Winding Down with Friends and Family

When I planned this vacation, it was my intent to spend the last couple of weeks visiting with friends and family in the UK and that is exactly how it has worked out.  Thursday, I arrived in London to stay with my friends, John and Pedro, off and on before I fly home.  On the weekend, as I have already mentioned, I went to the Midlands.  There, I first started by having lunch with my third cousin and his wife before staying with friends (almost family) in Chesterfield.  I first met Jackie and Gary in 1979 on my first trip to the UK.  Jackie's mother was friends with mine.

Following my stay with them, I had an overnight visit with Jane and Mick, a couple I met on the cruise I took last fall.  They live near Derby so not far from Gary and Jackie.  On the cruise, there were 8 of us who hung around together and various members of the group have reunited since then.  It is lovely we are maintaining those connections.  Jane, Mick and I spent the afternoon putting together the beginning of a plan for them to visit Canada next year, including a stay with me.  I hope that works out.  Wednesday midday, I returned to London.

Jane and Mick's lovely kitchen - I'm jealous!

Above and below - dinner with Jane and Mick at Bistro Pierre in Nottingham

Thursday saw me heading out to Mountfitchet Stansted, a pretty village not far from the airport, where my second cousin lives.  We had a lovely pub lunch and then took her dog for a walk in some nearby woods called Hatfield Forest.  We encountered (or is that en-cow-ntered) a herd of "free range" cows.  Suki, the dog, seemed to take it all in stride.  Me, I wasn't so sure about them, particularly when two of the young bulls started head-butting each other near me.  I was wearing salmon pick and I sure hoped they didn't see it as a "red flag"!
  

Elizabeth and me at The Green Man Pub

The lovely old parish church of St. John the Evangelist in Bush End

Our lovely walk (lots of buttercups that Suki loved) in Hatfield Forest
along with the "free range" cows

Friday, I helped Pedro who was catering a number of events on the weekend.  One of them was a luncheon for Princess Michael of Kent.  I ended up peeling 8 bags of carrots for that.  Never in my wildest dreams - or nightmares - did I think I would ever be a royal scullery maid (or perhaps that is a sous-chef)!  No photos but trust me, I did the kitchen work - peeling for a princess, so to speak!

Saturday, while Pedro was somehow juggling the 3 events, John and I went for lunch with another couple I had met on the cruise.  Pat and Martyn live in Teddington, outside of London; however, we met for lunch at Martyn's club in St. James Place called the Royal Over-seas League.  We had before lunch drinks on the patio and there was an impressive fly-pass while we were sitting there.  Martyn tried to convince me he'd arranged it in my honour but I am pretty sure it had more to do with the trooping of the colours for the Queen's birthday.  Regardless, it was impressive to see the Red Arrows flying over.  Our lunch was lovely and, again, caused me to reflect on what a great time I had had on that cruise.  Such lovely people! 

John and me with Pat and Martyn

Last up on my UK itinerary was a trip to Dorset to see another one of my second cousins, Ann.  I took a Sunday morning train from Waterloo Station to Gillingham, the village near to where she lives.  She had organized a lovely lunch where I was able to meet some more of my relations, albeit we are now into "second cousins once removed" and third cousins.  Her village of Motcombe has its summer fete coming up and many of the houses have put scarecrows in their driveways or by there doors.  I wish I had had time of take pictures of the apparently more than 50 of them (I didn't see all of them).  I even forgot to take one of Ann's great rendition of Bob, the Builder in her driveway.  Her garden looked lovely as it was on the "open garden" tour last weekend.  

Ann's Granddaughter, Hannah, and her boyfriend, Nathan

Ann and her daughter, Catherine

Another granddaughter, Ellie, and her boyfriend Chris

Ann with Peter (her "man friend" (above) and with me  (below)

So, that is nearly it for this amazing 2 month vacation.  Budapest seems like a distant memory now.  John, Pedro and I went out for dinner Monday evening to a favourite Chinese restaurant of mine in Queensway, Royal China.

Wednesday I fly home so this is the last blog until next time.  Right now, that is tentatively this fall but the planning is yet to be done for that one!  I cannot believe how smoothly this trip went and, while there were a few glitches, they were manageable.  Maybe it is true what they say about "the devil being in the details" and, with all the planning I did, it worked almost perfectly!  How lucky I was!

Now in Jolly Old England

For the last two weeks of my vacation (which are fast flying by) I will be in England.  Thursday, I took the Eurostar to London which will be my base for my time in this country.  After so many weeks having foreign languages spoken all around me, it is a bit strange to be hearing primarily English!

My first "engagement" was to have lunch with a friend whom I first met at Venice Carnivale last year.  It seemed fitting that we met for lunch in "Little Venice" near Maida Vale where I am staying.  We had a leisurely 3 hour lunch before she had to take her train back to Stratford.  One thing we did discuss was meeting up in Venice again next year for Carnivale.  That would be fun!

With Bev at the Summer House in Little Venice

One of the Canal Boats on Regents Canal

Then, after some time resting after my hectic schedule the last few weeks, I took the train to Derbyshire on Sunday.  I met my third cousin and his wife and we had lunch at a 16th century coaching inn linked to Hardwick Hall.
  

Pamela, Alan (my cousin) with me having lunch

After lunch and a visit to their home to see their amazing garden, they dropped me at my friends' Jackie and Gary was until Tuesday morning.  Monday, we did a little tour around Derbyshire which included a visit to Bakewell.  This is one of the prettiest villages (towns) in this area and, because Monday was market day, it was busy.  There is a livestock market as well as the usual market so there was lots to see and the parking lot was filled with trucks and trailers used to haul the sheep and cows.  It was a real "picture" of English country life.  We spent some time looking through the market and then visited this lovely little cheese shop.  I couldn't resist buying some cheddar called "Sticky Toffee".   I couldn't wait to try that!  There was also an interesting lemon Wensleydale that I bought was well.  After that, we headed for a pub called The Angel in Holmesfield where we had a lovely lunch.  The weather wasn't that great - very cloudy and the low clouds obscured some of the amazing country scenery so I didn't take any photos.  

Above and Below:  Bakewell

Pie Shop in Bakewell

Lunch with Jackie and Gary at The Eagle

It's Tuesday and I have moved on.  Some friends I met on my cruise last October also live in Derbyshire.  So, they picked me up this morning and I will stay with them this evening before heading back to London tomorrow.  I cannot believe in about a week, this amazing vacation will be done and I will be heading back home.  

Back to the Light

To the City of Light, that is!  Wednesday morning, we caught the TGV from Bordeaux to Paris.  At close to 300 km per hour, it took only about 2 hours to get between the two cities.  

  

We arrived in Paris just after lunchtime and, as this was our last travel day together, it was also our last chance to see anything in Paris we had previously missed.  Once we had settled into our hotel, rehearsed my friend's way of getting to the airport, had a quick crepe lunch, we "blitzed" some of the remaining tourist spots in Paris.  So, from Les Halles, we walked to the Palais Royal to see the gardens there. 

From there, it was over to Place Vendome to see the Ritz and the Vendome Column.  The Place de la Madeleine was just a short walk from there.  The church is a huge and impressive building, as are the shops on the square which make it one of the top places for shopping in Paris.  Of course, I had to have a quick look in Fauchon, the famous "foodie" store to see what goodies could tempt me - none did but that was probably because of the prices! 

On our way to Place de l'Opera we popped into Gallerie Lafayette to see the fabulous ceiling.  After leaving the Opera, we thought about taking the Metro to our next destination which was Ile Saint Louis but somehow we just kept walking and walking and,, the next thing we knew, we were crossing the Seine and headed for a "happy hour" drink at a corner cafe.  It was hot and humid and I was very grateful for that carafe d'eau and panaches that I had.  Given the large area we had covered, no wonder we were thirsty and tired .  Between 1:30 and 6 pm we had walked over 25,000 steps!  My thought was that would justify the dinner we were going to have!

There is a little restaurant on Ile Saint Louis which, while it doesn't serve perfect food, the prices are good and I have always enjoyed eating there.  It is called Le Caveau de l'Isle and I have dined there often.  So, that was our pick for the last dinner of our French excursion.  Not sure why but the two older guys running the restaurant seemed to like us and gave us complimentary glasses of Amaretto after dinner.  Nice touch!  On the way back to our hotel in the Beaubourg area (not far from the Marais), we had to cross the Seine.  The evening sky was beautiful and made for some great photos.  There is a good reason Paris is called "The City of Light"!

  

Bored Oh (Oops, that's Bordeaux)

Monday we left the lovely region of Dordogne and its caves headed for Bordeaux for other kinds of caves (the French word for wine cellar).  The Bordeaux region is famous for some of the most renowned wines in the world - St. Emilion, Margaux, Pomerol, for example.  However, our visit here would not entail exploring wine villages or even wine tasting - there isn't time.  Instead, we visited the city of Bordeaux.  It was a prefect place to drop our rental car before we head back to Paris as I had never been to this city in spite of being in the region a couple of times.

Our Little Nissan Jute - Fun and Easy to Drive!

So, Monday afternoon, we started to explore Bordeaux, hub of the famed wine-growing region.  It is a port on the Garonne River and there was actually a large cruise ship docked there when we arrived.  The population is about 1/4 of a million people.  It is known for its Gothic Cathédrale Saint-André, 18th- to 19th-century mansions and notable art museums such as the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux.  Public gardens line the curving river quays.  

We took a tram into the centre from where we are staying near Gare Saint Jean (this is the station where the TGV leaves for Paris).  The area around the station is a bit "dodgy" but the Hotel Campanile is a short walk from the station (about 5 minutes) and easy.  The hotel is part of a chain and I have stayed in Campanile hotels often when I have been in France.  They are reliable 3-star hotels and usually have a restaurant which offer regional dishes.  There was no dinner served in this one, aside from some snacks, salads and reheated dishes you could get at the bar.  

The tram ride was only about 10 minutes, if that, to the centre.  We  got off at the grand Place de la Bourse which is an impressive square centered on the Three Graces fountain and which overlooks the Miroir d’Eau reflecting pool, the largest water mirror of its kind in the world apparently.

Place de la Bourse

The Miroir d'Eau (I took another one in the sunshine - below - which looks better)

From there, we wandered along the pedestrian shopping street called Rue Saint Catherine where, between Cours Victor Hugo and Place de la Comedie, you can find many of France's regular high street brands plus some other "standards" such as Etam, Zara, Mango, Manelli, and Claire's.  Of course, there had to be a McDonald's on one of the corners and, naturally, it was packed!  Galerie Lafayette, the famous French department store, can also be found along here.
    
The historic centre of Bordeaux is surprisingly concentrated and it is a very easy city to visit on foot.  We were not at all tempted to do a Hop On/ Hop Off bus tour.  We had given some thought to a guided walking tour but, at the tourist information, we picked up had sufficient information for us to do a self-guided one if we wanted to.  All the streets are adapted for pedestrian traffic - although that doesn't mean you don't have to watch out for trams, motorbikes and cyclists - and the streets offer great examples of classic French architecture throughout the city.  At the TI, we also booked a river cruise for the following day as we thought it would be good to see the city from another perspective.  We also checked out the relatively new Cite du Vin, Bordeaux's premier wine museum.  I had been interested in seeing it but the 20 Euro entry ticket seemed a bit expensive, particularly when I found out the museum is focused on Bordeaux wines which are not particularly my favourites - and, yes, I know they are some of the best wines in the world! 

After we had a drink in a little square, our next challenge was to find somewhere to it.  It was a Monday evening and many restaurants close on that day in France.  We wandered in a couple of directions before finally finding an area with a few ones that were open.  We settled on one called L’Agneau a la Braise where the meat was prepared over an open fire.  The only other restaurant like that I have seen is in Paris and it is called Robert et Louisa although I don't know if it is still open as Robert passed away a few years ago.  

The following morning, we took the tram to Saint Michel because we were told there was a market near there in the square in front of the church.  We found something that was trying to pass itself off as a market but it was a run-down sort of flea market without many tables or people.  Those who were there looked more drug addicts or homeless people.  It wasn't very pleasant.  The church is quite pretty, however.

The rather pathetic flea market

Eglise Saint Michel

It was around then that we started sharing our thoughts about Bordeaux.  Neither of us were particularly taken with this famous city.  Certainly, the area around Gare Saint Jean is run down.  However, it seemed to us that much of the downtown core was like that as well.  There was litter all over the streets; you had to watch where you stepped as there was often dog shit on the pavements; garbage bins were overflowing everywhere; and, all the main streets had beggars on them - one, was passed out lying across the main Rue Saint Catherine and he was there still when we walked by hours later.  The whole situation did not make for a very good impression.  

On our way from Place Saint Michel, we happened upon La Grosse Cloche.  Named after its key feature, its "fat" bell, this beautiful 13th century bell tower is one of the few remaining vestiges of the middle ages in Bordeaux.  We also saw Place de Bourgogne, one of four 'arcs-de-triomphe' or 'portes' found throughout the city.  We could also see the Pont de Pierre, a stone bridge across the Garonne built on the orders of Napolean Bonaparte in the early 19th century to permit the passage of his troops.

That day, we stopped for lunch at a cafe on the river front called Grand Bar Casten.  While we were there, I received a phone message from the TI telling us our boat trip had been cancelled.  When we went to get our refund, the reason given was that there weren't enough people.  Again, that didn't impress us very much, especially as we had planned our day around that.  However, on the way there, we did stop at Place des Quinconces which is a vast esplanade with two beautiful columns (no photo of those) at one end and the colossal Monument aux Girondins at the other.  This honours those inhabitants of the Gironde region who gave their lives during WWII.  There is a beautiful fountain at the base of it.

Since our boat trip had been cancelled, we just went back to the hotel for a bit before heading back into town for dinner.  Like the previous evening, we still had trouble finding a hotel that appealed to us, in spite of most of them being open.  We did see the impressive Porte Cailhau when we were wandering around.  Like the Grosse Cloche, it was a medieval gateway to pass through the city walls.  Also, as it was sunny, the "Water Mirror" looked very pretty.  We actually ended up eating dinner in an Italian restaurant.  What does that say?

I have no doubt that many people adore this city but its appeal is totally lost on me.  I doubt I will ever be back - although, as I have learned, never say never!





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