Monday, September 2, 2013

Despite still fighting the effects of jet lag (and Carl recovering from a nasty head cold) we managed to rise early and headed to Schloss Schonbrunn. Built in the late 18th century, this massive palace was the summer home to generations of Hapsburgs along with their 1,500 staff (!!). We toured the state and family apartments - highly decorated in the over the top Rococo style which you either love or hate. Then we walked the gardens and hiked up to the Glorietta for amazing views of the city.




(Yes, that's Carl.. he's on the trip too!)


The Glorietta above.




Jumped on the U-Bahn which is a very efficient and fast subway system, and headed back downtown to the Treasury. The Treasury is the equivalent of the Tower of London's Crown Jewels collection - room after room of Hapsburg family jewels, crowns, coronation robes - an incredible collection. See various magnificent crowns below. The last one is 900 years old.









We also visited St Michael's, the church of the royal court. The altar is very unusual with its sculpted depiction of the archangel Gabriel and the expulsion of rebel angels - all in full blown Rococo.




We had an excellent dinner at Walter Bauer restaurant in the old town...if you come to Vienna don't miss this place! We have been very impressed with the Austrian wines..far better than what you get at the LCBO. Once again, a cool day. Everyone here is dressed for winter which is depressing when I review my collection of shorts and thin t-shirts.

'Til tomorrow,


Fiona & Carl

Sunday Sep 1, 2013

Gruss Gott! (the standard Austrian greeting here), after a turbulent flight (dinner wasn't served until after midnight!) we landed in Frankfurt and quickly transferred to our flight to Vienna. Our hotel Le Meridien is in a perfect location in the centre of the city right by the Opera house and museums. We can walk everywhere. Beautiful city, beautiful architecture and outdoor cafes everywhere. We headed to the top of St Stephen's cathedral to see the amazing city view and then walked around for a couple of hours.









Today we spent the morning at the Kunsthistoriches (art museum) where we saw the most beautiful collection of sculpture and objects d'art collected by the Hapsburgs over the centuries- the craftmanship is stunning. The gold salt cellar La Saliere, (see below) the most famous piece from the collection and priceless It was stolen from the museum a few years ago...thief confessed a year or so later and it was dug from an Austrian farmer's backyard where it had been buried!





We then headed for a tour of the Vienna sewers. If you have seen the movie The Third Man you will understand the attraction. Twenty of us donned helmets and descended stone steps (below) the same ones Orson Welles raced down as he was chased by the police through the sewer system- for a really interesting tour of the underground.




















Bit smelly and very dark, it was interspersed with clips of the movies and explanations of how the sewer system works - all quite fascinating. Continuing on the Third Man theme, we headed to the Prater, a large amusement park whose Ferris wheel played a role in the movie. We then rode the wheel to see the views of Vienna. Back to hotel and then out for a comfort food Sunday night dinner at Cafe Landtmann-one of the original Viennese cafes - the goulash and apple strudel were delicious! Weather a bit cool here. Good thing I brought layers. Getting tired now...jet lag...eyes closing. Gute Nacht!


Fiona & Carl

Location:Vienna

Sat Sep 8

Our final day. A visit to cousin Richard and his wife Petrina in Coolock to meet the children. Then downtown for a remarkable farewell dinner with the family. It was Maeve's last evening too.




Far too little time in Ireland. Our hotel room overlooked Trinity College. At the end of the night, it took a great deal of willpower to head up to the room rather than out to the Temple Bar.

Home tomorrow :-(

Location:Dublin, Ireland

Thu Sep 6

Arrived in Ballinasloe mid-day whereupon Niall took us on a history tour of nearby sites.









Clontuskert Abbey, 9th c. Several styles evident.








Clonfert - Cathedral of St. Brendan the Navigator who is buried in the church yard. Original was 6th c. Door likely medieval is the best example of Norman-Celtic architecture.




Clonfert - Our last Mitford link. It was here that the English fascist Oswald Mosley and his wife Diana Mitford lived immediately after WWII.

Location:Ballinsloe, Co. Galway

Wed Sep 5

We drove from Devon to Heathrow this morning, dropped our luggage at the hotel and then on to our final destination, Windsor Castle. Spectacular chapel, remarkable state rooms (better than Buck), and some interesting architecture. The famous Richard III painting is there among other great portraits. Pub dinner at the White Horse in Longford. Off to Dublin early tomorrow. Will Rob Ford be gone when we get home?









&&

Location:Windsor, Berkshire

Tue Sep 4

We headed south to the coast today first stopping at a donkey rescue sanctuary. The donkeys who arrive at the sanctuary have either been abused or neglected or retired as working animals. Over 400 donkeys are here, guaranteed a nice life of food and companionship in the lovely fields of Devon. Donkeys tend to bond to one other donkey so if one donkey goes to the vetinary hospital, the other goes too. Thousands of people leave bequests for this place in their wills so they appear well funded with no entrance fees requested..here I am with "Pippa" who is 35 years old!







From there on to from where we hiked 2 miles along the cliffside to Beer, a holiday town. Beautiful views of the cliffs along the way. The Devon cliffs are mostly red but at this point they are white. Then back along the top of the cliff. A rather hilarious drive to get here, down single track roads with a couple of encounters with garbage trucks. They take precedence because they refuse to back up :-)
















Next we moved along the coast to Sidmouth, all in search of the perfect Devon cream tea. While perhaps not the best scone ever, it was pretty darn tasty with lashings of clotted cream and strawberry jam. Sidmouth is a lovely town with sprawling old Victotian hotels and beautifully maintained gardens. It is a decent size and so not too touristy.

Drive day tomorrow, back to Heathrow with a visit to Windsor Castle first.

Location:Devon Coast

Mon Sep 3

We began today with a short detour to a location about 10 miles north of us. This is Wolford Chapel, the burial place of John Graves Simcoe - founder of Toronto - and it is fairly well hidden in the Devon forests. It was deeded to Canada in 1966 and it was nice to discover some Ontario history in this old region.




Then on to the Dartmoor village of Chagford. Gorgeous vistas in the park. We had the ultimate ploughman's lunch at the Three Crowns Inn which consisted of Devon blue cheese, ham, pickled onions, apple and crusty bread - delicious!! The Three Crowns is famous as the site where Evelyn Waugh wrote Brideshead Revisited (although none of the staff knew that - too young)






Our final stop was at Lydford, site of a gorge through which we made a 3 mile hike. It seemed easy enough at first but the wet, muddy rocks were slippery so it took some caution. The water rushes down from the Dartmoor heights in a series of rapids and falls, well worth the visit.




Devon countryside is absolutely stunning. The county is sprinkled with all these lovely villages with thatched roof cottages and ancient small churches. The weather was perfect today which made our travels all the better. Food has been excellent here at the hotel. We need to keep walking to work off the calories. Tomorrow we head for the coast to do some walks along along the cliffs...and perhaps visit a donkey rescue sanctuary nearby...I have to work on Carl for that one!

Location:Dartmoor, Devon

Sun Sep 2

Here's to Brad Wiggins & the cyclists who train on the roads of England. The hills and curves are great riding but one must do so on shoulderless roads where the speed limits are often 60 mph. The cars are very respectful and give a decent birth. However, it does mean that at times they must just wait for a gap in the oncoming traffic. Perhaps it is because a car must always pull around a bike that they are patient about it. Back in Canada, it seems that even occasional patience is too much for some drivers (can't you tell Carl wrote this!)






We are in the heart of Devon in the village of Gittisham. It is a village of thatched cottages reached via a single track road and beloved by the Cornwalls. We made an 11 km hike along country trails and lanes with a pub stop for some good bitter and Somerset cider. The day is soft but warm and having skipped lunch, our dinner will be welcome.




Above is an example of the local wildlife...those little chicks are adorable!






We arrived today at our hotel, Combe House Hotel, a beautiful 16th c Elizabethan manor home set in rural beauty of Devon. The interior is gorgeous with a huge front hall with a enormous wood burning fireplace. I know we will enjoy our 3 night stay here - the food is supposed to be excellent.

Location:Gittisham, Devon

Sat Sept 1

Today we visited two very interesting local towns - Wells and Glastonbury. Wells is named after St Andrew's wells that bubble up near the Bishop's Palace and flow through the town. Surrounded by a moat, the palace has been inhabited by the Bishops of Bath and Wells for over 800 years. Swans in the moat know to pull on a bell string when they want food - quite something to see! The landscaped gardens are just stunning. The Wells Cathedral is definitely worth seeing - begun in the 1100's and contains tombs dated from the 990s. A city of much medieval character. But no 16th c. bishop tombs.







Then on to Glastonbury - most famous for its annual rock festival in June which attracts tens of thousands for a 3 day event. The town has many mystical associations...lots of shops selling crystals, tarot cards, incense everywhere, scruffy hippies, sad goths ... and then there's the whole King Arthur thing - he's supposedly buried within the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. We climbed to the top of the Glastonbury Tor. Seen for miles around, the Tor is a very high hill with the remains of a 14th century church atop it. Amazing views of the Somerset countryside. Beneath the tower is where Joseph of Arimathea buried the Holy Grail.





We then headed over to the Glastonbury Abbey ruins...built in the 8th century, burned down in the 12th, rebuilt and then left in ruins after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century. It's a beautiful place to wander about. Tomorrow we move onto Devon. We loved our time here in Bath - such a beautiful city.







Our only disappointment was Pete Best. Imagine not being "the" Pete Best, but a karaoke singer instead, who did a Neil Diamond set followed by a Tom Jones. Not so bad with a pint in the end.