London & Scotland

We took the train from London to Edinburgh, leaving at 2 PM - we got into
 Edinburgh at 1:15 AM after a hellish day - the hottest one on record in
 Great Britain. The line was too long to get pictures at the Harry Potter
 Hogwart's Express entrance, unfortunately.

Here's our "stop" for hours with lots of train service personnel
They did pass out free water. Finally, they evacuated the other
train's passengers to our train (already full).

Our adorable granddaughters Maya and Shira.

Our oldest son Joshua's family moved to London last summer. They came to visit us twice since then, so this was our turn. We spent a week with them in London and a week up in Scotland. The train trip up to Edinburgh was unexpected. It was the hottest day on record ever and the train tracks couldn't cope. We spent hours sitting on the track, unable to leave the train. There was no airconditioning working. People were taken off the train with heat exhaustion. We ended up on 3 trains and happily did make it to Edinburgh - at 1:15 in the morning! Our 5 grandchildren were amazing - never complained - just read books and played games (board games, not computer). We spent 3 nights there and then rented a 9 passenger van to take us around the Highlands.
Everyone loved Edinburgh. We saw the Castle, the new Parliament Building, the Dungeon Show and walked all over. From there we drove up along Loch Lomond to our first hotel. But not the usual way. We got to a traffic circle at the bottom of the lake and were stopped by a policeman. The road was closed, he informed us. But on learning we were headed for the hotel, he let us through.
We stopped in Luss to tour the small charming town and the beach. But once out of there, we were stopped again by the police and this time, weren't allowed to proceed. It was late and our hotel, the Lodge on Loch Lomond. was just beyond, but a fatal car/motorcycle accident up ahead had closed the road. Here's where Scott's navigation skills and my driving chutzpa saved the day. Let me tell you - it's hard enough to drive on Scotland's narrow (in many cases, only 1 lane for both directions) roads - but to do it with a huge 9 passenger van, is much harder.  Scott found a series of tiny roads that finally did end up at our hotel an hour later. It was a huge relief.
The Inn at Loch Lomond was very nice. We had three rooms, two in the main building and a "suite" in the beach house. Josh was only with us on the weekends so we were down to 8 people. The next day we drove north through Glencoe and spent several hours at the Visitor's Center. We learned about the history of this area and the highlands in general. The views were amazing the whole way. Hiking paths lined the road on both sides up in the hills. We wished we had time to do some long hikes. But our afternoon allowed a lovely one, although shorter. We took the gondola at the Nevis Range resort just past Ft. William.
The next two nights were spent at the Holly Tree Hotel where they had an indoor swimming pool - very popular with our grandchildren (and ourselves). The meals there were excellent as well. The food is great in Scotland. My favorites were Cullen Skink (smoked haddock chowder) and salmon. Scott really got into blood pudding and haggis (served every morning at breakfast). The last two times I was in Scotland, I sampled a lot of Scotch - but not this time.

Once we settled in at our beautiful Airbnb apartment at
150 The Royal Mile, all was fantastic. We had 5 bedrooms
and 2 bathrooms on two floors. The windows overlooked
the entertainment at night! The only drawback was the long
hike up the 4 floors to our apartment. 

We had a great kitchen and ate our dinners there each night.
That's my beautiful daughter-in-law Michal.

Looking the other direction (towards the castle) from our
windows, we could enjoy the entertainment each day!

Here's all 9 of us - Heather, Shira, Michal, Daniel, Josh, Maya
Ariella and Scott

The beautiful new Parliament building

The next day we headed up to Loch Ness. Tickets to the "Beastie Boat" tour were difficult to get at the last moment. We should have bought them way in advance. But we were able to get 5 of them - Scott and all of the kids, except Ariella, who volunteered to go with Michal on the regular boat tour. I enjoyed a quiet lunch at the hotel next to the Tour dock. Everyone loved the boat rides.
On the way back we watched boats work their way through the Caledonian Canal locks.
Next day we drove to Oban, a harbor town on the west coast. It was fun walking along the promenade and we managed to get on the docks and meet some sailors. An upscale coffee & chocolate shop made for an excellent break. That afternoon we drove along Loch Awe (A85) back to A82.
On the way, we stopped at St. Conan's Kirk - a gorgeous church built in 1883.
From there we headed south to Glasgow, where we spent one night at the Hilton Hotel - not Scott and my usual choice for sure but everyone loves having a pool.
In Glasgow, we took a bus tour of the city

A rest stop on the way down humping our
luggage

Outside the Parliament building, we struck a pose

Scott and our beautiful Ariella, also known as Cookie

Heather at the back of our big van. Luckily
we had full insurance because we swiped
the wall in the two underground garages
we visited - narrow, narrow passages!!!

Table set for dinner with one of the two
living rooms in the distance.

The beautiful town of Luss - one flower-bedecked cottage
after another.

as we had to leave the next day to return the van in Edinburgh and take the train back to London from there. It looks like a lovely city and worth more time on another visit.
Happily, the train back was uneventful and on time.
In London again we spent most of our time just visiting with our family. Our son Josh flew back from Dallas and we celebrated Shabbat with several great meals and met some of their friends.
But we did take one day to visit the new soccer stadium for the Tottenham Spurs. Our youngest son and husband are big fans. The brand new huge store there had every item possible with their logos. After purchasing quite a few, we headed down to the Thames and walked the Thames path, where we had a good lunch at the Oyster Shed.
We had one other special non family event. An overnight with dinner & breakfast with our cruiser friends Dic & Lizzie Clubb. Their sailboat "Indian Summer" is at Tortugal Marina with "Scott Free". We've enjoyed many great times with them in Guatemala and Belize. It was fun to see their beautiful home and garden - they were gracious hosts.

Here's 5 of our grandchildren with our daughter-in-law: Maya, Daniel, Shira, Jonathan, Ariella and Michal

The Falls of Falloch near Glencoe. We stopped at the Glencoe visitor center to learn about the history and had a snack.

The Gondola at the Nevis Range resort
near Ft. William brought us up to a great hike and a viewpoint.

The view from the Hollytree Hotel on Loch Linnhe where
we stayed two nights

Picturesque Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness from the boat.

Scotland is so scenic. You can just point your camera anywhere. Here's a view from the boat trip on Loch Ness. 

We bought tickets for the Beastie Boys fast boat on Loch Ness but
 could only get 5 of them. Michal & Ariella took
 the regular Jacobite boat and I enjoyed s quiet lunch.

Next, we watched the boats navigate the Caledonian Canal

The canal is lined with charming cottages with beautiful
gardens

Here's a map of the Canal

The next day we drove to the seafront town of Oban past Dunstaffnege Castle - gorgeous!

Michal and I enjoyed a cappuccino on the waterfront in Oban.

Scott loved being back on the ocean. We managed to get onto
the locked docks and talk to some of the cruisers.

The interior of St. Conan's Kirk. 

There was an inviting tea room set up on the
lawn here, but it was full.

One of the lovely squares in Glasgow. We were lucky to miss
the torrential rain which hit the highlands everywhere we
 weren't at the time. We saw electronic signs in many places
warning us of severe weather. 

Buddleia or Butterfly bushes were common everywhere,
along with the, in the States anyway, invasive purple
loosestrife. 

The Hanseatic Walk along the Thames from
London Bridge down to Southwark Bridge.

The Tower Bridge and river traffic

Dic & Lizzie Clubb in their beautiful garden

And at breakfast in the sunny kitchen.

London and All That Jazz - Part Two

Scott, Tony and Hilary at St. Katherine Docks

Both old and new boats line this historic
Marina

From left to right Sue, Tony, Scott, Heather , Hilary and Tony
on board "Angel Louise"

Hilary poses alongside the Tower Bridge on the Thames

On Saturday evening we had tickets for La Sonnambula at the Royal Opera House and dinner in their fabulous restaurant. We got as gussied up as our suitcase wardrobe allowed and stopped off on the way at "Angel Louise" to visit Ed and Sue at their berth in St. Katherine Docks. They are spending the winter at this downtown marina right near the Tower of London. Their 2011 cruise has certainly been a study in contrasts; the Florida Keys, Bermuda, the Azores, weeks on the Atlantic and now in the center of a great city.

The amazing restaurant at the Opera House. Check out the "suspended bar" at the top left. It's an optical illusion. The
rear wall is a mirror.

The Opera was terrific, especially the performance by soprano Eglise Gutierrez. The glitzy set, an Art Deco sanitarium set high in the Alps, was fun although logic as usual was missing from the plot. The wonderfully musical score by Bellini was the real hit. Or perhaps I should admit it was the dinner in the fabulous restaurant. My photos here do not do it credit. We ate up in the Balconies overlooking the restored hall, formerly a flower market. The food, ordered months in advance, was wonderful as was the service, but the setting was magical. It was a very special evening.
Sunday was really our last day as we flew home early Monday morning. We decided to stay close by and visit the Maritime Museum in Greenwich. We really loved our by now familiar walk through Blackheath and Greenwich Park and this time continued down past the Royal Observatory to the Thames. This is a huge museum packed with fascinating exhibits and unfortunately we didn't have enough time to do it justice. We'll hopefully return another day.
Tony and Hilary picked us up after lunch at the museums' pleasant cafe and we drove into the Barbicon complex. We went to the matinee performance of "Louis the Movie", Director Dan Pritzker's new silent film, with a score composed by Wynton Marsalis. It was part of the London Jazz Festival and featured Cecile Acherie on the piano and a terrific New Orleans jazz ensemble. It was a fun homage to Louis Armstrong and silent films. A nice surprise was finding the young talented star in the audience afterwards. He received a large ovation.
On our last night we had a wonderful and elegant dinner at home with our hosts. It was a perfect cap to an amazing week in London and a wonderful two months in Europe. Although we were looking forward to returning home, this trip did not tire us out. We could have kept going. We believe it was due to staying in one place often during the trip. We had two weeks on the boat, and one week stays at houses in Provence, Pisa, Naples and London. Most of the time we ate at home for at least two meals a day. Staying at hotels and eating out is really wonderful but it would be tiring for months at a time. This was really the perfect combination. And last it was spending time with our great friends; Walt & Honoree, John & Brenda and Tony & Hilary. Thank you so much!

This was the balcony where we had
the most amazing dinner  before the Opera
and then dessert during the intermission.

Greenwich Park leading down to the Thames

The Planetarium at the Royal Observatory

The view down to the Maritime Museum from the heights
at the Observatory

A close up of the Maritime Museum and the Queen's House,
which was under renovation.

We've been in a Force 8 storm over three days at anchor
in Curacao with Hurricane Omar.

A variety of ships are displayed in the open courtyard of
the Maritime Museum. This is a royal barge.

The fabulous view looking down the central courtyard
from the Thames

The table set for our farewell dinner at Tony
and Hilary's home in Blackheath

London and all that Jazz - Part One

From left to right on Angel Louise, Ed, Sue, Tony, Scott, Heather and Hilary

The Chunnel, the fast train from Paris to London is a delight, although as expensive as flying. It took just over two hours, as we left the train at the earlier stop right after leaving the tunnel in England. Our friends Tony and Hilary were waiting for us there. Our decision to spend our last week in London was made to visit them. We met them in Curacao and have spent many wonderful times with them on their boat "Miss Charlotte". They have since sold her and split their time now between homes in London and Tuscany.

Tony, Hilary, Scott and I all dressed up for the Opera

This jaunty ship was bottled up in Trafalgar Square

It was an amazing week. They are the best hosts imaginable and had a schedule of theaters and restaurants all set up in advance. Our first evening was fun and hectic. We drove to their home in Blackheath, one of the famous "Span" houses, dropped off our luggage and took the train into London. They headed off for their Italian lessons and we to meet up with other cruising friends, Ed and Sue on "Angel Louise".
Ed and Sue sailed across the Atlantic this summer stopping in Bermuda, the Azores and the Channel Islands before cruising the south coast of England to London. "Angel Louise" is tied up at St. Katherine Docks on the Thames. We were part of the honorary crew team that followed their adventures on the high seas.

A Van Gogh painting being recreated in front of the National
Gallery in plants.

We met them at the Cruising Association House for a slide presentation on cruising through the European canals and rivers from England to Istanbul and back. It was very interesting. Then the four of us joined up with Tony and Hilary for dinner at the Prospect of Whitby, a historic pub near the waterfront (57 Wapping Way, London E1W 354, 020 74811095). The current building dates from the 19th C but a tavern stood here from around 1520, formerly called the Devil's Tavern. Luckily we arrived just before the kitchen closed. The food was typical pub food cooked better than most. My "bangers and mash" were good as was Scott's "fish and chips".
Months in advance we booked tickets for the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit at the National Gallery for the next morning. The opening had just been days before and was such a big event it was broadcast live to theaters around the country. He was not a prolific painter so most people have only seen one or two of his works. This was a historic opportunity to view most of them together, along with those of many of his students and contemporaries. His two Madonna of the Rocks were displayed opposite from each other - a rare opportunity to compare them. I found the Lady with the Ermine especially beautiful.
Afterwards we had lunch at the new cafe in the crypt of the St. Martin of the Fields church nearby. Fantastic. Whoever thought of this has struck gold. It was packed. It was cafeteria style but good interesting food at a somewhat reasonable price (it is the pound).
A walk through Covent Garden helped our digestion. Huge colorful Christmas decorations and street entertainers vied for our attention (and I thought we in the U.S. started the Christmas theme early) there. The outdoor markets and restaurants here don't close down in the winter.

We met Tony and Hilary again at the theater for a matinee performance of the Pittman Painters. This hit show portrays a group of actual miners that began art lessons in 1934, the Ashington Group. The Workers Educations Association (WEA) had had been running classes for the miners since 1927 (the first one was on Evolution). Robert Lyon, artist and teacher was their instructor and after realizing they had basically never seen any art, suggested they paint themselves to develop appreciation for art. It was a huge success with these miners and later with critics and the public. They exhibited their work many times and continued to paint as a group until 1983 when their meeting hut was finally demolished. The play was written by Lee Hall after the book by William Feaver, writer of Billy Elliot, and was wonderful.

The theme and original painting

Trafalgar Square in front of the National Gallery 

The Crypt restaurant at St. Martin in the Fields
Those are "head"stones in the floor.

Giant Christmas bulbs hang in Covent Garden

After the play we walked over to the London Eye along the Thames. Tony had got us tickets to this giant ferris wheel that looms over the city. Built for the Millennium it didn't actually open until March, 2000, but it is now enormously popular with tourists and residents. And we understand why - the views from the cars are amazing. I loved the glowing blue structure of the wheel itself. We ascended at twilight.

Typical English pubs with floral decorations

The superstructure of the London Eye with the Thames in
the background

Our neighbor pod reaches the top looking like a space ship

A few of the desserts at Ottolenghi restaurant

The handsome 20 foot high Octagonal Room at the peak
of Flamsteed House

We capped off the evening with dinner at a nearby Wagamamas, an interesting restaurant with long tables and excellent asian food. This is a chain of 105 restaurants all across Europe and the U.S. The first three of them in the U.S. opened in Boston in 2007 but until this time we'd never run into one.
It was a relaxing day following; laundry, bridge and a lovely walk down to Greenwich Park. That evening was dinner at Ottolenghi, a really delicious tapas style restaurant from Israeli born Chef Yotan Ottolenghi (1968). We went to their main location at 287 Upper St. Islington, London N1 2T2 (020 7288 1454). Our little plates of food were wonderful and left us enough room for the really gorgeous desserts piled up by the front door.
Then it was off to the Sadler Wells Theater for the Taiwan contemporary dance troup, Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan. The absolute control these dancers have over their bodies is amazing. The minimalist sets, lighting and costumes focused on the designs and patterns the dancers create. Somehow we got to talking to the couple seated in front of us and enjoyed a lot in commen. They lived nearby and invited us over afterwards to see their stunning penthouse apartment - very contemporary, two levels each with it's own terrace/roof garden. Another memorable evening altogether.

Harrison's H1

H2

Our brief walk had left us with a desire to see much more of Blackheath and Greenwich. The next morning we went to the Royal Observatory museum, mainly to see the series of time pieces created by John Harrison. He made his first proposal for a marine chronometer in 1730 and finally received his last payment for achievement in 1773. He built five clocks during that time. The first four are in the Museum. The fifth was copy of H4 that King George tested himself and upon finding it accurate, demanded that Harrison receive the final payments due him. The payment was 20,000 pounds offered to anyone who could solve the problem of Longitude measurement.
Many ships and thousands of men had died due to errors in navigation due to inability to properly map where they were. Hipparchus in the 2nd C BC had already proved that accurate time knowledge could determine longitude but no one had every been able to build an accurate clock that could function at sea. Latitude had been resolved some time previously. You just needed to measure the altitude of the sun at noon with the aid of a table giving the sun's declination for the day. All we can say is, "Thank God for GPS". This is a fascinating subject and we had enjoyed the four part movie called "Longitude" with Jeremy Irons and Michael Gambon last spring.
The Royal Observatory itself was founded by Charles II in 1675 and was the home of the Astronomer Royals. It is the location of the Prime Meridian and a "time ball" at the top drops daily at 1 PM to mark the exact time. This was once a time check for ships in the River heading out to sea. Outside there is a beautiful view down to the Maritime Museum and the Thames. We decided to come back for that the next day.

H3

H4 - a giant pocket watch.

Astride the Prime Meridian at Greenwich

Several soccer games at a time on Blackheath