Canoeing the Severn

I haven't updated this for a while as my computer had to be sent back to apple to be prepared. So this is from a while back (And apologises for the formatting - blogspot has changed and is being a pain.)

A few weeks after leaving London dad and I went to Bridgnorth and spent the day canoeing down to Arley. It was one of these 31 degree days so nice to be chilling on the river but the few bits I did leave exposed did burn despite lots of sunscreen.

We paddled/drifted for a few hours - more drifting than paddling to be honest - before we stopped for lunch, which was further away than we expected. Dad was more than ready for a break.

Eventually we found the waving man who indicated a good place to spot. Normally there is a pub to stop at for lunch but this was pre-pub reopening so we had a packed lunch. But so we didn't feel like we were missing out we took some G&Ts. Mom had packed the lunch and had popped them in the freezer. And they were still frozen. 

Luckily they dethawed pretty feel in the sun after 10 mins.

 The only issue we had was we had booked a taxi from Arley at 3 thinking that was plenty of time. But we did more drifting than paddling. So when we got a call from the taxi driver, we were still quite a way the end point so had to paddle rather more vigorously than we had been so far. I hurt for a few days after that.

Week at home

Over the August bank holiday week, I went home. Mom retired on the Friday before the bank holiday so we celebrated. 

During the week, the weather was nice so one of the days we went for a walk over highgate common, through the woods.

We got a little lost at one point but finally found the car park. On the way home Dad and I convinced mom to stop at the Vineyards for lunch and a glass of wine. I forgot to take any photos but we enjoyed some very tasty sharing plates in the sun with a bottle of white. 

Mid week we went to a spa for the day and then a few days later a picnic by the river.

We need up having to take shelter a few times when the rain started but it was still nice.

Mom and I also went shopping and I treated her to lunch as payment for waiting with me while I got a new phone. It was a lot more complicated than I expected and took a lot longer. (Part of the reason it took so long to get the photos downloaded.)

Manhattan evening cruise

A couple of weeks ago, I went to New York for a business meeting. I managed to head out a day early and see some of the city. 

I arrived on the Sunday lunchtime and after a break at my hotel, headed out to get dinner and take an evening harbour cruise. 

It started at the west side and travelled down and round to the mid East before returning via the Statue of Liberty. I also got there early and had paid for a premium seat so got some good view.

Manhattan

I think this is the Brooklyn Bridge

Lady of Liberty

Foggy Arley

On Christmas Eve, Dad and I went to Arley to get roasted chestnuts and look at the trains. It was beautiful clear skies when we left home but some serious fog when we got to the river so got some lovely photos.

However we were very disappointed when we got to the station. Apparently there is no christmas at Arley on Christmas Eve. Which meant no roasted chestnuts. We were both gutted. 

Deserted.

We ended up at the garden centre for lunch.

First day in Florence

Last week Caroline and I flew to Florence for a long weekend. After getting to our hotel, we spent the first night wondering around and doing a Tuscany wine tasting. It was a great way to start a holiday.

On our first full day there, we tried to find the train station which as where we needed to go for our tours in the next few days. And completely missed it - it is literally a 5 mins walk from our hotel. But we ended up near the river so made the most of it.

The Arno River, running through Florence

We walked along the river to the Ponte Vecchio. The buildings literally hang over the sides. It's the oldest bridge in Florence (the rest were destroyed during WWII and rebuilt since) and use to house butchers and tanners until one of the royalty decided it smelt too much and kicked them out. It's now home to some very expensive jewellery shops. 

Ponte Vecchio

Along the bridge

One the Ponte Vecchio

Expensive.

We decided to find the Hop-on Hop-off bus but had just missed it (and it was once an hour of course) so wondered around. It was pretty cold throughout our stay but for the most part it was sunny.

Ponte Vecchio from the other side.

And again

Near the Uffuzi.

We briefly considered going to one of the big museums or galleries but you can be queueing for hours and we didn't want to spend hours just waiting. Plus if you want to see the David, there are copies everywhere. So we got a photo of one of the copies and got our culture by looking at the buildings and learning about the history.

Copy of the David.

A strangely sad lion.

We managed to get the bus but ended u just staying on all the way around, to see Florence. (None of my photos really turned out.) We got to see the city but the bus tour was pretty disappointing. Usually they are really good but the explanations had little or no match to what we were seeing.

We got off near the street markets and the Mercato Centrale, a huge food market which I think it my favourite place in Florence. Downstairs is a giant food market selling everything from fish and meat to tourist gifts.

Pasta!

Lemoncello (in some interesting bottles)

But upstairs is the best food court ever! There are loads of places to get really fresh amazing food. And while Caroline was waiting in line and I got a table, a lovely man came to the table and asked if we wanted wine. He then delivered some very nice glasses of wine to our table. In a food court! All food courts should be like this! 

Waiting for food.

We had a wondered through the street markets and got some bits but we got sick of the vendors trying to get up to buy things. It gets annoying after a very short amount of time. So we headed back to the hotel for a chill out before dinner, walking past the Duomo on the way. 

We apparently got confused with how the Italians eat dinner. We though it was like the Spanish way, where the eat late. But apparently not. They eat a lot earlier. We went for some drinks before dinner and lots track of time. 

Spitz!

We need up having to search for somewhere which was still open and had to rush dinner. Oops. (But the drinks and dinner were very nice.)