Notting Hill

I was pretty sure I lost my watch at the Bristol Train Station.  I went into the Lost Property office to see if anyone had turned it in.  Greg figured this was a waste of time, it is a 20 year old girly pink and green Timex ironman watch not worth much.  But it is my greatest travel buddy that wakes me up so I don't miss my tours, and allows me to countdown how much time remains in a flight.  So I persevered. 

As I walked into the  Lost Property office I could hear a watch alarm going off...and my heart started to beat faster.  I remember setting my alarm watch for 12:40pm on the train yesterday.  And it was...somewhere close to 12:40 (of course I didn't know what time it was since I didn't have my beloved watch).  The time was approximately correct, the beeps of the alarm sounded like my familiar beeps - it had to be.  I felt in my heart my worthless little watch was in that very office.  As I stood at the back of the line-up I yelled to everyone who could hear (much to their delight):  "Yesterday I lost my watch, and now I can hear it!!  I know it's here!!".  This was the start of my lucky day.   Can you believe they made me fill out 4 forms and PAY $3 to get my own watch back?

We hopped the train to London, on which I slept most of the way.  We arrived in the super busy London Paddington train station in the middle of the afternoon on a bank holiday (Easter Monday).  It was a zoo.  I didn't have a map, and figured we would be adventurous and take The Underground to find our hotel.  We asked the guy at the ticket window which subway takes us to Edgware St.  He said "Whoy don't yew just wahlk theya?". 

In a city as big as London, the road to  our hotel was conveniently a few blocks from the train station.  Lucky!  The trick was when we arrived at Edgware Street - in which direction do we walk to find our hotel?  Keep in mind we are wheeling our suitcases, sporting our backpacks down busy sidewalks without a map.  We walk around for one block only to turn around and look up - our hotel was right there!  Lucky Lucky!



Getting stabbed by St. George (& Dragon) by the hotel.  Not so lucky.

 London!  I can't believe I am here.  The first thing I did was walk through Hyde Park to Buckingham Palace.  I saw the guards that don't laugh or smile or talk - BORING!  I wonder what they are like when they get home?  They are probably hyper, funny guys - kind of like a clean shaven, short hair, English version of Kramer. 

The famous balcony at Buckingham Palace.  This was the smallest croud we saw here.

At least this guy gets a gun.

 

I was on The Mall during all the prep for the Royal Wedding.  It was so special to watch the wedding and say "I was just there - in that very spot!"  Seeing the news coverage of the area and all the barricades, scaffolding and bleachers made visiting this week a unique experience.   

Beautiful flowers and press boxes outside Buckingham Palace.

Bleachers for those willing to brave the elements.

Any possible view of Westminster Abbey is being set-up for TV crews, like the corner of this building rooftop.

We saw Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street (famous shopping district).  One of the neatest stores was the National Geographic store.  They sell clothing, books, posters, maps, trekking gear.  The store also had an exhibit of photographs of water from around the world.

View into the cafe at the National Geographic store.

Piccadilly Circus.

Regent Street shopping district.

We took a bus through Notting Hill.  When the "Notting Hill" movie came out - there was a rush of people looking for the famous bookstore with a blue door.  As a result - all the shop owners in Notting Hill white washed their doors.  To keep the tourists happy - there is one bookstore with a blue door in Notting Hill, too bad it has nothing to do with the movie!

Don't be fooled!

  

Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square are where the theatre district is.  There are advertisements, stores and theatres along many of the streets.  It had a great vibe, and it was thrilling to drink it all in.  We found a booth with discount theatre tickets.  We picked up 2 tickets for "Les Miserables", which we both had not seen. 

Les Mis at the Queen's Theatre.

I love how Les Mis sells out every night in London - and yet came twice to Calgary for a total of approximately 14 days.  That tells you how big London is!  The actors sang their hearts out.    After the show we had a pint of beer in St. James pub.  We rode the tube from Piccadilly Circus back to our hotel.  I will never forget how it felt to be in all these famous places. 

In the Underground Station about to ride the tube.

"OK Will & Kate, we can still be friends even though you forgot to mail my invitation to the wedding."

The Secret Garden

We left Liverpool and took four trains to Bristol Temple Meads on the Portsmouth Harbour.  It was a sunny day and we had great views of the lush green rolling fields, cows, sheep and the occasional goat. 

Our journey took us to Backwell, a small town outside Bristol where my distant cousin lives.  Shirley is my maternal Gramma's first cousin, and we have never met before.    Greg and I took a taxi from Bristol to Backwell.  The taxi driver dropped us on the side of the road even though we couldn't find Shirley's house.   The houses on West Town Road went from 35 to 39 and Shirley live at 37A.  Thankfully we finally found a lane and walked along it behind the houses on the street - and sure enough there are 2 houses tucked in behind, one of them being Shirley's. 

"Hello?  Does anyone know where Shirley lives?"

There it is!  Shirley's home in Backwell, England

A beautiful stone house on a paved drive welcomed us.  Shirley's garden is amazing and it was in full bloom with wisteria, clematis, azaleas, daffodils and many other blooms that I can't name.  We saw beech trees, cedars, and birches.  There were crows, doves, and many small birds. 

Azaleas in bloom.

Shirley McKiernan and I among the wisteria vines.

It was fun stopping in on family that I've never met before.  We enjoyed tea on the patio in the garden and got to know one another.   At one point in our conversation, Shirley said:   "Oh look, the blue tits are out".   And of course I said:  "Pardon me?!?"   She replied "You know, blue tits, or maybe they are bearded tits".   My jaw dropped as I conjured up images of an old granny next door a la "Something About Mary".   Shirley rescued me from my disturbing images by explaining a tit is a bird, not a mammary!

A blue tit. ( Photo courtesy of http://www.wikipedia.org/).

After a good laugh over the tits, we looked at pictures and a fabulous family tree that Shirley has put together.  She has captured 7 generations of family from England, Wales, Scotland, South Africa, Australia and Canada.

After dinner we went for a scenic drive from Backwell to the Cheddar Gorge.  The roads are very narrow and tree lined.  The cottages, farms, flowers and trees made the drive very memorable. It was fun tackling the windy roads. 

Flower and tree lined road near Backwell in Somerset.

The hills to the East of Backwell are called the Mendips - this is the name of John Lennon's childhood home so we are thrilled to know what the name means. 

The Mendip Hills in the distance.

We drove the Mendips to Cheddar - you guessed it - this is where Cheddar cheese originated!  

Cute pub in Cheddar - notice the excitement for the royal wedding.

The gorge reminded me of Radium, and there were many climbers practicing on the rock face.  It was really pretty to see on a warm evening. 

Cheddar Gorge.

Shirley, our navigator and tour guide.

Upon returning to the house, additional family stopped by to meet their Canadian cousin.  All in all, it was really special. 

Jim, James, Sharon, Phillipa, Calla (not related), Hannah and Emma.  New cousins, new friends.

We had  a great night chatting about family, history, the Royal Navy and England as we shared yummy chocolate Easter eggs.

Magical Mystery Tour

The city of Liverpool has amazing history - the docks were the home to some of the world's largest ships, including the Titanic.  Liverpool - the home of The Beatles and the Superlambanana. 

The Beatles - Famous!

The Superlambanana - Not-so-Famous!

The Superlambanana is a sculpture that can be found in many places around the city.  It is the new symbol of Liverpool and was designed by a Japanese artist in 1998.  The statue is meant to  "warn of the dangers of genetically modified food, whilst being appropriate to the city of Liverpool due to the port's rich history in the trade of lambs and the import of bananas".  It even has a fan-club (www.superlambanana.com) of which many Scousers are members (a Scouser is a local Liverpoodlian, named after a stew - their favorite food).

Liverpool's skyline is known for the 2 main cathedrals.  The Anglican cathedral is the largest in Europe and the 2 bells inside weigh a total of 32 tonnes.  Imagine hoisting those into the bell tower!  The architect of the museum also designed the famous red British telephone booths.

Anglican Cathedral.

The Catholic cathedral was built in 1976.  It certainly looks unique and modern.  Some locals refer to it as "Paddy's Wigwam". 

Catholic Cathedral.

The circular section is not, in fact, representing a space ship, but the crown of thorns.  The circular structure is the largest continuous display of stained glass.  All that glass prevented the installation of church bells in the glass tower (for reasons I am sure you can figure out!). 

The four bells are outside of the church and are referred to as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  The bells are also affectionately named by some as John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Catholic cathedral church bells.  What naming convention do YOU believe in?

Speaking of the Fab4 - the reason I added Liverpool to my itinerary is to see the birthplace of the Beatles.  I cannot tell you how excited I was to see where it all started.  The homes where they lived housed the creation of songs we all sing and know - this was very special.

This pub is on the street where Ringo Starr grew up - it was referenced in his song Sentimental Journey.

Our tour guide (Paul) - in front of George Harrison's house.

Zanner & Greg infront of John Lennon's home called Mendips. 
The blue plaque on the home indicated it is a National Trust historical site.

Paul's bedroom is the top right.  Imagine all the screaming girls who would gather outside this window!

We saw the original Penny Lane and the entrance to Strawberry Fields.

Strawberry Fields Forever.  Being here brought me to tears.

The Beatles first gig was played in the Cavern Club.  This club is in the basement (about 4 fights of downward stairs!) and felt like a cave with low ceilings made of stone. 

I can't believe I am here!!!

Greg holding up the ceiling in the Cavern Club.

The Cavern Club walls and ceiling were covered in graffiti and notes of love for the Beatles.  There was a cover band playing the favorites and the club was full of energy and had a fun vibe.  It made me want to Twist & Shout!

Village People

My first stop in Europe is Manchester, England.  Greg and I flew on Thomas Cook Airlines direct from Calgary.  Our flight was an hour early and we arrived at our hotel at 5:30 am.  Needless to say we slept for a few hours to help adjust to the time change. 

Later that morning, we walked around Manchester (M'cr) and saw amazing ancient buildings sprinkled with very modern architecture.  A salt and pepper of history. 

Modern glass building.

Traditional English Pubs.

The old Midland Hotel.  Where's Zanner?

Tallest building in Manchester.

We had breakfast in a little Italian café sitting outside enjoying the warm sunshine.  England is experiencing a heat wave...oh darn :-)

Greg at Bella Italia.

We visited Rycroft Library and I saw Persian books written in 1029 and  an original Isaac Newton manuscript.  The number of old books was tough to comprehend - scientific tomes dating back hundreds of years lined the walls of room after room.

The Rycroft Library, old section and new addition.  How the two styles blend is very artistic and innovative.

In the MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) we learned about how M'cr was the heart of the industrial revolution with the cotton industry being at the forefront of innovation.   I love being in a museum full of engines with Greg the Engineer.  I learned a lot!

Huge engines!

The presence of industry circa the 1800's remains in Manchester.  We found a clothing store in an old textiles warehouse.  The walls were lined with hundreds of Singer sewing machines. 

Sew...a needle pulling thread...

The Printworks is a large set of warehouses (prior print shops, newpaper publishing houses) that have been converted into shops, restaurants and bars.

The nice thing about M'cr is the museums and venues we enjoyed were all free. This left us with some money to  attend a show at the Opera House.  The world premier of the musical "Ghost" was playing.  Hearing "Unchained Melody" in such an amazing venue was breathtaking.  The special effects were fascinating - they stole the show.  And what a love story - I cried big kindergarten tears. 

Manchester Opera House.

Ditto.

After the show, we went for dinner in Chinatown. 

It made for a late night.    Midnight on Thursday in Manchester is equivalent to a Saturday night/Sunday morning at 2am in Calgary.   Luckily we were not far from Chinatown as our hotel was one block away, in the Gay Village.  Needless to say - Greg and I stood out!  We were spotted from a mile away.  An overtly cute, inebriated couple, obviously regulars in the area, approached and  asked us "Excusth me, do you knoah wheyah the Gay Veellage isth?".  I informed our new Mancurian friends that we arrived that morning, and all we know is that there are some cool pubs on Canal Street.  After chatting about being from cold Canada, they told us how cool we are.  I think they thought the conservative Canadians would freak out with their approach.  We passed their little test!

The following day we enjoyed 2 pints and a pizza in the gay village on Canal Street.

The train system in England is amazing.  You can connect to pretty much anywhere in the country for a surprisingly small fee.  We hopped a train to Liverpool where the Beatles originated.  Our hotel is called the Village Liverpool. This time though - it is a regular village!