April 17, 2011 - The Bollenstreek

Hoi all,

Today we headed out to explore the Bollenstreek a 19 mile stretch between Haarlem and Leidem, which is Hollands primary bulb growing area.  Our first stop was Zandvoort, a seaside community.  It was dull and grey and we couldn't see very far out to sea.  From here we headed to De Zilk passing more colourful bulb fields as pictured on the right.  While going through the town we passed many beautiful homes with a lot having thatched roofs.  We saw a deer feeding off a tree but of course cannot stop as there were cars behind us.  The tour we took takes us along canals within the bulb fields.

There were canoes and kayaks on one canal, brave souls had cameras and were picture taking but what a great way to see the fields.  The drive took us along so many beautiful fields that you really need to look at our Flickr site or my face book as I have posted pictures already.  Fred is a bit slower loading pictures onto Flickr as he is waiting until we return to the UK as internet access is somewhat slow for uploading and as you know if you have a digital camera you take a load of shots well at least I do LOL!!  We went through a number of towns on our tour some seaside and all I cannot pronounce. But amazing sites in all.  Noordowijk Aan Zee a seaside town, Katwijk Aan Zee and Rijnsburg.  We saw some very large home in Rijnsburg again with thatched roofs something I would not have expected to see in a major town.  As we drove we came across a number of gardens that have been in a competition of sorts.  The picture at the right is amazing, it was of Garfield and made completely with flowers.

Our last stop was very near the Keukenhof that we visited yesterday.  We stopped at a roadside market and I picked up a couple of Amaryllis bulbs and a tomato kit.  It should prove interesting to see whether the tomatoes grow from seed, but since I've been in the UK I have developed a bit of a green thumb.  We have seen a number of flower hangings on our travels and they had some at this stop.  Oh to have such talent.

We have truly had an amazing time exploring the bulb fields and all my expectations have been met.  We hope you have enjoyed this section of our trip.



Dag All,

Sandy & Fred

April 16, 2011- Keukenhof Gardens

Hoi All,    

We headed off early to Keukenhof Gardens, very early and hoped to arrive around 9:30 a.m. as it is a 50 minute drive from the hotel.  The picture on the right is our first closeup of a bulb field, which is part of the Keukenhof Gardens.  We stopped to get our photo op and the aroma was intoxicating as we opened the car doors.  The field is a mixture of hyacinth, narcissus, daffodils and tulips.  The parking lot is already unbelievably busy and we are in the back lot and back entrance of the gardens.

The property was originally owned by Jacqueline of Bavaria and it bears little resemblance to the games park where she hunted outside of the castle.  She was born in 1402 and died at the age of 35 of tuberculosis.  After her death the property fell into the hands of wealthy merchants.  In 1949 the grower and exporters of flower bulbs held the first outdoor exhibition of spring flowers and from then it became a yearly event. Sections of the gardens are planted by bulb producers who compete for rewards and the recognition of their product.  The gardens cover 70 acres and is one of the most spectacular public gardens in the world.

Now I am sure we all equate the tulip with Holland, however, I found out that was not the case.  Tulips are native to Central Asia and the the Northern regions of the Himalaya Mountains where 60% of all wild tulips grow.  The first tulip was grown in Holland in 1594 (Cadus Cluios) in Mortus Leiden.  In 1637 three tulip bulbs would cost you 3600 Guilders or 13.60 Euros.  Rather expensive when you consider you could buy a house on the canal in Amsterdam for 4.50 Euros.

We spent four hours exploring the grounds and the various different sections taking in the beautiful smells and sites.  There were a number of restaurants, stalls in each section of the gardens serving up food.  The herring to the right did not looked cooked and seemed to be served raw or else they were pickled.  Either way Yuck!!  As we had had a big breakfast we had some mandarin oranges and cookies as a snack (queues for food were extremely long).  There was a petting zoo on the grounds and I finally get my first close up shot of a lamb. LOL.  I had to come all the way to Holland to get one!!
The windmill on the grounds was built in 1892 in Groningen and was used to regulate water levels in the polder.  In 1957 Holland American Lines bought the windmill and donated to the Gardens, it was fully restored in 2008.  We did not go into the mill as like most things in the park they charge extra and the queues were long.

By 1:00 p.m. you can't walk around as the crowds are massive.  Fred and I are definitely not crowd people and decided at 2:00 p.m. to head out.  There was a parade of floral floats that was to go by around 4:00 but given the hoards of people we decided to pass and we took the back roads back to the hotel.

We passed a few more bulb fields but saw mostly farmland with cows and sheep.  A very relaxing drive.

Dag all,

Sandy & Fred

April 14-15, 2011 - On The Road Again

Greetings All,

We headed off  on Fred's 60th birthday to start our next adventure.  I did get some stick about making Fred drive on his birthday but he organized the trip so no worries.  We traveled a total of 268.3 miles in four and 1/2 hours and 5 gallons of diesel.  The trip was uneventful for the most part.  Sometime before London a piece of metal of some sort came off a vehicle and the car in front of us.  We were able to drive over it with no damage to our car.  The traffic was extremely heavy around and past London mostly due to road works.  Past London and near our cutoff there was a dog walking on the highway.  Thank god it got across the road and off to safety.  Our first night was spent in Maidstone in Kent County at the Marriott.  Once we had checked in we headed into an old stomping ground Lenham for lottery tickets (Euromillion jackpot was GBP 25 million) and a pint of Spitfire and 1/2 pint of cider at the Dog and Bear.  We celebrated Fred's birthday with dinner at the hotel and are given  20% off our meal.

Fred had a prawn cocktail, rib-eye peppercorn steak with sauteed potatoes, finishing off with coffee and drambue.  I had a chicken liver parfait, the most amazing pumpkin, pine nut pasta and finished with a medicore Irish coffee. This was of course all washed down with a bottle of Italian wine just can't remember the name.  The staff were attentive but did not hover which was very nice.

April 15th - We had a nice early start and are able to get on our channel crossing a half hour earlier than we had booked.  We did not have a passport check as no one was at the post where we were told to drive through.

The inconsistency of checking really bugs me.  Hopefully I will have no issues when we return.
We traveled a total of 235 miles through four countries in 4 hours.  The drive through France and Belgium is quite nice with hardly any traffic.  It was only real busy in the Netherlands around the bigger cities.  We arrived in Utrecht and got settled in.  The only bummer is our room.  Fred booked online and really did not look at what the regular room was so we have single beds.  Other than that, the room is quite nice with a desk and free WiFi and parking.  We decided to have supper in the hotel rather than going out as Fred had done enough driving for one day.  Timing is everything they say and we sure lucked out.  We were having our starter when two buses of seniors arrived for France.  Our waitress toll us they were expecting a third bus from Hungary as well so it would get quite chaotic.

Fred and I discussed the possibility of a bus trip and decided not until neither one of us can drive and probably then not.  We are really not good at being dictated to as to when or where to get going plus I don't think we are very social in that type of environment.  Hopefully we have at least 20 years before that becomes a concern.  We are also not sure at what age you are considered a senior.  Fred decided if you can get a decent discount because of your age you can be a senior LOL!! Hell we will take any discount we can to make our travels cheaper or have more availability.

Well that is all for now, tomorrow begins our adventure with a trip to the Bulb Fields and Keukenhof Gardens.

Dag,

Sandy & Fred

March 24, 2011- Penrhyn Castle, North Wales

Greetings All,

Another gorgeous day as we headed into Wales to visit Penrhyn Castle.  The castle itself is 200 yards long and has over 70 roofs extending over an acre and is thought to be one of the largest private houses anywhere. It was built between 1820 and 1837 of Anglesey limestone, to the design of Thomas Hopper.  The new castle engulfed another of the same name built in the Gothic style by Lord Penrhyn (1739-1808) some 50 years earlier, and at the same time the remains of the originally medieval manor house.

A bit about the first Lord of Penrhyn, Richard Pennant.  At 28 he was a wealthy merchant, forward looking man, moderniser and improver.  He transformed his new estate creating farms, developing a slate quarry, building roads, harbour and railway.  North Wales was never to be the same.  He provided employment for thousands and riches for some.  His money came from slave trade and his sugar plantations in Jamaica which was typical of the entrepreneurs of the time.

Well enough history, the entrance to the grounds as seen in the left hand corner is impressive but does not really prepare you for the castle itself.  We had lunch at the castle, Welsh Rarebit.  Since I have seen this at pubs before I decide to give it a try not knowing what it was. It turns out it is just fancy name for cheese on toast, who knew.  However we did enjoy it.

We were not supposed to take pictures in the premises itself but we were told by staff that as long as we do not use a flash it was okay to take photos.  The walls are all stone and the carvings in the stone are very intricate.  The woodwork is oak and the archways are plaster, however, look like oak as well in the way they are finished.  Amazing and deceiving at the same time.  All the walls are hung with tapestries that look like the rooms have been wall papered and are in amazing condition.  There were a number of water closets and a system of grills through out the castle in the stone floors that fed warm air into the rooms and were considered quite advanced features in the 1830's.

The most impressive part of the castle to me and I think to Fred was The Grand Staircase Hall.  The masons employed at Penrhyn were local and probably from the family quarry.  The carvings in the staircase are of two contrasting stones and of the highest order of craftsmanship.  The exotic designs both repeating and figurative are mind boggling when you think of the tools of the trade at the time.  While Fred is madly taking pictures of all the details I chat with the steward on duty.  He inquired were we are visiting from. I tell him Liverpool which raises his eyebrows. I then explain how we came to be living there. He knew Liverpool quite well as it turns out and said if he was a city person he could live there because it is a mad place.  I'm not sure what he meant by that but he did tell us some other things we can do from Liverpool, one which I would love to do is a Ferry Tour on the River Mersey and another is a barge trip to Manchester on the canal.  Maybe a trip in the summer.  We said our farewells and headed on exploring the balance of the castle.
It seems the Lord of the time was a religious man.  The castle had its own chapel and it was part of the original medieval manor house but was moved to its current location in the late eighteen century. Daily prayers were compulsory for staff and family.  You can check out my Facebook site for pictures or our Flickr account as there was just so much choice and I have limited space on  the blog for pictures.

We then headed out to the walled gardens which is in bloom with various spring flowers and shrubs.  We only walked the formal garden but there are paths into the forest that go through a bog garden.  It must be very pretty in the warmer weather when everything is in bloom and green.

For the trip home we took back roads and head to Snowdonia and Betws-y-Coed.  We decided to stop in Betws-y-Coed for a rest break and enjoyed a pint of Old Speckled Hen and 1/2 pint of cider for me followed by a bit of a walk around.

On our way back to Liverpool we passed a number of fields with newborn lambs, but unfortunately because of the narrow winding roads there was no place to stop for photos and the one spot we could have stopped Fred was traveling just a bit to fast to make a safe stop as there were cars behind us.  I did get to see the lambs however bouncing around their mom's from my passenger seat.

We had a very enjoyable day out and hope you enjoy the blog.

Cheers for now,

Sandy & Fred

March 22, 2011 - Dunham Massey Hall

Greetings All,

The weather has turned absolutely amazing so we headed out to a National Trust site, Dunham Massey Hall to look at the house and grounds.  I am especially excited as they have a deer park on the site and am hoping to get some nice pictures up close and personal.  The ride in is a little longer than expected but then the nav-chick takes us on a bit of a detour.  Once we finally arrive quite by chance we are quite happy we are National Trust Members, as there is a charge for parking as well as entrance fees both to the house and gardens.

Dunham Massey Hall was initially built in 1616 by Sir George Booth, but was later remodeled by John Norris for George, Earl of Stamford and Warrington between 1732 and 1740; it was also altered by John Hope towards the end of the 18th century and by Joseph Compton Hall between 1905 and 1908.  The hall itself, the stables, and the carriage house of Dunham Massey Hall are all Grade I listed buildings.  There is a bit of scandal in the family's history as one Earl married a circus performer.  Society of the time shunned them.  Rooms in the house are lush and very ornate.  We learnt that when attending a coronation you must buy your own chair and stool.  We saw the chair and stool as well as the gowns that were worn by the Earl of Stamford and his wife at the coronation of George VI.

We are also fortunate to get some insight into how the library in the house is maintained.  We watched them hand dust the books and shelves and I am amazed how much dust comes off with the vacuum and the smell of the dust as I am quite sensitive to it.  The work is quite meticulous with each book being opened and scanned visually.  We learnt how water soaked books are restored. The books are vacuumed sealed up to five times to get ride of the water and then they can remain in a vacuum up to five years. We also got some insight to the problems of wood worm that invade these sites.  Wood worms are prevalent in soft woods or where there has been water damage and they eat into the books as well as the building itself. 

After touring the house we then walked the gardens and really enjoyed the flowers in bloom.  The garden was well maintained with areas of different seasonal flowers.  The moat which I really think is more of a pond as it does not surround the whole house is home to a number of water fowl.  There are a number of signs that advise against feeding the birds bread.  Something I did not know but bread provides little nutrition and swells in the birds belly so they think they are full.  All those poor birds we have fed bread to in Ontario and here in the UK who knew!

On our way out Fred got a perfect shot of a Mallard at rest.  We had a great afternoon and the only disappointment for me was no that there was no deer.  I did ask the ladies on duty where the deer park was, as I thought that I had missed it, and was told I was looking at it outside the gardens and  house.  They also told me that this was the first day in a while that there were no deer.


Ta ra for now,

Sandy & Fred

March 2, 2011 - The North Shore

Ola All,

Between 1730-1736 a series of volcanic eruptions occurred creating 32 new volcanoes in a stretch of 18 km and also 100 smaller ones in the area known as Montanas del Fuego. Then another eruption occurred in1824, however was not as severe as those in 1730 -36.

Some of the lava tubes resulting from these volcanic eruptions were enhanced by Cesar Manriques, and our tour of the North Shore incorporates three of his most famous works.  Our first stop was Cueva de los Verdes (The Green Caves).  This particular cave was used by the local inhabitants to hide from pirates and slave traders in 1402.  The caverns allowed for the people to defend themselves as entrances were narrow and allowed for only one person to enter at a time.  Cesar kept the caverns as they were but enhanced the floors to make them smooth for people to be able to explore the tube.  He worked with Jesus Soto placing lighting to show off the beauty of the caves.  The picture in the top corner shows the perfect optical illusion that they created by adding black volcanic sand to the floor of the cavern and covering the sand with water.  When we entered this cave we were asked to stay well away from the edge as it was a very deep drop.  Our guide threw a rock in and we then realized it was an illusion.  The last part of the tour in the Green Caves took us to a concert chamber that seats 400 people.  The acoustics are perfect as the rock is porous absorbing sound rather than it bouncing off the hard rock.  Pavarotti has performed in one of these concert chambers.

Our next stop was Jameos del Agua.  It is the second set of caves that are part of the 7 kilometer long lava tunnel from Volcan de la Corona. In these caves we found the home of Munidopsis Polymorpha, a blind albino crab that were no bigger than a babies fingernail. These crabs normally live in the depths of the ocean but have pathways to the lagoon because of the volcanoes.  The lagoon is salt water and we are lucky as the tide was in.  The picture on the left was taken by Fred with his camera being on full telephoto right at the waters edge.  After passing by the lagoon we arrived at the cactus garden designed on ancient lava ash.  Here we saw geraniums that are the size of small bushes.  I now know what to do with one of the geraniums I brought inside last fall as it has grown so large.  There is also a 600 seat concert hall at this site but it is under construction as it needs to be brought up to European Union standards for safety and access for the disabled (new fire exits and lifts) are now required.  We were fortunate as a gentleman was playing his harmonica in the hall and we get to experience how true the sound is.  Our guide said that they used to pipe music into the hall so tourists could experience the sound quality but because of construction they stopped doing that.

Jameos del Agua is also home to a scientific centre for the study of volcanology.  There was art work by Manrique throughout the site as well this was the last centre opened by the artist in 1990.

Before our last stop we were taken to Maguez, a small village for lunch.  We had the best meal as yet on the trip.  Ribs, chicken, paella, salad, vegetables, bread, fruit and cake with a glass of red wine of course.

After lunch we headed out to Mirador del Rio, another of Cesar Manriques creations.  It is a look-out 480 metres up with spectacular views down onto the Chinijo Islands with the largest island being La Graciosa.  The viewpoint is carved into the cliff-edge and was once an old artillery post 'Bateria del Rio'.  The wind was so strong that taking pictures was hard and it was cold but well worth the visit.

Lanazote with its rugged and diversified landscape has been used for a number of movies and a TV series, Krull, Enemy Mine, One Million BC and most recently Broken Embraces as well as the TV series The Martian Chronicals.  Some of these I have seen.

Back at the resort it was oriental theme night in the restaurant.  Needless to say they do a poor job with oriental dishes as well.  Thank god we had a great lunch.  The oriental drink provided as we leave the restaurant was sake and the girl told us that it was supposed to drank warm but they can't do that. Thanks to Christopher I informed her that good sake is drank cold not warmed, she seemed happy to hear that.

This completes the blog on Lanzarote as the next day we headed back to the UK.  For the first time ever I am glad to be leaving.  As my brother-in-law John likes to say "one and done!"  I am afraid that Lanzarote falls into that category.  We did enjoy our trip but seven days has been enough.  Last but not least I heard a new saying.  I was asked if I was glad to be off.  Well I know some of my family and friends think I am a bit off but really?  Fred explains she is asking if I am glad too be leaving or going home LOL.

Adios amigos and watch out for April when we head to Holland for the bulb fields, Ghent and Luxembourg.

Sandy & Fred

February 28 - March 1st, 2011 - Sun and Wind

Ola All,

This blog will be short as our next two days were catching more rays.
The wind has picked up considerably so much so that that people are bundling up around the pool.  I actually kept covered up until noon when the sun was at its hottest.  Service continued to be mediocre at best and the sun is still intense even with the wind which has increase in velocity.

Now may be a good time to tell you about Cesar Manrique an artist and architect who was born in the Teguise area.  Upon his return to Lanzarote Cesar saw a high rise hotel in Arrecife.  He did not want Lanzarote his home to become a maze of high rise hotels like so many of the other islands.  He got together with other important dignitaries to ensure that this did not happen.  As a result homes can only be two stories high and hotels no higher the five stories.  All building were to be painted white with shutters to be either green (for vegetation), brown (for earth) or blue (for sky/sea).  The government didn't collect property tax until the property was painted as this was when it was considered complete. To speed up the collection of taxes Cesar Manrique convinced the government to provide the paint free of charge as the cost would be recouped from the increased tax revenue.  We did note that all building are no longer white but were unable to ascertain when or why the change took place.  Cesar was very involved in the design of many of the tourist attractions on the island and ensured that the natural environment was maintained and enhanced using recycled material.  There are 7 wind toys (mobiles) located on round-a-bouts made by Cesar on the island that are made from recycled materials or construction garbage made by.  The picture in the corner is one of his works.

Monday night's entertainment involved parrots and as we headed to the bar I spot the birds.  Never say ahhh or make eye contact.  Before we knew it I was given two birds and Fred was positioned beside me and given another parrot.  The picture was taken and 10 Euros later we had a photo.  Well at least we got a photo of us together which is a rarity on most of our trips.

On Tuesday the wind is even worse than Monday so have a shorter day in the sun and spend some time in the lobby trying to clean up e-mails and download picture of me on Facebook on the some what intermittent e-mail.

The resort's restaurant put on a theme night and Monday was Italian.  The only good thing about the food that night was the shot of Grappa they served as you were leaving the restaurant.

Buenos noches,

Sandy & Fred