Taking the Heathrow Express from Paddington we caught our flight to New York via Zurich. Not too sure what happened but we had the most amazing seats on the longer flight from Zurich to New York just behind Business Class at the bulkhead. Plenty of leg room and no "chair in your face" from the person in front. The flight went quickly and was very comfortable.
Landing at Newark airport we took a yellow cab to our hotel in Jersey City.......very expensive!!!!!! The hotel was ok, the bed huge, the complimentary breakfast satisfactory but the best part was that it was in a relatively quiet area and close to the Path railway line which would take us to the World Trade Centre - the gateway to New York City. This we did most days.
The World Trade Centre is mind blowing - such an incredible building representing a dove in flight, wings spread wide. This building is huge as most things seem to be in America.
Ground zero where the twin towers once stood is beautiful. Each towers footprint is now a waterfall pond with the names of each person who lost their lives printed around the edges. It is a very moving and fitting memorial and it was pleasing to see that the land has been used in this way and not just rebuilt on.
Close by is St. Pauls Chapel which served as a place of rest and refuge for recovery workers after 9/11. It survived the devastation without even a broken window. Dust, dirt and smoke damaged the organ but that has since been refurbished.
This route took us onto Broadway, where we booked tickets for Paramour Cirque de Soliel, and into Chinatown......always a great area to explore and eat. Walking back along the other side of this section of Broadway we finally ended up in Battery Park then took the Staten Island Ferry past the statue of Liberty and back. Arriving back in Battery Park with beautiful views to take in we settled at a table and enjoyed a really cold beer. The day had been very hot, a lot of walking had been done and we definitely deserved it. Continuing on we found Wall Street and the financial section of NYC and absolutely exhausted we made our way back to our hotel. The sun went down on day 1.
Day 2 saw us taking the Path train again to WTC - we were getting good at this now - and a bus to 7th Avenue. Times Square was so much smaller than we had imagined but just as bright and magical as portrayed on TV. Spent a while there just looking and taking in the atmosphere then walked on to Central Park......once again HUGE. They were preparing for the NY marathon and the pavilion had just been opened but we wandered around happily in the sunshine. There are so many interesting things to see here. You can hire a bike to get around or take a horse and cart.......you could even skate if so desired!!!! We did none of these........shanks pony is our preferred choice of transport. The Natural History Museum was next on the list - very busy with heaps of children as this was a Saturday - but was a good experience. Tackling the metro system was our next challenge - very different to the London Underground and Paris Metro - and definitely lacking in helpful maps and directions..........but we made it to our destination ok and finally into Bryant Park. This was a great area which had been converted into a Winter Wonderland with Christmas Chalets filled with Christmas gifts and in the middle an ice skating rink filled with capable people skating, from very small to quite old. We watched spellbound and envious, it was a fabulous place, all lit up, but it suddenly became extremely dark and the heavens decided to open. Anticipating this we headed for a bar and restaurant in the park where we stayed for a couple of hours eating glorious Asian food and drinking New Zealand Sav.......perfect.
The rain began to ease fortunately and just in time for us to walk to the Lyric theatre on Broadway to see our show which was awesome. Cirque de Soliel wrapped inside a Broadway show - difficult to imagine but perfect, edge of the seat stuff.
Getting home was a mission.....walk, bus, walk, Path train, walk. So much walking!!!!! Exhausted.
Day 3 we took the Path train all the way to 23rd Street as full service had resumed after the weekend (strikes and closures for service seem to be the bane of our travelling life unfortunately). 23rd street took us close to Chelsea and of course the Chelsea Market which we wanted to explore. We were here at the height of Halloween and the market was totally decked out like a gruesome, Halloween cavern. This is in itself a very interesting market to visit - very eclectic, very artisan, very different. We actually managed to buy ourselves a pie here from an Ozzie pie stand - we were hanging out for one surprisingly. We were also hanging out for a juicy steak but were not prepared to pay NY prices - $US 54????
From Chelsea market we stepped up to walk the Highline. This is a walkway that has been established by using the old Railway line route. As defined it is high and runs between skyscrapers giving excellent views over NYC. We caught a glimpse - our second one - of The Empire State Building but unfortunately our day was cut short unexpectedly when I began to feel a "back attack" coming on. Getting home was a nightmare, stopping for a beer and a "Gary massage" on the way to try to relax the muscle spasm, we finally made it. Knock out medication taken by next morning I was back on track.
Day 4 we had to move hotels and chose to hire a private car for this. Hauling luggage from Jersey City to JFK was not an option under the circumstances and the price was reasonable and worth it.
We had one night in this hotel at the airport, not a place we would recommend, and next morning flew out to Vegas.
Not sure we allowed enough time in New York but packed in heaps and traveled miles in the time we had. Think we saw most of what we set out to see.
Next stop Vegas.
Wednesday, 9 November 2016
Saturday, 5 November 2016
LONDON AND THE NORTH
Driving from Henfold Lakes after, once again, an Ali bacon butty, we headed for Crowborough where we could catch a train to Paddington and stay with Brenton for a weekend in his work's mews house which worked out perfectly for us all.
This is a fabulous place in the heart of Paddington close to the station which gives you access to most areas of London, either by walking, underground or train. It also worked well because everyone we wished to meet up with could get to this point.
And so it happened and a fabulous evening was spent eating dinner and drinking wine with Brenton, Eddie and Charlene, Ian and Sarah Louise. Everyone contributed a dish or two and we ate heartily and caught up majorly on what was happening in everyone's lives.
This was only a weekend stop so exploring a bit of the Paddington area was a must and a walk around Hyde Park also - somewhere I have never actually been.
Alas the weekend ended too soon and after a pizza at Brenton's favourite Italian restaurant we caught the train back to Crowborough where we did manage to catch up with Gary's sister-in-law Sandra for an hour or so.......very special Sandra and thank you for taking the time to visit us, it was lovely catching up even for a short while.
From Crowborough we drive to Ludlow and after 2 days at Home Farm, washing and cleaning, we take Molly to Morans and say our farewells. After a few minor repairs she will be on her way to Southampton. Thankyou Roger, Scott and Andy for everything. We may be back to do it all again??!!!!!
And hey we are on our way back to Paddington again, fully laden with suitcases and backpacks etc this time but we are old hacks at this game, know all the short cuts etc this time round but you still have to allow for the Southern train debacle!!!! Our first train running late caused us to miss our connecting train in Newport which caused us to arrive in Paddington in the rush hour which is not much fun.....but we made it heaving a sigh of relief.
Next stop a pub somewhere close????......NO not close at all!!!! These young ones forget that as we age we slow down!!!!!!! After a brisk route march with Brenton to somewhere we are there and so is Sarah Louise. A friend has brought her canal boat down towards Paddington and we all celebrate the event. Next stop the boat, where we meet Rob her new boyfriend who is definitely a keeper. She is happy, we are all happy for her, her boat is absolutely great so we go and eat Indian together to celebrate this too.
It is so good to catch up with these young people - they are interesting, vibrant Londoners with their lives and the world ahead of them. We so enjoy these moments we are able to spend together but dislike the goodbyes.
To all of you take care - we will miss you but we will catch up again next time round.
Our new adventure starts in the morning. New York, New York is calling and we are on our way.
This is a fabulous place in the heart of Paddington close to the station which gives you access to most areas of London, either by walking, underground or train. It also worked well because everyone we wished to meet up with could get to this point.
And so it happened and a fabulous evening was spent eating dinner and drinking wine with Brenton, Eddie and Charlene, Ian and Sarah Louise. Everyone contributed a dish or two and we ate heartily and caught up majorly on what was happening in everyone's lives.
This was only a weekend stop so exploring a bit of the Paddington area was a must and a walk around Hyde Park also - somewhere I have never actually been.
Alas the weekend ended too soon and after a pizza at Brenton's favourite Italian restaurant we caught the train back to Crowborough where we did manage to catch up with Gary's sister-in-law Sandra for an hour or so.......very special Sandra and thank you for taking the time to visit us, it was lovely catching up even for a short while.
From Crowborough we drive to Ludlow and after 2 days at Home Farm, washing and cleaning, we take Molly to Morans and say our farewells. After a few minor repairs she will be on her way to Southampton. Thankyou Roger, Scott and Andy for everything. We may be back to do it all again??!!!!!
And hey we are on our way back to Paddington again, fully laden with suitcases and backpacks etc this time but we are old hacks at this game, know all the short cuts etc this time round but you still have to allow for the Southern train debacle!!!! Our first train running late caused us to miss our connecting train in Newport which caused us to arrive in Paddington in the rush hour which is not much fun.....but we made it heaving a sigh of relief.
Next stop a pub somewhere close????......NO not close at all!!!! These young ones forget that as we age we slow down!!!!!!! After a brisk route march with Brenton to somewhere we are there and so is Sarah Louise. A friend has brought her canal boat down towards Paddington and we all celebrate the event. Next stop the boat, where we meet Rob her new boyfriend who is definitely a keeper. She is happy, we are all happy for her, her boat is absolutely great so we go and eat Indian together to celebrate this too.
It is so good to catch up with these young people - they are interesting, vibrant Londoners with their lives and the world ahead of them. We so enjoy these moments we are able to spend together but dislike the goodbyes.
To all of you take care - we will miss you but we will catch up again next time round.
Our new adventure starts in the morning. New York, New York is calling and we are on our way.
SANTORINI
Securing a storage berth for Molly with "Big Dave" at Henfold Lakes and after downing a bacon sandwich and a cup of good coffee with Ali and "the other Dave" we headed for Gatwick Airport courtesy of "the other Dave". What a great service from this amazing campsite - complete door to door service and to top it off "the other Dave" was prepared to pick us up on our return, at 12.30am, and "Big Dave" was happy to put Molly on a site and hook her up so that we could sleep comfortably when we arrived back as well. My gosh.....that is service with a smile!!!!!! Thank you so much to all of you.
So off to Santorini but no.............this was not so simple as it happens. Firstly we were flying with Norwegian Airlines.....mmmm not so sure about this company any more.......secondly we were heading into a Greek air traffic controllers strike and thirdly the wrong plane ...?????.....had been sent to Gatwick for this flight....something to do with the amount of thrusters it had, apparently not enough?? Over the hours of waiting at the gate where the flight was delayed, then off, then on, then off again, moved to another gate, hotel and food vouchers distributed etc etc we witnessed some very aggressive, rude and totally unnecessary behaviour from both sides of the counter and although we missed out on any vouchers and hot food on the plane that finally got us to our destination at 1.45am the following morning, we remained upbeat and ok about our experience. The only thing we ask of airlines is to treat us with respect and tell us the truth - fabrication is not necessary and brings out the worst in many people.
Even at 1.45am our transfer was waiting to take us to our hotel on the far side of the island of Santorini and we were happy with our choice. Hotel Notus was built in the old ice making factory by the side of a peaceful, little fishing harbour where sunset cruises could be taken from.......the sunsets there are amazing but we had no need to move any further than from Flo's verandah to watch them.
Our surprise was that a few days before we were due to leave for Santorini Flo decided to join us and whilst we had a room overlooking the harbour his was on the sunset side so we had the best of both worlds. We loved having Flo there with us, we hired a car, had fun, ate plenty, drank a lot, swam, sunbathed, read books and walked endlessly. The whole week was perfect.....secretly though I think Flo is a closet boy racer!!!!!!!
Exploring Santorini was wonderful. Once again every which way you turn there is something exotic and different to see. Thira was magical, the white and blue of the cuboid buildings striking. The weather was perfect and the food exceptional. There were donkeys to take you down the mountainsides and as you walked the walls and the alleyways the smells and colours assaulted your senses. Gyros was the best there and cheap. Although it was busyish we still managed to find a park and not feel rushed through our day. Stopping for a beer here and food there the day was perfect.
Our hotel had a bar in an old windmill which unfortunately was about to close for the season but Joanne made a wicked Mojita......or two!!!!!! Only God knows what Gary and Flo were drinking because I am sure she made them up as she went along!!!!!! We spent a couple of evenings there but it was a little sad when it closed. There were a couple of Greek restaurants close by i.e Dimitries!!! and one evening we decided to call in for Baclava. We arrived and were welcomed, sat down and I asked for Baclava. At that stage they started water blasting the windows and the water was going everywhere - Dimitri was soaked to the skin laughing his head off, the curtains were soaked and there was a river running through the restaurant. To cap it off the Baclava was rancid ........ should have realised things were not right as we were the only people there. Flo told us Dimitri sings?????.......maybe that is why no one goes there.
We did find a cute but tired local restaurant in the harbour where the fishermen eat. It was cheap, plentiful and very good food cooked over coals - the downside here was the crazy dog trying to dig a hole through the tiled floor?????
Our next trip was to Oia, similar to Thira but a lot less touristy. This town literally spills down the hillside and the white walls and houses look like icing dripping down the side of a cake. Walking down the side of the cliffside takes you into Amoudy Bay which for us was the perfect find. Settled at the edge of the Agean Sea it is like no other place we have visited. We arrived in a quiet time, few tourists in October, which again made it perfect. Flo and Gary filled their tummies with Squid, Octopus, some wierd fish, Greek salad and Tzatziki and I had Haloumi........the perfect meal in the most perfect place with the most perfect weather and the sea the clearest of aqua coloured water.
Gosh Santorini did us proud - we loved every moment.
We visited a lighthouse right on the edge of a cliff - ate Indian in Perissa and visited a vineyard....somewhere? The whole island is dry, volcanic and barren. The vineyards - well I am not sure how they produce grapes - they are scraggly, scrawny, old vines finding their own way on the dry landscape, propped up here and there with a brick or two or maybe a rock. They wind the vines round and round the stem to form a nest to provide shelter from the cold and keep in the moisture. The wine tasted more like old Chardonnay or sherry and was disgusting!!!!
Our hotel had a spa pool, plunge pool, sauna and massage rooms, all in cave like areas where the ice was originally stored in the factory so, after all our walking, climbing and driving we decided to take advantage of them all. This just added another plus to this hotel as it was all at no extra charge.
All in all our trip to Santorini was 10 out of 10 and adding Flo to the mix made it 20 out of 10. Thanks Flo for being our chauffeur for the week, we so enjoyed your company.
Santorini is a definite bucket list place if you have not already been. I personally would not stay in Thira or Oia we were happy where we were - maybe a little isolated but perfect for us. To remember: everything closes late October but when we were there the weather was still perfect - sunny and hot.
Our trip back to Gatwick was uneventful, "the other Dave" was at the airport to meet us and Molly was all ready and waiting for us. Downside.........it was bloody cold back in the UK.
Sleep well, for tomorrow we head for Crowborough to start preparing Molly for shipping to NZ but also to spend a weekend in London with Brenton and to catch up with Eddie, Charlene, Ian and Sarah Louise.
Till then xxx
So off to Santorini but no.............this was not so simple as it happens. Firstly we were flying with Norwegian Airlines.....mmmm not so sure about this company any more.......secondly we were heading into a Greek air traffic controllers strike and thirdly the wrong plane ...?????.....had been sent to Gatwick for this flight....something to do with the amount of thrusters it had, apparently not enough?? Over the hours of waiting at the gate where the flight was delayed, then off, then on, then off again, moved to another gate, hotel and food vouchers distributed etc etc we witnessed some very aggressive, rude and totally unnecessary behaviour from both sides of the counter and although we missed out on any vouchers and hot food on the plane that finally got us to our destination at 1.45am the following morning, we remained upbeat and ok about our experience. The only thing we ask of airlines is to treat us with respect and tell us the truth - fabrication is not necessary and brings out the worst in many people.
Even at 1.45am our transfer was waiting to take us to our hotel on the far side of the island of Santorini and we were happy with our choice. Hotel Notus was built in the old ice making factory by the side of a peaceful, little fishing harbour where sunset cruises could be taken from.......the sunsets there are amazing but we had no need to move any further than from Flo's verandah to watch them.
Our surprise was that a few days before we were due to leave for Santorini Flo decided to join us and whilst we had a room overlooking the harbour his was on the sunset side so we had the best of both worlds. We loved having Flo there with us, we hired a car, had fun, ate plenty, drank a lot, swam, sunbathed, read books and walked endlessly. The whole week was perfect.....secretly though I think Flo is a closet boy racer!!!!!!!
Exploring Santorini was wonderful. Once again every which way you turn there is something exotic and different to see. Thira was magical, the white and blue of the cuboid buildings striking. The weather was perfect and the food exceptional. There were donkeys to take you down the mountainsides and as you walked the walls and the alleyways the smells and colours assaulted your senses. Gyros was the best there and cheap. Although it was busyish we still managed to find a park and not feel rushed through our day. Stopping for a beer here and food there the day was perfect.
Our hotel had a bar in an old windmill which unfortunately was about to close for the season but Joanne made a wicked Mojita......or two!!!!!! Only God knows what Gary and Flo were drinking because I am sure she made them up as she went along!!!!!! We spent a couple of evenings there but it was a little sad when it closed. There were a couple of Greek restaurants close by i.e Dimitries!!! and one evening we decided to call in for Baclava. We arrived and were welcomed, sat down and I asked for Baclava. At that stage they started water blasting the windows and the water was going everywhere - Dimitri was soaked to the skin laughing his head off, the curtains were soaked and there was a river running through the restaurant. To cap it off the Baclava was rancid ........ should have realised things were not right as we were the only people there. Flo told us Dimitri sings?????.......maybe that is why no one goes there.
We did find a cute but tired local restaurant in the harbour where the fishermen eat. It was cheap, plentiful and very good food cooked over coals - the downside here was the crazy dog trying to dig a hole through the tiled floor?????
Our next trip was to Oia, similar to Thira but a lot less touristy. This town literally spills down the hillside and the white walls and houses look like icing dripping down the side of a cake. Walking down the side of the cliffside takes you into Amoudy Bay which for us was the perfect find. Settled at the edge of the Agean Sea it is like no other place we have visited. We arrived in a quiet time, few tourists in October, which again made it perfect. Flo and Gary filled their tummies with Squid, Octopus, some wierd fish, Greek salad and Tzatziki and I had Haloumi........the perfect meal in the most perfect place with the most perfect weather and the sea the clearest of aqua coloured water.
Gosh Santorini did us proud - we loved every moment.
We visited a lighthouse right on the edge of a cliff - ate Indian in Perissa and visited a vineyard....somewhere? The whole island is dry, volcanic and barren. The vineyards - well I am not sure how they produce grapes - they are scraggly, scrawny, old vines finding their own way on the dry landscape, propped up here and there with a brick or two or maybe a rock. They wind the vines round and round the stem to form a nest to provide shelter from the cold and keep in the moisture. The wine tasted more like old Chardonnay or sherry and was disgusting!!!!
Our hotel had a spa pool, plunge pool, sauna and massage rooms, all in cave like areas where the ice was originally stored in the factory so, after all our walking, climbing and driving we decided to take advantage of them all. This just added another plus to this hotel as it was all at no extra charge.
All in all our trip to Santorini was 10 out of 10 and adding Flo to the mix made it 20 out of 10. Thanks Flo for being our chauffeur for the week, we so enjoyed your company.
Santorini is a definite bucket list place if you have not already been. I personally would not stay in Thira or Oia we were happy where we were - maybe a little isolated but perfect for us. To remember: everything closes late October but when we were there the weather was still perfect - sunny and hot.
Our trip back to Gatwick was uneventful, "the other Dave" was at the airport to meet us and Molly was all ready and waiting for us. Downside.........it was bloody cold back in the UK.
Sleep well, for tomorrow we head for Crowborough to start preparing Molly for shipping to NZ but also to spend a weekend in London with Brenton and to catch up with Eddie, Charlene, Ian and Sarah Louise.
Till then xxx
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