Bury
We arrived in Bury, just outside of Manchester late in the afternoon and were greeted with lots of hugs and kisses and some tears I am sure. We headed out to an old English pub to have a meal and catch up.
The next day we hit the streets to check out where mum grew up. Some things have changed drastically, like the church that Doreen and Derek were married in is now a Tesco car park!! But some things stayed the same such as the house mum grew up in.
Walking and driving around with Doreen and Derek was just like driving around with mum and dad and we can see why they have remained friends throughout all this time and distance.
We stopped off to meet their daughter Allison who lives in a cottage that was built in the 1800's, I think - cant remember now, and had all the old brickwork still intact. It was a tiny semidetached but the improvements that have been made are huge windows at the front and back which let so much light it. It was really beautiful to see it and also to meet Allison.
After lunch we headed off to Clitheroe via Pendle Hill where it is believed that this is where the witches resided and the famous witch trials of 1612. This was close to Bury, where mum grew up and now understand why mum has witches throughout her house!!
In Clitheroe we met up with Doreen's other daughter Tracey, who we met around 22 years ago. Clitheroe was very pretty and it had a Keep (fortress) at the top of a hill, yes you guessed it we had to walk up there!! Not too bad just a short walk. This Keep was hit by a cannonball during the English revolution and the hole still remains.
We headed back to meet up with Allison and Tracey's children and enjoy a family get together. Afterwards at Doreen and Derek's we introduced them to pavlova for dessert and some fudge we got at Bath. With an early start to the morning and again hugs, kisses and tears we left Doreen an Derek with a promised return trip and longer stay and made our way back to Chelmsford for a weekend with Matt, Kim and kids.
Weekend with Matt and Kim
Our first adventure with Matt and Kim started with the movies to watch the Hunger Games. Now anyone that knows me (Jene that is) knows that this is not my type of movie, however I will admit that I did enjoy it (just not sure if I would watch the next one, so don't get too excited Deirdre!!). After this headed back to Matt and Kim's for some catch up chats that lasted till early hours of morning. When we awoke we decided that we all are to old for that any more!!
We headed out to the river where there was a Lock. Had seen this many times in movies and shows but to see the boats up close was really interesting. By chance a friend of Matt and Kim's was there with his boat - not a long boat though, but the kids got to have a ride and we got to see how a Lock works. Scott helped out with opening and closing the Lock and was amazing to see that the water goes down one one side and the fills up to allow the boat to pass through. The we went off to a massive park which was one where Matt and Kim's ward plus another ward meets for Easter Monday rain, hail, snow or shine for a family picnic and Easter egg hunt.
Scott made his yummy Chinese meal that was enjoyed by all (even kids) and I introduced them to sticky date pudding. Since it had previously agreed that we were too old to stay up till all hours that morning, we again talked till early morning, and made even earlier as daylight savings started that night!! Off to church and got to meet Kim's family as they are in the same ward. Kim's dad and brother in law also dropped by that night so had a good time talking to them (and getting the dirt on matt as an adult!!). Matt dropped us off at the airport hotel for the commencement of our time in Rome and Paris. Sarah, Jared and Emily are joining us in Rome for a couple days and will be great to spend time with them there. Bring on gladiator school!!
Friday 30 March 2012
A Bath experience and it wasn't even a Saturday!!
We booked into the Edgar Hotel in Bath but did not arrive until after dark. As our Navwoman advised us that we were arriving at our destination we turned into a scene directly out of a Jane Austen novel. The Great Pulteny Road is a very wide thoroughfare with a row of three storey Georgian houses along either side for about 500 metres. As you walk along the pavement you can look down to see each house has two floors below the road level that are actually level with the rear yard. I kept expecting to see the cast of Upstairs Downstairs to walk onto the street.
After booking in we decided to walk a short way down the road to the Avon River and over the bridge. As we turned the corner of one street both Jene and I were stopped in our tracks by the sight of the Bath Abbey lit up at the end of the street. Not only was its size impressive but the way in which it was lit just enhanced its beauty. After walking around some more we stopped for dinner opposite the Abbey and watched people passing. It was obvious that it was a university town by the number of young adults but we were also impressed that so many people were out after 9:00 enjoying the chilly night.
The next morning we had a lovely English Breakfast in the front room looking out on to the street. I felt like Professor Higgins sitting with Jen as Eliza Doolittle out of My Fair Lady. That might have been because Jen now walks around saying 'Cor Blimey' a lot!!!
We checked out but decided to stay in Bath for awhile. We looked inside the Bath Abbey which was huge with beautiful stained glass windows, ornate carvings and a huge vaulted ceiling. On the pillars there were flags representing local army regiments that used to exist and the right up the front was a threadbare Australian Flag. This was included in respect for Governor Arthur Phillip who arrived with the First Fleet in Sydney in 1788. After his term as Governor he returned to England and retired to Bath.
After our visit to the Abbey I went on a two hour walking tour of the city while Jene went shopping. On my tour we saw some of the most beautiful Georgian architecture in the form of the Circus and Royal Crescent. The city was well planned and is one of the mot beautiful cities I have visited. There were lots of nerdy things to see and learn all of which I am willing to share at any time. The folk story of Bladdad and his pigs and why they built acorn adornments on the Circle rooftops or how the University still pays a peppercorn rent to the city for its land are two of my favorites!! If anyone is planning to visit Bath you need to allow at least a full 24 hours if not longer to really appreciate it.
Unfortunately we needed to move on as we had very important people to stay with. Doreen and Derek are Scott's mums oldest friends. Doreen grew up with mum, including school and throughout mums dating period, time to get the dirt!!
After booking in we decided to walk a short way down the road to the Avon River and over the bridge. As we turned the corner of one street both Jene and I were stopped in our tracks by the sight of the Bath Abbey lit up at the end of the street. Not only was its size impressive but the way in which it was lit just enhanced its beauty. After walking around some more we stopped for dinner opposite the Abbey and watched people passing. It was obvious that it was a university town by the number of young adults but we were also impressed that so many people were out after 9:00 enjoying the chilly night.
The next morning we had a lovely English Breakfast in the front room looking out on to the street. I felt like Professor Higgins sitting with Jen as Eliza Doolittle out of My Fair Lady. That might have been because Jen now walks around saying 'Cor Blimey' a lot!!!
We checked out but decided to stay in Bath for awhile. We looked inside the Bath Abbey which was huge with beautiful stained glass windows, ornate carvings and a huge vaulted ceiling. On the pillars there were flags representing local army regiments that used to exist and the right up the front was a threadbare Australian Flag. This was included in respect for Governor Arthur Phillip who arrived with the First Fleet in Sydney in 1788. After his term as Governor he returned to England and retired to Bath.
After our visit to the Abbey I went on a two hour walking tour of the city while Jene went shopping. On my tour we saw some of the most beautiful Georgian architecture in the form of the Circus and Royal Crescent. The city was well planned and is one of the mot beautiful cities I have visited. There were lots of nerdy things to see and learn all of which I am willing to share at any time. The folk story of Bladdad and his pigs and why they built acorn adornments on the Circle rooftops or how the University still pays a peppercorn rent to the city for its land are two of my favorites!! If anyone is planning to visit Bath you need to allow at least a full 24 hours if not longer to really appreciate it.
Unfortunately we needed to move on as we had very important people to stay with. Doreen and Derek are Scott's mums oldest friends. Doreen grew up with mum, including school and throughout mums dating period, time to get the dirt!!
Our England tour - We bought a Zoo!!
Dartmoor Zoo
As you all know, since I saw the movie 'We bought a zoo', saw Benjamin Mee on the morning show and found out that the zoo was England I told Scott we had to go there. He was not impressed but organized our road trip to cater for a trip to the zoo.
It was not a very good day weather wise but we eventually made our way to Dartmoor zoo. This was also done those roads Scott hates!! I think these were even smaller than the other ones we had been on, Scott was really stressing by the time we got there haha.
The zoo was very small compared to our one but it was exciting to see the zoo. The lions and tigers were so beautiful. We were there on a day that the local college had made a replica animals for them to attack and feed off. Whilst most was cardboard it was covered in horse and alpaca hair, catnip and meat. The plan was for the lioness to pounce and 'kill' the animal and then for the lion to eat it. As with most best laid plans the lion came out and claimed the meal and the lioness had to wait.
The lion came up to the fence where I was standing and kept eyeing me and one of the girls from the college, looking back and forth for a few minutes, then roared and pounced at us through the fence, in which we both screamed and jumped back. We were both really glad of the fence lol.
Also at the lions den was Benjamin Mee himself. I got to meet him, have photos and talk to him a bit about the zoo and explain why we had come - he seemed very impressed lol. The movie has only been released in England a few days before but he had said that it has already made an impact on the number of visitors to the zoo.
Whilst it was a small zoo it was clear that the animals were all healthy and happy there. One of the volunteers we came across at the tigers was talking to one of the tigers and she was purring back. It was very cute to watch, well for me anyway not to sure about Scott.
We made our way to the education centre where we could handle some of the wildlife, of which pictures are up on FB. It seems that us Aussies are tough as Scott and I were holding anything that they offered to us, where as anyone else that was there were refusing. Now happy that we had made the effort to go we made our way to Bath.
As you all know, since I saw the movie 'We bought a zoo', saw Benjamin Mee on the morning show and found out that the zoo was England I told Scott we had to go there. He was not impressed but organized our road trip to cater for a trip to the zoo.
It was not a very good day weather wise but we eventually made our way to Dartmoor zoo. This was also done those roads Scott hates!! I think these were even smaller than the other ones we had been on, Scott was really stressing by the time we got there haha.
The zoo was very small compared to our one but it was exciting to see the zoo. The lions and tigers were so beautiful. We were there on a day that the local college had made a replica animals for them to attack and feed off. Whilst most was cardboard it was covered in horse and alpaca hair, catnip and meat. The plan was for the lioness to pounce and 'kill' the animal and then for the lion to eat it. As with most best laid plans the lion came out and claimed the meal and the lioness had to wait.
The lion came up to the fence where I was standing and kept eyeing me and one of the girls from the college, looking back and forth for a few minutes, then roared and pounced at us through the fence, in which we both screamed and jumped back. We were both really glad of the fence lol.
Also at the lions den was Benjamin Mee himself. I got to meet him, have photos and talk to him a bit about the zoo and explain why we had come - he seemed very impressed lol. The movie has only been released in England a few days before but he had said that it has already made an impact on the number of visitors to the zoo.
Whilst it was a small zoo it was clear that the animals were all healthy and happy there. One of the volunteers we came across at the tigers was talking to one of the tigers and she was purring back. It was very cute to watch, well for me anyway not to sure about Scott.
We made our way to the education centre where we could handle some of the wildlife, of which pictures are up on FB. It seems that us Aussies are tough as Scott and I were holding anything that they offered to us, where as anyone else that was there were refusing. Now happy that we had made the effort to go we made our way to Bath.
Sunday 25 March 2012
Our tour of England - London to Lulworth Cove
We celebrated English Mothers Day at brother Geoff's house before starting our journey around 5:00pm. We were planning to leave Monday morning but were warned of the gridlock on the motorways around London so heading off early. We drove for about two hours and stayed in a nice hotel the town of Hook outside Basingstoke. This belonged to the Quality Inn chain of hotels and are well worth looking at if planning travel around England.
After breakfast we drove towards the Salisbury Plains for a look at Stonehenge. In my original plans I had not included this stop as I had never really been impressed by this group of rocks. As we approached it on the motorway we came around the corner and it standing alone in a fenced off paddock and my opinion did not change to the point that I was considering whether it was worth the admission price to go in however as we were there we would make the effort.
However as you approach these enormous stone slabs and learn about the effort made to bring them to this specific site and the reasons why my appreciation of the site improved immensely. I took advantage of one of the volunteer guides on the site who explained that the larger stones were quarried about 20 miles away while the smaller bluestone rocks have been traced to quarries in Wales more than 150 miles. The legend is that the wizard Merlin used music and magic to bring the stones to Salisbury.
The significance of the site is that it is a prime location for watching the skies to understand the movement of the sun and thereby determining the seasons. There are stones set to the southern and northern side of the henge from which the sun rising and setting could be viewed to tell when the equinox would occur.
When you see the large vertical stones up close you can see that small mounds have been carved on the top edge which match up with holes in the lintels placed on top which holds them in place. As we were walking back to the car park we noticed a number of odd looking vans and campers parked up a side plane. These belonged to a group of modern day Druids who had arrived to celebrate the Autumnal equinox that was occurring the next day. They had permission to enter the Stonehenge circle to carry out their ceremonies.
(from Jene - Scott was in his nerdy element here and talking to the guide. It was breezy but I let Scott have his moment lol)
As the photos show on face book the boys really enjoyed this site!
After Stonehenge we continued our journey down to Dorset and the little village of Lulworth on the Jurassic Coast. While we trusted our best friend, the Navwoman, it took us down the smallest of roads. First we came to villages that had a small lane each way but allowed cars to park on the street. Then we moved to smaller roads with privet on both sides that required both cars to edge to the side of the road to pass. Finally we came on to even smaller roads where you just hoped you didn't come across a bike coming the other way let alone a car. At one stage I was living in fear as Jene was flying along these roadways. I asked her to slow down and she came back at me that she was only doing 45! I had to remind her that it was 45 miles not kilometers (which is 75 k's)
Lulworth Cove is a lovely little fishing village right at the end of the road. The cove was formed when the creek running out of the hills broke through to the sea. The type of rocks in the area consist of softer sediments and the pounding of the sea broke them down to open up the valley to the sea. Over the years the softer rocks washed away until the water hit the solid chalk cliffs at the back of the cove. As the pictures show it is a full circle.
The reason I selected this location on this trip was to visit a geological site known as Durdle Door. This is an archway that has been formed in the coastal cliffs similar to the London Bridge on the Great Ocean Rd. For some reason the English have not acquired the concept of going around a hill. Once again I dragged Jene up this steep hill, almost as steep as the Great Wall of China. The photos show how much Jene appreciated it. When we reached the top Jene threw a tantrum and refused to come down the other side so missed the view.
The walk down the hill was also steep and as I came down the bluff there were people swimming at the beach. It was pretty cold and the swimmers did have on wet suits. At the bottom I reached the cliff outcrop and saw Durdle Door rising out of the sea. Looked good so proceeded to climb down to the beach for more photos. The steps that took me down were very narrow and challenging and these were used to bring families down to the water. The beach, as is typical, had no sand but was made up of thousands of small polished pebbles.
While down on the beach I received a text from Jen that she was making her way back down from the top back to the village so I started the climb to the apex and back down the other side. While Jen was not did not enjoy the walk up the hill what annoyed her more was that there were quite a lot of couples in their 60s and older who were doing the same climb - quite successfully. A couple of times I heard her mutter under her breath something about kicking their walking sticks out from under them.
When I arrived back in the village we rewarded ourselves with a Dorset ice cream. They are famous for their clotted cream (triple thickened) and we sampled some beautiful flavours before making a choice and heading back to the Barn. That night we went into town and ate at the local pub. Food was nice but what caught our attention was the number of people who brought their dogs into the restaurant while they ate. Jene ordered fish and chips and had a laugh when it arrived with peas!!
Our accommodation was called 'The Old Barn' and is a converted barn. Lovely room with beautiful view and a huge English breakfast. We then headed off to our next stop - Plymouth to visit the zoo.
After breakfast we drove towards the Salisbury Plains for a look at Stonehenge. In my original plans I had not included this stop as I had never really been impressed by this group of rocks. As we approached it on the motorway we came around the corner and it standing alone in a fenced off paddock and my opinion did not change to the point that I was considering whether it was worth the admission price to go in however as we were there we would make the effort.
However as you approach these enormous stone slabs and learn about the effort made to bring them to this specific site and the reasons why my appreciation of the site improved immensely. I took advantage of one of the volunteer guides on the site who explained that the larger stones were quarried about 20 miles away while the smaller bluestone rocks have been traced to quarries in Wales more than 150 miles. The legend is that the wizard Merlin used music and magic to bring the stones to Salisbury.
The significance of the site is that it is a prime location for watching the skies to understand the movement of the sun and thereby determining the seasons. There are stones set to the southern and northern side of the henge from which the sun rising and setting could be viewed to tell when the equinox would occur.
When you see the large vertical stones up close you can see that small mounds have been carved on the top edge which match up with holes in the lintels placed on top which holds them in place. As we were walking back to the car park we noticed a number of odd looking vans and campers parked up a side plane. These belonged to a group of modern day Druids who had arrived to celebrate the Autumnal equinox that was occurring the next day. They had permission to enter the Stonehenge circle to carry out their ceremonies.
(from Jene - Scott was in his nerdy element here and talking to the guide. It was breezy but I let Scott have his moment lol)
As the photos show on face book the boys really enjoyed this site!
After Stonehenge we continued our journey down to Dorset and the little village of Lulworth on the Jurassic Coast. While we trusted our best friend, the Navwoman, it took us down the smallest of roads. First we came to villages that had a small lane each way but allowed cars to park on the street. Then we moved to smaller roads with privet on both sides that required both cars to edge to the side of the road to pass. Finally we came on to even smaller roads where you just hoped you didn't come across a bike coming the other way let alone a car. At one stage I was living in fear as Jene was flying along these roadways. I asked her to slow down and she came back at me that she was only doing 45! I had to remind her that it was 45 miles not kilometers (which is 75 k's)
Lulworth Cove is a lovely little fishing village right at the end of the road. The cove was formed when the creek running out of the hills broke through to the sea. The type of rocks in the area consist of softer sediments and the pounding of the sea broke them down to open up the valley to the sea. Over the years the softer rocks washed away until the water hit the solid chalk cliffs at the back of the cove. As the pictures show it is a full circle.
The reason I selected this location on this trip was to visit a geological site known as Durdle Door. This is an archway that has been formed in the coastal cliffs similar to the London Bridge on the Great Ocean Rd. For some reason the English have not acquired the concept of going around a hill. Once again I dragged Jene up this steep hill, almost as steep as the Great Wall of China. The photos show how much Jene appreciated it. When we reached the top Jene threw a tantrum and refused to come down the other side so missed the view.
The walk down the hill was also steep and as I came down the bluff there were people swimming at the beach. It was pretty cold and the swimmers did have on wet suits. At the bottom I reached the cliff outcrop and saw Durdle Door rising out of the sea. Looked good so proceeded to climb down to the beach for more photos. The steps that took me down were very narrow and challenging and these were used to bring families down to the water. The beach, as is typical, had no sand but was made up of thousands of small polished pebbles.
While down on the beach I received a text from Jen that she was making her way back down from the top back to the village so I started the climb to the apex and back down the other side. While Jen was not did not enjoy the walk up the hill what annoyed her more was that there were quite a lot of couples in their 60s and older who were doing the same climb - quite successfully. A couple of times I heard her mutter under her breath something about kicking their walking sticks out from under them.
When I arrived back in the village we rewarded ourselves with a Dorset ice cream. They are famous for their clotted cream (triple thickened) and we sampled some beautiful flavours before making a choice and heading back to the Barn. That night we went into town and ate at the local pub. Food was nice but what caught our attention was the number of people who brought their dogs into the restaurant while they ate. Jene ordered fish and chips and had a laugh when it arrived with peas!!
Our accommodation was called 'The Old Barn' and is a converted barn. Lovely room with beautiful view and a huge English breakfast. We then headed off to our next stop - Plymouth to visit the zoo.
Wednesday 21 March 2012
A walk on the Wicked side. Got your attention now haven't we!!
A walk in the English Countryside
It is a bleak grey day in the county of Essex and I have talked Jene's brother Geoff to go dawdling through the English countryside. About 250 metres from the main road we hit rural England as the footpath ends along with housing and we walk along narrow roadways surrounded by farmland and open fields. Every now and then a lovely little cottage would appear or a small village on the horizon with the church steeple being prominent.
As you can imagine walking along small country roads for four hours Geoff and I shared many thoughts and feelings on many different levels including assessment of our wife's strengths and weaknesses. To ensure that both Geoff and i live happy and long lives I will not be sharing those thoughts at this time.
We were following a map of the Roach Valley Walk that took us along roadways and the through fields and across farms. These are public footpaths that have been designated for a long time. They travel through private lands and the owners of the property have the responsibility of maintaining the paths. It felt a bit strange walking between barns and over stiles into paddocks and we kept waiting for an angry farmer to appear waving a shotgun.
A Wicked Day in London
Today we travelled into London with sister Sarah, sister- in-law Margaret and special nieces Megan and Lauren to see Wicked at the Victoria Apollo Theatre. We decided that rather than just buying the nieces and nephews some Aussie t-shirts that we would treat each of them to a special experience or gift. Megan is studying drama so we thought a Visit to the West End would be good.
We caught the train from Rochford to Liverpool Street station and then transferred to the underground to travel to Covent Garden. There was a small hut with postcards posted all over it supporting the Great Britain Olympic team. They invited me in but wouldn't allow me to write Aussie, Aussie Aussie oi, oi, oi own the wall.
We then walked towards the West End and it was like being transported on to a Monopoly Board as we went through Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square. We reached the Apollo theatre only to find that we should have been at the Apollo Victoria theatre so had to jump back on the Metro but made it on time.
The musical Wicked was brilliant. A great story, amazing songs and a very impressive cast. We still can't get the song 'Gravity' out of our heads. Jene, being the big rebel that she is, taped the finale on her phone and will probably download it on Facebook.
The show finished about 5:30 but as we had off peak rail tickets we had to wait until 6:30 to return so we decided to walk back past Buckingham Palace. We saw Prince Harry coming out! The picture shows his car and while you can't see him you will have to take my word for it. While walking we caught glimpses of Big Ben, the Tower of London and the Millennium Eye.
Heat Wave Hits London
This morning I went walking in a really thick fog where I could only see about 50 metres in front of me. By mid morning the sun had burned up the fog and a beautiful blue sky appeared. I was able to sit outside in a short sleeved shirt and build up my tan. This afternoon I walked into Rochford and built up a sweat it was so warm.
On my walk I pass a primary school that a small service road opposite which is used for drop off and pick up. This afternoon when I walked past around school finishing time there were two Mr Whippy vans parked in prime location on the service road. Great for the kids but hard for parents to deal with.
It is a bleak grey day in the county of Essex and I have talked Jene's brother Geoff to go dawdling through the English countryside. About 250 metres from the main road we hit rural England as the footpath ends along with housing and we walk along narrow roadways surrounded by farmland and open fields. Every now and then a lovely little cottage would appear or a small village on the horizon with the church steeple being prominent.
As you can imagine walking along small country roads for four hours Geoff and I shared many thoughts and feelings on many different levels including assessment of our wife's strengths and weaknesses. To ensure that both Geoff and i live happy and long lives I will not be sharing those thoughts at this time.
We were following a map of the Roach Valley Walk that took us along roadways and the through fields and across farms. These are public footpaths that have been designated for a long time. They travel through private lands and the owners of the property have the responsibility of maintaining the paths. It felt a bit strange walking between barns and over stiles into paddocks and we kept waiting for an angry farmer to appear waving a shotgun.
A Wicked Day in London
Today we travelled into London with sister Sarah, sister- in-law Margaret and special nieces Megan and Lauren to see Wicked at the Victoria Apollo Theatre. We decided that rather than just buying the nieces and nephews some Aussie t-shirts that we would treat each of them to a special experience or gift. Megan is studying drama so we thought a Visit to the West End would be good.
We caught the train from Rochford to Liverpool Street station and then transferred to the underground to travel to Covent Garden. There was a small hut with postcards posted all over it supporting the Great Britain Olympic team. They invited me in but wouldn't allow me to write Aussie, Aussie Aussie oi, oi, oi own the wall.
We then walked towards the West End and it was like being transported on to a Monopoly Board as we went through Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square. We reached the Apollo theatre only to find that we should have been at the Apollo Victoria theatre so had to jump back on the Metro but made it on time.
The musical Wicked was brilliant. A great story, amazing songs and a very impressive cast. We still can't get the song 'Gravity' out of our heads. Jene, being the big rebel that she is, taped the finale on her phone and will probably download it on Facebook.
The show finished about 5:30 but as we had off peak rail tickets we had to wait until 6:30 to return so we decided to walk back past Buckingham Palace. We saw Prince Harry coming out! The picture shows his car and while you can't see him you will have to take my word for it. While walking we caught glimpses of Big Ben, the Tower of London and the Millennium Eye.
Heat Wave Hits London
This morning I went walking in a really thick fog where I could only see about 50 metres in front of me. By mid morning the sun had burned up the fog and a beautiful blue sky appeared. I was able to sit outside in a short sleeved shirt and build up my tan. This afternoon I walked into Rochford and built up a sweat it was so warm.
On my walk I pass a primary school that a small service road opposite which is used for drop off and pick up. This afternoon when I walked past around school finishing time there were two Mr Whippy vans parked in prime location on the service road. Great for the kids but hard for parents to deal with.
Sunday 18 March 2012
Finally we are here
We left Beijing, again very happy with the plane and service given by Air China. It wasn't too cold but it was midday!! We had such a good time in Beijing but it was also extremely busy. We landed in England on time and got down to UK border, this is where everything stopped, literally. We were in the queue that had 18 lines going backwards and forwards till we got to the top - 2.5 hours later!!! So needed my English passport, but would have to still wait for Scott. Waiting on the other side was Sarah, Jared, mum and baby Emily. Finally got through, when we landed it was sunny and by the time we got through it was night haha.
The next day was the day we had all been waiting for. We all headed over to mums place as there was a hall there. There was Geoff, Margaret and their 5 children, Matt, Kim and their 3, Sarah, Jared and Emily, mum and dad. My cousins Richard, Tracey and kids and Juno, David and their kids made the 2.5 hour drive and Gary, Helen and their family. My aunts and uncles Beryl and Roy and even Rex and Sue came over from France to join us. With Deb and Lav and Scott and myself it made a very large number of us all together for the first time in 28 years.
Such fantastic day time to catch up on the many many years that we have been apart, plans to make to see each other again, many many many photos to take for future memories. Opportunities to get to know our nieces and nephews that we had never met. The time went too fast but the day had to come to an end.
Our first stop was with Sarah and Jared, where we got some time with Emily. Being the youngest niece and still a baby really she is cute, just like Sarah she is allowed to get away with stuff others wouldn't - such as pick pocketing Uncle Scott for his wallet and phone hahah she very quickly learnt how to play the games on his phone and take his cards out of his wallet!!
Sorry cant add photos at this time but plenty on face book and will add at a later stage.
First couple of days done and dusted and then jet lag kicked in. Awake from 1.30 till around 5 am that night thank goodness for reading books and torches lol
The next day was the day we had all been waiting for. We all headed over to mums place as there was a hall there. There was Geoff, Margaret and their 5 children, Matt, Kim and their 3, Sarah, Jared and Emily, mum and dad. My cousins Richard, Tracey and kids and Juno, David and their kids made the 2.5 hour drive and Gary, Helen and their family. My aunts and uncles Beryl and Roy and even Rex and Sue came over from France to join us. With Deb and Lav and Scott and myself it made a very large number of us all together for the first time in 28 years.
Such fantastic day time to catch up on the many many years that we have been apart, plans to make to see each other again, many many many photos to take for future memories. Opportunities to get to know our nieces and nephews that we had never met. The time went too fast but the day had to come to an end.
Our first stop was with Sarah and Jared, where we got some time with Emily. Being the youngest niece and still a baby really she is cute, just like Sarah she is allowed to get away with stuff others wouldn't - such as pick pocketing Uncle Scott for his wallet and phone hahah she very quickly learnt how to play the games on his phone and take his cards out of his wallet!!
Sorry cant add photos at this time but plenty on face book and will add at a later stage.
First couple of days done and dusted and then jet lag kicked in. Awake from 1.30 till around 5 am that night thank goodness for reading books and torches lol
Friday 16 March 2012
The Summer Palace - last activity in Beijing
After the walking along the Great Wall we headed to another iconic sight - The Summer Palace. This is where the Emperors and the Empress came during the summer months as it was cooler than the heart of Beijing. Well if it is cool in summer it is freezing in winter!! During its history it has been destroyed 3 times. the last was in the 1800. It is said that the Empress (aka Dragon Lady) embezzled funds from the royal navy to have the gardens rebuilt.
We arrived and hopped out of our nice warm car, where Scott declared that it was a nice warm day, it actually did feel that way until we came up to the Palace. It soon became very noticeably why the Empress preferred to be here in the summer. It is 290 hectares of which over 120 of these is the lake. During winter the lake is frozen solid, hence why it was so cold.
The Palace also contains the longest corridor, it cannot really be restored as each section was decorated by different, unique artists and much to Scotts delight contains a picture from 'Monkey Magic"!!
throughout the garden there are also internal canals - all of which were frozen as well. the wind was blowing in both directions hence my getup below!! Scott and our guide thought i was hilarious - i was just trying to keep warm.
during the summer months the chinese people hold their dragon boat racing on the lake and the gardens are spectacular and would be well worth a visit in spring.
again this garden was another amazing place to visit and we will also remember this for a lifetime.
on our way back to our hotel we managed a quick look at a couple of the olympic sites - the Birds Nest and the Cube. We also found that even in Beijing they have their very own China Town!!
Well our Beijing adventure ends and our London adventure begins. Bring on the family.
We arrived and hopped out of our nice warm car, where Scott declared that it was a nice warm day, it actually did feel that way until we came up to the Palace. It soon became very noticeably why the Empress preferred to be here in the summer. It is 290 hectares of which over 120 of these is the lake. During winter the lake is frozen solid, hence why it was so cold.
The Palace also contains the longest corridor, it cannot really be restored as each section was decorated by different, unique artists and much to Scotts delight contains a picture from 'Monkey Magic"!!
throughout the garden there are also internal canals - all of which were frozen as well. the wind was blowing in both directions hence my getup below!! Scott and our guide thought i was hilarious - i was just trying to keep warm.
during the summer months the chinese people hold their dragon boat racing on the lake and the gardens are spectacular and would be well worth a visit in spring.
again this garden was another amazing place to visit and we will also remember this for a lifetime.
on our way back to our hotel we managed a quick look at a couple of the olympic sites - the Birds Nest and the Cube. We also found that even in Beijing they have their very own China Town!!
Tuesday 13 March 2012
The Great Wall of China
We are currently flying over the snow capped mountains of Russia while I update our third day in Beijing which was also the best day as we headed out to the Great Wall. There are a couple of places in the World that I have always dreamed of visiting. Three years ago we went to Cairns and I swam on the Barrier Reef. On that day I thought I had experienced the greatest travel experience I could have. Today while walking on the Great Wall a new number one was achieved.
We went to a section of the Wall known as Maitanyu about 90 km out of Beijing. This requires traveling through rural areas and small villages but as you get closer to the Mountains it is obvious that this area is a summer vacation district with fishing and fruit farms. We passed frozen rivers and lakes and a beautiful waterfall that was also frozen solid. As we came around a bend in the road we caught our first glimpse of the Wall running along the top of the mountains. It would go out of sight for awhile and the reappear until we came to the base of mountain ridge. There up above us stood a long stretch of the wall with a number of towers visible and a cable car rising up to meet it.
In a couple of minutes we reached the top and as I rounded the corner my breath was taken away as you see the wall stretching out for kilometers in either direction. For all the documentaries I have watched and photos I have seen nothing prepared me for the sense of majesty at its size and the enormity of its construction.
After taking a few 'family photos' on the terrace we took our first, very large, steps up into Tower 14. From here you could look along the wall I. Both directions. To the left was an upward climb to the peak of the mountain range and to the left a downward walk to another cable car and the toboggan ride at Tower 6. I thought Jene was going to turn around and return down the Cable Car but she pushed forward with some trepidation but also determination.
It didn't take long to reach our first set of stairs that ranged from sections of small close together steps up to large steps 1/2m high. These were separated by paved sections mirroring the contour of the mountain and as the weather was still at zero or below many sections were coated with ice. Jene's ankle has restricted mobility which saw her climbing down the steps sideways like a crab. We are talking a couple of kilometers and hundreds of steps but she carried on like a trooper. Only after coming through Tower 8 did she let out a groan as we saw the steep set of steps leading up to Tower 7. However looking back up the mountain to see where we had started from convinced her that forward was the only way to go. We finally reached Tower 6 with a great sense of achievement.
The Great Wall itself was amazing and once again beyond my ability to describe it so we hope the pictures do it justice. The coating of snow in some area added to its beauty. I could have kept walking but time, and Jene, wouldn't allow it. So Jene and our guide Sherry took the toboggan ride down to the bottom while I returned to Tower 8 and walked the 1000 steps back down. While this walk was challenging it was easier than running the gauntlet of small stallholders lining the narrow pathway back to the car park.
Day 2 - Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City
At 8am we were to meet our guide at a hotel lobby for our next tour. Unfortunately there was a mix up and he arrived 20 mins late. Tommy was 27 and very enthusiastic and he was our private guide for this tour. He took us on the subway which was very clean and easy to use. All bags are scanned before entering the station. All tickets regardless of destination cost 2 yuan (60c) and are small plastic cards. When you leave the station they are collected and recycled. The subway is very crowded in peak hour but easy to use.
Around the Temple of Heaven is a large public space (size of Jamison Park) with hundreds of older locals inside. Everywhere you look there are groups of 20 - 30 people participating in activities such as Tai Chai, dancing, singing, martial arts all being led by a assigned instructor. Later on we saw rock and roll dancing and sword martial arts. Most amazingly of all was when we came to a large playground with gym equipment but no children. Instead there were hundreds of older people laughing and exercising together. It was like a scene from Cocoon!! These older people were very agile and strong but more importantly were enjoying the company of their peers. During our stay we saw lots of these parks which have been set up for the older residents to use to keep their body and minds active. Retirement ages are set quite low and as most people live in apartment this is we're they go everyday. I forgot to mention that it was below freezing but weather does not bother them. I challenged Jene to match the fitness of some of the older women but she was too intimidated.
We the wet into the inner park in which the Temple of Heaven is located along with the Wall of Echos and Circular Mound. All would take too long to describe so when we discuss Touristy stuff we will allow the pictures talk for themselves.
When we finished this part of the tour it was so cold I bought a daggy beanie just to keep my ears warm. We the then caught a taxi to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The traffic was bedlam as the Chinese Congress was holding their annual get together bringing over 3000 reps from all over China to determine this years policies. This meant the Army and Police were everywhere and people were being stopped for random security checks. It also meant we were not able to enter the Square or Chairman Mao's mausoleum.
When we entered through the front gate with Chairman Mao's picture over it you then have to proceed through a couple of large courtyards and gates before coming to the huge walls of the Forbidden City. To stand before it was amazing as I have read so much about it and seen pictures but never thought I would be there myself. Once again I will allow the pictures to describe its size and majesty. (Nerd Alert - the color blue signified heaven and only the Emporer could use the color yellow)
When you come out the other side of the city you are faced with this large hill that has five pagodas on it. The hill was man made for the Emporor and the pagoda on the top houses a large statue of Buddha for worshipping. The hill is a steep climb of 300 meters which had Jene rolling her eyes but saw her bravely climb the stairs to the top. It was worth it as the view of the Forbidden City was spectacular as I gained a better perspective of it 1sq km size. It was also worth it as we were able to get a picture of Jene in her real guise as the "Dragon Lady".
After coming back down the hill Tommy walked us back through the local suburbs or Hu Tongs. These are the older style areas of single story structures set back in alleys with small local shops. Here we went to a small restaurant and had a more day to day meal of fried veggies, chicken with peanuts fried rice. Finished walking back to hotel enjoying the sights of Beijing. Temp rose to 3 when in the sunshine but still cold.
Once we got back to the hotel we both collapsed and didn't move till the next morning!! have to build our energy up for tomorrow when we hit the Great Wall.
Monday 12 March 2012
The journey begins
Fast Plane to China.
Our official holiday began at just before 5:00pm when our good friend Deirdre drove us to the Airport to catch our flight. We queued for our ticket and surprisingly there were a lot of Chinese people catching the same flight.
The whole tone of our trip was set by Jene when we reached the ticket counter. The Air China attendant was printing our tickets when Jen's voice became softer and I wasn't sure what she had said. It turns out she was asking how much it would cost to bring back another suitcase from England!!! Not long after entering the departure lounge I found out why as she had bought three gifts and we weren't even on the plane.
While writing to board I realised that I had forgotten to record the pin number for Euro cash card. Two happy finishes to this story as Brendan found the pin details in the safe along with Jen's card. All the Euros belong to me!!
We were pleasantly surprised with the great service provided by Air China throughout our 11 hour flight. We had good tasty food, great service and a wide range of inflight entertainment which saw us through to our 5:50am arrival at Beijing Airport. Visa checks were quick and then we took a five minute journey on a shuttle train to collect our baggage and straight through customs.
Our guide Sherry was waiting for us with her driver and we arrived at our hotel around 7:00am. We went to our room and Jene inflicted her revenge for me not bringing her Euro Cashcard by leaving the keys to my suitcase lock at home. After she finally finished laughing she went downstairs to see if the Conceirge could help. She came back with a pair of pliers for me to try and break the lock. After five minutes of futile effort I chose to break the zipper tag instead and got it open. Let the holiday begin.
After showers and amazing buffet breakfast we took our lives in our hands lol and took a taxi to the silk markets. I have never seen so many cars, buses bikes and people in my life there's 20 000 000 people and 5 000 000 cars in Beijing alone. Firstly they drive on the other side of the road to us so we have to be careful that we look the other way - sounds so simple but it's not!! We know there are road rules but we have no idea what they are. There are pedestrian crossings everywhere but that doesn't mean that the cars stop for you and even when the green walk sign is on the traffic still crosses, it's manic.
Then if that wasn't bad enough - enter the silk markets. It's a very flattering place to be as they call you beautiful and Scott is very handsome ( now I know that but to have others say it - well what can I say). They grab hold of you and you just don't make eye contact which is really hard when you want to look at their items but you just can't as they grab you as soon as you do. It works out that I am much, much tougher than Scott, I know when it comes to shopping really really hard to believe. I would be just walking through saying no, no, no and turn around to talk to Scott and they have grabbed him!!
Now I know it's hard to believe but after a very short period of time I couldn't handle the hassle of bargaining with them. Just give me the price and give me the lowest that you want and complete the deal but this going backwards and forwards and then going to walk away and being grabbed was tiring and i couldn't do too much of that, but they did have some good stuff. Will see if we can harden up and head back there if we have time, otherwise sorry boys postcards will have to do!!
Then the journey back to the hotel was just as interesting, trying to dodge the hagglers and beggars outside, trying to find somewhere for lunch and trying to get a taxi all very interesting. Finally after getting in and out of cabs or them just refusing to take us we managed to get back to the hotel safe and sound. Exhausted by this time had a nice nap and then off to our next adventure.
Juggling our Duck
At 4:30 we were meet by our Viator guide, Thomas who was looking after us tonight. First off to the theatre to see an Acrobatic Show. The place was full and we were sitting in amongst the local tourists and managing to communicate in very basic terms. The acrobatic Company was a youth group and while not polished were very good. They had jugglers, tumblers, swinging on silk drapes, strong men and such. The locals were hard to impress with only scattered applause until some of the tumblers knocked over the hoops they were jumping through then the whole audience broke into loud laughter.
The highlight of the show was a motorcycle act where the go inside a small metal ball and ride around. The tension kept building as first one, then two followed by a third rider entered the ball. This was great but when a fourth rider went in the crowd went wild. It was pretty impressive. We came out after the show to -4 degrees so Jene bought some fluffy ear muffs to go with her beanie, scarf and jacket. All rugged up she was a crowd favourite.
We then went to a local restaurant for dinner. Some very nice crispy pork, beef and vegetables with fried rice. After this the chef rings out Peking duck and slices it very finely at the table. The waitress then showed us the traditional way to eat it by dipping it in the plum sauce, placing it on to the pancake (rice paper) adding cucumber and onion and wrapping it all up. It was nice but duck is an acquired taste. Back to the hotel for deserved sleep. Not bad for our first day.
Sunday 4 March 2012
Still Counting - but getting very close now
So as i write this we have 2 days and 1 hour before we are heading to our first stop Beijing. Last week was very hetic so i will attempt to update.
As Scott have previously written he turned 50 and said that it wasnt too bad for him - maybe thats because he had not 1, not 2 but 3 parties to celebrate and yes you guessed it i organised each of them!! So the first one was at the Hubertas Club, which is a German club. He shared this night with Laurence, as Loz also turned 50. The meals were huge and very yummy and everone (apart from the clumsy table - yes you know who you are!!) had a great time. Scott chose this place not for the huge meals but for the apple strudel that they serve for desert. Kim and I got the birthday boys a gelato cake which was amazing.
Not only this but both of the birthday boys won meat trays - which our boys were very greatful as now they have something to eat while we are away!!
We then had his actual birthday dinner down at the river. Again enjoying the night with family and friends, just glad it was last week and not this week with all this rain. i made a chocolate birthday cake which Scott proceeded to squash the lid to the writting and icing - but it looked good before we took the lid off!! 
And finally we then celbrated with the young adults down at institute where we had on the menu - fairy bread and chocolate crackles!! so really glad that it is over.
I finished work on Friday night so its now full on with getting things ready for the holiday. On top of this Matt received the long awaited news that he has been accepted into Brigham Young University in Hawaii. He will be doing Youth Councelling, which he will be amazing at. We are very proud of he and know that when he puts his mind to it he can achieve all he sets out to do. The downside to this is on a selfish nature that i dont want him to go as it is for 3 years and 1/2 way around the world. a very different perspective than him going on his mission. Anyway he is very blessed to be accepted.
The next couple of days are going to full on and very exciting. We are very lucky that we have been able to go and cant wait to see and meet all the family. We read all the updates on Deb and Lav's blog and on face book and cant wait to get there to join all the fun.
We had our last family dinner tonight where all the boys kept shouting 'shot not' when we mentioned all the jobs they would have to do while we were gone!! Scott is stressing but you know what they are all big enough to look after themselves and as long as they feed the animals all will be good. they have circled the calendar 2 days before we come home to start cleaning!
Happy dawdling
Jene
We are now down to 2 days and 31 minutes - but who's counting!!
As Scott have previously written he turned 50 and said that it wasnt too bad for him - maybe thats because he had not 1, not 2 but 3 parties to celebrate and yes you guessed it i organised each of them!! So the first one was at the Hubertas Club, which is a German club. He shared this night with Laurence, as Loz also turned 50. The meals were huge and very yummy and everone (apart from the clumsy table - yes you know who you are!!) had a great time. Scott chose this place not for the huge meals but for the apple strudel that they serve for desert. Kim and I got the birthday boys a gelato cake which was amazing.
I finished work on Friday night so its now full on with getting things ready for the holiday. On top of this Matt received the long awaited news that he has been accepted into Brigham Young University in Hawaii. He will be doing Youth Councelling, which he will be amazing at. We are very proud of he and know that when he puts his mind to it he can achieve all he sets out to do. The downside to this is on a selfish nature that i dont want him to go as it is for 3 years and 1/2 way around the world. a very different perspective than him going on his mission. Anyway he is very blessed to be accepted.
The next couple of days are going to full on and very exciting. We are very lucky that we have been able to go and cant wait to see and meet all the family. We read all the updates on Deb and Lav's blog and on face book and cant wait to get there to join all the fun.
We had our last family dinner tonight where all the boys kept shouting 'shot not' when we mentioned all the jobs they would have to do while we were gone!! Scott is stressing but you know what they are all big enough to look after themselves and as long as they feed the animals all will be good. they have circled the calendar 2 days before we come home to start cleaning!
Happy dawdling
Jene
We are now down to 2 days and 31 minutes - but who's counting!!
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