Sandringham House

Sandringham House at Norfolk

The day I went to Sandringham House, the weather was dreary and cold. It was raining and I was getting a bad cold. I had dealt with some family issues the days surrounding the visit, so it was a welcome respite, even with the weather. I donned my raincoat and hood, bought my senior ticket and a book and took off to explore.

Entry gates Sandringham

The house is exceptional, not really my style, but the warm welcome of all the staff made it really special. I learned a lot about the Queen of England, and how she is so loved and revered by the 300 people who work for her personally at Sandringham. This is not a country owned estate, but a private estate owned by the Queen herself. And the 300 people that work there, work for her. Their loyalty and love is remarkable, but well-deserved. The Queen has done so much for the economy of this area of the United Kingdom.

Prince Charles car from when he was a boy

I loved touring the Carriage Museum with all the old cars, including quite a few that Charles had as a boy. There is china and silver and other pieces that were used at Sandringham over the years. It was originally built as a house for King Edward VII, by his parents Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Albert died while negotating the purchase of the house, but Queen Victoria decided to continue the purchase for her 21 year old son. More information on the history of the Sandringham estate can be found here.

The reception I received by the staff at the Carriage House Museum was amazing. They were friendly, really all of Norfolk is really a friendly area of England. Their love of their Queen and lovely stories about her were told throughout. More to come!

Canterbury: Funky Paradise

Canterbury Abode Hotel entrance - #1 in my book

After I wrote the post on Canterbury exposing the things I didn't like about it, I felt bad, disappointed in myself for not liking it more. Like a lot of places, it isn't perfect but it really isn't all bad either. I spent two days there and I did like a lot of things. As I said earlier, I loved the Abode Hotel. Information can be found here


Of course after I raved about it, I got a message from the hotel that they didn't like me posting one of their employees with a thumbs up on tripadvisor. I don't know what to say about that. Where is their sense of humor?

If you want a small town feel, medieval charm and a great place for walking, Canterbury can't be beat. I also loved the funky feel of the place. From the musician singing and playing for spare change to the Third Eye tattoo and body piercing shop, Canterbury is as much a 60s throwback as it is a medieval tourist destination.

Tattoo and body piercing shop

Street musician

Street vendors

Canterbury is also pretty famous for its graffiti, so this will be a graffiti post. Have not done one in a while. The following photos are compliments of Canterbury Bombs

No post would be complete without an architectural detail or two, so here goes.

Funky door stop

Rooftop of the Prezzo Building in Canterbury

King's Lynn I Go

Norwich, UK

My trip has been planned for more than a year. The momentous occasion of my niece Sarah's wedding is in June of 2015. This is the same Sarah that was my traveling companion back in 2007 and 2008. She is the oldest daughter of my brother Tim.

Sandringham

The area where she lives in England is called East Anglia, and most of the buildings are over 500 years old. Above is a photo of Norwich. Sarah actually lives in King's Lynn, not far from the Queen's Sandringham Estate.

Town Hall King's Lynn

Can't wait to walk around and enjoy King's Lynn. It is one of the Hanseatic cities, just like Bergen, Norway. There are quite a few walking tours I am interested in taking while I am there.

On another note ...

Little baby Nicky 3 days old

So far it has proved to be a very exciting year. Sarah's younger sister, Emma, just had her first baby. Of course I think little Nicky is just perfect. Don't you? 

Reflections and Resolutions

One thing I am certain of is I am not perfect. We all know that none of us are. But the one New Year's resolution I want to make this year is to be more clear of my intentions and hope others can do the same. I will try my best to approach each new hurdle or situation with an open mind. Really a tough one for me.

I never really understand where somebody else is coming from at any given moment. I have unkind words or a horrible email from family, and immediately I get angry. But after a few days revisiting the issue over and over again, I realize that most of what makes me upset or hurt is not really about me, but more about them. This is the kind of stuff I know but seldom practice.

So I approach this new year with a new lesson. Take what I can get and leave the rest. Enjoy my friends and my accomplishments. Take it one day at a time and don't take life so seriously. All the crap will still he here tomorrow. Relax, enjoy and understand that we all have problems. Often when another person is unkind or judgmental, the best thing to do is to let go and let God.

That is my wisdom for 2015! Happy New Year. Feliz 2015!

Sofitel London Heathrow

London Heathrow Sofitel Guest Room courtesy of their Facebook page

The London Sofitel Heathrow Hotel is one of the best hotels I have ever stayed at. For an airport hotel in an expensive city, it is superb. JFK doesn't even have a hotel at the airport anymore. The London Heathrow Sofitel is connected to Terminal 5, but even if you land at another Terminal ... I came in to Terminal 3 ... you can reach it by using the Heathrow Express. The transfers between terminals is free, and the train service is top-notch. If you would like more information on the Sofitel at Heathrow, please click here.

my room at the Sofitel Heathrow May 2013

One tip though, leave extra time. I left my room a bit late in May, and I really sweated making the flight as there was a 20 minute delay for the train, and then  the lines for security in Terminal 3 were really long. I arrived harried and out of breath, which is not the best way to start a long flight home.

Heathrow Express courtesy of their Facebook page

The Heathrow Express Facebook page can be found here. The train interior is high tech with wonderful TVs showing current news. The seats are comfortable and there is ample luggage storage. There is nothing not to like, except the price. It is quite expensive if you pay to travel to Paddington Station, but the good news is the trip only takes 15 minutes from Heathrow. I plan to use this service to venture in to the city for the first time next May. 

My photo of the interior of the Heathrow Express train

What if New York was still called Nieuw Amsterdam?

Maybe I am not much of a history buff, but I was shocked to learn that what we now know as the city of New York used to be called Nieuw Amsterdam. I first heard about this probably well-known fact when the newest Holland America ship, the Nieuw Amsterdam, was christened. I read about the ship and the history of the city. I found a photo on wikipedia of Nieuw Amsterdam harbor taken in 1664 as seen below. Note the windmill in the background. 

1664 photo of what is now New York harbor

According to wikipedia, Great Britain took Nieuw Amsterdam and the Dutch took Suriname in their agreement. Now I don't know about you, but I think a whole lot more people know about New York City than they do about Suriname.


Readers, my question is, what do you think New York would be like if it were still called Nieuw Amsterdam? 


More information on the history of Nieuw Amsterdam can be found here.


An exerpt from wikipedia:
"On August 27, 1664, while England and the Dutch Republic were at peace, four English frigates sailed into New Amsterdam's harbor and demanded New Netherland's surrender, whereupon New Netherland was provisionally ceded by director-general Peter Stuyvesant. This resulted in the Second Anglo-Dutch War, between England and the Dutch Republic. In June 1665, New Amsterdam was reincorporated under English law as New York City, named after the Duke of York(later King James II). He was brother of the English King Charles II, who had been granted the lands.

In 1667 the Treaty of Breda ended the conflict. The Dutch did not press their claims on New Netherland. In return, they were granted the tiny Island of Run in North Maluku, rich in nutmegs and the guarantee for the factual possession of Suriname, that year captured by them.

In July 1673, During the Third Anglo-Dutch War, the Dutch occupied New York City and renamed it New Orange. Anthony Colve was installed as the first Governor. Previously there had only been West India Company Directors. After the signing of the Treaty of Westminsterin November 1674, the city was relinquished to the English and the name reverted to "New York". Suriname became an official Dutch possession in return."

So it took three Anglo-Dutch wars for the city to be named New York. Wow, I never knew. How many of you knew this?

There is even a ranger-led walking tour offered by the New York Harbor Parks. Starting at Castle Clinton and ending at Federal Hall, the one hour walking tour through lower Manhattan tells of the first group of Dutch settlers. More information on this tour can be found here.



Another tour is offered by a company that I follow their blog ... Lower Manhattan tour from Real New York Tours. I will be in New York in a few months and will definitely try to take this tour.

And by the way, happy New Year!

Rolling In the Deep at Miami Airport

I bought a copy of Adele's 21 while in Miami this week, along with the tribute CD of Amy Winehouse, Lioness Treasures. I was blown away by how good the Adele CD is. I especially liked "Rolling in the Deep," "Rumour Has It" and "Someone Like You." The entire CD is superb.


The best part of my return through the Miami airport was a group of school children doing their rendition of "Rolling in the Deep." They were all dressed in their school uniforms and couldn't have been much older than 7 or 8. They blew me away. 

Sorry for the quality of the video as I was standing in the back of a big crowd, and this is only the second video I have ever recorded. (Probably pretty obvious, LOL.) I took it impromptu with my phone. 


If anybody has the information on the school, I would love to credit them. One child did a version of Santa Baby that was amazing. I have to applaud not only the children, but their music and dance instructor as well. 


Adele's version of "Rolling in the Deep"

Happy holidays!

Cause of Death for Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse Inquest


The cause of death is finally in on Amy Winehouse. She had five times the legal limit of alcohol in her system when she died. Her alcoholism killed her. I have to admit it really bothered me when her father would be on TV, saying she had kicked drugs three years before. He seems like a wonderful man, don't get me wrong. But the ignorance of people not realizing that alcohol is a drug is what I find frightening. She never found sobriety. As long as she was drinking, she was not sober.


Alcohol is a legal drug, but for many of us, it is really a liquid poison. One drink is too many, a thousand never enough. For those of us whose last drug of choice is alcohol, we know all too well that life goes down very quickly. Alcohol was my last drug of choice. I took my last drink when I was 31. I am now 56. 


I only wish Amy Winehouse could have found the joy I found, and the pain. Because life without drinking or drugs can be very joyful, but also very painful. When we begin to feel again, it sometimes seems overwhelming. That is where the concept of one day at a time comes in. For me, I have even practiced one moment at a time. 


The fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous makes it possible to learn a new way of living without the crutch of alcohol or drugs. What most people don't realize who are not alcoholic is that drinking is but a symptom of a greater problem. The problem is in ourselves. We are people who cannot deal with life and so we drink or take drugs. Stopping the drugs or alcohol is only the beginning. We need to find real sobriety, but all I can say to someone out there who is sick and tired of being sick and tired, just go to one meeting. All you need to join is a desire to stop using drugs or drinking alcohol.


I got where I am today one day at a time with Alcoholics Anonymous. Thank you, AA. And for those of you still suffering, there is a way out. Just come to one meeting. It is a program that we work one moment at a time if necessary. 


Amy, we will miss you. I only wish you could have found what I did. RIP

Canterbury: Mixed Review

Sarah & Liam in Canterbury 

I have mixed feelings about Canterbury, England, which I visited after my Barcelona to Dover cruise. On the one hand, it was great to see my niece Sarah and meet her boyfriend. On the other, the town was just so so. I adored the Abode Hotel and was welcomed like a princess and loved my room. Hats off to the Abode Canterbury!

Abode Hotel Canterbury staff including Nick, Housekeeping Manager

Cute shops many from London

There are plenty of cute shops as well, but the amount of cigarette butts and dirt and garbage on the street surprised me. Add the weather, which nobody can do anything about ... it was just so windy, it made it hard to enjoy walking around. The Marks and Spencer's was a real plus, what a store! My niece took me there for the first time, and I went back three times during my two day stay. Got hooked on the bacon sandwiches. There is nothing like bacon in the UK. It is delicious.

Canterbury Cathedral from outside gates

Square by Cathedral gates

The Canterbury Cathedral was not at all what I expected. It was nice, but not really to my liking. Maybe I have been spoiled by all the gorgeous Cathedrals in Italy that I have visited. It seemed very sparse and plain. 


The town itself has a travel agency, where the staff were actually rude to me when I walked in to inquire about tours. I walked in behind two women and the man said, "Picked up somebody, did you?" And the women turned up their noses and said in unison, "She is not with us." And the three of them began to laugh. Obviously I left without booking a tour. 


There was a street musician who was quite good.

Street musician

Of course the highlight of my time in Canterbury was the few hours I got to spend with Sarah and Liam. It had been three years since I had seen my niece, so it was worth it to go.

My niece Sarah

Highlights: family and the Abode Hotel
Lows: Canterbury Cathedral & the town itself

Update on Amy Winehouse's death

Apologies for digressing from my travel posts, I feel a burning desire to post on the death of Amy Winehouse one more time. Return to travel mid-week, I promise.

RIP, Amy ...

While in Miami this week, I picked up both Frank and Back to Black. I have to admit I am partial to Back to Black. It reminded me of the hours I spent drinking wine, smoking cigarettes and singing to The Supremes back in the late 70s with my best friend, Kathy. God rest your soul, Kathy. 

She was shot to death by her husband in 1984. I had moved to Florida by then. She was the best friend I ever had and I wrote an unfinished mystery novel, pulling my pain from the days around her death. Pain I still carry. 

Maybe that is why the death of Amy Winehouse hit me so hard. Or maybe it is due to my addiction problems or my husband's. I don't know. I became a recovering alcoholic at the age of 31. Maybe it was the struggles with codependency while I watched my husband struggle with his addiction for 8 years of our marriage. I truly do know the pain. Sometimes I was crazier than he was while I watched on in helplessness. The only thing that finally worked was locking him out, refusing to see him and walking away. Somehow with God's grace, he found his way. 

The best article I have found on Amy is from Rabbi Shais Taub. Thank you, Rabbi, for your profound words. They do bring me peace. 

Rabbi Shais Taub's article: Was the World Powerless to Stop Amy Winehouse?

I always remember, "but for the grace of God, there go I."

A tribute to Amy Winehouse

I admit I never even knew who Amy Winehouse was when she was alive. How sad for me. But with all the publicity of her death, I went back and listened to Rehab and Back to Black and other songs and became enraptured with her music. She was an incredible singer with an amazing voice who sang from her soul. Her voice was bold, in your face, raw, and painful. And the photos of her from slim to emaciated, from confident and smiling to tense and afraid to the final video of her last concert breaks my heart. She was a young woman who had not found a way out of her addictions and time ran out before she had a plan. 

I was also intrigued and slightly disgusted by all her tattoos, an art quite like graffiti - placing images where they don't belong (in my puritanical mind.) So this post is a tribute to Amy Winehouse and her tattoos. 

I found a website that sells temporary tattoos of all the ones that Amy had.

http://www.tattoofashion.com/acatalog/Amy_Winehouse.html 

They have a combo pack of her most prominent tattoos.
1. Amy's Girl
2. Daddy's Horseshoe
3. Cynthia
4. Fan Girl
5. Lightening Bolt
6. Love Hearts
7. Feather
8. Never Clip My Wings
9. Hello Sailor
10. Blakes


Online, I found a tattoo shop in Lancashire, UK that specializes in tattoo graffiti. So now I am learning about another type of graffiti after trying to come to grips with the kind on the wall. Now there is graffiti of the body as well. 

http://www.skingraffititattoos.co.uk/

Last night I dreamed that I had tattoos on both arms with my name wrapped around my forearm in a black script like graffiti. In my dream, I had fallen asleep and woken up with the tattoos and was frantic to have them removed but couldn't figure out how. This is a dream worth interpreting.

Some info on dream interpretations ....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_interpretation

In conclusion, I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Amy Winehouse. Having been around addiction for a good part of my life, I really feel for those that remain behind. Some people just never get it before it is too late. Her story reminds me of another great singer, Billie Holiday. She has always been my favorite.


Some info on Billie ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Holiday

All the publicity focused on what Amy did, instead of why she did it. She was not comfortable in this world and I hope she can find peace in the next. Hopefully she will be remembered around the world not for how she lived, but the gifts she left us here on Earth. 

http://www.amywinehouse.com/ 

and 
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/07/amy-winehouse-an-appreciation.html 

Added July 30th .....
great article from Russell Brand on Amy
http://www.russellbrand.tv/2011/07/for-amy/