This is disturbing. We remember thinking, while in Italy, that the olive oil tasted way better there. We chalked it up to fresher olives, locally pressed etc. Not so. If you use Extra Virgin Olive Oil, read the linked article and watch the attached video. Major scam here. The article rats out the good and bad suppliers to help us in purchasing the real thing.
–
Question Of The Day
Can you get cavities in your dentures if you use too much artificial sweetener?
Overlooking the River Arun in West Sussex is Arundel Castle. In our adventure in England in 2008, we visited this historic castle. A very imposing place and home to the Duke of Norfolk. Before we hit the castle, I have to show you what is in the round about on the way into the town of Arundel. Check out the faces.
–
Once left the spider people behind, we approached the castle. As I said, it is a very imposing structure, especially with a thunderstorm approaching.
–
The grounds were spectacular as well. The Duke lives here and it is well-tended. Certain parts of the castle are not viewable. This is understandable as I know that I have no interest in seeing the Duke’s underwear lying on his bathroom floor or worse.
We left the confines of the living quarters and headed for the ramparts to check out the views. We got some magnificent scenery both inside and outside the walls.
–
The English countryside never ceases to amaze me. We left the castle to explore the grounds. We found much of interest including the royal lawnmowers.
–
We also discovered some strange statuary. Not quite sure what they were, other than big and metallic.
–
–
Farther along, I found a perfect photo opportunity. Unfortunately, I lost that shot in cyberspace somewhere, so I’ll have to substitute this one.
–
That was enough for the day, time for a cool refreshing beverage, and well deserved.
If you were going to shoot a mime, would you use a silencer? – Steven Wright
Today’s wander involves a trip we took to the UK in 2008. One of the places we visited was Salisbury. The town is well-known for its’ cathedral, but there was a certain beauty to it that made us want more. It is definitely on our places we would like to go back to list. The place is so very story book English, yet has everything. Take this picture as an example. Our hotel room had French doors,which I immediately opened and walked out of. This is what I saw.
A view right of a Thomas Hardy novel, including the swans. Not much to say, so I’ll just post pictures and give a quick description.
–
The Rose and Crown is where we stayed. This picture is the outdoor section of the hotel restaurant. Pretty nice place to have breakfast.
–
This is the entrance to the hotel. This part of the building dates to the 13th century, and the toilets still work. They don’t build them like they used to.
–
We headed out for supper and ended up here. This is the outdoor terrace at the Red Lion in the Hilton Hotel in Salisbury. A spectacular venue. It was here that I introduced our English friends to Mexican beer. They served Corona, which surprised me enough that I had to have a couple, bending my local beer rules for the occasion.
–
This is the Salisbury Cathedral. It has several interesting points. First, the cathedral was built prior to the town, using the “Build it and they will come” theory. It worked in this case. The spire is the tallest in the country at 404 feet. It has the world’s oldest working clock (1386) and contains one of only four surviving copies of the Magna Carta. It was also built in only 38 years, meaning the building is one of the few churches in the world of only one consistent architectural style. Buildings of this size could take generations to complete, which incorporated the architecture of several eras. It opened in 1258.
–
A last view of the River Avon looking towards our hotel. All in all, this was a terrific place to visit, not anything like I expected. I feel that the one day and night we spent here was not enough and hope to return here at some point in our travels.
Just a short note to thank the people who responded to my post on suggestions and advice for our trip this fall. We valued the comments, and a few email conversations and have an itinerary set (sort of). We will be heading off to Lisbon, Portugal for 3 days and nights. From there, we are doing Madrid and area, then Cordoba and area. In the middle, we will be doing a 7 day cruise to the Canary Islands and to Madeira. From there it is off to Barcelona and area, then home.
This trip is going to be spectacular (to us). The more we investigate, the more anticipation takes hold. From a camel ride in the Canary’s, to ice skating on a cruise ship to staying in a Paladore, the new experiences will abound.
This will be the view from our Bed and Breakfast in Lisbon.
This photo of ZUZABED & Breakfast B&B, Suites and Apartments is courtesy of TripAdvisor
It has been a while since I last posted about our time in Rome. Suffice it to say that I am still very much in awe of this place. On this day, we were with our English relatives and decided to spend the day at the Colosseum and the Forum. These were (are?) extremely impressive places. It literally took us all day to see these two areas and was well worth the price of admission, although, as it turns out, if you are an archaeology student, with the proper ID, you get in free. Gloating is allowed.
I really don’t have much to say. The places are well-known, and pictures don’t particularly do them justice, so I’ll just post them with minimal discussion.
The exterior view of the Colosseum. It is impossibly large.
The inside is crazy. You can see the corridors and galleries that were once covered with the arena floor.
The Arch of Constantine which stands next to the Colosseum.
You have probably seen the vendors who sell these brutal excuses for umbrellas, and probably wonder who on Earth would buy them. I happen to know 2 people who have indeed purchased these works of rip off art.
The Arch of Titus on the Forum grounds.
The Forum grounds are dotted with structures such as this.
Imagine what this looked likes a couple of thousand years ago.
Throughout the site is many examples of Roman art and statuary.
Once we were done, our friends headed back to their hotel and we set out to do something that was featured in a movie, Bocca della Verita, the mouth of truth, Rome’s ancient lie detector. Legend has it that you stick your arm in its mouth and tell a lie, it bites off your hand. It is found at the Santa Maria in Cosmedi church. There is usually a lineup and it costs a donation to the church to have your picture taken.
In hindsight, I should have used my left hand, but it all worked out. I survived.
On our first major excursion, we spent 2 weeks in the UK, visiting family in the southeast area of England. Being complete noobs, we spent the whole trip in complete awe of everything we saw. The people we were visiting took us to Hever Castle one day as a quiet day. We had a pretty hectic schedule, but that in itself is another tale.
The castle itself is more of a living quarters. Historically speaking, it has major significance. It was home to the Boleyn family, notably that of Anne Boleyn. She was living here when she became Henry the VIII‘s mistress, then wife.
She was one of the wives who literally lost her head over Henry. The castle is a major museum, with exhibits throughout the structure. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed inside the building. The picture below is of the entrance to the building.
Once we were done, we moved onto the grounds, which are beautiful. This picture is the landing area where a boat from Henry’s navy would land to either pick up Anne and take her to Hampton, or would bring Henry here for a visit.
The grounds are dotted with gardens and mazes. There are also fountains everywhere. The entire complex is very well kept.
These trees date back centuries and have been sculpted to be the pieces of a chess set. Yew trees are very slow-growing and lend themselves well to such projects.
This is an example of one of the garden areas. There is a main area and many smaller ones dotting the grounds.
We left this area and headed off to the Tournament. For the benefit of tourists, there are regular mock battles conducted on the grounds. It was quite entertaining to see some jousting and mock hand to hand combat.
My overall impression of Hever Castle is quite positive. If you are in the SE of England, it is well worth the time to spend a relaxing day at this attraction.
This is the 2011 fireworks display from London, UK. Spectacular. The Brits definitely did it right. I really wish I was there watching this. I would love to have posted the 2012 version, but am doing a scheduled post (Life has its own commitments), and really wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year. I suggest hooking up your machine to the closest 80 inch TV and crank the volume.
We spent a day and a half in Brugges back in 2008. What inspired us to go there? The first reason, its reputation as the Venice of the north, second, the recommendations of Lori’s cousins in England, and third, the movie “In Brugges”. We went to see the movie during the planning stages of the trip while investigating where to go, and determined that it was definitely a place to see. The plan became an excursion through southwest England, then through the Chunnel to France, driving into Brugges and continuing by train into Amsterdam.
Upon arriving in Brugges, we dumped our stuff at the B&B we were staying at and headed out. Beautiful place. Here is a couple of pictures to give you the feel.
The entire medieval city is lined with canals.
We continued on and eventually we made it to the square. This was a focal point in the movie, and is definitely the focal point of the city. It is huge, and very alive. This is our first look as we came upon it.
We entered the square and looked about, then went off for lunch. Very enjoyable. The three major things that Belgium is known for are pictured below.
Belgian Waffles,
And of course, Beer. This particular beer is Zot. It is a local brew. One of the best we’ve ever had.
We headed back to the square area and did some more touring. Very exhausting. The square is surrounded by restaurants and bars. I found one to my liking and stopped off for another refreshing beverage. Surprisingly, not a beer, but a wonderful hot chocolate. This the third thing Belgium is famous for, chocolate.
We left and continued our tour. Then, suddenly and without warning, we walked into my version of heaven. Something so spectacular, I needed three pictures to get it all in.
Yes, an entire wall of beer. Each beer is brewed in Belgium and each has its own special glass. Mind boggling. I was completely shocked to notice that there was a bar here, and, being completely overwhelmed and weak in the knees, we had stop and rest. Actually, seeing all this put a pretty big smile on my face.
After doing a bit more sight-seeing, all that was left was supper. We located a dining spot that could accommodate our entire group and had a fabulous supper (evening in general). There is much that can be said about good, as in good friends, good food, good drink and good times.
It’s all good.
In my last post, I discussed food and it’s value in travel. One has to have something to complement the food, or maybe one needs a cooling refreshing beverage to pick up your spirits on a hot tropical day. This brings to the next reason to travel, the drink. Yes, you can enjoy various wines, beer and liquor from around the globe just by visiting your local liquor store, however, I don’t think it is the same. Think of drinking a Corona. Now instead of drinking it in a Keg Steakhouse, think about drinking it on a beach, say a beach like this.
One of my favourite things on a trip is to try the local beer. It is no secret to people who know me that I like, no, love, beer. Port Royal in the Honduras, Zot in Bruges, real Heineken in Amsterdam, Peroni in Rome, Belekin in Belize, Modelo in Cozumel. All are very good, all are local. I have now resolved to take pictures of every beer I drink in another country (not each and every, just every type). And don’t get me started on wine. there is nothing like stopping in at a shop, spending 2 or 3 Euros and getting a bottle of decent wine.
Once again it is about experiences. Sure, there will be bad ones, but there will be awesome ones as well, some of, if not most of which, I will never have another opportunity to sample. Make the most of it. You’re going to have a drink anyway, might as well try something completely different. This reminds me of a story my brother told me. He was in Scotland, in a bar. Wanting a beer, he asked the server to bring him a beer, the most popular one. He naturally assumed a local beer would come back, NOT. The server brought him a Miller Genuine Draft. Crazy.
Here are some drink oriented pictures.
Lori and I enjoying a cold one at a 13th century pub in the UK. My personal record for oldest pub. Good story. We heard about this pub, as it is very old, and went into the village to find it. We asked John, Lori’s cousin, and the driver, where in the village it might be. He said, look for the church, it will be across the street. In England they are always across the street, and of course, it was.
The next thing I resolve to do is take a picture of the cool pubs we see. This place was stunning. The Red Lion in Salisbury, UK. It seems that every English town has 2 pubs, The Rose and Crown and/or the Red Lion.
Yes, this exactly what it looks like, a display case full of Belgian beer and the glass used for that beer. The astounding part, there were 4 of these cases along the wall. Amazing, copious amounts of local beer. Might take a while to have one of each.
This is nuts. Pecan beer. Had this in New Orleans and was surprised by just how good it was. Don’t be put off by perceptions of weird. They wouldn’t keep making it if it was crap.
A good glass of wine, a good meal, good friends and an interesting location equals memories that will last a lifetime. Enjoy your life, step up and step out.
The morning of the 14th, and we are expecting company. Lori’s cousins from England are due to arrive at some point. We decided it was good day to take our time, have breakfast, do some shopping and generally stay close until they arrived. Being right on Via Del Tritone has its advantages. Via Veneto was 100 yards from where we were staying and there were shops everywhere. Lori went off browsing and I stayed behind to catch up on photo downloading etc. I did have time to peek off the balcony of our apartment though.
Our companions arrived, but, quickly became tuckered out as they climbed the stairs to the 5th floor of the building, at least they seemed tuckered. We hung around until Lori got back and we were off, with no real plan. We gathered near the Spanish Steps.
We arrived at the Spanish Steps and it was very active. It looked as though a show was happening. We were lucky enough to be directly in front of the stage and I took this video of Opera on The Spanish Steps. Very impressive.
They day started late, and we left to find a restaurant for supper and some more evening life in Rome.
Our friends called it a night. Lori and I continued on into the evening, eventually ending up at Piazza Navona where yet again there was multiple events happening. A concert, artists, shops, you name it. Rome is an unbelievable place. The video I took did not turn out, but the one I have here is representative of the evening in the Piazza and appears to be taken the same night we were there as I vaguely remember this happening.
Alas, the day was done and we had a big day planned with our friends the next day. Back to the apartment we went. I cannot describe how it feels to wander through the streets of Rome at night. There is absolutely no fear at being in a strange city and no appearance of any danger. I have never felt so comfortable anywhere else I have been.
Related Links
–