I arrived back in Canberra on the bus from Sydney at 11.30 on Friday night. There were several delays and frustrations on the way and I was less calm and able to sit patiently than I was hoping to be. I think, mentally, I started the long journey home when I left San Remo, not Milan.
I stepped foot outside the airplane at Sydney at 8.10 pm ( 2.75 hours late) and I am sure I now have the record for the fastest time through immigration and customs. I was seated at the front end of the business class passengers, so I only had a few first class passengers to weave my way through and then I ran. There was noone else around, no other large jet had just discharged its hordes, there had been a delay of about 15 min waiting at the gate for a quarantine doctor to check a sick passenger and therefore my bag was already on the carousel when I got straight through immigration, no queues, then straight through customs, no queues, then I ran again to the bus, due to leave at 8.15, and got there as the last 2 passengers were boarding at 8.22
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Milan overnight
If you are one of those people who read the previous post about my mission summary, I have added to it.
I have just arrived in a hotel near Milano secondary airport Linate. I caught th train from San remo to Milan, bus from central railway to Lina te, checked what time I should be ther for a 6.30 departure, then walked to the hotel. Off now for a walk around a man made nearby lake.
I have just arrived in a hotel near Milano secondary airport Linate. I caught th train from San remo to Milan, bus from central railway to Lina te, checked what time I should be ther for a 6.30 departure, then walked to the hotel. Off now for a walk around a man made nearby lake.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Last day in San Remo
I pottered, started my new knitting project, though it was 2 steps forward, 1 step back mostly, attempted some souvenir shopping but gave up . It was too hard and too crowded and too hot. Tomorrow I go to Milan by train.
Mission summary
I looked for 29 churches . Of these, at the marked place on the map, I found nothing like a church on 3 occasions.
Of the remaining 13 flops :
3 I found the building but it was not being used as a church
3 I found the church and it was closed up, not in use
1 was closed for renovations
6 were closed when I was there, but are in use
Of the 13 churches that were open and in which I lit a candle or candles :
2 were a success grade 1 plus. I chose the candle, what colour, lit it, and chose where to place it on the stand.
3 were a success grade 1 , as above but all the candles were the same colour
5 were a success grade 2. I was not able to light a real candle, but I had some choice over where I put the pretend candle, or which of the pretend candles I could turn on.
3 were only a success grade 3. I put my money in the slot and I had no choice over which pretend candle lit up.
The above sounds very business -like, without feeling. I was pleased I put the effort into this mission. I have no idea if it has in any way helped A (as in A good friend) or her family. From my experience of almost 10 years ago now, I can remember feeling a glimmer of warmth in my heart when I found out similar things people were doing for John, me and our children. Glimmers eventually add up.
Of the remaining 13 flops :
3 I found the building but it was not being used as a church
3 I found the church and it was closed up, not in use
1 was closed for renovations
6 were closed when I was there, but are in use
Of the 13 churches that were open and in which I lit a candle or candles :
2 were a success grade 1 plus. I chose the candle, what colour, lit it, and chose where to place it on the stand.
3 were a success grade 1 , as above but all the candles were the same colour
5 were a success grade 2. I was not able to light a real candle, but I had some choice over where I put the pretend candle, or which of the pretend candles I could turn on.
3 were only a success grade 3. I put my money in the slot and I had no choice over which pretend candle lit up.
The above sounds very business -like, without feeling. I was pleased I put the effort into this mission. I have no idea if it has in any way helped A (as in A good friend) or her family. From my experience of almost 10 years ago now, I can remember feeling a glimmer of warmth in my heart when I found out similar things people were doing for John, me and our children. Glimmers eventually add up.
Monday, September 7, 2015
Bordighera
Today I went to Bordeghera, 30 minutes by bus West along the coast towards France. It is a smaller town than San Remo, but apparently it's palm trees are better. The Vatican sources it's palms for Palm Sunday from Bordighera. Monet lived here for a while and painted many scenes.
It is like many towns along the coast -it has an old town with ancient walls and narrow twisting lanes and the new part along the current coastline. I went first to a church with, I thought, a very confused name, Chiesa dell' Immacolata Concezione dei Padri Francescani. A service was about to start so I light a candle, sat for a bit, and left. A success grade 2. I chose which candle to swith on, but no flame.
Next I walked along the coast , past all the 'beaches' , both private and public, to a little chapel. It features in some of Monet's paintings. The old part was very plain and simple. Mass is said once a day, but the only thing hanging above the altar is a statue of an old man in a cloak. Moses or God or Old Father Time? There was a new bit added on with 2 candle lighting stations. Another success grade 1 plus. I could choose which color candle, light it with a real flame, and choose where on the stand to put it.
I walked up to the old town through a pleasant park with good views, through a very old gate, through narrow lanes to another church, similar to many others, lots of sparkle and twiddly bits and statues and dark, gloomy paintings. Success grade 2, I could choose a pretend candle and which place to slot it into, but no flame.
According to my map, there was another church further up the hill. Not so. I could not find it, stopped and asked 2 very old ladies and was told there used to be a church but it was incorporated into the nursing home.
Back down the hill and lunch at one of the many places along the waterfront. I sat looking out over the tops of the beach umbrellas to the sea and along the coast to the west. It was easy to see France. It was a good meal.
It is like many towns along the coast -it has an old town with ancient walls and narrow twisting lanes and the new part along the current coastline. I went first to a church with, I thought, a very confused name, Chiesa dell' Immacolata Concezione dei Padri Francescani. A service was about to start so I light a candle, sat for a bit, and left. A success grade 2. I chose which candle to swith on, but no flame.
Next I walked along the coast , past all the 'beaches' , both private and public, to a little chapel. It features in some of Monet's paintings. The old part was very plain and simple. Mass is said once a day, but the only thing hanging above the altar is a statue of an old man in a cloak. Moses or God or Old Father Time? There was a new bit added on with 2 candle lighting stations. Another success grade 1 plus. I could choose which color candle, light it with a real flame, and choose where on the stand to put it.
I walked up to the old town through a pleasant park with good views, through a very old gate, through narrow lanes to another church, similar to many others, lots of sparkle and twiddly bits and statues and dark, gloomy paintings. Success grade 2, I could choose a pretend candle and which place to slot it into, but no flame.
According to my map, there was another church further up the hill. Not so. I could not find it, stopped and asked 2 very old ladies and was told there used to be a church but it was incorporated into the nursing home.
Back down the hill and lunch at one of the many places along the waterfront. I sat looking out over the tops of the beach umbrellas to the sea and along the coast to the west. It was easy to see France. It was a good meal.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
A day of rest in San remo
I did no sightseeing and no candle-chasing today.
I spent a lot of time working out how I will change the pattern I have bought for the shetland wool I bought, experimenting with the wool and some other wool I have with me to make beanies for Wendy's hospital trolley. I learnt a new patience game -two pack Algerian patience. I read my book, a detective story set in Florence. I went out for my morning coffee. I went out for lunch, but not to the usual, I didnot feel like making the effort to talk to people. I went out for a gelato, stroll along the waterfront and to buy something for dinner. Along the waterfront I wandered past the fishing boats and watched a huge millionaires boat being reversed into the tiniest space between 2 other slightly less huge boats. At one point I could see a lookout and 2 crew one side and 3 crew the other all holding large padding bollardy things over the side of the boat as the skipper sort of pushed his way in. I could see the boat on one side moving a bit. I was tempted to wait and see who came off the boat, but I had finished my gelato and there was no one else around, so I thought not. On my way home I saw in the distance the lady who runs my usual lunch restaurant. I was thinking up an excuse if she asked me where was I at lunchtime. Luckily she only recognised me as she reached me and only had time to say good evening. She was dressed for church or a smart dinner out, I was in my skirt, the same skirt I have worn every day for the past 18 days, excluding 3 travelling days. Luckily it easily dries overnight.
I spent a lot of time working out how I will change the pattern I have bought for the shetland wool I bought, experimenting with the wool and some other wool I have with me to make beanies for Wendy's hospital trolley. I learnt a new patience game -two pack Algerian patience. I read my book, a detective story set in Florence. I went out for my morning coffee. I went out for lunch, but not to the usual, I didnot feel like making the effort to talk to people. I went out for a gelato, stroll along the waterfront and to buy something for dinner. Along the waterfront I wandered past the fishing boats and watched a huge millionaires boat being reversed into the tiniest space between 2 other slightly less huge boats. At one point I could see a lookout and 2 crew one side and 3 crew the other all holding large padding bollardy things over the side of the boat as the skipper sort of pushed his way in. I could see the boat on one side moving a bit. I was tempted to wait and see who came off the boat, but I had finished my gelato and there was no one else around, so I thought not. On my way home I saw in the distance the lady who runs my usual lunch restaurant. I was thinking up an excuse if she asked me where was I at lunchtime. Luckily she only recognised me as she reached me and only had time to say good evening. She was dressed for church or a smart dinner out, I was in my skirt, the same skirt I have worn every day for the past 18 days, excluding 3 travelling days. Luckily it easily dries overnight.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
San Remo Saturday
This morning I had a slow start then went to the markets- clothes , shoes, bags, etc. I want a new bag but there were none like I want. There were also very many people. It was a friendly crowd, but still a crowd. So I took the easy option and gave up. All those beautiful cheap cashmere jumpers will have to wait till next time.
I arrived at my usual main meal place at 12.10 to find it full, mostly French who come for the markets. I was put at the same table as an Italian gentleman who eats there regularly, turns out every day. HE is somehow related to the owners. Conversation was a bit stilted, but we both tried. He left and anot her single lady was put with me. We got on well and managed much better. She was better able to work out what I was trying to say. She lives in Milan but has a house here that she spends August and February in. She also has a weekender at Sirmione on the shores of Lake Garda. She is also very disappointed that she can no longer light a candle with a flame in most churches. When I left at 2.40, the restaurant was still packed.
Next I walked to the second Russian church, but it was closed, 20 minutes after the sign on the door said it would be open. So, a flop. I am not going back there on the off chance it may be open. I walked on, further East where the map said there was another church which looked, from its website, like it was alive. On the way I passed a smaller church which was some sort of offshoot of the church I was heading for, but it was closed, but it was obviously still used for masses. Another flop. The church I was heading for was certainly well used. Sometime in the late last centuy another big bit was added to it to almost double the size. There are some nice wooden bits and modern stained glass windows. It was a mission success grade 2. I got to flick a switch to turn on the candle of my choice.
I walked back along the waterfront. Lots of toys, tiny little inflatable things up to great big huge millions of $ boats. I stopped for an iced coffee in a pleasant spot in the shade, then continued.
I bought a few things to supplement my remaining odds and ends for dinner - 2 zucchini flowers stuffed with potatoes and mortadella , i think and a piece of the local foccacia like base with tomato, olives, sardines etc on the top, called sardenaria. Later ... I could not taste the sardines.
I arrived at my usual main meal place at 12.10 to find it full, mostly French who come for the markets. I was put at the same table as an Italian gentleman who eats there regularly, turns out every day. HE is somehow related to the owners. Conversation was a bit stilted, but we both tried. He left and anot her single lady was put with me. We got on well and managed much better. She was better able to work out what I was trying to say. She lives in Milan but has a house here that she spends August and February in. She also has a weekender at Sirmione on the shores of Lake Garda. She is also very disappointed that she can no longer light a candle with a flame in most churches. When I left at 2.40, the restaurant was still packed.
Next I walked to the second Russian church, but it was closed, 20 minutes after the sign on the door said it would be open. So, a flop. I am not going back there on the off chance it may be open. I walked on, further East where the map said there was another church which looked, from its website, like it was alive. On the way I passed a smaller church which was some sort of offshoot of the church I was heading for, but it was closed, but it was obviously still used for masses. Another flop. The church I was heading for was certainly well used. Sometime in the late last centuy another big bit was added to it to almost double the size. There are some nice wooden bits and modern stained glass windows. It was a mission success grade 2. I got to flick a switch to turn on the candle of my choice.
I walked back along the waterfront. Lots of toys, tiny little inflatable things up to great big huge millions of $ boats. I stopped for an iced coffee in a pleasant spot in the shade, then continued.
I bought a few things to supplement my remaining odds and ends for dinner - 2 zucchini flowers stuffed with potatoes and mortadella , i think and a piece of the local foccacia like base with tomato, olives, sardines etc on the top, called sardenaria. Later ... I could not taste the sardines.
Friday, September 4, 2015
San Remo and Albenga
This morning I went by train to Albenga, 1 hour along th coast towards Genova.
Albenga has a small old town in the centre still with lots of the medieval walls surviving and small narrow lanes. In the centre there is a Romanesque cathedral, mostly built in the 11th century and added to in the early 14th, another church , a bishops palace right next to the cathedral and a baptistry.
I went first to the baptistry and museum in the bishops house. A lady took a few of us around. She spoke slowly in Italian and I got most of what she said. The baptistry was built end of the 5th , early 6th century and is still used today. There was a lovely bit of mosaic in part of the ceiling, reminiscent of those I saw in 2007 in Ravenna. It had 10 sides to the outside wall and the inside wall, had 8 sides.
The museum was ok, but I am a bit over museums. Several guide books said it had a Caravaggio . I was surprised, I though I had looked up where they all were in italy. Turns out it was from the Caravaggio school, ìe like his work and probably done by a pupil.
I then went to the cathedral which was lovely and plain with large stone columns, an interesting ceiling and the remains of some very old looking frescoes. There was one candle lighting stand and it was a grade 3. No choice. All you did was put a coin in the slot. However, the other church in the old piazza had about 6 candle lighting stands. They were a grade 1 plus. Not only could I light my own tea-light sized candle, I could choose which of 4 colours. I am a little undecided as to whether the whole effect looked a bit gaudy, howe er, I made the best of the situation, chose a red one for H, then a blue, yellow and green one for A and their children. Again I lit the blue, yellow and green one from the red candle.
I had no map of Albenga other than the maps.me app. This is the app that took me to the non existent mosque 3 days ago. Today I spent a while wandering round the maze of laneways but only found 1 out of 3 'Churches' marked on the map. It was no longer a church, but a building that was roughly the right size. That was 1 flop not 3.
I caught a train back to san remo and stopped to look at another Orthodox church which was not open (lunchtkme) that goes jn the pending pile, and then a Lutheran church that had a large sign that said it had a service on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. A flop, besides they probably donot have candles to light.
I had had a very non description almost unpleasant sandwich on the railway station at albenga so figured I should have a gelato on my way back to my apartment.
Albenga has a small old town in the centre still with lots of the medieval walls surviving and small narrow lanes. In the centre there is a Romanesque cathedral, mostly built in the 11th century and added to in the early 14th, another church , a bishops palace right next to the cathedral and a baptistry.
I went first to the baptistry and museum in the bishops house. A lady took a few of us around. She spoke slowly in Italian and I got most of what she said. The baptistry was built end of the 5th , early 6th century and is still used today. There was a lovely bit of mosaic in part of the ceiling, reminiscent of those I saw in 2007 in Ravenna. It had 10 sides to the outside wall and the inside wall, had 8 sides.
The museum was ok, but I am a bit over museums. Several guide books said it had a Caravaggio . I was surprised, I though I had looked up where they all were in italy. Turns out it was from the Caravaggio school, ìe like his work and probably done by a pupil.
I then went to the cathedral which was lovely and plain with large stone columns, an interesting ceiling and the remains of some very old looking frescoes. There was one candle lighting stand and it was a grade 3. No choice. All you did was put a coin in the slot. However, the other church in the old piazza had about 6 candle lighting stands. They were a grade 1 plus. Not only could I light my own tea-light sized candle, I could choose which of 4 colours. I am a little undecided as to whether the whole effect looked a bit gaudy, howe er, I made the best of the situation, chose a red one for H, then a blue, yellow and green one for A and their children. Again I lit the blue, yellow and green one from the red candle.
I had no map of Albenga other than the maps.me app. This is the app that took me to the non existent mosque 3 days ago. Today I spent a while wandering round the maze of laneways but only found 1 out of 3 'Churches' marked on the map. It was no longer a church, but a building that was roughly the right size. That was 1 flop not 3.
I caught a train back to san remo and stopped to look at another Orthodox church which was not open (lunchtkme) that goes jn the pending pile, and then a Lutheran church that had a large sign that said it had a service on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. A flop, besides they probably donot have candles to light.
I had had a very non description almost unpleasant sandwich on the railway station at albenga so figured I should have a gelato on my way back to my apartment.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
San remo mission day 3
This morning I set off in the direction of the Russian Church. When I was there the day before yesterday, it was quite late in the day and the church was half in shadow. I wanted a better photo. Trouble is this morning, I was looking into the sun. Brilliant!
I went to the church of all the Saints which was built in 1884 by the 'English Anglican' and then became Catholic in 1991. It reminded me of an English church with lots of carved wood and fewer than normal statues and paintings of Mary. There were quite a few local women wandering about. There were 2 places where you could light a candle. I didnot choose the nice plain statue of Jesus that had been adorned with a halo of lights,. Along one wall of the church there were the 15 stations of the cross. Quite plain brass ( or something). Under the 14th one was a candle lighting place. At the previous 4 churches that I have been been able to get into, there is a donation box as part of or built into the candle lighting stand. In this mornings church it said 50 cents a candle. I had been in the habit of putting in what ever coin came out of my purse first. I didnot like to be told. As it happened, I pulled out a €2 coin. Fine, I would light 4 candles. This brought to mind a conversation I had with H last November. I asked him why, if we believe that when we die we are with God and that that is the ultimate, why do , on All Saints Day, we pray to God and ask him to look after all the Saints, as in our dearly beloved relatives or whoever? I remember H, in his calm measured manner, take a moment to formulate a response that made sense to me at the time, but that I have now forgotten. I was bothered by that. After a few moments I read the inscription on the 14th station. It said 'Do not be afraid, I am the resurrection'. Ok. I lit one candle from the existing one there, thinking of H, and then lit 3 candles from that first one, thinking of A and their 2 children.
Next was a small chapel next door. I forgot to write it's name down. It was the church of the Black something. I could not get in, it was locked but it was still used for services and for groups. I took a picture through the glass door. A flop, but not as bad a flop as others.
There is a church next to the huge casino that, for some, is the main attraction of San remo. I was amused by the irony. It is the church of the Capuchin, an offshoot of the Fransiscans started by a guy who thought that the Franciscan church had grown away from the founding philosophy and become too worldly. It was like most of the other churches, not particularly to my taste, but had quite a few pleasant almost art deco ish stained glass windows. There were 14 candle lighting stands. I spent ages choosing one and finally decided on a very plain statue of Jesus. I was disappointed to find that it was another electric job, but horrified to find I had no choice. I put my money , only 20 cents, in a box and a candle lit up. So now there are 3 grades of a mission success. Mission Success grade 1 is when I physically get to light a real flame and choose where I put it. Mission success 2 is some sort of electric arrangement that I still have a choice with and mission success 3 is the lowest. No choice and no real flame.
Church 4 today was, unfortunately another success grade 3. An ordinary church in a deserted piazza, but still used and well cared for. There were 10 candle lighting stands to choose from . I chose a stand underneath a fairly modern painting of John Paul II, though it was more a process of eliminating the other stands. I sat for a while and watched the candle stands and what happened when people put their money in. I am fairly sure there is a pattern of which candles come on in which order. So, in theory, if you wanted a particular candle to come on, and didnot mind which others came on, and had a pocket full of coins, you could manage to get your choice. .
So now the mission total is: Success grade 1 : 3, success grade 2 : 2, success grade 3 : 2, flops: 6 and 1 pending. The pending is near me. A funeral was going on one day, a service the next and this morning it was closed.
On my way to the markets today for some essentials -more great big delicious peaches nd more figs, I passed the lady from my lunch restaurant. ' Good morning senora, will we see you today? Hope so'. She said quickly in Italian. Why not , I thought and replied graciously that the food was delicious and yes please. Once again an excellent meal with lots of different characters to watch and listen to and join in with occasionally. I have progressed from Buongiorno status to ciao status.
I went to the church of all the Saints which was built in 1884 by the 'English Anglican' and then became Catholic in 1991. It reminded me of an English church with lots of carved wood and fewer than normal statues and paintings of Mary. There were quite a few local women wandering about. There were 2 places where you could light a candle. I didnot choose the nice plain statue of Jesus that had been adorned with a halo of lights,. Along one wall of the church there were the 15 stations of the cross. Quite plain brass ( or something). Under the 14th one was a candle lighting place. At the previous 4 churches that I have been been able to get into, there is a donation box as part of or built into the candle lighting stand. In this mornings church it said 50 cents a candle. I had been in the habit of putting in what ever coin came out of my purse first. I didnot like to be told. As it happened, I pulled out a €2 coin. Fine, I would light 4 candles. This brought to mind a conversation I had with H last November. I asked him why, if we believe that when we die we are with God and that that is the ultimate, why do , on All Saints Day, we pray to God and ask him to look after all the Saints, as in our dearly beloved relatives or whoever? I remember H, in his calm measured manner, take a moment to formulate a response that made sense to me at the time, but that I have now forgotten. I was bothered by that. After a few moments I read the inscription on the 14th station. It said 'Do not be afraid, I am the resurrection'. Ok. I lit one candle from the existing one there, thinking of H, and then lit 3 candles from that first one, thinking of A and their 2 children.
Next was a small chapel next door. I forgot to write it's name down. It was the church of the Black something. I could not get in, it was locked but it was still used for services and for groups. I took a picture through the glass door. A flop, but not as bad a flop as others.
There is a church next to the huge casino that, for some, is the main attraction of San remo. I was amused by the irony. It is the church of the Capuchin, an offshoot of the Fransiscans started by a guy who thought that the Franciscan church had grown away from the founding philosophy and become too worldly. It was like most of the other churches, not particularly to my taste, but had quite a few pleasant almost art deco ish stained glass windows. There were 14 candle lighting stands. I spent ages choosing one and finally decided on a very plain statue of Jesus. I was disappointed to find that it was another electric job, but horrified to find I had no choice. I put my money , only 20 cents, in a box and a candle lit up. So now there are 3 grades of a mission success. Mission Success grade 1 is when I physically get to light a real flame and choose where I put it. Mission success 2 is some sort of electric arrangement that I still have a choice with and mission success 3 is the lowest. No choice and no real flame.
Church 4 today was, unfortunately another success grade 3. An ordinary church in a deserted piazza, but still used and well cared for. There were 10 candle lighting stands to choose from . I chose a stand underneath a fairly modern painting of John Paul II, though it was more a process of eliminating the other stands. I sat for a while and watched the candle stands and what happened when people put their money in. I am fairly sure there is a pattern of which candles come on in which order. So, in theory, if you wanted a particular candle to come on, and didnot mind which others came on, and had a pocket full of coins, you could manage to get your choice. .
So now the mission total is: Success grade 1 : 3, success grade 2 : 2, success grade 3 : 2, flops: 6 and 1 pending. The pending is near me. A funeral was going on one day, a service the next and this morning it was closed.
On my way to the markets today for some essentials -more great big delicious peaches nd more figs, I passed the lady from my lunch restaurant. ' Good morning senora, will we see you today? Hope so'. She said quickly in Italian. Why not , I thought and replied graciously that the food was delicious and yes please. Once again an excellent meal with lots of different characters to watch and listen to and join in with occasionally. I have progressed from Buongiorno status to ciao status.
Russian church, with a spire hidden by the sunlight in the top right.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Extras from yesterday, continuing Mission
A few things from yesterday:
I was so full at lunch time that I passed on my desert, which was included. Probably a first for me.
This apartment is great except for th tiniest shower I have ever been in, and I've been in some small ones. But, yesterday I discovered the trick to bending over - open the door, stick my head out bend over and reach behind me for the dropped soap, stomped on clothes or whatever.
The streets here go diagonally across the hill, in either direction, which I find confusing. I expect roads, tracks etc to follow the contours I think. Venice was a cinch compared to here, but I was 6 years younger.
Over night I have realised that my method of describing my success or otherwise at visiting churches is flawed. I was using 'strike' as in 3 strikes you are out, a bad thing. But a strike in military , and other , terms is a good thing. My friend, who is not here looking over my shoulder anymore, suggested ''setback'. But I think I prefer 'flop', a bit vaguer and less specific. I think the effort in getting to the various churches is the main thing. A flop is not necessarily a failure.
When I walked into the cafe for my coffee , I walked into a conversation about Africa which I could not follow. I said Buongiorno to the few locals and bar lady and was asked my opinion. I said in my halting Italian that they were talking too quickly for me to understand. They seemed pleased at that . I said i was from australia etc etc Later in the day I passed one of the ladies. She grabbed my arm and apologised most profusely, but I could not gather what for. Something about thinking I was german and she does not like Germans. But what that has to do with Africa?
I can see from the corner of my balcony, just, a large church which is lit up on some nights at the top of the hill that san remo snakes and twists and turns around .. Today's first destination. Unfortunately, before I could go up I had to go down , along, and then up, up and more up. There were some great views , which obviously i had to stop and photograph. Lots of times. The paved approach to this church was interesting . I liked the inside. Not too much glitter, quite a lot of different coloured marble. It had a good feel. When I arrived there was a lady who was doing some sort of act, shuffling along on her knees, praying quietly, then shuffling a bit further, stop, pray etc. . I sat quietly for a while and wondered at the etiquette of me quietly taking photos while she was busy, but I was saved by her mobile ringing, she went outside and I got up and took photos. I lit a real tea light sized candle with a match and chose a position on metal tree to place it on.
This church was at the top of what is called the old part of town. The lanes are even narrower, think left shoulder on one wall and touch the other wall and duck when you go through archways. Sometimes quite atmospheric, delicate window boxes jn tiny spaces, nice wooden doors, but sometimes a bit dark and spooky , with quite steep, uneven, moss covered steps. I was searching for 3 churches in this convoluted maze. The first was ok, typical, shiny and glittery with lots of what I call Roman Catholic stuff. What put me off was the 'candles'. There was a stand with 2 rows of artificial candles the size of big pencils. In front of them was a row of switches. I spent a while choosing which 'candle'to switch on. Mission success 4, sort of. I might have to separate the 'success' category into 'light a real candle' and a lesser category of artificial success.
The 3rd church of the day was a flop. All closed up and not used, according to the group of 4 old men sitting nearby.
The 4th church was another flop. After much circling I found the building that used to be it. It was the right size, with large doors, but had no cross. I asked a few old ladies. Many years closed, was the best i could decipher.
Tally after day 2 : success 4, Flop 5. I am excluding the mosque I could not find, and there is one pending form day 1
I got back here just in time to receive a call from Relay friend to say that , very sadly, H had died. My mission started for H and his family, so I will definitely continue.
I went down to the same restaurant as yesterday for lunch. I was a bit apprehensive, I did leave rather a lot of uneaten rabbit yesterday, but needlessly. I was greeted as a long lost friend, sat at the same table near a few other of yesterday's guests. I ate a delicious large bowl of spaghetti with clams, mussels, baby calamari, and other things, water, wine, tiramisu , coffee for E 15. Yesterday he gave me too much change, I told him and he took some back, today he gave me too much I think , but who knows. One well dressed elderly lady who was there yesterday was given, after she finished her meal a big bowl of beans to top and tail.
I came back here, sat quietly knitting a beanie for Wendy's trolley in suva thinking of how lucky I am that John was able to see one of his grandchildren. Neither Rs husband, nor H had that opportunity. I was also thinking of how pleased I am that I went to the Russian church yesterday, which H would have been interested in, while he was still alive, as scientifically ridiculous as that sounds.
This evening I thought it was time to go for a walk along the water, well road above the water where you access all the European style beach places - you pay
to rent a deck chair, sit squashed in next to the person beside you , go to the shop for a drink or food, change in a funny little cabin , not nearly as cute as the ones in Australia. No space between one 'beach' and the next. If you are lucky the 'beach' you have chosen may have a metre of dark grey stuff that is called sand. Mile after mile of these. I would have liked a quiet little bar but instead went a bit higher up and found a bench under a tree with a view out over the water. Luckily, you could not see the 'beaches' below. I had water.
I was so full at lunch time that I passed on my desert, which was included. Probably a first for me.
This apartment is great except for th tiniest shower I have ever been in, and I've been in some small ones. But, yesterday I discovered the trick to bending over - open the door, stick my head out bend over and reach behind me for the dropped soap, stomped on clothes or whatever.
The streets here go diagonally across the hill, in either direction, which I find confusing. I expect roads, tracks etc to follow the contours I think. Venice was a cinch compared to here, but I was 6 years younger.
Over night I have realised that my method of describing my success or otherwise at visiting churches is flawed. I was using 'strike' as in 3 strikes you are out, a bad thing. But a strike in military , and other , terms is a good thing. My friend, who is not here looking over my shoulder anymore, suggested ''setback'. But I think I prefer 'flop', a bit vaguer and less specific. I think the effort in getting to the various churches is the main thing. A flop is not necessarily a failure.
When I walked into the cafe for my coffee , I walked into a conversation about Africa which I could not follow. I said Buongiorno to the few locals and bar lady and was asked my opinion. I said in my halting Italian that they were talking too quickly for me to understand. They seemed pleased at that . I said i was from australia etc etc Later in the day I passed one of the ladies. She grabbed my arm and apologised most profusely, but I could not gather what for. Something about thinking I was german and she does not like Germans. But what that has to do with Africa?
I can see from the corner of my balcony, just, a large church which is lit up on some nights at the top of the hill that san remo snakes and twists and turns around .. Today's first destination. Unfortunately, before I could go up I had to go down , along, and then up, up and more up. There were some great views , which obviously i had to stop and photograph. Lots of times. The paved approach to this church was interesting . I liked the inside. Not too much glitter, quite a lot of different coloured marble. It had a good feel. When I arrived there was a lady who was doing some sort of act, shuffling along on her knees, praying quietly, then shuffling a bit further, stop, pray etc. . I sat quietly for a while and wondered at the etiquette of me quietly taking photos while she was busy, but I was saved by her mobile ringing, she went outside and I got up and took photos. I lit a real tea light sized candle with a match and chose a position on metal tree to place it on.
This church was at the top of what is called the old part of town. The lanes are even narrower, think left shoulder on one wall and touch the other wall and duck when you go through archways. Sometimes quite atmospheric, delicate window boxes jn tiny spaces, nice wooden doors, but sometimes a bit dark and spooky , with quite steep, uneven, moss covered steps. I was searching for 3 churches in this convoluted maze. The first was ok, typical, shiny and glittery with lots of what I call Roman Catholic stuff. What put me off was the 'candles'. There was a stand with 2 rows of artificial candles the size of big pencils. In front of them was a row of switches. I spent a while choosing which 'candle'to switch on. Mission success 4, sort of. I might have to separate the 'success' category into 'light a real candle' and a lesser category of artificial success.
The 3rd church of the day was a flop. All closed up and not used, according to the group of 4 old men sitting nearby.
The 4th church was another flop. After much circling I found the building that used to be it. It was the right size, with large doors, but had no cross. I asked a few old ladies. Many years closed, was the best i could decipher.
Tally after day 2 : success 4, Flop 5. I am excluding the mosque I could not find, and there is one pending form day 1
I got back here just in time to receive a call from Relay friend to say that , very sadly, H had died. My mission started for H and his family, so I will definitely continue.
I went down to the same restaurant as yesterday for lunch. I was a bit apprehensive, I did leave rather a lot of uneaten rabbit yesterday, but needlessly. I was greeted as a long lost friend, sat at the same table near a few other of yesterday's guests. I ate a delicious large bowl of spaghetti with clams, mussels, baby calamari, and other things, water, wine, tiramisu , coffee for E 15. Yesterday he gave me too much change, I told him and he took some back, today he gave me too much I think , but who knows. One well dressed elderly lady who was there yesterday was given, after she finished her meal a big bowl of beans to top and tail.
I came back here, sat quietly knitting a beanie for Wendy's trolley in suva thinking of how lucky I am that John was able to see one of his grandchildren. Neither Rs husband, nor H had that opportunity. I was also thinking of how pleased I am that I went to the Russian church yesterday, which H would have been interested in, while he was still alive, as scientifically ridiculous as that sounds.
This evening I thought it was time to go for a walk along the water, well road above the water where you access all the European style beach places - you pay
to rent a deck chair, sit squashed in next to the person beside you , go to the shop for a drink or food, change in a funny little cabin , not nearly as cute as the ones in Australia. No space between one 'beach' and the next. If you are lucky the 'beach' you have chosen may have a metre of dark grey stuff that is called sand. Mile after mile of these. I would have liked a quiet little bar but instead went a bit higher up and found a bench under a tree with a view out over the water. Luckily, you could not see the 'beaches' below. I had water.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
New mission in San Remo and surrounds
Yesterday , on the train on the way here, I was thinking about what I wanted to do while i am jn san remo and how to arrange my time to make sure i saw what i wanted, knowing that having a rest is the priority.
Yesterday afternoon when I arrived here, I found out that the husband of a good friend ( both who shall be nameless and unidentifiable at this stage so I shall call my friend A, as in A Friend, and her husband, H as in Her Husband) was in a very serious condition in hospital. I spent a lot of the evening trying to think of what I could do and I suddenly thought that I could visit and take photos of and say a prayer in as many of the many, many churches that are in this area as possible. A plan for my time here.
This blog and subsequent ones may become long and boring, but A and or H may like to read it later.
This morning I enjoyed watching the interchange of the locals while I was having my morning coffee. I then went to the large market that operates each morning here. The food is in a large barn like structure and round the barn on all sides are about 4 rows of tents selling bags, shoes, undies, kitchen gadgets, scarfs, jumpers, etc etc. I entered the outer area , wandered off and realised I had not taken note of the shops near where I had come in, all the tall apartment blocks around looked the same. Oops. I worked it out, and then went inside. Rows and rows of lovely local fruit and veg jn the middle, and on the outside wall cheese, meat, bread, etc etc. I wandered around watching the system, . Years ago jn italy it was a big no no to pick up the fruit. Here , now, you get a round bowl, fill it up with what you want, all muddled up, then pass the bowl to the person behind the counter who weighs it and rattles off very quickly the numbers of how much you owe them. Lots of people only buy a few of things, so I didnot feel bad with my 2 peaches, 2 nectarines, few tomatoes, 4 figs, 3 pears ( the lady who sold me the piquant provolone told me I should eat it with pear)
I carried my purchases home and spent the rest of the morning reading about where and what I wanted to go and see I. E.which little villages had interesting churches. I also installed viber so I could talk to another friend, which I did. She is , amongst other things, the relayer of information about A and H, so I shall refer to her as R. It was good to talk to her because I feel very far away.
The proprietor of this apartment recommended a restaurant to me near here, down a laneway. I went there for lunch. After my experience there, I see no reason to eat anywhere else in San Remo. There were 2 rooms, the one I was in had 5 tables of 4 and 5 tables of 2. They had a special menu which I chose from. First off it said 4 types of pasta, then I chose rabbit because, apart from Burton hall when I was at uni, I donot recall ever eating rabbit. Then it must have been cheap . We were told it was chicken but some biology students put together the bones. Anyway, I got there at 12.30 and just got a table. People at many of the other tables knew each other and the proprietor, there was a 2 year old who every one was enjoying, it was someones birthday. I watched what was going on, trying to work out the connections, people seemed to wander into the kitchen to talk to the staff, the food was excellent, but far too much for me. When the rabbit came I was not sure what to do. Luckily about that time I got involved in a conversation, the usual, where was I from , what was I doing in San remo, why there. One guy spoke better English than my Italian, so that was good. So that gave me a breather and then someone said 'stop talking so that the signora can eat her rabbit' . i ate about a third of the rabbit, which was very good, a speciality of this part of Liguria. Asmthey were leaving, veryone said goodbye to every one else, including me, because I was near the door. Fascinating.
I thought I would go for a little walk/climb straight after lunch. I went up some stairs to where there was a church marked on the map. I could not get into it and it was behind a big fence. Ah well. Mission strike 1. On the way back to my apartment there is a mosque marked. I spent a long time looking for it, no luck. Mission strike 2. At least most of that time I was thinking about A, H and their family. I suppose that counts for something.
After an afternoon rest I set off to the piazza where I sat for my spritz yesterday. There was a church there and I had seen people going in and out. Today, however, I read the fine, print on the notice on the gate thing in front of the door. It is closed for renovations. Yesterday's people must have been tradesmen. Mission strike 3. Also marked on the map is a baptistry nearby. It is ther, all closed up. Strike 4. In the same haggled piggledy piazza there is a oratorio where services are being held while the renovation works are going, on. I went over and looked. There was an empty hearse outside and 4 large men loitering in the entrance way. Another time, I thought. Not a yes, but not a strike.
Next I went to the bus depot to get some timetables of buses to other townsmen the region. After that I went into a church I passed. There was nothing particularly remarkable about it. There were 8 side chapels, each with 'candles' to ' light'. I have not noticed before, but in this church you take a candle like object and put it in an empty space on a rack which , when contact is made, lights a globe inside the pretend candle. Not what I was hoping for. Next problem was to chose which chapel would be most appropriate, which was surprisingly difficult because none appealed to me. Mission success 1, sort of.
An interlude of history fromthe Lonely Planet guide book.
San Remo gained prominence as a resort for Europe's social elite, especially British and Russian in the mid to late 19th century when the likes of empress Maria alexandrovna ( mother of Nicholas Ii, the last tsar) held court there. Now a few old hotels survive as luxury resorts but many are past their prime.
There is a Russian Orthodox church in San remo which I walked to next. It was small, with lots of coloured tiles outside. Inside were lots of paintings, either like icons or quite detailed like some of the byzantine pain tings I have seen. It was light and felt good. I sat for a while, feeling sad that I know next to nothing about my Russian grandfather. A huge plus was that they had real candles, so I chose a suitable place for the candle I lit from someone else's candle. I like the symbolism in that action. H would have been interested in the church. Mission success 2.
Home via a different piazza, aperol spritz again, a different ( accidently and hence larger) selection of lanes to return home. A lovely juicy peach and a fig for dinner.
Yesterday afternoon when I arrived here, I found out that the husband of a good friend ( both who shall be nameless and unidentifiable at this stage so I shall call my friend A, as in A Friend, and her husband, H as in Her Husband) was in a very serious condition in hospital. I spent a lot of the evening trying to think of what I could do and I suddenly thought that I could visit and take photos of and say a prayer in as many of the many, many churches that are in this area as possible. A plan for my time here.
This blog and subsequent ones may become long and boring, but A and or H may like to read it later.
This morning I enjoyed watching the interchange of the locals while I was having my morning coffee. I then went to the large market that operates each morning here. The food is in a large barn like structure and round the barn on all sides are about 4 rows of tents selling bags, shoes, undies, kitchen gadgets, scarfs, jumpers, etc etc. I entered the outer area , wandered off and realised I had not taken note of the shops near where I had come in, all the tall apartment blocks around looked the same. Oops. I worked it out, and then went inside. Rows and rows of lovely local fruit and veg jn the middle, and on the outside wall cheese, meat, bread, etc etc. I wandered around watching the system, . Years ago jn italy it was a big no no to pick up the fruit. Here , now, you get a round bowl, fill it up with what you want, all muddled up, then pass the bowl to the person behind the counter who weighs it and rattles off very quickly the numbers of how much you owe them. Lots of people only buy a few of things, so I didnot feel bad with my 2 peaches, 2 nectarines, few tomatoes, 4 figs, 3 pears ( the lady who sold me the piquant provolone told me I should eat it with pear)
I carried my purchases home and spent the rest of the morning reading about where and what I wanted to go and see I. E.which little villages had interesting churches. I also installed viber so I could talk to another friend, which I did. She is , amongst other things, the relayer of information about A and H, so I shall refer to her as R. It was good to talk to her because I feel very far away.
The proprietor of this apartment recommended a restaurant to me near here, down a laneway. I went there for lunch. After my experience there, I see no reason to eat anywhere else in San Remo. There were 2 rooms, the one I was in had 5 tables of 4 and 5 tables of 2. They had a special menu which I chose from. First off it said 4 types of pasta, then I chose rabbit because, apart from Burton hall when I was at uni, I donot recall ever eating rabbit. Then it must have been cheap . We were told it was chicken but some biology students put together the bones. Anyway, I got there at 12.30 and just got a table. People at many of the other tables knew each other and the proprietor, there was a 2 year old who every one was enjoying, it was someones birthday. I watched what was going on, trying to work out the connections, people seemed to wander into the kitchen to talk to the staff, the food was excellent, but far too much for me. When the rabbit came I was not sure what to do. Luckily about that time I got involved in a conversation, the usual, where was I from , what was I doing in San remo, why there. One guy spoke better English than my Italian, so that was good. So that gave me a breather and then someone said 'stop talking so that the signora can eat her rabbit' . i ate about a third of the rabbit, which was very good, a speciality of this part of Liguria. Asmthey were leaving, veryone said goodbye to every one else, including me, because I was near the door. Fascinating.
I thought I would go for a little walk/climb straight after lunch. I went up some stairs to where there was a church marked on the map. I could not get into it and it was behind a big fence. Ah well. Mission strike 1. On the way back to my apartment there is a mosque marked. I spent a long time looking for it, no luck. Mission strike 2. At least most of that time I was thinking about A, H and their family. I suppose that counts for something.
After an afternoon rest I set off to the piazza where I sat for my spritz yesterday. There was a church there and I had seen people going in and out. Today, however, I read the fine, print on the notice on the gate thing in front of the door. It is closed for renovations. Yesterday's people must have been tradesmen. Mission strike 3. Also marked on the map is a baptistry nearby. It is ther, all closed up. Strike 4. In the same haggled piggledy piazza there is a oratorio where services are being held while the renovation works are going, on. I went over and looked. There was an empty hearse outside and 4 large men loitering in the entrance way. Another time, I thought. Not a yes, but not a strike.
Next I went to the bus depot to get some timetables of buses to other townsmen the region. After that I went into a church I passed. There was nothing particularly remarkable about it. There were 8 side chapels, each with 'candles' to ' light'. I have not noticed before, but in this church you take a candle like object and put it in an empty space on a rack which , when contact is made, lights a globe inside the pretend candle. Not what I was hoping for. Next problem was to chose which chapel would be most appropriate, which was surprisingly difficult because none appealed to me. Mission success 1, sort of.
An interlude of history fromthe Lonely Planet guide book.
San Remo gained prominence as a resort for Europe's social elite, especially British and Russian in the mid to late 19th century when the likes of empress Maria alexandrovna ( mother of Nicholas Ii, the last tsar) held court there. Now a few old hotels survive as luxury resorts but many are past their prime.
There is a Russian Orthodox church in San remo which I walked to next. It was small, with lots of coloured tiles outside. Inside were lots of paintings, either like icons or quite detailed like some of the byzantine pain tings I have seen. It was light and felt good. I sat for a while, feeling sad that I know next to nothing about my Russian grandfather. A huge plus was that they had real candles, so I chose a suitable place for the candle I lit from someone else's candle. I like the symbolism in that action. H would have been interested in the church. Mission success 2.
Home via a different piazza, aperol spritz again, a different ( accidently and hence larger) selection of lanes to return home. A lovely juicy peach and a fig for dinner.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Arrived San Remo
Train verona to Milan went ok. Bit squashy with dodgy knee. New security measures at milan railway mean that you can only get onto the platform if you have a ticket. The train layout on the Internet when I booked was not the train that I got on. Still, I had a seat and got here. There were some interesting people to talk to. A family of mother, her father in law and her 3 children aged 12, 9 and 6 shared the same box as me. She was Italian born to an English mother and Italian father. I was sitting next to the 12 year old whose English was quite good, courtesy of his grandmother. I occasionally helped with some of the puzzles he was doing. His mother and father spent their honeymoon in Australia.
As arranged, the proprietor of this apartment met me at the station with her daughter whose English was better than hers. My Italian is better than her English. Anyway, she drove me to the apartment , showed me how things worked, then suggested they walk down with me to the main part of town. As we past the little bar a few buildings away she introduced me to the proprietor and said he made very good coffee. We walked around chatting about all sorts of thing. They told me of their 3 preferred gelato places and some to avoid.
I sorted myself out a bit, then decided I needed to walk back over the streets she had shown me. There are a few main streets but the rest are a tangled Web of laneways, some covered by the buildings either side, laneways that are all steps, little piazzas, bigger piazzas, all cascading down the side of a hill.
First off though I put a load of washing on, well, for me a load is 2 sets of clothing and while that was going I went and had a coffee. Excellent , with very friendly barman.
How is this for a balanced diet : 6 am coffee and croissant at railway, 11.30 3/4 of large focaccia bought at railway station in the morning, 4pm coffee, 5pm gelato (eaten fairly quickly because it is very hot and it was runny and drippy ), 5.40 aperol spritz which came with some chips, and a couple pieces crostini with chopped tomatoes that tasted like tomatoes, 6.30 rest of focacia. Negligible water in the morning, gallons in the afternoon.
Tomorrow I might buy a better map or then again maybe I might not. It would do me good to try and be comfortable not knowing exactly where I am, and there is always maps.me (an excellent offline map, thanks S)
I am feeling almost better. I need to be -there are lots of stairs here.
As arranged, the proprietor of this apartment met me at the station with her daughter whose English was better than hers. My Italian is better than her English. Anyway, she drove me to the apartment , showed me how things worked, then suggested they walk down with me to the main part of town. As we past the little bar a few buildings away she introduced me to the proprietor and said he made very good coffee. We walked around chatting about all sorts of thing. They told me of their 3 preferred gelato places and some to avoid.
I sorted myself out a bit, then decided I needed to walk back over the streets she had shown me. There are a few main streets but the rest are a tangled Web of laneways, some covered by the buildings either side, laneways that are all steps, little piazzas, bigger piazzas, all cascading down the side of a hill.
First off though I put a load of washing on, well, for me a load is 2 sets of clothing and while that was going I went and had a coffee. Excellent , with very friendly barman.
How is this for a balanced diet : 6 am coffee and croissant at railway, 11.30 3/4 of large focaccia bought at railway station in the morning, 4pm coffee, 5pm gelato (eaten fairly quickly because it is very hot and it was runny and drippy ), 5.40 aperol spritz which came with some chips, and a couple pieces crostini with chopped tomatoes that tasted like tomatoes, 6.30 rest of focacia. Negligible water in the morning, gallons in the afternoon.
Tomorrow I might buy a better map or then again maybe I might not. It would do me good to try and be comfortable not knowing exactly where I am, and there is always maps.me (an excellent offline map, thanks S)
I am feeling almost better. I need to be -there are lots of stairs here.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Verona for a night
Noel left Munich this morning to fly home. His flight left at 6 something and he left our hotel at 4am. I slept on, after an initial attempt to go to the station with him, but there were left over people on the street after Saturday night partying, but the subway was empty and I didnot fancy walking back alone. I caught my tain as planned at 7.30. Last year we travelled on lots of trains in the UK and all had luggage racks at the ends of the carriages. Not so on the trains we have travelled on in Germany. They just have quite big racks above the seats. I left Australia with 11.5 kg, collected about a kilo, ditched about 500 (photocopies of info on places) and gave Noel several kilos of my stuff , including winter layers , to take back with him and I was easily able to put my pack up and then watched smugly as numerous young females had no hope of putting their huge cases up themselves.
When I booked my seat I could not work out which were forward facing seats. I hate facing backwards. I got a backwards facing seat. Not only did I feel funny, but the sun shone straight in and it was almost impossible to take photos of the magnificent scenery without reflections.
The train went roughly south from Munich, through Austria, over the Bremmer Pass, South into Italy , through Bolzano to Verona. In Germany, the churches in the little villages have varied spires, some tall and pointy, some with the Eastern like onion dome that several churches in Munich have. In Austria they all seemed to be tall and pointy and red and in Italy there was a mixture again, but the onion domes were squashed.
I walked to my hotel, checked in after a bit of a wait and then set off back to the station to try and change my tickets for tomorrow. I was uneasy about a short connection time in Milano and paid the grand sum of 2.50 euros to change my ticket and thus not to have to worry and then rush. The only other cost is 40 minutes sleep.
The town is full of opera goers (like me 4 years ago) so I opted to have an ordinary dinner in my hotel, rather than wander round on a Sunday evening. Places will be shut or full.
When I booked my seat I could not work out which were forward facing seats. I hate facing backwards. I got a backwards facing seat. Not only did I feel funny, but the sun shone straight in and it was almost impossible to take photos of the magnificent scenery without reflections.
The train went roughly south from Munich, through Austria, over the Bremmer Pass, South into Italy , through Bolzano to Verona. In Germany, the churches in the little villages have varied spires, some tall and pointy, some with the Eastern like onion dome that several churches in Munich have. In Austria they all seemed to be tall and pointy and red and in Italy there was a mixture again, but the onion domes were squashed.
I walked to my hotel, checked in after a bit of a wait and then set off back to the station to try and change my tickets for tomorrow. I was uneasy about a short connection time in Milano and paid the grand sum of 2.50 euros to change my ticket and thus not to have to worry and then rush. The only other cost is 40 minutes sleep.
The town is full of opera goers (like me 4 years ago) so I opted to have an ordinary dinner in my hotel, rather than wander round on a Sunday evening. Places will be shut or full.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Munich day 3
We set off this morning towards the Frauenkirche that I missed yesterday. It was indeed an inspiring church. Finished in 1488, but added to in 1525, it is one of southern Germany biggest Gothic structures. I liked the lightness, lack of too many twiddly bits and in 3 of the side chapels there were some modern thought provoking paintings with a large stained glass window above that matched the colours.
After that we strolled along part of one side of the main shopping street, well, depends how you define 'main'. They were the shops with the most expensive goods. Noel quite fancied a 10,000 euro watch. There were many beautiful overcoats. I can report that the standard uniform for a door-opener is a black suit, with a white shirt , sedate tie and black shoes. Anyone not young, not male, not slim, not short hair need not apply. In a few blocks we counted 14, including a few we could see over the road. I am sure some ducked out of sight when they saw us trying to stroll nonchalantly along as if we belonged in that environment. We saw one with no jacket from a store called Fochmann.
During the morning we saw a nun in a full habit including wimple which reminded me we had seen one a few days ago. However there are quite a few Muslim women in full black with just eyes showing. It has been in the mid 30s in temperature!
We also saw a guide and her tour group of about 14 , mostly older, some young, who were silent. She was mouthing silently the words and signing with her hands. They were all paying attention. I have never seen a group like this before.
We stopped for morning coffee in a small plaza away from the main tourist strip, on our way to the Bavarian National Museum. Just as well we had some cake because we got engrossed in the museum and didnot get lunch till 3 . The museum was astounding and fascinating. It was arranged in rooms historically and blended paintings, sculpture, furniture, clothes, altar pieces etc. Sounds like a big muddle, but we didnot think so. It flowed beautifully. There were hardly any other people, maybe because there was very little English and thus it was not high on the tourist lists.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Munich day 2
The tour director went on strike today, emerging from her hotel only for lunch ( pizza at an Italian restaurant ) and afternoon tea (chocolate cake and coffee at a large cafe/ beer hall in a nearby park). Her history advisor went to the Freuenkirche. This church, in the centre of Munich has twin tall towers and the interior is quite simple in comparison to the other styles of churches in the region. He found it very attractive. He spent a brief time jn the Jewish Museum but struggled with the German labels and the lack of organisation of exhibits.
After lunch he went to the Alto Pinakothek, where saw several great paintings by some European old masters.
After lunch he went to the Alto Pinakothek, where saw several great paintings by some European old masters.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Munchen
Today started with a loud banging on the door. The maintenance man wanted to know if we had water everywhere. Nein, we said. After breakfast we moved into another room. Above and below our room had water coming down the walls. Our new room has updated fixtures and furniture, but has less vacant floor space and a very small shower compared to the first one.
We set off to explore Munich via the railway station to check our onward journeys. There are very many people wandering around the tourist parts of Munich. Before we got very far, it was time for morning coffee accompanied by apfelkuchen . We marvelled at the New Rathouse, the Old Rathouse , wandered past some interesting clothes stores selling a range of the traditional costumes to not just tourists, wandered past some interesting food carts , then it was time for lunch. We looked over the City museum of Munich which was quite interesting but heavy going, too heavy going for us after a while. It was arranged in historical order trying to give a balanced view of Munich's development.
Next was St Peters church , a cacophanied mix of baroque and rococo ( not that I am an expert, but I assume the guide book author knows) . It was a bit off putting, too much ostentation and glittery gold. We went to a small church that was purely rococo. It was not so bad, lots of light frescoes but not glittery.
I thought this morning that I was almost better, but am not so sure now, at the end of the day.
We set off to explore Munich via the railway station to check our onward journeys. There are very many people wandering around the tourist parts of Munich. Before we got very far, it was time for morning coffee accompanied by apfelkuchen . We marvelled at the New Rathouse, the Old Rathouse , wandered past some interesting clothes stores selling a range of the traditional costumes to not just tourists, wandered past some interesting food carts , then it was time for lunch. We looked over the City museum of Munich which was quite interesting but heavy going, too heavy going for us after a while. It was arranged in historical order trying to give a balanced view of Munich's development.
Next was St Peters church , a cacophanied mix of baroque and rococo ( not that I am an expert, but I assume the guide book author knows) . It was a bit off putting, too much ostentation and glittery gold. We went to a small church that was purely rococo. It was not so bad, lots of light frescoes but not glittery.
I thought this morning that I was almost better, but am not so sure now, at the end of the day.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Village of Altenau and arrival in Munich
Yesterday we trained to Munich - little villages, crops of corn in the north and hops nearer Munich and we were met on the station by a friend of Noel's who he had not seen for 42 years and his wife. They were together for 1 year in England and got on really well then. It was lovely to see these 2 old codgers recognize each other on the railway station. We went by train with them to a town near them and then they drove us to their home in a small , typically Bavarian, village, 10 minutes from Oberamaggau. Much talking, eating and this morning more talking and eating combined with a very interesting drive on the surrounding area.
They dropped us at a railway station near them this afternoon and we caught the train to Munich. Our hotel is old, but has been renovated. We have a room facing a courtyard, so hopefully the noise of the area a bit too close to the railway station will not be a problem.
They dropped us at a railway station near them this afternoon and we caught the train to Munich. Our hotel is old, but has been renovated. We have a room facing a courtyard, so hopefully the noise of the area a bit too close to the railway station will not be a problem.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Berlin day 5
Our day started with a trip to the Apothecary. I was helped by a delightful young man, who seemed to know what we were talking about, asked the right questions and I got what I wanted . Hopefully I will not disturb my friend as much tonight as last night.
We went to a fairly drab part of town to the former Stasi headquarters where there is now a museum about how they were formed, how pervasive were their operations, and how they fell apart quite quickly .
Tomorrow we leave very early to catch the 6.40 train to Munich . We will, be staying with friends of Noels for the night and getting to our hotel in Munich late on Wednesday.
I have struggled with language. Someone speaks to me in German and I reply without thinking in Italian. Wires crossed in my poor brain.
The standard size of a glass of wine is 200 ml here, 175 in UK. Compares to 125 in AUS!
My travelling companion continues to frustrate me with his oldNess, but this is outweighed by the companionship we have and the laughs we have . Did I mention we are now finishing off our red after dinner?
We went to a fairly drab part of town to the former Stasi headquarters where there is now a museum about how they were formed, how pervasive were their operations, and how they fell apart quite quickly .
Tomorrow we leave very early to catch the 6.40 train to Munich . We will, be staying with friends of Noels for the night and getting to our hotel in Munich late on Wednesday.
I have struggled with language. Someone speaks to me in German and I reply without thinking in Italian. Wires crossed in my poor brain.
The standard size of a glass of wine is 200 ml here, 175 in UK. Compares to 125 in AUS!
My travelling companion continues to frustrate me with his oldNess, but this is outweighed by the companionship we have and the laughs we have . Did I mention we are now finishing off our red after dinner?
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Berlin day 4
Today has been another easy day due to the tour directors poor health. This morning we experienced, yet again , the excellent transport system in this city. It is Sunday, the trams and buses and trains all seem to move with the same frequency as during the week I.e. Every 10 minutes or better.
We went to a museum / memorial to the Resistance by the German people, both civilian and military, to the Nazi regime before and during Ww2. The displays led up to the failed attempt on Hitler life by von Stauffenberg. Visitors entered the building through an archway into a courtyard. It was very stark with only a life sized statue of a naked man, hands bound in front of him, eyes downcast, but resolute, determined, not cowed, and inspiring to look at.
The displays in each of 13 rooms were well laid out. It was easy to read just the main panel in each room, or you could supplement that with other articles and quotes from people involved.
We left feeling both fortunate that we have never had to make choices such as many Germans had to make, dismayed at the inhumanity perpetrated but with a sense of hope that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, usually at the cost of their lives.
Luckily there was a nice place for coffee over the road to unwind at. We walked from there through a tiny, tiny section of the Tiergarten for about a 30 minute stroll.
After a restful afternoon we visited the local church, Marienkirche., that is, St Marys. We arrived at 5.30 to find it was an Anglican church and had a service starting at 6 pm. We pottered around looking at the amazing organ and a very ornate pulpit and lots of paintings but not too many twiddly bits everywhere. Noel stayed for the service. It was quite traditional, thees and thous, not many peobple, booming organ drowning out everything, my military history teacher enjoyed it very much.
We went to a museum / memorial to the Resistance by the German people, both civilian and military, to the Nazi regime before and during Ww2. The displays led up to the failed attempt on Hitler life by von Stauffenberg. Visitors entered the building through an archway into a courtyard. It was very stark with only a life sized statue of a naked man, hands bound in front of him, eyes downcast, but resolute, determined, not cowed, and inspiring to look at.
The displays in each of 13 rooms were well laid out. It was easy to read just the main panel in each room, or you could supplement that with other articles and quotes from people involved.
We left feeling both fortunate that we have never had to make choices such as many Germans had to make, dismayed at the inhumanity perpetrated but with a sense of hope that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, usually at the cost of their lives.
Luckily there was a nice place for coffee over the road to unwind at. We walked from there through a tiny, tiny section of the Tiergarten for about a 30 minute stroll.
After a restful afternoon we visited the local church, Marienkirche., that is, St Marys. We arrived at 5.30 to find it was an Anglican church and had a service starting at 6 pm. We pottered around looking at the amazing organ and a very ornate pulpit and lots of paintings but not too many twiddly bits everywhere. Noel stayed for the service. It was quite traditional, thees and thous, not many peobple, booming organ drowning out everything, my military history teacher enjoyed it very much.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Berlin day 3
Not well, want to go to bed, thus blog brief.
This morning we went by train to Potsdam and went on a hop on hop off bus trip of the town and the sites. The town was interesting, particularly for its 18th century architecture, or rather it's rebuilt 18th century architects. Not much was left after 1945. We got off at schloss Cecilia something . It was the location of the potsdam conference that divided up some of Europe in 1945. I sat on the ground in the shade taking photos of all the boats that went past, ranging from huge tour boats to an overweight man on his SUP while the german scholar who is also teaching me about military history, did a tour of the schloss.
This morning we went by train to Potsdam and went on a hop on hop off bus trip of the town and the sites. The town was interesting, particularly for its 18th century architecture, or rather it's rebuilt 18th century architects. Not much was left after 1945. We got off at schloss Cecilia something . It was the location of the potsdam conference that divided up some of Europe in 1945. I sat on the ground in the shade taking photos of all the boats that went past, ranging from huge tour boats to an overweight man on his SUP while the german scholar who is also teaching me about military history, did a tour of the schloss.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Berlin day 2
This morning we walked and trained to the main railway station of Berlin. We leave from this station next Tuesday at the crack of dawn for Munich and didnot want any suprises. It is an interesting modern building, but with all the usual noise , bustle and shops of a major railway station.
From there we took a bus to the main art gallery of old masters. Lots and lots of interesting paintings. The layout of the gallery was annoying. Small pokey rooms off other pokey rooms. Easy to miss a room and a 5 star painting.
We had lunch there, gathered our wits and set off again on another train to look at a part of the wall. We watched a 30 minute film about the history and then wandered around an area where you could see the outer wall, the inner wall and the 'death zone' in between. For us, the right mix of information, not too much sentimentality but still compassionate and moving.
Another train and walk to a coffee and wool shop, but their coffee machine was broken. Luckily over the road was an excellent deli like place which sold good coffee and a delicious piece of kuchen. The German scholar sat on a park bench studying his german book with his eyes closed while I browsed in the shop. Amongst other interesting wool they had some yak wool, some wool from English border leister sheep and some wool from the same supplier on the Shetland Islands as the wool I brought. I bought some cable needles with notches so the stitches do not slip off, but will the stitches come off easily when you want them to?
I have not been firing on all cylinders for a few days now and so this evening we took the easy option of going to a place around the corner we went to the other day. They do not have any red from Germany on their Weincarte , so we had a Spanish rioja and a french merlot. At least I persuaded the German scholar not to have a De Bortoli. Speaking of which , we have learnt an important word - trocken - dry as in wine.
From there we took a bus to the main art gallery of old masters. Lots and lots of interesting paintings. The layout of the gallery was annoying. Small pokey rooms off other pokey rooms. Easy to miss a room and a 5 star painting.
We had lunch there, gathered our wits and set off again on another train to look at a part of the wall. We watched a 30 minute film about the history and then wandered around an area where you could see the outer wall, the inner wall and the 'death zone' in between. For us, the right mix of information, not too much sentimentality but still compassionate and moving.
Another train and walk to a coffee and wool shop, but their coffee machine was broken. Luckily over the road was an excellent deli like place which sold good coffee and a delicious piece of kuchen. The German scholar sat on a park bench studying his german book with his eyes closed while I browsed in the shop. Amongst other interesting wool they had some yak wool, some wool from English border leister sheep and some wool from the same supplier on the Shetland Islands as the wool I brought. I bought some cable needles with notches so the stitches do not slip off, but will the stitches come off easily when you want them to?
I have not been firing on all cylinders for a few days now and so this evening we took the easy option of going to a place around the corner we went to the other day. They do not have any red from Germany on their Weincarte , so we had a Spanish rioja and a french merlot. At least I persuaded the German scholar not to have a De Bortoli. Speaking of which , we have learnt an important word - trocken - dry as in wine.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Berlin day 1
Today started slowly. We enjoyed breakfast and then went to buy a discount card for transport and activities. There were long queues, so we spent ages, longer than if we had stayed in the first queue , following scant directions to slmewhere else and waited jn another queue. We were told we had to validate it before we could use it. That meant , for us, getting onto the first tram that came along, putting our card into the machine, and getting off at the next
stop and walking back to where we started from.
An interjection. Bloggers instructions are now appearing to me in German. IF I tell my tablet to translate into English, I get a little box obscuring my typing asking if I want to add to the German translation, or some such thing. Very annoying. Hence more unfixed errors.
After our discard card was validated we then used it to get a reduction on a 2 hour city bus tour. It was an excellent introduction to the city. The commentary was provided, through a recording into our earphones, of 2 old codgers one from the west and one from the east providing info and reminiscing. We were impressed by the modern buildings in between old, or rebuilt 'old' , the large expanses of green parks or wide tree lined streets.
After lunch we came back to our hotel for a while, for the tour guide to get organised and come up with a rough plan for the next 4 days, and for the German scholar to look up some more useful words. We wandered off again to look at some things in our area , quite central, old East. We looked at a church, wandered along the river bank . There was a building site behind some barriers and on the barriers were pictures of an exhibition of the best photos from 125 years of national geographic photos. They were brilliant. We enjoyed them. Our destination was Nikolaiviertel, the site of the city medieval core which was razed in 1944 and rebuilt in the 80s by the GDR. Our book says it is touristy and a bit tacky but with some reasonable cafes serving authentic german food. The only shop i saw sold upmarket german dresses. It was not as touristy as we thought it might be, we found a cafe in a secluded courtyard with a lovely view of an old church, we had some nice wine , a glass of a different german reisling and a glass of silvaner, a dry white , we had some nice food, my friend the German scholar talked to the waiters in patchy German, and we finished off with apfelkuchen mit streusel. A lovely evening.
stop and walking back to where we started from.
An interjection. Bloggers instructions are now appearing to me in German. IF I tell my tablet to translate into English, I get a little box obscuring my typing asking if I want to add to the German translation, or some such thing. Very annoying. Hence more unfixed errors.
After our discard card was validated we then used it to get a reduction on a 2 hour city bus tour. It was an excellent introduction to the city. The commentary was provided, through a recording into our earphones, of 2 old codgers one from the west and one from the east providing info and reminiscing. We were impressed by the modern buildings in between old, or rebuilt 'old' , the large expanses of green parks or wide tree lined streets.
After lunch we came back to our hotel for a while, for the tour guide to get organised and come up with a rough plan for the next 4 days, and for the German scholar to look up some more useful words. We wandered off again to look at some things in our area , quite central, old East. We looked at a church, wandered along the river bank . There was a building site behind some barriers and on the barriers were pictures of an exhibition of the best photos from 125 years of national geographic photos. They were brilliant. We enjoyed them. Our destination was Nikolaiviertel, the site of the city medieval core which was razed in 1944 and rebuilt in the 80s by the GDR. Our book says it is touristy and a bit tacky but with some reasonable cafes serving authentic german food. The only shop i saw sold upmarket german dresses. It was not as touristy as we thought it might be, we found a cafe in a secluded courtyard with a lovely view of an old church, we had some nice wine , a glass of a different german reisling and a glass of silvaner, a dry white , we had some nice food, my friend the German scholar talked to the waiters in patchy German, and we finished off with apfelkuchen mit streusel. A lovely evening.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Arrived Berlin
Much waiting, 3 planes, a little anxiousness because the connections were tight and the B team checked me in and had to be reminded how to tag my bag for 2 transits and we and our bags, some what surprisingly, all arrived safely and timely at Berlin.
We are now sitting in a cafe around the corner from our hotel having dinner, including a delicious german reisling ( when in Rome. ..) .
We are now sitting in a cafe around the corner from our hotel having dinner, including a delicious german reisling ( when in Rome. ..) .
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
St Magnus Cathedral and the museum
We started our time here saying while the weather was good we would go to the outdoor sites and leave inside till later. Today is our last day here and it is overcast and raining and we have seen the outdoor sites. What good planning.
We watched an interesting short film on the life of Magnus. In the early 1100s this area was administered by Norway and local Earls. At one time the leadership was shared between 2 cousins , one of whom was Magnus. He was a peace loving Christian and was murdered by his cousin, who outsourced the dastardly deed to his cook. His remains were intered in a little chapel at the Brough of Birsay, where we visited a few days ago. Over several years miracles happened to people who visited this chapel and he became a saint and his nephew built, or rather started , this huge cathedral, far bigger than anything else this far north.
The cathedral lived up to its reputation. We had been there for a sercvice on Sunday but today we enjoyed wandering around looking at all the bits and pieces. My favourite was a beautiful marketry table with an illustrated Danish
bible on it.
The Museum in Kirkwall has a good reputation and we found out why. It helped us work out in our heads about who was where when in the neolithic, then bronze , then iron age. We skipped over the more recent stuff because we were running out of mental capacity. We had lunch at our favourite cafe and have pottered all afternoon, reading, sorting piles of stuff, buying a few postcards (not writing yet, so don't hold your breath) . The ex-sheep farmer sitting next to me as I type in between sips of Highland Park whiskey, is gloating because he has written and posted his postcards. He is doing his trick he practised in the UK last year. Buy a half pint of beer, feel very virtuous and then go back for a second half pint. He feels virtuous for longer than he feels dissolute.
We watched an interesting short film on the life of Magnus. In the early 1100s this area was administered by Norway and local Earls. At one time the leadership was shared between 2 cousins , one of whom was Magnus. He was a peace loving Christian and was murdered by his cousin, who outsourced the dastardly deed to his cook. His remains were intered in a little chapel at the Brough of Birsay, where we visited a few days ago. Over several years miracles happened to people who visited this chapel and he became a saint and his nephew built, or rather started , this huge cathedral, far bigger than anything else this far north.
The cathedral lived up to its reputation. We had been there for a sercvice on Sunday but today we enjoyed wandering around looking at all the bits and pieces. My favourite was a beautiful marketry table with an illustrated Danish
bible on it.
The Museum in Kirkwall has a good reputation and we found out why. It helped us work out in our heads about who was where when in the neolithic, then bronze , then iron age. We skipped over the more recent stuff because we were running out of mental capacity. We had lunch at our favourite cafe and have pottered all afternoon, reading, sorting piles of stuff, buying a few postcards (not writing yet, so don't hold your breath) . The ex-sheep farmer sitting next to me as I type in between sips of Highland Park whiskey, is gloating because he has written and posted his postcards. He is doing his trick he practised in the UK last year. Buy a half pint of beer, feel very virtuous and then go back for a second half pint. He feels virtuous for longer than he feels dissolute.
St Magnus side view in today's rain
A side door in the sun of a few days ago
Monday, August 17, 2015
Italian Chapel and Ness of Brodgar
Firstly I have to report that our little car no longer elicits grunts from its usual , well only, driver. Today was quite foggy when we left our hotel. Several times throughout the morning the driver was heard to say, reasonably politely, 'thank you' when reminded by one of the previously annoying loud beeps that he had left the lights on.
We went first to visit a building know as the Italian Chapel. During WW2, several hundred Italian pow s were stationed in the orkneys to work on the Churchill Barriers. These are concrete barriers linking several islands making Scapa Flow harder to get into by enemy submarines. Now they form convenient causeways between some of the islands. One Italian built a statue of St George slaying the dragon and then a UK officer and padre asked this guy, Dominic Chiocchetti, to build a chapel in his spare time. With the aid of other craftsmen, he built a chapel out of 2 Nissan huts, joined together. The inside is beautifully painted with frescoes, the walls are painted to look like bricks, the lanterns are made from bully beef tins, a facade on the front disguises the huts etc. It has a lovely feel to it.
We drove over several more barriers and small islands to get to South Ronaldsay. We drove to Hoxa Head to look at one of the entrances of Scapa Flow and have coffee at a cafe with a view. By the time we finished the fog was just starting to lift and we could just see the adjacent islands through the gloom. We had a quick potter in a cooperative craft shop in a nearby town and then drove back , bypassing Kirkwall, to the site of a major current excavation at the Ness of Brodgar.
This site is amazing. Discovered in 2003, it covers a huge area along a promontory , between the standing stones of Stenness and the ring of Brodgar which we had previously seen. The present excavation area is about 40 m by 40m. This is a very small part of the complex they have yet to unearth. In the current area are about 8 buildings dating from 3200 BC to 2300 BC. Some of the older ones were remade. One we were told about , lies on top of 3 levels of other structures. They do not think that any of the buildings were domestic dwellings. They are far too big and grand compared to other neolithic buildings. They have worked out that these buildings definitely pre date stonehenge .
After that we drove around the southern part of the island we are on, taking some pictures of Scapa Flow ( the fog had gone). Noel has read much military history about Scapa Flow and was interested. Our final stop was to look at the remains of a small 12th century chapel that would have been completely round.
We went first to visit a building know as the Italian Chapel. During WW2, several hundred Italian pow s were stationed in the orkneys to work on the Churchill Barriers. These are concrete barriers linking several islands making Scapa Flow harder to get into by enemy submarines. Now they form convenient causeways between some of the islands. One Italian built a statue of St George slaying the dragon and then a UK officer and padre asked this guy, Dominic Chiocchetti, to build a chapel in his spare time. With the aid of other craftsmen, he built a chapel out of 2 Nissan huts, joined together. The inside is beautifully painted with frescoes, the walls are painted to look like bricks, the lanterns are made from bully beef tins, a facade on the front disguises the huts etc. It has a lovely feel to it.
We drove over several more barriers and small islands to get to South Ronaldsay. We drove to Hoxa Head to look at one of the entrances of Scapa Flow and have coffee at a cafe with a view. By the time we finished the fog was just starting to lift and we could just see the adjacent islands through the gloom. We had a quick potter in a cooperative craft shop in a nearby town and then drove back , bypassing Kirkwall, to the site of a major current excavation at the Ness of Brodgar.
This site is amazing. Discovered in 2003, it covers a huge area along a promontory , between the standing stones of Stenness and the ring of Brodgar which we had previously seen. The present excavation area is about 40 m by 40m. This is a very small part of the complex they have yet to unearth. In the current area are about 8 buildings dating from 3200 BC to 2300 BC. Some of the older ones were remade. One we were told about , lies on top of 3 levels of other structures. They do not think that any of the buildings were domestic dwellings. They are far too big and grand compared to other neolithic buildings. They have worked out that these buildings definitely pre date stonehenge .
After that we drove around the southern part of the island we are on, taking some pictures of Scapa Flow ( the fog had gone). Noel has read much military history about Scapa Flow and was interested. Our final stop was to look at the remains of a small 12th century chapel that would have been completely round.
Italian Chapel
One of the Churchill Barriers
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Broch of Gurness Brough of Birsay
Firstly, last nights concert.
Fiddling , as in playing a violin in a folksey manner, is a large part of the shetland and orkneys culture. When we arrived here, we found out by accident of a concert of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra ( including, we found out later, 3 flutes, 2 accordions, 1 double bass , 1 cello, 1 percussionist) . Why not? In the shetlands we have foregone the opportunity to go to a dingy bar to hear poor quality, drunk, local fiddlers. Last night we walked to a new performance venue/ aquatic centre/ ??. The concert was excellent. The compere was from Aberdeen, we could hardly understand a word. We did however get the joke about a terrific sheep farmer who was outstanding in his field. There were items of the orchestra playing jigs and other Scottish tunes, a mezzo soprano and a tenor singing popular folk ish tunes and 3 different groups of young, mainly fiddler, musicians. At the end, they played auld lang syne. Everyone stood and sang. Apparently this is normal in Scotland ( maybe just northern islands?) after any concert. The conductor was a showman and used the fact that the audience could see his feet moving in time to the music, his knees and the way his kilt fell beautifully, swished and swayed, when he moved his rear end. All in aid of a neuro ward in Aberdeen infirmary. What are the odds of that?
Kirkwall is known for its large cathedral of st Magnus, built in the 1100s. We have yet to learn about its history, but today we went to a service in it. It was a bit incongruous to us - robed choristers, booming organ and modern songs. We enjoyed it nevertheless.
After a nice lunch which included crab quiche - there seems a lot of local crab on the menus, not too expensive - we set off for the Broch of Gurness. On the way we saw in a field adjacent to the road a man, his dog and some sheep. The ex sheepfarmer was pleased . A little later we were stopped by a truck blocking the road and it became clear that a farmer, his son, his dog and his wife were trying to move a mob of about 200 sheep along a laneway from one field to another on the other side of the road . They were having difficulties. After some grunts , the ex sheepfarmer told me how it should be done. This was definitely not what was happening .
The broch of gurness was interesting. It was a broch with the remains of a Pictish village built all around it, built about 2000 years ago. It became deserted but there is evidence later Vikings used it as a graveyard. It is really hard to get your head around who was here when, each island seems a bit different, different theories from archaeologists add confusion, a big jigsaw puzzle.
We then drove along more single lane roads to Birsay. Coffee and scone before driving to the edge of the causeway that links the mainland to a island. The causeway is only passable at low tide. On the island there is the remains of a Pictish village and a later Norse church and some housing. Reputedgy, St Magnus was buried there after he was killed.
There is also a lighthouse on the island, but it was almost 5 pm, the weather was closing in , so we gave the lighthouse a miss.
Fiddling , as in playing a violin in a folksey manner, is a large part of the shetland and orkneys culture. When we arrived here, we found out by accident of a concert of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra ( including, we found out later, 3 flutes, 2 accordions, 1 double bass , 1 cello, 1 percussionist) . Why not? In the shetlands we have foregone the opportunity to go to a dingy bar to hear poor quality, drunk, local fiddlers. Last night we walked to a new performance venue/ aquatic centre/ ??. The concert was excellent. The compere was from Aberdeen, we could hardly understand a word. We did however get the joke about a terrific sheep farmer who was outstanding in his field. There were items of the orchestra playing jigs and other Scottish tunes, a mezzo soprano and a tenor singing popular folk ish tunes and 3 different groups of young, mainly fiddler, musicians. At the end, they played auld lang syne. Everyone stood and sang. Apparently this is normal in Scotland ( maybe just northern islands?) after any concert. The conductor was a showman and used the fact that the audience could see his feet moving in time to the music, his knees and the way his kilt fell beautifully, swished and swayed, when he moved his rear end. All in aid of a neuro ward in Aberdeen infirmary. What are the odds of that?
Kirkwall is known for its large cathedral of st Magnus, built in the 1100s. We have yet to learn about its history, but today we went to a service in it. It was a bit incongruous to us - robed choristers, booming organ and modern songs. We enjoyed it nevertheless.
After a nice lunch which included crab quiche - there seems a lot of local crab on the menus, not too expensive - we set off for the Broch of Gurness. On the way we saw in a field adjacent to the road a man, his dog and some sheep. The ex sheepfarmer was pleased . A little later we were stopped by a truck blocking the road and it became clear that a farmer, his son, his dog and his wife were trying to move a mob of about 200 sheep along a laneway from one field to another on the other side of the road . They were having difficulties. After some grunts , the ex sheepfarmer told me how it should be done. This was definitely not what was happening .
The broch of gurness was interesting. It was a broch with the remains of a Pictish village built all around it, built about 2000 years ago. It became deserted but there is evidence later Vikings used it as a graveyard. It is really hard to get your head around who was here when, each island seems a bit different, different theories from archaeologists add confusion, a big jigsaw puzzle.
We then drove along more single lane roads to Birsay. Coffee and scone before driving to the edge of the causeway that links the mainland to a island. The causeway is only passable at low tide. On the island there is the remains of a Pictish village and a later Norse church and some housing. Reputedgy, St Magnus was buried there after he was killed.
There is also a lighthouse on the island, but it was almost 5 pm, the weather was closing in , so we gave the lighthouse a miss.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Skara Brae
Today was the first day we have worn raincoats. Not bad after 11 days in this part of the world. We set off early to drive to Skara Brae and beat the crowds which we did.
Skara Brae is an uncovered neolithic stone village built about 3 100 BCE, before the pyramids and stonehenge. It consists of 9 houses and another building used as a workshop to produce pottery and tools etc. Before visiting the site, visitors can go into a recreated house, stand in it and look around, imagining lying on the stone beds, cooking over the fire, etc etc. The walls of the houses are sort of interconnecting and grass covered so visitors walk around looking down into the roofless houses. It was amazing . A guide told us of the drainage system that exists under the houses . They had very limited timber.
We went through the large home of the laird on whose land Skara Brae was found.
After lunch of a fruit scone, we set off again over the narrow roads with no shoulders and stone walls . We looked at another old kirk, once again with the pulpit in the middle on a side and with an upper gallery. The minister had a good view of most of his attending flock.
Then we visited a memorial to Lord Kitchener. Apparently after all his good achievements, he was in a ship on a friendly mission to Russia and the ship hit a mine and sank off this part of Orkney coast.
Back to Kirkwall for an early dinner before going to a concert of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra. The concert was terrific. More in tomorrow's post.
Skara Brae is an uncovered neolithic stone village built about 3 100 BCE, before the pyramids and stonehenge. It consists of 9 houses and another building used as a workshop to produce pottery and tools etc. Before visiting the site, visitors can go into a recreated house, stand in it and look around, imagining lying on the stone beds, cooking over the fire, etc etc. The walls of the houses are sort of interconnecting and grass covered so visitors walk around looking down into the roofless houses. It was amazing . A guide told us of the drainage system that exists under the houses . They had very limited timber.
We went through the large home of the laird on whose land Skara Brae was found.
After lunch of a fruit scone, we set off again over the narrow roads with no shoulders and stone walls . We looked at another old kirk, once again with the pulpit in the middle on a side and with an upper gallery. The minister had a good view of most of his attending flock.
Then we visited a memorial to Lord Kitchener. Apparently after all his good achievements, he was in a ship on a friendly mission to Russia and the ship hit a mine and sank off this part of Orkney coast.
Back to Kirkwall for an early dinner before going to a concert of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra. The concert was terrific. More in tomorrow's post.
Noel in the recreated house
A very similar house
Part of the 9 buildings
Friday, August 14, 2015
Some photos form previous days
Typical Shetland view
On the cliffs of Sumburgh Head
Some of the many different sorts of Shetland ponies on show.
The sheep were almost as big as the ponies.
Approaching Moussa Broch
Maeshowe, Ring of Brodgar
In Lerwick our car very quickly became named Ugly, not said with malice, it was not her fault. The car we have now is a Ford fiesta, not much liked by today's driver, not me. I think she will be called OSH ( oh shut up) said by driver on numerous occasions when a door was opened and a loud noise came or when backing, more bipping notes. When backing, Ugly had a nice picture of square boxes behind the car that noel had just mastered, but not this car.
Maeshowe is a large neolithic chamber 7m high accessed by a 10 m long by 1 m high tunnel. About 20 people including us listened for an hour to the guides description of how it was made, as much as archaeologists can work out, and all sorts of other interesting info, . Inside on the walls are lots of scratched in runic writing from some later norsemen ( they are not called Vikings here)
We drove to Stromness but unfortunately today's navigator directed the driver (still not me) down a narrow , mainly pedestrian street. This caused some angst, compounded by, a few minutes later, an oncoming driver going to fast. The driver was all for leaving this town. The navigator, however, quickly realised that food would be a bit hard to come by anywhere other than major towns, and she needed food, so we parked in a supermarkets car park on the edge of town, walked back into town and had lunch.
Next we stopped at the Ring of Brodgar., a henge, I. E a circle of stones. There were originally 60, now about 20 standing. The diameter of the circle is 100m. The area was covered with heather in flower. On the way back to Kirkwall we looked at the Stones of Stenness, the remains of another henge.
The countryside seems a little less harsh than the Shetlands. The houses are bigger, still brown, brown or grey, but more monotonous in shape than in the shetlands. There seem to be more cows here in the orkneys, sometimes in a mob of about 30 cows, there appear to be about 25 different colours or breeds. Motley groups. There seems more emphasis on wind power here.
There is a quiet bar attached to this hotel. For the second day in a row, we have tried a different whiskey. One must sample the local produce so as not to appear rude.
Ring of Brodgar
Maeshowe is a large neolithic chamber 7m high accessed by a 10 m long by 1 m high tunnel. About 20 people including us listened for an hour to the guides description of how it was made, as much as archaeologists can work out, and all sorts of other interesting info, . Inside on the walls are lots of scratched in runic writing from some later norsemen ( they are not called Vikings here)
We drove to Stromness but unfortunately today's navigator directed the driver (still not me) down a narrow , mainly pedestrian street. This caused some angst, compounded by, a few minutes later, an oncoming driver going to fast. The driver was all for leaving this town. The navigator, however, quickly realised that food would be a bit hard to come by anywhere other than major towns, and she needed food, so we parked in a supermarkets car park on the edge of town, walked back into town and had lunch.
Next we stopped at the Ring of Brodgar., a henge, I. E a circle of stones. There were originally 60, now about 20 standing. The diameter of the circle is 100m. The area was covered with heather in flower. On the way back to Kirkwall we looked at the Stones of Stenness, the remains of another henge.
The countryside seems a little less harsh than the Shetlands. The houses are bigger, still brown, brown or grey, but more monotonous in shape than in the shetlands. There seem to be more cows here in the orkneys, sometimes in a mob of about 30 cows, there appear to be about 25 different colours or breeds. Motley groups. There seems more emphasis on wind power here.
There is a quiet bar attached to this hotel. For the second day in a row, we have tried a different whiskey. One must sample the local produce so as not to appear rude.
Ring of Brodgar
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Arrived safely in Kirkwall
We went to the excellent museum in Lerwick this morning. It laid out the history of the shetlands very well. There was an old fishing boat that a group of 6 men would go off in for days at a time. It was just like an overgrown rowing boat with a bit of a sail, no protection from the elements. There was an interesting display of peat, how it was farmed etc. An old picture of a mother and her 4 children, her and the 3 eldest with large bags of peat on their back, rugged up in wooly clothes and bare feet made me appreciate the switch I flick if I want more warmth in my apartment.
The drive to Sumburgh airport, return of hire car, flight to kirkwall, collection of different hire car (on first impression not as good to drive as Ugly) all went well. We are staying at a big hotel with bar and restaurant. We had a local whiskey ( bit peaty i think, i preferred last year's one from Oban or the one i had in a d, b and b in Sydney that I visited in june) and then fish and chips in the bar.
The drive to Sumburgh airport, return of hire car, flight to kirkwall, collection of different hire car (on first impression not as good to drive as Ugly) all went well. We are staying at a big hotel with bar and restaurant. We had a local whiskey ( bit peaty i think, i preferred last year's one from Oban or the one i had in a d, b and b in Sydney that I visited in june) and then fish and chips in the bar.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Moussa
Today we went on the ferry to Moussa. Moussa has sheep, lots of birds, seals and a large Broch. Brochs are iron age stone towers scattered around the northern coast of Scotland and no where else in the world. The broch at Moussa is the largest. It is
43 foot high, walls at ground level 16 ft thick, then 2 concentric walls going up with a staircase between them. We walked to it, climbed up the perilously thin worn stone spiral stairs, looked at the view and came down again . Brochs are thought by some to be forts for defence, or symbols of a wealthy persons power. No one knows.
From the broch we wandered along the path around part of the island. We saw lots of different birds and a very large bull grey seal sitting on a rock haughtily surveying the frolicking seals around him. We had our picnic lunch sitting on a rock looking out to sea watching the birds swoop, skim across the water, take food into caves, presumably to their young , etc.
After the return ferry trip , we stopped at a village Cunningsburgh where there was an agricultural show . I think every man and his dog, except there do not appear to be many dogs, every many and woman and kid in the shetlands were there. Extra surprising because it is not the weekend. We walked straight to the sheep pens where we were very amazed to see sheep of all shades of orange. See previous post!
Huge sheep. Even my friend the ex sheepfarmer thought they were huge. We finally found the sign - Suffolk sheep. There were assorted other breeds including shetland sheep which were all small. We looked at some fleeces in a tent. My friend said very little other than a few grunts of annoyance that he was no longer in the industry. I thought that a Shetland pony was a Shetland pony but there are many different types.
All the knitted garments on display were very traditional. I was hoping to see some
modern garments using the tradition patterns and colours. This made me realise that
many of the women and men wandering around were wearing traditional jumpers.
Back in lerwick it was coffee and cake at a new place that serves good coffee. We visited the textile museum which we were hoping would have more historical stuff about wool processing in the days of the small crofters. But it didnot. There were some fine garments on display
43 foot high, walls at ground level 16 ft thick, then 2 concentric walls going up with a staircase between them. We walked to it, climbed up the perilously thin worn stone spiral stairs, looked at the view and came down again . Brochs are thought by some to be forts for defence, or symbols of a wealthy persons power. No one knows.
From the broch we wandered along the path around part of the island. We saw lots of different birds and a very large bull grey seal sitting on a rock haughtily surveying the frolicking seals around him. We had our picnic lunch sitting on a rock looking out to sea watching the birds swoop, skim across the water, take food into caves, presumably to their young , etc.
After the return ferry trip , we stopped at a village Cunningsburgh where there was an agricultural show . I think every man and his dog, except there do not appear to be many dogs, every many and woman and kid in the shetlands were there. Extra surprising because it is not the weekend. We walked straight to the sheep pens where we were very amazed to see sheep of all shades of orange. See previous post!
Huge sheep. Even my friend the ex sheepfarmer thought they were huge. We finally found the sign - Suffolk sheep. There were assorted other breeds including shetland sheep which were all small. We looked at some fleeces in a tent. My friend said very little other than a few grunts of annoyance that he was no longer in the industry. I thought that a Shetland pony was a Shetland pony but there are many different types.
All the knitted garments on display were very traditional. I was hoping to see some
modern garments using the tradition patterns and colours. This made me realise that
Back in lerwick it was coffee and cake at a new place that serves good coffee. We visited the textile museum which we were hoping would have more historical stuff about wool processing in the days of the small crofters. But it didnot. There were some fine garments on display
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Tuesday
Today we went, again south from Lerwick, to a crofters museum. We were the only people there and the attendant told us all about different things and how life was lived. There was a smelly peat fire going, several enclosed shetland beds, I. E. A 4 poster bed with sides of wood to keep in heat, very low doorways again to retain heat, stalls for cows ( horses and sheep left outside), fish drying in front of fire. We walked to a nearby small water mill.
Next we drove to a larger commercial mill, but it was really just a collection of old equipment etc.
We went to where the ferry to Moussa leaves from, waited around a bit and then read a sign to say the ferry was not going because of too much wind. We reckoned it was between 10 and 15 knots- hardly any wind for here in our limited experience. Plan B was to drive to where there is a spit of sandy land, referred to here as a tombola, linking the mainland with St Ninians island to have our picnic lunch watching the sand, grassy slopes, water, very peaceful.
We then drove north of lerwick for the first time. The countryside was different. Less sheep, less scattered housing, more large houses in clusters. Our destination was Lunna, now a few houses, but during Ww2, it was the original location of where the shetland bus operation worked from. Another good day.
Next we drove to a larger commercial mill, but it was really just a collection of old equipment etc.
We went to where the ferry to Moussa leaves from, waited around a bit and then read a sign to say the ferry was not going because of too much wind. We reckoned it was between 10 and 15 knots- hardly any wind for here in our limited experience. Plan B was to drive to where there is a spit of sandy land, referred to here as a tombola, linking the mainland with St Ninians island to have our picnic lunch watching the sand, grassy slopes, water, very peaceful.
We then drove north of lerwick for the first time. The countryside was different. Less sheep, less scattered housing, more large houses in clusters. Our destination was Lunna, now a few houses, but during Ww2, it was the original location of where the shetland bus operation worked from. Another good day.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Sumborough
This morning we drove south from Lerwick to Sumborough stopping several times to admire the views of rolling hills, near and distant small villages, isolated cottages, bodies of water, no trees, purple heather and yellow gorse and lots and lots of sheep. White ones, black ones, white ones with black faces. My friend in the background , the ex sheepfarmer, says "But no merinos".
First off was Jarlshof. This is a small patch of land, very near the airport, right on the edge of the water, which has the remains of buildings from 4 distinct time periods excavated. The first remains of small round houses were neolithic, 2500 to 1500 BCE Then there were remains from a bronze age settlement, around 800BCE. Next came some iron age houses. These guys left , no one was there for a bit, then new settlers came in the last century BCE or first century CE. These people constructed a massive stone broch of which about 2.5 m remains. Brochs are tall towers with 2 layers of outer walls. This one had a courtyard. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, there appeared different structures called wheelhouses. We climbed down several steps into one. There were about 8 separate small rooms off a central area with a hearth in the middle. This was known to be inhabited in 800 CE. Next came the Vikings. We wandered around the stone remains of the base of a 9th century longhouse. There were remains of other associated buildings like a smithy, bathhouse and temple. In the late 13th century a different sort of farm house was built nearby. In the late 1500s a Scottish laird built his house here. The walls are still mostly standing, several storeys high. The audio guide we had was very informative and we thoroughly enjoyed wandering around the remains. It helped that it was quite warm and the sun was shining.
After lunch at the nearby pub we drove up to the Sumborough Headland. The girl at the entrance to the grounds said that they had not seen any puffins for a few days. We saw nesting fulmars but no puffins until we followed a family with 2 kids down the path to the car park.
We wandered around the lighthouse and were interested in a display about an experimental radar station which was able to warn the locals , during WW 2 about an approaching German raid .
We spent a while driving down single lane roads in search of a coffee on the way back to Lerwick. After buying a pattern for a scarf that I propose to knit in shetland 2 ply lace wool, we had an early dinner at a new cafe that was good, overlooking the water, over the road from Tesco.
Q
First off was Jarlshof. This is a small patch of land, very near the airport, right on the edge of the water, which has the remains of buildings from 4 distinct time periods excavated. The first remains of small round houses were neolithic, 2500 to 1500 BCE Then there were remains from a bronze age settlement, around 800BCE. Next came some iron age houses. These guys left , no one was there for a bit, then new settlers came in the last century BCE or first century CE. These people constructed a massive stone broch of which about 2.5 m remains. Brochs are tall towers with 2 layers of outer walls. This one had a courtyard. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, there appeared different structures called wheelhouses. We climbed down several steps into one. There were about 8 separate small rooms off a central area with a hearth in the middle. This was known to be inhabited in 800 CE. Next came the Vikings. We wandered around the stone remains of the base of a 9th century longhouse. There were remains of other associated buildings like a smithy, bathhouse and temple. In the late 13th century a different sort of farm house was built nearby. In the late 1500s a Scottish laird built his house here. The walls are still mostly standing, several storeys high. The audio guide we had was very informative and we thoroughly enjoyed wandering around the remains. It helped that it was quite warm and the sun was shining.
After lunch at the nearby pub we drove up to the Sumborough Headland. The girl at the entrance to the grounds said that they had not seen any puffins for a few days. We saw nesting fulmars but no puffins until we followed a family with 2 kids down the path to the car park.
We wandered around the lighthouse and were interested in a display about an experimental radar station which was able to warn the locals , during WW 2 about an approaching German raid .
We spent a while driving down single lane roads in search of a coffee on the way back to Lerwick. After buying a pattern for a scarf that I propose to knit in shetland 2 ply lace wool, we had an early dinner at a new cafe that was good, overlooking the water, over the road from Tesco.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Scalloway
After a very leisurely start we drove to Scalloway. It is a smaller town than Lerwick but a bit more colourful. Not all the houses are grey or brown. We wandered around and found the memorial to the Shetland bus. The Shetland bus was a Ww2 operation involving the movement of agents , refugees and supplies to and from Norway and the shetlands using norwegian fishing boats and crews.
As we were looking at this memorial 2 other people came up and we got talking. B was from St Andrews and C was from Oban. After we said we were going to have lunch, but the options were very limited, they invited us to join them for lunch where they were staying at a large marine research establishment nearby. We spent a very enjoyable few hours chatting to them over some lentil soup. Turned out C was doing her PhD, supervised partly by B , looking at the action of a particular micro algae that live all over the world that are eaten by shellfish , causing them no harm, but when humans eat the shellfish the story is different.
We had found out there was an agricultural show at a town further on which we had intended to go to after lunch but by the time we left C and B it was 3.30 so we went to the scalloway museum instead. There was an interesting display on the ways they have fished for different species of fish over the years and a lot of information about the shetland bus and some of the people involved. The operation was carried out in the winter months for the boats to have maximum chance to avoid detection, but the winter month have the worst weather.
As we were looking at this memorial 2 other people came up and we got talking. B was from St Andrews and C was from Oban. After we said we were going to have lunch, but the options were very limited, they invited us to join them for lunch where they were staying at a large marine research establishment nearby. We spent a very enjoyable few hours chatting to them over some lentil soup. Turned out C was doing her PhD, supervised partly by B , looking at the action of a particular micro algae that live all over the world that are eaten by shellfish , causing them no harm, but when humans eat the shellfish the story is different.
We had found out there was an agricultural show at a town further on which we had intended to go to after lunch but by the time we left C and B it was 3.30 so we went to the scalloway museum instead. There was an interesting display on the ways they have fished for different species of fish over the years and a lot of information about the shetland bus and some of the people involved. The operation was carried out in the winter months for the boats to have maximum chance to avoid detection, but the winter month have the worst weather.
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Safely in Shetlands
After a leisurely start, bus to airport, the required waiting, waiting at Glasgow airport, we arrived here earlier than scheduled at 2pm. Our car is a boxy, ugly looking Kia but quite spacious and seems new. We drove here to Lerwick , passing a field with about 6 Shetland ponies in a huddle. I had forgotten how little they are. Our lovely b and b is about 2 km out of the main centre. I am sitting up in bed staring straight out past a few houses to some water and hills the other side. It is 8.40 and still quite light. In the garden in the foreground there are 2 flagpoles. An Australian flag and a German flag are flying because of the Non Uk gueSt's.
In the afternoon we gathered a lot of brochures from the tourist bureau, found a coffee shop that did not shut until 6 and then found a hotel for dinner. It was very old fashioned and smelt a bit funny but the food was good.
Noel has reminded me that when we were dawdling our way thru the fancy perfumes, sunglasses, watches etc at Glasgow airport we were able to sample some Glenfindich. He does not like flying in planes that are long and skinny and we have done so a few times lately. Today's was smaller and seemed skinner. If he had stood up straight he would have touched the ceiling.
In the afternoon we gathered a lot of brochures from the tourist bureau, found a coffee shop that did not shut until 6 and then found a hotel for dinner. It was very old fashioned and smelt a bit funny but the food was good.
Noel has reminded me that when we were dawdling our way thru the fancy perfumes, sunglasses, watches etc at Glasgow airport we were able to sample some Glenfindich. He does not like flying in planes that are long and skinny and we have done so a few times lately. Today's was smaller and seemed skinner. If he had stood up straight he would have touched the ceiling.
More of Edinburgh
Noel and his daughter visited the decommissioned royal yacht Britannia moored in Leith , a 20 min bus ride from the centre of Edinburgh. It was interesting without being spectacular. Meanwhile I went for a brisk walk from our hotel in the centre of glasgow through some upmarket areas and some less so to Kelvingrove Museum again to look at the paintings.
We all met up at a dance venue in Edinburgh to watch the premier ( it is the first day of the festival) of a dance work created by Noel's daughters partner. It was about the inner turmoiled life of the dancer Najinsky with an older actor playing his old self and a younger dancer / actor playing his younger self. Noel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
We all met up at a dance venue in Edinburgh to watch the premier ( it is the first day of the festival) of a dance work created by Noel's daughters partner. It was about the inner turmoiled life of the dancer Najinsky with an older actor playing his old self and a younger dancer / actor playing his younger self. Noel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Friday, August 7, 2015
Huntarian museum and River Cruise
We spent time in the morning with Noel's daughter at the Huntarian Museum, situated in the lovely old Glasgow uni grounds. The museum started as the extensive collection of assorted things of Dr William Hunter, born in 1718, a noted anatomist and obstetrician. Hence lots of preserved bits of flesh in glass bottles. There was much more including an interesting display of the Roman occupation of Scotland.
After that we walked down to the Riverside Museum of Transport that we had visited last year . As an aside, goats cheese is prevalent on menus at a similar price to ordinary cheese. We went on a cruise of a section of the Clyde. It was interesting to learn of the history of some of the old buildings and the newer buildings. We saw the major shipyards, once the foremost in the world (according to the guide) , then fallen into disuse, and now being used again. We saw 1/4 of an aircraft carrier hull almost ready to move to the next stage of its construction.
We enjoyed a delicious meal and good conversation with N's daughter and her partner in the evening.
After that we walked down to the Riverside Museum of Transport that we had visited last year . As an aside, goats cheese is prevalent on menus at a similar price to ordinary cheese. We went on a cruise of a section of the Clyde. It was interesting to learn of the history of some of the old buildings and the newer buildings. We saw the major shipyards, once the foremost in the world (according to the guide) , then fallen into disuse, and now being used again. We saw 1/4 of an aircraft carrier hull almost ready to move to the next stage of its construction.
We enjoyed a delicious meal and good conversation with N's daughter and her partner in the evening.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Edinburgh
After a leisurely start, we caught the train to Edinburgh. We wandered around a bit then took a tour on one of those hop on hop off buses but only hopped twice. It was a good overview of Edinburgh. Noel had never been before but I had spent 1 week there in 2010. After lunch in Newtown we walked up the hill, stopping to watch some pre festival street theatre, to St Giles Cathedral. We enjoyed wandering around it. Yesterday we happened upon an organ recital, today it was an excellent brass quintet performing in the cathedral.
I have a new camera which I did not spend enough time learning how to use before I came. It was annoying me today. Plenty of time for practise over the next few weeks. I am also very frustrated that when I transfer photos from my camera to my tablet, they end up in a jumbled order. I do not remember this being a problem a year ago. Changing technology and aging brains are not a good mix.
Noel and I have become accustomed to sometimes doing the puzzle in the australian on weekdays that has 10 multiple choice questions. We usually have to guess about 3/4 of the questions , those about modern popular music, modern tv sit coms, etc etc. Last week there was a question asking what was the name of a model of the solar system. We did not know , and as is usual, our guess was wrong. The answer is an orrery. Lo and behold, we came across one in the Kelvingrove Museum.
I have a new camera which I did not spend enough time learning how to use before I came. It was annoying me today. Plenty of time for practise over the next few weeks. I am also very frustrated that when I transfer photos from my camera to my tablet, they end up in a jumbled order. I do not remember this being a problem a year ago. Changing technology and aging brains are not a good mix.
Noel and I have become accustomed to sometimes doing the puzzle in the australian on weekdays that has 10 multiple choice questions. We usually have to guess about 3/4 of the questions , those about modern popular music, modern tv sit coms, etc etc. Last week there was a question asking what was the name of a model of the solar system. We did not know , and as is usual, our guess was wrong. The answer is an orrery. Lo and behold, we came across one in the Kelvingrove Museum.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Arrived Glasgow safely and happily
Our trip went very smoothly. We even managed to not over eat or over drink by too much.
Unfortunately our room in Glasgow was not ready when we arrived at 9. 30. How dare they! We left our bags and set off in search of non- airline coffee. We stumbled upon a new group of shops and cafes built around a roofed central square. There was lots of wood, glass, old design features. It was very pleasant and the coffee was ok.
We went from there by subway to Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. This is a big old Victorian building built purposely to house a collection of goods. We saw a small selection - we were fading fast. Noell was pleased to see a spitfire , an original from the then city of Glasgow squadron. We asked a wandering attendant about puffins. He directed us to a few different galleries and told us about a Dali painting. We were quite impressed by the power of the painting and never got to the puffins. There is a huge organ in an organ loft above the central area. We listened to a half hour recital while we had a sandwich, then came back here to our hotel.
Unfortunately our room in Glasgow was not ready when we arrived at 9. 30. How dare they! We left our bags and set off in search of non- airline coffee. We stumbled upon a new group of shops and cafes built around a roofed central square. There was lots of wood, glass, old design features. It was very pleasant and the coffee was ok.
We went from there by subway to Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. This is a big old Victorian building built purposely to house a collection of goods. We saw a small selection - we were fading fast. Noell was pleased to see a spitfire , an original from the then city of Glasgow squadron. We asked a wandering attendant about puffins. He directed us to a few different galleries and told us about a Dali painting. We were quite impressed by the power of the painting and never got to the puffins. There is a huge organ in an organ loft above the central area. We listened to a half hour recital while we had a sandwich, then came back here to our hotel.
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