Why I Love England: An American Anglophile's A-Z

To quote William Blake, England is indeed a "green and pleasant land."

This time of year, I start thinking of my spring or summer trip and, though I have been to many other European destinations and there are places I have yet to see, I always want to go back to England.  

I am an Anglophile through and through.

Other than possibly a past life as an English maiden, I blame it on the "British Invasion" and the Beatles, which is just now enjoying it's 50th Anniversary.  From that moment on, I wanted to wear clothes from Carnaby Street, drive through the English countryside with Emma Peel and marry a Beatle.  I have managed two out of three sans Emma Peel.

Hubby's work used to take him there several times a year, so when I could, I would tag along.  Because of that, we have many friends there and have been able to explore England's many nooks and crannies - not just the touristy destinations, but some truly unique and special places and experiences.

I have worn the town crier's hat in Chester,

(I was informed after wearing the hat and doing my "hear ye, hear ye," that "she who wears the crier's hat in nine months will have a brat."  Thanks, Town Crier, I wish you had told me that before I donned the hat even though having a brat at this stage would be close to an act of god).

spent a few days in a narrow boat on the Oxford canal,

punted on the River Cam with Hubby and my kids,

Looks easier than it is!
Hubby almost fell off right after this picture was taken when he went under a bridge and didn't duck!




                                                             

toured Stonehenge alone with my daughter
(it was February and snowing and we had it all to ourselves)

driven through the water splash in Yorkshire that was featured in the opening sequence of the TV show "All Creatures Great and Small," 

found the house in Cark in Cartmel where Hubby's father lived before his family emigrated to the United States,

(We were told by a fellow in the local pub it had been used as an ale house, which is basically an illegal pub)!

and took a picture down the pants of a street performer in Covent Garden (long story)!


So in light of the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles and the British Invasion, an event that greatly influenced my life, I thought I would share with you a little alphabet book on why I love England.  Perhaps it will inspire you.



Afternoon Tea

How civilized to take a break around 4pm to have a cuppa tea and some sweets.  That will hold you until dinner which in Europe is often after 8pm. 

I can remember one visit where an event was planned at a pub for later in the evening (Skittles, the pub game, not the candy), and I stupidly skipped tea.  By the time dinner was served at the event I was so hungry I kept yammering on to the person preparing the food while he mumbled "Bloody American" under his breath.  (However, I did win the women's prize for playing Skittles).

Tea can be as simple as tea with scones and clotted cream in a village tea house to tea at The Ritz with champagne, sandwiches and assorted sweets - and tea, of course. 

I vote for the champagne and the Ritz.

The Beatles

Duh.  I could go on and on about them, which I have already done in my blog post, "Why the Beatles Matter." 

Suffice it to say, this almost life size poster hangs in my family room as does this Richard Avedon photo of John.

Ignore the Christmas lights!

The Cotswolds

Stanton, often called the most beautiful village in England.

I have been to most of the Cotswolds villages, and I think Lower Slaughter is the most beautiful. 

We spent a wedding anniversary there.  When the tourists go home, you have it all to yourselves.  I have taken the walk over the stiles, through the sheep pasture, to Upper Slaughter many times and I never get tired of it. 

And there are just so many wonderful paths you can take all over England, all by yourself and feel perfectly safe.  No guns!

Diana

Don't get me started.

I was a huge Diana fan and when she died, a light went out.  Like the Beatles, she had that certain something that affected people who didn't even know her.  I just liked being in the world knowing she was in it too.  I stayed up all night to watch her funeral and her body being taken to Althorp for burial crying all the while.

Paying respects at Althorp is on my Bucket List.

Here is part of the Diana Memorial Walk in St. James Park.

Eastenders

This is a BBC soap opera about the lives of people living on Albert Square in Walford, a fictional part of London's East End, who gather in the fictional pub, The Queen Victoria (aka Queen Vic).  



I have been following it since it was first shown on PBS over 25 years ago.  Other than the wedding of Luke and Laura on "General Hospital (got hooked while I was home after my son was born)," I am not a person who watches soap operas, but this one not only captured my love of England, specifically London, but captured its "realness."  Here there are regular looking people and senior citizens with huge story lines that mirror real life.  It's gritty, touching and powerful.  It still plays on some PBS stations, but fewer and fewer.  I don't think I have ever missed an episode and loved watching it in "real time" whenever I traveled to the UK.

BBC America played it for several years and then abruptly cut us off in 2003 causing fans to go apoplectic, but eventually creating a huge Eastenders community here in the U.S. that exists to this day and many of those folks are my friends. 

This Eastenders dish towel hangs in my office as proof that I supported the show when it played on PBS in San Jose.


Fashion and Food

Thanks to Mary Quant, Carnaby Street,Twiggy and the British Invasion, British fashion dominated the 1960's.  Everyone seems to think that the 1960's is all about hippies, but that didn't really start until the late 60's and early 70's.  The 1960's were all about mini skirts, go go boots, John Lennon hats and cool haircuts.

Today we have Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham.


Following WWII, England suffered such deprivation that their food got a bad rap for years.  But now they have Gordon Ramsay, Nigella Lawson, Marco-Pierre White and more who have changed the face of British cuisine.

Wish I could afford to go to their restaurants!






The Globe Theatre

The theatre associated with Shakespeare.  This is as close as this wannabee actress will ever get to appearing there.


Harrods

Harrods department store is a must, especially the food court.  I bought some items there thinking I would eat them in Hyde Park.  However, the assumption must be that I was taking it home.  The British must think it gauche to eat out of a container, because there were no forks to be had. 

I sat on the grass in Hyde Park and ate my tuna salad with my fingers, happy as a clam and pinching myself that I was sitting on the grass in Hyde Park eating tuna salad!




The Isle of Wight

We went to the Isle of Wight on a trip when we didn't have much money or sense.  Of course we had heard about it ever since the famous music festivals there where Bob Dylan had his first performance following his motorcycle accident (1969) and Jimi Hendrix performed before his death (1970).  We didn't have the money to take the car on the ferry, not realizing there wasn't much to walk to once you had seen the town.

But, hey, we've been to The Isle of Wight!



June Brown

June Brown is an 87-year-old actress who is probably not well-known in the United States, but she is a national treasure in the UK for her portrayal of "Dot Cotton" on the soap "Eastenders (see above under "E").  Though she had a successful acting career and has appeared in many films, "Eastenders" made her a huge star and she is one of the few remaining characters who starred in the early episodes.

I had the privilege of meeting her when she came to the U.S. to promote the show.  The picture above is the picture she autographed for me.  You can see that she started to spell my name "Rosie," and my being a cheeky sort, corrected her and you can see she turned the "e" into a "y." 

I was going through some stuff at the time and remember almost crying when I went up to her and probably said something stupid like "Can we be best friends?"  She was very warm and kind and said something like she hoped I got some help.



Kensington Palace

Home of Diana and some of the other Royals and now home to Prince William, Kate and baby George. 

I remember being in the Kensington Gardens and seeing a woman who looked so much like Diana that I got it in my head that it WAS Diana and I would get to talk to her.  Followed the woman until I realized it wasn't she.  I finally had to ask myself, what in the world would Diana be doing out walking all by herself without anyone else knowing it except me? 

I was (and am) a little nutty about Diana.




Lake District

A gorgeous part of England. 

Home to Wordsworth where he and Coleridge hung out in the Dove Cottage doing a bunch of opium. No wonder Wordsworth "wandered lonely as a cloud," and Coleridge was feeling albatrosses around his neck.  Opium was cheaper than tea!

Oh, look, my natural hair color.  I had forgotten.





Music

The British Invasion didn't just bring the Beatles.  I was gaga over The Rolling Stones, the Kinks, Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Zombies and the Yardbirds too. 


If they were English, I was a fan and planned to marry SOMEBODY English and move to England! 

How else to explain Herman's Hermits!

Narrow Boats

Imagine six people ranging in age from 20+ to 70, driving and living on a boat on an English canal and nary a cross word was said.  Must have been all of that wine! 

My Swedish cousin and her husband, my sister, my daughter and Hubby and I rented a narrow boat and drove up the Oxford canal. 

We, or should I say Hubby, drove it ourselves, lived on it, took it through many locks, ran into things and it was one of the greatest vacations ever.

Oxford

City of Spires.  Home of Oxford University and my beloved Inspector Morse.

We tried to go to places where Morse had hung out. 

We had a drink at the Marlborough Hotel where Morse would do and his author Colin Dexter hangs out (the bartender said Dexter always sits in the same chair and if someone else is sitting there, he waits patiently in the lobby until it is available), lunch at the Trout pub, which figured in early Morse mysteries such as "The Service of all the Dead" and "The Wolvercote Tongue." 

While in Oxford, I purchased "The Oxford of Inspector Morse and Lewis" by Bill Leonard, and planned to watch every single Morse mystery with the book to see the places we had been and learn more about them. 

Still on my to do list.

A librarian aside:  while working as a research librarian pre-Internet someone asked about a quotation in one of the Morse mysteries (Morse is one of your more literate detectives and is forever throwing quotes around under his breath).  After perusing countless quotation books (yes, the actual printed page), I decided to write to Colin Dexter and ask him myself.  I found his home address, wrote him a letter (this is also pre-email) and several weeks later, he wrote back in his own hand to inform me the quote was from "the greatest book ever written, 'Bleak House' by Charles Dickens."  He also said he loved librarians and I should look him up if I was ever in Oxford.  Rumor had it he loved librarians to buy his drinks!  I was hoping he would be at the Marlborough!




Pubs

I just love the pub culture of England and, I know what you are thinking.  Of course she does.  She enjoys the occasional tipple.  But that's not why.  The pub culture in England is all about the village, the neighborhood, hanging out with your friends, socializing.  If they can walk to their "local," there are few old folks living in isolation in England unless they want to.  The bartender in the second picture befriended us in London, and when I said, "This is just like the Queen Vic ("Eastenders," see above), we were treated extra special.





The Queen

Queen Elizabeth II was only 26 when her father, King George VI, died unexpectedly and she was called back to England from her honeymoon to become Queen.  She has ruled Great Britain and the Commonwealth realms for 62 years.  She only has two more years to go until she beats Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch.  I think she will go for it and Charles will just have to wait.

Her coronation was the first to be televised and it never ceases to bring out emotion in me as I think of her taking on this daunting task at only 26.  No matter how you feel about the Royals, she has certainly taken her oath to serve seriously.  How long she has served was brought home to me while viewing an exhibit of her life at the Victoria and Albert Museum.  They had erected a timeline with her on one side and all of the heads of state around the world who have come and gone since she became Queen. 

Quite astonishing.







The Royal Family

Again, whether you like the Royals or not, Prince William, Princess Catherine and Prince George embody the "It Factor" that was Diana.  I will enjoy watching their lives unfold.

And hey, what's wrong with a little pomp and circumstance now and then?



Shakespeare

Can't do an alphabet book on England without including Shakespeare.

Fun Fact:  On his gravestone, he curses anyone who tries to rob his grave:

"Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbeare, / To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, / And cursed be he that moves my bones."




Tabloids

When I am in England, I indulge.  I just can't help myself.





The Underground

Fastest way to get around London.  Safe and easy.  Sure wish we had something like this in Seattle.  However, one thing to keep in mind.  When you spend most of your time on the Tube, you don't get a very good sense of where things are. 

One time I took it and realized it had only taken me across the street!


Victoria and Albert Museum

                                                                                   I

Called England's Attic (and also the V & A), this museum has everything from teddy bears to mummies to fashion and if they can have more than one of something, they do!



                        

I thought I had big hips!

Windsor Castle

One of the worst flights we ever had was one that arrived in England at 6am. 

Imagine the jet lag!  And what is there to do in England at 6am?  We couldn't check into our hotel, nothing was open and we were pooped.  Hubby's work was about 60 miles west of London so we headed out and made Windsor our first stop. 

Besides being home to Windsor Castle, one of the Queen's preferred abodes, Windsor is a lovely little town with Eton nearby.  We dragged out weary selves to Windsor, found a little hole-in-the-wall café, propped our eyes open with some toothpicks and enjoyed our cheese toasts and tea.  If you have to be jet-lagged at 7am, Windsor is not a bad place to hang out.

You might even run into the Queen!

Now we just have to stay awake for another 14 hours!


Xmas in England

One thing I have not done is spend Christmas in England which is still on my Bucket List. 

I want to shop in London and enjoy all of the lights and decorations and then gather my family together to spend the holiday in a lovely little village with the locals and pretend I am English.

Perhaps Father Christmas will make that wish come true some day.


York

York is a walled city with Roman ruins.

Walking the wall.

An old ruin lying on an old (Roman) ruin in York.

Zed

They say "zed" for "z." 

I think that's cool.

Thank you for taking this trip with me.

Do you have any fond memories of England?

See you Friday

 when I will share some romantic movies for your Valentine's Day viewing -

and, of course, reviews!

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it and/or email it to your friends.

10 Places I've Seen Before I Died

[I review the movies "The English Teacher," "Oblivion," "How to Survive a Plague," "I Wish," Shirley Jones' memoir and comment on food and fashion.]

But first

This now classic travel guide calls us to exotic places and experiences, but as a retiree, it's unlikely I will get to Robert Louis Stevenson's home in Samoa or Namibia's Skeleton Coast or stay at The Ritz before I die (unless I win the lottery) -- but, I guess, you never know. 

However, I have been to Balzac's house in Paris, climbed the "The Old Man of Coniston" in the Lake District (England) and lived in an apartment in Venice.

With the exception of a cross country trip in the 1970's, my traveling life began in the mid-1980's.  I have been to England countless times, in most part because hubby's work took him there frequently.  I have also been to Europe many times, especially to Sweden, because my son studied there, and I have relatives there.

Since my humble blog cannot compete with the "1000 places" book, and I can't possibly recount all of the great travel experiences I have had while traveling without it also turning into a book, I have pulled out the ten places I have seen before I died -- the ones that were stand-out experiences and hopefully some of these might be experiences you would like to recreate for yourself.

So won't you join me
 as I share some of my own
"Places You Must See Before You Die?"

1.  Tallin, Estonia, from Stockholm by overnight ferry.

I was warned by a colleague not to go to Tallin on the weekend because that was where the Finns and the Swedes go to drink.  I guess it was a sign as we got off the subway and walked to the ferry that hordes of people were getting off the ferry that had just returned from Tallin, pulling pallets piled high with cases of beer -- and getting on the subway with them! 

You see, it is very expensive to drink in Sweden.  Not so much in Tallin, so it was a destination for Swedish folk, much like our going to Costco to stock up, I guess, except it involved a boat ride.

The overnight ferry to Tallin is actually a smaller version of a cruise ship, with all of the requisite amenities.

So we had a lovely stateroom with a view of the sea.  We spent some time up on deck enjoying the sunny day and an adult beverage, and then took our seats for dinner. 

After dinner, we headed to the main stage area where the Cruise Director was giving out information on the evening's entertainment. After discovering that not much was going on there except little children writhing around on the dance floor, we decided to explore more of the ship. It dawned on me that we were the only Americans on board. 

When we discovered a bar that was going to have karaoke, Hubby's ears perked up.  As an aspiring rock star, he is always up for a bit of karaoke.  I have fond memories of him back in the day blowing the audience away with his version of "You Put a Spell on Me."  So he signed up.

The show began with a matronly woman who appeared to be a regular.  Her specialty was Estonian folk songs.  We couldn't figure out why mushrooms appeared on the video behind her while she was singing.  Was she singing about mushrooms?

Then it was Hubby's turn. 

He sang Tom Jones' "You Can Keep Your Hat On," complete with gyrating hips and footwork.

He was followed by a couple of other locals. 

Then it was the folk song lady again.  More mushrooms on the video screen.  Must be an Estonian thing.

Then Hubby came on again and sang Roxy Music's "Love is a Drug."  Now the audience was growing and he was getting big applause.

Mushrooms.

Hubby

Mushrooms.

Then the Cruise Director came over to our table and asked Hubby to close the evening.  She was clearly impressed.  He closed the evening with the full version of "Bohemian Rhapsody."  You had to have been there.

As he was leaving the stage to full applause and whistles, I could see a woman approaching him and touching his arms.  Later Hubby told me she had asked him, "When will I see you again?  Will you be on the boat coming back?"

Hubby, in full rock star persona, said, "I can't.  I'm here with my wife," to which the poor woman replied, "No, no, no.  I just wanted to hear you sing again."

Later we were joined by a young Swedish man who was Hubby's first Swedish groupie.  He complained about the Mushroom Lady, who I guess is always on the boat and couldn't stop gushing about Hubby.  He also seemed to like the United States too, which was refreshing.

One thing about Sweden:  almost everyone speaks English.  I was astonished the first time I turned on the TV and Oprah was on without Swedish subtitles.  Hubby's theory is that there are 6,000,000 people in Sweden speaking Swedish, a language no one else speaks but them.  If they don't learn English, they won't have anyone else to talk to!

Tallin is a the oldest capital city in Northern Europe and has never been razed or pillaged.  It's a medieval town, but when you discover the disco across the street doesn't even open until 11am, you know it's a party town!  At our hotel, we had a disco on one side of us and strippers on the other!

2.  Paris

What can I say?  Paris is, well, Paris.  The whole City is an experience, but once you have done the museum and the usual sights, here are a couple of special experiences:

***Pont des Arts Bridge AKA "Lover's Bridge***
It's my understanding that this is becoming a phenomenon all over the world, but Paris is for lovers so this is THE place.  You bring your "Love Lock", you lock it to the bridge, kiss, and toss the keys into the Seine to symbolize your unbreakable love.  Awwww, I know.  But we have almost 30 years to celebrate.  Must be somethin' goin' on there.

If you forget to bring your lock with you, I noticed you could buy one right there on the bridge, which cheapened it a bit for me. 

So that my children and friends can find our lock, I specifically counted the poles on the bridge.  The lock is toward the center of the bridge around the 4th pole on the left as you walk toward the Left Bank. I wanted to be able to describe where it was so others can find it when they go to Paris. 

Think they will?

***Crepes***

The Rue de Rosiers in the Marais is a special street unto itself but is made even more special if you stop at the window where the fellow makes you a crepe while you wait. 

This last time I had a Nutella and banana.  Yum. 

While we were waiting, a young woman approached us.  She was not only American, but from Seattle, and had been living in Paris for several months.  She noticed Hubby's ever-present Mariner's cap (I know, I try to get him to stop wearing the damn thing, especially in Europe.  Gee, do you think people can tell we are Americans?).  Anyway, she was very sweet and just wanted someone to speak English with.  But in so doing, she also recommended a lovely restaurant called Chez Robert et Louise, which turned out to be a wonderful Parisian experience that we would not have otherwise had.  So don't underestimate those short but sweet interactions with those you encounter when you are traveling.




3.  Oxford, England by way of a narrowboat on the Oxford Canal

Who would think this would turn out to be one of our most wonderful vacations?

As the Anglophile that I am, I subscribe to a few magazines devoted to the UK.  I read an article about renting a canal boat in England.  I had also seen them in the canal in the town where we mostly stayed when Hubby was in England for business and the idea fascinated me.

We invited my Swedish cousin, Jane and her then boyfriend, Lars (they are now married), our daughter and my sister.  We all met in Oxford and headed out to secure out boat, "The Damselfly," which we had reserved months before.

When we arrived, we didn't realize we had to schlepp our bags over several boats to get to ours.  Did I really need one suitcase just for shoes?  I was beginning to question this whole idea.

When we were situated on the boat, which had three bedrooms, two bathrooms and everything we would need, we were given brief instructions and off we went.  Hubby took the wheel which was outside at the end of the long boat. 

When we arrived at the first lock, there was immediate confusion.  Do you think the guys had read the instruction book on the counter?  No!

Daughter and Lars at a lock

I read the instructions, relayed them to the guys at the lock and off we went again. 

And then the rain came.

Since the driver has to be outside all of the time, this was not a good thing. Thankfully, there was only one day with rain and Lars had a flask for the driver.

You can't travel more than about two miles per hour.  There are signs all along the canal about the speed, especially when you pass people who are tied up to the bank and living on the boats.  One time Hubby cranked it up to 4 miles per hour and a boat resident came out and shook his fist at us.  He was probably making a cuppa tea and we rocked his boat!

But slowing cruising through the English countryside is bliss.  And I mean slow.  This was our itinerary.

Day 1
8.4 miles to Thrupp.

Day 2
7.7 miles to Lower Heyford.

Day 3
13.5 miles to Oxford Aristotle Bridge.

Day 4
6.7 miles to Eynsham Lock.

Day 5
1.5 miles to the Boathouse.

Total 37.8 miles in four days!

At night, we would tie up at a village pub, have dinner, get to know the locals and then head back to the boat where we drank wine and played music. 

My older sister, Posy, enjoying some down time.

When it came time to turn around, once again Hubby had not paid attention to the instructions. 

What is it with men and instructions/directions?

We knew we could only turn around at a wide place in the canal specifically for that purpose (called a "winding hole," pronounced as in the wind that blows, not the top you wind), but as usual Hubby had not read the directions and went in the wrong way, thus flummoxing his attempts to turn around.  With some help from the locals, we made it out.

Did we bump into things?  Duh.

The boat had no brakes - the only way to turn was to increase the engine and turn the rudder.  When we were heading back into the Thames to return the boat, the rudder would not turn the boat because of the wind coming from the direction Hubby was trying to turn into. So we kept going straight - right into the tree!  The rest of us were all sitting in the front talking and laughing when all of a sudden I saw a tree looming ahead.  Boom.  Into the bank we went.  Comes with the territory.  The boats are fitted with metal sides for just such occurrences and amateurs like us.

The last night, we tied up just outside of town, no one was near and we blasted our music and had a wonderful time finishing off all of the booze and singing "Red, red wine" at the top of our lungs.

Our ages ranged from 20-70, from three different cultures (Sweden and East and West Coasts of the U.S.), close quarters for four days and nary a cross word.



4.  Smaland, Sweden

My mother's parents both immigrated from Sweden at the turn of the century.  Most Swedish immigrants came from there as the land was so rocky it couldn't be farmed and there was a great deal of poverty. 

My mother went back to meet the relatives that remained and that is when she met my cousin, Jane.  Jane's grandmother was my mother's first cousin. Jane was a teen when she met my mother and really wanted to come to America and she did!  She stayed with my parents for a time (I had moved to California by then) and then found work as an au pair. 

I knew about this connection but had not met Jane.  However, when my son wanted to study in Lund, Sweden, I wanted to connect with Jane so my son had someone to call upon if necessary.  My mother and father were gone by then so I took some chances with some emails - "Are you the Jane who...?" and found her.  We arranged to meet and the rest is history. 

Jane has connected us to all of the remaining relatives who have all been welcoming and kind. 

We have been there several times to visit, but the highlight is always visiting the family home, where my grandmother was born in 1880.  It's still in the family, outhouse and all (would be tremendously expensive to put in indoor plumbing because of that rocky soil I mentioned earlier).

I can't tell you the feeling to be in that house, to walk down the road, to breathe that air that my grandmother did as she decided to leave her family and go to America. What made her decide to go off to America all by herself?  I wish I knew the whole story.  I do know that Jenny, my grandmother, went back to Sweden to visit and tried to get her sister (Jane's great-grandmother) to come back with her to America but she was afraid or her father wouldn't let her.  How that would have changed things for my cousin Jane!

5.  Vienna

Though we toured "The Ring," the Hofburg Palace and The Opera House, what I remember most is the art nouveau architecture.  We did quite a thorough tour of the many art nouveau buildings that were a protest against the historical style.

 But the most fun was the "Toilet of Modern Art."  

I made use of the facilities.

6.  Lower Slaughter, the Cotswolds, England

Here is my very favorite English village. 

I have been an Anglophile for as long as I can remember and read a book called "Life in Lower Slaughter" by Robert G. Deindorfer.  It was written in 1975 and painted the most idyllic picture of life in the English countryside. I had to go there. 

The second time I accompanied my husband on one of his business trips to England, since I had to entertain myself while he was working and I was in England, for god's sake, I finally got up the nerve to drive a car and went in search of this village. 

There is a walk you can do from Lower Slaughter to Upper Slaughter, through a sheep pasture, over some stiles and then around again on a country road.  I was all alone and couldn't believe that here I was, in this bucolic setting all alone in England. 

I have gone back there several times, each time encountering more and more people taking that walk.  The last time we stayed there overnight in the Washbourne Court Hotel (now The Slaughters Country Inn) and after dinner walked out into the foggy evening.  I get goose bumps just writing this.  There we were.  We had the sleepy, quiet town all to ourselves. 

I could pretend for a moment I lived there.




7.  Venice

All I can say is...no, the canal does not stink, you can get away from the crowds and if you don't see Venice before it collapses into the sea, you will have missed one of the most magical cities in the world.

During one trip we stayed in an apartment with my son and his wife.  We were off the beaten track and could walk the narrow walled streets out to the little supermarket and feel like locals.  We were right across from a hospital so an ambulance would go by from time to time -- an ambulance boat, I might add.

Our View from our apartment.

A big thrill was having a drink at Harry's Bar. 

Though it's a bit of a tourist trap these days, I still felt in the presence of Hemingway and other expats who frequented the place and the staff was surprisingly friendly, which isn't often the case with famous places like this that have become meccas for tourists.  Like a tourist, I was craning my neck all around looking for celebrities, while trying to act and look like I was also one!

When we were there with our son and his wife, we sat near some young fellows who were drinking quite a bit and then all of a sudden there was a commotion and the bartender ran out.  Those fellows had run out without paying their bill. 

Must have been those prices!




8.  Prague

Here is another special City. 

One caveat: Some cabbies that pick you up at the train station are not honest.  So what happened?  Despite our knowing about this, we ended up in one of those.  When we arrived at the hotel, Hubby was enraged to find out how much the guy was charging us.  Our travel guru, Rick Steves, had offered that when this happens go into the hotel and report them.  Hubby did just that but the response in the hotel was "Welcome to Prague." Hubby was not amused. Needless to say, when we left, the hotel booked us an honest cab driver.

A highlight of Prague was the Jewish Cemetery. 

Twelve thousand headstones; 100,000 people buried in this small space.

I have a little work story about that.  When I worked as a research librarian, I was asked about the oldest grave in the cemetery.  A tourist had just been there but was not able to remember what that was.  This was pre-Internet days and searching through indexes and articles didn't help me.  However, I was able to find an email address for the gift shop at the cemetery.  I sent them an email saying "A librarian in the U.S. needs your help" and shortly after, I received a nice reply with the answer I needed.   The oldest grave belongs to the Prague rabbi and poet Avigdor Kara from 1439, just in case someone asks YOU that!




9.  Bruges, Belgium

This medieval city is a wonderful walking town.  Too bad it rained the entire time we were there! 

But we stayed in a gorgeous hotel - Grand Hotel Casselburgh (highly recommended) for a good price especially compared to what our hotels were like in Paris and London, for the same price.

We had fun interacting with the young bartender who wanted to open a Belgian Beer Bar in San Diego!  You know how I feel about young, er, good bartenders!

And then there was the Frites Museum!  According to them, our fries should be called Belgian Fries, not French Fries!

For a tour of Bruges while watching a really good film get In Bruges.

10.  Victoria, B.C.

Closer to home is one of my favorite cities. 

In fact, when we were contemplating our move from California to the Northwest, it was between Portland and Seattle and I voted for Seattle so we could be closer to Canada.

Now that we have been to Victoria many times and done the tourist things such as Butchart Gardens and tea at the Empress, I now have my routine.

We get to the hotel, walk around the Inner Harbor and then I head for Murchies to get my tea (they have the best tea ever and you can order online) and then over to Munro's Books, one of the last great independent book stores which was recently featured in "16 Bookstories You Have to See Before You Die."  (Do you sense a theme going on there?).  I am always looking for biographies and autobiographies of lesser known British actors that are rarely available in the U.S.

In the evening we have a drink in the Bengal Lounge, a recreation of England's Colonial era in the Empress Hotel

and stroll back to the hotel admiring the lights around Parliament.

In the morning we walk over to the best Starbucks in the world in Cook Street Village, where we can hobnob with the locals and pretend we are one of them.





Oh, I forgot to warn you.

"This list goes to 11.  It's one longer."



11.  Iceland

From Seattle, one of the less expensive ways to get to Europe is via Iceland on Icelandic Air.  And it comes with a stopover in Iceland in either direction where you can stay for as long as you like for no added expense.  So we availed ourselves of this one year. 

Iceland is like being on another planet. 

But it's such an interesting culture.  There are Icelanders who can read the Viking language because it is so close to Icelandic. 

Since there are no trees, the buildings are mostly tin imported from Norway. 

We rented an apartment and had a wonderful time, the highlight being swimming in the Blue Lagoon, a natural hot spring in the middle of a lava field. 

If you go, just know they want to make your stay easy.  They will pick you up at your hotel or apartment to transport you to some outdoor adventure and cater it with fine dining.  It's an outdoorsman's paradise.

I remember joking to Hubby, wondering if the Blue Lagoon had a swim-up bar. 

Guess what?

I have had so many wonderful travel experiences, it wasn't easy to choose which to share. 

But those are some special places I've seen before I died and now I need to work on those other 990!

If you had to pick your all-time favorite travel experiences, what would they be?

Rosy the Reviewer's
Week in Review

Films

The English Teacher (2013)

Really liked this film especially seeing Julianne Moore in a lighter role.  This also stars Nathan Lane who always makes me laugh.

Rosy the Reviewer says...an enjoyable comedy with dramatic overtones that didn't get a lot of attention when it came out.  Worth a look.

Oblivion (2013)

Had no idea what was going on here. But keep your eye on Andrea Riseborough.  She starred in "Shadow Dancer," which I recently reviewed. 

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...Oblivion is where this film belongs. 

Sorry, Tommy.  I have always loved you but couldn't get my head around this one. 

How to Survive a Plague (2012)

Touted as one of the best documentaries of 2012, this history of the AIDS crisis reminds us of the stigma involved with this disease when it first came to light, a stigma so intense that hospitals were turning people away and no one was working to find the proper drugs to treat the disease.  But through activism things changed.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a case of the patient curing himself.  But we must not get complacent.  AIDS is still out there.  An important film.

I Wish (2012)

I wanted to like this film as I am a sucker for adorable children, especially highly animated, joyous kids.  In this Japanese film (and yes, subtitles), two little brothers who have been separated by divorce believe that if they make a wish at just the point that two bullet trains pass each other, their wish will come true.
So they and their friends make the trip.

Rosy the Reviewer says...slight premise and overlong but the child actors were delightful.

Food

If someone can give me recipe that actually turns out well in a slow cooker I would be amazed.  So far everything I have made in a slow cooker has been tasteless and/or mushy.  The only reason I can think of to use something that takes 7-8 hours to cook is to have your food ready when you get home from work.  But if the food tastes bad, what's the point?  You might as well cook for an hour when you get home.

Rosy the Reviewer asks...is being retired and using a slow cooker an oxymoron?

Fashion

Remember last week, I told you that a big trend for fall is "bedazzled black? " 

Well, aren't these hot?

Am wearing them to Hubby's and his partner's big rock & roll gig this weekend!

Rosy the Reviewer says...no comments.  I am wearin' 'em. 
Now I need to start practicing my twerking!

Fun

---Reading



"Shirley Jones: A Memoir"

And what a memoir it is.  Mrs. Partridge, we hardly knew ye!

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like celebrity autobiographies that dish the dirt, here it is right here.  Delicious!

---Stair walking...

Am starting to question why this falls into the "fun" category. 

On this last walk of 90 minutes, 2.6 miles and 588 steps down and 477 steps up, it occurred to me as I dragged my butt up step number 450 that it was surprising we were not more like Pavlov's dogs. 

Shouldn't we have an aversion to getting up and getting in the car to head to a stair walk when we know how much it is going to hurt? 

Gulp!

And yet we continue to do it. 

Must be the "No pain, no gain" principle.  

But if it has to hurt, then I like the pay off - the gorgeous views and the sense of accomplishment.

As we head down some stairs, we catch a glimpse of someone's deck.

Can you believe someone actually gets to live with that view?

Well, that's it for this week. 

See you next week when I plan to do an appreciation of Lifetime Movies. 

Or not.

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