August 28-30,2019 - Mini Break Lincoln UK

Greetings All,

After a stressful seven months for Fred and myself due to illness we are back to some travel and take a mini break to Lincoln taking advantage of point we have collected thru Mecure Hotel chain. Two nights allow us to see some National Trust sites we have not explored. On our way to Lincoln we stop at The Workhouse, Southwell. Built in 1824 and was the prototype of the 19th century workhouse. It was a sanctuary of sorts of the destitute . Families
come to the workhouse and where separated into segregated groups. Men, women and children. Residents were given shelter, clothes and food. They were expected to find work and better themselves if at all possible. There was no separation for the mentally ill or infirm and the conditions to us seem rather cruel, separating families and having them work for food, clothing and shelter. However the alternative in the time was probably far worse. The workhouse was in use right up to the 1980's where it was used to provide temporary shelter for women with children. The picture on the right is of the communal kitchen that was set up in the room that families would share in 1960. It is unbelievable to us that this would still be needed at this time. Now the property of The National Trust it is the best preserved workhouse in England.
We have supper at the Swanholme Tavern Pub. We are lucky to get a table as the place is extremely busy. Our waitress Abbey in amazing as she is run off her feet serving tables and yet finds time to ensure everything is all right and if we require anything else. The food is very good and arrives in a timely manner considering how busy it is. Fully satisfied we head back to the hotel for a nights rest before setting off to explore more sites.

Aug 29th we head out to explore two sites. Our first stop is Tattershall Castle was originally a fortified manor house built by Robert de Tattershall in 1231. This was largely rebuilt in brick and greatly expanded by Ralph 3rd Lord Cromwell, Treasurer of England between 1430 and 1450. Brink castles were less common in England and were chosen for their aesthetic appeal or because it was fashionable. 700,000 bricks were used in the building of the castle but all that remains today is the tower and moat. A large amount of the destruction happened during the civil war. After 200 years of abandonment and ruin the castle was saved from demolition and restored to its current state by Lord Curzon between 1911-1914. He left it to the National Trust on his death in 1925 and remains one of the 3 most important brick castles of the mid 15th century. We are able to explore all the floors of the castle except the very top turrets which were closed for renovation. The stairs were nice and wide and gradually went up unlike some narrow steep steps we have experience in other castles.  More pictures are available on my Facebook wall.

Our next stop is Belton House a Grade I listed country house built
between 1685 and 1688 by Sir John Brownlow,3rd Baronet. It has been described as a typical English country house. It remained in the Brownlow family until 1984 when it was donated to The National Trust. The use and design of the interior rooms changed over the generations.

The house also had its own Chapel on the main floor for the family and servant's to worship on the Lord's Day. We spend a good couple of hours exploring the house and gardens . The grounds are quite extensive but we only due the immediate gardens attached to the house and the Orangery. The grounds have a circular walk of 3 kilometres that take in the gardens ,pleasure grounds and lake however we just do the gardens as it now late in the day and the sky looks threatening.  Once again check out my Facebook wall for further  pictures.

Aug 30 we head home with a stop at Hardwick Hall a Elizabethan Country House built between 1590 and 1597 for Bess of Hardwick .

Bess was the richest women in England at the time after Queen Elizabeth I,  growing in wealth thru 4 marriages. I found her history very intriguing as she was described as shrewd, manly especially by her fourth husband the Earl of Shrewsbury . The were estranged for most of the marriage until his death n 1590. She remained one of the richest and powerful women in England until her death at the age of 81 in 1608. The hall is home to some beautiful tapestries that Bess herself worked on with Mary Queen of Scots .

Pictured on the left is a Appliqué Embroidery from 1573.

The Hall remained in the family until 1950 when the unexpected death of the 10th Duke of Devonshire. Properties were handed over the The
National Treasury in lieu of death taxes. The Duchess of Devonshire the widow of the 9th Duke was living at Hardwick and remained so until her death in 1960 where she did much tp preserve the tapestries and conservation on the house itself. The treasury handed over the house to The National Trust in 1959 . We continued our trip via backroads home until we hit Manchester where the traffic is one massive traffic jam. Pictures of rooms and furniture of Hardwick Hall are on my Facebook wall.

Till our next adventure,

Sandy & Fred

April 15-17,2019 - Bruton , Somerset

Greetings All,

We are off on a mini break celebrating Fred's birthday and using a gift certificate we got for John & Adrienne for Christmas and decided to use it on The Chapel a converted chapel in the village of Bruton. We are taking advantage of a 2 for 1 night offer so getting the most out of our gift. Our room is amazing the ensuite has a large walk in shower, a tub that will fit two and heated floor.

Our room also has a lovely stained glass window. Pictured on the right is a view of the dining room /bar taken from the gallery that would have been the main part of the chapel .  We have a very enjoyable meal to celebrate, a tasty Valpolicella Ripasso, I have Bag borough goat curd beetroot orange and walnut salad as a starter and chargrilled castle mead farm chicken,lemon and thyme aoli with chips. Fred has Laverstoke Park farm mozzarella, heritage tomato ,red onion salad and Style House farm ribeye steak with peppercorn sauce and chips . They also bring Fred  a birthday treat at least they did not sing.

We have decided to explore National trust sites in the area and our first stop of the day is Montacute House which is about a 45 minute drive from our hotel. Montacute is a late Elizabethan mason and a good example of the architecture that was moving away from medieval Gothic to Renaissance Classical. Built in about 1598 by Sir Edward Phelps

 Master of the Rolls and prosecutor during the trails of the Gunpowder plotters.It is a three story mansion made of local Ham Hill stone by a unknown architect. His ambition with the house was to advertise his lofty position in  Elizabeth I's Parliament and his overall wealth and success. It was occupied by Phelps descendants  right up to the early 20th century and then was let out to Lord Curzon. It became property of the National trust in 1927.

The long gallery as pictured on the right is 172 ft and spans the whole upper floor. It is long longest surviving long hall in England.
We are quite fortunate as the rooms off the long gallery display part of The National Gallery 16th and early 17th century portraits .
The gardens outside were fully completed in 1667. Beyond the formal gardens there are a further 260 acres of parkland. We see sheep roaming with a number of lambs. I am able to get a closeup

of mom and her baby with my long lens. Phelps also had saying carved in stone over a number of entrances to the house. My favourite is "Through this wide opening Gate None come too Early none Return too Late "Check out my Facebook wall to see more picture taken in Montacute House.

Our next stop is Tintinhull Garden which is only a 5 minute drive away from the house. The gardens were created by Phyllis Reiss in 1933 around a 17th century manor house. The gardens divided into rooms by hedges or small wall. The gardens were disappointing for us as there was no entrance to the house and being so early in the season next to nothing was in bloom. There are a number of water features but they are rather plain and boring. We spend maybe 15 minutes here before heading off to our last site for the day.

Stourhead is a 2650 acre estate set at the source of the River Stour.
We walk thru the main gates and head up to the house after having a bit at the NT cafe. Pictured on the right is 600 year old Black chestnut trees. While the land had been occupied for 500 years prior to the now owners of the estate it is the Hoare family that inspired everything we see today. The now existing manor was built between 1721 and 1725. Henry the Good died before the house was

completed and it was his son Henry Hoare II that is responsible for what we see today. His works of art he collected while on Grand Tour of Europe where the inspiration both inside and out. His ambitious achievements earned him the nickname Henry the Magnificent.  It should be noted that Stourhead is only half owned by NT as descendants of Hoare family still live at the mansion. Audrey Hoare is the 7th great granddaughter of Good Henry and is in residence when we visit.There are 10 rooms in all that are available for exploration each with its own unique theme based on Henry II's collections. The cabinet room is one of the most impressive rooms. Pictured on the right is a 16th century Pope's Cabinet
purchased by Henry the Magnificent. Colt Hoare sized his grandfathers cabinet so highly that he remodelled the room with the help of Thomas Chippendale the Younger so that the cabinet became the centre piece of the room. The cabinet itself is a series of drawers visible and hidden . The family discovered a series of miniature portraits inside the cabinet when the room was remodelled . These include a Pope and other official looking dignitaries. Check out my FB wall to see more pictures of the rooms we explored. We explore only a very small portion of the grounds as it is getting late in the day. There are a number of monuments that reflect Henry the Magnificent's travels around Europe . A temple of Flora, A Pantheon, water features and St Peter's Church. We definitely will return to do the grounds alone as it will take a good day to explore everything .

We return to the hotel and enjoy our complimentary glass of prosecco and then I have the best Bloody Mary I have had in a very long time. Their twist on the drink is that is contains fresh horseradish. They also give you freshly made veggie chips which are a nice touch. Our dinner is pizza from the wood stove ovens,I have pharma ham and rocket and Fred enjoys chorizo and mozzarella . We both have dessert Fred a rhubarb panacotta with almond crumble and I have a lemon mint sorbet. Our mini break has been wonderful. We take the road less travelled  and pass more golden fields of what I think is Rapseed.



Ta ra till our next adventure.

Sandy & Fred

March 7-8,2019 - Cardiff

Itchy Da All,

We are off to Cardiff to extend our get away for 2 more nights. It is a relatively short drive of a couple of hours. The drive up is very pretty with the Severn River on the left side of our car a lot of the way. We are booked into The Marriott which is right in the centre of the city. We arrive about 2PM and our room is ready. Once settled in we head out to explore  the area around our home away from home for the next two nights. We come
a statue of John Batchelor who was a prominent Liberal politician  and later the Mayor of Cardiff and campaigned against slavery. His political views brought him into conflict with Butes who has substantial land holdings in Cardiff including Cardiff Castle. His conflict lead to the downfall of his ship building business.
Our walk takes us down to the Castle which we will visit tomorrow and past a number of Arcades and a large market. We wonder thru the market while late in the afternoon still has a lot of produce available. We come across a bakery who is making Welsh cakes. They look a bit like scones only flat.We decide we will purchase some to take home  when we leave. There is also a large mall

within 2 minutes from the hotel and my sciatica is acting up big time so we hunt down the drug store so I can get some pain killers as I managed to leave them on the counter at home when I was sorting out our meds.We stop at a local pub for some liquid refreshment before we head back to the hotel to chill and have our diner in the executive lounge rather the go out for dinner. Pictured on the right is one of the arcades we have walked by earlier in the afternoon. The arcades are Edwardian,Victorian and have some lovely little boutiques and tea rooms .

We have a bit of a lie in and after breakfast head down to Cardiff Castle. Fred had brought our entrance tickets online and where good for anytime during the day. As they are calling for rain later in the day we do the castle first thing in the morning.

Caerdydd is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion. The original motte and bailey caste was built in the late 10th century by the Norman invaders on top of a 3rd century roman fort. The castle was commissioned by either William the Conqueror or Robert Fitzhamon. In the 12th century the castle was rebuilt using stone. The castle continued to be involved in conflicts between the Anglo-Normans and Welsh. Following the War of the Roses the castle declined in military
significance . During the English Civil War the castle was taken over by a Parliamentary force but was regained by Royalists in 1645. The caste escaped destruction due to the threat of invasion for the Scots in the North.
The last owner of the castle was the 1st Marquess of Bute did extensive renovations to the grounds and keep with the intention of giving it to his son as a place of residence. Real restoration and new building did not happen until the 19th century with major work being started in 1868 with the bolding of the clock tower and the refurbishment of the apartments in the gothic style. It is the results of these renovations that we explore today.

Pictured on the left is the walls and ceiling of the great hall. We did not take the guided tour while we in the apartments of the castle as we like to take our time when we explore so we do not get to see the bedrooms . We come across a tour group and they have less then 5 minutes in a room so while we miss out on some of the rooms we can spend as much time as we please in the rooms we explore.

Pictured on the right is one of the stairways  that leads up to parts of the castle we cannot see. The castle is still used for cultural and  social events and is now owned by the city of Cardiff. A point of interest that is more recent in military conflicts is that the out castle walls were used as bomb shelters during WWII. The space in the walls could accommodate up to 1800 people along with wardens . From the apartments we explore the museum attached to the castle that is a joint regimental museum of the Queens Royal Dragoons and the Royal Welsh. We have a bit of fun here as they have a dress area for kids and Fred is a good sport trying on hats so I can get a picture. We spend a good 4 hours seeing everything there is to see in the castle before heading off to continue our exploring of Cardiff.

We walk along the out walls of the castle towards the park the walls all have a number of different animals on them, Built in 1890 the original animals have glass eyes while animals added at a later date do not. The lioness has glass eyes as does the lion,lynx ,bear,baboon,wolf and sea lion. The wall leads into a park that was once all part of the Marquess of Butes property. Check out my Facebook wall for more pictures of the animals on the wall and the parkland. We decide to head back to have lunch as it is now past 1PM.
I want to stop in at a church we past yesterday The City Parish Church of St John the Baptist. We are very lucky as they have free lunchtime organ concerts and we are in time for one. The organist is Catherine Ennis from London and she plays 3 different sonatas. The music is soothing and it is nice to sit and relax .

There is quite a mix of people at the concert . The organ was made in 1894 by Father Henry Willis & Sons and restored in 2005 by David Wells of Liverpool. We finally head back into the town centre to have a late lunch at Wagamama. After a relaxing lunch we head back to the hotel as the rain has finally arrived and it is after 4PM. This gives us time to catch up on emails and me to post pic's of our explorations both from Stratford and Cardiff as we have good internet connections. We once again visit the Executive Lounge as we have had a very late lunch so snack and a few drinks is all we need before retiring for the night.

We have a nice lie in before breakfast and as well have a late checkout of noon we head down to the market to get some fruit and veggies for home . We also pick up some of the Welsh cakes we spotted on our first day and fresh bread . We have really enjoyed our stay in Cardiff and we will definitely visit again as there is a lot we did not get to see . Maybe early in the fall when the weather still is warm but not as hot as there is a lot of walking to do. Check out my Facebook wall for further pictures of our exploring in Cardiff.



Hwyl Fawr for now,
Sandy & Fred

March 5-6,2019 - Stratford area and Billesley Manor Hotel

Greetings All,

After a very horrible start to the new year  due to illness Fred and I are finally able to have a mini break. We had purchased a two night get away for our Christmas present and are taking advantage of it finally. Spring has arrived in the UK as the daffodils are in full bloom and the apple blossoms are out.We are spending two nights at The Billesley Manor Hotel which is located just outside Stratford. A manor house has existed here since the time of the Norman Conquest belonging to the influential Trussell family. The village that existed in the area was decimated by the Black plague
leaving only the manor and church in the area .The Trussell family fell

 on hard time and by the 16th Century the house was in need of some serious repair. In 1588 Thomas Trussell was sentenced to death for highway robbery. He escaped the death sentence but his property was forfeited  to Queen Elizabeth I. It remained as part of the crown until it was sold to Robert Lee and wealthy business man and alderman . Lee was knighted by James I in 1603. He left the manor to his younger son also named Sir Robert Lee. The younger son rebuilt the house out of stone in the early 17th century . The worked started in 1605 but the completion date is unknown. The manor changed hands a number of time. In the 1900's the now owner  Hanbury -Tracy and the architect Detmar Jellings Bow reconciled Billesley adding a new wing and second porch which in now the hotel entrance.

 It was then the topiary garden of yew trees was created. The last owner of the manor was  H.B. Tate the son of Sir Henry Tate the sugar merchant. Purchased in 1912 he added a new staircase with a first floor minstrel gallery. Our room is in the converted barn and is quite spacious. The stay includes a 3 course dinner and afternoon tea. Once settled in we tour the grounds and hotel. Photo opportunities done we head into the bar and enjoy a drink before getting ready for dinner.  Dinner is very tasty  and well presented. We have a nightcap in our room as we were hoping to post but internet is very sketchy .

  Breakfast is somewhat disappointing as it is buffet style however there is a company conference in the main hotel so that may be why the buffet. We head out to explore the area . It is rather overcast and threatening rain so we do a couple of National Trust sites.
Our first stop is Baddesley Clinton a moated manor house that probably originated in the 13th century. It was purchased in 1438 by John Brome the Under- Treasurer of England and then passed onto his son Nicholas Brome. During this time the manor would have had gun ports and possibly a draw bridge over the moat. Upon Nicholas's death the manor passed onto his daughter  who married Sir Edward Ferrers the Sheriff of Warwickshire.and remained the Ferrers family home for over 500 years. Henry Ferrers (1549-1633) The Antiquary is believed to have built
the Great Hall as well as many other additions. The Ferrers were Roman Catholics and remained so during the reformation and had a number of priest holes though out the manor. One such priest hole was down the lavatory and is pictured on the right. A rope which could be climbed down could hide up to 12 people down the manor sewer system. The home finally changed hands in 1940 to Thomas Walker . It became a National Trust in 1980. We also explore the grounds around the lake as it is still dry taking a number of pictures before heading off to our next destination. You can see our photo's on my Facebook page.

Our next stop is Packwood House that started out as a modest timber framed farmhouse built between 1556-1560. It remained a Fetherston family home until 1876 when the last member died. The house was bought by Alfred Ash in 1904 a Birmingham industrialist. It was inherited by Graham Baron Ash in 1925 who then spent the next two decades remodelling the home back to a tudor style manor. He was a fantastic recycler gets windows, wood panelling and floors from various homes around the country that had fallen into disrepair or being torn down due to heavy death duty taxes . Graham Ash's attention to detail is amazing he removed all Victorian windows and replaced them with leaded stained glass and even built a great hall that previous did not exist . Pictured on the left you would think that it was all part of the original building.  We explore the gardens with its Yew Garden that contains over 100 trees that was laid out by the original owner John Fetherston in the mid 17th century.

We head back to the hotel so we can visit the Church of All Saints

Billesley dating back to the 11th century. It is rumoured that William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway here in 1582 . Shakespeare's granddaughter Elizabeth Nash married here in 1646 for certain. The church was made redundant in 1978 and now is maintained by The Church Conservationist Trust.
We have afternoon tea at the manor our first and probably last afternoon tea. I find it has far to many sweets for our taste and not enough savoury ingredients.As it is late in the afternoon we enjoy our treats in front of the fire and have a bottle of proseccco rather then tea and coffee. The manor does have a full spa, gym pool plus treatments but it is closed down for refurbishment during our visit. I would definitely return here for a mini break to experience the pool and explore more of the area at a later time maybe late April May or September. After a nice cooked breakfast we head off to Cardiff .

Cheers,

Sandy & Fred

October 31-Novemenber 2- Exploring Cumbria

Greetings all,

Our travels have either been feast of famine and we are currently enjoying  a feast with our exploring with the kids,our trip to Rome and now heading to Cumbria for a 2 night get away to avoid the hassles of Halloween. While it is not celebrated here as much as it is North America we decided we would give it a pass completely. I found a deal on Secret Escapes in Cumbria that covered two nights stay with 7 course dinner on our first night , bed and breakfasts.

We take the scenic back roads up to our hotel enabling us to see the sights along as well we avoid the motorways.  Cumbria is the third largest county by area in England and is predominately rural and contains The Lakes National Park ad well as all the highest peaks in England. It is considered one of England's natural beauty sites. It is grey and overcast as we head off.
Extremely hilly and rather bleak this time of the year but still very scenic.
Pictured on the left and right are some of the sights we see. The sheep are being unloaded from a truck into a field . We think being brought down from higher feeding grounds of summer to winter feeding areas for protection. Sadly I was unable to get a good picture of some of the sheep that seemed to be dancing and jumping for joy to get to their new winter grounds.

Our Hotel Lovelady Shield Country House is rather dated and could use some sprucing up but the meal is absolutely delicious. We start with hamhock and toast the chef's amuse bouche, next goats cheese mousse,beetroot textures balsamic jelly and candied walnuts  with a Rose 2016 Petit Ballon, for Bergerac France. Next a tomato velours and pesto roll(really tomato soup). Grilled plaice with fennel carpaccio lemon foam and apple jelly,wine was a Roero Arners  from Piedmont Italy. Our palate cleansers was a pineapple sorbet. Our main was roast sirloin beef,oxtail croquette,truffled mash,roast root veggies an, sprouting broccoli, jerusalem article puree with thyme jus. Wine with this was a Pino Noir from Sanzizna Romania. Our last two entrees where a cheese and cracker try and the sweet was a honey roast fig,frozen yoghurt,olive oil cake,cinder toffee,fig compote and lavender honey.  The portions were perfect and we are quite stuffed at the end of our meal. The chef was truly good and more then made up for the tiredness of the hotel. We head out after breakfast to drive around the area.

We drive through three different counties. Cumbria, Durham and Norththumberland. The fall colours are muted in comparison to the Canadian fall colours one of the few things I miss about Canada. It is Partridge hunting season and this guy is safely away from the hunters for now as he is in a  hiking trail that we stopped at. After stopping in a few villages to stretch out legs we head back to our hotel. We stop at The Elks Head a pub for drink when a bunch of hunters come in from a day for shooting. Seems they did not have much success so a bonus for the Partridge population. It is a good thing it is not rabbit season as the hare pictured on the right was in the field right across from the pub watching the world go by. Supper tonight is very good and we enjoy a nightcap before heading up to our room.

After a nice late breakfast we head home along the west coast of Cumbria. We stop at Whitehaven a port town on the Irish Sea. In the 18th and early 19th century the town prospered on coal and later

tobacco  imported for American colonies. It was also a fishing port until the herring stocks collapsed. This is also the town that Fred's Grandma Johnson's family hailed from. It is nice to be able to visit ancestral place that family grew up in or came from. All along the pier are statues and monuments to the towns history.
We spend a couple of hours exploring the town . Funny note Whitehaven in the name of the subdivision where Fred and I met as teenagers when we lived in Agincourt, Ontario 51 years ago.


We have had a great mini break with great food, rugged scenery and
interesting ancestral  towns.

Ta ra ,
Sandy & Fred

Sept 28th - Oct 2,2018 - Celebrating 45 Years of Marriage in Rome

Buongiorno Amici,

It has been 10 years since our last visit to Rome  and it was a whirl wind visit of some of the highlights . We decided to revisit for our 45th Wedding Anniversary which was in August but would have been far too hot and crowded with summer tourist. We take a late flight from the UK to Rome so we arrive late at night. Our home away from home for the next 5 nights is The Pantheon Hotel part of the Marriott Autograph Collection. We are located right in the heart of Rome right around the corner from the Pantheon. Our room is amazing with a super sized king bed,massive walk in shower as well as art deco cupboards.Breakfast is served on the rooftop terrace and pictured on the left is one of the churches we can see from the terrace.

Sept 29th- We head out to explore using the smart phone provided by the hotel that is preloaded with all the tourist attractions which saves on our phones . We head toward
the Tiber River taking in the sites and taking pictures. While down at the river I am approached by a young man who gives me a bracelet as a supposed gift. He then proceeds to show me pictures of his baby boy who is back in Nigeria . He is actually looking for some money . Got sucked in completely so we give him a few Euro's and he gives me a little wood turtle. We say our goodbyes and I make sure I wear the bracelet as there are a number of Nigerian's around using the bracelet ploy. Once they see the bracelet they leave us alone. We continue taking in the sites and have a lot of laughs . Fred spots a dwarf smoking outside a church and comments "Who say's smoking doesn't stunt your growth" yes rather inappropriate but timed to perfection.

We stop in a number of churches as we explore. Each is unique in its own way and beautiful. Pictured on the left is one of the many churches we visited. Our walk takes us to Piazza Navona. The plaza is known for its fountains. The S Agnese in Agone, Palazzo Pamphilj, as well as home to the Brazilian Embassy

We stop for a late lunch where I enjoy a caprese salad and foci bread and Fred has a pizza all washed down with a Santa Cristina a nice Tuscan Red. We continue our exploring and have walked over seven miles on our first full day.

Sept. 30th - we are out early this time to explore Palatine Hill , the
Forum and part of the Capitoline Hill. . Our walk down Via dei Fori is a long road that has a number of ruins along the way and takes us to the Coliseum . We do not go into the Coliseum as we visited it on our last trip. Many changes have occurred around Piazza del Colosseo in the past 10 years sadly you can no longer walk through the Arches as they are fenced off and there is a strong military presence all signs of how the world has changed. Pictured on the right is some of the ruins the Palatine.We also explore the Forum before heading back along Via dei Fori. There are now a number of

buskers along the road as it is now mid afternoon. The chap on the left is rather a good likeness of one of the Popes. We now head up to the Spanish Steps. I don't know what I was expecting to see but the steps where rather disappointing . There are masses of people . The steps where completed in 1725 and are a link between the Plaza and the church Trinta dei Monti.  The steps have had to be restored a number of times due to wear with the last time being in 2015-16. The steps became well known in the USA with the 1953 film A Roman Holiday that starred Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. We head back and have a late lunch just near our hotel , bruschetta to start and the pizza . We have covered 7.4 miles today and head back to the hotel to relax and rest.


Oct 1st - After breakfast we head back to Piazza Navona as the weather forecast is for rain so we decide to visit the museum that is at the top end of the plaza. Sadly the museum is closed and as we head back the heavens open, We stop at a cafe Vacant Romane to get out of the rain and I have my first cappuccino. The rain continues and we sit there without being bothered long enough that we decide to have lunch. We have a light lunch of calamari and a fried wrap of some sort which is very tasty. It has now cleared up so we continue to explore and discover some places quite by accident.

Pictured on the right is one of our accidental finds. Our walk takes us up to the Villa Borghese a large parkland that was once part of the Borghese family home. Our final stop for the day is the Pantheon. The crowds have gone compared to the weekend and we take some panoramic pictures of the inside. Photo op done we still at a cafe in the square and enjoy a drink. I have a Campari a cocktail that is well liked among the Italians. I am not sure about the drink but it is not awful and may be quite refreshing on a hot summer day. We decide to have a very non Italian supper tonight and have burger and fries. We have a bottle of red wine and it comes with the crystal balloon glasses. Quite fancy for a burger joint. Once again we have walked almost nine miles according to the app on my phone though Fred's phone indicates a bit less milage. I just know I will sleep well tonight as I am exhausted.

Oct 2nd - Our last day in Rome . We head back to the Museum as it is open . We explore the museum then decide to walk the Gauntlet down to the Vatican. We are stopped every few feet asking if we require entrance tickets to the Vatican. One person becomes quite rude when we say no pretty much demanding why we don't want to visit the Vatican. I rudely answer that we been there done that and he won't sell may tickets with that attitude. We head back to Piazza de Navona for lunch then do a bit of Christmas shopping before heading back to the hotel. We have only walked 5.7 miles as we booked dinner at the hotel and I want to head out to the Trevi Fountain at night.

Our anniversary dinner in on the roof top terrace . We have a bottle of Rosso di Moltancino. We start with a caprese salad and I have Mezza Maniche all Matriciana and Fred has Veal Fondant with potato cream and Evo oil. The amuse bouche is a smoked salmon with cream yogurt eclair. Fred has dessert of molten liquorice lava tiramisu while I had a cappuccino and limoncello which comes with a assortment of biscuits . A perfect ending to our trip.

 I change after dinner as we head out again to get pictures of the Trevi Fountain at night. I try to get a selfie of us and a guy asks if he can take our picture for us. He takes a number of pictures of us with my phone then hands it back and proceeds to take some polaroids . He then asks for 10 Euro's for the pics. Sucked in again Fred pays him to avoid a scene. We walk a bit before heading back to the hotel to pack and get ready for our flight home in the morning.

Hope you enjoyed  this blog of Rome.

Ciao,

Sandy & Fred

September 13-18,2018 - Adventures Round Liverpool with Family

Greetings All,

Our adventures with our kids and grandson continue  and once again we are up early to head into Liverpool. Today we take the ferry cross the Mersey. It is a bit cool and windy but Paul enjoys the ride around the Mersey .
Once we finish our ferry ride we get a treat of a ice cream flake,no trip to the UK would be complete if one does not have a flake ice cream no matter how cool it is. The kids do a bit more shopping for clothes for Paul as prices are very reasonable for items a young one needs and grows out of so quickly. We then head off to two parks so Paul can pay and burn off some energy. Otterspool playground which Paul had been to on a previous visit and Sefton Park  .

 Sept 14th- Oh what to do on a rainy day ? We do some laundry so the kids will not have so much to do on their return and some crafts with Paul.
Thankfully it clears up in the afternoon and we head off to a local petting farm. The farm is very unique as it employs mentally challanged young people to care for the animals. The entrance and feed is very reasonable and the animals are mostly small farm animals, goats,pigs, chickens, ducks, guinea pigs. There are horses and cows but they are outside of the main petting area. There is also a playground where Paul makes a friend with a little girl  who lives close by and visits the farm quite frequently.


September 15th- It is Pirate day on the docks and we had promised Paul a double decker bus ride and train ride so we are off into town by bus. Paul is able to get to the very front of the bus on the top . We have decided as no one is driving that it would be a great opportunity for Fred ,Christopher and Meaghan to do a pub crawl while Paul and I head off to take in the sights of the Pirates on the dock. All goes well until a pirate grabs Paul as we are walking down to the docks. I can see he looks terrified and I think please please don't cry,I quickly hug him and tell him to ask the pirate in a loud voice give me your rum me hearty. Thankfully what could have been a disaster was avoided. We carry on checking out the sights but the crowds are incredible and we just don't like the pushing.

We decide to head over to the Museum and hope that the kids area is open. Sadly it is not so we wonder around the museum just to get some relief from the masses of people. Paul and I then go for lunch and have the worst service ever, granted it is busy because of the festival  but they did not even return to give us the bill. We could have just walked out and not paid but that would have not been a very good example to set for my Grandson. We visit the candy store again to get some treats for Paul's friend at home and then meet up with Mom, Dad and Grandpa.

We luck out as the show is just starting and we are able to get a good view of the pirate ship as it blasts its cannons and make a British officer walk the plank. Brave soul as I am sure the water is bitter cold but all done for the festivities of the day. We take the train back and catch the bus home after a full busy day.

Sept 16th- Christopher and Meaghan are off to Manchester for the day to meet up with a friend of Christopher's who he worked with while he was in Japan and is now living here. Paul and I make a cake for his mom as we are having a bit of a early birthday party for her . We make quite a mess together but thankfully Grandpa is around to clean up and vacuum as we manage to get flour and sugar everywhere.We have a great dinner of lamb shanks, new potatoes, roasted cauliflower and peas and of course the cake Paul and I made for Mommy's party. Paul has as much fun as his Mom helping open presents.

Sept 17th - Our last day of exploring takes us into Cheshire and Beeston Castle. It was built in 1220's by the 6th Earl of Chester Ranuff de Blondeville. In 1237 Henry III took over the castle and kept it in good repair into the 16th century . It was a symbol of power and strength given its position. It was partially demolished in 1646 as part of a edit issued by Cromwell to prevent it from being used as a stronghold . Now a ruin and part of English Heritage it is a great castle with lots of nooks and crannies for the kids to explore.We spend a couple of hours exploring the castle and grounds. The views from the grounds inside the castle are spectacular as you can see right across the River Mersey into Merseyside from here.
The last picture if of father and son at the castle. Christopher our youngest towers over his dad. We have managed to tire Paul
as he sleeps on the trip home a good last day with the family. The evening brings the kids the challenge of packing for the trip back. We have a large suitcase that has seen better days that we give them so they can take all the goodies back with them.

Sept 18th- Our last full day with the family is a travel day to London as the kids flight leaves early in the morning . We stay at the Marriott near Heathrow which has a pool so Paul can get some swim time in after the long drive down. We have supper in the hotel and a early night as they have to be at the airport early.

We say our good byes on the 19th and head back home to a very quite house after three glorious weeks with family.
Not our usual blog as it was more about family then travel but we hope you enjoyed it.

Ta ra for now

Sandy & Fred