February 25-26, 2011- Relaxing and Sunshine

Ola All,

Our first full day of rest and relaxation, its not like we don't already do this but in the sun was a bonus for us.  We were told that the island is know for its winds and that it is very deceiving about how much sun you are getting.  I had a full six hours in the sun and even with sunscreen I did get a burn.  Fred and I actually thought that we were very close to the equator but it turns out that from a latitude point of view we were in line with Florida.  Still, the sun was very intense. The wind seems to pick up around 3:00 and as we had had enough for our first day, we showered and took a walk along the promenade in the other direction towards Arrecife and the airport.

Along the promenade there was gym equipment set up in a circuit type formation for both cardio and weight resistance.  We did not use them but they would be good if you were staying for longer than a week and wanted to stay fit or work off calories more aggressively than just walking.  It was a very nice walk and we stopped and watched the planes coming into the airport.

Once back at the resort we had a drink before dinner. We were rather disappointed with the lack of customer service at the resort.  We have stayed at Sol resorts in Cuba and the service was excellent.  We put it down to the Cuban people because here the Spaniards either ignore you or act as if they are doing you a big favor serving you.  Having said that we do experience two people who are very customer focused and seemed to enjoy their jobs.

The 26th is more of the same as the 25th though Fred stays out of the sun till after 11:00 a.m. as he tried to download The Times to read later.  We had purchased internet access for the week but the connection is slow and sketchy.  I used my float in the pool but it was cool with the constant wind and there were way too many kids.  Fred had planned our trip outside of the kids half term break in Liverpool, but the half term break in Ireland coincided with our holiday, as did the break for Germany and other parts of the UK.  Note taken for next year.  There was entertainment every night and we saw a show with birds of prey.  Unfortunately, none of my pictures turned out as it was too dark but the birds where amazing.  The show was early and either I am getting old or the sun had taken its toll as I crashed at 9:30 p.m.  The air conditioner did not work very well so by 3:00 a.m. it was hot, I am wide awake and as we were on the ground floor we couldn't leave the doors open.  This probably seems like more of a bitch session but the facts are the facts.  Plans for tomorrow were to head off on our first excursion to Teguise.


Buenos noches,

Sandy & Fred






                                                         

February 24, 2011- Lanzarote

Greetings All,

It seems a while since we posted anything, but there has not been much exciting happening since Christmas other than me passing the Life in Britain test which is the next and final step for my visa to allow me to stay in the UK indefinitely and to take out citizenship should I choose.  Our trip to sun and sand took us to Lanzarote an island that is in the eastern most part of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean.  It is the fourth largest island of the Canaries and is about 125 km off the coast of Africa.

A bit of history of the island.  The island is volcanic and is believed to be one of the first of the Canary Islands to be settled. Firstly by the Phoenicians around 1100 BC and then it was abandoned until 999 AD when the Arabs arrived.  In 1336, Lanzarote da Framgua (a Genoese navigator) from which Lanzarote gets its current name arrived from Lisbon.

We arrived around 3:00 p.m. after an easy flight to bright sun and a rather brisk breeze.  It took forever for our luggage to get off loaded as Thursday is one of the major arrival/departure days. While we are waiting an elderly gentleman chats with me and asks what company we booked our vacation with. He told me that he travels with SAGA (Sex and Games for the Aged) since he lost his wife. After a good laugh he explained that while SAGA charges a bit more he does not pay a single supplement as well it covers all insurances required so he get a good size room as if he were traveling with a companion.

The resort was only a five minute drive from the airport but by the time every gets to the bus and we get underway it was an hour before we arrived at the resort. The lobby is lovely with a large pond with Bird of Paradise and waterlilies.  A picture of the Bird of Paradise is on the left.  Our room was on the ground floor which we are not too happy about with views of the ocean and pool and was a handicapped room to boot.  We were not sure why we got this type of room but the resort was fully booked so nothing could be done.  Once unpacked we set off to explore the lay of the land and walked along the beach and then along the promenade that is miles long.  Should you choose you could walk from Arrecife to Puerto del Carmen.  There are numerous restaurants, pubs and stores along the beach as well as numerous cacti growing in the black grainy sand.

Attached is a picture of an aloe vera plant in bloom and at the top corner of the blog is a lookout made of the black volcanic rock. It has been a long day as it seems we spent almost as much time waiting around as we did flying so our first night is a fairly early night.

Buenos noches,

Sandy & Fred

December 25, 2010 - Christmas!!!!

Merry Christmas All,

We had a nice lie in as it was well after 1:00 a.m. when we went to bed.  Breakfast this morning was a muffin and coffee for Fred and tea and a whole wheat croissant for me from the hotel's coffee shop.
We walked to the flat enjoying the lack of traffic and relative quiet.  Surprisingly there were a number of people with suitcases around Victoria Station looking to get on the tube.  Everything was locked up tight as all services had shut down for Christmas.  No trains or buses unlike in Toronto and surrounding area that work on a limited service.  Once at the flat we see John and Adrienne had already been hard at work . The table was gorgeous and the turkey was being placed in the oven.

Supper will be around 3:00 p.m.  We had a very relaxing afternoon as we had no duties. While I enjoyed relaxing, I really missed the craziness of preparing Christmas dinner.  Adrienne prepared and served smoked salmon canapes and they were delicious and were all devoured very quickly.  These were accompanied by a very nice Prosecco.

Supper was turkey, roast potatoes, pureed brussell sprouts, fried parsnips, sausage stuffing, port cranberries and gravy.  John spoilt us with four different wines during dinner.  In order, we have a Arnoldo Caprai 25, Anni Montefalco Sagrantini, Montepulciano D'Abruzzo and last but not least a Kurni.  Dessert seems to go on forever.  After a short break, first we have cookies and chocolate while John makes mincemeat filo turnovers that are served with a marscapone/sherry cheese topping.  We took a short break from eating to clean up the kitchen.  With Tracey washing, Fred and Geoff drying and me stacking dishes for Adrienne to put away.  After cleanup duty was done we decided to walk off our meal and to get ready for the last of the desserts.

Geoff, Tracey, Fred and myself headed out walking along the Embankment to Lambeth Bridge for a view of the London Eye and Parliament Buildings at night.  John and Adrienne joined us on our walk near Vauxhall Bridge.  We stopped and took photos while John and Adrienne headed back to the flat.  Once the photo op was done we then walked along Horseferry Road to John Islip Street and back to the flat.  With the lack of foot/car traffic it is again very quiet and peaceful.

Once back at the flat we tucked in again too yet more food.  A nice selection of cheese and crackers with a lovely dessert wine to finish off the evening.  We have had a very relaxing Christmas and said our goodbyes to everybody.  Geoff and Tracey were heading back to Canada early on Boxing day and Fred and I were heading back home to Liverpool.

We hope every one had a very Merry Christmas and wish you all a healthy and prosperous New Year!  See you in the New Year once we have some trips sorted out.

Ta Ra for Now,

Sandy & Fred




  

December 24, 2010 - Christmas Eve

Seasons Greetings All,

In the morning we went for a bit of a walk along Oxford Street after breakfast.  We were pleasantly surprised as the stores were not busy at all, unlike on the 22nd when the street and stores were wall to wall people.  Now this was either because we were there before 11:00 a.m. or people were winding down.  We picked up a few small necessities from the drug store and then headed back to the hotel.  After watching a movie The Santa Clause 2 we changed for tonight's event then walked to the flat to meet up with the rest of the family.  We spent the balance of the afternoon catching up on e-mails and Facebook plus downloading pictures.

Tonight we took the car to The Royal Alberta Hall for the Christmas Eve Concert.  The concert this year was even better the last years and even Fred participated in the carol singing.  Unfortunately, I was not a very supportive wife at the concert.  When we sang Once in Royal Davids City which as you may or may not know is sang at a fairly high octave. Poor Fred sang his heart out and his voice actually warbled.  I went into a fit of giggles and tried not to laugh too hard.  You guessed it the harder I tried the worse I got and the tears were streaming down my face.  Fred was a great sport about it though and on the drive back we had a very good laugh about his great ability to make his voice warble.

After the concert we had a late supper.  Once again Adrienne out did her self. Duck lasagna with homemade pasta, garlic flat bread and a fantastic barolo. Dessert was a homemade raspberry roll.  After supper we enjoyed liqueurs.  The limoncello that I made was passable but to me something was lacking.  Adrienne thought that the liquor taste came through rather than the lemon and I also thought it was not lemony enough.

Now its presents time for everyone.  Even the dogs get into the act. Portia has always opened her gifts but Casper the newest addition has caught on quickly.  Unfortunately for him we had to try and keep him from getting too excited as he had just undergone heart surgery prior to Christmas, not an easy task for a 5 month old puppy.  As we opened our gifts Adrienne discovers a wrapping error.  Fred opened our joint gift and we both said thank you and how nice it was.  It was a cookbook that we already have, in fact John and Adrienne gave it to us last Christmas. We are of course to polite to say anything until Adrienne corrects the mistake as it was meant for Geoff and Tracey. We all have a good laugh about it.  We have been spoilt once again this Christmas and after a few more drinks we headed back to the hotel.  As the tube/bus system are now closed down until the 26th of December we started walking back to the hotel and had only gone a short distance when Fred spotted a cab.  So we made it back in under 10 minutes rather than a 50 - 60 minute early morning walk.

Cheers,

Sandy & Fred

December 23, 2010 - Sake Tasting at Zuma

Seasons Greetings All,

This morning after breakfast at Micky D's we got out and walked through Hyde Park visiting  the Christmas Wonderland. As with last year it contained rides for the kiddies, a beer garden, various food stalls and a German type market with clothes, jewelery and other small gift items.  This year we came across a talking tree by the Serpentine Lake which was frozen this year.  From here we then took the tube to Westminster to walk along the Southbank and checked out the German style market there.  It was much the same as the one in Liverpool and the one in Hyde Park.  The south bank was bustling with people but it was a pleasant walk and one that always makes me feel that I have arrived in London.  We then walked back along the Embankment to John and Adrienne's falt to meet up with everybody.  We stopped for a quick snack at The White Swan before heading to the flat.  We have the best wings we have had since we have left Canada.  Fred wonders if they went over for lessons as other times we have had wings they have been just horrid.  We spent some time at the flat catching up on e-mails and for me posting on Facebook as the fees for Internet access at the hotel are excessive to say the least 20 pounds for twenty four hours.  You guessed it we were not paying that!!!

We headed out as a group to Somerset House to see the Skating rink and Christmas Decorations.  It is a crisp evening and the walk is very invigorating.  A lot of the skaters are skating from board to board but some are very good.  We had a good laugh at one little guy that goes like a bat out of hell along the length or width of the rink but does not know how to turn so crashes into the boards to stop.  I think at some point in time it has got to hurt but he seems to be having a great time.  Oh to be young again at times.  We continued along to Covent Gardens to check out what is happening there. Once again it is bustling with shoppers.  The lights here are amazing and I loved the huge reindeer.  You can see it in the attached picture below.

We then hopped on the tube heading to Knightsbridge and Zuma for our Sake tasting.  Our first Sake is a warm one, Mitani Fujio Yamahai Ginjo.  The second a cold one, Kikiuizumi Ginjo.  While both were good, I liked warm Saki but I think cold is the preferred way to drink it.  John and Adrienne prefer it that way but I must ask Christopher how it is preferred in Japan.  While at Zuma we were entertained by guys hitting on girls in the bar area, it seems tonight that blondes do have more fun. There is a brunette that is fairly attractive who is all by herself and is totally ignored. Finally heard from Christopher Good Saki is preferred cold as it  brings out the delicate flavour or taste, so now we all know.

Our last stop for the night was the Queens Arms for a pub supper.  Three of us choose the burgers, Geoff and Fred have Bangers and Mash and Tracey picks Thai shrimp.  Her dish was one of the choices that I am glad I did not pick, as the shrimp were the full shrimp with heads on.  Very messy to eat.  Tracey and I also picked the Christmas Cider which was a big disappointment.  It was basically spiced apple juice so we drank it quickly and order proper ciders.  We then walked back to the flat for dessert and  a night cap before Fred and I headed back to the Hotel by tube.  We have had a very enjoyable night together and covered a lot in five hours.

Cheers,

Sandy & Fred                       

December 21 - 22, 2010 - Christmas in London

Greetings All and the best of the season to you.

It has been some time since our last post.  We have been staying close to home as the weather has turned very cold with snow in mid December.  We headed out to London on the 21st as John and Adrienne once again invited us for Christmas. Geoff, Fred's brother, and his wife Tracey arrived in London on the 18th from North Bay and are staying at John's for the holiday.  We drove down on the 21st and booked into Grosvenor House a J.W. Marriott hotel on Park Lane using some of our Marriott points that we have been collecting for a number of years.  The hotel is located across from Hyde Park and makes for a nice walk to John and Adrienne's flat.  After settling in, we drove to the flat to park our car in the visitor parking  as parking at the hotel is crazy expensive.  Forty-two pounds a day I think not.

Once we have greeted everyone and enjoyed some refreshment we headed out to view the lights in the shopping district.  It started to rain while we are doing our tour and hopped into a pub for a quick pick me up before continuing on.  Back at the flat Adrienne and John prepared an amazing sausage pasta for supper with flat bread.  I decided that we could walk back to the hotel but we only made it to Victoria Station as the walking was cold and damp.  We hopped onto the tube, getting off at Hyde Park Corner and ended up doing a bit of extra walking involving stairs and I was somewhat of a unhappy camper.

December 22 - Fred and I meet John, Adrienne, Geoff and Tracey at Borough Market.  Fred and I visit the market every time we are in London as the produce is amazing and there is always some interesting and unusual new things to be found there.  Neals Yard a cheese store, is also at the market and sells Montgomery Cheddar a rich strong cheddar which is one of our favorites.  The picture to the right was taken at a stall selling fresh turkey, pheasant, goose and duck.  It was not until I got home that I noticed the poor bunny hanging in there as well.  We all had lunch at the market at the Fish restaurant.  Fish and chips for four of us, fish rarebit for Adrienne and fish and salad for Tracey.  Cod, Halibut and Haddock were the fish we all consumed and was delish.  After lunch John and Adrienne headed back with their purchases and we headed off to Oxford Street to check out the stores.  Geoff had some last minute shopping to do so he headed off on his own.  Tracey, Fred and I window shopped together and dropped into Selfridges.  We did not last very long as the stores and streets are jammed with people.  Not my idea of a fun experience at all.  Fred and I made sure Tracey got on the right bus to get back to the flat and Fred and I walked back to the hotel to get changed for our night out.  John took us to his golf club Brocket Hall to the Michelin Star Restaurant, Auberge du Lac.  The menu was amazing.  The chef sent out little tastes of food before each course.  Appetizers were tiny smoked salmon rolls, cheddar crackers and a veg on a tiny spoon with creme fresh.  The bread was to die for with four different choices.  Fred's starter was Teal, a type of water fowl, and I had Foie Gras.  Next came another chef special a tiny Jerusalem artichoke soup with white truffle oil.  OMG this was amazing and for me who is not a soup lover, a large bowl of this could have been the whole meal.  The main course for me was Venison and for Fred Duck.  Then another chef taster,  a raspberry lemon foam, followed by dessert.  It was the most decadent chocolate sampler, warm bitter chocolate fondant, milk chocolate and olive oil mousse and vanilla salt and pistachio.  Fred completed his but I actually left some though small it was extremely rich and over the top. To accompany all of this John picked a lovely red wine which neither of us can remember the name of.  Needless to say we all had a fantastic time and this certainly was a very special treat from John to all of us.

Seasons greetings,

Sandy & Fred

October 14, 2010 - What we have been up to.

Hi Ya All,

A typical scouser  greeting as I am sure some of you know.  With the arrival of October I decided that we had to get out and do more.  I was getting bored after having such a great trip in September and afraid we were getting into a rut of playing computer games, watching TV and generally being lazy.  So on good weather days we are getting out to walk and visit local sites.                                                        

Our first trip was to Formby, where there is a National Trust forest and beach by the Irish Sea, about a hours drive away.  The tide was out as you can see from the picture on the right and we had a good walk along the beach. You can walk on up to 21 miles of trails here or as little as a 1/3 of a mile.  We walked about a mile in total covering the beach, dunes and a small forest trail.  The forest in Formby is an important refuge of the Red Squirrel which is an endangered species in the UK.

Our next little trip was to Rufford Old Hall about a hours drive from home and it is another National Trust site.  This is a 16th century Tudor building were it is believed a young William Shakespeare performed with his company for the owner Thomas Hesketh.  We had lunch here before touring the buildings and grounds.  While at lunch a bus load of wrinklies arrived.  In the Great Hall we were informed that the estate is basically a farm.  The screen  as seen in the picture is made of Iron wood and is supposedly movable.  Fred and I were standing in front of it and were asked to push it back by the commentator.  Needless to say it was an impossible task as it weighs well over a ton but it did give all the old folk a good laugh.  The home and land has been in the Hesketh family right up to 1936 when the family could not sell it so they handed it over to the National Trust.  It is called Rufford Old Hall as the family built a new hall a little further down the road.

Our next walk was right along our own promenade.  Indian Summer had finally arrived  and we were continuing to enjoy the great weather.  The breeze off the river was good and we saw cows flying. LOL
Actually there were a number of kites out ranging from bees, horses and just ordinary large ones.

For our next walk we took a 20 minute drive to Crosby and visited Antony Gormley's Another Place.  The Crosby Promenade has been transformed into an art gallery of sorts.  Iron Men formed in the likeness of the artist  Antony Gormley have been embedded in the sand along  a 3 kilometer stretch of the beach and out into the bay.  The tide was out so I was able to walk along the sand and get up close and personal to one of the men.  As you can see he is for the most part anatomically correct . We enjoyed a nice ice-cream cone with a flake while walking the promenade and get in 6 kms with this walk.

Our last outing on October 13th was further afield.  We headed off to Wales and Holyhead on Anglesey for a full day outing.  We had lunch in Holyhead, but it is basically a little port town (car ferries to Ireland).  We traveled back along the coast of Anglesey, but unfortunately, we missed some of the more scenic sites according to Fred's cousin Mark who just loves this area.  We will have to return to this area but in warmer weather to see if it is as good as Mark suggests.     

We have also been to a couple of concerts.  Well one already The John Lennon Songbook a celebration of Johns life on the anniversary of his 70th Birthday on the 9th.  The man portraying John had a uncanny resemblance to him  and the Philharmonic Orchestra was amazing.  This Saturday we return again to the Philharmonic Hall for the Japanese Kodo Drummers.                                     

Well that updates us for now.  If you have access to my Facebook page there are additional pictures posted there.

Ta Ra,

Sandy & Fred