UK Travels

In July, we traveled to the north to beat the heat and visit friends in the UK. Arriving in London was very exciting for these two island bums - so much to see in such a different culture than where we are now living. We spent a very full day just barely scratching the surface of "The City". We hopped on the red double decker tour bus only to be stuck most of the time in huge traffic jams. Once off the bus we put miles on our walking shoes and took in many interesting sights such as Piccadilly Square, Victoria Station, Covent Gardens, and St. Paul's Cathedral...

Trafalgar Square....

and the Tower of London. "The tower" is not a single tower like I expected but rather a huge complex that includes a historic castle, a palace and a prison that once served as an execution site for rebels. Today it houses the crown jewels and a witty group of Beefeaters that give very entertaining tours of the complex.

We also visited the Houses of Parliament occupied by the House of Commons and the House of Lords. We observed a debate in the impressive dark paneled sanctuary of the House of Commons. Looking down into the gallery from the balcony, it was easy to be transported back a century or so and imagine the wig-bedecked politicians of the time debating the current issues of English society.

At one point, we took a boat cruise on the Thames River and as we rested our poor feet, we enjoyed sights from the water including Shakespeare's Globe theater, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.

"London Bridge" or more accurately, Tower Bridge, was very impressive.

One of the pleasurable perks of traveling in central Europe is the train travel.
This city truly never sleeps. Things just started hopping after dark and being part of the vibe is very fun! We bought half-price theater tickets earlier in Leicester Square and went to the show "Chicago" at the Cambridge Theater in the West End theater district (London's Broadway).

Staying with friends Candy and Dave (expats from Colorado living in Reading) made our visit so much more personal. We enjoyed the comfort of their hospitality in their charming Reading home. We recall the good memories of imbibing in some good English beer while chatting the evening away on their balcony overlooking the Thames River. And the next night, drinking even more good beer and laughing until our faces hurt with new friends visiting from Australia, Mike and Dennis.

The day after our frantic city tour, Candy drove us to the Cotswolds area - true pristine English countryside at its best - like a snapshot back in time reminiscent of literary greats such as Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Beatrix Potter and Winston Churchill. We began our outing with a pub lunch at the 8 Bells Pub in Chipping Campden.

We hiked approximately 10 kilometers through some of the most scenic and pastoral country we've ever seen. It was everything we imagined the English countryside to be complete with thatched roofed cottages...
neat little flower bedecked stone villages...

and rolling green pastures of serene beauty.

A short two days in London/Reading area was not nearly enough time to see it all. But if there's one thing we've learned from our travels it's the wisdom of yet another English literary genius, G.K. Chesterton. He wrote, "A traveler sees what he sees; a tourist sees what he has come to see." Thank you Candy and Dave for helping us enjoy seeing beyond the "sights".

From Paddington Station, we boarded a fast train for Edinburgh, Scotland. The scene from the train as it whisked up the east coast was one of expansive green landscapes and gray sea.

Edinburgh is a fascinating old city - the historic and cultural capital of Scotland and hometown to Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns and my favorite, Robert Louis Stevenson who wrote, "To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." But to travel hopefully and arrive safely is the best of all.

The grand and beautiful Edinburgh Castle sits high up on a rock hill and shadows the old city. It was an 11th century hilltop fort and royal residence for centuries and now houses the crown jewels of Scotland, the Royal Palace (where Mary Queen of Scots once lived), the Scottish War Memorial, St. Margaret's Chapel (the oldest building in Edinburgh) and the inspiring National War Museum of Scotland.

Looking down the barrel of a castle cannon gives a grand view of the city of Edinburgh and the distant sea.
The Old Town of Edinburgh is divided by a pedestrian promenade called the Royal Mile. Historic buildings pack the Royal Mile between the grand castle on the top side down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse on the lower end. We spent most of our time browing around the Royal Mile people watching, shopping and exploring Medieval tiny alleys ("closes"), narrow winding lanes ("wynds") and old streets ("gates").



A day in Scotland wouldn't be complete without joining the throngs of people spilling out from every pub for that cold glass of ale!

After a few days in Edinburgh, we ventured further north via train again into the legendary Highlands of Scotland. Destination: Inverness. These picturesque little train stations were all along the way.

Where Edinburgh is the bustling major city of Scotland, Inverness is its quieter city cousin. Situated on the River Ness at the base of a prominant but historically unimpressive castle, it is in the heart of the Highlands and a great homebase from which to branch out and see other sights.

The path along the River Ness winds in and out of beautiful wooded areas accented with whimsical benches, artful bridges and giant trees.

One full day was devoted to exploring the countryside by joining the "Jacobite Tour" group. One of the stops was at the site of an prehistoric cairn - a Neolithic burial chamber dating from 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. To the casual observer they look merely like a pile of rocks but closer observation will reveal a central "ring cairn" with an open space in the cneter but no access to it. This is flanked by two "passage cairns" which were once covered. The entrance shaft in each passage cairn lines up with the setting sun at winter solstice. Little is known about the origin or purpose of these cairns and the standing stones that encircle the entire site only add to its mystery.

Our tour continued with a cruise down the Caledonian Canal through Loch Ness (no monster sightings today) and ended at the ruins of Urquhart Castle. In the years of the Jacobites resistance, thousands of clan Highlanders fought to the death to preserve their freedom from English rule. Scottish heroes such as Bonnie Prince Charlie, Robert the Bruce and William "Braveheart" Wallace all made their mark in history on the surrounding hills. Urquhart Castle was home to various Scottish and English nobles and was eventually destroyed when its last owner blew it up to keep the Jacobites from taking it. It is beautifully situated on the banks of Loch Ness.

The boat cruise headed back to Inverness through many locks that service the Caledonian Canal.

Inverness is a wonderful town to explore. This old church was around the corner from our B & B.

One of the pleasures of traveling is just taking in the local flavor. Spending an evening in the local pub reading a newspaper over a glass of ale and a bowl of "chips" (fries) is just about as good as it gets!

And to top it all off, every night we had a glorious "sky show" beginning with a rainbow and ending with a beautiful sunset over the river.

Looking back on these photos and recalling the memories of our trip to the UK only increses our appetite for more. We will return!

UNIQUELY CRETE...(what the brochures won't show you)

Disclaimer: Out of respect for my wonderful Greek friends, before you read this blog, please understand that it's all done in humor. No place is perfect - just look at America!

OK...so we've lived here for 10 months now and the honeymoon's over. Like any relationship, once the glitter of excitement is over and reality sets in, you begin to see the quirkyness and sometimes ugly side of your loved one. Suddenly, those things that once charmed you are now just plain annoying! And you find yourself scratching your head over "what's THAT about?!"

Take Crete, for instance...some things are still charming in their "unique-ness".

Like the tree trunks that are painted white (protection against insects). In fact, Cretans seem to love to paint anything and everything white as we discovered Easter week when the whole village was out slapping the whitewash on everything that didn't move out of the way - from their homes to their stone walls.

A nice fast descent can be rudely interrupted...
...as well as a "quick" drive over to the base. (God definitely has a sense of humor when it comes to teaching us patience.)

And one should always expect the unexpected ... like these goats in a make-shift pen on a back street in the city. Ahhh...cute!

And then there's the just plain "ugly" side...dubbed "Cretan Cancer" by a local activist artist; Piles of junk and garbage thrown in vacant lots...
...and along roadsides.

But the real fun is trying to figure out "What's up with that?!"

Puzzling handicap ramp? "We build these state-of-the-art ramps for schlupping supplies to the merchant there behind you. What's ADA?"

NO, those are not some unique form of antennae. The roof rebar sticking up has a couple of stories. Rumor had it that long ago, the taxes on an unfinished house were quite a bit lower than if you finished it off. So, many enterprising Cretans left their houses like this. In actuality, most traditional Cretan houses are built unfinished with the expectation that a second or even third story will be added on when grandma, daughter and family, or any other number of relatives move in.
Hey, but how about that neat solar water heater tank! Every house has one! (That's one thing Colorado could do very effectively!)

Irrigation is a huge business here in the agricultural community of the Akrotiri peninsula. But why bury the hose. Let's just run it along the edge of the road and see how long it lasts after being run over by countless cars and giant trucks. p.s. Nice fence

Still can't figure out why, if there are SO many dumpsters on every corner, people still insist on trashing the countryside.

But, by far, this is the epitomy of "uniquely Crete" (actually all through Greece). The plumbing is of a small diameter and most homes and businesses have outdated septic. But not to fear, every bathroom has a fancy little flip-lid can for TP! ( UGH! We admit it..we cheat sometimes.) I do admire the humorous attention to detail in this particular poster found in a hotel room.

And that's just a piece of "the rest of the story". There are many other anomalies that I just couldn't capture on film. Like the TWO big guys on a motorbike passing a line of cars on a descent WHILE PULLING A WHEELIE (But at least they remembered their helmets - hanging on the handlebars) Or the fellow riding his bike with a cockatoo bird gripping his shoulder. Or the rough concrete sidewalks that lead to nowhere and then drop off. Or the very sad reality of how the dogs and cats are sorely neglected and abused. Not to mention, the lack of any city planning (Richard's favorite pet peeve.)

But like any good relationship, you have to choose to concentrate on the good and minimize the bad. So what's good about this place - besides the dear friends we've made? Oh yeah....




Come check it out for yourselves!