We are busy in Seattle and having a good time getting to know Marcia's cousin Steff and her husband, Jack. The view of the city is pretty spectacular (when the rain stops) from their apartment in Kirkland right on the lake. This morning is the first clear morning and it is stunning.
In spite of the rain for the past three days, we have perservered and had lovely adventures. Our first adventure on Sunday was to the Chilhuly Museum right next to the Space Needle. Wow! Wow! Wow! I'll put the photos on the photoblog.
We had late lunch at Purple. It goes on our list of places to return. Marcia got the duck pasta with enoki mushrooms that was way good. I opted for the mahi on a bed of wilted greens and a bite of Marcia's duck pasta.
Yesterday we began planning for Thanksgiving by going to our favorite haunts-the upscale kitchen stores. This was followed by a trip to the mall in Bellview. This near to Google HQ mall features a Tesla store, so I got a look at my favorite car, the Tesla sedan. Near the Tesla store is a small supermarket sized Apple store, and across the mall from that is the Windows 8 store. I indulged in Eileen Fisher at Macy's-from the sale rack which was still a bit breathtaking. Steff was a great shopping coach, and it was great fun to do femmy upscale shopping. We finished off with a silk scarf and large brim cloche hat with an extended scarf tying lesson. Waaaaay more fem shopping than my usual $10 Eddie Bauer shirts from Sam's Club, but worth it for the adventure.
Today we are having a leisurely second coffee watching the clouds roll in and chatting with Steff. We will continue to have a leisurely morning probably till noon, and then go to some of our favorite places in or near downtown Seattle.
Do check the photo blog.
KG
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Packing Again
Tomorrow Marcia takes Stella to Uncle Dennis. Stella has suspected something was up for days now. One morning I saw her sitting on her rug at the end of the desks surrounded by all of her animal toys and gripping Barky, the long purple grinning dog, in her mouth. Barky's body made a little turn down mouth that matched Stella's sad eyes. "I know you two are up to something." she seemed to say.
We are indeed. Today's weather in Ocala/Dunnellon was foreshadowing for Seattle's wet cold, only Ocala was 60F+ and you can subtract another 10 to 20 degrees F for Seattle. I went coat shopping. Me and North Face are ready to face Seattle. Perhaps over ready, but that's good.
North Face has a hood, but I am thinking a winter hat would be in order. Have you looked at winter hats for women lately? What do mature women wear? In our stores I find what I call the elongated beenie. It makes me look like my head is too small for my body. The other option is an animal face hat. Waaaay too cute for me. No sock monkey going on my head. There are also lots of furry earflap hats, and indeed I still have my black Russian hat from my Vermont days, but I only wore that in late January and February even in Vermont, so I think it is overkill for above 0 in Seattle. I do miss my shearling hat which I did not keep. I hope whoever I gave it to is enjoying it.
I think we are about ready. Packing for a 10 degree temp range is pretty straightforward. It's also only two weeks and I assume our hosts have a washer/dryer. We will have a few days in Eugene with Stas at the Phoenix which we know has a laundry room, so we are good to go. Hope American Air is as well. Haven't heard of any further seat sliding incidents recently. They did change my well thought out flight plan so that we have a 7:45am flight out and a 9+ pm arrival when we return. Hence bookend stays in Tampa. Luckily the car can stay as well.
Like the little children I had in daycare, Stella will forget all about us 5 min after we leave. There will be Uncle Dennis to manipulate for treats and different smells to investigate. We will mosey down to Red Robin in Tampa and then on to a (knock wood) good sleep before crossing the continent on Saturday.
KG
We are indeed. Today's weather in Ocala/Dunnellon was foreshadowing for Seattle's wet cold, only Ocala was 60F+ and you can subtract another 10 to 20 degrees F for Seattle. I went coat shopping. Me and North Face are ready to face Seattle. Perhaps over ready, but that's good.
North Face has a hood, but I am thinking a winter hat would be in order. Have you looked at winter hats for women lately? What do mature women wear? In our stores I find what I call the elongated beenie. It makes me look like my head is too small for my body. The other option is an animal face hat. Waaaay too cute for me. No sock monkey going on my head. There are also lots of furry earflap hats, and indeed I still have my black Russian hat from my Vermont days, but I only wore that in late January and February even in Vermont, so I think it is overkill for above 0 in Seattle. I do miss my shearling hat which I did not keep. I hope whoever I gave it to is enjoying it.
I think we are about ready. Packing for a 10 degree temp range is pretty straightforward. It's also only two weeks and I assume our hosts have a washer/dryer. We will have a few days in Eugene with Stas at the Phoenix which we know has a laundry room, so we are good to go. Hope American Air is as well. Haven't heard of any further seat sliding incidents recently. They did change my well thought out flight plan so that we have a 7:45am flight out and a 9+ pm arrival when we return. Hence bookend stays in Tampa. Luckily the car can stay as well.
Like the little children I had in daycare, Stella will forget all about us 5 min after we leave. There will be Uncle Dennis to manipulate for treats and different smells to investigate. We will mosey down to Red Robin in Tampa and then on to a (knock wood) good sleep before crossing the continent on Saturday.
KG
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
End of the Carefree Ancestor Hunting Beach Life
It has been lovely as you can see by the beach photos and article on Grandaddy Lang. But, alas, our beach days are coming to a close. Probably just as well as we brought few warm clothes and the post Sandy temps are chilly. Next year, when we stay longer, we will pack more winter duds. We basically have solar heat here-what comes in the picture window. This would be lovely except the sun is so bright as to be blinding, so the white curtains must be drawn or half drawn in order to function. By midday we are all warmed up.
We leave Saturday which means that Friday will be devoted to pack up. We do not travel light. We will slide into Dunnellon town in time to vote and head for Susan and Charlotte's marsh house for a couple of nights while our British guests wind up their stay at our house. They have been having trouble tearing themselves off the front porch to go see anything else of Florida. They did have free condo share in Orlando and tickets to the Rathouse so they did that but otherwise it was the porch or the river for them.
Next week I cram in all of the medical appointments I can, so it is run to Gnville and Ocala every day until Friday. This ageing process is certainly demanding. Suddenly I am more popular than the Prom Queen. The next week looks better and it is just as well as I have to begin packing again for our trip to Seattle. We are going to visit Marcia's cousin, Steph and her husband Jack. They are finishing up Jack's last posting before retirement. By summer they will be back home in Sidney. Along with Thanksgiving, we will be talking about when we might join them in Sidney for a visit.
Here is one of my "finds" at the Spears Huxley Library in Homerville (on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp). Grandaddy Hezekiah built this little cabin further west along the Florida Georgia border-just north of Tallahassee. He is my ggg Grandaddy. Apparently one side of this dog trot cabin was reserved for circuit riding preachers. Hard to imagine Hezekiah and Mary Brooker Thomas and their 13 children living in the other. I suspect this was when they first moved to south Georgia and didn't have so many children.
Today and tomorrow we will plan adventures closer to home. Today's big adventure is to the Chinese Restaurant on Beach Blvd. I'm thinking a big platter of fish stuffed with pork and black bean sauce.
KG
We leave Saturday which means that Friday will be devoted to pack up. We do not travel light. We will slide into Dunnellon town in time to vote and head for Susan and Charlotte's marsh house for a couple of nights while our British guests wind up their stay at our house. They have been having trouble tearing themselves off the front porch to go see anything else of Florida. They did have free condo share in Orlando and tickets to the Rathouse so they did that but otherwise it was the porch or the river for them.
Next week I cram in all of the medical appointments I can, so it is run to Gnville and Ocala every day until Friday. This ageing process is certainly demanding. Suddenly I am more popular than the Prom Queen. The next week looks better and it is just as well as I have to begin packing again for our trip to Seattle. We are going to visit Marcia's cousin, Steph and her husband Jack. They are finishing up Jack's last posting before retirement. By summer they will be back home in Sidney. Along with Thanksgiving, we will be talking about when we might join them in Sidney for a visit.
Here is one of my "finds" at the Spears Huxley Library in Homerville (on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp). Grandaddy Hezekiah built this little cabin further west along the Florida Georgia border-just north of Tallahassee. He is my ggg Grandaddy. Apparently one side of this dog trot cabin was reserved for circuit riding preachers. Hard to imagine Hezekiah and Mary Brooker Thomas and their 13 children living in the other. I suspect this was when they first moved to south Georgia and didn't have so many children.
Today and tomorrow we will plan adventures closer to home. Today's big adventure is to the Chinese Restaurant on Beach Blvd. I'm thinking a big platter of fish stuffed with pork and black bean sauce.
KG
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Post Sandy Moon
It has been a perfect day on the beach. The sun was out, the clouds had moved north but the waves were just right for surfers and they were out in droves. They have all gone home now, or wherever surfers go on Sunday night. There were mostly red hoodies and light jackets on the beach today. Apparently the Gators have tucked their tails and headed back to the swamp. It was a big dawg day on the beach today.
It looks like something of a perfect night on the beach as well.
Goodnight Gators. Goodnight Dawgs. Goodnnight moon.
KG
It looks like something of a perfect night on the beach as well.
KG
Friday, October 26, 2012
Sandy
We are fine. Quite fine and treated to a fantastic show today. When life throws you the sea, make seafood, we say. Here are a few photos to give you an idea of what we see from our picture window. Click on the photos to create your window.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Addendum
http://digitalcommons.unf.edu/dtd/99
The story of the 1795 Rebellion in East Florida in which gggg grandaddy gets sent to jail in the Castile de San Marcos.
KG
The story of the 1795 Rebellion in East Florida in which gggg grandaddy gets sent to jail in the Castile de San Marcos.
KG
Even Busier This Week
I feel like I got a job. I commute to Woodbine, Georgia to the Lang Bryan Library/Archives daily. It's about like driving from my house to Gainesville. I go because it is chockablock full of stories of the ancestors.
I went to the cemetery in St Mary's first. That was last Monday morning. I had forgotten to wear October cemetery stomping clothes, so I got mosquito bit and sandals full of sand spurs and quite hot and sweaty. I did get some nice photos of Lang graves.
I had bought a little book on the history of St Mary's. It's one of those little sepia covered local histories that is mostly photos and costs $22. In this little book I got photos of the founders of the Lang Bryan library, my cousin Bebe Lang and Mary Givins Bryan. One look at Bebe suggested she might be my sister as well as my cousin. This was further confirmed in the cemetery where Bebe and Mary are buried side by side with matching headstones and a lovely little granite bench with Lang Bryan carved. It was a welcome spot for picking off sand spurs and having a moment with the sisters. Yesterday I got further confirmation of their sisterhood from the archivist in the library. Their portraits hang side by side in the library and she told me that they lived together in Atlanta where they worked to establish the Georgia Archives.
The Lang Bryan archive is based upon Bebe's collection, so it is Mecca for us Lang descendants. I spent Monday making copies of gggg grandaddy's letters to various governors and military leaders begging to be released from jail. Yesterday I met a woman researching her ancestor who had, with gggg grandaddy Richard fomented a rebellion against the Spanish in Florida. He had come to Florida from Savannah where he was about to be thrown in jail for debts, and the Spanish had given him land even before they started giving land grants to the other ancestors to encourage settlement of the area. So clearly, gggg Grandaddy Richard deserves some study.
What I mainly did Tuesday through Thursday was data enter all the descendants of gggg grandaddy Richard and his brother, Isaac who came to south Georgia with Richard. There was a family tree in a file. It was probably made in the 1990's-on computer. It was three 8.5 X 11 pages wide and 13 pages long. There are additional family trees done by computer in various ways. Yesterday I finished the big one and almost finished the second one which offered a few more names. I now have to go through my database and see if there are duplicates. These plantation families married each other, so I recognize last names from Middle Florida families on other branches of my tree. I may not get all the dots connected in my lifetime, but like cousin/sister Bebe I will certainly try.
I have wanted to go to the Lang Bryan collection for years now, but I was particularly bound for it this trip because of a request from a cousin on 23andMe. One of the lovely things about dna analysis is that it allows African Americans more leads to their ancestry when the paper trail ends-usually somewhere between 1860 and 1870. We all know that black people and white people in the south are related, but we don't always know how and there are so many barriers to finding out. So, when a cousin of color contacted me through 23andMe with two possible ancestors in common, I was thrilled. It may take awhile for her to gather specific dna evidence for which ancestor we have in common, but along the way we will collaborate on the paper trail.
The Lang Bryan Library is run by two lovely and very knowledgeable women. Judy Buchanan is the archivist and has been there 7 years. She has lived in St Mary's all of her adult life, so she knows everybody and his dog. She works with Johnett Allen who went to high school in Kingsland and has lived away for many years, but came back about a year ago. She has worked at the archives for 7 months. The archive itself is a small building and a small but powerful collection. It is situated in the tiny town of Woodbine, Georgia way back in the piney woods near the Satilla River. In my whole time at the archives there have never been more than 5 people there at a time.
One walks in and signs in and feels like a guest of honor in a southern home (though there is no iced tea). Judy knows the collection like an old friend, so you simply have to tell her your interest and files and books appear at your place on the table. If you say you are coming back tomorrow, they stay there at your place at the table waiting.
There is an amazing collection of resources for African American research-deeds, wills, anything that came through the courthouse and cemeteries. Yesterday Johnett was working on indexing a ledger of payments to road builders 1909. The names repeat those I was data entering in my tree, but we both know that those who worked on the roads were the former slaves of the people in my tree.
I have decided to take the day off from my research job and get some other things done. Also, it is Marcia and my 10th anniversary, so we will be celebrating. I'm thinking a piece of Ms Carolyn's coconut cake is in order. We were given some last week by the neighbors and we have been jonzin for it since our last bite.
I also had a lovely dinner with the Callahan Cousins on Tuesday night. Of particular interest was cousin Annalise who is almost one month old. I'm hoping we can get together again soon. I missed the opportunity to have a photo scanning party this trip, but by next year when I'm hoping and planning to get back, we will surely have one. There is nothing like sitting around a table with the cousins. We have a language of our own derived from our shared heritage. You don't have to 'splain much.
It's cooling off on the beach these October days. I had to wear my lightweight hoodie a couple of times on beach walks. For me it is perfect. Pretty much for Stella too but with one notable exception. She is confined to the leash these days as she had two behavioral infractions this past week. One took her fairly near the busy road, so she is leash bound for naughtiness and her own good. She has her adoring public on the north walk. One woman calls her by name. Since these admirers are headed home tomorrow Stella will either have to make new friends or go without. She is very adept at making new friends. Actually, it's time for the beach walk now.
KG
I went to the cemetery in St Mary's first. That was last Monday morning. I had forgotten to wear October cemetery stomping clothes, so I got mosquito bit and sandals full of sand spurs and quite hot and sweaty. I did get some nice photos of Lang graves.
I had bought a little book on the history of St Mary's. It's one of those little sepia covered local histories that is mostly photos and costs $22. In this little book I got photos of the founders of the Lang Bryan library, my cousin Bebe Lang and Mary Givins Bryan. One look at Bebe suggested she might be my sister as well as my cousin. This was further confirmed in the cemetery where Bebe and Mary are buried side by side with matching headstones and a lovely little granite bench with Lang Bryan carved. It was a welcome spot for picking off sand spurs and having a moment with the sisters. Yesterday I got further confirmation of their sisterhood from the archivist in the library. Their portraits hang side by side in the library and she told me that they lived together in Atlanta where they worked to establish the Georgia Archives.
The Lang Bryan archive is based upon Bebe's collection, so it is Mecca for us Lang descendants. I spent Monday making copies of gggg grandaddy's letters to various governors and military leaders begging to be released from jail. Yesterday I met a woman researching her ancestor who had, with gggg grandaddy Richard fomented a rebellion against the Spanish in Florida. He had come to Florida from Savannah where he was about to be thrown in jail for debts, and the Spanish had given him land even before they started giving land grants to the other ancestors to encourage settlement of the area. So clearly, gggg Grandaddy Richard deserves some study.
What I mainly did Tuesday through Thursday was data enter all the descendants of gggg grandaddy Richard and his brother, Isaac who came to south Georgia with Richard. There was a family tree in a file. It was probably made in the 1990's-on computer. It was three 8.5 X 11 pages wide and 13 pages long. There are additional family trees done by computer in various ways. Yesterday I finished the big one and almost finished the second one which offered a few more names. I now have to go through my database and see if there are duplicates. These plantation families married each other, so I recognize last names from Middle Florida families on other branches of my tree. I may not get all the dots connected in my lifetime, but like cousin/sister Bebe I will certainly try.
I have wanted to go to the Lang Bryan collection for years now, but I was particularly bound for it this trip because of a request from a cousin on 23andMe. One of the lovely things about dna analysis is that it allows African Americans more leads to their ancestry when the paper trail ends-usually somewhere between 1860 and 1870. We all know that black people and white people in the south are related, but we don't always know how and there are so many barriers to finding out. So, when a cousin of color contacted me through 23andMe with two possible ancestors in common, I was thrilled. It may take awhile for her to gather specific dna evidence for which ancestor we have in common, but along the way we will collaborate on the paper trail.
The Lang Bryan Library is run by two lovely and very knowledgeable women. Judy Buchanan is the archivist and has been there 7 years. She has lived in St Mary's all of her adult life, so she knows everybody and his dog. She works with Johnett Allen who went to high school in Kingsland and has lived away for many years, but came back about a year ago. She has worked at the archives for 7 months. The archive itself is a small building and a small but powerful collection. It is situated in the tiny town of Woodbine, Georgia way back in the piney woods near the Satilla River. In my whole time at the archives there have never been more than 5 people there at a time.
One walks in and signs in and feels like a guest of honor in a southern home (though there is no iced tea). Judy knows the collection like an old friend, so you simply have to tell her your interest and files and books appear at your place on the table. If you say you are coming back tomorrow, they stay there at your place at the table waiting.
There is an amazing collection of resources for African American research-deeds, wills, anything that came through the courthouse and cemeteries. Yesterday Johnett was working on indexing a ledger of payments to road builders 1909. The names repeat those I was data entering in my tree, but we both know that those who worked on the roads were the former slaves of the people in my tree.
I have decided to take the day off from my research job and get some other things done. Also, it is Marcia and my 10th anniversary, so we will be celebrating. I'm thinking a piece of Ms Carolyn's coconut cake is in order. We were given some last week by the neighbors and we have been jonzin for it since our last bite.
I also had a lovely dinner with the Callahan Cousins on Tuesday night. Of particular interest was cousin Annalise who is almost one month old. I'm hoping we can get together again soon. I missed the opportunity to have a photo scanning party this trip, but by next year when I'm hoping and planning to get back, we will surely have one. There is nothing like sitting around a table with the cousins. We have a language of our own derived from our shared heritage. You don't have to 'splain much.
It's cooling off on the beach these October days. I had to wear my lightweight hoodie a couple of times on beach walks. For me it is perfect. Pretty much for Stella too but with one notable exception. She is confined to the leash these days as she had two behavioral infractions this past week. One took her fairly near the busy road, so she is leash bound for naughtiness and her own good. She has her adoring public on the north walk. One woman calls her by name. Since these admirers are headed home tomorrow Stella will either have to make new friends or go without. She is very adept at making new friends. Actually, it's time for the beach walk now.
KG
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Hectic Beach Life
Things just come up at the beach. The dolphins like to have lunch just outside the picture window, and this shouldn't be missed. The fog rolls in and the sun burns it off. It rains and the ocean turns dark and angry and colors from dark blue gray to celadon green. You just have to keep an eye on it. Then there are the twice daily walks with Stella. A body needs a nap once in awhile after all this beach business, and there are books to read.
This week there was a great diversion with the arrival of our 23andMe analysis of our DNA. First we got the medical reports. It should be said that all the numbers are based upon statistical averages of the general population for getting a disease or condition, so our results tell us whether we have a better than average chance of getting something or a less than average chance of getting something. One must keep in mind that one could get the something anyway. The other thing to keep in mind is that there are often several genes that effect some conditions, so difficult to predict based on one gene. For instance, Marcia has a gene for small breasts. Surely she must have other genes about her breasts as well.
We feel like we have won the genetics lottery nevertheless. Nothing really big that can't be taken care of. I do have an increased risk of gall stones and colorectal cancer. I suspect my life will be full of endoscopy and colonoscopy preps. I'm grateful they have Versed.
We also got our m-dna haplotypes, which we actually already had from the National Geographic test we did in 2006. My brother, Danny, agreed to take the test, so I now have his y-dna haplotype as well. All of this will help us confirm some of the family tree. I went searching for databases with the y-dna and found several partial matches. Danny's is a long string of letters and numbers-12 actually. I can find matches for the first 4 and 5 from online databases, but not more. These matches are from Griffin or names like Griffin databases.
What this actually means is that the y-dna has mutated 11 times. This makes a handy tracker for finding closer relatives on the Dad's side. When 23andMe provided me with matches to my dna, there were several with strings of 10 of the same mutations. 23and me offers me the opportunity of contacting these people. I'm hoping they get back to me.
The advantage of the 23andMe test is that it identifies strings of dna for comparison with others. This makes it more accurate in predicting how close a relative might be within a range. I am given a precentage of our common genetic material and a range of possible relationship like, for instance, 3rd to 6th cousin.
One of the things that I was looking forward to is the color coded chromosome map which shows race. I am of 98% European ancestry with 1% African and less than 1% Native American/Asian. I believe the Native American was in Jamestown in the 1600's (on my Mom's side), but the African is a mystery. Since Danny is 100% European-whiter than white, the tiny bits of color in my dna had to come from my Mom. I'm wondering if I will be able to narrow it down further with the help of other people willing to share their dna results.
Company is coming to the door soon. Always busy at the beach!!!
KG
This week there was a great diversion with the arrival of our 23andMe analysis of our DNA. First we got the medical reports. It should be said that all the numbers are based upon statistical averages of the general population for getting a disease or condition, so our results tell us whether we have a better than average chance of getting something or a less than average chance of getting something. One must keep in mind that one could get the something anyway. The other thing to keep in mind is that there are often several genes that effect some conditions, so difficult to predict based on one gene. For instance, Marcia has a gene for small breasts. Surely she must have other genes about her breasts as well.
We feel like we have won the genetics lottery nevertheless. Nothing really big that can't be taken care of. I do have an increased risk of gall stones and colorectal cancer. I suspect my life will be full of endoscopy and colonoscopy preps. I'm grateful they have Versed.
We also got our m-dna haplotypes, which we actually already had from the National Geographic test we did in 2006. My brother, Danny, agreed to take the test, so I now have his y-dna haplotype as well. All of this will help us confirm some of the family tree. I went searching for databases with the y-dna and found several partial matches. Danny's is a long string of letters and numbers-12 actually. I can find matches for the first 4 and 5 from online databases, but not more. These matches are from Griffin or names like Griffin databases.
What this actually means is that the y-dna has mutated 11 times. This makes a handy tracker for finding closer relatives on the Dad's side. When 23andMe provided me with matches to my dna, there were several with strings of 10 of the same mutations. 23and me offers me the opportunity of contacting these people. I'm hoping they get back to me.
The advantage of the 23andMe test is that it identifies strings of dna for comparison with others. This makes it more accurate in predicting how close a relative might be within a range. I am given a precentage of our common genetic material and a range of possible relationship like, for instance, 3rd to 6th cousin.
One of the things that I was looking forward to is the color coded chromosome map which shows race. I am of 98% European ancestry with 1% African and less than 1% Native American/Asian. I believe the Native American was in Jamestown in the 1600's (on my Mom's side), but the African is a mystery. Since Danny is 100% European-whiter than white, the tiny bits of color in my dna had to come from my Mom. I'm wondering if I will be able to narrow it down further with the help of other people willing to share their dna results.
Company is coming to the door soon. Always busy at the beach!!!
KG
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
At the Beach
I've been here 24 hours and I am a happy somebody. There is a picture window in the living dining room and I really like the picture. I can see the tops of the sea oats and at this time of day the dragonflies are swooping all around them. I'm taking this to be a sign that it's prime bug time so I'm content to be inside. Beyond the sea oats are the waves and beyond that the ocean and clouds. What's not to like???
Stella and I arrived about 4 yesterday. Cousin Linda, who lives just down the street, came shortly thereafter and helped me move an amazing amount of stuff upstairs. Then she took us to one of our favorite shrimp dives here, Singletons. We were early enough to take the ferry there, but had to take the drive around home as the ferry stops running at 7:30. It was really good to catch up with the family, and I really enjoy Linda's company.
It has been overcast so we just saw the full moon trying to break through clouds. Once home again I realized that despite packing a huge bag of Stella stuff I had left her food behind. So, I got to make a trip to Publix just before they closed and Stella got dinner.
When we had our evening toileting walk (for Stella) on the beach she was smiling wide between sniffing and squatting. The moon was hiding. When I finally got to bed, and I really needed to get to bed, Stella was very confused. Where was Marcia? Hard to explain as explanations are not her best thing.
We eventually settled down and in the wee hours of the morning I did notice that the moon was working hard to penetrate the slats of the window blinds. It was like daylight outside.
This morning was overcast again. We got a short but very successful toilet walk to start the day off right, followed several hours later by our daily (we hope) constitutional. Our goal was to walk a half hour south and then make our way back. After 20 min it seemed wise to turn around and just as well. Stella was slowing considerably at about 30 min out, and when we made it home at 45 min she was very glad to be here. When I used the ice maker in the refrigerator door she remembered her puppyhood in Gainesville where we had a similar ice maker with similar sounds and I can assure you that she thoroughly enjoyed her cube.
I enjoyed my leftover shrimp for lunch and made it to Harris and Teeter grocery and Publix, so I am well supplied. If they had had a gallon of pep I would have it now. I did have a short nap, moved some furniture and made a rather yummy dinner. Stella is still napping and has not even shown interest in my dinner. We are waiting for evening air to have our shorter evening walk.
Sad news-Penzey's Spice store in Jax is closed. Very sad!
I'm looking forward to several adventures. Linda has expressed interest in going to the Houston-Christopher Cemetery where our grandfather's from the 18th century are buried. I'm thinking this trip might necessitate my Columbia bug resistant pants. On rainy days there is the Fernandina Library which has a genealogy section populated mostly by my ancestors. Not so far away is the Spears-Huxford Genealogical Library and the Jax library has the Florida Times Union on microfilm with an obit index that makes me salivate. A few years ago I spent a week photographing my ancestors in the Nassau County Cemeteries, but I haven't touched the Camden County Cemeteries. The awesome eight have planned various visits at various times with a trip to Cumberland Island on the agenda. What's not to look forward to???
I think I better wake Stella.
KG
Friday, August 31, 2012
Back Home Again
It was pretty much a lovely flight. I was assigned an aisle seat and there were no window options when I checked in. However, when the doors closed there was no one in the seat, so I felt free to move over. This all went fine as I watched Judy Dench in the Marigold movie and then Chris Rock in the French girlfriend in NYC movie. However, by the start of the Jennifer Aniston goes to the commune movie the screen went wonky, so I had to switch back to the aisle seat in order to watch the Trout Fishing in the Yemen movie and bits of Julia Roberts in the Snow White movie. There was a time about halfway through the flight when I got quite short of breath as well. This is always distressing when one is halfway across the Atlantic Ocean and has only two puffs of ventolin and a bottle of water to work with. I did keep calm and carried on with a bottle of water and eventually it subsided. Interestingly, Marcia said the same thing happened to her on her flight, so maybe it has more to do with O2 levels falling than with asthma. I do wish flight attendants would lay off the purfume though.
So, by the time we were approaching Florida's east coast I was breathing easy and had finished my movies so I could devote full attention to watching the state from east to west coast, from the space center to Tampa Bay. Pretty amazing.
Customs welcomed me home and my luggage came fairly quickly. Agrigulture wasn't interested in me and neither was customs. I was soon on the shuttle to the terminal where Marcia was a welcome sight. We celebrated my return with a big greasy Red Robin burger and fries (as opposed to chips). Truthfully it was the non fizzy lemonaide that I most looked forward to. Like the Scottish woman who just wanted a proper tea with milk, I wanted my lemonaide like I like it.
Most of the ride home was easy, but I had seen a big black cloud when on the shuttle at the airport. By the time we were on the Veteran's Expressway it had gotten quite big, and as we pulled into Beverly Hills at about 8:30 (which my body thought was 1:30am) it began to rain and more impressively lightening. I would not be surprised to hear that it had made tornadoes around Brooksville, but we made it home OK.
Nobody greets you like Stella. She has been reminding me of her routines and checking in from time to time to see that I really am still here. Also, Vicky has been running the vacuum, so being at my feet under the desk seems prudent to her.
I slept well till about 7am EDST, which would be noon GMT. I had my usual breakfast and a 9:30 am EDST lunch. Marcia has made little noshes for me while I transition. I'll take it easy through the long weekend and try to get all the photos edited and posted and the laundry done and the computers back in order, etc... Soon I'll start looking for a Fernandina Beach residence for October. Stay tuned for our next adventure.
KG
So, by the time we were approaching Florida's east coast I was breathing easy and had finished my movies so I could devote full attention to watching the state from east to west coast, from the space center to Tampa Bay. Pretty amazing.
Customs welcomed me home and my luggage came fairly quickly. Agrigulture wasn't interested in me and neither was customs. I was soon on the shuttle to the terminal where Marcia was a welcome sight. We celebrated my return with a big greasy Red Robin burger and fries (as opposed to chips). Truthfully it was the non fizzy lemonaide that I most looked forward to. Like the Scottish woman who just wanted a proper tea with milk, I wanted my lemonaide like I like it.
Most of the ride home was easy, but I had seen a big black cloud when on the shuttle at the airport. By the time we were on the Veteran's Expressway it had gotten quite big, and as we pulled into Beverly Hills at about 8:30 (which my body thought was 1:30am) it began to rain and more impressively lightening. I would not be surprised to hear that it had made tornadoes around Brooksville, but we made it home OK.
Nobody greets you like Stella. She has been reminding me of her routines and checking in from time to time to see that I really am still here. Also, Vicky has been running the vacuum, so being at my feet under the desk seems prudent to her.
I slept well till about 7am EDST, which would be noon GMT. I had my usual breakfast and a 9:30 am EDST lunch. Marcia has made little noshes for me while I transition. I'll take it easy through the long weekend and try to get all the photos edited and posted and the laundry done and the computers back in order, etc... Soon I'll start looking for a Fernandina Beach residence for October. Stay tuned for our next adventure.
KG
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Dover-Dover Castle
Dover is a tiny little town actually. Once you get onto the High Street there are ATM's on every corner. This was important to me as I only had 20 pounds on me. I'm sure this is very important to many people who cross the channel and need British currency. P&O has paper signs up that say they will only accept euro aboard ship.
So, after getting money and buying kinesio tapes at Boots, I quickly found a taxi and headed to the castle. On the way to the castle I saw the ruins of a building, so I asked the driver about it. It was a church that the Germans bombed (they never say the Nazi's). The church was rebuilt on another site during the war and it too was bombed. I tried to imagine how a church would have been rebuilt during the war-what a colossal undertaking. It was simply foreshadowing for what I was about to experience.
I had left my great big Great Britain guidebook in Reading so I had not briefed the night before as I usually do. But, a castle is a castle is a castle-right? Yes and No. This castle was a Roman lighthouse, a Saxon Church, A medieval castle (the Henrys II and III), a castle with tunnel system built for the Napoleonic wars, and most spectacularly the tunnels which housed the British Naval Command in WWII. The displays in the WWII tunnels are fairly recently opened-within the last 10 years. Many people queueing with me had been to the castle as children and these were not open at the time. Just as well. Most of the children along could not really appreciate the story and it was dark and scary at times.
There is always a queue at this site, so I decided to do it first thing reckoning that there would only be longer queues as the day progressed. I was right. I probably waited half an hour in the short queue. By mid afternoon the queue was more like 1.5-2 hours wait.
Once in a guide takes you down a series of tunnels and rooms. Each room you are taken to has a multi-media show taking you from 1930 through the evacuation of Dunkirk in May-June 1940. For me it was three dimensional history. As I have said before, reading about historical dates and Kings and Generals leaves me yawning, but down in the tunnels I could see and feel the fear and anxiety that Hitler's invasions produced in the people of Britain. He was literally closing in on them and they were playing catch up. I could understand the meaning of "Keep Calm and Carry On". It is now a bit of a cliche, but it remains in the character of the people. There really is calm when crowds of people wait for trains or have to share small space. People will squeeze into lifts and assure you that there is room for one more, and strangers offer help with big bags and particularly carrying push chairs on stairs when the lifts are out of order. It is not seen as extraordinary. It is the way of things.
The tunnels experience takes about 45 min. Next to it is a tour of the hospital in the tunnels. The queue is shorter here and it only takes about 20 min, but it is in some ways more terrifying. Surgery was not the same thing then as it is today, and surgery without lighting is pretty scary. Though there were back up generators and batteries, lights flickered and went out until the back up was engaged. An attempt was made to incorporate smells of antiseptic in our experience, which was noxious enough. I suspect there would have been plenty of other bodily smells that would be more off putting in reality. At the end was a 73 step climb that left me and the very pregnant woman quite breathless. We kept calm and eventually carried on.
I got some lunch-chicken baked with a tomato curry sauce and boiled potatoes and steamed broccoli and sliced carrots and a piece of ww soda bread with a pat of butter. There was gravy, but I passed on it which was a mistake as the broccoli tasted to me like Pat Miller veggie. The carrots are naturally sweet and were a bit better. Loved the soda bread, and the chicken was saved by the Indians.
There is a land train to take you around the rather large complex, so I took it to the next site of interest to me, the castle tower. I was allowed to take photos there -not so in the tunnels. The castle has guides stationed in various rooms so that you can ask them questions. I only had one question and the guide was unable to answer it. She was new. European children have such a treasure growing up with these real castles. They lend themselves to just the sort of imaginative play children need and love as well as providing real hands on experience of history. The rooms were set up with replicas of period furnishings and equipment so that we could see and touch things as they would have been. Probably fortunate that the smells were not replicated. I'll show you (on the photo blog) a boy of about 11 who was handling iron mail. He was getting a real feel for the weight and texture of a knight's outfit. Likewise the sword swishing lad making his way through the keep.
My experience of the castle involved several hundred stair steps. I did make it to the top and got magnificent views of the channel and surrounding area. France is very close. I also found the marks left by big gun installations. They were only on the channel side of the castle roof.
It was about 2 pm when I figured I had best save what energy I had left for making the trip back to Reading. The rest of the tale is a series of waits for transportation and go on transportation. It goes: wait for the land train, wait for the taxi from the castle, wait for the taxi from the hotel to the train station, wait for the train, change trains at Ashford and wait for the high speed train to St Pancras. Then there was not waiting. I got a taxi just outside of St Pancras and across town at remarkable speed to Paddington. I must say that London looks a bit like Rome these days at rush hour, as some people mount their crotch rockets and zoom between lanes of traffic at the speed of greased lightening. My taxi managed to get to Paddington without killing anyone. The train to Reading was waiting for me to get aboard and I was soon off to Reading. First class in Britain means a trolley comes to provide you with some free refreshments. I got a small bottle of water, a glass of apple juice and a bag of crisps to fuel the remainder of my journey. Tony picked me up at the station, brought my heavy bag into the house and fed me lovely pumpkin soup for dinner. It really does feel like home here at Tony and Francoise's house. I was in bed by 9 and got a nice long sleep.
The house is mine today. Tony and Mark are off at work and Francoise is in France with her Mum. I have the dishwasher to mind, a shower, and packing ahead of me, and then perhaps I'll get to some photo posting and editing. Tomorrow is the flight.
KG
So, after getting money and buying kinesio tapes at Boots, I quickly found a taxi and headed to the castle. On the way to the castle I saw the ruins of a building, so I asked the driver about it. It was a church that the Germans bombed (they never say the Nazi's). The church was rebuilt on another site during the war and it too was bombed. I tried to imagine how a church would have been rebuilt during the war-what a colossal undertaking. It was simply foreshadowing for what I was about to experience.
I had left my great big Great Britain guidebook in Reading so I had not briefed the night before as I usually do. But, a castle is a castle is a castle-right? Yes and No. This castle was a Roman lighthouse, a Saxon Church, A medieval castle (the Henrys II and III), a castle with tunnel system built for the Napoleonic wars, and most spectacularly the tunnels which housed the British Naval Command in WWII. The displays in the WWII tunnels are fairly recently opened-within the last 10 years. Many people queueing with me had been to the castle as children and these were not open at the time. Just as well. Most of the children along could not really appreciate the story and it was dark and scary at times.
There is always a queue at this site, so I decided to do it first thing reckoning that there would only be longer queues as the day progressed. I was right. I probably waited half an hour in the short queue. By mid afternoon the queue was more like 1.5-2 hours wait.
Once in a guide takes you down a series of tunnels and rooms. Each room you are taken to has a multi-media show taking you from 1930 through the evacuation of Dunkirk in May-June 1940. For me it was three dimensional history. As I have said before, reading about historical dates and Kings and Generals leaves me yawning, but down in the tunnels I could see and feel the fear and anxiety that Hitler's invasions produced in the people of Britain. He was literally closing in on them and they were playing catch up. I could understand the meaning of "Keep Calm and Carry On". It is now a bit of a cliche, but it remains in the character of the people. There really is calm when crowds of people wait for trains or have to share small space. People will squeeze into lifts and assure you that there is room for one more, and strangers offer help with big bags and particularly carrying push chairs on stairs when the lifts are out of order. It is not seen as extraordinary. It is the way of things.
The tunnels experience takes about 45 min. Next to it is a tour of the hospital in the tunnels. The queue is shorter here and it only takes about 20 min, but it is in some ways more terrifying. Surgery was not the same thing then as it is today, and surgery without lighting is pretty scary. Though there were back up generators and batteries, lights flickered and went out until the back up was engaged. An attempt was made to incorporate smells of antiseptic in our experience, which was noxious enough. I suspect there would have been plenty of other bodily smells that would be more off putting in reality. At the end was a 73 step climb that left me and the very pregnant woman quite breathless. We kept calm and eventually carried on.
I got some lunch-chicken baked with a tomato curry sauce and boiled potatoes and steamed broccoli and sliced carrots and a piece of ww soda bread with a pat of butter. There was gravy, but I passed on it which was a mistake as the broccoli tasted to me like Pat Miller veggie. The carrots are naturally sweet and were a bit better. Loved the soda bread, and the chicken was saved by the Indians.
There is a land train to take you around the rather large complex, so I took it to the next site of interest to me, the castle tower. I was allowed to take photos there -not so in the tunnels. The castle has guides stationed in various rooms so that you can ask them questions. I only had one question and the guide was unable to answer it. She was new. European children have such a treasure growing up with these real castles. They lend themselves to just the sort of imaginative play children need and love as well as providing real hands on experience of history. The rooms were set up with replicas of period furnishings and equipment so that we could see and touch things as they would have been. Probably fortunate that the smells were not replicated. I'll show you (on the photo blog) a boy of about 11 who was handling iron mail. He was getting a real feel for the weight and texture of a knight's outfit. Likewise the sword swishing lad making his way through the keep.
My experience of the castle involved several hundred stair steps. I did make it to the top and got magnificent views of the channel and surrounding area. France is very close. I also found the marks left by big gun installations. They were only on the channel side of the castle roof.
It was about 2 pm when I figured I had best save what energy I had left for making the trip back to Reading. The rest of the tale is a series of waits for transportation and go on transportation. It goes: wait for the land train, wait for the taxi from the castle, wait for the taxi from the hotel to the train station, wait for the train, change trains at Ashford and wait for the high speed train to St Pancras. Then there was not waiting. I got a taxi just outside of St Pancras and across town at remarkable speed to Paddington. I must say that London looks a bit like Rome these days at rush hour, as some people mount their crotch rockets and zoom between lanes of traffic at the speed of greased lightening. My taxi managed to get to Paddington without killing anyone. The train to Reading was waiting for me to get aboard and I was soon off to Reading. First class in Britain means a trolley comes to provide you with some free refreshments. I got a small bottle of water, a glass of apple juice and a bag of crisps to fuel the remainder of my journey. Tony picked me up at the station, brought my heavy bag into the house and fed me lovely pumpkin soup for dinner. It really does feel like home here at Tony and Francoise's house. I was in bed by 9 and got a nice long sleep.
The house is mine today. Tony and Mark are off at work and Francoise is in France with her Mum. I have the dishwasher to mind, a shower, and packing ahead of me, and then perhaps I'll get to some photo posting and editing. Tomorrow is the flight.
KG
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Dover, Kent, UK
I've made the trip that the ancestors did in crossing the channel. I wonder if they had as many chan&ges and waits. I am glad I did it this way. It's amazing to see the white cliffs on both sides of the channel and know that at one time they were joined before the sea rushed in.
I had mixed feelings about leaving Brussels. It has been a good home away from home, but it is really time for me to head to my home home. I hopped the metro early this morning (about 8:30) and was at Brussels Midi over an hour before my train was scheduled to leave. My whole day was a series of short rides and waiting for short rides. I had to change trains at Lille Europe and then again from one station in Calais to another Calais station where I got out near the clock tower and ran around with other tourists trying to find the bus stop for the bus that takes us to the P&O ferry terminal. The bus finally arrived and we were off. I was able to buy a discounted ticket because of my rail pass, and I was told I would have to take the 4 o'clock ferry. That was fine by me because I had no idea when I would get to the terminal and hadn't reserved, so pot luck would have been my fare at any cost. Next we were sent through the detection machines which ment disrobbing so I could take off my money wallet-just like at the airport. Next was the French border police who was cute and smiled and just said, "Florida!". The UK customs guy was not so cute and rather stern and grumpy. He had several questions. I always let them know that I have a plan to leave, and this plan was comming up soon. He saw that I had eneterd the UK in July, and I informed him that I had also entered 2 June. He wasnted to know where all I had been, so I started in with Barcelona and Stockholm and by the time I got back to Plymouth he had heard enough and stopped me. He wanted to know what my profession was, so I told him I was retired and then he wanted to know what I had done before I retired, so I told him I was a social worker and he just seemed to feel that the story got stranger and stranger but that he had no reason to not believe me so he let me go. Default was fine with me.
So I sat in the waiting area with all the others and they called the 3:20 people and when they were all loaded on the bus they decided that we could join them. The bus was sardine packed, but it only had a short way to go to the boat. I kept my suitcase the whole way up about 6 long ramps to the boat not knowing I could check it. When I got onboard and saw another stairway, I gave it a good thought and opted for the lift. Me and the other old people and the prams or push chairs (strollers). The boat was packed, so I found a seat in the bar by the casino and just caught my breath. Once we were off and I felt that the people around me were trustworthy enough I left my stuff and went to the deck for a few photos. Having gotten the white cliffs of France and having some time before the white cliffs of Dover I headed for the restaurant and got myself a big glass of wine and and order of oak smoked salmon. Nice way to pass the time in calm seas.
I was back on deck for the white cliffs of Dover and had two lovely chats. One was an Australian woman who lives in Vancouver, BC and the other a 29 year old Frenchman (of African descent) who is coming to the UK to work and get really good with English with a plan of going to Australia after that. He was lovely in spirit and the world is just waiting for him to explore.
So, I retrieved my belongings and took the lift down, and when the bus was packed again I opted to wait for the next bus. By the time it had come I had had chats with the older Australian couple and the Norwegian woman headed for Edinburgh. The Scottish couple with the little girl had gone to France on holigay in their car and it had not made it through the trip. Therefore, they had quite a few bags of stuff and were very weary and had a cranky kid. Luckily she was not a screamer. By the time they got on the bus the parents were longing for adult beverages and the father didn't believe they would get there ever.
The terminal was virtually empty, but we finally came upon three officals who we used as tourist information. They told me that my hotel was about 15 min walk. This is often said by a 20 something person, so I always double the time for me. In truth I truly enjoyed the walk though I looked a bit bedraggled when I reported in at hotel reception and my legs still ache the next morning. It's not every day one gets to stroll between the channel and the white cliffs. People were having a day at the beach and swim groups were crossing the marina. There was an old Cunard ship in port and the P&O ferries continued to come and go.
I wouldn't stay at this Best Western again, but it is OK for the night. The bathroom smells like mould and mildew, which I am certain is growing under the rennovated surfaces. It is warm, but I have a fan. The best thing about this hotel besides the view in the afternoon (at present the morning sun makes it impossible to open the curtains as it is blinding) is the 4 pm checkout offered me by booking.com. The receptionist almost didn't give it to me, but double checked and had to. Ya-hoo! I'm taking my tired legs to Dover Castle and have a room to come back to.
Better get on my way. Back to Reading tonight via London. A day of rest and packing tomorrow with perhaps a trip to Boots Pharmacy for a few more of these knee tapes that work wonders. They are the duct tape of the human body. Thursday Tony will take me to Gatwick for a day that never seems to end, and Thursday night, when it finally does come, will find me in my own bed with my own sweetheart and the always lovely Stella nearby.
KG
I had mixed feelings about leaving Brussels. It has been a good home away from home, but it is really time for me to head to my home home. I hopped the metro early this morning (about 8:30) and was at Brussels Midi over an hour before my train was scheduled to leave. My whole day was a series of short rides and waiting for short rides. I had to change trains at Lille Europe and then again from one station in Calais to another Calais station where I got out near the clock tower and ran around with other tourists trying to find the bus stop for the bus that takes us to the P&O ferry terminal. The bus finally arrived and we were off. I was able to buy a discounted ticket because of my rail pass, and I was told I would have to take the 4 o'clock ferry. That was fine by me because I had no idea when I would get to the terminal and hadn't reserved, so pot luck would have been my fare at any cost. Next we were sent through the detection machines which ment disrobbing so I could take off my money wallet-just like at the airport. Next was the French border police who was cute and smiled and just said, "Florida!". The UK customs guy was not so cute and rather stern and grumpy. He had several questions. I always let them know that I have a plan to leave, and this plan was comming up soon. He saw that I had eneterd the UK in July, and I informed him that I had also entered 2 June. He wasnted to know where all I had been, so I started in with Barcelona and Stockholm and by the time I got back to Plymouth he had heard enough and stopped me. He wanted to know what my profession was, so I told him I was retired and then he wanted to know what I had done before I retired, so I told him I was a social worker and he just seemed to feel that the story got stranger and stranger but that he had no reason to not believe me so he let me go. Default was fine with me.
So I sat in the waiting area with all the others and they called the 3:20 people and when they were all loaded on the bus they decided that we could join them. The bus was sardine packed, but it only had a short way to go to the boat. I kept my suitcase the whole way up about 6 long ramps to the boat not knowing I could check it. When I got onboard and saw another stairway, I gave it a good thought and opted for the lift. Me and the other old people and the prams or push chairs (strollers). The boat was packed, so I found a seat in the bar by the casino and just caught my breath. Once we were off and I felt that the people around me were trustworthy enough I left my stuff and went to the deck for a few photos. Having gotten the white cliffs of France and having some time before the white cliffs of Dover I headed for the restaurant and got myself a big glass of wine and and order of oak smoked salmon. Nice way to pass the time in calm seas.
I was back on deck for the white cliffs of Dover and had two lovely chats. One was an Australian woman who lives in Vancouver, BC and the other a 29 year old Frenchman (of African descent) who is coming to the UK to work and get really good with English with a plan of going to Australia after that. He was lovely in spirit and the world is just waiting for him to explore.
So, I retrieved my belongings and took the lift down, and when the bus was packed again I opted to wait for the next bus. By the time it had come I had had chats with the older Australian couple and the Norwegian woman headed for Edinburgh. The Scottish couple with the little girl had gone to France on holigay in their car and it had not made it through the trip. Therefore, they had quite a few bags of stuff and were very weary and had a cranky kid. Luckily she was not a screamer. By the time they got on the bus the parents were longing for adult beverages and the father didn't believe they would get there ever.
The terminal was virtually empty, but we finally came upon three officals who we used as tourist information. They told me that my hotel was about 15 min walk. This is often said by a 20 something person, so I always double the time for me. In truth I truly enjoyed the walk though I looked a bit bedraggled when I reported in at hotel reception and my legs still ache the next morning. It's not every day one gets to stroll between the channel and the white cliffs. People were having a day at the beach and swim groups were crossing the marina. There was an old Cunard ship in port and the P&O ferries continued to come and go.
I wouldn't stay at this Best Western again, but it is OK for the night. The bathroom smells like mould and mildew, which I am certain is growing under the rennovated surfaces. It is warm, but I have a fan. The best thing about this hotel besides the view in the afternoon (at present the morning sun makes it impossible to open the curtains as it is blinding) is the 4 pm checkout offered me by booking.com. The receptionist almost didn't give it to me, but double checked and had to. Ya-hoo! I'm taking my tired legs to Dover Castle and have a room to come back to.
Better get on my way. Back to Reading tonight via London. A day of rest and packing tomorrow with perhaps a trip to Boots Pharmacy for a few more of these knee tapes that work wonders. They are the duct tape of the human body. Thursday Tony will take me to Gatwick for a day that never seems to end, and Thursday night, when it finally does come, will find me in my own bed with my own sweetheart and the always lovely Stella nearby.
KG
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Antwerp-Zurenborg 5
This is my lunch cafe. I ate outside-very pleasant.
This is the railroad bridge.
KG
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Ghent Again
Looks like showers to light rain for me tomorrow, so just as well I ventured out today. Of course it cannot compare to the trouble Isaac is threatening. My plan is to fly back on Thursday, so knock wood for the folks at home and then one more for me.
Ghent was lovely. The tourist map is a piece of rubbish. If you are headed this way go ahead and buy a better map. I spent alot of time trying to orient with a map that didn't include the little streets and there are indeed quite a few of them. I eventually found all the places I wanted generally by asking for assistance, and narrowing it down, but it took too much time and effort.
That being said, the tram was easy, but the ticket for the tram was not. No tourist info in the train station and I could find nowhere to buy a tram ticket. When I got to the main square the tourist office there was closed. I am not exactly what you would call an early arriver, so I assume it is closed on Saturday. After all, who needs a tourist office on the weekends, right! It does happen that the transit authority office is just around the corner, so after getting an illegal ride to the center city, I bought a day pass for 5 euro to cover my sins and get me back to the station.
It threatened to rain all day and indeed sprinkled from time to time. Occasionally the sun broke through. I was headed to the design museum, but stopped for a waffle and tea (the here). There were no more waffles, so I had to opt for a pain chocolat-will of the Goddess I guess. Luckily Jasmine the was available. On the way to the design museum was a canal boat ride, so, thinking it could pour at any minute I opted for the boat ride. Photos to follow. It was a good plan, but not because of rain. I got into the design museum thanks to a detour and the help of the boat ticket seller.
The design museum was quite fun and my art noveau heart beat double time several times. Not just from climbing the stairs either. You'll see the photos. By the time I was done with the museum I was proper hungry. I used my Lonely Planet to pick out a restaurant treat and spent the next 30 minutes finding the restaurant. Along the way I met a bloke who left his car running by the big map near St Michael's bridge while he tried to read the map. He was at more of a loss than I was. He had to navigate one way cobblestones streets.
To those of you who have suffered from my lack of map reading skills I will inform you that I did find the restaurant and it was well worth the effort. It had also begun to rain enough to take out the umbrella-never an enhancement to map reading. The restaurant was Pakhuis. I've been to their website and you should just wait for my photos. It is a large high glass ceiling steel and glass building that is fabulous. The kitchen was closed so I had choices from a limited menu-probably all I needed anyway. I cannot rave about the food, but the little shrimp croquettes I had were fine and accompanied by a peppery tasting greens and the wine was good. I'm sure with a proper map one could find the restaurant in time to get a good meal.
Speaking of a good meal (and digressing a bit), I have grown quite fond of a BBC program aired daily around 6 pm called Hairy Bikers. These two guy chefs bike around GB ferreting out the local ingredients of each area and cooking with a local chef. It's the dark haired guy that's the charmer. I believe he is from Newcastle area and has that Georgie accent and turn of phrase that is almost irristable if you can understand it. The featured food makes me ravenous. They even make haggis look good. Today, as I type, they are looking at Hampshire pork. See if you can find these guys on the internet. I'm too busy eating my own dinner.
Tonight's dinner is a salad of rocket, ugly tomatoes, a farmer's cheese consistency sheep cheese and a dressing of oil, vinegar and herbs (it's bottled but good enough to sop up with the bread). The main course is cassoulet canard confit which I got from my new favorite store, the Champigros, rue Sainte-Catherine 36 or Sint-Kateijinestraat 36, SVP. My bread is from the Charli bakery next door. So, even though I had to "make do" with architecture for lunch, I'm having a fine dinner.
I called it a day in Ghent after lunch and caught the train about 4pm. I was back in Brusels in time to get my culinary dessert habit before the store closed. It is a little tub of Total Face strained Greek yogurt (the kind with no % marks on the label) with a generous helping of Cerises Griottes Confites drizzled over it. Ohhhhh-la-la. It whups ice cream's butt anyday. I have just enough for tonight and tomorrow.
Tomorrow looks like a day of rest for me. That generally includes some photo editing, so check the photo blog.
Bon Soir
KG
Ghent was lovely. The tourist map is a piece of rubbish. If you are headed this way go ahead and buy a better map. I spent alot of time trying to orient with a map that didn't include the little streets and there are indeed quite a few of them. I eventually found all the places I wanted generally by asking for assistance, and narrowing it down, but it took too much time and effort.
That being said, the tram was easy, but the ticket for the tram was not. No tourist info in the train station and I could find nowhere to buy a tram ticket. When I got to the main square the tourist office there was closed. I am not exactly what you would call an early arriver, so I assume it is closed on Saturday. After all, who needs a tourist office on the weekends, right! It does happen that the transit authority office is just around the corner, so after getting an illegal ride to the center city, I bought a day pass for 5 euro to cover my sins and get me back to the station.
It threatened to rain all day and indeed sprinkled from time to time. Occasionally the sun broke through. I was headed to the design museum, but stopped for a waffle and tea (the here). There were no more waffles, so I had to opt for a pain chocolat-will of the Goddess I guess. Luckily Jasmine the was available. On the way to the design museum was a canal boat ride, so, thinking it could pour at any minute I opted for the boat ride. Photos to follow. It was a good plan, but not because of rain. I got into the design museum thanks to a detour and the help of the boat ticket seller.
The design museum was quite fun and my art noveau heart beat double time several times. Not just from climbing the stairs either. You'll see the photos. By the time I was done with the museum I was proper hungry. I used my Lonely Planet to pick out a restaurant treat and spent the next 30 minutes finding the restaurant. Along the way I met a bloke who left his car running by the big map near St Michael's bridge while he tried to read the map. He was at more of a loss than I was. He had to navigate one way cobblestones streets.
To those of you who have suffered from my lack of map reading skills I will inform you that I did find the restaurant and it was well worth the effort. It had also begun to rain enough to take out the umbrella-never an enhancement to map reading. The restaurant was Pakhuis. I've been to their website and you should just wait for my photos. It is a large high glass ceiling steel and glass building that is fabulous. The kitchen was closed so I had choices from a limited menu-probably all I needed anyway. I cannot rave about the food, but the little shrimp croquettes I had were fine and accompanied by a peppery tasting greens and the wine was good. I'm sure with a proper map one could find the restaurant in time to get a good meal.
Speaking of a good meal (and digressing a bit), I have grown quite fond of a BBC program aired daily around 6 pm called Hairy Bikers. These two guy chefs bike around GB ferreting out the local ingredients of each area and cooking with a local chef. It's the dark haired guy that's the charmer. I believe he is from Newcastle area and has that Georgie accent and turn of phrase that is almost irristable if you can understand it. The featured food makes me ravenous. They even make haggis look good. Today, as I type, they are looking at Hampshire pork. See if you can find these guys on the internet. I'm too busy eating my own dinner.
Tonight's dinner is a salad of rocket, ugly tomatoes, a farmer's cheese consistency sheep cheese and a dressing of oil, vinegar and herbs (it's bottled but good enough to sop up with the bread). The main course is cassoulet canard confit which I got from my new favorite store, the Champigros, rue Sainte-Catherine 36 or Sint-Kateijinestraat 36, SVP. My bread is from the Charli bakery next door. So, even though I had to "make do" with architecture for lunch, I'm having a fine dinner.
I called it a day in Ghent after lunch and caught the train about 4pm. I was back in Brusels in time to get my culinary dessert habit before the store closed. It is a little tub of Total Face strained Greek yogurt (the kind with no % marks on the label) with a generous helping of Cerises Griottes Confites drizzled over it. Ohhhhh-la-la. It whups ice cream's butt anyday. I have just enough for tonight and tomorrow.
Tomorrow looks like a day of rest for me. That generally includes some photo editing, so check the photo blog.
Bon Soir
KG
Friday, August 24, 2012
Antwerp
Antwerp and Ghent are the closest of the cities I have targeted this trip, so I was able to take my time to get there today. Getting out at the station was the first ahhh experience. Wait till you see the photos. I made a stop by the information office and the queue was well worth it as I got a great map and a day ticket for transport. So, as soon as tram 11 came by, I was on it and headed for the Zurenborg neighborhood to oogle the Art Noveau houses. I wasn't disappointed. I oogled for quite some time and I was glad I went here first when my legs were fresh. I even found a synagog that was pretty special and, since the train to Brussels passes by this neighborhood and since it is Friday night, I got to see the lights on inside on my way home.
Besides fantastic houses there are many lovely cafe's, so after a good walk around I stopped for a delicious lunch. My next goal was the fine arts museum. I got great photos of the outside, but the inside is closed for the next 5 years. The collections have been dispersed. I was iterested in the Magrittes but apparently I had already seen them last year at the Magritte Museum in Brussels. The other museum of interest to me was M HKA, the contemporary art museum and it was a stones throw away, so I was off. I find that when there is something really interesting to see the legs will follow. Jimmie Durham provided. He made me smile and sometimes laugh out loud. I have quite a file of photos to edit.
I must remember to tell the story of the lovely lady who helped me find my way. I asked her at a tram station if this was the #8 toward town. I was headed to the fine arts museum. She tried to tell me that part of the way was under construction, but we had no common language. As I was sitting on the #8 headed towards Museum, another woman approached me to explain in English that I needed to get off at National Bank and change trams as there is construction along the route of the #8. She had been sent by the first lady. The kindness of strangers-such a gift.
I had hoped to have a walk down the main canal after the contemporary art museum, but there wasn't much to see from the street and I was way too tired to investigate much. I did find the Grotte Market and the metro to the train station.
I'm thinking I'll go back to Ghent tomorrow. I still have the center city to see and a design museum. I'd love to get back to Antwerp as well, but we shall see if energy allows.
KG
Besides fantastic houses there are many lovely cafe's, so after a good walk around I stopped for a delicious lunch. My next goal was the fine arts museum. I got great photos of the outside, but the inside is closed for the next 5 years. The collections have been dispersed. I was iterested in the Magrittes but apparently I had already seen them last year at the Magritte Museum in Brussels. The other museum of interest to me was M HKA, the contemporary art museum and it was a stones throw away, so I was off. I find that when there is something really interesting to see the legs will follow. Jimmie Durham provided. He made me smile and sometimes laugh out loud. I have quite a file of photos to edit.
I must remember to tell the story of the lovely lady who helped me find my way. I asked her at a tram station if this was the #8 toward town. I was headed to the fine arts museum. She tried to tell me that part of the way was under construction, but we had no common language. As I was sitting on the #8 headed towards Museum, another woman approached me to explain in English that I needed to get off at National Bank and change trams as there is construction along the route of the #8. She had been sent by the first lady. The kindness of strangers-such a gift.
I had hoped to have a walk down the main canal after the contemporary art museum, but there wasn't much to see from the street and I was way too tired to investigate much. I did find the Grotte Market and the metro to the train station.
I'm thinking I'll go back to Ghent tomorrow. I still have the center city to see and a design museum. I'd love to get back to Antwerp as well, but we shall see if energy allows.
KG
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Brussels With Friends
Brussels is good, but Brussels with friends is best. Suzanne came in the Twingo today with Amber and Hans. Bart had to work. Hans is Suzanne's ex and Amber and Bart are their children. I'm afraid Bart will be very sad he missed a good day outing with us. Though Brussels is only 3 hours away and fairly easy to get to by train, none of them has ever explored the city. So I planned the route and we made adjustments here and there. The weather was warm, but not hot. So, we began with a walk up towards Central Station, where I now know 4 exits. We went through St Hubert's Arcade and turned left for a walk uphill towards the Old English. We stopped for traditional Belgium waffles along the way, and they were quite good. Once at the Old English we decided to have a coffee at the restaurant at the top, so we got the views and a little rest and a bit of get up and go all at once. Not to mention a nice visit and sharing stories. Next we did a quick tour of the Horta Art Noveau features of the Gresham. You can find photos of all these things on last summer's photo blog. Pretty stunning. Then down the street for the Sablon park and further down for the Palis du Justice where we enjoyed the views and took the lift down. This was a little different route to Pierre Marcolini's chocolate shops and along the way we spotted a kitchen ware shop. So, out of politeness I entered. We all had a great time and came out with a good bag or two each. Heading down the street I decided to stop for a look at the map, and when I looked up we were stanting under the awning of Pierre's shop. So, upstairs we went. Marcia had requested another of Pierre's sampler boxes, so I had to comply. Along the way were were offered a taste of some samples. I picked the pepper chocolate and it was nothing less than fabulous. On to Pierre's other shop which is something like a chocolate deli. We just looked. It was now about 2:45 and our waffles and cup of go was long gone. We headed across town to the St Catherine district to my newest favorite restaurant, the Breton gallette restaurant. For 11.50 we got gallette complete (big buckwheat crepe with ham, emmentale cheese, a bit of butter and a raw egg is cracked on top of it all just before it is removed from the crepe maker so that it cooks the whites but leaves the yellow runny to be soaked up by the crepe) small salad of greens and a couple of tomatoe wedges, a bottle of cider, and for dessert a sugar butter crepe made with white flour. It was all very filling, and the company was fun. Our little walk through St Catherines was equally interesting even though our energy was a bit lower than earlier in the day. I decided to walk all the way to the end of the street instead of taking the shortcut through an alley, and just as well. Amber spotted an Oxfam retro shop where she found a fantastic blue lacy dress that fits her to a T. 13 euro. Excellent find! We went around the street and were back by the big fountain. Turns out that the little kitchen shop that was closed last week as the owners were off on holiday was now open. I had to stiffle myself several times including one dinnerware set that made me want to scream with delight. Suzanne reminded me to breathe deeply. We were two blocks away from the car park, so our friends were able to stow their purchases away and we were able to have a bathroom and rehydrate break in my hotel room. Since we had one more sight to see, the Janaken Pis, we took a little walk in the tourist area. Very different from any area we had walked in today except of course when we took a little detour to the Manikin Pis. So, all in all a fantastic day. Suzanne reminds me to give her best to Marcia and the 6 pack.
Time for me to put my feet up and drink lots of water.
The BBC Proms will feature Wallace and Grommit on Monday night. Hope I get to see it.
KG
Time for me to put my feet up and drink lots of water.
The BBC Proms will feature Wallace and Grommit on Monday night. Hope I get to see it.
KG
Monday, August 20, 2012
Brussels Bruges Beaches
I'm just back from my favorite Thai restaurant in the world. I just glanced back over the blogs from last year and I cannot believe I didn't go on an on about the food in this restaurant. My first visit with Marcia last year I had the moussaka. Moussaka at a Thai restaurant, you might be saying. But it is what was on the menu. Imagine a small eggplant split in two and ground chicken which has been cooked with thai basil and various spices. In amongst these spices are not just whole peppercorns, but whole baby peppercorns still attached to their stems. Just nibble off as much hot as you want/can stand. This is topped with a skewer of three grilled shrimp. There is a mound of sticky rice to the side. It is my favorite dish at my favorite Thai restaurant in the world.
My favorite owner manager wasn't there tonight, but it is Monday night and he might just have the day off. I was greeted by a woman, of all things. She was lovely, but no gadar going off. The other senior waiter was clearly a gay guy and ditto for the chef. I confess that besides food I had hoped to see my fave waiter from last year. He always sports a stylish hairdo and I was hoping to get a referral to his hairdresser. Maybe I'll just stop by the stylish salon around the corner from the restaurant tomorrow. I'm getting helmet head again.
I'll catch you up. Wednesday I rested after a vigorus explore of Ghent with Suzanne last Tuesday. Thursday I met her in Rotterdam where she grew up. We did a museum tour, photos to follow, and a boat trip in the Spiedo (which is cosiderably bigger than a swimsuit) of the Rotterdam port.
Friday I stayed in Brussels and tended to business which involved changing my tickets on the train from France to Calais direct from Brussels. I decided to stay here another week as there is plenty to do and see in the towns I set out to see, Bruges, Antwerp, and Ghent. I'm also getting tired and need some down time, so simplifying my agenda seems prudent.
Saturday I made a trip to Bruges. When I got off the train I went immediately to the tourist office for a map and some information. The 20 something tourist informant busily ignored me while she restocked the shelves with brouchers. When she did get to me she informed me that the way to see Bruges was to just walk across the street as it is all interesting. So, I took a long breath and asked about buses and after a series of questions I got the information I needed. As I suspected, town center is a bit of a walk, and taking the bus ment that I was fresh for the museum which was the main interest for me. I got to see the bell tower and identify the boat tour I wanted to take after lunch.
The museum was quite good and small enough to see in a short visit. Photos to follow. I got a very relaxing and cool lunch on a very hot day in a town full of lots of tired hot tourists like myself. I'm slowing my pace these days which includes a museum, upscale lunch in cool relaxing atmosphere, and a sit down activity. Of course it goes without saying, though I will, that there is a train ride of at least 45 min on either end of this activity and a walk home from the train station. The temps this weekend were in the low 90'sF.
I would love to spend more time in Bruges, but I don't see it happening this visit. On Sunday I went back to Ghent to see the fine arts museum. Because I got there a bit later than time for museum and lunch, I had lunch then museum. It was truly hot and the museum was not air conditioned, but cooler than ourside. It was a pretty fantastic museum. Photos to follow. This fine arts museum is right across the street from SMAK where Suzanne and I went on Tuesday so I had a good idea of how to get to it. I took a little different route through Citadel Park and saw enough things to keep oriented and enough new things to remain entertained. I took a different route on the way back to the train station and got to see many lovely turn of the last century houses. You guessed it-photos to follow.
Today, being Monday, the museums were closed. Due to the heat, it seemed a good idea to head for the beach. The guidebook says that it is worth the trip, so I was off. It has cooled down a few degrees here, and when I stepped out of the train station it was remarkably cooler. That North Sea has it's effect. It was also overcast, but still a good day to go to the beach, and there were plenty of people enjoying themselves. I was inspired by open air fish stalls on the way to the beach, but decided to take my hunger to a proper sit down restaurant. It was lovely and not too filling to enjoy a walk afterward. I had three raw oysters that were North Sea briny. This was followed by a little salad and two little sole that had been sauteed in butter. This followed by little slivers of cake with a strawberry, blueberries, kiwi, and red currants with a sprig of fresh mint. All washed down with a half liter of a Bordeaux Savignon.
The beach didn't particularly call to me. I like my beaches less populated. I did enjoy a walk along the promonade. Some things are the same all over. Flip flops and childrens beach toy shops being one of them. I decided to follow the crowds down a busy shopping street, and to my surprise I found a shop with things I was actually interested in and in my size. Wa-hoo! So, that was enough and I headed for the train.
Between the train and the Thai restaurant there developed a steady drip in the hallway of my room. The maintenance man soon arrived and informed me that it was the AC which I had been using rather enthusiasticaly. He shut it off and opened the window which is actually fine today. He will be back to retrieve the plastic bucket tomorrow. I am rather fond of this hotel and before today my only complaint was the 5 euro washing machine.
Cathy reminds me that it has been a year since we Segwayed around Berlin. I was inspired to find the Brussels Segway and will investigate it more at the tourist office tomorrow. Suzanne and Amber visit Wednesday. I wonder if they have even done a Segway????
So, I have blogged until my bedtime which comes remarkably early these days. Tomorrow I have my sights on Antwerp.
KG
My favorite owner manager wasn't there tonight, but it is Monday night and he might just have the day off. I was greeted by a woman, of all things. She was lovely, but no gadar going off. The other senior waiter was clearly a gay guy and ditto for the chef. I confess that besides food I had hoped to see my fave waiter from last year. He always sports a stylish hairdo and I was hoping to get a referral to his hairdresser. Maybe I'll just stop by the stylish salon around the corner from the restaurant tomorrow. I'm getting helmet head again.
I'll catch you up. Wednesday I rested after a vigorus explore of Ghent with Suzanne last Tuesday. Thursday I met her in Rotterdam where she grew up. We did a museum tour, photos to follow, and a boat trip in the Spiedo (which is cosiderably bigger than a swimsuit) of the Rotterdam port.
Friday I stayed in Brussels and tended to business which involved changing my tickets on the train from France to Calais direct from Brussels. I decided to stay here another week as there is plenty to do and see in the towns I set out to see, Bruges, Antwerp, and Ghent. I'm also getting tired and need some down time, so simplifying my agenda seems prudent.
Saturday I made a trip to Bruges. When I got off the train I went immediately to the tourist office for a map and some information. The 20 something tourist informant busily ignored me while she restocked the shelves with brouchers. When she did get to me she informed me that the way to see Bruges was to just walk across the street as it is all interesting. So, I took a long breath and asked about buses and after a series of questions I got the information I needed. As I suspected, town center is a bit of a walk, and taking the bus ment that I was fresh for the museum which was the main interest for me. I got to see the bell tower and identify the boat tour I wanted to take after lunch.
The museum was quite good and small enough to see in a short visit. Photos to follow. I got a very relaxing and cool lunch on a very hot day in a town full of lots of tired hot tourists like myself. I'm slowing my pace these days which includes a museum, upscale lunch in cool relaxing atmosphere, and a sit down activity. Of course it goes without saying, though I will, that there is a train ride of at least 45 min on either end of this activity and a walk home from the train station. The temps this weekend were in the low 90'sF.
I would love to spend more time in Bruges, but I don't see it happening this visit. On Sunday I went back to Ghent to see the fine arts museum. Because I got there a bit later than time for museum and lunch, I had lunch then museum. It was truly hot and the museum was not air conditioned, but cooler than ourside. It was a pretty fantastic museum. Photos to follow. This fine arts museum is right across the street from SMAK where Suzanne and I went on Tuesday so I had a good idea of how to get to it. I took a little different route through Citadel Park and saw enough things to keep oriented and enough new things to remain entertained. I took a different route on the way back to the train station and got to see many lovely turn of the last century houses. You guessed it-photos to follow.
Today, being Monday, the museums were closed. Due to the heat, it seemed a good idea to head for the beach. The guidebook says that it is worth the trip, so I was off. It has cooled down a few degrees here, and when I stepped out of the train station it was remarkably cooler. That North Sea has it's effect. It was also overcast, but still a good day to go to the beach, and there were plenty of people enjoying themselves. I was inspired by open air fish stalls on the way to the beach, but decided to take my hunger to a proper sit down restaurant. It was lovely and not too filling to enjoy a walk afterward. I had three raw oysters that were North Sea briny. This was followed by a little salad and two little sole that had been sauteed in butter. This followed by little slivers of cake with a strawberry, blueberries, kiwi, and red currants with a sprig of fresh mint. All washed down with a half liter of a Bordeaux Savignon.
The beach didn't particularly call to me. I like my beaches less populated. I did enjoy a walk along the promonade. Some things are the same all over. Flip flops and childrens beach toy shops being one of them. I decided to follow the crowds down a busy shopping street, and to my surprise I found a shop with things I was actually interested in and in my size. Wa-hoo! So, that was enough and I headed for the train.
Between the train and the Thai restaurant there developed a steady drip in the hallway of my room. The maintenance man soon arrived and informed me that it was the AC which I had been using rather enthusiasticaly. He shut it off and opened the window which is actually fine today. He will be back to retrieve the plastic bucket tomorrow. I am rather fond of this hotel and before today my only complaint was the 5 euro washing machine.
Cathy reminds me that it has been a year since we Segwayed around Berlin. I was inspired to find the Brussels Segway and will investigate it more at the tourist office tomorrow. Suzanne and Amber visit Wednesday. I wonder if they have even done a Segway????
So, I have blogged until my bedtime which comes remarkably early these days. Tomorrow I have my sights on Antwerp.
KG
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Back in Brussels
I'll try to capture it, though I am tired. Yesterday I got on the Eurostar in London and two hours later was getting out at Brussels Midi. Though the journey was two hours, we lost an hour, so I left at 3 and got in at 6. I happened to be on the train that the Olympic athletes from Belgium were taking home. So, there were people with "Media" passes around their necks and big cameras with fuzzy microphones coming through the train. I was in coach, which was quite comfortable particularly since there was nobody sitting in the seat next to me and the cafe car was just behind us. Also, Francoise had gone to Waitrose and had picked up a little tray of sushi and a package of fruit for me, so I just got a little bottle of SB and one of water from the cafe and had a right nice celebration of my journey under the channel.
It was only 20 min of the 2 hours that we were actually underground. I have been longer in the metro. Before you knew it we were up again in Calais and on our way to Belgium. Once at Midi, and once I was sure I had gotten off at the right station (there is that double language thing here that makes Brussels Midi the same as Brussels Zuid, so I had to check it out with the train man). Once pointed in the right direction there was a red carpet and lots of tv cameras and crowds of people and police and when I rounded the corner there was a Dixieland Jazz Band. I have never been so welcomed to a city. Pretty good for my first chunnel crossing.
I followed the signs to the metro and was able to buy a 10 journey pass. Finding my way to the right number train involved some study of the map, but I remembered that De Broukner was the stop. Finding the right side of the track to be on took a bit more effort, but I did it. All in good time and not on the first try. Next was negotiating the metro to find the right exit. This I accomplished with the help of the train men. Once I saw it I knew it. Easy checkin at our favorite aparthotel in Brussels. I was given a choice and opted for a room on the arcade side-the one with the nice lights that change color. I'm looking at them now.
I made a quick stop in the room to drop off stuff and headed for the grocery down the street. It was rush hour in the grocery so I had to dodge the people and stand in a long queue, but ultimately I got my stuff and headed home to my wonderful room for dinner and snooze.
I slept late this morning depsite the opening of the arcade stores with those charming metal security doors that make quite a racket. The dowside of an arcade view. I went back to sleep and got up in enough time to make my breakfast and have a nice shower before time for Suzanne to arrive.
We had a lovely day. Since I had seen much of Brussels we opted to go to Ghent. The Gh sound in Flemish is like clearing one's throat. Central Station Brussels is just a few blocks away from the aparthotel. I have to remember that it is different from Midi. We got a train to Ghent, but it was a chugger and stopped at every burg along the way, but since we wanted to chat and catch up on our various travels, it worked just fine. We opted to go to SMACK, a contemporary art museum. I got a few photos of things that caught my eye, but nothing was really spectacular. We had a nice snack at the museum across from the SMACK. The waitpeople were not very interested in serving us nor were they interested in cashing us out, but we managed.
Then, with the good sense of a person surrounded with tonnes of fabulous art museums, Suzanne suggested a walk to the train station and back to Brussels for dinner. I often am tempted to overdo it which surprises you all I am sure.
You'll see the station at Ghent on the photo blog. Once back in Brussels we were able to walk a bit-I got my chocolate for mocha and my ground coffee at the shops in my neighborhood. We tried to eat at the Thai restaurant, but they were closed. Suzanne says I should try them later in the week as it didn't seem to her that they would be closed for holiday, only for opening for dinner later than 5:30. Since Suzanne had a train to catch we could not wait till 7 when many restaurants open. I'll check with them later in the week. We did enjoy the neighborhood though. We ultimately had dinner at a little Brussels bistro called the little Brussels pig. I pigged on moules and frits and Suzanne has the lasagna. We washed it down with a liter of water and a bottle of Sancern.
On Thursday we will meet in Rotterdam. So, the end of a very fine day and promise of more to come.
KG
It was only 20 min of the 2 hours that we were actually underground. I have been longer in the metro. Before you knew it we were up again in Calais and on our way to Belgium. Once at Midi, and once I was sure I had gotten off at the right station (there is that double language thing here that makes Brussels Midi the same as Brussels Zuid, so I had to check it out with the train man). Once pointed in the right direction there was a red carpet and lots of tv cameras and crowds of people and police and when I rounded the corner there was a Dixieland Jazz Band. I have never been so welcomed to a city. Pretty good for my first chunnel crossing.
I followed the signs to the metro and was able to buy a 10 journey pass. Finding my way to the right number train involved some study of the map, but I remembered that De Broukner was the stop. Finding the right side of the track to be on took a bit more effort, but I did it. All in good time and not on the first try. Next was negotiating the metro to find the right exit. This I accomplished with the help of the train men. Once I saw it I knew it. Easy checkin at our favorite aparthotel in Brussels. I was given a choice and opted for a room on the arcade side-the one with the nice lights that change color. I'm looking at them now.
I made a quick stop in the room to drop off stuff and headed for the grocery down the street. It was rush hour in the grocery so I had to dodge the people and stand in a long queue, but ultimately I got my stuff and headed home to my wonderful room for dinner and snooze.
I slept late this morning depsite the opening of the arcade stores with those charming metal security doors that make quite a racket. The dowside of an arcade view. I went back to sleep and got up in enough time to make my breakfast and have a nice shower before time for Suzanne to arrive.
We had a lovely day. Since I had seen much of Brussels we opted to go to Ghent. The Gh sound in Flemish is like clearing one's throat. Central Station Brussels is just a few blocks away from the aparthotel. I have to remember that it is different from Midi. We got a train to Ghent, but it was a chugger and stopped at every burg along the way, but since we wanted to chat and catch up on our various travels, it worked just fine. We opted to go to SMACK, a contemporary art museum. I got a few photos of things that caught my eye, but nothing was really spectacular. We had a nice snack at the museum across from the SMACK. The waitpeople were not very interested in serving us nor were they interested in cashing us out, but we managed.
Then, with the good sense of a person surrounded with tonnes of fabulous art museums, Suzanne suggested a walk to the train station and back to Brussels for dinner. I often am tempted to overdo it which surprises you all I am sure.
You'll see the station at Ghent on the photo blog. Once back in Brussels we were able to walk a bit-I got my chocolate for mocha and my ground coffee at the shops in my neighborhood. We tried to eat at the Thai restaurant, but they were closed. Suzanne says I should try them later in the week as it didn't seem to her that they would be closed for holiday, only for opening for dinner later than 5:30. Since Suzanne had a train to catch we could not wait till 7 when many restaurants open. I'll check with them later in the week. We did enjoy the neighborhood though. We ultimately had dinner at a little Brussels bistro called the little Brussels pig. I pigged on moules and frits and Suzanne has the lasagna. We washed it down with a liter of water and a bottle of Sancern.
On Thursday we will meet in Rotterdam. So, the end of a very fine day and promise of more to come.
KG
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Much Ado About Nothing
The day turned out to be longer than I expected. I had checked the train schedules for Stratford-upon-Avon, so I knew that it would be cutting it close getting into town just before the performance. So, when I was up and ready to go early I talked myself into thinking that there might just be a way to get there earlier so I was off to the train station. I did get an earlier train to Banbury, but from there I had a choice of waiting 1.5 hours or taking a train to a train that goes to Burmingham and from there a train to Stratford-upon-Avon, or just waiting. I opted to wait and read my book. No ladies with rings on their fingers or bells on their toes at Banbury, but a lady who was quite cross about the train schedule.
So, I got to Stratford-upon-Avon at 12:50 and had a brisk walk through the town which is more crowded on a Saturday. After a short queue at the ticket office I had my ticket and then a short walk to the theater where I just had time to deposit my backpack, get a pee and a bottle of water and a programe.
The play was magnificent. It is an all Indian cast and crew with all Indian set and costume. In place of the masked party where the plot turns a bit there is a gender reversal scene where the men all wear their scarves over their heads and faces and the women wear military shirts and hats and sunglasses. Very well done and a highlight. I have to admit I have to really listen because it is Shakespeare and we just don't talk like that, and the accents were Indian, and the jokes are 17th century and it all goes very fast. The guy sitting next to me was laughing up a storm, so good for him. I enjoyed it anyway.
The play started at 1:30 and got out about 4:30. By the time I got another pee and retrieved my backpack it was 5. There is always a long queue in the ladies. Anyway, I was starving and a bit lightheaded having not eaten more than train mix since breakfast. I was in search of a nice restaurant or even better a nice Indian restaurant, but the nice ones don't open till 6. It made me think of France. "Madame, this is France and restaurants don't open until 7" So, I passed by all the chain restaurants thinking that someday there will probably be nothing but chain restaurants to choose from. I remembered a couple of Indian restaurants on the way to the train station, and sure enough there was one open. I was the only patron, but that was fine with me.
I got a young waiter whose English was as clear to me as mine was to him. Were it not for the older waiter behind him I would never know that he was asking me for my drink order. I pointed to the menu for my half of the conversation. Since water is not on the menu, I had to ask for it later. I decided on the British pronounciation. I'll have to use it again in France. So, nice filling Lamb Madras with garlic nan, and I was off to the station.
The station is a different place on Saturday evening. Basically there is no one around but passengers and the overhead electronic train announcemet signs announce one train at a time. Turns out that only one track is used as well. The whole thing is on automatic pilot apparently. So, no clue of when or if a train would come for Leamington Spa and points beyond. I approached a guy who was sitting on the plat that I thought our train would leave from. He assured me that there would be another train to Leamington Spa but didn't know the time. He was Lithuanian and did not have much English. When he left, I decided I needed more information. Back over the bridge (you've seen it on an earlier photo blog) and I found a local to ask. He had no idea, so I consulted the Chinese students. They had an iPad and assured me that the train would come at 19:16 on the plat over the bridge. So, back over the bridge and I chatted as well as we could with the Lithuanian. He gave me his People magazine in Lithuanian to entertain myself. We were eventually joined by two Indian women who sat for awhile before getting information that the electronic sign on the other plat announced our train. So, back over the bridge and eventually on the train. We saw the conductor pass through the train rather quickly and he never bothered with tickets. A tip for those who want to ride free-get on at a small station in the evening and ride all night. Even the turnstiles in the stations are open and unattended.
In Leamington Spa I got the chance to chat with the Chinese student with the iPod. He was an infant when I was in China. He cooks for himself, he says. We both agreed that British food is tasteless.
The Reading train was late. When trains are running late they loose their place in the whole scheme of things including priority for getting routed into the station, so late begats later and we were. Once in Reading I waited again for the bus, so I was 10 getting home. Tony and Francoise had arrived hours earlier and by then had gone to bed. So this morning I woke to a full house of Tony and Francoise and Mark and Francoise's mother, Marie Agnes. It has quieted down a bit now as Marie Agnes has gone to visit her friend in Liverpool and the family here is busy with the things that one does to get back in the swing after a long holiday.
I'll be packing my bags shortly. Tomorrow I have the bus to the train to the tubes to the train to the metro to the hotel, and I will be in Brussels. Tuesday I spend the day with Suzanne of Alkmar catching up on her adventures in Hong Kong.
KG
So, I got to Stratford-upon-Avon at 12:50 and had a brisk walk through the town which is more crowded on a Saturday. After a short queue at the ticket office I had my ticket and then a short walk to the theater where I just had time to deposit my backpack, get a pee and a bottle of water and a programe.
The play was magnificent. It is an all Indian cast and crew with all Indian set and costume. In place of the masked party where the plot turns a bit there is a gender reversal scene where the men all wear their scarves over their heads and faces and the women wear military shirts and hats and sunglasses. Very well done and a highlight. I have to admit I have to really listen because it is Shakespeare and we just don't talk like that, and the accents were Indian, and the jokes are 17th century and it all goes very fast. The guy sitting next to me was laughing up a storm, so good for him. I enjoyed it anyway.
The play started at 1:30 and got out about 4:30. By the time I got another pee and retrieved my backpack it was 5. There is always a long queue in the ladies. Anyway, I was starving and a bit lightheaded having not eaten more than train mix since breakfast. I was in search of a nice restaurant or even better a nice Indian restaurant, but the nice ones don't open till 6. It made me think of France. "Madame, this is France and restaurants don't open until 7" So, I passed by all the chain restaurants thinking that someday there will probably be nothing but chain restaurants to choose from. I remembered a couple of Indian restaurants on the way to the train station, and sure enough there was one open. I was the only patron, but that was fine with me.
I got a young waiter whose English was as clear to me as mine was to him. Were it not for the older waiter behind him I would never know that he was asking me for my drink order. I pointed to the menu for my half of the conversation. Since water is not on the menu, I had to ask for it later. I decided on the British pronounciation. I'll have to use it again in France. So, nice filling Lamb Madras with garlic nan, and I was off to the station.
The station is a different place on Saturday evening. Basically there is no one around but passengers and the overhead electronic train announcemet signs announce one train at a time. Turns out that only one track is used as well. The whole thing is on automatic pilot apparently. So, no clue of when or if a train would come for Leamington Spa and points beyond. I approached a guy who was sitting on the plat that I thought our train would leave from. He assured me that there would be another train to Leamington Spa but didn't know the time. He was Lithuanian and did not have much English. When he left, I decided I needed more information. Back over the bridge (you've seen it on an earlier photo blog) and I found a local to ask. He had no idea, so I consulted the Chinese students. They had an iPad and assured me that the train would come at 19:16 on the plat over the bridge. So, back over the bridge and I chatted as well as we could with the Lithuanian. He gave me his People magazine in Lithuanian to entertain myself. We were eventually joined by two Indian women who sat for awhile before getting information that the electronic sign on the other plat announced our train. So, back over the bridge and eventually on the train. We saw the conductor pass through the train rather quickly and he never bothered with tickets. A tip for those who want to ride free-get on at a small station in the evening and ride all night. Even the turnstiles in the stations are open and unattended.
In Leamington Spa I got the chance to chat with the Chinese student with the iPod. He was an infant when I was in China. He cooks for himself, he says. We both agreed that British food is tasteless.
The Reading train was late. When trains are running late they loose their place in the whole scheme of things including priority for getting routed into the station, so late begats later and we were. Once in Reading I waited again for the bus, so I was 10 getting home. Tony and Francoise had arrived hours earlier and by then had gone to bed. So this morning I woke to a full house of Tony and Francoise and Mark and Francoise's mother, Marie Agnes. It has quieted down a bit now as Marie Agnes has gone to visit her friend in Liverpool and the family here is busy with the things that one does to get back in the swing after a long holiday.
I'll be packing my bags shortly. Tomorrow I have the bus to the train to the tubes to the train to the metro to the hotel, and I will be in Brussels. Tuesday I spend the day with Suzanne of Alkmar catching up on her adventures in Hong Kong.
KG
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