Upon Reflection

Well, I have been home well over a week now and, after going through the around 2800 photos I amassed during my trip, I realize what an amazing vacation I had.  There were so many things that made it special but, foremost, was sharing my experiences with friends and family.  Looking back, it really is incredible how it all came together so easily, like pieces of a puzzle that was meant to be solved!  First, there was Linda's interest in exploring Croatia with me; then it was the Grants being available to share Alsace at exactly the time when I wanted to be there; there are my good friends like Sue and Keith and John and Pedro who always graciously open their homes to me; there was the serendipity of Paul being available share some time with me; Maureen already being in the UK and ready to explore a bit of Devon for a few days; Mena and Trev wanting to do another road trip to explore Wales; and the privilege of sharing Abi and Jordan's special day. 

Reflecting on the my experiences, here are the main things I learned.

1. I loved Croatia and want to see more of it, probably by car, particularly the northwest. The areas of the country I saw were fascinating and I was surprised by how friendly and helpful everyone I met was.  I need to see and learn more about this country.
2. I don't get homesick.  It almost scared me that, after being away for over 2 months, I was not ready to go home and could easily have stayed much longer.  Knowing you have the security of a home to go back to is very different, I guess, than missing it!  That only reinforces my belief I am a gypsy at heart.  Even as a little girl I dreamed about traveling all the time so the travel bug is clearly in my blood.
3. I am still ready to explore new countries rather than only going back to the same tried and true places - even though I will continue to return to my favourites (Alsace and the Cote d'Azur, for example).
4. I can still drive fearlessly in Great Britain but am pretty sure I will always take that tire insurance option.  I only hinted about the second flat tire in my previous blog.  On my way through Buckinghamshire back to Heathrow to return the car, I had to drive along some more country lanes and those potholes on them are deadly to tires.  So, the warning light came on that my rear passenger side tire was low on air.  By the time I found a gas station, it was pretty flat.  I really have to wonder about the quality of the tires on my Europcar Vauxhall Astra!  I have never had flat tires before and to have two of them on the same trip seems suspect to me.  I was not impressed and Europcar certainly knows how I feel.
5. The magic of a village filled with thatched cottages will never fade for me.  It has been a long time since I've driven through Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset and Devon and many of the villages there are almost storybook in nature. 
6. I cannot reiterate enough how very lucky I am to have so many wonderful, intelligent, funny and caring friends and family in my life who, like me, share a love of travel.  Everyone of them I saw enhanced my experiences on this trip.
7. My love affair with Europe is not over, not by a long shot.  Europe has captured my heart. 
8. Finally, I find it difficult to not have future travel plans.  So, within less than a week of being back, I planned a trip for October.  I will be spending a week in Provence with a friend and then I am going on a Mediterranean cruise (something I swore I would never do).  The cruise ship is a small one (only 250 passengers) and its focus is on visiting antiquities with lectures and other learning experiences.  So, I will visit three countries I have never seen.  The blog is already registered and ready to go.  It is going to be found at 2017themediterranean.blogspot.ca.

Thanks for reading this one!

Love in Derbyshire

This post is a bit different from the others as it is going to be more personal, less informative, and not about any historic or touristy site.  It is about my relationship to my close friends and family in Derbyshire.

The first time I visited England back in 1979, my mother was visiting a friend in Derbyshire.  So, I took the train north to the part of the country - a very beautiful part by the way - to meet Mom's friend, Joyce, and her family.  While we weren't related, there was a connection.  Joyce's second husband's first wife was my mother's second cousin.  Got that?  Since then I have been to Chesterfield many, many times, sometimes it was with Mom and, at other times, on my own or with my sister or friends.  In 1986, I spent Christmas here with the Makin clan (Joyce's children's family name).  While I am not related, I feel very close to this family.  So, in the spring, when one of Joyce's granddaughters announced her engagement, I expressed interest and was invited to her wedding.  That is how and why I found myself in the part of "Jolly Old" for a few days late last week.

After dropping Mena and Trevor in Birmingham, I stayed there a couple of nights with Clair, one of Joyce's granddaughters, and her family (husband Gavin and daughters Harriet and Esme).  I've blogged about Gavin and Clair's brother, Darren, before because of the kidney transplant operation that saved Gavin's life.  Darren turned out to be a perfect match for his brother-in-law and donated a kidney to him.  Last week, Gavin competed for Great Britain in the World Transplant Games in Spain and came away with a silver medal in basketball.  Anyway, after a lovely couple of nights in Birmingham, I drove north about an hour to Derbyshire.  Most of Joyce's family lives in and around Chesterfield.

My visit there started with lunch with the actual real relative of mine who lives here and the man whose mother was the connection - Alan Cooke, my third cousin.  His dad married Joyce after his mother passed away.  Alan, his wife, Pamela, and I had a lovely lunch at The Greyhound pub on Thursday afternoon and we got caught up on all the family news and covered a wide ranging array of other topics as well.  It was great to see them again.  In addition, it is lovely to know I have legitimate roots in this part of the UK. 

Friday was Abi and Jordan's wedding and, much like the bride, it was unique, extraordinary and special.  Abi has always been very artistic (she designs and makes jewellery - check out Makin Jewellery on Facebook) so it was no surprise how creative and out-of-the-ordinary the wedding was.  It was held in South Wingfield Hall, a small venue not far from the ruins of Wingfield Manor.  The theme colour was hues of purple ranging from pale mauve to dark purple.  The bride arrived in a vintage VW van and the groomsmen wore "pedal pushers", bare feet in shoes, white shirts with braces hanging loose.  Someone, not me, remarked they looked like a group of hobbits or an Olly Murs' fan club! 

Jordan's daughters plus Harriet and Esme - the flower girls

Gavin with Esme

 

The ruins of Wingfield Manor

 

Jordan (on his mobile) and some of his groomsmen

 

Once the traditional vows were exchanged, everyone set off to the bride's home for the wedding reception.  The property is beautiful, located on a gentle slope of farmland overlooking the Derbyshire hills.  Thankfully, the weather cooperated and, given the forecast earlier in the week, I am sure everyone breathed a sigh of relief.  There were various tents set up included one huge teepee which held the approximately 100 wedding guests for the dinner and speeches.  They'd brought in a pizza van to make pizzas for the guests and there was also a great selection of salads.  Of course, given Pat's (the bride's mother) talent for making exceptional desserts, there was an amazing selection to choose from.  There was also a mushroom shaped wedding cake, in keeping with the fantasy theme. 

 

Great photo of the Giles family!

 

 

 

Later, there was a live band with dancing and, at times, Jordan and his mates also played.  Children scampered all around, many dressed in their super-hero outfits.  It was a totally relaxed and lovely afternoon and evening.  I am not sure what time the festivities ended.  I walked up the narrow lane to my B&B shortly after 11 pm.

 

The next morning I went back to help clean up - not that I actually did that much!  I enjoyed the jam session with the groom and his groomsmen, cheered on the removal of the pizza van contraption, and helped wrap slices of wedding cake.
     

Removal of the pizza van

Check out the very cool tree platform

Some of the guys jamming during the clean-up

Looking across at the beautiful Derbyshire hills

Saturday afternoon, after spending some time at Abi's aunt's and uncle's place, I started my journey south.  I stopped over for the night at my friends' (Neil and Ellie) in Great Missenden.  Sunday, I drove to Heathrow, (I will skip the part about having yet again another flat tire - what is it with British tyres and potholes!), returned the car and headed into London where I will spend my last few vacation days before I fly home Thursday. 

I am not sure I will have anything further to blog about this trip as I plan to take it easy over the next couple of days and do little while I am in London.  However, that might change!

Lle i gael eich synnu ganddo, a golygfa ddi-ail

A place to be amazed by, a view to be lost in

That is the description on the front of the brochure for Powis Castle and Garden, a National Trust property of not far from Welshpool.  That was our destination Tuesday morning. 

We left our more than a bit dodgy pub hotel in Pool Quay (near Welshpool) which was no more than a 1-star in my humble opinion and made the short drive to the castle.  I cannot say I would recommend the Powis Arms Hotel under any circumstances.  A couple of times Mena and I had looked at each other the previous evening and thought what on earth were we thinking!  Lots of wine (a lovely Rioja at a good price) helped numb the experience.  In the morning, our breakfast was okay but, quite frankly, I couldn't wait to depart.  At least the window boxes and baskets on the fence were filled with colourful flowers.  Too bad the artificial arrangements inside probably hadn't been dusted since before Y2K weren't as lovely!

I had never heard of Powis Castle and wasn't sure what to expect.  Obviously, Mena had done her research well because the castle gardens were spectacular and the interiors very interesting.

The castle dates from medieval times so, like most built in that era, it sits atop a hill. Terraced gardens tumble down the hillside to the flats below and every piece of vegetation you look at is perfectly manicured from the giant yew trees to the magnificent flower beds.

The history of the castle is interesting.  I found the following on a Welsh Tourist website:

Perched high on a rock above the world-famous garden terraces, Powis Castle, originally built circa 1200, began life as the medieval fortress of the Welsh Princes of Powys, who held onto their kingdom despite the threats of their more powerful neighbours in Gwynedd and England.

In 1587, Powis Castle was sold to Sir Edward Herbert who created the romantic long gallery, which is richly decorated with the coats of arms of his ancestors. In 1784, the marriage of Lady Henrietta Herbert and Edward Clive, son of Robert Clive, the conqueror of India, combined the Powis and Clive estates.

Today, the medieval Castle contains one of the finest collections of paintings and furniture in Wales. It was originally built by Welsh Princes and was then the ancestral home of the Herberts and Clives. The beautiful collection of treasures from India is displayed in the Clive Museum.

The Castle & Gardens have been remodelled and embellished over more than 400 years and reflect the changing needs and ambitions of the Herbert family - each generation adding to the magnificent collection of paintings, sculpture, furniture and tapestries.

In the early 20th Century, the 4th Earl of Powis and his wife, Lady Violet, redecorated much of the castle and brought the garden back to life, introducing new varieties from all over the world.

The world-famous garden, overhung with clipped yews, shelters rare and tender plants is laid out under the influence of Italian and French styles. It retains its original lead statues and an orangery on the terraces.

The following are photos of the gardens and a few of the castle interiors that I found on the Internet. 

I don't think I had ever seen a peacock "chick" before

From Powis Castle, we made our way back to England going through Much Wenlock and driving along "The Edge" which Mena had read about.  There might have been some great scenery but, with the high hedges on either side of the road, we couldn't see much.  

We got to Birmingham around 4:30 and, later met up with Trev's sisters (June and Brenda) for dinner at The Plough in Harborne.  Then, just like that, this part of my holiday was over and I said good bye to Mena and Trev.  They will be traveling until early September so it will be a while before I see them again.  It was a great time and we got to explore parts of England and Wales that we hadn't seen before.

Not Your Average Golf Course!

Later, after we left Tintern Abbey, we drove in a number of different directions ("Mindy" got confused!) but we finally got on track - although a lot of it was one-track narrow lanes!  Our destination was a golf course Mena had found when we were looking for accommodation around Monmouth in Wales.  For anyone who knows me, to hear me say (or in this case type) that I was off – willingly – to visit a golf course would think that was unbelievable!  However, there we were Monday morning entering the grounds of the Rolls Golf Course of Monmouth!

The Hendry, the estate that is now the location of this golf club, has Monmouthshire's only full-scale Victorian country house, constructed in the Victorian Gothic style.  It is located some 4 miles (6.4 km) north-west of the town of Monmouth.  Built in the eighteenth century as a shooting box,  it was vastly expanded by the Rolls family in three stages throughout the nineteenth century and is most famous as the childhood home of Charles Stewart Rolls, co-founder of Rolls Royce. The house is Grade II  Listed and is now the clubhouse of the Rolls of Monmouth Golf Club.  The Rolls family were substantial landowners and benefactors in and around Monmouth in south east Wales.  Charles Stewart Rolls was the co-founder of the Rolls-Royce company.  The house itself is used as weddings but the number is limits to 8 per year because of the small staff employed there.  It has also been used as a setting in movie and TV productions.

We didn't stay long but long enough for Trevor to buy a souvenir hat!

Loved the myriad of chimney pots on the roof

Mena with Trev sporting his new hat

  



No Rolls in the parking lot but I did spot this Lamborghini

 

Tintern Abbey

We left the Wye Valley Hotel this morning and our first stop was about a 5 minute drive south along the river to Tintern Abbey.  I had driven by it before many years ago with my mother but this time we stopped.  First off, a tip:  you don't need to pay the 3 pound parking fee if you can find free parking on the road - we did!
 
For background (and from Wikipedia):  Tintern Abbey (Welsh: Abate Tyndyrn) was founded by Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow, on 9 May 1131.  It is situated adjacent to the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye, which forms the border between Monmouthshire in Wales and Gloucestershire in England.  It was only the second Cisterian foundation in Britain, and the first in Wales. Falling into ruin after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century, the remains were celebrated in poetry and often painted by visitors from the 18th century onwards. The site welcomes approximately 70,000 people every year.
 
Wordsworth wrote a poem the title of which is Lines Written (or Composed) a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey on revisiting the banks of the Wye during a tour July 13, 1798.  It is often abbreviated simply to Tintern Abbey although that building does not appear within the poem.  He wrote the poem after a walking tour with his sister in this section of the Welsh Borders. 
 
We took a lot of photos before we headed on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The River Wye with Tintern Abbey in the background