April 30: Oh the places we’ve been!

Today we decided we were just going to stay in the local area, and have a relaxed day.  Our plan was to see Clive and ask what shouldn’t be missed, and that’s just what we did – getting him to come down in his bathrobe!

We went only a mile or two down the road to Hartpury and saw the historic church and its beehive.  It is a magical place, and one that we very nearly skipped (we are so glad we didn’t!).  Our next stop brought us through Apperly, and on to Deer Hurst, where we saw the oldest Saxon chapel in the country, called Odda’s chapel, and The Priory Church of St. Mary, which is from the 8^th Century.  We carried on to the wool town of Ledbury, where we visited rooms that were old when Shakespeare was alive.  We dodged raindrops, and took walks in the sunshine when we could along the Severn River, and through lovely rural towns. 

April 29: Oxford

Today was our day to visit Oxford.  We visited the covered market, did a walking tour of the colleges, had a wonderful lunch, and had a too brief visit to the Ashmolean Museum.

 

Christ Church College, Oxford.

April 28: We fall in love with Wales.

Today the weather acted as though someone up there turned on a flashlight whenever we got outside.  A dew raindrops fell, but we were able to see the fabulous sites of Raglan Castle and Tintern Abbey in glorious sunshine.  We began by visiting Monmouth and the Shire Museum, then went on to Clearwell Caves, which is an active iron mine.  There we enjoyed a cream tea, and now Kathleen know why Alanna and I rave about them.  From there we went to the beautiful ruin of Raglan Castle, then off, via Chepstow, to Tintern Abbey.  After thoroughly appreciating another ruin, we went for a walk, first along the river Wye, and then up onto part of the Offa’s Dyke trail.  We drove the scenic Wye River Valley, and then came home.  Many of today’s suggestions came from Clive, our landlord, and when we asked where to go for dinner, he suggested The Royal Exchange, and as with all of his suggestions, it was terrific.  Kathleen burned through her camera battery by Raglan Castle, and then we shared mine, so I set a new photo record today with over 400 pictures.  We’ll try for a selection representative selection.

April 27: Gloucester

Today we visited Gloucester Cathedral, and then visited the National Waterways Museum.  Gloucester was very important in the canal system, and I learned so much about this transportation system that was a big part of Britain’s economy until well into the last century.  We wandered around the historic docks and admired the sailing ships and the canal boats, and then enjoyed a really nice lunch.  We enjoyed poking around some lovely little shops, and Kathleen got some lovely real silver jewelry that we admired in the window of what turned out to be a Pawnbroker!  I just might visit every Pawn shop we see, and am definitely on the lookout for brass balls.

April 26: Sudely Castle, Belas Knap, Hailles Abbey, and Alanna

On a beautiful spring day, we explored the countryside and enjoyed being together! 

April 25: Painswick and Cirencester

Today was a more relaxed day.  We had breakfast fairly early, as there are skylights over each bed that make our rooms as brilliant as the great outdoors the moment the sun comes up.  We are thrilled with our beautiful cottage, however, out here in the countryside with ducks,bunnies and sheep for neighbours.  

We meant to visit a Roman villa, but ended up in the lovely wool town of Painswick.  We continued on to Cirencester, where we visited the Corinium Museum, with a very interesting and not-too-overwhelming overview of the history of this area.  We went to the Twelve Bells pub for a really great lunch, then saw the Parish Church of Cirencester, which is as old and certainly as historic as any cathedral.  We went over to the grocery store and picked up some things for a pick up dinner this evening, and then returned to the cottage, where we went for a walk to view the animals on this working farm.  Once again, the predicted rain has held off, and we sort of felt we should visit another place or two before the clouds roll in, but it has been a strenuous week for all of us, and I, for one, am grateful to get the blog done and have a few hours to relax.

A nice gentleman, Peter, took this picture of us in the churchyard in Painswick.  There are 99 yew trees in the churchyard, and they are very old.  They have tried many times to make it an even 100, but the devil always rips the 100th tree up and takes it away. 

April 24: A cave, a cathedral, and a cottage.

Today Kathleen and I visited Kent Caverns in Torquay, a cave that was used by our earliest ancestors – and the odd cave bear.  While in Torquay, we took a brisk walk to the beach, and then drove to Exeter to visit the cathedral – and buy a clean shirt!  We finished our day by driving to our lovely cottage in Corse, just outside of Gloucestershire, where we will spend the next week.  Alanna came up from London by bus, and we are happily planning our two days with the three of us together.

April 23: Dartmoor Nataional Park

What didn't we see today?  We saw a monastery, a historic village, tors, rivers, and even a castle.  We drove, we hiked, we strolled.  The sunshine was lovely, and so is this beautiful and unique part of the world.

April 22: From London to Dartmoor: two champion drivers.

Today we rented our car in London, and drove to our bed and breakfast in Poundsgate on Dartmoor. This evening we climbed to the Haytor, and looked down on the Grimpound below.  Sounds so easy, doesn’t it? But this is a story of heroic driving . . . 

April 21: Fabulous Weather, the Wallace Collection, and London!

Today we went to see “The Wallace Collection”, wandered in Hyde Park, and met Alanna for a pub dinner and then a stroll through London in the twilight.

April 20: British Museum, Masonic Temple, Greenwich and Gypsy. Phew!

How’s that for a day?  Kathleen has picked out some pictures, and they are now here for you to enjoy!

View of Tower Bridge from the boat.

April 19: Shakespeare Day – and parting is such sweet sorrow.

Today we met up at St. Pauls and listened to the church bells frantically calling the faithful to worship.  We were happy to oblige, but our destination was the Globe Theatre which was hosting an Open House in honour of Shakespeare’s birthday, which is April 23^rd.  It was amazing!  We enjoyed the exhibit, but decided not to play in the “Elsinore” bouncy castle.  The best part of all was walking into the Gobe itself, which is as historically accurate a rendition to Shakespeare’s theatre as it was possible to produce, and located exactly where his theatre stood.

April 18 -- Leeds Castle, Canterbury Cathedral, Dover Beach, and "Billy Elliot" (whew)!

All is well!  We connected perfectly with Kathleen and Alanna and had great day tour yesterday, going to Leeds Castle – like something out of Jeeves and Wooster, complete with classic cars – Canterbury Cathedral, and Dover Beach, with views of Dover Castle.  The weather was perfect, and we returned to London Station by 6:00, when some idiot (me) thought, “Why not see a musical?”  We decided to see Billy Elliot if we could get tickets, and we did, so a Cornish pasty later, we were in the nose-bleed session watching some amazing dance.  It was great, but a bit of an exhausting day, especially since Ian leaves tomorrow.

Alanna, Ian and Kathleen, with the moat of Leeds Castle (and some daffodils) in the background.

April 17: Farewell to Florence

We packed up and headed out to the Bargello Museum this morning to be impressed one last time by the sculptures of Michelangelo.  After a last wander around the piazza and a very overpriced gelato, we took a cab to the airport and flew to Gatwick.  The train brought us into London, and then it was a beautiful ride past Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square to our hotel, the Hilton London Eustace.  We managed to get in touch with Kathleen and Alanna and will be picked up for our tour in the morning, and Ian and I went to a pub in Euston Station, while Alanna and Kathleen went to a pub near their hotel.  More words and pictures later! 

April 16: Feisole, the National Archeological Museum, and Santa Croce

Today we had no pre-booked tour appointments, so took the advantage of sleeping in to 8:00.  We took the city bus out to Feisole, a town about 8 kilometres from Firenze, where we had wonderful views of the city below us.  We went to the archeological dig and its accompanying museum, and marvelled at the Etruscan walls, Roman theatre, baths, and temples, and returned to the city for the short walk to the “MAF”, the Archeological Museum of Florence. This museum has some of the most important examples of Etruscan art and culture, and also fabulous Greek pottery.  Around three thirty we collapsed into chairs in the OK Bar (I chose it because it wasn’t overselling itself by its name!) for some desperately needed cappuccinos and pasta.  A few blocks brought us straight to Santa Croce, one of the oldest churches in the area, where we had only 40 minutes to see the great works of art, and the graves of Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Galileo Galilei, just to drop a few names.  We were kicked out promptly at 5:30 – do you know people go around blowing out the votive candles paid for by the faithful at quitting time? – but found ourselves only two bocks or so from our hotel, so staggered “home” a bit early.  Since lunch was so late today, our plan is to visit a pasticceria for bibete and dolce in a while, and maybe even bring it back to our room!

April 15: Firenza: Art and Sunshine

We began our day at the Galleria dell'Accademia, reacquainting ourselves with Michelangelo’s David.  We just had time to grab a cappuccino before we met our group for a tour of the Vasari corridor, a “secret passage” that links the Uffizi  to the Pitti Palace.  After an unforgettable tour, we grabbed lunch in front of the Palace, then went in to see two of the museums and the Boboli Gardens.  The Gardens were the real draw, and it was the perfect day for them.   Since the museums were included in the ticket to the gardens, we wandered through the costume museum – neither of us particularly interested in Italian fashion – and then saw the “Argenti” treasure museum, with amazing frescoed state rooms, and found it a wonderful cap to the day.  Everything in Florence is up a flight of stairs and then back down, and we both got a bit of sun to chase the snow we got at the beginning of our trip.  Tired, but healthy and happy, we are both “computering” before heading out for a nice meal.  I am going to wear my dress, to justify having brought it!   

April 14: Full brains and Sore feet in Firenze!

Nine o'clock seemed like such a reasonable time to book our tickets to the Uffizi Gallery, but our seven o`clock wake-up call seemed far too early for this trip -- we have been much more in vacation mode this trip, not even setting an alarm many days.  However, we did manage to get to the wonderful Ufizzi, where we studied diligently for four hours.  By Caravaggio our brains were full, and we just weren`t taking in any more information.  A spot of lunch – happily paying the “sitting down” fee -- revived us, and we headed off to the duomo.  We saw the duomo itself, the baptistery, and the “crypt” before we tackled the campanile – and exhausted, headed back to the hotel for a bit of computering.  Right now we are headed out for pizza.

April 13th: Chiusure to Siena to Florence

We left the agriturismo belonging to Monte Oliveto Maggiore this morning and went to the Abbazia for wine tasting.  We were sad to leave La Pienza and its friendly staff behind.

After wine tasting and purchasing two bottles of Red Monk (San Giovese) we carried on our way to Siena.  The GPS took us straight to parking and most of the escalators were working to take us up about 100 meters in elevation.  We visited the Duomo, and the Santa Maria de Scala hospital which has been turned into a museum.  The Etruscan finds were truly awesome.  It was very interesting to see that the urns (little boxes for the most part) seem to mostly come from a common mold with the motifs being exactly the same no matter where the burial was found.  There must have been a central factory producing these.  The lids were more individualized, although there seemed to be a couple of main types for these as well, with the same resting or reclining body on dozens of examples, but with heads attached that were sculpted to represent the actual individual.  Of course, there were some that were completely individual creations made for the wealthy.

The Campo in Siena

Etruscan Sarcophagus (bespoke)

After a bit of a whirlwind tour of the streets of Siena (yes, the campo is delightful), we visited the duomo, then the museum, formerly the hospital, of Sanata Maria di Scala.



Inside the Duomo (Siena).  Flags of the Palle.

We carried on to Florence where we returned our car.  We are here until Friday, with tours booked of the Uffizi, Academia, and the Varsari Corridor.

We had a great meal.  I had pasta with Boar, and Margaret had pasta with spinach pesto.  It was great, as was the Chianti!  Margaret is asleep, so it is my turn to blog.

Pictures to follow tomorrow some time. Ciao!  
(Look out below!  - M)

April 12th: Margaret learns why they're called "Tuscan Hill Towns"

Tuscany is beautiful, but not for the faint of heart.  Our second day of wandering the Tuscan countryside had no particular goal, and in fact the drive itself was certainly a highlight of our trip.    Every time we got out of the car today we faced a walk straight up hill at at least a 45 degree angle, usually over rough terrain.  One can soon see why so many Italian vicoli, or tiny streets, in hill towns are actually flights of stairs.  We walked ramparts in Monticino and learned about Brunello at an Enotica in a castle, then went to the tiny walled town of Murlo and saw an excellent museum on the Etruscan finds from the archeological dig at Poggio Civitate.  After a scenic drive through "La Pineola" we arrived at the ruined Abbey of San Galgano.  It is described in our guide as, "the most evocative ruin in Tuscany," and maybe it is, when it is not a sunny spring afternoon with lovers lying on the daisy-filled lawns, perhaps as they have done for centuries, and snapping selfies.  We enjoyed the time there very much, but it certainly didn't seem like an abandoned ruin, victim of the Fourteenth Century plague, which it actually is.   We hoped to make it back to Asciano in time to see the Museo here, so took the "quickest" route back, but outsmarted ourselves and got stuck in a preplanned traffic jam.  Arriving at 5:45 for a 6:00 closing helped us choose to get our laundry underway so we will bring only clean clothes into Florence tomorrow, so here we sit in Asciano, not daring to drink a second cup of coffee this close to bedtime, and watching our laundry spin in the dryer.  Good thing that dinner hours doesn’t really start until 8 here. 

This lovely old oak is next to the ruined abbey of San Galgano

April 11: An Abbazia, Hiltowns, and an amazing drive

The perfect day in the perfect place.  I love Tuscany!

April 10: Cortona

Today we visited the beautiful Tuscan hilltop town of Cortona.

 

April 9: Over the Appenines

Today might be just a placeholder for a while. not because we didn't have a great day, but because the day has been just so amazing and full. Right now we are sitting in the best restaurant of our trip so far.   It is almost 10, and there is still the main course to go.  (The full version is now below!)

We began our day in Ravenna, and saw San Apollinare in Classe with its own murals and history.   We took the scenic route over the Appenines, where the towns looked like models and the road we traveled looked like a silver ribbon through green fields . Soon we were climbing the actual Appenines, where the towns looked like models and the road we traveled looked like a silver ribbon through green fields.   were climbing the actual Appenines, where primroses were growing wild and peeking through the rapidly melting snow.   A sight I will always remember is visiting the ruins of the  Castella di Pianetti, which didn't really have a path.   On we went past dozens of picturesque villages, to where the Garmin took us on the most beautiful detour I have ever seen.   We are staying at the Poggio del Drago, and the host recommended this restaurant.  First, however, we drove into Arezzo to see a museum, and to take part in the Passagio through the Medieval town.  I can't wait to boast about Ian's driving.

April 8: Ravenna Day 2

Today we saw more of the sites in Ravenna, then indulged ourselves in another visit to San VItale.

 

April 7: Mosaics and the Byzantines

My entire image of the Byzantine Empire was changed somewhat when I took a course in Byzantine history, but I still thought of Byzantine art as overly ornate and heavy – sort of like an archaic version of Baroque art.  However, after a couple of days of truly Baroque art, and seeing Christ crucified in ever more grotesque detail, the mosaics of Ravenna have impressed me with their light and uplifting message.  Instead of seeing Christ the sacrificial victim, the emphasis is clearly on Christ the teacher, and seeing some of the oldest Christian art in the world, including the first known “last supper”, has given me a new perspective not only on art, but the history of Christianity.  This is an amazing place, and we have seen less than half of what we planned to see.  We finally retreated to our hotel room, armed with fresh hot pizza and oranges, to digest the mental overload which we have seen in the churches and museums of Ravenna today.

April 6: Easter Monday in the Po River Estuary

This will be a short placeholder blod, as we rented a car in Verona this morning -- and my camera is still inside!  Black camera, black interior, and lots of stuff to lug.  Ian has solemnly promsed to fix it!

April 5th: Buona Pasqua in Verona!

We wondered if we would be able to see anything on Easter Sunday in an Italian city, but we needn‘t have worried:  Verona is a tourist town, and there were crowds of people everywhere.  We first waited in line, and then viewed the Arena.  Next, we waited in line and viewed the rather disappointing Casa di Julietta.  We waited in line for the Torre dei Lomberti and saw some amazing views.  We decided to wander for a while through the Piazza di Erbe and saw the famous graveyard at Santa Maria, before visiting the overwhelming church of Santa Anastasia.  We wandered toward the duomo, but decided we were a bit daunted by churches, and decided to take the old Roman bridge across the river to see the Roman Theatre, or Teatro Romana.  While the Teatro itself is closed for repair, the small road up the hill beside it gave us spectacular views of the city – and relief from the crowds.  After a cup of coffee in the sky, we descended back to the city, found the Opera Museum closed, and wandered the streets, bu

ying some pizzetti  (much like a calzone) for later, and enjoying excellent gelato as we walked.  All in all, a beautiful day in a beautiful place.

April 4: Sore feet and Castelvecchio

We began today with two missions:  buy our Verona Cards, do some laundry, and buy a GPS.  Both completed successfully, after a trip all the way around the arena to find Tourist Information -- we saw the beautiful church of San Fermo Maggiore, with fabulous restored mosaics.  A quick bus ride back to the hotel – sure we were lost again -- to drop off laundry, we ventured out again.  We saw San Zeno, again a real experience that reminded us how different it is to view church art in a church setting compared to a museum gallery.  We were also bemused to learn that Saint Zeno, or at least his bones, promenaded around the area in 2013, before being returned to the glass sepulchre in the crypt.  We headed off to the Castelvecchio, but first had to stop for a quick Marrachino – not the cherry, but my new favourite drink.  Too bad there is so little liquid in this lovely concoction of coffee, cocoa, and milk (no sugar).  We bought some sweets from a market stall, and then headed into9 the museum.  By this time, we had been walking for many kilometres, mostly, like yesterday, with heavy packs, and were feeling the results in our backs and feet.  We went through the Catelvecchio museum, happy that we had purchased the guidebook.  Verona has long been a centre for art, and we have decided that this is the trip where we are learning about painting – whether we wanted to or not!  Other things I have learned:

Bamberg to Verona through the Alps!

Today we left Bamberg with a bit of sadness.  It is a unique and beautiful town and it would be nice to return.  We got a taxi to the Bahnhof and caught our train to Munich where we transferred to our next train to Verona.  We shared our compartment with a nice German family making a break for warmer weather for the Easter long weekend.

April 2: Ich bin Bamberger!

Our plans – and former habit – of rising early and getting out there before the rest of the tourists have gone to pot.  I dutifully set the alarm for 8:00 this morning, and then shut it off and slept for another hour.  The beds were just too cozy, and the rain drilling against the window made the idea of getting out of bed seem just plain silly.  However, we did struggle out of bed, and today we did a walking tour of Bamberg, complete with audio guide.  This historic city, a UNESCO world heritage site, is beautiful, and so different from anything I have ever seen before.  Every building is individually worthy of admiration, and even the rain, wind, and snow could not keep us from making every stop on the audio tour!

 

April 1: Brandenburg to Bavaria

 

Today we saw the Berlin Wall Memorial, the Berlin Naturskinde Museum, and made the train trip to Bamberg, a Medieval Town that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Our hotel has been around since 1308 in one form or another, and we are looking forward to seeing this town tomorrow!  A record low for pictures for me, only 85.

Standing near iron markers where the wall once stood.

A section of the wall is visible in the distance.