The drive from Positano to Tropea was wonderful – for the first hour. Our Satnav estimated the drive time at 4.5 hours and the first section along the Amalfi coast was slow and very tight – but right on the estimated time. Once we made it to the A3 motorway I relaxed a little as we cruised south – noticing on the way that there were many small bushfires. When we came to the back of a very long stationary queue of vehicles it became clear that the motorway had been closed because of a fire and all vehicles were forced to exit.

With the help of the car’s satnav and the Sygic maps on my iPhone – and some lucky guesses on our part we navigated south on some very narrow country roads and were able to rejoin the motorway – only to be stopped again for another fire. This time we waited for the fire to be controlled and we were on our way again.

None of this would have been particularly stressful if not for the fact that roads into Tropea Centro (where we were headed) closed at 7pm. Fortunately we made it by 6.50 and were met by our host Alex.

The front door to our apartment was somewhat underwhelming.

But the view from the living area was just superb. The 10.5 hour drive had been worth it! Just on the fringe of the old town we had an easy walk to the bewildering array of restaurants and shops.

A wonderful place to spend a week soaking up the sun, food, wine and local culture.

 

 

 

We could see Stromboli just to the left of the setting sun – but the day we booked our night time cruise the waves were too big for the vessel to go safely. Bummer!

 

The Sea Bass (for 2) filleted at our table was the culinary highlight. Followed by the views from the restaurants – too many to bore you with. Linda was on a mission to consume the entire supply of local mussels – to die for!

 

The beach was a nice walk down hill from our apartment and a very hot walk back – but we solved that with a short drive each way. 12 Euros a day for a bed, chair and umbrella was great value – included the water and a close look at the passing parade.

Some pieces of the townscape follow

A free nighttime piano recital in the garden of the Duomo sounded too good to miss – but the pianist decided to tell us the history of Bach before playing. This wouldn’t have been so bad if it hadn’t been in Italian – an experience anyway – but too hot amongst 100 others away from the sea breeze.

 

A short day trip in search of more beach time took us to Capo Vaticano – too many steps to make it to the water but what a view.

While there we found a great use for the old public phone booth – Telstra should be able make some money renting them to the Catholic Church – a job for young Mark Foster!

Before leaving for Sicily I slipped into a mud bath and got Linda to take a quick photo. Not bad for an old guy!!

Actually he is around 2500 years old – one of two bronze statues recovered from the sea off the coast of Calabria and now restored and resting safely in the Museo Archeologica in Reggio. Unbelievable artistry for the time.

And then it was off to Sicily.

 

Well of course the highlight was our time spent with Kelly and her family.

In such a magical place it was 4 days of great fun and great times.

The where’s Wally scene on the main beach at Positano

 

 

 

 

The view from the beach up the hill with the 12th Century church in the foreground

 

 

The ferry boarding area in front of the Gelato shop where we often stopped to use their toilets and air-conditioning!

 

Yumm! Gelato

 

 

Beach beauties.

 

 

 

Full moon aver Positano from the magical villa where kelly and family stayed. Made more memorable by Jason’s song book.

 

 

 

 

 

The Grace girls in fine form at the restaurant next door to our hotel.

 

 

The view down the coast as we walked from our hotel down to the beach

 

 

A day at the little beach away from the madness.

 

 

 

 

Now on to Tropea.

A two hour drive from the golf resort in Devon for an overnight stay with golf friends (the Neffendorf family) in Barton-on-sea. A morning walk on the common and then off to catch our 4pm flight to Naples from Gatwick.

Except it really left at 2pm. !!

With the help of BA staff we were transferred to the 5pm flight and we retired to the comfort of the business class  lounge for a drink and to laugh about how lucky we were to be still just an hour delayed.

A slight delay in departure, long delay in picking up the car and a high stress drive in the Saturday night dark zoo that is called the Naples road system – relying on our satnav – and we arrived at our Airbnb apartment at 11pm.

Marco our contact was still waiting for us to carry our bags upstairs to a wonderful apartment. Then it was off to walk the promenade along the bay of Naples and have a (very) late dinner.

Coffee and a Canoli from the most expensive bar opposite the Pallassio Reale was the way to start the next day. And a beer and a Spritz became  our favourite way to end our days of exploring.

 

The pallassio was on the Piazza del Independenca – and well worth the 4 Euro entry fee

 

 

My long suffering (and very sweat stained hat was finally replaced by a cheap (made in China) model from the main shopping street in Naples

 

 

 

The Red Bus tour is our usual way to get to know the places we visit and Naples was no different. The views from the hills above Naples were stunning – the Bay of Naples with Vesuvius in the background.

The heat was severe during our stay but the Napolese found their way to the water somehow!

Our big day out in the car was to visit Pompei – way too much to see in one day – particularly when it is 37 degrees.

Here is a sample of our shots.

 

 

We tried twice for the underground tunnels tour – but it was closed on both days. We shopped a lot – shoes, shirts and shorts for Denis.

Mostly our memories of Naples are about the wonderful food and the terrible traffic.

Well – what can I say?

I played 4 pretty good rounds and survived by 2 shots.

Round 1 at Woodbury Park – 37 points off a handicap of 14. Placed second and received a handicap cut of 2 shots.

Round 2 at Sidmouth (a ridiculously short and tricky course – 6 par 3’s – and sloping fairways – not a flat lie anywhere – and played in the rain – standing water on the 18th green when we got there) – 27 points off a handicap of 12 (after the ceremony of the cut). That score left me in first place and then another handicap cut.

Round 3 at East Devon – a great golf course – short but demanding accuracy. 37 points off a handicap of 11. Still leading by 2 from Tor.

Round 4 at Woodbury Park- no rain but quite cold windy. Another 27 points to hold my lead. It came down to the last hole – a par 3 over water to an ‘island green’. My nearest challenger had a putt for a birdie 2 (4 points) on the par 3 18th hole – which he missed. I had to sink a 6 footer for par for my 2 points and the win.

The winner’s tray will stay in UK (to save excess baggage fees) and we may have to go back next year to defend the title. Barcelona beckons.

Our visit to the small Devon town was prompted by the discovery that a long line of the Johnston ancestors had been living in the district – all the way back to the 1400’s. The family name was Wreford.

My great Great grandmother was a Wreford and with her daughter Ann they arrived in Australia in 1857 and soon after Ann married John Johnston – recently arrived from Ireland (via 6 years in America).

I didn’t expect to find any direct relatives in the village but I wanted to get a feel for the village; perhaps understand why the family left for Australia, and explore the church for any records.

The village has 4 principal establishments – 2 churches, the pub and the general store. About 2000 people in the parish according to the publican.

The St Mary Church of England established circa 1200AD

 

The London Inn – the local pub where we celebrated our wedding anniversary with a real pub meal.

And of course the “Dream Shed” – the Airbnb establishment where we stayed. Which turned out to be quite adequate – but neither a shed or a dream – just what we needed though for 2 nights.

 

 

A quick visit to the church of England on our arrival – and we were quickly on the trail of the Wrefords. The headstone nearest the entrance was the first surprise. A search of the cemetery revealed another 3 Wrefords.

 

 

 

But the big surprise was inside the church – hanging on the wall was a photocopied index of all deaths and burials in the parish – dating back to the 1600’s – produced by a local parishioner and sorted in order of Surname/Christian Name/date of death. Five pages of Wrefords!! All of my ancestors were there!! So I think my research of that line of the Johnston tree is now complete.

 

 

So that’s my roast beef and yorkshire pudding – and my week’s supply of vegetables!!

The London Inn was an interesting way to celebrate our anniversary.

 

 

Now to Woodbury park for some golf.

From Bristol to Plymouth we drove via Hestercombe House – a reconstruction and renovation of a wonderful garden (partly designed by Gertrude Jeckyll) and a grand home – built in the 1700s by some aristocrat made rich by lucking into the tobacco/slave trade. The restoration of the gardens – from a hundred years of neglect has been underway for 20 years. Nice way to break up our drive

 

In Plymouth our apartment was in a converted Navy barracks – called Drakes Wharf – part of the port area used to supply the ships – from the 1500’s onwards. Now a fabulous conversion into apartments on the upper floors and restaurants and bars and offices /shops on the ground floor.

 

Not a bad view from our window

Also  some good views from around the grounds of the complex. Drakes Island in the background – containing fortifications to protect the channel to the port. Some old codger in the foreground spoiling the picture



Thank god he’s gone – that looks better

.

Day trips out of Plymouth took us to Bigbury-on-sea. On the way we saw mostly the overgrown sides of hedgerows on each side of the one lane “roads” thanks to our canny Satnav system. Devon’s beautiful rural views were there somewhere!

At Bigbury, the Burgh Island is cut off from the mainland at high tide leaving the pub and the hotel accessible only by a converted tractor that has an elevated cabin. Of course the pub opens at 12pm regardless of the tide times.

A ferry ride across the water to visit two villages in Cornwall (Cawsand and Kingsand). We were sure we would find Doc Martin here. Just a quick exploration then back on the ferry after a pub crab sandwich.

 

Another day trip to see the famed Eden Project in Devon. A huge government sponsored project within a disused mine site – with domes built to create temperate and tropical environments to house a wide selection of plants from around the world. We were pretty underwhelmed by the whole thing even though we did find a slice of home in a beautiful Western Australian wild flower section. Maybe we have travelled too much and seen everything already!

At 27 Euros per head we were expecting to see herds of wilderbeats or bison. Despite the price, the place was packed with visitors.

Back in Plymouth we spent a couple of days exploring the old town and some of the delights of the Hoe.

As it turned out, our week in Plymouth was pretty much the UK summer – 5 days of sunshine and 28-30 degree temperatures. Perfect for us – but apparently a risk to the health of the locals!

Now off to find those pesky ancestors in Morchard Bishop and then play some golf.

 

 

 

B is for Bristol

Also for Banksi – who was born here – this is our favourite discovery

 

Also for Balloons and Brunnels bridge – 150 years+ old

Also for Boat ride – which was the only ‘activity’ – but a great way to see the maritime history of this surprisingly livable city.

Also for Bloody hot – well so the locals told us – at 29-30c! Not a good time for the aircon to breakdown in our room resulting in a late night pack up and move to another room.

B is also for Breakfast – but I promised not to get into details.

Our 2017 adventure started in Bristol with a sleepover (2 nights) – to recover from jet lag. Just 2 hours drive from Heathrow – close enough for us to drive without fear of falling asleep.

Plymouth and south Devon awaits.

Well — 5 days in Boston was a delight.

Flying from LA to Boston on a clear day produced some stunning vistas

We stayed right in the North End (on Hanover Street) – part of the “Freedom Trail” – the designated city walk that connects up all the important locations and events that led up to the Revolution, the Declaration of Independence and the drafting of the Constitution. The City and the National Parks people run free guided walking tours that you can join and leave as you wish. Together with the ‘Red Bus” tour of the city we quickly got the feel of the place.

Being here for the 4th of July – made the historical aspects of the City even more prominent.

Taking selfies brought back memories of our Tibetan adventures

But we got it right eventually.

We took a trip to Harvard University – what a wonderful campus. The entire surrounding district is owned by the University – providing student housing and fabulous research facilities. They currently have an endowment of around 35bn dollars to underpin the operation and expansion of the university. MIT (next door) have around half that. — So you can see how easy it would be to move from our government subsidised system to a US style system and get a couple of our universities into the top 20 — we just need a few people to leave around $50bn in their wills to a couple of universities – and do it quickly please!

Harvard “Yard”

 

 

This is the main Harvard Library – second in size only to the Library of Congress – built by a small donation from the Mother of a student who died on the Titanic in 1912.

 

Here we are at the Statue of (Not) John Harvard – apparently it was sculpted after his death and there are no photos (being the 17th century!) – never mind it has his name on it and everyone wants a photo next to it.

Here I am exiting the main gate.

In 1971 I applied to do a Masters course at MIT in Boston and was accepted. I also got accepted at Imperial College London and decided to accept the offer. I have long wondered what  life in Boston would have been like and how my life would have been different. The visit confirmed that Boston would have been much more fun than our previous 2 years in Washington DC – but London it was — and no regrets.

Here’s Quincy market – contains a great array of eating establishments inside and market stalls alongside.

Here’s Cheers!

This is Faneuil Hall – the centre of Community meetings in Boston since the 1650’s and a central location for the debates about liberty and freedom – around the time of the Revolution.

Here we are at the “Ball Game” – Boston Red Sox Vs Chicago Cubs – at Fenway Park. I am living the boyhood dream here and couldn’t resist wearing the stars and stripes. Please note that Linda is drinking Chardonnay – from a plastic cup – with Ice!!!! Thats my Girl – – almost had her drinking beer!!

The “Soxs” went down 2-1 to the Cubs in a pretty boring game.

 

On 4th July I went downtown to the State House where the Declaration of Independence was first read from that balcony. The re-enactment was to take place at 10.30 – but they moved it because of the threat of rain but didn’t tell anyone. Oh well – I got a picture of a hot-dog stand being set-up.

Boston is definitely worth a visit – put it on your list.

 

It is located less than 30 minutes from LA airport – and was our intended “wind-down” spot before heading for home. That is, before we had to turn around and head for London.

The coastline goes north from here for many miles looking just like this. Nice low-rise development all the way – and a boardwalk for bikes, skate boards and walkers. No sign of the Beach Boys but plenty of beach lovers making the most of the sun.

Here’s some old codger soaking some up.

Back alongside the boardwalk the television crew is broadcasting some exercise fanatics being driven along by a few young nubile types with microphones, tight bums and 6-packs (and thats the women).

A nice piece of design – water for the adults, the kids and the dogs.

Here we are at the Hermosa Beach Comedy Club – for a meal and to watch ten great stand-up acts. This place has seen many Aussies – Adam Hills and Wil Anderson and providing a starting venue for Jay Leno, and Seinfeld

 

Of course the bars are full of World Cup fanatics and SIlvio’s Brazilian Bar was particularly popular when Brazil scraped home against Chile in a penalty shootout.

After three relaxing days at Hermosa we are off to Boston.

No — we are not back in New York – despite the Statue of Liberty behind us.

Plenty of gambling opportunities here – and this is just in the arrivals area of the airport!!

We stayed in a modest little hotel called the MGM Grand. They have an 8 lane entry drive way !!!

Combine the Casino, the eateries and the shops with the hotel — it is bigger than Doncaster shopping town. And so it goes down the Strip – new worlds being created for our “pleasure”.

New York

Venice

Olde England

 

Paris

No wonder Americans don’t need passports.

 

Getting lost is normal at the MGM Grand, as is queuing up – to check-in, to eat at a restaurant, to get a coffee (from Starbucks – Yes! I was reduced to it).

On day 2 we found the Walgrens supermarket down the street (the “Strip” rather!) to collect lunch and breakfast supplies so we could avoid the waiting. The other thing we avoided was the hamburger joint next door!!

Well it was fun while it lasted. Now off to Hermosa Beach which is located in the real world.