Yes, it was a darn good trip - review of my Spring 2023 adventure

I am back safe and sound from another fabulous trip.  When I think of this trip I will remember the kindness of people - from my fabulous hosts to strangers I met on the street.  Even though as an introvert I thrive well (and best) on my own I do enjoy chatting to and meeting new people.  I think they call it an extroverted introvert!!!  I will also remember being cold most of the time - it was a cold Spring in a lot of places in the Northern Hemisphere.  Portugal was the only place I could wear short sleeves.  It seems I wore three layers most of the time but hey, it still beat being at home!! No complaints here. 

Porto, Portugal

I had heard such wonderful things about Porto that I knew I had to visit.  I was not disappointed.  My Airbnb was within walking distance of the sea and the huge City Park.  My host Isabelle (mother of the official host, Rita who was away on business  - they all live together in a huge apartment) was a doll and I enjoyed coffee and toast with her homemade jam each morning.  The highlight of my stay was definitely the "Blue Beetle" tour I took around Porto with Pedro through Airbnb Experiences.  It was great to have a one-on-one tour with such a knowledgeable guide.  Visiting the famous Livraria Lello bookshop was fun for this book lover.  Other than Pedro I didn't take any tours unless you count the tour (and tasting!) at a Port house.  I just walked. However..it has lots of hills and lots of steps - my knee replacement Thelma was NOT amused and let me know it.  I didn't let her grumbling stop me - tough luck old girl!  I'll be writing lots more about Porto.  

At Porto Cathedral with the Blue Beetle 

Inside the beautiful Livraria Lello bookshop.  I quickly snapped photos before the herd came in behind me.  

I loved wandering the side streets as I do in every European city I visit.   

Looking from the Ribeira over to Gaia across the Duoro river 

Even the railway station was a treasure. 

Of course, being an ocean child I was constantly drawn to the nearby ocean. 

Madeira

I first visited Madeira in 2015 and I knew I would have a return visit.  It took me eight years but I finally made it back for a week.  Next time it will be longer.  I stayed in Vitorina Corte Guesthouse in the Old Town which I adored. If you go to the website you will see my room - called the Neto room.  It was simple but had everything I needed.  The manager was friendly and kind (even rescuing me when I thought I had locked myself in my room - add another embarrassing moment to a long list of them!) and even had my laundry done at no cost.  Except for getting ripped off for fruit at the market (I should have remembered this from last time - do NOT buy fruit from the central market) my time there was fabulous.  Every day was a joy whether it was a day trip into the mountains, a sit down with the local rum mixed drink called Poncha or being sworn at by the local parrot on my way to the bakery to pick up coffee and a pastry for breakfast on my balcony.  Madeira definitely has a piece of my heart.  

Visiting the bustling central Market is fun and has some great finds.  Just don't buy the fruit - it is cheaper elsewhere. 

Madeira is so lush with beautiful flowers. 

This little harbour and castle was a five-minute walk from where I stayed. 

The Old Town of Funchal was once run-down but one of the things they did to revitalize it and make it more desirable for tourists was to paint the doors of restaurants and homes in the central area.  They were delightful!!  I have a post of the doors from my last trip to Madeira if you want to see more.  I'll be doing another post...eventually!!!  

Visiting the sweet fishing village of Camara de Lobos is never disappointing.  It is a short bus ride away from Funchal. 

Encumeada - I saw this on my tour of the Western part of Madeira 

We then carried on to the natural pools of Porto Moniz on the North Coast. 

Holland 

I spent a week in Purmerend which is a half hour north of Amsterdam.  It was the perfect place to stay as I had easy access to not only Amsterdam but the areas north of there.  Wil was a perfect B and B host and every morning we would chat over breakfast as well as with the guests in the other room.  Of course, the highlight was visiting Keukenhof the famous tulip gardens that are only open a couple of months a year.  I feel so fortunate to have been able to visit but then again I did plan my trip to see the tulips.  Amsterdam kept all my senses on high alert between the bicycles, trams and cars.  I enjoyed my visit to the Van Gogh museum as well as the Canal and Tulip museum.  The weather was a bit of a challenge most days but only witches melt in the rain! I didn't let it spoil my visit.  While I don't think I'd revisit Amsterdam I am tempted to base in Rotterdam and see that area.  

While I had seen Sunflowers previously when it was on temporary loan to the National Gallery in London it was my first time seeing the rest of Vincent Van Gogh's masterpieces in person.  Now I am an art philistine but I do appreciate his work - and a few others.  Just don't ask me to look at modern art please. 

Canals...lots of canals in Amsterdam. 

I honestly had never heard of Zaanse Schans before Wil told me about it but when I heard there were multiple windmills I knew I had to see it.  Being a weekend and sunny it was absolutely packed but I still enjoyed it. 

I was so lucky to see tulips and windmills on the only two sunny days I had!! 

The town of Edam was just a few minutes away by bus and it was fun to wander the streets and see the beautiful houses.  Oh yes, and sample the Edam cheese!! 

I then took another bus over to Volendam.  Originally I had wanted to take the ferry over to Marken but with the drizzly damp weather, I opted not to.  

Norwich 

I chose the city of Norwich because not only had I seen videos of it and it looked gorgeous but it was very close to the place I would be dogsitting on the next part of my journey.  I fell in love with it.  Once again I had a fabulous Airbnb with Mary and her lovely black lab Ella. Not only did she invite me to have a glass of wine with her a couple of times but she took me out in her car one afternoon to see some nearby sights.  Norwich was a great base to see nearby attractions as well. 

The magnificent Norfolk Cathedral. 

Beautiful and famous Elm Hill is the most medieval street in the City. 

A short bus trip took me over to gorgeous little Wymondham.  This beautiful old Abbey was originally founded over 900 years ago. 

I loved the Market Cross which is now the local tourist information centre. 

I visited Blickling Hall thanks to my Airbnb host Mary.  It was beautiful inside and out.  

And this is the back. 

Ipswich with Barney

And then there was Mr. Barney Rubble.  I got this petsitting job through UK Housesitters.  Christine, David and Barney live in a lovely old Suffolk House in the village of Rushmere St. Andrews which was a half-hour bus ride east of Ipswich.  Barney who is half Boston terrier and half Pug was a character and I grew to love him dearly.  I'm not really a fan of dogs that have faces that look like they hit a wall going 100 mph an hour but his personality was such that he was adorable.  He sure could snore though!  As Barney was a rescue he had issues with being left too long so the longest I felt I could leave him was four hours. Before I left I had illusions of taking him out with me but I just felt he would not feel comfortable in the crowds.  So while there were places further afield I would have loved to have visited I contented myself with two trips each into Ipswich and Woodbridge which was 30 minutes in the opposite direction.  And of course there were walkies - lots of walkies.  This was the "rest" part of my trip anyway and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I loved seeing the robins coming to the bird feeders and the naughty squirrel who did regular raids on the bird feeders.  I tried to remember to bring one of them in every night but sometimes I forgot.  One morning when I woke up one feeder was gone and I could not find it anywhere.  I joked to Christine via What's App that Raffles (our name for it) took off with it under his arm under cover of night and she said she believed it!!! 

Yes, Barney watched television and watch out if any dogs or even cats appeared on the TV.  He even started barking when the Coronation Street tune began (much to my displeasure) because he knew the cat would appear.  Let's just say the Brits have a lot of dogs in their advertisements!  Christine told me that he is now trained - she got a little water spray pistol and sprayed him every time he started barking.  Now he just looks at her when a critter comes on TV.  Ha ha.  He went so crazy that if he was bigger he would have knocked off the television set. Eventually, I learned to hang on to his collar when the advertisements came on.  

Trust me, that Golden Retriever got a right telling off! 

Ipswich has some beautiful old buildings but I still prefer Norwich. 

Woodbridge was a lovely town with lots of independent shops and cafes.  

Margate

Margate was my seaside stop.  It had good public transportation links for me to visit the Kent coast which was another new area for me.  I stayed at the Westbrook Lodge which was less than a five minute to the sea and a fifteen-minute walk to the centre.  I loved it.  Every room had a theme - mine was the Seaside room.  Very appropriate for me although when Tracy took me for a tour of the rooms (which were all vacant at the time...the cold Spring weather was taking its toll on their business) I was very taken with the London room. From there I visited Whitstable, Herne Bay, Broadstairs, Sandwich and Canterbury. 

Despite full days out and about I managed to stagger the three minutes over to Westbrook Bay for two sunsets at least. 

I hit the fun jackpot by picking the weekend there was a 1940s festival in Sandwich - I had no idea until I got there!  

I tried my first (and last) oyster here at the harbour in Whitstable. 

I hopped a bus to nearby Herne Bay which I enjoyed more and had delicious fish and chips for my tea. (supper) 

I was utterly charmed by Broadstairs which I kept thinking of as Broadchurch and visualizing David Tennant (hubba hubba) and Olivia Colman from the TV series even though it was filmed nowhere near here.  

I had been to Canterbury back in the 70's or 80's (one day I will have to go through albums and find out when) but I could not remember a thing.  One of the nice things about getting older - you forget things so everything is new!!!  This is the gate and monument at the entrance to the Cathedral grounds. 

I wandered my socks off in Canterbury and loved this quieter part of the city.  Yes, that sculpture is spooky. 

London

What can I say...it's always been London since my first visit in 1975.  And the love has just grown and grown.  I never grow tired of it. All that history!!  Yes, sometimes the crowds get to me and it is a hard city to navigate if you are physically challenged which is why I am going as much as I can now.   I was in and out of my soul city a few times.  I feel so comfortable there and know my way around pretty well if I say so myself.  I've had the best times of my life in London.  This whole trip started because a much canceled (November 2020 originally and we know how that went..) Elton John concert was rescheduled for April 2023 and I built the rest of this trip around it.  My only disappointment in London this time was not being able to finish the Capital Ring walking path because of the wet weather and soggy paths.  I wanted that to be my focus and didn't arrange to meet my English friends this time which I now regret. (though I'll be back soon!)  I did, however, meet a new friend - June from Malaysia, got to see my friend Pat for a couple of hours in between trains and my friend Marie and I attended a play starring Jane Asher in Richmond (and met her!) and saw all the Coronation preps and take downs.  I watched the Coronation at my friend Claudia's place complete with treats and masks.  Anyway, all I can say is I always have a good time in London.  

I'm obsessed with daffodils and love to be in London at Daffodil time. (and yes, I am also obsessed with blue in case you hadn't noticed..)  But it was cold...in early March.  I had leggings on under my trousers and yes, wearing a headband and gloves.  Even though I came from much colder weather the English cold is damp and goes through your bones.  Brrrrr...but I keep coming back for more!! 

I did manage to get back on the Capital Ring three times covering from Hackney Wick in east London to walking under the Thames via the Woolwich Tunnel as far as Severndroog Castle in Shooters Hill South London.  This is a view of the Thames Barrier which prevents the Thames from flooding London.  Even though I want to finish the Capital Ring I love it so much part of me never wants it to end!  I love seeing new places in London - the city is so much more than the central part tourists see! (as much as I love that too) 

Having coffee in this former men's lavatory was on my London "to do" list this time.  It did not disappoint!!! 

My third (and sadly, last) time seeing Elton was the best.  He was awesome! 

London was all about the Coronation with flags and decorations everywhere.  Originally I thought I would fly home in late April but I'm glad I stayed the extra week. 

Finally, it's Spring although I have to say St James's Park (my favourite place in London) looks wonderful year-round.  

William and the Shard. It is believed William Shakespeare attended Southwark Cathedral. There is a stained glass window and monument dedicated to him inside the cathedral and this sculpture outside.  I wonder if Shakespeare would even recognize London now - I thought this was a cool photo of old and new together.  This is one of the things I love about London.  It is at the same time an ancient city but a very modern one as well. 

Coronation shenanigans.  As Claudia had "no room at the inn" I stayed in a flat in Wimbledon Chase.  I went over to watch the Coronation armed with prosecco, Borough market cheese (a firm favourite of both of us) and she had baked chocolate brownies and chocolate cheesecake.  I had to laugh at the expression on her 17-year-old son's face as he took this photo!!!  (stupid old people!!) 

Due to wanting to avoid Clapham Junction station and its scary gaps between the train and platform I went via Blackfriars which is much easier - and much prettier!  Goodbye London...see you next time!!! I'm already counting down the time!  

 

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