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Peter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
  • Peter Dane
Jul – Sep 2017

Peter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

When I retired, we decided to travel overseas each second year, so now we have been to the UK & Europe in 2010, 2013 and 2015 - this will be our 4th big holiday. We have made many friends and been able to visit relatives that live so far away. Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 24, 2017
  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    Landed in Sweden

    July 26, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I really am impressed by people who travel with their children. Friends Sandie and Mel have done this recently. It's hard enough looking after yourself, sleeping, eating and drinking for 21+ hours. But we made it - our holiday has started and a healthy breakfast will get me going.

    This is how we travelled. First, the Virgin flight out of Hobart was 30 mins late - why are we not surprised? Melbourne departure lounge was under renovations [again] making it hard for Mary to shop ... Singapore Airlines were terrific - stewards were very friendly and helpful. We had been flying for sometime when Mary looked over to me as I was following the flight path on the screen - we have just passed Adelaide ... only 8 more hours to get to Singapore. It always gets to me how long it takes to leave Australia [about 6 hours to cross over Broome]. Singapore airport was great for shopping, lovely and clean. Then we took off for Moscow. Those crazy Russians use the full alphabet for place names, but they mainly concentrate on the letters at the end of the alphabet. I can try to work out names with 2 or 3 syllables ... but names like ZHEZKAZGAN make it hard.

    Moscow airport was disappointing for two reasons - dirty and messy for a start, but poorly organised. We got off our flight, were given Transfer Cards, and about 200 of us had to go down, around, back again without leaving the concourse, but still had to line up at one counter to check in, 5 other counters were not manned, and go through three passport checks and scanners again. Phew!

    Arrived in Stockholm carrying Vegemite, Tim Tams and Wagon-wheels and not a customs officer in sight in the "items to declare" line - so we went straight through.

    The Pop house Hotel is great, who would have thought we would stay here - a couple of Super Troupers, what's that music I hear ...?

    I went to bed early, Mary went out partying with Grace - breakfast finished, now I'm off to explore Stockholm and then go to a midsummer party tonight!

    Had my first beer, a Visby Lager - made in Gotland, not bad but hope for better.

    Cheers.    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    Eat, Drink and enjoy the Culture

    July 27, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    You have to love hotel breakfasts. Travelling for work can be lonely and boring - the saving grace is often only the a magnificent breakfast buffet. Usually, an overworked head waiter meets you at the "please wait to be seated" post, takes you to the worst seat in the room, pours you a coffee, explains nothing then heads off never to be seen again apart from darting around the room. Here its free and easy. Heaps of food options and everyone is so helpful.

    After a look around the local area we took a tram then a bus to the Kaknäs Tower. This is breaking the golden rule of restaurants, the better the view and higher the dining room, means the food is overpriced and service is lacking. This was not the case here, great views of Stockholm [so flat like many big cities - compared with Hobart], good value food and excellent service. Getting there wasn't so easy. On the bus we were so busy talking, we missed our stop. Realising this Grace asked the driver and he agreed we had missed it and so we decided to get off and catch a bus back to where we needed to go. Waiting, waiting and who should turn up? The same bus and bus driver on the return trip. Laughs all around.

    In the evening we had the pleasure of a Mid Summer party held for Grace and friends as she had missed the party on the correct date because she was in Hobart. We went to Osterskar which was about a 1 1/2 hour drive out of Stockholm - a beautiful location and a lovely house on the water's edge. We were served all the traditional foods and of course Schnapps ... including a "moon shine"version. Lots of singing, including a fantastic performance by Manuelle and Marjan of the song they wrote that won Manuelle the Eurovision Song Contest for Slovenia!!

    Coming home, we were trying to catch the 12:30am tram - rushing a bit when Mary had a fall. She fell face first into the pavement. One of the worries about travelling - being injured. Luckily Mary just has bad bruising on her elbow nose and knees - a bit of TLC will fix.

    Might need to slow down a bit tomorrow - going to Manuelle's concert tomorrow night - that should be a highlight.

    BTW, had a Pop House beer - I'm not big fan of craft beers - but the Mariestads I had for lunch was very good - much like off tap draft beers back home.

    Cheers    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    Our brush with fame ...

    July 28, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We are settling into the Stockholm system of buses, trams, trains and boats and so today headed off by ourselves to do some shopping and sightseeing.

    Thought we might go the the Vasa museum - where they have restored a huge viking ship. We made the novice mistake of not booking online first - the queue was miles long and so we walked past - we'll go back another time.

    First stop was the telco shop to get Mary a prepaid mobile card. Always easy, go into the shop, hand your phone over to the youngest person and let them do it all. I said before how expensive it is in Australia for mobile calls and data plans - so cheap over here $A16 for a prepaid card with 200 calls [no minute limit] 200 SMS and 0.5Gb of data - lasts 1 month.

    Had to buy some Princess Cake [green icing] and a real treat. Caught the tram back, Mary and I became separated by the crowd, but we both knew where to get off - so all's good.

    The big event for today was going to see Manuella and Marjan - winners of the Slovenian Eurovision Song Contest and good friends of our niece Grace. Manuella Brechko is a superstar in Slovenia and has moved to Sweden to launch her international career, as Molly Meldurn would say "do yourself a favour and have a listen"

    It was a fantastic night with world class music and performance, plenty of drinking and laughing and home by 1pm for us oldies. This was something we were not expecting and we are feeling blessed.

    Stuck to the same beers today - might try something new tomorrow and it's off to the ABBA Museum.

    Cheers    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    Those bloody Danes ...

    July 29, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    I think we have set the record for being last at breakfast. While staff are clearing the buffet each day, Mary & I have been trying to grab the last remaining remnants of fine Swedish breakfast fare. One thing is - we are consistent, and we do need to pace ourselves, not being as young as we used to be...

    The was a light shower today when we went to see the Vasa Museum. Luckily Mary took her new water proof jacket - it worked perfectly. Mary was able to stand in the rain for 40 minutes as the queue moved towards the door, While I stood under cover in the foyer [noice]. People in Sweden do not talk to strangers in a queue, so Mary had to line up in silence - I couldn't stand that so of thing.

    What a story the Vasa is ... built in 1626 over three years by 400 men using over 1,000 oak trees. A beautiful ship that only ever sailed 1,300 metres before it keeled over and sunk in the harbour. Apparently, the danish captain or the danish designers or the danish builders were to blame, however, the Swedish King agreed to everything, so no-one was held responsible.

    300 years later she was raised [in 1961] almost completely intact - there are low salt levels in the Baltic Sea - so even the sails, after 300 years under water were intact. A good museum - I really enjoyed it.

    After lunch, and a very enjoyable Mohawk IPA, it was time to go to the ABBA Museum. Not expected to be my thing, but something Grace and Mary would enjoy. As it turned out I really had a great time. It was fascinating to hear the stories behind ABBA and they way they made their music. I even tried to sing their songs - way out of tune as you could imagine, but I tried.

    It was always going to be an early night this Friday [we had been up until 2am most nights before]. There is an Irish Pub around the corner with good wholesome food - a bit American in fact, and I rounded off the evening with a couple of Bishops Fingers - life is good.

    Tomorrow after listening to the football [Geelong 123 defeated Carlton 58], we are off on a cruise around the Archipelago and a visit to the old city. Then we head off to London early on Sunday.

    Cheers    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
    1

    Get out of Stockholm, they said ...

    July 30, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Stockholm is one of the best large cities I have visited. Safe, clean, easy to walk around, lots to see, great shops, plenty of unique history, good food and friendly helpful people, most of whom speak good English. The modern parts are stylish, very modern and stunning to look at and are built away from the old part of town [a lesson for Hobart there?].

    We started out today with a walk around the old parts of town, then stopped for a toasted warm shrimp stew and a glass of wine. I was able to hot spot from Mary's phone where she had borrowed and topped up a PAYG SIM card from Grace to enable me to listen to the Geelong Cats get on top of the Carlton Blues - all's good [but I still remember 1995].

    We then took a large ferry ride through a very small part of the Archipelago. Just around Stockholm there are more than 3,000 inhabited islands - heaps more as you go out to the coast. The boat ride was so quiet and smooth, we had a great view of all the typical Swedish country houses, large and small, I almost fell asleep - Nanna nap! But we were rapt to see more of the Swedish country side - more to come in a few weeks when we return.

    A few glasses of wine and a long chat with Grace at Vaxön. Brilliant way to spend a Saturday afternoon. We had to buy the mandatory "bus food" Swedish buns [Cinnamon, Cardamom and Vanilla] and took the bus home.

    Things were very quiet at the hotel, so for Saturday night we went out for Pizza !!

    Up early tomorrow to catch a plane to London, I think we are starting to get better at this packing and travelling gig - we will see how we go tomorrow.

    Cheers.    Read more

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  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    London calling

    July 31, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    It's time to leave Stockholm. Today is the first test of our ability to get up early, pack and be on our way. We needed to be down to reception by 7:30am - not that early really. Well Mary and I worked like old professionals - handle things just once [don't put things down, put them away] and we cruised through the getting ready process. After paying for the room, we had only spent about $A160 for five days on snacks and drinks - well done I say.

    We used a taxi to get to the train station [$A24] and caught the express train to the airport. No problems with our bookings - thanks Samone - and in no time we were on board. Don't know about other airlines but SAS call you, board you, close the doors and take off, all in a few minutes.

    The flight to London was 2.5 hours and mainly cloudy.

    When we arrived in London we went down to the train station and had the "train for London" staff help us each get an Oyster card for the week. They explained everything and were very friendly and helpful. Nothing can stop us now.

    The hotel is right next door to the train station, great planning by me eh! Problem is, the devil is in the detail - to leave the train station there is a long flight of stairs, no lift and no escalator. So with hand luggage and 2 x 23kg suitcases - it was a struggle.

    We had an upgrade when I asked if we could have the best room available [based on the amount we had already prepaid]. We were moved to a king sized room - and no it's not king sized - very small indeed. By the way, the lift wasn't working, but staff carried our cases up the stairs.

    The hotel is in a good spot - next door to the Shepherds Bush market on one side and a huge Westfields shopping complex on the other.

    First to get some money - used a street ATM to get 200 pounds [$A340] and then to get a Sim card. We bought a "EE" card for 15 pounds, 10Gb and more than enough calls and SMS for a month - cheap as chips. Found a Cath Kidston store, so we can get Sara a new bag - great.

    Time for my first beer. Two corner pubs nearby both offering Sunday roasts. Had a London Pale Ale for me and a G&T for Mary only to be told all roasts had been sold. Skulled our drinks and moved to the next pub, same story - no roasts left. Had a Hell beer and Mary a Prosecco. Mary had Fish and chips and I had Cambridge Sausage and Mash.

    Took a little walk around Shepherds Bush to get the lay of the land ... more to explore tomorrow.

    Cheers.    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    That's not a clock - this is a clock ...

    August 1, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    First full day in London - a Monday I think. We started with a walk through the Shepherds Bush Market. I hoped it would be like the Victoria Market in Melbourne, and it was similar, but there were a lot of clothing shops - mainly with middle eastern styles. It was a bit smelly and not attractive enough for Mary to buy anything [yes it was that bad!].

    We decided on a change of pace and returned to the Westfield shopping centre - Mary and I took turns in trying out the Tesla cars - I want one please.

    Next it was the turn of Harrods. We went to see if Julian Assange was on the balcony - but no. Inside Harrods was amazing - such a clean department store, wide aisles and high quality stock. I was looking out for Mr Selfridge to pop out from behind a counter. Bought Sara some gifts - and others, why is it when you are holiday you spend so much time buying stuff for others, well it is for Mary's enjoyment I suppose.

    On one floor they have 5 luxury home layouts - I liked the clocks. A tall West Indian man [straight form "Death in Paradise" I expect] and with a pommy accent asked if he could help. I said, "how much for the clock [mate]". He said "you guess", well it did have some precious stones on it, so I said £35,000, he said "Close, it's £125,000" ... that won't be leaving the store with me. He apologised saying all our expensive stock is sold I'm afraid, and these are all we have left [poseur].

    I hear someone had acid thrown on their face by a passing motorcyclist last night outside Harrods . They say they do this to steal their bikes and then use them to commit crimes ...

    Pub meal again - why don't they have dark larger like White Rabbit, Tooheys Old or Carton Black? Tried a London Draught - it'll do.

    Tomorrow Museums - time for Deep Heat on the knees ....

    Cheers    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    Aint no mountain high enough .....

    August 2, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    I booked a Buckingham Palace tour for tomorrow, so for today we went into central London and do some shopping and museum visits.

    Took the rail to Kings Cross Station and sought out our next London Hotel and the Hertz Rental Car depot in Russell Square. We return to London in late August and I like to know where we are going beforehand if possible. We have stayed in Russell Square on the last two visits to London and love the area. Having walked past the British Museum so many times, I have always wanted to go inside - so a trip to the museum was essential.

    What a magnificent building both outside and inside. We walked past an unbelievable collection of antiquities - some from 6,000BC. We were amazed at the skill of the craftsmanship from so long ago - both small pieces and huge statues. Definitely worth a visit if you like old things.

    Next we had to decide, either go to another museum [Peter] or go shopping [Mary]. We couldn't decide so we just walked around London, ending up in Coventry Gardens then Leicester Square. The temptation to go to a West End Show hit us ... all the last minute stalls were offering very cheap prices. We thought we could go to Beautiful [the Carole King Story], Mama Mia or the Book of Mormon. The best seats we could get were for "Motown" and what a good choice that was. We stayed in the city and got the tube to the Shaftesbury Theatre. Great seats. We knew just about all the songs and a full theatre standing ovation at the end said it all.

    Well here we are going home on the tube at 11:00pm on a Tuesday night. There were so many people about, in bars, on the streets and on the tube. About half of them were office workers on their way home after a few pints ... what a lifestyle?

    Another great day on London - tomorrow to visit the Queen and celebrate Prince Phillip's last day on the job .... and maybe some more shopping?

    Cheers    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    Goodbye to Phil ....

    August 3, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    The forecast is for rain - but it looks okay outside. Today was all about going to Buckingham Palace - its high on Mary's must do list. Seemed easy, take the train to Regent Park and wander over to the Palace. Mary saw a toilet on the way, but I said, come on, we don't want to be late and there'll be plenty of toilets there ....

    We had booked through the Royal Collection Trust for the £20 audio guided tour for people over 60 to visit the 19 State Rooms. They let you in at your allotted time - we had booked for 9:30 before the big rush and high demand for tickets. You can book guided tour, but it is more expensive and you need to book well in advance. Having secured our tickets I asked about toilets. Well, there were none at the start of the 2 1/2 hour tour - but some at the end. We were directed to public toilets down the road and of course got lost. Found them in the end - Mary had to pay for the privilege but we made it back in time for the tour start.

    Buckingham Palace is great. The rooms have the standard you expect from any palace in Europe, but they are more interesting because they include rooms we have seen on the telly for royal occasions. I would highly recommend a visit. We didn't see Price Phillip on his final day of work - but he was there somewhere - in the parade grounds I think.

    After the tour of the State Rooms you leave via the gardens, a fairly long walk out the back. Of course it started to rain, then got heavier and heavier. We found a pub, I tried my first Ale for this trip London Pride - Yuk, and Mary did more of her diary as we dried off.

    Took the train back to our hotel and had a relaxing afternoon resting on the hotel bed [no room for chairs in our king sized room] and planning more of our holiday - you do need a break when travelling.

    Dinner was at Jamie Oliver's Italian at Shepherds Bush. We have been to his Convent Garden restaurant before and again the service was super friendly and happy. Nice meal too.

    Home for a glass of red and some chocolate - life is good.

    Tomorrow we pick up the hire car and head out of London to the north of England around Durham way - Mary navigating.

    Cheers,    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    On the road again ....

    August 4, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Today we start our road trip around the UK. First challenge is to get the train to Kings Cross and then to Russell Square to pick up the car. The train station platform at Shepherds Bush is on top of a mountainous staircase. Mary said we would be alright. Well I had it planned, like crossing the New River Lagoon in Tassie's South West where you use two boats an cross several times - I had a system ready. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, people [well young men] grabbed our suitcases and carried them up the stairs. Luckily they didn't make off with them - just kind hearted.

    We got to Hertz and their computers were down. American tourists were waiting and getting crabby. Anyway, after almost an hour we were upgraded to a larger vehicle with a sat nav [I had already paid $100 for UK maps on my own Garmin]. Still it this bigger car will hold all our bags nicely.

    Mary & I were most worried about getting out of London [BTW we had to pay £11.50 congestion tax] through the traffic. As it turned out, the road beside Russell Square ends up on the M1 ... too easy. Our drive to Durham was going to be 4.5 hours but ended up near to 5.5 hours because of road works.

    I like driving on the big freeways - in some ways its like a waltz. Cars need to change lanes all the time to keep things moving. You just have to watch your rear view mirrors almost as much as you look forward. It was a good drive.

    Arrived at Marie and Bill's (our friends for 34 years) to be welcomed by a magnificent dinner and then we sat down to watch the Women's Soccer - unfortunately England lost. I did mention that Australia won their soccer competition in the USA?

    Tomorrow Mary will go hunting for Sea Glass ...

    Cheers    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    Finding Sea Glass

    August 5, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    After travelling for a couple of weeks, its time for a good long walk [not shopping], especially for Mary who is in the habit of a 10km walk almost every day. Today we went for a walk with Bill and a dog called Bow, a black Labrador - well behaved.

    We started at the beach - was a bit windy but not cold. As you walk along this beach you can find small pieces of tumbled glass [called, not surprisingly "Sea Glass"] that was orginally thrown from a glass factory that used to make the small medicine bottles. Mary is determined to find these little gems - so not much walking happened.

    We them drove to the cliff tops and walked through the fields. This would be an 8.5km walk. The views and the history made this a very pleasant and interesting walk. We dropped down to the beach at the end, under the viaduct that is still used by the speeding trains and onto another beach with sea glass. While we sat there a baby seal came up on the beach to sun him/herself.

    Friday night is pub night. Bill and I went out to the Hetton Lyons cricket club to watch the first soccer game of the year between his club Sunderland and Derby. Sunderland has been relegated to division two and expectations were low. However, they did play well and a draw of "one all" was a fitting and somewhat pleasing result. Bill and his drinking mates have this agreement - they have one "round" of drinks, in this case we had a shout of four, then you buy your own. So I had four pints of John Smith Ale while we watched the game. Not sure I understood every word spoken as the night went on, especially trying to understand their very strong geordie accent in the excitement of a football game - but they were lovely blokes and we had a lot of fun.

    After the game we went to the Tavern. A tiny pub, full of people and a karaoke machine/operator. I didn't sing - thank goodness. It gave me a fascinating view into the local lifestyle and community friendship built up over decades of knowing each other. Another couple of pints here and then Bill's wife came down to pick us up.

    A good day of exercise and pub culture. Tomorrow we go to York for the day.

    Cheers.    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    The House of the Trembling Madness

    August 6, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    What a car we have. It has an inbuilt Sat Nav, a heads up display on the dash and my own sat nav on the windscreen. Can't possibly get lost - even when they disagree on the route we need to follow.

    Today it was time to go to York - one of our most favourite places in England. It's only about a one hour drive south of where we are staying in Murton. Traffic around York is terrible - made worse by a gas pipe repair on the main road into town. Anyway we finally got there and parked in a car park - I would like to look for a spot closer, but this was agreed to be close enough. Now it was off to look for Bill and Marie's daughter Zoe with husband Stuart and their daughter Millie.

    The York Minster dominates the sky line. Compared with the bendy and crooked Tudor buildings it is tall straight and extremely ornate. Shows how the strength and the power of the church must have dominated people's thinking in times past.

    We visited lots of small shops and the market - Mary was happy buying more things for me to carry for the rest of our trip.

    Lunch was a Murphy's Stout and a pulled duck wrap - life is good.

    After we had finished shopping we came home - think Mary had a good sleep in the car.

    Getting home at 7pm, it was a bit late for another night out, so we stayed in and watched the athletics - shame Usain Bolt didn't win his final 100m race.

    Tomorrow a boot car sale in Murton - I will try to imagine I'm on the Antiques Roadshow or Bargain Hunt - lets see how I go, hope Mary doesn't find anything heavy to buy !!!!

    Cheers,    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    Real Pub - Real Ale

    August 7, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Having watched TV shows where people buy treasures at a market or car boot sale and then sell them at auction for a profit, we thought we would see what it was like. The Murton car boot sale had about 200 sellers in a large farm paddock and, judging by the car park about 2000 people looking for bargains. I was surprised at the old and worn out things that people were buying, traders were having a good day. Luckily, Mary only bought one thing, a small magnifying glass - happy me.

    Time for lunch and an afternoon drink or two at a local pub. We went to the Smiths Arms, a beaut little pub in a country laneway. They have Sunday roasts, Pork, Beef or Lamb with seven types of vegetables and Yorkshire pudding. A hearty meal indeed. This is where we caught up with Bill and Marie';s son Scott who was dog walking.

    We tried a couple of real ales, first a Mole Catcher then the Urban Fox. I liked the Urban Fox and so tasted a few more. You can't order half pints, people look down on you, so pint after pint it was. The bar also allowed dogs - so we had dogs all around us - Mary, though not fully comfortable, didn't mind so much.

    Home then for a night in, watching bit of TV, Mary even got to see the last episode of Poldark - happy days.

    Tomorrow we have a big drive up the east coast to near Aberdeen in Scotland. A good test of my driving and Mary's navigating.

    Cheers    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    Scotland ... here we come

    August 7, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    It's time to leave Murton [near Newcastle in the North of England] and to take a quick five day tour around Scotland. I said to Mary "let's leave at 10:30". So we hit the road at 11:35, not bad considering.

    Driving through Newcastle is not the easiest thing to do, there are many ways to go - I wanted on the A1 to follow the coast, our Sat Nav wanted to go another way - the quickest. Ignoring "her", we found our way onto the A1 for a beautiful drive up the coast past Banburgh and Lindisfarne especially.

    We stopped at Berwick, near the Scottish border for lunch. Mary had "Coronation Chicken" sandwiches- they looked good. Berwick is a pretty town, the old part protected by an ancient wall with lots of bridges and a picturesque port.

    I wasn't looking forward to driving around Edingburgh - lots of traffic.There were queues on the ring road and the Forth Road Bridge. However, once we crossed the bridge and headed up the coast we had the best road for our trip so far - even got to drive under a rainbow!

    Very surprised at the cost of staying in the little coastal village of Portlethem - which we only booked yesterday. A king size room with ensuite, our dinner and breakfast, two large beers [Lia Fail], two top chef single malts [Garioch & Bunnahabhain], two top shelf Gins, all for £104 [you know] ...

    We played a game of darts - Australia Versus France - with the Scotts as umpires. Of course Australia won - it was great fun, much laughing and a reason for another drink or two.

    Tomorrow we travel to Skye through the Scottish Highlands.    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    Speed Bonnie Boat ...

    August 8, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Today we have a drive from the East Coast to the West Coast of Scotland - Aberdeen to Skye. It takes about 6 hours, 3 hours to Inverness and then 3 hours to Skye.

    Up at 6:30am to catch the sunrise - our hotel is in a small coastal village and so I decided to go down to the water to get some photos. Think the sun has already been up for hours - but it is a lovely harbour - crystal clear waters.

    I thought we would drive up the main road, but secretly would have loved to go via the Cairngorms National Park. So I was happy when the Sat Nav directed us up the hills to 'the shortest route'.

    Leaving the coast was uneventful, we could have been at the back of Ulverstone, Sheffield or Colebrook in Tassie. Farming country with vivid green pastures. We were going well until we came to a diversion. First, if you have lost a roadside witches hat - have a look in Scotland, they have millions of them. Second, why is it a Diversion and not a Detour? While I'm having a go, its no use putting up a sign saying, divert via the A994, A1236 and the A97 - I'm driving at 60mph and she's on Facebook. Further, when you have a diversion or detour, put your little yellow sandwich board signs at every junction - not just the start. Despite all this, we did get through - another thing, why put up signs saying "weak bridge" - what can I do - why don't the authorities just strengthen the bridge. Rant over.

    We stopped in the middle of the Cairngorms for morning tea. I had toasted Tea Cake - it was just toasted raisin bread if you ask me - but it was good.

    Now the drive through the Park took on its uniqueness. Huge bald hills and snow lifts by the dozens. It would be a magnificent place in winter.

    Running a little late we went straight through Inverness and joined a traffic jam around Loch Ness. A convoy of trucks carrying huge transformers crawling around the side road. After 30mins, they did pull over and let the cars pass.

    The drive from Loch Ness to Skye must be one of the most magnificent drives in the world. Words cannot describe the hills, views and waterfalls on the way - just brilliant.

    Our hotel, The Kings Arms, is just over the Skye Bridge - a nice spot, but expensive over $A200 a night. For dinner, Mary found a superb restaurant in Broadford called Red Skye - great to have a break from pub food. It was 8:00pm but still light, so we took the 2 hour return drive to Portree. The Isle of Skye has to be seen to be believed. The hills are so high, rising straight from the waters edge. Portree was packed due to the annual Highland Games - pity we didn't get some accommodation there. On the way home we were presented with a brilliant sun set - back to the hotel for a whisky and a brandy, great way to round off the day.

    Tomorrow we head toward Glasgow - not sure where we will stay ... stay tuned.

    Cheers    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    You take the high road, and I'll take ..

    August 9, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    I said that the road from Inverness to Skye must be the best road trip in the world, well the drive through Glencoe must be a close second. Huge hills - no trees, just rocks and heather - sometimes reaching into the clouds.

    We started the day with a walk - over the Skye Bridge and back. Can't imagine how hard it would have been to row across in the olden times - something like Devils Gates at the mouth of Macquarie Harbour on Tassie's West Coast

    On these trips I like to leave plenty of nights unplanned - just to see what we get. I wanted to stay near Fort William but everywhere was booked out - so we decided to go near Glasgow - to a place called Greenock which looked good.

    Fort William is a beautiful place, resting at the waters edge with splendid gardens and the grass that has to be seen to be believed - such a bright green! After lunch we drove on, down the side of Loch Lomond.

    Suddenly the traffic slowed to a crawl. For the next 1.5 hours we averaged between 0 and 3 mph. Don't know why, I expect it was just a peak hour traffic jam that went all the way to the Erskine Bridge at Glasgow.

    We stayed at the Tontine Hotel. A building in the old part of town, sandstone walls and built over 200 years ago. Inside it is beautifully restored - looks magnificent. A word to management, next time you renovate, please add a lift and air conditioning !

    Today we travel around the coast near Glasgow, then on to visit our friends Rosemary & John.

    Cheers    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    Mary's Birthday present

    August 11, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    After several days of long drives around the highlands of Scotland, today was going to be a short day in the car. A little sightseeing around the coast near Glasgow - a place called Largs. The houses with views out to sea and their grand designs were picture card perfect - what a place to live. But I do wonder how cold it would get in winter.

    Stopped for morning tea and Mary remembered that an artist she had followed on Facebook lived nearby. He specialises in painting famous musicians - including Mary's most loved Leonard Cohen. Well its her birthday soon although I am taking her to Venice for her birthday and maybe River Dance in Dublin for her birthday and the corgi dog from Buckingham Palace was for her birthday and the .... anyone who knows me would know that I love celebrating birthdays so why not another gift?

    Gordon Irving was home in his studio and invited us down to to see him at Prestwick. His work is first class and it was easy to find a painting that Mary loved. Birthday sorted - again.

    Last night we had a great meal at the Tontine Hotel (Tontine is an investment group - not pillow manufacturers) but the eye fillet steak was not a patch on what we get at the Lenah Valley RSL.

    We called into a Sainsbury store for alcohol - not groceries by the way and were pleased to see that they were supporting Guide Dogs as their charity - especially with a nice big bucket for money at the checkout counters - some good ideas for us in Tassie there.

    Tomorrow we spend a day with Rosemary and John, another quiet day because I do have to be up on Saturday morning at 5am to here Geelong beat Richmond !!!!

    Cheers,    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    Home of a whisky giant ..

    August 12, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Today was a day of sightseeing around Aryshire in Scotland. We took the scenic route to the coast - must admit it was a bit rainy and foggy - but good farming country and prosperous looking farms. There are many golf courses around here and yes, the grass is unbelievably green.

    We drove through some small country lanes where very wealthy people have built huge mansions on what looks like 5 acre blocks - lots of trees and privacy. For lunch we stopped at the Piersland House Hotel.

    This hotel has a fascinating history and architecture which makes it well worth stopping off in for a spot of food or an overnight stay. The house was built in 1895 for the grandson of the founder of Johnny Walker - yes, the famous whisky brand, and the owner served as managing director of the company.

    Driving back there was plenty of traffic on the winding roads, got caught behind a truck and so had a slow drive home. A great dinner with Rosemary & John then home for a family catchup, a few beers and a few whiskys and a promise from Mary that we would be up and away by 10am tomorrow.

    So its off to Manchester tomorrow to catch up with rellies ... really looking forward to that.

    Cheers    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    Tassie Devils found in Manchester ...

    August 13, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    "Straight up this road then take the turn off to Carlisle and that will take you all the way to Manchester", said John as we were leaving his house after a most enjoyable stay. He was right, no problems and we were on the M6 to Manchester. A great drive, easy 130kph, (just keeping up with traffic) on 6 and sometimes 8 lane motorway. Even had time to call Bill, Isabel and Andy along the way.

    Mary's navigation skills came to the fore at the roundabouts around Manchester, some very complicated manoeuvres - but we made it to the Hotel without a miss - well done Mary.

    One of the highlights of this trip was to catch up again with relatives - Carl whose grandfather was my grandfathers brother and to meet up with Mandy and Lorraine, Carl's daughters, and their families.

    After settling into the hotel we met, Carl, Lorraine, Andy and Nathan who took us on a sightseeing tour of the local area. We went for a walk through the Tandle Hill Country Park in Royton. It consists of approximately 110 acres, a combination of beech woodland and open grassland. On top of the hill you have a brilliant view of Manchester - but just down at the bottom of the hill you can see the Tandem Hill Tavern ...

    We had to drop in for a drink or two - I tried the "bumpy lane" - not bad. After that Carl invited us back to his house for coffee and to see his brilliant record collection. Very comforting to know that relatives enjoy their music as much as Mary and I do.

    We finished the day with a family dinner [curry] at a local restaurant and then back to the hotel. Like our last stay here, there was a wedding party in full progress but Mary & I were so tired - the noise hardly mattered.

    A quiet day is planned for tomorrow- Mary is keen to do some washing, me - I will re-pack my suitcase and find out which clothes I have with me that I haven't used as yet!!

    Cheers    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    The dark side of a long holiday ...

    August 14, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Sunday, a day of rest, and we have a full day in Manchester to recharge our batteries, and the iPhone and the iPad and the Mac book and the camera, the list goes on. Also, Mary is still sore from her fall in Stockholm, I think she may have cracked a rib - I'll do my bit by trying not to make her laugh.

    Its a beautiful bright and sunny day in Manchester. I look to Mary to see what mischief we can get up to today when she says - "I need to do some washing". No problem, I'll find a laundrette, shove the clothes into a washing machine then the tumble drier - easy. Not so I find out.

    We started the day with a walk along the canal - a pleasant walk - could do with a cleanup, but we enjoyed ourselves. We found a laundrette, then I found a pub "The Boat and Horses" - nice place for lunch - very popular. I was amazed at how much potato & vegetable & Yorkshire pudding people could put on their plates when they ordered a half roast chicken !!!

    Back to the hotel for a rest after another walk around the nearby houses then it was off to the laundrette armed with £1 and 20p coins. Now people assume you know how to work these machines - we don't. Bought the soap, put it in the machine, throw in some clothes, select a wash that we think maybe right, close the lid and wait 40 minutes to see what happens.

    Okay, so we open the lid, clothes are still very wet and some have soap marks and grit lines in them ... there's no way Mary is going to use the dryers. Home we go to have a makeshift clothes line in our room - Mary is worried that management might throw us out - they didn't.

    In all a restful and peaceful day, and a happy Mary with a suitcase full of clean clothes. Being away for a long holiday means you have to do some washing sometime and it can be a real test of your ingenuity.

    Tomorrow, more of Manchester, visiting cemeteries and a family dinner to complete our visit here.

    Cheers    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
    1

    The Danes of Manchester

    August 15, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    While my Grandfather, his second wife, his brother [Uncle Puff], two sons and his nephew left India in 1947 [at the partition of India] and moved to Australia, another brother [Charles Edgar] eventually went to England and in his later years settled in Manchester. My grandfather and his family were probably more British than the British, and India at that time was not the place to be.

    Carl Dane, his two daughters, Lorraine and Amanda and son Carl are now the Danes of Manchester and I couldn't come to England and not visit them - a beautiful and loving family.

    We started the day with a trip to the City of Manchester. Not a long drive from our hotel in Oldham - around 25 minutes. Manchester is a real mix of buildings and spaces, some very old, some very new, some run down and some very smart. On our quick visit to the city we didn't get a good feel for the place - but you can't do everything.

    In the afternoon we visited the grave site of Marie Dane [2011] as well Charles [1970] and Jane Dane [1971].

    Time for a farewell to the Danes and of course we all got together in a Curry Restaurant thanks to Carl Dane. A great night and fond memories.

    Tomorrow we are off to Birmingham - only a 2 hour drive down the road.

    Cheers,    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    Time to stay at a real B&B

    August 16, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Time to say goodbye to Manchester and head down to Birmingham. We checkout late 11:35 then spent an hour in the lounge working on diaries. The drive to Birmingham is pretty straight forward, although on very busy roads - but still should only take about 2 hours.

    There are too many cars on UK roads, especially the M56 and M6. We saw our first car accident - hope no-one was badly hurt - but police and ambulances came from everywhere. Adding to the congestion, they are digging up the old concrete and relaying large sections of the M6. So again a bumper to bumper trip - with Mary's help we didn't miss a turn off. We have named the inbuilt SatNav in the car "Isabel" and my windscreen SatNav "Andrea" - so I have three of them telling me what to do - can't go wrong!

    We arrived at the B&B Woodlands - and it is just what we were hoping for. Met the owner, he was working in the garden and he told us about the walks around his three lakes on the property and the walks to the nearest pub and local villages along the canal.

    Off for a walk - he is proud that he has stocked his lakes with carp - think he should try Trout. We went down some country walking lanes to the local pub - a "pub in a paddock" type of thing. The canal boats look great but were too expensive for just Mary and I - you really need 4 or 6 per people boat.

    After our walk [about 6km's] we drove down to Alevchurch and posted our post cards - hope they reach home before we do. Had dinner at the Victoria Hotel - I had pizza - bad decision ... she said most Australians had fish and chips - I wanted a change - should have just stuck to the beer.

    Tomorrow we head down to the south coast of England - not sure where we are staying - but it should be more fun and adventure.

    Cheers,    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
    1

    Cruising into Southampton

    August 17, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    It was only going to be a short drive today - less than 2 hours, so we decided to do some exploring around Redditch. Mary had family from a small market town called Alcester. We parked and spent most of the morning going from shop to shop and talking to the locals. We also checked out Studley Castle where we stayed once before - they are spending £M's on it - should be great when finished.

    Much to Mary's delight we bought some coat hangers - now we can dry more clothes in our room - happy wife, happy life.

    The Alcester Post Office box in town was painted gold because a local won a Gold Medal at the London games- nice touch.

    Halfway down to the coast we stopped at Andover - another picturesque town - again I tried to drive through the pedestrian mall - until I noticed the bemused look on the parking attendant.

    Arrived at out hotel in Southampton and the hotel looks great - might stay here two nights and just do a day drive to the New Forest. The best part was - our room was on the ground floor, easy for suitcases and had a had a bathroom for people with disability - that is, a huge bathroom with plenty of space for all our stuff.

    Southampton is a difficult city to drive around - no structure to the streets, shops spread all over the place and a real mix of old and new [in most big cities the old part is preserved - note to HCC].

    We found a large new shopping centre and had a good shop around ending up in a Nordic restaurant - had a large share platter of fish and other Scandinavian delights.

    Tomorrow its the New Forest and another night in Southampton.

    Cheers,    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

    A walk in the New Forest

    August 18, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today we had a brilliant day getting back to nature. We headed off to the New Forest and started with a long walk through the New Forest Wildlife Park. We arrived in time to see the feeding of the Otters - some very big ones and some extremely small and cute.

    The big attraction for Mary was always going to be the Butterfly House, but on the way she stopped see the Harvest Mice - so tiny and fascinating - we spent a good time there watching them. There were dozens of large butterflies to see - couldn't get a good photo of the big blue ones - but got some good photos of others. It was like a steam room - funny to be so hot in the UK!

    We drove around the New Forest to places where you would love to stop for longer, Lynhurst, Minstead,Totton, Boldre, Lymington and Beaulieu. Each place had plenty of things to see and do, there were museums, marinas, market towns and pubs. Today was nearing the end of school holidays and so there were heaps of people, cars and bikes everywhere. Still it had a great holiday atmosphere.

    On the drive home, through the Solent National Nature Reserve, we crossed cattle grids because there were free ranging horses/ponies and cattle all along the road - just brilliant. Large flat, moor like areas - very different from the rest of the New Forest.

    Tomorrow we leave Southampton for a couple of days in Brighton - a place we decided a couple of trips ago that we needed to return to and see all the sights - let's see how we go with all the holiday makers.

    Cheers,    Read more

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