Wednesday March 04, 2009

On the continent...

I thought after several years observations having had holidays on the continent I would discuss the differences between Europe and blighty (The UK). First of all the bad stuff....

Cars. Because of the narrow streets and shall we say erratic driving most cars have accident signature(s) on them. Except Police cars for some reason...

Horns. European driving requires ample use of the cars horn. So much so that car makers when they hand out guarantees for new cars exclude the cars horn in any warranty

Two stroke engine fumes. These come from the scooters and other two wheeled vehicles that wizz around the streets causing ear splitting noise pollution as well.

Toilets. The ones in the UK are not brilliant but it has to be said my experience of toilets in Europe is worse. When in Italy recently no public toilet had a seat at all. Is someone a toilet seat maniac and is stealing them all ? How could you smuggle out a toilet seat from a bar ? Also what is with that toilet looking other porcelain bowl in the bathroom - what is that used for ?

Now we have got the bad stuff out of the way lets discuss the good things..

Street squares or Piazza's. These are wonderful places. They provide a rest for weary walkers with cafes where you can sit down and take a break and people watch. In the evening very often they are places where people gather and meet and talk to each other. Kids play in safety.

Paying the bill. Often when you go to a bar you pay when you are ready to go. You can often be sat outside and the proprietor will trust you to pay before you go. Amazing.

Sunglasses. I think it is so cool as soon as the sun appears even in winter our European cousins don their sunglasses. They also manage to wear them on the tops of their heads and they never fall off. I am also sure Europeans are cold blooded. As soon as the sun shines very often they will stretch out in the sun soaking up its rays - again even in winter.

Cobbled streets. Very often old towns will still have their cobbles showing. In the UK most have been tarmaced over. They add character to the place and slow cars down as they are like a medieval rumble strip.

Rustic buildings. Very often the old buildings will have chips out of them, cracks, peeling exteriors. Like the cobbles they make the place seem lived in and full of character.

No sink taps. In public toilets the sink will have a foot pedal. Two good things about this. One it is hygenically a good idea. Second you don't end up with taps being left on wasting water.

Food. The tomatoes and other fruit and vegetables are fresh. They have not been transported miles and or were taken from the farm when they were green and ripened over a prolonged journey across continents. It means food like pizzas and salads are divine.

Language. It seems amazing that so many languages sprung up on the continent. Countries that butt up to each other created their own language. Some like Belgium chose to use one or more existing language. It is so nice to hear different languages even if you can't understand a word that is being said.

Driving on the right side of the road. I hate to admit it but once you get used to it driving on the right hand side of the road seems better - I can't explain why but I am sure there has been studies on this and those studies indicated it was better to do so. Also the UK are in the minority driving on the left.

The Euro. Ok it was a joke when it came out but who is laughing now with the pound almost at equality with the Euro.

Siestas. Great idea. When it is boiling hot who wants to be working? Have a midday sleep and come back when it is cooler. I often have a nap during the weekends and feel rested afterwards.

Shops. It is great to see on the continent they have managed to keep the local shops and have the large supermarkets alongside. Both seem to be doing well. It keeps the centre of towns vibrant and alive with activity.

Wednesday February 25, 2009

Rome - a short break

Last week we had a short break in Rome. Having now seen the historical buildings especially those dating back to the Roman period I can confirm Rome was not built in a day... Do you know why the city has its name? It all relates to Romulus and Remus .

Anyway most people have heard of the major sites and the first we saw was the Coliseum.

The picture does not do it justice. Like all the major Roman buildings it is HUGE. The 'stage' where the fights took place has been excavated to show the cells where the animals/gladiators stayed while they waited for their turn to entertain the crowds. The good news is that travelling to Rome in February the queues were short and it was not boiling hot as it can be in the summer. In fact it was quite chilly. After looking over the Coliseum we walked over to the Forum area where a lot of the remains of buildings exist - sadly not very well signed. Near to this is the Palatine hill where people like Cicero had their flashy houses. In the Forum area was a small monument built by Julius Caesar's wife to indicate the place where he was cremated after being killed. On this monument people had put fresh flowers...

We visited the Pantheon a Roman temple later used as a church. It has an amazing Dome roof. The Roman's were clever devils and they knew how to build the dome using light materials that made the construction easier. Again there were not many people in it so you could enjoy it.

In Rome there are countless churches. Most of the larger ones had fantastic painted walls and ceilings. Unlike other countries they did not mind you taking photos.

Of course the site people always go to is the Vatican city a state within the Rome city. St Peter's is an amazing church, it makes the other churches in Rome look ordinary. You can go to the top of the dome (cuppola). The first part of the journey is by lift. When you get out of the lift you enter the inside of the church and walk around the 'base' of the dome which has a walkway around its perimeter with a high wire fence to stop you or any objects falling onto the people below. You then continue your journey up the dome to a viewing area outside.

Another place everyone goes to is the Sistine chapel. This is part of the Vatican museums. You could easily spend a day looking at the gathered gifts presented to the popes over the years. Once in the chapel no photos are allowed but the painted walls are awsome. There is more information and pictures here . For me the picture on one end wall "The Last judgment " by Michelangelo is just fantastic and I could have looked at it for hours.

So my only downside of this trip was the cost. The pound/Euro rate is not in our favour. We made the fatal mistake of going in a cafe and ordering without seeing the prices. We were fleeced for seventeen Euros for a fanta, coffee and a measly sandwich. To make matters worse the toilets were blocked, smelly and not working. They needed some Roman technology.

A final picture of the Trevi Fountain where you throw money in to ensure you go back to Rome.

All in all a great trip.

Monday February 23, 2009

Eight out of ten for Heathrow's T5

It was with some trepidation that we found out we were flying to Rome from Heathrow's T5. We parked in the T5 long stay car park that was closer to T1/T2/T3 than T5 but the bus did not take us long to wizz us to T5. As you walk in it has an amazing feeling of space. The superstructure is visible and adds volumes to the interior appearance. We were unable to check in as we arrived being to early - I don't know why they do that. So we had a coffee in one of the cafe's which was not badly priced. I would say there is not much in this part of the airport and not many seats. Clearly it is up to the traveler to do a decent job of his timing or face the consequences. Eventually we checked in and went through to the gate. Here there were more seats and shops etc to visit. The interior is quite nicely finished unlike other BAA airports that look so down at heel the day after being built. My only critisism is that the toilets don't have many toilets and here the interior finish was already looking tired.

The shock was when get to the gate we ended up going on a bus to the plane! Have they not built enough gates for BA? You could see an satellite terminal in the same design being built and there is a secondary one already in place. I hope the use of a bus is only until they finish off the building works.

On the way back after the usual Heathrow stacking delays we were told the plane's Aux engine was not working so there would be a delay in getting to the stand. But we were then told after another delay a tracking device had not worked adding to the original delay. It is funny BA never complains when things go wrong at Heathrow. Virgin usually have a good go at the standards of service when problems occur.

While waiting the building in the dark seems like a large electric filament bulb the filament being the superstructure visible from the outside through the glass envelope. Going through Passport control was fine - after a long walk with no moving walkways from the gate. At baggage pickup - a usual Heathrow disaster the problem was ours as we waited by reclaim eight and should have been at ten. When after ten minutes we walked to ten our bags were there. The courtesy bus arrived minutes after we got the its stop and soon had us back to our car.

Friday February 15, 2008

Two photos from Africa

Last year we had a holiday in South Africa. During the first bit of the holiday we did a Safari. Awesome. You go out in the early morning and evenings. Half way through the evening drive you stop for drinks. These I think are called Sundowners or something like that:

The second shot was taken before it got dark on another evening. Our driver and guide spotted some Hyenas. These take on Cheetah's, who although very fast are fragile and any damage will mean they are likely to starve. So after the Hyenas we found this Cheetah. I have no idea what its dinner was before it caught it.

There has been a lot of bad news about South Africa in the news recently which is very sad given the potential of that country. I could spend a year writing up about the holiday what we saw and our impressions of the country. I would recommend you go and make your own mind up. I would do what we failed to do and that is visit one of the squatter camps and see how those people live in extreme poverty. Go with a guide though. Recently I read a book by Antjie Krog who attended as a journalist the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings and wrote a book The country of my Skull which I found very moving and depressing especially - in its final conclusion chapters.

Friday November 17, 2006

Hong Kong Holiday Day four -Lamma Island and Aberdeen

Our last day we decided to get away from the city again and took a fast ferry to nearby Lamma island. This was the birthplace of one Hong Kong actor I do know and that is Chow Yun Fatt. We arrived at the village of Yung Shue Wan and after walking through its narrow streets we came to a temple to protect the fishermen. This village is at the Northern end of the island. Opposite the village is a large power station. The path rebuilt recently was to take us over to another village at the other end of Lamma. The path wound up and down and it was hot with hardly any breeze. We went past a nice beach Hung Shing Ye and then higher up.

In the hills were a couple of highly ornate and large monuments or graves perhaps. Every mile or so a pavillion gave you a chance for a break from the heat of the day. The island is extremely lush but suffers from fires at this time of the year.

On our route we past places where vegetables were being grown and just before entering the second vilage Sok Kwu Wan were tunnels in the rock that the Japanese were to use in World War Two. These were named Kamikaze grottos. In the second village another temple was present, modern this time with an enormous Oar fish inside in a large aquarium pickled for posterity. We then took the ferry back to Central. Another bus journey had us in Aberdeen this time on the South Western side of Hong Kong. This place used to have lots of fishing boats hardly any remain now. A large resturant boat sits in the river and is a popular place with tourists. We returned to Central by way of the Aberdeen tunnel. In the evening before dinner we had cocktails in the Sky Lounge of the Sheraton hotel the bar being on the fourteenth floor of the hotel offering lovely views of the neon lights on the island. At eight pm every night there is a light show that lasts fifteen minutes. Prices in Hong Kong are not expensive food and drinks were average prices we thought. You do end up paying a Mandatory services charge of 10% however. One other thing we noticed was the Xmas lights were being fixed to buildings across the island. When I was last here in 2000 it was a very special year and buildings like Plaza had fantastic neon decorations showing a dragon.

The following morning at four thirty am a bus took us back to the airport. As we drove back a few neons were still illuminated and a few stragglers who had been out all night were returning home. A few food stalls were also serving food. The city that never sleeps was waking up for a new day. Good night Hong Kong.

Guide book used Rough guide to Hong Kong and Macau. There are many free maps and leaflets to be had at airports and tourist information sites.

Thursday November 16, 2006

Hong Kong Holiday Day three - The Peak

On our way up to Hong Kong's must do tourist attraction we took a further look at Central. We went past Norman Foster's inside out building for HSBC which has the lions that stood outside its predecessor by its entrance, one still showing shrapnel wounds from World War Two. We had also wanted to go to the market at Central but this was closed. You have to be careful at Chinese markets the food is really fresh and they also act as the places were animals and fish are killed before being cut up for sale... We then took this tram which is more like a railway up to the Peak.

Th Peak as it is known was the place where the rich folks lived to get away from the heat and malaria which was rampant in the hot seasons in Hong Kong. The ride is smooth but you are at forty five degrees to the buildings as you climb that look crooked. At the Peak you are not at the summit and another steep climb - which you have to do on foot takes you up Austin road to the real summit. Here was the site of the original Governer's building torn down by the Japanese in World War Two. There are gardens up there now. We then went down the road back to the visitors centre and then did the circuit of Harlech/Lugard Roads. At the end you get some amazing views of the skyline even more impressive in the evening.

Up here we noticed how green the island really is and the large pretty butterflies that flew around us. We got back to the centre and had lunch outside it which is known by the locals as the flying wok.

We returned down to central and took a bus to Causway Bay hoping to see the Tiger Balm gardens or Aw Boon Haw gardens named after the chap who made his fortune selling this balm. After a long walk uphill we asked a local how far to the gardens. She told us it was a great shame but they had been flattened and a sky scraper stood in their place now.

In the evening we had a great Chinese meal at Spring Deer 42 Mody street right near our hotel. Last part tomorrow.

Wednesday November 15, 2006

Hong Kong Holiday Day two - Lantau Island

There are many things I remember about Hong Kong that have not changed, the bamboo scaffolding used on all building projects, the endless building work going on you are never far from roadworks or a new building going up. Since the relocation of the airport Kowloon is seeing a lot more building going on and with the old airport closed the height restrictions are being lifted for new buildings. The other thing is the trollies used to move things around the streets carrying all sorts of things. Instrad of lorries stopping at every place these delivery men do the final drop off using these trollies. Our next visit was back to the island of Lantau. We took the MTR to Lai King and then on the Tung Chung line to that town on Lantau. Just before our stop we stopped at the interchange for the Disneyresort. I noticed one of the trains going to the resort with Mickey mouse shaped windows. At Tung Chung we went on the newly opened Ngong Ping 360 skyrail - a gondola journey to Ngong Ping where an artificial village has been built for tourists. You got some amazing views on route, first of the new airport then Lantau itself with its green hills. The village itself was not very interesting but it is sited near the Big Buddah who sits high up on a hill overlooking all.

Inside the building that supports the Big Buddah there are old documents and on the wall a series of ceramic tiles each twenty five millimetres wide which looked like memorials of folks who have died some had pictures on them. Admission to visit this site also includes a vegetarian meal at the monastery at the base of the Buddah. We went and saw this next and in one of the buildings a service was going on which was being relayed by speakers to the entire site. No photos were allowed inside the temples where statues looked down onto you; the base of which were offerings of food etc. Large sticks of incense were buring outside and in the temples were conical spirals of incence sticks burning too. A furnace was having coloured sacks thrown into it another offering perhaps.

We had our meal which was quite edible. We then followed a trail to the Wisdom path which went past a place where people were growing plants and flowers for the monastery. The words of wisdon are on tall planks of wood set into the ground.

The backdrop was of the lovely Lantau peak where you can get excellent views at sunset. On the way back we found an underground walkway which comes out near our hotel. Its main job was to link the MTR underground station to a KCR rail system near us. This meant we could avoid the tailors and dodgy watch salesman whom we met when strolling along the pavements. The tailors were smartly dressed so we could spot them - the copy watch folks were usually in jeans. In Central the pedestrian system is one story above the road and is quite extensive - if poorly signed however. More tomorrow.

Tuesday November 14, 2006

Hong Kong Holiday Day one - The Island and Stanley

So a five day trip to Hong Kong beckoned which would be my fourth trip there but the first as a tourist. We flew Qantas and I was pleasantly surprised as my previous two flights with them were less than impressive. We left midday on Sunday and arrived bleary eyed in Hong Kong Monday morning at their fantastic new airport. From above this has the shape of an airplane and is another of Norman Foster's creations in Hong Kong. A bus transfer took us to the Regal hotel on the Kowloon peninsula over the expressway that links the island Chek Lap Kok - which when flattened became the site of the new airport, across to Lantau, Tsing Yi then Kowloon itself. We had a sleep in the morning and got up to explore in the afternoon. We walked along the promenade looking over the harbour to Kong Kong island.

We walked further round along what is called the Avenue of Stars Hong Kong's equavalent of the Hollywood one - with less famous names in the pavement. We saw the old Clock tower the only reminder of the site of the old railway that used to be there. We also saw the windowless Cultural Centre which looks like a ski jump. We then took a ride on one of the most famous ferries journies in the world across to the island on one of the Star Ferries boats with their familiar green and white paintwork.

Arriving in Central we looked around at the impressive sky high buildings in the business area. On our wander around we also saw the only four remaining gas streetlamps on the island. Now feeling tired, we went back to the hotel for a sleep after an early dinner.

One our first full day after getting up later than we expected we took a trip to Stanley. First of all we got ourselves prepayement cards for most of the Hong Kong's transportation system called Octopus cards. We caught an MTR train at Tsim Sha Tsu near our hotel to Central the line goes underneath the harbour to the island. The system is perfect the trains have a map of the entire system and indicate which way you are going, what the next station is and helpfully what side of the train the doors be opening at the next stop. At Central we picked up our number six bus that takes you to Stanley and its famous market. This is on the South Eastern tip of the island. We passed through Wan Chai the old seedy area and then saw the EM>Happy Valley race course. The route took us through Repulse bay before stopping in Stanley village. The market was full of tourists all eager to snap up a bargain.

There is much more to see here though, there is an excellent beach where locals were cooking food in bar-b-q areas and also a lovely temple which was built in 1767 inside which is a skin of a tiger that was shot in 1942. Near here is Murray house moved from Central many years ago. We returned back to Central and took a look at my favourite building on the island called Central Plaza. This became the tallest building beating the Bank of China tower - which is also impressive. Its spire has neon lights so you can tell the time to the nearest fifteen minutes. Before returning back to the hotel we wandered around the convention and Exhibition centre newly enlarged taking more of the sea away from the harbour. It has a great view over the Kowloon. In the evening after dinner we went to Temple street where there are lots of street stalls - which was dissapointing but found a parallel road Woosung which was more interesting with its food stalls and other shops and overheard the large neons advertising shops/resturants etc. The food stalls are known as Dai Pai Dongs. The other two things I remembered about Hong Kong were the intense smells both nice and nasty which get stronger at night. Also the clatter of the pelican crossings - the sound of which changes when it is safe to cross. I apologise for the picture quality I think I have cut the resolution down too much..More tomorrow.

Friday September 15, 2006

A week in Ceredigion ( Part Three )

On getting up on one of the later days on our holiday we found all the houses along the harbour front had sandbags left for them. Clearly winter was on its way. Own penultimate walk had us start from the nearby Welsh University town of Aberystwyth. We went along several roads round towards open countryside, passing a very modern nice looking schoool after passing by a railway track. Up above us on the left cound be seen the National library of Wales and behind it hidden from view - thankfully the University itself. We past the pretty church of St Padarn a contemporary of St David this church having been destroyed by the Vikings was rebuilt in the twelfth century and is one of the largest churches in Wales. After passing through more houses we finally got to open countryside. After passing around a hill we had a lovely view of the sea.

Above us we could see a tall monument to the Duke of Wellington which sits atop an old Iron age fort one of many monuments to him in the UK. Eventually after pasing thorough a tall hedgerow we got the the pretty harbour of the town and then went for a stroll along the pretty front.

Our final walk had us start from the town of Cardigan. The name of the town has nothing to do with the woollen industry which the name might suggest but to the Earl of Cardigan renowed for his gallantry at the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean war. We had lunch in a local pub and headed out under leafy hedgerows and came out at a very Austere Blaenwaun Baptist chapel by a graveyard. We then followed more hedgerows eventually dropping down into a small village where the smell of fish and chips had us pop in for last orders and a nice chat with the local owner of the shop. We then munched our way through the chips while wandering around the ruined St Dogmaels Abbey which was the daughter house of the French Abbey Of Tiron founded in the 12th century.

We then left the Abbey and followed the road back into the town.

Our last night had us having a couple of drinks resting on the harbour wall watching the summer sun go down. Lovely holiday.

Thursday September 14, 2006

A week in Ceredigion ( Part Two )

The other lovely thing about this area is there are lots of local shops. No big supermarkets. People stop as they do their shopping to speak to each other. Lets hope this way of life remains somewhere in the UK always. Our flat was part of a house owned by someone who was actually born in the house. She inherited the house when her mother died and now rents the half she does not live in. Our third walk had us back on the coast starting by a village called Llangranog. We past along a wooded ridge and came out to open land where a centre for Welsh youth has been setup. It provides courses and activity holidays for thousands of visitors annually and was setup in 1932, The place is called the Urdd Centre. We then joined the coast and went uphill for our first view of Ynys-Lochtyn.

This is a pretty piece of land that juts out from the coast. It used to have a Puffin population but these were wiped out by rats that landed from wrecked ships. To encourage the birds back concrete Puffins have been setup on the coastline. Singing on the beach by the promontory is meant to have been the inspiration for Edward Elgar to write Introduction and Allegro for strings. We then took a path down to the village where a beachside cafe supplied us an excellent lunch and a short walk back to the car.

Our next walk had us take an inland walk to Aberarth on a day where a light drizzle could be felt. We carried on following a path on our first walk along the river before taking an alternative path. We were now in open in rolling hills and the rain responded by coming down heavily. In the distance St David's church came into view the only sound breaking the silence was someone cutting the grass with a landmower. It takes more than a drop of rain to stop a Welshman cutting the grass.

Past the church we then dropped into the village where there is no pub or shop to stop for a break so it was onto the beach to follow it back to the town of Aberaeron. This we did getting wetter and wetter but back at the flat we dried off and headed to the local gold mine.

This mine at Dolaucothi is the only known Roman gold mine in the UK, the Victorians also used it and then in modern times. We had an excellent tour into the mine. The gold was found in quartz which was found in seams in the rock. Something like sixty tons of rock yielded one ton of quartz which yielded a sugar cube of gold. The only Welsh gold available now is in reserves and has been used for wedding rings of the Royal family over the years. Years ago children worked the mines sorting in darkness the quartz from the bedrock using their own urine to sanitise their hands when they were cut by the sharp quartz.

Outside an area was set aside so you could do your own Gold Panning all we found was fools gold! Last part tomorrow.

Wednesday September 13, 2006

A week in Ceredigion ( Part One )

We have just returned from a wonderful week in the Ceredigion region of Wales. We stayed at the pretty harbour town of Aberaron said to be one of the prettiest villages in Wales. Most of the houses are painted in pastel colours which brighten up the place even on the wetest days. Half the counties seventy thousand inhabitants speak Welsh which is an excellent thing. Our cottage flat was next door to the excellent Harbour Master hotel/pub.

We used a walk book for the area and our first walk took us direct from the village to a Llanerchaeron which was built for the landed gentry. The good news is that the property has many of it original furniture including a collection of old artifacts like snuff boxes etc - as there are so many these are rotated over time. Back to the walk we followed the Afon Aeron as it ran through pleasant woodland. We passed an old quarry used for some of the buildings in the town below and past one of the many derelict buildings we were to see in this area over the next week. We past St Non's church where many seafaring people are buried and then onto the entrance of Llanerchaeron itself.

Our return path had us follow a straightforward track - which used to be and old railway line. It did survive the cuts in the railway system in the 1960's but eventually part of it collapsed and was never restored.

On our first night at Aberaron we had strong winds and the boats in the harbour that had masts made a lot of noise as their rigging was smashed against the mast by the wind. Being right on the harbour edge we could see the tide as it rose and fell - when it was low tide no water was left in the harbour except a small trickle of freshwater from the river to the open sea. On our first night we could hear the noisy celebrations of the Mackerel Festival where once a year a paper maiche mackerel is paraded through town and then taken out to sea to be burnt in an offering to hope for good catches of the locally caught fish the following year.

Our second walk had us travel out from the town and see the area once under the Cistercian monks control at Strato Florida. This place was founded by Robert Fitzstephen and is said to have become the most influential centre of Welsh culture a Westminster of Wales if you like. The monks here kept a lot of sheep having cleared the land of forests to do so. The abbey below was destroyed by King Edward I in 1284.

We first went through a village Pontrhydfendigaid where both pubs were closed but a local shop had pies which were excellent. The walk then took us across those fields where the monks kept their sheep. We also went through a static Caravan site - something this area seems to have a lot of - static means the caravan is never moved and left there all the time. We passed though the middle of two forests, both quiet and dark - quite spooky in fact. After emerging from the second we were back at our starting point. More tomorrow.

Thursday July 06, 2006

Lake district diary ( Part three )

Our final three days in the Lake district had us staying at the Queens Head at Troutbeck. On our way there we did an excellent circular walk from Rydal to Grasmere and back. These two lakes are joined by a narrow strip of water. At Rydal we crossed a packhorse bridge and followed a track that first met and then climbed away from . Eventually we reached the lake of Grasmere itself.

From the shore as you get closer to Grasmere village you get excellent views of it. After leaving the shore we followed a narrow lane that led into the village itself. Here Wordsworth is buried with many of his family the graves can be seen in the churchyard. We had lunch in the touristy village and then left it passing a house in which he lived. This is called Dove Cottage and is now owned by the Wordsworth Trust who also own a nearby stable block now a museum. Our path then led up uphil and we could see the lake and the surrounding countryside. This path is known as a coffin track as coffins had to be carried along it away from here to be buried where there was concecrated ground. Along the path were huge boulders where the coffin bearers would rest the coffin so to give them a rest.

As we dropped into Rydal we had even better views of its lake.

As we reached the village we saw Wordsworth's second home a much larger property called Rydal Mount. He moved here in 1813 and lived here until he died in 1850 aged 80. The pretty church of Rydal was a little further down the road and beside it a field bought by Wordsworth for his favourite daughter Dora and named after her. In spring it is a riot of daffodills.

Our last pub had a very odd addition to its bar. Over it was the top wooden section of a four poster bed - very odd. As the weather was warming up we had two last lazy days. We drove to Cartmel a village to the south of the main National Park with the coast nearby. The town has an impressive 14th century gatehouse. The church is an old priory and has an unusual tower. When it was extended in the 15th century the new addition was built diagonally to the existing one.

We then drove to the coastline where Grange Over Sands can be found. Here is a large salt marsh on which sheep graze and a long path followed the coastline that made a nice walk. On the way back we went through the town and saw a very odd addition to someones front garden. Several full sized statues of people including the Queen and her mother and Laural and Hardy!

On the outskirts of Troutbeck is an 17th old farm house called Townend. This was home to a single family for four hundred years and twelve generations. The Browne family lived here and when the last one died the house was closed up. Eventually it was given to the National Trust and when it was opened up it was if time has stood still. The last male member of the family retired at forty and took up woodwork. A lot of his work was to be seen in the house. The chimmneys are very odd in that they are round not square.

On the last day we drove over Kirstone pass to do a shortish walk to visit three waterfalls. So this was a great holiday the area is very special in that it has together a lot of features from other parts of the British Isles all together in one place. Well worth a visit.

Wednesday July 05, 2006

Lake District diary ( Part two )

The next two nights we stayed at the The Pheasant On Bassenthwaite Lake . On the way there we did two shorter walks - the first being around Thirlmere lake. As we left the parking place my wife spotted two other people bundling Foxglove plants into their car having dug them up. For many reasons this is a selfish act of vandalism - and if the plants survived I will be amazed. Our outward leg of the journey had us walk beside the lake a reservoir built in 1892 by the Manchester Corporation.

A lot of the time the lake was obscured by trees and soon we took a gentle path uphill then down onto the opposite side of the valley which gave us excellent views. However rain had started to fall and we elected to drop down to the road earlier than the walk suggested to visit a pub for lunch. We then left the pub and it soon started raining again. But we were less than a mile from the car and soon got back to it to dry off. After reaching the Pheasant and changing clothes we did our second walk on nearby Bassenthwaite Lake. Before we got to the lake we had a long uphill section through conifer woods. After reaching the top we then dropped down to a road by a hotel. We then crossed a series of fields until we could see St Bega's church.

Behind us we could see the thickly forested hill we had climbed where the conifer trees grew halfway up the mountain after which they clearly could not grow. The church was the orginal parish church built many miles away from the village. It was built in the 12/13th centuries and restored in Victorian times. St Bega was the daughter of an Irish chief who fled to England at St Bees Head named after her. We then past the unattractive home of the Spedding family Mire House where a lot of literay giants visited the family over the years. We then returned to the car park and the pub for dinner. On Wednesday we took off to Borrowdale said to be the lovliest valley in England. Today with a lot of low cloud we were robbed of excellent views. We started at a small village called Seatoller and climbed very steeply with the peak of Kings How and Castle Crag on either side of the valley. We crossed a series of footbridges over babbling brooks tumbling to the bottom of the valley. These streams or brooks are called Gills here. We then began a long descent towards an idillic spot called Bowder dub the name dub another common descriptive name here. We then followed wooded areas and meadows until we reached the halfway spot - a village called Grange.

The name comes from Granary one having been here years ago part of Furness Abbey which once owned a lot of the land here. We returned along the river again passing Bowder Dub.

The clouds had now lifted revealing blue patches in the sky - a sign of better weather to come in the latter part of the week. We then followed the River Derewent for a while then leaving it to climb up into thick woodland. After rejoining it once more and going past a Youth hostel. Just before here a herd of cows were wandering in the river drinking its cool water and munching the grass on its banks. Our path then had us go into Johnny Wood which is all native Oak trees which once covered this lakeland valley. Soon we were back in Seatoller enjoying a well deserved refreshment after seven miles in this lovely countryside.

Tuesday July 04, 2006

Lake District diary ( Part one )

So our first week in the Lake District for several years. This National Park in the North West of the UK gets busy during school holidays which we were avoiding. Our first stop was at a pub called the Three Shires . It is in Little Langdale near Ambleside. It was built in 1872 and is near the meeting point of some old counties of the UK only one still exists that is Lancashire. The other two Cumberland and Westmoorland have been swallowed up by Cumbria. The area gets lots of rain so the grass is nice and green and the hedgerows lush. Many pretty flowers were out Foxglove, Dog Rose and Honeysuckle. It has some lovely lowland walks around its lakes and more strenuous walks up mountains for those who want to try them out for size.

Our first walk was from the pretty village of Hawkshead which nestles in a valley with only its church easily spotted from a distance.

Wordworth was sent her to school from 1779-1787. We past the pretty church and then entered a field with very long grass and by the time we left the field our trousers were wet past our knees from the damp grass. We went through Hawkshead Hill a pretty hamlet and then toward the lake of Tarn Hows. In the distance was the horizontal profile of the Old man of Consiton part of a mountain. Tarn Hows is a partially man made lake which was created by combining other Hows into this one. The conifer trees around it are not normally seen in this area but make an attractive addition to the landscape. We followed a lakeside path and then were lost. Luckily a finger post showed us an alternative way back to Hawkshead which we took without further incident. A good seven mile walk.

In the afternoon we visited a house called Hill Top owned by Beatrice Potter who wrote the illustrated childrens books. The house was purchased by her after her first book was published. As we walked around I noticed a lot of the guide signs were written in Japanese. A third of all the visitors to the house are from Japan we were told. Her books are very popular over there and they have built a replica Hill Top over there.

The second day we did a walk from Elterwater a small village nearby. This was to be a round six miler. The village name comes from a Norse name Elptar that means swan. Whooper swans from Siberia visit this area. We crossed an old bridge over Great Langdale beck and at a hotel turned off into open country. We past through several farms and into Colwith Woods. Soon the first of two waterfalls presented itself, this one a drop of 40ft, called Colwith Force. We continued and then had a stop at a cafe at Skelwith Bridge. The way back to Elterwater was by way of a fairly level path passing Skelwith Force .

Our walk along the river was very pleasant with a view of Langdale pikes in the distance. More tomorrow..

Thursday May 11, 2006

Holiday in Sicily - Siracusa

A drive down South past Catania had us stay in Siracusa which was once the most important city in the Western world. Our hotel was to be the hotel Villa Politi and by its side was one of the many quarries used to extract the stones for the buildings. Its old centre an island called Ortygia is reached by a short road bridge. On this small piece of land are packed in a very diverse set of buildings and monuments to see. On the first day we wandered around Ortygia looking at them. Sadly the Duomo was covered in scaffolding and there is a lot of much needed renovations going on which in some areas can be oppresive. This is the Piazza with the Duomo not shown.

A lovely Piazza dedicated to Archimedes who did his bit to stop the Roman's taking over the city but when they finaly did he has was hacked to death by them. It has two theatres; one Roman and a largerGreek one. I Preferred the smaller and both are used for performances still.

In the centre of the Roman one is a tank used to collect the blood and gore from the events held in it. Ill and infirm people were said to drink this in the hope it would make them better. An early form of blood transfusion perhaps. We also visited the quarry by both of these theatres where an ear shaped slit in the rock called Orecchio di Dionisio (ear of Dionysuis) iside this large cave were lots of children testing its sound enhancing ability - and deafening everyone else...

Our second day had us drive to Sortino on the way to Pantalica a gorge which has loads of tombs cut into the rock. However in Sortino we amused the locals by getting lost and reversing down narrow streets in our attempts to extracate ourselves from the place. Back to Pantalica our walk took us down to the river at the bottom of the gorge but on the way we saw hundreds if not thousands of the tombs all cut out of the rock.

Again there were lots of flowers on show and birds singing - the only sound (apart from the running water) breaking the silence of this spooky place.

The last day we were to drive to nearby Noto but the hire car failed to start so we elected to have another day in the town. We strolled around a small park that surrounds the ugly santuario della Madonna dell Lassime built to house the statue of the Madonna that is said to have wept for five days in 1953. The nearby catacombes were then open so we took a tour into them. On top of them is this pretty church.

The catacombes are in fact an old Roman water system made unusable by an earthquake. Depending on your wealth your bones were crambed into a small rectangular slit in the rock, a proper body sized hole with a lid or a cave with frescoes and other decorations. Some of these were still visible. Our last morning we visited the Museo del Papiro - a papyrus museum which had both modern and ancient examples of the uses of this plant. There is still in fact a modern papyrus industry in the town.

So in summary a great week away on his island, avoid the heat of summer it gets very crowded and the heat will be opressive. The locals are very friendly out of the tourist areas even more so. Public areas like bars/restuarants have a no smoking policy which is good and the local wines and beers are very quaffable. Treats to take home; the sweet wine Marsalla made on the island, sweets made from marzipan and shaped into fruits and coloured accordingly which are available everywhere but called frutta di martorana in Palermo ( the islands capital) and finally excellent marmalade especially the mandarin one.