City Life in Wiesbaden

View from our bedroom window

We took another train ride with London Tube connections to Stanstead, outside London. We decided we did not have time to do justice on London, so we avoided it altogether. We really enjoyed the small cities and towns of England, Wales, and Ireland. My favorite part was the footpaths that criss-cross the countryside. Our last night in England, we walked around the village, and found a "public footpath". These paths are marked, and often go between two hedges.

Footpath sign outside Manuden, England

We were happy to get back to Wiesbaden. John and Elizabeth live right on the Marktplatz, or Market Square. They have a lovely fifth floor apartment, over top of commercial spaces. The view of the Marktplatz and the Marktkirche (along with the bells of that church) is amazing. It was also wonderful to stay in one spot for five days, and there was plenty to entertain us in the city, with the Erntedankfest (Thanksgiving festival) in the park and the plaza, and lots of good restaurants. We also had a few tourist attractions we did not want to miss.

Nerobergbahn, a funicular railway

Our first day back, we roamed the Erntedankfest, saw some wooden exhibits, including a chaise lounge carved from wood, and a crosscut saw exhibition that entertained the children. We also ate our best Bratwurst sandwich from a street vendor, and drank a pint of German Beer, while we watched an oompah band. It was a very nice way to get the feel of Germany, and it was a gorgeous day.

That night, we went to the opera, and saw The Marriage of Figaro (Die Hockzeit of Figaro) at the Staatstheater, a wonderful Baroque opera theatre. Fortunately, we read the synopsis before we went, because they sang in Italian, and the subtitles were in German. It was beautiful, nonetheless, and well-sung. We had to read about Act 4 again after we went home because it was so confusing with all the disguises and various lovers.

Relaxing on a wooden chair

Sunday afternoon John took David and me to the Therme, a classical spa using the natural hot springs for which Wiesbaden is famous. Initially built in the 1880's, the baths have saunas, steam rooms, ice cold showers (and warm ones), jacuzzis, and hot and cold pools. Of course, I do NOT have pictures of this. Bathrobes are the garb for walking from locker rooms to all the various forms of treatment, but nudity is the rule in the saunas and pools. We stayed for two hours, and I felt wonderfully relaxed and rejuvenated when we left, even without a massage (which costs extra). If I lived there, I would go   once a week, just to clean out my skin pores. Elizabeth made her wonderful black bean burgers that night, which were just as wonderful as the other food we ate in Wiesbaden. ( I have not weighed myself since I got home, and I don't want to know.)

Monday, Elizabeth was our personal tour guide around Wiesbaden. We took the tourist train around the city, and also took the Nerobergbahn, a cogwheel train, down from the top of Neroberg, where you can see the whole city and the Rhine River. We also visited the Russian Orthodox shrine, very peaceful and beautiful. We had the traditional snack for this time of year at the mountaintop cafe, an onion cake and federwiesser, which is the first crop of this season's Rhine wine. It has not finished fermenting, and almost tastes like it has lemonade in it. It also has less alcohol than the finished wine, so it was perfect in the middle of the day. Of course, the Germans seem to be able to drink wine and beer all day.

Mauseturm (being refurbished)

Elizabeth, Jessica, and David on the Rhine tour boat

Statue of Hildegard von Bingen

Tuesday we took a four hour boat tour down the Rhine to see all the castles, with a lunch stopover in a small town. We saw fifteen castles along the river, some in ruins, and some still habitable. We also stopped by the abbey of Hildegard von Bingen, a wonderful, peaceful place.

Now we are home, and gradually getting used to being home again. It was a wonderful trip, with a mix of seeing friends and family, and new sights, with some good relaxation, and lots of good eating. I feel less stressed and rejuvenated, and determined not to go too fast and get caught up in the daily hustle and bustle. I will remind myself to go at a measured pace, and take time to sit in the sunshine and listen to the birds.

English countryside hikes

Traveling by train is a great way to get around. We had Britrail passes, and the day before we headed to a new destination, I just looked up schedules online. We had a few frustrating moments, when we tried to figure out what platform we needed when we changed trains, but overall, it was a very relaxing way to travel. It was much less stressful than driving in a strange country on the wrong side of the road! So we headed down the rails to Exeter, to visit a friend from long ago. This was a friend from my college days, but David did not really know her, and neither of us knew her husband. But we had contacted her by e-mail, and she was willing to entertain us for a couple of days. Her husband Fabian picked us up from the train station, and drove us into the country about ten minutes. They have a modern house with a wonderful large garden. We drank Pimm's and cider, and got acquainted, and re-acquainted. It was the first time we stayed out in the country, and it was beautiful and peaceful.

Fabian, Jane, Jessica, and David, outside the Warren House Inn

The next day we went on an excursion to Dartmoor National Park. Remember the moor in Sherlock Holmes and Wuthering Heights? That is the kind of place this was, lots of gorse and heather, sheep, cows, and wild horses. After a good lunch and pint at the Warren House Inn, on top of the mountain, in the middle of nowhere, we hiked up and down hills to the Grimspound, a late Bronze Age settlement, where a huge circle of rocks still shows where the town wall was.

At the entrance of Grimspound

We were home in time for tea, and then went one village away, to the local pub the Red Lion for dinner. The next morning we took a brief stroll through the village. We got to see some British building techniques. Thatched roof houses have a "cob" wall, which is earthen bricks made of clay, sand, straw, and water.

Builder with pallet of cob bricks

The Grimspound in the distance

Another Castle

We have enjoyed touring the old towns of England, and Warwick was no exception. We checked into our room at The Tudor House, an old building from the 15th century, complete with short doors, and wonky floors. They have a nice cozy Pub, with a decent meal (the traditional Sunday Roast). Since we had already walked through the old town with our suitcases, we stayed there our first evening for a meal. We met some nice guys at the Pub who entertained us with their humor, and also bought us another pint of ale.

The next day we toured the famous castle that is right in the town. It was owned by the original family until 1978, so it never fell into ruin. But evidently, the upkeep was more than the family could handle, and they sold it for 1.5 million pounds in 1978. Madame Tussaud bought it and turned it into a major attraction, but of course, had to dump about ten million pounds into it. Our hosts at the Inn gave us a two-for-one coupon, so that made it affordable.

We spent the whole day there, and it was very impressive. They had some shows, that were really amazing. One was the falconer, with birds of prey. He showed off an eagle, and some vultures, flying up to the castle towers.

The next show was the archer. He definitely caught my fancy, but he was also good archer, and explained how the english had made the Longbow so famous, by using it in the Hundred Years' War. He also explained that the peasants were the archers, since they were plentiful, and had a high likelihood of dying in battle.

The views were fantastic from the towers. There was an amazing armor collection, and the scenes of the "party days" of the 1920's were fascinating.

View from the tower

The Great Hall

The last show was the trebuchet. This was a machine used to throw fireballs into a castle that they were attacking.The pictures do not do it justice.

Trebouchet at rest

Trebouchet is ready to fire, arm is completely pulled back

Dog on the train

Fireball is in the sky!

Warwick was a lovely old town, full of old buildings and cozy pubs. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The next morning we bought bread, cheese, and fruit, and walked though the town to the train station. Then we caught another train to Exeter. The trains are lovely, and they even allow dogs!

Chester and Family

Footpath between hedges, with stile and arrow

"Hanging the light" project

An easy train ride took us to Chester, and Abi met us at the train station. Then it was just a ten-minute walk to their cute apartment in Houle, a neighborhood just across the bridge from the City Centre. We had a delightful time there. Chester is another one of those cities with a wall all the way around that you can walk. The first afternoon there we enjoyed that walk with Abi, while John was still at work. We had lunch at a coffee shop near the wall, and I finally had my cheese and chutney sandwich.

At the Fox in Ysceilfiog, John's hometown

We had a traditional dinner that first night at Old Harker's Pub, of course preceded by some good cask ale. I had steak pie with nice flaky crust, and David had lamb shoulder. And of course, "pudding", which seems to cover all desserts, as well as the flaky pastry they call Yorkshire pudding. (I am just trying to make excuses for the pounds I have added while on vacation. As David says, "There is more of me to love.") We have eaten very well on this trip. We have also walked and hiked a lot, but it does not undo all the fine eating. I have talked about the "full English breakfast." There is also the Irish and Welsh versions, which add black pudding (a type of sausage made with some unusual animal products). I am sure they were designed to keep the farmers going till tea time, in the cold, wet weather. We still eat lunch after these big breakfasts!

Abi and John are creating a cozy apartment. They had just bought a sofa bed, so they were ready to receive their first overnight guests. They had good coffee for us, and a comfortable bed, so they were great hosts. Of course, David had to help with a project the very first morning. Then John took  us to the Welsh village he grew up in, about 30 minutes away, Ysceilfiog (pronounced us-KAY-viog). What a wonderful day in the country! We met up with his father, Paul, and took a hike in the country, down one of the glorious footpaths. Of course, we ended the hike with a real ale at the village pub, the Fox.

Then we went to a pet cemetery for Welsh Tea near Holywell. This included Welsh Rarebit, Coronation Chicken sandwiches, scone with clotted cream and jam, and Bara Brith, all piled onto three-tier china trays. Amazing food. After we stuffed ourselves, we strolled through the cemetery, truly amazed at the fancy tombstones and flowers for the beloved pets.

Back in Chester, we rested a bit before we walked through the High Street in Chester, and went to one of the oldest pubs in Chester, the The Brewery Tap Ale House, where we had cask ale from the Ironbridge Brewery and Northgate Ale. Then of course, more amazing food at a Turkish restaurant near Abi and John's apartment. After dinner, David and I played backgammon on the magnetic set we bought for traveling, and also taught Abi and John to play. Besides playing backgammon, we have read some good books during our travels. The next day we headed to Warwick on the train.

Three Days in Wales

Our touring days slowed down a bit when we went to Wales. We chose not to go to London, because we wanted to slow down our pace. So we took a nice train ride a short distance into Wales, to Conwy. Conwy is a castle town, built by Edward I, with the town walls that you can walk along, and a castle with many walls intact, and four towers that you can climb.  We found a nice B&B a few minutes'  walk outside the town, and settled in for three days. The first day we hung out at the B&B till 2:00 in the afternoon, sitting in the sun. Then we found fish 'n' chips on the quay, and toured the castle and town walls. You can walk the walls all the way around the town, and one of the towers on the wall is even higher than the castle tower. The views of the countryside and the river are stunning.

We ended every day in Conwy at the Albion Ale House. This is where we learned about CAMRA, the campaign for Real Ale. We also learned about cask Ales, and "pulling" from

 the cask. Now, mind you we are not drinking our way across England, but we have ended the day with a pint of real ale every day, tasting the wares of the local brewery.  The bartenders at the Albion were very good about giving us a taste of several ales before we selected a pint.

Our second day in Conwy was very full. We hiked up Conwy mountain, and had a beautiful view of the coastline and the town.  Pictures cannot do it any justice, I am afraid.

Gorse and heather, and hillsides beyond

Fortunately, we met up with some 8 or 9 other hikers, who had a leader. (Our book of hiking trails had confused us a bit when it started mentioning

One of the stiles on our hike

critch-cratches.) The hikers were from Liverpool, and the leader was from the National Ramblers Association, a group dedicated to increasing the numbers of hikers. They led us on some footpaths that we would never have found without them, and had some interesting conversation along the way. It was about a five-mile hike that lasted about 4 hours. The number of public footpaths is amazing, and the hillsides were full of gorse and bracken, which looks like ferns.

That evening we took the bus over to Llandudno, a Victorian-era beach resort town, to hear a Welsh male voices choir called Cor y Penrhyn. They sang mostly in Welsh, and it was the kind of singing that almost makes you cry. I cannot describe it adequately, but you can get a rough idea of them on You Tube.

Flowers everywhere, even at the Chippy!

More on Ireland

Next to the Lake (Lough)

Dinner at Ashley Park House

Tim in the Gardens at Ashley Park House
(Photo credits to Ruth)

We took off in a rental car from Cork, (Tim doing all the driving, thank goodness) down narrow lanes with hedges,  and drove towards Nenagh, in Tipperary. Ruth had found an 18th-century country manor on a lake, with fantastic food. We enjoyed a four course dinner that evening, and walks in the evening and the morning around the estate. Check out the website of Ashley Park House, and you can see the Green Room, where David and I stayed.   
The next day we drove to Carlingford on the Cooley Peninsula, where we enjoyed another fantastic dinner at the Ghan House. We also enjoyed some whiskey from the Cooley distillery nearby in a local pub, and let the locals know that we were Cooleys. We visited Dan's Stonewall Cafe, where the proprietor regaled us with the legend of the Cooley bull. He is the man from Tim's last visit that sold him the Cooley Kickhams athletic jerseys.

The view from Cooley mountain

The next day we climbed up into the Cooley mountains. It was a really beautiful seaside town, nestled within old town walls, with a castle ruin to climb around and a long quay along the Belfast Harbor .

At Dan's Stonewall Cafe, with Dan

Three days in Ireland

Idyllic scene from the road

I am getting further behind in my posts, so I need to speed up the process. Let me see if I can summarize a bit. We flew into Cork, Ireland, found our hotel on the bank of the River Lee, and started the evening with a pint of Murphy's Stout. We had a lovely meal with a gang of ethnomusicologists. (Tim and Ruth were there for a conference with these wonderful folks that study music and culture.)

Saturday morning David and I roamed around the town. It is a wonderful place to walk, as the city centre is between two branches of the river. We visited a church, as well as a re-purposed church which is now an art museum. Then we had lunch at a famous vegetarian restaurant, Cafe Paradiso.
It is famous because the chef has written several cookbooks. And it was truly amazing, especially since we have been eating a meat-based diet.

David in front of St. Alban's Irish Anglican Church

Recollection of Portsmouth

My blogging cannot keep up with our travels. When I have internet, I am ready to read for a while, and then pass out. Anyway, today we are in Conwy in Wales, and have decided to slow down the pace a bit.

So we left Winchester with Tim and Ruth and headed for Portsmouth. (It is amazing how many Virginia towns are copied from the British.) They have a historic shipyard there that you can tour (for a fee of $30, of course). There were many ships to tour, so we could not do all of them. David and I spent most of our time on the Victory, a tall sailing vessel (launched 1765)

In front of the Victory (without masts, removed for repair)

that was also a man-o-war, and the flagship for the British Navy. It was a very good tour, including an inspiring rendition by one of the naval officers on board about the killing of Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar. After an hour on board, I was ready to leave, tired of bending over. I can't believe all of the sailors of the time were THAT short!

We also toured the exhibit of the Mary Rose, a ship that was preserved down in the silt of the Channel. They are still preserving it in a climate-controlled room. Many artifacts of life on the ship were also preserved. The exhibit on the ship's carpenter got our attention, especially with the dog's skeleton.

Just like Hercules, waiting for his master

We briefly toured the first iron-clad tall ship, the Warrior. But we were running out of time, so we headed on to the boat tour of the harbor. It went all around the harbor, and the captain kept up a patter about all the ships we saw. It was a great day for a ride around the harbor, but I was glad I had my windbreaker and scarf. We drove towards London afterwards, to Southwater, outside of Horsham. We met our hosts for the evening, Joy, David, and son Jonathan at yet another nice pub. There were tables out back where we could enjoy the English countryside, including some sheep, which cover the  countryside in England and Ireland. The meal at the Sir Robert Tichborn was our best pub meal yet.

David took a picture of the rear door. It is very typical, because of two things: the sloping of the building above it, and the height of it, about 5 feet 8 inches. I walked through it with ease, but there were many doors like this in the pubs we visited, with a sign "Mind your head" posted above.

Behind the Sir Robert Tichborn Inn

 

Notice the tilt above the door