ITALY - Venice

Tired Hills Clan checking in at Birmingham Airport

We were all up before 5 as the shuttle was picking us up at 5:30 for our trip to airport.  We didn't sleep well the night before as we were all excited about our trip to Italy.  We got to the airport at 6:00 and because we couldn't check in online, due to who knows what, we were all trekking through the airport waiting in this long line and I was wondering if we would get through the lines in time to catch our plane. Every carry on was weighed and tagged "fit to fly". Then off to security. I wasn't thinking I had items too large to pass through security.  Oops facial cleanser and eye makeup remover which I had in checked baggage when we left the US. They were so gracious about it. And of course I set off the alarms when I walked through the "thingy" and had to go thru the body scanner and then be patted down and then be wanded. Now in Europe when they pat you down they aren't bashful about it. I was touched everywhere.  After all that we got settled on the plane for our 3 hr flight to Venice. 

"S" climbing the spiral stairs to our apartment.

We caught a bus from the Venice airport to the central bus terminal where we met the owner of the apt where we were to stay. We then walked along the canals "just four bridges" and we were there. The apt was wonderful with a blend of modern conveniences and old world charm on the inside and very Venetian on the outside.

Entrance to our glorious apartment

After a brief rest we were off to see the city. What a magnificent place. Outdoor Cafes everywhere you looked and magnificent squares. So tranquil. 

We only had 2 1/2 days in Venice and we wanted to see and do as much as possible.  Lots of little alley ways and of course canals everywhere.  It was amazing one minute you would be in a crowd of people and the next you'd be walking along a quiet alley or canal.

Our morning coffee

Each morning T and I went off to a little cafe for coffee and to people watched. We'd come back to the apartment, rest have a little lunch and then head out to explore. We were out and about 7 to 10 hours every day.

....pictures will tell the story. 

Plazza San Marco

Gondolas everywhere

Marco Polo lived here.

Rialto Bridge 

Bovolo spiral staircase

Santa Maria del Giglio Church

Loving life on a gondola

 Saturday afternoon we took a tour "overview of Venice" which included a gondola ride. While on the ride we passed a gondola with a man singing. Before getting to Venice  T said he wanted to go on a gondola ride and have the gondolier sing. This was as close a we got.  It worked for us. We had dinner at a little place along the canal. All in all a very romantic afternoon and evening. We wanted to get out after dark and see the city "at night", but after walking 7 to 10 hours a day we were too exhausted to go back out. We don't have the stamina we used to have.

Dinner on a canal 

Hills von Trek family last day in Venice

Sunday morning we were up and at it, off to catch the rain and on to the next adventure, a week in a medieval village.

More Random Sites in England - Wales, Bath, Birmingham, Burton-on-the-Water, Avebury Henge

One of the places I wanted to see while in the UK was Wales, so off we went.  We piled the kids in the car and packed food for the day.  It was only about 2 hours away.  Two hours doesn't sound like much, but when traveling in the UK, you traverse a lot of windy roads before and after getting on the Motorway (What we would call an Interstate.) and of course there is the need to stop along the way.  There are pull-offs for stopping which have no services and there are "Service Areas".  The Service Areas are something like a mini mall of services and have huge parking lots with tons of people stopped.   

We drove to Cardiff, the capitol of Wales.  What an interesting and diverse city.  There was such a mixture of old and new architecture.  It was cold and windy, but we didn't let it stop us.  We walked along the bay, taking pictures and stopped for a light lunch.

Cardiff Theatre

Bay of Cardiff

Saw the coast, but it was low tide and all we saw was mud.  Ate dinner at Look Out Cafe. T had cawl, a staple of the Welsh diet - lamb & veggies in a stew/soup, a bit gamy from my tastes.

Avebury Henge -

Avebury is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England.

Avebury Henge

Bourton-on-the-water , the Venice of Cotswald

We visited an Ancient Yew tree that the kids read about.  The tree is estimated to be over 1500 years old.  What fun it was to see how excited they were and for us all to sit inside the tree that one only reads about.

In Bath we saw the famous Bath Abbey, Jane Austen Center and the Circus just to name a few things.  I had tea with Jane Austen and "K" did her juggling act in the Circus yard.

Bath Abbey

Glo with Jane Austen

"K" juggling at the Circus

Birmingham,: Spent the day walking through the city and along the canals. Of course had the obligatory photo with a British Bobby.

Canals of Birmingham

We've seen so much.  There is no way I could catalog all the sites and tell you about our experiences while here in England.  I hope this have given you a little glimpse or our experiences.

Our next adventure was to Italy.  Watch for my next posting.

Random Accounts Of Happenings While in England

What a grand time we are having seeing new places, trying new foods and walking through old towns, castles and along canals.  Rather than try to lay it out in some semblance of order I'm just going to write about various things and post pictures to go along with the gibberish.

Thomas took a stand up comedy class and we had an evening of stand up comedy when he and his classmates did their routines. Quite enjoyable.  I thought you might enjoy his routine. Click and laugh.

The girls take a wood working class at Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School , in Stourbridge, which was established in 1934 -  It looks like more work than I would enjoy, but they are having a great time making wooden bowls.

Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School

Stratford-upon-Avon- How exciting it was to walk in the place where Shakespeare lived!  To see where he was born and buried.  I only wish we had time to see a play performed in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Keep following....

Holy Trinity Church
Shakespeare was married and buried here 

Shakespeare was born in this house.

Royal Shakespeare Company- Stratford-Upon-Avon

Gower Memorial -
Statue of Shakespeare erected in 1888

Glo in front of house where Shakespeare was born

Coventry, Kenilworth, Leamington & Warwick ENGLAND

We arrived in Birmingham on Thursday afternoon worn out and overwhelmed with jet lag.  We didn't let that get the best of us, though.  The children and I went for a walk on the "Greenway".  A greenway is what we would call a green belt in Arizona.  They are everywhere and you can walk from city to city along these passages.

We visited  the town of Coventry.  Some of the highlights of Coventry were:

1. Herbert History Museum- Where we learned much about the history of Coventry and the surrounding areas.

Lady Godiva was an 11th-century Anglo-Saxonnoblewoman who, according to a legend dating back at least to the 13th century, rode naked through the streets ofCoventry in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants. The name "Peeping Tom" for a voyeur originates from later versions of this legend in which a man named Tom had watched her ride and was struck blind or dead.

T admiring the beauty of Lady Godiva

 2,  Coventry Transportation Museum was amazing.  We spent over 2 hours there and still didn't see it all.  We saw the world's fastest car the Thrust SSC (749 mph); rode in a simulator and went back in time  through world of transportation.  All in all a wonderful experience and it was FREE.  

1929 Austin 7 Swallow & grandson

The Coventry Transport Museum is a motor museum, located in Coventry City Centre, England. It houses a collection of British-made road transport. It is located in Coventry because the city was previously the centre of the British car industry.

Thrust SSC- World's Fastest Car

Old Cathedral of Coventry

3.  The Old Cathedral, 

St Michael's, a 14th-century Gothic church later designated Cathedral, that remains a ruined shell after its bombing during the Second World War.  It was one of the largest parish churches in England.  One spire stands as a tribute to the people of Coventry and their tenacity to rebuild.

We spent an afternoon in Kenilworth a quaint little town in Warwickshire England.  The town is most famous for 
Kenilworth Castle is located in the town of the same name in Warwickshire, England. Constructed fromNorman through to Tudor times, the castle has been described by architectural historian Anthony Emery as "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant for its scale, form and quality of workmanship".^[1] Kenilworth has also played an important historical role. The castle was the subject of the six-month long Siege of Kenilworth in 1266, believed to be the longest siege in English history, and formed a base for Lancastrian operations in the War of the Roses. 

We had the opportunity to visit Warwick University campus and wonder around.  What a beautiful campus.  Lakes, fountains and walking paths all around.  

My son,Thomas the researcher, is always in need of guinea pigs, 'em rather volunteers for his  research and who better than his aged mother.  I was wired up and hooked to a computer; my brain was watched while I responded to a series of questions.  I thought some of you might get a chuckle from this.

Time was spent walking through the town of Royal Leamington Spa or as it is more commonly known, Leamington.  There are beautiful parks and walkways along the canals. 

Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784.

Keep following us.  There is much more to come about our travels in England.

La Belle Amie Vineyard- Little River, SC

La Belle Amie Vineyard

We had a fantastic day at a local winery.  Good ole fashion music, wonderful people, great wine and good food.  Though the weather was warm, with all the shade trees and the good breezes, it wasn't too bad.  T & I plan to be in South Carolina in September and October, so we'll be going back to this winery for the weekend festivities.  Of course grapes grown in the south produce sweet wines, but Vicki, the owner of the vineyard, is a smart business woman and imports grapes from California for those of us who enjoy Merlot's and Cab's.

The history of La Belle Amie:  Vicki's family has owned the land for over 100 years.  It was a tobacco farm until Vicki's father died and her mother took over when she was in her 80's.  Vicki came home to "help Mom" and turned the property into a vineyard.  It took her nearly 10 years before she was successful with her vines.  There were about 5 years in which hurricanes came through and destroyed all her hard work.  She persevered and now has a successful business.  The name for the vineyard, La Belle Amie is a twist on the family name: Bellamy.  The wines are produced under the label "Twisted Sisters".  Vicki host an event every Wednesday and Saturday.  If you are ever in the area, we recommend stopping in and checking it out.

T enjoying Hill Billy Taters and wine