New York New York

Now had a week to find our way around New York and spend a fair bit of time in the subway but you can get all over Manhattan very safely and quickly.
We started with a knock out day at the New York Botanical gardens -the biggest conservatories, the most beautiful cherry blossom, the most conifers, the best bookshop, just a marvellous garden. But perhaps the most spectacular of all was the Orchid display in the grand conservatory.
Then Peter and Dorothy went off for a few days in the mountains with friends and we started exploring on our own. Found an African Film Festival happening at the Lincoln Centre and saw 4 films as part of that, went to the famous Blue Note Jazz Club to hear some jazz for Sunday brunch, went to a Farmers Market in our neighbourhood - there're a lot of farmers markets including at Union Square. Spent a day at the American Museum of Natural History, vast but very traditional style, and another at the Museum of the Native American Indian which was very good - realised we knew hardly anything about the native indians which have links from tip of Chile to far north Canada.
Near us is the Cloisters Museum with the famous Unicorn Tapestries. Yesterday was spent at the Guggenheim Museum.
Will send some photos soon Love to Everyone Jenny and eddie

How quickly the world changes

Just a short note to explain the long time between drinks. On our second last day on the boat I tripped, skidded across the floor, hit the window, and badly sprained right wrist and right ankle.That slowed me right down, to the indiginity of being wheeled through SchipolAirport in a wheelchair. I will not be pleased if there are photos. Thanks to Easyjet incompetence, there was no wheelchair waiting the other end as promised. Thanks to sympathetic and helpful travelling companions however we have managed pretty well. Alsö thanks to Melinda' s Arnica and walking stick, and drugs and alcholol too.
I am living proof that getting back on your feet as quickly as possible is the best way to go and I have seen a lot of Berlin, and this morning we are off to Frankfurt where I will find a computer and do a proper update

Bath the Beautiful

A perfect English city with rows of fine georgian buildings,the abbey and roman relics The Roman Baths now have a very sophisticated interpretation centre and you can see the original spring the hot water came from, the only warm mineral baths in England.
There is also a recent development of a modern bathhouse with all the features of modern day indulgence.-Daylesford on a grand scale with the most beautiful outdoor heated pool on top of the building looking out over Bath to the rolling green hills beyond.
We went to see Warren Clarke (of Dalzeil and Pascoe fame) in Three Days In May where he played Churchill, and a Mozart concert in the Abbey.
But the nicest part was catching up with Katrina Clancy and Charlie. His parents are right- he is truly delightful , very sociable and easy-going. We had 2 days with them They arrived on the Monday and went off home on Wednesday. Katrina came to the theatre with us and Charlie babysat and the other night we all went to an Indian Restaurant for dinner and Clancy went to sleep in his pusher.
Candy and Hal have just arrived from Singapore without their luggage so I had better go and hear about that Love to Everyone Jenny & Eddie

Bath Via Narita

Friday, September 16, 2011
Bath via Narita
Our stopover at Narita worked fine. We followed hundreds of High School students on their way to school because we knew the ryokan was next to Narita High School That worked , although a student was conscripted to show us the way when we looked puzzled at one point. Our room was a traditional 12 mat tatami bedroom The food was terrific, they had proper japanese baths and a host who insisted on helping us get around, even if he left us marooned at a regional park with wrong information on the bus to get back. About 500 metres from the Ryokan was a beautiful garden at the back of the thousand year old temple.

Our flight to London was as tedious as ever, but nothing compared with the 2 hour wait to get through Customs at Heathrow. It had nothing to do with border protection as when we finally got to the counter it took 10 seconds.It was due to not enough staff.and deliberate policy I think as their own passport holders were all through in no time. So we started off in very bad humour, but when we came out of the underground at Tower Hill, all was forgiven as the streetscape is so amazing. Kay and Denis were at the hotel and Kay was having real problems with her feet and spent the next days visiting specialists, ending up with a cortisone injection which doesnt seem to have made much difference
We spent our only London day just walking around the area-Bermondsey Market, All Hallows Church, the Monument, along the Thames, the Design Centre. It is a great city with hidden gems around every corner. The highlight of the day was dinner at Fergus Henderson Nose-To Tail Restaurant St John The cost was similar to a Friday night in Daylesford which made it even better.

On Saturday we caught our train to Bath from Paddington
without trauma and arrived in Bath at 1.30 to find a very good apartment in a really great location just around the corner from the Abbey, the Roman Baths and the Square.

The perfect Greek beach

Goodbye to Lugano and Switzerland and a short train trip to Chiasso, then Cernobbio by taxi to Hotel Asnigo, Again a fantastic aspect overlooking Lake Como, but a very steep path down to the town and the ferry. Back to Euros so a trip on the ferry to Como to sort that, but the banks closed at 4pm so just the autoteller. Como has a very fine duomo and square and a fine old shopping centre. The hotel had a good pool so that was the next stop. We had dinner on the terrace of the hotel on the promise of fireworks in honour of France’s National day. We were getting close to giving up at 11pm, but it was worth the wait as they were set up on a barge on the lake and were very spectacular

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A less steep path down to town and a side trip to see Ville D’Este, a very beautiful hotel for the beautiful people- a grand villa converted to an hotel in the 1800’s and with lovely gardens down to the lake. We got the ferry to Como and went to the Rubens exhibition, an excellent exhibition in a great old villa-Villa Olmo. The collection included some luxurious still lifes even with a yellow crested cockatoo in the middle of one, and the Circumcision of Christ, not often featured in religious paintings. Back for a siesta and a swim and we finished our sojourn in Italy at a high restaurant looking back over the lake to Como- a really spectacular aspect and good food too.

Friday Off to Athens

Hotel Novotel

The taxi as arranged at 8am and a slow trip to the airport, but no problems, Candy and Hal weren’t due to leave till 1.30 so goodbyes to them and the second instalment of our holiday. Switzerland and Italy have been great. Free seating with Easyjet and then the train into Athens- there is now a very good modern underground for Athens, which was easy to negotiate. We changed for Larissa and found the Novotel-recently refurbished with a swimming pool on the roof terrace and a great view of the Acropolis. Athens is such a white square city, sitting surrounded by barren hillsides, just as I remember it it still is special as the first Northern city we explored. We headed for the Plaka, via Syntagma Square, and in no time we were back in familiar territory not much changed from 32 years ago. We had a very pleasant meal to the bouzouki backdrop.

Saturday THE ISLAND CHIOS

Plane arrived Chios. As usual no children to meet us but before the luggage arrived Tim & Mary were there with wet hair just having a swim accross the road . Mary’s Birthday too So back to Aghia Georgiou and Marlon, Andrenicki and Julian at the house. Julian had 20 stitches just below his knee, a whole saga of rushing from one hospital to the next on a Sunday. We finished the day at Lithi, the idyllic Greek beach. just perfect Clear water , fine sand, sun lounges, the occasional coffee frappe

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Sunday Monday Tuesday

Lucerne to Lugano in 3 parts

A two hour ferry trip the length of Lake Lucerne, from Fluelen to Bellinzona quite a bit through tunnels, then regional train from Bellinzona to Lugano, arriving on a late Sunday afternoon with not many around. We didn’t find the funicular from the station down to the Old Town, so some anxiety about directions, pathways and so on, but soon at the Walter au Lac and fantastic aspect from our rooms over Lake Lugano . A drink in the square, then the next priority was to find a restaurant with good seats for the World Cup final. We did that and settled in for the night. I thought it was a very engrossing match and disappointed that Spain got their goal in extra time. This was temporarily overshadowed by a massive downpour. We waited and waited for a break but eventually gave up making our way back under the colonnades the best we could. It was very humid with lots of lightning across the lake, then the Spanish fans took to the streets with much car hooting and racing up and down outside our window. Fortunately they gave up pretty soon and went off to party.

Monday

First to tick off is Bellinzona capital of the Ticino canton. The trains are very frequent so we were there in 20 minutes. The town was just waking up, and World Cup shop windows were being dismantled. The Castle dominates the town, has extensive walls, a small museum going back to the stone ages, and restaurants but closed.We had lunch in the main square, and then back to Lugano Paradiso on a split moment decision to take the funicular up to Monte San Salvador Another 45 degree climb straight up the mountain to a restaurant with a great view of both arms of Lake Lugano, limited for us by the fact the restaurant had stopped serving and our legs were still recovering from Mount Pilatus. Candy and Hal went for a swim in the lake, we went for a siesta. We had dinner on the edge of the lake near the Public Gardens

Tuesday

An attempt to get a better handle on Lugano but when we thought we had found the Art Gallery in a very fine Villa, it was closed for renovation. There was an exhibition on Unite, but with no English interpretation it was pretty difficult to make sense of. One room was set up which looked very like the Macaroni Factory. We started wandering around the shops and with the start of the sale season there was some serious shopping going on.. Our big expedition for the day was to go around to Morcotte on the bus to eat in a “grotto” restaurant. Morcotte is on the lake and the recommended restaurant was just a pleasant local restaurant looking out on the lake, with a cool breeze blowing. We caught the last ferry back to Lugano at 10pm, a good way to end a night out.

Wednesday Thursday

Hot el Asnigo Great view of Lake Como, good swimming pool

Bern and Lucerne Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

World Cup fever is everywhere - chocolate shops, and even optometists

Our visit to Bern started with a steep walk up to The Garden of Roses (Rosengarten), from which a great panoramic view of the medieval town centre was achieved at a cost. World Cup fever is reaching a high point and we watched Germany beat Uraquay at the Hotel Bern after having difficulty finding a restaurant not swamped with viewers. .

Bern is a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage listed City and the City Centre is largely medieval next morning we collected audioguides from the Tourist Office and visited all the main sites. Perhaps its most famous sight is an elaborate medieval clock tower with moving puppets. It also has an impressive 15th century Gothic cathedral, and a 15th century town hall. Thanks to 6 kilometers of arcades, the old town boasts one of the longest covered shopping promenades in Europe. Albert Einstein also lived in an apartment in Berne, from 1903 to 1905is still a highly regarded citizen.

Since the 16th century, the city has had a bear pit, just on the edge of the Old Town. The extended and renewed pit actually contains four bears, including two young, who were playing happily while we watched.

We then returned for a guided tour of the National parliament, built from 1857 to 1902, For a country the size of Victoria, and with a similar population, they have 200 politicians in the lower house and 46 in an Upper House like our senate. They also have several referendum each year But the best feature is the set of fountains in front of the Parliament. Small children were having great fun as it was a very hot day.