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My Big OE

March - May 2017
A 53-day adventure by Belinda Read more
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  • TravelerMy Big OE
    1
    Day 9

    Stonehenge

    April 3, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    I picked up a rental car at Gatwick Airport (I fly out of there in a few days) and headed for Stonehenge. The traffic was pretty bad on the motorways with lots of holdups and roadworks. Google maps was a saviour taking routes to avoid traffic when it could.

    Stonehenge was crowded with bus loads of people and cars everywhere. I downloaded the audio app and decided to walk the 20 minutes to the stones while listening to the history commentary. It is quite remarkable that it has stood for so long without being damaged. I took a few photos and also snapped some French karate black belts jumping around.    Read more

  • TravelerMy Big OE
    1
    111
    Day 9

    Driving to Penzance

    April 3, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    After leaving London and the stop at Stonehenge, the driving got much easier. Less traffic and pretty countryside and towns to pass through. I stopped at one little village and grabbed a coffee from an old hotel. It had a fire roaring in a snug like room and I was tempted to just sit for a while. But the road beckoned and I was happy to get to Penzance just before dark. The bed and breakfast is very nice and the owners welcoming. A quick meal at a local Thai restaurant and then I was soon tucked up in bed.Read more

  • TravelerMy Big OE
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    Day 10

    Where it really all began

    April 4, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Some of you may know that I was born in Penzance Cornwall fifty mumble mumble years ago. This morning I visited Penzance hospital and also the house and village that my dad grew up in called Pendeen. I remembered the address somehow and found the lovely stone terrace house nestled in the narrow lane just as I recalled it (from a visit at 10 yrs old). I chatted to a newer resident and she said many of the old traditional houses were being bought by "city folk" who can telework these days. I know nana would have been pleased that her old house is still the original stone and not painted bright blue or reclad like some of the neighbours. Apparantly the old ways of village life is disappearing as it is in many places as technology shrinks the distances.Read more

  • TravelerMy Big OE
    12
    Day 10

    Lands End

    April 4, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    No visit to Cornwall is complete without going to Lands End. It is a little more commercial than when I went as a ten year old but I managed to have a photo taken in the same spot as an old family one we have. I found out from the signpost photographer that I was 12506 miles from home! It was a very chilly spot with wind blowing harder than a Wellington southerly and I was grateful for the layer of merino under my jacket. The rugged Cornish coast was a treat to see despite the cold.

    A warm lunch was in order and my Uncle Nick had messaged me from Perth to tell me the best place to get one. He was spot on and the pasty from Philps was close to one my nana used to make.    Read more

  • TravelerMy Big OE
    Day 10

    St Michael's Mount

    April 4, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Looking out in the bay from Penzance you can see the small island topped by a castle that is the Cornish St Michael's Mount. It was home to the same order of Monks as the French Mont Saint-Michel (I'm hoping to visit this one later in my trip). The island is accessible via a cobbled causeway at low tide only, at other times a fleet of boats wait to ferry people across to the Island. The castle was built back in the 12th Century and was inhabited by Monks and Military until the 1600s when the St Aubin family moved in. They in partnership with the National Trust, still own and live on the island.

    I arrived when the causeway was covered with water so caught the boat to the Island. I explored the Island and went inside the Castle for a look around. It was very interesting especially learning about the past history of the Island. By the time I left the causeway was walkable and it was a pleasant walk back to shore..    Read more

  • TravelerMy Big OE
    Day 11

    The Eden Project

    April 5, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    I made an unplanned stop on the five hour drive back from Cornwall to London. I had a deadline to make a flight to Spain but I had a few hours up my sleeve and the very friendly host of the B&B suggested that I go visit the Eden Project. It was only a 10 minutes or so off the main road according to Mr Google but little did I know what was ahead! I had my settings on "find the fastest route" so that is what it did. Unfortunately this meant going a direct way, cutting through the farms down these crazy single lane farm roads. What an experience which included reversing several times to make room to pass other hapless tourists also sent this way!

    I made it in one piece with the nerves jangling a little and found myself at a very cool place rhat combined ecology research and entertainment. It is run by a trust and was started to help in the battle to save plants from extinction. Thee are two main domes (called Biomes) one with Rain Forest plants and the other Mediterranean. They run education programs and offer degree courses for students. It was interesting to visit and the spring flowers were lovely. I could have spent more time there but my flight and unknown traffic approaching Gatwick Airport was ahead. As those of you that know me well, I like to be early for flights.    Read more

  • TravelerMy Big OE
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    Day 12

    Night time tapas

    April 6, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    For my first night in Madrid I booked an evening escorted Tapas tour as a safe way to spend an evening out in a strange city. It was such a good idea and I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Spain for the first time.

    There was only three of us on the tour plus James the host (a Scottish migrant to Spain). He gave us all sorts of historical info as we walked from bar to bar and also told us of how the whole thing worked. He ordered the drinks and food and we just had to eat and drink it all! We ate a wide variety of food , often not knowing what we ate until after we tried it. There was shark, octopus, aparagas, tripe, shrimp, cheeses ,ham, chorizo, blue cheese, meatballs, pork dishes and so it went on. All little plates we shared and all exquisitely cooked and presented. Because you eat as you drink, the alcohol didn't really take affect, a very smart approach to drinking. All in all a great night that went from 8pm to midnight. It is normal in Spain to eat dinner at 9pm or 10pm and we saw families with toddlers eating out at 10PM. I was off to bed at the end but the young brother and sister on the tour were heading off to the clubs!    Read more

  • TravelerMy Big OE
    Day 13

    Toledo

    April 7, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C

    I decided to do a day trip from Madrid and leave the city to see two historical places. The first was Toledo which was the original capital of Spain and was only just over an hour by bus from Madrid. It is an old Medieval walled city perched on top of a hill to make it more defensible back in troubled times. The bus stopped at a photo opportunity and we could see we were in for a treat. The beautiful old city is surrounded on three sides by a river like a natural moat.

    We hopped off the bus at one of the bridges and spent the next hour wandering through with out guide pointing out the many Arab, Jewish and Christian monuments. The streets were very narrow and delivery vans zipped around taking all the width there was making walking a dangerous sport! There was a lovey Catholic Cathedral of Saint Mary that was built in a gothic style and many other sights along the way. We stopped for a quick bite to eat and I met a lovely Welsh couple on the tour to share it with. It was a brilliant way to spend a morning and we left around lunchtime to head for Segovia.    Read more

  • TravelerMy Big OE
    111
    Day 13

    Sagovia

    April 7, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    After we left Toledo another hour or so in the bus brought us to the stunning town of Segovia. It is a medieval walled town with a gothic cathedral, lovely churches and a beautiful Royal Palace said to have inspired the Disney Castles.

    It also has a dramatic entrance, with an ancient Roman aqueduct that has more than 160 arches and is 15 km in length. Built to carry water from a river 17km away it is breathtaking to look at and an engineering marvel in the fact that it is all built with no mortar, the granite stones just stacked precisely on top of each other. Apparently an earthquake in nearby Portugal once made it wobble but it has stood since the 1st century AD.

    So far this is my favourite place I have visited. The tour guide was great in telling us the history and a visit inside the Royal Palace (Alcázar de Segovia) was an extra treat to end the day here. I'll make a separate post for the Palace.    Read more

  • TravelerMy Big OE
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    Day 14

    Madrid private walking tour

    April 8, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After enjoying a free walking tour on the first day in Madrid I decided to book another one of the literary area of Madrid with the same company. The guide Tatiana was great and very friendly and the tour was only 10€. I turned out to be her only client so I had a two hour private tour while we chatted and she told me the history of the area.

    I learned about the life of Miguel de Cervantes a 15th Century Spanish novelist most famous for writing Don Quixote, it was the first modern European novel and is still top three on the most sold novels of all time. We also looked at prose written on pavements and statues of other authors and playwrights. We visited the private little garden behind the house rhat Crevantes used to live in. She pointed out many old shops and also recommended the fabulous Flamenco show I went to. A great way to spend a couple of hours.    Read more

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