Today, I thought I would start a series of blogs about my travels. Not that I have done much, as I am a home bird and we tend to take family holidays down in my English home county (Suffolk, where my Dad is from, and where I spent every summer until I was 18). Additionally, when I was in my 20s, I was receiving cancer treatment over several summers which made getting away very tricky. And when the kids came along, we had other things to spend money on than trips abroad. As a result, compared to most people, my travels have been minimal – I’ve been to Spain, Andorra, Greece twice, toured round Ireland with a friend, been to New England, USA, on honeymoon, Shetland, and France several times – mostly Paris, but also down the west coast (La Rochelle, Biarritz, the Pyranees). And that’s it, other than holidays in mainland Scotland or England (namely, Suffolk and London). But, I’m not one for holidays abroad – does that make me weird? I hate flying and I get seasick ever so easily. I need to be able to get to places by car if I’m going to be really happy. Flying renders me deaf for at least a week after I arrive at where I have flown to and my ankles swell up like balloons. Add onto that my fear of heights, and I’m like Mr T on ‘The A Team’ – knock me out before going on an aeroplane. By the time I am normal me, it’s time to fly home!
I also cannot stand beach holidays; sitting/lying/sozzling on a beach doing nothing except getting bad sunburn, along with scores of other semi-naked people doing the same, really does not appeal to me. When I go somewhere, I like to explore. So, this series of blogs will contain photos and memories from some of the places I have been in my lifetime, so far. Some of the photos are old – hence the poor camera quality. Old disposable cameras really don’t match up to phone cameras these days!
This week, I’ll post my memories of Greece and New England/Vermont/Boston, USA. Both are from the late 80s and the 90s so please bear with me. I don’t go so far away very often. I’m Mrs UK-holidays-R’Us.
Greece
I’ve been to Athens (with a class Classics holiday when I was at school). Loved that place – so much to visit and do there. Man, it was hot though! This is the famous Parthenon on the Acropolis. It’s an old photo – my school trip was in the summer of 1988. We visited a lot of museums and monuments on this ‘trip’ (which was more akin to a holiday really, and which was really great fun. The teachers who had taken us made sure the educational value was there, but there was a bit of splashing about in the sea fun as well!).
We also visited Delphi, Epidavros, and Corinth. The latter I found really interesting, thinking of Paul having been there and his letters to the Corinthians in the Bible. Some photos from these places, as well as two from the island of Aegina, are below:
Following Greece, and its heat, the next lengthy holiday I went on was a tour around the whole of Ireland with a friend. A lot, lot cooler thankfully! Again, I will post these photos in another blog when I find them, but I do remember absolutely loving Dublin. I would go back there in a heartbeat. We also saw some dolphins off the Dingle peninsula, which was something special. That’s for another blog though.
East coast USA
We went touring Massachusetts, New England, and Vermont, USA, for our honeymoon in 1997. I’d always wanted to go to the US, but I absolutely HATE flying. However, the five hour flight was worth it. (The least said about the flight out, the better!).
We went to the top of the Prudential tower – behind me in the photo (a Skywalk, 50 floors up) and there were some amazing views from the top. (Again, excuse the photo quality – old camera!). I so want to go back to Boston one day. I wonder if it has changed very much….
What was really cool was that when we arrived in New Hampshire, the area we were staying in were having a ‘Scottish week’ (can’t get away from the place!). They had bagpipes playing over the hotel muzak system (a little cringy but hey, they were getting into the spirit!), and were putting on special Scottish menus on the local diner train. Well, what the heck, we thought – it’s nice having a bit of home around us while we are so far away from it – and we booked a meal on the diner train (named the Edinburgh Express for the week, see – we couldn’t get away from the place!). This was the menu; thankfully there were also a few vegetarian options for the likes of me! The staff were fair chuffed to find out that we were actually from Scotland, and then we got bombarded by questions by the other guests to ask if we knew their Auntie Maud/ Uncle Tom / cousin / school friend who moved to Scotland a while ago…….. and how lovely our accents were……and does Nessie exist……. and how much they have wanted to travel to England to visit Edinborrow Castle (the latter a lot! We had to keep explaining that Scotland is a different country to England!).
I do love what I have seen of the US, though. Admittedly, it isn’t much – three states – but I just loved how friendly the people were (despite them constantly asking if we knew friends or relatives of theirs!) and how BIG everything is. The cars, the roads, the Dunkin’ Donut shops, the food, e-v-e-rything! New England/Vermont is like Scotland/The Lake District on steroids! Would love to go back again and visit places we didn’t have time to go to; we didn’t get to visit Harvard, nor any of the other scenic places that we could have stopped off at as we travelled through the White Mountains to Killington and then back to Boston. Also on my Bucket List is to visit Monument Valley in Arizona, and Texas (I do love books set in the Wild West; I enjoyed Larry McMurty’s Lonesome Dove and have two more of his wild west novels lined up to read soon). Indeed, a university in Texas has some Anthony Powell documents that I would like to see…..hmm, I’ll have to save up for that, I think.
Next travel blog, I will post memories of Shetland, and some of France.
I really haven’t been far, have I? I need to sort that out.
June's Jottings 