Our Homes Away From Home In England and France 2010

Sometimes it is just fun to have a record of the places that we have stayed in during our trips, especially when  traveling in Europe. This is true due to the fact that they usually do not have rooms with doubles in them as we are accustomed to here in the USA. We have found this interesting and challenging at times.
Here are the hotels( drum roll):

I loved this location , this is Earls Court in London. It looks like one of the streets in Mary Poppins to me. The Metro Stop is at the end of the block and on the left and then right, not even a three minute walk The Hotel Chain was K and K Hotel George. Here is a look inside

The key..gotta have one of those and its cool.The circle is magnitized and it attaches to the door and woolah..open. Now inside view of our first European Hotel Room..huge buffet braekfast included in a lovely dining room or English Garden ..spectacular.

This is a triple twin, you can barely see the third.

Small quarters but very comfortable.

A view from across the street.

Now a look at France

Hotel Capenelle..yucky! only one night and all of our time was on he town..thank goodness

Normandy..loved it! Here it is

Hotel La Rosiere Normandy,France  in a rural community near the beach front. This was wonderful

This lovely lawn area was inviting as well as the bicycles that were available to ride through the countryside. I would stay here again.
 
 

A triple

Breakfast dining...charming

Breakfast Buffet..this hotel is a family run business.

Now it's on to Bristol, England..Marriot right around the corner from the Hippodrome..where Cary Grant was once employed.

The Lobby

The Bar at the Marriot in Bristol, we have a favorite photogragh that is hanging in the bar..you can see it in the distance here is a close up

This was his favorite hotel when he was in town, which was often because he was born here and family was still in town. Now the room...our favorite.

yes, another ...double alas two queens and a sofabed...charming

A great place to put on your shoes, set things, and the cubby next to me , oh yes a tea set with wonderful teas,coffee, and biscuits ( cookies..chocolate dipped..yummy).

A look at the outside

we arrived at night ...From this home base we traveled to Bath, The Cogwalds, and Stonehenge, and saw a castle or two. This location was perfect and the breakfast buffet that was included with our stay was bountiful and delicious.

Remembering A Visiting To A Familiar Place

I love a drive along the wooded roads of Virgina, especially in the Fall as the colors are peaking. This was a state that we found ourselves in for two weeks of adventure for four years or so. When the summer trips ended we tried Hawaii for a few years and it was lush and so relaxing. However, we found ourselves missing the East Coast, and even more, curious about one of our favorite states. So, we have now started the tradition of the Fall Trip, instead of the humidity we have crisp chilly air and beautiful colors of  vibrant red,orange,yellow and green. It has been a new age of discovery for us,almost like finding that favorite large comfy sweater.

Michie's Tavern never seemed so warm and inviting...oh the pumpkins! Gorgeous!!

My road, oh how I missed the winding road going up to the homestead of President Monroe.

The sounds of the "jar bugs" was absent, but peacefulness of the road was still there.

Some places still hold their magic, as long as you can remember and smile.

Girls and Experience

I've learned alot about friendships over the past three years; I'm blessed with good ones. It has been a great gift to have my high school girlfriends around again, I never realized how important these relationships truly were, as time moved forward none of us realized it. We all bring different experiences to the chat table and sometimes when things become scary, someone has walked the path before us.

My dear friend Susan has walked the halls of cancer, divorce and come through the other side whole emotionally and she is so vibrant. She keeps us all on our toes, she nags until we all have made our appointments and have had our annual mammograms done. Oh my gosh she can be annoying in...a really good way  ;)

Last year her words were ringing in my ears when I discovered my "lump", oh my gosh she is going to shoot me for not going sooner! I remember well the day my son drove me out of town for my procedure, it was my birthday and I was in such pain and I was nervous as hell...but I laughed the whole way making jokes, something I learned from someone younger(it helped). After the waiting and worrying the news came and all was well, but you never forget the experience and you are grateful. Now, so close to that first year anniversary a dear friend is waiting for her surgery date, how bizarre.
She has 4 kids, three still home and the waiting is hard.

I am grateful for girlfriends who have walked before me and grateful for the things that aren't always peaches and cream in life, it's how we learn and how we grow. Thank God we are never too old to still do that.

A Family Remembers Vacation Time

I am surprised at times at how brave we are as we set out to try new things. We have traveled to new places since my son was 5 years old, we have traveled with extended family which I thought was so easy at the time; now I wonder how I did it, pure love is all I can come up with. It was pure joy and love that allowed me the energy to travel with kids ranging from 6-9 years old, we had very few problems and so much laughter because that was the rule of the road. If we weren't having fun, there was a problem!

Well it has been years since I have had that pleasure, but we still travel and it has still been pure joy. The adventures have gotten a bit BIGGER, and we are nuts enough to think we can handle anything, language barrier..ah no big deal. We have learned a little French, and enough Italian to easily get by and make new friends. Currency differences have not deterred us, we learn, we exchange and we love the challenge. Driving in a foreign country has presented its challenges, steering wheel on the opposite side, driving on the opposite side of the road, and all with a stick shift ..wow are we good.

We have been very lucky to have experienced all of these wonderful trips, England,France,Italy and the Eastern seaboard of the wonderful USA. Here is a look back in pictures

1. It really doesn't get much better than this! ;)

Venice ..How Beautiful

After two glorious days in Florence it was time to travel on to Venice, we became fans immediately. This city is quite active with tourists,but it never leaves you feeling that you are discovering its inner beauty in a hurried manner. There is a true sense of personal solitude as you begin to walk the cobblestone walkways. There are so many side streets to meander your way through, much like one gigantic maze and it is fascinating. There is a surprise around every corner; a bridge connecting to another area of enchantment seems to pop up as if it were magic.

Instead of a metro system there are water buses that drop you off at several central points, and the main stop is naturally St. Marks Square. St. Marks becomes a place of pure delight in the dreamy nature of the evening. There are orchestras playing throughout the Square as a backdrop to cafes; people sip wine,smile at one another and relax in its perfect rhythm...wonderful.

Venice is quite special, the food, the water,the people and the shopping.

A Walk Through Florence

The Duomo and a road which splits and offers choices of delight, quite enchanting.

The Pieta Duomo by Michelangelo

The face of the older man is a self portrait of Michelangelo, this is Christ being carried from the cross the woman to the right is Mary ,his mother.

And On To Florence

After three beautiful days in Southern Italy it was time to move north. We had spent a day visiting the ruins of Pompeii, traveling to the hometown of family roots near Benevito, explored the island of Capri and enjoyed the beautiful night life of the coastal town of Sorrento. It was only a sampling of the area, but we managed to experience as much of the region as we could, and I think we did a pretty good job.

We managed to survive "small" alley ways with oncoming traffic, steep winding mountain roads, and the bevy of Italian young ladies that gave my son ( and the other guy) eye strain. Yes, they were beautiful, tall, thin, exquisite skin tone and most with long flowing dark hair.....ah to be young....and in Italy!

We moved onto the autostrata and headed for Florence. In Florence you can experience the splendor of the Renaissance and visit some of the most beautiful museums in the world. It is the capital of Tuscanny and sits on the Arno River. It was occupied by the Germans for one year during WWII and all but one bridge was destroyed upon their retreat from the city. The bridge Ponte Vecchio was spared, many claiming it was considered too beautiful to destroy and spared by orders from Hitler himself. Today as you walk across you can enjoy the beauty of the river, the numerous vendors and their assortment of jewelery and leather goods as well as entertainment.

Wine tasting is available "every where" and it was particularly nice to find a sidewalk cafe to stop and rest and enjoy a glass with some wonderful brochette. Pictures next!

Sorrento and the Driver

Narrow winding roads with vespas surprising you around every corner, or so it seemed, was our introduction to the beautiful southern coastal town of Sorrento. It was hilarious to watch our serious driver flinch as every "mosquito" honked his horn and buzzed toward you. It wasn't long before Frank began to honk the horn and find pieces of road that no one knew existed just like the locals. What an experience, no where in our international adventures had we come to realize that ALL traffic signals were merely "suggestions". Needless to say the evenings were wonderful for sipping a few glasses of wine to console our nerves and provide much needed giggles.

After we managed to drive the winding hill and settle into our new accommodations we were delighted to be directed to a lovely villa with a steep narrow path, which we needed to drive the car up, and carry our luggage up 3 flights of stairs..no lift, and into our beautiful room with a wrap around balcony and exquisite views of the Mediterranean Sea. The adventure continues and I'm thrilled that we love it.

Next....Florence, and Venice...what fun!

The Island of Capri

After four beautiful days in Rome it was time to move on to our next destination, the Amalfi Coast and lovely Sorrento. This area is fabulous, and rich in beauty,social energy, and splendid history. On our second day we arranged a tour of the Island of Capri which is steeped in Greek and Roman History. The waters are warm,turquoise in color and quite inviting.

Our tour guide was a local of Sorrento who was one who moved away from his home town to attend the university of his choice,explore other regions of the world and found himself craving his home and family. He was a great guide, funny, passionate about the area and enlightening. This was an adventurous day as we took a bus upward into the hills to the little town of Anna Capri, which sits above Capri. I sat in the middle not daring to look down or pay attention to the dirt and gravel spilling down over the enormous drop below us.

The views are breathtaking from Anna Capri and the gardens are lush and vibrant. We were able to see the old Greek passage along the side of the mountain and walk the path, what a thrill.

"Pictures Say A Thousand Words"

A beautiful fountain was discovered as we walked through Rome on our way to the Spanish Steps.

Adventures In Italy

We have survived another trip across the pond,plus..over the Alps,and gliding over the Mediterranean Sea. It was an incredibly magical experience filled with our usual zeal for adventure. I cannot believe that we have been this fortunate, but I am thrilled that we have been;it makes me quite giddy to think about it.

We began our first four days in the city of Roma,( I would have said Rome before I left). We made our way quite easily from Fiumicino Airport, by shuttle with several other new arrivals. We had watched so many Rick Steves reviews and Cd's that we had made ourselves a bit nervous about traveling into the city by the Leonardo Express Train or subway. There were so many warnings about pick pockets and about traveling into the city with your luggage that we opted for a shuttle bus, which was wonderful.

Our first evening was spent walking along the street of our hotel and enjoying the accordion music. Once we relaxed a bit we had our first sampling of Italian cuisine and it was delicious! Our visit was filled with at least six hours of walking a day, we were swept away by the architecture, history, and the rhythm of the city. We were quite surprised how easy it was to navigate our way either by Metro or on foot. The Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, St.Peters Basilica, the Vatican and the Ancient Ruins were breathtaking. This was only one of the several cities on our two week journey through Italy.