May 4, 2012 - Status Report - Manhattan
We disembarked the Queen Mary 2 at the Brooklyn pier this morning, after spending most of the boat trip getting over the nasty cold that made the rounds of the ship's passengers. Roy, ever one to see the bright side of life, commented that as places to get over a cold go, the QM2 is pretty awesome. Twice daily maid service, room service, hot drinks to soothe the sore throat 24/7. And being down for the count kept us from over indulging. I think we each lost a couple of pounds. One complaint however: the Internet access on the ship was appalling. It kept dropping the connection, which made it very difficult to stay logged in to anything, send email, etc.
After a leisurely walk through Central Park this morning, brunch and another stroll through the park in the afternoon, we are comfortably ensconced in our pied a terre on the upper east side, not far from the MET.
Time for a nap before dinner ...
Friday, May 4, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
Cotswold Way - Day 1 - Chipping Campden to Buckland
With only 6 miles to cover from Chipping Campden to Buckland, we were in no hurry to depart Chipping Campden. Since the weather forecast that morning prediction showers and slightly lower temperatures than had previously been predicted, we decided to shop for warm gloves and scarves.
Setting out from the church, the walk to Broadway was reasonably pleasant and uneventful, with some interesting sights.
After some beer and soup in the pub in Broadway, we continued in the direction of Buckland. The sign posts had been easy to follow, so we continued through the fields and mud, past sheep and through kissing gates until we passed through one that did not clearly indicate which direction to go after passing through the gate. Should be bear to the left or to the right? We chose right, which turned out to be the wrong way, taking us back to the outskirts of Broadway.
I feel I must take a moment here to congratulate myself for marrying a man who is willing to ask for directions. Knocking on the door of a stone house, it was opened by a retired man with a German accent who was, I kid you not, watching an episode of Hercule Poirot. He pointed us in the right direction, but to satisfy out curiosity we continue a bit further along the path to discover where we'd gone wrong. We should have gone left. Sigh. Our first lesson about the Cotswold Way: the signage is not fool-proof.
We had lost time and put in extra mileage with all this back tracking, but we managed to make it to Buckland while there was still light in the sky. Unfortunately, the address was simply Buckland Manor, Buckland. There were no signs directing us to the manor house. As our luck would have it, along came a couple of residents who pointed uphill, "It's at the end of the drive".
A bit foot sore and back sore, we arrived at what was meant to be our one accommodation splurge while walking the trail: gourmet dinner, four poster room and full English breakfast at an actual manor house. Ever seen the film Gosford Park? It was like that, dialed up a few notches.
The drawing room where we enjoyed cocktails while our dinner was prepared:
With only 6 miles to cover from Chipping Campden to Buckland, we were in no hurry to depart Chipping Campden. Since the weather forecast that morning prediction showers and slightly lower temperatures than had previously been predicted, we decided to shop for warm gloves and scarves.
Setting out from the church, the walk to Broadway was reasonably pleasant and uneventful, with some interesting sights.
After some beer and soup in the pub in Broadway, we continued in the direction of Buckland. The sign posts had been easy to follow, so we continued through the fields and mud, past sheep and through kissing gates until we passed through one that did not clearly indicate which direction to go after passing through the gate. Should be bear to the left or to the right? We chose right, which turned out to be the wrong way, taking us back to the outskirts of Broadway.
I feel I must take a moment here to congratulate myself for marrying a man who is willing to ask for directions. Knocking on the door of a stone house, it was opened by a retired man with a German accent who was, I kid you not, watching an episode of Hercule Poirot. He pointed us in the right direction, but to satisfy out curiosity we continue a bit further along the path to discover where we'd gone wrong. We should have gone left. Sigh. Our first lesson about the Cotswold Way: the signage is not fool-proof.
We had lost time and put in extra mileage with all this back tracking, but we managed to make it to Buckland while there was still light in the sky. Unfortunately, the address was simply Buckland Manor, Buckland. There were no signs directing us to the manor house. As our luck would have it, along came a couple of residents who pointed uphill, "It's at the end of the drive".
A bit foot sore and back sore, we arrived at what was meant to be our one accommodation splurge while walking the trail: gourmet dinner, four poster room and full English breakfast at an actual manor house. Ever seen the film Gosford Park? It was like that, dialed up a few notches.
The drawing room where we enjoyed cocktails while our dinner was prepared:
The dining room (breakfast the following morning):
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
World Wide Web Withdrawal & Planes, Trains and Automobiles
The Internet access has been bloody awful since Oxford, but now that we're in Dursley in a lovely B&B with a high speed, RELIABLE Internet connection, it's time to get some photos up.
April 14 to 16 - Calgary to Toronto to Iceland to London:
Here's a snapshot of the route tracker on the TV screens on the comfy Icelandair Boeing 757. I can still hardly believe that it cost less for the Westjet flight to Toronto, a night's stay and the Icelandair flight to London than for a direct flight to London. A further bonus was less jet lag.
April 17 to 18 - London to Oxford to Chipping Campden:
We had plenty of time for a stroll in London, coffees in hand of course, through Hyde Park and down winding narrow streets,
... before catching the 12:19 train to Oxford at Piccadilly Station.
After dropping off our packs at the Royal Oxford Hotel, we found a tour guide in front of the Oxfam shop, an English teacher from Scotland, who showed us round and helped us avoid the teenagers who came to gawk at the place where Harry Potter movies were filmed.
The next day another train got us to Moreton in Marsh, where we had lunch at a delightful tea house
... then we took a taxi to Chipping Campden. The guide books aren't fibbing when they describe this village as picturesque.
Up next - The Cotswold Way National Trail
The Internet access has been bloody awful since Oxford, but now that we're in Dursley in a lovely B&B with a high speed, RELIABLE Internet connection, it's time to get some photos up.
April 14 to 16 - Calgary to Toronto to Iceland to London:
Here's a snapshot of the route tracker on the TV screens on the comfy Icelandair Boeing 757. I can still hardly believe that it cost less for the Westjet flight to Toronto, a night's stay and the Icelandair flight to London than for a direct flight to London. A further bonus was less jet lag.
April 17 to 18 - London to Oxford to Chipping Campden:
We had plenty of time for a stroll in London, coffees in hand of course, through Hyde Park and down winding narrow streets,
... before catching the 12:19 train to Oxford at Piccadilly Station.
After dropping off our packs at the Royal Oxford Hotel, we found a tour guide in front of the Oxfam shop, an English teacher from Scotland, who showed us round and helped us avoid the teenagers who came to gawk at the place where Harry Potter movies were filmed.
The next day another train got us to Moreton in Marsh, where we had lunch at a delightful tea house
... then we took a taxi to Chipping Campden. The guide books aren't fibbing when they describe this village as picturesque.
Up next - The Cotswold Way National Trail
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Rain, mud and no shortage of sheep dung
Between all of the miles we've covered and the extra sleep we've needed as a result, there hasn't been much time for blogging. Tomorrow is a short day (only about 6 or 7 miles), so maybe we'll have an hour or two to devote to telling stories.
Just a quick note on the map legend for the Cotswold Way: the triangle with the exclamation mark in the centre marks a natural hazard. We came across one of these yesterday. As we reached a gate to enter the next field, we saw a matching triangular symbol with an exclamation mark and the words, "Bull in field". On the other side of the gate someone had written on the fence, "He's a sweetie". Deciding that caution is always wise, we walked as quickly and quietly as we could through the mud and the gate at the other end of the field, never laying eyes on said bull. Perhaps he was at the spa for the day.
Tonight we will reach Birdlip, where we will probably sleep like babies again. Walking 10 miles in a day is really good for getting your Zs, we're finding.
Between all of the miles we've covered and the extra sleep we've needed as a result, there hasn't been much time for blogging. Tomorrow is a short day (only about 6 or 7 miles), so maybe we'll have an hour or two to devote to telling stories.
Just a quick note on the map legend for the Cotswold Way: the triangle with the exclamation mark in the centre marks a natural hazard. We came across one of these yesterday. As we reached a gate to enter the next field, we saw a matching triangular symbol with an exclamation mark and the words, "Bull in field". On the other side of the gate someone had written on the fence, "He's a sweetie". Deciding that caution is always wise, we walked as quickly and quietly as we could through the mud and the gate at the other end of the field, never laying eyes on said bull. Perhaps he was at the spa for the day.
Tonight we will reach Birdlip, where we will probably sleep like babies again. Walking 10 miles in a day is really good for getting your Zs, we're finding.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Trains, Planes and Automobiles
3 airplanes, 3 trains and 1 taxi later and we're finally in Chipping Campden, the northern end of the Cotswold Way. Today is a short day, with just 6 miles to get under our belts, getting us just past Broadway to a place called Buckland. There we'll be staying at Buckland Manor. Hopefully the Internet connection will be a bit more reliable (but not counting on it) so we can get some photos up.
Monday, April 16, 2012
London calling!
After an overnight at Toronto Pearson airport and a change of planes in Iceland, we made it to The Royal Park Hotel, situated a block from Hyde Park and a short walk from Paddington station. This is the first time I've arrived in London without feeling jet-lagged. I even managed to snooze on the plane. Icelandair is awesome, by the by, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking to arrive in Europe non-frazzled. We were in 'Comfort Economy' class, which is almost as good as business class. With only two seats instead of three abreast and plenty of legroom, we were very comfortable.
London hasn't changed much, except we noticed more technology in evidence at Heathrow airport. The pub food and beer are still awesome. And I can't help but love hotels that have a lounge where they bring you your choice of teas upon arrival. Happy sigh.
London hasn't changed much, except we noticed more technology in evidence at Heathrow airport. The pub food and beer are still awesome. And I can't help but love hotels that have a lounge where they bring you your choice of teas upon arrival. Happy sigh.
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