General Chat

Part one

Our Best Holiday Our Grand Circle Tour

A good holiday should have many ingredients in my opinion. It should be visually pleasurable with lots of opportunities for photographs. It should have many points of interest so that you can learn something from it. And it should ‘stick’ in your memory for many years and make you want to return. I am so lucky in that I am spoilt for choice, We have had many memorable holidays, most of them in U.S.A. and, although we have slowed down somewhat these days and enjoy our breaks in Tenerife a lot, we would return to the most memorable any time it was possible.

On the 15th September 1995 we boarded BA flight 283 for our 12.15 flight from London Heathrow to Los Angeles. We had the perfect start to the holiday by being upgraded to Club Class for the flight meaning we enjoyed a much more comfortable journey. We stayed overnight at the Hilton Hotel LA, retired early and had a good nights sleep. The following morning we left LA early in our hire car and drove to Palm Springs where we were to spend two nights. We stayed at the Wyndham hotel which had a beautiful pool but it was so crowded there was standing room only – it was hot in Palm Springs (106 degrees), the home of many retired people and the weekend destination for rich American people. The following day we took a ride on the aerial tramway to the top of Mount San Jacinto, a hairy ride for people who are not keen on heights but with the reward of a fantastic view at the top and from the car.

The following night was spent at the MGM hotel in Las Vegas which has a superb heated pool. (Not all pools in Las Vegas are heated. Then we drove on to our hotel in Zion. Zion means a place of refuge and the name was given to the canyon by the Mormon pioneers. We drove round Zion National Park with its red, orange, yellow and white rocks. Instead of looking down into a canyon you look up at the rock formations which tower above you at about two to three thousand feet. This makes you feel very small. This canyon was carved by the Virgin river which is said to have the looks of a creek and the muscles of the Colorado. The following day, as we drove out of the park on the Mount Carmel Highway, the rocks glowed orange in the early morning sun. This road was carved through the rock and completed in 1930 with, at one point, an arch carved over the road.

Not sure it works well like that so later today I may add the remainder.

Hi everyone Just popping in for awhile

Been sorting out old family history magazine to take to the family history group i go to gets them out my way.

Its nice sunny here today. So going to get ready and go out and enjoy it while it last.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~to everyone

Hazelx

I have been very fortunate to have had several best holidays over the past few years, and they were all best for different reasons. So I shall start with Parks and Canyons in the USA. We started off in Denver, quite a nice city, though with being woken by an idiot who set off the fire alarms, and then the arrival of the local Fire Brigade at midnight on our first night was not a good start. Then being woken again !! at 3.30 am by the dust carts. Hey Ho. We were however blessed with an excellent tour manager, who had been a lecturer, and it showed,, there wasn't anything he didn't know. We took local tourist buses round Denver where you got on and off , and visited the Botanical Gardens and also the home of the "unsinkable Mrs Brown " of Titanic fame. her lovely house was dwarfed by the high rise blocks, but perfect. Considering it had been used as a childrens home for many years, it had not been destroyed too much...fascinating. We then went on to visit various national parks Yellowstone, Mammoth, Bryce, the Grand Canyon , saw the Black Hills of Dakota, visited Deadwood, Custer, Cheyenne, went on the old Route 66 Obviously not in order !! Saw the Presidents on Mount Rushmore...so much. It all was amazing, I had grown up watching cowboy films with my dad and here it all was, I was walking on air. The tour manager introduced us to the local flora and fauna, and we saw the ruts, yes the ruts are still there, of all the wagon trains that had crossed mountains etc to get to a better life. We met so many interesting people and places, ending up at Las Vegas, where we visited the Hoover Dam........so many experiences my OH and I had a wonderful, but tiring time. We tagged on a week in Hawaii on the island of Oahu, and stayed at Waikii beach. The first of 3 visits there.. It was lovely to get home.. and remember it all...some 15 years ago now,,but never forgotten It was tiring, and I am glad that we did it then, not sure I could cope with all those early starts now !!

We will post another another day

Best wishes Jan X

In the late afternoon of 20th September we reached our next destination which was Bryce Canyon, very different to Zion but equally spectacular and breathtakingly beautiful. The rocks here are finger like and known as Hoodoos. They are all bright orange in colour and stretch for miles into the distance. We walked down into the Hoodoos and they towered above us and cast long shadows in the early evening sun. Because the air is so pure it is possible to see from Inspiration Point for 140 miles. The following morning we were up early and drove to Sunrise Point to watch a wonderful sunrise. It was so cold here in Bryce that there was ice on the car this morning. We were staying at the same hotel in Bryce another night so we took the opportunity to drive out to Kodachrome Basin a lovely area with a waterfall and where the temperature was much higher.

The following day we drove via the Hogsback Road to Boulder, this road is sometimes called the million dollar road completed in1940. Boulder was the last place in USA to receive mail by Mule Pack horses. This was a long journey by switchback roads with very little traffic and it seemed to go on for ever. We eventually reached Moab and our stop for the night, checked in to our hotel and drove off to find Arches National Park. As the name suggests the formations all tend to be arches, often with ‘windows’. That is huge rocks with equally huge windows in them. The rock here is red sandstone and just to drive through the park is breathtaking. It is not pretty by any means but is fantastic, overwhelming, like a moonscape with a sense of timelessness making you realise what a very small part of the whole we are.

Moab is of course a Mormon town and dry and the people seem to have retained a simplicity with the woman having long unstyled hair and no make up. In 1891 it was known as the toughest town in Utah.

The following morning we entered the State of Colorado through Disappointment Valley. We love all these names which were bestowed on places by early settlers.

Apparently it was Spanish settlers who named the valley thus in 1770 when they thought they had found the ideal place to settle but found it too arid to cultivate

We now reached mesa Verde national Park, a place I had wanted to visit ever since I read about the cliff dwelling Indians. Can you imagine living in vertical accommodation on the side of a cliff? The Anasazi Indians did, until about 1200AD. The ruins of their houses are still visible and are preserved. To access their homes they climbed up or down the rock face, possibly with a baby on their front or carrying food or water. They lived in the valley from about the time of the birth of Christ, moving onto the Mesa about 550AD. (Mesa Verde is Spanish for green table). They first lived in pit houses made by digging holes in the ground the rooms linked by tunnels. They then moved to the cliff dwellings like blocks of modern day flats, each dwelling with separate rooms to sleep and a family meeting area. As we climbed the steps and ladders to the front of the largest collection of cliff dwellings it was possible to imagine the Indians of long ago cultivating their crops of corn and squash. Their average life span was 24 to 32 years with a few living longer, can you imagine that? Fifty percent of their children died before the age of five. How very sad that must have been.

In the centre of the cliff houses is their temple. Called the Sun Temple it is built above ground fairly conventially, unfinished and apparently never used. The Anasazi used available materials for everyday things. For example they used the bark of the juniper tree stripped thinly for babies nappies or for carrying slings. The juniper berries were used for oils and medicines. It appears that climate change and over population contributed to ending the 700 year occupation of Mesa Verde by the Anasazi (Pueblo) people. Their descendants are thought to be in New Mexico and Northern Arizona.

That was the high light of this trip for me but only because I was already fascinated by the life of American Indians. The following day we drove to Monument Valley via firstly fourteen miles of gravel road and then across the prairie where we were fortunate to see close up a coyote. We didn’t see another car for many miles. This drive through The Valley of the Gods to Monument was wonderfully evocative of all the western films we’d ever seen. We expected any minute to see John Wayne ride out from behind a rock. The sun shining on the huge red rock formations against a bright blue sky was fantastic. You think when you have seen the canyons, Zion, Bryce, Arches, that you have seen it all but each time we drove to a new area it was even more impressive.

We drove on to our next hotel stopping to visit briefly the Navaho National Park which, while having wonderful views, did not have the ‘wow’ feeling of Mesa Verde. This was the only time of this holiday when we felt slightly uncomfortable when we ventured outside of the hotel. It was situated on a crossroads with one shop and liquor store. There were many poor Indians around and lots of stray mangy looking dogs. We visited the supermarket and made our way quickly back to the hotel.

Our next stop was Page, this time not a hotel but a condo which was very nice but we did have a bit of a problem finding it as it was actually six miles out of Page. From our window we had a view of Lake Powell. As there was a washing machine we had a lazy day here catching up with washing. We drove a short distance to look at Glen Canyon Dam which was interesting and on the Colorado River. A quote at the dam seemed to be very apt for this holiday of ours with its breathtaking views and history.

“One can lose oneself here, both philosophically and physically in a seemingly endless variety of environments. Perhaps one’s first and most lasting impression is the immensity of it all.”

We drove off the next morning en route to the Grand Canyon, passing through Antelope Pass with the early morning sun reflecting on the sheer cliff walls. We passed through the Navaho Reservation and we stopped at a viewpoint where there were official Indian stalls and I bought some ear rings and an Indian vase.

We had been to the Grand canyon once before and it was, as I remembered it,- beyond my powers of description, I didn’t and still don’t have the words. It is immense, powerful, overpowering, exciting, mystical, beautiful and diminishing (in the sense that it made me feel so very insignificant.) You can look at it, once, twice, fifty times and always see something different depending on where the shadows fall and what time of day it is. I would never tire of looking. We watched sunset over the canyon, seeing the rocks turn pink, orange, red and the clouds above pink, it was awe inspiring.

From the Grand Canyon we travelled to Las Vegas, the town that never closes. Via the magnificent Hoover Dam. We spent two nights here and enjoyed a day looking round the themed hotels and lounging by the pool. On 30th September we caught a flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and thence to our BA flight home.


“When your spirit cries for peace, come to the world of canyons deep in an old land. Feel the exultation of high plateaux, the strength of moving waters and the simplicity of sand and grass.”

Jan our holidays were in similar areas although we didn't end in Hawaii

So it seems Ann , we went with Archers, and met up with a group from Cosmos (they also own Archers) and not only did we have a better manager, theres just kept taking them to expensive shops for souvenirs, but our holiday was considerably cheaper...and we stayed in the same hotels !!!

Jan we self drove and planned out our own having previously done a similar BA Fly drive which was excellent. But the BA one hadn't covered other canyons than Grand Canyon or Mesa verde etc.

where is Bridget? Hope she is OK.

Perhaps Bridget is busy...look forward Ann to commenting on the books we have read
!

Yes, maybe she has visitors, unusual for her not to pop on though. Maybe the PC is down.

Thank you Ann and Jan for those wonderful holidays - they remind me of my lovely trips to the USA, where my brother lives.

OH and I went to Atlanta - October 2006 - We called it second honeymoon as the first time round it had been a bit of a let down, because I suffer from severe tinnitus whenever I fly - It didn't start off too well - we had to wait two hours at Gatwick to check in because the plane hadn't arrived from USA, a lot of sitting around. Once in the air we made good time and eventually we were only half an an hour or so late. My brother was meeting us so we were anxious to get through customs and immigration.
Well - three hours later - we eventually boarded the train that takes you to the terminal, and we collected our luggage, met my brother and off we went to his house which is in Roswell GA, (not the Roswell where the alien landed!!) He has a beautiful house there, lots of rooms and we spent several days relaxing there, before we hired a car, our base then was to be my brother's house by the lake in the Blueridge Mountains of Georgia, (not the same Blueridge Mountains that Laurel and Hardy sang about), the previous time we went it was August (too hot) - this was October it was perfect - the lake water was still warm - and temperatures like a normal summer in the UK. We spent nearly three idyllic weeks there, using our car to make trips to Cherokee, Atlanta (the Home of Coca-Cola), Stone Mountain and of course sunning ourselves by the lake. We went shopping one day and found one of the last Drive-In movie houses in Georgia, and we went later in the evening to see the movies on show from the comfort of our hired car - a different experience (the sound came out of the car radio tuned to a specific frequency) - before the trip we had decided not to smoke [my brother didn't approve of smoking anyway] so we took this holiday opportunity to give up the dreaded weed - and it worked - still smoke free after more than five years!
We eventually returned to Roswell to stay with my brother again, before returning home to a cold and foggy London in November.

Looking forward to the book reviews, at the moment I have the task of reading the Revelation of St.John the Divine in the Bible (Stephen King eat your heart out!) - a difficult read, but either a dream whilst on LSD or just someone with a fantastic imagination, written nearly 2000 years ago! and to help to get into a lighter mood also reading Michael McIntyre's autobiography "Life & Laughing".

OH had her hair all cut off yesterday, makes her look about fifteen again! But she likes it and so do most of her friends, especially as she has put her photo on Facebook! I'm always jealous when it comes to hair (not had much for such long time now!!)

Later I will be off to my voluntary work, and tonight will be going to an Advent discussion group (with the church) - tonight looking at the Creation - should be interesting.

I hope Bridget is well - and wish good health to all participants on here
Take care - and everyone have a good day
Gerard :-)

Gerard, thanks for your remarks about the holiday write up. I will later put on my similar one to yours in Atlanta although we don't have a relative there with a fantastic house :-( :-( Your holiday sounds fantastic, a lovely area and a bonus to give up smoking.

I do remember reading Revelations many, many years ago when in my early teens - frightened me to death and a difficult read for a young teenager, must have been Bible class I imagine (Baptist and I don't attend these days.)

I am sure your OH feels much lighter with her hair short, it is amazing what a difference a new hair do makes.

My OH likes Michael Macintyre, falls about laughing when he is on.

Good afternoon to you all.

We have been very busy whilst our visitors have been here and the last two days have been exceptionally busy. Neither of our friends are in good health, the wife has diabetes which is controlled by diet and the husband has to have medication as well. On top of that one has severe asthma and the other has breathing problems, heart not as good as it could be and uses at least one walking stick to get around, the amount of medication between them both was mind boggling and they are both only just into their sixties! However the manage to fly here there and everywhere and then stay with us for a relaxant time!!

OH took them to the station at 06.00 hrs and stayed with them until they boarded then he came home. Meanwhile I cleaned their room, put the washing on and started to clean the house.....I simply do not have the energy I used to have and am now exhausted !!
Last night we went to a quiz night which was great fun and my table of OH, another female friend and of course me...won, by one point. We have a good bottle of wine and some rather nice looking chocolate cakes, the lady with us had the other half....
Well going to have a rest now as I cannot concentrate, taken me ages to write this and read all about the wonderful holidays...

Take care of yourselves

Bridget ....zzzzzzzzzz

I have had a quick read through the new entries and found them very informative and interesting.
I am exhausted now our guests have left for home. Although somewhat younger than me or my OH both of out guests are always on various medication, the lady smokes, even though she has a dreadful cough, is diabetic, and visits her GP every two weeks. She becomes very angry if anyone tries to persuade her to stop smoking...she claims that her GP has informed her that smoking is GOOD for anyone ......,,!

Her husband has to use a cane to walk around, has knee and hip problems
Plus a variety of other health issues. However they are kind people and that is why we like them.

My husband took them to the train Station at 05.30 and waited to make sure that they bordered the right train for Barcelona, and they should be in the UK by now.
We went to a quiz last night and I could not believe that myself and two ladies came in first!!

Will be back tomorrow when I do not feel so tired

Bridget

Oh Bridget no wonder you are tired... I have to say people who have health problems and do not really do anything to help themselves annoy me......No doctor of any merit would surely say smoking is good for you....would they ?

Glad you liked our holiday write ups......I shall leave it till next week before I inflict another on you !!!!!!


Regards Jan

PS Put your feet up tonight.

just a quick visit this morning, as I have to get our home back to order..the washing machine is on...again..and the sun has just broken through so perhaps I will not have to use the tumble drier.

The amount of dust around is driving me mad, so I will do each room and close the shutters and the doors to those we do not have to use.
Then iwilldosome ironing, can put my brain in order during this time as I can think how to write my first piece for on here.

We are back to trying to loose a little weight each week, so back to two meals a day. We have a good Brunch instead of breakfast and lunch, and then a cooked evening meal.
Last night I made a soup from the left over pieces of chicken and the carcas, add chopped up veg, mushrooms, a few green beans, and when I had taken mine I added some sweetcorn for OH. Along with home made bread this was delishes.

Well the washing is now spinning so must go, will be back later today.

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones,

Bridget
:-)

Good morning to you all.

Here in Peniscola it is a grey, wet day. It rained all night and whilst not the torrential rain of earlier, it is still, cold and wet.

We have justarrieved home from visiting the supermarket and bought lots of different fruits, apples, pears, tangerines, bananas, pineapple and mangos.
OH has decided that in our efforts to loose some weight we should eat more fruit! He made a splendid drink when we arrived home, he used apple, banana, pears and some yogurt with fruit flavour. It was quite filling, and looked good.
We are having pasta for our main meal, and cutting down on the Vino.
If anyone has any healthy recipies please add them to Cullinary delights, thanks.

I have to do some more baking as we need a cake for Christmas and Oh has asked for another cake but not the traditional Christmas Cake. Any suggestions welcomed.

We both feel less stressed today, I think we wore our selves out with all the visitors this year, culminating with the last couple.

Today I hope to start the crochet shawl I have promised for next grandchild. I was so pleased to be asked.
Granddaughter who caused us all so much worry after her accident is progressing slowly and looking forward to her birthday on Xmas Eve and then her Xmas presents. So please keep her in you positive thoughts and prayers.

My story will be on here by Monday, I promise!

Thinking of you all,

Bridget

When I saw that I was the only person to add an entry yesterday I was very surmised, I do hope that you are all well and that some one joins me today.

I have just ventured onto the verandah and I can hardly believe my eyes. The sky is black, the rain must be the worst I have ever seen it here in Spain, and I cannot see the castle or any of the houses apart from the one each side of our house and the one in front.
The noise of the rain is similar to tiny stones hitting the ground.
Jet and Joe, my dogs, are nervous so chiggers down in all the rooms except the large glass doors, 4 of them which look onto the veranda.
Just as well that we have plenty of food and drink in the house, yes, including wine.
I am now just praying that the computer does not go down along with anything electrical.....have candles which we could use, but ....

We do not have any gas, except for the BBQ, so I suppose we could use that if there is a real problem. We are not allowed to have gas up here, not sure why.

Last week, when our friends were here we went inland on one of the days, and went to look at reseviours and the water is still only about a quarter of what it should be...this Is quite worrying for not only us people who need water but also for the loss of the magnificent birds that used to fly around and the Hawks etc seem to have disappeared. The family owned restaurants have nearly all been closed this year so hoping that most are able to open next year.

I am eagerly waiting for Ann and Gerard to write more as there experiences in their entries about holidays are fascinating.
If the electricity stays on I will write on here later today.

Take care of yourselves and I hope that you all have a good day.

Bridget in Wet Wet Wet Spain