December 2, 2011 - Last Day in Berlin

Guten Tag All,

On our last day we revisted the Gendarmenmarkt market in daylight as we wished to take photos of the buildings in the area and explore the two buildings that appear to be churches/cathedrals.  The buildings turn out to be the German Dom and the French Dom.  The French Dom was built by the Huguenot community between 1701 - 05 and houses the church, a restaurant, Huguenot museum and has a viewing platform.  It was open and for a small fee (3 Euros) you could climb the 254 stairs of the cupola tower to the viewing platform for panoramic views of the city.  The picture at the top is a panoramic view which Fred took.  The climb was not pleasant in a heavy winter coat though the stairs themselves wind around easily and were not steep.  It was worth the climb and we got a chance to cool off and catch our breath on the viewing platform.  Venturing back inside and up a few more steps we arrived beneath the carillon bells.  We commented that we wouldn't want to be here when they went off as we had heard them earlier very clearly on the street below.  We headed back down and then walked around to the front of the building to the entrance to the church itself.  We were rather disappointed in the church as it was very plain with the organ being the only thing worth taking a photograph of and we were not willing to pay the fee to take one picture.  The German Dom was originally built in 1708, however, was completely destroyed by fire during WWII.  After German reunification it was restored to its former glory and re-opened in 1996 as Museum of German history.  The other building of note in Gendarmenmarkt is the Konzerhaus Berlin built in 1821.

We headed back into the Christmas Market the entrance to which was free, a nice little surprise as we had to pay a 1 euro fee on the first night.  We found out that the fee is levied from 2:00 p.m. onwards and Fred thinks it is to help supplement the cost of electricity.  We stopped for some refreshment and I had a mug of Grog, a rum based drink with raisins and nuts of some sort.  I did not know what grog was but we figured it made sense that it was rum based as you always heard pirates drank grog and rum was their preferred poison.  It was rather sweet and strong and the raisins were heavily soaked in rum.  I spoke to a couple beside us, asking what they were drinking because I wanted the blue mug their drink was in as a souvenir.  They were drinking Gluhwien, a type of mulled wine to which you could add a shot of liquor.  Fortunately, I was able to trade my clear glass mug for the blue mug I wanted so I left a happy camper with my only souvenir of Berlin.  We headed back to the hotel for a late checkout and because the weather had turned with heavy rains we spent our time in the lounge downloading and sorting pictures.  Our driver for the trip back to the airport was much more informative than the one that we had on our arrival and I only had one tense moment near the airport as he cut across three lanes of traffic to get to the cutoff.

We hope you have enjoyed these blogs on our trip to Berlin and check out our Flickr site:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fredparkins for our photo's.

Stay tuned for Christmas in London later this month.

Auf Wiedersehen for now,

Sandy & Fred

December 1, 2011 - Schloss Charlottenburg

Guten Tag All,  

We had a bit of a lie in this morning before heading off to Schloss Charlottenburg, the largest palace in Germany.  The Palace was originally built as a summer house for Sophie Charlotte wife of Friedrich III, Elector of Brandenburg in what was then the village of Leitzow.  Designed in the Baroque style, it consisted of one wing, two stories and a central copula.  The palace was originally named Leitzenburg by Sophie Charlotte.  The inauguration of the palace was celebrated on 11 July 1699, Frederick's 42nd birthday.  When Sophie Charlotte passed away in 1705 her husband Friedrich now king of Prussia (Friedrich I) renamed the palace Charlottenburg in her honour.  We spent just over four hours exploring the original palace and the new wing that was added 1740.  During WWII the palace suffered extensive damaged, however, has since been reconstructed.  The beautiful gilded work in the rooms are breath taking and the detail in the craftsmanship really needs to be seen to be appreciated.

The picture on the left was taken in the new wing of the palace in the silver room.  After wandering through the old palace and the new wing we headed outside to spend some time walking through the gardens and the Belvedere, a summer residence, built in 1788 and used by Friedrich Wilhelm II.  Today it houses Germany's precious porcelain objects.  While walking there Fred was approached by an elderly man and he started talking to Fred, in German of course, and quickly got very angry.  Fred was somewhat dumbfounded and I quickly said to him English only.  He still continued to rant and waved his arms but does point at Fred and said camera and vroom. We could only surmise that maybe he wanted to take Fred's picture for him.  Sadly the Belvedere was closed, being open only on weekends during the winter, so another one for the to do list next time.

There is a large Christmas market outside the palace, so we spent time wandering around and found it to be more upscale and very much like Gendarmenmarkt market.  There were a number of cloth and paper mach sculptures throughout the market as seen in the picture on the right.

The time flew by and having spent a good five and half hours, we boarded a bus to the the U-Bahn station to get back to the hotel.  Supper this evening was chicken ceasar salad and lemon rosemary chicken to the accompaniment of a bottle of Nero d'Avola.

Auf Wiendersehen,

Sandy & Fred

November 30,2011- The Long Walk in Berlin

Guten Tag All,

We were up and out early as we had planned a full day and wanted to get in at least five of Berlin's best known attractions.  The trail Fred had planned took us along were the Berlin Wall used to be before it was torn down in 1989.  Our first stop was "Checkpoint Charlie" which was a 10 minute walk from our hotel.  This checkpoint was an iconic symbol in the Cold War.  While here I was approached for directions by a women who talks very rapidly in German.  I smiled and replied sorry English.  She excused herself and walked off; I am sure that if she had asked the two men at the checkpoint they could have helped her.

As you may or may not know after WWII the allied powers (The Americans, British, French and the Soviet Union) divided Germany into four different sections.  This was also done in the capitol, Berlin. However, relationships quickly disintegrated and the East became ruled by the communists while the west was ruled by the three remaining allies.  The Communists, however, had a great deal of trouble preventing people leaving and by 1961 2.5 million had escaped.  In August 12 -13 1961 the wall was erected between the east and west to prevent further migration.  The wall itself followed a very zig-zag route because of how the city was divided after the war. It covered over 100 miles and in its 28 year period the wall went through many transformations for it to be a more formidable structure.  The "Wall" was actually two walls with a no-man's land of a few metres to a hundred metres between them.  The no-man's land was of course well lit and patrolled by the East Germans who had  a shoot to kill policy for anyone trying to escape to the West.  Between 100 - 200 East Berliners died trying to escape to the West.  Just as suddenly as the wall went up it came down on November 9, 1989.  The majority of the wall has been torn down but there are a few sections that have been left as a monument to that period of history.  The picture on the upper right is of a section of the wall that has been preserved and is also the site of the Topography of Terror a museum in the area that once housed the Gestapo and Nazi SS headquarters.  As well, in order to preserve just how extensive the wall was, markers by way of a double row of cobblestone are embedded in the roads.

After visiting the museum, we continued our walk to Potsdamer Platz and its Christmas Market.  We were rather disappointed as it was cheesy compared the Gendarmenmarkt market that we visited on our first night.  It was a lot of food stalls and the crafts on sale were somewhat downscale.  The market does have a huge snow slide that you can tube down should you so desire and the kids seem to enjoy it. While at the market Fred is approached and asked if he speaks English.  He responded "I speak it very well" and they proceeded to ask him directions.  LOL, you would think that with a camera around his neck it would be a pretty good indicator that he was a tourist as well.  We continued on, passing the Canadian and US Embassies, and a large memorial to the Holocaust.  The memorial is row upon row of square granite or marble stone.  To view pictures of the memorial visit our Flickr site (www.flickr.com/photos/fredparkins) or my Facebook account.

Continuing on we arrived at Berlin's best known landmark the Brandenburger Tor.  The Gate was built between 1789 - 91 by Carl G Langhans and was modeled on the

temple portico's of ancient Athens.  The Gate was behind the Wall in East Berlin during the Cold War and was not maintained as a result in 2002 it was part of a restoration project.  While taking pictures and wandering around the Pariser Platz there were a number of buskers in uniforms of the various militia that have passed through the gate over its history.  There was also the shortest and stockiest Darth Vader we have ever seen, if he reached 4 feet in height I think that would be a stretch.

We continued on a relatively short distance and came to the Reichstag, the official seat of the Bundestag the German parliament.  The building was originally erected in 1884 - 94 by Paul Wallot and was destroyed by arson in 1933 and bombed during WWII.  In 1994 - 99 British architect Sir Norman Foster transformed it into one of the most modern parliamentary buildings in the world. We had hoped to go inside but were advised that we had to go online to book an appointment in order to get in.  They wanted 48 hours lead time in order to complete a background check on you.  That will have to go on  the to do list for a future visit.  Across the street from the Reichstag there was a Memorial for the Victims of the Wall.  The wall ran only a few steps away from this spot.  One cross commemorates 18yr old Chris Geoffrey who was shot and left to bleed to death on February 5 1989.  In addition, there was a cross with the inscription "Nothing is Forgotten or Forgiven" in honour of Gustav Rust who was a political prisoner because of his writings during this period.

We continued onward to Kaiser-Wilhem Christmas Market and on the way came across Siegessaule, the Victory Column.  This is a memorial to Prussian victories over Denmark, Austria and France in the 1800's.  The friezes around the base of the column depicted the victories over the French.  At the end of WWII the French hoisted their flag on the column and declared victory and in 1946 they petitioned the Allied Powers to have the monument destroyed but were vetoed.  So they took the granite friezes that depicted the Prussian victories over the French to Paris.  On the 750th anniversary of Berlin as a show of reconciliation France returned the granite friezes but mysteriously some parts where missing so some of the panels depicting the war are not complete.  Fred's comment when we read this was "Typical French!"

We continued on making our way to Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Christmas Market.  As we neared the market a lady approached us and starts talking rapidly in German.  I quickly say sorry we only speak English.  She apologizes and spoke very clearly in English that up ahead we were about to see the world's ugliest Christmas Tree and hoped we enjoyed our visit.  I am thinking that maybe my heavy furry jacket from Canada makes people think we are German as I am more appropriately dressed for the cold than some of the tourists we have seen, but who knows.  This market was much nicer than the one at Potsdamer Platz, with a good mix of food and craft stalls though still not up to the level of the Gendarmenmarkt market.  We wandered around for a bit looking for the Church which was bombed and heavily damaged during the war.  It was completely covered as the exterior was under restoration to make it safer to visit.  As a result we almost missed it, but I went through a somewhat hidden door and discovered the remains of a section of the church that was still open to the public.  The picture on the upper right really does not do it justice.  The remaining mosaics and structure were outstanding, additional pictures can be viewed on our Flickr site or my Facebook.  Due to the dangerous condition the remainder of the church was in we only had access to this one large room.  We also visited the new Kaiser-Wilhelm - Gedachtpis Kirche.  The deep blue stained glass is absolutely beautiful and made up the whole front of the church with a large golden statue of Christ at the altar.  We stopped in the market and grabbed a bratwurst.  Now I must admit I thought I knew what bratwurst was but turned out it was not the fat sausage I thought it was but more like a foot long wiener.  Tasty and messy to eat as they put it in a kaiser bun that leaves most of the meat exposed and I managed to get mustard all over myself.  We now headed back towards the Zoologischer Garten to take the subway (U-Bahn) back to the hotel as we had now been walking for six hours.  We found the station (according to our map lines 1, 2 and 9 pass through it) and we know we need to take line 2.  The signage doesn't show line 2, only lines 1, 12 and 9.   At our wits end and flustered (there was no attendant) we decided to just leave and started walking back to the hotel.  Outside the station, quite by chance we came across an information booth for the transit system and asked how to get to Spittalmarkt the stop nearest our hotel.  It turns out line 2 is under refurbishment and line 12 is a temporary replacement.  He gave us written directions and sold us our tickets.  I thanked him very much and let him know what a life saver he was explaining that we had walked from Spittalmarkt to which he asked if we realized how far that was and proceeded to explain to his workmates in German probably something to the effect that we were crazy to have walked that distance.  I replied it was a good way to take in all the sites and thanked him again.  Once you know what line replaced the one we needed the trip back was quick and easy.  I must say once Fred figured out the distance in miles I was surprised.  For six hours of walking we only covered 6 miles.  Our bodies certainly told us a different story at the end of the day.  We elected to have supper in the hotel and come across the most miserable person in the restaurant.  She accused the waitress of messing up her order, eats the meal then insists she will not pay.  I heard what she ordered as her voice was extremely harsh, loud and she made a big deal about getting the dressing on the side not in the salad. She got what she ordered but as you know it takes all kinds.

I did make a point of letting the waitress know she did not screw up the order and her supervisor comes and thanked us.  We ave enjoyed a very full day and took in a lot of sites.  Tomorrow we are using the transit system to go to Schloss Charlottenburg and also to have a bit of a later start.

Aud Wiedersehen,

Sandy & Fred

November 29, 2011- Berlin Germany

Guten Tag All,           

We headed off to Berlin, Germany from Liverpool John Lennon Airport.  This was our first time leaving from this airport and it turned out our neighbour from number 8 works for easyJet, the company we were flying on, so we got bumped up to priority boarding.  Nice to know people especially when there is no seat assignments as it's first come first served.  It was a short flight of one hour and forty five minutes to Berlin.  At customs I was asked a number of questions as I have a Canadian Passport but we were through in no time.  Our ride from the airport to the hotel provided me with some Holy Shit moments as the driver seemed to race, then brake at the last moment in very heavy traffic.  He was also talking on the phone while driving which we were not sure whether or not this was legal.

Once we settled into our room Fred tried to sort out where the nearest Christmas Market was.  I wondered why he couldn't just ask at the front desk but he was determined to sort it out.  Finally, he asked and we were given a map with more details than the one we were given by our limo driver.  It was very different trying to get your bearings at night versus in daylight.  It turned out we were only a 10 minute walk from the Gendarmenmarkt Christmas Market.  There was a small fee of one Euro to enter it and it was well worth the fee.  The market was very busy and the atmosphere wonderful.  We took in all the sights and enjoyed a pizza that was baked in a wood burning oven.  We thought the cheese was a goat cheese but were not sure other than the fact it was not mozzarella.  We stopped and watched a Cirque Circus type act on a stage that had been erected by the theatre.  It was cold night and as Fred was getting chilled we headed back to the hotel after a couple of hours.

We enjoyed a drink in the hotel bar.  Fred had a Berliner Pilsner beer and I had a glass of Nero d'Avola with the best bruchetta we have had in some time, while planning our first full day in Berlin.



Bis morgen,

Sandy & Fred

Sept 29-30, 2011 - Liverpool Last Two Days

Hi Ya All,

Where has the time gone, it's our last two days with the Jonathan and Amy. After a relaxing night and a bit of a lie in, Fred and Jonathan headed to Anfield to tour Liverpool Football Grounds and Museum.  Amy and I headed into town to check out the shops.  The tour for the guys was a good 3 hours. Amy and I finished shopping and headed to the Albert Dock and the Pumphouse Pub for a drink.  We shared a bottle of wine while waiting for the guys to arrive.  After their tour they went to the Sandon Pub, which was the birth place of Liverpool away back in 1892 for a pint.  They finally arrived at the Pumphouse, had another pint as we were finishing our wine before we headed back to the flat for supper and a relaxing night.  Jonathan, I think felt the need to wind down somewhat before heading home as they had been constantly on the go since they arrived.

For our last day we headed back into town to do the museums which Jonathan wanted to explore.  Our first stop is the New Liverpool Museum.  The museum was not complete but we visited the floors that were open.  The Liverbird on the left corner was on the top floor.  The museum itself is dedicated to a history of Liverpool and how it and the people developed.  Once we had explored all the open floors we headed off to the Pumphouse Pub for lunch.  The kids had fish and chips with Amy finally getting decent English fish and chips, I had crispy hosin duck wrap and Fred had a steak sandwich, with beers and ciders all around.  After lunch we headed into the Maritime Museum. This museum brings the city's seafaring heritage to life.  The museums collections reflect the international importance of Liverpool as a gateway to the world, including its role in the transatlantic slave trade, emigration, the merchant navy and RMS Titanic/Luisitania.  We spent about two hours with in the museum before heading back home and our final meal.  It has been a very busy two weeks with Jonathan and Amy and I am sure they will need a vacation from this trip.  We have not showed them everything we wanted or for me to even make some of the meals I had planned.  Two weeks was just not enough time but we have thoroughly enjoyed our time with them.  Sadly they are off to the airport tomorrow and on their way home but Jonathan is armed with all the documents he needs to get his British Passport.  For more pictures check out our Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/fredparkins/.  Fred still has to post pictures though.                                                                                            

Ta Ra,

Sandy & Fred

Sept 27-28, 2011 - Edinburgh

Haileo All,

We are up early and headed to Mark's place to pick up Jonathan and Amy and then headed off to Edinburgh.  The trip was about three hours from Marks, stopping at Gretna Green.  It had been 34 years since Fred and I visited here and it certainly had changed.  When we were last here it was just the quaint blacksmith shop where couples have come to get married since 1753.  The blacksmith shop was built around 1712 and the hall in 1710 and it became a tourist attraction as early as 1887.  It is now a very commercial site with new shops, restaurants, a cafe and a small food market all built around the original blacksmith shop and hall.  It is rather a shame as it has now lost its quaint appeal all in the name of tourism.  We grabbed tea's, coffee, shortbread and a sandwich for Jonathan before carrying on to Edinburgh.  We checked in at the Marriott Dalmahoy  Golf and Country Club, which is in the middle of nowhere according to Jonathan, who I suspect thought we would be right in Edinburgh.  Once we had checked in we drove to the park and ride to get the bus into Edinburgh.  We have booked a tour of the Edinburgh Vaults, which was another site that Jonathan had a

great interest in exploring.  These vaults are located under South Bridge and were once used as shops, pubs, brothels and storage areas.  However, the dampness ruined items stored forcing the merchants out and the seedy illegal side moved in.  It was also thought that the notorious body snatchers Burke and Hare stored cadavers here before selling them to the nearby hospital.  The picture on the left is one such storage area.  The vaults were eventually closed up to get rid of the unwanted homeless and illicit trade that took place.  Two hundred years later the vaults were discovered and after an archeological dig they were once again opened up as a tourist attraction.
Once the tour was finished we headed down to the bottom of North Bridge and Princess Street so Jonathan and Amy can meet up with a friend from Vancouver, Adam who now works in Edinburgh and lives as it turns out close by to the Marriott.  Greetings done the kids headed off to spend an evening with Adam and his wife while Fred and I continued to explore on our own.  We headed back to the Royal Mile to take more photos as the earlier crowds had now dispersed and went into St Giles Cathedral also known as The High Kirk of Edinburgh, it is the Mother Church of Presbyterianism and contains the Chapel of the Order of the Thistle (Scotland's chivalric company of knights headed by the Queen).  The church has been a religious focal point for over 900 years.  The present church dates from the late 14th century and underwent extensive restoration in the 19th century.  It also is not a cathedral in the formal sense as The Church of Scotland has not had bishops, diocese or cathedrals for most of its post-reformation history.  High Kirk, is an older recognized title that was in place before the church was a cathedral for two  short periods in the 17th century.  The picture on the
right is the front of St Giles.  Fred paid 2 pounds to purchase a photography permit for inside the cathedral and the gentleman on the desk suggested that we head to Thistle Chapel first as we were near closing time and the Chapel is closed first. This chapel was built in 1911 and though small the carvings and painted fittings are very detailed.  The chapel is the place of worship for the knights of the Order of The Thistle founded by King James VII in 1687 and consists of the monarch and 16 knights.
Exploring and photos done we headed up the Royal Mile to the Castle to see if we can get any shots of it lit up.  With this completed we headed back to the hotel, had a late supper then hit the sack.

We met Jonathan and Amy for breakfast, checked out then headed back into Edinburgh to tour Edinburgh Castle.  The picture at the very top is a panoramic view Jonathan made of Edinburgh from the Castle walls.  We last visited the castle 34 years ago and to be honest I really did not remember a lot of what was open back then so this was like a first visit for me as well. There are 26 different areas to explore and we spent a good two hours exploring and taking photos.  As it was now mid afternoon we headed down the Royal Mile which is so named as it runs between the Castle and the Palace of Holyrood House (the Queens summer residence).  We were not able to visit Holyrood House as the Queen was still in residence.  We stopped for some refreshment at Deacon Brodie's pub before heading back to the park and ride to start our journey back to Liverpool.


Sian leat,

Sandy & Fred

Sept 23-24, 2011 - Off To Liverpool and Game Day

Greetings All,

This morning Jonathan and Amy headed back to Hamleys, as Jonathan wanted to pick up a Lego Christmas Advent Calender for himself.  He then decided that he wanted to go to Harrods so they were a little late in getting back to the flat.  Fred and I stayed at the flat putting things back in order and getting the car packed as we thought we would walk over to the Imperial War Museum after lunch. However, after lunch Jonathan decided we should just head back to Liverpool.  We took secondary roads back as I thought we could take in the Cotswolds so that they could see some of the quaint towns and countryside in the area.  Leaving London turned out to be a disaster due to roadworks and it took us almost two hours to get out of London.  We finally arrived at Burford in the Cotswolds and looked to stop but finding parking late on a Friday afternoon turned out to be mission impossible.  So we took the motorway and made our way back to Liverpool.  We unpacked, sorted clothes for laundry and had a relatively early night.

Up and at 'em early I did one load of laundry then we had lunch before heading off to the Clarence for pre-game drinks with all the guys before heading up to the match.  It has been a habit of the boys to meet at this rather sketchy pub for a couple of pints before heading up to Anfield.  There are five guys, Amy and myself so soon the table was full of drinks.  Jonathan comments that the drinks just keep coming and coming.  The game today is Liverpool vs Wolves and Bryan, Fred's cousin was giving Jonathan and Amy a razing about if the team loses they will not be welcome back.  I said not to worry as Liverpool has not lost any game that I have ever attended.

Jonathan and Amy enjoyed the game and Liverpool won 2-1 with the goals coming from Suarez and some new guy called "Own Goal".  After the match we all met and headed back to our cars.  On the way Bryan told Jonathan that he could come back any time.  I laughed and said my record was still intact.  Once back home and after supper we had a relaxing evening watching TV using Jonathan's PC that was streaming movies from Vancouver that he has.  It is amazing what technology can do when you know how to use it.  Jonathan and Amy had a relatively early night as they were being picked up early by Mark, Fred's second cousin, and his fiancee Rachael the next day as they were heading off to tour Wales and the Lake District for the next two days giving Fred and I a chance to catch our breath.

Ta Ra,

Sandy & Fred

Sept 22, 2011 - London Day 5

Greetings All,      

Today we have a somewhat late morning after a long day in Paris yesterday.
Jonathan and Amy indicated that they wanted to see some shops in London and then Buckingham Palace.  We took the tube to Oxford Circus and the heart of the shopping district.  Amy wanted to check out Liberty which a friend had recommended to her.  The store is high-end but interesting for window shopping.  We then walked along Regent Street with a short detour to check out Carnaby Street which had a lot of construction going on and had changed quite a bit since Fred and I last visited it.  Jonathan and Amy found it disappointing. Back to Regent Street and we stopped in Hamleys, a huge toy store that has seven floors.  Jonathan is like a kid in here.  The models, cars, games and Lego had him mesmerized.  We spent considerable time in here with a small purchase by Amy for Wedge.  From here we continued along the street to Lillywhites.  A store Fred hates just due to the crowds and warehouse type layout with clothes.  This store was one of Fred's Mom's (Amy) favourites.  Jonathan and Amy take to the store and we lose them inside for about a half a hour.

We stopped for lunch at The Imperial Pub near Leicester Square for lunch.  You can see from the picture on the right just how much Jonathan loves having his picture taken.  Once our tummies were full and our thirst quenched we continued our walk to Covent Garden for a visit to the Apple Store.  From here we continued along the Strand to Trafalgar Square.  There was some construction and maintenance work being done in the square so I can finally get a good shot of the Lions without people climbing all over them.  So in some cases construction is a good thing.  I have a quirky thing about people being in my pictures.  Unless I am taking pictures of people, I don't want them there.   Once all photo opportunities are completed we walked down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace.  It was not as busy as it has been on our previous visits, but that could just be of the time of day and year.  Though, we still had to deal with rude people while trying to get pictures of the kids in front of the palace's gates.    

From here we continued our walk all the way back to the flat with a stop at Sainsbury's to get cheese, crackers, some veggies, beer and wine for supper.  Another good seven hours of walking.  Sadly we did not get to everything we wanted to show the kids but time has been a factor.   We are all exhausted and I think Jonathan who likes to walk everywhere is even feeling it.  Tonight we packed up to get ready for our journey back to Liverpool for the kids final week.  This week has just flown by.

Cheers for now,

Sandy & Fred

Sept 21, 2011 - Paris

Bon Jour Mes Amie's,

We were all up early to catch the Eurostar train to gay old Paris.  The journey passed quickly and we were able to purchase tickets for the Metro, Paris' subway system which saved time by eliminating the need to line up once we arrived.  We also enjoyed croissants and orange juice once we were in France. With watches adjusted for the one hour time difference we took the subway to Place Denfert-Rochereau and the Paris Catacombs.  Jonathan had expressed his desire to see this site from when we first started planning their visit and the things that they would like to do.  The line up was long but we waited. The wait in line was almost an hour before we entered the catacombs but it turned out it was well worth it.  The underground tunnels are what remains of stone quarries that were long abandoned and the government of the day was looking for a use for them since 1777.  However, I am getting a bit ahead of myself.  Burial practices changed with the rise of Christianity with the burial of people on the consecrated ground of church yards.  By the 10th century Paris had expanded and took in many of these churches that were once on the outskirts of town.  With the population growth soon only the wealthy could afford to be buried on consecrated ground.  The 12th century brought about a change in how the common people were buried, mass inhumation - bodies buried upon bodies without caskets.  You can imagine the rampant disease that resulted from decaying organic matter that got into the water table and subsequently the wells that the city was dependent on.  It was not until the 18th century that these mass cemeteries were condemned and all burial sites were moved outside the city limits.  Now getting back to the abandoned mine tunnels.  In 1777 Police Lieutenant General  Alexandre Lenoir had the idea to renovate the tunnels and use them as an ossuary.  It was not until April 7 1786 that the remains of the mass graves where moved to the tunnels in a special consecration procession with chanting priests.  The work of moving all the cemeteries was not completed until 1788.  The remains of about six million people are arranged in a somewhat decorative manner along with urns, crosses and other decorations from churchyards.  The site was first opened as a tourist attraction in the early 19th Century and has remained open to the public on a regular basis since 1867.  They were closed for a short time in September 2009 due to vandalism, re-opening in December 2009.

There are also some sculptures that have been carved in the limestone walls that depict the early port and city of Paris and surrounding parishes.  While this may seem creepy to some, we all found it both fascinating and eerie at the same time.  We spent over a hour here exploring the catacombs.

Back into the sunshine we got back on the Metro and headed to Avenue Des Champs Elysees to view the Arc de Triomphe and then walk towards the Eiffel Tower.  The stores on the Champs Elysees are quite exclusive, all having doormen and amazingly people are shopping at them.  Unfortunately for us most stores are well beyond our pocket books.  We stopped for a late lunch at Cafe Le Grande Corona.  I, of course, had escargot as an appetizer followed by a club sandwich, Fred has ham and cheese on a baguette with frites, Jonathan had a chicken curry only because the waiter ordered the wrong meal but he enjoyed it as he said the sauce was rich and buttery and Amy had a sandwhich with frites as well.  Jonathan had a coke and the rest of us shared a bottle of red wine.  It was great sitting outside at a sidewalk cafe in Paris enjoying lunch and good company.  Refreshed together with toilet breaks we continued our walk to the Eiffel Tower.  The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 and is named after its designer Gustave Eiffel.  It has become the most prominent symbol of both Paris and France
It was not as busy as we expected but the lineups for tickets to go up the tower were longer than we liked as we wanted to get to Notre Dame and the Louvre before catching our train back to London. Once photos were taken we headed back to the Metro to catch a train to Notre Dame.

Notre Dame de Paris (French for Our Lady of Paris) is also known as Notre Dame Cathedral.  Construction began in 1163 and was completed in 1345 and is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic Architecture.  It was  among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress (arched exterior supports).  Throughout its history the Cathedral has suffered through periods of desecration and damage from the Huguenots riots (1548), French Revolution (1790) right through to WW II with intervening periods of restoration and maintenance.  It is truly a magnificent structure both inside and out and we spent about a hour admiring it and taking photos.  As we walked along the garden path and river by the Cathedral we over heard some Americans comparing structures in Boston to the Cathedral.  They were going on about how much better the Boston ones were.  It makes you wonder why they bother to travel if things are so much better in the USA.


We continued our walk hoping to get to the Louvre before we have to head back to the train as we are all starting to fade.  We stopped for water and Amy and Jonathan split a chocolate crepe.  We passed some more amazing examples of Gothic architecture before reaching the Louvre.  We were at the back end, however, and did not get to the front that has the arches and iconic glass pyramid.  Time was not kind to us again as there was so much to see but at least the kids got a taste of Paris.  Next time we will take a few days to further explore the historic sites we missed.  We are all exhausted as we took the train back to London for a good nights sleep.

Adieu

Sandy & Fred

Sept 20,2011 - Day 4 - Windsor Castle

Greetings All,


After yesterdays eight plus hours of walking we decided to do a little less walking and headed out to Windsor Castle by car early in the morning.  Fred once again got a concession ticket and is a happy camper.  Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world.  Since our last visit just over a year ago they have opened up the Round Tower to tourists.  After some discussion we signed up for the tour as there are 200 hundred stairs to climb and medical concerns.  The tour has a timed entrance so we had a very short wait before we did the tour.  The stair climb it turns out, is very easy.  The stairs are wide and relatively straight and the upper part to the tower curves gently not at all what we had expected given our experience at the Tower of London.  The views from the top were fairly good given that it was somewhat overcast.  The guides talk is continually interrupted by planes on the way to land at Heathrow as the castle is in its flight path.  I wonder what the Queen hears when she is in residence.

We explored the rest of the castle on our own visiting the State Apartments that house Queen Mary's Doll House.  It's not a child's toy but a large model with working miniatures, lights and running water.  We finished off at St George's Chapel.  Before leaving Fred and I exchanged our entrance tickets for a years pass which is something many of the major sites do so you can visit again.  The kids allow me to get a photo of them outside the castle before we headed into The Horse and Groom Pub situated across the street from the castle for lunch.  Jonathan has fish and chips yet again, Amy has a chicken pot pie, Fred has a steak and ale pie and LOL I can't remember what I had. We walked around the town before heading back to London.  The picture on the left is Market House which was built in 1718.  As you can see it looks just a little crooked we were not sure if it has settled that way over the years or was built that way because it is on a sloping surface.  We had an early night as we must be up and on the 8:00 a.m. Eurostar train to Paris.

Cheerio,

Sandy & Fred

Sept 19, 2011 - Day 3 London & Tower of London

Greetings All,

We started the day early by taking the tube to Old Street station and walking first to the Spitalfield market and then to Tower Hill.  Our walk was a combination of two walks from our London Walks cards.  The first stop was Bunhill Fields a former Dissenter's burial ground.  Three of England's most notable nonconformists are buried at Bunhill Fields.  John Bunyan author of Pilgrims Progress, Daniel Defoe author of Robinson Crusoe and William Blake a poet/painter.  From here we continued to Spitalfield market and the area that is noted for the notorious Jack the Ripper.  As we were waiting for a light to change a truck driver inquired as to where we were from and it turns out he was from Brazil.  As the light changed he wished us a good day and drove off.  We crossed the street and looked into the pub The Ten Bells, which is one of the pubs a couple of the rippers victims drank at the night they were murdered.  After The Ten Bells we continued to The White Hart another pub a victim of the ripper drank at the night they were murdered.  As it was now opening time we opted to have a drink.  The basement of this pub is also noted as being the home to George Chapman who was suspected of being Jack the Ripper.  This was never proved and unfortunately, George was hung in 1903 for poisoning three women.    

Refreshed we continued onto Tower Hill and the Tower of London.  Fred is quite excited as he got to purchase a concession ticket for the first time, which is what they call a senior discount.  We opted to explore the grounds on our own rather then be part of a guided tour with a Yeoman Warder or Beefeater as they are commonly called. Fred and I had done that tour a couple of years ago so we were able to share with Jon and Amy some of the highlights of the Tower.  As we were doing our own exploring we also covered areas that we did not see on our last visit so it was a bonus for us.  The displays in the Tower had also changed except for the Crown Jewels.     The picture above and on the right is of a gargoyle on a wall as we walked along the Wall Walk.  The White Tower houses the armory and the picture on the left is a dragon constructed from various pieces of armaments.  Rifles, pistols, shields, breast plates to name a few.  Very impressive use of armaments from various ages.  We spent a good three and a half hours exploring the Tower grounds before heading out to walk across the famous Tower Bridge as pictured below and on the

right.  Jonathan was not aware that the Americans thought they were purchasing this bridge when they purchased London Bridge.  London Bridge in comparison is just a plain road bridge.  We continued on to the Hayes Gallery and a view of HMS Belfast which is anchored along the Thames Embankment with a view of the Monument to the Great Fire of London (1666).  We stopped in the Borough Market area and looked in Southwark Cathedral.  The building dates from the 13th century when it was a priory church. The church only acquired the status of a Cathedral in1905 when the Anglican Diocese of Southwark was formed.  As we visited we were greeted and asked where we were from.  The gentleman and lady thought I was from somewhere in the Mediterranean due to my complexion.  I laughed and explained nothing so exotic but told them of my heritage and where we were all from and that Fred and I now live in Liverpool.  They were impressed for some reason and we learn that there is a North American Indian buried in the Cathedral's cemetery. We continued on our way, finally hopping on the Tube at Embankment getting off at Victoria Station so that we could do some food shopping before heading back to the flat and relaxing before supper of barbecued chicken, new potatoes, carrots with tarragon, wine, beer and dessert of raspberry cream filled puffs.  Over eight hours of walking and a lot of area covered for our first full day together in London.

Cheerio for now,

Sandy & Fred

Sept 18, 2011 - London Day 2

Greetings All,              

After a good nights rest and breakfast we headed out for a quick tour around Westminster taking in the Parliament Buildings and Westminster Abbey. Jonathan once again graciously allows me a photo op of him and Amy by the Sovereign's entrance to the Parliament Buildings.  Our walk also takes us into the Dean's Yard and we looked into the grounds of the Westminster School.   As it is a Sunday morning it is quiet on the grounds and we see a number of individuals in military dress and ladies dressed in their Sunday best.  It turns out there is a special Memorial Service for the Battle of Britain being held at the Abbey.  There was an Honor Guard at the entrance to the Abbey as well as guards by the Gate.  We headed back to the hotel to check out and then headed to John's flat, our home for the next week.  After being greeted by the pups and settling in, Fred and Jonathan headed off to the football match at Tottenham.  Amy and I headed off to Harrods, Fortnam and Mason and whatever other sites we pass on our journey.  Christmas has arrived in all the major department stores and Harrods is by far the most impressive.  The picture below is of one of the displays in Harrods.

On our way to Fortnam and Mason we visited the Royal Academy which was having an open house.  We went in but tickets were required to view it properly, so we continued on our travels.  We ended up at Piccadilly Circus and Amy could not get over the masses of people that were there.  Next, we headed into China Town to check out what was going on as they were having some sort of festival.  The picture to the right is of one of the decorations in China Town.  We finally decided to head back to the flat to meet up with the boys and see how the game went.  The game it turns out was a disaster with Liverpool losing 4-0 thanks in part to some very dodgy refereeing.  Fred and Jonathan also mention how ghetto the area looked thanks to the riots in August.  We had supper out at Pizza Express which was within walking distance from the flat and had a relatively early night as we wanted to be out early to tackle the sites of London.

Cheerio for now,

Sandy & Fred

Sept 17, 2011 - Kids Arrive

Greetings All,

Our son Jonathan and his wife Amy finally arrived after a 9 month delay.  Their first vacation plans were cancelled due to unforeseen work commitments.  Panic stations set in at the very beginning as we slept through the alarm and woke up at the time we should be leaving. To top it all off Fred checks the flight and it is a half an hour early.  As it turned out all was well, when we arrived at the airport they had not cleared customs/immigration yet.  Fred went to get me a much needed tea and I waited, watching for them to come through the arrival gates.  I missed them coming through as all of a sudden Jonathan was in front of me.  We both start to well up but after hugs and kisses all around we pulled ourselves together. It turns out they sat on the runway for half hour as there was no where for them to disembark.  It could only happen in Manchester at 8:00 a.m.  We headed to Liverpool to allow the kids time to freshen up and repack what they needed for a week in London.

After a short break we headed to London arriving at the Marriott, County Hall where we stayed for the night before heading to John's flat which will be home for the week as he and Adrienne with the pups were heading off to France.  The picture at the top is the view from our room at the Marriott.

Once we were settled in we headed out along the South Bank (a promenade along the Thames River) to check out what was going on and for the kids a much needed stretch of the legs after sitting in a plane for 9 1/2 hours and then a car for 4 hours.  We stopped at a pub called Doggetts and Jonathan enjoyed his first pint with his Dad (Doom Bar) while Amy and I have a cider.  We also had supper at Doggetts with Fred, Jonathan and Amy having good old traditional fish and chips and I had a chicken burger.  With tummies full we continued our walk crossing the river at The Blackfriars Bridge and headed along the other side back towards the hotel.  As we walked along it turns dark. 
The picture at the bottom right side is the view of our hotel and the London Eye from across the river.  The kids were starting to fade as they had been up for over 24 hours.  We had one last stop to get a photos of the Parliament Buildings lit up.  Jonathan hates his picture being taken but cooperated with me so I can get a photo of him and
and Amy before we returned to the hotel and they finally get to bed for some much needed sleep.

Bye for Now,

Sandy & Fred

Festivals in Liverpool

Hi Ya All,

The end of August and beginning of September marks the beginning of festivals in Liverpool.  The last weekend of August is the Mathew Street Music Festival and this is our third year of attending.  Some of the tribute/cover band music is dedicated to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Skiffle music of Liverpool.

This year we planned ahead our attack of the venues we wished to see.  The music on Sunday was Abba, Beach Boys, Bee Gees, and Skiffle music of Lonnie Donnegan.  The picture on the right is me with Kyle and Paul, two young kids who enjoyed the Bee Gee's and I who danced with in the street. The atmosphere is very laid back and enjoyable as all ages mixed together to celebrate music.  We spent a full six hours at the festival with a short rest at the Pump House pub in the docklands between venue's for a most enjoyable day.  We did not attend the second day of the festival as the weather took a turn for the worse (read rain) but again enjoyed the festival.


Next festival was the Food and Drink Festival which was held in Sefton Park.  This was our first year of attending the festival and the first time they had it over two days.  We attended on the first day and arrived early in the morning which was good as we got to cover the grounds without the masses of people that arrived later in the day.  The giveaways are numerous and the best was at the Peacock, a restaurant promoting Cuban food and drink. They were giving away lamb-burgers, hamburgers and jerk chicken. We partook of these giveaways and I had a nice mojito and a Red Stripe beer for Fred.  We wandered around and purchased sausage, cheese, pita chips, bread and sample what was offered.  The most unusual was deep fried jam butties.  We left with our purchases very satisfied with our day out.

The last festival we attended was the River Festival.  This was a week long series of events at the Pier Head.  It started off with the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth on the Thursday.

The ship arrived early and left at 10:00 p.m.  We went into town to see it leave and the fire works display.  We were amazed at the number of people that turned out and were at first disappointed with the fire works, only seeing a few and think how disappointing and that we were at the wrong spot on the pier and started to leave.  It turned out we were so wrong.  The fireworks didn't really start until the ship has pulled way from the dock, so we ended up turning around and headed back to get some amazing shots.  We headed into town and stopped at The Lady of Mann Pub for a nightcap before heading home.  We attended the Festival again on Saturday with Bryan, Fred's cousin and his wife Alyson.  We have a great lunch at Jamie's Italian then visited the docks to check out the Tall Ships, Arts &Crafts, and Racing Boats.  The docks area are a crush of people with a lot happening all along the dockland area. The last day of the Festival was haircut day for Fred so we checked out the Queen Mary 2 that had arrived in and had a leisurely lunch at La Tasca one of our favourite restaurants.  There is another festival which we will miss The Hope Street Festival.  It celebrates Food, Entertainment and Restaurants in the area but for good reason as we will be  enjoying London with our son Jonathan and his wife Amy who finally get to enjoy their wedding gift from us.

Stay tuned for our adventures with them.

Ta Ra,

Sandy & Fred

August 18, 2011 - Our 38th Anniversary Day

Greetings All,


The weather made the decision as to how we would spend our day.  It was raining quite hard so we went to visit a couple of National Trust properties in the area.  Our first stop was Snowshill Manor and Garden. It was the home of Charles Wade who embodied his family motto "Let Nothing Perish".  He collected objects, both everyday and extraordinary, because of their craftsmanship, colour or design. Mr Wade did not live in the manor but used it to display his collection.  The manor holds over 22,000 items from the tiniest of toys to Samurai armour.  Fred thought I collected a lot of items with my plates, thimbles, spoons and prints.  Items are displayed somewhat theatrically as per Mr Wade's instructions.  The picture above and on the left is a wall clock that actually works and tells very accurate time.  The picture above and on the right is a small portion of the "wheels" room and shown in the display is a Penny Farthing Bike.  Wade in addition to being an avid collector was also a talented painter and model maker.  In accordance with Wade's request, nothing is labeled and the lighting is kept low creating a sense of mystery.  As the manor house was used to display his collection, he lived next door in what was once the Priest's House in very humble conditions compared to the Manor.

After almost three hours we headed off to Chastleton House located just outside Morton-in-Marsh.  The house was originally built for Walter Jones.  Like many "new men" of the early 17th Century Jones invested his fortune in land.  He purchased the estate in 1604 from Robert Catesby who was the mastermind of the Gunpowder Plot, and demolished the house.  Between 1607-1612 he built another in the most advanced style: tall, compact and outwardly symmetrical.  Unlike other country homes the house is not at the end of a long drive but overlooks the village street.  In 1633 a year after Mr Jones died an inventory was taken of his possessions, some of which are still in the house today.  His descendants were content to live quietly in this isolated area and had neither the money nor the inclination to modernize the house.  In the late 18th and early 19th centuries much needed repairs were carried out.  Between 1828-53 the house enjoyed a brief renaissance with the infusion of funds from a distant cousin.  Money became increasingly short and parts of the house were tenanted for a part of the early 20th century.  The family tried valiantly to maintain the house until 1991.  The lady living there in 1991 only used two room of this great house. What makes this house so unique is that the it is a true representation of a 17th century home as no modernization has been carried out.  Pictures were not allowed in the house due to fragile nature of the interior.

We headed back to the hotel for what we thought would be a steak dinner in the bar as advertised on the website.  However, they were not offering it so we decided to have dinner in the restaurant.  We had not made a reservation, but they did accommodate us with an 8:00 p.m. sitting.  We were asked to go to the bar and told the bar staff would give us a snack and menus to peruse.  Fred had a pint of bitter and I had a glass of wine.  The snack was olives and some type of peppers that have been marinated.  We had just had a nibble of an olive when the restaurant manager says he can sit us earlier should we wish.  Off we went to enjoy a delicious meal.  A mushroom soup was enjoyed as a chefs surprise before our appetizers.  Fred had lobster consume with a wasabi wonton and I had a tomato salad.  Our mains were chicken with lentils for me and duet of pork for Fred.  Dessert was a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream for Fred and I had the chocolate fondant wit orange ice cream.

All of this was accompanied with a bottle of Etchart Malbec.

Who would have thought 38 years ago that we would be living in the UK and celebrating our anniversary in the Cotwolds.  Not us, but we are certainly enjoying our life to the fullest.

Cheers All,

Sandy & Fred

August 17, 2011- The Bear of Rodborough

Greetings All,

Today, we headed off to the Cotswolds to celebrate our 38th Wedding Anniversary on a special, two nights for the price of one.  The drive south is relaxing for the most part as we stayed off the motorway.  We were a little disappointed when we arrived as the hotel's location is somewhat isolated, being a couple of miles outside of the town of Stroud.  It is 600 ft above sea level and located between two commons (Rodborough and Minchinhampton).  The hotel was originally constructed in the 17th century as an Ale House and derived it's name from the bear baiting activities that took place nearby.  It was conveniently located on the main coaching route from Gloucester to London.  The valley below was difficult to negotiate as it was either swampy or muddy and the climb up to the common was very steep.  Horses would be changed at the Bear while customers enjoyed refreshment before moving on to their final destination.  The following inscription is carved in the beam over the entrance, "Through this wide opening gate none come too early, none return too late."  It is believed to have been designed and carved by Eric Gill who was famous for his type setting.  In 1925-26 the hotel was enlarged to what we see today.  Our room is a good size though a bit tired and could use some refurbishment.

Cattle roam freely on the two commons between May and October, as a result cattle grids are in front of most properties to keep the cattle out.  After we settled in and had some refreshment in the pub we headed out to explore the Common.

A Common dates from medieval times and is a parcel of land with its use being open to all people unconnected with ownership or tenure of land.  In this case it is pasture for the cattle.  There was cow poop everywhere so we knew the cows truly wander anywhere they pleased.  We came across a large number of wild blackberries and Brianagh came immediately to mind.  She would have had a feast on the berries.

It started to rain so we headed back to our room to enjoy a glass of wine, snacks and relax before supper which we ate in the bar.  The portions are very generous, I can't finish my meal and Fred struggled with his.  Tomorrow, depending on the weather as the forecast is not promising,  we are going to either exploring some of the villages or National Trust Sites.


Ta Ra,

Sandy & Fred