Reading Between the Wines

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2011-04-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Primroses in Ireland and spring is coming to the mountains. Our forsythia, cherry trees and pears are all in bloom though it is colder here than in Ireland.

We are safely home again after a good flight from Dublin to Philadelphia, leaving Dublin about an hour late. We still made our connection to GSP, as that flight was late taking off as well. Our luggage, however, did not make it from Philly. We still haven't heard from the deivery team, so perhaps it won't get here until tomorrow. A little distressing.

Overall, we had a great trip. There is no travel that doesn't present unforeseen "bends." as the Irish road signs indicate, in the road. Besides the elevator "collapse" in Paris, we also had a "techno" toilet burn up its motor in Montpellier. It's ridiculous to feel responsibility for either malfunction - we did get on the elevator, and we did use the toilet. But, as someone said, "There are no bad travel experiences, only good travel stories." Be assured, we were very careful of elevators and electric toilets for the rest of the trip. Actually, we never encountered another of the latter. So, when we next see you, we can fill you in on the details of both.

It was interesting talking to waiters, cab drivers, bar tenders, sales clerks. They are remarkably well informed and talk about their country's problems, politicians, and economics as well as ours. It's surprising how many Irish and English, have traveled extensively in the US.

A big surprise was the high cost of food in Ireland. The restaurants at all levels, top to bottom, had higher prices than similar ones in which we ate in either London or Paris. Also, traveling in Europe, one can distinguish nationality quickly by language, and we heard little American English except at the major tourist sites in Ireland. I don't remember any Americans in Montpellier the entire two weeks we were there. None in Bern or on the trains we rode, and few in London. Maybe it was the time of year we chose to travel. Maybe Americans are staying home.

We have decided that travel is energizing, educational, and stressful. It is difficult to constantly try to translate or understand even a thick dialect of your own language. The money is different, the food tastes strange, the mattresses are hard, and the transitioning (whether by plane, train or driving) is a challenge. We can understand why many people don't want to move outside their own comfort zone of the familiar. That's good as it would be difficult to travel if everyone did it!

Our trains all ran on time, and Bill did very well driving on the left. Ireland has two disignations for secondary roads: N-roads and R-roads. We decided they stand for narrow and rough. I must say the new motorways are wonderful, and except for near Dublin, there is little traffic. We got lost once in Connemara, which is not surprising. All roads lead somewhere, and we ended up on a very N and R road which finally joined back up with the one we should have taken.

Let me hear from you. I'm glad so many friends and family came along on our trip through this blog. Please excuse spelling and grammar errors. I usually wrote in the late afternoons or under pressure to get back on the move to the next event.

It's time for a glass of wine.

Dublin Sunshine

2011-03-30T09:21:00.001-07:00

Top to bottom: Dublin Castle, interior of City Hall, St. Stephen's Green, and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The sun came out nicely this morning, and the day got warmer as it got later. We walked (of course) to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Then, back to the hotel to do on-line check in. USAirways website was acting up, and we couldn't complete that operation. An hour and a half wasted. Doesn't it drive you nuts when what should be very simple is not attended to by a vendor? The front desk put me through on their toll free line, and I was told their techies had been working on it for some time now. Why isn't it fixed? Well, we'll go to the airport a little earlier and stand in line a little longer.

We then walked back downtown to St. Stephen's Green, a lovely park with primroses, tulips, hyacinths and daffodils all in bloom. The trees are beginning to put out new leaves and the grass if very green. Through the park and on to the National Museum which has a wonderful display of archeological artifacts from the entire history of Ireland, dating from 3600 BC. It's well-done and fascinating. There are displays of some beautiful gold jewelry from thousands of years ago. We had lunch in the cafe across from three representatives (politicians?) from the Houses of Parliament which is next door. Well, we saw them eating there and full of business on cell phones and conversing animatedly, and they were all too old to be civil servants, so they must be elected somebodies.

Then, the National Library with its beautiful reading room (no pictures, please) and a great exhibit on W. B. Yeats. Off to Dublin City Hall and the Dublin Castle. So, I guess we walked several miles, but it was a beautiful day and it's a fascinating city.

We fly out at 11:15 in the morning, and should be home tomorrow night. It's hard to believe the trip is over. Who wants to go next time?

Dublin

2011-03-30T01:35:00.000-07:00

We arrived at our hotel about 2:00 yesterday after a drive of about 3 hours on the motorway. Not a bad trip. We went from castle to Motel 6, but it's clean and okay. Only one more night. Leaving tomorrow from Dublin Airport at 11:15 on USAir. Looking forward to sleeping in our own bed tomorrow night.

We walked into the downtown area, slipped in to see the Book of Kells just before closing, and enjoyed Trinity College campus. Then crossed the River Liffy and back again, listened to some Irish folk music in the Oliver St. John Gogarty's Pub - a real treat. Dinner in the Bank Hotel Restaurant which was recommended, I don't know why, excpet the interior is gorgeous Victorian. Bill's steak and ale pie was tasteless, as was my "baby" chicken. The Irish do make great seafood chowder, however, and a bowl of that as starter will pretty much do for a meal.

It is raining in Dublin. Can't complain, as we've had a week of sunshine. It does make picture-taking difficult. I'll try to post some later this afternoon.

Our Very Own Castle for the Night

2011-03-28T09:51:00.001-07:00

The first and last pictures are of Dromoland Castle where we are staying tonight. There is something for everyone - a golf course, tennis courts, a walled rose garden, ducks to feed, a river for fishing, and a handsome falconer who demonstrates the talents and characteristics of birds of prey in the parkland. There is also a chef, a very formal restaurant, a less formal one, and also porters who look like they have been here since the turn of the last century and have manners to match. Lovely. For such a formal stately hotel, there are many families here with young children. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming.

The next pictures are of the Cliffs of Moher and Droghaire Castle, County Clare. I hope I've spelled the castle correctly. If your ancestors lived here, please excuse. The guidebook is in the car.

We drove out of Galway pretty easily with the help of TomTom. There are lots of new roundabouts and highways. We took the scenic route again, so it took us about 2 hours through the Burren to reach the Cliffs of Moher. Ireland is turning greener by the day as we move south and the weather remains beautiful. We have been lucky. There are now fruit trees in bloom, and the tulips are begining to open to join the daffodils. The cliffs are one of the major tourist attractions in Ireland, and we heard many more Americans there than anywhere else. We had lunch in the cafeteria restaurant.

Tomorrow we'll take the motorway all the way back east to Dublin.

Inishmor, Aran Islands

2011-03-28T02:00:00.001-07:00

A forty-five minute ferry ride from the mainland is a world of rock walls, crashing surf, thatch-roofed cottages, and tour guides talking blarney. Only 800 residents on this island, but there are lots of tourists arriving on every ferry. I can't imagine what it might be like in summer. We had one of the best spring days yet this year, and everyone we met was out soaking up sunshine. The pony carts are used to give tourists a ride on the single lane and very narrow roads, but most of us ride in vans. We were driven from one end of the island to the other, about 9 miles, with a 2 hour stop at Dun Aegan, the 2000 year old fort. We had lunch in one of the cafes. It's an unusual place, and it looks like the people, both historic and contemporary had little to do but build stack stone walls. Cattle, sheep and goats graze in the tiny spaces between. There's even an ocassional donkey and pony.

It was a visit to a different world. Today, we are off the the Burrens, which we are told look much like the landscape in the islands.

Connermara, Galway, and the Aran Islands

2011-03-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it was only yesterday we drove down from Westport through Connemara to our hotel in Salthill which is just outside Galway on the "beach." It's like a mini-mini Myrtle Beach here. Our hotel is very nice and very comfortable, but there are tour buses coming in, and tonight being Sunday, all the wrinklies are here for music and "dance" in the bar. I'm not sure what that is about, but maybe ballroom dancing????? Yesterday, when we arrived, there were tons of kids in the lobby from little ones to high school age. I don't know what that was about either - maybe the first weekend of spring or something. We prefer the wrinklies. They are much more quiet.

Connermara is a remarkable countryside - with lots of rocky landscape, not much green, and high rocky cliffs and mountains on either side of the road. We stopped at Croagh Patrick, but didn't have five hours to do the pilgrimage up and down, and then drove on to Leeanne, getting lost only once, and having lunch in a small pub there. It reminds us a lot of NZ. We arrived here at the Galway Bay Hotel about 2:00 p.m. The broadband connection in our room wasn't working, although a hotel "porter" (geek) tried to fix it. Tonight, it is now connected, so I guess he did something right. We ate dinner in the hotel - not great, but expensive.

Today, we got up early and took the ferry from Rossaveal to the largest of the Aran Islands. It was amazing. The scenery is unlike anything we have seen before. Lots of rocks! In fact, there are 7000 miles of rock walls - enough to reach to NY and back. They are all dry stack walls, and you can see light between the stacking. The fort on top of 400 foot cliffs is amazing, too. Back to the hotel about 6:30, and we hopped in a cab and went into Galway for a seafood supper and to hear traditional Irish music in pubs. Great evening. What a birthday! Thank you for all your very wonderful wishes.

The Knockranny Hotel, which was gorgeous and wonderful, in Westport is the top picture. Then, Croagh Patrick, and the Loo Lough (Black Lake in Connemara) and a dog reading the menu outside a pub in Salthill. Smart dogs here in Ireland.

I'll do photos of Aran Island and Galway tomorrow. Hopefully, this broadband connection is fixed for the morning. Then, we are off to Dromoland Castle for Monday night. It's been a whirlwind tour.

Westport in County Mayo

2011-03-26T02:39:00.001-07:00

Here's the upstairs bar at our hotel in Westport. The service is very formal and polite. The waiters wear tuxes. We felt like travelers from another era - the 1940's maybe, except the music was all 1960's American - Dione Warwick, Beach Boys, the Mamas and the Papas. We've heard more of that vintage music since being in Ireland than anything else. At least we had classical in the lovely restauarant at breakfast. The pananoramic views from that room include Croagh Patrick, a famous pilgrimage climb for thousands every year, and the sea to the east. Beautiful at sunset.

Westport is a graceful town built in Georgian style with a river through the middle and close to the sea. The harbour in Westport is adjacent with lots of fishing boats and seafood restaurants. We ate at The Helm last night, one of the more popular ones. It was packed on a Friday night, mostly with locals. Our only disappointment was Matt Malloy's pub was also packed, and we couldn't (didn't want to) get in to listen to traditional music. The owner is a former Chieftan. I envisioned an intimate pub with tables, but this was just a little too intimate with lots of boisterous young beer drinking lads, few women, and jammed elbow to elbow in three very cramped dark rooms. We were early, but walked in and walked out. We came back to our hotel and heard a very good guitar player and singer who sang mostly Irish ballads. Much more comfortable.

Our hotel, the Knockranny, is fabulous and built in Victorian style. The indoor infinity pool is heated and so relaxing I had it all to my self yesterday afternoon. There is also a spa with all sort of treatments, steam and sauna rooms as well. The Fougere restaurant has a very famous chef, but we opted for the local seafood.

Today we drive through the countryside of Connemara and down to Galway where we'll stay two nights.

Donegal and Glenveagh Castle

2011-03-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

Donegal is the most remote county in Ireland, on the northwest coast and fairly cut off from the rest of the Republic. It is the area where one is most likely to hear real Irish language spoken, though we heard only our guide at the castle speak a short welcome in Gaelic. We drove miles through brown peat bogs, along estuaries, and through the stoney mountains along the coastline. The scenery is dramatic. The villages are small, but unfortunately, there are hundreds of new and empty houses dotting the landscape - remnants of the banking/mortgage collaspe that has led to the recent economic recession in Ireland. One wonders what will happen to all these empty houses. Will they be removed? crumble into ruins? ever be sold? In the meantime, they make a real impact on the otherwise pastoral scenery.

We drove north to Glenveagh Castle built by an Anglo Irishman named Adair as a hunting lodge in the mid 1800's. He married an American widow from upstate NY who inherited the estate upon his death in 1889. She was very popular with the locals, entertained lavishly and added to the castle and gardens. After being owned by a Harvard art professor after WWI, the property was sold to a Philladelphia mult-millionaire named McIlheney who again added to the furnishings, art work, and gardens. He and his wife enjoyed the castle until his death in 1986, at which time it was bequeathed to the Irish government which created a national park from the property and adjacent land. The lake, this morning, was absolutely calm, like a mirror. McIlheney put in a heated swimming pool which is pictured above. It is difficult to see where the pool ends, and the lake begins. It was amazing this morning with the reflections making it seem as if both are on the same level. In fact, the lake is about 6 feet below the pool.

The gardens must be magnificent in the summer. Today, only a few rhododendruns and a lot of daffodils were in bloom. It was a lovely day, about 56 degrees, with lots of sunshine. We drove back through more of the Donegal peat farms and mountains.

Bill is becoming very adept at negotiating the rough and narrow roads. It takes practice.

Distillery Then Donegal

2011-03-23T11:04:00.001-07:00

We had a very big breakfast including smoked salmon (I believe we're getting our quota) and scrambled eggs, then made the 10:00 a.m. tour of the Bushmills Distillery. Irish whiskey is distilled three times and aged a minimum of three years in oak, which makes it very smooth. The barley is all grown in Ireland and is malted (germinated) and then air dried in kilns. It is barrel-aged a minimum of three years. Scotch whiskey is made from barley as well, but it is smoke dried, giving it the characteristic smokey taste. American bourbon is made from corn, and aged a minimum of one year. You can imagine which whiskey is smoothest. See how much I learned? It's also interesting that Bushmills, depending on its age, is placed in American bourbon oak barrels, Spanish sherry barrels or Port barrels, or a combination of these, then blended. See how happy Bill is at the end of the tour?

We bought a bottle of Black Bush, one of their speciality whiskeys, aged five years. Our guide said his favorite is the 16 year old bottle. You can try to find it there, if you're interested in a tasting. It spends the final months in oak barrels used for Port wine, giving it a reddish color. We didn't get to taste this one.

It was a 2 1/2 hour drive through beautiful rolling sheep farmland to Donegal. Our hotel is fairly new with nice rooms but none of the historic charm of Bushmills Inn. It's not a fair comparison. We walked into Donegal Town this afternoon and checked out restaurants for dinner as well as had a look at the waterfront and old abby. We met an English gentleman on our walk who is a retired former chef to some well-known West End Hotels, The Dorcester and Savoy included, who recommended The Abbey Hotel restaurant as being one of the best for seafood. He should be a well-informed judge! We'll see.

Bushmill Inn, Bushmill, N. Ireland Worth a Trip

2011-03-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

This is one of the finest hotels we have ever stayed in, and it's historical, comfortable, luxurious, spacious, interesting,full of fascinating antiques and pictures, had alcoves and lounges tucked beneath rafters of solid wood, well-serviced, friendly, and the mattresses are some of the best we've slept on since we left home. I don't know what it is about Europeans that they prefer to sleep on rock hard beds, but we have been uncomfortable, except in Bern, until tonight. At times we have doubled the duvet under us and covered up with what remained. Last night, in Belfast, in a newly remodeled hotel, The Wellington Park, with lovely linens, towels, pillows, and modern bath, the bed was a board. (the carpet was also sticky. ewwww-w-w-w.) Our bed in the cottage in Tonbridge was a challenge to negotiate with a slender slice of mattress contained within a wooden frame that caught your leg as you tried to climb out and duck the very low ceilingS over the bed.

We enjoyed a Bushmill whiskey in the timebered lounge. There were several rooms with comfortable chairs and wonderful peat fires. In the restuarant, Bill had fresh Donegal salmon baked on top of risotta with fresh spring peas. We had a first course of a terrine of Donegal Salmon with mint to spread on thin toast. Very mild and tasty.
My fresh venison tenderloin was perfect and served with fig jam and confit of onion and plum. Fresh steamed kale on the side. Bill had a butterscotch sundae. It was great food, and the young waitstaff was so gracious and friendly. You can't help but smile at the accents and charm.

Bushmills is worth a visit just to stay in this hotel. It's the way every hotel should treat guests. And if you can get here, stay in the hotel, eat their good food, you can also tour the distillery, the Giant's Causeway, and the coastline. Wish you were all here.

Carrick a Rede, The Giant's Causeway and Bushmills

2011-03-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a look at the entrance to the Newgrange tomb we visited yesterday. It's a dramatic place.

We drove up the lovely Antrim coastline of the Irish Sea and through the glens and daffodils to the swing bridge at Carrick a Rede. It was built by salmon fishermen to allow them access to a small island off the coast, taking advantage of the channel where the salmon migrate. By the time we arrived, the mist had also descended. We both successfully navigated the swing bridge - it wasn't bad - and enjoyed the coastline views and screaming gulls. The National Trust cafe on site had good leek and potato soup for lunch.

It was a short drive to the Giant's Causeway, further up the coast. It's an amazing geological phenomenon (of course there's a legend involved about a "girlfriend" in Scotland) caused by lava coming to the surface and cooling. The National Trust is doing a huge amount of construction above the site for a new tourist center, but there are comfortable small buses running down to the beach. That was an unexpected surprise. We walked down and rode back up.

The Bushmill Inn where we are staying tonight is gorgeous. We have a big room with a sitting area, a walkin closet, and a large bath. There are peat fires burning in the woodstove downstairs. Since it is still cool and misty, it's a welcome retreat. We are eating in their very fine dining room this evening. It's a charming town and terrific hotel. Tomorrow we'll check out the distillery and Blackbush whiskey, although I'll probably have a wee taste tonight before dinner.

Belfast

2011-03-21T14:39:00.001-07:00

We were only an hour late leaving Gatwick due to heavy fog, but after getting up at 5:00 a.m. to meet the taxi in front of our cottage at 6:45, we were really sorry we didn't get to sleep that extra hour. We had to pay extra to Ryanair because I hadn't checked in on line and printed out boarding passes. Now, I ask you how does one carry a printer while traveling? I suppose I could have found a business center somewhere, but not in Tonbridge! Next time, I'll just fly with Easy Jet. They have automatic check in machines at the airport that print out your boarding passes and luggage tags. So easy. I'm disgusted with Ryanair - don't fly them. If you do, read the fine print.

But, anyway, we picked up our car at Hertz and got on the road. Stopped by the 5000 year-old burial mound in Bra n'Boine. An amazing construction - 500 years older than the pyramids, and 1000 years older than Stonehenge. Sorry I left the camera in the car tonight, so will post a picture or two tomorrow.

Mr. TomTom got us right to our hotel which is two blocks up from Queens University in Belfast. We walked down the street and searched around a bit, and with the directions of a friendly Irishman who asked me, "Would you be lookin for something, darlin?" We found the great restaurant and brewery "Molly's Yard." It has been written up and marked highly on Trip Advisor where I found the recommendations. The server was wonderful, and the food very good. Bill got the Irish stew with a complimentary glass of chocolate stout. It comes with a foamy head that leaves a mustache ("Got stout?") and is smooth and chocolately. I loved it, and I don't drink beer. I had grilled chicken with bacon and blue cheese on a pesto covered country bread with freshly browned chips. Oh, my. The green salads were wonderful.

So tomorrow we are off to drive the Antrim Coast and stay in Bushmills where we'll visit the Giant's Causeway. It's going to be different moving from hotel to hotel every night - except we have two nights booked in each of Donegal and Galway. Whew. This is when I wish I had left half my clothes at home. I'll be living out of the top of the suitcase so I won't have to unpack. That means the same clothes, wash them out, wear them again kind of traveling. But, no one knows us, and we do bath every night and smell good.

Weather is improving and there are borders of daffodils everywhere. Hope we get some sun tomorrow. You can check out the Giant's Causeway and Carrick a Rede on google.

Ireland Tomorrow

2011-03-20T14:14:00.001-07:00

We leave at 6:45 a.m. by taxi to Gatwick, and then a 9:40 flight to Dublin. Pick up our car around noon. So, another day of many miles, long hours, and some stress. I don't much enjoy the "transfer" days. England has been great fun.

We went into London right after lunch and went to Evensong at Westminster Abby - the wedding spot! It was gorgeous. All the choir boys in their red collars and white ruffs, and an elegant glorious sound of organ and choir combined. It's unbeatable, and free! We sat in the choir itself, and could have reached out and touched the singers. What a treat. Neil Gibbons put us on to this, and we owe him.

Then went down to the Tate Britain, that's the "old Tate" and basked in the John Singer Sargeants, the Pre-Raphaelites, and the Turners. My second favorite painting, "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose" by Sargesnt is still on display here. It's so full of light and color. Google it, if you don't know it.

We had dinner at a funky restaurant on the Strand named after Mozart's nemesis - I don't have time to look it up. Solenari? Soleneri? Come on you muscians, let me know. Anyway, their fixed price menu was reasonable and the food very good. Bill had lamb shank that fell off the bone - with mint sauce, of course. If you are in London, try it out.

Packing up tonight and on the move again. We'll be in Belfast tomorrow night.

Dover Castle and Good Friends

2011-03-20T04:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we took the train to Dover - about an hour trip from Tonbridge. It was a crisp sunny day with lots of blue sky and sparkly sea. The huge castle was built by Henry II to offer hospitality and to impress pilgrms coming across from the continent to visit the shrine of Beckett at Canterbury. Was it was a form of political spin to detract from Henry's part in the martyrdom of Beckett? He was certainly a strong monarch and capable of such.

The castle was also used in the defense of England during WWII. There are many anti-aircraft gun turrets and bunkers for ammunition and soldiers. On such a clear day, we could see the coast of France and Flandesr across the Channel It was easy to envision German aircraft coming in to bomb London. We could also see the ferries coming and going to the continent from the port of Dover.

The castle sits atop a very high hill surrounded by a moat. The interior is furnished with modern-day replicas of furniture and hangings that one assumes are like the medieval originals. It was interesting to walk through the halls and climb to the tower. There were actors dressed in period costumes who spoke in the voices of historic characters. We chatted for quite some time with Henry II himself. Very interesting. I think he enjoyed holding forth for two Americans who knew something of English history and asked questions about Eleanor, Richard and John!

We got back to Tonbridge about 4:30, picked up a frozen beef and brandy casserole and an Eve pudding from Cook, a shop that does chef-prepared meals ready to "bung" in the oven and serve. It was delicious. Wendy and Rosie arrived right on time at 7:00 with a bottle of champagne and their own naturally good spirits. We had a wonderful time catching up and looking at the beautiful moon over the garden. They left this morning to go back to Wallington (London). It was so good to see them both. We are making plans to meet up at their place in Ibiza one day soon.

Priscilla

2011-03-18T01:44:00.000-07:00

We had a light lunch in a very modern (they call it gourmet) Mexican restaurant near the theatre yesterday. The waitress even made guacomole at our table-side. Reminded me of Miami. Then Bill destroyed the low calorie healthy atmosphere by ordering a warm very chocolaty brownie with hot caramel sauce and ice cream. It was so delicious, it totally ruined our appetite for an early supper at Jamie's. We did, however, stop in there for wine and a couple of starters at 5:30. By 5:45, there was a line out the front door for tables. Although, there was a chauffered Rolls parked in the street just outside, we saw no sign of the famous chef. Oh well, it would have been fun to spot him. We bought a set of Jamie napkins, rather than steal the ones in our laps. We just don't live life on the edge any more.

Priscilla was as lavishly costumed a production as we have ever seen. The loud and energetic Disco music was great fun. The dancing cupcakes were over the top, only to be closely matched by the grooving pink paint brushes. You just can't imagine. Bill never did find a boa, but there were several in the dress circle. Most of our audience consisted of seniors and groups of women. I think the audience would be more diverse at an evening performance and a lot more fun.

Walking back to Charring Cross, we detoured through Covent Garden and happened upon the new Apple Store which just opened in August. It's the world's largest. There were hundreds of people inside "playing" with all the new technology around tables plugged into Apple products. A small live concert going on just inside the huge glass window walls provided a party atmosphere. A very nice young man demonstratd the I-pod for us, even though he knew we were Americans who wouldn't buy anything from him. He is completely convinced Apple is the best! A good salesman.

London is truly an energetic environment. Every street corner provides a surprise. It's fun just to walk and look. Of course, there's no greater city for the performing arts. We could spend a month here and never see all the performances we'd like to see.

Legally Blond in London

2011-03-17T02:04:00.000-07:00

It was a silly, feel-good show, about cheerleaders, sororities, the Irish, Harvard Law School, lawyers, fitness celebreties, and UPS. And, it was great fun, highly energized, and very entertaining. We had great seats in the middle and toward the front of the dress circle. We are looking forward to the matinee of Priscilla this afternoon, though Bill has yet to find a boa. Thought we'd try the 99 p store on Tonbridge High.

We ate a light supper before the show in Jamie's Italian(Jamie Oliver)restuarant on North St. Martin's Lane. As you'd expect, the food was very tasty and the service informal, but professional and friendly. Supposedly, the great man himself will be in this evening to check out the new menu. The staff is a bit on edge. We may stop by after the show just to see - and, maybe eat again. It was that good.

I think we'll pursue the elusive "best pastrami sandwich" again for lunch. There is a Jewish deli in Edgware Road that comes highly recommended. We'll see if it lives up to the one in LA.

Weather is still grey this morning, and cool. Sunny patches this afternoon. Maybe.

Where are the Pictures?

2011-03-16T02:50:00.000-07:00

London is not at her colorful best in the middle of March. While our "cottage" sits in the midst of a charming small garden which has great potential, nothing is in bloom except a few daffodils and crocus. Right outside our front door is a cherry tree whose buds are forming; but at present, it has narry a leaf or bloom. Yesterday morning was sunny and blue-skied here in Kent, but by the time we got into London, a light fog covered the spires and monuments. It was a pleasant water-color-like grey blue, but not condusive to great photographic documentation.

This morning is grey even in Tonbridge, but may brighten later in the day. We'll go into London after lunch, but doubt the camera will come along.

I think I'll pop into the corner store and buy an Indpendent newspaper and a Cadbury chocolate bar. Nice way to spend a grey morning!

London

2011-03-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

We have tickets for the Thursday matinee of Priscilla Queen of the Desert! Went to the box office, requested the OAP concession, and purchased our tickets for 22 pounds each. If you are unacquainted with OAP - It's old age pensioners' discount. The theatres don't call it that anymore - probably not politically correct - but, nevertheless it is a discount that even Americans in England can claim. You must be over 65. Otherwise, you could ask for the "wrinkly" discount, and would likely be understood.

We spent more than an hour in the National Portrait Gallery, and then met up with Jean Hedden on the steps of the National Gallery, and all went to a leisurely lunch in the restaurant above the Portrait Gallery with a foggy view of the skyline of London. Bill said it reminded him of an Impressionist painting, which was a very accurate description. Great food in a great setting. If you are in London, try it out.

Down The Strand, we checked out the box office at the Savoy Theatre, and found they only give the concession discount an hour before the evening performance, but we were assured there were plenty of seats available tomorrow night for Legally Blonde. We'll go back in tomorrow evening and claim our reduced price seats. Probably have an early supper at Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant in Covent Garden. We found it today while wandering around the area. That's the best part of visitng London for the ????? time. We can wander and not feel lost.

The train from Tonbridge to London Charring Cross takes about 45 minutes. We purchase a "cheap day return," and it costs 12 pounds each, which is expensive, but puts us right into the heart of London and back again without any hassle. There are frequent trains to Tonbridge, and we were pleased to find we can get back and forth to Gatwick also very easily.

So, supper in our cottage consisted of English bacon, range free eggs (from Waitrose Grocery, and marked even with the breed of chicken that produced them - obviously someone cares), Cox apples, brown bread, French butter, Cadbury chocolate, and NZ sauvignon blanc which was less expensive than in the US. It' not a bad life.

We wash clothes, drink German coffee from the French press coffee pot, eat Greek yogurt, English Stilton and cheddar cheese, and French pain au chocolate tomorrow morning. Then, back to downtown London to eat with Jamie and see Legally Blonde. See you tomorrow. Think how we are all connected in this world.

Back in Tonbridge Again

2011-03-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

I am sure we are the only Americans who ever keep coming back to Tonbridge. We met some locals in NZ last March, and they couldn't believe there were any Americans who even knew that the town exists. But, it is familiar and on a straight train line to London.

We left Bern and the Hirnis at 7:00 a.m. this morning, changed trains in Bern with Baenz's help, and arrived at Geneva airport at 9:30. Our flight left just a little late, but we got into Gatwick at 12:00 UK time, an hour earlier than Switzerland. It took a long time to walk to the terminal, clear customs, walk and walk to baggage claim, change money, and we finally decided to eat lunch in a new place upstairs in the south terminal that claims to be a Caribbean restaurant. It really was very good! It was a good decision - a little food and a little wine go a long way to restoring one's faith in humanity and the ability to carry on. Gatwick is being renovated, and it needs it. It is very crowded and looks a bit down at the heels. I am sure they are thinking about the Olympics in 2012.

The train trip to Tonbridge was remarkably easy, with "lifts" at each station, and we were in Tonbridge by 3:00 p.m. (English time). Now, we are settled into our "cottage," and ready to walk up the High Street to Waitrose to find supplies for dinner. Bill, of course, wants a "pie." Probably, a chicken/mushroom one.

We have negotiated another day of connections and long-distance travel. It is a bit physical and a little stressful, but we can still do it! We now have a week of England before leaving for Dublin next Monday. The saga continues.

Explosion of Music and Imagination: Fasnacht

2011-03-13T09:11:00.001-07:00

A few pictures, rather hastily chosen, can't begin to portray the creativity and sound of Fasnacht. The costumes are amazing. There is a wonderful band on every corner, most restaurants, and on many band stands - all playing their hardest and attracting crowds. It's amazing. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the bands play and the people in costume rove amongst the food and drink vendors. It's an exciting impact on the senses.

During the parade, Thomas had secured us VIP seating in one of the bleachers errected in the middle of the street, and we had seats on the front row. Wave after wave of bands came up the main street toward us, all in costumes, each more surprising than the one before. Much of the music in the parade is drum and bugle corps arrangements, American New Orleans jazz, and rock and roll beats. It's all loud, fun and display real musical ability. Anyone, with permission, may join in the parade with an imginative costume, pushcart, or bicycle powered "float." Everyone was throwing conffetti, candy, and even small bottles of vodka.

Bern is a surprisingly "small town" big city. Lots of people know each other and greet with hugs and kisses. Of the 54 local bands in the parade, many musicians have played with one another over the years. Each year, the themes and costumes change. There are children and babies (being pushed in strollers) in the bands, as well as people of a certain age. What they all have in common is good will, enthusiasm, talent, and imagination. It's a street party, a fourth of July celebration, a proud community display, and a chance too greet old friends and family. I have never seen anything like it.

I wish you had all been here to experience it.

After the Parade, Beatrice, Helen's mother, took us to dinner at a lovely restaurant overlooking Bern and the River Are. We ate while the lights came on below us. We then returned to the city to see Helen and Thomas's band play once more in a restaurant called the Belle Epoque. We then left her on the platform in the train station for her return to Interlocken.

Bill and I leave tomorrow morning very early on the train to Geneva. Then, we have a flight on EasyJet to Gatwick. We should be in our cottage in Tonbridge by the middle of the afternoon, if all our connections work as well as last time. I'll put this up now, and edit later.

Bern and Fasnacht

2011-03-12T01:47:00.000-08:00

We spent about six hours on the train from Montpellier to Bern on Thursday evening, arriving at Bumpliz Nord (the station near Helen's house in west Bern) about 11:45 p.m. There was Sabine waiting for us at the station. Bill and I had successfully navigated three trains in three stations with one big suitcase and one small one each. The Geneva connection was about 30 minutes, so no problem; but the one in Bern to the local train was only four minutes. We were lucky and very pleased to see Sabine. Bill drove "home," and we were in bed by midnight. Thomas was out with the band, but Helen was under the weather with the beginnings of a bad cold. She has since made a rapid recovery.

After a Swiss late breakfast, Bill and I went by tram into Bern and visited the new Bear Park where the new baby bears have just come out of hibernation. They were playing on the bank of their canal while their mother snoozed in the warm sunshine. They have been re-named Berna and Ursina because upon closer examination by the vet, it was found they are both females. The new park is built along the banks of the Are River that runs through the city.

The beginnings of Fasnacht were apparent on the streets in the afternoon as vendors assembled stalls and people began to appear in costumes. Any kind of costume is encouraged. It is not like Carnivale in Venice where everyone wears masks and formal clothes. There were some really innovative costumes, some homemade and others purchased at great cost. Friday afternoon is most popular for children, and there were lots of them on the streets with parents. Everyone was throwing confetti and having a wonderful time.

Friday evening we went back into Bern with Helen and Sabine. Thomas had gone ahead. They have gorgeous costumes made by a well-know costume maker. We joined the band at the Ratskeller Restaurant for dinner. We couldn't understand a word of the comedy and the satirical routines, but it was a festive and friendly event. What a treat to be with such good friends and talented musicians. Everyone was warm and welcoming. Then, to the streets and the crazy costumes, incredible bands on every corner, food and drink vendors lining the streets, and people of every age enjoying the biggest outdoor party I've ever seen.

Here's Sabine in her costume. She began to come out of some of it as the restaurant warmed up. Part of Helen and Thomas's band are playing a welcome as we arrive at the restaurant.

We go back downtown for the big parade this afternoon and then more party tonight. I'll take lots more pictures and try for a video or two.

The Chateau de Flaugergues

2011-03-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

Another adventure which turned out extremely well. With bright sun and little wind, we rode the tram from Comedie to Place Europe and then caught Bus 9 to another stop, walked three or four blocks through what appeared to be an industrial and commercial estate, and suddenly there were acres of vines, a lovely garden, an 18th chateau,a tasting room, and an up-scale restaurant. We even met the comte when we arrived. He directed us to his marketing lady who later conducted the degustation and introduced us to her apprentice, young woman studying oenology and gastronomy at the university here.

The garden had few blooms at this season but some interesting specimens of trees from around the world including a sequoia from the US. Anemones were blooming all over the grassy paths. The vines are still dormant but apparently quite happy within the city environment.

Our lunch, among several beautifully dressed young and trendy business boys and girls, was a real treat. There is obviously a chef in the kitchen, and this was the first "gourmet" meal we've had in France. It was a wonderful blend of subtle flavors. Bill had a "cold soup" with avocado cream and legumes, with a cream sauce," and my entree included thinly sliced beets, baby spinach, poached egg, and crisply fried bacon (lardons). The main courses were delicately prepared chicken and fish, respectively. We, of course, had the chateau's wine to accompany it - a rose and and white. Obviously, rose is really the fashionable drink here for lunch. Everyone is drinking it - even macho Frenchmen.

We came back, an easy reverse of the trip out, using our "family" ticket on the public transportation. We could continue to use it until 10:30 am tomorrow, as it is good for 24 hours and cost about $7.00.

We will be cleaning up and packing tomorrow morning, moving out by 11:00 am and then "killing time" until our train leaves at 5:30 pm. We'll be into Bern at 11:30, and Sabine is to meet us. We can't wait to see them all again. It is not too cold in Switzerland - low thirties at night, and around 50 in the daytime.

Cooling Down Here

2011-03-08T07:50:00.000-08:00

The weather has cooled significantly here this afternoon. There must be a high pressure front moving in from the north. We've had winds all day, the sky is very blue, but it's feeling like winter again.

Neil and Carol left after our French lunch at home which consisted of baguettes from the patiserie around the corner; wonderful Brebis, Roquefort and chevre fumiere cheese; a fresh green salad; and a local rose wine. We had such fun with the Gibbons. It was sad to say goodbye when they climbed into their taxi for the airport. Bon journee.

Tomorrow, Bill and I plan to visit the Chateau de Flaugergues here in Montpellier. There are forty hectores of vines classed as AOC Languedoc, Gres de Montpellier and Vin de pays d'Oc. Also, there's a large garden open to the public and a restaurant. The Comte and his family are in residence at the chateau, so it is only open by appointment.

We are looking forward to our next destination, Bern. We'll be leaving here Thursday afternoon on the train. We'll miss the lovely apartment and square.

Carcassone, Beziers, and St. Guilhem le Desert

2011-03-07T07:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we got an early start and drove 155 klm to Carcassonne, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is spectacular - a huge medieval walled city built in the 12th century and well-preserved. It wss a beautiful sunny day with deep blue sky. We had an excellent lunch in a cafe within the walls, then drove back to Montpellier via the villages along the Canal Midi and through Beziers, another interesting old city with a huge cathedral. The evening light coming through the rose window was lovely. We found our way back home, Neil bravely drove, through the outskirts of Montpellier, the street construction, and the circuitous route around the historic section. It was a challenge. Dinner at home was a relief. We were all glad not to go out again.

I could see why Languedoc is the largest wine producing area of France. We drove through thousands of acres of vines in the broad flad valley east and south of Carcassonne.

This morning we slept a little later and drove up into the mountains north of Montpellier. It is a short drive, only about 45 minutes, and the rough rocky mountains are arid but dramatic. There are many gorges in the area cutting through limestone cliffs. The Herault River is green and clear. The bridge is the "Devil's Bridge" where, supposedly, St. Guilhem threw the devil to his death. We especially loved the small village of St. Guilhem le Desert which dates from the 11th century. It is wonderful to walk the small roads and allys, climb the hills behind the village, and sit in the quiet cloister of the church. We had another wonderful lunch overlooking the gorge and the Herault River. There were hundreds of trout visible in the water below the restaurant.

The car is safely tucked back into its slot in the Europecar lot. It's stressful to drive in and around Montpellier. Once out in the country, the roads are beautiful and easy to negotiate. Neil did an admirable job!

Great Weekend with Great Friends

2011-03-05T23:33:00.000-08:00

Neil and Carol Gibbons arrived Friday evening, right on time! We met them at the Arc and walked them to our door. Had a great evening over Beef Burgundy and a couple of bottles of nice regional wine. Also, lots of good conversation and catching up.

Yesterday, we visited the Saturday market again and bought French cheeses for lunch, Morbier, Roquefort and another. In the afternoon, we walked the narrow streets of the historique center, had a coffee on the Place de la Comedie, and picked up our rental car at the train station. Neil had volunteered to drive, a courageous service, and with lots of navigation help from my side of the front seat, and both sides of the back seat, we made it safely to our underground car park near the apartment.

Tom Tom is going to help us get to Narbonne, Beziers, and Carcassonne today. The sun is shining and we will be off soon. Pictures tomorrow.

Nimes

2011-03-04T05:22:00.001-08:00

A few days ago, we booked a tour through the Tourist Information Office to Nimes, which is only about 35 klm away. We expected it to be a large group on a big coach with lectures given in French over a microphone. We arrived at the disignated departure spot near the Gare to find no one there, no bus, and no apparent tour. Slowly, a few people began to arrive, and finally a battered white van pulled up and a young man got out, opened the doors, and began to sort of look around. Sure enough, this was our tour, and it turned out to be students from the language schools in Montpellier. What a special treat this turned out to be. All of us were from different countries - there was a Swiss forty-something man; another older man from Amsterdam; a bubbly blond woman from S. Africa who had just turned her teenage kids back over to her former husband and was traveling on her own and studying French; a young man from the Czech Republic who has been living and working in Spain for the last 7 years; Natalia, a darling young woman from Easstern Europe somewhere; and a tall Viking-looking but gentle young man from Norway who adopted us and translated the tour for Bill and me into very good English. He has just moved to Montpellier because he is engaged to a French girl and she is employed here. Our guide, Jeremy, was an actor and comedian. He spoke mostly French, but slowly and animatedly and made the tour great fun. I understood about 1/3 of what he said, which was very good, because I am not enrolled in a French language school. So, Bill and I were the only ones not affiliated with a language course. At the end of the tour, Jeremy broke out a bottle of Nimes rose wine and croquants (a very crunchy snack cookiet), and we toasted the Romans who built ancient Nimes.

The city dates back to 2000 BC. There were pre-historic people living in the area which was separated from the Mediterannean Sea by a large salt flat and from northern Europe by the Massive Central mountains. The Romans built a large colosseum in Nimes, and it remains the best preserved of all Roman coloseeums. It is still used twice a year for bull fights during the local Ferias in May and at the time of the grape harvests, vendange, usually in late September. It seats 24,000, which is remarkable because the population of Nimes at the time it was built was only 35,000. Entry for the citizens was free.

The Maison Carre is a beautifully preserved Roman temple built on the Greek model, and was the seat of government and the home of the governing Roman leader. We viewed a pretty "tacky" 3-D movie about the history of Nimes inside. We also visited the Jardin des Fountains where the original massive spring is still bubbling to the surface. This is one of the factors that led to early settlement in the area.

Nimes is considered more "working class" than nearby Montpellier, and the citizens of the latter are considered snobs by the former. There is a great rivalry between the two cities which extends to their local football teams. Nimes was reduced in size by religious and civil wars as well as the Black Death during the Middle Ages. Montpellier is now the larger is population. The Patron Saint of Nimes is St. Cathor, or literally translated, St. Beaver. How about that for an obscure fact?

We arrived back home in time for an evening stroll to the bottom of our hill for a pizza and a glass of wine, of course. This afternoon, our friends from England arrive. We met them when we traveled with Neil and Nadia to Greece about 8 years ago. They'll be here for the weekend, and I have stocked up on regional wines for tasting (as well as serious drinking).

Sete the Seaport

2011-03-03T01:00:00.001-08:00

Sete is the largest seaport on the Mediterranean and called "The Venice of France." It is a thriving city, not a village or town, as I had thought. We arrived by train (a 20 minute trip from Montpellier) at about 10:30 right into the middle of the biggest street market I have ever seen. There must have been hundreds of vendors on the square and thousands of customers. There was even a separate flower market set up in one of the smaller squares. We slowly wound our way into the permanent market called Les Halles - just like in Paris and Montpellier and probably every other good sized French city - and were confronted with counter after icy counter covered with seafood of every kind. There were some mean looking fish I've never seen before, and apparently skate is a local favorite. They aren't very pretty either, but were selling. There were oysters, clams, mussels, shrimp of many sizes, plus all the many kinds of fish. All fresh, too, as it comes in on the boats in the morning. What a place.

We walked along the road parallel to the port itself, and then along the Royal Canal to find a good seafood restaurant. We had our choice of many, and chose well. I had a whole big bowl of mussels as a starter! The sun came out, and more people began to wander in. By the time we strolled back out, all the restaurants along the canal were filling up. I wouldn't want to be there in June, July or August.

Sete was built in the late 1600's to serve as the major port for the Canal Midi, an ambitious project and a real engineering feat begun in 1670 to connect the Atlantic with the Mediterranean. The canal provided more efficient transportation for goods to England and Paris - mostly wines and spirits - which previously were shipped around Spain in routes which were frequently plagued by severe storms. The city is built on several large islands divided by navigable canals, hence the Venice reference. The buildings are four and five stories set along the canals construted of stone and painted soft pastel colors. It's quite beautiful.

My favorite shop, however, had nothing to do with fish or sea. It was La Biscuiterie, sucre - sale. You can go to their website to lust for the caramels, madeleines, and butter sugar cookies. You see I have a bag of goodies to take home. www.labiscuiterie.fr

We had an uneventful short train trip home. Sete is a great day-trip, espcially when the sun is shining and the market is bustling.

Quiet Day at Home

2011-03-02T00:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day, warmer than we've had yet. We spent the morning in our living room, stretched out on the couches, reading. I found a book written by an Englishman who inherited a house and old vineyards in the Languedoc from an uncle and moved here for a year to put things back in order. It's fiction, and a thinly disguised history of wine making in the area. He also visits a number of contemporary wineries and vineyards and describes their current wine making techniques. It's interesting to me, though some readers would prefer more of a story, I'm sure. Neil, you would love it. When our friends from England come in this weekend we plan to rent a car for a couple of days so maybe we can visit some of the wine makers the author mentions.

I've included two pictures of our apartment that are not on the website which you may have already visited. The one of the dining room is taken in the morning when the sun comes in through the long windows. The other is of the famous master bath. The cathedral, which is massive, is just around the corner and down the hill from us.

Today we are off by train to Sete, a seaside town. Maybe we'll find some fresh oysters. They are in season.

Medieval Center and Musee Fabres

2011-02-28T05:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we wandered the medieval allys of the historic center of Montepellier. The Place Canourgue is an important square in this part of the city, and there are narrow streets branching off in all directions from where we are staying. I keep expecting to get lost, but one always comes out someplace familiar because it is a fairly small area. The painted facade (look closely) is directly across from the steps up to St. Anne's, a church near us. We were really looking for one of the restaurants recommended by previous guests, which we found, but the church and the area around it were fascinating.

In the afternoon, we visited the impressive art museum, Fabre, which houses a large collection of mostly French art from the Renaissance through the 21st century. They have a big collection of contemporary paintings by Soulange, if you'd like to look him up. They are big black minimalist textured canvases and some from the sixties that are large black shapes filling white canvases. The museum is newly re-done and well worth a visit. It fronts on the Esplanade across from the Corum, one of two opera houses in this small city.

I set up a still-life of our beautiful fruit in the antique limestone sink in our kitchen. I'd love to get my hands on the kitchen, and I'm sure our owners will be remodling it sometime in the future. It could be a real show place, but on the otherhand, I wouldn't want the headache or the expense. This is truly an old building, and re-plumbing and re-wiring must be a nightmare. Next, I'll take pictures of the gorgeous master bath which has been luxuriously modernized.

Tonight we are eating in a restaurant about two blocks down the hill - Bistro l'Alco - which our host recommends. I actually made reservations in French with the young woman on the front as she spoke no English. If I just "take a chance" and use the little I have, it works pretty well. I'm sure I sound funny, but at least I am understood. A few more weeks. . . .

Market Day Montpellier

2011-02-27T00:12:00.000-08:00

The Arc de Triomphe and the Place Royale Peyeou with Louis XIV on horseback are just a couple of blocks from our apartment. They were built in the 18th century, and the pavillion building was a water tower with reflecting pool serving as a reservoir. Behind this is a "Roman Aquaduct" built in the same period, though not Roman, it is stlll very picturesque. We followed the shopping carts and bags to the market beneath and beyond the aquaduct and found the regular Saturday market. What a treat.

We wondered the length of the stalls admiring a huge selection of fresh produce, meats, fish, oysters (we are only 1 mile from the Mediterranean) eggs, chesses, and breads. Then, made our selections as we walked back. I bought large sweet and crisp apples, juicy pears, tasty goat cheese, some comte and another kind of cheese - both very distinctively flavored. The friendly cheese lady gave us tastes of several, and it was extremely hard to choose. I wanted a piece of each one. We also bought a chunk of moist brown bread with a crusty exterior, the freshest lettuce, and a "jug" of white wine. This is my kind of shopping. I was grinning the entire time, so I don't know how Bill managed to get me with a basket full of stuff and looking so serious. I have avoided the meats so far as they don't look much like ours at home. The chickens have heads and feet, there's very little beef and it is cut differently, the veal? I don't quite know what to do with it. I'll get over being intimidated soon.

After stowing our treasurers, we walked through more of the medeival streets and ate lunch in an outdoor cafe. Last night, it was an omelettte in our lovely dining room with a fresh pear for dessert. We are off to the train station this morning to see what day trips we can make. Lots of sun and temperatures in the 50's.

Picture Montpellier!

2011-02-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

Here's our apartment from the cafe where we ate lunch today. We are on the "third" floor, although here it is called the second. Here is also "The Cat in the Cafe," who sat very comfortably in his chair while we ate our lunch. Then, there is "The Cat in the Cafe Watching the Man Read the Newspaper and Smoke a Pipe." After the Man With the Pipe left, a gorgeous girl came in and sat opposite the cat. She lit a cigarrete, and the cat went back to sleep. Great country for cats.

There is also the carousel in the Place de la Comedie, and the blue tram with doves. Gorgeous. There were so many people on the streets this sunny Friday afternoon. Hundreds were sitting at cafes and enjoying wine, beer, cokes, conversation, and friendship.

The sculptures are just off the Place de la Comedie, all painted bright colors. These are up the Esplanade past the fountain. This city has a real sense of playfulness in the public sculptures and children's play parks. Such fun. We haven't seen or heard any other Americans or British. They don't know what they are missing!

Beautiful Montpellier

2011-02-25T06:02:00.000-08:00

We had such an adventurous day yesterday, I was far too overwhelmed to write.

We packed up our suitcases on Wednesday evening after a wonderful meal at La Fontaine de Mars. It was great food. I spluged on the specialite, fois gras with poached pears. Ah, heaven on a fork. Bill had the plat a jour, duck burgundy, a rich stew of duck, potatoes, mushrooms, and red wine. Such wonderful food and service in a traditional brasserie (Madame was wrong) with red checked table cloths and crisply ironed napkins. I recommend this place for everyone from presidents to peasants.

Thursday morning, we went down to breakfast in the hotel, then back up to our room to get wallets and a shopping bag. On the way back down, the elevator opened to reveal two substantial British gentlemen who said, "oh, no, come on, there is plenty of room," and inspite of the fact that there is a sign in the back of the lift saying "Only two persons," in French - we thought, "okay, it will be alright." Of course, the elevator did not agree, and we went all the way to the bottom floor, and then it fell about 2 feet to the very bottom with a solid bang. (I hope it wasn't the fois gras!) We had to ring for help, and Madame was VERY ANGRY with all of us. The two gentlemen beat a hasty retreat, and we were left to a good lecturing and much wringing of hands. Well, I was very sorry, but no one inquired as to our well-being, and after the scare and a bruised knee, I wasn't much impressed with being treated to the "naughty child" lecture. I guess in the States, the management might have heard from someone's lawyer, but at least we were not physically injured, but Madame displayed such angst and trembling, I am sure she would benefit from regular medication of some sort. I had listened sympathetically to how hard she was working with no vacation, etc. the night before.

After all that we had a quick and easy taxi to the Gare de Lyon, a full but comfortable 3 hour train trip, and then arrived in Montpellier. However, a pitiful young woman on the train about three aisles back from us kept up a very loud French conversation, completely one-sided, for the entire trip. When I glanced back, there she was resplendent with firey red hair and fingernails playing a Game Boy. The gentleman sitting next to her was silent and stoic, and I couldn't tell if he was with her or not - probably not. She got off in Nimes and almost immediately began to shriek and cry hysterically about something, even getting back on the train at one point and then fleeing to the platform where she continued is a similar manner. I never heard such screaming. Poor thing. The people on the train were all craning to see what was going on, but I couldn't understand what was being said, and eventually we pulled out of the station about ten minutes late. That's two for regular mediation.

Our taxi from the station in Montpellier put us out about two blocks from our apartment as it is located on a pedestrian-only square. Unfortunately, we were on the downhill side of the square and had to drag our suitcases up about twenty steps and then across the cobblestones to the front door. I'm sure the little ladies enjoying the afternoon sun were entertained. I kept dropping things - first, water bottles, a bag, my coat, then my coat again. I should have bowed and enjoyed applause once I finally reached the door.

Well, the apartment is absolutely spacious and beautifully furnished. We un-packed, visited a small shop for essentials, and did a little walking to see what is nearby. It is a lovely city, small, with lots of medieval alleys and beautiful 18th and 19th century buildings. We are only a couple of blocks from the Arc de Triomphe. Everything is illuminated at night, and so pretty. There are out-door cafes on every corner and square. We ate outside at lunch. Of course, there are lots of pattiseries as well with gorgeous bread, croissants, and pastries of every kind.

I will write more about the city tomorrow. Since we'll be here for two weeks, we'll have lots of time to explore. The sun is out today, and it is warm enough to stroll without a jacket. This region of France has lots of fruit orchards and vineyards. The plum trees are blooming, so it is early spring here, while still winter in Paris. We are happy for warmer weather.

With no luck at all, we should find some regional wine and good food for dinner.

Winter Greys and Notre Dame de Paris

2011-02-23T08:28:00.000-08:00

This hippo is how I'll look if we keep eating as we have. He resides on the front patio of the Musee D'Orsay, rain or shine.

The sky is grey again, and the temperature requires hats, gloves, and scarves. We took the Metro to "Cite" and walked around the corner to re-visit Notre Dame. It's fun to return, and it looks much the same, although the stained glass is certainly more spectacular on a sunny day. We walked the length of Isle St. Louis and browsed shop windows, but there is not much activity on a cold day in February. Paris is much lovelier, though more expensive, in May! Crepes for lunch, how French, and then a nice long walk back to our hotel.

Last night, we were unable to get a reservation at the recommended restaurant (I was carefully corrected by our front desk lady - it is NOT a bistro.) So, we booked for tonight. It is one of the oldest restaurants in Paris, the "Fontaine Champ de Mars," and has the distinction of having hosted Barack and Michelle when they made their state visit to Paris. So, it remains to be seen if they are resting on their laurels or still serving up wonderful food and service! We walked over to see the Eiffel by night, and then selected a small cafe on the way back to our hotel for our evening repast. There were plenty of empty tables when we walked in about 8:10 p.m., so we were surprised to be asked to sit on the "outside" which was, however, quite comfortable as it was heated and had plastic walls. By 8:30, it was completely full, and the hostess was turning potential customers away. The food was simple and good, and the service was perfect. If anyone is interested in fresh proscuitto on grilled Poilaine bread slices, this is the place to go!

Only upon checking out the website for our first restaurant choice when we returned to our room, did I find that we had accidently dined in their "little sister" restaurant, the "Petit Cler." It always surprises me when these serendipitous moments occur on trips. Sometimes, it's the best part of traveling. We still have the "Fontaine" for tonight. I'll convey Mr. Obama's best; and Rush Limbaugh, you can eat your heart out.

The Sun Came Out in Paris

2011-02-22T09:36:00.001-08:00

After our yogurt, fruit, cafe creme, and croissants we walked through our neighborhood to The Eiffel Tower, and the clouds began to thin, and the winter sun began to shine. What a treat, but we forget how far north we are and how low the sun is in the southern sky.

We walked along the Seine to the Musee D'Orsay and waited about ten minutes to buy tickets. Now who would imagine how crowded this museum could be at the end of February, in the midst of an economic recession, and on a Tuesday morning? Whoever said there are no tourists in Paris these days is quite mistaken. Perhaps it's a testimony to how popular the Impressionists remain. The gallery of paintings was jammed with admirers. We could hardly see the paintings, but it was still wonderful. The museum is remodeling and upgrading a number of gallery spaces. I thought, but this is a "new museum," then had to remember that I was a first time visitor to this "new museum" well over thirty years ago. There are many new paintings from the same period and lots of new surprises for this old art history student.

Lunch at the lovely gilded and mirrored restaurant on the second floor. We sat next to two beautiful Vietnamese girls who charmed the waiter, and vice versa. They were choosing and eating well, and the creme brulee looked so delicious , I followed suit. Such a bad influence, but it's Paris, and we had walked a long way in the cold.

This gourmet wine and cheese shop is only one of many very near our hotel. Tonight we are walking to a nearby bistro recommended in a recent Saveur magazine for dinner. More food! I may skip the plate and just go for the fois gras. And, wine, of course.

Paris - Ahhhhhhhh!

2011-02-21T13:36:00.000-08:00

We had an easy flight to Paris from CLT. Actually, upgraded to business class and were absolutely delighted to find reclining seats when we got on board the new Airbus 300. It was wonderful, with good food, great wines, and the ability to stretch out and actually sleep for 4 hours, or so. There are no crying babies in first class, either. It's another real benefit. (The flight from
GSP to CLT was only 30 minutes total. Straight up and straight down again.)

Paris is cool and drizzly. We expected it to be about like this. We had lunch in a local brasserie, took a short nap, and then went to the Pompidou Museum for a couple of hours. The view from the 6th floor was spectacular as the lights came on across the city. Our dinner at "L'Ambassade d'Auvergne" was all I had anticipated. They have a wonderful website, and you can see our menu on-line. The Swede soup with blue cheese was heavenly, and so was my stuffed cabbage. What a great evening and delicious food. The wait staff was not only efficient but had a great sense of humor. I find the Parisians are much more friendly than on previous trips. They make eye contact and smile, even on the Metro. Maybe we are just funny-looking Americans, and they are amuzed.

We navigated the metro quite easily through three changes each way, coming and going. It helps to have done this before in other countries. Tomorrow, we'll walk more. I hope for a late breakfast, but we may still be on NC time.

Hoping for some sun tomorrow, so goodnight to all.

European Trip Itinerary

2011-02-14T12:27:00.000-08:00

February 20
Depart Greenville, SC USAir 5:19 p.m.
Charlotte to Paris Depart 8:05 p.m.

February 21
Arrive Paris 10:15 a.m.
Hotel du Champ de Mars near Eiffel Tower www.hotelduchampdemars.com

February 24
Depart Gare de Lyons 11:20 a.m. TGV to Montpellier, France
Arrive Montpellier 2:42 p.m.
3 Rue Canourge Apartment www.holidayrentals.co.uk/p413398

March 10
Depart Montpellier 5:26 p.m. to Geneva, change for Bern
Arrive Bern Switzerland 11:27 p.m.
Staying with Thomas and Helen Friz Hirni, Stapfenackerstrasse, 57

March 14
Depart Geneva 11:20 a.m. EasyJet
Arrive Gatwick 11:55 a.m.
Tonbridge, Kent The Little Dairy Cottage, L. J. Mounsey, host

March 21
Depart Gatwick 9:40 a.m. Ryanair
Arrive Dublin 11:05 a.m
Belfast, Wellington Park Hotel www.wellingtonparkhotel.com

March 22
Antrim Coast and Devil's Causeway
Bushmills Inn www.bushmillsinn.com

March 23
Glenreagh National Park and Slieve League Cliffs
Donegal
Mill Park Hotel (two nights) www.millparkhotel.com

March 25
County Mayo and Croagh Patrick Holy Mountain
Westport Knockranny House Hotel and Spa www.khh.ie

March 26
Galway and Aran Islands, Connemara
Galway Bay Hotel (two nights) www.galwaybayhotel.net

March 28
County Clare, Cliffs of Moher and the Buren
Dromoland Castle Hotel www.dromoland.ie

March 29
Dublin
Camden Court Hotel (two nights) www.camdencourthotel.com

March 31
Depart Dublin USAir 11:15 a.m. Change Philladelphia
Arrive Greenville, SC 5:09

European Trip - Spring 2011

2011-02-13T10:48:00.000-08:00

We are off next weekend to Paris for three days - and, then to check out Montpellier, France, which was featured in an article last spring in AARP magazine. It was mentioned as one of the most popular destinations for retired American ex-pats, and supposedly there is a good-sized community there of retirees looking for the "good life." We were intrigued, and decided to see for ourselves. We have rented a lovely apartment in the historic district (17th century) overlooking a park, and we'll be in residence for two weeks. That should be long enough to see what the city offers in addition to its location on the Mediterranean, an Arc de Triomphe, Roman ruins, fountains, several theatres, an opera house, and many sidewalk cafes with reputations for gourmet French food at prices lower than those in Paris.

From Montpellier, we take the train to Bern to spend Fasnacht weekend with our Hirni cousins, Thomas, Helen, and their children, Sabina and Benz. They all are actively involved in the festivities, marching in the parades and out until dawn every night. I doubt we will be involved to that extent, but it will be fun to see the costumes, local neighborhood bands, and displays. We may also be fortunate enough to see the two new baby bears in the park, "Urs" and "Berna." They are celebraties of great fame, and hopefully they will come out of hibernation before we arrive.

Then, we have a flight to London where we have rented a cottage for a week in our favorite village, Tonbridge, on the commuter line to London. And, from London we fly to Dublin for a ten day self-drive tour of Northern Ireland and the west country of The Republic. We booked this tour though a company called "My Ireland," and it has turned out to be a very reasonable itinerary and price. We will see much of the country and stay in comfortable hotels, spending the last two days in Dublin. Our flight home leaves from there.

So, if you'd like to "come along," check in on this sight as often as you like. I'll try to post pictures and commentary almost everyday. Tomorrow, I'll put up the entire itinerary with websites you can access for more information on where we are staying.

Off to Auckland

2010-04-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

Happy April Fools Day. We're staying.

Sunset last night over Coromandel Harbour. The oysters are sleeping and growing. All's well with the world.

We ate some of their cousins last night. Best I've ever eaten. Also, some great fish, sauteed lightly in olive oil Nice Settlers' Hill S. B. Sigh.

We'll drive to Auckland today via Thames and a couple of short walks. Hope to see you all back in Cashiers this spring and/or summer.

Driving Creek Railway and Pottery

2010-03-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

Driving Creek Railway

Terracotta Tunnel, The Track, Pete our Driver

We rode this small railway built by Barry Brickell, a well-known NZ potter and obvious engineering genius, which runs up steep grades, across two trestle bridges, along two spirals and four switchbacks, through two tunnels and finishes at the "Eyefull Tower" with extraordinary views all the way to the islands off Auckland. An amazing trip through rejuvenating native NZ bush planted by Barry and his staff. He bought the land in 1972 and began building the railroad to bring clay down from the hills to his pottery. Now, it is run as a tourist train, and the last extension was completed by Barry in 2001. The tracks and trains themselves were all built on site in a foundry. The trains run on bio-fuel made from reclaimed fish and chips oil. It's a great trip.

Afterward, we went into Coromandel to the Hauraki Gallery and met the man himself who was working the desk at his most recent gallery show. There were beautiful pieces on display by Barry and several other local potters. Too bad the ones I wanted were too big to carry home.

Lunch in a great restaurant, Umu, where Bill had the local mussel chowder (he licked his bowl), and I enjoyed fresh grilled fish on a fresh fruit and vegie salad. I licked my fingers. Perfect. This whole month has been a great trip!

Coromandel Town

2010-03-30T21:23:00.001-07:00

These views of Cathedral Cove would have been spectacular had we had some sun, but it was still worth the 40 minute hike down and back up. We had cloudy weather all day with a cool breeze, but no rain.

Cathedral Cove is on the east side of the Coromandel Peninsula, and after taking the little ferry across to Whitianga this morning (it runs continuously and takes 5 minutes each way), we returned to Cooks Cove and ate a picnic lunch. The gulls are almost as agressive as the ducks on the Queen Charlotte Track. It's fun to watch the alpha-male chase all the smaller ones away at the expense of getting any bread crumbs. There's a great big brown gull lurking around who never makes a fuss but just elbows in at the last minute and grabs any hand-outs. The little guy does all the squaking and posturing and never cashes in.

We are staying in Coromandel Town on the west side of the peninsula tonight after crossing over the mountain range, up and down a highway that matches any the mountain roads in Jackon County, NC have to offer. Again, incredible views, almost to Auckland. Our new motel is lovcly, with a great balcony looking out over the harbour and oyster farms. We expect fresh oysters for supper! This motel, The Harbour View, is a great one, and I was lucky to find it on the internet at the last minute this morning. Such nice "hosts," the owners, just as we have found at so many places we have stayed. They really treat you as their special guests.

Hope we'll stay here tomorrow night, too. There's lots to do in this area before we fly out on Friday night. Lots of oysters, mussels, and scallops to eat, too.

Coromandel

2010-03-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

Not great weather for the beach; however, yesterday afternoon the sun came out and I got some great pictures of the beach here at Hahei. It's incredible. The water is rougher than usual, as there is a lot of wind.

We are moving from The Church motel as it is just too remote, and there is no internet service. We have taken the ferry across to Whitianga and I'm posting this from an internet cafe. We plan to move to Coromandel Town tonight, and just look for a place to stay. Shouldn't be a problem as it's mid-week. If I can get service, I'll post another blog.

We are hoping for the sun to come out!!! Better pictures that way, and the scenery is magnificent.

If we can't do another blog, remember we leave Auckland on Friday evening at 7:30. That's your Thursday. We'll be back in LA on Friday morning. Fly back to Greenville on Saturday.

It's been a great trip. Everyone must put NZ on their travel list!

Pureora Pictures

2010-03-28T22:52:00.000-07:00

Bill at the summit, and me with the sign showing the way back down. It was "breezy" on the top. I have not idea why the trash bin at the ranger station is labeled this! I really looked inside to see what it was! Just trash.

Nice Walk - Pureora Mountain

2010-03-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

I love the way Kiwis describe strenous hikes up-hill for two miles, and then straight down again. It's a "nice walk" the ranger said at Pureora Park headquarters. We drove about 3 miles further into the park to the trail head without seeing another car and were reasurred because there were a number of school vans and other vehicles parked there with "Hilltop School" on the side. Great, if kids can do it; it can't be too bad. Ha! I should have guessed from the name, it is probably a school for gifted and talented mountain climbers.

Sixth graders, about 50 of them and assorted chaperones met us on the way down (for them). They were very jolly and very polite. They all smiled, told us to have a good hike, and chatted with us about where we were from. Then, we climbed another hour to the summit. The signage indicated it was a 2 1/2 hour hike, return. Maybe for a sixth grader. It took us 3 1/2 hours, but, we made it and were rewarded with amazing views for hundreds of miles in every direction. The bush (which is really a fern and moss covered understory with huge trees and "Tarzan vines") is green and beautiful. We were entertained, again, with the Tui birds who make a series of calls and throaty "werks", some of which are so high pitched the human ear can't hear them.

Our weather was perfect for hiking - sunny and bright but cool breezes. Sorry, blogger is not allowing me to put up photos. I'll try again later.

Taupo Lake

2010-03-27T22:02:00.000-07:00

Dr. Seuss trees along the trail to the Huka Falls. There are large patches of these in the bush everywhere.

A calm view of the river above the Haku Falls. These pictures are from our walk yesterday.

Here are the locals enjoying the warm water in the river where the thermal stream enters the water. It must be wonderful. Maybe I'll try it out tomorrow.

We had a great cruise on the lake today. The brunch consisted of a full English breakfast, plus fresh fruit, croissants, and lots of coffee or tea. Our hostess cooked the English-style bacon on a gas grill on the back of the boat. Delicious. We saw the Maori rock carvings whch were commissioned in 1979 by the Arts Commission of NZ and done by art students. Smart thinking. I can't imagine how many tourists come here to see these.

Lake Taupo is a volcanic crater created in 160 AD when the volcano under the lake (still active, and that's why there are thermal streams and hot beaches here) erupted sending debris 40 miles into the atmosphere. The resulting ash darkened the sky as far away as Europe and was recorded by the Greeks and Romans. They reported three days of darkness. The resulting lake is the largest in Australasia. It's also very turquoise and clear and stocked with California rainbow trout and brown trout from Germany.

We saw a young man get off one of the charter fishing boats about noon with a big grin on his face and a string of rainbow trout, three of them (which is your limit) about 3 - 4 pounds each. Wish I were having dinner at his house. The average size is 2 klg. which is about 5 pounds. NZ does not allow trout farming; therefore, you can only eat what you can catch in the wild.

We'll settle for some lamb shanks and mash, which is the specialty of the restaurant we've picked for this evening.

Lake Taupo

2010-03-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

We drove through undulating hills and mountains and then up into higher mountains covered with tree farms - some of which had been harvested for lumber leaving eroded and ugly moutainsides. However, new trees had been planted and the mature trees that have not yet been cut are magnificent, thick almost black green pines. This is the only "rest stop" between Napier and Taupo, about 85 miles, but has good coffee, nice people, and clean restrooms. There are lots of gorges and white water. It's a beautiful area. You can see a grove of eucalyptus at the top of the hill in this shot.

Taupo is NZ's largest lake with a shorline of 90 miles. It's the biggest fishing spot in the country. You can use a spinning rod out on the lake, but flyfishing is required in the three rivers that flow in or out. There's a prawn farm on one of the rivers. Waikato River, NZ longest river, flows NW out of the lake and drops 9 meters through a narrow canyon creating these impressive and foaming falls, Huka Falls. We walked the river trail up to see them. Supposedly, the water that flows over the falls in one minute will fill 5 olympic size swimming pools. There's a jet boat ride that takes people right up to the base of the falls. While we are going out for a Sunday brunch boat trip on the lake this morning, I think we'll skip the jet boat this time. There's also a bungy jump in town. Skip that, too, unless we just watch from the bottom.

On the trail to Huka Falls is a thermal hot stream pouring into the river. It's steaming and almost too hot to put your hand into. There were lots of people floating and relaxing in the warm water at the mouth of the stream. When we came back along there about 5:00 p.m., the beer had been passed around. Sweet.

Upstream from the falls, the river is swift but calm and a beautiful clear aqua color. Lots of willow trees and pines help shade the walk. The local community has planted a lot of native shrubs at the beginning of the path in order to re-claim the bush that was destroyed by timber harvesting. There's also a big park with play grounds and picnic areas, trails, etc., all well-maintained. Although the town is sort of resort-like there seems to be a real community interest here.

We ate at Brantry Restaurant last night. (Recommended by a doctor we met in Highlands who had done an internship here in Taupo last year.) More great food. I won't go into detail for those of you who are tired of food-writing, but we have discovered fresh squid here which is tender, salt and pepppered with a little flour and fried lightly. It doesn't resemble the calamari we get at home! We've ordered it three times in the last four days. The first restaurant served it with an Asian slaw of cabbage and a sweet sour sauce. Yum. Also, the scallops here look like real shell fish. They even have an orange segment which I've never seen before. Very sweet and tender. Great seafood. By the way, you cannot order trout in NZ from a restaurant or buy it in a store. It must all be wild-caught.

More later, if I can get back on the internet. This is a pay as you go service.

Hawkes Bay

2010-03-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

We left Martinborough about 9:30 and drove up through more valleys between more spectacular mountains to Havelock North, a small up-scale town south of Napier. There are lots of vineyards here and beautiful wineries. Te Mata Peak towers over the village - a tall barren mountain with craggy out-croppings and a few black cows way at the top munching the grass. How they get up there or why is a mystery. There must be lots of grass at the bottom!

We feel there are many more cattle (dairy and beef) here this time, and not so many sheep. Seems I read somewhere that farmers are converting over as there is more profit in milk than wool. That doesn't surprise me. Maybe the cattle won't munch all the vegetation down so far either.

We stopped yesterday at the Mount Bruce Wildlife Preserve. They specialize in breeding and protecting endangered species of birds. It's a beautiful place, and we actually saw a real kiwi in his cage. Since they are shy nocturnal birds, they make the kiwi house dark during the day so the birds will come out. NZ has lost almost 90% of the number of birds they once had, and some species are already extinct. It's good someone is trying to do something about the problem. (Part of which is the NZ possum - imported for fur from Australia but very hard on the bird population.) The preserve was beautiful bush and wetlands.

The "pirple" car is a good example of the Kiwi sense of humor. That's how they would pronounce "purple." Cousin Cliff wants to know if New Zealanders call kiwi fruit "our fruit?" He's pretty clever, too.

Cape Palliser Lighthouse and Drive

2010-03-24T20:00:00.001-07:00

This is Burnside Church built by settlers in 1875 in the country south of Martinborough.

The Cape Palliser Light House is the southern most tip of the north island. It was a beautiful drive down through the wide green Wairarapa Valley and right along the coast, next to cliffs on my side. There are indeed 250 steps to the top, and here's the view to prove it. We could see Mt. Cook on the South Island for almost the whole length of the drive. Magnificent day!

We were delayed by a herd of sheep in the road going down, and cows in the road coming back. Needless to say, it's a major agricultural area, and livestock have the right of way. The sheep herder was on a motorbike and aided by two sheep dogs. When the herd got off the road and into their pasture, the sheperd whistled and both dogs jumped on the back of the motor bike and off they went. Honest to God. He had a special platform built just to fit the two dogs. I couldn't get the camera out fast enough.

We had fresh fish sandwiches at the Lake Ferry Hotel for lunch. Beautiful views of the Straits and a cut through from the salt-water "lake" to the ocean. Then, drove up to Greytown which was settled in the late 1800's. Lot's of Victorian small houses and churches. We met a young man in front of the school, maybe the "mayor" of Greytown, who pointed out several landmarks to be visited. He also informed us the Maori word for Greytown is "hupanui". Translated it means "big snot." Not very complimentary. He was, by the way, a Maori.

Wairarapa Wine District

2010-03-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

The rain and winds followed us over the mountains from Wellington this morning. Aside from this beautiful rainbow, we couldn't see much. We had lunch at Murdoch James Winery about 5 miles south of Martinborough before checking in to our motel. Their vines are green and healthy, and we saw chardonay grapes ready for harvest. Tasted their wines which are minerally because the soil is former seabed - lots of calcium and other minerals. So, they taste uniquely of their "terroir." The riesling was especially good, but a little too fruity for our taste. Pinot noirs are the specialty of this wine area, and not one of our favorites. However, I tasted one in the wine tasting center in town (where we were trapped by a heavy downpour, oh darn!) by Voss which was more to my liking. It is exported to the states, and a favorite of many of the American customers (according to the girl at the tasting bar). So, you might want to look for it - if you are a pinot noir drinker.

Martinborough is a little farm town with some nice small painted Victorian houses and churches. Tomorrow, if the sun comes out, we'll head for Cape Palliser, the southern most spot on the north island. There's some walking trails there and a lighthouse to climb. Only 250 steps.

By the way, we've had "pork belly" twice to eat. Bill ordered it for lunch. It's very tasty pork which appears to be the equivalent of beef short ribs. Does anyone know any different? I had a great beetroot and feta cheese tort. Sounds strange, but a lovely red color and very good. We have had different foods from at home, but none of them have been too strange or exotic. All of the food is fresh and made to order in the cafes and restaurants. Nice change from micro-waved main dishes in some of our places at home.

Tuesday in Wellington

2010-03-22T21:31:00.001-07:00

Neil, this billboard above is for you. Keep on training!

How can you not appreciate a country where the school girls dress in 1920's uniforms. I wish I had gotten a picture of the younger ones in the black straw boaters, pig-tails (really), blue cotton shifts and black stockings. They looked like Pippi Longstockings.

Queen's Wharf is a lovely venue with lots of joggers at noon time, cafes, and coffee shops. You can walk along the harbour almost the whole length of the city and not have to worry about pedestrian or car traffic, all of which stay to the left.

We rode the old-fashioned cable car to the botanical gardens above the city. Lovely views from up there on a lovely day. People in the city are still talking about the winds yesterday, which were unusual even for Wellington. Although there were 25 guys holding down a ground cover at the Australian/Kiwi cricket match, it blew away, taking several of them for a merry ride. Evidently, the wind also confounded the Aussie bowlers because the Kiwis won the match. It's an ill wind that blows . . . . . . . .

Sunny Welly

2010-03-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

What a difference a day makes. Today is bright sunshine and no wind. We are headed for the rickety cable car to the botanic gardens and then back to Te Papa. What a museum! and, it's free.

Here's a picture of the interior of old St. Paul's. You can see the US flag and the US Marine flag hanging on the right side. We couldn't stand up straight enough yesterday in the wind to get a picture of the exteior.

Windy Welly

2010-03-22T00:39:00.001-07:00

The old Parliament House is on the right. The new beehive parliament office building on the left.

They don't call it windy Welly for nothing. We had wind gusts to 75 miles an hour today and grey skies. There were times when we leaned into the wind to stand up, and times when we grabbed the traffic light posts to keep from being whisked away. Amazing.

This fish sculpture is down near the harbour. You can see the man struggling up the steps. We were struggling right behind.

Wellington is a city with a sense of humor and a great respect and support for the arts. The column on the left is a piece of sculpture. It might have been blown over by the wind. It just looks as if it's the remains of ancient Pompeii. Many of the sculptures in public places are whimisical and intriguing. One we noticed yesterday consisted of a number of huge multi-colored cups that filled with water and emptied into each other in a random pattern. There are four major theatres (not cinemas), in a city of 170,000. Eilene, you should see the fashions, both on the street and in the shop windows. Incredibly innovative.

The beehive building on the left is the new (1992) office building for the parliament. We had a great tour of the new and old parliament buildings, all of which were re-engineered in the same year to with-stand earth quakes. They lie on a major fault line. We felt safe while in the buildings. Coming home was something else.

We also visited old St. Paul's cathedral which was built in 1865 of local timbers in the Gothic style. It is still consecrated but only used for weddings and funerals, no services. It is remarkable there is a US flag hung from the arches there, and a US marine flag, because during WWII American troops were sent to Wellington to protect the citizens from attack. There were several thousand marines stationed here while the Kiwi troops were sent to the allied front. The Kiwis have never forgotten the "sons" of the US who came here. It was impressive to see the flags still displayed, the one with only 48 stars.

We had lunch at Pravda, a lovely restaurant in the center of of the city. Our waitress, Caitlyn, is from the US (California) and attended the College of Charleston! She has received a permanent residency in NZ because she has a Kiwi partner. Good girl. Good decision.

Bought our dinner at New World Market, a huge grocery store 2 blocks from our hotel. It's so nice to come home to our own space and be able to eat-in, no matter that there are great restaurants within blocks. It's still windy tonight, but predicted to be sunny tomorrow.

Great and interesting city. Don't particularly enjoy the windy-bits.

Wellington

2010-03-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Wellington right on time, at 1:05 p.m. after a calm beautiful crossing of the Cook Straits. The skies are slightly overcast, but the sun comes and goes. It could be much worse in Wellington, so "they" say.

Wellington is a bustling city on Sunday afternoon, with lots of young people out shopping and sipping coffee. Coffee is certainly a national pre-occupation of the Kiwis. Everywhere there are coffee shops with many different kinds of short, long, flat white, and fancier brews. We skipped the caffeine for a lovely pint of NZ cider brewed at "Mac's Brewery" on the harbour front near the Civic Center and Te Papa Museum. Our wonderful apartment hotel is just one block from the latter, is very modern, has a kitchen with a dishwasher, etc., and it's own private balcony on the 4th floor looking across the city. Nice digs for $168/night NZ dollars.

Here are some pictures of the Queen Charlotte Track and our trip across from Picton today. The two at the top are taken going out the Marlborough Sound and looking through the channel to the Straits. The next one on the left is leaving Picton Harbour. (Matt, check out the yacht on the left.) The other four were taken on the Track: A view from one of the ridges; looking back down the track on day 3 at the ridge we'd just come over; typical track scenery in the bush; and a vew of Endeavor Inlet.

We did the Queen Charlotte Track!

2010-03-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

We are back in Picton at our same very nice hotel, no worse for wear except for some bug bites - Bill got stung by a NZ wasp, but took three benedryl and survived with no reaction (he is very allergic to US wasps) and I have three bites from ankle-biter-no-seeums from three days ago, which are still itching. We did very well on a very challenging track. We walked a total of about 32 miles in four days, stayed in excellent lodges with great food, and struggled over two ridges on the third day that were 400 meters above sea level, and we did walk up from sea level.

It was an incredible experience, one of those self-challenging things you do when you think you are getting old, and know very well that you are. The scenery was magnificent from the tops of the ridges, and I'll download some pictures tomorrow when we get to Wellington. We leave on the ferry at 10:00 a.m. We are doing laundry now, and planning on dinner and an early to-bed. Last night, we were in bed by 8:00 p.m. It's tough, you walk four -five hours, arrive at a great lodge, take a shower, drink some wine, eat a gourmet dinner, and go to bed. Get up and do it again. We are not of the camping generation.

I'll try to get the pictures off the camera tomorrow and catch you up. It was a great four days, and we earned the T-shirt, but there don't seem to be any available for purchase! I think someone should have been at Anakiwa with gold medals!

You can check out the Queen Charlotte Track on the internet. There are all the details there, but I will write more later.

Picton Harbour

2010-03-15T22:53:00.001-07:00

The Inter-island ferry coming in right beyond our balcony. It's a great hotel, The Harbour View Motel. We have a studio kitchen, balcony, lovely bedding, and a friendly host. I think the New Zealanders are great conversationalists, second only to the Irish, but gaining.

Picton

2010-03-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

These were all taken in Kaikoura. Look at the sunshine! It was raining the night before. NZ as an island country has constantly changing weather.

We have re-packed everything because the water taxi takes a small bag, each for us, out to our hotels on the Queen Charlotte Track, and we carry small day packs on our backs. The motel will keep our big bags until we get back on Saturday afternoon (your Friday). It has been a challenge to re-organize, but I think we've got it!

This is the view from our walk this morning on the Kaikoura peninsula. We walked through pasture land, always with the Pacific on one side. It is a very dramatic coast line with heavy surf on lots of rock out-croppings. It's also a seal colony. Beginning to get our fill of seals. According to the locals, they are protected but eating up the fish.

We leave on the water taxi at 10:00 a.m., walk for nine miles, and stay at the luxurious (well-deserved) "No Road Inn," for the first night. We will be out of touch for three full days because I'm not lugging this Toshiba on the track. It stays here in Picton. We hope for clear weather like today.

Pictures, we hope, from yesterday

2010-03-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

We are now in Picton - glorious, glorious, Picton. The sun is shining, the palms are rustling, and the interisland ferries come in from Wellington right in front of our balcony. It has been a gorgeous day, and we started by walking the peninusula walk in Kaikoura. It was cool and breezy, but the sun was warm. Bill said, "this is why we came to NZ." True. That and the wine, and the few people, and no traffic, and the friendly natives, and the fresh seafood, etc.

So, let's see if these will come up for you. First, the choir "boys" from Christchurch cathedral for L. J. Then, more from Maida Vale (left top) and the botanical gardens. The patio above right is seen from our lovely studio room at Lorenzo Motor Court in Christchurch. We've had wonderful motels.

We had lunch at Allan Scott Winery on the way here from Kaikoura. M.J. and Bob, wish you were here. More later.

Christchurch Pictures We Hope

2010-03-14T21:29:00.001-07:00

Here goes, I'll try to put up some pictures from the Gondola Ride to the top of the Banks Peninsula, the botanic gardens, and Christchurch cathedral. We were there on Sunday afternoon and heard the choir rehearsing. (I said, "Larry Joe would give his right arm to be here right now!" )

Kaikoura

2010-03-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

After a beautiful morning drive through Waipara wine district (Pegasus, Mud House, Waipara Vineyards, etc.) we wound through the Hawkswood Mountain range and out to the coast of the crashing turquoise Pacific. Now, it is clouding up and again and getting a little cold. So much for the cliff walk!

We stopped at Maida Vale, a Victorian house and gardens in Christchurch, on our way out of town. I have some great pictures, but this motel only allows a certain amount of megabytes (or something) of use on the internet, so they probably won't download. I'll sent them later.

Yesterday, we took the cable car to the top of the Banks Peninsula and looked down on Lyttleton Harbour on one side and Christchurch on the the other. Spectacular views again. In the afternoon, we walked back through the Botancial Gardens. We never get enough of them. The trees are huge, all the roses and dahlias are in bloom, and the lawns are expansive. The River Avon runs down through the middle of the gardens.

This website says I'm not connected, so I'll not type any more, but try tomorrow when maybe I can send pictures too.

Lyttleton and Akaroa

2010-03-12T21:54:00.001-08:00

Here are the girl guides in Lyttleton selling their biscuits! Wonderful, just like our Girl Scout cookies, only more crisp. And, here is a picture of the fruit (for Jordan and Carlye) at the Lyttleton Farmer's Market. A wonderful small market, but with everything you might want or need to eat healthy and happy for a week. There is fresh corn, tomatoes, lettuces, kumara (yams), capacin (bell peppers), potatoes, etc, etc. Also, fresh fish, Bluff oysters, farm-raised beef and lamb, and all the wonderful baked bread and pastries to last a life time.

The long-view on the right is just west of Lyttleton, still in the harbour, which reaches very far into the interior of the Banks Penisula. It is picturesque when you get away from the port of Lyttleton and the container ship port. Lyttleton., below, is an old port town, and obviously has some Art Deco architecture. (This layout is driving me nuts! I don't have much control over where the picture go.)

The Little Bistro is where we had a wonderful lunch in Akaroa, which is a French settled town on the far southeast end of the Banks Peninsula about 45 miles south of Christ Church. All of the roads have French names, and there are lovely cafes and small galleries down on the waterfront, small Victorian cottage homes with gardens, and another long protected harbour. Bill had lamb stew with brown rice and lentils and fresh greens, and I had an incredible seafood chowder made with green lipped mussels, shrimp, gurnard (fish), and a butter/cream sauce with saffron and fresh English peas and carrots. The bread was home-baked with green olives and herbs. It's all fresh and freshly prepared. You eat well in NZ.

We came back, after being slowed by the Kiwi moving van, above. Then, took a long walk through the Christ Church botanical gardens to work off some calories! We are having fresh pears, fresh rye bread, cheese, and Girl Guide Biscuits with wine for supper in our room this evening. You'd all love it!

Ellerslie Exhibits

2010-03-11T20:53:00.001-08:00

One of the outdoor displays, "Punting on the Avon," the river that runs through Christ Church. This is just before the heavens opened and the winter weather descended.

The gold award winner in the flower arrangements. This one was done in all white and green. Gorgeous.

The one on the right won a merit award. It's amazing, but very contrived. Beautiful lighting made a big difference.

Ellerslie Flower Show and More

2010-03-11T19:57:00.000-08:00

Here's Bill, Jared, ready to tackle the trail to Lake Tasman (above). Pretty impressive, don't you think? The shot on the right is Lake Tekapo with the front coming down over the top of the mountains.

The sun was shining brightly at 9:00 a.m. this morning in Christ Church, but by the time we walked through Hagley Park to the flower show, it was beginning to rain. Once inside the gates, it began to pour and the wind picked up considerably. We went through several exhibits, saw the award wininng flower arrangements, lots and lots of people in rain coats and carrying brollies, and by the time we went back outside, the temperature had dropped to 48 degrees and a gale was blowing. What a shame. Some of the exhibitors were outside under small tents, and the wind was wreaking havoc on their displays.

In the best English tradition, we carried-on, had a great hot lunch and a glass of wine in the cafe tent, and talked to two friendly Kiwis who are avid trekkers who filled us in on the Queen Charlotte Track and other wonderful NZ hikes. After lunch, as the weather was still dreadful, we headed back on our one mile trek to the motel. Fortunately, the rain slackened, but we returned "home" cold and wet. How nice to have a hot cup of tea and a warm room.

Now, in the best English tradition as well, the sun is out at 5:00 p.m. Maybe tomorrow will be nicer weather for our trip to Lyttleton and Akaroa.

Christ Church - Thursday Evening

2010-03-11T00:02:00.000-08:00

We have happily arrived in Christ Church after a spectacular morning drive south from Mount Cook and along the Southern Alps to Geraldine (that's a town famous for it's canned fruit marmalades and juices - in every NZ store). Then, we had rain all the way into Christ Church. Hopefully, it will clear up tomorrow.

But, coming down along through the valleys parallel to the alps was a gorgeous drive with clouds sliding down the sides of the mountains and aqua blue lakes (caused by the glaciers that formed them, creating "flour" which is suspended in the water creating opaque and refracting lakes that make them green-blue). The colors are just amazing.

We spent yesterday hiking on Mount Cook trails, up the Kea Point Trail, about 3 miles return, and then the Blue Lakes and Tasman Glacier Trails, about 2 miles return, but the latter was straight up, over a very rocky trail, which at times we lost, but didn't fall across the edge, obviously. There were times when I didn't look down, just at the rocks under my feet. It was a challenge. Matt, you wouldn't have liked it! The Tasman glacier is grey and ugly (and receeding, of course) but there are icebergs floating in the lake. Never having seen one, I was impressed, and they would have been more impressive up-close, I'm sure

We had an excellent dinner in the Panorama Restaurant at the Hermitage. Bill had the fresh whole sole (nice poetic gesture) and I had local salmon. Both were presented beautifully and tasted just a good as they looked. Dessert was creme brulee and blackberry yogurt terrine with chocolate crust. Yum.

By the way, the Hermitage Hotel is full of Japanese tour groups. We felt under-caucasianed. They are avid hikers, obviously, as there were groups and couples passing us on the trails all day for two days. Amazingly, many of the women (and some of the men) were heavily dressed with scarves, hats, gloves, fleeces, hats, wind-proof jackets, ball-caps. sweaters, etc. Either they are very thin-blooded or there is some aversion to breezes or the sun. We were HOT. The sun was blazing and after walking just a short time, we were glad to be thinly clad. Anyone have any idea? I suppose the women don't want to get tanned, but gloves and scarves? Matt?

Our new motel, The Lorenzo, in Christ Church is very modern and comfortable, and the hosts (0wners) couldn't be more friendly and helpful. We have a studio kitchen again, which we love because we can eat our yogurt and cereal for breakfast and make fresh press-pot coffee!

Here's to hot weather! The Ellerslie Flower Show is tomorrow.

Mount Cook

2010-03-08T22:04:00.000-08:00

The Elephant Rocks in the Waitaki Valley on the way to Mt. Cook

Mount Cook from our window

Moeraki Boulders

The highest mountain in Australasia. It's magnificent. Our room looks out and up to the snow- capped top of Aoraki, the Maori name. Bill and I hiked up the Hooker Valley trail this morning. We walked over two swing bridges and saw the river below the glacier which is shrinking , of course, everyday. It is warm here, with a little breeze in the afternoon. Actually, this morning was hot in the sunshine, although the air was cool and dry. We got back in time for lunch at the Old Pioneers cafe.

On the way here yesterday, we stopped at the Moeraki Boulders on the coast and the Elephant Rocks in the Waitaki Valley. Both are so unusual and beautiful. The geography and vistas change so fast in NZ. You can drive from the beach to the snow covered alps in less than 2 hours.

The Hermitage Hotel where we are staying is the only act in town. There is only the one other restaurant, and the hotel is not a luxury stay, but at luxury prices. There are lots of tour groups here (many from Japan) and a big buffet restaurant, which we have avoided so far. We are posting this in the cafe/bar which is really nice, and where the wireless internet is available at a price, also BIG screen TV with the All Blacks playing. We will go get a pizza back at the Old Pioneers cafe for supper. Tomorrow, we'll try another hike or two. The weather is supposed to be warm and beautiful again.

Hope your weather is warm and beautiful, and that you are doing as well as we are. Thanks for your comments. Love you all.

Seals and Aramoana

2010-03-06T20:47:00.000-08:00

We drove out to the end of the northern shore of Dunedin, Aramoana, where we found cliffs, sparkling beaches, warm sea air, and seals rolling lazily in the kelp and napping on the "mole" or jetty. Picnic lunch in our room and then a stroll through the excellent Dunedin art gallery, which is very impressive for a city of 20,000 residents (and 25,000 wild things who attend the University of Otago.)

Off to Mount Cook tomorrow.

March 6: Real Date

2010-03-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

View from the top. Tunnel Beach

Otago Farmers' Market

Dunedin Train Station

I notice that Blogger hasn't been posting the dates correctly. Unless I am very confused, today is Saturday, March 6, here. Now, I'm sure you are confused, too. Nevermind. We'll just muddle along.

We went to the famous farmers' market today at the historic Dunedin train station. What a treat. If we lived here, we'd shop once a week at this market. Lots of fresh meats from local farmers, and as we are at the height of the fruit harvest here, we found apricots, plums (including our favorite, the ones that are the color of red beets inside), strawberries that taste like old fashioned strawberries, apples of many varieties and pears. There were also several fresh bread bakers, cheeses, dried fruits, pastries, jams and relishes, etc. What a good time, and now our motel room looks like a fruit market.

It was still cold and cloudy this morning, but this afternoon, we drove south to Tunnel Beach, found sun, and hiked down to the Pacific surf along a steep path (500 feet altitude change) through a tunnel (75 steps) built by a rich Victorian business man (Cargill) for his family so they could picnic on the beach. They must have had lots of very fit servants to carry all the picnic baskets up and down! The views were spectacular, and the Pacific is such a lovely aqua ocean.

We'll continue to muddle along to dinner again at our favorite Dunedin restaurant, The Reef. More fresh seafood, but no fruit.

Otago Peninsula

2010-03-04T17:34:00.000-08:00

We drove through mist and light rain this morning out to Lanarch Castle on the Otago Peninsula, and then all the way to the eastern end where the Royal Albatross Center is located. It is a beautiful landscape, even in the rain. The colors certainly would have been brighter with sunshine, but it was well worth the drive. The Albatross Center has a fascinating exhibit about the seals, penguins, and albatross that breed on the cliffs. We saw NZ fur seals, two different kinds of gulls, and an albatross winging out to sea for a fresh seafood lunch. We had lunch, too, before returning to our motel in Dunedin.

The gardens at Lanarch are small but lovely. The family that have owned the castle since 1967, the Barkers, have made a real effort not only to preserve the original Victorian gardens but to plant and cultivate NZ native species, 80% of which exist no where else in the world. The photo above is the NZ Hibiscus. And, the view is across from the peninsula to the north shore. Ships come in and out to a large container port further east in the sound.

The peninsula has several large sheep stations with native stone fences built by the original thrifty and industrious Scottish settlers. It is very green and very steep with some lovely white sandy beaches and heavy surf in places. The road winds along the sound on one side, and the Pacific Ocean on the other. A wild and wonderful place.

Dunedin and a Great Flight on Air New Zealand

2010-03-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

We spent Tuesday in a "foreign" country, south Los Angeles. It was a learning experience. Our hotel was only 2 blocks from the MTA, so we decided to go on with our quest for the best pastrami sandwich in the world. We found what we were looking for at Langer's Deli in downtown LA, and discovered the "tired and poor" on the Metropolitan Transit Authority's trains. We never felt threatened, but it was amazing to see the variety of economic-, health-, and future-challenged individuals traveling who-knows-where with lots of babies and young children in tow. There were old people, too, some on crutches or wheel chairs, some with grandchildren. There were hookers, teenagers, and hustlers. One young man with a big smile was peddling fruit sticks, "six for a dollar, all fresh." It's illegal, but he was a real entrepreneur and obviously successful, as we saw him later, and his big jar was almost empty. Everyone had a cell phone. What a country we live in.

The pastrami was hot, sweet, tender and served on home-made rye bread. It was definitely the best we've ever eaten. If you go to LA, go to Langer's. Some handsome young firemen, on their lunch break enjoying the sunny weather outside their department downtown, gave us directions. Everyone knows Langer's.

Our flight left right on time, 7:30 p.m. We had a terrific four-course dinner with generous pours of Marlborough sauvignon blanc to wash it down. Air New Zealand does everything they can to make passengers welcome and comfortable on the 12 hour plus trip across the Pacific. After retrieving our bags in Auckland and clearing customs and immigration, we walked to the domestic terminal for our flight to Dunedin. It was a beautiful flight across both islands. The sun was just up, and the view of Queen Charlotte Sound, Christ Church and Mt. Cook from the air was spectacular. Our rental car was waiting, and Bill successfully navigated our way to The Bluestone Inn in downtown Dunedin. The Tom/Tom was right on target. What a miracle.

It is still a beautiful day, clear and crip with lots of sun. The light here is so different from other places. Everything seems so sharp and colorful. Dunedin is a lovely Victorian city with lots of gorgeous public buildings and neighborhoods. The college students are all just back for their fall term (25,000 of them) so the streets are filled with raggedy tee-shirted and be-jeaned twenty-somethings.

After a rest and a glass of wine, we'll go find dinner and have an early night. There's lots of hikes and wild-life here (besides the college students). We'll go see what we can find tomorrow, and I'll post some pictures.

We are 18 hours ahead of Eastern Standard time, so it is Thursday afternoon here - about 4:30, as I write. Good night to you all.

Morning in LA

2010-03-02T09:44:00.001-08:00

We have made it to LA quite successfully. In the middle of a delayed flight (1 hour) out of Atlanta yesterday, one begins to wonder if it is all worth it. Why do people travel for fun? When do we start having fun? Why is flying such a tedious and undiginified mode of travel in the space age? And, why can't a big competent (?) airline like Delta figure out that it is best not to load 250 people on a huge 767 aircraft when the pilot and crew all know that there has been a mechanical difficulty that must be resolved before take-off? Also, why does it take 45 minutes for any lugguge to reach the carrousel (aptly named) after the plane lands?

Well, we could have stayed home and complained about the snow which is falling today, or the traffic in Greenville, or the reconcilliation process in DC. (There are young tv commentators who keep calling it re-concilliation. Is that right?) We soon reached our brand new Hilton Express hotel, found an incredibly authetic Mexican restaurant just down the street, and drank two Margaritas, and began to have fun! We were the only gringos in the place, and the food was fresh, made-to-order, and delicious.

After an early night and sleeping well (thanks to the M's), I think we are adjusted to LA time. We have to do some exploring and walking this afternoon, as our flight doesn't leave until 7:30 pm. It's listed as "on time," and our hotel has a complimentary shuttle to the airport. What more could you ask? Bill wants to find the best pastrami sandwich in the US, which is supposedly served in Langston's in downtown LA. If we can get there, we'll find out and let you know. And, that will be fun!

Back to New Zealand

2010-02-24T07:03:00.000-08:00

Bill and I are leaving March 1 for a one month trip to New Zealand. We hope you will follow our blog, and that I will be up to writing every couple of days. We have said so often in the past two years, "let's go back to NZ!" especially during all the political turmoil our country has endured during that time. The political climate hasn't seemed to improve, even with a fine new president, so off we go. Maybe Congress can get its act together while we are gone.

It's said, "you can't go home again," and often we've found visiting a favorite restaurant or city is not as great as one remembered from a previous visit. We hope this is not the case for this trip. We are visiting different cities and sites than we did the first time, and plan on doing more hiking and less vineyard visits. I will let you know if we find NZ as lovely, friendly, and delightfully easy-going as we found it the first time.

We will start in Dunedin, a city settled by Scots on the South Island, and finish on the Coromandel Peninsula near Auckland, a favorite of the Kiwis. We'll look forward to your comments.

Bill and Roxanna

More Pictures from the Cooks

2008-04-04T06:12:00.001-07:00

The lagoon at Aitutaki Resort on Rarotonga. We crossed on the little boat for their island night - a fabulous show and authentic meal. The picture at the right is Moana Sands beach. There we had wonderful snorkeling in warm water with lots of new fish we hadn't seen in the Caribbean. Bill saw a huge moray eel. Glad he didn't choose to say Kia Orana to me!

Back Home Again

2008-04-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

We are home to warm (ish) early spring with daffodils and cherry blossoms. It's a bit of weather-shock after the tropical Cook Islands. As we expected, LA seemed incredibly crowded, frantic, and loud. Our hotel, the Marriot, had probably more rooms than all the hotels and guest houses combined in Rarotonga, and we saw more traffic in 24 hours than we had seen the entire previous five weeks. We miss the laid-back quality of life already.

Here are some pictures from the Cooks.

Cooks

2008-03-29T00:39:00.000-07:00

The island show was good, but too touristy compared to the one on Wenesday night at the Aitutake Hotel here at the lagoon. This troup just wasn't as authentic, no coconut shell bras, and too much tourist hipe. Oh, well. The food was great. Lots of fresh fish, pork, chicken, and the usual wonderful salads.

Our hotel in Aitutaki, Wednesday and Thursday night, was a "chalet" (that seems incongruous here, but it's what they call them) with big bedroom, kitchen, and nice bath. We were a coconut throw from the white beach. Our flights to and from Aitutaki were easy, and only about 40 minutes in length. The airports are so small, you just get there about 30 minutes before the flights leave, and the guy playing a ukelele stops singing and says, "okay, if you are going to Rarotonga, get on the plane now." It's amazing.

Tonight, someone blew a conch shell at 5:00 pm. and announced, "happy hour." What a place.

I can't put up pictures, because this internet service is so very slow. It's just not worth it. I'll put them up when I get home.

Aitutaki Island

2008-03-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

We are now back in Rarotonga. Aitutaki was wonderful, and we spent my birthday on a lagoon snorkely cruise with a local guide and three other people. We snorkeled on two different reefs, visited the islands where Survivor was filmed, then had lunch at a third island. We had fresh grilled yellow fin tuna, a variety of tropical fruits including papaya, guava and watermelon, a salads. It was wonderful. Then, there were two hours for lounging in the shade, listening to island music povided by our hosts, or swimming on the pristine white beach. I didn't miss birthday cake in the least.

Dinner was at a local restaurant and consisted of fresh Parrot fish stuffed with crab and shrimp, marinated in coconut mile, and wrapped in banana leaves for steaming. It was gorgeous.

I have already spent 40 minutes writing another blog, which got lost when I tried to publish it, and this internet connection is very slow, so this will be short. We fly out tomorrow night about midnight, and will be back in LA about noon on Sunday. Home on Monday.

I'll try to post some photos and another addition to this later. Right now, I want to hit the lagoon before happy hour! We are staying at Pacific Resort a Sandals property. Got upgraded to a garden suite, and it's absolutely lovely. What a paradise. Island show tonight!

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The Cook Islands - Tuesday

2008-03-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

We arrived in the Cook Islands on Easter Sunday afternoon, having left Auckland on Monday afternoon. It is really strange to gain back a day. Here, and in NZ, the Monday after Easter is also a holiday, so nothing has been open until today. We even walked about 45 minutes in the hot sun to lunch yesterday at a Sailing Club up the beach. It was worth it, as the salads were terrific and the beer cold. I have pictures of the small regatta to share. Nice little double hulled sailboats.

The island is lovely, just like a Pacific island should be and like you've seen in the movies. There are white sandy beaches, tall coconut palms, and mountains in the center of the island. Our hotel is right on the beach, and there's great snorkeling right out our door and down two flights to the beach. Because we are on the top floor, our view is amazing. The reef is a long way off shore, so we have lots of fairly shallow water to explore, and there are lots of fish to be seen. Some are quite different from the ones we are used to in the Caribbean. The food is very good, and we've both eaten mostly fresh fish. Tonight, the restaurant in our hotel is open, so we will eat there, with a rhythm and blues singer performing. That should be interesting.

The flight over from Auckland was only 3 hours and 35 minutes on a big 777, and very comfortable. The lunch was delicious - can you believe it on an airplane? At reception, the friendly representative of our tour agency hung gardenia leis around our necks in welcome.

This morning we went on an arts and cultural tour, and because Bill and I were the only ones, we had a private tour. The guide took us to several historic sites of the Maoris, and several artists' studios. We had lunch in town, and will take the island bus back to our hotel after a little shopping. It's a pretty laid back lifestyle, as you might expect. Tomorrow morning we fly to Aitutaki for two nights. Then, back here on Friday to stay at Pacific Resort, a Sandals hotel. It looks pretty posh.

I am sending this from an internet cafe, and didn't lug my computer along on the tour and into town, hence no pictures. But, I have taken some great ones of the blue Pacific and crashing surf on the reef. I'll post them when we get home - or, if we find a different arrangement at the next hotel, which I doubt.

It's great weather. The vegetation is lush and in bloom. Can't ask for anything more. Lots of hibiscus, bouganvilla, crotans, banana trees, papayas, coconuts, etc. We ate island spinach the first night, which I later found out, is Taro. It was delicious. This whole island is delicious!

Easter Sunday on Waiheke Island

2008-03-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

The traditional view of the Sky Tower in Auckland on the right. If you look closely, you may be able to see the bungy jumper on the righthand side about half way down.

Tane Mahuta, the giant Kauri tree. It's difficult to get an idea of the scale of this tree from a picture. On the far left, is the Ferry Terminal in Auckland.

Today, we spent the day on Waiheke Island where there are about 15 wineries, mostly specializing in red wines. It is about a 35 minutes by ferry across from Auckland. There were lots of day- trippers going back and forth to celebrate the holiday, swim on the lovely beaches, and visit the wineries. We were glad we had a car, as we could go at our own pace.

We had lunch at Stoneyridge Winery and enjoyed a bottle of their very nice sauvignon blanc. The small menu selections were plenty for lunch. Bill had bruschetta with goat cheese and proscuitto. I had a vodka cured salmon with passionfruit and saffron flavored yogurt sauce. Both were delicious. We visited two other wineries, Mudbrick (which is pretty well-known) and Te Whau which has a very modern winery overlooking the expanse of beaches, the end of the island, and vineyards toward Auckland. It's a spectacular view.

Last night, we enjoyed another wonderful meal. I'm sure you are tired of reading about these. We ate at Harbourside restaurant which is in the Ferry Terminal building. I'll go into the menu, if anyone wants details. It was just as good as Craggy Range and the setting on the poarch included a view of the Auckland harbor and a sunset sky. It couldn't have been nicer.

Tomorrow, we fly to the Cook Islands. We leave Auckland about 11:30 a.m. arriving there at 4:30 p.m. We gain a day, but lose an hour. We'll then be on the same day of the week as the US. I don't know what the internet sitiuation will be there, but trust I can continue with postings.

Auckland and Waitangi Treaty House

2008-03-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

Above: Racing sailboat in Auckland harbor, Hokianga Harbor, Waka canoe at Waitangi

We made it to Auckland just fine, after an all day drive across the north island to the lovely and sacred (Maori) harbour of Hokianga on the west coast. There are more big picturesque dunes there and very small settlements. It's amazing when you find beautiful peaceful places like that which are totally undeveloped. We also drove through the forest of huge Kauri trees, similar to our redwoods. "Tane Mahuta", the biggest remaining tree was just a short walk off the highway.

The Kauri Museum, totally off the beaten path, was fascinating and enormous with a complete history of the thousand year old trees and the timber industry back in the 1930's and 40's. Now, there are very few left, but the museum has an extensive collection of furniture, wooden boats, rooms of panelling, bowls, etc. that have all been made from the Kauri wood as well as antique saw mills, chain saws, and other tools (Matt would love it). As we were traveling on Good Friday, there was so much traffic coming out of Auckland, the roads were jammed. We decided to head straight back and turn the car in early. Unfortunately, the car had other ideas, and with the check engine light on, we limped up all the hills driving the last 60 miles. It was an ordeal. Of course, finding the rental car agency in an unfamiliar BIG city was also a challenge. We were both getting pretty flustered, (that's putting it nicely) when we drove around the block, again, and there sat the Budget office. We were two minutes early, just before they closed. Whew.

Back to Waitangi two days ago. The tour of the grounds and the treaty house was lovely and informative. The Whare (pronounced "fah-ray") is a meeting house, and this one was built with authentic tools in the traditional manner in the late 1930's to comemorate the centenary of the signing of the treaty between the English and the Maori in 1840. We also saw the 33 meter waka, built the at the same time. It is taken out in the harbor every year on February 6, the anniversary of the signing) and paddled by 80 Maori men. Can you imagine a canoe big enough to hold 80 people? They say it weighs 12 tons when in the water.

The cultural show that night was wonderful, with all young beautiful performers doing the traditional songs and dances. I've never seen anything like it. It was exceptionally well-done, costumed, and lit - all in the meeting house with the carved statues of the 14 tribal ancestors looking on.

We walked all around downtown Auckland today, went to two markets, ate in the Viaduct Harbor overlooking racing sailboats and took the ferry to Devonport. Now, there is a lovely charming village with art deco buildings, cafes and art galleries. What a place to live! Lots of people were going across with children and bicycles because of the holiday weekend and perfect weather. There were hundreds of sailboats in the harbor. Wish you could all be here.

Pictures and More

2008-03-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the big dunes at the northend of the North Island.

"My" airplane that we flew up to the north end of the island. Great flight.

On the left, Cape Reinga lighthouse at the tip of the north island.

Here's the Hole in the Rock from our cruise of the Bay of Islands.

This afternoon we go to the Waitangi Treaty House for a tour at 3:00 p.m., and tonight, we have a cutural show on the Waitangi Reserve. Tomorrow, we'll leave about 9:00 a.m. to drive the scenic route down the west coast of the north island to Auckland. We'll take our time and see the scenery. So, we won't be into Auckand until about 5:00 p.m., and I won't write again until tomorrow evening. We have a free day in Auckland on Saturday, then a day on Waihike Island. Then, it's off to the Cooks.

Happy Easter to all.

Maorie Waka Trip, Bay of Islands Cruise, Salt Air Flight

2008-03-18T21:01:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, we drove up to the river boardering the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and climbed into a traditonal Maorie canoe for a trip up the river to Waruru Falls. Our guide, a Maorie with a big bone in his pierced ear taught us Maorie chants for paddling (very helpful after he broke the outboard motor on a rock), gave us lots of NZ history, and cultural stories from the Maorie people. We only had eight people paddling the big heavy wooden canoe and four passengers: the guide (big tatooed man), his daughter (large woman), grandson (small boy) and a disabled Kiwi who had broken some ribs two weeks previously doing handsprings over rocks. Well, it got him a free ride. We stopped for a rest half way back from the falls at the guide's "sacred meeting place" where we waded through knee-deep black, not sacred at all, mud to the shore. That was an experience in itself - pretty scary. We were presented with a traditional welcoming ceremony and ancester -remembrance sort-of experience inside the hut where there was a carving representing the guide's grandfather similar to a totem pole. The bone came out of his ear and became a flute which he played between chants. It was mostly conducted in the Maorie language which is quite lyrical. It was not an experience one has every day! We paddled successfully back to our launch site in rhythm to the paddle chant. Quite a haul.
That afternoon, we went out on the Bay of Islands cruise on King Cruise lines. It was a comfortable catamaran with lots of deck space (not at all crowded this time of year) for viewing the 144 lovely islands, rocks, clear lagoons, dolphins, and the Hole in the Rock which our captain succesfully negotiated without our having to paddle. The water is a beautiful green and full of game fish. Lots of people come here for the snapper, marlin, yellow fin tuna, and something called hoki. This is the season, we are told, for good fishing, and there is snapper on every menu. We bought some fillets this afternoon in a fresh fish market, and I'll cook it up for supper in our kitchen.
The first night we were here, we ate at "Only Seafood," which has a website, if you want to check it out. I had yellow fin tuna seared in soy sauce with bamboo shoots and cashews. Excellent. Last night we ate at Cafe 6 Bistro. It's German so I couldn't pass us the sauer braten, and it was delicious. Bill had pan fried whiting. We haven't had a bad meal in NZ, especially when we order seafood. It's all fresh and plentiful.
Kerikeri is another area of orchards, vegetable gardens, and vineyards. They say, you stick something in the ground and it grows. The soil is volcanic. The Maorie word "keri" means "dig," and the area was named because all the new "European tribes" did when they arrived was to dig holes and plant stuff.
We were picked up promptly this morning at 7:45 and taken to the airport to fly in our 6 seater small plane up the west coast of the north island to the very top. After a scenic 45 minute flight, we landed on a grass strip where a comfortable van picked us up to drive to Cape Reinga where a light house marks the northernmost tip. It was amazing to see where the two great oceans, the Pacific on the east and the Tasman on the west, meet in swirling currents. The fishing there is supposed to be great, too. Next time . . . .
Our van took us next to a morning "picnic" of fresh muffins and coffee on a deserted white sand beach where dolphins sometimes visit. Then, on to the famous huge sand dunes where we took boogie boards almost to the top and slid down. It was tough going in the soft sand, but I made it up and down twice. Bill insisted on going higher up the third time, came flying down, hit a small mogul and became airborne rolling three times to a final stop in the sand. It's good sand is softer than snow, but he is complaining of a sore shoulder this afternoon. Thank goodness for Celebrex.
The flight down the west coast back to the airport was even more scenic as we flew over white sliica beaches, green clear rocky lagoons (you could even see the little sharks on the bottom), and the many islands, most of which are desserted. It was quite a day and a wonderful trip.
I'll upload some photos tomorrow morning, as we have until afternoon before our tour of the Waitangi treaty grounds. This is the second time I've written this as I lost it last time on our hotel website. I'm now at the internet cafe next door and the connection is much better.

Bay of Islands

2008-03-17T12:38:00.001-07:00

Above, the kitchen in our apartment.

Our beach at Bay of Islands.

Bay of Islands

2008-03-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here is Craggy Range winery. That's Te Maa Peak in the background.

This little lad was blowing away, but playing nothing but squaks and squeaks, at the farmer's market on Sunday. He was so funny, people kept dropping coins in his hat! He probably made more in 10 minutes than the legitimate musicians that were playing at the other end of the market.

We flew to Bay of Islands early yesterday morning. Got into Kerikeri at 11:00 a.m. after changing in Auckland. These small domestic flights are easy. We had lunch at Marsden Estate, explored the little resorty village of Kerikeri, then drove down to the coast to our lovely modern apartment across the street from the beach. Edgewater Palms apartments is new, beautifully furnished and very comfortable. We have our own kitchen and washing machine. Our unit looks out on the infinity lap pool. Couldn't ask for more room, privacy, or comfort.

Bay of Islands is sub-tropical, and it is stange to see palm trees and banana trees growing side-by-side with roses and grape vines. The weather here is usually warm but cools off at night. Yesterday we had bright sun and a nice cool breeze. Last night is got pretty cold in here. Amazing. We are off to paddle a Maorie canoe this morning and to take a boat trip out to Hole in the Rock.

Farmer's Market and Craggy Range

2008-03-15T23:01:00.000-07:00

These are views from Te Mata Peak. The one on the right is looking down on Craggy Range Vineyard.

This morning we visited Havelock North farmer's market, a larger one than last Sunday in Blenheim. There were vendors from the entire valley with a wide range of produce, cheeses, olives, meats, eggs, candies, coffee, etc. It was a beautiful morning, crisp and very clear. Locals were browsing, buying and enjoying the music. Some brought lawn chairs, let the children run and play, and sat sipping the great coffees. It was a real treat. One of the oil producers sells to Whole Foods in the US - Village Press. Look for their very special olive oils there.

We then spent an hour or so walking through Hastings, another art deco town and drove to a couple of vineyards. Black Barn is a lovely place with a big outdoor restaurant and special events venue. There had been a wedding there last night, so the white floral arrangements were still in place. It was spectacular.

We had a 12:30 reservation at Terroir Restaurant at Craggy Range, a vineyard in a green valley beneath Te Mata Peak. We tasted their wines first, and were very impressed with them. Each we tasted was good, from the Marlborough sauvignon blanc to the Gimblett Gravel Merlot. They also export to the US. Their wines are a little higher priced than some NZ wines, but first quality.

Our lunch was the best food we've had in NZ, and that's saying a lot. Our starter was delicate crab salad and avocado on a brioche with lemon sauce. For the main course, I had a whole snapper fresh from Hawk's Bay wood-fire grilled, and Bill had grilled lamb loin. The service was excellent. It was a memorable afternoon, sitting on the terrace with the view of Te Mata, the lake, and green lawns. Terroir is understandably well-known for it's food. If I can imagine heaven, I think I was there enjoying it this afternoon.

Napier

2008-03-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures from yesterday. The top one is Mission Estate, a gorgeous winery with good wines. The middlc is downtown Napier. And, the one on the left, is next to the waterfront park in Napier. Notice the art deco architecture (and lack of traffic at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.)

Napier

2008-03-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

This is the small bay outside the restaurant, "The Smoke House" in Mapua. Disregard smaller image.

Napier was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and rebuilt in the art deco style. It wasn't until the 1980's, however, that the city council realized what they had, and by then, several examples of art deco buildings had been torn down to build glass-fronted modern 70's buildings. Now, it has become the "art deco center" of the world. It is a lovely small city with palm trees reminiscent of South Beach but without the high temperatures, the tourists, and the humidity. We had a good architectural tour for an hour this morning, then drove up to Mission Estates, the oldest winery in NZ, which is still owned by the Catholic Church. Until 8 years ago, it was still a monastery. We had lunch in a small cafe nearby that is situated in a garden center - sort of a "ladies who do lunch" place - but beautiful.

Then, we drove down to Clearview Estates on the Pacific coast, tasted their excellent wines, and did a 45 minutes hike along the rocky beach toward Cape Kidnappers. The tide was going out, but we got stoppd by a really rocky area beneath the cliffs where we either got wet or turned back. We chose the latter.

Stopped in at Kim Crawford nextdoor to Clearview and met a couple of local lads, one who is an advertising consultant, and his cousin who just won an international award for portrait painting. Very friendly to us old folks, they invited us to share their meat and cheese platter with them. Like all New Zealanders, they are bright and interested in people, so it was fun to chat with them about their country, Australians, and wines.

Off to dinner, and then tomorrow we have the local farmers' market in Havelock North, and lunch at Craggy Range.

Hawk's Bay and the North Island

2008-03-14T00:14:00.000-07:00

This is the cathedral in Nelson. The downtown streets are all hung with beautiful hanging baskets of flowers like this.

We left our beautiful cottage at 6:30 a.m. to drive to the airport in Nelson. Actually, being Americans, we arrived way too early for a NZ domestic flight. We were told to get there at 7:25 for an 8:10 flight, but just didn't trust that. So, there was no problem turning in the Budget Rental car, and we were the first to arrive for the flight. Sure enough, the locals started turning up about 7:40. There are no security lines, and the NZ check-in lady only looked at our passports because I offered them as proof of our names on the tickets. There are not only no security lines, there is no security on flights within NZ with under 68 passengers. So, you check your bags and board the flight. In Napier, they delivered the bags on baggage carts, and you simply lift yours off, and off you go. Budget had our car ready, we signed a paper, were given the keys and were driving to lunch at Sileni Estates within 10 minutes. Amazing. There is a great sculpture garden at Sileni with affordable sculpture pieces. I wish we lived here, I'd buy some.

Sileni is a big winery, imports to the US, and has a great outdoor restaurant. We had a nice pizza with local feta cheese, olives, and tomatoes; and shared a salad. Good Sauvignon Blanc wine. We then drove through acres and acres of vineyards on both sides of the road to Havelock North, which is a very up-scale town with lovely shops (Eilene you'd love the shoes and clothing), and boutique food stores of every kind. The North Island is definitely greener and more affluent than the South Island. After visiting Te Mata Winery, the oldest in NZ (110 years old) and sampling some of their wines, we checked into our "colonial" homestead B & B out in the country. There are walnut trees dropping nuts all over the ground, almond trees, avocados, and olive trees surrounding us. It's an amazing bountiful land. We also see more apple orchards here, and viturally thousands of acres of vineyards on everyside. The valley is flat and wide.

After a short nap, we drove up Te Mata Peak, a hair-raising narrow road with steep drop-offs and no guard rails, had a glass of wine to celebrate arriving safely at the top, photographed the views, and then drove back down (it was easier after one glass of wine - not two), to Havelock North to the highly recommended restaurant, "Diva." It was devine (sorry, it really was). We had snapper, lightly crusted and sweet. Also, a boysenberry creme brulee to die for. The young chef, Ben Cruise (sp?), was trained in England, and knows what he is doing!

Tomorrow, we have an art deco tour of Napier, then lunch at Mission Estates above Napier. This is really a different part of NZ. It is obviously more "posh," and there are incredible modern new homes on the road up to Te Mata Peak. There were lots of "people of a certain age" enjoying wine with their friends at tables outside at the restaurant tonight before going on to dinner. It's got Cashiers beat, hands down. Can't wait to see of Napier lives up to its reputation.

Last Day in Nelson area

2008-03-12T22:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was for taking it easy. We did laundry and hung it on the line in the sunshine and breeze, visied Mapua galleries, did a little grocery shopping, and cooked in "our own kitchen." We had wonderful fresh lamb chops and fresh brocolli. We are surrounded by apple orchards growing Gala apples which are being harvested now. They are beautiful to look at, sweet, crunchy and juicy. Up the road toward Abel Tasman are fields of lettuce, melons, and orchards of kiwis. It's a real truck farming area and very fertile. There are a lot of properties for sale here as the older generation is selling off their acreage and scaling down. There is a huge new modern house (4 bedrooms, two living areas) with a garden that looks like a park, three rock ponds, and small waterfalls, just above us here, with a view of the Tasman Bay - $1,600,000.00 NZ, if anyone is interested.

Today, we drove up to two wineries in Upper Moutere, Kahurangi (which produces 29,000 cases a year) and exports to the US (I have tasting notes, Neil), and Neudorf Winery which is smaller, "Charlie Trotter" in Chicago has their wines. Both wineries have been here for a long time and have older vines than those near us at Ruby Bay. We also visited Neudorf Dairy which makes incredible fresh sheeps' milk cheese. Lunch at our cottage on leftovers, a little nap, and a long walk through the country roads. The pickers left two bright red apples on one of the trees, and they just fell into my hands! We met the wine-maker who works on this vineyard, Atilla. He and Sam, the owner, are anxiously watching the grapes. A hard rain now would be devastating for the harvest.

More Kiwi slang: "Sitting on my choff" - well, you probably have figured it out; Pokies = gambling machines; jangles = flip flops; chilly bin = cooler; crib = small vacation home on the north island; bach (comes from bachelor pad) = small vacation home on the south island. Sign on the side of a milk tank truck = "Milk Moooover."

We have an early flight to Napier tomorrow morning.

2008-03-11T16:05:00.001-07:00

Top. Onetahuti Cove

Rt. This is Split Apple rock, our destination on our kayak tour. It's in Abel Tasman Park.

Lft. Pinot grapes in Ruby Bay vineyard. They are almost ready to pick.

Ruby Bay, Nelson area

2008-03-11T13:44:00.001-07:00

There are some places you visit that live up to your expectations: Venice, New York, Key West. There are others that exceed them: the Grand Canyon, Paris, Santa Barbara, CA. As most of you know, I had very high expectations for New Zealand, and it falls very strongly into the second category. The land itself is magnificent, the food and wines are delicious, and the people are, without exception, naturally friendly and welcoming. You realize you will always be returned a smile and conversation for conversation initiated. The Kiwis have a woderful sense of humor and enjoy a good story. It is easy to talk to total strangers and you soon get over the feeling of shyness that every new-comer has in any foreign country.

Last night we had fresh seafood in a local cafe (http://www.smokehouse.co.nz/) on the waterfront in a tiny little village, Mapua, just 10 minutes from where we are staying. We had an outdoor table looking over a little bay with a few small sailboats and dinghies anchored. The sun was setting over the mountains behind Nelson, and with the tide low, the water was calm. The air was delightfully cool. There were several tables of locals and a few tourists. A young couple came in with three children, two little girls, and a baby about 4 months old. After ordering their food, the mother saw me admiring the baby, picked him up and brought him over to our table to introduce "Joseph" to us. He smiled a big happy dimpled smile at me, and she handed him over for me to talk to him for a minute or two. It was the most spontaneous and friendly encounter. Now, where else have you been lately where that might happen?

We spent the morning yesterday kayaking in Abel Tasman, It was cool and slightly overcast, so we avoided the danger of getting sun-burned. A bag lunch followed, then we were taken by water taxi to Onetahuti for a walk back down the Tasman track to Bark Bay. The sun was shining by this time, but we were in heavy shade for part of the track with 50 foot fern tress and heavy green moss on the forest floor. There were two sparkling waterfalls, golden sand beaches, and crystal clear emerald water. We saw a colony of seals on one of the islands, had a good 2 hour walk which was pretty steep in several places, and then joined our water taxi (right on time, again) for the return trip ot Kaiteriteri. It was a great day, and we returned to our cottage for a cold glass of Pegasus Bay riesling. It just doesn't get any better.

The landscape is so beautiful. The towns look like the 1960's. Of course, we are still on the south island, and there are fewer people here than on the north island, but there is just no traffic compared to the US, and all two-lane roads. By the way, the music that is played in cafes and pubs is all 1960's Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, etc. Bill and I can sing along with all of them!

I'll post some pictures this afternoon.

Nelson area

2008-03-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

This is our view yesterday morning of the Marlborough Valley from our hike up the Wither Hills Farm Park trek. It was a pretty steep hike with lots of trails we didn't follow, but a good 1 hour workout. There are hundreds of acres of vineyards in the valley and adjacent ones. Hopefully, the big wineries won't take over the boutique wineries in the valley. There seems to be some cause for concern.

We went to the Sunday morning farmer's market in Blenheim which featured local farmers and local residents being themselves. There were fresh cheeses, produce, crepe stands, expresso sellers, locally raised nuts and milled olive oils. What fun! We bought a baguette, a soft cheese, the reddest plums I've ever seen, candied almonds, and Manuka honey - all locally grown or produced. After our trek up the hills, we visited Matua winery and bought an exceptional bottle of sauvignon blanc which we enjoyed with our fresh picnic lunch. We also stopped at Villa Maria winery for a tasting. Back to our nice apartment for a short nap, then back to work, visiting Montana (Brancott) and Dryland wineries. Montana doesn't use this in their name on the US imports because of the confusion with our state. Also, it being a huge winery, they also bottle under the Stoneleigh name, which accounts for all the acres of vineyards we've seen in Marlborough carrying that name. Dryland is also the producer of Nobilo and Monkey Bay - two of our favorite wine labels, so there is another "mystery" solved. The Matua sauvignon blanc was labeled Paretai Sauvignon Blanc and is only available from restaurants and some wine stores in the US. It is wonderful.

We ate dinner at the restaurant at Vintner's Retreat. Bill had the rack of lamb, and I had the Marlborough salmon which had a salsa of red peppers, green onions and pomegranate seeds! Both were delicious.

Her's some pinot gris grapes, sidewise. There is netting used throughout the region to prevent the birds from eating all the grapes. We are now at Ruby Bay Lodge in their guest house, which is a private cottage just for guest use and includeds every amenity. Check out their web site: http://www.rubybaylodge.co.nz/ We have met the Scottish owners, tasted their wines, and are enjoying the lovely platter of cheeses and meats on our porch while admiring the view of their vineyards and the Tasman Bay. What a luxurious place to spend four days. There are bay-side cafes and restaurants within a 5 minute drive. Tomorrow morning we sea kayak, walk, and cruise the Abel Tasman park.

Marlborough wine district

2008-03-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

Here is Bill in the rose gardens of the Botanical Gardens in Christchurch. The roses are beautiful right now, as it is the second summer blooming - like September in the northern hemisphere.

We visited three wineries this morning: Hunter, Cloudy Bay, and Allan Scott. They are all within a five minutes drive of our lovely apartment-style hotel. Thanks, Bob, for the recommendation of Allan Scott. It is, indeed, a great winery with a garden and an outdoor restaurant. Bill had an oyster and bacon pie, and I had green mussel and shrimp salad. Both were great with the Allan Scott's sauvignon blanc. It was the best s.b. we tasted today. The others, although higher priced, were very acidic. This afternoon, we took a nap, (Eilene, our rest day was today) and then drove into Blenhiem, which is really just a small "farm" town, to find an ATM, visit a petrol station, and do a nice walk in the park along the river. The flowers are blooming. The walking path lies along the public golf course. So, after a nice hour-long walk, we are back at "home" fixing a salad in our little kitchn for supper. Eating out every meal gets old. Actually, we've had breakfast in almost every morning, as every hotel has coffee makng facilities, and yogurt and fruit are easy to find in local shops.

Tomorrow, there is a local market at the fair grounds, so we'll go there before doing the Wilton Hills walk and then more wineries.

Onward to Marlborough

2008-03-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

This is Chard's Farm winery just outside Queenstown.

Boy, these NZ rental company people are efficient here. This is a second time a Budget car has been delivered to our hotel, right on time. Very little paper work, and away we went. We were out of Christchurch and on the road by 8:45 a.m. It's a gorgeous drive up through the North Canterbury plain where there are rolling high hills on both sides of the road, very green, with happy sheep nibbling along. As we got further north, the road ran right beside the green Pacific with mountains on the left. We went through some pretty twisty mountain roads with cedars and big pines on every side, then down into Kaikoura which is famous for it's whale watching tours. We skipped that in favour of a seafood lunch at the Pier Hotel on the bay. Bill had a rich seafood chowder - cream based - and, I had the local crayfish, which is like Florida crawfish. Delicious. (By the way, Karolyn, Finz in S. Bay is closed.)

Back on the road, we drove along the Pacific for another 45 minutes and spotted seals sunning themselves on the rocks. It looks a little like the rugged California coast. Then, back inland for another 45 minutes through dry brown high hills again. It's a very dramatic landscape against the brilliant blue sky. The Awatere Valley appears one of the newest vineyard areas with 100's of acres of newly planted vines. Got into Blenheim about 4:00 p.m. The Marlborough Valley is wide, flat and full of wineries. There are grapes everywhere you look. Our hotel, The Vintner's Hotel, is separate one-bedroom apartments - beautifully furnished, modern, and with a huge bathroom.

Oh, this morning, we stopped at Pegasus Bay vineyard about an hour outside Christchurch. What a lovely setting with rose and herb gardens, views, and excellent wines to taste. Neil, the dry riesling is terrific.

Tomorrow, is Marlborough wineries day. We are right among the vines here, Staet Landt is across the street, and Cloudy Bay is around the corner. It's pretty amazing.

Christchurch

2008-03-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

First, the Bodhi Tree last night, the Burmese restaurant: it seems to be very popular with locals, has great authentic food (I guess, having never been to Myanmar, the modern Burma), and we enjoyed it immensely. We had a papya salad, and a shredded chicken mixed greens salad; then, pork dumplings (pot stickers) and lamb kebabs; then a piece of semolina/coconut cake. None of it was really spicey, just enough. It's a great place for a different kind of meal. We took our own bottle of sauvignon blanc with us and paid a small corkage fee, so the whole meal was about $55.00, which is pretty cheap for NZ. The food here is more expensive than at home, especially eating out.

Today, we went to breakfast in the cafe at the cathedral and then over to Town Hall (just half a block from our hotel) to meet Ken Oxford who is Larry and Mary Jo's friend here in Christchurch. He gave us a VIP tour around the huge performing arts center he manages, and we are meeting him and Steph for a drink at the Warner Hotel, a historic place next to the cathedral.

We then walked through the Art Gallery (all free) and the huge arts center which is housed in the old buildings of the University of Canterbury. Since it is cloudy and cool, you can imagine you are in England as the buildings look like those at Cambridge or Oxford, only smaller. The arts center has a collection of galleries, artists' studios, and shops. It is reminiscent of Biltmore Village in Asheville. Had lunch there at a great wine bar called Annie's. Soup and salad was delicious. It was a short walk from there to the botanical gardens where we strolled along the River Avon, saw the incredible exhibit of begonias, the fern house and the formal rose gardens. It is lovely.

Tomorrow, the car is to be delivered at 8:30 a.m., and we are off to Blenheim.

Cheminne is the winner of the "bingo wings" contest. Clever girl!

Christchurch Bush "Safari"

2008-03-05T00:12:00.000-08:00

We were picked up at our hotel this morning at 7:40 am by a nice lady in a van and taken up to
Springfield which is about 1+ hour across the Canterbury Plain. There we were picked up by "No Hassle Tours" who took us to the Waikamakiri River for a jet boat ride with "young Matt," an experienced jet boat "driver." The river is run-off from the snow fields in the Southern Alps, and aqua blue with a little milky cast. Absolutely beautiful. Of course, we were given the usual thrills of running up to cliff-sides on the river and swerving away at the last possible second and 360 degree turns in the middle of the river. You've seen it on tv. It was great fun and the scenery was spectacular. (Sorry, I keep using that word.) It was rough coming back against the current, but exhilarating.

Then, we were taken in a unimog (a big four-wheel-drive army vehicle) up to a sheep and cattle station owned by an individual family for the last 4 generations. It is 10,0o0 acres with 7500 sheep, and I don't know how many Aberdeen beef cattle. Gorgeous country and gorgeous livestock. The ride was really rough. Would rather have hiked in, and could have done it in the same time, but we were captive. Lunch in a cafe, then by van to Arthur's Pass (look it up on internet) to catch the Alpine Express back to Christchurch.

Now, what a day! This country is so un-spoiled. It reminds me of the countryside in the US in the 1950's. The houses are all small, though nice, and there are no inter-states or big subdivisions, and absolutely no billboards. It all look vaguely familiar, which only you of our generation and older can understand.

More things we like about NZ:

Every restaurant puts a big pitcher or carafe of fresh tap water on the table, no questions asked. It is cold and clean (sometimes iced), and one doesn't have a choice of "gas or no gas," for goodness sake.

You can bring your own wine to most restaurants - and the corkage fee is usually $5.50 NZ. That's a lot less than we pay in Cashiers.

Every motel and hotel, so far, has had laundry facilities. Pay attention Europe. You can't find a washing machine there at any price.

We also love the Kiwi slang:
- -
Stickies - after-dinner sweet drinks
Sallys - Salvation Army charity shops, every town has one
Puku - bellies, especially on men, it's a sign of prosperity
Road maggots - big camper vans (or SUV's in our country)

Now, we'll see who is following this blog. The BIG question - What are "bingo wings?"

Whoever answers correctly in 24 hours gets a free flight to NZ. (NOT)

Check out Mansion House Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, 2007 (Savvy). It's soft, well-balanced, and delicious. That's for all of you who love good sauvignon blanc. I hope it's available in the US. Neil?

Will try to download and upload some pictures tomorrow. Just haven't had the time or energy. Also, will tell you about the incredible Burmese restaurant we ate dinner in tonight. One of the best meals, Bill reports, that he has ever enjoyed. I'ts called the Bohdi Tree and has a website.

Christchurch

2008-03-03T23:50:00.000-08:00

A very English city, with an Avon River and a cathedral. The flight from Queenstown was easy; it's a small airport.

Things we love about NZ:

There is no traffic
The roads are beautifully signposted
No tipping is expected
The food is fresh, local, and excellent
The people are incredibly unpretentious, genuinely friendly, and helpful
The public restrooms are always clean
Children walk and ride bicycles to school

More later

We go on a bush trip tomorrow out to pick up the Alpine Express train and back to Christchurch and through the national park west of Christchurch. We went to two wineries this morning on the way back to the airport. Peregrine is gorgeous with very modern architecture. Check out their website: www.peregrine.co.nz

Everyone here is interested in the primaries tomorrow in Ohio and Texas. It's amazing how much this part of the world knows and cares about politics in the US.

Alexandra Wineries and Countryside

2008-03-03T11:39:00.000-08:00

The Central Otago is not only known for its pinot noir, it is also a huge fruit growing area. We bought fresh peaches, pears, green gage plums. cherries, and apricots at a roadside fruit company. They are lush and sweet. The flavors are so different from those you buy in a grocery store. Our hostess serves a whole platter of cut fresh fruit for breakfast every morning. There are also fresh local cheeses. It's not a bad way to live!

Bill did a "walkie" around the property this morning while I worked on the computer. Rocky Range consists of 100 acres of lovely raw property, not much grass, lots of wild thyme, bees, and lavendar. The views are magnificent. Late in the morning we headed for Black Ridge winery the southermost winery/vineyard in the world. We ate a picnic lunch by Lake Dunston between Cromwell and Alexandra. It's a power lake, turquoise in color, and surrounded by steep barren mountain slopes. The countryside looks like the Colorado mountains.

After lunch, we drove on into Cromwell to visit Wooing Tree winery owned by friends of our new friends in France, Sue and Micaela (where we stayed in the Loire Valley in October.) Steve was expecting us and shared a glass of his award winning pinot noir. He is looking for a US importer, so I took his card to share with Neil and his friend Rob who works for Country Vintners. Wooing Tree is on the floor of the valley and is fast producing some of the best wines in the country. We then, drove up to Mount Difficulty for some of the most beautiful views of valley and mountains in the area.

Dinner back at Monteith's restaurant in Alexandra. They have wonderful warm lamb salads. Delicious.

Tomorrow we fly from Queenstown to Christchurh.

Alexandra, NZ Sunday

2008-03-02T01:13:00.000-08:00

Pouring rain and gale force winds in Te Anua this morning. We are so glad we did the Milford Sound trip and the trek over the last two days. I would think the track is closed today because of the weather. Our shoes are soaked from yesterday, and the room was draped with wet-weather gear. We had a great dinner of lamb and fresh NZ salmon and slept well, our last night in the Fijorland area.

Drove back through Queenstown area and out into the Central Otago. We stopped for lunch in the Gibstown Valley winery, immediately off the road and easy to find. (Everything in NZ is easy to find.) There is very little traffic and everything is well-marked and signage is easy to follow. Excellent food and excellent wines.

Stopped at the "Big Picture" for a big-screen helicoptor tour of the Otago wine district and tasting of six pinot noirs. Interesting experience, and, my favorite, was stopping at a local fruit orchard stand for fresh peaches, greengage plums, cherries, pears, and apples. All are grown here in the Otago Valley. Incredible.

Our B & B tonight is "Rocky Range" which is locally owned by a Texan and a Kiwi. Lovely couple and gorgeous facilities. Every need is accomodated graciously.

Tomorrow is for more wineries and a good hike in the rocky terrain.

Sunday morning

2008-03-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

It's blowing a gale off Lake Te Anau and still raining. So glad we did the Milford Track yesterday. More cascading waterfalls and thundering rivers swollen with all the rain we've had. At one point, the guides were saying we couldn't go the entire distance in (5.5 klm) in because there was waist deep water to cross. After our picnic lunch in the first hut; however, the water had receded somewhat and once we got to the crossing, it was only ankle deep. Not a problem, but certainly created wet sloggy shoes and socks for the rest of the walk. Our round-trip trek was about 6 miles. The rainforest is beautiful with green moss all over the floor and growing up the sides of trees. We saw fan tail birds and bush robins, all very friendly because people feed them. The entire Milford Trek is 33 klm long, and one can only do it in one direction. The number of people walking at any one time is limited so that there is not too much crowding. Most folks carry their provisions and bed rolls to spend the three nights on the trail in comfortable huts. Some less brave souls book with guides and very fine lodges for the three nights. Three course meals are provided and lots of NZ wine. Sounds like a plan.

This morning, we are off to Central Otago and more wineries, then overnight at Rocky Range in Alexandra. (They have a website if you want to take a look.)

We are much happier now that our luggage arrived while we were on the walk yesterday. It got here about 4:30, 5 days since we saw it in LA. It's amazing how little one can get by on.

Hopefully, I'll be rested enough to download some photos tonight and get them attached to the next blog.

Te Anau

2008-02-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

We drove up to two wineries in the Queenstown area yesterday before heading down to Te Anau, arriving about 5:00 p.m. Chard's Farm is lovely, with a Tuscan-style cellar door and great whites and pinots. It is up a long gravel drive with steep drop-offs to a roaring whitewater river below. Well worth the heart-stopping drive. Bill has taken to driving on the left side of the road like a champ, with lots of coaching through every round-about.

Then, we had lunch at Amifield Winery. They have a great restaurant with a gorgeous outdoor patio. Food was wonderful, and a sauvignon blanc from a single vineyard and a little oak finish that was unlike any we've had before. Absolutely heavenly. Then, we headed for Te Anau. It's about a 2 hour drive through gorgeous sheep and deer (!) ranch countryside in valleys between two steep mountain ranges. It is so strange to see herds of deer grazing the pastures. Our motel room is very nice with a small kitchen, a separate bedroom, and a view of Te Anau Lake. (Te Anau rhymes with "see the cow.")

Today we went on the Milford Sound cruise. The two hour trip on a coach between Te Anau and Milford included some of the most raw beautiful scenery we have ever seen. It is a landscape I never dreamed still existed without the ruinous influence of people. Fijordland National Park is 3 million acres of protected rainforest, wide planes with trout streams, and crashing waterfalls (literally thousands of them today because it was raining). The boat trip took us around the sound to view more waterfalls than we've ever seen in our lives. I kept thinking of the poor people of Atlanta who would have given anything for all the fresh water. It rains there 200 days out of 365 and the annual rainfall is more than 25 feet. No wonder it rained all day today.

Our luggage has yet to appear. We did get $100 each from the airline yesterday and visited the NZ equivalent of K-Mart to buy a change of underwear and some t-shirts. It's so frustrating because we have all that nice rain gear in the suitcases that we need for this weather and our trek tomorrow. They say the luggage is now in Auckland, (they said that yesterday) and should be delivered sometime tomorrow. We'll see.

This part of NZ is dramatic and un-spoiled. The people are all still friendly and helpful. We have a great landlady who is even supplying rain gear for us tomorrow.

More later.

Queenstown

2008-02-27T12:08:00.000-08:00

It's Thursday morning here, and we spent yesterday traveling from Auckland to Queenstown by air. We had only 3 hours in a motel in Auckland 2:30 am - 5:30 am) before the on-going flights, therefore, we were exhausted but after an easy transfer to the Blue Peaks Lodge, we forged ahead to Bob's Peak to travel 1200 feet almost straight up on the cable car to the top. The views are magnificent of the Remarkable Mountains and Lake Wakatipu below. Hang-glidders were sailing from top to bottom, and the sun peaked in and out makiing a dramatic display on the lake and mountainsides. It was spectacular. The lake is turquoise.

After lunch, we took the TSS Earnslaw steamer to the Walter Peak sheep farm. The steamer was built in 1911 and still has it's original coal fired engines. We watched a Welsh collie work the sheep to whistled commands, and then, most amazing of all, a big wooly sheep sheared of her wool in about 4 minutes. The tea was served in the lovely big house, and consisted of a generous supply of scons and little pancakes with whipped cream and jam. It was all provided very graciously and a beautiful setting. The roses, hydrangeas, agapanthes, and dahlias are in full bloom.

Jared and Neil, you would have loved the luge on Bob's Peak. It was so much fun, even for us two very cautious seniors. You could have gone down the advanced course - over an over. Also, you'd be here about two days and be hang glidding off the top. There's also para-sailing and bungy jumping. Something for everyone.

We have no luggage yet. NZ Air keeps promising to deliver, but so far, we have nothing but the clothes on our backs and a few basics like toothbrushes. We head for Amisfield winery and a couple of others when our car is delivered at 10:00 a.m. Then, this afternoon we go to Te Anau.
It's been a bit difficult so far with the flight delays, no sleep, and no clothes, but this is a gorgeous country and the people are just a friendly as reported. Everyone here is dressed casually, mostly in outdoors sorts of clothes. Our motel here, Blue Peaks Lodge, had a small kitchen and was very comfortable.

Hopefully, in my next posting, I'll be better dressed!

The City of Angels

2008-02-24T21:20:00.000-08:00

We are still in LA as Air NZ had to postpone our flight until tomorrow morning. So, we will arrive in Auckland 12 hours late. We are staying in a lovely Sheraton, however, at NZ Air's expense, have had a great dinner in Shuler's restaurant, and will enjoy complimentary breakfast in the morning. Too bad to miss 12 hours in NZ, but at least we are comforatable and happy. Had a great day at the Getty Museum, and a wonderful lunch in their cafe. It's an impressive place, however Mr. Getty earned his fortune.

The saga continues tomorrow.

Cook Islands Itinerary

2008-02-05T04:49:00.000-08:00

Sun 23:

4:15 p.m. Welcome to the Cook Islands. Three nights in the Moana Sands motel on the beach

Mon 24 Rarotonga Arts and Culture Tour - visit sites historical to the native Maori people

Tues 25 Free day to explore, swim, and snorkel

Wed 26 Fly to Aitutaki, arruve 11:20a.m.. Two nights Tamanu Beach, a native style accomodation on the lagoon

Thurs 27 Bishop's Lagoon Cruise. Cruise includes snorkeling, fish feeding, stops at the motus, a fish BBQ lunch at One Foot Island, and a birthday cake for Roxanna

Fri 28 Fly to Rarotonga, arrive 10:00 a.m. One night at Pacific Resort including use of kayaks, canoes, snorkeling equipment, tropical breakfast daily.

Sat 29 Market day in town. Black pearls for sale! Depart Rarotonga at 11:59 p.m.

Sun 30 Arrive LAX, 12:20 p.m. Overnight Marriott

Mon 31 LAX to Greenville, arrive 5:47 p.m.