TravelStream™ news feed for member brianc on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/brianc en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:48:30 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172641500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172641500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172641500/tpod.html Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:48:30 -0400 An 11 month home exchange with stays in England, Scotland,Holland,Germany and France.Mostly day to day stuff but what great bases for exploring.

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Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

WEDNESDAY, 28th February&nbsp;A Mercedes 350SL or some such and a courteous driver arrived promptly at 6.20am to whisk us away to the airport. I really had no plan B...or C...should he not have turned up other than to ring them or a taxi. But, no worries, we were off. Haring down the north circular and then off on the A40 to Heathrow. Just as we pulled up at the terminal the heavens opened and let rip the most vicious storm we had experienced in the UK. What a send off. So we entered the terminal a bit wet because cars were not allowed within so many metres of the entrance. &nbsp;At the Gulf Air check-in the uniformed girl gave us a typewritten note, addressed to us by name, which explained that due to 'technical difficulties' our flight to Sydney had been cancelled! Of all the things that could go wrong I had not imagined that one. It was bullshit of course. For 'technical difficulties' read unable to fill percentage of seats required to make the flight break even. We had been off loaded to a BA flight. &nbsp;We were directed to the Gulf Air desk where the very efficient uniformed man took all our details, pressed a lot of buttons and confirmed that we were on an 11am BA flight to Sydney via Singapore. [ Just as well we did not book that Cyprus flight and stopover in Bahrain. And, bugger, we need not have got up so early! ]&nbsp;A young, uniformed lady was delegated to accompany us to Terminal 4. Oh, yes. There was a catch. We had to drag ourselves and our three suitcases, two cabin bags and two handbags along corridors, down ramps, up elevators and on to a train. Terminal 3 was the other side of Heathrow. Just as well the young lady came with us for we would never have found our way. We had to dispose of the baggage trolleys at the train platform which made things more difficult. So we had to manhandle those bloody suitcases on and off the train and find our way out the other end. &nbsp;We were directed to the BA first class check-in where we discovered that we were not booked on that flight at all. The business class was fully booked so we had not been checked on!!! Our young lady promised to find out what was happening and went off to find a supervisor while we sat comfortably in the first class check-in lounge watching the hoi polloi check in. I am sure I saw Bill Wyman and his partner at one stage but he did not seem to have enough wrinkles. &nbsp;Anyway our Gulf Air girl did return about an hour later with a supervisor but they could only report what we had feared that we were on stand-by. Off they went again back into the fray of the main hall while we sat and drank coffee and waited. I mean, she must have been all of 19, what could she do. Anyway, a young lady in a Qantas jacket approached us and enquired as to our problem. It was not the first time someone had approached. Obviously if one stayed too long in one place one becomes a security concern. Anyway, she was terrific. She did not know why or would not admit why Gulf Air had done what they did but assured us that she personally would get us on that flight somehow. But first we were to have our baggage checked in and labelled so that we were officially on the 'list'. That was fortunate because she only asked for an estimate of the weights of the suitcases and I somewhat undervalued them. &nbsp;We certainly could not complain at the help we got from all the ground staff. It was just the procedures that were unmoveable.&nbsp;We now had to wait for the flight to close which was at 10.30am for the 11.15am flight. Right on the dot the girl beckoned us over, sent our baggage down the chute, and handed us boarding passes. [She admonished me briefly that my estimates on weight were a little out ...by some 10 kilos on each...but she just smiled and tied HEAVY labels on the cases. ] Some wayward traveller(s) had missed out. Another instance where a large conglomerate makes a lot of money by collecting a fare twice. &nbsp;Now, with 35 minutes to go, we had to get through security and dash for the appropriate departure gate. Security was a nightmare. No longer do they allow hand bags as additional carry on cabin baggage. One piece of cabin baggage means just that, so one medium bag plus hand bag was not on. BUT I was allowed to take my laptop on board as a separate item. By removing it from my large black carry-all we could just squeeze Anne's bag and mine into it. Then we had to take our shoes off, empty our pockets and once through have my laptop scanned for chemicals. &nbsp;We had five minutes but the gate was not far and the crowd had hardly moved. We 'business' travellers went to the front of the queue and boarded in plenty of time. BUT due to a 'technical difficulty' the flight would be delayed 20 minutes because they had not put enough food on board for me. Then it was delayed another 20 minutes while they waited for a new take off slot and then it took another twenty minutes just to taxi to the end of the runway in line with several other large and small jets. &nbsp;We were very comfortable, thank you very much, in our 'sky beds' although they were in the centre of the aircraft. Anne chatted with the lass to her left who at first seemed interesting with her talk of businesses she ran in Europe but, as Anne said later, she became a dizzy pain after imbibing grog at every opportunity. Why do some people drink so much on long flights?&nbsp;Singapore was a fuel stopover only but we had to vacate the plane and were allocated different seats upon reboarding which was weird but at least we were nearly home and had good seats at the rear of the business section by the window.&nbsp;I watched the Borat movie, <i>Love Actually, About a Boy, some BBC funnies and very amusing Melbourne comedy festival debate. I snoozed in between but those seats are still not as good as your own bed. Then there is the constant drone. I felt really sorry for all the cattle class down the back ...NOT! &nbsp;We arrived in Sydney earlier than our original flight was scheduled to arrive! As we were disembarking one of the stewards gave us a bottle of wine and guess what...we dropped it on the concourse near the duty free shops....bugger! Anne bought my Scotch and some perfume and we sailed through customs with nary a glance. &nbsp;Our son was there to meet us as was our Gulf Air driver...which impressed me. Once again...no problems with the people on the ground. He was quite happy of course not to have to take us home seeing that transport was on hand. It was a bit of a squeeze but the baggage all went in the Magna and we arrived home to a house you would not believe had been lived in by several couples. It looked terrific. Things like the carpet and the paintwork I had half expected to have lost their sheen but they were just as I remembered when we left. During the following days we found a few things in strange places but the only things missing were those that our son had taken the previous year. The car was in good nick and registered. A few extra dents on the fender that was all. The garden was a bit of a jungle but that was to be expected.&nbsp;That's it. We are back in the Wonnie...and it's too hot!&nbsp;&nbsp;
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172554920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172554920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172554920/tpod.html Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:44:21 -0400 An 11 month home exchange with stays in England, Scotland,Holland,Germany and France.Mostly day to day stuff but what great bases for exploring.

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London, United Kingdom

TUESDAY, 27th February&nbsp;S went off to work, I. returned to the city and we were left to lock up the house (ensuring the kittens did not get out) as we set off for Richmond to return the car.&nbsp;So, we returned our last Europcar to the same depot from which we had hired our first car 11 months previously. We decided to head for Mortlake station but on the way stopped for a coffee and a bun at an Italian café on the high street. We took the train to Waterloo and thence the tube to Leicester Square. We wanted to see a show. I had in mind <i>SPAM based on the Monty Python characters but it was too expensive. We settled instead for a movie and saw <i>Queen which was well worth it but what a tiny theatre. I reckon the guy who played Tony Blair in the movie deserved an award as well as Helen Mirren as the queen. It was raining when we came out so we ducked in to a lunch shop and had focacias and cake. From there we walked to Covent garden and looked around the market but we still had a couple of hours to wait until we met up with S. &nbsp;Using our day ticket we hopped on a bus going east along The Strand which took us around Trafalgar Square, along the length of Oxford Street and up the Edgware road. We jumped off at Maida Vale and took the tube back to Covent Garden where we met S. M., who was now workingfuul time in London, living in rooms here and going home to Edinburgh at the weekends, joined us. J was coping...most of the time. Anyway he joined us for a drink in a pub nearby to be joined briefly by I. who worked close by.&nbsp;We adjourned to a Belgian restaurant across the road where S had made a booking which was just as well because it was packed with wannabes. . .smoking , drinking, and eating. I had a pleasant meal (I. joined us again) of cauliflower soup and a chicken concoction. I finished with Belgian waffles except that they weren't. At least not like the ones I have had in Sydney. When we left I. went back to work, M went to his digs and we three took the tube to Turnpike Lane where we walked along Salisbury back to the house and three hungry cats. &nbsp;The other I., who lives and works in Singapore was supposed to have joined us. He was flying in to London that very day but had booked the overnight to Edinburgh. However as it turned out his train was cancelled and he had been walking the streets of London that evening prior to checking into a hotel. If only we had known. [It occurs to me now that with all the technology at his disposal you would have thought he could contact one of us by phone ...M at least.]&nbsp;&nbsp;
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172382000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172382000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172382000/tpod.html Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:41:55 -0400 An 11 month home exchange with stays in England, Scotland,Holland,Germany and France.Mostly day to day stuff but what great bases for exploring.

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London, England, United Kingdom

SUNDAY, 25th February&nbsp;I had the car washed in Tescos while we restocked the pantry. &nbsp;MONDAY, 26th February&nbsp;I called a taxi to take me to the heliport where I picked up our Europcar one day rental to take us to Wood Green. Meanwhile Anne laundered the bed linen and did a last minute clean. I did do my bit which included a vacuum from top to bottom and I then loaded the three cases and cabin bags into the hatchback. They fitted perfectly.&nbsp;After lunch we set off down the A12 and did not deviate until we hit the north circular, the A406, familiar territory again. We arrived at the Wood Green house about 6pm where niece S was waiting for us and in glee showed us her stitches...how gross! I played with the new cats...Pinot and Rioja...while Anne did her nurse thing with S. S drove us to Crouch End where they had taken us previously. This time there was no problem finding a restaurant. We had a dip between us and I had fish 'n' chips again. I. was working late...it was that time of the financial year and he was rarely home before midnight apparently. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172122620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172122620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172122620/tpod.html Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:39:34 -0400 An 11 month home exchange with stays in England, Scotland,Holland,Germany and France.Mostly day to day stuff but what great bases for exploring.

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Great Yarmouth, England, United Kingdom

THURSDAY, 22nd FebruaryFRIDAY, 23rd February&nbsp;SATURDAY, 24th February&nbsp;We bided by reading, typing and watching DVDs and TV. We posted a package home and wandered the shops of Yarmouth. It was more extensive than we thought. Anne had her hair cut at great expense by a recommended coiffure while I picked up a letter at the sorting office that had originated from Matlock <i>sans stamp. It cost us a pound! It was only a <i>thank you. &nbsp;We found some interesting shops running down to the seafront including an oldie but goodies CD outlet. I had sworn not to buy any more but... I seem to have a cabin bag full of CDs now. I wonder if I have to declare them. [ I didn't. Only because it never occurred to me. And as usual the we were not searched at Sydney airport.] There is just such a wonderful market over here for classic pop. So, so different from in Europe. &nbsp;We indulged in fish and chips in a very busy pub accompanied by an ale. It was quite cold outside...the wind again.&nbsp;Back at the house Anne made heaps of phone calls to her friends and family. I sent last emails to friends at home and received a surprise reply from <i>Chattie the <i>Operation Grapple man who may take all my dad's slides of Xmas Island...but that's another story. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172036100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172036100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1172036100/tpod.html Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:36:59 -0400 An 11 month home exchange with stays in England, Scotland,Holland,Germany and France.Mostly day to day stuff but what great bases for exploring.

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Aldeburgh, England, United Kingdom

WEDNESDAY, 21st February&nbsp;Up early at 8am...most unusual for us these days but we had a rendezvous with J and C our house guests of the week before. First I rang S in Sydney to confirm our arrival home and that he need not pick us up. Also Gulf Air to confirm flights and more important that their limo pickup from Wood Green is logged in. Not too sure about the free ride in Sydney though.&nbsp; &nbsp;What we thought would be a half hour drive took almost an hour to our meeting place at the Snape Maltings, a converted factory/warehouse&nbsp; where the hops used to be brought in from the fields to be dried and shipped to the cities...by canal, river and sea. Now it is a museum, a craft shop, a tea room, a theatre, an antique and collectables and a concert hall. We met J and C in the aforementioned tea room and had coffees and I demonstrated my skills in sucking my cappuccino coffee through a straw...thereby saving the froth till last!&nbsp;J and I browsed around the collectibles while the girls went crafty. There was a large collection of stamps but mostly on paper so of no interest to me. Britain is full of human magpies and there is a huge market for just about anything that represents a theme. Postcards are the in thing at the moment and J collects those with a golfing theme.&nbsp;We left the Maltings and travelled the short distance to Aldeburgh on the sea. We parked on the beach just behind some changing cabins some of which were selling fresh fish. C was very tempted to take a huge mackerel home but J was reluctant to carry it around all day! I made my impression on the pebble beach and then followed the others around the few shops. Anne actually found some shoes that she had been searching for everywhere...black with low heels.&nbsp;Next stop was Southwold which had been the headquarters of Nelson's British fleet once upon a time but which now looked a tad run down this winters day. It was very hard to find a pub still selling lunch and in the end we settled for the best hotel in town which provided us with sandwiches and a beer. [Unlike the towns on the continent it is impossible to find an eatery with an alcohol licence and with tables and chairs on the street. The English pub is its equivalent of course but they are not 24 hour meal providers. ] &nbsp;Once again we strolled along the sea front. I think my obsession with British seasides has at last ebbed as has the cuteness of country villages and the 101 languages. I think it time we headed home for a nation that lives in the 21st century and all speak the same tongue give or take an 'ay or two. We did the pier in two minutes and returned to our cars. I was concerned that I might run out of petrol but made it comfortably back to the A12. &nbsp;It did not take long to get back to Great Yarmouth but we found ourselves caught in the evening traffic just before Bradwell. We missed the <i>Weakest Link...bugger!&nbsp;Now we bide our time &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171863180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171863180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171863180/tpod.html Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:34:52 -0400 An 11 month home exchange with stays in England, Scotland,Holland,Germany and France.Mostly day to day stuff but what great bases for exploring.

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Norwich, England, United Kingdom

MONDAY, 19th February&nbsp;TUESDAY, 20th February&nbsp;We stayed in most of the day although we had planned to go to Norwich in the afternoon. We had booked seats for <i>Chicago in the evening at the Theatre Royal and by going in early we could do some shopping and have a meal. But the weather was miserable and so was I. My chest cough was annoying me and Anne was too comfortable ensconced on her chair in front of the TV with her knitting!&nbsp;We left about 6pm in plenty of time for the 7.30 kick-off. It was rainy and dark and not too easy to drive along the two lane part of the A47. &nbsp;As we entered Norwich I recognised and turned into the road towards the town centre but was not allowed to turn left down the street in which the theatre was situated. From there on I was totally lost. How hard could it be to retrace our tyres. NO way! We drove around and around Norwich often heading in the opposite direction and out of town.&nbsp; All my directional instincts were lost as I tried to navigate the narrow, one way streets which denied me the right to head in the direction my head told me. It was really distressing. It was after 7.30pm before I finally recognised the way I had come in and realised that I should have turned left instead of right. Easy to say now but I was furious with myself. Anne was surprisingly calm throughout. &nbsp;To make matters worse we entered what we thought was the theatre car park only to find out it was the Chapelgate shopping centre car park. We ran up the escalators, walked through the mall and out into the street where a hundred meters away was the theatre. We were 15 minutes late and were taken by an usherette up the back way into the upper circle where there were some empty seats and where at last we could sit and enjoy the show. &nbsp;At the interval we had had ice creams to alleviate our hunger but did not change our seats to those on our tickets. The ones we were in were quite comfortable. The show was very well done. There were no sets as such but the costumes were great and the lead characters, especially Roxy, were excellent. &nbsp;After the show we found the entrance to Chapelgate closed and had to walk a half mile around the centre to the ramp we had driven down earlier. We did discover that there was a tunnel from the theatre but how were we to know! Still it only cost £1.50 for the night. &nbsp;I was still furious at myself for the earlier debacle and it had hardly abated by the time we got home and tucked into sandwiches for a late supper. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171517340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171517340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171517340/tpod.html Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:32:29 -0400 An 11 month home exchange with stays in England, Scotland,Holland,Germany and France.Mostly day to day stuff but what great bases for exploring.

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Hunstanton, England, United Kingdom

THURSDAY, 15th February&nbsp;FRIDAY,16th February&nbsp;SATURDAY, 17th February&nbsp;A bright sunny day which encouraged me to go for a walk down to that group of stores in the complex opposite the Pizza Hut at the roundabout and which included a McDonalds which, in all the time we were there, I did not enter. There was a Curry's but they had not the camera I was looking for. I engaged in conversation with a guy on the forecourt who was doing repairs to wind screens and he was kind enough to run through the procedures of removing cracks and marks from the glass. He might have sensed a new customer but he was wrong. However the Saab had a number of small cracks on its windscreen so I left his card in the house for M's benefit. It was quite a long walk back to the house.&nbsp;SUNDAY, 18th February&nbsp;A day out to explore the north of the Norfolk coast. We drove west around Norwich following the A47 and turned north up the B1153 to Sandringham...the Royal country estate. It was very busy in spite of the fact that it was not open to the public...that out of season time again. There were people rambling, dogs chasing, kids tumbling and parties partying...picnics would you believe. Have I mentioned that it was mid-February! The estate itself was hidden behind a high wall but there was no evidence of security not even a camera or ten. There was a visitors centre in which we poked our noses to gaze at all those twee keepsakes for you to buy and treasure with royal coats of arms withon...made in Taiwan no doubt.&nbsp;We had hot drinks sitting outside on benches in the sun watching dogs and kids chasing each other. &nbsp;We left Sandringham and drove north into Hunstanton. I was seeking a sea life centre, supposedly a sanctuary for seals and such and we were surprised to find that it was quite a big town...a true seaside town but without a pier. We parked in a car park close to the seafront and next to the Sunday market which was not of much interest to us. The bloody alarm on the car kept going off so we had to backtrack and fix it by using the key to lock up. &nbsp;We walked down to the seafront and were confronted by a long, long promenade with the sands of the Wash on the one side and amusements on the landward side. And there were hundreds of people just strolling along. I was not impressed by the sea life centre when we did find it. It was just another marineland and would have cost us £14 to go in so we didn't. But we were impressed by some of the pleasure grounds and amusements for the families. There were adventure lands, funfairs, a leisure centre and amusement arcades but many were not open! And yet there were thousands of people milling about...but not too many actually on the sands. A Sunday destination for all those Kings Lyners and all points south no doubt. The beach was never ending. The tide was out and when it goes out in the Wash it practically disappears. &nbsp;Back to car. The town went on and on. Past a large, grass covered square with pubs and hotels around the perimeter towards a cliff walk. The shallow seafront rose northwards into hills and a seascape of grass covered cliffs which reminded me of those coastlines down in Devon. We left the Wash and as we travelled east we caught an occasional glimpse of the, now, North Sea and traversed many small villages.&nbsp;We stopped again at Brancaster to look at the ocean. Lots of exposed sand, islands of dunes and a golf course. Anne stayed in car. Lots of families again, all out for the day, strolling along this north coast. The dunes are like the dykes of Holland which after all were only just over there. In Burnham Deepdale we found a delightful café where we lunched. . .but only by good fortune that a table became vacant from its Sunday booking. It was a very tasty meal of omelette, chips and salad. &nbsp;We drove down into Blakeney but didn't really stop. The whole coast is devoted to wildlife...which means birds...and if you believe the hype every body and his dog is out looking at birds. Ducks were the only evidence we saw of birdlife...apart from the gulls of course...but off on the islands in the distance were sanctuaries for both sea birds and sea lions...apparently. But the casual traveller like us does not have the time to explore.&nbsp; &nbsp;At West Runton, while Anne stayed in the car again I walked to the top of a cliff to stare out at the North Sea as the coastline turned south. It was very high and windy and there was no fence at the edge. For a nation that prides itself on its health and welfare regulations I wonder sometimes about the priorities. The land here at the top of Norfolk seems to have been pushed up at some stage in its geological past resulting in that high drop. We drove into the Norfolk Shire Horse centre ostensibly to see some fine examples of cart horses but there was not a one. Well, it was dark and it was Sunday. We were welcomed by an aged dog. &nbsp;Back home in the dark. &nbsp;
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171429680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171429680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171429680/tpod.html Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:10:22 -0400 An 11 month home exchange with stays in England, Scotland,Holland,Germany and France.Mostly day to day stuff but what great bases for exploring.

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Great Yarmouth, England, United Kingdom

WEDNESDAY, 14th February&nbsp;We checked out after breakfast after having filled in a "are you satisfied with our service" form in which we praised the assistance given us by the lovely Helga. &nbsp;Taking the roads south we didn't touch a single motorway. Minor A roads until we hit the A17 all the way into East Anglia. I am sure we stopped for lunch but exactly where I do not recall. So many roads, so much traffic, so many roundabouts, so much petrol(!), so many green fields flashing by and so many narrow streets going through small but familiar sounding towns and villages. Who hasn't heard of Sleaford... but why would you want to go there? &nbsp;We did stop at Swaffam. It was on my list as the site of an Eco Centre in which there would be lots of information on wind turbines and the opportunity to climb one. However it was all for kids with hands on stuff and questionnaires. The 300 steps up the inside of the windmill were not graced by my footsteps. There was a sign that said not recommended for anyone over 21 so I reckoned that included me. I passed. &nbsp;We saw a lot more pigs...Wessex saddlebacks I think they are called...and some handsome looking cart horses and lots of free range chooks. [ I would not eat an egg laid by one of those scraggy looking hens not to mention from where they were laid...ugh!] Turkeys and pheasants walked or flew across the road from time to time. Needless to say the walkers turned into road kill.&nbsp; &nbsp;Back to a warm house and everything as we had left it. For our evening meal we went down the road to the Pizza Hut. We thought it would be quiet but no way. It was full of groups of teens and oldies enjoying their pizzas and all you can eat salad bar. &nbsp;&nbsp;
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171342800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171342800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171342800/tpod.html Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:05:51 -0400 An 11 month home exchange with stays in England, Scotland,Holland,Germany and France.Mostly day to day stuff but what great bases for exploring.

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York, United Kingdom

TUESDAY, 13th February&nbsp;We had a wonderful breakfast in the large Best Western dining room. It was busy...business people mostly...but there was plenty of everything. Oh, yes, Anne had been up earlier to go to Communion in the York Minster. I kept the bed warm for her. She was disappointed with the interior of the church. It was very empty...at ground level anyway. Just a large empty hall. &nbsp;After breakfast we retraced our steps of the night before but diverted to the Minster so that I could take a walk around the very impressive outside of the building. But realising that it was chillier than we had anticipated we went back to the hotel for our coats and scarves. On the way we bought a couple of 'samurai' figurines for our son. &nbsp;We set off in the opposite direction around the wall and entered the St Sanctuary church the first stop on brianc's guided tour. It had been turned into a museum allied to the Jorvic centre and displayed much of the material unearthed during the Viking diggings. I baulked at the entry price and explained that we might come back after visiting the other centre...but we didn't. &nbsp;My tour took us down into the Shambles, a narrow cobbled street devoted to shopping. A selection of arts, crafts and other touristy rubbish for decorating the mantle pieces of the punters willing to part with their pound notes. [ The English are a nation of collectors. All the shelves in their houses are cluttered with the results of shopping expeditions at home or away. They are exhibited to all as a reminder that they have been places or that they do not have a life! Regrettably, some of&nbsp; it has rubbed off on me...only I keep my collections out of sight. ]&nbsp; The street was shorter than I remembered and there was a market behind it which I did not recall. I bought some shoe laces. They had lasted this long. &nbsp;Next stop was the aforementioned Jorvic Centre. We knew we would have to join a queue but I was determined not to miss out on the centre this time. [In 2000 we gave it a miss. At that time there was a three hour wait!] It took about 45 minutes to reach the front of the queue whereupon we walked down some stairs into a theatrette or 'time capsule' as they called it which showed our group of twenty a clever little film showing how fashions have changed over the centuries taking us right back to the 9th. From there we were invited to take a seat in what appeared to be a Disney like fairground carriage which proceeded to take us on a tour around a Viking village as it was imagined to be from the results of the archaeological diggings at that place. We were really not sure what we were about to see but it was a very well done. Our capsule travelled around on an overhead rail from which we could view the people at work and play accompanied by a commentary from speakers in our head rests. &nbsp;The Viking town of Jorvic had been reproduced all around us with homes, work places, shops, streets and moving figures engaging in their daily activities. I learned that in spite of their presence in York they were only there 95 years. Not a long time. The Romans had 400 years and left a far better footprint on this town than the Vikings. Don't know why the fuss except that they found these remains preserved in the mud of the River Ouse. &nbsp;After leaving the centre we looked around the town house of the Earl of Fairfax (who is related to our Fairfaxes) and because we were only ones in that heritage building we were the targets of the lady volunteers. Normally I turn off these commentaries but those ladies had a lot of interesting stuff to impart. I listened attentively and asked stupid questions. It was a Georgian home restored and refurnished by John Terry of chocolate fame who left all his belongings to this place and a fine job the custodians did. The original Earl's daughter who was the last resident trashed the place!&nbsp; There was a fine dining room, several&nbsp; bedrooms, a library and study with over 40&nbsp; volumes of old Encyclopaedia Brittannicas. &nbsp;Across the way was the Clifford tower which we had climbed on a previous occasion so we continued down to the river which was overflowing on to the footpath. &nbsp;Anne wanted to have afternoon tea in Bettys but it was crowded. We found a smaller version up the opposite street on an upper level. I had a milk shake and a vanilla slice. Anne had a pot of tea and a cheese scone...rarebit scone it said on the bill. We split up and I went into HMV. &nbsp;When I returned to the hotel Anne was sitting on the hotel bed knitting!&nbsp;We had a pub meal in the same pub. No need to go seeking new pastures if the grass is green. I had a steak pie with mashed spuds and mixed vegies. Not much meat in the pie, but! &nbsp;Watched TV in the hotel room and devoured a packet of fudge which I had secreted into my pocket earlier.&nbsp;
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171173420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171173420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brianc/nomadsineurope/1171173420/tpod.html Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:59:45 -0400 An 11 month home exchange with stays in England, Scotland,Holland,Germany and France.Mostly day to day stuff but what great bases for exploring.

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entry & travel map

York, England, United Kingdom

SUNDAY, 11th February&nbsp;We lost the heating system temporarily but even so D was more concerned about the radiators in our bedrooms. Fortunately the house was sturdy enough to stay warm. D insisted on calling out a plumber at 6pm though. Does he have any idea what that might cost? &nbsp;J arrived, as promised, about 9pm with a snoozing toddler. She promptly forgot to ring M until he rang, quite pissed off, about 10.30pm. &nbsp;MONDAY, 12th February&nbsp;I was woken by a bounding toddler and a cup of coffee carrying Anne. We stripped the beds, packed our over-over-week bags, breakfasted and bid farewell to Garbhein House leaving P and D in the capable hands of Jane ...and an energetic lad.&nbsp;It rained on and off until we reached the borders. Thank goodness for an efficient Saab wiper system and demisting device. Most of the snows had disappeared from the highlands which was sad especially since it was supposed to be the coldest month of the year. No evidence of that. It was running about 8º outside which is quite mild believe me. &nbsp;We stopped in Doune for morning tea. The village was off the main road and had limited parking space. We had scones and jam in a little tea room and after looked into the shop across the road...a map maker. An oddity in a small village. I bought a mouse pad with the Highland way printed upon it for D but thought I might keep it myself. D probably has many such items in his study, most of them lost among the debris.&nbsp;The lunch stop was at one of those MOTO places near Carlisle and I had a 'sandwich' from Burger King. We didn't stop again until York. Down the M6 across the A69 and A66 (across the mist enshrouded Pennines) and down the M1 to that city. A wonderful piece of&nbsp; navigation by Anne found the ring road and the Monkbar Hotel. &nbsp;The first room they gave us had a very tiny bed...a large single really. Very cosy for some but not for fatties like us. I asked the very helpful young lady at reception to please find us another. She gave us a choice of two, the first of which was across the landing and convenient for moving. We put the first room back to the way it had been including replacing teabags and clean teaspoons (but they still did the house keeping in that room the following day). &nbsp;A little later we took off into the town. The hotel was very convenient to the town centre being just outside the wall and as we walked past the Minster we were&nbsp; amazed at how many restaurants there were, an observation that applies to the whole country. We chose a pub, the White Swan, because it appeared to be the cheapest and I fancied a beer. I had fish and chips in beer batter...whatever that means. Chips again...I had them for lunch too. Anne had a medium rare steak. It might not have been cordon bleu but it was much better value than the last meal out. &nbsp;
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