Kilkenny, Ireland
Day 120 - 121
Hi there!
We're still in Kilkenny and we've really relaxed! What a beautiful day today as well..sunshine! It was such a surprising thing that people kept mentining it every time we talked to someone..
So we spent the day walking in the Kilkenny Castle grounds...a move also to get fit for our South American TREK which we're starting to think about..even though it's four months away. But it's going to be so full on we think we have to start getting fit NOW...at least stop eating all this Irish and English stodgy food we seem to be ingesting!
We did finally find a place here that was healthy....
It's called SUBWAY!
Arrghh..
No kidding..it's really hard to find healthy places to eat when you're in a little town...and especially when this little town has 14 pubs in it!! And those pubs have the most amazingly cheap pub meals....
Oh dear.
Hey..I have to tell you..last night we went to Langtons here in the main street, High Street, for the comedy night put on by Amstel. It was free entry..free beer..and incredible Irish stand up comedy!
It almost compensated for us not getting in to the Empire in Belfast!!! (Something we'll always think we were total nincompoops for missing it!)
It was so hilarious......the guys were just great...we laughed and laughed. So did everyone else. Everyone was fair game, including us. The aussies in the group.
Anyway...it's just so nice slowing down..relaxing..having fruit and yoghurt for breakfast instead of all the fried stuff...and walking heaps.
We've been drinking lots of Irish tea too.....we just love the stainles steel teapots that produce the best cups of tea. The english had them too..and we've renewed our love for tea..and haven't missed our coffee at all!
We have yet to have an Irish coffee though..maybe tonight!
Hey...how are the Dockers going..haven't heard from you Andy!!??
Just heard there was a bomb blast in London..geepers...they're not having much luck are they. First all the floods..and now this..i guess because Gordon Brown has just been sworn into Parliament they're letting him know he has to work for his money!
Okies..got to go...the internet guy wants to close up!
Love to you all....email me and let me know how're all getting on....love your emails!
xxx
Saturday, 30 June 2007
Friday, 29 June 2007
IRELAND!!!! From BELFAST - DUBLIN - KILKENNY!
Day 118 - 119
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Terrible flooding in Yorkshire and Gloucestershire
Tony Blair officially steps down Gordon Brown becomes British Prime Minister
British Henman loses second round against Lopez at Wimbleton
**************************************************
BELFAST - DUBLIN - KILKENNY!
Kilkenny, Ireland
Home of Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde!!!
Yeats wrote the most beautiuful love poems....and i couldn't resist buying his book....one poem being so GORGEOUS...'The Arrow'...awww...so gorgeous, it's about his first meeting with his great love, Maude Gonne.
Not that I'm a romantic or anything. Greg sings me lullabies every nights and is penning his poetry right now.....which is of course why i fell in love with him!!!
Actually, he's organising another comedy night..we can only but dream...
Anyway! Here we are..in the 'real' Ireland!!!!
Beautiful rainy Ireland!
But it's beautiful. After leaving Belfast by bus, to Dublin and straight on to Kilkenny where Greg's maternal grandmother has a history we realised how nice it is to be in one spot for a while..and we're staying put for a few days!!!
As we approached we saw the Kilkenny Castle. We got quite excited crossing the bridge. It's awesome.
This wonderful building was built at the end of the 12 century by William Marshall, Earl of Penbroke and the Ormondes (Butler family) owned this maginficant castle until 1967 when it was given to the trustees for the people of Kilkenny by the 6th Marquess for £50 because he didn't have anyone to pass it down to!!!
We really wanted to go and see this castle...and it's grounds, which are spectacular. And when we got there we found there's a Balloon festival on! (hot air ballooning) so there were markets set up with stalls etc...yummy local produce.
A 12 minute video was shown and then we saw through the rooms. It's quite grandiose. Norman architecture. Victorian furnishings.
The Polish guide with an Irish accent, who took us through asked if anyone was a Butler and the Butlers put up their hands..and he said, 'Well, you're not a Butler from THIS castle!'
Later we read a history of the Butler family and realised because there were no family to take over the castle, and it was given to the Kilkenny Trustees, there was an opening for claim..and he was, in his spiel, making sure no one claimed..
Which brings me to think...
There must be 'some' Butlers, from the ancesteral tree, out there that are related and are living in their little houses not knowning there's a castle that's theirs..!!
We had lunch at Matt the Millars...and tried the 'kilkenny beer'...ew.
And we intend having a few days rest...so when i see you again, we'll be back in Dublin!
PS
Why did the Irish man fall out the window? (He was ironing his curtains!!)
Why did the Irish guy break his leg? (Cause fell off the sink while he was tap dancing!)
**************************************************
Terrible flooding in Yorkshire and Gloucestershire
Tony Blair officially steps down Gordon Brown becomes British Prime Minister
British Henman loses second round against Lopez at Wimbleton
**************************************************
BELFAST - DUBLIN - KILKENNY!
Kilkenny, Ireland
Home of Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde!!!
Yeats wrote the most beautiuful love poems....and i couldn't resist buying his book....one poem being so GORGEOUS...'The Arrow'...awww...so gorgeous, it's about his first meeting with his great love, Maude Gonne.
Not that I'm a romantic or anything. Greg sings me lullabies every nights and is penning his poetry right now.....which is of course why i fell in love with him!!!
Actually, he's organising another comedy night..we can only but dream...
Anyway! Here we are..in the 'real' Ireland!!!!
Beautiful rainy Ireland!
But it's beautiful. After leaving Belfast by bus, to Dublin and straight on to Kilkenny where Greg's maternal grandmother has a history we realised how nice it is to be in one spot for a while..and we're staying put for a few days!!!
As we approached we saw the Kilkenny Castle. We got quite excited crossing the bridge. It's awesome.
This wonderful building was built at the end of the 12 century by William Marshall, Earl of Penbroke and the Ormondes (Butler family) owned this maginficant castle until 1967 when it was given to the trustees for the people of Kilkenny by the 6th Marquess for £50 because he didn't have anyone to pass it down to!!!
We really wanted to go and see this castle...and it's grounds, which are spectacular. And when we got there we found there's a Balloon festival on! (hot air ballooning) so there were markets set up with stalls etc...yummy local produce.
A 12 minute video was shown and then we saw through the rooms. It's quite grandiose. Norman architecture. Victorian furnishings.
The Polish guide with an Irish accent, who took us through asked if anyone was a Butler and the Butlers put up their hands..and he said, 'Well, you're not a Butler from THIS castle!'
Later we read a history of the Butler family and realised because there were no family to take over the castle, and it was given to the Kilkenny Trustees, there was an opening for claim..and he was, in his spiel, making sure no one claimed..
Which brings me to think...
There must be 'some' Butlers, from the ancesteral tree, out there that are related and are living in their little houses not knowning there's a castle that's theirs..!!
We had lunch at Matt the Millars...and tried the 'kilkenny beer'...ew.
And we intend having a few days rest...so when i see you again, we'll be back in Dublin!
PS
Why did the Irish man fall out the window? (He was ironing his curtains!!)
Why did the Irish guy break his leg? (Cause fell off the sink while he was tap dancing!)
BELFAST NORTHERN IRELAND
Day 117
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Wimbleton Tennis Day 2 Lleyton Hewitt goes to second round....
*********************************
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Here we are..in Northern Ireland! Ireland that's not really Ireland! That is, it's the northern part of the country but is the part that is part of the UK and not Europe. A bit confusing really...but if you get it wrong, your'e sure to be corrected!!!
We caught the ferry at the Stranraer terminal in the south west of Scotland after leaving Edinburgh (bus) at 10am yesterday (Monday) and arriving in Glasgow at 11am and straight to Stranraer to catch the ferry to Belfast.
It was weird thinking about going to Belfast..not sure why. I think it's because i still associate it with danger...and the IRA. Must be my era.....
Anyway, it's not like that at all. Well not quite. There are still armed police cars with steel netting around the lights on their vehicles..and police outside the pubs at night.
Belfast is where the Titanic was built. They don't seem to capitalise on it much, or at least they didn't until recently. Apparently there's an exhibition in the US at the moment which highlights this very fact.
We knew this was the home of the Titanic though. At least, Greg knew! And as we approached in the ferry we could see the cranes where the Titanic was built looming up at us!
It's also very British (of course, given the history). Has British prices, British street names, British pub names and British newspapers....and on t.v only British weather (Southern Ireland doesn't count!)
But what does one expect..it's British!
We searched for accomodation in a street we thought had heaps, University Street, and the only thing available was flats to let! We did want somewhere to stay for a while..but not quite that!!!!
Everything else in the vicinity we were looking was booked out! What to do? We took the first place we saw, a B&B and booked it for one night as there as nothing else available and after that we decided we'd had enough of cities and we'd just head straight for Kilkenny in Ireland..a country town in Ireland.
So we wern't in Northern Island for very long..
We had a great dinner at Maggie May's though..(the irish stew was YUMMY!) and we also saw a sign for a stand up comedy night that night at the Empire Hotel which we headed for at 9.30pm...
Just one thing..at 11pm..after drinking our Irish whiskey's we found there was no comedy!!
Until we went outside..and realised it was on the top floor of the building..so yup, the comedy act was on us. Duh...
Definately need that rest in the country side..
*********************************
Wimbleton Tennis Day 2 Lleyton Hewitt goes to second round....
*********************************
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Here we are..in Northern Ireland! Ireland that's not really Ireland! That is, it's the northern part of the country but is the part that is part of the UK and not Europe. A bit confusing really...but if you get it wrong, your'e sure to be corrected!!!
We caught the ferry at the Stranraer terminal in the south west of Scotland after leaving Edinburgh (bus) at 10am yesterday (Monday) and arriving in Glasgow at 11am and straight to Stranraer to catch the ferry to Belfast.
It was weird thinking about going to Belfast..not sure why. I think it's because i still associate it with danger...and the IRA. Must be my era.....
Anyway, it's not like that at all. Well not quite. There are still armed police cars with steel netting around the lights on their vehicles..and police outside the pubs at night.
Belfast is where the Titanic was built. They don't seem to capitalise on it much, or at least they didn't until recently. Apparently there's an exhibition in the US at the moment which highlights this very fact.
We knew this was the home of the Titanic though. At least, Greg knew! And as we approached in the ferry we could see the cranes where the Titanic was built looming up at us!
It's also very British (of course, given the history). Has British prices, British street names, British pub names and British newspapers....and on t.v only British weather (Southern Ireland doesn't count!)
But what does one expect..it's British!
We searched for accomodation in a street we thought had heaps, University Street, and the only thing available was flats to let! We did want somewhere to stay for a while..but not quite that!!!!
Everything else in the vicinity we were looking was booked out! What to do? We took the first place we saw, a B&B and booked it for one night as there as nothing else available and after that we decided we'd had enough of cities and we'd just head straight for Kilkenny in Ireland..a country town in Ireland.
So we wern't in Northern Island for very long..
We had a great dinner at Maggie May's though..(the irish stew was YUMMY!) and we also saw a sign for a stand up comedy night that night at the Empire Hotel which we headed for at 9.30pm...
Just one thing..at 11pm..after drinking our Irish whiskey's we found there was no comedy!!
Until we went outside..and realised it was on the top floor of the building..so yup, the comedy act was on us. Duh...
Definately need that rest in the country side..
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
BATTLE OF COLLODEN and the JACOBITES
Day 116
Inverness
Battle of Colloden and the Jacobites.
We went to the spot where the battle took place today.
From what the Scots say, this is the place that inspired many Scotts to come to Aussie!!! So there you go.....
We think it's also because many British had free passage to Australia after the war (www2) but that's another story.
The Battle of Colloden was just outside Inverness.
It was the battle with the British Troops, (protestant) headed by the Duke of Cumberland against the clans, the jacobites (catholics) and anti protestant, led by Bonny Prince Charlie in 1746.
Seemed eerie really as so many clans got involved and died there.
And the reason why they lost is because they were fighting on flat ground, by mistake because Bonny prince charlie didn't have any war experience and the scots were used to winning using their highland downhill charge which avoided cannon and rifle fire.
Everyone was killed, wives, kids, everyone. By the British. (English)
And so there....a deep hatred of the English began! And still exists...somewhat more jovially and less brutally of course, but it's there!!!
That was our exciting event of the day i tell ya...and it was so 'important' that the two tour guides actually accosted some of us that were trying to escape going on the battlefields and getting out of the bitter cold so we could hear the STORY!!!!!
I was busting to go to the loo....but of course, i had to hear about 'how this event changed history'!!!!!!!!
We recovered from all this to see some cairns thousands of years old. They look a bit like the stones of Stonehenge...and we also..........
CAUGHT NESSIE!!!!!!
As we were leaving our hostel, we drove alongside the 23 miles of Loch Ness and we stopped at it's widest point that was about a mile wide. And we did the HAKU (which the scots say they invented..not the new Zealanders....um...right...)
This was to summons nessie..and was HILARIOUS!!!!! We literally danced like idiots and yelled to the Loch Ness monster to come out.
Apparently Nessie really does come out at times..and although few cyinics (including Greg) believe it's a tourist pull....it was actually first recorded by a doctor who went to his grave swearing that it was a true sighting in 1920. And before that in the 6th Century!! (By a monk!) So...it's to be true lassie....
It was a great 3 days that's for sure. I certainly recommend it to anyone that wants a bit of excitement...there is so much i just can't even remember now to tell about it all..but it was great!
But, most of all..what i really loved about this tour was it was energetic and the guys, Russell and Tom were passionate and animated when they told the stories that they believed to be 'true'..i'm not sure they were tho!!!!
Read Robbie Burns biography as i was desperate to learn more about him and found a book published by the Scottish Histories Collection. Some of his poems are so RAUNCHY and erotic. What was Grandma C reading???? His life story was fascinating i've got to say. I'm glad i had a book that interpreted his poems and letters tho..i wouldn't have understood a word otherwise!!!!
Talking of books..I also exchanged The Island about the leper colony on Spinolonga, off Crete (Hislop) for a new book too! Called Geographers Library by Jon Fasman (Hostels are great for book exchanges!
We also listened to some brillant music while we were on the bus, having travelled a fair distance up to the isle of skye. Probably did about 200 km's a day. They even played Monty Python's Life of Brian and Meaning of life.
Which reminded me what the meaning of life is.
To enjoy! And although it's ok to be contemplative..it's also ok to just HAVE FUN! And to 'do' this holiday because, as Susan says, 'we can'..and because there's a time for everything and everyone. It was so good to be reminded of this....
Once again..it was time to say goodbye to our fellow travellers and get back to our accomodation..
Ireland tomorrow...
Can't wait!
Hope everyone's well....we're glad to be back 'home' (in Edinburgh)...and glad to be able to say hi to you guys again!!!
PS Thanks for the messages from you girls who made me jealous seeing Human Nature!! Awww.......Big hugs to you caza and suziewoozie!! Also great to hear from you Susan....and your brilliant new job!! I can just see you doing that, it would suit you right down to the ground!! Helena..enjoy Bali! Sun! I wish i could have some of that!!!! See you when you get back!! (I'll miss your emails!!!!)
Hugs to you all xxxx And especially to you mummy bummy :-) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Inverness
Battle of Colloden and the Jacobites.
We went to the spot where the battle took place today.
From what the Scots say, this is the place that inspired many Scotts to come to Aussie!!! So there you go.....
We think it's also because many British had free passage to Australia after the war (www2) but that's another story.
The Battle of Colloden was just outside Inverness.
It was the battle with the British Troops, (protestant) headed by the Duke of Cumberland against the clans, the jacobites (catholics) and anti protestant, led by Bonny Prince Charlie in 1746.
Seemed eerie really as so many clans got involved and died there.
And the reason why they lost is because they were fighting on flat ground, by mistake because Bonny prince charlie didn't have any war experience and the scots were used to winning using their highland downhill charge which avoided cannon and rifle fire.
Everyone was killed, wives, kids, everyone. By the British. (English)
And so there....a deep hatred of the English began! And still exists...somewhat more jovially and less brutally of course, but it's there!!!
That was our exciting event of the day i tell ya...and it was so 'important' that the two tour guides actually accosted some of us that were trying to escape going on the battlefields and getting out of the bitter cold so we could hear the STORY!!!!!
I was busting to go to the loo....but of course, i had to hear about 'how this event changed history'!!!!!!!!
We recovered from all this to see some cairns thousands of years old. They look a bit like the stones of Stonehenge...and we also..........
CAUGHT NESSIE!!!!!!
As we were leaving our hostel, we drove alongside the 23 miles of Loch Ness and we stopped at it's widest point that was about a mile wide. And we did the HAKU (which the scots say they invented..not the new Zealanders....um...right...)
This was to summons nessie..and was HILARIOUS!!!!! We literally danced like idiots and yelled to the Loch Ness monster to come out.
Apparently Nessie really does come out at times..and although few cyinics (including Greg) believe it's a tourist pull....it was actually first recorded by a doctor who went to his grave swearing that it was a true sighting in 1920. And before that in the 6th Century!! (By a monk!) So...it's to be true lassie....
It was a great 3 days that's for sure. I certainly recommend it to anyone that wants a bit of excitement...there is so much i just can't even remember now to tell about it all..but it was great!
But, most of all..what i really loved about this tour was it was energetic and the guys, Russell and Tom were passionate and animated when they told the stories that they believed to be 'true'..i'm not sure they were tho!!!!
Read Robbie Burns biography as i was desperate to learn more about him and found a book published by the Scottish Histories Collection. Some of his poems are so RAUNCHY and erotic. What was Grandma C reading???? His life story was fascinating i've got to say. I'm glad i had a book that interpreted his poems and letters tho..i wouldn't have understood a word otherwise!!!!
Talking of books..I also exchanged The Island about the leper colony on Spinolonga, off Crete (Hislop) for a new book too! Called Geographers Library by Jon Fasman (Hostels are great for book exchanges!
We also listened to some brillant music while we were on the bus, having travelled a fair distance up to the isle of skye. Probably did about 200 km's a day. They even played Monty Python's Life of Brian and Meaning of life.
Which reminded me what the meaning of life is.
To enjoy! And although it's ok to be contemplative..it's also ok to just HAVE FUN! And to 'do' this holiday because, as Susan says, 'we can'..and because there's a time for everything and everyone. It was so good to be reminded of this....
Once again..it was time to say goodbye to our fellow travellers and get back to our accomodation..
Ireland tomorrow...
Can't wait!
Hope everyone's well....we're glad to be back 'home' (in Edinburgh)...and glad to be able to say hi to you guys again!!!
PS Thanks for the messages from you girls who made me jealous seeing Human Nature!! Awww.......Big hugs to you caza and suziewoozie!! Also great to hear from you Susan....and your brilliant new job!! I can just see you doing that, it would suit you right down to the ground!! Helena..enjoy Bali! Sun! I wish i could have some of that!!!! See you when you get back!! (I'll miss your emails!!!!)
Hugs to you all xxxx And especially to you mummy bummy :-) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ISLE OF SKYE and MEETING HAMISH!
Day 115
Morags Lodge, Fort Augustus
Scottish Highlands
Isle of Skye
Language spoken: 30% Gaelic! Street and all signs in Gaelic, then English!
We spent the day on the Isle of Skye today which was very special.
The scenery is spectacular. We went as far as Kilt Rock.
We saw..or rather, didn't see, Mount Ben Nevis as it was so foggy. It claims lives every year because of the fog, or cloud.
To those who know John and wondered why he named his boats the way he did. Well, it's because he is from a Scottish heritage (these heritages run really deep as i said) and Ben Ledi is a mountain in Scotland. His second boat one was named Braveheart which is after William Wallace, or really, if you learn the 'true' story it's named after Robert the Bruce who was the real brave heart as his had his heart cut out and thrown at the enemy(literally)- another long Scottish folk story!. After his Scottish roots!
The most exciting thing on the way to Skye though, was meeting Hamish.
We were told he was the biggest and the ugliest and most hairy scotsman we'd ever meet. Russel warned us. He really did. And some of us were even a bit worried..but wondering who the heck we were going to meet!
And he wasn't ugly at all.
He was quite beautiful. I thought so anyway. So handsome. I didn't think of Scotsman as handsome until i met him...I could almost forsake Greg for him!!!!!
His name is Hamish McKay Denovan. Born on Mull and educated too.....He has a 1st class honours degree in Bullocks!!
And he is a Island BULL!!!!!!!!
hahaa...
Talk about gorgeous..and ugly at the same time. Wish i could show you the photos now!
We called in at the Eileen Donan Castle which i told you about in the last blog (mcraes). This castle was used in Highlander, the movie with Sean Connery.
And also learned saw peat being harvested onto pellets where it's dried for six months and used in central heating furnaces or boilers. Apparently after a million years or so it turns into coal!
Lunch was at a deli as it was Sunday and everything was closed....
Went into the Urqhart Castle which overlooks the wateer of Loch Ness and is surrounded by the most stunning of scenery! This castle was actually one of Scotlands largest castles..but now parts of it is in ruins.
Apparently this castle was very prominent in the Scottish struggle for independence and came under control of Robert the Bruce after he became King of Scots. In the 15th and 16th centuries the castle and glen were often raided from the west by the ambitious MacDonald Lordss of the Isles.
Such a fascinating history. I love the old castles...i can just imagine the people living in them..and the battles that took place...
What a day. We were exhausted and VERY HUNGRY by the time we got back to Fort Augustus...and to our lodge...
And....we had....
HAGGIS for dinner. Haggis in my mind was like a sausage type of dish, made of sheep intestines...which sounds pretty gross. And i'd had it before at the Robbie Burns Day we had at Burns Beach and i remember it as being spicy but not that palatable really. But the haggis we had for dinner was really yummy..the texture was like cous cous and the colour was black and grey (not very pretty) but it looked ok..and they served it in a dish to put over a baked potato so it was GOOD!!!!!
I didn't have seconds...nor did Greg! So.......altho it was great tasting, and looked ok considering....it was...intestines..and just the thought of it just turns me off...but we tried it. It's Scotland's national dish afterall and they're very proud of it (and of everything else Scottish i might add!). It's on the menu in most pubs you go into. The scotch on the menu was nice :-)
Got to know the others on the tour during the night. So many travellers with so many stories. It was a great night.
Morags Lodge, Fort Augustus
Scottish Highlands
Isle of Skye
Language spoken: 30% Gaelic! Street and all signs in Gaelic, then English!
We spent the day on the Isle of Skye today which was very special.
The scenery is spectacular. We went as far as Kilt Rock.
We saw..or rather, didn't see, Mount Ben Nevis as it was so foggy. It claims lives every year because of the fog, or cloud.
To those who know John and wondered why he named his boats the way he did. Well, it's because he is from a Scottish heritage (these heritages run really deep as i said) and Ben Ledi is a mountain in Scotland. His second boat one was named Braveheart which is after William Wallace, or really, if you learn the 'true' story it's named after Robert the Bruce who was the real brave heart as his had his heart cut out and thrown at the enemy(literally)- another long Scottish folk story!. After his Scottish roots!
The most exciting thing on the way to Skye though, was meeting Hamish.
We were told he was the biggest and the ugliest and most hairy scotsman we'd ever meet. Russel warned us. He really did. And some of us were even a bit worried..but wondering who the heck we were going to meet!
And he wasn't ugly at all.
He was quite beautiful. I thought so anyway. So handsome. I didn't think of Scotsman as handsome until i met him...I could almost forsake Greg for him!!!!!
His name is Hamish McKay Denovan. Born on Mull and educated too.....He has a 1st class honours degree in Bullocks!!
And he is a Island BULL!!!!!!!!
hahaa...
Talk about gorgeous..and ugly at the same time. Wish i could show you the photos now!
We called in at the Eileen Donan Castle which i told you about in the last blog (mcraes). This castle was used in Highlander, the movie with Sean Connery.
And also learned saw peat being harvested onto pellets where it's dried for six months and used in central heating furnaces or boilers. Apparently after a million years or so it turns into coal!
Lunch was at a deli as it was Sunday and everything was closed....
Went into the Urqhart Castle which overlooks the wateer of Loch Ness and is surrounded by the most stunning of scenery! This castle was actually one of Scotlands largest castles..but now parts of it is in ruins.
Apparently this castle was very prominent in the Scottish struggle for independence and came under control of Robert the Bruce after he became King of Scots. In the 15th and 16th centuries the castle and glen were often raided from the west by the ambitious MacDonald Lordss of the Isles.
Such a fascinating history. I love the old castles...i can just imagine the people living in them..and the battles that took place...
What a day. We were exhausted and VERY HUNGRY by the time we got back to Fort Augustus...and to our lodge...
And....we had....
HAGGIS for dinner. Haggis in my mind was like a sausage type of dish, made of sheep intestines...which sounds pretty gross. And i'd had it before at the Robbie Burns Day we had at Burns Beach and i remember it as being spicy but not that palatable really. But the haggis we had for dinner was really yummy..the texture was like cous cous and the colour was black and grey (not very pretty) but it looked ok..and they served it in a dish to put over a baked potato so it was GOOD!!!!!
I didn't have seconds...nor did Greg! So.......altho it was great tasting, and looked ok considering....it was...intestines..and just the thought of it just turns me off...but we tried it. It's Scotland's national dish afterall and they're very proud of it (and of everything else Scottish i might add!). It's on the menu in most pubs you go into. The scotch on the menu was nice :-)
Got to know the others on the tour during the night. So many travellers with so many stories. It was a great night.
FORT AUGUSTUS and the LOCH NESS
Day 114
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY MORAG AND NASS!!!! BIG HUGS TO YOU BOTH!!!!! xxxxxxxxxx
*************************************
Scottish Highlands
Fort Augustus
Saturday
We left the Euro Hostel with our packs and ventured off to the Haggis Office to go on our SKYE tour. Our massive group (about 100 people all standing in the rain out the front of the office) at first all looked pretty young 9in their 20's) and our only knowledge of the 3 day tour was that we needed a raincoat, warm clothes and an umbrella. And that we'd be staying in dorms. I was dreading it a bit really.....
But what the heck. The tour was two for one at £89 so what was there to lose?
Once we got separated into our tours i started to relax a bit more. There were a few people our age, not that it matters, because we're finding the young people are really great and seem to like talking with us and if they're feeling homesick they enjoy being around us..especially when we say we have four kids at home their age!
So the group was looking great. Then we met Tom and Russel, our tour guides, and talk about ideal for the job. They were a hilarious pair. They were so animated as they talked and so passionate, if not slightly biased, about Scotland.
Our first day getting to Port Augustus was adventurous. We packed a huge amount in, seeing the castles, scenery, going on walks, learning about the stories of William Walace (the inspiration for Braveheart) and going for a 'wee walk' again!
The scenery in Scotland..especially up here, is just so green and gorgeous. Mind you, it'd want to be, as they have so much rain! It's mid summer now, and it's rained every day we've been in Scotland. Imagine what it must be like in Winter!! And the days are so long as well...the sun comes up at 4am and goes down about 10.30pm!!! In winter they only have about 4 or 5 hours of sunlight so it makes up for it doesn't it!?
We also learned a lot about the Scottish clans. In particular the CAMBPELLS.
The Campbells were so hated!!!!! And they were so brutal!!!!! Apparently up in the highlands, in a place called Glencoe they literally killed off the clan of the McDonalds after being ordered by the Governor at the time to do so...and they did it in such a sneaky way...by asking if they could stay in their house..so they were given hospitality by the McDonalds then killed them by slitting their throats in the dead of the night!!!
After that there was complete rivalry between the two clans. The Campbells were hated basically because they were always on the winning side. Often in battles putting one son on one side and another son on another side so they always had a Campbell on the winning side!!!
There was even a local Scottish pub, open today, run by the McDonalds which we passed, that said 'No English, No Tribals and No Campbells!' And apparently an american guy went to check in there recently and when he gave his name as a Campbell, the owner literally said, 'Sorry, you can't stay!!'......
Funny hey.....that the rivalry runs so deep. The Scottish seem to keep their grudges forever. We saw it over and over again..with the McRae's and the McKenzies as well when we went to Eilean Donan Castle on Skye.
Not good to be a Campbell in the Highlands of Scotland!!!!! After that i kept seeing all the scottish links to this name, a name of my grandmoter!!!!!
We arrived at our 'logdings' that night. And it was gorgeous. And...it was called Morag's Lodge!!!! I couldn't believe it. After thinking of Morag all day and knowing it was her birthday and couldn't get reception as we were travelling we end up staying in a lodge of her name!! I messaged her to tell her this....so exciting. I know she has Scottish heritage on her father's side...so there's lots to talk about when we get home.
We found we were in a four bed room with another Australian couple who were really nice. Pat and Desiree.
And put down our stuff and went exploring.......cos, we head Nessie might be out!!!! Funny too...i always imagined the Loch Ness to be this huge river..or Loch as they call it. And yet...it's not that wide. We walked down and saw it was only about 50m wide from where we stood. It was all fuzzy too..and smokey looking....very good weather for Nessie to appear.....
Whoooo.......
We took pics..and of the river system the way it has gates on the levels of the river...so fascinating. Called Locks apparently.
Nessie did appear......................but it was a metal one..hehe
When we got back Russel told us we were going to get a glimse of Nessie tomorrow, when we are on our way to Skye.....can't wait! :-)
After a dinner of pasta and salad we headed out to a 'real scottish hut' to learn how to fold a quilt..and to see what was underneath!!!!! Guess what IS underneath??? I'm going to give more secrets away....NOTHING! Nup. Don't wear a thing under and you're nto a man if you do! So there you go.
We did learn that the Scottish kilt is made out of one piece of tartan material (that is different depending on the clan) that is as long as the length of a room!
Such a simple way they do it too..and the way a woman used to wear her clothing was interesting too.
It was a great night with this old scotsman telling us all the folk stories...
After that we headed back to the hostel and watched Braveheart!!!!!! (Again, the films, according to the locals that know, is not entirely correct..but they all say that!
What a day..and night. We slept like logs. And didn't care about sharing a room with anyone else....so that was an accomplishment in itself!
Tomorrow..Island of Skye..
*************************************
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MORAG AND NASS!!!! BIG HUGS TO YOU BOTH!!!!! xxxxxxxxxx
*************************************
Scottish Highlands
Fort Augustus
Saturday
We left the Euro Hostel with our packs and ventured off to the Haggis Office to go on our SKYE tour. Our massive group (about 100 people all standing in the rain out the front of the office) at first all looked pretty young 9in their 20's) and our only knowledge of the 3 day tour was that we needed a raincoat, warm clothes and an umbrella. And that we'd be staying in dorms. I was dreading it a bit really.....
But what the heck. The tour was two for one at £89 so what was there to lose?
Once we got separated into our tours i started to relax a bit more. There were a few people our age, not that it matters, because we're finding the young people are really great and seem to like talking with us and if they're feeling homesick they enjoy being around us..especially when we say we have four kids at home their age!
So the group was looking great. Then we met Tom and Russel, our tour guides, and talk about ideal for the job. They were a hilarious pair. They were so animated as they talked and so passionate, if not slightly biased, about Scotland.
Our first day getting to Port Augustus was adventurous. We packed a huge amount in, seeing the castles, scenery, going on walks, learning about the stories of William Walace (the inspiration for Braveheart) and going for a 'wee walk' again!
The scenery in Scotland..especially up here, is just so green and gorgeous. Mind you, it'd want to be, as they have so much rain! It's mid summer now, and it's rained every day we've been in Scotland. Imagine what it must be like in Winter!! And the days are so long as well...the sun comes up at 4am and goes down about 10.30pm!!! In winter they only have about 4 or 5 hours of sunlight so it makes up for it doesn't it!?
We also learned a lot about the Scottish clans. In particular the CAMBPELLS.
The Campbells were so hated!!!!! And they were so brutal!!!!! Apparently up in the highlands, in a place called Glencoe they literally killed off the clan of the McDonalds after being ordered by the Governor at the time to do so...and they did it in such a sneaky way...by asking if they could stay in their house..so they were given hospitality by the McDonalds then killed them by slitting their throats in the dead of the night!!!
After that there was complete rivalry between the two clans. The Campbells were hated basically because they were always on the winning side. Often in battles putting one son on one side and another son on another side so they always had a Campbell on the winning side!!!
There was even a local Scottish pub, open today, run by the McDonalds which we passed, that said 'No English, No Tribals and No Campbells!' And apparently an american guy went to check in there recently and when he gave his name as a Campbell, the owner literally said, 'Sorry, you can't stay!!'......
Funny hey.....that the rivalry runs so deep. The Scottish seem to keep their grudges forever. We saw it over and over again..with the McRae's and the McKenzies as well when we went to Eilean Donan Castle on Skye.
Not good to be a Campbell in the Highlands of Scotland!!!!! After that i kept seeing all the scottish links to this name, a name of my grandmoter!!!!!
We arrived at our 'logdings' that night. And it was gorgeous. And...it was called Morag's Lodge!!!! I couldn't believe it. After thinking of Morag all day and knowing it was her birthday and couldn't get reception as we were travelling we end up staying in a lodge of her name!! I messaged her to tell her this....so exciting. I know she has Scottish heritage on her father's side...so there's lots to talk about when we get home.
We found we were in a four bed room with another Australian couple who were really nice. Pat and Desiree.
And put down our stuff and went exploring.......cos, we head Nessie might be out!!!! Funny too...i always imagined the Loch Ness to be this huge river..or Loch as they call it. And yet...it's not that wide. We walked down and saw it was only about 50m wide from where we stood. It was all fuzzy too..and smokey looking....very good weather for Nessie to appear.....
Whoooo.......
We took pics..and of the river system the way it has gates on the levels of the river...so fascinating. Called Locks apparently.
Nessie did appear......................but it was a metal one..hehe
When we got back Russel told us we were going to get a glimse of Nessie tomorrow, when we are on our way to Skye.....can't wait! :-)
After a dinner of pasta and salad we headed out to a 'real scottish hut' to learn how to fold a quilt..and to see what was underneath!!!!! Guess what IS underneath??? I'm going to give more secrets away....NOTHING! Nup. Don't wear a thing under and you're nto a man if you do! So there you go.
We did learn that the Scottish kilt is made out of one piece of tartan material (that is different depending on the clan) that is as long as the length of a room!
Such a simple way they do it too..and the way a woman used to wear her clothing was interesting too.
It was a great night with this old scotsman telling us all the folk stories...
After that we headed back to the hostel and watched Braveheart!!!!!! (Again, the films, according to the locals that know, is not entirely correct..but they all say that!
What a day..and night. We slept like logs. And didn't care about sharing a room with anyone else....so that was an accomplishment in itself!
Tomorrow..Island of Skye..
EDINBURGH CASTLE Day & Night
Day 113
Friday 22nd June
Edinburgh, Scotland
Can you believe...we went to Edinburgh Castle and spend the WHOLE afternoon there AND then went back that night.
Is that love and commitment or complete madness?
Or maybe it's just because we thought..when in Scotland, do what the Scots do!
So we did. I adorned my royal stewart scottish beanie, red raincoat with four layers underneath and Greg threw on his 3 layers and off we went..to learn all about the most famous castle in the world!
What an experience. We arrived at 1pm when the cannon blasts. A funny thing about that is everywhere else in Britain (which is the BIG 4 countries, as a guy on the bus told us! - Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales) has their castle cannons go off at 12 o'clock but the Scots thought they'd save a bit of money and have it go off at one o'clock....so they'd save 11 cannon balls each day!!! Now that's enterprise. Or frugality.
We went on a guided tour which we find really good because the guide usually has a grand wee wit..aye..and knows all the inside knowledge..and has great stories...and who doesn't like stories! THEN, after that we got an audio..ok we like the castle!
And the fact that it was built on top of an extinct volcano, with spectacular views across the city, it also has this incredible history attached to it.
We learnt a lot about the Scots and English history..which i won't go into depth with because you'll be wondering what relevance that has to anything (although believe it or not, with all our emigration to Aus it's very relevant but it all makes sense when you're actually standing in the the country clicking everything into place, rather than reading it on a blog!)
My favourite room has to be the royal jewel room where Scotland's crown jewels (or 'Honours') were, including jewels on a case on the wall and a sceptre, crown and shield were positioned in all their glory inside a glass cabinet...BUT....the most appealing and wondrous thing was...
THE STONE WAS THERE!!!!!!! Called The stone of Scone..or.. The STONE OF DESTINY. The coronation seat of Scottish Kings!
It was the stone we didn't see in Westminster Abbey. We saw the space, on the coronation chair that was especially made for it by the English when the English (Edward 1st) stole it. It was the Scots stone that went back to Scotland with Queen Elizabeth's permission (to come back at the next coronation).
AND......
It looked just like a plain old limestone block.
How boring is that. All my grandiose thoughts of this wonderful precious stone was shattered! Honestly.....you don't expect a stone to look so drab when it is so precious.
Anyway, there it sat. Alongside the Scotish crown jewels, in Edinburgh Castle, a precious piece of history and valuable in it's own right. It was so great to see it!!!! The mystery of THE STONE. I wondered what it'd look like. Now we know, and the beauty of it has been shattered.
Isn't that the way sometimes. Our dreams and expectations are often more colourful and fanciful than fact. But that's the illusion isn't it. Or the excitement of dreams and not knowing. But oh, do we feel so much more knowledgeable when we do know. Superior somehow. Geepers. Well maybe i shouldn't go that far. But i certainly felt a sense of knowing 'the secret' of the stone. :-)
That wasn't all that was fascinating in the castle.
There was the tiny St Margaret's Chapel which holds 20 people..so a lot of people like to get married there to reduce the wedding invitation list! (so they say). There's also the Royal Apartments and the Great Hall which was built by James 1V in 1511.
Fascinating is also the Prisons of War there...from the late 18th Century, where sailors from all different countries were captured were locked in underground vaults. Very atmospheric!
And Greg in particular, like the Mon's Meg. The huge cannon there! (apparently among the oldest surviving medieval bombards).
Oh..and the other thing was the Dog Cemetery! Really...there was a special dog cemetery for all the officers and important royal dogs..........cute. Took pics of THAT!
Oh yeah...of course there were the paintings, the pictures of kings and queens and other stuff....
We couldn't get enough.
So when we found out there was to be a 'Ceremony of Installation' of Major General D McDowall that night. Free. So of course we waited for that!
After quickly eating a 'sub of the day' at Subway and filling in another half an hour going into the Church of St Giles which had this amazing inscription to Robert Lois Stevenson. (He wrote Jeckyl and Hyde).
But we scurried back to the castle for the inauguation.
And talk about fascinating. We almost felt like we were at the real mcoy. The Tatoo (which is a huge Scotish extravaganza they have here for two weeks in August, of the best bands in Scotland and costing $1000 a ticket!).
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland came out and played their bagpipes and trumpets, trombones, saxaphones etc which was played so beautifully. As Greg said, he hadn't heard a band that could play the highs and lows so beautifully. They played songs such as Skye Boat Song, Burns on the March, Castle Dangerous and Banks on the Ness. So Scottish. So touching.
After being told, 'No sorry, you can not have a program as you are not a dignitary' we were later given the official program when all the 'important guests' got theres, which actually felt very special.
What i found really funny was the way the Scots Guards came out to March. Before they actually marched there was a main guy that got them all into order. The way he did it was so HILARIOUS. The laughter in the audience couldn't be contained either. They were all lined up in 3 lines..and he'd stand in front of a line and yell, 'number 4' and he'd reshuffle his position, then it'd be 'number 6' 'number 8' then....rest of you! And the rest of the 14 or so men lined up would shuffle along. They looked like penguins!!!! (It was my favourite part of the night....whacky as i am!)
What a lucky night though, to be there for that. We saw the March of the Colours, the Troop and then the arrival of Lord Lyon, who is the Officer of Arms and the Governor.
After that they gave the General the key to the castle, with all his dignitary and 'right royal order' and we just loved it. (The microphone stuffed up which caused as stir which was also funny!!!)
That night we had that warm fuzzy feeling inside..knowing we'd seen a little version of The Tatoo for free!
Off to Skye tomorrow...
Friday 22nd June
Edinburgh, Scotland
Can you believe...we went to Edinburgh Castle and spend the WHOLE afternoon there AND then went back that night.
Is that love and commitment or complete madness?
Or maybe it's just because we thought..when in Scotland, do what the Scots do!
So we did. I adorned my royal stewart scottish beanie, red raincoat with four layers underneath and Greg threw on his 3 layers and off we went..to learn all about the most famous castle in the world!
What an experience. We arrived at 1pm when the cannon blasts. A funny thing about that is everywhere else in Britain (which is the BIG 4 countries, as a guy on the bus told us! - Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales) has their castle cannons go off at 12 o'clock but the Scots thought they'd save a bit of money and have it go off at one o'clock....so they'd save 11 cannon balls each day!!! Now that's enterprise. Or frugality.
We went on a guided tour which we find really good because the guide usually has a grand wee wit..aye..and knows all the inside knowledge..and has great stories...and who doesn't like stories! THEN, after that we got an audio..ok we like the castle!
And the fact that it was built on top of an extinct volcano, with spectacular views across the city, it also has this incredible history attached to it.
We learnt a lot about the Scots and English history..which i won't go into depth with because you'll be wondering what relevance that has to anything (although believe it or not, with all our emigration to Aus it's very relevant but it all makes sense when you're actually standing in the the country clicking everything into place, rather than reading it on a blog!)
My favourite room has to be the royal jewel room where Scotland's crown jewels (or 'Honours') were, including jewels on a case on the wall and a sceptre, crown and shield were positioned in all their glory inside a glass cabinet...BUT....the most appealing and wondrous thing was...
THE STONE WAS THERE!!!!!!! Called The stone of Scone..or.. The STONE OF DESTINY. The coronation seat of Scottish Kings!
It was the stone we didn't see in Westminster Abbey. We saw the space, on the coronation chair that was especially made for it by the English when the English (Edward 1st) stole it. It was the Scots stone that went back to Scotland with Queen Elizabeth's permission (to come back at the next coronation).
AND......
It looked just like a plain old limestone block.
How boring is that. All my grandiose thoughts of this wonderful precious stone was shattered! Honestly.....you don't expect a stone to look so drab when it is so precious.
Anyway, there it sat. Alongside the Scotish crown jewels, in Edinburgh Castle, a precious piece of history and valuable in it's own right. It was so great to see it!!!! The mystery of THE STONE. I wondered what it'd look like. Now we know, and the beauty of it has been shattered.
Isn't that the way sometimes. Our dreams and expectations are often more colourful and fanciful than fact. But that's the illusion isn't it. Or the excitement of dreams and not knowing. But oh, do we feel so much more knowledgeable when we do know. Superior somehow. Geepers. Well maybe i shouldn't go that far. But i certainly felt a sense of knowing 'the secret' of the stone. :-)
That wasn't all that was fascinating in the castle.
There was the tiny St Margaret's Chapel which holds 20 people..so a lot of people like to get married there to reduce the wedding invitation list! (so they say). There's also the Royal Apartments and the Great Hall which was built by James 1V in 1511.
Fascinating is also the Prisons of War there...from the late 18th Century, where sailors from all different countries were captured were locked in underground vaults. Very atmospheric!
And Greg in particular, like the Mon's Meg. The huge cannon there! (apparently among the oldest surviving medieval bombards).
Oh..and the other thing was the Dog Cemetery! Really...there was a special dog cemetery for all the officers and important royal dogs..........cute. Took pics of THAT!
Oh yeah...of course there were the paintings, the pictures of kings and queens and other stuff....
We couldn't get enough.
So when we found out there was to be a 'Ceremony of Installation' of Major General D McDowall that night. Free. So of course we waited for that!
After quickly eating a 'sub of the day' at Subway and filling in another half an hour going into the Church of St Giles which had this amazing inscription to Robert Lois Stevenson. (He wrote Jeckyl and Hyde).
But we scurried back to the castle for the inauguation.
And talk about fascinating. We almost felt like we were at the real mcoy. The Tatoo (which is a huge Scotish extravaganza they have here for two weeks in August, of the best bands in Scotland and costing $1000 a ticket!).
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland came out and played their bagpipes and trumpets, trombones, saxaphones etc which was played so beautifully. As Greg said, he hadn't heard a band that could play the highs and lows so beautifully. They played songs such as Skye Boat Song, Burns on the March, Castle Dangerous and Banks on the Ness. So Scottish. So touching.
After being told, 'No sorry, you can not have a program as you are not a dignitary' we were later given the official program when all the 'important guests' got theres, which actually felt very special.
What i found really funny was the way the Scots Guards came out to March. Before they actually marched there was a main guy that got them all into order. The way he did it was so HILARIOUS. The laughter in the audience couldn't be contained either. They were all lined up in 3 lines..and he'd stand in front of a line and yell, 'number 4' and he'd reshuffle his position, then it'd be 'number 6' 'number 8' then....rest of you! And the rest of the 14 or so men lined up would shuffle along. They looked like penguins!!!! (It was my favourite part of the night....whacky as i am!)
What a lucky night though, to be there for that. We saw the March of the Colours, the Troop and then the arrival of Lord Lyon, who is the Officer of Arms and the Governor.
After that they gave the General the key to the castle, with all his dignitary and 'right royal order' and we just loved it. (The microphone stuffed up which caused as stir which was also funny!!!)
That night we had that warm fuzzy feeling inside..knowing we'd seen a little version of The Tatoo for free!
Off to Skye tomorrow...
Friday, 22 June 2007
HI & TWO FAVOURITE POEMS
Still in Scotland..just wanted to say hi before we head off to the Highlands....
It's cold and wet here. Arrrgh. We're just trying to find out where Robert Burns (Scotish Poet born Alloway, Ayrshire,) was born and where we can go to see more of his work...but there don't seem to be any tours or information about him here so far....aww.
Mum, remember the 'BURNS DAY' we had a few years ago, celebrating Robert Burns, and Burns Beach....and the Haggis we had.....?
Anyway, hope we can find some more about him..and his work before we leave here.
Thanks for your emails...We're thinking of you all.
And also just to let you know, Greg's sinuses have cleared!!! We can sleep!!!!! haha
See you when we get back!
xx
PS These are two poems that i thought i'd share with you...they reallly sums things up for us i think! Both have been on my mind and because i know them so, so well and have offered a lot of comfort in times of reflection. Thought i'd share them..
First one is called, IF by Rudyard Kipling and the second one is called MARRIAGE by Kahlil Gibran
IF by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!
--Rudyard Kipling
And what of marriage?
A poem by Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran
To the question: 'And what of marriage?'
He says: 'You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone.
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's cold and wet here. Arrrgh. We're just trying to find out where Robert Burns (Scotish Poet born Alloway, Ayrshire,) was born and where we can go to see more of his work...but there don't seem to be any tours or information about him here so far....aww.
Mum, remember the 'BURNS DAY' we had a few years ago, celebrating Robert Burns, and Burns Beach....and the Haggis we had.....?
Anyway, hope we can find some more about him..and his work before we leave here.
Thanks for your emails...We're thinking of you all.
And also just to let you know, Greg's sinuses have cleared!!! We can sleep!!!!! haha
See you when we get back!
xx
PS These are two poems that i thought i'd share with you...they reallly sums things up for us i think! Both have been on my mind and because i know them so, so well and have offered a lot of comfort in times of reflection. Thought i'd share them..
First one is called, IF by Rudyard Kipling and the second one is called MARRIAGE by Kahlil Gibran
IF by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!
--Rudyard Kipling
And what of marriage?
A poem by Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran
To the question: 'And what of marriage?'
He says: 'You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone.
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GRANDMA'S C's MUSSELBURGH, EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND
Day 112
Musselburgh is where Grandpop and Grandma C got married..and where Grandma C was born, or at least very close to where she was born in Berwickshire.
Guess what? Today...
WE WENT THERE!!!!!!!!
After finding out why the accomodation in Edinburgh was booked out (the Highland Show) and realising hiring a car was just too absurd for words (£595 for a week) we headed off to Musselburgh on a bus for £5!
We arrived after half an hour and realised it was a beachside resort (no wonder Grandpop liked it) and it was also on a river. The first thing we did was try to find the street, Inveresk Road which is the street that was put in their marriage certificate.
We got a little sidetracked by The Musselburgh Museum, a converted church, that had teddies and dolls on display (we went in and it turned out to be a little cafe that sold tea and coffee - we had tea - which was served with beautiful Scottish shortbread biscuits!) Then we look across and saw a statue which we had to go and see the signficance.
It was a statue of David McBeth Moir!!! We laughed! Anyone know of anyone of that name???? We took a picture!
The statue was a memorial to the celebrated poet, author and physician. (1798-1851).
We then headed out to find Inveresk Road. And to do a seach of the cemetery where we believed my grandmother's family may have been buried.
And what a beautiful little town. Or village. It was so gorgeous. Not grey as other Scottish buildings were. IT was green and with the gorgeous Esk river, with the roman bridges and green parks we felt like it was very Melbournian...(ok, it was a little bit grey, not sunny enough to remind us of Perth...)
I did think it would have felt like home to Grandpop, being from Orville, Victoria.
We ventured down the street that meant so much, hoping to find the little house they lived in there. For Grandma C it was longer than for Grandpop who was only there from September 1919 to Feb 1920..or at least that's what i surmise, unless he was there for a period before the September when he was courting Grandma ( a big possibility but nothing documented.
Because he was recovering from the 'kicked horse' and the embedded bone that got left in his leg and later infected, he spent a year in Army Base hospital, and from there was attached to a school in London. According to his army records. Not sure where he met his wife. Love to know tho! That wasn't part of Kitty's Story, but for hte four of us, his grandchildren, i'm sure that would have added a lot more spice than hearing about the pretty voice singing, Sylvia! Although i think the voice he heard in the story was a source of comfort as he was recovering from his injuries.
Back to Inveresk Road. We realised that the number of the house, being below 50, meant that it was in a demolition area. So! The house, unfortunately, no longer existed. From number 50 onwards there were houses, but nothing before that.
In it's place is a proposed child care facility..and on the other side of the road, a supermarket (where we bought our wonderful vegetables for dinner) called, 'Tesco'. I'd imagine Grandpop would be pleased with the prior, being that he was a school teacher in the south west of WA, prior to going to Gallipoli and for the rest of his working life when he came back to Australia.
Now that was something that was really pricking my conscience...Why would he come back to Western Australia, with his new Scottish wife, and not go back to Victoria, where he was born, and where his all his brothers and sisters were? I think there were 10 of them.
The knowledge that he left Victoria, to find his fortune in the West, gold prospecting, prior to joining up to the army, should have answered that question.
He obviously thought WA was a great place!! And thankfully, he stayed, because i too, think it's a great place. And Greg's family is from the Swan River Settlement! He's 6th generations Western Australian, his children are Seventh. Amazing hey.
But it still makes me wonder why Grandpop chose to leave his familiy and start a new life in another state....Although, when i think back, he did keep his Victorian connections, going back for the Melbourne Cup whenever he could!
And i think it is something people of that generation definately did..particulary those who chose to emigrate from the UK...to the 'penal country' !!
We made our way to the cemetery after finding their house had been demolished and to our amazement we think we did find my Grandma's family there. It was quite a poignant moment.
I never thought of my grandmother as Scottish until this moment.
Being in Scotland has made me realise our roots go beyond Western Australia. I wondered about her life. I hardly knew her, being only two when she died. According to the records i have, she went to Australia just 5 months after Grandpop and her married.
Imagine how lonely that would have been for her?
I recalled a invitation i have at home...an 'important' royal paper that i 'picked' when Dad died. It was an invitation to her from Buckingham Palace. She did a lot of work for the Anglican church in the suburb she and Grandpop lived the whole time she was in WA.
She must have devoted considerable time to the church, and to her one son, our Dad. And she received this invitation. Whether she accepted or not i don't know, or what it was really for i equally don't know. But when i return from our trip, I shall look further into this.
I also have her precious Robert Burns poetry book. Funny how now it all seems more important, now that i've been here, where she lived, and where her and Grandpop would have walked together.
Her family's tombstone - we think her grandparents, were very close to the parish church. From the early 1880's. |We found other's too, of her family name, in the parish graveyard. They told a history. And were tombstones far more elaborate than her own one in Karrakatta cemetery. The gravestones seem to celebrate the remembrance of the town's loved ones.
We also found David Mcbeth Moir's tombstone at the same cemetery, in St
Michaels....It's in a little place that was being reconstructed. I had to jump over to have a really good view of it. I wondered why it wasn't in a more important position, and more revered..Afterall he was a celebrated poet, writer, physician of the town..and in photographs hanging on the wall of the local pub...
After an emotional afternoon (always seems to take it out of me when we visit the past) we decided to go to the little pub at the end of Enversk Street, not more than 50m from where they must have lived, and very close to the river, the Esk and had a Scotch Whiskey and coke...
Very apt don't you think? To have a scotch whiskey and coke? Being that we're in Scotland!
But! Not according to the barmaid, who was really friendly and struck up a very bouyant conversation with us. About BEER. Of course we're Aussies, and what else would we want to talk about!!????
Well....i wanted to talk about the renovations going on in Inveresk Street..but she preferred to let us know where the best pubs were in Musselburgh and in Edinburh!!!
It was funny..........and the funniest bit was...the local guys joined in..and we could barely understand their very strong Scottish and they could barely understand our Australain..
I never thought we had really strong Aussie accents until we came away..and we only have to open our gob before people realise we're 'foreigners'!
Needless to say...we all got a lot of information very much skewiff!!!!
What a day...
Tomorrow we're off to see the Edinburh Castle and the Highland Show...
I'll write more after we've been up to the Highlands...a 3 day excursion that we have no idea what it involves...except that it was very cheap, and we were told to take 'umbrella's, sunscreen and VERY WARM clothes!!!'
Musselburgh is where Grandpop and Grandma C got married..and where Grandma C was born, or at least very close to where she was born in Berwickshire.
Guess what? Today...
WE WENT THERE!!!!!!!!
After finding out why the accomodation in Edinburgh was booked out (the Highland Show) and realising hiring a car was just too absurd for words (£595 for a week) we headed off to Musselburgh on a bus for £5!
We arrived after half an hour and realised it was a beachside resort (no wonder Grandpop liked it) and it was also on a river. The first thing we did was try to find the street, Inveresk Road which is the street that was put in their marriage certificate.
We got a little sidetracked by The Musselburgh Museum, a converted church, that had teddies and dolls on display (we went in and it turned out to be a little cafe that sold tea and coffee - we had tea - which was served with beautiful Scottish shortbread biscuits!) Then we look across and saw a statue which we had to go and see the signficance.
It was a statue of David McBeth Moir!!! We laughed! Anyone know of anyone of that name???? We took a picture!
The statue was a memorial to the celebrated poet, author and physician. (1798-1851).
We then headed out to find Inveresk Road. And to do a seach of the cemetery where we believed my grandmother's family may have been buried.
And what a beautiful little town. Or village. It was so gorgeous. Not grey as other Scottish buildings were. IT was green and with the gorgeous Esk river, with the roman bridges and green parks we felt like it was very Melbournian...(ok, it was a little bit grey, not sunny enough to remind us of Perth...)
I did think it would have felt like home to Grandpop, being from Orville, Victoria.
We ventured down the street that meant so much, hoping to find the little house they lived in there. For Grandma C it was longer than for Grandpop who was only there from September 1919 to Feb 1920..or at least that's what i surmise, unless he was there for a period before the September when he was courting Grandma ( a big possibility but nothing documented.
Because he was recovering from the 'kicked horse' and the embedded bone that got left in his leg and later infected, he spent a year in Army Base hospital, and from there was attached to a school in London. According to his army records. Not sure where he met his wife. Love to know tho! That wasn't part of Kitty's Story, but for hte four of us, his grandchildren, i'm sure that would have added a lot more spice than hearing about the pretty voice singing, Sylvia! Although i think the voice he heard in the story was a source of comfort as he was recovering from his injuries.
Back to Inveresk Road. We realised that the number of the house, being below 50, meant that it was in a demolition area. So! The house, unfortunately, no longer existed. From number 50 onwards there were houses, but nothing before that.
In it's place is a proposed child care facility..and on the other side of the road, a supermarket (where we bought our wonderful vegetables for dinner) called, 'Tesco'. I'd imagine Grandpop would be pleased with the prior, being that he was a school teacher in the south west of WA, prior to going to Gallipoli and for the rest of his working life when he came back to Australia.
Now that was something that was really pricking my conscience...Why would he come back to Western Australia, with his new Scottish wife, and not go back to Victoria, where he was born, and where his all his brothers and sisters were? I think there were 10 of them.
The knowledge that he left Victoria, to find his fortune in the West, gold prospecting, prior to joining up to the army, should have answered that question.
He obviously thought WA was a great place!! And thankfully, he stayed, because i too, think it's a great place. And Greg's family is from the Swan River Settlement! He's 6th generations Western Australian, his children are Seventh. Amazing hey.
But it still makes me wonder why Grandpop chose to leave his familiy and start a new life in another state....Although, when i think back, he did keep his Victorian connections, going back for the Melbourne Cup whenever he could!
And i think it is something people of that generation definately did..particulary those who chose to emigrate from the UK...to the 'penal country' !!
We made our way to the cemetery after finding their house had been demolished and to our amazement we think we did find my Grandma's family there. It was quite a poignant moment.
I never thought of my grandmother as Scottish until this moment.
Being in Scotland has made me realise our roots go beyond Western Australia. I wondered about her life. I hardly knew her, being only two when she died. According to the records i have, she went to Australia just 5 months after Grandpop and her married.
Imagine how lonely that would have been for her?
I recalled a invitation i have at home...an 'important' royal paper that i 'picked' when Dad died. It was an invitation to her from Buckingham Palace. She did a lot of work for the Anglican church in the suburb she and Grandpop lived the whole time she was in WA.
She must have devoted considerable time to the church, and to her one son, our Dad. And she received this invitation. Whether she accepted or not i don't know, or what it was really for i equally don't know. But when i return from our trip, I shall look further into this.
I also have her precious Robert Burns poetry book. Funny how now it all seems more important, now that i've been here, where she lived, and where her and Grandpop would have walked together.
Her family's tombstone - we think her grandparents, were very close to the parish church. From the early 1880's. |We found other's too, of her family name, in the parish graveyard. They told a history. And were tombstones far more elaborate than her own one in Karrakatta cemetery. The gravestones seem to celebrate the remembrance of the town's loved ones.
We also found David Mcbeth Moir's tombstone at the same cemetery, in St
Michaels....It's in a little place that was being reconstructed. I had to jump over to have a really good view of it. I wondered why it wasn't in a more important position, and more revered..Afterall he was a celebrated poet, writer, physician of the town..and in photographs hanging on the wall of the local pub...
After an emotional afternoon (always seems to take it out of me when we visit the past) we decided to go to the little pub at the end of Enversk Street, not more than 50m from where they must have lived, and very close to the river, the Esk and had a Scotch Whiskey and coke...
Very apt don't you think? To have a scotch whiskey and coke? Being that we're in Scotland!
But! Not according to the barmaid, who was really friendly and struck up a very bouyant conversation with us. About BEER. Of course we're Aussies, and what else would we want to talk about!!????
Well....i wanted to talk about the renovations going on in Inveresk Street..but she preferred to let us know where the best pubs were in Musselburgh and in Edinburh!!!
It was funny..........and the funniest bit was...the local guys joined in..and we could barely understand their very strong Scottish and they could barely understand our Australain..
I never thought we had really strong Aussie accents until we came away..and we only have to open our gob before people realise we're 'foreigners'!
Needless to say...we all got a lot of information very much skewiff!!!!
What a day...
Tomorrow we're off to see the Edinburh Castle and the Highland Show...
I'll write more after we've been up to the Highlands...a 3 day excursion that we have no idea what it involves...except that it was very cheap, and we were told to take 'umbrella's, sunscreen and VERY WARM clothes!!!'
BONNY SCOTLAND! W'ere here!!!
Here we are! In Scotland!!!! For a week (plus 3 days in the Highlands!)
Day 111 - 112
***********************************
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBBY!!!!
My Gorgeous friend and forever sisinlaw..
Hope you had a wonderful day.......
***********************************
The home of Robert Burns, the Highland Dance, The scottish Terrier, Shortbread, Scottish Whiskey...
And most importantly...my grandmother!!!
This is the place where Grandma C was born. And where she married Grandpop!
Oh, i have so much to say......
But will start at the very beginning....
After having another dream last night (about Rav, wanting to come home because he had a saw paw..awww) we woke up and had our last English breakfast of muslei, yoghurt and stewed fruit, plus a boiled egg (Greg had bacon & eggs) at our hotel in Windemere, the Oakthorpe Hotel we headed to the Windemere Train station to head off to Edinburgh...
We arrived....after looking out at the window on the way and wondering if the whole city would look like this. It was grey. Lots of buildings that were really dark and looked like large blocks of flats...a bit like an industrial town.
And it did. Dark grey. Like as if the buildings were really dirty and full of soot. There were towers and spiers as well. Castles as well. We'd arrived. Scotland!!!
We found accomodation at the tourist centre a the tourist centre at the train station. A hostel that was a converted universtiy. Suited us. Self catering apartments were just what we wanted.
Afterall, our greatest desire was to have a homecook meal. And for us, homecooked means..LOTS of vegetables!!!!! And you'll be pleased to know after booking in to our accomodation, we bought VEGES. Yay! Tonight we had broccoli, sweet potato, carrots and chicken (we bought it all at a supermarket and cooked it) Gosh! It was as tasty and i don't know what!!!!
We really miss our vegetables.....a LOT.
After my 'homesick' blog..i guess you're all wondering what happened..and whether i caught the first flight back or not?? Nah.....but i tell you, i've been having some pretty amazing dreams...i dreamt one night of my sister and her partner..another night about Sam and how he put sticky glue on my shorts that i couldn't get off..and now last night about Rav...i wonder what that's all about?
Maybe it's cos i haven't heard much from Sam....well, i guess that's not totally true because i talked to him at Elise's one night on a card we bought in London so we were able to have a really good converstation..but other than that it's been very limited because he's been at the Islands and contact has been difficult.
He is unable to receive email access over there..and mobile sometimes is difficult as well. And with Annette it could be because i've been wanting to have more time to respond to emails but haven't had as much time as i usually would, when i'm in Australia...so now i'm dreaming about her and Graeme!!!! Weird.
Zac, i loved your email, i will reply when i get back into email. Greg's doing email tonght and i'm blogging (it's so funny - i can see his head over the bank of computers....hahah) Thanks so much for your advice, it's true, we need time for ourselves and to reflect.
We will make time. Being in Edinburgh has made us realise we miss our kitchen and to just 'be' and to reflect and ponder. And yet, even knowing this, we both mutually decided to book a three day adventure to the Highlands, staying in dormitories...silly aren't we.
I guess we both know that even thought we'd love to have time to just stay in place for a week or two, we also know we want to make the most of this time we have away, and to see what we can, while we are here. And although we don't have a time limit, really, we sort of do because we are due back in London late Sept to fly out to America so we want to be able to see the UK and Northern Europe before we leave.
It's sort of like we can choose where we stay, and yet, we can't. In a perverse sort of way. We both, when we look into it, have the same ambition...to keep moving.
And yes, it's a challenge. A mighty challenge. To keep moving, every 3 days or so.
And yet, we can do it because we are very much in tune with each other, and can compromise and negotiate very well together....
So that's what we're doing. Perhaps...we will have that week in Ireland. We'll see how we go.
Thanks Caz for caring....gosh, the amount of times you have 'just been there' for me is just great. I think of all that time with my ankle..and now, when i feel homesick, you're there, with your positive words..i thank you for that my special friend.
And Helena...i love your encouragement and your love.
I'm so glad i have such wonderful friends!
Of course, need i mention my family..gosh, without my sms'ing with Elise and Mum...i'd be certainly stuck....and much more homesick, i'm sure!
Anyway...about Scotland..
I think i need a whole new blog just to describle Musselburgh.....
Day 111 - 112
***********************************
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBBY!!!!
My Gorgeous friend and forever sisinlaw..
Hope you had a wonderful day.......
***********************************
The home of Robert Burns, the Highland Dance, The scottish Terrier, Shortbread, Scottish Whiskey...
And most importantly...my grandmother!!!
This is the place where Grandma C was born. And where she married Grandpop!
Oh, i have so much to say......
But will start at the very beginning....
After having another dream last night (about Rav, wanting to come home because he had a saw paw..awww) we woke up and had our last English breakfast of muslei, yoghurt and stewed fruit, plus a boiled egg (Greg had bacon & eggs) at our hotel in Windemere, the Oakthorpe Hotel we headed to the Windemere Train station to head off to Edinburgh...
We arrived....after looking out at the window on the way and wondering if the whole city would look like this. It was grey. Lots of buildings that were really dark and looked like large blocks of flats...a bit like an industrial town.
And it did. Dark grey. Like as if the buildings were really dirty and full of soot. There were towers and spiers as well. Castles as well. We'd arrived. Scotland!!!
We found accomodation at the tourist centre a the tourist centre at the train station. A hostel that was a converted universtiy. Suited us. Self catering apartments were just what we wanted.
Afterall, our greatest desire was to have a homecook meal. And for us, homecooked means..LOTS of vegetables!!!!! And you'll be pleased to know after booking in to our accomodation, we bought VEGES. Yay! Tonight we had broccoli, sweet potato, carrots and chicken (we bought it all at a supermarket and cooked it) Gosh! It was as tasty and i don't know what!!!!
We really miss our vegetables.....a LOT.
After my 'homesick' blog..i guess you're all wondering what happened..and whether i caught the first flight back or not?? Nah.....but i tell you, i've been having some pretty amazing dreams...i dreamt one night of my sister and her partner..another night about Sam and how he put sticky glue on my shorts that i couldn't get off..and now last night about Rav...i wonder what that's all about?
Maybe it's cos i haven't heard much from Sam....well, i guess that's not totally true because i talked to him at Elise's one night on a card we bought in London so we were able to have a really good converstation..but other than that it's been very limited because he's been at the Islands and contact has been difficult.
He is unable to receive email access over there..and mobile sometimes is difficult as well. And with Annette it could be because i've been wanting to have more time to respond to emails but haven't had as much time as i usually would, when i'm in Australia...so now i'm dreaming about her and Graeme!!!! Weird.
Zac, i loved your email, i will reply when i get back into email. Greg's doing email tonght and i'm blogging (it's so funny - i can see his head over the bank of computers....hahah) Thanks so much for your advice, it's true, we need time for ourselves and to reflect.
We will make time. Being in Edinburgh has made us realise we miss our kitchen and to just 'be' and to reflect and ponder. And yet, even knowing this, we both mutually decided to book a three day adventure to the Highlands, staying in dormitories...silly aren't we.
I guess we both know that even thought we'd love to have time to just stay in place for a week or two, we also know we want to make the most of this time we have away, and to see what we can, while we are here. And although we don't have a time limit, really, we sort of do because we are due back in London late Sept to fly out to America so we want to be able to see the UK and Northern Europe before we leave.
It's sort of like we can choose where we stay, and yet, we can't. In a perverse sort of way. We both, when we look into it, have the same ambition...to keep moving.
And yes, it's a challenge. A mighty challenge. To keep moving, every 3 days or so.
And yet, we can do it because we are very much in tune with each other, and can compromise and negotiate very well together....
So that's what we're doing. Perhaps...we will have that week in Ireland. We'll see how we go.
Thanks Caz for caring....gosh, the amount of times you have 'just been there' for me is just great. I think of all that time with my ankle..and now, when i feel homesick, you're there, with your positive words..i thank you for that my special friend.
And Helena...i love your encouragement and your love.
I'm so glad i have such wonderful friends!
Of course, need i mention my family..gosh, without my sms'ing with Elise and Mum...i'd be certainly stuck....and much more homesick, i'm sure!
Anyway...about Scotland..
I think i need a whole new blog just to describle Musselburgh.....
Monday, 18 June 2007
POTTER's FARM & WORDSWORTH COUNTRY
Oakthorpe Hotel
Lake District, Windemere
CUMBRIA, England, UK
Day 110
Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth are the two English writers i most admire. Well, that is, apart from Dickens, Hardy, Chaucer, Bronte's and others..Ok, there are lots...but as far as the Lake District authors these two would have to be the most colorful. There are others..ie Elizabeth Gaskill lived here too...(she wrote the autobiography of Emily Bronte)..
But Beatrix Potter has been a long time favourite..remembering as a child her Tales of Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunnies, Benjamin Rabbit and Mrs Tittlemose! As has Wordsworth (because of his Daffodil poem...'Ten thousand saw i at a glance'..which was written about daffodils in Gold Barrow Park in Oldswater, and not Grasmere, as it turns out!)
And we were privileged to have seen where both lived, and where both wrote...
First was William Wordsworth.
He has a history that unless the 'insider's' tell you about, you'd probably never know. That is according to them anyway. He had a child in France, when he lived there in his youth. And before he came back to the Lake District to wrote about daffodils and other things of beauty...a very renowned poet of his time, and lesser known now, in our time, but no less worthy.
He was born in Grasmere. A village not far from Windemere and considered to be part of Windemere. And he died there, and was subsequently buried there. We saw where he was laid to rest, he and his wife and family.
The plot is next to a church and a daffodil park. My favourite flower....one that Grandpop used to grow and nurture in our garden when we were kids..(there are daffodils still there in Wordsworth's garden that we photographed...
We also saw the Gingerbread Cottage that is next door as well...this was originally a school house where William Wordsworth and his wife Mary used to teach..which became a place where they produced Gingerbread..and still do today...and let me tell you...it IS delicious. We bought some and nibbled it all the way back home that night after we bought it!
Then was Beatrix Potter.
We headed on to Hilltop where Beatrix Potter lived after she moved out from her parents home in London...when she was about 37 i might add. What a gorgeous little English house this is, made more famous by the recent movie called, 'Miss Potter'. (although Hilltop was not used in the movie, a local cafe that was also part of the National Trust was used for the shoot as too many tourists were wanting to go to Hilltop).
At Hilltop, i bought a rabbit, Peter Rabbit. I had been thinking how boring it is to have only Greg and i in all our photos...and that it might be better to have something else to take the attention of us, so this is it...Our own baby...aww...Peter Rabbit!!!!
And no, I'm not going crazy...i was inspired by learning that Beatrix Potter used to put her characters into real settings, in her books, and then publish them...(in her house at Hilltop there are examples of these inanimate objects such as dressing tables, her bed, ornaments etc..and also scenes, in books that are displayed for the public to see)...
And i also remembered Cazza putting Noddy into some of her pictures..and thought...yes, that's what we can do. Put our Peter Rabbit into our pictures, instead of us, boring ourselves, with pictures of us!!
By the way...just wanted to say...we're in an internet cafe down the street from our hostal..and Robbie Williams' song..Sin, Sin, Sin, is blaring out....oh it sounds SO GOOD!
About Beatrix Potter...
She was an amazing lady. She married quite late...in her forties, at about 47 i think it is. And she married a lawyer who worked in Grasmere. She kept Hilltop, her first farm purchase in the Lake District and together with her husband bought anther property to live in after they were married.....
Then, due to her books being so popular and successful, she later bought 14 properties in the area. Mainly because she didn't want other people to buy the propery...and to exploit the area...and partly because she wanted to protect the Lakeland sheep in the area.
When she died, she bequeathed all the properties to the National Trust. Excluding her marital home which she bequeathed to her husband. He later died (only 5 years after her even though he was a bit younger than her) and he also bequeathed that property to the National Trust. They had no children.
The properties are just beautiful. She wanted them all to remain as she left them, but apparently the National Trust has rented out some and gone against her wishes which some are protesting to this day.
We learned so much about this remarkable farming lady.....
But, there was another surprise...
We caught a little boat over the lakes, to John Ruskin, the writer and philosopher's, home..
And that was JUST GORGEOUS.
He was the man who literally invented libraries.
What a wonderful day...
We got back to Windemere in the evening, and decided to venture out..and found a cute litte bar..that served....Roast and Yorkshire pudding...(this time, no gravy for me!)
Our last English meal before Scotland..
PS William Wordsworth's poem
'I wandered lonely as a Cloud' , written in 1807. He later altered it, and his second version, published in 1815, is the one widely known today.
'I wandered lonely as a Cloud' by William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:-
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company:
I gazed-and gazed-but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils
Lake District, Windemere
CUMBRIA, England, UK
Day 110
Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth are the two English writers i most admire. Well, that is, apart from Dickens, Hardy, Chaucer, Bronte's and others..Ok, there are lots...but as far as the Lake District authors these two would have to be the most colorful. There are others..ie Elizabeth Gaskill lived here too...(she wrote the autobiography of Emily Bronte)..
But Beatrix Potter has been a long time favourite..remembering as a child her Tales of Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunnies, Benjamin Rabbit and Mrs Tittlemose! As has Wordsworth (because of his Daffodil poem...'Ten thousand saw i at a glance'..which was written about daffodils in Gold Barrow Park in Oldswater, and not Grasmere, as it turns out!)
And we were privileged to have seen where both lived, and where both wrote...
First was William Wordsworth.
He has a history that unless the 'insider's' tell you about, you'd probably never know. That is according to them anyway. He had a child in France, when he lived there in his youth. And before he came back to the Lake District to wrote about daffodils and other things of beauty...a very renowned poet of his time, and lesser known now, in our time, but no less worthy.
He was born in Grasmere. A village not far from Windemere and considered to be part of Windemere. And he died there, and was subsequently buried there. We saw where he was laid to rest, he and his wife and family.
The plot is next to a church and a daffodil park. My favourite flower....one that Grandpop used to grow and nurture in our garden when we were kids..(there are daffodils still there in Wordsworth's garden that we photographed...
We also saw the Gingerbread Cottage that is next door as well...this was originally a school house where William Wordsworth and his wife Mary used to teach..which became a place where they produced Gingerbread..and still do today...and let me tell you...it IS delicious. We bought some and nibbled it all the way back home that night after we bought it!
Then was Beatrix Potter.
We headed on to Hilltop where Beatrix Potter lived after she moved out from her parents home in London...when she was about 37 i might add. What a gorgeous little English house this is, made more famous by the recent movie called, 'Miss Potter'. (although Hilltop was not used in the movie, a local cafe that was also part of the National Trust was used for the shoot as too many tourists were wanting to go to Hilltop).
At Hilltop, i bought a rabbit, Peter Rabbit. I had been thinking how boring it is to have only Greg and i in all our photos...and that it might be better to have something else to take the attention of us, so this is it...Our own baby...aww...Peter Rabbit!!!!
And no, I'm not going crazy...i was inspired by learning that Beatrix Potter used to put her characters into real settings, in her books, and then publish them...(in her house at Hilltop there are examples of these inanimate objects such as dressing tables, her bed, ornaments etc..and also scenes, in books that are displayed for the public to see)...
And i also remembered Cazza putting Noddy into some of her pictures..and thought...yes, that's what we can do. Put our Peter Rabbit into our pictures, instead of us, boring ourselves, with pictures of us!!
By the way...just wanted to say...we're in an internet cafe down the street from our hostal..and Robbie Williams' song..Sin, Sin, Sin, is blaring out....oh it sounds SO GOOD!
About Beatrix Potter...
She was an amazing lady. She married quite late...in her forties, at about 47 i think it is. And she married a lawyer who worked in Grasmere. She kept Hilltop, her first farm purchase in the Lake District and together with her husband bought anther property to live in after they were married.....
Then, due to her books being so popular and successful, she later bought 14 properties in the area. Mainly because she didn't want other people to buy the propery...and to exploit the area...and partly because she wanted to protect the Lakeland sheep in the area.
When she died, she bequeathed all the properties to the National Trust. Excluding her marital home which she bequeathed to her husband. He later died (only 5 years after her even though he was a bit younger than her) and he also bequeathed that property to the National Trust. They had no children.
The properties are just beautiful. She wanted them all to remain as she left them, but apparently the National Trust has rented out some and gone against her wishes which some are protesting to this day.
We learned so much about this remarkable farming lady.....
But, there was another surprise...
We caught a little boat over the lakes, to John Ruskin, the writer and philosopher's, home..
And that was JUST GORGEOUS.
He was the man who literally invented libraries.
What a wonderful day...
We got back to Windemere in the evening, and decided to venture out..and found a cute litte bar..that served....Roast and Yorkshire pudding...(this time, no gravy for me!)
Our last English meal before Scotland..
PS William Wordsworth's poem
'I wandered lonely as a Cloud' , written in 1807. He later altered it, and his second version, published in 1815, is the one widely known today.
'I wandered lonely as a Cloud' by William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:-
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company:
I gazed-and gazed-but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils
WHY?
Ok.
I asked the question why. Why are we doing this? Travelling around the world for a year?
Because it broadens and expands our horizons. Allows us to experience the world. See how other cultures live.
In a way, being away like we are is a huge challenge. And different to travelling abroad and working in a country, and living in that culture, experience that way of life (which we'd love to do after this 'reconnaiscence'.
We've had to adjust to each other's ideas and ideals about travelling and what we expect and want out of this trip.
We've also had to adjust to each other's nuiances and habits as well. We're together 24/7 and this can be a challenge for couples. So far, we've been very fortunate to be able to accomodate each other's wishes and needs and have been flexible enough to be able to be sensitive to the other.
It could be quite a test of a relationship. And it has been. We've negotiated our differences from the outset. Constantly reevaluating our relationship and how we manage things. Each time a new challenge arises we're able to talk and discuss it and compromise. Which has been good.
Funny how the little things become important when you're travelling. Like laundry, food, sleep, what to see, what not to see, where to travel next, what to miss out and what to include. Even thing like reading and internet use have to be negotiated with each other. What happens when one wants to read, and the other wants the light off?
We've had to adapt to being in confined spaces together, all the time. On buses, trains, in hotel rooms, on tours. And adjusting to not having friends and family to discuss issues with and mull things over with.
I am very aware that not one person can have all the qualities that we need, that we have friends of all types of personalities that 'give' us the things we 'need' to grown as people.
We've had to rely on each other and to know when the other needs space as well.
As time goes on, and as we're travelling together on this journey, i'm still constantly amazed that two people can spend so much time together, and yet in that togetherness, know when to be apart.
It's a good feeling.
But as to the 'why' of this adventure...
I thought i had the answer to that when we started..and yet, now as we're only a quarter of the way through, i'm reassessing..and asking myself a new why....
Why indeed.
I'll have to think some more about that question!
But! I think the real answer to why we're doing this trip is...
Because we want to!
What better answer could there be than that.
:-)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I asked the question why. Why are we doing this? Travelling around the world for a year?
Because it broadens and expands our horizons. Allows us to experience the world. See how other cultures live.
In a way, being away like we are is a huge challenge. And different to travelling abroad and working in a country, and living in that culture, experience that way of life (which we'd love to do after this 'reconnaiscence'.
We've had to adjust to each other's ideas and ideals about travelling and what we expect and want out of this trip.
We've also had to adjust to each other's nuiances and habits as well. We're together 24/7 and this can be a challenge for couples. So far, we've been very fortunate to be able to accomodate each other's wishes and needs and have been flexible enough to be able to be sensitive to the other.
It could be quite a test of a relationship. And it has been. We've negotiated our differences from the outset. Constantly reevaluating our relationship and how we manage things. Each time a new challenge arises we're able to talk and discuss it and compromise. Which has been good.
Funny how the little things become important when you're travelling. Like laundry, food, sleep, what to see, what not to see, where to travel next, what to miss out and what to include. Even thing like reading and internet use have to be negotiated with each other. What happens when one wants to read, and the other wants the light off?
We've had to adapt to being in confined spaces together, all the time. On buses, trains, in hotel rooms, on tours. And adjusting to not having friends and family to discuss issues with and mull things over with.
I am very aware that not one person can have all the qualities that we need, that we have friends of all types of personalities that 'give' us the things we 'need' to grown as people.
We've had to rely on each other and to know when the other needs space as well.
As time goes on, and as we're travelling together on this journey, i'm still constantly amazed that two people can spend so much time together, and yet in that togetherness, know when to be apart.
It's a good feeling.
But as to the 'why' of this adventure...
I thought i had the answer to that when we started..and yet, now as we're only a quarter of the way through, i'm reassessing..and asking myself a new why....
Why indeed.
I'll have to think some more about that question!
But! I think the real answer to why we're doing this trip is...
Because we want to!
What better answer could there be than that.
:-)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
WHINGE and REFLECTION
Andy, just got your sms which has MADE MY DAY! A message from 'home' when i'm feeling so homesick! Thanks so much for 'being there' I really love hearing from you!! Glad you enjoyed your anniversary! xxx
**************************************************
Talking about the little things that are exciting (like being in one spot for a week)...
One little thing that was exciting was going to the hairdressers!!! I've been waiting to get it cut here in England so at least i can explain in English what i wanted. So it was exciting...to think i'll come out, feeling good, as i usually do after a good session at the hairdressers!
Well, I was feeling good...until i came out that was! I hate my hair! It's HORRIBLE. If i thought it looked bad before i went in, after not having had it cut since January (yes, you read right, it's just been growing and growning until i had to wear my headband to keep it up and out of my eyes).
I now know, it looks doubly worse, now that it's been cut! No kidding....
And for all the girls...You'll know just how i feel. You know, how it is when you've had a crap hair cut! I honestly felt miserable and teary after that....
And yet the local English girl who cut it was so gorgeous. She told me all about the Lake District and her Russian boyfriend and all the bits...and i was really enjoying it after not having any girly conversations for so long.
I politely asked Greg, when he was going to sit in on my haircut, that he'd really enjoy a walk in the park while i got my hair done..
He said, 'Oh it's ok i'll read....' Then asked how long it'd take..
And the girl said, 'Oh! Over half an hour..could be longer..'
So he went for a walk!
The girl laughed and as he walked out said, 'Men just don't understand about girls' haircuts do they!?'
I had to agree!!! A Ladies Hairdressers' are just one of those sancturies where we can go..and just dribble on about girls things and about boys....and enjoy being pampered without anyone watching.
I enjoyed that part. But not her cutting. She didn't chip the way i like, didn't do the wispy bits the way i like...didn't layer the way i liked. Just didn't cut the way i likeeeeeddddd.................(i wail).
And it doesn't help that I'm not having any colours in my hair. I really miss having colours, streaks, foils and something different.
Annie, you'd understand!!!!
Oh! I miss Sue!!! My hairdresser!!! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh...................and she cut my hair really SHORT before i left, just so i didn't have to go through this drama!!!!! Mum, when you see her, can you tell her i can't wait to get back and have her cut my hair again!
And..i miss my BED! The one we're in at the moment is really lumpy. The springs must be almost coming through the bed! Who'd ever thought beds would be important.
And showers. Every place we go to i have to work out how on earth to use the shower. At the last place we were it was one of those electric showers where you press the button on and you press the button off. The water temperature and pressure is controlled and presto it's done. This one has a shower that you have to twist and turn to make it work. Temperature is monitored but you have to keep adjusting it to have it the way you like it.
Weird thing to stress about but when they're different every time...it can be quite a challenge.
And the hotel smells of oil. If it's not smoke, it's oil. I can't complain, most places have been ok, but it only takes one place to make you feel miserable. And although this place where we're at now is 'average' it's not homely.
And it's so expensive. I know i shouldn't be converting all the time, because it's counter productive and causes us to almost not want to eat at all, but it's quite depressing trying to travel knowing we're blowing our budget on everything - accomodation, food, tours and sightseeing.
At least this afternoon, being in the Windmere Library, it doesn't cost to read! The internet is reasonably priced, in comparison to others, at £2 (two pound) an hour. And in conversion...that's still $10 an hour!!! Ok, no conversions.
Here in England the food is smothered with GRAVY and every meal is served with CHIPS. In Europe everything was smothered with oil, here it's gravy. Grrr.
Should see my waist line. We don't have scales so can only go on the tightness of the pants i'm wearing..and at the moment, the button won't do up! So! I must have put on at least 5kgs! Just having the English breakfasts is doing it i'm sure.
And you sort of feel you should eat the breakfasts because they're included in the B&B and it saves money. And because we need to pay for 365 days of accomodation...PLUS food...we really need to eat if it's included! And then only have 2 meals a day. But fried bacon, fried eggs, fried sausages, fried bread, fried tomatoes..doesn't do much for the waist line does it?
OK. I'm having poached or boiled from now on. This can't go ON.
I can hear mum saying, 'Just enjoy yourselves and don't worry about it' But i tell you, i feel miserable that my clothes aren't fitting!!!
I'm just having a whinge. Sorry. I tell ya....it's the little things like that, that can just break the camel's back. It made me feel homesick. And i was feeling homesick before i went.
I'm having a bit of a reflection too.
Wondering what this is all about?
What purpose there is to having a year away?
Being apart from a normal existence?
Is it self indulgent?
Is there a need for this?
Are we being too industrious in thinking we can do this?
Will we survive it? What are we trying to achieve?
How can we use this experience for better good?
How will this change our thinking?
Improve our life?
Help others?
Is our time used constructively and productively?
How are we growing as people? As a couple?
Why are we doing this?
All those things...and more...are crossing my mind as we move along.
England has been good for that type of reflection.
Perhaps, inately, we need a goal? A mission that is worthwhile and productive?
And do we have that?
WHY?
**************************************************
Talking about the little things that are exciting (like being in one spot for a week)...
One little thing that was exciting was going to the hairdressers!!! I've been waiting to get it cut here in England so at least i can explain in English what i wanted. So it was exciting...to think i'll come out, feeling good, as i usually do after a good session at the hairdressers!
Well, I was feeling good...until i came out that was! I hate my hair! It's HORRIBLE. If i thought it looked bad before i went in, after not having had it cut since January (yes, you read right, it's just been growing and growning until i had to wear my headband to keep it up and out of my eyes).
I now know, it looks doubly worse, now that it's been cut! No kidding....
And for all the girls...You'll know just how i feel. You know, how it is when you've had a crap hair cut! I honestly felt miserable and teary after that....
And yet the local English girl who cut it was so gorgeous. She told me all about the Lake District and her Russian boyfriend and all the bits...and i was really enjoying it after not having any girly conversations for so long.
I politely asked Greg, when he was going to sit in on my haircut, that he'd really enjoy a walk in the park while i got my hair done..
He said, 'Oh it's ok i'll read....' Then asked how long it'd take..
And the girl said, 'Oh! Over half an hour..could be longer..'
So he went for a walk!
The girl laughed and as he walked out said, 'Men just don't understand about girls' haircuts do they!?'
I had to agree!!! A Ladies Hairdressers' are just one of those sancturies where we can go..and just dribble on about girls things and about boys....and enjoy being pampered without anyone watching.
I enjoyed that part. But not her cutting. She didn't chip the way i like, didn't do the wispy bits the way i like...didn't layer the way i liked. Just didn't cut the way i likeeeeeddddd.................(i wail).
And it doesn't help that I'm not having any colours in my hair. I really miss having colours, streaks, foils and something different.
Annie, you'd understand!!!!
Oh! I miss Sue!!! My hairdresser!!! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh...................and she cut my hair really SHORT before i left, just so i didn't have to go through this drama!!!!! Mum, when you see her, can you tell her i can't wait to get back and have her cut my hair again!
And..i miss my BED! The one we're in at the moment is really lumpy. The springs must be almost coming through the bed! Who'd ever thought beds would be important.
And showers. Every place we go to i have to work out how on earth to use the shower. At the last place we were it was one of those electric showers where you press the button on and you press the button off. The water temperature and pressure is controlled and presto it's done. This one has a shower that you have to twist and turn to make it work. Temperature is monitored but you have to keep adjusting it to have it the way you like it.
Weird thing to stress about but when they're different every time...it can be quite a challenge.
And the hotel smells of oil. If it's not smoke, it's oil. I can't complain, most places have been ok, but it only takes one place to make you feel miserable. And although this place where we're at now is 'average' it's not homely.
And it's so expensive. I know i shouldn't be converting all the time, because it's counter productive and causes us to almost not want to eat at all, but it's quite depressing trying to travel knowing we're blowing our budget on everything - accomodation, food, tours and sightseeing.
At least this afternoon, being in the Windmere Library, it doesn't cost to read! The internet is reasonably priced, in comparison to others, at £2 (two pound) an hour. And in conversion...that's still $10 an hour!!! Ok, no conversions.
Here in England the food is smothered with GRAVY and every meal is served with CHIPS. In Europe everything was smothered with oil, here it's gravy. Grrr.
Should see my waist line. We don't have scales so can only go on the tightness of the pants i'm wearing..and at the moment, the button won't do up! So! I must have put on at least 5kgs! Just having the English breakfasts is doing it i'm sure.
And you sort of feel you should eat the breakfasts because they're included in the B&B and it saves money. And because we need to pay for 365 days of accomodation...PLUS food...we really need to eat if it's included! And then only have 2 meals a day. But fried bacon, fried eggs, fried sausages, fried bread, fried tomatoes..doesn't do much for the waist line does it?
OK. I'm having poached or boiled from now on. This can't go ON.
I can hear mum saying, 'Just enjoy yourselves and don't worry about it' But i tell you, i feel miserable that my clothes aren't fitting!!!
I'm just having a whinge. Sorry. I tell ya....it's the little things like that, that can just break the camel's back. It made me feel homesick. And i was feeling homesick before i went.
I'm having a bit of a reflection too.
Wondering what this is all about?
What purpose there is to having a year away?
Being apart from a normal existence?
Is it self indulgent?
Is there a need for this?
Are we being too industrious in thinking we can do this?
Will we survive it? What are we trying to achieve?
How can we use this experience for better good?
How will this change our thinking?
Improve our life?
Help others?
Is our time used constructively and productively?
How are we growing as people? As a couple?
Why are we doing this?
All those things...and more...are crossing my mind as we move along.
England has been good for that type of reflection.
Perhaps, inately, we need a goal? A mission that is worthwhile and productive?
And do we have that?
WHY?
THE LAKE DISTRICT
Day 108 - 109
The Lake District
Windemere
After catching four trains we finally arrived in the Lake District! The sign told us that anyway. I wasn't sure what to expect in the Lake District, with the only thing i knew being that Beatrix Potter lived her last years writing Peter Rabbit and farming here. Oh and that William Wordsworth was born here.
I'd also heard it was very, very pretty.
And had lots of very beautiful lakes!
So...when we arrived after catching the four trains i was sort of thinking it would be nice to be able to stay for a few days and just 'be' for a while. I was feeling fatigued and with all the country air feeling like i just wanted to breathe it in for a bit and enjoy being in one place for a while. Travelling can be so exhausting when you're up and going every couple of days. So I wanted to STAY once we'd arrived.
The only thing is, Windermere is only a little place. And they don't sell travel scrabble or canasta either. So i'm sort of looking forward to getting to Edinburgh....Greg's recovering slowly from his flu and sinus problems and i think needs to rest as well. He would like to stop for a while in Ireland. And it's apparently a lovely place there so we'll probably have a week in one spot there. I can't wait!!!
The little things that are exciting.....a place to call home..for a whole week!
The Lake District
Windemere
After catching four trains we finally arrived in the Lake District! The sign told us that anyway. I wasn't sure what to expect in the Lake District, with the only thing i knew being that Beatrix Potter lived her last years writing Peter Rabbit and farming here. Oh and that William Wordsworth was born here.
I'd also heard it was very, very pretty.
And had lots of very beautiful lakes!
So...when we arrived after catching the four trains i was sort of thinking it would be nice to be able to stay for a few days and just 'be' for a while. I was feeling fatigued and with all the country air feeling like i just wanted to breathe it in for a bit and enjoy being in one place for a while. Travelling can be so exhausting when you're up and going every couple of days. So I wanted to STAY once we'd arrived.
The only thing is, Windermere is only a little place. And they don't sell travel scrabble or canasta either. So i'm sort of looking forward to getting to Edinburgh....Greg's recovering slowly from his flu and sinus problems and i think needs to rest as well. He would like to stop for a while in Ireland. And it's apparently a lovely place there so we'll probably have a week in one spot there. I can't wait!!!
The little things that are exciting.....a place to call home..for a whole week!
GREG's TURKEY TRIP!
Remember i was going to tell you about Greg's experience in Turkey....the one that had him feeling very anxious about even going back there...
Well, I will. When he's here to relay what exactly happened. But for now, I'm just making a post for it.
So! Watch this space!
Well, I will. When he's here to relay what exactly happened. But for now, I'm just making a post for it.
So! Watch this space!
THE COTSWOLDS
Day 106 - 107
15/06/07 - 16/06/07
The Cotswolds, England UK
Acacia B&B Moreton-In-Marsh
Well, what a relief to leave that dingy accomodation in London. Paired with a sick Greg and a sick hotel room, I was feeling a bit sick of being in London, even though it's one of those great spots to be. The parks are great, the people are a little coolish, but the accent..oh, it's provided many hours of entertainment for Greg and I as we travel along. Reminds me of Fawlty Towers!
About Greg and his sinuses...not sure what to do about them - he won't see a doctor -and yet is suffering. His snoring has accelerated up a pace too.......
Which is making both of us very tired!
Ok, on to the Cotswolds.
We arrived in Moreton-In-Marsh after we caught the tube at Paddington Station. It took 2 hours and cost 42 pounds for the two of us. What a quaint little town. Stepping off the train at the old Moreton-In-Marsh station was like a new world, where we could breathe. Felt good inside and out. So green and pretty. It's summer here, but it's just so beautiful. Like our winter where the grass smells wet and seedy. It had that beautiful quiet and quaint english ambience.
Not really knowing where to go we just headed into the centre of the town, towards the tourist centre..and on the way there, we saw a laundry mat and a post office and opposite was a B&B in a semidetached cobble walled stone building. We enquired within and set our packs down and that's where we stayed for the next 2 nights.
Was good to get rid of some of the stuff we'd been carrying that needed posting. I had a few little things i was collecting for Elise to post as a thankyou for looking after our pussies (what a commitment - her and David looking after our cats for a year!!! I am SO appreciative of that!!!) and posted those and our trip memorbilia including some of the Gallipoli and Lemnos brochures and books. We did that while our laundry was being done. Couldn't find an internet place to complete the picture while we were waiting..so I caught up on the goss in the mags at the laundry!
I thought, i'm going to like it here! It's peaceful. Tranquil. Pretty. And the Cotswolds is Harry Potter countryside!! Isn't it?
And we did enjoy it. Just casually walking in the park was fun. We played 'pretend' soccer and basketball in the park (what else do you do when you don't have a ball?) and just wondered around the town....so english, so cute.
We ate dinner in the Bell Inn. Gamon and veges (Greg) and Vegetarian Lasagna and salad (me). I decided not to have the other menu special, 'faggots' after he told us what it was. Haggis, English style! (at first, he told us it was bull balls..hmm..English humour again!)
The bed was comfy! Surprising though seeing we were up in the attic! We hit our heads a few times on the lights..but that's ok...at least the bed was comfy! (important when you're in different beds everynight..just to have one that is comfy is a pleasure!!!)
The next day, on the Saturday, we headed up to Stow-on-the-Wold (how's the English names...cute hey? It actually means that Stow, the town, is windy!) which is a gorgeous little English village that has lots of dry stone walls, and green parks and flowers. We went to a flea market there..and bought 6 Australian state spoons that the lady 'imported' in the forties! What possessed me?
I did mentally say no to the second hand books for a pound tho..............so tempting.........they were new ones as well. I had to really convince myself it was silly to be carrying too many books around when i already have two in my pack and i will probably be able to swap those for others along the way. My book addiction really shows when i see books at bargain price.
No travelling scrabble or canasta though. Games we've decided would be good to play on the trains and busses. Hopefully we'll be able to find them..if not, we will i'm sure in Edinborough.
We actually had lunch in the church cemetery at Stow-on-the-Wold...which was different...
We headed up to Boughton-on-the-water which they say is the Venice of England! It had a water canal meandering all around the town..which was like Venice. And little bridges to cross. Three walking bridges and a car bridge. Cute.
We dismissed the motor museum and the maze as they were asking 3 pounds each..and we're still doing that conversion thing which we shouldn't..and decided it was too much as it'd be $15 for us just to see a couple of old cars!
Headed back to our 'home' and had thai for dinner. 2 dishes for £16. 2 wines for £3 each. The wine choics is mostly Australian wines here..and we found out this was because Aussie wines are more 'consistant' in their quality than French wines so they import them..and we've noticed, a lot of Jacobs Creek! From South Australia.
Watched K-Pax on telly....another movie we enjoyed after not having English tv for a few months..the things you miss..and enjoy. Simple things..
Heading up to the Lakes District next..
15/06/07 - 16/06/07
The Cotswolds, England UK
Acacia B&B Moreton-In-Marsh
Well, what a relief to leave that dingy accomodation in London. Paired with a sick Greg and a sick hotel room, I was feeling a bit sick of being in London, even though it's one of those great spots to be. The parks are great, the people are a little coolish, but the accent..oh, it's provided many hours of entertainment for Greg and I as we travel along. Reminds me of Fawlty Towers!
About Greg and his sinuses...not sure what to do about them - he won't see a doctor -and yet is suffering. His snoring has accelerated up a pace too.......
Which is making both of us very tired!
Ok, on to the Cotswolds.
We arrived in Moreton-In-Marsh after we caught the tube at Paddington Station. It took 2 hours and cost 42 pounds for the two of us. What a quaint little town. Stepping off the train at the old Moreton-In-Marsh station was like a new world, where we could breathe. Felt good inside and out. So green and pretty. It's summer here, but it's just so beautiful. Like our winter where the grass smells wet and seedy. It had that beautiful quiet and quaint english ambience.
Not really knowing where to go we just headed into the centre of the town, towards the tourist centre..and on the way there, we saw a laundry mat and a post office and opposite was a B&B in a semidetached cobble walled stone building. We enquired within and set our packs down and that's where we stayed for the next 2 nights.
Was good to get rid of some of the stuff we'd been carrying that needed posting. I had a few little things i was collecting for Elise to post as a thankyou for looking after our pussies (what a commitment - her and David looking after our cats for a year!!! I am SO appreciative of that!!!) and posted those and our trip memorbilia including some of the Gallipoli and Lemnos brochures and books. We did that while our laundry was being done. Couldn't find an internet place to complete the picture while we were waiting..so I caught up on the goss in the mags at the laundry!
I thought, i'm going to like it here! It's peaceful. Tranquil. Pretty. And the Cotswolds is Harry Potter countryside!! Isn't it?
And we did enjoy it. Just casually walking in the park was fun. We played 'pretend' soccer and basketball in the park (what else do you do when you don't have a ball?) and just wondered around the town....so english, so cute.
We ate dinner in the Bell Inn. Gamon and veges (Greg) and Vegetarian Lasagna and salad (me). I decided not to have the other menu special, 'faggots' after he told us what it was. Haggis, English style! (at first, he told us it was bull balls..hmm..English humour again!)
The bed was comfy! Surprising though seeing we were up in the attic! We hit our heads a few times on the lights..but that's ok...at least the bed was comfy! (important when you're in different beds everynight..just to have one that is comfy is a pleasure!!!)
The next day, on the Saturday, we headed up to Stow-on-the-Wold (how's the English names...cute hey? It actually means that Stow, the town, is windy!) which is a gorgeous little English village that has lots of dry stone walls, and green parks and flowers. We went to a flea market there..and bought 6 Australian state spoons that the lady 'imported' in the forties! What possessed me?
I did mentally say no to the second hand books for a pound tho..............so tempting.........they were new ones as well. I had to really convince myself it was silly to be carrying too many books around when i already have two in my pack and i will probably be able to swap those for others along the way. My book addiction really shows when i see books at bargain price.
No travelling scrabble or canasta though. Games we've decided would be good to play on the trains and busses. Hopefully we'll be able to find them..if not, we will i'm sure in Edinborough.
We actually had lunch in the church cemetery at Stow-on-the-Wold...which was different...
We headed up to Boughton-on-the-water which they say is the Venice of England! It had a water canal meandering all around the town..which was like Venice. And little bridges to cross. Three walking bridges and a car bridge. Cute.
We dismissed the motor museum and the maze as they were asking 3 pounds each..and we're still doing that conversion thing which we shouldn't..and decided it was too much as it'd be $15 for us just to see a couple of old cars!
Headed back to our 'home' and had thai for dinner. 2 dishes for £16. 2 wines for £3 each. The wine choics is mostly Australian wines here..and we found out this was because Aussie wines are more 'consistant' in their quality than French wines so they import them..and we've noticed, a lot of Jacobs Creek! From South Australia.
Watched K-Pax on telly....another movie we enjoyed after not having English tv for a few months..the things you miss..and enjoy. Simple things..
Heading up to the Lakes District next..
Friday, 15 June 2007
LONDON STILL...
London, England
Day 102 - 105
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLIE!!!!!!!! All our love to you!!! Hope you enjoyed your night the other night, we wished we were there with you all!
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It seems like ages since i've been on here!! But it's only been three days! I do usually try to get here after the weekend, and before the weekend so i catch my darling at work! Hi Lisy loos. And hi Alena, your Dad loved talking with you today!
Now that we've overcome the shock of everything being the same price as the Aussie dollar, one for one, we can be composed. No kidding, if a dinner is usually $25 in Aust it's £25 here! Or a drink is $1 in Aus it's £1 here. Dollar for pound. The only difference being that a pound is equal to $2.50 But we're over it. And it's taken us a week! We ended up just thinking, that's the cost here. WEAR IT. We get accustomed to it..just in time for us to leave...Oh well.
But it's only been a few days and we've done so much here in London after having our first couple of days being totally lazy and luxuriating for four nights in the room we had...gee, it was wonderful. Kensington was such a great place to be too, as it's near everything and most of all the gardens of London.
We've really enjoyed them. They're so relaxing...Kensington and Hyde Park are our favourites and we've had a few 'supermarket meals' there! (Buy our ingredients ie bread rolls and fillings and drinks and go to the park to eat!) It's such a beautiful thing to do. The flowers and lakes are gorgeous. We spent a whole afternoon watching a pond bird building a nest on top of a discarded bin liner one afternoon!
We also went to Kensington Palace where Princess Diana lived. And where Princess Margaret lived. We saw the wonderful state rooms and some of the displays were amazing. Diana's ball dresses were there, as well as Maria Testino's black and white photographic collection of Diana. She was so beautiful. I just loved her! And her 10 year memorial anniversary is coming up so people here in England are going mad with preparations and media attention.
But! We're in a different room now...3rd night tonight. We're in a place near the Edgware Tube station. And to be honest, it's scummy! And it's costing 5 pound more..arrgh. So annoying.
So we're seeing different things!
Apart from the London Eye (which British Airways sponsors and charges £13 to go up in) and BIG BEN...and all the London landmarks...
We went to Westminster Abbey and the houses of Parliament yesterday...I tell you, Westminster Abbey is different to what i thought it would be. Bigger. And there are so many tombs. We saw the Coronation chair that has had every coronation since it was made for the stone of Scot when Edward 1 won the battle there. (The stone has been in Scotland since 1996 and will be returned for the next Coronation).
What's amazing...is...upon closer scrutiny, the Coronation Chair is full of graffiti!!! Whether it's the royal kids writing or not, i don't know..but there are all sorts of engravings in the wood!!!!! So funny.
One thing at Westminster Abbey that suprised me was the memorials. There are a lot of kings and queens there..but also poets and writers. Thomas Hardy, Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Jane Austen etc...so many famous English people mentioned there. Also..just at the exit there is a large memorial to Winston Churchil for his contribution in the British Battle. There's also, to the left of the exit, a memorial dedicated to Roosevelt for his friendship to Britain.
I found it interesting and started wondering where Diana was. And where the Queen Mother was..and the guard in the Abbey said there were no royal memorials since the 1700's! So there you go...
We did go to the Diana Memorial Fountain In Kensington Gardens....aww...
Still in Westminster, we ventured down Downing Street where retiring prime minister Tony Blair is currently moving out. We couldn't get to number 10. The whole place is locked up..each end of the street completely iron fenced off. The security, since the bombings here, is tight. After the suspect bombing the other day in Westminster it's even tighter. The tube station there is even under tight survellence. All new, due to the bombing, and it looks like an underground pipe system there's so much metal!
We've also been to Tower of London..and heard all about the beheadings that went on there..which apparently have been only five. With all the 'press' you'd think there was more..but not so. Two of the beheadings there, on the Tower Green, were the wives of King Henry Vlll. There was a saying about his 6 wives...they were, 'divorced, beheaded, died, died, beheaded, outlived! haha! Oh dear. What a brutal man. The 'Tower' stories were fascinating to say the least!
There was one about Jack Robinson. He was a man who organised the public executions on Tower Hill (near the Tower of London) and did it so fast..that the saying of 'you can do it faster than Jack Robinson' came about.
So many stories...as only the English can tell..with THAT humour!!! Just love it!
We also went on a Jack the Ripper night and saw where he killed his victims. He killed five women..and a bit like the Tower of London executions..there were less than folk lore says. When you think about the notorious Jack the Ripper...and the fact that he was a serial killer...five is not much. But whose counting!
We went on the river thames that night too..and learned about the KGB killings and mysterious suicides....
Quite a killer of a night! haha
While in London we've experienced the famous English beef pie (homemade) with mushy peas, and English roast with Yorkshire Pudding.....and if anyone can tell us more about this, please do. The one we experienced didn't look like what i thought a Yorkshire pudding was..and what my friend Tracey from Bristol used to serve!!! It looked more like an encasement for pavlova! But it was nice...
We've also had beer in the pubs, cups of tea (they make the BEST tea), English breakfasts that we've been having each morning because it's included in our accomodation price, read the London Newspapers......the free London Metro in the morning and the London paper and London Lite in the evening. They have lots of them...including and Australian one for Aussies living in London! And then come the one's that you buy!
London is really clean. (Although our hotel is to be desired, really, it's not the best!) The streets are orderly and clean. Even the beggars don't mess it up! And the beggars are polite. They say, 'Can you spare some change please?'!!!! Gosh. The traffic is dense but it's orderly as well. The black taxi's in London are everywhere and seem to have their rules ie they don't like the rickshaws so are complaining that they're taking over their turf. The big double decker red buses are everywhere as well.
There are heaps of expensive cars here too. We've seen street fulls of luxury cars. And we think they're the only people who can afford to park in London. They have a 'conjestion tariff' here. 8 pound per day to park in London. The electric cars don't have to pay as an incentive for people to go electric. Livingstone, the mayor of London brought this in.
And we've experienced the London Tubes breaking down..regularly!!!! And they're HOT inside! No aircon. Not like the new Greek metro..or the french metro. The London one is old (and the original one) and in need of tender loving care that's for sure!
We saw St Pauls where Charles and Diana were married..and were enthralled by Christopher Wren's architecture....a man who is completely reverered by Londoners!
We've also been to Madame Tussauds Waxworks Museum..kissed Brad Pitt for Allie...and got seen with the best of them....Tom Cruise...Princess Diana...John Travolta..and of course Johnny Howard!!!!!! ANd oh, the House of Horrors.......we heard the screams and bypassed it! Only cos we didn't have time tho.............we had a ferry to catch on the Thames! Drats. Really need a whole day to enjoy the museum.
Dali was something we really wanted to see while here in London. His exhibition has been running here since 2000 and we were so glad we found the place. Salvatore Dali is such a great surrealist artist, so complex, so weird. And we loved all his floppy clocks and log spindly legged elephant and eroticisim.
Truly a great exhibition to see...almost 400 of his works were on display. If i could have taken something home..i would have bought one of his replica clocks..but of course, too delicate and we're not going home, so like the porcelain mask i saw that i loved in Venus, it stays put.
Harrrods was an eyeopener! It's in Basil Road. We were met by the Harrods guard who kept the door open while we entered (made us feel special!) and at the entrance there was a memorial to Diana and Dodi. Under it, it says, 'Innocent Victims'. I signed the book that sat behind the memorial, and i felt quite sad. I realised i still miss her!!!!
But what a shop! The Eygptian stairs are beautiful. So tasteful. SO EXPENSIVE. On the 3rd floor, the antiques and fossils were there and the asking price for the furniture was in the 30 and 40 thousand pounds. Ohlala. Just what we can see Cotts decorated with! But we thought..the cats might scratch it. hehe
After that..and even being in the luxury bathroom, we decided to buy our boot polish in Marks and Spencer! (Another great shop here in England! Which now seems to have a whole lot of outlets springing up all over the place!)
But best of all..was our trip to Kent today..to see the Leeds Castle...it was glorious....we just loved it...so peaceful and so regal. So much money. Lady Olive Baille was certainly a lady of wealth to be able to afford that in 1926.
She stayed there until 1973 and willed it to the Leeds Trust where it now is open for the public. The grounds are simply majestic. We spend a whole day there...beautiful place. There was even a collection of Australian birds there, cockatoos, and the black swan was Lady Baille's emblem for the castle.
We also saw a giant rhubarb!!!! 2.5 metres high! The things you see..
And that's London, for now. We saw other places, like Buckingham palace, Albert Memorial and just generally experienced the 'London Town' but there's so much still to see.....like the National Gallery and Museums.....and we haven't been to the Mousetrap or any plays yet. Remember the Mousetrap Mum?
Nor to the movies like we thought we would...(I remember seeing James Bond in 'The Spy Who Loved Me' in 1978 here in London, and i wanted to see the latest James Bond movie but we just didn't get to it!)
But we'll all see that when we return on our way out of the UK..and maybe even get to the Honeypot sis..and Sandhurst St..and Wembley..and .. and .. and all those other nostalgic places!
Off to bonny Scotland now...well, heading up that way via the English countryside!
PS Hi Angie..thanks so much for your newsy email!!!! We loved it!!!
Monday, 11 June 2007
LONDON, ENGLAND
London, England, UK
Day 100, 101
£1 = $2.5
Happy Birthday to Pa!!!!! Wish we could give you a BIG HUG right now!!! Greg loved talking with you today..and hear all the news!!! All our love to you, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Wow! Day 100! Time to celebrate!!!!
And we are..cos we're at a great hotel here in London...bout time we had a little luxury..after 100 days 'on the road'!
The only thing we're not celebrating is the fact that.. One pound is equal to TWO AND A HALF AUSSIE DOLLARS!
Arriving in London was so weird. We've both been here before. And yet, it looks so different. But yet, it's familiar. And both of us excited to be back.
And after having little English speaking for the past 3 months in Hong Kong, South Africa and Europe, we smelled the air..and realised, yes, here we are!
In the United Kingdom.
The UK!
England!
Weird huh. That we're so excited about being back in an English speaking country..when it wasn't long ago, we couldn't wait to be in a foreign country, Europe, or somewhere exotic, and different to our own country!
About how we got here...
The flight here that is.
Unfortunately Greg and I were separated on the plane, both of us got middle seats and i got sandwiched between two guys..one an aussie businessman who typed on his computer all the way and the other a commedian cockney pommy! Who snored. Geepers.
I was glad when the movie came on! And after watching movies translated into the language of the countries we were in..none in English, we couldn't wait to watch a movie!!!
The movie was The Astonaut Farmer, starring Tommy Lee Jones, which was a bit of an inspirational tearjerker...but after drinking the British Airways wine..who cared who was watching. (the next day my eyes were puffy so i must have cried more than i thought! I was so glad to be in London!) Didn't help that my book was getting to the soppy point as well...oh well. The 2 guys either side of me just had to deal with it.
Greg was in the middle seat behind and no one offered to give us a seat next to each other (who wants to swap a window or an isle seat for the middle?) but it was useful that he was behind cos i could send over my dessert and chocolate etc .... yeah, he always eats my leftovers!!! haha..hmm..
Okay i'm rambling. AGAIN.
It's sort of nice to be here..in this internet cafe...and not feeling rushed or hurried....so i'm gonna ramble. Hope that's ok. I guess you can click off the X if you cant' stand to read any further!
Hey Andy...great about the Dockers winning today hey! haha..
Now about London.
And about Heathrow Airport.
When we disembarked we got checked by customs. Or should i say searched. Thoroughly!
Then went through customs where the guy REALLY did his job. The questions started flying..'When are you leaving London?'
(Upon checking he saw it was much later in the year! Our plan is to catch a train to Paris)
'Where are you staying tonight?'
(We don't have anywhere! But we will find something - I felt like saying a park bench if necessary, but i didn't think that would go down well!)
'How did you get the money to travel?'
(Is that his business?? I guess we didn't want to be held up further so we had to explain ourselves!)
'Do you have jobs to go back to?
(No, but we could easily! Which was his problem when he saw we were an engineer and a teacher - because we ARE employable! In in the UK!)
And after more of these types of questions...and feelinlg like criminals..
I said, 'WHY ARE YOU ASKING ALL THE QUESTIONS????????'
And he said Australians are the most common illegal workers that they get!!!
I said, 'Of OUR age???'
And he had to admit, no, younger but even so....
Then...we told him we'd won lotto, had our millions, and were staying away forever!
No, just kidding...we didn't say THAT!
We told him the truth.
That we didn't have time to work, had too much travelling to do!
hehe
No really...we didn't say THAT either! But, we had to prove and show him evidence(eurail & flight to the US) that were leaving the UK!
Talk about feeling wanted!
We felt like going back home. Or going back to Europe where they were very happy with us. And i mentioned that to him..(that we were the 'convicts' hehe and he said the previous people thought he was interrogating them...and i just had to silently agree.
But thorough hey...i guess they have to be.
Anyway, thank god we didn't get thrown into prison or held up for days trying to prove our worth.
When we checked out accomodation the guy said Wimbleton was on so we wouldn't get much accomodation in London! (It's not Wimbleton yet, it's the French Open!)
And he said we probably wouldn't get anything under 70 pound so we might as well take this cheap deal they had going. (for £70)
We consulted our Bible (the travellers guide) and found he was probably right...
So we took it.
Then got our Oyster Card which is a transport card that gives you half price transport and off we went. On the tube (that looked like a Monopoly Board) and headed off to Gloucester Road. Kesington. (no joke..the Picidilly Line we were on had Kings Cross Station..and Leicester Square and Covent Gardens...so funny...i FELT like we were on the board game!)
Got lost again trying to find our hotels (the guys at the hotel information counter gave us the wrong directions..well, that's what we're saying anyway!) but eventually found it...
AND OH.
It was so luxurious...we've stayed IN for the last 2 days. A queen bed. One that's not two singles wedged together. And a fluffy duna. A TV that has English tv! (we watched the 2nd last show of Prison Break and haven't gotten into the UK Big Brother! Yet! hehe) And we have a shower with a screen. A bath too! AND A KETTLE! With tea and coffee at our whim. OHLALA. It's great! We don't want to leave London just cause we have a great room.
And want to know a secret?
We haven't seen anything either...just the room!
But! Tomorrow...we're going out on the town...to see London Town!
And we have a few exciting things planned...Jack the Ripper tour, Tower of London, Crusing the River Thames, Kesington Palace...seeing Agatha Christie's ~The Mousetrap~ again (I last saw it gulp, almost 30 years ago, with Mum...when i was a young teen!)
So exciting, being in London.
Can't wait to explore..now that we've had our rest in our luxury accomodation!
The guy did well really...the one at the Airport Information counter..to get us the deal he did.
Maybe i won't write that email to the Airport complaining that he gave us change in Scottish Sterling that we couldn't use instead of English sterling, or that he said Wimbleton was on so we opted for a four star hotel instead of a one star which could have saved us 20 pound night (or $50!) or that he gave us the wrong directions to the hotel from the tube which meant we had to trudge around with packs on until we realised we were lost and had to consult our map, late at night, and in the dark..
Nah...the hotel's been good...and half price due to the 'special' and i now have to think that it's compensation for him being a dimwit that takes advantages of newcomer tourists!
Was also good to get an internet card today and be able to ring Pa for his birthday an speak to Elise..and Mum, again!!! Just a shame it's only for land lines....doesn't work on mobiles so Alena, Sam and Aiden will have to wait till we can work out how to ring a mobile that's not $5 a minute, as we found out!
Okies...will let you know how we go in a couple of days..after we've done some exploring...take care..big hugs..lotsa luvs..
jen & greg xxx
PS Sorry about all the typos and spellos, i don't have time to edit, which is the band of my life. Forgive all the grammar too....okies, disclaimers all done! xx
ISANBUL to LONDON
Isanbul, Turkey to London, England
Day 99
Happy Birthday Susan!
Our last breakfast at the Apricot Hotel was YUMMY, again! We sat out on the terrace, just as Annie did, when she and Graeme were here and drank our freshly squeezed orange juice, ate our omelette, fetta cheese, fleshy green olives and french toast, fetta filled pastries and delights....
To the music of the harp. A group of ladies had gathered with one pulling out her musical instrument and started singing. It was beautiful. A lovely ending to a beautiful time we had in this parodoxical country.
Apricot had a libray where you can exchange books so I exchanged my 3rd Mauve Binchy book, The Quentins for a good action book and Greg got a Wilbur Smith. I'm also reading a book called The Island about a woman seaching for the history of her mother who lived on the Greek Island of Crete. And gulp, i also have a book on Gallipoli, which i'll send back home.
My pack is getting heavier....
And my book obsession is obvious.
But i tell you. Not having any english newspapers or tv is making me devour english books at the moment. And papers when i can get them! And um..yep, magazines as well. It helps wile away the hours travelling on buses. Greg can sleep but my neck just gets too stiff!
We had until 2.30pm until we were being picked up by the shuttle bus and ferried to the Airport so we decided to go back to the room and check out at the latest time...11.30 and use the rest of our card we bought to ring my dentist when we panicked about losing my tooth.
So I rang Mum. I hadn't heard from her since before she went to Rottnest and I was dying to hear how it went because Greg and I usually go to Rottnest with her each year for a few days in June.
I felt like crying when i heard her voice. I really wanted to ring her from Istanbul because this was a place i know she really loved and i could almost envision the pictures she'd formed in my mind before we'd even arrived here. Of the turkish ladies weaving at the looms, of the old ladies weaving on the balcony, of the rich colours of the tapestries and carpets, of the old grandeur of the hotel she stayed in when she was here, the Londra and of Peire Palais, where Mum's favourite author, Agatha Cristie stayed which was very near the Londra.
She told me where the Londra was. It was near the Topkapi Palace, which we'd been to and so knew exactly where it was situated. She said it was walking distance.
So after we talked a bit about the goings on in Perth and caught up on everything we hung up and Greg and I decided yes, we'd fill in the next 2 hours having a look at these old hotels.
Walk there???
We got to the Topkapi Palace and headed off to where we thought the hotels were...and got VERY lost trying to follow the directions Mum told us!!! (I know my sense of direction comes from Mum!! Elise and Sam, you'll both attest to this..!)
OK. Maybe the streets had changed. Greg had said it had changed A LOT in 20 years..and maybe that's what it was. Different to when Mum had been here. Later we did find out yes, it has changed, you can't really walk there from the Topkapi. We had to cross the Golden Horn and the bridge was very busy! (with cars!)
We caught a taxi knowing we didn't have much time. The first taxi driver said, 20 Lire...the second guy, who we went with, said 10 lire. Talk about a difference in price! He turned out to be really good too..telling us about the city as we went..pointing out the hold wall and the aqueduct etc so it was a well worth 10 lire.
And we did go to the Londra..and went inside..it's old Victorian and very beautiful. We were a bit sorry we didn't know about it sooner (we did know but i got mixed up thinking mum had stayed at the Apricot, where Annie had stayed..typical me, to get mixed up!) Greg said it was better at the Apricot tho because it was closer to all the sites and we'd have to keep catching a taxi in and out and over the Golden Horn bridge to Sultanahmet, which would be an extra 20 lire each time..and also, of course, the Apricot was beautiful, Mahmet there was just gorgeous and so helpful and the breakfasts were equisite. It aso felt we were with family because Annie and Graeme had a 'carpet history' with them!!!!
We also went over to the Piere Palais where Agatha Christie stayed (and the hotel that she mentioned in her book..or the hotel where she wrote the book, Orient Express..not sure which it was now!) It was under reconstruction so we couldn't go in..but we took photos of the pictures on the outside of the hotel...it overlooked the Aegean Sea..so it was a beautiful spot to be.
We then..of course, had to get back. And stupidly decided to walk!! WHY did we do that??? Knowing we had to catch a taxi there...well, because the guy on reception at the Londra said..yes, of course you can walk!
SO we did..and that was ok..except we got LOST again..and we had to get to the shuttle as we'd booked..and had to go...etcetc and trying to save money...we wanted to catch a 8 lire shuttle and not pay a 40 lire taxi fee.
So..in the end...we RAN to the shuttle. Now........if your'e fit..that's fine. And we are fit. Really fit in fact. BUT...when you have a stuffed foot...it's NOT fine. I remembered my orthopaedic surgeon saying...'you'll never be able to run again'....well...NOT SO! I RAN!!!! Cool hey.....
I put it down to GOOD shoes...(orthodics are great hey!?) and sheer determination that i actually walk FAST that 4 km..and RAN that last kilometre.
Felt quite proud of myself actually.
And we had 20 seconds to spare too...hahahahaha...
In hindside, we should have caught the taxi..cos, it took half an hour to get to the airport instead of half an hour cos we had to go and pick everyone else up that wanted to save a few lire as well!
Still, we got our exercise for the day!
Off to LONDON....
How exciting!
Day 99
Happy Birthday Susan!
Our last breakfast at the Apricot Hotel was YUMMY, again! We sat out on the terrace, just as Annie did, when she and Graeme were here and drank our freshly squeezed orange juice, ate our omelette, fetta cheese, fleshy green olives and french toast, fetta filled pastries and delights....
To the music of the harp. A group of ladies had gathered with one pulling out her musical instrument and started singing. It was beautiful. A lovely ending to a beautiful time we had in this parodoxical country.
Apricot had a libray where you can exchange books so I exchanged my 3rd Mauve Binchy book, The Quentins for a good action book and Greg got a Wilbur Smith. I'm also reading a book called The Island about a woman seaching for the history of her mother who lived on the Greek Island of Crete. And gulp, i also have a book on Gallipoli, which i'll send back home.
My pack is getting heavier....
And my book obsession is obvious.
But i tell you. Not having any english newspapers or tv is making me devour english books at the moment. And papers when i can get them! And um..yep, magazines as well. It helps wile away the hours travelling on buses. Greg can sleep but my neck just gets too stiff!
We had until 2.30pm until we were being picked up by the shuttle bus and ferried to the Airport so we decided to go back to the room and check out at the latest time...11.30 and use the rest of our card we bought to ring my dentist when we panicked about losing my tooth.
So I rang Mum. I hadn't heard from her since before she went to Rottnest and I was dying to hear how it went because Greg and I usually go to Rottnest with her each year for a few days in June.
I felt like crying when i heard her voice. I really wanted to ring her from Istanbul because this was a place i know she really loved and i could almost envision the pictures she'd formed in my mind before we'd even arrived here. Of the turkish ladies weaving at the looms, of the old ladies weaving on the balcony, of the rich colours of the tapestries and carpets, of the old grandeur of the hotel she stayed in when she was here, the Londra and of Peire Palais, where Mum's favourite author, Agatha Cristie stayed which was very near the Londra.
She told me where the Londra was. It was near the Topkapi Palace, which we'd been to and so knew exactly where it was situated. She said it was walking distance.
So after we talked a bit about the goings on in Perth and caught up on everything we hung up and Greg and I decided yes, we'd fill in the next 2 hours having a look at these old hotels.
Walk there???
We got to the Topkapi Palace and headed off to where we thought the hotels were...and got VERY lost trying to follow the directions Mum told us!!! (I know my sense of direction comes from Mum!! Elise and Sam, you'll both attest to this..!)
OK. Maybe the streets had changed. Greg had said it had changed A LOT in 20 years..and maybe that's what it was. Different to when Mum had been here. Later we did find out yes, it has changed, you can't really walk there from the Topkapi. We had to cross the Golden Horn and the bridge was very busy! (with cars!)
We caught a taxi knowing we didn't have much time. The first taxi driver said, 20 Lire...the second guy, who we went with, said 10 lire. Talk about a difference in price! He turned out to be really good too..telling us about the city as we went..pointing out the hold wall and the aqueduct etc so it was a well worth 10 lire.
And we did go to the Londra..and went inside..it's old Victorian and very beautiful. We were a bit sorry we didn't know about it sooner (we did know but i got mixed up thinking mum had stayed at the Apricot, where Annie had stayed..typical me, to get mixed up!) Greg said it was better at the Apricot tho because it was closer to all the sites and we'd have to keep catching a taxi in and out and over the Golden Horn bridge to Sultanahmet, which would be an extra 20 lire each time..and also, of course, the Apricot was beautiful, Mahmet there was just gorgeous and so helpful and the breakfasts were equisite. It aso felt we were with family because Annie and Graeme had a 'carpet history' with them!!!!
We also went over to the Piere Palais where Agatha Christie stayed (and the hotel that she mentioned in her book..or the hotel where she wrote the book, Orient Express..not sure which it was now!) It was under reconstruction so we couldn't go in..but we took photos of the pictures on the outside of the hotel...it overlooked the Aegean Sea..so it was a beautiful spot to be.
We then..of course, had to get back. And stupidly decided to walk!! WHY did we do that??? Knowing we had to catch a taxi there...well, because the guy on reception at the Londra said..yes, of course you can walk!
SO we did..and that was ok..except we got LOST again..and we had to get to the shuttle as we'd booked..and had to go...etcetc and trying to save money...we wanted to catch a 8 lire shuttle and not pay a 40 lire taxi fee.
So..in the end...we RAN to the shuttle. Now........if your'e fit..that's fine. And we are fit. Really fit in fact. BUT...when you have a stuffed foot...it's NOT fine. I remembered my orthopaedic surgeon saying...'you'll never be able to run again'....well...NOT SO! I RAN!!!! Cool hey.....
I put it down to GOOD shoes...(orthodics are great hey!?) and sheer determination that i actually walk FAST that 4 km..and RAN that last kilometre.
Felt quite proud of myself actually.
And we had 20 seconds to spare too...hahahahaha...
In hindside, we should have caught the taxi..cos, it took half an hour to get to the airport instead of half an hour cos we had to go and pick everyone else up that wanted to save a few lire as well!
Still, we got our exercise for the day!
Off to LONDON....
How exciting!
MORE ABOUT GRANDPOP & GALLIPOLI
Will write more here...but have left my notes at the hotel...so i'll fill this in tomorrow!
TROY
Day 98
Troy, Canakkale Turkey
We'd already crossed the harbour to Canakkale from Gallipoli and were at our accomodation at Anzac House so we only had to wait in reception for the bus to Troy...a few of the others on the tour had to walk to Anzac House and in the rain, it wasn't much fun! Was such a shame to be raining here...
didn't stop us from standing at the edge of the Trojan Horse in the centre of Canakkale, just near the harbour..the horse that was built for the movie that Brad Pitt played Achilles in...in the trojan story of Troy. Have to tell you too...that in the little plaque saying it was Brad Pitt...the Turkish wrote Brat Pitt!!! haha!
Anyway...to go on...The trip to Troy was intriguing. Our tour Guide..called Momfasa (who wrote a book about Troy and Gallipoli which we bought, and he signed!) was born in Troy and lives and breathes the history and archaelogy of Troy.
It is actually a legend written by Homer. (and without Homer we'd know nothing about Troy!) I was trying to think what i knew about Troy and all i could muster up was the fact that a people from history had hidden in a horse to fight a battle for a lady. And of course, i'd heard of Helen of Troy.
The battle turned out to be the Greeks against the trojuns..turks in the city of Troy and the smarty pants were the Greeks who built the horse as a gift for Athina..the daughter of the king..and they went into the city in the horse..and then popped out and killed all the trojuns and took over the city.
That's the simplified edition..you may want to read more about it in any myth and legend book or by doing a search..but the way momfasa told it, was so believable. But of course, he stressed it was legend.
He also told the story of the beautiful Helen of Troy as well.
And then..showed us the city of Troy. And you know, it IS there. And in seven layers...there are seven layers of cities so whenever a conquerer took over, they built over the city...it was a fascinating look at a very old civilisation. People say Troy's not worth visiting but after this tour, we'd say it IS worth it...
The things you learn.
We almost overlooked Troy when we were in Gallipoli, not knowing it was so close to go to...and we're glad we found out we could add it to our tour there...hence the staying over the night in Canakkale!
After our trip to Troy we went back to Anzac House and watched the movie Gallipoli with Mel Gibson in it...and yes, it was emotional, again. I searched through more archives of Grandpops and learned so much more about him...which i will write about in another post..
Arrived back to the Apricot hotel, from Gallipoli at midnight and were glad not to be staying in the room on the mosque side....the butcher side was quieter!
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