Posted by: gardner310 | July 2, 2013

Considering Cornwall, Part 2

Gray Hills

Gray Hills

My list is long, I’ll warn you for this was a week of trying new things, seeing new places and first impressions.  The weather was mediocre but it was mostly dry, for which I thank God.  It drizzled a bit on a couple of days but never hard enough to stop the sightseeing.

The Dartmoor Moor covers a large area in Devon, on the way to Cornwall.  Much of the moor reminded me of the Falkland Islands, acres covered with rocks and sheep.  All of the items in the present musing are within the moor.  In addition to those, other pieces include:

Sheep.  There is a  road sign that says, “Caution, sheep lying on roads”, and they DO. There are wild horses among the sheep and one kind of cattle has long shaggy hair and very long horns.  All of these can be on the road at any turn so driving at any speed is nigh on impossible.  I will need google to find the correct species of what I saw but for that I need free fast wifi.

Low hung mist.  The mist of the moors is legendary and were I a serious photographer I would spend time there attempting to catch the mood when the mist  hangs low.  It is truly mesmerizing.

Gray.  Get used to it, as it is the standard color of the day.  When we had sun it usually showed itself around 5-6pm in the evening providing a lovely evening setting for dinner or a walk.

Tintagel Castle Trails

Tintagel Castle Trailsn

Hiking trails.  Bazillions of them and about as many people using them.  There are parking lots in the middle of owhere that are there because there is a public access to a trail.  I have never seen so many people with walking sticks, and I don’t mean canes.  I would love to plan another holiday in Cornwall just to walk the trails although I don’t see myself camping so it would have to be a village to village trip.

Dogs.  Bazillions of them, too.  The English love their dogs and bring them everywhere, including restaurants.  This bothers me a little from an uptight American health conscious viewpoint since often the small dogs are actually on the table itself.  However, I am all in favor of them elsewhere, especially out on the trails or playing on the beaches getting their exercise.  There are very cool dogs out there.  One lady was walking 4 greyhounds and two shelties.  I found Hagrid’s dog, Fang (from Harry Potter) on the street in Fowey.  It’s an English Mastiff (full disclosure-not really the movie dog but same breed)

Fang, of Harry Potter fame, from Fowey

Fang, of Harry Potter fame, from Fowey

Each day was a discovery, new port town or sightseeing venue like the Eden Project.  I’ll elaborate on these a bit later but suffice it to say, I love Cornwall and the West Country.

Posted by: gardner310 | July 1, 2013

Considering Cornwall

Typical Cornwall scenery

Typical Cornwall scenery

Rather than trying to post everyday I decided I would wait until the end of the week here in Cornwall and then do a run-through of my impressions and what I found  to be most interesting.

First let me say that I am in love with Cornwall.  It is everything and more than I hoped for in a destination.  The scenic beauty of the countryside is stunning, especially if the sun peeks out, which is not often enough.  The Dartmoor moors are breathtaking in their constantly changing terrain and the winding roads that may or may not be wide for two cars at a time.

I made a list of things I want to comment on and I think I will need to break it up into several posts or you will reading forever, if you don’t get bored halfway through.  So, in no particular order, here are my impressions of Cornwall.

Hedgerows

Hedgerows

Hedgerows.  I understand now why the British were supposed to land at Omaha Beach instead of the Americans.  The English are masters of hedgerows and the soldiers knew how to get through them, while the Americans had no idea how to deal with these massive and high hedges.  They line all the roads in Cornwall, at least it seems that way.  Some are just a few feet high, high enough to cut off your view as you drive in a low slung car.  Some are massive, 10-12 feet high providing total separation between the road and the fields.  Amazing.

Trimmed trees.  These tend to go hand in hand with the hedgerows but not always.  The trees are trimmed so they form canopies over the roads, reminiscent of some of the southern roads in the US.  Driving through these archways was lovely, I just wished getting a photo was easier – too much shade for my camera.

Rolling Hills.  The views keep getting better.    Miles of farmland, divided by stone walls, or not…The pattern of these

Rolling hills by the sea

Rolling hills by the sea

fields, some with hay being baled, others dotted with sheep makes for a relaxing scene.  I grew up in Chester County, PA and the area is very similar but Cornwall is on a much grander scale.  The winding narrow roads, trees and meadows produce some damned good drivers.

Stone walls.  Miles of them.  They separate the fields for the livestock mostly but often for the farm fields.  These walls are put together with no cement, often they are slate walls as that is in abundance in the county.   King’s Arthur’s birthplace, Tintagel Castle, had lots of great slate walls and stairs.  I’m not crazy about the stairs since they tend to be slippery.

Right, enough for now, more to come…

Posted by: gardner310 | June 28, 2013

An Aside – Vacation in Europe June 20-July 29

Entering Cornwall

Entering Cornwall

Because our ship is chartered for 5 weeks, we are being put off.  The company was going to fly us home for the month+ but we decided to stay in Europe and visit friends and family.  Now, Michael and I have been working and living together 24/7 for MANY months on the ship but we have not done a vacation road trip for a long time.  It will be interesting to see how we do when I want to stop for pictures and he wants to get to the next B&B for the TV and a glass of wine.

Black head, Cornwall

Black head, Cornwall

We are first headed to Cornwall, England to rent a cottage with my sister and brother-in-law.  I’ve never been to Cornwall and the other 3 haven’t been there for 40+ years so it will be relatively new experience for all of us.  After the week in Foxhole, Cornwall we are headed north to visit ship friends, the Rowdens, who live in Leeds.  From there we are back south to my sister-in-law’s so Michael can play golf and I can visit other ship friends.  I am very excited about Cornwall since it is a setting for so many good old Gothic novels I read as a kid and of course, Daphne du Maurier’s books are set here, including the famous “Rebecca”.  Off we go!

Posted by: gardner310 | June 25, 2013

Truly Incredible Sculpture, Naples

Naples Al Fresco, near Sansevero Chapel

Naples Al Fresco, near Sansevero Chapel

I was fortunate enough to visit this lovely little jewel of the art world last week, Museo Cappella Sansevero.  I was really taken aback by a few of stunning creations in here.  There are 3 pieces in particular worth studying; the Veiled Christ (Cristo velato) and the statues Modesty and Disillusion.  The detailed workmanship is amazing and actually awe inspiring.  Even the floor is intriguing, reminiscent of Escher.  It is well worth finding this chapel in the heart of historic Naples.  Below is a condensed description from one of the brochures.

The Sansevero Chapel, also known as Santa Maria della Pieta, was erected in the late 16th century by Giovan Francesco di Sangro, but it was Raimondo di Sangro, seventh prince of Sansevero, who conceived and realized between 1740 and 1770, the fascinating iconographic design we can see today

The Prince wished to build a family mausoleum and, at the same time, a temple of initiation, reflecting his multi-faceted personality as a patron of the arts, inventor, man of letters and publisher as well as alchemist and Grand Master of the Freemasons in the Kingdom of Naples.

Among masterpieces as the Veiled Christ (Guiseppe Sanmartino, 1753), renowned the world over for the remarkable tissue-like quality of the marble,, and the wonderful virtuosity of Disillusion (Francesco Queirolo,1753-54) as well as the enigmatic Anatomical Machines (Guiseppe Salerno, 1763-64), the Sansevero Chapel is one of the most impressive monuments that the human mind has ever conceived.

It killed me not to be able to take photos of my favorites in the chapel but I hit the streets and went for the living subjects instead.  Please consider putting the chapel on your list when you’re visiting Naples, you won’t regret a moment.

Italy?  Pasta!

Italy? Pasta!

Posted by: gardner310 | June 25, 2013

Knights of Rhodes

Tower at corner of Rhodes city

Tower at corner of Rhodes city

Knights of the Order of St John established a hospital on Rhodes in Greece  many years ago.  From here they migrated to Malta and became known as the Templar.  Dan Brown, anyone?  Their actual work, although they were a military organization, was to work in the hospitals as care givers.  I did visit the Palace of the Grand Master that was refurbished by the Italians (who else?).

Rhodes' Mosaic

Rhodes’ Mosaic

The mosaics in the Palace were brought in pieces from plundered Roman homes and buildings on the island Kos but the amazing thing is that there is not one piece missing.  Unbelievable.

The city of Rhodes is surrounded by massively thick walls, turrets and a wide moat (now dry).  It is a beautiful city also filled with shops and cafes with free wifi on streets where one is more colorful than the next.  A large mosque is located in the city along with the Catholic churches.

I did take the journey to Mt. Filerimos and the church of Our Lady.  It’s a beautiful setting out on the island on the grounds of an ancient settlement.  Rhodes is a must see destination if you are visiting the Aegean.

Church of Our Lady, Rhodes

Church of Our Lady, Rhodes

Posted by: gardner310 | June 22, 2013

Island of Windmills, Mykonos

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Mykonos, Greece is one of my favorite islands or at least port towns.  The usual winding streets full of color call my name every time I am there.  There is little car traffic because they keep it away from the harbor so the tourists can walk without the pressure of being killed.  Scooters are another matter, though, so keep your eye out for them at all times.  This time I walked over to the windmills, Mykonos’ signature, to take some photos up close and personal.
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I also made a friend in a jewelry shop, a Marco Bichego boutique.  He is my favorite Italian designer and he had a new collection I had to investigate.  Sophia was just lovely and we did hit it off even with her working on a sale from me.  I would like to have her as a friend and how many sales people can you say that about.  Hope to catch up with her next time toward the end of the season.

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Posted by: gardner310 | June 22, 2013

Albania? Thought We Were Banned from Albania

Albania Coast with Mussel Beds

Albania Coast with Mussel Beds

Albania was never on my bucket list but today I escorted an excursion that took me there. I’ve never met anyone who visited the country so my expectations were that the city would look like the gray communist cities elsewhere. Once again, I was wrong. After a 45 minute hydrofoil ride we reached Sarana, a semi resort town with quite a few hotels but a lot of unfinished construction. Albania has only been out of communist rule for about 20 years so they have a long way to go but are making slow strides toward the “market economy”. The buildings will be done as more money comes into the area.

Butrint church

Butrint church

We were headed out to a Unesco site since 1992, Butrint National Park that has documented history from the 4th century BC. The Park now measures 86 square kilometers. Modern archeological was started in 1928 by Luigi Maria Ugolini. Most of what we saw today was excavated between 1928 and 1938. There were several crews of archeologists there today working on the structures.

Current Excavators, Butrint

Current Excavators, Butrint

Temple Reflection, Butrin

The monuments span over two thousand years from Hellenistic temple buildings of the 4th century to the Ottoman defenses in the early 19th century.  Cities were built on cities so wherever they dig they have to be careful going down.  The setting is lovely forest land in rolling hills but there are some hefty steps to climb in both directions.

I am happy to be the first on my block to visit Albania and proud of my new stamp.

Sarana, Albana

Sarana, Albana

Posted by: gardner310 | June 9, 2013

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Venice, Italy

Lucky enough to spend an overnight in Venice I headed out from the ship to Piazza San Marco to people watch, listen to the dueling musicians and take a few photos. Coming around the corner from the Ducale Palace I noticed a large puddle in the piazza and went to take a look. Sure enough from a certain angle there was the cathedral as a reflection. I must say it made my entire day in Venice and that was even a great trip out to the island of Burano. Timing is everything.

Posted by: gardner310 | June 9, 2013

A Little Bit of Kindness

A Little Bit of Kindness

A Little Bit of Kindness

Venice, Italy

There is a story here. I was on the vaporetto to Burano. In front of me was a non-Italian family of 4 adults and one child all signing, not speaking. This kindly Italian priest came up from the back and introduced himself in sign and he joined them for a conversation. He was so animated in his talk with the adults and attentive to the little girl, he pulled out a colorful rosary and gave it to her. They ended up exchanging what I presume was emails and hugs. Human nature at its best.

Posted by: gardner310 | June 1, 2013

A View from Galata Tower, Istanbul

View from the tower

View from the tower

We were free to see the city today so I took a walk to Galata Tower which was built in 528AD.  It sits on one of the hills of Istanbul and it is a good hike up but I was pleased to see a relatively short line to go to the top of tower.  The Italians restored the tower in 1929 and the narrow balcony provides a panoramic view of the city and the beautiful Bosphorus, showing both continents.

Nemo hoodie

Nemo hoodie

The main street back to the port has numerous shops devoted to boating and water sports including scuba diving.  I found a hoodie I want to buy on the next trip back.  It will certainly make me easy to find on the next dive.

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