Stratford-upon-Avon

Hi all

It's been a slow month for me. My return to Vancouver was pending, but not yet near enough to really start planning for, but at the same time it seemed pointless to start new things here in England because I would be leaving so soon.

Our departure is close now though, and I am re-energized. It really helped to head to Stratford on Monday; just being in a new place for two days was a great break.

Stratford is so cute, you almost can't stand it! The picture above is of our hotel, and there are LOTS of buildings that look very similar all over town. There are references to Shakespeare and his plays everywhere--you know, plaques on buildings saying "shakespeare's daughter's 2nd cousin's babysitter lived here". Well, not quite, but you get the idea!

Of course we got turned around on the unmarked roads driving up there and had a heated discussion about who should be figuring out the directions. Then in town we got so turned around trying to find the sights, and were getting irritable again, so we gave up and went to some pub built in 1596 for a pint and from that point on everything was better. We saw The Merchant of Venice that night. We thought it was a great production--minimal set but fascinating use of props and colour and music.

The next day we were able to walk along the Avon and then Mary rowed us for an hour among the swans--it was lovely! We took our time coming home and really felt refreshed once we returned to Peasedown.

So, ten more days. We'll post at least once more here to say goodbye and then will be seeing many of you soon, in person!

best,

Karen

Spring in England

Karen and I have been walking in the weekends following routes that have been around for centuries. Public pathways are part of the English countryside. We have a book that gives directions for circuits in our area. The fields are abound with spring flowers. The bluebells carpet the forest and also wild garlic. It is truly stupendous....

We have 2 weeks left. I have closed the books so that we can close the house down in Peasedown and get ready to get home...We do have a trip planned for next week to Stratford to see the Merchant of Venice, row on the Avon River and stop into a big castle. We also have some going away activities with people I have met at school. So we will be busy... But so looking to coming home.

love mary

visitors from Canada

It has been too long since the last post. Karen is in going home mode, and I am getting there quickly so I'd like to let you all know what we have been doing before we get home May 31. My Aunt Joanne from Winnipeg and my cousin Gay who is living in Calgary came for a visit the weekend after we went to Slaithwaite. It was great fun. We followed the same trip that we did with Karen's brother Jim-- Avebury which is a miniature Stonehendge and Lacock where we had lunch at a very old inn which has resident ghosts. I couldn't believe it so i had to ask of course. And the young woman who was our waittress confirmed it was true. She hadn't seen one yet, but there had been a medium who said that there was a young boy she had seen. Another staff person had seen an old man ghost. Go figure.... We didn't have the pleasure of seeing any ghosts.

We got into the Abbey where someone is actually living. They opened it up for a few hours. The Abbey, where Harry Potter was filmed, started out as a Catholic Abbey for rich women who didn't want to get married and their fathers could put them up in the abbey. Lots of choices in those days. And then when Henry VIII started the Anglican church so he could get a divorce and marry again, he cleansed the country of catholic abbeys, monastary's and some churches also converted to anglican! So the abbey was closed. And it was sold for 500 british pounds to some fellow who made it his home.

We also went to Bath and i finally got to the Roman Baths which was how Bath began. The Roman Baths are not funcioning today, it is like a museum where you walk around. It was quite the scene. Lots of baths. And there were people to scrub you... We did go to the modern spa with the baths which was quite relaxing. A pool on the roof and then steam rooms with different scents and then a pool underground. We were pretty relaxed after two hours of floating around.

We ate well and Joane taught us a new card game--kings in the corner which Karen and I play every now and again. We turned Gay and Joanne on to Rummy cube, the game we learned to play in Sinai with our Israeli buddies. Joanne and Gay loaded up their suitcases with things that we have bought over the year which i will pick up in Winnipeg when i go this summer for a visit.... it was a fun time.

next post will be of some recent walks we have been on...
love mary

Slaithwaite visit

Slaithwaite is a village in northern England, in Yorkshire, about an hour from Manchester. Now tell me, looking at the name, how would you pronounce it? Slayth-wait, right? Oh NOOOO, of course not--I never did get it right but it's something like Slaw-wit. I tell you, that northern accent is VERY different from what I've been hearing in the south!

Mary and I went there last weekend to visit her friends Camilla and Harry, who she met in Bosnia while working, and their two children, Alex and Kate. We had such a great visit! The village has lots of canals, and old mills--that whole area was big in the production of wool and weaving. We were told that it was the area where the Luddites were, opposing industrial growth. Frankly, I think those Luddites were on to something.

We were also in the area where the moors are--they are quite dramatic. Hikers regularly get disoriented there when the fog descends. There's a range of mountaines called the Pennines that runs up to Scotland and the area is well known for hikers. The mountains were so much more imposing and BIG than the hills we've seen here in the southwest.

I so enjoyed being with the children--really bright, really delightful. Kate was scornful of Mary using the word "pants" when she meant "trousers"--"pants" here only referring to underpants, OF COURSE, as any five year old knows! We had so much fun playing with them--and their parents were the greatest hosts.

So now we are back in Peasedown, waiting for Mary's aunt and cousin to arrive from London, for the weekend, and that is going to be fun.

Thanks to those I've spoken to or emailed with who have commented on the blog...I sometimes think I am writing to thin air and it's always encouraging to know that people are reading and (I hope!) enjoying.

6 more weeks til we return to Canada. Yippee!

Karen

Morocco!

Well two weeks in Morocco has left my head so full of thoughts and memories, my eyes so full of visual beauty and my heart so full of feeling! I wish I could post all my pictures, and even that would not be enough to try to show what an incredibly diverse and beautiful place it is.

I managed to learn how to cross the street in Marrakech so as to avoid being hit by motorbikes, scooters, bicycles, taxis and donkey carts. We stayed in a beautiful riad with a gorgous rooftop view (bedroom pictured above)--but it was down some confusing winding alleys that sort of scared me at first.

There are a LOT of cats all over Morocco...and I don't think they are pets, but they don't look too neglected.

We took an 11 hour bus ride to the Sahara. OK, so that was kind of crazy but we bonded with our fellow passengers, and I had a long conversation in French with a Moroccan guy who was a film critic and was heading to a film conference. We then took a taxi, crammed in with other people--off in the distance we could see a sandstorm on the horizon. With the sun setting, it had the strangest light--kind of gold and purple and pink.

Anyways, LONG trip to get there, and then one day of solid rain (they say it rains like 3 days a year, lucky us eh!) but the next day was sunny and hot again and off we set on camels for 3 hours, into the desert to stay overnight with a Berber family.

Riding a camel is a once-in-a-lifetime experience--because I am never getting on one again!!

Really, it's not that hard, but hard on the body--I could hardly walk when I got off, and then the next day we turned around and rode 3 hours back...so we were both hurting. But seeing the desert that way was astounding--just all red sand and blue sky.

Unfortunately some big Sahara car rally was taking place, so every once in awhile some huge 4X4 with a million logos plastered on it would crest a dune and drive along. They are destroying the desert--their tracks last for decades. GRRRRRRR

We got to visit a small village in the interior because Mary knew a Peace Corps volunteer, Johanna, who lived there. She spoke the Berber language so we were really lucky to get to meet some women, and girls, who lived there. Girls finish school at 13 and then kind of wait around to get married. The picture above is of Johanna with three girls who took us out riding on donkeys--donkeys are much easier than camels but they definitely have minds of their own (as in dragging us through the underbrush so they could go get a drink of water).

Johanna wears a short sleeved T-shirt, long sleeved shirt over, leggings and a long skirt, in order not to offend...and she has to wear that in the summer too, when the temperatures reach like 45! Meanwhile, some tourists in Morocco were going around in tank tops and mini skirts. I guess they don't care or didn't even bother to find out what was considered OK.

We went to a town on the Atlantic and rented a beautiful apartment. Well, OK, there were three flights of crumbling stairs to climb up to get to it, and for 2 of the 3 days we were there, they had several deposits of cat shit on them...but once we got to the apartment, it was just gorgeous! (pictured above). Lots of beautiful Moroccan fabrics and colours and dishes--we just loved it. So nice to get a chance to cook food--we went to the fish market and bought fish--I was amazed by the varieties of fish they sold, like tons of different eels and other things I didn't even recognize--actually I was kind of horrified. But then again, I got used to seeing men on bicycles with sheep heads draped over the handlebars. (Apparently there is some kind of soup made with a whole boiled sheep head that is quite a delicacy in the souk in Marrakesh. Have to admit, I didn't try it.)

Buying things was challenging. The first price quoted was probably 3 or 4 times the actual priceand then you had to haggle. I didn't want to get ripped off but I also wanted to pay a fair price for them--but I had no idea what a fair price really was! Twice I had actually walked out of a store, saying the price was too high, and been chased down the street by the shop owners assistant to say, OK, we accept the last price you offered. I was missing Canada--I thought, just give me a price tag and tell me what I need to pay!

Marrakech has a huge square with snake charmers, monkeys, dancers, story tellers, henna painters--plus a million horse drawn carriages, motorbikes, donkey carts etc etc. I loved it but could only handle it in small doses. At night they set up stations where food is prepared--we ate there every night. You see us pictured above with two men from Australia who we met and went out with--they were charming (and young!) But you have to be so careful--we'd order say one plate of roasted eggplant and they'd bring two--and of course charge you--so you had to watch so carefully. We ordered calamari--the waiter said, how about the mixed fish plate (which was almost double the price)--we said no, forget it...and then he brought us calamari. that got tiring, always guarding against being ripped off.

We went to two hammams, the bath houses for women. It was quite incredible! We went to local ones, so not ones that were fancied up for tourists (which I am sure would be fabulous too)

They have this soap paste that looks like a mixture of cooked dates and axel grease that you slap all over yourself, and then a woman basically scrubs you down with a sort of loofah-type mitt. It's not gentle but you sure feel clean afterwards!

Mary and I both had some stomach troubles--Mary got laid up for a day, but we're glad it was only a day. We moved around a lot, which was great for seeing so much of Morocco but maybe a bit too ambitious for gals of a certain age :-) We were both glad to get home, but I am so glad I got to experience Morocco and the images will stay with me for a long long time.

This weekend we're off to visit old work friends of hers who live in Manchester (northern England)...and the weekend after we're excited to be welcoming her cousin Gay and aunt Joanne for the weekend.

And then, it will be only a month til we head back home, May 31. We are looking FORWARD to that, believe me!!

Hope all are well...and that we get to talk soon

Karen

Cote d'Azur

My brother Jim and I just returned from five days in Nice, on the French Riviera. Yes indeed, Nice is nice!! It captured my imagination, and while I know it gets totally crowded in the summer, too many people, too expensive, it still let me dream of what a life would be like living amidst that temperate climate, the gorgeous colours of buildings, the expanse of sea, the fantastic food, and the easy pace of life. We had some cool weather and some rain, but still had a fabulous time.

One day we took the bus to Monaco (only one Euro!!) so got to see the coastline and then the casino, Monte Carlo (pictured). I also took the picture of the pink motorbikes there just because they looked so cute. Monaco is beautiful and so clean...and wow, there are a LOT of rich people there. I haven't seen so many fur coats worn since--well, I have probably never seen so many fur coats in my life. If those women were walking in Vancouver, they would be sure to get a can of red paint thrown on them!

There are pictures displayed of Princess Grace (the former Grace Kelly, American actress). Jim said, and I think he is right, she was their equivalent of Princess Di.

Another day we took the bus the opposite direction and saw Antibes, which felt like a Nice-lite. Beautiful market place and all kinds of neat shops and cafes, but my heart really belongs to Nice.

Nice used to be part of Italy and it feels like a mix of Italy and France--how great is that!! So many buildings that are coral, orange, red, rust, peach--you can see the Place Massena above, which was beautiful...also an aerial view (we climbed up on top of a hill, which had such lovely parks and great views). Of course we saw beautiful churches, mansions that were so ornate inside, tons of art. One day we made our way to the Matisse museum. I love Matisse...there weren't tons of his works there but I still enjoyed it. It was also in a rich neighbourhood so there were just so many beautiful old buildings and gardens to admire.

Then we headed to the Chagall museum. I like Chagall but have seen quite a few of his works, so I thought, oh well, this will be nice. No, it was FANTASTIC! It was all these huge canvases he had painted specifically for the museum, on biblical themes. We stood in front of each one with our mouths hanging open.

The other beautiful thing that so impressed us was the display of foods. One store pictured above specializes in olives and olive oil. We bought olive oil soap there. They had gigantic vats of olive oil, made of brass, and you could bring your bottles and purchase oil in bulk. And then the candy and chocolate stores were just so incredible too, as well as the pattisseries (pastry shops) with their amazing displays. Oh, and did I mention the ice cream? And pasta? And wine?

It was so easy to walk pretty much everywhere we wanted to go, and there were tons of cafes to stop for a coffee or a beer. People watching was just great too--the Europeans are just so, well, European...such flair, style...and then at times such excess. Of course Jim and I got pegged as tourists just by our sensible North American coats and shoes. But I did manage to communicate in French sometimes and that always feels good.

Mary was batching it for the five days we were away, working on some writing. She was so great, had a big batch of soup prepared for us when we got home, and a bouquet of flowers to help ease the pain of re-entry. Jim has left to head home to Toronto today--we were up at 4:45 am to get him to the train, to head to the airport. It was really a great visit.

And in less than a week, Mary and I are off to Morocco for two weeks! It is spring break at school for her...we are leaving March 18 and will be back April 2. We'll be in Marrakech, then heading to the Sahara--we are going to do a camel trek in the desert and then overnight with a Berber family. Yes, I know, me, who is afraid of horses, on a camel--I am just not thinking about it too much. We'll also go to visit a women's co-op and meet up with a young woman she met when she worked there, who is an American working in Morocco, so it will be very interesting to get into a smaller village.

Meanwhile, England is having big wind storms. We have been shielded from the worst of it, but still this morning when I was driving Jim to the train station in our little car, I was definitely wrestling to keep it on the road. I am so looking forward to spring and some warmth--though Morocco will definitely offer us sun and heat, and England should be warming up by April (and really it hasn't even been that bad a winter.)

Mary's birthday is this Saturday...we're going for dinner and martinis at one of her school mate's

homes. Time ticks along, and while I am enjoying so much I am experiencing, I think of home often and am counting down the weeks til I return to Vancouver.

Hope to post again before Morocco. Be well, all!

Avebury

My brother Jim arrived on Friday and we have been having a great time. Just like Mary and me, he managed to catch a bit of a cold in London but a few days of restful country life here has him on the road to recovery. Mary planned an excellent day's outing for us--there is an amazing amount of history to see in the vicinity.

First we saw the white horse (pictured above)--it is carved into the hillside and filled with chalk. Very impressive to see! There are tons of these around this area--no one really knows what the inspiration for them was. Then we headed to Avebury, where you can walk around the stone circle. It's amazing how close you can get to them, and how uncrowded with people it felt--especially considering it was Mother's Day here! we also saw Silberry Hill (not pictured)--it is the oldest prehistoric artifact in Europe. But it is just a hill sitting in the middle of a field--no one knows it's purpose, and I have to admit all I could think of was Centennial Hill, in the suburbs of Toronto, which is a ski hill formed out of garbage.

But back to the tour! Then we had lunch in a beautiful old country pub, where Charles Dickens apparently used to eat. After that it was on to Lacock, an old English village that has been used to film some of the Jane Austen films. Mary and I had gone there in the fall, but this time the Abbey was open--it's pictured above. It was very impressive--HUGE rooms, archways, stone floors. It was built in 1137 or some incredibly early year like that. The grounds were impressive too, and you can see one field where tons of purple crocusses were in bloom.

Finally we headed to Castle Combe, another gorgeous quaint village with amazing stone buildings with slate roofs. We were gettting tired by then so just drove through, and I didn't get any pictures, but Mary and I are planning to return and explore a little more.

Jim is in Bath today, exploring the Roman Baths, then he and I will go back tomorrow to see more of the sites...and then Wednesday we are off to Nice! More pictures and stories after our return.

Karen