La Villa

Posted on February 24, 2016 by kathy

A leisurely walk from the apartment in Ponte a Serraglio is the village of La Villa, the commercial centre of Bagni di Lucca. The houses along the way were intriguing, I would love to have seen inside them.

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They had great views of the green hills and the river flowed just outside their windows.

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The delicate wildflowers were putting on a show.

The main street wasn’t too busy

21.main street

and we found just what we were looking for.

22.nonsolovino

The park had a lovely fountain.

23.fountain

The view downstream from the town bridge was serene.

24.from bridge

I don’t know who this gentleman is but I think he has kind eyes.

25.bust

We were a little early for lunch and were forced to endure a beer at the bar next door, complemented by bowls of olives and potato crisps, to pass the time.

26.gelateria

Lunch at Ristorante Del Sonno was well worth the wait. I discovered my favourite pizza – ham, artichokes, olives & egg. I returned to La Villa a week later with the ‘wives’ while the men were busy building guitars. We lunched at Del Sonno,

27.Ristorante Del Sonno

overlooking the gorgeous facade of Teatro Accademico

28.teatro accademico

and the cute dog waiting outside.

29.teatro statue

We then walked off our meal along the river path dedicated to Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning. They lived most of their lives in Florence and had a summer house in La Villa from 1853-1857.

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No wonder they wrote such beautiful poetry with inspiration like this.

Kent

Posted on February 17, 2016 by kathy

After five wonderful days in London, we caught the train from Charing Cross to Tonbridge, Kent, and picked up our hire car. We drove to Tunbridge Wells, where Michael grew up, and explored the town.

2.Pantiles

The Pantiles is a Georgian colonnade, named after the pantile paving on the Upper Walk in 1700. Now lined with shops, galleries and cafés

3.Pantiles 4.Pantiles 5.Pantiles

the area was created following the discovery of a chalybeate spring in the early 17th century.

6.Pantiles

After lunch at The Duke of York

7.Pantiles Lunch

we visited High Rocks, which weren’t as high as they seemed to a young Michael. The drive was scenic

10.High Rocks

and the pub inviting.

We found our way through the back lanes to our B&B, The Duck & Drake, just outside Rolvenden.

12.Duck & Drake 11.Duck & Drake 13.Duck & Drake

The room was lovely

14.Duck & Drake

with a gorgeous view to greet us the next day.

15.Duck & Drake

We stuck a pin in the map and headed for Hastings,

where the ruins of the castle, built by The Normans in 1070, sit proudly above the town.

21.Hastings

We took the easy way to the top

23.HastingsCliffRail

for a closer look at the ruins

and the magnificent view.

26.Hastings

Back in the car park, this young gull had made himself comfortable.

27.Gull

We drove on to Eastbourne

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and after a leisurely lunch, we started back to The Duck & Drake, discovering Bodiam Castle along the way.

31.Bodiam Castle

Built in 1385 as both a defence and a comfortable home, the castle was used in Monty Python & The Holy Grail as Swamp Castle.

There were no curtains, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utuchVE_56M, but I think they would have obscured the scenery.

41.Bodiam Castle 42.Bodiam Castle

One last stop for a quick beverage at The Elephant Head

43.Elephant Head

where we made a friend

44 Boxer

and we finished the day with a fabulous meal at The White Lion in Tenterden.

Gunns Plains

Posted on February 12, 2016 by kathy

Gunns Plains is a rich, fertile valley in northwest Tasmania. Named after botanist and early explorer, Robert Campbell Gunn, the Leven River winds through pastures, grazing stock and rich, red volcanic soil. Forty minutes drive from our house is George Woodhouse Lookout where George and his wife, Lurlie, are resting with a view of their beloved plains.

1.sunny view

The view is breathtaking, even on a cloudy day.

2.cloudy view2

It is a place we like to take visitors, building them up to this astounding vista as we get nearer. It was a little disappointing, one clear June day, to find the valley under heavy cloud. Still beautiful but not quite the same.

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The scenery is just as captivating once down on the plain.

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I love the poplar trees as winter approaches.

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Beneath this gorgeous landscape lies over 150 caves. The second largest was discovered in 1906 when a possum hunter’s dog fell into a hole. It was opened to the public three years later. The formations in the cave are magnificent, particularly the calcite shawls

10.shawl

and the flowstones are so varied.

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Stalactites, stalagmites, columns and young shawls abound.

This cute little fungus caught my eye.

21.fungus

The underground river still flows and is home to the endangered freshwater crayfish, platypus and eels. The delicate display of the glow worms can be appreciated when the torchlight is dimmed. We look forward to returning to the caves, maybe with our next visitors….

London

Posted on February 2, 2016 by kathy

Our British adventure began with a few days in London. Neither of us had been for many years and we couldn’t resist seeing the postcard sights. The best view had to be from the London Eye.

1.London Eye

Opened in the year 2000, it is Europe’s tallest Ferris wheel at 135 metres. One revolution takes about 30 minutes, travelling at a rate of 0.9km/hr. This allows enough time to get on and off without stopping and do a quick sweep for explosives in between.

2.The Eye

The 32 pods each hold 25 people. I’m pleased to say we only had 8 in ours.

3.The Eye

Before long, the iconic landmarks came into view. St. Paul’s Cathedral and Waterloo Bridge.

Charing Cross Station with Embankment Place shopping complex above and Hungerford Bridge, often called Charing Cross Bridge.

A little higher

8.The Eye

and we could see across the 23 hectare St. James’s Park

9.St James's Park

to Buckingham Palace.

10.Palace

From the top

11.The Eye

it was a long way down

12.The Eye

and we were awed by the dimensions of the Palace of Westminster, otherwise known as the Houses of Parliament.

13.Parliament

As we descended, we had a close look at the intricate architecture of County Hall and a glimpse along the Thames to Westminster and Lambeth Bridges.

After lunch and a beer on Southbank we embarked on a Thames River Cruise. On the way we had a different view of County Hall and a closer look at Big Ben.

The Houses of Parliament were just as impressive from the water.

19.Houses of Parliament

The Tate Modern was not an attractive building, it looked like the power station it used to be.

20.Tate Modern

Hay’s Wharf was a trading wharf from the middle ages until 1969. The Wharf and Galleria now house offices, restaurants, shops and flats.

The glass facade of City Hall contrasts sharply with HMS Belfast, moored nearby and now owned by the Imperial War Museum.

Tower Bridge blends with the hue of the river and sky.

25.Tower Bridge

The Tower of London stands proud

27.tower

despite competition from The Gherkin.

28.Tower & Gherkin

The 40 storey commercial skyscraper in the financial district has dominated the skyline since 2004.

29.Gherkin

We walked the scenic route back to our hotel, past the Horse Guards Parade,

up The Mall, through Admiralty Arch

32.Admiralty Arch

to Trafalgar Square. Nelson oversees the hustle & bustle from his Column, keeping watch on The National Gallery.

Piccadilly Circus concluded our sightseeing.

35.Piccadilly Circus

I think we did well for one day!

Hartzview Vineyard

Posted on January 29, 2016 by kathy

When my sister was here on holiday, we ventured on a girl’s road trip to Strahan and Hobart. Having sampled the produce of Hartzview Vineyard at Salamanca Market, we realised an expedition further south was in order. The complimentary lunchtime dessert voucher was added incentive. On a gorgeous overcast, drizzly day and after a few diversions along the way, we arrived at Hartzview in time for lunch.

1.Hartview