My A to Z Travel Challenge – M is for Minneapolis and Monterey, USA – 🇺🇸

Continuing my A to Z of Travels Challenge with the letter M.

Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota was part of our road trip through USA and Canada. We had some very dear friends who lived there and we hadn’t seen them for 25 years after they left Hong Kong! Many people asked us why we were visiting Minneapolis as they said there’s not much there! However I enjoyed every minute of our three day stay there thanks to Michelle and Jon who were very good guides.

We chose to stay at the Residence Inn by Marriott because this was very near to where they lived. I can’t say I was very impressed by this hotel for the price we paid, I thought the rooms could have had a good clean to start!

Our first morning was spent at the wonderful Mall of America, Anthony’s dream come true! Unfortunately we did only have a morning there as in the afternoon we would be exploring the town. We couldn’t believe our eyes at the size of the place, it even has a theme park in the middle!

After we had spent the morning there, Michelle and Jon picked us up and took us around the town. I really enjoyed seeing the lakes and river and the Stone Bridge that crosses the river.

Minneapolis was full of surprises especially the grand old houses that stand on the banks of the lakes, very impressive.

The next day we were going boating across the river to another State! Lake Pepin, Wisconsin. We would travel along the Mississippi River in Jon’s boat. We had a fabulous lunch here at The Pickle Factory.

After lunch we had a quick walk around the cute little town of Pepin.

I felt like I was stepping back in time walking around the town looking at all the old weatherboard houses.

That same day we also drove up to an old farm that Michelle and Jon owned and went for a fairly long walk around the property.

That was really all we had time for in Minneapolis, just a whistle stop tour and then we were off on our travels again. We flew to San Francisco later that evening.

Monteray

We had only one night in Monterey but really managed to make the most of the next day. This small town was everything I had imagined and more, having read so many books about it. We stayed right in the centre and had dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf.

Looking forward to some fabulous seafood for dinner

Not before we came across this Porsche show though!

Gourmet dinner with plenty of wine and a martini to finish

We finished the night at a wonderful jazz bar with a live band and of course more cocktails.

17 Mile Drive

The next day we did the 17 mile drive and managed to take wrong turnings a few times and ended up going back on ourselves, it was confusing to say the least. We certainly stopped a few times to get our bearings and of course take plenty of photos. We ended up having lunch at The Inn at Spanish Bay overlooking the famous Links golf course.

This drive is a scenic road through Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula. On the drive you will see huge mansions of the rich and famous and golf courses.

I felt we could have spent so much longer looking around and going down different routes, but time was ticking by and we were due in San Francisco later that day. A place to revisit in the future.

Our road trip ended up in San Francisco where we spent four fabulous days.

My A to Z Travel Challenge – L is for London – Part Two – 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

This post features Camden to Little Venice and also Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross

The North

Continuing the journey into London through my eyes! We’ll be travelling to the North and then to the West.

Camden Lock to Little Venice

This is a walk I’ve wanted to do for a while, but it’s hard to get my dear hubby interested in anything that doesn’t involve shops, even though he is a big walker and I’m not! We decided to give Camden Market a miss as it has become far too touristy. We took the tube and the bus to get to Camden Station, and then walked towards the start of the Regent’s Canal.

Shop fronts and art along the way

Then it was onto the canal to begin our walk. The map said it would take approximately 40 minutes but part of the footpath was closed so after a long detour, it was close to an hour before we finally finished.

I could have taken so many more photos as the colours were amazing. What I really would have liked would be to look around one! Most we saw were all really well kept and a few had small gardens at the front. I imagine it would be quite damp in the English Autumn and Winter on board.

It was such an interesting walk and we walked under many bridges along the way and saw some unusual sights as well.

Under the Bridges

There is a short story about Macclesfield Bridge. In October 1874 a barge containing coffee and nuts exploded under this bridge. The bridge was destroyed and three men were killed, but the iron columns were left intact. The explosion could be heard from a mile away and caused uproar among the animals at the nearby London Zoo.

Strange and funny sights

Towards Little Venice you start seeing the most spectacular houses rather than the apartments near Camden. I definitely would have liked a tour around one of these houses.

Fabulous Houses

Just near the end of the Regent’s Canal we came across the famous Feng Shang Princess Floating Restaurant. A wonderful handcrafted red pagoda sits right on the canal bank.

And so ends our walk to Little Venice, which is in the West. The canal now becomes the Grand Union Canal and hopefully if I can persuade Anthony we can do this next time we visit London.

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Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross

Another day, another visit to London. This time it was Anthony’s choice. The reason he chose this place was, lo and behold, a designer shop he had found online and he had seen a waistcoat he fancied. At first I wasn’t very impressed about going all the way to King’s Cross, but was in for a nice surprise when we arrived.

Coal Drops Yard dates back to the 1850’s when London was powered by coal. The unusual buildings were designed to handle 8 million tonnes of coal which were delivered to the capital every year.

Now it is home to many designer boutiques, restaurants and apartment buildings. It is located alongside the Regent’s Canal.

Grade II Listed Cast Iron framework
now luxury apartments

I really enjoyed our day here and it’s well worth a visit if you are ever in this area. It seems that more of London is being resurrected every year with great new projects that incorporate old derelict buildings.

That’s all from the North!

I’ll finish with a quote from a very famous designer

My A to Z Travel Challenge – L is for London, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Part One

by Alison July 14, 2020August 24, 2020

You Can Go Your Own Way

My post for “Six Word Saturday”

Crossing the Oresund Bridge

The Oresund Bridge gained fame from the Scandi Noir series, The Bridge. One of my favourite TV shows featuring the quirky Saga Noren. After our trip to Gothenburg we decided to head over to Copenhagen and I was very excited to take the bus which would involve driving over the bridge.

The Oresund Bridge is a combined railway and motor bridge and spans 8 kilometres between Malmo and Copenhagen. It goes through the manmade island of Peberholm, which is home to hundreds of species of animals and plants.

It takes around five hours to travel by bus from Gothenburg to Copenhagen compared to 4 1/2 hours by train. However I think you get to see more from the bus.

Do you prefer bus or train travel when travelling overland?

Life through a “Rose Tinted Glass”

My photo for today’s Square Perspectives hosted by The Life of B

This was taken when we were on a three island boat trip in Croatia. This island is Lopud. One day I would definitely like to go back and stay so much longer than an hour or two.

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Lopud Bay

My A to Z Travel Challenge – L is for London, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Part One

East London and the City

London, the city I was born in, worked in and lived for a while. It is one of my favourite cities and even though there must be hundred of blogs about London, these posts are about my memories of London. We try to visit at least a few times when we go back to the UK to see my parents, either taking the train which is around a 30 minute journey or drive up.

I found a wonderful website called Just Park . It’s a site where people rent out their parking spaces for a day at a time. We have never paid more than £10 a day, which is a bargain considering the astronomic cost of parking in London. If we take the train, we buy a travel card for the day and this lets you use, trains, tube and buses. The train for us takes us into Fenchurch Street Station and from here we walk to the tube or bus stop. I have found that google maps is brilliant for telling you what number bus to take and when it will arrive.

So much has changed over the last twenty years I find it hard to know my way around like I used to. Tall architecturally designed buildings now dominate the city with centuries old churches nestled in between.

By Day

The iconic red London double decker bus is the best way to see London especially if you are at the top in the front! We did manage this during one visit only to be turfed off shortly down the road due to the “Save the Planet” protests.

By Night

Nowadays there are so many places to eat in the City, whereas many years ago it was really just pubs and cafes. The food is always good wherever you go giving London the gourmet reputation it deserves.

Brick Lane

As I’ve written before my dear hubby is mostly interested in shopping and is always on the lookout for shops that sell a particular denim or certain item of clothing that has caught his eye. Brick Lane is where his favourite shop is located, Son of a Stag. It sells mostly jeans but there are also other quirky designer items. I usually sit on the bench inside and know I’m in for a long wait, while he discusses weight and thread count with the sales assistant. We’re normally here for 45 minutes but then have to go back to collect said item after it has been altered.

Street Art around Brick Lane

The old Truman Brewery, said to be founded in or around 1666 by Joseph Truman. Now it is home to East London’s arts and media centre. Housing bars, restaurants, galleries and shops.

Back to their roots

During one of our trips up to London my mum and dad came with us to show us where they used to live. My Dad came from Bethnal Green and my Mum from Hackney. We also visited the church where they got married.

St. Leonard’s Church (also known as Shoreditch Church) dating back to approximately 1740. This church was mentioned in the nursery rhyme “Oranges and Lemons” – “when I grow rich, say the bells of Shoreditch”.

Prospect of Whitby, Wapping

Still in the East is the district of Wapping, sitting on the banks of the River Thames and near St. Katherine’s Docks and Tobacco Wharf. This area is now a much desired place to live. The Prospect of Whitby used to be one of my favourite pubs and I decided to revisit on one of our trips.

It dates back to around 1520 and is probably one of the oldest taverns in London. I don’t think anything has changed much over the years!

There is so much more to see of East London and the City especially the markets. You don’t always have to do the touristy stuff to have a good time in London.

Some of the fabulous markets to visit if you have time

Petticoat Lane
Columbia Street Flower Market
Leadenhall Market
Old Spitalfields Market
To name but a few!

I hoped you enjoyed my trip through East London

Next up – Part Two, North and West

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My A to Z Travel Challenge – K is for Kelowna, Canada 🇨🇦

Kelowna was on our itinerary for the road trip we did in the USA and Canada a few years ago. We spent five days here visiting my very good friend Lynn. It had been a few years since we had all seen each other.

Kelowna is a city in British Columbia and is situated in the Okanagan Valley which is known for its pine forests, vineyards and orchards.

We travelled from Vancouver in a hire car, which foolishly we had left until the last minute thinking that we could do it the day before! Also we wanted the car to drive onto the Rockies after and to drop it off in Calgary. We found out that this wasn’t something every car hire place did. So we spent a fair bit of time trying to find somewhere that did this, paying quite a bit for the one way route.

The journey takes around seven hours plus stopping time, we arrived in time for dinner!

Some of the photos I took along the way

Over the next few days we explored all around Kelowna. One thing that surprised me here were the amount of homeless people around. At first I thought they were backpackers but then wondered why they would take a dog with them! I found out that they collected more money if they had a dog with them. We would always keep loose change in our pockets to add to their caps and tins. Anthony would always have a word or two with them to find out their story, most of them were homeless involuntarily but we came across the odd few who chose this way of life.

From our walk up Knox Mountain, I didn’t manage it to the top but Anthony did. Views over Okanagan Lake and the town of Kelowna.

O’Keefe Ranch

We spent a fun day at O’Keefe Ranch with Lynn’s parents one day, a drive not too far from Kelowna. The ranch was founded in 1867 by Cornelius O’Keefe. Everything here has been very well preserved and there is a lovely restaurant for lunch.

Outside and inside the farmhouse

There are some beautiful walks around Kelowna and one day Lynn and I went for a mini hike very near to where she lived

We found many fossilised rocks on our walk plus a crashed car at the bottom of a ravine! Wonder how that got there

All too soon our trip to Kelowna was over but not the road trip! After this we drove onto The Rockies.

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My A to Z Travel Challenge – J is for Jerez, Spain 🇪🇸

An Afternoon in Jerez

Jerez

We visited Jerez on a three night trip to Seville with my parents a few years ago. It was an unplanned trip, but when I realised how close and easy it was to get to we decided to spend an afternoon there. Trains from Seville were pretty frequent so we just took a taxi to the station and bought tickets at the counter. The journey takes around an hour.

Waiting to board

For some reason I thought there would be tour buses at Jerez Station! When we walked out the only transport were taxis. By this time it was lunchtime so we hopped in a taxi and Anthony asked the driver who spoke no English to take us to a “nice restaurant”, he’s very good at miming. We struck lucky with our driver who drove us to a fantastic restaurant and also said he would wait for us and give us a tour after.

The restaurant we had lunch at was called La Carbona, I think it was probably a Michelin Star restaurant judging by the price!

Anyway the food, service and atmosphere were excellent, but we knew we had to go and explore soon before it became too dark.

True to his word our driver was waiting to drive us around the small town centre. He tried so hard to make us understand what he was talking about, and spoke very animatedly for over an hour in Spanish, all to no avail!

Exploring the beautiful town of Jerez.
Jerez Cathedral; Town Square

I would love to go back to Jerez one day and spend more time there, but it was a wonderful afternoon during our visit to Seville.

Until next time

My A to Z Travel Challenge : I is for India, Part 2 🇮🇳

Featuring Chowmahalla Palace and Charminar Bazaar

Chowmahalla Palace

After another gourmet breakfast at the Taj Krishna we set off with a driver and guide to the Chowmahalla Palace.
Chowmahallat means “four palaces” in Dakhini Urdu and is the palace of the former Nizams of Hyderabad. The history of this palace is fascinating, not just because of the building of the palace but the financial wrangling between the heirs that was the downfall of this palace.
At one point in the seventies there were 476 legal heirs to this Estate.
Finally in 2005 Princess Esra (the first wife of Prince Mukkaram Jah) decided to start renovations. Prince Mukkaram Jah fled to Perth in the seventies and lived on a sheep farm in the Australian Outback. He married four more times after Princess Esra. I’ve included a few links to this post as there is so much more interesting history to read.

In front of the palace
Waiting to start our tour

Top: Ladies sweeping the grass
Middle: Through one of the ornate window frames
Bottom: Ornamental pond in front of the palace

Top: Prince Mukkaram Jah with his father
Middle and Bottom: The magnificent crystal chandeliers made of Belgian glass

Top: One of the beautiful corridors inside the palace
Middle: Palace Courtyard
Bottom: The clocktower above the main gate – Khilwat Clock, which has been ticking for 251 years and is wound weekly by expert clock repairers

We practically had the whole place to ourselves and had a fantastic tour around the palace. No visit to Hyderabad would be complete without a visit here!

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Charminar Bazaar

Charminar was our next stop but not before we had some lunch. I must say I was a bit wary about what we would eat, knowing it would probably me far too hot for Maddy and me! But not to worry as our driver took us to a great little restaurant called Masqati Nizam Hotel. This was such a friendly restaurant with westerners and locals alike. We had a delicious biryani and we were both able to eat it.

This was on the wall depicting a time many decades before!

And then it was out onto the street to explore the market in all its glory! After the peace and tranquility of the Palace it was a great shock to the senses. Not for Anthony though as these are places he thrives in.
It was impossible to just stroll around as all the roads were dug up in various places for no reason I could see whatsoever. Piles and piles of rubble to stumble over or around.
Maddy and I picked up some lovely scarves, after the requisite bartering of course.

Charminar Monument built in 1591, this is also a Mosque
The monument is located in the heart of old city and it is believed that Hyderabad was measured in four directions from Charminar for administrative purposes.

Anthony in his element! Market and street scenes

So many to choose from!

Dates, pineapples and bananas

Pomegranates and grapes

A quick stop at the Nizam Palace Museum to see all the beautiful silver and artefacts and then back to the hotel for a quick freshen up before dinner.

What a very interesting day it was, more places for your itinerary for Hyderabad.

Next up Part 3

My A to Z Travel Challenge – I is for India 🇮🇳 – Part One

Parts 2 and 3 to follow!

Hyderabad

Hyderabad is the only place I’ve actually been to in India, and we spent a week here over two years ago. Five days probably would have been enough but with plane timetables we decided to add the two extra days for rest and relaxation! We travelled with my son Laurence and his girlfriend Maddy in January, so the weather was just perfect. We stayed at the Taj Krishna, a beautiful hotel in the Banjara Hills.

The view from our window

Our very comfy bed!

Relaxing on the patio and Maddy enjoying a first class cooked breakfast

The reason we chose Hyderabad was because my dear hubby had recently read a book called “The White Mughals” by William Dalrymple. It’s a book about the warm relations that existed between the British and some Indians in the 18th and early 19th century, when one in three British men in India was married to an Indian woman.

Anthony was interested to see if all the great palaces and houses that were built during this time were still standing. Sadly we found that many of these grand buildings are in great decay and not accessible. Some have been turned into colleges and hospitals, but there doesn’t seem to be the demand or need to renovate these beautiful old buildings.

Golkonda Fort

This was one of the places that I had read was easy to get around and you could do it on your own! Once we arrived there in our taxi and were dropped off, madness and mayhem greeted us. We managed to cross a very busy road complete with cattle, goats and schoolchildren and wandered up to the entrance gate. We didn’t have to look far before an avid tour guide stepped into our path, offering to lead us around the fort with a detailed history. After Anthony had bargained a good price, we headed off.

Maddy and Laurence leading the schoolgirls!
The entrance to Golkonda Fort

Golkonda Fort has a history reaching back into the 12th Century. A shepherd boy was once walking on this hill where he came across a God idol, the King that time decided to built a fort on the hill, which then came to be known as Golconda (Shepherd’s Hill) Fort.

With perimeters of around 11 kilometers, the fort has 15 to 18 foot high walls. It has huge gates that have pointed iron spikes on them. This protected the fort from Elephants damaging the fort as well as enemy attacks.

There is a great sound system in the Fort and the sound of clapping at the entrance can be heard a kilometre away. This was apparently used for communication purposes and to alert the King of any attack. (Source: Hyderabad Tourism)

As far as I could see we were the only “Westerners” here and we were stopped every few steps to have our photos taken. I think it was mostly Maddy they were interested in! I made a joke about the one with Laurence in saying they would probably photoshop him out! 😆

On top of the world with views of sprawling Hyderabad

One of the many semi circular bastions; underground arches;
on top of the fort and sitting under one of the derelict arches

Whispering walls; through the window;
Women at rest; a view through an archway

This was a fantastic place to visit and our guide was extremely informative, very chatty and funny! He even guessed my age correctly, which was a bit rude I thought.

Our driver was waiting patiently to drive us back to our hotel. On the way back we stopped by Hussain Sagar Lake and stopped to take a photo. As we stepped out of the car three young men approached Laurence and asked to see his ear! Then just grabbed it and it looked like they were about to pierce it, but he jerked back and said “hey get off me”. Our driver said they just wanted to syringe it! Very random.

Gautama Buddha in the middle of the heart shaped lake

Dinner that night was at a restaurant called Paradise, very popular with ex-pats so the concierge told us. It’s famous for Biryani. Even though I asked for the mildest one it was still far too hot for me! Anthony and Laurence also struggled and they like a hot curry.

End of Part 1

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My A to Z Travel Challenge – G is for Geysir and Gulfoss, Iceland

Both Geysir and Gulfoss are located within the Golden Circle in Iceland. These were places we visited a few years ago on an Icelandic Air tour. We first had one night in Reykjavik and the next morning boarded our coach to the next hotel which was Hotel Grimsborgir.

Geysir

This was our first destination outside Reykjavik and we stopped here for around an hour to take a few photos and to see the lively Strokkur which spouts water 100ft into the air every few minutes. You have to be really quick to take a photo as it spurts so rapidly making everyone jump, also there are always so many people standing around waiting. The name Geysir is derived from the Icelandic verb geysa (“to gush”) from Old Norse. (Source: Wikipedia).

It was also quite difficult to get close enough to the exploding spout of water due to the crowds of people there!

After an hour or so here we hopped back onto the coach and headed onto Gulfoss.

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Gulfoss

Gulfoss is one of Iceland’s most famous waterfalls, beautiful and spectacular to see. By the time we arrived the weather was not looking very good. A fine cold drizzle was setting in plus the spray from the waterfall itself. The walk from the carpark took a good 20 minutes for most on the coach, but for some much longer as they were just walking to it when we were on our return! Much to the guide’s frustration as it was eating into his schedule!

From these photos you can see the long thin trail to the waterfalls. Very slippery in parts so it was quite slow going for some.

There didn’t seem to be much safety concern about the wet rocks and not much of a barrier either – at your own peril!

Gulfoss is the biggest waterfall I’ve ever seen and was truly mesmerising.

Once everyone was safely back on the coach we drove to our final destination for that day, the Hotel Grimsborgir, which is described as a luxury hotel. Nestled in the heart of the Golden Circle and sitting on the banks of the River Sogid. Everyone on the tour was commenting how nice it was and what a treat.

That night we had a sumptuous buffet dinner in a very grand restaurant. The only thing that we balked at was the price of drinks. Iceland is well known for how expensive it is but being out in the countryside was even more exorbitant. Anyway what is dinner without a glass of wine so we bit the bullet and bought a bottle of wine.

Hubby looking happy with the room and then very glum at the price of the drinks 😆
The beautifully decorated dining room where we had dinner and breakfast the next day.