BC and the Eagles

In May I was really happy to have one of my South African cousins visiting, technically he was headed west to see my dad.  But he spent a few days in Toronto with me before we both headed to Vancouver Island for an amazing getaway.

My dad and stepmom had found this phenomenal spot along the interior passage with an incredible spring confluence of eagles.  As the tides rush in, the current rushes out and the hake start running - the juveniles can't control their buoyancy and spike to the surface.  Thus commences the Feasting of the Eagles.  

Apparently at the best of times there can be up to a thousand birds in the air in just a small section of the ocean.  Most afternoons we had about 50 eagles fighting for a small amount of fish.  For myself it was more than enough and I was able to get some excellent photos.  

Over the four nights we spent at the Nanook Lodge on Stuart Island, we also saw sea lions, orcas, humpback whales, pacific white sided dolphins and several bears.  And we were fed so well.  One dreary day a few of us went out with the owner to drop some crab traps.  We then picked those up on our last full day and had some ridiculously fresh Dungeness crab with our final dinner.  

It was an absolutely breathtaking location, super friendly staff at the lodge, and just some of the best eagle photography opportunities ever - even though it wasn't a very good start to the season!!

London Wrap Up

Well, I let time get away from me! So here is a quick recap of the last few days I spent in London.  My mother and I decided to see Westminster Abbey, we had both been before but it is so gorgeous it is always worth seeing.  I just love exploring history, seeing the old tombs of people who have made such a large impact on the UK.  There is also a new gallery that was opened for the Queen's 70th Jubilee. It is an extra five pounds to access, but it had been closed off for centuries before being "rediscovered" and has an incredible view across the Abbey.

After we were done there, it was a nice walk up to Trafalgar Square where we had reserved an entrance time for the National Gallery.  Art galleries aren't really my thing, but my mom loves them and this one is full of history as well as paintings.  It was a really enjoyable afternoon exploring the halls and seeing some famous pieces of art.

We had a simple evening with dinner near the hotel and then drinks in the hotel bar.  It was a really fun trip to England, and a great few days in London.  

Greenwich, Tea and the Theatre

One of the reasons we picked the hotel we did was to be close to Greenwich. My mom said in all the times she’d been to London she had never seen it, and a few years ago I stayed right by it for my cousins wedding and just loved the area. 

So in the morning we took the Tube over to start exploring. We got off by the Cutty Sark ship museum, but since we had seen the Golden Hinde yesterday we just walked around it. We found the walking tunnel under the Thames and walked back to the north side. You get a spectacular view of the Greenwich Palace grounds from there, right up past the queen’s house up to the Greenwich Observatory. 

After walking back to the south side we walked along the river to the gates of the palace- which is now the University of Greenwich. This was very much in evidence based on all the people in black caps and gowns celebrating their graduation! It was super fun to see, and the professors in their more colourful gowns too. 

We walked around till we found the entrance to the Painted Hall. This dates to the early 18th century under William and Mary when the building was done for the Royal Navel Hospital. I was lucky enough to be there in 2018 when the ceiling was being restored so I could do a tour on the scaffolding and see it close up. Mom decided she wasn’t too interested in paying just to go in and see the Hall so we carried on. 

Next was the Queens House. Built in the reign of the Stuarts, it’s a lovely little palace just up from the river. It’s now home to a lot of beautiful art pieces, including one of Elizabeth I’s Armada portraits. 

After seeing the art work and a gorgeous restored tapestry in their collection, we walked along Greenwich Park and up the hill to the observatory. Mom and I got our pictures along the Median Line before exploring the park. 

It was quite a lovely day, though we were a bit rushed towards the end as we did have more plans that afternoon.  After changing quickly at the hotel, mom and I headed off for our Afternoon Tea. 

Now this was quite the dilemma. We tend to prefer a classic Afternoon tea and had debating paying for this at one of the grand hotels, like the Ritz or the Goring. But wow, those were pricey!! We settled on having Tea at the Wolosley, a very posh little spot. Formerly a car dealership (in marble!) it was now a little restaurant. We had a lovely tea there. 

Then mom and I walked up to the West End to meet my cousin for some drinks before he treated us to a show. We saw the Time Travellers Wife. It’s really well done, I haven’t read the book or seen the movie, but I really enjoyed it and it had some impressive effects!! 

Down to London

 After a lovely few days in Yorkshire, we headed back to London for some more sightseeing. Luckily for us, after the torrential storm, the weather was just getting better. 

We arrived at Kings Cross and it was a fairly easy trip to our hotel at Canary Wharf. We wanted something that was easy to get to from central London, but also had the goal to visit Greenwich so it was close to that too. We picked a modern Hilton, which was very nice and quite a change from the 17th century manor house!!

That night mom and I went to the Tower of London for a special Twilight Tour. It was so amazing, the tour was after regular hours. But our group was led by a Yeoman Warder who was so interesting to chat too. It was thrilling to be in the Tower after hours with no crowds all around us! 

The next day was mom’s research day. We started out by going to Trafalgar Square to look for places her characters will be going. By chance we stumbled on the Sherlock Holmes Pub which will be perfect for when Gemma and her friends are back in London. 

There was a ridiculously long line for the National Gallery, so we went to the National Portrait Gallery first. It was fun to see the old paintings of the Tudors and other historical figures. 

After the gallery we had no set goal, so we strolled along the Thames. We stopped for drinks a couple times, once along the water with a view of St Paul’s. Then we visited the Golden Hinde which is a recreation of the ship Drake used to circumnavigate the globe. It was quite interesting as a modern crew actually recreated the voyage recently on the old sailing vessel. 

After a debate about where to go next, between a bar in The Shard for amazing views of the city and over priced cocktails, we settled on the Anchor, which is a pub along the Thames that was originally built in 1615 and rebuilt after the Great Fire.  It was a great spot for a cocktail before dinner!!

Dinner was a simple affair at a little Italian place close to the hotel. The food was delicious and it was a great end to a wonderful day. 

Yorkshire

Our day in Halifax dawned fairly miserable. A significant storm, Babet, was careening through and dumped 50-100mm of rain over the area while we were there. 

Determined tourists that we were, we set off to explore. Our first stop is the town of Halifax. We were there for book research, as one of mom’s heroines is from there. We started at the Piece Hall. Named for the swatches of fabric that would be on display for sale. Now it is a beautiful open square with some shops and restaurants that must be lovely on a clear day. 

We strolled around the town a bit, looking at the Halifax Minster and the markets, before heading on for our next stop. We drove to Shibden Hall. It’s a manor house from the 16th century that was the home of Anne Lister. She lived a (fairly) open life as a lesbian in the 19th century that was very daring for the time. 

After that we drove to the home of the Bronte sisters. It was just a little bit too damp to wander the desolate moors or the stunning little town, but we were able to tour the Parsonage they had lived (and died) in. 

Our second day dawned much better, so we drove up into northern Yorkshire to visit Castle Howard. It was such a beautiful estate, badly damaged by fire but beautifully restored. It also had extensive gardens we were able to walk around. 

Next we drove to Helmsley and had lunch in the quaint little town before walking up to the castle on the hill. Mostly ruins now- as an Earl in the Victorian era wanted a warmer home and also thought letting the castle fall to ruins would be a picturesque view. 

Just a few miles up the road was the ruins of Riveaulx Abbey, which was just a gorgeous ruin of an 11th century monastery that was abandoned during the reformation.  I loved photographing the ruins as we wandered about. 

We had a slow drive along narrow country roads to get back towards Halifax. And we stopped for dinner north of Leeds at the Bingsley Arms which holds the Guinness Book of Records award for the oldest Inn and pub in England. They say it dates to 952AD. 

After our drive back to the hotel, we had a final drink in the little bar with its incredible gin selection. In the morning it would be back to Leeds for the train back to London. 

On the Road Again

 It’s been a year since my Grand Tour. And I’ve been anxious to travel again. (And been scolded I’m not allowed to say I’m jealous of anyone else.) Well my mother had been planning to go to the UK to do some research for her upcoming novels and invited me to come as I’m her “assistant”.

We flew on an overnight to London to start, with a hotel picked solely for its proximity to Kings Cross Station. We arrived in the afternoon, pretty gassed but not wanting to sleep yet. Looking at the map we were very close to the British Museum, so we walked over for a bit of a walk around. 

After that was an early didn’t at a cute little pub by the hotel and then an early bed time. 

In the morning we caught the train up to Yorkshire. One of the main purposes of the trip was to visit Halifax, the location of the girlhood home of one of her characters. As ‘Rose’ will be coming back for a visit, mom had to check out the area!

We stayed in a gorgeous Manor house that was originally built in the 1600s. In the 1960s it was bought by a family who added a wing to turn it into the current hotel. It was a great mix of classic charm and comfortable rooms. 

We walked about in the drizzle exploring the lovely gardens before walking to a cozy little local pub, the Ivy House, for dinner. My mother was ecstatic to see a lamb Henry on the menu and I had a fantastic Yorkshire Burrito. The lovely roast beef rolled in Yorkshire pudding. Who could ask for more! (Oh there was gravy for dipping!)

Tomorrow will be exploring Halifax and Yorkshire. And the weather network is predicting 50-75mls of rain!! 

The Long Way Home

Nearly five months ago I boarded an east bound flight to London with the plan of flying eastwards till I made it home again. Amazingly the trip has gone really well and after so many amazing countries it was coming to an end. 

I flew from Carins to Brisbane where I could get a direct flight to Vancouver. And stopped to see another cousin. We had met in Adelaide, she had come to see me when I was there (or, you know, her mom and brother) and offered to host me during a layover. She showed me the Gold Coast, and since it was a dreary day we went to a Scandinavian spa for 90 minutes of glorious hot soaks, dinner in town and then games back at her place! Just a great way to leave Australia. 

Next was one looong flight up Vancouver with a stop in Victoria to visit my dad. It was just a lazy visit of sipping fine wines and being fed good food and sharing way too many photos!!

Next was two little hoppers to a town with one of the worst airports in the winter- luckily I made it in with no issues to finally see some of my favourite people ever! I was met at the airport by my adorable little nephew (and brother in law who did the driving) and spent a few days with my sister and a little niece who is growing up faster than legally should be allowed!!

We had a couple days of parks and Mario and cuddles and giggles (and one grown up sisters dinner) before it was time to head east one last time.  The weather looked to be closing in, with some heavy snow around the airport. But to my delight (and one little guys disappointment) the sky’s cleared and I made it to Vancouver in time for my connection. 

So, now I’m sitting in my seat a little emotional. Is it because it’s over? Or because I’ll see my grandma and my kitty soon? (Not to mention dear friends, more family, and my pillow!)

Who knows- but I can tell you one thing. I can’t wait to get back to work just because I need to start saving up for my next adventure!!