Simply Stunning Sorrento

May 27-30, 2011

Sorrento is the gateway to the Amalfi coast and a truly lovely resort town. It was the perfect setting for Rick and I to celebrate our 38^th anniversary. In addition to exploring Sorrento, we also toured Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, and the lovely and chaotic island of Capri.

Upon our arrival in Sorrento we went immediately to Piazza Tasso, the square that divides the old town from the new, and walked along the Via San Cesareo which has loads of shops selling and producing various products made from the giant lemons grown in this part of Italy. After admiring the beautiful and colorful pottery brightly decorated with lemons we sampled cookies, candy, and all types of lemony treats….the limoncello is irresistible!!! And if all that is not enough, there is always gelato!

Bright and early the next morning we went to Pompeii, the port town that was once home to more than 20,000 before the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. This is the “granddaddy” of all ruins and we have seen tons of ruins in our travels but nothing compares to Pompeii. Many of the buildings are preserved as nearly complete structures so visitors do not need to rely on diagrams and descriptions to imagine what life was like in this ancient yet technologically advanced city.

From Pompeii, our travels took us to Ravello, a small town, perched 1,000 feet above sea level where we toured a 13th century villa and a lovely cathedral before continuing on along the Amalfi Coast. Amalfi has attracted visitors since the Middle Ages and continues to be a tourist filled coast line of incomparable beauty! The views were truly breathtaking as we traveled the coastline suspended more than 500 feet above the Mediterranean Sea.

On Sunday, we left the port of Sorrento to travel by ferry to the island of Capri. From the Marina Grande Port, the Funicular took us to the center of Capri and from there a bus took us to the tiny village of Anacapri. There we enjoyed the less touristy streets and trattitorias plus St. Michael’s Church with its 18^th century majolica floor. Then we rode the chairlift to Monte Solaro for breathtaking views of the Bay of Naples, the Fraaglioni Rocks and the surrounding islands.

We hope you enjoy our photos as much as we do: https://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/Sorrento_2730May2011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPWX1bG2kKTI9QE&feat=directlink

Not Just for Golf....

May 20-22, 2011

St Andrews, Scotland is not just the world’s best known and oldest golf club. As you will see from our photos, it is where Will met Kate while attending the University of St Andrews and it is the home of Scotland’s largest cathedral and the castle which served as a palace for bishops and archbishops since c. 1200.

When our dear friends, Anne and Stuart, began planning their trip to visit us in London, playing golf at St. Andrews was at the top of Stuart’s list. Together we traveled to Edinburgh, then Dundee, and on to St. Andrews to fulfill Stuart’s dream of playing a round of golf at the "home of golf", The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, founded in 1754. In typical British fashion, the day was grey with showers and a few bright spells. It was also chilly for the middle of May but with all that said, Anne and I managed to entertain ourselves by exploring the town of St. Andrews and the ruins of both the castle and the cathedral while Stuart and Rick enjoyed their 18 holes on the Jubilee Course.

Here is the link to enjoy our photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/116669901425376505238/StAndrewsScotland?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOrg_JeahYnmZQ&feat=directlink

The Normandy Experience

March 31-April 3, 2011

My sister and bother-in-law, Judy and Lamar arrived at our flat on March 31 and were given one hour to change clothes and eat lunch before we hurried off to meet Rick and a colleague and begin our trip to the Normandy region of France and to the beaches of Normandy. From the Olympic site offices we piled into Diane’s SUV and drove to Folkstone where we were transported car and all to Calais, France to begin our wonderful weekend in the French countryside.

Diane and Neil live in the tiny village of Fay near Sees, France. Sees, though still small, has a typical weekend market and a cathedral both of which we spent time visiting on Saturday. As a historical/geographical connection, it is worth noting that this area of France was the birthplace of William Duke of Normandy who in 1066 became, William The Conqueror; the first Norman King of England. Among his many achievements and influences, William I built numerous fortified castles the most famous being the Tower of London.

Moving on to the real reason for coming to this area, Diane made sure that we had a complete tour of the beaches of Normandy, Arromanches, and the French villages that were all a part of the Allied Invasion. We have all seen it in movies, photos, and history books but nothing prepares you for being there and realizing the enormity of what occurred. The American Cemetery and Memorial is situated on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach which today appears very tranquil and unspoiled. This is the actual site of the first American cemetery on European soil which was established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944.

The Visitor Center offers a range of experiences and exhibits that pay tribute to the Americans involved in the D-Day landing. Through personal stories, photos, and films, we gained an understanding of this military achievement and the courage and sacrifice of the Allied forces. From the Visitor Center we walked by the bronze statue, "Spirit of American Youth" as we entered the Garden of the Missing where 1,557 names are inscribed on the walls. Ahead of us, across the reflecting pool we had our first view of the cemetery site which covers over 170 acres and contains the graves of 9,387 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing battles.

Leaving the American Cemetery, we drove on to Arromanches and viewed the Mulberry Harbor where the British constructed the artificial port of floating pier heads during the month following the D-Day invasion. Here, at the 360 theatre, we also experienced actual archived footage and newsreels in a stunning film called “The Price of Freedom.”

We all came away with a better understanding of how our lives would have been different were it not for this monumental period of history and the enormous sacrifices that were made.

Our pictures tell the story: https://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/Normandy?authkey=Gv1sRgCKOo4r-VkaqkIQ&feat=directlink

Florence: Italy's Masterpiece

March 18-20, 2011

Florence is a masterpiece and is everything you ever learned about art and sculpture! I even bought a book on Michelangelo just to learn about the Renaissance artists and how their learning and interaction resulted in this era of rebirth and why it flourished in Florence.

The museums in Florence are incomparable and house the greatest concentration of masterpieces of art in the world. We visited the two major museums one of which is the Uffizi Gallery; a masterpiece in itself and home to works by Botticelli, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rafael, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Titan to name just a few. The other museum that draws crowds is the Accademia where we saw Michelangelo’s stunning masterpiece David.

The churches in Florence are museums in themselves not only architecturally but in their frescos and collections of art and statuary. The crowning masterpiece of all is the Duomo, the Gothic cathedral topped by Brunelleschi’s miraculous dome!

Florence is a city so filled with great art and architecture that it requires a return visit as we were only able to take in the most notable sites including the Palazzo Vecchio, the Ponte Vecchio, the Pitti Palace (Palace of the Medici Family), and the Duomo. Oh, and did I mention the gelato…clearly, you cannot see all these great sites without several breaks at the many gelaterias!!! The pasta is great here as well…Florence is “capitol” of Tuscany! A travel tip…bring two sizes of clothes…..

Hope you enjoy the photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/116669901425376505238/Florence1820March2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCKHu1sDOi9X9sgE&feat=directlink

Charming Venice

March 4-6, 2011

We fell in love with Venice, the island city of Italy, with its canal streets! I am sure that a visit to Venice is a delight at anytime of year but if you find yourself there (unknowingly – that would explain the high price and low availability of hotel room…duh!) during Carnevale it is quite a colorful and celebratory city! Carnevale is a cross between Mardi Gras and a 20something Halloween Party! You will enjoy some of the “all out” costumes that we photographed.

It is a joy just to cruise up and down The Grand Canal which is Venice’s “Main Street” where all the views look just like paintings and you can never take enough photos. The architectural highlights include: St. Mark’s Basilica, The Doge’s Palace, the Campanile, and the Rialto Bridge. Throw in a couple of other churches, bridges, museums, gondolas, and a trip to Murano (the island famous for its glass factories) and you have a perfect holiday weekend!

We hope you enjoy the photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/116669901425376505238/Venice46March2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ-e_uG3s4rp4QE&feat=directlink

Provence and its Winter Glory

January 26-28, 2011

Sunshine once again welcomed us when we landed in Marsielle, France and began our tour of five cities in southern Provence. First we drove through the Alpilles mountains to the hillside village of Les Baux de Provence. The landscape is dominated by the bauxite hills, vineyards and olive fields with the 10^th century fortress of the feudal Lords of Baux sitting high atop the village and afforded them control of 79 villages of for nearly four centuries.

Leaving Les Baux and driving toward our accommodations in St. Remy we passed through the ancient Roman ruins of Glanum where we explored the Triumphal Arch and Mausoleum, named the best preserved Mausoleum of the Roman World. Directly across the road just out of site is hospital where Van Gogh lived from 1889-90 and painted the famous Starry Night and Self-Portrait. Our afternoon and evening was spent exploring the 14^th century village of St. Remy; known as the birthplace of Nostrodamus.

Day two of our tour took us to Arles, one of the richest cities of the Roman Empire. The Arena, built around 1 B.C., is well preserved and currently used for bullfights, concerts, operas, and theatre performances. The Eglise St. Trophime, constructed in the 12^th Century, is considered a masterpiece of the Romanesque style and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Much of Arles is reminiscent of Van Gogh who painted nearly 200 paintings while living here from February 1888 - May 1889.

From Arles, we explored Pont du Gard, the 50 kilometer Roman aqueduct spanning the Gardon River. Further on we arrived in Avignon famous for having served as the seat of the papacy from 1309-1377 when the popes fled Rome and built the Palais des Papes. Our final stop was in the town of Aix en-Provence, the city of fountains.

Please enjoy our photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/Provence?authkey=Gv1sRgCOmN1arNgrakOQ&feat=directlink

Follow the Sun....

January 22, 2011


For our second trip in January we chose to “Follow the Sun” in the lyrical sense as we paid tribute to the Beatles in the city of their roots: Liverpool! We spent a fun-filled weekend reliving the 60s as we visited The Beatles Story Museum and enjoyed the Magical Mystery Tour. We were also reminded that Liverpool has other historic significance as a major maritime city on the banks of the Mersey River, Liverpool was the port of registry for The Titanic and in 2004 was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Just a few pictures for you to enjoy….
https://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/Liverpool?authkey=Gv1sRgCO-TmMS7teP6Ig&feat=directlink

Blue skies & sunshine in Southern Spain

January 14-16, 2011

70 degrees and sunny is a good reason for Londoners to travel to Spain in January!

We landed on Gibraltar, a tiny piece of Britian on the tip of Spain only 14 miles from Morocco. From the Rock of Gibraltar you can see the corresponding North African peak and together these two peaks, called the Pillars of Hercules, form the Straits of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is distinctive as the only British overseas territory and home to the only primates in Europe, the Barbary Apes.

From Gibraltar we traveled to our hotel at the Sotogrande Resort to rest up for day two in Ronda. Ronda is a unique and historic city, surrounded by mountains, 2400 feet above sea level, and perched over a deep gorge. Settlements here date from the end of the Stone Age, through the Romans, and the most influencial of all, The Moorish Period which ended here in 1485. Our tour included a visit to one of the oldest Bullrings in Spain where we learned the history and tradition of bullfighting. After a visit to the Palacio de Mondragon, the Moorish palace built in 1314 and the Iglesia de Santa Maria La Mayor, grand cathedral, our day ended with a sunset over the beautiful landscape.

Day three found us in the white-washed hillside town of Mijas, 1400 feet above sea level as we made our way to the seaside city of Malaga. Malaga, the southern most city in Europe and one of the oldest in the world is also the birthplace of Pablo Picasso. This beautiful city is both modern and ancient. Here, through a single lens, one can see the Roman amphitheatre, Islamic fortress and modern city center as you make your way to the Picasso Museum. Our wonderful guided tour took us through the main halls of this museum which has a permanent collection of over 200 works of art. Our trip to the Costa del Sol ended here but you can enjoy our photos at: https://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/GibraltarRondaMalaga?authkey=Gv1sRgCLfbu_7F5PWcSA&feat=directlink

An Very British Holiday

December 24 – January 1, 2011

We loved sharing the holiday season with Jennifer and Ben in London! They arrived on December 24th and we picked them up in a rental car at the airport and were off to Oxford (after fitting their suitcases in and around the four of us)…a full size car in the UK is NOT the same size as a full size American car!!!

We arrived at The Old Bank Hotel in Oxford and discovered the campus directly across the street. Before dark (which is at 4 PM in the winter months), we walked over to Radcliffe Square which features the iconic Radcliffe Camera…the domed main reading room of Bodleian Library (oldest library in the world). We continued from there on through campus, under the Bridge of Sighs which connects two parts of Hertford College and on to the central pub on campus: The Turf Tavern. Back at the hotel, we let the travelers finally have a shower and a nap before dinner at a restaurant housed in a Victorian Conservatory and then on to Midnight Mass sung by the choir at The University Church of St. Mary which dates from the 13th century. After breakfast on Christmas day we drove to the Cotswolds and although many of the village roads were iced over, we were able to visit: Northleach, Bourton-on-the-Water, Lower Slaughter, Stow-on-the-Wold, and Burford. We returned to Oxford in time for our Christmas Feast and then settled into the hotel’s library where we had beer, wine and snacks and played cards until our eyes closed. After breakfast on Boxing Day (the 26th) we had a proper tour of Oxford University and learned the history and tales of this most famous place…who knew that Hugh Grant was an honours graduate of Oxford University?!?!

We returned to London and immediately set about seeing many sights in and around London including: The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, The Churchill War Rooms, Hampton Court Palace, The National Gallery, Windsor Castle, and the Wallace Collection & Armory. Rick was able to arrange a special tour of the London 2012 Olympic Site and also get us tickets to a Premireship Football Match between Chelsea and Bolton.

As you can guess, their trip ended much too soon but we were all happy to ring in the New Year together in the UK five hours before the Peach dropped in Atlanta!

Enjoy our photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/JenniferBenS2010WinterHoliday?authkey=Gv1sRgCJbTktDBkZCGOQ&feat=directlink

Pre-Holiday Activities

November - December


Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were restful, joyful, peaceful, and memorable!

Yes!!!...we are still living in London, seeing the sights, traveling, and enjoying life. Our holidays, like yours were busy with parties, family, friends, visitors, and travels which is why I have neglected the blog for so long.

I inherited a wonderful book titled: Best Day Trips from London: 25 Great Escapes. This often serves as my travel guide and I have now been on 20 of the 25 trips. In November, before life got crazy, I traveled with a friend to the very “Ancient Town of Rye.” This small, charming, and historic town can be seen in a day. The highlights include the nearly 900 year old church which has a clock dating from 1561 and the 12th century Ypres Tower which was a fortified castle, later a prison, and now a museum

December was filled with Christmas Markets and Festivals modeled after the German tradition of open-air stalls selling food, crafts, toys, decorations, and gifts. There is entertainment, ice skating, and caroling and each one is unique and fun to visit so I spent many days with friends exploring these markets in London and the surrounding towns and villages. We also toured Waddesdon Manor which was built in the style of a French chateau by the Rothschild family, and is now managed by the National Trust. It was built between 1874 and 1889 and although it has some modern touches, it also has an extensive collection of French furniture, carpets, porcelain, and paintings plus being well known for its gardens and statuary. Since it was beautifully decorated for Christmas, many of the rooms were not accessible and the statues covered for the winter so I will definitely be returning in the warmer weather as there is much to see.

Our final trip before we got into the full swing of the holidays was celebrating Rick’s birthday with a trip to Bath, the home of the most famous Roman Baths and the first spa resort. The city is designated a World Heritage Site and it well known for its Georgian architecture and distinctly beautiful Royal Crescent which makes it one of England’s most beautiful cities. We treated ourselves to a relaxing weekend at the Royal Crescent Hotel that was built in the late 18th century and was once a royal home. We enjoyed the spa services, a lovely (maybe one of our best ever) dinners, toured the Roman Baths, the Bath Abbey featuring a beautiful Jacob’s Ladder on its façade, and the Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon followed by lunch in the famous Pump Room restaurant.

Enjoy the photos and look for the next blog entry highlighting Jennifer and Ben’s visit from Christmas to New Year’s Day!
http://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/RyeWaddesdonManorBath?authkey=Gv1sRgCL6SsvDjlv2teg&feat=directlink

Rome

October 28-31

Rick and I spent a wonderful weekend in Rome. For those of you who have enjoyed time in Rome, you might want to skip the photo portion of the blog…we took 400 pictures and I managed to cut it to 176.

We took a night flight on Thursday and checked into our little hotel room right near The Spanish Steps. On the advice of veteran Rome travelers, we pre-booked our Vatican tickets and after a short Metro ride, we were able to walk right in to the Vatican Museums and bypass the lines that already wrapped around the buildings on two sides. The Vatican Museums are truly incredible and defy description…more statues then you ever imagined and galleries that surround you with works of art…even on the ceilings! We took a self-guided tour and after about 2 ½ hours, we made our way to the Sistine Chapel, the only part of the tour where photos are not allowed. It is everything you ever imagined and more. We spent close to an hour just listening to our audio guide and observing all aspects of the masterpieces before heading to St. Peter’s Basilica…again, words cannot begin to describe! Since our arrival in London, we have been in loads of cathedrals and have been in awe of many but they would all easily fit inside St. Peter’s and nothing even comes close to its magnificence!!! We took a few pictures but how do you capture the enormity…both in size and grandeur!!! We left the interior and got in the queue to climb the 320 steps to the top of the dome and gallery around the cupola where we were greeted by more awesome sights!

By the time we left Vatican City, it was late in the afternoon and we were in need of a glass of wine and some cheese so we headed to Piazza Navona and enjoyed the sights and sounds as the day turned to dusk. We took Rick Steves’ advice and one of his evening strolls and saw The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps. There are so many wonderful restaurants and we happened into one near our hotel…if you are ever in Rome we can recommend Ristorante Mario on Via della Vite…they will treat you like family. It is, in fact, family owned…the mother greets you at the door, the son seats you, the father oversees all the tables and makes sure that everyone feels welcome and satisfied and the place is filled with families who obviously eat there often. Rick’s lasagna was great but my pasta was worth coming back for! It was soooo good that we booked a table for the next night and we were greeted with a special starter that our waiter ordered just for us. Dinner and dessert were every bit as good as the first night and when we left we were presented with a small book about the restaurant, Mario, and some of the special recipes…all in Italian (anyone want to translate???)!!!

Saturday, we had a wonderful tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Again, we took the good advice of friends and family and pre-booked a tour. Our guide had a degree in history and gave great information and commentary while skillfully guiding us to the exact right spot to stand for the best views of all that is there. After 3 hours, we were free to explore on our own before we headed to one of Jennifer and Ben’s recommended restaurants: Ristorante Al Cardello…again filled with people who seem well known to the staff and food that is worth returning for. After lunch we found that we were at only steps away from St. Peter-in-Chains church were we saw Michelangelo’s Moses and the chains which are in a glass case below the altar. We then proceeded to see all of the churches, columns, and piazzas that Rick Steves describes stopping only to enjoy a serving (or two) of gelato!

Sunday, we checked out of our room and headed out for brunch and I agreed to eat pizza if we could have it with Prosecco since those were the only remaining Italian food groups that we had not sampled! Then we went in search of The Great Synagogue and Jewish Museum of Rome. The museum and history of the Cinque Scole (five schools) is fascinating and we again had a very knowledgeable guide in the synagogue which is closely guarded and can only be viewed with a guide. The synagogue is not ancient but it does sit on the edge of the Jewish Ghetto which has been completely demolished but is remembered in the museum. Leaving there, we happened upon the Teatro di Marcello and several other archeological areas and thoroughly enjoyed our explorations before it was time to collect our stuff and head for the airport.

Enjoy the photos….
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alysehirsekorn/Rome?authkey=Gv1sRgCKyPqsnZr-W7nQE&feat=directlink

The Cotswolds

October 21-24

Rick and I spent three lovely days in an area of England know as the Cotswolds. This is a range of limestone hills covering an area of over 700 square miles and encompassing hundreds of ancient villages each with an individual character. The typical features are:
· Buildings made of Cotswold stone: yellow/gold toned limestone that is soft and easily carved when first quarried but grows harder with age as it turns darker and sometimes grey
· The typical Cotswold cottage has split stone tiles covering the steeply pitched roof and a timber door
· Drystone walls crisscross the fields of grazing sheep
· Sheep dominate the landscape as the economy of the area was originally based on the medieval wool trade and this wealth was responsible for the building of the many churches known as “wool churches”

It is impossible to describe the beauty of this area so the pictures will tell the story….
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alysehirsekorn/TheCotswolds?authkey=Gv1sRgCJzV4e_N6ZHkRw&feat=directlink

October Travels

October 15-17 we traveled by train to Bruges, Belgium which is just an hour further than Brussels and has a famed historical centre that is listed as a World Heritage site. The medieval city streets are filled with cobblestones and lined with landmarks, monuments, and basilicas dating from the 12th century.

This was such an easy trip to plan…for the first time we used a company that combines rail travel and hotel accommodations into one inclusive package. We were able to book online and have all of our travel documents delivered to our flat. We had a choice of hotels and were advised to choose a boutique hotel with only 20 beautiful rooms and a warm and friendly staff. There was a cozy lounge where we had coffee each evening, a beautiful and snug bar, and the fabulous Restaurant Le Mystique where we had quite probably the best dinner we have ever eaten!!!

Our hotel was just a short walk from the city centre so we went there immediately after checking in to our room. While it rained softly, we sat under a canopy at one of the many cafés surrounding the market square and shared a late dinner of Moules & Frites (mussels and fries), looked across the square at the famous belfry, and sipped our wine.

Saturday, following breakfast in our hotel we returned to the Grote Markt to see all the sights, enjoy a canal ride, and explore all of the churches, basilicas, and the famous cathedral all the while sampling Belgium chocolates. After lunch we had a great walk to the outskirts of the historic center to The Minnewater, a lake surrounded by parkland which was once the city harbor and is the source of the canals which run through the city. There are breathtaking views and a refuge for the city’s numerous swans. Sunday we walked to the edge of the historic centre to get a close-up view of the windmills lining the canal. We explored all the remaining streets and enjoyed the architecture of this quaint city. We returned to our favorite café, this time to sit in the sun and enjoy a lunch of traditional Flemish stew. Too soon, we were back at our hotel having coffee and chocolates in front of the fire for one last time before heading to the train station and back to London.

http://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/Brugges?authkey=Gv1sRgCKHkpeWQiqy_YA&feat=directlink

September Sightseeing

September 17-25


September was a memorable month in our London Adventure. First of all, I returned to Atlanta for 3 weeks in August and this marked my first return to my London home. I found that as great as it was to be in my Atlanta home, London now feels like home too!!!

September was also the month when Erin and Matt visited us for a week and we got to celebrate Erin’s birthday at Nobu where Matt ate sushi for the first time and proclaimed it “not too bad!!!”
Enjoying all the London sights only gets better when the experience is shared with family and friends. Rick worked many of the days during Erin and Matt’s visit so I got to see all the usual attractions with them and when Rick was able to join us we explored many new sights. On a day trip to Cambridge we experienced the two “must do” events that this city offers. First we took a guided Punting Tour on the River Cam where we saw the famous Cambridge College “Backs” from a traditional Cambridge Punt. Our guide, a 20 year old college student, talked about the college landmarks as we leisurely passed by them. The punt is a flat-bottomed boat which is propelled by pushing against the river bed with a pole. Many tourists choose to rent a punt and navigate the river on their own but I am not sure why you would want to do that…it looked neither relaxing nor safe to us especially as we passed a woman, holding a baby, while attempting to punt and was actually traveling down the river sideways (there is so much wrong with that picture…I can’t even comment)!!! We also took a guided walking tour of Cambridge College where we saw all the famous buildings and several chapels while hearing stories of the notable people connected to this historic university.

Another highlight of Erin and Matt’s visit was our tour of the Buckingham Palace State Rooms. Buckingham Palace is only open for tours during August and September when the Queen is on vacation at Balmoral so we were excited that we were able to share this experience with them. There is really no way to describe the interior of a working royal palace!!! It is beautiful and grand and everywhere there are treasures of furniture, porcelain, and painting by masters.

For a totally different experience, we visited The Churchill War Rooms. Again, this is a unique museum housed in the underground complex that was the British government command centre throughout the Second World War. The complex, located beneath the Treasury building in the Whitehall area, became operational in August 1939, shortly before the outbreak of war in Europe. The War Rooms remained in operation throughout the Second World War and were abandoned in August 1945 after the surrender of Japan. The rooms have been restored to the state they would have been in during their period of use and this is one of those museums where “history comes alive.”

Of course their visit ended much too soon! Since then Rick and I have been making plans to see as much as possible in October when the weather is still nice enough to enjoy! Stay tuned for the next blog when I describe our trips to Brugges, The Cotswolds, and Rome!!!

Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alysehirsekorn/ErinAndMattInLondon?authkey=Gv1sRgCN7_0cbs1YDz6gE&feat=directlink

Housekeeping

August

August is the month that I will call “housekeeping!”

Rick and I moved into our new flat and organized our closets…yes, I did say closets although technically they are called wardrobes in London…but whatever, we now have five of them...we are practically giddy!!! We also have a proper kitchen and a garden…it’s really just a small enclosed patio on the lower ground level and a deck on the ground level but here they like to call any outdoor space a garden.

I flew to Atlanta two weeks ahead of Rick and after just a few days at home my ground floor air conditioner was struck by lighting taking with it the garage door openers, telephones, and cable modem. So the next several days were spent with the insurance adjuster and the installers.

Meanwhile, we were conducting a covert operation to put the final touches on our plans for Erin’s surprise party celebrating the end of her year of Breast Cancer treatment. This was actually the highlight of our time in Atlanta and the reason we chose to be there in the scorching month of August. Erin was surprised as 75 of her family and friends gathered to remind her once again just how much we all love, admire, and support her.

Another of my tasks was to meet with the movers and packers and gather and organize the additional goods that would be our one and only shipment of stuff from the US to the UK.

There was time to visit with family and friends although not nearly enough as I do miss you with all my heart.

Returning to London in September, I got to meet the movers and unpackers and get the rest of our stuff situated in our flat then spent the better part of a day having a satellite dish installed.

I purchased a few necessary items to make our guest room comfortable for our first visitors (Erin and Matt arrived just 8 days later) and added a few items to my list of “things you should not carry home on a 13 block walk”…these include a floor lamp and lamp shade, linens for two bedrooms, and 6 bottles of wine when you already have 3 bags of groceries!!!

Finally, Rick and I purchased 25 plants to fill the containers in our garden. Rick is obviously the ‘brains” of this operation as he hailed a taxi for our trip home from the garden center. This activity was worth all the effort as our garden is now neat and tidy with lovely plants that remind us of home while embracing our new environment....camelias, hydrangeas, ferns, lavender, and herbs.

Day-to-Day Life In London

August 1

Many of you have asked “what is it like to live in London?” First, an update on our location…we moved from a very small two bedroom flat in Mayfair to a larger, two bedroom flat in Marylebone. Our new flat is in a period building within site of Regent’s Park and just a block off Marylebone High Street (the high street is like “Main Street” with all the shops and conveniences of the area). Our reception room has 12 foot ceilings and two large windows that open on to a tiny deck which is accessible from a spiral staircase in the small private patio outside of our downstairs master bedroom. We have a “proper” kitchen with a gas range, convection oven, garbage disposal, separate washer and dryer, and a small breakfast table. We feel as though we have moved into a mansion!!!

I continue with my 3 mornings a week at the gym only now instead of a 10 minute walk, I take the Tube. Rick’s daily travel time is much the same as before and he is on both the Tube and the train. I now have a regular size grocery store instead of one about the half the size of our neighborhood CVS. I have a small two wheel trolley that I use on days when I buy more than what I can carry.

Some of the things I have learned in my two months in London:
· Read the markings on the street and be sure to look in the proper direction before stepping off the pavement. Taxis and sometimes cars will stop for you to cross. Buses will never stop and motorcycles and bicycles do not observe any of the “rules of the road!”
· Prepare to be bumped into when walking. Londoners are multi-taskers and cannot agree on which side of the pavement or stairs to walk so even when you are walking on the left (which makes sense to me since they drive on the left and the signs often say: “keep left”) you will still come face to face with people and have to dodge out of the way as they are either listening to Ipods, talking on mobile phones, texting, reading newspapers or books (I can’t figure out how they manage that while walking) or in some truly amazing cases drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes and talking on the phone (how many hands do you need for that?)!
· The weather is unpredictable so always carry an umbrella or rain jacket and sometimes a sweater. We all know how the weather people in the US like to make an “event” out of every type of weather well in the UK they downplay the weather and the description often sounds like this “a few possible showers with some bright spells and later it will be fresher.” The temperature is in Celsius and I have pretty much mastered the conversion and now know that 30 is hot and 17 is cool.
· The British people and those from many other cultures who are here permanently or temporarily are civilized, polite, and proud. They will give you directions and send you off with “Cheers”, they will answer your questions and try to figure out what you want when you ask for a pound of ground meat (here it is called “minced” and they aren’t really sure how much a pound a weighs), they are patient when you try to pay for something with their 8 different coins and even if you make a mistake, they will always give you the correct change (I have learned that only 4 of the 8 are worth messing with…anything in copper is a pence or less and not worth carrying and if your purse weighs too much, you should get rid of the 5 and 10 pence pieces as well), they will always say “sorry” when they bump you, they will always ask where in America you are from but be delighted when you tell them that you live in London!

To learn more about our day to day life, you should plan a visit here as our spare bedroom is just waiting for more family and friends to sign our guest book!

Sisters See London

July 9 – 22

My sister, Judy, arrived in London on July 9th and I was immediately determined that she get her money’s worth during her visit. After getting her settled in our small flat, we set out to see the neighborhood, grab a quick meal, then a walk across Green Park to Buckingham Palace where Judy was given her first view of the red-coated Royal Guards and Queen Victoria’s Memorial. For lunch, we stopped at Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly Street and enjoyed one of the five restaurants in this one of kind elegant department store known for their own brand of tea and the famous clock which features life size figurines bringing out the tea service on the hour.

Beginning early the next morning, Judy and I became London tourists and during her two weeks we took the Big Bus Tour, saw the crown jewels at the Tower of London, walked across the Tower Bridge, rode in the London Eye and took a Thames River Cruise. We toured Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Royal Mews. We saw the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, and visited the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Wallace Collection. We saw Big Ben, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, and shopped on Oxford and Regent Streets, Carnaby Square, St. Christopher’s Place, Harrods, the Portobello Road Market, and the Camden Lock Market.

Judy’s visit included some very special “beyond London” highlights! Rick booked us on a tour of the London 2012 Olympic Site. The site has completely transformed a very derelict part of London into a 350 acre site for athletics (track & field), swimming, cycling, basketball, opening and closing ceremonies, The Olympic Village, parks and waterways. This highly secure site has over 8000 workers each day and has been built with very high environmental standards….we were impressed!!! We spent a day in Stratford Upon Avon where we toured Shakespeare’s birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, and saw the charming River Avon. Our castle and palace tours included Hampton Court Palace (known as one of Henry VIII’s famous palaces), Warwick Castle (now a commercial property), and Windsor Castle (a working castle and home to the Royal Family). We had a leisurely Afternoon Tea at the Cheshire Hotel in Mayfair where we enjoyed flowering teas, finger sandwiches, tarts, and scones. We spent a lovely day in Richmond at The Ham House and Gardens, a very fashionable 17th century home owned by a close friend and court member of Charles I, it survived Cromwell’s rule and is now one of the National Trust properties.

We had a wonderful “sister visit” in and among all the touring, Tube and train rides, and walks and believe it or not, we did not see “it all!” Judy is already making plans to return with Lamar during her spring break in April!

See our pictures: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alysehirsekorn/SistersSeeLondon?authkey=Gv1sRgCLq08PqipeXPlgE&feat=directlink

Castle Crawl

July 3 & 4

This post is long overdue but I have many good excuses....first, my sister visited us in London from July 9-22 and we stayed busy 24/7 so you will hear of those adventures in my next posting....and second, I am dealing with the logistics of our local move...more on that as well.

Rick and I enjoyed a true adventure over the 4th of July weekend when our plans to visit a friend in Amsterdam fell through due to the excessive price of tickets to anywhere in Europe during the summer months. We learned our lesson: plan ahead, book early, and don't travel when all the tourists are taking European vacations! Finding ourselves without plans for the 4th of July weekend, I turned to the National Trust Handbook to find some "local" attractions. The National Trust is a conservation organization that preserves, protects, and cares for more than 350 historic houses, castles, gardens, and monuments. These historic properties are open to the public for the price of admission and free to National Trust members. Our Marietta friend and neighbor, Carol, first told me about this organization and once I arrived in London, we quickly saw the benefits in joining. To date, I have visited 8 NT properties and plan to work my way through many more. So, with our free weekend and the guidebook in hand, I identified 7 houses, castles, and gardens that Rick and I could visit in a 16 mile radius all about 35 miles from London. The plan involved taking a train to a central location, renting a car (which would give Rick his first experience of driving on the "wrong side of the road" and booking a hotel room. By Thursday night, our/my ambitious plans were all in place!

Saturday morning, we took the train to Maidstone and walked to the rental car location on the ground floor of a historic and realtively unmarked building and asked for our car which we quickly learned would be a manual transmission. Driving on the "wrong side" is one thing but we weren't sure that Rick was up to also shifting left handed so we pleaded for an automatic which promptly increased the cost plus by this time, the rental agent had a good idea of our plans and advised us to also rent a GPS...this we soon found was a necessity for our little adventure. All the logistics put us behind on our itinerary so we scraped two of the properties and headed out to see the others. This proved to be a good decision as this part of the UK is full of rotaries or roundabouts which require you to carefully count the number of exits and select the proper one all while driving on the "wrong side" of the road so you can guess that we had to make several attempts at this exercise before we finally mastered the rotaries!

Our first stop was Hever Castle. For those of you who are fans of The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory; you will recognize this castle as the childhood home of Mary and Anne Boleyn. Like many castles, it was constructed in phases, the earliest being 1270. The Tudor section was added in the middle 1500s and much later, it was owned by William Waldorf Astor who added the Italian Gardens. We loved this castle as much for its history as for its beauty!

Moving on, the second and final stop of the day was Chartwell. We were quite certain that we were never going to arrive at this destination as Mandy, our American speaking GPS, had us driving on winding, one lane roads with 20 foot tall hedgerows on either side so we could never see where we were headed or who was coming from the other direction! However, as she would say many times during our weekend adventure, "in 200 yards you will have reached your destination" and sure enough, miraculiously, we would be there!!! Chartwell is the Victorian Mansion that was home to Sir Winston Churchill for over 40 years. It was here that many of his famous speeches and books were written. I did not know that he was also an painter and the house and his studio display over 140 of his more than 500 paintings! Apparently, this great man slept very little so he had a small bedroom built next to his office where he would occasionally take a nap. The house is exactly as the Churchill's left it and it is full of history and very inspiring. We recommended it to some friends who visited the following weekend and were not disappointed!

On Sunday, we got a fairly early start so that we could see all three of the remaining properties. Driving continued to be an adventure and we were grateful to make it to every location! Our first stop was Scotney Castle which is actually two houses. The original castle was built in 1137 and is in partial ruins now but with its round towers and proximity on the river, it looks like a fairytale. The Elizabethan style Victorian Country House and Picturesque style garden were built in the mid 1800s and are beautiful. All manor houses and castles are surrounded by beautiful gardens and parkland which the local residents and all visitors are able to use; often free of charge.

Our second stop was Ightham Mote, a medieval manor house dating from 1320. Here we were greeted with the biggest surprise of the day. As we turned to take our first picture of this amazing house, we both spotted the American flag flying from the highest point. Since it was the 4th of July which is not celebrated (for obvious reasons) in the UK, Rick and I were curious to discover why the American flag was displayed. This property was actually rescued in the 1950s by an American, Charles Henry Robinson who upon his death bequeathed it to the NT....hence, the American flag.

The third and final castle was Leeds Castle, a very large, moated castle in 500 acres of spectacular parkland. Leeds is a commercial property so it has quite a different emphasis than the conservation properties owned by the NT. This more than 900 year old castle is actually a "queen's castle" having been in the hands of 6 medieval queens for over 150 years. It's last owner, also a woman, lived here from 1926 until her death in 1974. Much of the interior was restored and redecorated in the 1930s and it is interesting to see the "contemporary" fixtures, furniture, and decoration in this medieval setting.

Before we knew it, it was time for us to part with Mandy and our car and catch a train back to London. The weekend was a great adventure and we both agreed that we will pursue more visits to NT properties, that driving is challenging but possible, and that three attractions is the maximum that we can handle in one day!

We hope you enjoy our photos...I have tried to compile them so you will enjoy the experience as much as we did: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alysehirsekorn/CastleCrawl?authkey=Gv1sRgCLPbuvrqz5WSpwE&feat=directlink

Brussels

June 26-27


Often described as "the most beautiful town square in Europe" Brussels is another one of those places that is more breathtaking than you imagined! The town square called the Grand Place is completely surrounded by the most historic building in all of Belgium....all of the buildings date from 1695-1697. When you look at our pictures you will see many of the Grand Place as each time you change directions you think surely this will be the picture that will capture it all!


After checking into our hotel we followed Ben's directions and made our way through the Grand Place. We tried to take it all in before we continued on our way to the Manneken Pis which literally is the famous peeing boy statue. This statue apparently has about 800 outfits that he may be dressed in for many occasions. Had we been more aware, we would have seen his outfit of the day as a clue of what was to come later that afternoon! From the statue, again following Ben's directions, we found his favorite waffle stand (there are many to choose from!) and shared our first Belguim waffle. When we returned to the Grand Place a short time later, we decided that we could not survive on waffles alone (although apparently people have tried to!) so we took a table front and center on the town square and while waiting for our salads began to notice that the square was being cleared and prepared for some sort of ceremony. It turns our that we had front row seats for Meyboom!!! The pictures tell the story far better than I can but apparently it is an annual event dating from 1213 that involves a lots of muscians, costumes, and giant figures that parade around the town square.

Brussels has many famous monuments, statues, parks, and museums that we explored, including: The Royal Park and Royal Palace, The Saint Michel and Saint Gudula cathedral, The Royal Museum of Fine Arts and The Magritte Museum. We saw the many, many, many chocolate shops and treated ourselves to a few samples, had Moules et Frites for dinner and of course, before leaving, we enjoyed another Belgium waffle!


We hope you enjoy our photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alysehirsekorn/Brussels?authkey=Gv1sRgCIugioGtsIrL_AE&feat=directlink

Wimbledon

June 22 - Tuesday


Our day at Wimbledon was perfect. The weather had finally warmed up to near 80 we had a day of sun and clear skies. Wimbledon is one of those places where the build up does not exceed the actual experience! The moment we entered the complex you sense the prestige and tradition. Our invitation included cocktails and lunch in a private suite. The pre-lunch cocktails were either champagne or Pimm's which is a refreshing drink that Rick likes to call "British Sangria." It is actually a gin based drink which looks like iced tea and is mixed with lightly carbonated lemonade, spices, and chopped fresh fruits such as apples, oranges, cucumber, and mint. The actual Pimm's base is a highly guarded secret recipe....much like Coca Cola!


After lunch we took our seats in Centre Court to watch the action packed match between Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori which you probably know was won by Nadal. We then returned to our suite for tea and the traditional strawberries and cream....quite the "proper" midday treat! Rick and I returned to Centre Court to watch our hometown boy, Robby Ginepri struggle against the powerful serve of Robin Soderling. You may also know that Soderling won the match in straight sets.

We totally enjoyed our Wimbledon experience and as I type this blog, England and the United States have both just won their World Cup matches with the US finishing at the top of their group...yeah!

See our Wimbledon photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alysehirsekorn/Wimbledon?authkey=Gv1sRgCOODioyE8sWcrQE&feat=directlink