Here I am in London Kings Cross station, staring at the place where the old Harry Potter 9 3/4 platform used to be. Now there is an organized place inside the station where you stand in an organized queue right near the Harry Potter store. I know I'm a purist about these things, but I wish it was at the real place :) but it's fiction after all.
I am remiss in posting about Birmingham, so here goes. Jackie and Eric planned wonderful days out with great food! He rain didn't cooperate on Tuesday, and we had a lovely lazy morning waiting for it to clear a bit. After lunch, we went out to Worcester, which is somewhere new for all of us. We enjoyed the river walk that took us on a long meander past the plentiful swans (a swan sanctuary apparently), pretty riverside houses, a great bridge, and a lock with riverboats. Despite the on and off spitting rain, the camera going in and out of the bag (love the durable iPhone camera), I loved the meander.
We then climbed up the steps to the Worcester Cathedral. I love the architecture of church's and cathedrals, and this one didn't disappoint. The ceilings are gorgeous, and there are lots of fabulous little details to photograph. Quite surprisingly, there are two tombs, King John and Prince Arthur. If Prince Arthur hadn't died, Henry VIII might have never been king and Elizabeth never born. History is a fascinating game of luck, I think. What's the line from GoT? "You Live or You Die." After a nice walk through the town center, we ambled back home, passing a group of gypsies in their traditional carts, their horses grazing every which direction.
We had a delicious dinner of veggie tagine. The strange warm feeling in my calf was still persisting, so to be on the safe side, I went to the dr Wednesday morning, and everything looked fine. I was told t take some ibuprofen as it was probably just a muscle or nerve issue in the leg. I wouldn't be surprised if the Dubrovnik heat and all the walking had strained it a bit.
So, after the dr Wednesday, we went off on a Tolkien tour of places in Birmingham. First stop, Moseley Bog. Tolkien spent four years in a house nearby, and he explored these woods. The bog was the inspiration for Tom Bombadil's Old Forest in LoTR. We found a lovely little place for the gourmet picnic Jackie made, surrounded by flowers, trees, and birds. Seemed an appropriate idyllic hobbit lunch!
Next stop: Sarehole Mill. This mill has been a working mill for a long time. In Tolkien's childhood, it was a flour mill, and one of the men was a bulky grumpy man that served as a model for Farmer Maggot (?), where the hobbits like to steal veggies. The tour guide was fantastic and told us all about the history, explaining how it evolved as a mill, what it would have looked like a hundred years ago to Tolkien, and how it operates now.
Last stop: the two towers. In Edgebaston, there are two towers that may have inspired the LotR towers. One is a Waterworks tower built in a Victorian style and the other is an old gothic tower thought to be a hunting lodge in the 18th century when it was built. You can only get near them and need to imagine what it might have looked like to Tolkien. Jackie and I both agree that Tolkien signposts are needed to really engage the Tolkien visitor. I could do that!
We meandered back home to another awesome meal (veggie curry),and Jackie showed me her art room, where she is busy creating some amazing textile pieces. There are so many of us trying to Crete alongside our day jobs. We all watched the new "Night at the Museum" film, a fun way to end a day that started a bit stressful.
Thursday morning, Jackie and I meandered to a craft center near her, the her. What an awesome place. Thank goodness I don't have much room in my bag. I would have bought so many things. I have two weeks to go, and space is still limited. We had tea/coffee in the little tea shop, watching the ducks and their chicks swim in the two ponds. I really can't wait to come back here again someday with a bigger bag.
Then, it was off to London to meet Candice. I arrived early and left my luggage at Kings Cross before heading to Piccadilly Circus to take a photo for mom. Then, a photographic adventure in one of my favorite places: Trafalgar Square. The lions, fountain, National Gallery, St Martin in the Fields, Big Ben in the distance. I love his place.
Then, Candice and I met in the front of the National Portrait Gallery in a flurry of excitement. It's been too long since seeing all these friends. We sat for a little chat and then went into the Audrey Hepburn photography exhibit. These photos showed a great variety of her life, and many came from her two sons. They showed both black and white and color photos, but pink was the dominant color. I couldn't resist the exhibition catalogue, as I'm working on some poems about women in film. It was a small exhibit but quite wonderful.
Candice and I then enjoyed a great dinner at Woodlands Indian restaurant nearby. There's nothing better than catching up over a good meal. We then meandered back to her gorgeous flat in Herne Hill and a cup of much welcomed rooibos.
Now I await Jayne and little Charlie in Welwyn Garden City for the next adventure. New baby #2, new house, a visit to Hatfield House. Two weeks done, two more to go!
Friday, July 17, 2015
Monday, July 13, 2015
Back to Britain
A three hour flight makes a world of difference. We took off in heat, blue sky, and sunblock and landed in chill, grey sky, and rain. I have to tell you that it felt wonderful. To feel cool seemed like such an unexpected relief.
Dubrovnik and all the places we visited are gorgeous. I would visit again in a heartbeat but maybe not in July. That being said, It's exhausting and sticky to be constantly refreshening the sunblock, not to mention expensive! Though I'd rather do that then have sunburn.
Claire's dad, Gerry, fetched us from the airport, and we got home to a nice cup of tea, unpacked the bags, and started my laundry. I brought just the right amount of clothes, but they really needed a wash. Now my bag is full of mostly clean things so I don't look a sight the next week or two.
Sunday was a lovely day with Claire, her family, and her church community. I went along to mass with her, and we stayed for the church BBQ, which looked suspiciously like a luau with ukulele players and leis. I got to see MaryRose, who I met in Chicago two years ago when she visited Claire. I also finally met Claire's sister-in-law Christine and baby Francis. So wonderful to watch families expand between visits.
After the BBQ, we went shopping for the family dinner in the evening and started the cooking. We had such a lovely evening relaxing and talking over dinner and playing with Francis. What an adorable boy who's getting the speedy crawl down pat. I do love how twenty years of visits have also given me a chance to know Claire's family.
This morning I left on an early train to Birmingham for two weeks of friend pinball. Since my trip is longer, I get to take more time about it. Now I will spend a few days with Jackie and Eric in Redditch.
They met me at the train station, and off we went to the art museum for the William Morris and Andy Warhol exhibit. What a fantastic exhibit linking the artistic interests of two seemingly disparate artists. The presentation of their works alongside each other was so interesting. As a Pre-Raphaelite lover, I really enjoyed the Morris works and the Burne-Jones/Morris tapestries. I also loved the background on Warhol's interest in Hollywood.
We then headed to Lunch at Wagamama, which I've only ever had in London. So delicious. Then, we headed back to their house for a chat, making a Mexican dinner feast, a movie, and general chilling. They are into week two of their holiday, so they are also in chill mode! They are in a new house, so it's lovely to see their new place, Jackie's art room, the cute back garden.
I'm now going to sign off and prepare for two days of gallivanting with them!
Dubrovnik and all the places we visited are gorgeous. I would visit again in a heartbeat but maybe not in July. That being said, It's exhausting and sticky to be constantly refreshening the sunblock, not to mention expensive! Though I'd rather do that then have sunburn.
Claire's dad, Gerry, fetched us from the airport, and we got home to a nice cup of tea, unpacked the bags, and started my laundry. I brought just the right amount of clothes, but they really needed a wash. Now my bag is full of mostly clean things so I don't look a sight the next week or two.
Sunday was a lovely day with Claire, her family, and her church community. I went along to mass with her, and we stayed for the church BBQ, which looked suspiciously like a luau with ukulele players and leis. I got to see MaryRose, who I met in Chicago two years ago when she visited Claire. I also finally met Claire's sister-in-law Christine and baby Francis. So wonderful to watch families expand between visits.
After the BBQ, we went shopping for the family dinner in the evening and started the cooking. We had such a lovely evening relaxing and talking over dinner and playing with Francis. What an adorable boy who's getting the speedy crawl down pat. I do love how twenty years of visits have also given me a chance to know Claire's family.
This morning I left on an early train to Birmingham for two weeks of friend pinball. Since my trip is longer, I get to take more time about it. Now I will spend a few days with Jackie and Eric in Redditch.
They met me at the train station, and off we went to the art museum for the William Morris and Andy Warhol exhibit. What a fantastic exhibit linking the artistic interests of two seemingly disparate artists. The presentation of their works alongside each other was so interesting. As a Pre-Raphaelite lover, I really enjoyed the Morris works and the Burne-Jones/Morris tapestries. I also loved the background on Warhol's interest in Hollywood.
We then headed to Lunch at Wagamama, which I've only ever had in London. So delicious. Then, we headed back to their house for a chat, making a Mexican dinner feast, a movie, and general chilling. They are into week two of their holiday, so they are also in chill mode! They are in a new house, so it's lovely to see their new place, Jackie's art room, the cute back garden.
I'm now going to sign off and prepare for two days of gallivanting with them!
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Last Day in Dubrovnik
Our last afternoon in. Old Town. We are sitting in a little cafe, Klarisa, jus inside Pile gate, while we whittle away the next hour before our airport pick-up. Seems like he perfect time to write the last blog on Croatia.
Turning back to yesterday, we woke up and realized we didn't have a plan. The company where we rent sent over one of the owners to retrieve Claire's bikini that still lurked in the tree where I dropped it. He said, "The wind was crazy last night! We couldn't sleep because of the wind and rain. There was a tornado outside Venice!" I didn't correct him as to the displace mr of said bikini...
He suggested we go off to Cavtat for the day, which we gladly did. We packed up our beach gear and caught the boat. The ride was about 45 min and just choppy enough that I was happy to get off before the usual maureen reaction occurred. We had a nice lunch right on the harbor, then meandered on the peninsula path for a beach.
We found a quiet somewhat secluded beach, where I could have shade and Claire sun. Having spent four days this week on various beaches on nice sun loungers in shade, I'm coming around to beach holidays. I get a nice relaxation on the beach and time for the journal and a book.
We caught the 5:30 or tried to, but it was too crowded to get on, so many of us had to wait for the next boat. Luckily, we only had to wait 10-15 minutes but we were going to barely get back on time. Docking at 6:45, we rushed home to shower, dress, and make our dinner at Nishta only 15 min late. Thank goodness Old Town is small! The dinner again was superb: appetizer, dinner, and dessert. Heaven.
We tried to get to see part of the opening ceremony for the summer festival, but it was VIPs only. We did get moved aside by some security guards as at iPs were brought to the entrance and shook hands with Someone Very Important. We could see some from behind the barricade, but only the choir atop the building for the national anthem. They did some pretty great video projections on the side of the building in the square.
We soon left and went to Banje Beach to watch the fireworks. They started late, but we watched all the VIPs hike up the road and the boats position themselves. When the fireworks started, they were brief but lovely. It made me think about July 4th and how people are more aware of combat veterans who might be suffering from PTSD in their neighborhood. What must it be like to hear fireworks when you spent the war holed up in your city with those sounds all around you. Soon it was time to meander back home for our final sleep in Dubrovnik.
Today was a morning of hustle and bustle. We packed and cleaned and prepped for our day out. Today has been a day of shopping, souvenirs, churches, food and drink.
First church, the coal Cathedral. Nothing too special, but we did pay the 20k to see the treasury. It turned out to be a very small room, containing the arm, leg, and perhaps the skull of St Blaise gilded in a case. What a gruesome strange tradition.
We then went over to the Dominican Monastery which had a much better holding for 30k. A gorgeous cloister garden, two interesting museum rooms, and a lovely little church. An eclectic collection of art in the church and interesting old jewelry from Dubrovnik. Finally, up the steps (aka GoT steps to the Sept) to St Ignatius church, which had an elaborate altarpiece. And that was that for the churches.
So, off we went to have a drink above the sea just outside the city wall. We enjoyed our juices in the shady cliff and then went back to a lovely little cafe in the same square as St Ignatius. A little shopping and we are here, listening to jazz on the speaker and relaxing.
It's been a wonderful week in Dubrovnik, and I'd come back in a heartbeat. We've eaten well, seen some beautiful places, visited two new countries, and had a fabulous time together. Now it's time for England and more friends and their babies and much much more.
I am, as always, grateful I can do all this travel.
Turning back to yesterday, we woke up and realized we didn't have a plan. The company where we rent sent over one of the owners to retrieve Claire's bikini that still lurked in the tree where I dropped it. He said, "The wind was crazy last night! We couldn't sleep because of the wind and rain. There was a tornado outside Venice!" I didn't correct him as to the displace mr of said bikini...
He suggested we go off to Cavtat for the day, which we gladly did. We packed up our beach gear and caught the boat. The ride was about 45 min and just choppy enough that I was happy to get off before the usual maureen reaction occurred. We had a nice lunch right on the harbor, then meandered on the peninsula path for a beach.
We found a quiet somewhat secluded beach, where I could have shade and Claire sun. Having spent four days this week on various beaches on nice sun loungers in shade, I'm coming around to beach holidays. I get a nice relaxation on the beach and time for the journal and a book.
We caught the 5:30 or tried to, but it was too crowded to get on, so many of us had to wait for the next boat. Luckily, we only had to wait 10-15 minutes but we were going to barely get back on time. Docking at 6:45, we rushed home to shower, dress, and make our dinner at Nishta only 15 min late. Thank goodness Old Town is small! The dinner again was superb: appetizer, dinner, and dessert. Heaven.
We tried to get to see part of the opening ceremony for the summer festival, but it was VIPs only. We did get moved aside by some security guards as at iPs were brought to the entrance and shook hands with Someone Very Important. We could see some from behind the barricade, but only the choir atop the building for the national anthem. They did some pretty great video projections on the side of the building in the square.
We soon left and went to Banje Beach to watch the fireworks. They started late, but we watched all the VIPs hike up the road and the boats position themselves. When the fireworks started, they were brief but lovely. It made me think about July 4th and how people are more aware of combat veterans who might be suffering from PTSD in their neighborhood. What must it be like to hear fireworks when you spent the war holed up in your city with those sounds all around you. Soon it was time to meander back home for our final sleep in Dubrovnik.
Today was a morning of hustle and bustle. We packed and cleaned and prepped for our day out. Today has been a day of shopping, souvenirs, churches, food and drink.
First church, the coal Cathedral. Nothing too special, but we did pay the 20k to see the treasury. It turned out to be a very small room, containing the arm, leg, and perhaps the skull of St Blaise gilded in a case. What a gruesome strange tradition.
We then went over to the Dominican Monastery which had a much better holding for 30k. A gorgeous cloister garden, two interesting museum rooms, and a lovely little church. An eclectic collection of art in the church and interesting old jewelry from Dubrovnik. Finally, up the steps (aka GoT steps to the Sept) to St Ignatius church, which had an elaborate altarpiece. And that was that for the churches.
So, off we went to have a drink above the sea just outside the city wall. We enjoyed our juices in the shady cliff and then went back to a lovely little cafe in the same square as St Ignatius. A little shopping and we are here, listening to jazz on the speaker and relaxing.
It's been a wonderful week in Dubrovnik, and I'd come back in a heartbeat. We've eaten well, seen some beautiful places, visited two new countries, and had a fabulous time together. Now it's time for England and more friends and their babies and much much more.
I am, as always, grateful I can do all this travel.
Thursday, July 09, 2015
A Day on Lokrum Island
I'm sitting on the island of Lokrum, a short 10 min boat ride away from Old Town. It's a gorgeous day again, and we are perched on sun loungers under the shade of pine trees. The cicadas chirp above us, and the waves lap below. It couldn't be a better spot.
We had a decadent sleep in today, so I didn't roll out of bed until 10am. Then it was a quick breakfast, making of peanut butter sandwiches (glad I brought my jar with me!), and the first coat of sunblock for the day. We did a quick food shop and caught the boat to the island.
When we arrived, we heard towards the fort. Why not start the day with activity then totally sink into relaxation. From what we'd heard, this is an island of walk, swim, walk swim. Thrown took us past a small old church, a monastery, the botanic gardens, and a long olive grove. Then, up, up, up. What started as a path brought the pine forest, soon turned into a paved inclined walk straight in the sun. It was one of those brutal walks that takes 10 min but feels like forever.
At the top of the fort, the view is endless. It is a great 360 view of the island, Old Town, the islands, and mainland. There are older structures falling apart, which I love. Old brick and stone and vegetation creeping everywhere. We then meandered our way back a shadier path along he coast, which brought us back to the monastery and he botanic gardens. The Croatian man who started the garden wanted to see how vegetation from around the world would grow here. It was going well til the war, when it took 50 shells and destroyed much of it. Prickly pears, cactuses from the US, palm trees in various varieties.
We then meandered to be monastery grounds for lunch. We ate under the palm trees while all the mama peacocks led their little babies around. It was quite fun to have them strut right past us; Claire might not have bought it was fun...).
We had done the hiking, now it was time for beaching. We reserved our two wooden beach loungers under the pine trees and went into the rocky sea for a swim. You need your water shoes to walk on the rocks, and I word my teva's in. I am not a big sea/ocean swimmer, as I don't like the deep endless water. This water was warmer than Lopud and quiet. It was a nice little float. A bit shy about the sun, I got out and let Claire keep floating.
Back to our loungers to read and journal and enjoy the view. Then it was time to visit the "Dead Sea" mini lake for a dip. Surrounded by trees and rock, with a little cave you can swim into, it is fed by the sea but doesn't make me worry about boundless depths. It was a peaceful bounce around and a wobbly in/out on very slippery rocks.
After a final chill, we went to the restaurant in the monastery garden. Such a beautiful spot to sit and have some lemonade and dessert at the end of the day. The garden in the monastery has a Game of Thrones connection, too. In Quarth, there is a party for Daenerys where they are wandering a garden and joke about taking parts of the golden peacock and selling it for an army. The producers put in a peacock because of the island.
A quick ferry ride back and we were back in town. The streets were crowded, and they were preparing for a concert in town. We went home, dressed, I Skyped Todd :), and off we went for dinner. It's hard to find a place that fits when you're hungry and there are places every ten feet.
As we walked, we heard music and went in search of it. In front of the cathedral, the orchestra was clearly practicing. Tomorrow night is the opening of the summer festival and the various instruments were tuning. What a sound as they echoed off the buildings. We found a restaurant nearby (the menu actually identified which items could be made vegan), and we ate dinner to the orchestra playing pieces of their program and opera singers also sounding out various parts. We couldn't have asked for a nicer night.
We find ourselves a bit unclear about what to do tomorrow during the day. We aren't quite up for a full day tour, but a half day one wouldn't be bad. So it's a mystery how we'll finish up our trip. Tomorrow night we know we'll eat at the vegan restaurant again and stand with the hoarded of crowds in the square for the opening of the summer festival.
We had a decadent sleep in today, so I didn't roll out of bed until 10am. Then it was a quick breakfast, making of peanut butter sandwiches (glad I brought my jar with me!), and the first coat of sunblock for the day. We did a quick food shop and caught the boat to the island.
When we arrived, we heard towards the fort. Why not start the day with activity then totally sink into relaxation. From what we'd heard, this is an island of walk, swim, walk swim. Thrown took us past a small old church, a monastery, the botanic gardens, and a long olive grove. Then, up, up, up. What started as a path brought the pine forest, soon turned into a paved inclined walk straight in the sun. It was one of those brutal walks that takes 10 min but feels like forever.
At the top of the fort, the view is endless. It is a great 360 view of the island, Old Town, the islands, and mainland. There are older structures falling apart, which I love. Old brick and stone and vegetation creeping everywhere. We then meandered our way back a shadier path along he coast, which brought us back to the monastery and he botanic gardens. The Croatian man who started the garden wanted to see how vegetation from around the world would grow here. It was going well til the war, when it took 50 shells and destroyed much of it. Prickly pears, cactuses from the US, palm trees in various varieties.
We then meandered to be monastery grounds for lunch. We ate under the palm trees while all the mama peacocks led their little babies around. It was quite fun to have them strut right past us; Claire might not have bought it was fun...).
We had done the hiking, now it was time for beaching. We reserved our two wooden beach loungers under the pine trees and went into the rocky sea for a swim. You need your water shoes to walk on the rocks, and I word my teva's in. I am not a big sea/ocean swimmer, as I don't like the deep endless water. This water was warmer than Lopud and quiet. It was a nice little float. A bit shy about the sun, I got out and let Claire keep floating.
Back to our loungers to read and journal and enjoy the view. Then it was time to visit the "Dead Sea" mini lake for a dip. Surrounded by trees and rock, with a little cave you can swim into, it is fed by the sea but doesn't make me worry about boundless depths. It was a peaceful bounce around and a wobbly in/out on very slippery rocks.
After a final chill, we went to the restaurant in the monastery garden. Such a beautiful spot to sit and have some lemonade and dessert at the end of the day. The garden in the monastery has a Game of Thrones connection, too. In Quarth, there is a party for Daenerys where they are wandering a garden and joke about taking parts of the golden peacock and selling it for an army. The producers put in a peacock because of the island.
A quick ferry ride back and we were back in town. The streets were crowded, and they were preparing for a concert in town. We went home, dressed, I Skyped Todd :), and off we went for dinner. It's hard to find a place that fits when you're hungry and there are places every ten feet.
As we walked, we heard music and went in search of it. In front of the cathedral, the orchestra was clearly practicing. Tomorrow night is the opening of the summer festival and the various instruments were tuning. What a sound as they echoed off the buildings. We found a restaurant nearby (the menu actually identified which items could be made vegan), and we ate dinner to the orchestra playing pieces of their program and opera singers also sounding out various parts. We couldn't have asked for a nicer night.
We find ourselves a bit unclear about what to do tomorrow during the day. We aren't quite up for a full day tour, but a half day one wouldn't be bad. So it's a mystery how we'll finish up our trip. Tomorrow night we know we'll eat at the vegan restaurant again and stand with the hoarded of crowds in the square for the opening of the summer festival.
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