tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64574887256769965812024-03-13T16:44:11.503+00:00The Crystal GazerWelcome to my blog, I'll be posting articles about my travels, restaurant and hotel reviews and U2-related stories here, plus anything else that's going on in my life that I feel like blogging about! Hope you'll enjoy reading them and please feel free to add your comments.Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.comBlogger680125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-21488739714535046692021-01-15T22:20:00.008+00:002021-01-15T22:27:08.390+00:00Book Review - On Traigh Lar Beach Stories by Dianne Ebertt Beeaff<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33rRGnP2Hkk-Hagb9gajSxyeRA-UUZm7QwGxMaco3GVRTlpb3JiK_UfmG23YgSEUtzbwh7_YEcavfjk9pWp_Dzewvh2sSGBV8LHH3emWR_k_K-bovcvvknniSrKtSL7ldwoN0CGFSsZdh/s2048/jpeg+OTLB+Cover9781631527715_fc.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1327" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33rRGnP2Hkk-Hagb9gajSxyeRA-UUZm7QwGxMaco3GVRTlpb3JiK_UfmG23YgSEUtzbwh7_YEcavfjk9pWp_Dzewvh2sSGBV8LHH3emWR_k_K-bovcvvknniSrKtSL7ldwoN0CGFSsZdh/w280-h433/jpeg+OTLB+Cover9781631527715_fc.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br />This book consists of two parts, the first section being short stories followed by a novella, I have always liked this book format. The first part of short stories are based around items found on a beach in the Scottish Hebrides. The stories about the items tells of the people who owned them and how they ended up in the water and then were swept across the Atlantic on the Gulf Stream to the wild Hebrides. <p></p><p>Each story in this book is titled with the name of the person who owns the item which is found on the beach. Beeaff also uses her artistic skills to draw the flora related to that name at the beginning of each story. </p><p>All the stories are based in the Eastern USA and Canada and each is very distinct from each other and the characters and landscapes are wonderfully defined and draw you into the story. My particular favourite is Belle, set in Eastern Canada. It is very atmospheric and scary story that really has you on the edge of your seat! I really loved the whole idea of finding a story behind random items found on an isolated Scottish beach.</p><p>The novella is about four women who share a love for a Scottish band called Datha. There are chapters about each person, documenting their very different lives and paths in life. Once more the individuals are brought to life wonderfully by Beeaff with depth and sensitivity. </p><p>I thought I knew what was going to happen at various points in the story only to be wrong! Loved that, I like a book that takes me down unexpected avenues. I felt that Annie's story was especially strong in this way. Gradually you realise the reality of what is going on with her, I won't spoil the book by saying more!</p><p>Again the ending was not what I thought it was going to be, which was a wonderful twist. </p><p>I would highly recommend this book, you can buy it here <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B083NBTJLY/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0">On Triagh Lar Beach S</a>tories</p>Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-12620108745214428842020-07-08T20:39:00.001+01:002020-07-08T20:43:01.157+01:00Book Review - A Grand Madness Twenty Years After, Dianne Ebertt Beeaff<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This book is a follow up to the successful book, A Grand Madness Ten Years on the Road with U2 which documented the story of a U2 fan. Time has gone by and this book tells us what the next twenty years held for this fan.<br />
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As Beeaff follows various U2 tours (the last being in 2018) across Europe and North America, there are stories of places, new people met along the way and meeting up with old friends once more. It also has unique, previously unpublished photos of the band taken by Beeaff and other fans. The adventures and the highs and lows of being on the road keep you turning the pages.<br />
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But most of all it is about a band that has inspired people for 44 years with music that is more than just sound, it is art, it says something and can touch the soul. This is a fascinating account of what being a fan is all about and well worth reading.</div>
Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-76978562548313416142020-03-13T22:31:00.000+00:002020-03-13T22:31:28.952+00:00Iceland 3 - The Wonders of Snaefellsness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
18th January 2020<br />
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Our last full day in Iceland and we had an all day tour of the Snaefellsnes peninsula to look forward to. It was a very early start but we were soon on our way in a small coach. We had a comfort stop at Borganes around 10am and it was just getting light. We then crossed over the landside of the peninsula, stopped for a while on a beautiful high plain surrounded by mountains.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirkjufell</td></tr>
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We then crossed to the northern side of the peninsula with amazing scenery everywhere. A lot of the mountain sides had frozen waterfalls/streams creating beautiful ice sculptures. We passed through the small village of <span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Grundarfjordur and close by was </span>the striking mountain, <a href="https://www.extremeiceland.is/en/attractions/kirkjufell-mountain" target="_blank">Kirkjufell</a> (Church Mountain) which was situated on a piece of land that juts out into the sea. I've seen lots of pictures of this stunning mountain and have even painted it from a photo. In real life, covered in snow, it is even more wonderful! We were blessed with good weather and seeing it backed by the unique blue, milky yellow skies of Iceland it was just perfect! The snow was quite deep in places so we didn't get to the nearby waterfall but I was quite happy just gazing at this beautiful mountain. The fact that there were not many tourists there and lovely and peaceful added to the mood of the place.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFJmmclWopsYC5LLsJA4z7k4qI5OFE679AOHo6v7UgKuGlpO2PsXa8omflAVxfcAtTBdXhyphenhyphenOC-anJ05d5Iqig0scDFFyTl3Q8YtD8GhMQVAdAzo6ySP1S0oEraFTxRsXr14nNhF9TOgJq/s1600/20200118_123236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFJmmclWopsYC5LLsJA4z7k4qI5OFE679AOHo6v7UgKuGlpO2PsXa8omflAVxfcAtTBdXhyphenhyphenOC-anJ05d5Iqig0scDFFyTl3Q8YtD8GhMQVAdAzo6ySP1S0oEraFTxRsXr14nNhF9TOgJq/s320/20200118_123236.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
We then followed the northern coast to a small village called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93lafsv%C3%ADk" target="_blank">Olafsvik</a> where we stopped at a restaurant called Sker for our lunch. It was a small modern place that had water decanters in the shape of fish! We had a table beside the window that looked out to a small harbour. For lunch we had the best cod I've had (very recently caught) done with vegetables and berries, delicious, I love how Nordic countries use berries in their food! As we left after the meal I saw the very modern and unusual church nearby.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Djúpalónssandur</span></span></td></tr>
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We drove on and entered the <a href="https://www.extremeiceland.is/en/attractions/snaefellsjokull-national-park" target="_blank">Snæfellsjökull National Park</a> which is at the western tip of the peninsula. We stopped at <span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saxhólar a conical crater just off the road. To the left was the </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Snæfellsjökull gleaming white in the sunshine. There were steps to the top of the crater but they were covered in snow and ice so we didn't go up. It was very windy and cold there but also very beautiful, I was glad I had bought the hat the day before as I felt cosy with it on.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We then drove on to </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Djúpalónssandur which was an area of amazing lava formations, columns and cliffs with a black beach. There was time to wander around and soak in the scenery. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We then went on to to Arnarstapi a very small community by the sea. Some people walked along the beach but I went and looked at the harbour which our guide said was part natural and part man-built. to the north of it lava cliffs stretched along the coast. All these places were blissfully quiet with few tourists.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arnarstapi</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our last stop was the famous <a href="http://amazingiceland.is/destination/black-church-at-budir/" target="_blank">black church at Budir</a>. It is on a lava field close to the sea flanked by snowy mountains. It was starting to get dark when we arrived and there was that rich blue light you get at twilight in the north which made it very atmospheric. The church is tiny, black with a white door and window frames. It, and the small graveyard beside it, is surrounded by a low stone wall. I loved it there, it was almost magical. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That was the last stop of the tour, we then headed back towards Reykjavik. On the way our guide told us about the only Icelandic serial killer. A man many, many years ago who used to ambush travellers passing through a narrow valley. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The tour was fantastic, it confirmed to me once more what an amazing country Iceland is. Reykjavik is a modern, busy city with a delightful quirkiness. Once you get out of the city you are soon in real wilderness where nature is still in charge and I love that. We were going home the next day but I know I will be back one day.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Church, Budir</td></tr>
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-36047264540393379722020-02-19T12:30:00.000+00:002020-02-19T19:48:31.785+00:00Iceland 2 - Reykjavik and Elf School<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
January 17th 2020<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hallgrimskirkja</td></tr>
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Today we explored Reykjavik. We first went to <a href="https://en.hallgrimskirkja.is/" target="_blank">Hallgrimskirkja</a> the beautiful church that soars into the sky and is visible from most places within the city centre. Inside it is simple in design but I find it very beautiful.<br />
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I went up the tower, the first part is a lift to the floor where the clock faces are. From there you walk a few flights of steps to a higher floor where there are three windows on each face of the tower. The views were stunning from every vantage point, but my favourite was the one towards the mountain Esja that watches over the city. She looked especially beautiful in her cloak of snow.<br />
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After this we walked down to the main shopping street Laugavegur and browsed. We then went to the concert hall, <a href="https://en.harpa.is/" target="_blank">Harpa</a> which is an amazing piece of modern architecture that looks different on the outside depending on the light. We again looked round the shops inside, I bought a warm hat and a tub of Lakrids, delicious Danish delight of liquorice covered in chocolate. Both expensive but worth it - the hat especially useful the following day!<br />
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We decided to have lunch there and shared a large sandwich and had a cake each.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Esja from Tower of Hallgrimskirkja</td></tr>
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We went back to the hotel before setting of for the <a href="https://theelfschool.com/" target="_blank">Elf School</a> (yes you read right). As it was a bit away from the city centre we got a taxi there. As we got out of the taxi the driver said, "Are you going to learn to be elves or learn about them?" This gave us a good laugh!<br />
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<span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">The school was on the first floor of a modern building, with large plastic gnomes guarding the door. We went into a rather chaotic room, we later learned some renovations were in progress. We paid our money , were given a studybook (which was interesting to read afterwards) and then went into another room which had chairs in it. The room was small, filled with bookcases full of books and mementos, photos, elves, gnomes, lamps and pot plants that were a bit worse for wear. It was all very eccentric and I liked that!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Magnús Skarphéðinsson</span></span> who runs the school is a portly man with grey hair and beard who, quite fittingly, resembles a gnome. He studied history, anthropology and folklore at university in Iceland. He aims to put together a book of stories of elves and the hidden people of Iceland as told by people he's spoken to as no one has so far done this.<br />
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There were nine people there, Americans, Irish, Germans and us Brits. <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Magnús spoke for a long time</span>, telling stories that people had told him about elves (many types exist from tiny to about two feet high) who live alongside us but are secretive. The hidden people are just like us but live in another dimension that humans can only occasionally enter<br />
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He quite often drifted of on tangents including asking what Marian and I thought of Brexit and that he thought it would mean the break up of the UK and the Queen would only be "Queen of England" in the end which I think is quite possible. He told us about his brother Ossur who had been Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Icelandic government and had an amusing story about Obama. He had some pretty off the wall theories about schizophrenia which some people agreed with, but not me, but I kept quiet. He is also part of the paranormal community in Reykjavik.<br />
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We learned a lot about Icelandic history, how hard life was until relatively recently and folklore. The stories he told were captivating. Sometimes roads are re-routed in Iceland so as not to upset the elves and hidden people.<br />
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We had a break when we had pancakes filled with cream and jam plus lovely homemade bread, really tasty. This was followed by chocolate wafer bars and a hot drink. As we were eating I noticed snow was starting to fall outside.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrxmiJEHaaNdIBXWnf4GdCSXb45IkmT1_jltM-grWIXVjgK4d65quPAtHZz0wylgjVVRGFWXqk-T_3l8dY7NSYOSVZY_kh_l578blR60Qyu3GfyM8v1B_djmTE87WFYUMlxWzNv-XVQKD/s1600/20200216_201557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1175" data-original-width="1600" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrxmiJEHaaNdIBXWnf4GdCSXb45IkmT1_jltM-grWIXVjgK4d65quPAtHZz0wylgjVVRGFWXqk-T_3l8dY7NSYOSVZY_kh_l578blR60Qyu3GfyM8v1B_djmTE87WFYUMlxWzNv-XVQKD/s320/20200216_201557.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Diploma</td></tr>
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Magnus talked for three and a half hours, I think he could have gone on until midnight! It was a bit too long for me but I did enjoy it, certainly a unique experience! At the end we were given our course completion diplomas in "Elfs and Hidden People research study." Luckily we didn't have to sit an exam lol!<br />
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I asked <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Magnús</span> if he could call a taxi to take us back into the city centre but we were lucky, his husband (who had supplied the food and drinks and generally looked after everyone) was going into the city and was happy to give us a lift. He was a lovely, quietly spoken guy (unfortunately I didn't catch his name.) He told us that he was originally from north west Iceland but had lived in Reykjavik for a long time and worked as an accountant. He dropped us off right outside our hotel which was wonderful.<br />
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We nipped to the small supermarket beside our hotel and bought sandwiches and crisps to eat in our room. They were lovely and quite cheap. So ended another day in which we saw many sides of this wonderful city!<br />
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-79151998706093761652020-02-10T02:13:00.004+00:002020-02-12T18:10:43.191+00:00Iceland 1 - Chilling in the Lagoon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">15th January</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">We landed at Keflavik airport around 10am and it was still dark, but dawn was starting to break. We got the Flybus to Reykjavik passing through the lava fields that white instead of black as they were still covered in snow from a storm the previous week.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">We were staying at Hotel Plaza Center which was lived up to its name bei</span><span style="font-size: small;">ng very central and also very good. Nordic in style with little night lights flickering all around in reception and bar areas.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoixWyXoyfzho8sboIMMIdspomMtGFNHTlENH1a_bupmnzELprsGO10aW5ceGxV_y5wvYT2K2nUKc4YOrcKG5VHO5SOupnr-vPUtackDvKu8rvi6xQhroo_dfcmQE7dFwOeAwbQkfzvTWm/s1600/20200115_155918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoixWyXoyfzho8sboIMMIdspomMtGFNHTlENH1a_bupmnzELprsGO10aW5ceGxV_y5wvYT2K2nUKc4YOrcKG5VHO5SOupnr-vPUtackDvKu8rvi6xQhroo_dfcmQE7dFwOeAwbQkfzvTWm/s320/20200115_155918.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">House in City Centre</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">After unpacking we went to look around the city. First we stopped at the Cafe Paris for a late lunch we both had omelettes which were delicious and pricey but that's the score when you come to these northern countries.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">We wandered into some side streets where there were lovely traditional houses. Many with lights in the windows and outside. I love that Nordic way of using light. When it is dark few people close their blinds/curtains so the light can spill out. It was so good to see homes right within the city centre.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgAzxPqoHUVF7R7rcX-VOHSG56a8zrMZPM2DiBitIIMhLEwtU8vVhBKdN9npfEXLdV-o3PSfS_XwjKay6rkaW1d-plIWoDYtF2y1D2yaw5yqRfWcVx-sRNCuk1QO5cxCu8EjtiDe6VQ2l/s1600/20200115_153240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgAzxPqoHUVF7R7rcX-VOHSG56a8zrMZPM2DiBitIIMhLEwtU8vVhBKdN9npfEXLdV-o3PSfS_XwjKay6rkaW1d-plIWoDYtF2y1D2yaw5yqRfWcVx-sRNCuk1QO5cxCu8EjtiDe6VQ2l/s320/20200115_153240.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Tjornin</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">We then sauntered on to Tjornin, the Pond, most of which was iced up. There were ducks, pigeons and very noisy swans all vying for food people were putting down - the victor often running of with its prize chased by other birds! As I <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">, as well as many other birds, have a counter-current heat exchange system between the arteries and veins in their legs. Warm arterial blood flowing to the feet</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> passes close to cold venous blood returning from the feet</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">. The arterial blood warms up the venous blood, dropping in temperature as it does</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> so. Isn't nature amazing? The sun was setting and it was beautiful.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">We went back to the hotel for a rest before heading out on our northern lights trip. Our guide had a lot of knowledge but she talked too much! We were taken to </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c4043;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Þingvellir National Park where it was pitch black except for a few lights in the distance. We got out and waited. It was very cold so I ended getting back into the coach to wait there. Unfortunately the lights didn't appear and we were back in Reykjavik by midnight. We were really tired as we'd been up since 5am.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">January 16th</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast at our hotel was very good, lots of choice. Later in</span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6Z6jNYPcJWPZi9il0snexwDUcNXdZqsulhUND2FV5MI_4zbA19nzSjI0CIlaXZiQ3y2a-o74p6KgsliT6ZE-G1OboPll87zz9UzKW9vGc-4Dau5OE0faVP0vEq48G42oa567cOredUEG/s1600/20200116_114710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6Z6jNYPcJWPZi9il0snexwDUcNXdZqsulhUND2FV5MI_4zbA19nzSjI0CIlaXZiQ3y2a-o74p6KgsliT6ZE-G1OboPll87zz9UzKW9vGc-4Dau5OE0faVP0vEq48G42oa567cOredUEG/s320/20200116_114710.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Lagoon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">morning we got the bus to the Blue Lagoon which is about 50 minutes from Reykjavik in the middle of lava fields. Once there it was all very organised, we were given our wristbands, robe and sandals. Then it was off to the changing rooms ro change into our swimwear. A shower prior to entering the water was mandatory. Afterwards we were given a towel and after drying off hung it up, stepped out of the sandals then down the ramp into the water </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The icy cold outside is a shock to the system until you are well into the water which is delectably warm. then it is bliss! Lava formations were all around, some with snow on them, distant snow</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0o_WLPvfRfYVe5dzk6JCpd7fQn1OxqFigUQ0cXySyCtRFGXM8vz6STmakrwNpsw2KM_s5_f4XpArtdjHLH4tYuH2q7MniN_qbjz2b2luUY0Ocwlmt3IcucXgBZ2kIkqlkX9Ri_B_73FV/s1600/20200116_151621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0o_WLPvfRfYVe5dzk6JCpd7fQn1OxqFigUQ0cXySyCtRFGXM8vz6STmakrwNpsw2KM_s5_f4XpArtdjHLH4tYuH2q7MniN_qbjz2b2luUY0Ocwlmt3IcucXgBZ2kIkqlkX9Ri_B_73FV/s320/20200116_151621.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Blue Lagoon</span></td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">covered mountains, the blue milky water and steam rising from it made for a surreal, but very relaxing experience. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A woman with a ladle gave us a handful of white silica mud to put on our faces, you keep it on for ten minutes and then wash it off with the water. The lagoon wasn't too full, and we found ourselves a lovely quiet area where we could sit on seats with the water coming up to our necks. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We stayed in the lagoon for one and a half hours and felt totally chilled. Another shower after we went back in the building, making sure our hair was well washed as the minerals in the can make it go hard if you don't!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We had a snack in the cafe and browsed round the shop but didn't buy anything. Then we got the bus back to the city. I have to add a postscript that within two days of bathing in the healing waters of the Blue Lagoon my eczema disappeared, and as I write this, three weeks later, it still hasn't come back. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Later we went to the Italia Restaurant on Laugavegur, the main shopping street in Reykjavik. I've been to this restaurant on each of <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in the Italia Restaurant</td></tr>
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my four visits to the city and it is always very good. It is small and made up of cubicles each named after a place in Italy, ours was Sorrento. I had tortellini in a cream sauce with ham and mushrooms and it was delicious, Marian really enjoyed her meal too. We shared an amazing dessert of chocolate cake with cream and chocolate sauce with blueberries and redcurrants, I love how Nordic countries use berries a lot.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br />It had been a wonderful relaxing day, it was so good to be back in Iceland.</span></b><br />
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-52772014867429746952019-10-04T22:15:00.000+01:002019-10-05T02:54:26.670+01:00Nice 21-28 September 2019<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">September 20th 2019</span></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My birthday! I can't believe the age I now am, I certainly don't feel it inside. It's also tinged with a little sadness as inevitably I think of my mother on this day too. But this birthday was different from the usual as I spent it in a b & b near Newcastle airport as I was heading off to Nice early the next day. It was called <a href="https://www.stonecottageguesthouse.com/" target="_blank">Stone Cottage</a> and was basic but clean, handy and really excellent value for money and I got a very warm welcome too.</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">September 21st</span></u><br />
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Up early and drove the short distance to the airport, parked the car and got the shuttle to the terminal. The plane left on time and for most of the journey we had clear skies, I saw London below with the Thames and the O2 gleaming in the sunlight. Such a big city looked small from that height.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our gorgeous terrace</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We landed on time in Nice, it was cloudy and there was a little rain. Debbi also arrived on time and we got an Uber taxi (much cheaper than the normal fare) to our small apartment building, Les Nereides, east of Nice on the slopes of </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mont Boron overlooking the Mediterranean. We were met by Madame Anselmo who showed us round the accommodation. It was as gorgeous as it looked online.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We went shopping for groceries and had a steep but short walk uphill to the supermarket. We had so much stuff my foldaway trolley gave up the ghost so we decided to get an Uber back to the apartment!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">That evening we ate in and had a little birthday celebration for me Debbi gave me a card and nice pressies and we had wine and prosecco.</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">September 22nd</span></u><br />
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We decided to have a lazy day toda<u>y,</u> the weather wasn't too good and we were tired from yesterday. It was good to relax and chill. We did go out with the purpose of getting a pizza for our evening meal but when we got to the shop it was closed! But we had food in that we had bought so I made a nice meal for us and we had a lovely evening.</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">September 23rd</span></u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View on the walk into Nice</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Today we walked downhill into the city with beautiful views of Nice, the mountain backdrop and the huge blue Baie des Anges glimmering in the sunlight.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We walked round the port and went to our favourite patisserie Serain Cappa but it was closed on Mondays! So we went on into the nearby <a href="https://frenchriviera.travel/old-town-nice/" target="_blank">old town</a> and wandered it's myriad of streets and alleys full of shops and eating places. We had delicious pizza for lunch at a <span style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">restaurant called</span><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187234-d2014312-Reviews-Restaurant_La_Mama-Nice_French_Riviera_Cote_d_Azur_Provence_Alpes_Cote_d_Azur.html" target="_blank">La Mama</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice Old Town</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Afterwards we wandered on and I went into the cathedral which was very beautiful and ornate inside.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We then stopped off for a yummy raspberry meringue and coffee in one of the squares of the old town and relaxed and people watched.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">After that we made our way back to the bus stop so we could catch the bus home - it was all uphill and our old legs just can't cope with that anymore! We had bought ten bus trips online which was really cheap (all local fares cost 1.50 Euro which is cheap but this ticket made it one Euro per trip.) It took us a while to fathom out how we had to validate them when we got on the bus but we managed fine and in no time we were off on our way home. There is a bus stop right outside of our apartment so that was perfect!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tuesday 24th September</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Villefranche-sur Mer</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmP569wh_Q19JNSChu5Z5pjrHKURNIzjo2S7NwgHW-F_sas7ATtav7G2th9fStJpCLZ9Naea_ZHR8gNRVhzk_mWW7ONnY__aj3tPLnbtakMwyeUVAoVDc7olKv1AG02gMbd-czEffI47wY/s1600/20190924_133451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRHldByjPv2qu5WUOAYFBtDzI5zMGcvl31z-BoQy4bbKMBwjes28K32X0r6R6SnFWulW7es1Y9oGi6dFitGKTzsB2CaUyycBqHrqX-Cicb6G5dgApaVdqDLTJVawl2Fqs_dz2HKVQUqIQ/s1600/20190924_130733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRHldByjPv2qu5WUOAYFBtDzI5zMGcvl31z-BoQy4bbKMBwjes28K32X0r6R6SnFWulW7es1Y9oGi6dFitGKTzsB2CaUyycBqHrqX-Cicb6G5dgApaVdqDLTJVawl2Fqs_dz2HKVQUqIQ/s320/20190924_130733.jpg" width="240" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Today Debbi was having a writing day so I decided to go to Villefranche just along the coast from where we are staying. I got the bus and once there and it looked very beautiful on the hillside on the sweeping bay with Cap Ferrat in the background. I walked down to the old town which was smaller than that of Nice but similar in many ways. It was also much quieter which made it very atmospheric. One part was 14th century covered alleys that reminded me a little of Edinburgh. There were many cafes and restaurants in the harbour area, the whole place had a relaxing feel about it.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice Cathedral Opposite<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IrhX31EFkoYkamajo_WWqedNxilcA7MbfMuRZlbV850q4w4nsExijg2HYvD7rLTpycy9Ns3NoXyLqmyb5_kOzBZRi4VU3LvUkdIHOweflwBP3bNxAwQN3xLeL6nS69KMHB5GE7D31krp/s1600/20190924_195046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IrhX31EFkoYkamajo_WWqedNxilcA7MbfMuRZlbV850q4w4nsExijg2HYvD7rLTpycy9Ns3NoXyLqmyb5_kOzBZRi4VU3LvUkdIHOweflwBP3bNxAwQN3xLeL6nS69KMHB5GE7D31krp/s320/20190924_195046.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Debbi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Afterwards I got the bus back home and then later we decided to go into the city for our evening meal. We waited ages at the bus stop until a kind English tourist told us there was a bus strike that day! So we ended up getting an Uber into the city. We had no firm plans on where to eat but eventually found a place called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/la.place.rossetti/" target="_blank">La Claire Fontaine</a></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> in Place Rossetti in the old town that had a very reasonable set menu. Our table was right beside the fountain and overlooking the cathedral, all so picturesque! We enjoyed our meal, it wasn't five star but good value for the price we paid and it was a lovely evening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Wednesday 25th September</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Today was our lazy day which we have on every trip we make together, a day of just mooching about, taking it easy </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6PbiT924MQck4jzLS02zi7Kj_eHM7a2_PsPiFvu4sy7wne84RA11QexABf_KkYLNZ5YB1Kg9O9ZySwieeKQwe-KxcV0rshO4aqBbSBTZc-ZzMGs29UbaTwGlVhnaR4r-0iUsAPySzH_-/s1600/20190925_192834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1169" data-original-width="1600" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6PbiT924MQck4jzLS02zi7Kj_eHM7a2_PsPiFvu4sy7wne84RA11QexABf_KkYLNZ5YB1Kg9O9ZySwieeKQwe-KxcV0rshO4aqBbSBTZc-ZzMGs29UbaTwGlVhnaR4r-0iUsAPySzH_-/s320/20190925_192834.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fountains in Nice</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">and eating and drinking where we fancy. We got the bus into town and where we got off was a fantastic art shop which felt very old and very French. The easels were cheap compared with home, paint and brushes about the same price. Our first stop was the Brewdog pub which is one of Debbi's favourite watering holes. We walked past a park and fountains on the way there, very lovely, Nice has a lot of fountains. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">After a drink in Brewdog we then walked up to <a href="http://www.restaurantgaglio.com/en/" target="_blank">Gaglio</a> restaurant on the edge of the old town which we had seen the previous night and thought it would be good for lunch. It was rather windy and we had to re-position plates, glasses etc to stop the tablecloth whipping off!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in Gaglio</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Unfortunately the cheap lunch was finished but the lamb and mash we had was not too pricey and delicious.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">After this we walked to our favourite patisserie and had some of their lovely, creamy ice cream for afters! We looked at the cakes and said we'd come back to take some home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We crossed Garibaldi Square and had a pichet of rose wine at L'Augume and just chilled and watched life pass by.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We then bought 4 cakes and got the bus home. For our tea we just had cheese, baguette, crackers, pate and other nibbles along with wine. The evening was spent relaxing and enjoying the most beautiful view our terrace had.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Thursday 26th September</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creative Day</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Yesterday was our lazy day and today was going to be our creative day. I'm an artist and Debbi is a writer and we decided to try each others art. Unfortunately you need a lot of kit for oil painting which wasn't practical so I brought items to create cyanotype instead. Cyanotype is created by mixing two chemicals and brushing the solution onto paper, letting it dry. Once dry, under false light, you either place objects on the paper or create a picture on an acetate to put over the paper. Then you weigh it down with glass and place in sunshine for around 15 minutes. Then the picture is set by soaking and washing the paper in cold water and then left to dry. You end up with a picture that is white where you have placed articles or lines and the parts open to the sun turn a beautiful cyan colour. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It was 1pm so we opened some wine (for artistic inspiration) and I prepared the paper and put it in a cupboard to dry. Then Debbi did a writing exercise with me that consisted of her giving me an opening sentence followed by random prompt words every minute for 15 minutes which I had to incorporate into what I was writing and I had to write non-stop. I enjoyed it a lot and it's amazing where such an exercise can take your writing.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GVJ2LpoLp5PeoWDAXtGhlxfujnXzQWfS5iYtFWyDIt-C9zidsPww1qfFIYGJVuiE9hAEbbjoTkcqCOaERFUWXhuyBzy84K2AEnQ4Q5ZJFuuGFDruMB30OfIairrbS5rfSO3IgIS2Iv7C/s1600/20190926_190755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GVJ2LpoLp5PeoWDAXtGhlxfujnXzQWfS5iYtFWyDIt-C9zidsPww1qfFIYGJVuiE9hAEbbjoTkcqCOaERFUWXhuyBzy84K2AEnQ4Q5ZJFuuGFDruMB30OfIairrbS5rfSO3IgIS2Iv7C/s320/20190926_190755.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I Love Baguettes!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We then went out to forage for plants to use for our cyanotype and then made our pictures inside before taking them onto the terrace to magically change in the sunshine. Then we washed them and let them dry, they turned out ok! I did another writing exercise which ended up totally different from the first. After that we just kind of chilled and had more wine whilst drinking in the stunning view.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The rest of the day we just relaxed, talked, listened to music and scratched our mossie bites! The one downside of being by the water was the mossies, the other two times we'd been to Nice we didn't get bitten at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Friday 27th September</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Our last day already and we were going to spend it in Nice shopping. We got the bus into town and first stopped at the </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLwefxM6mRVe8AYoMDTQ2lI4kctQlXH53Ybo_lxSBER1B2Cs-rufVI5qrjOixjo8Pf_fo3X2M8QuBkLvVXaG3ZU029uvfSUcKdvLMKSbjqye3jklB9GtwPptwdlez82Z2QL44GWg6y2yo/s1600/IMG-20190927-WA0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLwefxM6mRVe8AYoMDTQ2lI4kctQlXH53Ybo_lxSBER1B2Cs-rufVI5qrjOixjo8Pf_fo3X2M8QuBkLvVXaG3ZU029uvfSUcKdvLMKSbjqye3jklB9GtwPptwdlez82Z2QL44GWg6y2yo/s320/IMG-20190927-WA0002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt/Herb Shop</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">wonderful patisserie </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/la.place.rossetti/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">Serain Cappa</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">, where the cakes are a work of art. We'd hoped to have our favourite cake, meringue chantilly, each but there was only one left! We decided to share it and also bought a millefeuille that looked delicious to share and we had espresso to accompany them. All wonderful, the meringue especially was light as a feather and the cream so tasty.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYw2uM_7nRWyNUiTz7aN61fi781dQ6fgfiln0s2xgllFOgoK3H6LQBFWhitx2hNV8wM0MRkUEcJIaxFTJpy49bKcBR2AyNJeMKQZta3-SBDXRVRNvL729R4kCAZAVsAXeMy-ZagMPCSsnP/s320/20190927_155910.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soap shop</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We then went into the old town to look around the shops. I bought some soap, savon de Marseille, that has real plant oil in it and smell delectable. The choice was amazing, hard to choose which to have. We then had along look around a fantastic shop that sold flavoured sea salts and herbs and spices of all kinds. We both bought some of the salts, it's just something you don't get here. I also bought a grinder for the salts. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_VIKXGKGhqUWG82wNd6CeP-MubxyIXqjqh7w5WMcY2VK4RYt_f3XADpJ858ZnOVw2iABfksxFkYbWoBd0gCsZ0ClpBk_2Vp7dzYKo5HmrwvXbcR2xYr-wc3987vFnqkkLZJ4ivXM2Z9B/s1600/20190927_184333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_VIKXGKGhqUWG82wNd6CeP-MubxyIXqjqh7w5WMcY2VK4RYt_f3XADpJ858ZnOVw2iABfksxFkYbWoBd0gCsZ0ClpBk_2Vp7dzYKo5HmrwvXbcR2xYr-wc3987vFnqkkLZJ4ivXM2Z9B/s320/20190927_184333.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Le Barbecue, First in Again!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We sat in a bar in Place Garibaldi just enjoying the ambiance afterwards. Then we went to to our favourite restaurant <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lebarbecuenice/" target="_blank">Le Barbecue</a>, which actually is a Portuguese establishment, not French. It is quite small and set in a stepped alley off the main lanes of the old town. The setting is very atmospheric, surrounded by the tall buildings that are home to locals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We had a very reasonably priced set meal. Cod and shrimp fritters to start, followed by a huge, tender steak with roasted veg and potatoes. Dessert was the famous Portuguese custard tart, <span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;">Pastéis de Nata, which was warm, the puff pastry melted in my mouth and the custard was delicious. Another great meal in Le Barbecue, it never disappoints. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Place Garibaldi</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We walked up to Place Garibaldi which looked beautiful all lit up and we soon got an Uber home. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> stayed up later than we should have as we didn't want our holiday to end. But we knew we were lucky to be able to have a week in this paradise. This apartment was the nicest accommodation we've ever had on our many trips together. We both needed a nice relaxing holiday and as we'd been to Nice twice before we had done all the touristy things and so could just chill and this time enjoy all the things we love so much about Nice and France.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> And on our last night we got a great farewell too as we watched an amazing firework display at the tip of Cap Ferrat which we watched from our terrace.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUIsQowCbHB9xu4fPAlw_b7yR1jePeiWm_XZ3R7Le5A73kRxSAKnXSnl2hF_qLTO0a9Y6-9dxg1KRFEUQmwN62NhFd1b8uipLw0WIDKoBR4rZNa26lKCDxHwWBiTzlpLAqUL8M0_Rlo0O/s1600/20190929_180538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUIsQowCbHB9xu4fPAlw_b7yR1jePeiWm_XZ3R7Le5A73kRxSAKnXSnl2hF_qLTO0a9Y6-9dxg1KRFEUQmwN62NhFd1b8uipLw0WIDKoBR4rZNa26lKCDxHwWBiTzlpLAqUL8M0_Rlo0O/s320/20190929_180538.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset Over the Baie des Anges</td></tr>
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-29681304950117425292019-07-24T21:09:00.000+01:002019-07-24T21:09:16.640+01:00Restaurant Review - Hidden River Cafe, Brackenhill, Longtown, Cumbria<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'd heard a lot of good reports about the <a href="https://www.hiddenrivercabins.co.uk/river-cabins/hidden-river-cafe/" target="_blank">Hidden River Cafe</a> so was looking forward to going for the first time with my cousin Glen. It's name is appropriate, it is well hidden in the countryside east of Longtown, but we eventually found it ok with the aid of sat nav.<br />
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The setting is beautiful, the cafe is on a hill overlooking the wooded valley of the River Lyne. You can also see one of the gorgeous luxury log cabins that you can rent nestling within the trees. There is a seated area outside which would be a lovely place just to relax with a glass of wine.<br />
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The cafe itself is quite small, modern-rustic in style. The menu was European fare, varied and different, it was hard to choose what I wanted as there was so much that tempted me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvsgmwLfO69Xoee8mnhggDcGaD8rBB72NsgcsA2WHctJD_HHAJVzR_4zijiRqCFjMlldtlaSfjcPu5w2StLqo2lbD3zChtsJjWQzXllWcpuvKeoCM_9t-2rv0DVV38FkVTSrSfi2rdazn/s1600/20190711_183316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvsgmwLfO69Xoee8mnhggDcGaD8rBB72NsgcsA2WHctJD_HHAJVzR_4zijiRqCFjMlldtlaSfjcPu5w2StLqo2lbD3zChtsJjWQzXllWcpuvKeoCM_9t-2rv0DVV38FkVTSrSfi2rdazn/s320/20190711_183316.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5Znf1gaUXoMejgCfdXEywBNVR2nE-vl0xNyu24amw9i35gr9cq9u7VA7quQBTWxz7w_7fN9w8zczW_dJLHKA0twYIL8mzlu9knfHcx8X2AWf_ovUUeNIE_AZUcXCu0yS1tLqwhfk8hn7/s1600/20190711_191751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>In the end I chose the smoked salmon, burnt orange and walnut salad which was delicious. Glen had hummus, heritage tomato, feta and olive salad which was loved. For the main course I chose chargrilled herby chicken with summer vegetables and Jersey royals, it was very good. Glen had smoked salmon pasta and she also enjoyed her meal. For dessert we both went for tiramisu with pistachio ice cream, a treat for me on my diet, which was excellent!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-1FrWoZ7vh4JW-ztJ9aXThyIVxqeUTg6WIyTAyIEKmQQBjpEzrGiaN3xshvr6Qea2Yh6C-w-_pYKr0HTn04XK0nhquzv-3ETPamlBa90WizRvxud95kugwmYgMH1yP8qrqR00AvSNdWv/s1600/20190711_191751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1059" data-original-width="1600" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-1FrWoZ7vh4JW-ztJ9aXThyIVxqeUTg6WIyTAyIEKmQQBjpEzrGiaN3xshvr6Qea2Yh6C-w-_pYKr0HTn04XK0nhquzv-3ETPamlBa90WizRvxud95kugwmYgMH1yP8qrqR00AvSNdWv/s320/20190711_191751.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitd3ahpH_cjFgkk4LXLwak2QQ3db4R2AAwODYX1ttjrJaVnx3XL53WH75sVam3mch8Jch1QU8vM47zWQzjA_kdeXaMfZZKvVNwIGP4cRdig3vjjjiBZvMDZM3onqQyxITn0rcb3MnZdYlu/s1600/20190711_184800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1403" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitd3ahpH_cjFgkk4LXLwak2QQ3db4R2AAwODYX1ttjrJaVnx3XL53WH75sVam3mch8Jch1QU8vM47zWQzjA_kdeXaMfZZKvVNwIGP4cRdig3vjjjiBZvMDZM3onqQyxITn0rcb3MnZdYlu/s320/20190711_184800.jpg" width="280" /></a><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">The service was friendly and professional, the atmosphere was relaxed and it cost us £34 for three courses and an alcoholic drink each. </span><span style="text-align: left;">The Hidden River Cafe may be a bit out in the wilds but it is well worth the drive. </span></div>
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-35444283404091056742019-07-01T01:23:00.002+01:002019-07-01T01:26:50.819+01:00Stratford upon Avon - 4th - 7th June 2019<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
4th June 2019<br />
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After a smooth rail journey I met my friend old school friend Marian at Stratford station. We walked the short distance to our apartment, which turned out to be really lovely with good quality furnishings and everything we needed as well as being very central. There was also milk, tea and biscuits there for us, most welcome after a long journey!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgciW3ses1ZvgGHM6c75HH66vfh3KB0yMG6_8zXOG57oUidsQu0TrQLilfyLvBO-CtQvT-6gdqF7lTTC2W_N0lbb-BmQal2aYryT9Jvtk_217HOSY8DGoFQCVvbZ4CBMkTaNFVxrr6xmhl7/s1600/20190604_205733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgciW3ses1ZvgGHM6c75HH66vfh3KB0yMG6_8zXOG57oUidsQu0TrQLilfyLvBO-CtQvT-6gdqF7lTTC2W_N0lbb-BmQal2aYryT9Jvtk_217HOSY8DGoFQCVvbZ4CBMkTaNFVxrr6xmhl7/s320/20190604_205733.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Dirty Duck</span></td></tr>
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After settling in we had a walk around the town. It was late afternoon so the tourists were dissipating and it was pleasant just wandering around. We ended up at our favourite pub <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheDirtyDuck/" target="_blank">The Dirty Duck</a> which has many fond memories for us from our first visit with school in the early 1970's (we were given a lot of freedom and being under 18 wasn't a problem!) It hasn't really changed very much. We had a meal, I chose chicken and asparagus salad followed by a yummy gin, blackcurrant and prosecco cheesecake, All washed down with a perfectly made Pimms, this pub by far makes the best Pimms I've had!<br />
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Afterwards we crossed the road to where the swans were coming out of the river to what appeared to be a preening place which was covered in their white feathers. One swan was very cheeky and came up to me and then started following me! I was careful as I know swans can be aggressive and are strong! Luckily he was very docile, just curious I think. We walked along the path by the river and it was so peaceful and tranquil, something I remember from every visit I've made to Stratford, there is just something really relaxing about the stillness of it on a pleasant summers evening, good to see it is something that hasn't changed over the years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFDqGG40wVAw4s5-T99BxeK2zhUnL4-8Csd81tlU9VBBznpnbMJxAHea_VIgld5qyPRWtcju30aae1YeeM7TE8Wq3cvfkN0GWpe5ka-twoWz9tg4v-RgEvOBQCe7HvCAi1R5bECsWllz8/s1600/20190604_205921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFDqGG40wVAw4s5-T99BxeK2zhUnL4-8Csd81tlU9VBBznpnbMJxAHea_VIgld5qyPRWtcju30aae1YeeM7TE8Wq3cvfkN0GWpe5ka-twoWz9tg4v-RgEvOBQCe7HvCAi1R5bECsWllz8/s320/20190604_205921.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Evening by the River Avon</span></td></tr>
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June 5th<br />
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We had lunch and then crossed the river an walked past the new big wheel there, somehow it just didn't look right in Stratford, and we only saw people on it once during our stay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVi9gQ3eOnfYiKbRehE7FuuabvTmz7Ijfv0n-ZIU8nrqF1VXlMv4VXNEvOSlD6qGC3jjBE72PXpHDH4iNlX3gnlGjkeGZRC5yBgSA0oc9L8_JMh72PDuMieep94BWCfFPs9PKecT7cSIK/s1600/20190605_143409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVi9gQ3eOnfYiKbRehE7FuuabvTmz7Ijfv0n-ZIU8nrqF1VXlMv4VXNEvOSlD6qGC3jjBE72PXpHDH4iNlX3gnlGjkeGZRC5yBgSA0oc9L8_JMh72PDuMieep94BWCfFPs9PKecT7cSIK/s320/20190605_143409.jpg" width="320" /></a>We went to the <a href="https://www.butterflyfarm.co.uk/attraction/" target="_blank">Butterfly Farm</a>, a place that has been there for a long time but I had never visited it. Inside it was very hot and humid, full of tropical plants, ponds, butterflies, Chinese quail and loose iguanas that stayed well out of the way. There was a little archway covered in vegetation and there was a sign beside it saying to beware as the iguanas like to sit on top of it and defaecate! And yes, when we looked up there was an iguana there so we went through the archway quickly! There were butterflies everywhere many very colourful and often landed on you. We never saw the Chinese quail but we could often hear their mournful call. There was a case containing pupae and you could watch the butterflies slowly emerging their wings at first crumpled then slowly spreading out in all their beauty. All in all it was really fascinating to see and learn about the lives of butterflies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDBC8Jkf8kaKW5ADTx6lkPtjVIdgzARasF9vj7P29zJzKyiDRQcNbWrK2JfUpj8eQ7Xu8vId0BGWgQgBlLuqe2zBrg0AV7XQvRk_Xer1lY-VCNgOki9jNFAg5nLAFsG6EjiRt6COOYBMb/s1600/20190605_141139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDBC8Jkf8kaKW5ADTx6lkPtjVIdgzARasF9vj7P29zJzKyiDRQcNbWrK2JfUpj8eQ7Xu8vId0BGWgQgBlLuqe2zBrg0AV7XQvRk_Xer1lY-VCNgOki9jNFAg5nLAFsG6EjiRt6COOYBMb/s320/20190605_141139.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">There's an Iguana Watching!</span></td></tr>
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Afterwards we sat and relaxed in the lovely small garden around the farm. It was warm and sunny, we could smell the herbs from a little herb garden nearby and I watched a big, fat bumble bee squeezing into snapdragons to get the pollen prize hidden inside. Sometimes the simple things in life are the best.<br />
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In the late afternoon we went to <a href="https://www.theoppo.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Opposition</a> restaurant in Sheep Street and we chose something from the very reasonable pre-theatre menu. We both had the same, rarebit to start, Mediterranean lamb for mains and delectable Eton mess for dessert. washed down with red wine, all delicious, we agreed it was definitely the best meal we had whilst in Stratford on this visit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7c8FVfCN8A2ertZM5ZDME6GDDZuYkNT51WNrID5DpvYIAru3-diAmZsobDaeHoCeOGHtYQYt-0SiIaj-WkUELHfTokEs__x9IAmBBBFA7jlVkc6N-A8jlwHDj7ta4xEOFH1k0t9pE5T4/s1600/20190605_190904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7c8FVfCN8A2ertZM5ZDME6GDDZuYkNT51WNrID5DpvYIAru3-diAmZsobDaeHoCeOGHtYQYt-0SiIaj-WkUELHfTokEs__x9IAmBBBFA7jlVkc6N-A8jlwHDj7ta4xEOFH1k0t9pE5T4/s200/20190605_190904.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stained glass in <br />
the Swan Theatre</td></tr>
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After our meal we walked the short distance to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Theatre,_Stratford-upon-Avon" target="_blank">The Swan Theatre</a> to see <a href="https://www.rsc.org.uk/the-provoked-wife/" target="_blank">The Provoked Wife</a> by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Vanbrugh" target="_blank">John Vanbrugh</a>. The Swan is a small theatre holding 426 in a Globe-like galleried design that means all the audience is close to the actors. This theatre was not open when we first came to Stratford all those years ago. It has the most beautiful stained glass windows,<br />
<br />
The play was a typical Restoration romp, funny, witty while also looking at the trap of a loveless marriage plus other sub-plots. It was performed in period costume which I generally prefer. We both enjoyed it very much.<br />
<br />
June 6th<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ56NZ9eYdsxJlHhiVQqmprqEhyphenhyphenOK_t_sWxoTXTXAeEu6L8Uo5pctaC0wxuWVmsW1tDnhaBsKa72oAuaraSfAW2SdfEt60JzQdcWNuBSNnM6EGoVCitD8UjtWxz6mmQM1GaMEorKEhQn78/s1600/20190606_225330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ56NZ9eYdsxJlHhiVQqmprqEhyphenhyphenOK_t_sWxoTXTXAeEu6L8Uo5pctaC0wxuWVmsW1tDnhaBsKa72oAuaraSfAW2SdfEt60JzQdcWNuBSNnM6EGoVCitD8UjtWxz6mmQM1GaMEorKEhQn78/s320/20190606_225330.jpg" width="320" /></a>As it was another warm, sunny day Marian and I decided to cross the bridge to the other side of the river and do a walk we found in a book in our apartment.<br />
<br />
We crossed over the Avon and passed by the new big wheel which seemed a bit incongruous in a place like Stratford, we only saw someone on it once. We took the path that followed the bank of the river, and it was lovely, warm with the wind rustling gently through the willow trees, a few people messing about on the calm river, others walking their dogs. We saw a heron on the other side of the river that stood perfectly still for five minutes. We crossed a footbridge to the other side of the river and walked through a residential area where we fantasised about buying one of the apartments that had large balconies overlooking the river, what a sight to wake up to each day!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0Hx8xuKzc4isXrHsSQf8gjiKYiBAiA0qsyuYB8IW-3bIeWi-q7IP2cblt57V46Wy7BByA4tQukPd-zPP7Er97mP6S1MrW9hBSRTD-TENktNHoMizRGkX4ln0gqJoMHMw8cnRB4XAC2hp/s1600/20190606_125436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0Hx8xuKzc4isXrHsSQf8gjiKYiBAiA0qsyuYB8IW-3bIeWi-q7IP2cblt57V46Wy7BByA4tQukPd-zPP7Er97mP6S1MrW9hBSRTD-TENktNHoMizRGkX4ln0gqJoMHMw8cnRB4XAC2hp/s320/20190606_125436.jpg" width="240" /></a>At Trinity church we again walked along the riverside path back into the centre of Stratford. We popped in the The Dirty Duck for a late lunch.<br />
<br />
Later we set out from our apartment to look for a place for another pre-theatre meal and were tempted in to another place in Sheep Street called <a href="https://wildwoodrestaurants.co.uk/restaurant/stratford-upon-avon/" target="_blank">Wildwood</a> by the offer of free garlic bread! We had bruschetta and pizza and the food was good.<br />
<br />
Afterwards we went to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Shakespeare_Theatre" target="_blank">The Royal Shakespeare Theatre</a> to see <a href="https://www.rsc.org.uk/as-you-like-it/" target="_blank">As You Like It</a>. We hadn't seen that play for a long time were really looking forward to it. The play was joyous, colourful and there was a lot of audience inclusion, also some signing. The set was sparse but the space was well used. At the end a huge puppet of Hymen, the Greek god of marriage literally unfolded on stage, very effective. We enjoyed last night's play but Shakespeare always has the edge on other playwrights!<br />
<br />
On the way home we were accompanied part of the way by two mallard ducks! They were picking up food from the pavements outside cafes. It was late and they were a bit from the river but they seemed to know where they were going.<br />
<br />
Once more we had a wonderful time in Stratford upon Avon, and once more we were blessed with great weather too. We have decided to go back in two years time to celebrate 50 years (yikes!) since our first visit as schoolgirls.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.rsc.org.uk/as-you-like-it/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="As You Like It" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp22FsQ3k2s5oMt30Gg46_AIOsvWIaS56hyphenhyphenPiiJV-07S80HEjP-7XBEbUY9b9-vI8Wq9uU8lgIzmXMkE24vwIQP8Ktf9d9gbMXlE5s8zMoBudODQ371ASA0TXOu3DaCqE0QV0kA5Gp0MGr/s320/20190606_151450.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swan Fountain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-31180911938771602052019-04-21T23:58:00.001+01:002019-04-21T23:58:30.283+01:00Copenhagen December 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Copenhagen has always been on my bucket list and so I was really pleased to be able to visit at the end of last year, here's a write up of that trip.<br />
<br />
4th December<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
We arrived at the airport at 8pm and found our way to the station to get the train into the city. It was a short journey and we were amazed by the station itself which was wooden, very beautiful. Our Hotel the Copenhagen Star, was literally 200 yards from the station couldn't be handier! Our room was basic but clean and had all we needed.<br />
<br />
We went out and had a meal at a restaurant called Cafe du Nord which was opposite our hotel. The meal was good but pricey, but only to be expected in Scandinavia. Whilst there we noticed that, although the area was not particularly seedy, it was a red light area as there were girls hanging around on street corners.<br />
<br />
5th December<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIe5EFMtK8bJmu9SVoCoKTlJiXFGp62CtIN81FeDdEpkKOS9r5vFOtOI8fAp0mIAnKng8GYiIxQdBZzXyMAOtuDJNVWo9SA67IgDEouOqJIiDjRwDutZMj5VUmRequiKWm5S-ApFbjpfrp/s1600/20181205_115600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIe5EFMtK8bJmu9SVoCoKTlJiXFGp62CtIN81FeDdEpkKOS9r5vFOtOI8fAp0mIAnKng8GYiIxQdBZzXyMAOtuDJNVWo9SA67IgDEouOqJIiDjRwDutZMj5VUmRequiKWm5S-ApFbjpfrp/s320/20181205_115600.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Mermaid</td></tr>
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After breakfast at the hotel and went to the tourist information and bought a combi for the hop on hop off bus, boat tour and entry to the Tivoli Gardens. The bus tour was good, we saw the Little Mermaid (which was really little,) the colourful houses of Nyhavn, palaces, interesting modern buildings and much more.<br />
<br />
The boat trip went to some of the same places but you saw them from a different viewpoint. The weather was cold, but bright and sunny.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpFO4PrK1DaSCNWIHg4X20WU2lPlUzk5Zv_l7clgPtOubI-HSsYRnXkXpLFiCDDeLD5w-38an-7WF60uQ4G7JjqL_chdY3LqyuFqWA8id_49GihYK3P2xJ9wBDqjM5Rlq3Ko7yG_kM_Q0/s1600/20181205_134414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpFO4PrK1DaSCNWIHg4X20WU2lPlUzk5Zv_l7clgPtOubI-HSsYRnXkXpLFiCDDeLD5w-38an-7WF60uQ4G7JjqL_chdY3LqyuFqWA8id_49GihYK3P2xJ9wBDqjM5Rlq3Ko7yG_kM_Q0/s320/20181205_134414.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nyhavn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After getting off the boat we visited a Christmas market which was lovely. Older areas of the city were interesting but I preferred Stockholm for that. Copenhagen is very flat and bikes are everywhere and you have to look out for them.<br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehQPK7nTQHygJFchNTAzUJLKHItAG6kkryW59nG6MHIe56mqE4crPzi4Muew5EPzNpBnNcHXt-o0agpVY3ELuS2qSAV2v-RTta_KyUecAc01R7QjwjhUgNLC9GxXhGNUrjN2Ph53aXyg9/s1600/20181205_193817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehQPK7nTQHygJFchNTAzUJLKHItAG6kkryW59nG6MHIe56mqE4crPzi4Muew5EPzNpBnNcHXt-o0agpVY3ELuS2qSAV2v-RTta_KyUecAc01R7QjwjhUgNLC9GxXhGNUrjN2Ph53aXyg9/s320/20181205_193817.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tivoli Gardens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That evening we went to the famous <a href="https://www.tivoli.dk/en/" target="_blank">Tivoli Gardens</a>. It is said that the inspiration for Walt Disney's theme parks was inspired by a visit to he took to Tivoli and you can see how it could have influenced him. The Gardens were on the other side of the station<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNioJo7NcmgGSeYzNWvyTV8v3_pmdE1dehyphenhyphenTFR1QNbH5ocZkCI_W7SI5Ixhw9b90YFERVxBDf__AVfcT8BZbSPkvkjj-qCtGGWCy0-2LsLTtItY9RtLZpI5qYyfaJWcZ-UmBhrtJHi5VFy/s1600/20181205_210457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNioJo7NcmgGSeYzNWvyTV8v3_pmdE1dehyphenhyphenTFR1QNbH5ocZkCI_W7SI5Ixhw9b90YFERVxBDf__AVfcT8BZbSPkvkjj-qCtGGWCy0-2LsLTtItY9RtLZpI5qYyfaJWcZ-UmBhrtJHi5VFy/s320/20181205_210457.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tivoli Gardens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
from our hotel so they were very handy for us. They first opened in 1843 and have been going strong ever since. We were stunned when we went in as it was magical, due to the time of year the Christmas theme was evident (the gardens have different themes depending on the time of year.) Lights everywhere, huge Christmas trees, decorations, fairground rides, shops, cafes, restaurants, concert hall, theatre. Lots of fun and laughter, I've never been anywhere like it. Some of the rides were very old, for example the roller coaster is the original 1914 one, that added to the charm of the place.<br />
<br />
After a couple of hours we were beginning to feel a bit cold so we had a meal in a restaurant in the gardens called <a href="https://www.tivoligardens.com/en/mad+og+drikke/spisesteder/paafuglen" target="_blank">Paaflugen</a>. It was cosy and warm inside and the food was good.<br />
<br />
We both loved the Tivoli Gardens, it was such a unique experience especially special at Christmas time. The photos here don't do the place justice.<br />
<br />
6th December<br />
<br />
We visited the <a href="https://en.natmus.dk/museums-and-palaces/the-national-museum-of-denmark/" target="_blank">National Museum of Denmark</a> today. Outside it had an old facade but it was very modern inside. The ground floor was dedicated to Viking culture and had some fabulous exhibits. Lots of beautiful, intricately worked gold artifacts. There was also a floor dedicated to classical culture and I was especially interested in the Ancient Egyptian section. There were some amazing exhibits and the good thing was that you could actually touch some of them and throughout the museum you could also take photos which is really good.<br />
<br />
Later, in the evening Marian and I went on the Food Trail tour. Our guide was Bryony from Wales who was studying in Copenhagen.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCqBlH8OdiQ0KjzdjikRdqis48rstdn_XwlARaEVSzZ7mu4sC_BOFgj5hm1L6l58PtOtbldUqWwMlUg3-etc2QwSJg236fdqgZW1uNFwKd8AmG7YIBCBVNKn_aRJQnP9BTCR_Z2HGb7Tm/s1600/20181206_195951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCqBlH8OdiQ0KjzdjikRdqis48rstdn_XwlARaEVSzZ7mu4sC_BOFgj5hm1L6l58PtOtbldUqWwMlUg3-etc2QwSJg236fdqgZW1uNFwKd8AmG7YIBCBVNKn_aRJQnP9BTCR_Z2HGb7Tm/s320/20181206_195951.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best Hot Dog Ever!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
and loved the city. Our first stop was a hot dog van in the main square. I don't like the hot dogs we have in the UK they taste like nothing, but I had heard how good Scandinavian hot dogs were. And boy it was good! The sausage was tasty and it had ketchup, remoulade, mustard, onions, sweet pickle on it with some crispy onions on top. Absolutely delicious and really warming on this cold night.<br />
Then we went to a pub called the <a href="https://taphouse.dk/" target="_blank">Taphouse</a> and sampled two small glasses of beer, in all they have 61 types to choose from! Very good they were too.<br />
<br />
We then walked to a food market and there tried Fiskedellen which was fish and potato mixed together, fried and served with bread and remoulade. Again it was really tasty.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjNXDV10pie-TsaZe8zRTyXHEoI5aUeOi4CTrH3IkSpuFM62STp0tramDsq3pB7oXyDRvF5Kgd-zL-Hfth5yetfKgqASTc6nJQZx5rFsZJhamIvOVmzsdHiO-_8kh1EFkLZlmIXRw4ZEJ/s1600/20181206_200119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjNXDV10pie-TsaZe8zRTyXHEoI5aUeOi4CTrH3IkSpuFM62STp0tramDsq3pB7oXyDRvF5Kgd-zL-Hfth5yetfKgqASTc6nJQZx5rFsZJhamIvOVmzsdHiO-_8kh1EFkLZlmIXRw4ZEJ/s320/20181206_200119.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smogasbord</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The final destination was was another pub called Skaal. Here we sampled traditional smorgasbord, open sandwiches. There were two types, pickled fish and potato. I didn't like the fish, I've never been keen on raw fish. The potato one was nice and the rye bread they were on was really good. To finish off we had a Danish pastry and that was the end of the tour. It was great to sample real Danish food like this and we were certainly full at the end of the tour!<br />
<br />
We had no idea where we were but with the aid of my mobile we found our way back to the hotel.<br />
<br />
And that was the end of our trip to Copenhagen, a lovely city well worth visiting - and if you do, get a hot dog!</div>
Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-24399358848969224312019-04-14T01:09:00.003+01:002019-04-14T01:09:58.266+01:00U2 Experience and Innocence Tour - Dublin November 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
3rd November 2018<br />
<br />
Debbi and I flew in to Dublin airport from different UK airports (I go via the cheapest/best times place, this time it was Glasgow.) We met up at the airport and got the Air Coach into the city as there was a stop very close to our apartment. We had no problems finding it and it was really nice. We got the shopping in from a nearby Spar, then ordered a Chinese takeaway and had that with wine. It felt good to be back in Dublin, our second home!<br />
<br />
4th November<br />
<br />
We had been due to go to our friends Ken and Elizabeth's for a meal that evening but Ken had been taken into hospital. But Elizabeth suggested meeting her at an Italian place called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bianconisrestaurant/" target="_blank">Bianconi's</a> on Merrion Road near the hospital instead. It was good to see her again and we had a good chat and the food was delicious too.<br />
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Afterwards we got more shopping in at a nearby Tesco's before heading home. Later Debbi went out to meet her friend Paddy, I opted out as I was tired and just wanted to chill.<br />
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5th November<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjN4Aw9GzxTb2dvU4xvUB82pStjZJNhOSjGH-5mXtOP9vfk6OJOcnAF-WO4dtrILbojs7bD7Lc-A8fRdDAKdastD1N1qrWB2Uy_s3HlghpMWoKrah3ueLN4VWTPQEHVlyoLuzeffD2STA/s1600/20181105_191120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjN4Aw9GzxTb2dvU4xvUB82pStjZJNhOSjGH-5mXtOP9vfk6OJOcnAF-WO4dtrILbojs7bD7Lc-A8fRdDAKdastD1N1qrWB2Uy_s3HlghpMWoKrah3ueLN4VWTPQEHVlyoLuzeffD2STA/s320/20181105_191120.jpg" width="320" /></a>First gig today, we arrived at the 3Arena in the late afternoon. We intended having a meal at the nearby Gibson Hotel like we did last time the band played the arena, but they were not letting non-residents in. We ended up having a meal at a place called Ruby's just behind the arena which was cheap and really good.<br />
<br />
We went into the 3Arena and our seats were really good, we could see the main stage, b-stage, walkway and hanging screen. Because the arena is so small the walkway was much shorter. The show was good, the Zoo part and the new songs, which fit so well into this show, are my favourite parts. I prefer this tour to the Innocence one as it all gels together perfectly.<br />
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The only downer was the crowd. I'd say most stayed sitting down, many more interested in talking or their phones than the show. Very disappointing, especially for a home crowd.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNHGfaaiXXAeLnHUF2NLRIyuQc9NJjH4vHIxxMK2xMS88B_uHp3IorKoFCkfvPW9DQk45X497q_3nYYWjxn2TkIevF4D1ZFiKxizSgppsbo0_hgvBFmKYOzu8SizWBJP6arFTAhnOXpks/s1600/20181106_232555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNHGfaaiXXAeLnHUF2NLRIyuQc9NJjH4vHIxxMK2xMS88B_uHp3IorKoFCkfvPW9DQk45X497q_3nYYWjxn2TkIevF4D1ZFiKxizSgppsbo0_hgvBFmKYOzu8SizWBJP6arFTAhnOXpks/s320/20181106_232555.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Beautiful Samuel Beckett Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Afterwards we met up with our friends Declan (who was suffering from man flu,) Jane and Sharon and had a chat for a while, everyone had enjoyed the show. Missed my friend Dianne who had to cancel coming to Dublin just days earlier. Afterwards we walked up the quay, across the Liffey and back home.<br />
<br />
Paddy came round to our flat at 2am! Good job we stay up late after shows. He recently turned 50 and we had set up a little party and gifts for him which he seemed to really appreciate. We had lots to eat and drink and there was lots of laughs and conversation putting the world to rights. Paddy left at 5am and we crashed out afterwards.<br />
<br />
6th November<br />
<br />
We'd had a very late night so we took it easy today. For this show Debbi had a GA ticket but I had chosen to have a seat as the crowd in Dublin can be a bit "lively." It was another really good seat even though it wasn't a top price one.<br />
<br />
What a difference a day can make, the crowd around me were great, up dancing and singing along from the word go. The crowd was loud and the energy between them and the band bounced back and forth. You could tell Bono was really emotional at times, after Get Out of Your Own Way the fans kept singing long after the band has finished and he just stood smiling. It must be especially great for an artist when the audience is singing one of the new songs like that.<br />
<br />
I loved the whole show but highlights for me included the great Zoo segment, and MacPhisto's speech where he really let rip about Donald Trump. This part was also a bit more personal than it had been as Bono said that he saw his dad in him when he looked in the mirror that day and hoped that he would be proud his sons.<br />
<br />
It's amazing how different shows can feel. For me this was one of those special ones where the magic happens, where you're on an emotional rollercoaster. And it's after shows like this I know why I have been a fan of this band for 35+ years.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLnwuFqxQ1VrvDrB5VlqRKcHj3R5yF02qmU2UA3tBpXXqA-PEbw7sAixEpu17k_8-qVXpnc3CBCUb79eX5vAhMvFbZoUVwFBQARQfRhaUVtTLvrX20EcqZrSE2WCAaTDLeZJ1zxpsWq54y/s1600/IMG-20181110-WA0008+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1296" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLnwuFqxQ1VrvDrB5VlqRKcHj3R5yF02qmU2UA3tBpXXqA-PEbw7sAixEpu17k_8-qVXpnc3CBCUb79eX5vAhMvFbZoUVwFBQARQfRhaUVtTLvrX20EcqZrSE2WCAaTDLeZJ1zxpsWq54y/s320/IMG-20181110-WA0008+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
I met up with Debbi outside the arena and she felt the same as me about the gig and loved it. We walked back home and had something to eat, wine and chilled. Our apartment is lovely but there were a couple of strange things there. One, a leprechaun hat (which explains the photo) and the other being a bottle of absinthe that was between two glass panels beside one of the doors!<br />
<br />
November 7th<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDnNPJnV1nNjGM90l7XhQzojll-9pcFHo55TcK2w6Pd3wv4h7dSYgz92mJdmCsYEFLeZKENv32utabc54vEAURirJPriRJbbIlgEr3ei4d_tbPFDaA50LsAAylGWI2wuub-CrP4zbl_bqy/s1600/20181107_184704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDnNPJnV1nNjGM90l7XhQzojll-9pcFHo55TcK2w6Pd3wv4h7dSYgz92mJdmCsYEFLeZKENv32utabc54vEAURirJPriRJbbIlgEr3ei4d_tbPFDaA50LsAAylGWI2wuub-CrP4zbl_bqy/s320/20181107_184704.jpg" width="180" /></a>Today was our designated lazy day where we just mooch around where ever we are and have a few bevvies. We had been due to meet up with Jane and Sharon at lunchtime but they had to cancel. We were also due to meet up with Declan that evening but he cancelled as his man flu was even worse. This was the trip of cancellations!<br />
<br />
We first went to Sam's Bar but didn't stay long as it was quiet and there was no atmosphere. Next stop was <a href="http://kehoesdublin.ie/" target="_blank">Kehoe's</a> which was great, it's one of our favourites. Our final port of call was <a href="http://www.oneillspubdublin.com/" target="_blank">O'Neill's</a> another favourite, where we had their delicious chips and the best onion rings in the world!<br />
<br />
November 8th<br />
<br />
We took the DART to Dalkey today and had lunch in <a href="https://finnegans.ie/" target="_blank">Finnegan's</a> and then coffee in nearby <a href="https://www.thequeens.ie/" target="_blank">Queen's</a>. It was raining so we didn't go on to Killiney as we'd planned.<br />
<br />
That evening we went all touristy (we've been coming here so long that we don't normally do things like that) and went of the <a href="https://www.irishfoodtrail.ie/irish-food-trail-experience/#more-1632" target="_blank">Irish Food Trail</a>. We met our guide, Grainne, at Dublin Castle and were joined by people from Canada, America, England and Iceland who were all really nice.<br />
<br />
Our first stop was the <a href="https://www.visitdublin.com/see-do/details/the-boxty-house" target="_blank">Boxty House</a> where we had potatoes three ways. My favourite were the boxty chips, different from normal chips and delicious.<br />
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Next stop was Gallagher's where we had the choice of three mains. I chose fish and chips which were wonderful.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFu3asx4bN2Q80bZngz5S4MqT0xc2Sq0viI3BP-KclJIRMDEmguPd_-HvZ3PXym2-D_qNsI5WFuT5ly4AbCkiLfX4jPL8e3SPHcZ4YFwjTq4T6hxtBWgvooZleQqSt9lqVmG6QduABZlb9/s1600/IMG-20181108-WA0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1296" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFu3asx4bN2Q80bZngz5S4MqT0xc2Sq0viI3BP-KclJIRMDEmguPd_-HvZ3PXym2-D_qNsI5WFuT5ly4AbCkiLfX4jPL8e3SPHcZ4YFwjTq4T6hxtBWgvooZleQqSt9lqVmG6QduABZlb9/s320/IMG-20181108-WA0002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dakota's on the Irish Food Trail</td></tr>
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Final place was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DakotaBar/" target="_blank">Dakota's</a> where we had dessert which was a Bailey's cheesecake and very good it was! We also had a bit of fun and made our own Irish coffee, mine didn't really work out lol!<br />
<br />
All in all the tour was excellent and good value for money We learned new things about the city and its history and also sampled good food in places we'd never been to before. Grainne was a knowledgeable and friendly guide and I would definitely recommend the tour.<br />
<br />
9th November<br />
<br />
Nasty weather today, howling wind and torrential rain so we didn't do much during the day. Later we went to a bar near the 3Arena for a meal, which was cheap and filling but not great.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjF2Q_tJebwPxyde1zIrC2DIEHT0b1qzLBcxG0LDKhk3xk5xPeY1CFls3YEnDUO9l62LjYDQ4FC1tsd7QQOCG0ItnYMng1kQex_kdgrL9_UWUlUP_74TfzOfldE9rJ1FzEt0IJw0C3vH-T/s1600/IMG-20181110-WA0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1296" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjF2Q_tJebwPxyde1zIrC2DIEHT0b1qzLBcxG0LDKhk3xk5xPeY1CFls3YEnDUO9l62LjYDQ4FC1tsd7QQOCG0ItnYMng1kQex_kdgrL9_UWUlUP_74TfzOfldE9rJ1FzEt0IJw0C3vH-T/s320/IMG-20181110-WA0000.jpg" width="320" /></a>We met Paddy, who had our tickets, outside the arena and went in. For the third time I was able to go in without my bag being searched which I don't think is good in this day and age. Our seats were really good. I got chatting to a lovely woman beside me whose birthday it was. She had been a fan of the band since 1987.<br />
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The show was good but spoiled to a degree by security making people sit down! They kind of gave up in the end as people wanted to stand. The woman beside me kept saying about Bono, "Isn't he good?" which he is! When he talked about Brexit and the hard/soft/no border she turned to me and said, "There is no them, there's only us" quoting the song Invisible which I thought was so nice. We got Dirty Day for the first time today which was a bonus.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5EoQXZOZfT8cDzWHE9zW66c-81usg-J3UaJH1qYuc3rc-8JI-TEREqExhMVAZOa0n7TN9lHhn1hS-RIQWC1_8XsIIJQHoVMRM5PJFEoe3vUj8MSGcwZbjcINvyu5UWpIc2KROUew2UiqN/s1600/FB_IMG_1542243279496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1137" data-original-width="641" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5EoQXZOZfT8cDzWHE9zW66c-81usg-J3UaJH1qYuc3rc-8JI-TEREqExhMVAZOa0n7TN9lHhn1hS-RIQWC1_8XsIIJQHoVMRM5PJFEoe3vUj8MSGcwZbjcINvyu5UWpIc2KROUew2UiqN/s320/FB_IMG_1542243279496.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
I felt a bit emotional during One as I wondered if I'd ever see the band live again. Bono looked tired and I think illness and his accidents have taken their toll on him. Plus he's said a few times that they are going away. And of course I'm not getting any younger either, I was very tired by the end of the week.<br />
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We met with Declan briefly after the show, he was still suffering from man flu and chatted with him and Paddy before getting a taxi and heading home.<br />
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It was the end of our week in Dublin and the tour for us. We had fun as usual, I love the touring life! We were sad it was over and can only hope there will be another tour to enjoy in the not too distant future.</div>
Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-16407935295095703862019-03-31T15:04:00.001+01:002019-03-31T15:04:31.202+01:00U2 Experience and Innocence Tour - London, October 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Greenwich, London 22nd October 2018<br />
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We arrived in London the day before our first concert and soon settled into our lovely apartment overlooking the Thames in Greenwich. We had a meal in the Slug and Lettuce in the O2 and finished off with macaringues which we both loved!<br />
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23rd October 2018<br />
<br />
After breakfast we went out for a walk. There was a lot of building going on and some new buildings since we'd last been there. We walked right round the O2 a pleasant walk in the sunshine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSydnZoKx_JfVaMFH810FEdOC0r_xmKIO3fhNKFQIXdvoCN4CwUILU0knK5_hDBRfS7uXLl8ZQp78vNa3lhAireaFtJhcbojg4KLTfgAoMDy9oIeU5BYDXFIqjcMFixS24-w2AHRI4kobZ/s1600/20181023_161827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSydnZoKx_JfVaMFH810FEdOC0r_xmKIO3fhNKFQIXdvoCN4CwUILU0knK5_hDBRfS7uXLl8ZQp78vNa3lhAireaFtJhcbojg4KLTfgAoMDy9oIeU5BYDXFIqjcMFixS24-w2AHRI4kobZ/s320/20181023_161827.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edge looking good, me not lol!</td></tr>
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Later we went to the pier to wait for the band arriving, there weren't very many fans. The band's boat arrived and Edge was the first to come off. He was lovely, shook hands and chatted with people. Then Bono arrived and it got a bit chaotic with two big men pushing people out of the way. I just stood back then I noticed that Edge was still meeting and greeting further on so I went across said, "It's me again" and asked if I could get a photo with him. He said of course and I looked behind me thinking Debbi was behind me (to take the photo) and she wasn't. I mumbled that I wasn't very good at selfies (which is true) and Edge immediately said, "I'll do it for you" and took my phone, set it up, was impressed that I had a countdown on it and snapped the photo. I thanked him and he said, "No problem." It was a good photo of him but not so much me lol! Such a lovely man.<br />
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We went back to the flat as our friend Marian was joining us there, and, after a cuppa, we all went to the O2 to find somewhere to eat. It was very busy but we managed to find a table at a place called Iguana and had a real good meal there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXggZoEspRijc7hd51LCoEHCNKsKiROmeKtoC0yutCMSaDdDTP1FGFF_ZjgKGyGJSTWktewbCf9dj1-8GeEELO5AtnkY1iYqLu8uPyp1iJrpS_XR05JgTRad8YGcGS6tGEZ2MaAat0TkL/s1600/20181024_112245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="1600" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXggZoEspRijc7hd51LCoEHCNKsKiROmeKtoC0yutCMSaDdDTP1FGFF_ZjgKGyGJSTWktewbCf9dj1-8GeEELO5AtnkY1iYqLu8uPyp1iJrpS_XR05JgTRad8YGcGS6tGEZ2MaAat0TkL/s320/20181024_112245.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon rising over the Thames</td></tr>
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We then went into the arena which took a long time with all the security checks, but that's not a problem for me, it's to keep everyone safe. We had good seats on the same side as the Manchester ones but a bit higher up. Again the shows was great, the Zoo section being my favourite part. There was a slight change to it, instead of finishing that section with Stay they did Wild Horses and it was very impressive as the screen came down around them as they played and disappeared from sight. The crowd took a long time to get into the show but they eventually did. Bono managed to mess up the lyrics to One but he covered it up well lol!<br />
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Afterwards we walked the short distance home (bliss after the awful hike we had last year when they played Twickenham.) We had some prosecco and chatted well into the early hours.<br />
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October 24th 2018<br />
<br />
Marian left to go home first thing, I saw her off and then went back to bed as we'd had a late night. In the afternoon we went to the pier again to see if we could meet Bono this time. There was a lovely security woman who was chatty, her main job was in social services looking after troubled children which she loved. She did the security work when she could. At one point some people who were waiting for the London Clipper boat mistakenly stood with the fans, eventually security sorted it, the boss asking us are you waiting for the clipper or ....? So funny, not really trying to keep quiet about who was coming as most security people do.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDJg44rHFXLFcgg4EtlNhE_YDseThbatFsbgXhjmDxEpUL1yLG64OjPeJ6CFbLSMBo6jGr65r_xHCZkURA3boPFKNM91YXdUVNjnjyBAHbymSFWZaM6YY5kk5tUs3mBoZBZ6Pxqbs4LBQ/s1600/IMG-20181024-WA0011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDJg44rHFXLFcgg4EtlNhE_YDseThbatFsbgXhjmDxEpUL1yLG64OjPeJ6CFbLSMBo6jGr65r_xHCZkURA3boPFKNM91YXdUVNjnjyBAHbymSFWZaM6YY5kk5tUs3mBoZBZ6Pxqbs4LBQ/s320/IMG-20181024-WA0011.jpg" width="320" /></a>Bono arrived quite late and although there were more fans they were well behaved. He looked his 58 years (he told a fan further down the queue to wash her hand after shaking his as he had a f------ virus.) He was warm and friendly as usual and shook hands with people, didn't talk much as he was saving his voice. He was soon past us and that was it.<br />
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The security woman came back and she was all giddy she had spoken with Bono, Another woman who'd been on the pier had a lovely photo of her with Bono, she was giddy too lol. The effect he has on females!<br />
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For this night's show we had GA tickets. Debbi went into the crowd by the b stage but I stood back a bit as I'm small and would just be looking into someones back if I was in the crowd. There was plenty of room and I could easily move if someone got in my way and I had a good view of the b-stage and screen. The show had minor changes from the previous night and the atmosphere was good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10fn0q0wbomA2RVX7PPR4HML-WYq0jXFuJqQLOALk_Ci6uEyUolZZyIGRJ4Wy4uxVXQkRhvqnu7QBQZxdUWj8vSUXp-fG_c4Lg_Esfh1xsciiLgj9Ap2WAbi1UlbBxYSLBilU8j-6OiB0/s1600/IMG-20181025-WA0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10fn0q0wbomA2RVX7PPR4HML-WYq0jXFuJqQLOALk_Ci6uEyUolZZyIGRJ4Wy4uxVXQkRhvqnu7QBQZxdUWj8vSUXp-fG_c4Lg_Esfh1xsciiLgj9Ap2WAbi1UlbBxYSLBilU8j-6OiB0/s320/IMG-20181025-WA0000.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Towards the end I moved to where Bono would walk out at the end and soon Debbi was there too. Security was keeping that way clear but a woman wanted to go back in the arena and went ballistic when she wasn't allowed to. She roughly just pushed me out of the way, screamed at the security people and tried to hit one of them. Everyone tried to calm her down and she did a bit , she was standing in front of me and I asked her to move which she did. Security ended up letting her back in which I thought was wrong as it only encourages that kind of terrible behaviour. Anyway, Bono passed right by us shortly afterwards as he left the arena and that was the end of the London shows. I'd been a bit concerned about having GA for the show as I'm not a spring chicken anymore but I was fine, I think it helps if you can walk about a bit and lean on things.<br />
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Once home we had a few drinks, pizza and chatted much of the night away. I love when we are on tour like this!<br />
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25th October 2018<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uNO5S7s8-pO-DbppMKdsw9VIfur7veOYu_8GSVuSNjNznH-mW0hwUCBjiMYX5iZYaGl-cufDLYdLYORetxQ3h8L39wDHFaPp3ZDO_6CpNA_ZI4cB6QpDhkc2T8mBiYFZBiS6NKf4OrG4/s1600/20181025_151126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uNO5S7s8-pO-DbppMKdsw9VIfur7veOYu_8GSVuSNjNznH-mW0hwUCBjiMYX5iZYaGl-cufDLYdLYORetxQ3h8L39wDHFaPp3ZDO_6CpNA_ZI4cB6QpDhkc2T8mBiYFZBiS6NKf4OrG4/s320/20181025_151126.jpg" width="320" /></a>We had decided to have another day in London after the shows as we wanted to do our usual afternoon in Claridges which had become a bit of a tradition for us when visiting the city. We had sharing platters of duck spring rolls and cheese and biscuits washed down with a lovely bottle of white wine. The bar is very relaxed and not snobby at all and you are well looked after without the service being over-bearing. We stayed for three hours and thoroughly enjoyed it.<br />
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It was a great way to end our visit to London, next stop Dublin!<br />
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-82579893939231538682019-03-17T21:16:00.001+00:002019-03-17T21:16:12.958+00:00U2 Experience and Innocence Tour, Manchester 19th October 2018.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Finally got round to updating my blog! I just haven't been into writing it recently but now am ready to catch up with all I have been doing in the last few months.<br />
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Manchester 19th October 2018<br />
Debbi and I met up at Piccadilly station and went to our favourite Thai restaurant for a late lunch. We then went to our hotel, the Trivelles, which was a bit out of the centre but near Salford Crescent station. It wasn't the best of hotels, but it was cheap.<br />
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Later we headed to the Metro Arena and took our seats. It was a bit thought provoking going there after the awful terrorist incidents when so many young people lost their lives not that long ago.<br />
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We had good seats on Edge's side. The set up was much like the Innocence tour, main stage, central walkway that ran almost the full length of the floor with an equally long screen above, then at the end of that a round b stage.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISaUV6tw0sUktEUEpdJOo90Ism2yBhY2wrliYYWUszeasV83hRQQ5KTzipA0XxO5Zew7wMsuVM3NbeaMYKGAbZr5gNCUXTstwY82_GmecXSS3K07SGcrCmr7iHRcX_xBthKkyqvwi3WjE/s1600/20181019_192701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISaUV6tw0sUktEUEpdJOo90Ism2yBhY2wrliYYWUszeasV83hRQQ5KTzipA0XxO5Zew7wMsuVM3NbeaMYKGAbZr5gNCUXTstwY82_GmecXSS3K07SGcrCmr7iHRcX_xBthKkyqvwi3WjE/s320/20181019_192701.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie Time</td></tr>
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The band's entry was low key, they just walked out onto the stage and immediately went into The Blackout, which really rocked and I liked it much more live than on the album. I was surprised how emotional I suddenly felt, the power of U2 live is stunning. This was followed by Lights of Home, then two oldies, I Will Follow and Gloria that were very well received, then Beautiful Day which I can do without nowadays.<br />
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Then screen sprung into life and lowered and much to my surprise Edge's unmistakable intro chords to Zoo Station blasted out and Bono did the "puppet" dance as I call it (those who saw the band in the Zoo days will know what I mean!) and walked onto the walkway to sing Zoo Station, it rocked, absolutely loved this version. Again I was overcome with emotion, so many great memories flooded back, and to hear this song after so long took me right back to great times. This was followed by Stay, Who's Gonna Ride your Wild Horses and The Fly. It was just wonderful and this Zoo segment was the highlight of the show for me. I could hardly believe I was hearing these songs again. It also made me realise what amazing songs they were. Bono was in good voice and there was a lot of energy.<br />
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There was a short intermission and when the band came back on they went onto the b stage and went into Elevation, Vertigo and others. At one point Bono once more becomes MacPhisto, his best ever character, this time his make up was digital and it worked quite well the older version with proper makeup. MacPhisto was as evil as ever, good to see the old man again. The band then went into Acrobat which again was a surprise for me, what a great song that is. It was followed by a beautiful acoustic You're the Best Thing About Me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyG6HIW-8gl20D0lxW09cU6cPiUbjCipZT8Bw4CbZuefGEIFNbju-pg4GHGjYqJDgrjO4aa20TOTD93eyxR55J6YFQo4HiPSj0Knqu3N6Bwbabmp7DLncwZrllp3zqhoRMmR57seS_O4f/s1600/20181019_221410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyG6HIW-8gl20D0lxW09cU6cPiUbjCipZT8Bw4CbZuefGEIFNbju-pg4GHGjYqJDgrjO4aa20TOTD93eyxR55J6YFQo4HiPSj0Knqu3N6Bwbabmp7DLncwZrllp3zqhoRMmR57seS_O4f/s320/20181019_221410.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
The rest of the show was a mix of old and new songs, well put together. The show had, as usual with U2, a low-key ending with the beautiful 13 (There is a Light.) Where Bono stayed on the b stage while the others disappear along the walkway into the darkness. There's a model of his childhood home on the stage and he opens the roof and out comes a light bulb symbolising the light bulb in his childhood bedroom,which he swings before leaving the stage through the crowd. An echo of the Innocence tour where the light bulb makes an appearance near the beginning of the show, everything has come full circle.<br />
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The screen throughout the show was stunning and at times simply beautiful. It didn't take away from the music, it complemented it perfectly. I thought the screen and stages were used to a better advantage than on the Innocence tour. It all flowed perfectly and our seats enabled us to see it all very well.<br />
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Afterwards we headed back to our hotel, and picked up a Maccy D from the place opposite our hotel. We had it with a bottle of champagne we had, strange combination but it went down well! First show done, and we were not disappointed, there was another show in Manchester the following night but we were not going to that one, London and Dublin were our next shows.<br />
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-72137791752474265672018-02-12T23:52:00.001+00:002019-03-18T22:09:40.418+00:00The World's Most Beautiful Voyage - The Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal voyage 6<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Day 10<br />
<br />
We crossed the Arctic Circle once more at 9.15am and much of the day was spent at sea there were stops but only for very short periods so we could not go ashore. Natasa gave a talk on Mythical Creatures of the Sea which was fascinating.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9juSdrvLIGKJSE1zaHvwEZanVQDEwc1-DQVEvLUF3fwzSt8iQwv3QLehPXqr6J-59q5Qfl3sKzuiG0MWpv9iEg9SEN899xah4CaZq_9TZFE361DqkEfaSx5gPs7FDp8kDl0afNSWkGoS/s1600/20171115_164712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9juSdrvLIGKJSE1zaHvwEZanVQDEwc1-DQVEvLUF3fwzSt8iQwv3QLehPXqr6J-59q5Qfl3sKzuiG0MWpv9iEg9SEN899xah4CaZq_9TZFE361DqkEfaSx5gPs7FDp8kDl0afNSWkGoS/s320/20171115_164712.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild Weather in Bronnoysund</td></tr>
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We arrived at <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.visitnorway.com/places-to-go/trondelag/kystriksveien/places-along-kystriksveien/brnnysund-og-brnny/" target="_blank">Brønnøysund</a> at 3.45pm and as there is a stop of one and a quarter hours we decided to go ashore to go to a small shopping centre that had a branch of a cheap Christmas shop we'd been in at Hammerfest as we wanted to buy something. Quite a few people got off with us and headed the same way. The weather was atrocious, howling wind and driving rain, but the centre was not far away and it was a relief to stumble into the shelter and warmth of the shops. We bought a few things in the Christmas shop and looked around some others before heading back to the Nordnorge. We tried to do a selfie with the ship in the background but it was so windy I couldn't hold the camera straight and, as my mother used to say, every picture tells a story!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The evening meal this evening was billed as the farewell meal as lots of German tourists were leaving the ship in Trondheim tomorrow. We had some free prosecco and representatives of all the departments of the ship's staff all lined up and sang a funny song about the trip and then went around the restaurant to toast "skol" with passengers. It was<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmq4663EIriVI0PJKVuZHbI3DiF-WzMeZwxRk7-P2wwr8HS7xFiyJ1zDBt7WTxfQdnMfcsHHola6Y6dXdKcLfVBuMsiIBIYOYBTo3wZuXRn-h83EoKyCF6G9RAiSYnNCB6DiotW2MTwqaG/s1600/20171115_191612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmq4663EIriVI0PJKVuZHbI3DiF-WzMeZwxRk7-P2wwr8HS7xFiyJ1zDBt7WTxfQdnMfcsHHola6Y6dXdKcLfVBuMsiIBIYOYBTo3wZuXRn-h83EoKyCF6G9RAiSYnNCB6DiotW2MTwqaG/s320/20171115_191612.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Staff all Lined Up For the Farewell Meal</td></tr>
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really lovely, very warm and friendly as the staff had been throughout our voyage. The meal, as ever, was delicious and we had the best dessert of the trip, <a href="http://www.northwildkitchen.com/norwegian-success-tart-suksessterte/" target="_blank">"success tart"</a> which was absolutely gorgeous - everyone was loving it! </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That evening we just relaxed in the panoramic lounge, chatting and drinking the expensive wine very slowly. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Day 11</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our last full day onboard the Nordnorge and I felt sad that the trip was coming to an end. We had a stop for a few hours in Trondheim, but it started at 6.30am and finished at 10am so we didn't go ashore, we had been on a tour of the city on our way north anyway.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We had our last meeting with Bjorn and David where they told us a bit about the shifts the staff work (22 days on then 22 days off) and arrangements for our departure the following day. They also told us that it would get very choppy later in the night.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That evening Bjorn held a quiz about Norway in the panoramic lounge and Marian and I won it! Considering some of the teams were six people strong I think we did very well! Our prize was one of the smart Scandinavian design water carafes each they used in the restaurant which we were both very happy with. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We went back to our cabin but had barely got in bed when the ship started to go through the storm and there was no way we could sleep then! The ship was tossed around by the storm until about 4am when things calmed down and we were able to get a bit of sleep, luckily neither of us got seasick.</span></span><br />
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Day 12<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVYCEE5DLKhKPhfYU6-4EuK8oOWRYuACzfD3Ktvo8dMW9YqjVxfmXsmk2sXOjmxobR6ymLjXXxCV9twThljuWw-uTSoB4Kw-iU6x2daUre8zqVA5XlJ-Oa8ejx2veWKQ00WOq9xzz8bC2/s1600/20171117_135949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVYCEE5DLKhKPhfYU6-4EuK8oOWRYuACzfD3Ktvo8dMW9YqjVxfmXsmk2sXOjmxobR6ymLjXXxCV9twThljuWw-uTSoB4Kw-iU6x2daUre8zqVA5XlJ-Oa8ejx2veWKQ00WOq9xzz8bC2/s320/20171117_135949.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Last Photo of us on the Nordnorge</td></tr>
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We had to be out of our cabin by 10am but there were plenty of areas we could sit in, the ship was much quieter since the Germans had left yesterday. We had our last buffet lunch, I was starting to get used to having all this great food made for me.<br />
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I went out on deck to watch us head in towards Bergen and soon we were docked at the Hurtigruten Terminal. We arrived late due to the storm in the early hours. We left the ship and got the bus to the airport. Bergen Airport is a strange place. It's not very big and has no proper place to eat or drink. Everything is self service and the shops are few and not very interesting, I remembered Bjorn had said there wasn't much at the airport in the meeting the previous day, he wasn't joking!<br />
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So that was it, the end of a fantastic experience, I absolutely loved it all. Norway is a stunningly beautiful country with lovely people, I felt very at home there. The Nordnorge was just the right size of ship for me, and it's staff were wonderful. Apparently Hurtigruten staff are well paid and there is a no tipping policy, though if you wanted you could leave something when you left. Nothing was ever too much bother for them and they went out of their way to talk to passengers. The food was amazing and some very seasoned cruise travellers we talked to were very impressed by the food and voyage in general.<br />
<br />
I loved the fact the ship was a working ship and we were on a journey not a cruise. There is always something to see and I loved how you could just hop off the ship at the ports if you wanted. Sometimes we'd stop at some tiny place where, as well as goods and post, people, sometimes just one person, would get on or off, sometimes a car waiting to pick them up. Marian said it would make a good storyline for a book, the stories of these people where they had been, where they were going, what they had done.<br />
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Favourite events/places? I loved the tour I went on way up north to the winter/Christmas house in Skarsvag and the gallery in Kamovaer. The Midnight Concert in the Arctic Cathedral in Tromso was so beautiful. And I'll never forget travelling along Vestfjord balancing against the window so I didn't have to test out my survival suit in the icy water, looking up at the vivid green ribbon of northern lights as they danced above the fjord. The only disappointment being that there was not enough snow to be able to go husky sledding in Kirkenes. Winning the quiz was a perfect ending to our trip.<br />
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I would highly recommend sailing with Hurtigruten, especially if you want a trip that is a bit different. I will be doing another voyage with them, maybe in the spring to see another side of Norway.<br />
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-8691930744175593052018-01-30T16:48:00.001+00:002019-03-18T22:05:40.369+00:00The World's Most Beautiful Voyage - The Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Voyage 5<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Day 9<br />
<br />
We arrived in <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tromsø</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> just</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">b</span>efore midnight and those of us who were going to the Midnight Concert in the <a href="http://www.ishavskatedralen.no/en/the-arctic-cathedral/" target="_blank">Arctic Cathedral</a> headed off on a coach. We could see it all lit up in a blue light on other side of strait linked to the island of Tromsoya by a long and elegant bridge. The cathedral was completed in 1965 and, like a lot of churches here, is triangular in shape. Inside it has A large triangular stained glass window and at the other end organ pipes. Otherwise in true Scandinavian style minimal decoration.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEulnrv-Frs8fPeg9Vm1v8xi-GEm4Nk3LyEFwQSSi_9nzSzJnn4kKh0xpC4rxX1j0VnPiNFEq4JQ4V2D695ae7FkjVtQOo8jih56Lvti5dvIT_6BQiOnUHHQIhRECCWnDLpKYzqHyr5FUW/s1600/20171114_120149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1198" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEulnrv-Frs8fPeg9Vm1v8xi-GEm4Nk3LyEFwQSSi_9nzSzJnn4kKh0xpC4rxX1j0VnPiNFEq4JQ4V2D695ae7FkjVtQOo8jih56Lvti5dvIT_6BQiOnUHHQIhRECCWnDLpKYzqHyr5FUW/s320/20171114_120149.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Arctic Cathedral</td></tr>
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The performers were a singer, flautist and a piano player. Their performance was absolutely beautiful, the acoustics in the cathedral were amazing the singer's voice soared throughout the building and gave me goosebumps. The music was a mixture of traditional, classical and they finished off with Auld Langs Syne which brought a tear to my eye! Absolutely loved the concert and would recommend anyone to go to it.<br />
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We got back to the ship at about 1.15am and the Nordnorge soon set sail once more. I stood on deck as we left the city watching the lights slip away into the darkness. <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tromsø </span>was like being back in civilisation once more even though we were still well above the Arctic Circle. It was a city I always wanted to visit and it looked lovely and I would love to visit it again but in day light!<br />
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Next day we were sailing south passing through stunningly beautiful landscape towards the Lofoten Islands, I love the easy going life of this ship and what views we had!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjyfuo-iONblX4xGsuxddsiOyVANCvMN862smtVMlgCcvuB_hX-FUErcb1ibjLgM4Q4qIlppzxoLtoah0JmDkNptUxxjHR_hbggB88i2cTaHpGItqZPYqMr4vLFj8neDipKeiuswfW_Jm/s1600/20171114_134530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjyfuo-iONblX4xGsuxddsiOyVANCvMN862smtVMlgCcvuB_hX-FUErcb1ibjLgM4Q4qIlppzxoLtoah0JmDkNptUxxjHR_hbggB88i2cTaHpGItqZPYqMr4vLFj8neDipKeiuswfW_Jm/s320/20171114_134530.jpg" width="320" /></a>Later we had a talk on the history of the Hurtigruten shipping line. In the 1890's it took mail many weeks to reach Hammerfest from Trondheim. A tender was put out for a service that could provide faster services to the coastal communities. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_With" target="_blank">Richard With</a>, a very experienced captain, accepted the challenge and did the route in just 67 hours. He named the shipping company he set up Hurtigruten which translates as the "fast route".<br />
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We arrived in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stokmarknes" target="_blank">Stokmarnes</a> and had time to leave the ship and visit the nearby <a href="http://www.museumnord.no/en/hurtigruten-museum/" target="_blank">Hurtigruten Museum</a>. The ground was like an ice rink and a couple of people fell. We managed to get there in one piece and it was a fascinating place to look around. Outside, and also part of the museum, (you could go into it) was an old ship Finnmarken, it looked really impressive. Afterwards we gingerly made our way over the ice again to the ship and made it there in one piece!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxLXIoZcSRgwoVGTbE-0gAn_FmT244bJ8Ie5ztUT-uczV1-Rql1ICt-3dexdt_dd9_BM0zBdY4lfO-RhBKsXqhqKRohxzkT7OshGNf8yxRB585H5pYhPENdl1BySTW0Ct1fE5ZSUxcIM7/s1600/20171114_142657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxLXIoZcSRgwoVGTbE-0gAn_FmT244bJ8Ie5ztUT-uczV1-Rql1ICt-3dexdt_dd9_BM0zBdY4lfO-RhBKsXqhqKRohxzkT7OshGNf8yxRB585H5pYhPENdl1BySTW0Ct1fE5ZSUxcIM7/s320/20171114_142657.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Finnmarken part of the Hurtigruten Museum in Stokmarnes</td></tr>
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There was a meet up on the deck later for hot chocolate and brandy as we went into the entrance of Trollfjord and the spotlights lit up the massive sheer sides of the fjord. It seemed strange but nice drinking the yummy drink out of special Trollfjord mugs (which you could buy - we did) while Abba was singing <i>Dancing Queen</i> and everyone chatting at the mouth of the fjord. Afterwards the ship made its way through the Lofoten Islands. The only downside was it was dark so we couldn't see the beautiful scenery we knew was there.<br />
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Our next stop was at <a href="http://www.svolvaer.net/" target="_blank">Svolvaer</a>, where we'd been soaked to the skin on the way north! This time we went on a tour to look at the huts and A-frames used by fishermen in the past. We were taken by bus a short distance and walked to a large A-frame or hjell as they are called in Norway. These frames were and still are used to dry cod, it is hung on the frames and dries out naturally in the cold, dry air for three months. The end result is called stockfish and can be stored for years. Stockfish is Norway's oldest export and today big importers of the fish are African nations and Italy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNkhn-rerdlaP0GhMyhFh-ojSYw_mahubD-gvDTcynFJhwGPrhCAMnOW5QTpwip-8XLUMDKbOU-Q1WbT-2g0JHrrMv263iq1GT_V7wtSaBP9SEzw7iHe37yyf__14udSURpjA6zg_iYEh/s1600/20171114_190346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNkhn-rerdlaP0GhMyhFh-ojSYw_mahubD-gvDTcynFJhwGPrhCAMnOW5QTpwip-8XLUMDKbOU-Q1WbT-2g0JHrrMv263iq1GT_V7wtSaBP9SEzw7iHe37yyf__14udSURpjA6zg_iYEh/s320/20171114_190346.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hjell on which cod is hung to dehydrate and <br />
so preserve for many years</td></tr>
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We then went into a small wooden hut that had all the things in it that would have been there when it was in use. Up to 15 men lived in the small space there during the fishing season. As we entered the hut a man had a bowl full of dried stockfish and offered us some. It was brown and tough as old boots, after trying the soften it in my mouth for ten minutes I gave up and spat it into a hankie and put it into my bag (next morning my bag stunk of it and it took ages to disperse lol!) We had a talk about the lives and work of the fishermen and boy they had a hard life!<br />
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After that we went to the <a href="http://www.svinoya.no/en/about/galleri-gunnar-berg" target="_blank">Gunnar Berg Gallery</a> which was very close by. Berg was born in Svolvaer, trained in Germany and lived much of his life there. But he came home to Lofoten during the fishing season and painted many paintings of the landscape, fishing fleets and day to day life of the area. His paintings were beautiful, he was only 30 when he died, it makes you wonder what else he could have produced had he lived longer.<br />
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We then went to visit a small hotel that has a shop beside its reception that is preserved from around 100 years ago. Fascinating to look around. And if I remember rightly it was owned by Berg family members.<br />
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We had the best cod I have ever had for our evening meal, huge tasty flakes steamed in a white sauce, beautiful! Good to have fish not in batter or breadcrumbs. The food on this ship is fantastic and healthy. Lots of fish (but also lots of other things for people who don't care for fish), hardly anything fried, chips never served once, tasty potatoes, and lots of delicious berries in the desserts, sauces you could put over desserts and also sometimes with the main course. Loved it!<br />
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We'd had a busy day so just spent the evening relaxing in our favourite lounge, drinking the expensive wine, very slowly lol! Really enjoyed the day though and was beginning to get sad that the end of the trip was not very far off.<br />
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-22384609579768794472018-01-12T23:28:00.000+00:002019-03-18T21:58:49.286+00:00The World's Most Beautiful Cruise - the Hurtigruten Coastal Norwegian Voyage Part 4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Day 7</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKCJctZ_-S_8B62Ll14lPsw_xqZyC4vcFRc57VvQzrBvypepkhGSliPI3u0p6CHcVYQ3b0SvULcMW_5bxMYpmnfIvyXMbn8b7u_ivjHxve9CCltGyWVTMYipTPsitvu6YC4aK-E2YMBPn/s1600/20171112_112102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKCJctZ_-S_8B62Ll14lPsw_xqZyC4vcFRc57VvQzrBvypepkhGSliPI3u0p6CHcVYQ3b0SvULcMW_5bxMYpmnfIvyXMbn8b7u_ivjHxve9CCltGyWVTMYipTPsitvu6YC4aK-E2YMBPn/s320/20171112_112102.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today we arrived at <a href="http://www.visitkirkenes.no/" target="_blank">Kirkenes</a>, 955 miles from Bergen, further east than Istanbul, as far north as northern Alaska and just 10 miles from the Russian border and the point at which our ship would turn around and head on back down the Norwegian coast. Marian and I had been due to go on a husky sledding trip here but it was cancelled due to there being no snow. I was very disappointed as it was one of the main things I was looking forward to on this trip, but you can't control nature. So Marian opted for a hike and I walked into the town from the harbour which wasn't far. The place was bleak and quiet, (it was a Sunday and in Norway everything is closed) and I had to watch how I walked as it was icy. I had my ice grips on but they made me walk really funny and didn't help much, apparently the chain ones are best. It was cold but I found that the dry cold they have there doesn't feel as cold as I expected. I saw a supermarket which had it name in Norwegian and Russian, quite a few Russians live in the town. This area was occupied by the Germans in World War Two and when they left they burned almost all the buildings (something that happened in many of the Norwegian coastal towns.) Apparently it had also been a crossing point for Syrian people entering the country which is strange in such an isolated, northerly place. To be honest on my little walk there wasn't much to see in Kirkenes, but some of the things it is famous for were not happening (sledding, the Snow Hotel) due to no snow. As I got back to the harbour I noticed a rock that had lots of little stones on top of it, so I added one to it, it seemed to be the thing to do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the afternoon we had a talk from Natasa about the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vard%C3%B8_witch_trials_(1621)" target="_blank">Vardo witch Trials</a> which was one of the biggest witch trials in Scandinavia and took place in 1621. It resulted in 91 people being burned at the stake. The ship set sail from Kirkenes and in a short time docked in</span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Vardø. There we could disembark and see the place the trials were held and a memorial to those who died. The trial took place at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vard%C3%B8hus_Fortress" target="_blank">Vardøhus Fortress</a> which was a five minute walk from the ship. It was dark and the icy wind howled in from the Barents Sea, I was glad to have the torch on my phone to see where I was going. Some people stopped at the fortress and others, including Marian, went on to the memorial, there wasn't time to do both. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cannon on Sledge in Vardohus Fortress</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The fortress was octagonal in shape and made up of small turf-roofed houses in which there were militaria exhibits. One we were inside the fortress walls there was a bit of shelter from the wind and I wandered through the little houses. In one there was a cannon on a sledge which makes perfect sense for this area. It was a small museum but it was interesting.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Marian said <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/2012/01/03/steilneset-memorial-by-peter-zumthor-and-louise-bourgeois/" target="_blank">Steilneset Memorial</a> was impressive. It is made up of two parts, a cocoon-like structure mounted on A-frame like structures. You can go inside and in there are lamps by small windows each lamp representing one of the people who was burned at the stake after the witch trials, beside each one is a little information about each person. The other part of the memorial is an eternal flame that burns through a chair and is reflected by mirrors.</span></span><br />
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It was good to get out of the wild and icy weather and into the welcoming warmth of the Nordnorge. We went to the talk by Bjorn and David which was as entertaining as ever. I learned that during hibernation bears do not urinate, urine produced is converted into amino acids that stop their muscles from wasting away during their long sleep, amazing! We also learned that house prices in this area are cheap but if you go to Tromso or Bergen they are very expensive.<br />
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That evening we had reindeer (this being the area where the herds of reindeer range) for our evening meal and it was lovely. Later the staff put on a tongue-in-cheek fashion show of items from the shop, some of them really got into it and it was fun, the crew are lovely..<br />
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Day 8<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliPFhkO8Fwy2Pc6P7dEFEUcGL-qsiSlonGxAVoT0ObZBDfluMVoOUzWaHHj7BpWlfIqING8HLjuGUFtLUbAkIqhe2LS-0NIL5GRbNlw7GD6TmnQUvPzcXw_NUrrrYX6LQsqunvGpQ-A7s/s1600/20171113_104139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliPFhkO8Fwy2Pc6P7dEFEUcGL-qsiSlonGxAVoT0ObZBDfluMVoOUzWaHHj7BpWlfIqING8HLjuGUFtLUbAkIqhe2LS-0NIL5GRbNlw7GD6TmnQUvPzcXw_NUrrrYX6LQsqunvGpQ-A7s/s320/20171113_104139.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haja</td></tr>
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We sailed past an island called <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Håja that sat in the sea like a huge whale. Once past this island you see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammerfest" target="_blank">Hammerfest</a> which claims to be the most northerly town in the world. Once docked we disembarked and first went to a pharmacy to buy some (very expensive) cream for my eczema which had flared up. The pharmacist told me that the air is so dry there that you must keep skin well moisturised. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We then popped into a nearby art gallery but it wasn't really our cup of tea. Nearby was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammerfest" target="_blank">The Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society</a> which housed a small museum and rather good little shop. The museum depicted the history of Hammerfest, and the hunting and fishing that once made this town a very busy port. It was also full of stuffed animals including an eagle, walrus and polar bear. Some of the old photos were really interesting. Seeing we had time to spare after looking around the museum we walked the short distance to the church. It was built in 1961 (Hammerfest was another Norwegian town that was burned by the Germans when they left) and had a beautiful triangular stained glass window and wooden panels painted by local artists. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We both liked Hammerfest, it still felt very Arctic and it had a good feel about it. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside The Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>We headed back to the Nordnorge and I went out on deck and watched Hammerfest disappear behind Haja once more. The scenery was stunning as we headed south once more towards our next port of call, Tromso.<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Scenery After Leaving Hammerfest</td></tr>
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-12306077775576578452017-12-28T22:00:00.000+00:002019-03-18T21:52:57.836+00:00The World's Most Beautiful Voyage in the World - the Hurtiguten Coastal Voyage Part 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Day 5<br />
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The morning was spent relaxing and admiring the beautiful views of snowy mountains as they passed by, I love the relaxed way of life of the ship that by now we were well into. In the afternoon I went to a lecture about Norwegian explorers of the Arctic and Antarctic. It was dark by time the ship docked in <a href="https://www.visittromso.no/en" target="_blank">Tromsø</a>. Tromsø is a place I have always wanted to visit, the setting is so beautiful. But unfortunately as it was dark I couldn't see that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BCqA4LumX9vLzDuGdC_dIdzjwUs4TSJ5wx-M7gQ-45jJCV-4d0_WcIp5tofsivK7DQqenwfwPY0THQGpq6973kBd9jzAaSdqopSpSmZqp9awe2CnTvxaT9lgWEGFAsshc3BQuZiuVROe/s1600/20171110_151852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BCqA4LumX9vLzDuGdC_dIdzjwUs4TSJ5wx-M7gQ-45jJCV-4d0_WcIp5tofsivK7DQqenwfwPY0THQGpq6973kBd9jzAaSdqopSpSmZqp9awe2CnTvxaT9lgWEGFAsshc3BQuZiuVROe/s320/20171110_151852.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitted up for Whale Watching</td></tr>
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Marian and I were booked on a whale watching trip in nearby Vestfjord - yes I know that sounds weird to do at night, but the boats are fitted with spotlights so you can see the whales if they are around. We got a bus to a small village and went into a small place where we changed into survival suits all ready for the trip. We got on the small boat and off we went. There were drinks provided plus lovely cinnamon cakes and biscuits.<br />
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After a while I went to join some others who had gone onto the viewing deck. To do so I had to squeeze up a steep flights of steps and onto the deck which didn't really have anything to hold onto! The rails were very low and there were no seats, scary! Like a few others in order to feel stable and safe, I leaned back on a window and stayed there as the boat flew along the fjord at quite a pace, I hoped that I wouldn't need the survival suit lol!. Unfortunately there were no shoals of herring showing on the radar which meant there were no whales. But while we were on deck we saw a beautiful aurora. It was vivid green and was directly overhead and stretched like a ribbon above the fjord and snow covered mountain tops, twisting and twirling along itself. For me it made up for not seeing the whales. I was relieved to squeeze down the steep steps and back into the warmth and safety of the cabin.<br />
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Later as the Nordnorge left Tromsø I stood on deck, the city swith it's sparkling light looked beautiful. Snow started to fall as the lights slipped away and I thought how lucky I was to be able to come on a trip like this.<br />
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Day 6<br />
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Ever north we go, I loved seeing all the new places we stopped at, and watching locals getting on and off. Supplies were loaded and unloaded. Cars waiting in tiny Arctic villages to pick up a loved one, I wondered what their stories were. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CUGr1_oQ0ICFfTduKFdfpm4Jay4sBPbY3gLl2B6ZNpSv5Xa8WeKdbqOCQN-A2IZ6-I4Ig8xZZenESYcBcHiUXmqN3fEO95LuRXoX323Vyn2RtgvecPPsIp5iVeWc1C4sjNG9p3j_rLkz/s1600/20171111_115611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CUGr1_oQ0ICFfTduKFdfpm4Jay4sBPbY3gLl2B6ZNpSv5Xa8WeKdbqOCQN-A2IZ6-I4Ig8xZZenESYcBcHiUXmqN3fEO95LuRXoX323Vyn2RtgvecPPsIp5iVeWc1C4sjNG9p3j_rLkz/s320/20171111_115611.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near the North Cape</td></tr>
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The Hurtigruten ships are especially vital to this part of the country, where roads are not a viable transport system in the winter. Even small places have airports, again vital for these areas, but they too can fall prey to the Arctic winter. There are 12 Hurtigruten ships that sail up and down the coast 365 days of the year.<br />
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Today our main stop was <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/honningsv%C3%A5g-tourist-information/180294/" target="_blank">Honningsvåg</a> on the island of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mager%C3%B8ya" target="_blank">Magerøya</a> which is almost the most northerly point Europe. Marian had opted to go on a trip to the northernmost place in Europe, the North Cape while I went on a trip to two fishing villages. It was very cold here but it was bright and sunny. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGIt3t5C_WC15YvSx9micvhdWZAZ9UGKbE3KvjzUTruPNuQWlTp0Uy89OMmYZzwSKX6vhdwW0shLCRFrLZWGE7ba1aKC1mRtPs9E_zxhCmiFK-4cRrjb2YgyhRL9e6yUCHLkJyq5dUsdW/s1600/20171111_124414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGIt3t5C_WC15YvSx9micvhdWZAZ9UGKbE3KvjzUTruPNuQWlTp0Uy89OMmYZzwSKX6vhdwW0shLCRFrLZWGE7ba1aKC1mRtPs9E_zxhCmiFK-4cRrjb2YgyhRL9e6yUCHLkJyq5dUsdW/s320/20171111_124414.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Winter and Christmas House</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We drove for about 20 minutes along narrow icy roads, hairpin bends and over a mountain before arriving at a small village called <a href="https://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/excursions/norway/historical-walk-in-the-worlds-northernmost-fishing-village/" target="_blank">Skarsvåg</a> where we visited the Winter and Christmas House. The small shop and cafe is run by a lady called Heidi who was born and raised in </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Skarsvåg. First we sat in the cafe area where she had traditional Norwegian Christmas fayre, mulled wine, coffee, waffles, Christmas cake and cinnamon biscuits, it was very snug and cosy. She talked about the changing fortunes of the area, a lot of the young are leaving. Her husband is a king crab fisherman and you can make a good living doing that. She and a few other ladies from the village get together once a week and knit various items in the traditional style which she sells in her shop. She was very passionate about her village and its traditions. The sun will not rise above the horizon here from November 21st to January 21st, but there is a winter blue light for a while each day. She also said that you have to have plenty of firewood in stock for when the electricity goes off in the winter. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioF_2244xTQXpjfTF-N8Qro1aBNHyTN3lIwl5X-CV2TQwkOVaiorI2y0JunAxOAyZyQgii99v4OrBcvWR-f0ZI69C0489bD7xLfRmCjflOQf97yOq6hPgT2dDNyHRtuDTL-XiLIFe_RSYh/s1600/20171111_132949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioF_2244xTQXpjfTF-N8Qro1aBNHyTN3lIwl5X-CV2TQwkOVaiorI2y0JunAxOAyZyQgii99v4OrBcvWR-f0ZI69C0489bD7xLfRmCjflOQf97yOq6hPgT2dDNyHRtuDTL-XiLIFe_RSYh/s320/20171111_132949.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The East of the Sun Gallery</td></tr>
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You also need to be well stocked up on food as they are often snowed in as well. I bought some mittens knitted by the ladies and she thanked me for supporting their work.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We left the snug Christmas House and the Arctic cold hit me, onto the bus and off to the next visit which is the village of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kam%C3%B8yv%C3%A6r" style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">Kamoyvaer</a><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">where we visited the <a href="http://www.nordnorge.com/en/landscape/?News=360" target="_blank">East of the Sun Gallery</a>. This is the gallery of Eva Schmutterer from Germany who came to Kamoyvaer many years ago after meeting and marrying a Norwegian from the area. She was inspired by the amazing landscape and wildlife of the region and produces amazing paper collages. I loved her work and it was very reasonably priced so I bought three prints. I had a little wander around the village afterwards, it was very isolated and it felt really Arctic. Places like Tromso didn't feel really Arctic to me but here it did, as fascinating as I found it I couldn't live here.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipN-d9osgT2plfeegmyMwXVGWfmrLWJ0Xul1zjSvWaGhXAM3PJV-1T6zZeCd5Ib7GKb6uGqkN5qsWuoaGCatiPqrRI0G4FtwvnlFOmZqG8NzghaGZZVvAwz3RGc0ZgZ-jeVvuZvozvtFzU/s1600/20171111_132903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipN-d9osgT2plfeegmyMwXVGWfmrLWJ0Xul1zjSvWaGhXAM3PJV-1T6zZeCd5Ib7GKb6uGqkN5qsWuoaGCatiPqrRI0G4FtwvnlFOmZqG8NzghaGZZVvAwz3RGc0ZgZ-jeVvuZvozvtFzU/s320/20171111_132903.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishing Boats at Kamoyvaer</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The trip back to the Nordnorge was in the dark and once again it was lovely to feel the warmth of the ship again. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Later that day we had a talk on the Sami culture which was enlightening. Many of the Sami people live a nomadic life across the northern areas of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia and at this time of year are in the east so we wouldn't be seeing any Sami or reindeer. We had the usual talk from Bjorn and David and learned that gulls drink seawater and filter the salt out through glands in the head and the salt is excreted through their noses - nature is amazing!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">That evening we relaxed in the lounge on deck seven, my favourite place on the ship. It was quite stormy, after all we were now well into the Arctic on the Barents Sea, 742 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The easy going life on a ship is deceptive, you are travelling in wild waters and further than you realise.</span></span></span></div>
Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-64789242862881143502017-12-24T17:56:00.000+00:002019-03-18T21:36:21.364+00:00The World's Most Beautiful Voyage - The Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Voyage Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Day 3<br />
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Had a lovely breakfast as we headed up Trondheim Fjord towards the city of Trondheim, Norway's third largest city. Once we docked we left on an organised tour of the city. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trondheim" target="_blank">Trondheim</a> used to be <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim</td></tr>
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called Nidaros and is over 1000 years old. The cathedral bears the old city's name and is not at all of the usual Scandinavian style, it is more Italianate in style and it is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world. We went inside and had a short guided tour which was fascinating. We then went on to a viewpoint that looked out over the the city and the fjord. We saw the brightly coloured warehouses along the banks of the River Nidelva that are now exclusive homes and shops. Trondheim seemed a lovely city and I really enjoyed the tour.<br />
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We went back to the Nordnorge and set off along Trondheim Fjord and ever northerly. Later in the afternoon Natasa gave an interesting lecture on how the Norwegian landscape was formed. I've always been interested in geology and so really enjoyed the talk.<br />
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Later Bjorn and David gave their talk which was as entertaining and informative as usual. After another delicious evening meal we just chilled in the panoramic lounge on deck seven, love this life!<br />
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Day 4<br />
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minutes. So it was a mad scurry throwing on clothes and heading up to the outside area on deck seven. It was still dark but we knew when we crossed into the Arctic as there was a lit golden globe marking the line and the ships horn was sounded. I had a glass of wine to celebrate, think it's<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Champagne after entering the Arctic</td></tr>
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the earliest I've ever drunk alcohol! Later the winner of the competition to guess the exact moment we entered the Arctic was "baptised" with ice put down his back! The winner also received a Norwegian flag signed by the crew. Others could also be baptised and got a free glass of cloudberry wine. It was a bit of fun and was just one of the onboard events that made this trip such an easygoing, fun eperience.<br />
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Funnily enough after entering the Arctic the landscape became more dramatic, snowcapped, jagged mountains and huge monolithic-type mountains jutting out of the sea like huge whales. Our main stop today was <a href="https://www.visitnorway.com/places-to-go/northern-norway/bodo/" target="_blank">Bodø</a>, Marian went on another hike and I walked into the town to explore. To be honest I wasn't very impressed, there wasn't a lot to see there. I wandered about for an hour before returning to the ship. Marian returned from the hike which she had enjoyed.<br />
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When we returned to our cabin we found a certificate confirming our passing into the Arctic signed by the captain who was called the wonderful name of Roar Winther. I later went to a lecture about Vestfjord and Trollfjord given by Natasa, then the usual information talk by Bjorn and David which included eider ducks, and snowart. Each of their talks finishes with some Norwegian music and art, which so far has been lovely.<br />
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Our evening meal was fabulous tonight. Each evening the meal is comprised of specialities of the area we are passing through. Today we had the tenderest beef I've ever had from Trondelag. Dessert was chocolate parfait with a rhubarb compote, sounds like a strange combination but it worked perfectly. Rhubarb is one of the first crops to start growing after the snow melts so it is viewed as a reminder that the winter is passing and summer is ahead.<br />
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We had a longish stop at <a href="https://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/ports/svolvar/" target="_blank">Svolvær</a> in the Lofoten Islands so, even though it was dark, we decided to go ashore and explore. There was a boardwalk that skirted the water so we walked along that passing lovely looking bars and restaurants. After a while the heavens opened and the rain poured down, I could hardly see where as I was going as my glasses were full of water. Luckily my coat was waterproof and long but my boots were sodden in no time. It was a relief to walk up the gangway and get out of that rain and feel the welcoming heat of the Nordnorge.<br />
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We dried out and went up to our favourite lounge to relax. We stayed there until we reached Trollfjord which we could not enter as it is too dangerous to do so at night as much of it is very narrow. But the captain went into the mouth of the fjord and shone spotlights on the sheer cliffs so we could see a little of it. The rain was still pouring and we could see waterfalls running down the rocks. The entrance to the fjord is very narrow and it was an amazing feat of steering to give us a peek of this place.<br />
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-76214760155602265682017-12-14T00:21:00.001+00:002019-03-18T21:30:42.338+00:00The World's Most Beautiful Voyage, the Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Voyage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For many years I had wanted to go on this trip and when I saw it at a bargain price I jumped at the chance to go on what is advertised as the world's most beautiful voyage - and I wasn't disappointed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 1.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We flew to Bergen and from there were transported to the Hurtigruten Terminal where we did a smooth and well organised check-in. Afterwards we were free to go on board the ship, we couldn't yet go to our cabins so we explored. Hurtigruten ships are not cruise ships, they are a vital part of daily routine up and down the coast of Norway. They deliver and take on supplies, post and local passengers during the 34 stops going north and 33 south, they are working ships. But having said that the seven decks were beautifully fitted out with a lovely restaurant, two small cafes and a bar in the panorama deck which has the most comfortable seats in the world! There was also a shop, reception, expedition desk where trips are booked and information given. There is also a small gym, sauna and a jacuzzi on deck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At 6pm we were able to go into the cabin which was small with a square porthole, very clean and had all we needed. We then went to the Torget restaurant for the evening buffet which had everything under the sun and was absolutely amazing!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Later there was a meeting with the friendly expedition team, Bjorn, David and Natasa who gave us all the basic information for our trip and what to expect on the voyage. They also told us that if you walk round deck five four times you have walked a kilometre, so I decided I would do that at least once a day as I knew I would have to walk off some of the wonderful food we would be having!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 2</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Ålesund</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had a lie-in and skipped breakfast as I didn't sleep well due to the motion and engine hum of the ship. Today the major stop was at </span><a href="https://www.visitnorway.com/places-to-go/fjord-norway/alesund-sunnmore/" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ålesund</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">. Marian decided to go on a hike up 400 steps to Mount Aksla which overlooks the city. I went out to explore the city by myself rather than go on the organised tour as the ship was docked right near the centre and it was not a large area to explore. Plus the tours are quite expensive!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Art Nouveau Building in Ålesund</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The city had been almost totally destroyed by a fire in 1904 (the fate of many Norwegian towns/cities due to them being mainly built of wood in the past.) When it was rebuilt much of the architecture was in the Art Nouveau style which is one of the things the city is renowned for nowadays. It was a mild and sunny day as I <span style="background-color: white;">explored the cobbled streets of </span>Ålesund which indeed had some beautiful buildings often painted in bright colours in typical Scandinavian style. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The city is built on islands and there are lots of bridges and waterways, it is very picturesque, laid back and I really liked the place and it would be a place I would love to return to and explore some more one day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I returned to the ship and Marian returned not long afterwards having enjoyed her hike with its amazing views over Ålesund.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTwDUptQxYF8khvqDCXrSqqIW2VjuM5XsAtAh0i2RlERCMyzhtDE1IeSNvPXlsDQ_JtH1hJkbiX4FNgJBwKrtGClC6k_c_oH9rdRkiLApQrqPuqlnbcL6YYQ1L43YoGFtlC5kEXX8EhYG/s1600/20171107_140112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="1600" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTwDUptQxYF8khvqDCXrSqqIW2VjuM5XsAtAh0i2RlERCMyzhtDE1IeSNvPXlsDQ_JtH1hJkbiX4FNgJBwKrtGClC6k_c_oH9rdRkiLApQrqPuqlnbcL6YYQ1L43YoGFtlC5kEXX8EhYG/s320/20171107_140112.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Leaving Ålesund</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We later went to the Norwegian Way of Life talk by Bjorn and David which was very informative and entertaining covering such subjects as elk, language,music and art of Norway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During dinner it came over the ship's intercom that the northern lights were visible. There was a mass exodus from the restaurant as people headed out to see the. The lights were light green and formed a semi-circle in the sky at the front of the ship. They were gorgeous and magical and it was also surprisingly mild out on deck five. What a brilliant start to the trip!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJlNmPExkLw5aye3-jcdPZDFxrnlyUAecxMUedYTP1Q5j47GI6Bbo3ROoM6BiXS617fIoBNrKE8DUzkuGtqBV6PlhM2VgMr3QXnel2FJauPgwDivQ8N5HPqpZpVs9eeBKP9tbva3D-w3d/s1600/northern+lights+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJlNmPExkLw5aye3-jcdPZDFxrnlyUAecxMUedYTP1Q5j47GI6Bbo3ROoM6BiXS617fIoBNrKE8DUzkuGtqBV6PlhM2VgMr3QXnel2FJauPgwDivQ8N5HPqpZpVs9eeBKP9tbva3D-w3d/s1600/northern+lights+3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern lights from the ship's deck</td></tr>
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-58369009210924044712017-09-04T22:03:00.000+01:002017-09-13T15:11:25.911+01:00Re-planting the Joshua Tree, a Poem by Debbi Voisey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After seeing the first show of The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 in London I asked if Debbi (who is a very talented writer) would write a poem about the gig, U2 and what it means to longtime fans like us. In 15 minutes she wrote the poem below which speaks so eloquently for me and I'm sure for many other fans of this amazing band. You can read more of Debbi's writing here - <a href="http://www.debbivoisey.co.uk/" target="_blank">My Way by Moonlight</a>.</div>
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RE-PLANTING THE JOSHUA TREE by Debbi Voisey</div>
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A symbol of resiliance</div>
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Survival, faith and prayer</div>
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Planted 30 years ago</div>
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And in music you took us there</div>
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To a place of sheer rejoicing</div>
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And we followed you because</div>
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There is beauty and profoundness</div>
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In those songs you gave to us</div>
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Some years ago you chopped it down</div>
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And took us somewhere new</div>
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As your lives took many different paths</div>
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And as men you changed and grew </div>
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We've been there to witness all of it</div>
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To share in all the joy</div>
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As our band became the man that was</div>
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Always hiding in the boy</div>
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A concert full of wonder</div>
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Emotion, love and tears</div>
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The Joshua Tree re-planted</div>
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After 30 glorious years</div>
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-71754429754762376662017-09-02T20:51:00.000+01:002017-09-02T20:51:28.953+01:00Dublin and the U2 Joshua Tree Tour 2017 (part 2)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We arrived in Dublin after a bit of a nightmareish Ryanair departure from Manchester. They announced over the tannoy that it was the last boarding call for the Dublin flight. When we got to the gate everyone was waiting, and waiting and waiting for at least an hour, no one told us that the plane had been delayed in Dublin and was not even in Manchester yet (we found out later!) Eventually we boarded and before we knew it we were back in Dublin on a pleasant evening. We caught a taxi to our accommodation, which was lovely and larger than it looked from the photos and a good location. As usual on our arrival evening we got the shopping in from a nearby Tescos, ate in and had some wine. </div>
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July 20th</div>
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We were woken far too early by building work going on beside our apartment. We had an easy day and then later Debbi and I split up, she went to meet a friend and I went to Dun Laoghiare to see friends Ken and Elizabeth. As I travelled south on the DART Dublin Bay looked beautiful. calm and blue on this lovely summer evening. I had good night with my friends, as usual Elizabeth had laid on a good spread, which unfortunately, due to my stomach problems, I couldn't eat as much of as I would have liked to. </div>
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July 21stWe went to <a href="http://www.bewleyscafetheatre.com/index.php" target="_blank">Bewley's Cafe Theatre</a> (which is still being held in the Powerscourt Townhouse while Bewley's is being renovated) to see To Hell in a Handbag. A very funny play about the secret lives of a rector and a governess inspired by Oscar Wilde. We had delicious mushroom soup and the best soda bread in Dublin as we watched the play. This was going to be our lazy day, we always have one when we are way, we just drift from pub to pub and chilling out. We first went to <a href="http://theclarence.ie/food-drink/octagon-bar/" target="_blank">The Octagan Bar</a> in the <a href="http://theclarence.ie/" target="_blank">Clarence Hotel</a> to sample their Joshua Tree cocktail, specially created for this U2 tour, it was delicious. Next stop was <a href="http://www.oneillspubdublin.com/" target="_blank">O'Neill's pub</a>, a large place over three floors with lots of nooks and crannies. We ordered some chips (the best in Dublin) and some onion rings, strange combination but it was what we fancied! We had a long wait but it was worth it, the chips were proper chips, big and tasty and the onion rings huge and crispy, very yummy. Our next stop was <a href="http://www.brazenhead.com/" target="_blank">The Brazen Head</a> pub, the oldest pub in Dublin, but it was heaving so we left and walked the short distance back to our apartment.</div>
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July 22nd</div>
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Showtime! First we stopped off at The Study at The Clarence Hotel and had coffee, and I ordered a scone. First off we had to ask at reception to be served, then waited ages for the simple order. Then I had to ask for sugar for the coffee and also pointed out that I should have had whipped cream with my scone as per the menu. The waiter left then came back and said said they had no cream (??!!) and would I like something else like honey - yuck not with a scone thank you! I said that wasn't very good and could I have a discount, again the server left and came back and said no, the price is for the scone and the jam and cream are extras! I was dumbfounded, how ridiculous was that? The server was very nice, it wasn't his fault, but it was terrible service for a simple order. Finally we again had to go to reception for them to call someone so we could pay, the Clarence isn't what it once was.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIftlqr-GRZHqKHIl7xZM7vl48Q8TDYl052JpCCndH96igJDhv7v_-wFmOUExI2YTjVhRS4y9cuAYCEjglZFhJb5zHMgrdTjb3JmRbsweV7FYqd7NBpkbi_1kAzFeVTtrkojJDUAPmsIF/s1600/IMG-20170723-WA0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1296" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIftlqr-GRZHqKHIl7xZM7vl48Q8TDYl052JpCCndH96igJDhv7v_-wFmOUExI2YTjVhRS4y9cuAYCEjglZFhJb5zHMgrdTjb3JmRbsweV7FYqd7NBpkbi_1kAzFeVTtrkojJDUAPmsIF/s320/IMG-20170723-WA0000.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We got a taxi which dropped us off as near to <a href="https://crokepark.ie/" target="_blank">Croke Park</a> where the U2 gig was going to be. It was already quite busy and we bumped into our friends Declan, Jane and Sharon. Declan was actually on holiday in Portugal and had come back to Ireland and was flying back to Portugal the next morning, that's dedication for you!<br />
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Our seats were really good, and shortly before U2 were due to be on we were joined by our friend Paddy. This show had a lot of energy from the band and the audience. The set list was simlar to London, Bono added a it of <i>America </i>on the end of <i>Bad </i>instead of Bowie's <i>Heroes </i>which I felt did not work as well, <i>Heroes </i>was perfect. As the band started playing the Joshua Tree songs with <i>Where the Streets Have No Name, </i>the Irish Flying Corps flew over the stadium trailing smoke in the colours of the Irish flag, very impressive! Only U2 could pull that off. Half way through the Joshua Tree Bono said, "Welcome to side two of the Joshua Tree Cassette," Which made me smile, some of the younger people there wouldn't even know what a cassette was! The show was amazing, once again <i>Exit </i>was the highlight for me. I was sad when it finished as this was to be our last show of this tour.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paddy, Debbi and Me in our Seats</td></tr>
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After the show we met up briefly with Declan, Jane and Sharon again, then Paddy went off to have a drink with a few friends and was coming to our place later, whilst Debbi and I went off looking for a taxi home. There was absolutely no chance of getting a taxi and we ended up almost home by time we found one. We were exhausted when we got into our apartment and almost kissed the floor with relief! I'd barely put the pizza on when Paddy arrived, he'd left after an hour with his friends and got a taxi easily!<br />
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We had a lovely night putting the world to rights, discussing an eclectic mix of Trump (Paddy lives in America), genealogy, art, and guns to name a few subjects. Paddy left at 6.30am and we crashed at 7am, we are real rock chicks lol!<br />
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July 23rd<br />
Got up in the afternoon and later we went to the Octagon bar to meet our friends Jane and Sharon, we were sad that our friend Dianne hadn't been able to come due to travel problems, but I'm sure she was with us in spirit. Another friend Patty joined us for a while too, it was good to catch up with everyone. Debbi and I had another Joshua Tree cocktail but this one was totally different to the one we had the other day! Afterwards we had an early night as we were off home the next day.<br />
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-28693611407151096132017-08-12T21:30:00.002+01:002017-08-12T21:50:01.549+01:00London and the U2 Joshua Tree Tour 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
July 6th<br />
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I had treated myself to first class for my long rail journey to London, had salmon and scrambled egg for breakfast and a delicious soup for lunch, very good indeed. When I got off the train at Euston it felt like I had alighted in the south of France it was so hot! Debbi was waiting for me and we headed for our accommodation, a two bedroomed apartment in Ealing. We found it ok and it was very nice were pleased to see all the basics food and drink-wise had been provided for us.<br />
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After a cuppa we haded to a nearby supermarket to get our supplies in. It was really, really hot and I was wilting, heat really saps my energy and I was glad when we got back to the apartment. We did our usual first night thing, eatingin and catching up on each others news. We also opened a bottle to Veuve Clicquot in celebration of being friends for 25 years!<br />
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July 7th<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Lunch at Claridge's</td></tr>
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Had a lie in and then headed into the city centre for our planned lazy afternoon in <a href="http://www.claridges.co.uk/" target="_blank">Claridge's</a>. It was a hot and humid journey there and we were so frazzled when we got there when we went into the bar <br />
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the first a server asked us if we wanted some cool water which was like nectar and helps us recover. We had a sharing platter of delicious duck spring rolls with a plum sauce dip and a cheese platter along with a bottle of refreshing Sauvignon Blanc. We spent a wonderful afternoon relaxing in the bar and got friendly with George the server who loved a good chat! Claridge's is upmarket with excellent service, but it is not stuffy, it's an easy place to chill out in (and become bankrupt!)<br />
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We left and went into the nearby pub called The Running Horse for a drink (cheaper than Claridge's!) It was still very hot so we sat outside in the shade. Later we headed home and had an easy night eating in.<br />
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July 8th<br />
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Debbi's husband, Keith, arrived early afternoon, he was going to see U2 for the first time that night! It was still very hot. We had lunch at <a href="https://bills-website.co.uk/restaurants/ealing/" target="_blank">Bill's</a> on Ealing Broadway. Because of my stomach problems at the time I could not eat much so I had the pate starter while the others had proper meals. I must say I was envious of Keith's delicious looking flat iron steak!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keith, Debbi and Me Before the Gig</td></tr>
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Afterwards we got the tube to Richmond where there were shuttle buses laid on to take people to Twickenham Stadium. Our seats were in the back corner, not the best but they gave us an all round view of the stage which was quite simple. A plain stage with a back screen with a Joshua Tree on it and a b-stage in the shape of a Joshua Tree and that was it. Noel Gallagher's <a href="https://www.noelgallagher.com/" target="_blank">High Flying Birds</a> were ok. U2 came on at 8.15 (there is a 10.30 curfew at Twickenham.) And played a few songs from The Unforgettable Fire, including Bad that had me in tears as usual and I loved the snippet of Bowie's Heroes on the end, it worked perfectly. The screen came to life with Streets and the beginning of the playing of the entire Joshua Tree album. The screen was amazing such bright, crisp colours. It was a treat to hear this album in full and I especially enjoyed hearing songs I'd never heard sung live before such as Trip Through Your Wires and One Tree Hill, but the highlight of was <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4u17gBRweGGhBvCV0sx9LLb_HZ-WPoeI2v9q1C1DIP6YmadCa4m_fbCKjltUAya92w55XZ8KPM4LjOlpXNT0Q_QIFiCzjvxsU1ULbKbhQBV53jkJ0ipTbEI-LlN3na7oc2kIxPHdA0MX/s1600/FB_IMG_1500128818367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4u17gBRweGGhBvCV0sx9LLb_HZ-WPoeI2v9q1C1DIP6YmadCa4m_fbCKjltUAya92w55XZ8KPM4LjOlpXNT0Q_QIFiCzjvxsU1ULbKbhQBV53jkJ0ipTbEI-LlN3na7oc2kIxPHdA0MX/s320/FB_IMG_1500128818367.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Kinda Cownley</td></tr>
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Exit. Black and white on the screen showing Bono whipping himself up into a murderous frenzy, quite scary! And also absolutely brilliant, it gave me goosebumps. A beautiful Mothers of the Disappeared, with video on screen showing women in shadow holding candles that they individually blew out one by one, simple and moving, brought the first part of the show to an end.<br />
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The second part of the show was a mixed bag of songs beginning with Miss Sarajevo. Bono got the crowd to sing Happy Birthday for his daughter Eve who had turned 25 the day before. A new song called The Little things That Give You Away was played, sounded good, but I needed to hear it again before it really sinks in. At the End of the gig Noel Gallagher came back on and the show finished with U2 and him singing Don't Look Back in Anger. I was disappointed at the ending, it didn't feel like a proper U2 ending somehow. I really enjoyed the show and felt it was very much a <br />
show of two halves. The first very structured, a nod to The Unforgettable Fire album during the first four songs and then The Joshua Tree in full, it all flowed beautifully. The second half was more disjointed theme-wise and though I enjoyed it I preferred the first half.<br />
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Afterwards we walked to join the massive queue for the shuttle buses, it was still very warm even though it was late. It took over an hour before we were on our way to Richmond station. We got home about 12.30am and did our usual post gig thing, pizza and wine and chatting until the early hours.<br />
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July 9th<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Linda Cownley</td></tr>
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Debbi's husband left the next morning and Debbi and I went into London for a while, it was still far too hot for me and I was wilting. We had a late lunch in a restaurant called <a href="https://www.burgerandlobster.com/" target="_blank">Burger and Lobster</a> which was blissfully cool. It was expensive, so we both had the starter of crab goujons and a glass of prosecco.<br />
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Afterwards we headed towards Twickenham again. This time we had standing tickets, and we spent ages trying to find a good place. There was one place where Deb could see but I couldn't (I'm smaller) so we split up and I spent ages wandering trying to find a place where I could see more. I eventually noticed a line of small women so headed there and found that in front of them was an open area at the entrance to the Red Zone kept free by security. I sidled through and stood at the end of the line of women and had a really good view of the main stage though could not see the b-stage (which seemed rather low on this tour) and that was my spot for the rest of the show.<br />
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The set list was quite similar to last night's show but I enjoyed it. Bono, as last night, was in good voice with amazing energy for his age. Exit again was stunning, and this time they finished with One, the perfect typical low-key U2 ending.<br />
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After the show Debbi and I met up and headed off to the shuttle buses again. It took even longer to get on one than the previous night and we got to Richmond station at 12.05 only to be told that the last tube was gone and we'd have to get a normal train to Waterloo! We simply could not believe it, there were loads of people coming behind us many, like us, not knowing London well and not sure what to do. Surely extra trains should have been put on for such a major event? Debbi checked how far Ealing, where we were staying, was and as it was only around four miles we decided to get a taxi as if we went on to Waterloo we might not get a tube back from there and that was even further away. The transport organisers should take a lesson from Glasgow where crowds from Hampden are away in record time because of brilliant organisation by police and transport staff and train after train leaving the local station.<br />
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We got home and were really relieved to be back as we were really tired. The heat and standing for a long time took it's toll on us and I think that may well be our last standing gig! We had something to eat and some wine and then crashed out.<br />
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Next day we headed home, and I must admit I'm always glad to be leaving London too big for me and on this occasion too hot as well! But it was worth it for seeing the shows, such a treat to hear those all those Joshua Tree songs live, some for the very first time.<br />
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-45486348368219432522017-04-12T12:07:00.001+01:002017-04-12T12:07:34.602+01:00The BowieXperience<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My friend Jayne and I recently saw <a href="http://www.thebowiexperience.co.uk/" target="_blank">The BowieXperience</a> at The Sands in Carlisle. We are both <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie" target="_blank">David Bowie</a> fans, though only Jayne has seen him play live. I thought that the singer's voice was very like the original Bowie's, the backing band was tight and the screen behind them added to the experience and there were countless costume changes for "David." The BowieXperience went through all his great songs and their show was very well performed. Watching it made me realise all the more what an amazing artist the real David Bowie was, how he constantly reinvented himself and his music, pushed boundaries and remained very relevant. I do regret never having seen him play live. Jayne enjoyed the show too and afterwards made the classic quote, "Bowie had better legs"!!<br />
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If you are a Bowie fan I would recommend going to see this tribute act, they put on a good, professional show and bring the great artist back to life and make you realise all the more just how amazing his talent was.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Image from The Bowie Experience Website)</td></tr>
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-65354876574306526262017-01-26T20:40:00.001+00:002017-01-26T20:40:49.445+00:00Venice - Beauty, Grandeur, People and Far from the Madding Crowd.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have neglected my blog over the last few months, I've been very busy and just haven't had time. But I will try to get back into writing it regularly now. First of all I'll write a brief catch up of the last few months.<br />
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First of all I'll write a short write up of the trip my friend Jayne and I went on to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice" target="_blank">Venice</a>. We arrived at Treviso airport on a hot morning. We got a shuttle bus into Mestre and walked the short distance to the Hotel Delfino where we were staying. After some lunch we got the very crowded and sweaty bus into Venice. We just wandered around in the city trying to take it all in. It was very beautiful but also very busy. We went into the first church we saw,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalzi,_Venice" target="_blank"> S. Maria di Nazareth</a>, built in 1674, and were taken aback by its over the top, ornate, baroque interior. It was just stunning, we both gasped as we entered. It was also an oasis away from the heat and crowds, beautiful, almost as if time had stopped.<br />
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We wandered a bit away from the main streets and it was like a different world once you go into the narrow alleys, much quieter, with the day to day life going on there for the locals, it must be hard for them to share their beautiful city with all the tourists. We headed back to the hotel and had an early night as we had an early start that day.<br />
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Next day we got the sweat bus to Venice and got on the valporetto, the water bus, to St Mark's Square. We had a snack at a cafe and got chatting to a couple from Peterborough, he was Italian and she was English, we had a nice chat. We then went to St Mark's Square, it was hot and busy with people. We went into the basilica which was beautiful but very dusty. We walked around the square peering in the famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caff%C3%A8_Florian" target="_blank">Caffe Florian</a> - the oldest cafe in the world opened in 1720 - with its stunning art work - too expensive to go into. Later we headed into the peace of the quieter lanes and found a cafe for a snack and the same couple from Peterborough were there small world! We had a lovely snack there and then got the valporetto to the Jewish ghetto where we were meeting our guide for a tour, pub crawl with chiccetti (snacks.) On our way we came across a gorgeous standard wire haired dachshund called Olga who I just had to pet!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lane from the Jewish Ghetto<br />to the canal</td></tr>
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Our guide's name was Beatrice and she was excellent. After a snack and prosecco we entered the nearby Jewish ghetto and immediately it felt like another world. The houses were five stories high (the only area of Venice where that is) and plainer in design. The word ghetto comes from the Italian Gheto meaning smelting which took place here. The Jews were shut in at night until Napoleon freed them in 1797 and it is still a Jewish area to this day. We came across a large square where children were playing, and the water wells were still there. Beatrice explained how Venice was built on wooden stilts and bricks. It was very peaceful and relaxing there.<br />
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We left the ghetto and went for our last drink and snack near the Rialto Bridge, more prosecco and that was the end of our tour, I would recommend it highly.<br />
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It was now almost dusk, the colours were rich and an almost full moon hung in the sky, it gave the place a magical feel. It was also much quieter along the canals and I wondered how the locals coped with the hordes of tourists that descend on the city nowadays.</div>
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Next day we rode the sweat bus into Venice and got a valporetto to the island of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murano" target="_blank">Murano</a>, famous for its distinctive glassware. The trip took about 10 minutes during which we saw a coffin heading to the nearby cemetery island of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isola_di_San_Michele" target="_blank">San Michele</a> on a speedboat, a bit different! Apparently nowadays it is expensive to be interred there and ordinary people are buried on the mainland.<br />
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It was raining but still warm (much preferred this to the heat there had been can't take the heat) when we got to Murano and it was noticeably quieter than Venice. We had a coffee in a nice little place beside the main canal. We went to the glass museum which was quite interesting but could have been better.<br />
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The heavens opened so we had a late lunch in a canal side cafe. The service was terrible, but we got the wrong bill at the end and only paid a small amount for our meal! Normally I would have said something but due to the bad service we felt it was only worth that anyway! Interestingly an Asian girl on the table beside us got a pizza with chips as a topping, even her friend laughed when it arrived!<br />
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We browsed the shops a bit more and bought a few items then headed back to the valporetto stop. We had intended going to Burano and Torcello too but as it was getting later decided to do that tomorrow. We bought some wine and food at the supermarket beside our hotel and ate in that night.<br />
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Another day another ride on the sweat bus into Venice and a repeat of yesterday valporetto to Murano then changed to another to <a href="http://www.isoladiburano.it/en/" target="_blank">Burano</a> an island famous for its lace making. This island was much further north in the lagoon and I enjoyed the ride though we had to stand all the way. When you get off the boat at Burano the first thing you notice is the colour - the buildings are painted in bright colours that even on this rainy day looked so cheery. However, I was not so cheery when I discovered my phone had been stolen when I wanted to take photos. There had been someone on the sweat bus that I thought was touching me up and I moved away but he had already got my phone. For that reason I only have a few of my own photos from this trip.<br />
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We went to the lace museum which I found really interesting, much better than the one at Murano. We went to the church nearby but it was closed until later in the afternoon. I'm not really into lace so didn't buy anything.<br />
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We got a valporetto to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torcello" target="_blank">Torcello</a>, about 15 minutes north of Burano and when we arrived it was very quiet. We walked along a path beside the canal, passed a few houses, a bridge and ended up in an very old looking square which had small Byzantine-looking cathedral of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torcello_Cathedral" target="_blank">Santa Maria Assunta</a>. Unfortunately we couldn't go in as there was a wedding on. We wandered along a path away from the square which lead to a reedy channel of water which I imagine most of the lagoon once looked like. I really liked Torcello, loved the peace of the place.<br />
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It was just after 4pm when we headed back towards the valporetto stop, the boats only come to Torcello once an hour so we went into a little cafe and had some prosecco and chatted. We next checked the time and it was just after 5pm so we decided to catch the 6pm valporetto and had more prosecco and chat! When we did leave the cafe the sky was blue and the sun shining and the walk to the stop was delightful. Later I found out that Torcello was once highly populated and a leading trading island of the lagoon, hard to imagine.<br />
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Venice is a beautiful and unique city in so many ways, but for me though it was too crowded during the day, it was an ocean of people and I don't like that. It is one of those places that you have to visit once in your lifetime though and the islands nearby are ideal if you want a day chilling.<br />
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All photos by Jayne Malley.</div>
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-67585793053923636702016-09-11T23:54:00.001+01:002016-09-11T23:55:50.375+01:00Dublin - Food, Wine and Friends<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
20th August<br />
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My trip started badly, first I got to the railway station and saw my train was cancelled, the next one was an hour later. luckily I always leave loads of time when travelling so I was still ok timewise for my flight. Met up with Debbi at the airport good to see her again, but our plane was an hour late in taking off so more waiting, patience is a virtue.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Patrick's Cathedral from our living <br />
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We landed in Dublin and as usual immediately felt at home, it's the first time we've been there in the summer for a while. We got a taxi to our accommodation, an apartment right opposite St Patrick's Cathedral, lovely to look out at. It was a lovely place, very clean and in a super location. We got our food and drink supplies in and then ordered a Chinese to be delivered. It was delicious, sweet and sour chicken and duck in plum sauce, we decided every first night in a place we will be doing this in the future.We stayed up late chatting, lots of catching up to do, it felt wonderful to be back again.<br />
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21st August<br />
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We had a lie in and then walked to Sophie's, a rooftop restaurant in the Dean Hotel for brunch. The restaurant has windows all around three sides which give you views over the city. I had eggs benedict which was good, but a bit rich for me early in the day. On the way out we just had to have a go on some swings that were hung opposite the lifts. A bit weird but it was fun reverting to our childhood for a while.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Tagines at Dada's</td></tr>
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Afterwards we set off on a mission, I had forgotten my ipad lead and Deb her plug, with four devices between us we needed these things. We trudged across to St Stephen's Green, then down Grafton Street, onto College Green, Dame Street popping in and out of phone shops along the way, the prices were high and we weren't willing to pay them. We headed towards our apartment via Aungier Street and found a little shop off the beaten track that had what we wanted at a good price, mission completed. That day we walked around five miles, and the irony was, that once home, I found my ipad lead and a second plug in an inside pocket of my handbag! Ahh well the walk was good for us.<br />
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That evening we went to <a href="http://www.dadarestaurant.ie/" target="_blank">Dada Restaurant</a>. We'd been there a few years ago and loved it so decided to go back as we had loved it so much. We were not disappointed, I had the most delicious lamb tagine with apricots, nuts and cinnamon amongst other spices. I will write a full restaurant review about Dada's in a separate post at a later date.<br />
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August 22nd<br />
After breakfast we headed out towards the Powercourt Theatre to see the play Buridan's Ass. This production is part of the famous Bewley's Cafe Theatre but as Bewley's is being renovated at the moment they are using the nearby Powerscourt theatre. We had the soup and soda bread as usual and sat at one of the small wooden tables right a front so had a brilliant view. I thoroughly enjoyed the play, which is a dark comedy set in a struggling taxidermy business with the boss, Mahone, last in line of the family ("a genetic cul-de-sac" and his keen apprentice, Ernest. Mahone pondering on his life and future and it had a good twist at the end. So even though headless dachshunds came into it (don't ask, as I wrote it is a dark comedy!) I thoroughly enjoyed it.<br />
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So today was our lazy day, we have one of these where we just drift from place to place having a drink so our first port of call after the theatre was <a href="http://cafeenseine.ie/" target="_blank">Cafe en Seine</a> the fabulous place celebrating Belle Epoque where I had one of their gorgeous Singapore Slings.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bar at Kehoe's</td></tr>
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We then wandered round to South Anne Street to try out <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/drink/barfly-kehoe-s-south-anne-street-dublin-2-1.2164036" target="_blank">Kehoe's</a> pub and I loved it! We went into the bar and I asked if they had any prosecco, the barman said "I don't know, I don't work here" Apparently he was just filling in for a couple of hours, he had a look and found little bottles of prosecco and seemed surprised at how much it was and that we'd pay that much for the drink! There was an amazing old-style till at the bar. We sat in the snug (an original one, this pub dates from 1803) and it was lovely. There was a lot of Irish banter between the bar staff and the place just felt comfortable place, a world away from bustling Grafton Street close by. It reminded me a lot of Dockers pub which was a favourite haunt of ours for years until it closed. Now all that's left is the frontage on the quayside, all the atmosphere and history swept away.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">O'Neills Chips, the Best in Dublin</td></tr>
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Next stop was <a href="http://www.oneillspubdublin.com/" target="_blank">O'Neills</a> in Suffolk Street. This is a large pub with lots of nooks and crannies and a pleasant and friendly atmosphere. Debbi was happy to go there because it had her favourite beer which isn't available in many places. By then we were getting hungry so we ordered two portions of chips and they were the best chips I've had for years and years, real chips!<br />
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We ended our lazy day pub crawl there as we had to be home as our friend Declan was coming round. Lovely to see him again, he only had a knee operation a week previously, so it was so good we managed to meet up.<br />
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23rd August<br />
Next day we got the DART train to Sandycove and Glasthule to see our friends Ken and Elizabeth who had invited us for an Irish brunch. As usual Elizabeth was very generous with the food and it was delicious, glad it included white pudding which I love! We had a good chat and caught up on each others news.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Debbi and Me at the Trocadero</td></tr>
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That evening we went to the <a href="http://www.trocadero.ie/" target="_blank">Trocadero</a>, a large restaurant that has pictures of famous people on the walls, lots of mirrors and very comfortable seats. I had pate to start and chicken in tarragon sauce with pesto and chorizo. It was good, but , for me, not exceptional.<br />
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Next day it was home, it had been a short but wonderful holiday. It's always like coming home when I visit Dublin. We did all the touristy things decades ago and now we just enjoy the Dublin for itself, good food, drink, theatre and friends, the best things in life!<br />
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Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6457488725676996581.post-67990080536543232182016-08-17T22:55:00.001+01:002016-08-17T22:55:52.002+01:00Memories and the Bard in Stratford upon Avon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My first visit to Stratford upon Avon was on a school trip. It was the first break my friends and I had been on without parents and also our first time seeing live theatre. We had an amazing time, lots of sightseeing, messing about on the River Avon, soaking in the history of the area and lots of youthful <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me Messing About on the River Avon in the 1970's</td></tr>
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fun. Shakespeare came alive on stage and I was captivated, and so started a lifetime of being a fan of The Bard. Not long after that trip I went back twice, and then never went back. I don't know whether it is getting older but recently I started wanting to go back and so my friend Marian (who was with me on the school trip) and I recently spent a few days there.<br />
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My journey took four and a half hours but it all went smoothly. Marian and I met up at the railway station and walked the short distance to our accommodation, a two-bedroom house in Guild Street. We had a cuppa and then went out to explore. It was another short walk to the centre of Stratford and it really hadn't changed much at all, so good to see. We got a little shopping in and then went to look for a restaurant to at at. We found a place called Mida and had a lovely meal there, I had pizza that was delicious followed by an equally delicious tiramisu. The owner was a little eccentric but very friendly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Auditorium</td></tr>
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After that we headed for the theatre, home of the <a href="https://www.rsc.org.uk/" target="_blank">Royal Shakespeare Company</a>. It was a little different, there now was a tower to its right, and a change to the roof another floor I think, but otherwise pretty much as I remembered it. People sat on seats amongst the flower beds in the large open area in front of the theatre just as years ago, though there was now also a beautiful swan fountain.<br />
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We had tickets for <a href="https://www.rsc.org.uk/a-midsummer-nights-dream/past-productions" target="_blank">A Midsummer Night's Dream</a>, one of my favourite plays and it was good to see it at midsummer too! Once inside I realised how much the theatre has changed, it was now in the style of the original Globe Theatre in London. The stage jutted out into the auditorium was surrounded on three sides by galleries of seats, that were decorated in a actors also came on and off the stage via walkways between the stalls seats. It made for a very personal experience and you felt almost part of the play. I loved this production, the humans were dressed fifties-style and fairies in black and scarlet with Oberon in a striking white suit. Local school children were also amongst the fairy cast. Puck (played by a woman, Lucy Ellinson) was a feisty, mischievous and energetic character. All the humour, magic and brilliance of this play shone like a beacon. It may have been written almost 400 years ago but so much is still relevant today. And I've taken up one of the lines as my motto, "Though she be but little she is fierce."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me Outside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre</td></tr>
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We came out into a warm and relaxed evening with people milling around, I remembered well how it had been such a revelation to see Shakespeare live for the first time, I was blown away, and now here I was, many, many years later still being captivated by the Bard.<br />
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We strolled back to our house and had some prosecco before retiring to bed.<br />
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21st June<br />
Marian was up early and went exploring, I met her at the theatre and we walked up to the Dirty Duck pub, which had been a popular haunt for us in the 70's even though we were under 18. In this day of constant change and age it is wonderful to be able to say the Dirty Duck was hardly any different. Two sets of steps up, seats and tables outside and a friendly atmosphere. I had a delicious brunch of ham, egg and chips.<br />
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We walked up to Holy Trinity Church and wandered around it, I couldn't remember much about it from that first visit to be honest.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shakespeare's Classroom</td></tr>
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After this we went to <a href="http://www.shakespearesschoolroom.org/" target="_blank">Shakespeare's School Room</a> and the <a href="http://www.shakespearesschoolroom.org/history-of-the-guildhall" target="_blank">Guild Hall</a> which have recently been renovated. The Guild Hall is downstairs and was built between 1416 and 1420 with a school, chapel and almshouses added over the next hundred or so years. The schoolroom is upstairs, and is a large room with huge oak beams, desks, chairs and a raised platform at the front on which stood a well used leather bound chair for the master. You could dress up and play the master which I couldn't resist doing! Boys here were schooled from the age of seven to fourteen and had long days, 6am to 11am and then 1pm to 6pm. Shakespeare attended this school in the 1670's. I couldn't help but look around and think that a young Shakespeare would have seen the same things, the room was so atmospheric, so much has been learnt there.<br />
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We went home for a while before heading up the the Fairy Portal Camp in Avonbank Gardens inbetween the theatres and Holy Trinity church. The camp was set up by <a href="http://www.slunglow.org/" target="_blank">Slung Low Theatre Company</a> who do similar events all over the country. This particular production was based around A Midsummer Night's Dream and the belief humans can open a portal to the world of the fairies at midsummer. They provided free meals, classes and entertainment, all very interactive with people who drop in. We decided we'd go for the evening meal but when we got there it was curry, which I can't eat, so we decided to go to somewhere else and come back for the entertainment later.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pimms at the Dirty Duck</td></tr>
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We ended up back at the Dirty Duck and had a great meal, I chose chicken supreme which was delicious and very reasonably priced. We washed our meal down with an equally delicious Pimms, the perfect summertime drink.<br />
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Afterwards we walked back up to the Fairy Portal Camp which was in full flow. We were warmly greeted and given headphones for the silent performances and disco. There was a small bonfire surrounded by tree trunks on which people sat. There were also tables and benches and about eight teepees. We were given labels on which to write an "incantation" which would be used in the final big celebration the following Saturday, then we went to a small tree and tied the labels onto it. The performances were really good, I especially loved on by a young woman which was haunting, very "sean nos" in style. Then it was time for us, and we danced away to Whigfield's "Saturday Night" of all things! Finally it became a mad group dance, everyone joined in and it was great fun. All in all it was a lovely way to spend our time and it cost us nothing.<br />
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On our way back we passed a fabulous, huge oak tree which must have been around in Shakespeare's day. Still buoyed up by our hippy abandon at the camp we had a tree hugging session lol. We walked along the riverside path and it was a beautiful evening, there was a stillness about it I remembered from that schooldays visit. We passed the theatre and on back to our accommodation.<br />
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June 22nd<br />
We first visited a nearby Costa for the WiFi (the only downside of the house we rented was that there was no WiFi.) Then went to the canal basin and went on a barge trip along the river on the Jennifer May. It was very relaxing, and went as far as the church and then back on itself. Some of the famous Stratford swans followed us for a while hoping for some treats I think.<br />
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We had a browse in the theatre shop which was quite expensive but interesting to look around. Although we'd been to Shakespeare's birthplace on our first trip we fancied going again and so headed there. However, on seeing the entry price of £17.50, we decided to give it a miss!<br />
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That evening we went to the <a href="http://www.edwardmoon.com/moons-restaurant/" target="_blank">Edward Moon Restaurant</a> on the High Street for the pre-theatre menu. It was very reasonable and the food excellent, I had chicken again, in a white sauce with butter beans which I love.<br />
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Afterwards we strolled to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Theatre,_Stratford-upon-Avon" target="_blank">The Swan Theatre</a>, which is housed in a Victorian Gothic-style building that is the only remaining part of the original theatre that burned down in 1926. There was a very grand staircase that took us from the foyer to the first floor. We went into the auditorium and found our seats. This theatre was just like the main theatre but on a smaller scale.<br />
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We were there to see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Faustus_(play)" target="_blank">Dr Faustus</a> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Marlowe" target="_blank">Christopher Marlowe</a>. I found this production very stark and dark, I have seen this play before and enjoyed that version more. Both Marian and I commented that the two plays (though of course very different in content) really showed how special Shakespeare's work is, he speaks for very type of person in his plays and people can relate to that.<br />
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And that was it, my return to Stratford Upon Avon. They say you shouldn't go back to places that hold special memories years later as you remember them differently and places change so much over the decades and you are left disappointed. But I can say that Stratford hasn't changed much, Shakespeare still captivates and is somehow more special seen in his home town. The town itself also still feels very much the same for me as it did to the young girl all those years ago, and it was lovely to share it all with Marian who was with me on that first visit too, more good memories to add to those of the past.</div>
Sue Fellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06951812428294589815noreply@blogger.com0