Two days, three countries, four trains, and sign off

We set out at dawn on Saturday, and by mid morning we were out of Brussells, on the way to Amsterdam. It is fascinating to see the countryside unfold, and the different styles of farms between UK, France, Belguim and Holland. The last of the hyacinths were still in bloom in the fields, and the flatness of the dutch landscape intrigued us. There were little boats moored in canals between the fields, and looked as if they were on the same level, a brief shower of rain enough to flaot them into the field. It looked so neat and prosperous, a very pretty landscape.
Amsterdam on a Saturday afteroon was quite another experience. The streets were a sea of people, and bikes. They are a bike people. The photo to the left is the three level parking area in just one point for the bikes - it tells the story. They seem to coexist quite happily with the trams, which zip around everywhere, and cars and pedestrians. It was a most hectic and eyeopening city. Ofcourse the water ways and canals have such a charm, they are the personality of the city.
We felt we needed to be careful as to which streets we wandered into at night, and still saw some interesting sights! The hotel room even had a note that the use of drugs will incur an extra housekeeping charge - not something we you regularly across . But there seemed to be a wonderful spirit of acceptance in the city, - everyone is accepted.
The trip involved a change of train both ways, but they were both high speed intercity trains (one was the Eurostar), and a great way to travel The announcements on the train were made in french, dutch, and english. Never was english first - it puts you in your place .It is a fun way to see the countryside and have a meal as well. For Australians travelling, a Britrail pass, and the consequent discount on Eurostar, first class travel is quite feasible without stretching the budget, and meals and drink are all included. A couple of small bottles of french wine were appreciated as the countryside and cities flew by.
The trip is just about over, this will be the last posting,as we attempt to compress our worldly goods into the cases again. It has been the most amazing and enlightening experience. We have seen so much, done so many things, and have enjoyed being back in our beloved London. I have just returned from a wander up to Covent Garden, and come back through Trafalgar Square, and thought how lucky I am to have had this time here.
I think there must be a notice issued somewhere that I am coming over, as each time there have been awful storms and flooding. The first time, ten years ago, they called them the forty year floods. And they have arrived each time. This weekend, they are mopping up again, so it is time I left the country.
We have been mistaken for British, and New Zealanders, never Australians, but when we say where we are from, everyone without exception says either how lovely they found the country when they visited, or how lovely it looks and they would love to go. (Usually the reason is - just too far on the plane) And we agree and know, even after all the beautiful and amazing sights we have seen, and interesting things we have done, Australia is the best place.
Thank you to anyone who has visited my blog and especially to those who left such nice comments. It is much appreciated.
We know it is time to come home.
See you soon

It's London and its raining

Poor Londoners have really missed their summer this year - it is pouring - over pretty much the whole country, and not much warmer than home. It is rather humid - it could easily be Sydney. Not to worry, umbrellas up and set off to check out a couple of favourite shops in Oxford St, after refreshing the use of the London Underground and my trusty Oyster card. Why Melbourne cannot adopt a similar ticketing system is beyond me - it seems so easy to use. I felt quite the local when I was able to give directions to someone else as to which line they needed .
For most of the 'High St' shops, I think we are very well served at home. There are some common names, but Gap and Zara are popular sources of some good items if your are not able to move into top end shops. It is all fun just checking out a few, especially as the Autumn gear is now in ( and plenty of summer goods on special!). Colours are the predictable grey, black with a few highlights of cherry and red/orange. Ofcourse, there is a big emphasis on heavy coats which are not on the radar for Australians.
The UK economy seems to be really slowing - headlines abound as to what is happening. Between that and the weather, the general attitude appears to be in the doldrums. Public transport costs are going up about 6-10% next Jan.
I am back to cooking and shopping so it is a gradual drift back to the real world now. The weekend will be a couple of fast train trips as we check out Amsterdam. It is just a quick trip and as much for the travel as the destination. Rain is predicted, so brollies on board! We are only away 24 hours, it is amazing how easy it is to get into Europe, without getting involved with airports.
This time next week, it will all be over bar the jetlag
Round up later

Almost back where we started

The morning leaving Dublin spectacular, pink and yellow sunrise as we headed for the ferry port to cross the Irish Sea. The ferry was quite big which was fortunate as the weather turned on us fairly quickly (that old saying about the pink sky in morning was 'bang on!'
We set sail and almost immediately the wind and rain set in - it was far rougher than we had the whole cruise and that includes the notorious North Atlantic. Still, we are old sea dogs now, and managed well except for the drunken sailor walk. The sea wall was been pelted with high waves as we came into Holyhead.
The train back to London was a more stable mode of transport and a nice relief from the tossing on the waves. The was intermittent sun and heavy rain against the lovely English countryside. Some of the fields of hay and lucerne have been harvested, and the fields resembled draught boards with giant round chequers of hay bails all upright and perfect. There were rainbows, and pretty villages and those typical lanes and hedgerows as we passed by.
As is always the way, plans came a little adrift with travel, and we had to change trains at Crewe. It is a huge station, and in the pouring rain not the easiest when you have to drag your worldly goods behind you. Still, in typical railway style, we managed to get an earlier train than we thought as it was running an hour late!
London waited at the exit of Euston, and back to our Trafalgar Square temporary home. It is quite a treat to go round to shops and get the groceries like a local - a little dose of reality is needed now - we are on the homeward treck.London needs to be checked out though, before the rain sets in again tomorrow, so off we go.
More soon

We cross the water again, and find Dublin

It was a very warm afternoon as we flew out of JFK. We had managed to negotiate it succesfully - terminal 4 is very new and sleek, with lots of light. It is very much self help in check in - you do the lot, and dont need to see anyone at the desk if you only have carry on pieces. Needless to say, we didn't. The security check is the usual humerous scene of everyone stepping out of shoes, holding up pants which are minus belts, and even scarves are removed. The the process slows while we all pause to reattire ourselves with a little dignity.
We thought we would have a quick takeoff as we left the gate early. No way. We were still in a queue on the tamac three quarters of an hour later - this is quite normal, so you just have to go with the flow. We smiled as the pilot described the route to be taken - up the coast past Nantucket, Martha's vineyard, and up over Nova Scotia - and leave the coast around Halifax - a repeat of our trip south. There was a stunning sunset as we flew from the dusk into dark, always a sight that catches your breath.
I love Dublin. It looked so pretty in the half light that we landed in, a fast check in , and we were on our way . We have seen Trinity College,the Long Room of course - the old library where the books were ordered - by size - largest on the bottom - to the tiniest on the impossibly high top shelves. The Book of Kells, in its atmospheric controlled room and display is a real wonder. The work in it is so detailed, the more you look at it, the more figures and details are revealed. And when you think of its age, it is an incredible survivor.
The streets of Dublin seem busy the whole day - a huge number of buses provide an extensive public transport system, together with trams, and little green trains. It is not that hilly, and very English, of course in much of the architecture. The people seem very friendly, and the lilting irish brogue is lovely to hear. It rained quite heavily on and off, so we dodged some showers, and did what we could in the few hours we are here. The pace of life is what you make it here, but it looks quite prosperous considering the economic slowdown everywhere.
We walked through St Stephens Green, a green oasis with water and pretty gardens The River Liffey flows through the city, and has graceful bridges at intervals. And of course any English graduates think of the the novelists and poets who have emanted from this part of the world, let alone all the notables from Trinity College.
Dublin is a city I hope we can get back to one day, and we can see it at a more leisurely pace.

More soon

New York in retrospect

New York on a Sunday has a different feel. Central Park is full of people walking and riding and picnicking, and sleeping, doing yoga – it is the real lungs of the city and the playground for people and their pets. I never realised how big it is. It is very warm, though the humidity has eased so it is easier to be outside.

I did say previously we had managed the metro. A little premature – we set off for Wall St and the ground zero area. We ended up over in Brooklyn as we could not follow the announcement on the train, which normally went downtown. Not to worry, we regrouped and got back to where we meant to be. Wall St is just as it looks in the press. A lot of the buildings have pavement barricades so you cannot get close, and a lot of police seem to be evident. The photo is just beside the NY stock exchange, looking towards Trinity Church which was a focal point for the locals on 9/11

The World Trade area was quiet – they have started to rebuild – people in the area were not talking, just moving quite respectfully past. Photo taking seems too disrespectful. It is indeed sacred ground, no matter what is constructed in the future.

There was Second St market on yesterday – street stalls on both sides of the road for a number of blocks, today it is our street – Avenue of the Americas, or 6^th st. Stalls everywhere selling the same things they do the world over. Only difference is the wording in the T shirts.

The hotel room is 43 floors up, so I guess we are a little far to hear the sirens at night, but apart from the odd fire truck, I am surprised at not hearing more police sirens particularly. There are signs in the streets – no honking – you are fined quite heavily. An effort in reducing noise pollution I guess.

We leave tomorrow and I will not be teary the way I am when flying out of UK. New York has been a fascinating, eye opening experience, but I have to admit I haven’t got attuned to its character. I am doing it a great injustice, I guess. You would need to spend a long time here to get the personality and rhythm that is this unique and fast moving city. It would need a great deal of energy to handle that. There are world class art galleries and museums , theatre and style to be explored, but three days does not permit that level of exploration. (particularly when you hit the city on a holiday weekend, and the US Open being held. This hotel alone is probably the biggest we have ever stayed in and is full – the lobby is packed all the time with people coming and going.

So we will pack and move on for more adventures

More soon

Blog -New York and how we have walked

It was raining as we woke this morning, but by the time we were ready to go , the weather was clearing and it has become a very warm, sunny and very humid day. You have to admire the tennis players at the US Open, a few miles away. We launched out armed with maps, not too visible, good walking shoes, and some determination to see as much as we could without stressing that you will never see it all. In NY you seem to sight see by looking up a lot – the building s are so tall, and the variety of architecture and construction styles is incredible. A lovely art deco apartment block will be snuggled up to a huge modern glass construction that grazes the clouds. And the decoration on the older buildings is a fascinating juxtaposition in a mega city of bustle and modern life. We saw the Empire State building and discussed the films you know so well – An affair to remember and its modern partner Sleepless in Seattle,the Chrysler Buidling, a lovley art deco eample, with clever car features embedded within the toal structure; the United Nations building (North by northwest); the flags were not up though as they are not in session – the summer recess., we cruised through Grand Central Station – incredible in its decor inside – a feature in so many films, and the arrivals point for millions of immigrants and travellers. It is worth a visit for anyone in NY, not just train fans. The majority of long haul trains go from Penn station – not nearly so inviting – a purpose built structure – no character at all. Passed Radio City music hall, Madison Square Garden, checked out Macy’s ground floor - just like Myers, nothing of note. I dare not breath the air of the majority of the shops on Fifth Avenue – all the usual players, and really, not a lot that is not seen in Sydney and Melbourne. The fall clothes are in, girls, there still seems to be cropped jackets, and the colours in Gap were grey and a cherry red, good combination.
Some of the streets were quite empty for a Saturday morning. We mastered the Metro underground system). A little hesitation in trying to get the tickets, but after some guidance from a friendly local through the myriad of choices, we were off to the other end of Central Park on the train – fast, reasonably clean. The tracks are more doubles than the single way in London, and the tracks are quite close to the surface - so when changing from one line to another, you often have to come above ground, cross the road, and go down again. We went to visit to the huge Cathedral of St John the Divine. In the brochure, it is listed as the largest cathedral in the world – we were surprised, but it is massive, and we have seen some pretty big ones in UK. It is undergoing a lot of repair and continual building – it is no yet complete. In Dec 2001 it suffered a significant fire, and there is still evidence of that. But it is a beautiful, clean design and the soaring pale pillars and wonderful stained glass windows are awe inspiring.

Overall, we felt better about the city than we did yesterday; it is still huge, but I guess the locals get to know their little corner of it and that is that. It is fast, and very impersonal, pretty dirty in places, and there are the intriguing columns of steam that come through the gratings in the road, from the pipes and subterranean world of New York. It is a city that demands you ride on its terms, it will not bend to yours, so keep with the flow, or you will be left behind. Even the traffic signals are somewhat ignored in order to get where you want quickly. We will have to watch that when we return.

There will be more exploring tomorrow, down the financial end of town, so another venture on the metro. But first, rest the feet a little....and do the blog while the thoughts are fresh

More soon

The big apple and indigestion

The alarm was on for 4.00 so we would not miss a moment of the arrival into NY. We sailed under the Narrows Bridge, an amazing site in the darkness, the buoys in the Hudson river flashed red, and have a bell that rings on them as well, quite eery in the stillness of the new day. The ship could hardly be heard - just glided through the morning. we then all gathered on the left (port/ side for the famous lady with the torch. You know what she looks like - in the half light the photos dont look great, but she still looked serene and proud. (Her index finger that holds the torch up, is over eight feet tall alone. It is an impressive site.
Then was the sad time to leave the ship, and the challenge of US customs. The finger prints were taken photos taken, passports checked and questions asked. And then we were through - the touts ready to pounce on the unsuspecing tourists fighting for taxis. My other half conquered it all, and we got into a famous yellow cab. The ride was something else -Im not sure how we got to the hotel, but we did.
It is a full on scary place, this city of so many diversities, and surprises. It is noisy and fast, and no one cares for anyone or so it seems. But we found Tiffanys, and Saks, and Times Square, and walked most of Fifth Avenue, and looked up a lot, to see how this city stretches its fingers to the clouds. (Photos were taken in Fifth Ave)
After a sleep, we will launch into the streets again, and see what the city wants to show us. I have to admit to feeling quite out of depth in this city. I guess after having spent time in London, I have forgotten it takes a long time to find yourself in a big city, and this one may be just too much for me. We'll see.

More soon