Tranquility in Tring

I am at Heathrow Airport waiting for my flight home after a lovely spa weekend with Jennifer. I spent Friday night in the Smith household where we dined on delicious slow cooked lemon chicken. It was very nice to see Russell, Josh and Ben, and I tried to make up for being a neglectful auntie by being a generous one! I hope they will remember me fondly when I am dead!

The next morning we went on a dog walk with gorgeous Angus; the countryside where Jennifer lives is beautiful and we went up a hill from which we could see the roof of Chequers among the trees. Angus is such a sweetie and his happy demeanour reminded me of the westies of my childhood - Mandy and Judy. When I tripped and fell down in the woods he rushed over to try to help me by licking my face - that got me on my feet in record time! 

It was a beautiful day and continued to be warm and sunny when we arrived at Champneys in Tring. Champneys is an attractive red brick former stately home and after checking in and exploring we found ourselves sitting outside drinking coffee, attired in our cossies, bathrobes and slippers. It was great to sit on the terrace overlooking the gardens and I could feel myself relaxing.

We made full use of the facilities; gym, swimming pool, and our favourite - the outside jacuzzi. Jennifer and I never run out of things to talk about and we chatted and laughed for the whole weekend.

We also each had a body wrap and a facial which were absolutely blissful. You don't have to dress up for dinner but Jennifer and I had both brought dresses and we looked very lovely if I say so myself. And we had tried so many spa products that we certainly smelled very lovely! Dinner was on the healthy side but very tasty, and after coffee in the lounge we were so exhausted that we went straight to bed. 

This morning flew by. Fortified by a large (but healthy) breakfast we had more treatments, swam, jacuzzied and relaxed - excellent. Jennifer has persuaded (well, almost persuaded) me to try an app called the couch to 5K challenge. I can do the couch bit with no problem! 

And all too soon it was time to set off back home. It was a great spa weekend but seeing Jennifer (and her three boys) was the best bit.

Leaving in Style

I mentioned in my last post that our hotel in Venice has a water entrance directly onto a canal. It looks amazing with the water lapping on the steps. Because of this I decided to treat us to a water taxi to the airport this morning. Much more fun than rolling our cases through the streets to the vaporetto! So after a leisurely breakfast we checked out and our taxi appeared at the door. The half hour journey to the airport was absolutely amazing and I will remember it forever.

Goodbye Venice! 

Serenissima

Back across the Adriatic we sailed to Venice. Hard to believe that a whole week had gone by since we set off from there on our cruise. After disembarking in Saturday morning we took a vaporetto (water bus) to St Mark's Square and then expertly hopped onto another one which took us along the Grand Canal to the Rialto Bridge. What a busy waterway it is, full of gondolas and water taxis. Our hotel was just a few minutes walk through some very narrow streets and over a tiny bridge. As well as a front door onto a little square it has a side door right onto a canal! It was too early to check in so we left our luggage at reception and set off for a wander around Venice. We walked and walked and walked - most of the time we had little or no idea where we were but we didn't care. We strolled along the pretty streets, window shopping and looking along the many small canals, and crossing lots of bridges. The weather was so beautiful that we stayed outside apart from a visit to the Accademia, where the pre 18th century religious paintings were mostly a bit gloomy for me. My favourite painting was Paul Veronese's The Feast in the House of Levi. I enjoyed it for its lively and jolly content rather than its quality - it was originally to be called The Last Supper but apparently the Catholic Church was outraged by its depiction of drunk people, animals and a dancing dwarf so its name had to be changed! 

Eventually we found ourselves right at the point beside the church of Santa Maria della Salute just as a whole lot of sailing boats swept into St Mark's Basin - it was spectacular. 

We continued our meandering walk towards St Mark's Square where we had a lovely afternoon tea at Florian's - expensive but so good! Then we headed back in the general direction of Rialto where we had a little rest in our lovely gold and white room in our hotel before dinner. We also took the opportunity to phone our dear children who are all in Oslo because Jamie and Davie are visiting Ally. They seem to be having a grand time on their boys' weekend. 

We went to a busy wee trattoria for dinner, where the food was excellent but the service was terribly slow, followed by a last perambulation to the Rialto Bridge where we looked at the lights of the cafés reflected in the water. 

Retirement Home for an Emperor

On Friday we arrived back to Croatia, this time to the port of Split. We had signed up for a tour and I was glad we did because our guide Žarko was very knowledgable and told us lots about the history of the area. They have not had an easy history and have been ransacked over the centuries by just about every warring nation who was passing through. They are very keen to build up their tourist industry so he kept asking us to come back next year. We first visited the tiny medieval town of Trogir, famous for its narrow streets, its cathedral and its A Cappella singing which was of course being performed in the main square. We managed not to buy the inevitable CD and gave our tour group the slip so that we could quickly climb up the cathedral's bell tower for a lovely view. 

Then we went back to Split for the second part of the tour. The most interesting former resident of the town was the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who is famous for being the only Roman Emperor to manage to retire (usually it was a job that ended in death!) As a Croatian boy (he had been proclaimed emperor after rising through the ranks of the military) he wanted to spend his twilight years back home so he had a truly magnificent palace built in what is now Split, right on the sea front with beautiful gardens - and very thick, well defended walls just in case any of his former enemies came to attack him. And he did indeed have his retirement, resisting entreaties from his followers to return as Emperor. Although quite a lot of the palace has recycled into the medieval town that grew there centuries later, its fortified walls can still clearly be seen and the Roman military shape of the streets inside are still there. It was well worth the visit and I would definitely like to go back some day.

What I like to do on the ship

Well the time has flown by since my last post from Kusadasi. After buying not one but two bags from very persistent salesmen (one of whom kept kissing me, probably because we paid over the odds for the bag!) we had another day at sea. A day at sea is a nice change of pace and we both totally chilled out. I have enjoyed my reading this holiday. First of all I finished Hillary Clinton's book "Hard Choices" which I was already half way through. I could rename it "Hard Going" because I found it to be rather difficult; I'm not very well informed about politics due to my reprehensible lack of interest in the subject when I was younger. However I persisted and felt that I learned quite a bit. Then I read David Mitchell's "The Bone Clocks" which I thought was very good and well written (he also wrote "Cloud Atlas") and then Paul Merton's autobiography which was quite interesting although a bit guarded in places. Now I am reading another Patricia Cornwell "Scarpetta" crime novel; I rather overdid these earlier in the year but after a break I am ready to suspend my disbelief and enter into the world of Kay and her cronies once again! 

In between all this reading I managed to go to the gym and keep up my swimming. There are lots and lots of activities on the cruise (line dancing, fitness classes, bingo, shows, quizzes, lectures on the destinations to name but a few) but James and I are really very happy pottering about doing our own thing. And in the evening after dinner we go to our favourite bar for drinks. We are quite happy with our own company but as it happens we met some great people this week - we bonded when we noticed that we were all covertly watching a couple who were so drunk that they were falling down - quite literally. We didn't mean to laugh at them but the combination of their finery and dishevelled state was very funny! This got us all chatting and we started meeting up and have had a good laugh. And later on James and I like going back to the room to sit on the balcony in the warm darkness and watch the lights of other ships passing in the distance. 

Bananas and Butterflies

I'm sitting under a banana tree in Kusadasi sipping a cool drink. It's hot here, and James and I are a bit overheated after going for a decent length of walk out to Bird Island and then further on uphill for views back to the town. 

I don't know if Autumn is butterfly season here but our walk was enhanced by lots of beautiful patterned white butterflies flitting around. I'm very fond of Kusadasi and we have chosen to spend the day wandering around the town rather than embark on one of the (no doubt excellent) archaeological tours that are on offer. I would definitely like to revisit Ephesus some time, I believe that more buildings have been unearthed recently. Maybe next cruise! 

So after we have cooled down and finished our drinks we will head into to bazaar where we may buy a genuine fake something!  

Lunch in Plaka

Athens was hot today! After a relaxing and extremely pleasant day at sea yesterday (reading, swimming, gym, more reading, people-watching and eating) we arrived this morning into the port of Piraeus. 

It's only two years since our previous visit to Athens, which was also on a cruise, so the route and landmarks were very familiar as we travelled by coach to the Acropolis. It's a big city (about four and a half million people I think) and fairly flat apart from half a dozen small but steep hills sticking up among the white buildings. On one of these hills is the Acropolis, where we spent some time wandering around; it was lovely to see the Parthenon and the other temples again on this beautiful day. Then we went shopping in Plaka, the old quarter below the Acropolis. The narrow streets there are very attractive and it didn't feel like we were in the middle of a large city. We found the lovely restaurant, Diogenes, where we had lunch two years ago, and had a relaxing lunch of tsatsiki and stuffed vine leaves sitting on the shady terrace.

Pearl of the Adriatic

Lord Byron called Dubrovnik the Pearl of the Adriatic and I can see why. It is a really beautiful town and the medieval city inside its stout (and still complete) walls is absolutely stunning. And pedestrianised, which makes it very pleasant to walk in.

The buildings are pale limestone with red terracotta tiled roofs. There's plenty to see; churches and museums, nice shops and (allegedly) the oldest Pharmacy in Europe. Today however we were so enjoying the warm weather that we stayed outside the whole time. As soon as we arrived we climbed up steep stone steps at the Pile Gate to the top of the wall and walked all the way round, pausing frequently to admire the views and take photos. I was also very impressed with the cleanliness of the town; no litter, no graffiti and the toilets in the café we visited were pristine. After descending from the wall we strolled down the Stradun which is the main street, and we had a drink sitting outside the Poklisar Café (with the nice clean toilets!) which was in a very picturesque spot under the wall beside the harbour. As we continued our perambulations we saw lots of equally well appointed cafés and restaurants; I would love to spend more time here and James agreed that a return visit would definitely be a good idea.  

Hair cut at sea

After leaving Venice I went to get my hair cut and painted at the hairdressing salon on the ship. I ran out of time to get it done before school finished, which annoyed me. I still haven't sorted out my work / life balance although I think I'm getting better at it. (At least some days I think I'm getting better at it.)

Anyway as soon as we arrived on the ship I made a booking for 7 p.m. so that I wouldn't miss the departure from Venice. The hairdresser, Helen, is lovely and she got me all coloured and cut just the way I like it. It felt surreal and luxurious to have my hair done on a ship! During my haircut we saw lightning lighting up the whole sky outside and heard crashing thunder, very exciting! I also had a head and shoulder massage which lifted away the last of my tension and I felt brand new when we went for our hearty dinner. A bit too hearty I think because I could barely stagger away from the table - I'm going to have to pace myself! 

No Grandi Navi!

Here we are on the Norwegian Jade about to set off on our Mediterranean cruise. As with the start of many holidays it has been a long day! We got up at 4.30 a.m. to get to the airport nice and early because we reckoned that this Saturday of the schools' October holiday week would be busy. And so it was; there was a big queue at check in, although security hustled us through very efficiently. I napped a bit on the plane and then there was a bit more queueing to collect our cases in Venice, get on a bus, and check into the ship.

But by about 2 p.m. we had explored the ship, had a pleasant lunch and were relaxing on sun loungers on the deck. I had a good swim and hope to do so every day of the cruise. And now we are moving slowly down Giudecca Canal in Venice about to pass St Mark's Basin. This is the last year that cruise ships will be allowed to do this because of the erosion that their bow waves cause to the ancient buildings, and quite right too - but I have to say it is an amazing view!

Update half an hour later - James just said "Well that was one of life's rich experiences!" and I thought he meant the  wonderful views we have just seen. In fact he meant this first ever Aperol Spritz which I bought him at the deck bar as a tribute to Heather and Ewan!

Visitor on a bicycle

David now has a white coat and safety goggles for his lab work at University! He looked so great wearing them - like a real mad scientist. However he ran away when I tried to take his photo.

How lovely it was to see Jamie this evening. Jamie cycled all the way here from Edinburgh this afternoon - a total of 55 miles from his house to ours. By the time I got home from work he was showered, changed and had very sore legs! His new bike is very smart; let's hope that this one doesn't get stolen. We had a curry and a good chat. He is working very hard but enjoying his job, although he likes some placements more than others.

Shopping with Grandma

We gave Grandma a voucher for Jenners for her birthday with the services of a personal shopper to accompany her - me! So today was the appointed day and we set off eastwards on this mild and rainy morning. At James' suggestion we parked at Ingliston park and ride and took a tram into the centre of Edinburgh. This was a tremendous idea because it only took forty minutes to get to Ingliston and the tram ride itself was very pleasant. It was the first time that either Grandma or I have used Edinburgh's new trams since the service started at the end of May, so we were both very excited and enjoyed looking at the views of Edinburgh on the way in. The tram was very smart and comfortable.
We got off at St Andrews Square and walked across to Jenners, where we browsed around the womenswear section. I'm not the most enthusiastic shopper in the world but from time to time I can get into the spirit and today was quite enjoyable. Grandma chose a really gorgeous suit by Hobbs in a blue and black check; she did have to add to her voucher by quite a bit to pay for it! I also treated myself to a rather nice black wool dress.
We had lunch in the café and had a nice chat; Grandma regaled me with stories about her new neighbour over the back who she feels is very suspicious. This is mainly because she saw him in the garden wearing what could have been black shorts but could well have been boxers. There goes the neighbourhood!
We got home at about four after more tram excitement and I am exhausted; shopping with Grandma has worn me out!