland. Masie took us the scenic route then onto the motorway, about 200 miles all up. We were close to Stirling and Sam said it is only early we should go to Stirling Castle which we did, anor lovely day weatherwise. We found our way parked the car and orgsanised our tickets to the castle etc. What an amazing place the 360 degree vista was out of this world.
A hugely interesting place begun originally in the early 12th century with such an amazing history I could not do it justice you would need to google it. Almost all the present buildings in the castle were constructed between 1490 and 1600, when Stirling was developed as a principal royal centre by the Stewart kings James IV, James V and James VI. The architecture of these new buildings shows an eclectic mix of English, French and German influences, reflecting the international ambitions of the Stewart dynasty.
We had organised a tour of Argyll's Lodging for 2.45 so we had to interrupt our original castle tour to go to this, the chap who led the tour was very passionate about his subject, this house housed the nobility and was built and added to and renovated etc facinating place. This took about an hour or so,then we raced back and continued our original tour, thank goodness for audio, Sam does not feel this way. All in all we were probaly there 4 hours, we then set off for Callander which was only 15 miles from Stirling. We arrived at our B&B a very lovely house in the most beautiful garden. This is owned and run by Sue and Crawford her husband they are just delightful, I think these people do such a great job, you are in their home, we are sitting in their lovely sitting room now, we have been out for dinner to the hotel next door and now we are just here in beautiful surroundings doing our blog/emails etc. So much nicer than being in a big hotel. We are thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Sam & Sabine
We checked out about 9.30 this morning to drive to Callander in Scotland. Masie took us the scenic route then onto the motorway, about 200 miles all up. We were close to Stirling and Sam said it is only early we should go to Stirling Castle which we did, anor lovely day weatherwise. We found our way parked the car and orgsanised our tickets to the castle etc. What an amazing place the 360 degree vista was out of this world.
A hugely interesting place begun originally in the early 12th century with such an amazing history I could not do it justice you would need to google it. Almost all the present buildings in the castle were constructed between 1490 and 1600, when Stirling was developed as a principal royal centre by the Stewart kings James IV, James V and James VI. The architecture of these new buildings shows an eclectic mix of English, French and German influences, reflecting the international ambitions of the Stewart dynasty.
We had organised a tour of Argyll's Lodging for 2.45 so we had to interrupt our original castle tour to go to this, the chap who led the tour was very passionate about his subject, this house housed the nobility and was built and added to and renovated etc facinating place. This took about an hour or so,then we raced back and continued our original tour, thank goodness for audio, Sam does not feel this way. All in all we were probaly there 4 hours, we then set off for Callander which was only 15 miles from Stirling. We arrived at our B&B a very lovely house in the most beautiful garden. This is owned and run by Sue and Crawford her husband they are just delightful, I think these people do such a great job, you are in their home, we are sitting in their lovely sitting room now, we have been out for dinner to the hotel next door and now we are just here in beautiful surroundings doing our blog/emails etc. So much nicer than being in a big hotel. We are thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Sam & Sabine
Saturday 2nd July, 2011 - Bowness on Windermere
Hello to all
Reasonable start today. We went down to the lake beautiful walk had brunch at a lovely place called 'Chicory' only new, I said to the lass on the way out you need to come down in the middle of the night and knock down that old boat shed because it is ruining your view, she laughed and said it is all earmarked to come down, that is why we have put in those bifold doors, so I was very happy about that, otherwise I would have helped her knock it down myself. We then headed home I had a hair colour appt in Windermere at 1.30 and Sam had an appt at the laundromat which is next door to the hairdresser, Jade who did my hair was a really gorgeous girl only 18, we had talked about how beautiful the weather was and she said you know I have lived here all my life and the weather has never been so good, after lots of laughter I was done and Sam was as well, everything beautifully folded so we wandered home and I got all ironed and organised and packed for the next leg of the journey. We went out to an Indian place for dinner and then wandered home, the walking to and from everything was the best part, you could actually enjoy a glass or two of whatever without worrying about driving home.
We both thought the Lake District is the most beautiful place and if anyone ever wanted to run away that would be the place to go. All the best Sam & Sabine
Reasonable start today. We went down to the lake beautiful walk had brunch at a lovely place called 'Chicory' only new, I said to the lass on the way out you need to come down in the middle of the night and knock down that old boat shed because it is ruining your view, she laughed and said it is all earmarked to come down, that is why we have put in those bifold doors, so I was very happy about that, otherwise I would have helped her knock it down myself. We then headed home I had a hair colour appt in Windermere at 1.30 and Sam had an appt at the laundromat which is next door to the hairdresser, Jade who did my hair was a really gorgeous girl only 18, we had talked about how beautiful the weather was and she said you know I have lived here all my life and the weather has never been so good, after lots of laughter I was done and Sam was as well, everything beautifully folded so we wandered home and I got all ironed and organised and packed for the next leg of the journey. We went out to an Indian place for dinner and then wandered home, the walking to and from everything was the best part, you could actually enjoy a glass or two of whatever without worrying about driving home.
We both thought the Lake District is the most beautiful place and if anyone ever wanted to run away that would be the place to go. All the best Sam & Sabine
Friday 1st July, 2011 - Bowness on Windermere
Hello to all
We had a sleep in today and then headed off with a walk to Windermere which is only a very short walk from Bowness. Very beautiful walk delightful architecture all B&B accommodation 'no vacancies' on most places, they do have 15 million visitors a year, there are also 8 million dogs living in the UK and they all come to Bowness and Windermere with their owners, Sam and I have not ever seen as many dogs in our lives but of course that is because dogs are allowed in all accommadation no matter how lavish, all hotels, public transport, cruises on the lakes etc. if they are small enough they can travel on the seat beside their owners in flight. High time we did the same. We had a lovely lunch in a place called 'The Lighthouse' then wandered home. Later in the afternoon we took the ferry (run by the Council) across Lake Windermere (it is the boat ferry) and went over to have a look at a place known as Claife's Station, it actually looks like a mini castle built in about 1778 and apparently it had the most beautiful windows onto the most beautiful views of the lake, the had parties there etc, very lavish by the sounds of it,it is only a shell now of course but you can see what it would have been like. We caught the ferry back had a lovely bottle of wine and an antipasto plate for dinner. See you Sam and Sabine
We had a sleep in today and then headed off with a walk to Windermere which is only a very short walk from Bowness. Very beautiful walk delightful architecture all B&B accommodation 'no vacancies' on most places, they do have 15 million visitors a year, there are also 8 million dogs living in the UK and they all come to Bowness and Windermere with their owners, Sam and I have not ever seen as many dogs in our lives but of course that is because dogs are allowed in all accommadation no matter how lavish, all hotels, public transport, cruises on the lakes etc. if they are small enough they can travel on the seat beside their owners in flight. High time we did the same. We had a lovely lunch in a place called 'The Lighthouse' then wandered home. Later in the afternoon we took the ferry (run by the Council) across Lake Windermere (it is the boat ferry) and went over to have a look at a place known as Claife's Station, it actually looks like a mini castle built in about 1778 and apparently it had the most beautiful windows onto the most beautiful views of the lake, the had parties there etc, very lavish by the sounds of it,it is only a shell now of course but you can see what it would have been like. We caught the ferry back had a lovely bottle of wine and an antipasto plate for dinner. See you Sam and Sabine
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Thursday 30th June, 2011 - The Lake District
Hello to all
Early start todoay, we were being collected at 9.30 for our mini bus tour of ten lakes. Beautiful day we have been so fortunate. We collected the other people who were coming with us, there were 13 of us and we went with a company called 'Mountain Goat' very good tour guide, they certainly do a good job these people.
We set off up a road called Struggle Road out of a little town called Ambleside over the Kirkstone Pass, the Vikings gave this Pass the name as they came upon a rock which reminded them of a church, and the Viking name for church is Kirk. At the top of the Pass we stopped for a photo opportunity etc stunning, there is an old hotel there called the Kirkstone Pass Inn built in 1496.
From there we went to the Circle of Stones built by Celtic Tribes about 4,500 years old and it had a lot of uses, it was a meeting place, a place to exchange their goods and also a place of worship etc. It is very prominently placed both mathematically and situation wise.
We continued on our journey lots of beautiful scenery and information we went through Keswick to Derwent Water (Derwent pencils) where we then had a 50 minute cruise on Derwent Water, we stopped off at 6 different places in the lake to either drop off passengers etc, at all these places there were stunning hotels or walking tracks etc.
After our cruise finished we went into Keswick a very pretty little village where we had an hour to have lunch etc. Sam and I found a lovely little place to make us some lunch and we sat outside watching the passing parade. There was also a market on as well.
We then headed up the winding road to see the view on the 'Derwent' Lakeland pencil box very lovely. Stopped at Ashness Bridge for a photo opportunity etc. Lots more beautiful places etc and then through Grasmere where Wordsworth and family are buried he wrote many of his poems in this area. He had a few jobs he collected the stamp duty for the land sales and he also became the Poet Laureate for which he earned £60.00 a month for seven years prior to his passing away and this was a great amount of money then, but he actually never wrote a poem for Queen Victoria, a lucrative job if you could get it. Apparently he did not want the job at all.
We continued on, we met a lovely chap and his wife, he was a Scotsman and born in Fife and went to school in Cowdenbeath where Sam's Mum was born. Very interesting the people you meet. We all got dropped off and wandered home we just had cheese and biscuits for dinner I was really tired and Sam as well, way too tired to head out. Anyway tomorrow is anor day, we then head off to Scotland on Sunday. Sam and Sabine
Early start todoay, we were being collected at 9.30 for our mini bus tour of ten lakes. Beautiful day we have been so fortunate. We collected the other people who were coming with us, there were 13 of us and we went with a company called 'Mountain Goat' very good tour guide, they certainly do a good job these people.
We set off up a road called Struggle Road out of a little town called Ambleside over the Kirkstone Pass, the Vikings gave this Pass the name as they came upon a rock which reminded them of a church, and the Viking name for church is Kirk. At the top of the Pass we stopped for a photo opportunity etc stunning, there is an old hotel there called the Kirkstone Pass Inn built in 1496.
From there we went to the Circle of Stones built by Celtic Tribes about 4,500 years old and it had a lot of uses, it was a meeting place, a place to exchange their goods and also a place of worship etc. It is very prominently placed both mathematically and situation wise.
We continued on our journey lots of beautiful scenery and information we went through Keswick to Derwent Water (Derwent pencils) where we then had a 50 minute cruise on Derwent Water, we stopped off at 6 different places in the lake to either drop off passengers etc, at all these places there were stunning hotels or walking tracks etc.
After our cruise finished we went into Keswick a very pretty little village where we had an hour to have lunch etc. Sam and I found a lovely little place to make us some lunch and we sat outside watching the passing parade. There was also a market on as well.
We then headed up the winding road to see the view on the 'Derwent' Lakeland pencil box very lovely. Stopped at Ashness Bridge for a photo opportunity etc. Lots more beautiful places etc and then through Grasmere where Wordsworth and family are buried he wrote many of his poems in this area. He had a few jobs he collected the stamp duty for the land sales and he also became the Poet Laureate for which he earned £60.00 a month for seven years prior to his passing away and this was a great amount of money then, but he actually never wrote a poem for Queen Victoria, a lucrative job if you could get it. Apparently he did not want the job at all.
We continued on, we met a lovely chap and his wife, he was a Scotsman and born in Fife and went to school in Cowdenbeath where Sam's Mum was born. Very interesting the people you meet. We all got dropped off and wandered home we just had cheese and biscuits for dinner I was really tired and Sam as well, way too tired to head out. Anyway tomorrow is anor day, we then head off to Scotland on Sunday. Sam and Sabine
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
29 June 2011 Bowness
Hello everyone,
Today we went for a drive in the Yorkshire Dales as the start of this area is next to the Lake District. The morning was absolutely beautiful with a clear sky and it stayed that way all day, but it was a little cool in the shade. The first town we came to was called Sedbergh, it was a very attractive town but we only passed through without stopping, then moved into the Dales proper, the land was very different to the Lake District, it looked a bit less prosperous and less fertile, but still very beautiful. The roads were narrow and twisty but pretty quiet. Next town we came to was called Hawes, we stopped there for a while and had a good look around. It was a very pretty and busy place with lots of activity, antique shops and the like, and then we had a lovely lunch in a little cafe called Chaste. We then headed off to another picturesque town called Dent and stopped there for a while too. The roads got narrower and twistier and a bit busier so it needed a lot of concentration and sudden stops when a car or truck was coming the other way. Still we managed to negotiate our way along them all. On our way home we passed through Sedbergh again but it was hard to find a parking space so we just kept going. We were a bit tired by the time we got home. Tomorrow we are going on a full day mini-coach tour around the Lake District which will include seeing 10 lakes and other points of interest. Sabine and Sam.
Today we went for a drive in the Yorkshire Dales as the start of this area is next to the Lake District. The morning was absolutely beautiful with a clear sky and it stayed that way all day, but it was a little cool in the shade. The first town we came to was called Sedbergh, it was a very attractive town but we only passed through without stopping, then moved into the Dales proper, the land was very different to the Lake District, it looked a bit less prosperous and less fertile, but still very beautiful. The roads were narrow and twisty but pretty quiet. Next town we came to was called Hawes, we stopped there for a while and had a good look around. It was a very pretty and busy place with lots of activity, antique shops and the like, and then we had a lovely lunch in a little cafe called Chaste. We then headed off to another picturesque town called Dent and stopped there for a while too. The roads got narrower and twistier and a bit busier so it needed a lot of concentration and sudden stops when a car or truck was coming the other way. Still we managed to negotiate our way along them all. On our way home we passed through Sedbergh again but it was hard to find a parking space so we just kept going. We were a bit tired by the time we got home. Tomorrow we are going on a full day mini-coach tour around the Lake District which will include seeing 10 lakes and other points of interest. Sabine and Sam.
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Tuesday 28th June,2011 - Bowness - The Lake District
Hello to all
Arose early this morning. Had brekky and were at the laundromat in Windemere by 8.30, parking is a major issue. Set ourselves up then went into the hairdresser next door to make an appt for a colour, she said you need to have a skin test prior to a colour it is a EU requirement so she did that and I go on Saturday. With all clean clothes we headed back to our home and made our plans for the day.
We set out for a place called Kendal the drive alone was spectacular the village absolutely lovely, we stopped there for an hour or so had some lunch in the square and then headed off to Sizergh Castle. The gardens the castle quite stunning. It has been the family home of the Stricklands for over 750 years(1239) and they still live there. Sir William de Strikeland married the heiress of the Sizergh Estate, Elizabeth Deincourt, an amazing history really and many changes and renovations and additions. In 1931 the Estate was tranferred to Lord Strickland's daughter Mary and her husband Henry Hornyold. They and their son Lt-Cdr Thomas Hornyold Strickland gave the house to the National Trust in 1950, with most of the contents, the garden, and an estate of 600ha (1.500 acres). Family members will always live there as part of the deal and it is cared for by the National Trust as no one no matter how much money they had could afford the upkeep.
From there we headed to Near Sawrey where Beatrix Potter's home is situtated. We went along a long winding road I said to Sam at least no one else will be there, good heavens, no room inthe car park so we had to find somewhere lucky for the intrepid navigator, we organised our tickets, they are timed mind you because there are so many people there, but how lovely it was all the drawings in her books are of things in her home. Very lovely indeed. Sam wanted to go home after this as he was feeling exhausted. I did the ironing and sent him to the village for milk etc. Got ourselves organised and went our for dinner to the same place we went last night, beautiful meal.
I forgot to tell you something funny, whilst we were going thru the castle I was in one of the bedrooms with many others and this lady said to me this is not a very sexy type of room is it, then she says that is pretty much over for me I am a widow I was trying to keep a straight face and then she says you know love the feelings never go, I said no I know they don't it does not matter what age you get to. We both laughted and went on on our way. People tell you funny thing sometimes, Sam said Sabine absolutely no one would tell me that. Anyway I thought that was funny. Very nice lady.
We are now home and tomorrow we will head off to The Yorkshire Dales. We have a very big tour organised for Thursday. All the best to all Love Sam and Sabine
Arose early this morning. Had brekky and were at the laundromat in Windemere by 8.30, parking is a major issue. Set ourselves up then went into the hairdresser next door to make an appt for a colour, she said you need to have a skin test prior to a colour it is a EU requirement so she did that and I go on Saturday. With all clean clothes we headed back to our home and made our plans for the day.
We set out for a place called Kendal the drive alone was spectacular the village absolutely lovely, we stopped there for an hour or so had some lunch in the square and then headed off to Sizergh Castle. The gardens the castle quite stunning. It has been the family home of the Stricklands for over 750 years(1239) and they still live there. Sir William de Strikeland married the heiress of the Sizergh Estate, Elizabeth Deincourt, an amazing history really and many changes and renovations and additions. In 1931 the Estate was tranferred to Lord Strickland's daughter Mary and her husband Henry Hornyold. They and their son Lt-Cdr Thomas Hornyold Strickland gave the house to the National Trust in 1950, with most of the contents, the garden, and an estate of 600ha (1.500 acres). Family members will always live there as part of the deal and it is cared for by the National Trust as no one no matter how much money they had could afford the upkeep.
From there we headed to Near Sawrey where Beatrix Potter's home is situtated. We went along a long winding road I said to Sam at least no one else will be there, good heavens, no room inthe car park so we had to find somewhere lucky for the intrepid navigator, we organised our tickets, they are timed mind you because there are so many people there, but how lovely it was all the drawings in her books are of things in her home. Very lovely indeed. Sam wanted to go home after this as he was feeling exhausted. I did the ironing and sent him to the village for milk etc. Got ourselves organised and went our for dinner to the same place we went last night, beautiful meal.
I forgot to tell you something funny, whilst we were going thru the castle I was in one of the bedrooms with many others and this lady said to me this is not a very sexy type of room is it, then she says that is pretty much over for me I am a widow I was trying to keep a straight face and then she says you know love the feelings never go, I said no I know they don't it does not matter what age you get to. We both laughted and went on on our way. People tell you funny thing sometimes, Sam said Sabine absolutely no one would tell me that. Anyway I thought that was funny. Very nice lady.
We are now home and tomorrow we will head off to The Yorkshire Dales. We have a very big tour organised for Thursday. All the best to all Love Sam and Sabine
Monday, 27 June 2011
Monday 27th June,2011
Hello to all
It is Monday eve. We have had a bit of a lazy day today. Had a sleep in and then went for a lovely walk saw some beautiful scenery. Sam needed a hair cut so we did that whilst in town which is only a walk down the road. Had a bit of lunch and then headed off on a cruise of the lake. Wandered home thought we should try and find a laundromat so took a drive up to Windemere about one mile away, unfortnately closed so will go back tomorrow. We wandered into town had dinner, so far we have lovely meals everywhere we have gone, amazing really. Both nights we have had Australian wine. Last night we sat with this couple Alan and Jenny, they were celebrating his 70th birthday, they had only been married 3 years lovely couple he had been a ships engineer and he was telling us when he was young one night he was on this ship and he was summoned to one of the dos and he danced with Sophia Loren he said as you can see I am much shorter than she was so he said he was petrified and his face was at about breast level, Sam said you are the luckiest man I have ever met. They were very funny. We have had a great deal of laughter with all the people we have met. Sam said Sabine I would not meet one single person you make friends with everyone. I am really glad I do this blog I am sure otherwise I would forget so much and that would be such a shame. Hope all is well with everyone and talk soon Love Sam and Sabine.
It is Monday eve. We have had a bit of a lazy day today. Had a sleep in and then went for a lovely walk saw some beautiful scenery. Sam needed a hair cut so we did that whilst in town which is only a walk down the road. Had a bit of lunch and then headed off on a cruise of the lake. Wandered home thought we should try and find a laundromat so took a drive up to Windemere about one mile away, unfortnately closed so will go back tomorrow. We wandered into town had dinner, so far we have lovely meals everywhere we have gone, amazing really. Both nights we have had Australian wine. Last night we sat with this couple Alan and Jenny, they were celebrating his 70th birthday, they had only been married 3 years lovely couple he had been a ships engineer and he was telling us when he was young one night he was on this ship and he was summoned to one of the dos and he danced with Sophia Loren he said as you can see I am much shorter than she was so he said he was petrified and his face was at about breast level, Sam said you are the luckiest man I have ever met. They were very funny. We have had a great deal of laughter with all the people we have met. Sam said Sabine I would not meet one single person you make friends with everyone. I am really glad I do this blog I am sure otherwise I would forget so much and that would be such a shame. Hope all is well with everyone and talk soon Love Sam and Sabine.
Sunday, 26 June 2011
Sunday 26th June 2011
Hello to all
It is Sunday eve. We stayed at Churchlodge Farm in Harrington last night, very Midsomer, I was expecting Inspector Barnaby to drive by at any time. We set ourselves up wandered across to the local pub, about 200yards (we are now in UK) had a lovely dinner and a bottle of Crystal Brooke Chardonnay from South Australia I could almost not walk home. This morning we had brekky then went for a little sightseeing tour of the little village, extremely pretty.
We then set off for our destination of Bowness in Windermere, our acommodation is quite lovley. As it is a resort we went to the Welcome to New Guests at 5.15 got all the goss for the week and then set off for a walk around the delightful little town, found a lovely place to eat, anor couple from Gloucester they were Alan and Jenny and he was celebrating his 70th birthday they were very funny and we had a very lovely evening we totally chatted all through dinner.
We have not thought too far past tomorrow but have booked a tour for Thursday that is about it so far. These places are like they have never been touched by time at all.
Sam has done a great job with all the accommodation and driving etc he is to be congratulated really.
Hope all is well with everyone and talk soon Sam and Sabine
It is Sunday eve. We stayed at Churchlodge Farm in Harrington last night, very Midsomer, I was expecting Inspector Barnaby to drive by at any time. We set ourselves up wandered across to the local pub, about 200yards (we are now in UK) had a lovely dinner and a bottle of Crystal Brooke Chardonnay from South Australia I could almost not walk home. This morning we had brekky then went for a little sightseeing tour of the little village, extremely pretty.
We then set off for our destination of Bowness in Windermere, our acommodation is quite lovley. As it is a resort we went to the Welcome to New Guests at 5.15 got all the goss for the week and then set off for a walk around the delightful little town, found a lovely place to eat, anor couple from Gloucester they were Alan and Jenny and he was celebrating his 70th birthday they were very funny and we had a very lovely evening we totally chatted all through dinner.
We have not thought too far past tomorrow but have booked a tour for Thursday that is about it so far. These places are like they have never been touched by time at all.
Sam has done a great job with all the accommodation and driving etc he is to be congratulated really.
Hope all is well with everyone and talk soon Sam and Sabine
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Saturday 25 June Ireland to England
Hello everyone, Another reasonably early start as we had to get to Belfast Airport to return the hire car and catch a flight to Stansted near London. Had the usual hassles at the airport, worries with the weight of luggage and carry on bags, and then getting through security. One of our carry on bags had to be emptied god knows why and Sabine had an issue with quantity of liquids but the security lady was very helpful and she managed to keep almost everything. Flight was uneventful then got our hire car and set off for our B&B in a tiny place called Harrington in Northhamptonshire, which has the cutest thatch roofed pub next door where we had a meal and a bottle of South Australian wine, before checking the footy scores and calling it a night. Tomorrow we head to the Lake District where we are staying for a week. Sabine and Sam
Friday 24 June Galway to Armagh
Hello everyone, Our email problem seems to have been resolved (cross fingers) and we can now send as well as receive.
Set off early as it is a reasonably full day trip from Galway to Armagh but the road was good and we made good time. Pulled up in a little town called Clones for some lunch just before crossing the border back into Northern Ireland, it is funny but some little towns are full of life and activity and it is impossible to get a park, other are obviously in decline, which is what Clones appeared to be. There seems to be no obvious reason for the differences. We also stopped in another nearby town called Monaghan which had a massive cathedral called St Macarten which we had a look at, it was built in the 1800's but is very impressive. We arrived in Armagh a bit too early to get into our B&B so we had a look around and surprise surprise we found another massive cathedral called St Patrick's (of course) which we also had a look at. We also looked at an old ruined church from the 1200's. Once we booked into our B&B we went off to find a meal but there did not seem to be much open so we settled for a pizza.
Set off early as it is a reasonably full day trip from Galway to Armagh but the road was good and we made good time. Pulled up in a little town called Clones for some lunch just before crossing the border back into Northern Ireland, it is funny but some little towns are full of life and activity and it is impossible to get a park, other are obviously in decline, which is what Clones appeared to be. There seems to be no obvious reason for the differences. We also stopped in another nearby town called Monaghan which had a massive cathedral called St Macarten which we had a look at, it was built in the 1800's but is very impressive. We arrived in Armagh a bit too early to get into our B&B so we had a look around and surprise surprise we found another massive cathedral called St Patrick's (of course) which we also had a look at. We also looked at an old ruined church from the 1200's. Once we booked into our B&B we went off to find a meal but there did not seem to be much open so we settled for a pizza.
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Thursday 23rd June,2011
Hello to all
Here we are again. Before I launch into our day, thank you Candice, Karen(2),Ronda and Margaret and Alan for your emails. We are still only able to receive emails, no luck sending as yet, we hope to be able to organise something when we get to Lake Windermere. At least we can receive them we were not able to do that last week.
We set off from Dingle this morning, lovely again, the coastline is out of this world. We really just travelled today, we had to catch the ferry from County Kerry to County Clare across the mouth of the Shannon about a 20 min journey, very pretty also. We thought we would have a look at Quigley a tiny seaside town and stopped in the carpark of the Star of the Sea Catholic Church which I was going to have a look at but alas there was a wedding and all the guests were turning up, heavens we thought Will and Kate had a big wedding theirs was tiny compared to this, we actually had a look at the coastline and left huge event. We then travelled on to The Cliffs of Moher, there would have been about 10 buses easily 500 to 600 people but well worth seeing. We did the walk along the coastline and it actually was not too windy today.It was a perfect day for this as apparently it is a really cold place. After this we travelled to our destination of Galway, found our B&B it is amazing these places are always full. We went into town and had some dinner and now home, early start tomorrow as we go to Armagh which is in Northern Ireland so tomorrow we say goodbye to our Euros and go to Pounds. Then Saturday we make a short 60k journey to Belfast to catch our flight to Stansted near London, collect our car and head straight for Windemere on Sunday morning. Sam is doing a great job of the driving and all of his accommodation planning etc has been perfect. All the best Sam and Sabine. Love to all XXX
Here we are again. Before I launch into our day, thank you Candice, Karen(2),Ronda and Margaret and Alan for your emails. We are still only able to receive emails, no luck sending as yet, we hope to be able to organise something when we get to Lake Windermere. At least we can receive them we were not able to do that last week.
We set off from Dingle this morning, lovely again, the coastline is out of this world. We really just travelled today, we had to catch the ferry from County Kerry to County Clare across the mouth of the Shannon about a 20 min journey, very pretty also. We thought we would have a look at Quigley a tiny seaside town and stopped in the carpark of the Star of the Sea Catholic Church which I was going to have a look at but alas there was a wedding and all the guests were turning up, heavens we thought Will and Kate had a big wedding theirs was tiny compared to this, we actually had a look at the coastline and left huge event. We then travelled on to The Cliffs of Moher, there would have been about 10 buses easily 500 to 600 people but well worth seeing. We did the walk along the coastline and it actually was not too windy today.It was a perfect day for this as apparently it is a really cold place. After this we travelled to our destination of Galway, found our B&B it is amazing these places are always full. We went into town and had some dinner and now home, early start tomorrow as we go to Armagh which is in Northern Ireland so tomorrow we say goodbye to our Euros and go to Pounds. Then Saturday we make a short 60k journey to Belfast to catch our flight to Stansted near London, collect our car and head straight for Windemere on Sunday morning. Sam is doing a great job of the driving and all of his accommodation planning etc has been perfect. All the best Sam and Sabine. Love to all XXX
Wednesday 22nd June 2011
Hello to all.
We left Blackrock in Cork this morning. We travelled pretty much all day through beautiful countryside stopping every so often just to drink in the beauty. It is indeed true there are 40 shades of green. We had had a lovely brekky at our B&B so we only stopped for a coffee and piece of carrot cake for me and apple cake for Sam which were both lovely and it was from a tiny little shop/supermarket/deli/coffee shop all combined.
We then travelled on and came to a delightful seaside village called Kinsale there was a market on and it was extremely busy so we headed along the shore and found a carpark, we were just parking and this lady knocked on our window and gave us her parking ticket which had about 2hs on it, we have met really lovely people. We had a look around very picturesque place, back to the carpark and handed over our spot and our ticket to this chap and his wife. We travelled on, one bautiful scene after another. We stopped in Bantry anor beachside place, stood on the beach, seriously you could be in heaven. We then travelled on to our destination with the assistance of Masie. We arrived at our B&B in Dingle after a spectacular drive along the Dingle Peninsular. We managed a park at the door, the lady Marion was delightful, our room lovely, so we settled in and off we went again for a wander thru the town, saw an advert for a Folk Concert at St James Church at 7.30 so we raced into a pub had a quick bite and off to the concert, 4 very talented fellows, two guitarists for a start, then anor chap and then a fellow who played the Irish Pipes WOW how lucky we were to hear such amazing music. One of the guitarists said when I am finished here I play in a little pub called 'O'Sullivan's Courthouse' so we raced back to our B&B which was all of 50metres from the Church dropped our things and headed to the pub, more fabulous music and we stayed there until about 12.00 headed home again 70 metres this time. Lovely day and eve. I am sure no one in Ireland has died of a stress related illness. I must say I will be sorry to leave tomorrow. All the best Sam & Sabine
We left Blackrock in Cork this morning. We travelled pretty much all day through beautiful countryside stopping every so often just to drink in the beauty. It is indeed true there are 40 shades of green. We had had a lovely brekky at our B&B so we only stopped for a coffee and piece of carrot cake for me and apple cake for Sam which were both lovely and it was from a tiny little shop/supermarket/deli/coffee shop all combined.
We then travelled on and came to a delightful seaside village called Kinsale there was a market on and it was extremely busy so we headed along the shore and found a carpark, we were just parking and this lady knocked on our window and gave us her parking ticket which had about 2hs on it, we have met really lovely people. We had a look around very picturesque place, back to the carpark and handed over our spot and our ticket to this chap and his wife. We travelled on, one bautiful scene after another. We stopped in Bantry anor beachside place, stood on the beach, seriously you could be in heaven. We then travelled on to our destination with the assistance of Masie. We arrived at our B&B in Dingle after a spectacular drive along the Dingle Peninsular. We managed a park at the door, the lady Marion was delightful, our room lovely, so we settled in and off we went again for a wander thru the town, saw an advert for a Folk Concert at St James Church at 7.30 so we raced into a pub had a quick bite and off to the concert, 4 very talented fellows, two guitarists for a start, then anor chap and then a fellow who played the Irish Pipes WOW how lucky we were to hear such amazing music. One of the guitarists said when I am finished here I play in a little pub called 'O'Sullivan's Courthouse' so we raced back to our B&B which was all of 50metres from the Church dropped our things and headed to the pub, more fabulous music and we stayed there until about 12.00 headed home again 70 metres this time. Lovely day and eve. I am sure no one in Ireland has died of a stress related illness. I must say I will be sorry to leave tomorrow. All the best Sam & Sabine
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Tuesday 21st June, 2011
Hello to all
We set off this morning from Kilkenny first of all to see Kilkenny Castle which has a most interesting history renovated many times throughout the centuries but all the contents eventually auctioned off in 1935 and then it fell in to disrepair, then in 1967 an Earl a decendant of the owner gave it to a Trust for £50.00 and then over the next 40 years it was restored to its present glory, they have done an amazing job as there were beautiful photographs of the rooms done by this fellow in the 1800s (he wss not the photographer) but someone who had set up a business and employed this photographer to document the place hence when the restoration was taken on they were able to do an authentic job, quite outstanding. I have fallen in love with Kilkenny and would come and live here in a heartbeat, just one of those things it just hits you.
We then travelled on to Waterford where we were just in time for a tour of the new Waterford Crystal building opened on June 8 2010. They now only make one off pieces at Waterford pieces for trophies for all manner of tournaments etc all those beautiful pieces you see the golfers and tennis greats win. An amazing process to watch. Different pieces get made in different places in Europe now, eg the coloured pieces are madein Poland etc.
We then set off towards Cork which is where we were staying but on the way we went to Blarney Castle the gardens are magnificent and the old castle was amazng, we did the walk to the top, Sam kissed the Blarney Stone but it was quite wet and I knew once I got down on the ground I would not have been able to get up as I really cannot weight bear on my ankle as yet I manage but anything too major I can't risk I have seven weeks to go and I am beginning to think I may have broken a little bit of bone off not just sprained it. Anyway it was a lovely place Blarney House was closed as it it only open from 10.00am to 2.00pm. We then set Masie (she is our sat nav) in motion to find us our B&B in Blackrock in Cork,she did a great job. We settled in then went down the street and had chinese and went for a walk along the river. There was a Paul Simon concert on just along the street.
It is now Wednesday and we have just had breakfast and funnily enough the couple sitting opposite us last night in the chinese were sitting in the dining room of our B&B this morning as they had been here to go to the Paul Simon concert.
The lady who owns this house runs it as a B&B and as well she is a high school principal, people do a lot of things with their lives. She is lovely and the place is lovely too and I slept, the hotels are so hot and we always turn everything down but still way too hot and you just do not sleep as well.
Dawn I received your email this morning and we thought we were right to go with our email but when we go to send it says it is blocked again, hopefully we will manage to get it to a point where we can send, thank you for having Ash for dinner much appreciated.
Avril lovely to hear from you too and will email as soon as we can, we seem to be able to receive but not send.
All the best to everyone, love to all, we are about to set off for Dingle. Lots of love Sam and Sabine
We set off this morning from Kilkenny first of all to see Kilkenny Castle which has a most interesting history renovated many times throughout the centuries but all the contents eventually auctioned off in 1935 and then it fell in to disrepair, then in 1967 an Earl a decendant of the owner gave it to a Trust for £50.00 and then over the next 40 years it was restored to its present glory, they have done an amazing job as there were beautiful photographs of the rooms done by this fellow in the 1800s (he wss not the photographer) but someone who had set up a business and employed this photographer to document the place hence when the restoration was taken on they were able to do an authentic job, quite outstanding. I have fallen in love with Kilkenny and would come and live here in a heartbeat, just one of those things it just hits you.
We then travelled on to Waterford where we were just in time for a tour of the new Waterford Crystal building opened on June 8 2010. They now only make one off pieces at Waterford pieces for trophies for all manner of tournaments etc all those beautiful pieces you see the golfers and tennis greats win. An amazing process to watch. Different pieces get made in different places in Europe now, eg the coloured pieces are madein Poland etc.
We then set off towards Cork which is where we were staying but on the way we went to Blarney Castle the gardens are magnificent and the old castle was amazng, we did the walk to the top, Sam kissed the Blarney Stone but it was quite wet and I knew once I got down on the ground I would not have been able to get up as I really cannot weight bear on my ankle as yet I manage but anything too major I can't risk I have seven weeks to go and I am beginning to think I may have broken a little bit of bone off not just sprained it. Anyway it was a lovely place Blarney House was closed as it it only open from 10.00am to 2.00pm. We then set Masie (she is our sat nav) in motion to find us our B&B in Blackrock in Cork,she did a great job. We settled in then went down the street and had chinese and went for a walk along the river. There was a Paul Simon concert on just along the street.
It is now Wednesday and we have just had breakfast and funnily enough the couple sitting opposite us last night in the chinese were sitting in the dining room of our B&B this morning as they had been here to go to the Paul Simon concert.
The lady who owns this house runs it as a B&B and as well she is a high school principal, people do a lot of things with their lives. She is lovely and the place is lovely too and I slept, the hotels are so hot and we always turn everything down but still way too hot and you just do not sleep as well.
Dawn I received your email this morning and we thought we were right to go with our email but when we go to send it says it is blocked again, hopefully we will manage to get it to a point where we can send, thank you for having Ash for dinner much appreciated.
Avril lovely to hear from you too and will email as soon as we can, we seem to be able to receive but not send.
All the best to everyone, love to all, we are about to set off for Dingle. Lots of love Sam and Sabine
Monday, 20 June 2011
Dublin to Kilkenny 20th June 2011
Hello to all. We are still unable to receive or send emails trying to get it rectified but who knows.
We left Dublin this morning reasonably early, I did like Dublin, one of those places you would return to. Nothing is very far in Ireland. We bought ourselves a Tom Tom for Ireland and the UK so that along with a map we are finding our way around OK. Sam did a great job finding our way from Belfast airport to our hotel in Dublin.
We came here today via Glendalough, meaning the valley of the two lakes and is renowned for its Early Medieval monastic settlement founded by St Kevin in the 6th century. It is amazing how some of the buildings built 1000 years ago are still partly standing. Parts have been restored using the stone on the site but the graveyard is still visible, there were laypeople buried there as well and anyone related to the people buried there is still entitled to be buried there today. The bell tower is still in perfect shape only having had the conical roof rebuilt in 1876 using original stone. How very fortunate we are to have something so incredible there for us to see today. After this we had a bit of lunch at the hotel there and continued on our journey to Kilkenny. We arrived at about 5.00 settled into our hotel went out had some dinner etc and we will head out in the morning to see the castle which is very close to us. I bought a beautiful long cardigan from a very lovely girl and she is going to ship it for me Sam thought that was pretty good going to find something you loved 10 mins after arriving in town.
We will have brekky early, go to the castle and then head off to Waterford and then on to Cork where we will stay tomorrow eve.
It would have been my Dad's 94 birthday today.
Hope all is well, and hopefully we will have our email back soon. All the best Sam and Sabine
We left Dublin this morning reasonably early, I did like Dublin, one of those places you would return to. Nothing is very far in Ireland. We bought ourselves a Tom Tom for Ireland and the UK so that along with a map we are finding our way around OK. Sam did a great job finding our way from Belfast airport to our hotel in Dublin.
We came here today via Glendalough, meaning the valley of the two lakes and is renowned for its Early Medieval monastic settlement founded by St Kevin in the 6th century. It is amazing how some of the buildings built 1000 years ago are still partly standing. Parts have been restored using the stone on the site but the graveyard is still visible, there were laypeople buried there as well and anyone related to the people buried there is still entitled to be buried there today. The bell tower is still in perfect shape only having had the conical roof rebuilt in 1876 using original stone. How very fortunate we are to have something so incredible there for us to see today. After this we had a bit of lunch at the hotel there and continued on our journey to Kilkenny. We arrived at about 5.00 settled into our hotel went out had some dinner etc and we will head out in the morning to see the castle which is very close to us. I bought a beautiful long cardigan from a very lovely girl and she is going to ship it for me Sam thought that was pretty good going to find something you loved 10 mins after arriving in town.
We will have brekky early, go to the castle and then head off to Waterford and then on to Cork where we will stay tomorrow eve.
It would have been my Dad's 94 birthday today.
Hope all is well, and hopefully we will have our email back soon. All the best Sam and Sabine
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Spain to Ireland 198 and 19 June
Hello everyone,
Our stay in sunny Spain is over and now we are in Dublin having yesterday flown from Malaga to Belfast where we picked up a hire car and drove directly to Dublin for two nights. We had a bit of a hassle with security at Malaga airport and Sabine had to forfeit a bottle of perfume which she mistakenly had in her hand luggage, that upset her and she was a bit tired and stressed by the time we reached Dublin. Today we headed into town and had a good look around visiting such sights as Dublin Castle where Queen Elizabeth attended the state dinner only three weeks ago. We had a guided tour of the castle which was very interesting. We saw lots of other well known Dublin landmarks and I think we covered the city reasonably well, although a couple of extra days would have been nice. Tomorrow we head south from Dublin and our next stop is Kilkenny, so it is not too long a drive but hopefully we will see plenty of nice scenery. We are having a bit of a problem with our Hotmail, we do not seem to be able to send emails, and I don't know if emails are coming to us, we have not had any for a couple of days. Hopefully the problem will resolve itself. Sabine and Sam
Our stay in sunny Spain is over and now we are in Dublin having yesterday flown from Malaga to Belfast where we picked up a hire car and drove directly to Dublin for two nights. We had a bit of a hassle with security at Malaga airport and Sabine had to forfeit a bottle of perfume which she mistakenly had in her hand luggage, that upset her and she was a bit tired and stressed by the time we reached Dublin. Today we headed into town and had a good look around visiting such sights as Dublin Castle where Queen Elizabeth attended the state dinner only three weeks ago. We had a guided tour of the castle which was very interesting. We saw lots of other well known Dublin landmarks and I think we covered the city reasonably well, although a couple of extra days would have been nice. Tomorrow we head south from Dublin and our next stop is Kilkenny, so it is not too long a drive but hopefully we will see plenty of nice scenery. We are having a bit of a problem with our Hotmail, we do not seem to be able to send emails, and I don't know if emails are coming to us, we have not had any for a couple of days. Hopefully the problem will resolve itself. Sabine and Sam
Friday, 17 June 2011
Benalmadena 16 and 17 June
Hello everyone,
Our holiday in sunny Spain is almost over, it has been very relaxing and slow paced. The last two days we have woken up to the place completely blanketed by fog which has lasted into the afternoon but the hills behind the town were above the fog. It is still very warm and humid and even more so when the sun finally breaks through.
Yesterday we did a day trip to Gibraltar, Sabine had always wanted to go there. When we set off it was foggy and I was afraid that it would still be that way when we got there and we wouldn't see a thing, but about half way there it cleared so all was well. We did a tour of the town and then went part way up the rock to St Michael's Cave which are fantastic caves in the rock which date back millions of years and are full of stalactites and stalagmites. During WW2 it was set up as a military hospital but was not used, part of it is now set up as a performing arena as it apparently has perfect acoustics. We then did a tour of the tunnels built in the rock during the war, there are a total of 58 kilometres of tunnels ranging in size from big enough for two trucks to pass down to pedestrian tunnels. They were built in a period of three years with over 5000 servicemen stuck there six days a week. Most of the tunnels are still being used by the British Army for training purposes. The town itself is quite quaint but full of shops. About 32,000 people live there. Of all our Europe trip the crossing of the border between Spain and Gibraltar was the most officious we have encountered, both to get in and out.
Today was a bit quieter, we are getting organised to leave in the morning, our plane for Ireland leaves around midday, so we need to get organised to give ourselves time to check out and get a taxi to the station to catch a train to the airport. Spain has been a lovely place and we have really enjoyed our time here, will maybe come back again one day. Sabine and Sam
Our holiday in sunny Spain is almost over, it has been very relaxing and slow paced. The last two days we have woken up to the place completely blanketed by fog which has lasted into the afternoon but the hills behind the town were above the fog. It is still very warm and humid and even more so when the sun finally breaks through.
Yesterday we did a day trip to Gibraltar, Sabine had always wanted to go there. When we set off it was foggy and I was afraid that it would still be that way when we got there and we wouldn't see a thing, but about half way there it cleared so all was well. We did a tour of the town and then went part way up the rock to St Michael's Cave which are fantastic caves in the rock which date back millions of years and are full of stalactites and stalagmites. During WW2 it was set up as a military hospital but was not used, part of it is now set up as a performing arena as it apparently has perfect acoustics. We then did a tour of the tunnels built in the rock during the war, there are a total of 58 kilometres of tunnels ranging in size from big enough for two trucks to pass down to pedestrian tunnels. They were built in a period of three years with over 5000 servicemen stuck there six days a week. Most of the tunnels are still being used by the British Army for training purposes. The town itself is quite quaint but full of shops. About 32,000 people live there. Of all our Europe trip the crossing of the border between Spain and Gibraltar was the most officious we have encountered, both to get in and out.
Today was a bit quieter, we are getting organised to leave in the morning, our plane for Ireland leaves around midday, so we need to get organised to give ourselves time to check out and get a taxi to the station to catch a train to the airport. Spain has been a lovely place and we have really enjoyed our time here, will maybe come back again one day. Sabine and Sam
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Benalmadena 14 and 15 June
Hello everyone,
Our break in Spain is doing us wonders but it will soon be at an end. The weather is perfect, bright sunshine and about 30 degrees every day. We normally go to the beach in the morning then have a break in the heat of the day then go back later in the afternoon. It is a lovely beach which stretches for miles, and of course being on the Mediterranean the water is as flat as a tack. Yesterday we did a day bus trip to Granada, probably about 150 km from here, primarily to see the Alhambra Palace which was built by the Moorish kings when they ruled Spain in the 12th century. It was very interesting and a complete contrast to the palaces we had seen in other European cities. It is the most visited site in the whole of Spain. We then went into the centre of Granada for a look around but it was about 38 degrees so we just found a nice cafe with airconditioning and sat there for a while. That night we went to the restaurant at the resort as they had flamenco dancers doing a show, they were very good and we had delicious paella, as you do in Spain. Today is a quiet day, again very hot in the sun but nice in the shade. Tomorrow we head off to Gibraltar for a day trip. Soon our stay here will be over, we fly to Ireland on Saturday where we suspect the weather will be a bit different. Love Sabine and Sam
Our break in Spain is doing us wonders but it will soon be at an end. The weather is perfect, bright sunshine and about 30 degrees every day. We normally go to the beach in the morning then have a break in the heat of the day then go back later in the afternoon. It is a lovely beach which stretches for miles, and of course being on the Mediterranean the water is as flat as a tack. Yesterday we did a day bus trip to Granada, probably about 150 km from here, primarily to see the Alhambra Palace which was built by the Moorish kings when they ruled Spain in the 12th century. It was very interesting and a complete contrast to the palaces we had seen in other European cities. It is the most visited site in the whole of Spain. We then went into the centre of Granada for a look around but it was about 38 degrees so we just found a nice cafe with airconditioning and sat there for a while. That night we went to the restaurant at the resort as they had flamenco dancers doing a show, they were very good and we had delicious paella, as you do in Spain. Today is a quiet day, again very hot in the sun but nice in the shade. Tomorrow we head off to Gibraltar for a day trip. Soon our stay here will be over, we fly to Ireland on Saturday where we suspect the weather will be a bit different. Love Sabine and Sam
Sunday, 12 June 2011
June 12,2011 - Benalmadena - Malaga
HELLO TO EVERYONE
IT IS SUNDAY TODAY OUR FIRST DAY OF REST AND RELAXATION I MUST SAY WE HAVE COLLAPSED TODAY. WE WENT TO THE RESORT TALK TODAY JUST TO FIND OUT A FEW THINGS MET SOME LOVELY LADIES FROM THE STATES, WE HAVE MET LOTS OF LOVELY PEOPLE FROM THE STATES ALL THRU. WE HAVE BOOKED A DAY TRIP TO GRANADA AND THE ALHAMBRA PALACE FOR TUESDAY AND DINNER AND A FLAMENCO DANCING DISPLAY FOR TUESDAY EVE. THEN FOR THURS WE HAVE BOOKED A TOUR OF GIBRALTAR AND WORLD WAR II TUNNELS. WE HAVE TO TAKE OUR PASSPORT FOR THIS OF COURSE. THESE SHOULD BOTH BE GOOD TOURS. THE REST OF THE TIME WE ARE JUST GOING TO SIT ON THE BEACH WHICH WE DID TODAY IT IS ONLY ABOUT 100METRES FROM OUR RESORT. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY BUSY PLACE SO MUCH ACCOMMODATION AND ALL PRETTY FILLED, PEOPLE COME FROM EVERYWHERE, WHILST WE WERE USING THE INTERNET IN THE RECEPTION LAST NIGHT THIS FELLOW ARRIVED 36 HRS HE HAD COME FROM BRISBANE, PEOPLE GO ALL MANNER OF PLACES FOR THEIR HOLIDAYS. WE HAVE JUST HAD DINNER, SO MANY PLACES JUST ON THE BEACH. WE ARE BOTH PRETTY TIRED TONIGHT SO AN EARLY NIGHT I THINK. ALL THE BEST SAM AND SABINE
IT IS SUNDAY TODAY OUR FIRST DAY OF REST AND RELAXATION I MUST SAY WE HAVE COLLAPSED TODAY. WE WENT TO THE RESORT TALK TODAY JUST TO FIND OUT A FEW THINGS MET SOME LOVELY LADIES FROM THE STATES, WE HAVE MET LOTS OF LOVELY PEOPLE FROM THE STATES ALL THRU. WE HAVE BOOKED A DAY TRIP TO GRANADA AND THE ALHAMBRA PALACE FOR TUESDAY AND DINNER AND A FLAMENCO DANCING DISPLAY FOR TUESDAY EVE. THEN FOR THURS WE HAVE BOOKED A TOUR OF GIBRALTAR AND WORLD WAR II TUNNELS. WE HAVE TO TAKE OUR PASSPORT FOR THIS OF COURSE. THESE SHOULD BOTH BE GOOD TOURS. THE REST OF THE TIME WE ARE JUST GOING TO SIT ON THE BEACH WHICH WE DID TODAY IT IS ONLY ABOUT 100METRES FROM OUR RESORT. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY BUSY PLACE SO MUCH ACCOMMODATION AND ALL PRETTY FILLED, PEOPLE COME FROM EVERYWHERE, WHILST WE WERE USING THE INTERNET IN THE RECEPTION LAST NIGHT THIS FELLOW ARRIVED 36 HRS HE HAD COME FROM BRISBANE, PEOPLE GO ALL MANNER OF PLACES FOR THEIR HOLIDAYS. WE HAVE JUST HAD DINNER, SO MANY PLACES JUST ON THE BEACH. WE ARE BOTH PRETTY TIRED TONIGHT SO AN EARLY NIGHT I THINK. ALL THE BEST SAM AND SABINE
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Madrid to Malaga 11 June
Hello everyone,
We had a fairly leisurely start to the day, our train did not leave Madrid until 11.35. In the station we saw a TV crew from CNN and the reporter was Richard Quest,he was about 5 metres from us. You may not know his name but we had CNN at most places on our holiday and Richard Quest seemed to be on air a lot asking hard questions of politicians. Sabine was very excited to see him.
We arrived in Malaga on time then caught a local train down to the beach resort we are staying at, it was about a 30 minute train trip then 5 minutes in a taxi and we were at our destination in a place called Benalmadena, our resort is about 100 metres from the beach, which looks nice and is pretty busy. There are a million restaurants along the beach so we picked one at random and it turned out the owner was Dutch and he had been in Sydney for the 2000 Olympics where his daughter won silver in the swimming, and she also won gold at the Beijing Olympics. He had a good chat to us, he spent 6 weeks in Queensland after the Olympics.
We are both pretty tired now but we have pledged that each morning we will get up and do a long brisk walk before it gets too hot, and then head to the beach. The forecast for all next week is around 30 degrees and sunny.
Sabine and Sam
We had a fairly leisurely start to the day, our train did not leave Madrid until 11.35. In the station we saw a TV crew from CNN and the reporter was Richard Quest,he was about 5 metres from us. You may not know his name but we had CNN at most places on our holiday and Richard Quest seemed to be on air a lot asking hard questions of politicians. Sabine was very excited to see him.
We arrived in Malaga on time then caught a local train down to the beach resort we are staying at, it was about a 30 minute train trip then 5 minutes in a taxi and we were at our destination in a place called Benalmadena, our resort is about 100 metres from the beach, which looks nice and is pretty busy. There are a million restaurants along the beach so we picked one at random and it turned out the owner was Dutch and he had been in Sydney for the 2000 Olympics where his daughter won silver in the swimming, and she also won gold at the Beijing Olympics. He had a good chat to us, he spent 6 weeks in Queensland after the Olympics.
We are both pretty tired now but we have pledged that each morning we will get up and do a long brisk walk before it gets too hot, and then head to the beach. The forecast for all next week is around 30 degrees and sunny.
Sabine and Sam
Friday, 10 June 2011
Madrid 10 June
Hello to all,
After our long day of travelling yesterday we were both pretty tired so we had a sleep in today, did not leave the hotel until about 11.30, had not had breakfast so we went to a cafe across the road from the hotel and had a nice lunch before we set off to wander the streets. Saw some lovely buildings and beautiful well maintained parks and gardens, the whole place is very clean and vibrant. The weather is perfect, about 24 degrees, but it does tire you a bit so we came back to the hotel for a rest then we'll head out later to se some more then have a meal. Tomorrow we are off to Malaga where we stay for a week's R & R on the beach to recover before we set off on the next phase of our journey. We fly from Malaga to Ireland where we have a hire car for a week travelling round then it's off to the UK for about six weeks.
Sabine and Sam
After our long day of travelling yesterday we were both pretty tired so we had a sleep in today, did not leave the hotel until about 11.30, had not had breakfast so we went to a cafe across the road from the hotel and had a nice lunch before we set off to wander the streets. Saw some lovely buildings and beautiful well maintained parks and gardens, the whole place is very clean and vibrant. The weather is perfect, about 24 degrees, but it does tire you a bit so we came back to the hotel for a rest then we'll head out later to se some more then have a meal. Tomorrow we are off to Malaga where we stay for a week's R & R on the beach to recover before we set off on the next phase of our journey. We fly from Malaga to Ireland where we have a hire car for a week travelling round then it's off to the UK for about six weeks.
Sabine and Sam
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Avignon to Madrid
Hello to all
Here we are again. Such boring people we are. We left Avignon this morning at 9.15 to go to Nimes then the 10.14 train to Figures then the 1.03 train to Barcelona. Met lots of lovely people on the way a couple from South Dakota at Nimes and a couple from Assieland in the train on the way to Figures. All trips really fine no dramas. We arrived in Barcelon at 2.50 and our train to Madrid was scheduled for 3.00 but alas we missed it. We had to go thru a bag xray etc. and lots of people so we missed the train. To do. We went to a desk no English mind you, explained the situation we were sent off to these four chaps, no English again, explained the situation again, they made many phone calls, Sam and I looking very bewildered, anyway they let us thru some gate sent us to an office, sort of indicated where to go and what to do, finally got some chap who stamped our booking forms with any number of stamps and signatures then told to go to 27-33 off we go again find a tickret office with at least 100 people waiting in line but ticket office 27-33 stay in line, finally get to a window,still only Spanish, he does any manner of processes, hands us back our booking forms we have a quick look, he has booked us on the 4.00 o'clock train to Madrid, off we go again,thru the xray down the lift to the platform race onto the train, beautiful train go to our booked carriage and seat,sit down and think thank heavens,Sam goes to the Bistro car and goes to buy a drink, the waiter says No we feed you etc 15 mins after the train leaves, we relax. Amazing really, so helpful and kind to you, beautiful journey whatever we want to drink, by this time I need wine, a light meal,then they ask would you like champagne, of course I would like champagne, Sam has 3 beers, this train is travelling at 300ks per hr. Arrive in Madrid at 7.25 catch a taxi to our hotel which is lovely, Sam has a sleep and I email a number of people. We wander out for a walk at 10.00 find somewhere to eat, beautiful meal, now we are home and completelyh exhausted, but a lovely and funny day. I think we travelled about 1500ks today. Madrid does look lovely, beautiful architecture, we will not worry about a tour tomorrow, just admire the beauty and then off to Malaga on Saturday. All the best Sam and Sabine.
Here we are again. Such boring people we are. We left Avignon this morning at 9.15 to go to Nimes then the 10.14 train to Figures then the 1.03 train to Barcelona. Met lots of lovely people on the way a couple from South Dakota at Nimes and a couple from Assieland in the train on the way to Figures. All trips really fine no dramas. We arrived in Barcelon at 2.50 and our train to Madrid was scheduled for 3.00 but alas we missed it. We had to go thru a bag xray etc. and lots of people so we missed the train. To do. We went to a desk no English mind you, explained the situation we were sent off to these four chaps, no English again, explained the situation again, they made many phone calls, Sam and I looking very bewildered, anyway they let us thru some gate sent us to an office, sort of indicated where to go and what to do, finally got some chap who stamped our booking forms with any number of stamps and signatures then told to go to 27-33 off we go again find a tickret office with at least 100 people waiting in line but ticket office 27-33 stay in line, finally get to a window,still only Spanish, he does any manner of processes, hands us back our booking forms we have a quick look, he has booked us on the 4.00 o'clock train to Madrid, off we go again,thru the xray down the lift to the platform race onto the train, beautiful train go to our booked carriage and seat,sit down and think thank heavens,Sam goes to the Bistro car and goes to buy a drink, the waiter says No we feed you etc 15 mins after the train leaves, we relax. Amazing really, so helpful and kind to you, beautiful journey whatever we want to drink, by this time I need wine, a light meal,then they ask would you like champagne, of course I would like champagne, Sam has 3 beers, this train is travelling at 300ks per hr. Arrive in Madrid at 7.25 catch a taxi to our hotel which is lovely, Sam has a sleep and I email a number of people. We wander out for a walk at 10.00 find somewhere to eat, beautiful meal, now we are home and completelyh exhausted, but a lovely and funny day. I think we travelled about 1500ks today. Madrid does look lovely, beautiful architecture, we will not worry about a tour tomorrow, just admire the beauty and then off to Malaga on Saturday. All the best Sam and Sabine.
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Avignon June 8
Hello everyone,
Another busy day in Avignon. We started off visiting the Notre Dame des Doms Cathedral, another magnificent structure, then went to the Pont d'Avignon where we did the full audio tour of the history of the bridge, it was extremely interesting. There are only four arches of the bridge still standing of the original 22 when it was first completed in 1185. It has had a chequered career, it was almost completely destroyed on the orders of King Louis VIII during a three month siege back in 1226, it has been rebuilt a number of times since but kept getting washed away during floods, the final of which left the bridge as it is today. On the Barthelasse Island, under one of the arches of the ruined bridge,there was a cafe with music whose dances were highly popular, and which inspired a song even more popular. Thus originally one danced "sous le pont" (under the bridge) not "sur le pont" (on the bridge) d'Avignon as in the famous refrain sung throughout the world today. The proper name of the bridge is Saint Benezet Bridge he was the shepherd who had a vision to build the bridge and as legend tells it he picked up a huge rock and put it in place to become the original foundation. He was not a technical man and did not take place in the constructionof the bridge but was an excellent fundraiser. He set up a religious order whose role it was to manage the bridge works and to raise the necessary funds. He also built a hospital for the sick and needy travellers. This in turn (long story) was how the Corpus Christi Procession came about. We always took part in the Corpus Christi Procession in Brisbane, a major event, every Catholic School took part, a very beautiful event actually. The Archbishop always gave us a holiday the following day. We then did a half day tour in a minibus around Provence, visting some very pretty villages including Gordes, Roussillon and Les Baux de Provence, and then to visit the massive Roman aqueduct built around the time of Christ and still in perfect structural condition. This was a beautiful day. On the bus we met another Aussie from Geelong who turned out to be a contractor who does a lot of work for the City of Melbourne, I know the company very well and give them a lot of business but I had never met him previously. It's a small world after all. We will sign off before you all get too bored. Sabine and Sam.
Another busy day in Avignon. We started off visiting the Notre Dame des Doms Cathedral, another magnificent structure, then went to the Pont d'Avignon where we did the full audio tour of the history of the bridge, it was extremely interesting. There are only four arches of the bridge still standing of the original 22 when it was first completed in 1185. It has had a chequered career, it was almost completely destroyed on the orders of King Louis VIII during a three month siege back in 1226, it has been rebuilt a number of times since but kept getting washed away during floods, the final of which left the bridge as it is today. On the Barthelasse Island, under one of the arches of the ruined bridge,there was a cafe with music whose dances were highly popular, and which inspired a song even more popular. Thus originally one danced "sous le pont" (under the bridge) not "sur le pont" (on the bridge) d'Avignon as in the famous refrain sung throughout the world today. The proper name of the bridge is Saint Benezet Bridge he was the shepherd who had a vision to build the bridge and as legend tells it he picked up a huge rock and put it in place to become the original foundation. He was not a technical man and did not take place in the constructionof the bridge but was an excellent fundraiser. He set up a religious order whose role it was to manage the bridge works and to raise the necessary funds. He also built a hospital for the sick and needy travellers. This in turn (long story) was how the Corpus Christi Procession came about. We always took part in the Corpus Christi Procession in Brisbane, a major event, every Catholic School took part, a very beautiful event actually. The Archbishop always gave us a holiday the following day. We then did a half day tour in a minibus around Provence, visting some very pretty villages including Gordes, Roussillon and Les Baux de Provence, and then to visit the massive Roman aqueduct built around the time of Christ and still in perfect structural condition. This was a beautiful day. On the bus we met another Aussie from Geelong who turned out to be a contractor who does a lot of work for the City of Melbourne, I know the company very well and give them a lot of business but I had never met him previously. It's a small world after all. We will sign off before you all get too bored. Sabine and Sam.
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Interlaken to Avignon June 7
We set off early this morning catching the 8.05 train from Interlaken to Bern, where we hopped onto another train to Geneva, where we made yet another change to catch the TGV to Avignon where we arrived around 3.45. The TGV station at Avignon is quite a way out of town but we found a bus which goes from the station to the centre of town, the tickets were only 1.20 euros each, a bargain! The whole trip again was very comfortable, lovely trains, stations and beautiful scenery especially when travelling alongside the numerous lakes. Our hotel is next door to the Avignon Centre station where our next trip starts on Thursday so that is handy. Avignon is a lovely old town completely surrounded by the old city wall which is still complete and in good condition. We went to see the Pont d'Avignon which everyone knows from the song, but to get onto the bridge costs (of course) and the ticket office closed just as we got there. We will try again tomorrow. We then wandered back to the Papal Palace where a number of popes in the 14th century chose Avignon as the papal city for political and geographical reasons. Rome was considered politically unstable at the time whereas Avignon offered peaceful serenity. We also went to look at the large cathedral but once again the gates closed just as we got there.
We had a lovely meal in the large square in front of the Papal Palace before wandering back to our hotel.
We had a lovely meal in the large square in front of the Papal Palace before wandering back to our hotel.
Monday, 6 June 2011
Interlaken June 5 and 6
Hello to all
We arrived here yesterday about 12.00 the most beautiful journey scenery to die for. Our hotel is lovely and we did a wander through the town and a bus journey out to one of the lakes. We had dinner at a restaurant across the street sat next to this lovely couple from North Carolina. Anyway they were staying at the same hotel as us. Today we rose early went down to the cable car and up the mountain WOW magnificent I said it looks like God just put his hand down through the valley. As we were walking down there was a placard on the wall with a Psalm on it 66/5 Here is Gods work - it is beautiful. We caught the cablecar down and I talked Sam into going on the Jungfrau which takes 3 trains and goes up inside the mountain to a height of 3454 metres absolutley amazing Sam said. It was snowing you could see the glacier going down the valley. On the way down the chap next to Sam had a heart attack so it was all hands on deck and they were still working on him and the helicoper was approaching as the other passengers alighted the train for the next one down the mountain, Sam said that was the top of Europe this poor fellow was going higher than that he thinks. I did not go as it was 5 hrs in all on the train. Had dinner Indian and met up with our American friends who are actually staying in the next room we havetaken photos etc. Better fly, off to Avingon tomorrow All the best Sam & Sabine
We arrived here yesterday about 12.00 the most beautiful journey scenery to die for. Our hotel is lovely and we did a wander through the town and a bus journey out to one of the lakes. We had dinner at a restaurant across the street sat next to this lovely couple from North Carolina. Anyway they were staying at the same hotel as us. Today we rose early went down to the cable car and up the mountain WOW magnificent I said it looks like God just put his hand down through the valley. As we were walking down there was a placard on the wall with a Psalm on it 66/5 Here is Gods work - it is beautiful. We caught the cablecar down and I talked Sam into going on the Jungfrau which takes 3 trains and goes up inside the mountain to a height of 3454 metres absolutley amazing Sam said. It was snowing you could see the glacier going down the valley. On the way down the chap next to Sam had a heart attack so it was all hands on deck and they were still working on him and the helicoper was approaching as the other passengers alighted the train for the next one down the mountain, Sam said that was the top of Europe this poor fellow was going higher than that he thinks. I did not go as it was 5 hrs in all on the train. Had dinner Indian and met up with our American friends who are actually staying in the next room we havetaken photos etc. Better fly, off to Avingon tomorrow All the best Sam & Sabine
Saturday, 4 June 2011
June 4 Lucerne
Hi all
Short blog today. We arein Lucerne a very lovely place and one could easily stay here for a while. We are both suffering today I think after our massive day yesterday, as Ash would say we are both in Struggletown today, anyway we have been out done sightseeing our hotel is lovely and we are about to go out for a bite to eat. I have never seen so many children in my entire life ratio to population, babies and children everywhere. Heading on to Interlaken, all the best talk soon. Sam and Sabine
Short blog today. We arein Lucerne a very lovely place and one could easily stay here for a while. We are both suffering today I think after our massive day yesterday, as Ash would say we are both in Struggletown today, anyway we have been out done sightseeing our hotel is lovely and we are about to go out for a bite to eat. I have never seen so many children in my entire life ratio to population, babies and children everywhere. Heading on to Interlaken, all the best talk soon. Sam and Sabine
Friday, 3 June 2011
June 3 Chur to Lucerne
A very earl y start this morning. Checked out of the hotel caught a cab at 7.30 arrived at the station had a coffee etc at a little cafe opposite in readiness to catch the 8.32 Bernina Express. A very magical journey through the Swiss Alps the most beautiful scenery it was a totally lovely day. This train only goes each morning so you need to have a booking. Originally we were planned to go yesterday but they came back to us saying not running that day (the public holiday for The Ascension) so we rejigged our plans (this is long before we left) to go today.
We sat with a family from India, the parents a daughter of about 11 and a little boy about 10 months. The little girl had the most beautiful speaking voice I have ever heard fluent in her own language of course but also in English she sat with me a good bit of the way. We marvelled at the vista and she said it is so berautiful I do not know what to say and I said to her well don’t you think it is like a fairytale, she said that is exactly what is like, she was very lovely Sam and I were both very taken by her, I said Sam in 16 or 17 years she will be a Foreign Correspondent working for CNN as the anchor woman somewhere he agreed, but said I think she will have her PhD from Cambridge. You know you can meet 1000 people and one absolutely stands out. I am always amazed at the people you meet, and why do you meet them.
After a beautiful journey we arrived at Tirano at about 1.00 lovely little town had lunch at a little restaurant and then 2 busloads from the train caught the bus to Lugano at 2.30. Also a very lovely journey such beauty, a very interesting journey I am very glad I was not the busdriver not a lot of room on those roads, when we arrived at Lugano everyone applauded him. We arrived at Lugano about 6.00 also a very lovely place so one to go to. Our train to Lucerne was due at 7.14 it came along earlier so we set ourselves up Sam and I were the only 2 people in the first class carriage so we had it to ourselves all the way to Lucerne the most magnifient scenery we were hopping from one side to the other taking it all in. We arrived here at 9.40 caught a cab to our hotel which is lovely and we were set up by 10.00. We are very fast at this now. We only have one day here and it does look lovely so we will make the best of it. Talk soon Sam and Sabine
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Chur June 02.2011 - Thursday
Hello to all
Just a sort one today. We are in Chur. It is a holiday today Ascension Thursday. Everything is closed today. We have been for a wander had some lunch and now just catching up and having a bit of a rest which we both need. We catch The Bernina Express tomorrow morning (when we booked this originally we could not go today now we know it is because of the holiday) this is a magnificent journey apparently. We arrive in Tirano at about 12.30 and then we have 2 hr wait before our bus to Lugano which is about 3 hrs then anor 2 hr wait before our train to Lucerne which arrives at about 9.30 Friday night so a very busy day tomorrow. This is a grteat way to keep in touch with everyone I had lots or emails too. All the best talk soon Sam and Sabine
Just a sort one today. We are in Chur. It is a holiday today Ascension Thursday. Everything is closed today. We have been for a wander had some lunch and now just catching up and having a bit of a rest which we both need. We catch The Bernina Express tomorrow morning (when we booked this originally we could not go today now we know it is because of the holiday) this is a magnificent journey apparently. We arrive in Tirano at about 12.30 and then we have 2 hr wait before our bus to Lugano which is about 3 hrs then anor 2 hr wait before our train to Lucerne which arrives at about 9.30 Friday night so a very busy day tomorrow. This is a grteat way to keep in touch with everyone I had lots or emails too. All the best talk soon Sam and Sabine
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Chur 1 June
We left Innsbruck this morning caught the 9.54 train to Sargans arriving at 12.20 and then the 12.33 train to Chur. The first journey was on the Railjet and then the one to Chur was an intercity train only 20 mins. Then a cab to our hotel. We have only come here because we are catching The Bernina Express to Tirano (back in Italy) originally we were only to be here one night but TheBernina Express was booked so we had to stay an extra night which I think in hindsight is a great idea because we are both pretty tired. Sam said there is nothing in Chur but we have been for a wander and it is quite lovely, visited the Kathedral (their spelling) of St Maria in the Episcopal Courtyard it makes it look like a miniature town. It is a Romanesque Catherral completed in 1272 after a construction period of nearly a century. The gold winged altar was made in 1472. There is a crypt and all manner of high profile religious people are entombed here. Then we visited another church St Martins built around 1091 they were actually playing the organ just got to be in the right place at right time. All these amazing churches are within spitting distance of one another.
Chur is the oldest town in Switzerland. We wandered through the old town beautiful shops etc we had a late lunch/dinner and came back and had a sleep. We have some very hectic travelling days in the next few days. Lots of trains etc. We most likely will not do a blog for about a week or be able to check our emails as I do not think we will get the chance.
My ankle is on the improve and I have a brace type bandage on it. I have recognised what happens when I get off the train, I am disoriented and quite dizzy so of course I just black out, so we are managing it better now I wait until the dizziness goes and then we go on our way. I will endeavour to answer all our emails tonight and tomorrow having a night in tonight.
Poor Sam said he is happy to go to churches but he needs a break from museums with audios he said heaven forbid he needs to be saved from audios.
While I am typing away here I will tell you a little about Innsbruck’s beginnings. The name of the town was first mentioned in 1167 “Innsprucke” it actually became a proper town in 1200 and in 1239 received its municipal rights. All these things took many years. Graeme you will be interested in this when someone committed a crime they were only tried by a judge, there were no defence lawyers and only a prosecutor, they could not convict them without a confession so used all manner of brutal methods to get them to confess dismemberment etc etc. Unbelievable cruelty. It was not until 1499 that they had a proper judicial system.
On a lighter note when we were doing our Sound of Music tour in Salzburg our guide told us that the movie was popular all over the world but is vitually unknown in Austria. Two incidents showed this, one was on the local version of Who wants to be a Millionaire, there was a question worth 75,000 euros and the question was which Austrian flower was also the name of a song from the movie (Edelweiss) and the contestant even with phone a friend could not get it right. The other was when a delegation from Salzburg was in China and all the Chinese there started singing Edelweiss and none of the Salzburg delegation had a clue about the song.
Bye for now Sam and Sabine
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