Windsor Great Park

April 23:  Today was a 'great' walk in and around Windsor Great Park, the extensive land holdings that are south of Windsor Castle and owned/managed by the royal family/government.  To get the statistics out of the way first, we walked 13.5 miles in just over 4 hours.

We had a partly cloudy day with some sun and no rain, but a bit cool, in the fifties.  It was a good day for walking.  We started out on the "Long Walk," a 2.3-mile straight promenade that runs between Windsor Castle and Snow Hill (The Copper Horse statue).  It is paved, used by lots of runners, walkers and strollers, with no bicycles allowed.  There was an occasional warden patrol car.

Long Walk Northward

Long Walk Southward

Looking back from Snow Hill to Windsor Castle

The Copper Horse

We then traversed to Savill Gardens, one of two gardens in the park.  Not much was blooming so we passed on going in, but looked through the gift shop and had a snack in the restaurant.  The building has a wave shaped roof that is framed in larch, all harvested from the park grounds.

Larch-framed roof

Virginia Water was next.  It is a man-made lake, first dammed in 1750s and re-built shortly after a flood washed out the first dam, by King George III (his "workers" one presumes).

The Cascades created by dam

We made it to the outskirts of Ascot, turned north along a Park access road to "The Village," bypassing the Jubilee Statue and then to Queen Anne's Ride, a 2-mile straight bridleway back to Windsor.  Prince Philip "planted the 1,000 trees along the bridleway in 1992."  The last mile of our walk was along King's Road directly to our cottage.

300-year old oak tree and perspective - that's a lot of board feet

We passed in and out of the park numerous times, thereby seeing the following gates - Doubles, Bishops, Cumberland, Blacknest, Ascot, Prince Consort's and Queen Anne's.  We saw large herds of deer, many pheasants, a couple of hawks, 2 green parrots, a hare and a variety of little birds.  There were lots of families, kids on scooters (2, 3 and 4-wheeled) and small dogs chasing each other and balls.

Continental Drift

April 21-22:  This was our travel day which spanned over two days, with about 24 hours without sleep.  It is also not very interesting reading, but for us there are a number of things to record, journal-wise.  For instance, we flew three legs getting to Heathrow Airport (PDX to Seattle, Seattle to Iceland, Iceland to England).  We enjoyed the executive lounges before the first and second legs flights, though we "crashed" the Alaska Boardroom (their lounge name) since they do not provide this service for Icelandic Air.  Our first leg was on Alaska Air so using their lounge made sense to us.  They were nice and made an exception for us.  The Seattle lounge was pleasant, and allowed to get light snacks.

I watched 4 movies on the long legs from Seattle to Heathrow:  1) Edge of Tomorrow - Tom Cruise saving the world from aliens; 2) The Next Three Days - Russell Crowe breaking his wife out of prison; 3) Goldeneye - James Bond (Pierce Bronson) saving the world, again; and 4) The Homesman - Hillary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones moving 3 crazy women from the Nebraska Territory to Iowa.  I also did a little work for my consulting job on hydroAMP, using my computer laptop.

After boarding the plane in Reykjavik, I watched our luggage arrive on the baggage trailer and be loaded onto our plane.  It was quite reassuring.

 

We arrived at Heathrow at 11:30, went through passport control along with a few thousand other people in about 40 minutes and after calling for a taxi was delivered to our flat in Windsor for the next 2 weeks.  The owner Chris gave us a thorough rundown on all the features on the one bedroom, one bath rental.  We have everything anyone would want - Wi-Fi, TV, washer-dryer, which uses the same tub for both, etc.  Chris was very nice and helpful regarding where to shop for supplies, where to go for evensong in the chapel at Windsor Castle, and where to walk and drink.

We went off to find groceries for breakfasts, by walking down the main pedestrian street to "The Local" amid many other  many other stores, restaurants and pubs.  We carried our purchases back to the lodgings (22 Grove Road) and collapsed on the sofa.  I tried to look as some brochures and maps that Chris had left for us but could not stop from just drifting of to sleep.  It is such a weird feeling not being able to keep one's eyes open even when trying to concentrate.  We gave in and napped sitting up for a few minutes.

We struggle awake and went for dinner, trying first The Two Brewers, a famous pub just off the Windsor Great Park with its straight road (leading up to the castle) but it only served dinners on Monday through Thursday.  We walked toward the main shopping area and went into The Three Tuns for a brew and light supper (salad and sandwich).  The TV was on and was consumed by the news that the Prez was in town meeting with Prime Minister Cameron.  Obama had lunch with the Queen earlier in the afternoon at Windsor Castle while we were arriving.  We saw helicopters and police but otherwise no disruption.   In the pub I found the magazine pictured below put out by the local chapter of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ales).  Betsy and I did some planning/strategizing while eating including finding the nearby horse racing parks.

We walked home and collapsed once again.  By the way, it was misting and then raining most of the afternoon into late evening.  It was forecast to be better the next day, though with cool temperatures (high in mid 50s).

Cheerio for my first entry.

Great European Adventure - Overview

Betsy and I are about to embark on our next travel adventure.  This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip in that we will be away from home for 5 months.  We are going to become "residents" of Great Britain with side trips to Italy and Greece.  Below is our itinerary as planned so far.  Sophie, our cat, will be taken care by house sitters shown below.  

If you are interested, you can follow along through this journal or what we call a "travel blog."  Unlike previous trips, I will probably not try to record happenings on a daily basis.  But, I will include photos which are worth many words.  I will also try to be a bit more careful on the grammar, but excuse my misspellings, wrong verb tenses, missing words, etc.  And finally, we would love to hear from you and your reactions to our adventures - I think you can reply through the blog directly or by sending messages to our e-mail address (pratthor@gmail.com).

Enjoy your summer and any travels that you might do!

Philip

Summary Itinerary – Summer 2016, The Grand Tour

Cat Care Contacts:

·                Heather Darling (503) 880-1875, heatherdarling71@gmail.com

·                Jaymee Martin (541) 981-7223, jamee@andorra.ad & Marc Rodriguez (503) 919-5007, marcrodriguezromero@gmail.com

Local/logistical problems:

·                Our neighbor to the north, Lisa Evans, has a key to the house and can help with logistics.  Cell phone number: (503) 545-7772.  evanlis.126@gmail.com

·                Dennis Oster can also help in an emergency (except when he is in England/Italy with us – May 19 to about June 30).  Phone: (503) 819-9426

Emergency Contacts:

Nancy Pratt Willamette View. Portland, Oregon (503) 652-6583 natoprat@earthlink.com

Elaine Thor Roanoke, VA (540) 774-1261 ebthor@ mindspring.com

Paul Thor Colorado Springs, CO (719) 210-7816 (cell) (719) 473-2700 (home) pvthor@gmail.com

Catherine Pratt Franklin, MA (508) 528-2176 (h) (508) 440-9395 (c) callingpratt@ hotmail.com

Thursday, April 21 & Friday, April 22, 2016 – Travel to England

Fly to London (Heathrow) via Iceland (Keflavik), Alaska & Icelandair

Friday, April 22 to Friday, May 6 – Sightseeing around Windsor

Stay in Windsor rental unit (west of Heathrow, on Thames River), local sightseeing

Friday, May 6 to Thursday, May 19 – Sightseeing in London

Relocate to rental unit in London, Westminster area (near Parliament & Tate Museum), local sightseeing & theater

Thursday, May 19 to Wednesday, May 25 - Glasgow

Train to Glasgow, Scotland.  Stay in rental unit, penthouse overlooking the River Clyde.

Local sightseeing.

Wednesday, May 25 to Saturday, June 11 – Hiking Trek

Trek the West Highland Way, staying at local inns, ending in Ft. William.

Sunday, June 12 – Travel to Rome

Train to Glasgow, plane to Rome via Heathrow (British Airways), overnight in hotel near train station

Monday, June 13 – Travel to southeast Italy

Train southeast to Monopoli, overnight in hotel

Tuesday, June 14 to Wednesday, June 22 – Biking Trek

Bicycle trip in the heel of Italy, care of Randonnee Travel, staying in local hotels

Thursday, June 23 up to Thursday, June 30 - Rome

Train to Rome, stay in Hotel Dimora Degli Dei, Via Del Seminario.  Local sightseeing.  Travel back to England, possibly by train.

Thursday, June 30 – London, Transition Day

Mentone Hotel near Euston Station

Friday, July 1 - Travel to Ambleside, Lake Windemere, Lakes District

Walker’s Retreat rental cottage.

Friday, July 1 to Friday, July 29 - Ambleside

Explore the Lakes District and adjacent areas.

Elaine Thor arrives at end of month, via Manchester

Friday, July 29 to Friday, August 12 – Northern England & Scotland

Visit Hadrian’s Wall, Edinburgh, Orkney Islands and places in between with Elaine

Saturday, August 13 to Saturday, August 27 – Tenby, Wales

Rental flat in Tenby, southwest coast, local exploring

Saturday, August 27 to Wednesday, August 31 – London, Transition Days

Mentone Hotel near Euston Station

Wednesday, August 31 – Travel to Corfu

Flight from Heathrow to Corfu (British Airways), accommodations in Govino Bay

Thursday, September 1 & Friday, September 2 - Explore Corfu

Saturday, September 3 to Saturday, Sept. 17 - Sailing Trip around Corfu

Saturday, September 17 - Travel from Corfu to Athens

Fly to Athens (Aegean Air),

Best Western Hotel Pythagorion, 28 Agiou Konstandionou St.

Wednesday, September 21 – Travel from Athens to London

Mentone Hotel near Euston Station

Friday, September 23 - Travel from London to Iceland

Fly to Iceland (Icelandair), Bed & Breakfast, Keflavik Airport

Saturday, September 24 - Travel from Iceland to Portland

Visit the Blue Lagoon, fly home nonstop (Icelandair)

Tuesday Volkswalk

Betsy and I were on our own today; the others went to Kasha Katuwe Tent Rocks which we will do tomorrow on the way to Albuquerque Airport.  We first visited the State Capital, strolling around inside on two levels of the circular building.  There was an impressive array of art on the travertine walls.  We also passed through both chambers of the legislature - very modern and spacious for both elected officials and the public.  We then started a Volkswalk that would take us up to St. John's College and to Museum Hill, on the east side of the city.  We stopped for lunch at the museum cafe, where we each had tuna salad served two ways - Betsy's was a traditional salad, mine was a tuna melt with sweet potato fries.

We walked through the Museum of International Folk Art.  We saw three special exhibits - a miniature circus, Flamenco dance costumes and history of this type of dancing in NM, and religious artifacts from around the world.  We next toured through the permanent collection of international folk art, given to the museum by Alexander Girard.  He gave about 100,000 pieces to the museum in 1960s.  They have only a tenth of the pieces on display.  There were a multitude of dioramas of festivals, market scenes, inside homes, religious scenes, etc., all in miniature.  

Taos

Monday was Taos day.  We drove the scenic route from Santa Fe, also known as the "high route."  We up and over and around several mountain ridges and historic villages by way of the Kit Carson National Forest.  We parked at a free lot in downtown Taos and walked around.  We went to the Plaza, had a coffee, walked down an historic artist street and visited an old courtyard.  The museums were all closed, it being Monday.

We lunched at a recommended cantina on good New Mexican food sitting on a patio in glorious sunshine.  We visited a couple of galleries, like Santa Fe art is expensive.  We left town by way of Taos Pueblo, but it was still in its spring closure.  We next drove over the Rio Grande River Gorge, stopping to view the impressive bridge and the deep canyon cut by the river.  It is a byproduct of geologic fault and years of erosion.  Before driving home, we stopped at a "new-age" housing development wiith earth sheltered houses buttressed by wind bottles and mortar.  The development exists "off the grid."  It was joust off the road in a wind blown, bleak desert.

Betsy found Taos rather ordinary, sprawling over a flat, dry country and dusty.  After getting home, we ordered BBQ for dinner and watched the NCAA Men's basketball tournament final game.

Sunny Sunday in Bandelier National Mounment

Sunday, April 3rd - After preparing breakfast of frittata and fruit, we drove north to Bandelier National Monument and Los Alamos.  We walked the main visitor loop along the bottom Frijoles Canyon passing a pueblo ruin and numerous cliff side dwellings.  Everyone had opportunity to scamper up wooden ladders to the "cavettes."  We all went up to Alcove House which required 140-foot ascent up ladders and stairs to a broad, deep gallery with a single Kiva.

We walked back to the car after a short break at the cafe.  We then drove to Los Alamos, first passing rather quickly through the National Laboratory and second the town.  The only thing of note remotely interestlng to us was street names - Trinity, Oppenheimer, etc.

We drove home and went for dinner at a restaurant that served tapas.  We shared a variety of tapas and a bottle of rose.

Santa Fe Birthday Trip

Friday, April 1, Portland to Santa Fe, NM - Travel day.  We were away early in the morning for the airport, using bus and MAX.  We passed security - TSA pre-check is the best $100 we ever spent - with no waiting and we didn't have to take our shoes off, remove our belt, take out liquids, or take off our jackets.

Our flight to Seattle was the standard shuttle and  was completed without incident.  Within an hour we boarded our flight to Albuquerque.  Two and 15 minutes later we arrived, after two on-board medical emergencies in route.  A 39-year old man one row in front of us lost consciousness.  The drink service was disrupted while the flight attendants began scurrying around.  The help from 2 doctors on board was solicited.  The patient was checked over, food to be okay and we landed as scheduled.  Alaska Airline has a mobile communication system that allows them to relay information to a ground medical center which the flight attendants fired up.  The doctors asked a bunch of questions, and took vital signs.  Everything seemed normal and they returned to their seats.  The other medical emergency was somewhere near the front of the plane and we were not informed as to what it was.

We arrived in Albuquerque, picked up a rental car ("bypassing the counter" - thanks to Internet check-in) and drove about an hour north to Santa Fe.  We could see dark clouds over the mountains which turned into snow by the time we arrived.  With help from GPS we found the rental home, meeting up with Paul (brother who we are celebrating his 70th birthday), Elaine (sister from Virginia) and Barabra (Paul's ex-wife who lives in Colorado Springs).  They had driven down together from Colorado Springs, arriving about a half hour before us.

We went for dinner at the Blue Corn Cafe and Brewery.  We each had local or New Mexican-style Mexico dishes.  We walked around some before and after dinner enjoying the golden, evening light, before retiring.

Saturday, April 2, Sightseeing in Santa Fe - Today was spent walking around Santa Fe seeing the sights.  Our first destination was the downtown Visitor Center in order to pick up Volkswalk route maps.  Our next stop was the State Capital (a flat-roof, round building only marginally taller than other buildings in the area).  It was not opened, so we walked around one "side" toward the train station/park. 

A Saturday market is held here and it is where we had breakfast.  We then walked back toward the Plaza, picking up a Volkswalk route.  

Our first stop was the Chapel of Loretto with the "miraculous staircase."  It is small chapel which was in need of a circular staircase to get up to the choir loft, during the chapel's original construction because space was limited.  The staircase circles twice around and has no center support, hence why it is called miraculous.  It was built by an itinerant carpenter who worked on it for 6 months and then disappeared without ever being paid.

Betsy and I diverted from the others and walked the rest of the Volkswalk route from there.  Two notable points along the route were the Fort Marcy site with a zigzagging path downhill marked with plaques presenting historical moments of Santa Fe, and Canyon Drive which is where many expensive art galleries are located.  Part way up Canyon Drive, we broke for drinks and a rest.  We finished the route with one more stop in a sculpture garden with rock pillar water fountains and whirly gigs.  

We had dinner at the house after unsuccessfully trying to secure a reservation at a tapas restaurant.  We have reservations for tomorrow night instead.  Betsy and I went to Albertsons for some breakfast supplies and picked up pizzas for dinner.  We watched most of the two Final Four basketball games with the volume muted.  Strangely, we didn't miss a thing without the commentary.