Summer 2016

I wasn't sure whether to bother with writing up this trip. To be honest I am not expecting to do much this time. As usual, there is always something going on. The flight out was unusual. We had booked to go through Iceland as it was significantly cheaper than the regular routes. We were slightly late leaving, no biggy, then two hours later we landed in Glasgow. Now that is only 200 miles. Turns out there was a "computer failure" at Keflavik Airport so no planes could land or leave. It seems there is a long running dispute between the air traffic controllers and the government. The law was changed preventing them from striking, so it seems the computer system is now having problems. 

We did get to Iceland a couple of hours late. The airport is small but it was crowded with a lot of people going to all sorts of places from Anchorage to Seatle, all leaving at 19:30. It was amazing how quickly they cleared all the flights. In the end we were about three hours late getting to Newark. On the up side, we got to see New York all lit up and didn't have to struggle to stay awake as it was nearly midnight by the time we got to S,s 

The next day we had our toes painted, a tradition when I go to the States. I love the chairs they sit you in, you get a lovely back rub at the same time. 

The next day was spent driving down towards North Carolina. It seems easier to travel vast distances here than in the UK. We stopped to look for somewhere to eat and found a local restaurant selling "soul food". It was busy so we thought it was worth a try. It took a while to have our order taken, someone ordered chicken, they didn't have any, no fries either, so we settled on our order and waited. One thing about people living south of NY , they are very friendly. An elderly man tapped me on the shoulder and asked if M had something wrong with his head. Oh heck I thought, we are being rude, M was wearing a baseball cap. He took it off and apologised, then we realised he was a Cowboys fan and M 's was a Steelers cap. Everyone had a good laugh. Then the waiter came back to say more of what we ordered wasn't available. It got to the point we were laughing and asking what was available. 

It sounds awful, but in fact was very funny. It was a new place so they hadn't quite got the hang of things. 

the Chesapeak BAY bridge tunnel. 

A day in the Eternal City

On Monday we had said goodbye to H & P  and had to amuse ourselves for the day. Mondays can be tricky as most of the museums are closed. I had a scout around and we opted to visit the Baths of Caracalla. I had no real idea what to expect, but boy are they amazing. These are public baths built by Septimus Severus and Emperor Caracalla  212  A D. It took 9000 men 5 years to build and had 6000 people use them every day. It had an olympic sized pool as well as another outside. There were two gymnasiums, saunas, massage suites and two libraries. It must have been a stunning place full of light and colour.  All there is now are a few mosaics which would be national treasures in the UK, and parts of the superstructure which give a vague idea of the scale of the place.  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baths_of_Caracalla

After lunch we headed out to the Appian Way to visit some Catacombes. For an ancient road, you take your life in your hands dodging cars and busses. Beyond the Catacombes, the road was much quieter, somewhere to explore in future I think. Rome is such a wonderful city. We spent the rest of the day just wandering around and going into places that took our fancy.

The next day we were back on a train heading for Turin. We left Rome at 10 am and got to Turin at 3 pm. One thing about traveling by train is that it gives you a real perspective to the actual size of a country. Turin was a very pleasant surprise. The old town is laid out on a grid pattern with lots of large public squares. We headed straight to the Egyptian Museum. I had planned a couple of hours here then a visit to the Royal Palace. As it was we were practically thrown out of the museum at closing time and had to dash around towards the end. It is a fascinating museum which shows in an understandable way the development of funeral practices in Egypt from the pre dynastic up to The end of the pharonic. 

We could have done with longer to explore the city. It has a real elegant feel to it. It is on the list to go back to again. 

Our last day was a very long one. The train from Turin to Paris was through more stunning scenery. I did get the timings wrong in Paris, and it became a dash to get to Gare du Nord, but as it was I had read the date as the train time, so we were in plenty of time! 

So our great train advent is over. Would we do it again? Probably , with a few changes. The sleeper was not a great success . I would, however, have another go if it was the Orient Express! Certainly travelling around Europe is not a problem, and with more time, yes, we would do it again. 

Rugby in Rome

Match day arrived and after a rainy start the weather decided to behave. We started the day by meeting H & P and dragging them to one of my favourite things in Rome, the garden fresco from the villa of Livia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_of_Livia. Then it was off to see the rugby. 

We shared a tram to the Olympic Stadium with all the mad characters you expect with an England game. There were Morris men, Knights, a King Richard or two and a few "damsels" . The atmosphere was fantastic. The Italians were in good voice and we were also treated to a song or two on our way to the match. 

When we got into the stadium we were met with a very good Queen tribute band which soon had us all dancing. There was a fly past by a couple of large helicopters, some very fancy marching and gun waving by the army, the anthems and then we were off! 

Any rugby fan will know how the game went. I was sorry Italy didn't get a try, they deserved it. The fans were amazing and the brass band that suddenly sprang to life behind us kept us all amused. 

All in all it was a great day, and I would happily come here again for a rugby match. 

Heading south.

On the whole the train trip experiment has gone very well. We arrived in Rome on time and the Italian trains were excellent. The only leg of the journey I would not be in a hurry to repeat was the SNCF sleeper from Cologne to Zurich. First of all it was almost an hour late arriving in Cologne. We gave up standing on a very cold platform and went looking for warmth in the very large station complex. This was OK except that all the seats had been taken up by the local homeless population who were bedding down for the night! Then, for reasons unknown, we were woken up at 5:30, 6:30 and 7 am to be told we would not be arriving in Zuric at 8 am, but would be an hour late. On the upside the bed was very comfortable, but we were exhausted when we got to Zurich. 

So from the overpriced, least satisfactory part of the journey, to the cheapest and by far the best value leg. Zuric to Milan was lovely. The train was bang on time and the scenery was stunning. Milan to Rome was amazing. The train averaged 250 km/hr, and at one point hit 299km/hr (188 miles/hr) we traveled further than London to Edinburgh in 3 hours. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Network rail! 

Roamin' to Rome

For reasons too boring to go into, I had the bright idea that rather than fly to Rome like any normal couple, we would go by train. The objective of the trip is to watch Italy play England in the 6 Nations. It so happens it is also Valentine's Day on Sunday but to be honest I didn't realise this when I booked the trip.
So at 7:30 this morning we set off on our epic trip. Virgin trains took us to London in just over 2 hours. A short stroll to St Pancras and we boarded the train to Brussels.  Another 2 hours and we had zipped though northern France and we were in Belgium.  Honestly Londoners have no idea how lucky they are. The continent is a mere hop, skip and a jump away!
A quick change in Brussels and another two and a bit hours and we arrived in Colone, or should I say Köln, at 16:15. The plan was to break our trip here.
As you walk out of the station the first thing you see is the Cathedral. It is an impressive building but could do with a bit of a clean. I think it is a work in progress as a little bit has been done and it is a beautiful white stone. The Old Town well, isn't that old as far as I can see. Perhaps most was destroyed in the war ( must Google that later ) . The street plan looks old but not the buildings. The main street is a shoppers paradise. A lot of the shops were familiar and one old friend C&A; I almost went in for old times sake. They have a different take on street life here, a homeless lady with a pig and a busker with a grand piano! 
We wandered down to have a look at the Rhine and the had a wonderful hot chocolate at a cafe called Fassbender.  It is a very elegant circular building inside.
Somehow I managed to keep my lentan promise and said no to the cakes. Boy was that hard. After another wander we found the 4711 building where the Eau de Cologne comes from; who'd have guessed. It is a smell that reminds me of my Nanna.
We had dinner in what I suppose is the German equivalent of a local pub. Certainly the clientele were local and known to the staff. The food was filling and not expensive. I had potato rosti with salmon and hubby had beef with red cabbage and potatoe dumplings, which looked very suggestive with a red jam type stuff on top. I shall leave that one to your imagination. 
So now we are sitting in Starbucks at the station,using their wifi while we wait to board the sleeper to Zurich.  Night all.

Sounds of Venice

One of the things I have noticed in our travels, is that everywhere has its own smell. That is also true of Venice.  It smells of garlic and sea. Something else I have noticed is that it sounds different.  Some things you would expect, lapping water and church bells. Instead of traffic  noise there is the blare of the vaporetto 's horns and the reversing of their engines as they dock. The sound that is somewhat unexpected is the click click click of luggage wheels on the pavement.  It is only at airports I have seen so many people with wheelie luggage!

Venice a water wonderland.

VENICE

Last time we were in Venice was on our honeymoon, over 20 years ago. I thought it nice at the time but preferred Florence. It is wonderful to be back and this time we love the city. Where else can you get off a plane, then travel to you apartment by boat? We are staying in the Cannaregio. This is the northernmost area of the city and it has a very "local" feel to it. Yes there are areas thick with tourists, but turn a corner and the crowds just melt away.

Our apartment is on the Canal di Cannaregio. It seems to be a main route into the city. Everything is shipped in and out by boat. There are lots of water buses, boats with cargo, boats to pick up the rubbish. Today we saw a mail boat, funeral boat and one which was an ambulance.

For a place with no roads, you do a great deal of walking. We did one of my favourite things to do in a new city, the local free walking tour. This lasted almost 3 hours and took us around the Cannaregio, and across the Grand Canal to San Polo and Santa Croche. We haven't even made it as far as St Marc's yet! One of the problems crossing the Grand Canal is that there are not that many bridges. No problem, use a gondola. €2 for a 30 second hair raising ride. Well worth it!.

 Before you get one, some help may be a good idea.