Well it happened

by | Jun 3, 2024 | Food Experiences

I keep getting accused of being a constant complainer when I travel. My three British friends tell me I remind them of a character named Victor Meldrew. I think I mentioned him in Friday’s post. I try not to be like Victor. I really do. At home, I’m not that way. I am a happy-go-lucky guy who hardly ever complains about anything.

So, what am I complaining about today? Not the train ride we took yesterday. It was truly beautiful chugging through the British countryside, and the trains were on time. On the second half of our ride, we were on a high-speed train in the first-class coach, where two outstanding conductors helped me bring the luggage on board and then served us a delicious lunch. So, I have no complaints about the train.

Maybe the hotel we are staying in? It’s called Grasshoppers and even though there might be some tiny tiny stuff, it is basically a very nice place. And talk about convenience…it is situated on the sixth floor of the same building as the Glasgow Central Rail Station. So all we had to do was walk out the front door, make two quick turns and go back inside and up the elevator. We thought we would leave our bags and head off to look around downtown, but our room was ready. What a nice surprise. The people here are very nice. They have a room called the Sitting Room that I am sitting in now while Kathleen gets a little more shuteye.

Did I mention that they give you free breakfast if you book directly with the hotel? Or that they have cakes (choice of four) available 24/7, along with some delicious ice cream. How can you have a better hotel than that? Well, maybe better beds, but that has to do with my big complaint. Keep reading.

Am I complaining about the weather? Not me. If anything, it was too good. Bright sunlight and warmth with hardly a cloud in the sky. I took some photos, but the light was harsh. I much prefer that early morning sunrise light. Here are the pics I took so you can see what I mean. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…

Maybe it was the place we went for dinner last night? Not that, either. We had reservations at Banco di Roma, a lovely Italian restaurant about three blocks from the hotel. We figured by the time we were on the fifth day of our trip, we would want something a little different, and this place was just right. The food was superb (see the photos), and the ambiance (it is located in an old bank building that has been lovingly converted into a restaurant) was really cool. We even had two tables of people right in front of us for people-watching. You know the situation, family drama, where you make up stories about everyone, trying to figure out where they are from and who is related to whom. We do that all the time, but it has been a while since we had this many great people to figure it out.

So if it was the hotel, the food, the train or the weather, what am I complaining about—it’s the fact that once again on a trip—I am sick. I have come down with a horrible cold/flu. I don’t think it’s COVID (I have had every shot known to man), but it’s an ugly cold with a cough (that keeps Kathleen up all night), a very sore throat and a stuffed-up nose. I HATE BEING SICK WHEN I TRAVEL! It’s the worst. I am in a tiny hotel room with no place to go so Kathleen can sleep, and I can be comfortable. It just sucks. Hopefully, this doesn’t last long. We are going to go do the HoHo bus today so maybe that will make me feel better. Off to breakfast. I hope you have a great day.

Never complain and never explain.  —Benjamin Disraeli

Lunch in Wensleydale

by | Jun 2, 2024 | Food Experiences

I mentioned yesterday that we were heading to Wensleydale today for lunch at a cute little place called The Wensleydale Heifer. Wensleydale is famous because of the Aardman Studios cartoons of two characters named Wallace and Gromit. People ask me, “Who are Wallace and Gromit?” These two are Wallace and Gromit. They live in Wensleydale, they eat Wensleydale cheese (Wensleydale is famous for cheese) and we love them dearly. They are pretty much the only animation outside of Pixar that I have watched in the last 50 years. And I have to admit that Kathleen turned me on to them. I had really never heard of these two before I met her.

So we were off today to have lunch at a wonderful restaurant/hotel called the Wensleydale Heifer. We stayed there overnight and had dinner with Paul and Gail when we last visited in 2019. Recently, Paul and Gail had been there to celebrate Gail’s birthday and found out they were now having a big lunch on Sunday (which I was just told is very common in England). So they asked us if we wanted to go up for lunch on the Sunday we were here (today). So, about 11:00 am, we were off to Wensleydale. On the way, we stopped for a walk around a very typical small town—Leyburn. While we were there, I got some photos of the village (only four that I liked enough to display), and I hope you like them. It took a bit of Photoshop work this time. Most of these beautiful, historic buildings were plastered with signs and banners. I had to remove all that to show the the beauty of the buildings themselves. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…

After our quick tour of Leyburn we were off to the Heifer for lunch. And what a lunch! I did it again, though. I was so hungry and so much in a hurry to try the unbelievable food that I forgot to take a photo of the meal until dessert. Shame on me. Suffice it to say that the meal was amazing. Here’s the menu if you are interested.

We all had the traditional roast beef Sunday lunch with Yorkshire pudding, roasties and so many other wonderful things. You can see them all on the menu. But here’s what dessert looked like. It’s a Hazelnut Terrine, Honeycomb Cheesecake with Honeycomb Ice Cream. Delicious.

As long as we are showing photos, I thought maybe you would like to see all of us together. If you notice a balloon at the table, Paul’s birthday was last Thursday, so we were celebrating belatedly. We had the best three days with them, and they took such good care of us. We can’t wait to see them again. We FaceTime regularly, but it isn’t the same as getting together.

And that’s about it for yesterday. We are off to Glasgow this morning by train for a two-day visit and then off to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. See you then.

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.  —Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

We are loving Leeds

by | Jun 1, 2024 | Food Experiences

This post will be a personal one as opposed to my usual travel stuff wherein I complain about something ?. We are spending the first four days of our current trip with our good friends Paul and Gail at their home in Leeds, England.

After our ride with Welcome Pickups we arrived at Kings Cross station to take the train north to Leeds. If you are unfamiliar with European trains, I can only say that I LOVE them. They are a wonderful form of transportation that I wish we had more of at home. Clean, safe, on time and more.

We had pre-purchased a three-day (non-consecutive) rail pass before we left home. It allowed us to travel on any train in Great Britain for three days in a 30-day period starting on the day of first use. It took me a few e-mails with the folks we purchased it to understand how it worked, but I finally got it. You have to activate the pass for a particular day in advance. You can also purchase assigned seats for a very small amount ($5.00 each), and I did that for two of our trips, but I couldn’t for this one to Leeds because we were not sure what time we would get to the station from the airport. We know what time we will be leaving on our remaining train rides, so we have reserved seats.

Before we left, I downloaded the schedule and knew there was a train to Leeds every half an hour for most of the day. It was almost noon when we were in the car about a mile from Kings Cross. There was a train to Leeds at 12:03, 12:33 and 1:03. Since it was noon, I figured that by the time we got there and got our luggage out of the car, into the station, found the train platform, we needed to be on, we could get the 1:03. Nope. We walked into the station at 12:20, got quick directions, walked to the platform, used our passes to get through the gates, and talked to a nice lady who directed us to our first-class coach. and we were aboard and sitting in our seats on the 12:33. Can you imagine doing that at an airport?

The ride north was just short of two and a half hours. We only made four stops, and they were quick ones. The midday train was about half empty, so we had no problem finding seats. Our “first class” ticket came with lunch, which turned out to be a drink, a sandwich and crisps (almost typed chips ?). It was not gourmet, but we were hungry after that horrible Virgin Air breakfast, so we were happy to get it.

Once we got to Leeds, we quickly got off the train, and Paul and Gail met us as we left the station platform. We got into their car and drove back to their house. We had visited them pre-pandemic before our cruise from Dublin to Iceland, but they had moved since then, so we got to see their beautiful new home. It is really very nice and just perfect for the two of them and the grandchildren who visit often.

Most of you who read my posts know that I am an early riser, but I have to tell you that yesterday, I don’t think I was up and moving until well after 8:00 a.m. I slept a full nine hours after being up for almost 30 hours, Thursday through Friday. We were both wiped out. Today, I seem to be back on schedule, getting up at my usual 5:30 a.m., which gives me a chance to write this. Win-win!

Our day yesterday was leisurely as Paul and Gail planned to let us recuperate from our flight. We went into nearby Harrogate midday and did a short walk through a beautiful park and around the city center before we stopped for lunch at the amazing Bettys Tea Room (no, there is no apostrophe). We had been to Bettys before as it is a Yorkshire institution. And the lunch was delicious. I had a rarebit that came with my choice of three chutneys (Onion, tomato and apple), but I asked for all three. Yum! But as good as lunch was, what you come to Bettys for is the Fat Rascal. The photo at the top is us holding the Fat Rascal that we split. After having lunch, there is no way to eat an entire Rascal on your own. Think of a Fat Rascal as a kind of giant scone (about that consistency) with raisins and maybe currants inside and almonds and cherries to make a face on the top. They are delicious and a must-eat treat if you come to Yorkshire (the general area where Leeds and Harrogate are located).

After lunch and another quick walk around the town, we were back to Paul and Gail’s, where Kathleen took a nap, and Gail and I went out on a 3+ mile walk around the area (which is beautiful). I did take a few photos while we were walking around Harrogate so those of you who follow me for those had something to look at. Nothing that will make my top ten, but certainly some things I liked. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…

Then it was off to dinner at Murgatroyds, where they boast they have the “best fish and chips in England.” We have to agree, although I think the atmosphere was better at The Magpie, where Paul and Gail had taken us on our last visit. It is in the beautiful village of  Whitby, but that was a complete day out, so this was close enough to just run over there for dinner. After dinner, it was back to the house to catch the final half of the Champions League game on TV. It’s funny that when we were here in 2019, I had no idea about football (soccer for the Americans) at all. No clue as to what was going on. But thanks to the amazing Ted Lasso, I can now ALMOST figure out what offsides is. And I can definitely follow the game.

Back at the house, we even got a proper English Trifle that Gail had made for dessert. They have been feeding us very well, and we certainly will give them high marks on Trip Adviser after we leave.

Later today we are off to the Wensleydale Heifer for lunch. If you are a fan of the Wallace and Grommet animated films, they are set in Wensleydale, and they have a world-famous cheese store there. But we are only going as far as the Heifer. On our last visit, we went north through the Lakes District and spent the night at the Heifer (where every room has a theme) and had a wonderful dinner at their excellent restaurant. But this trip we aren’t going to be here in Yorkshire for that long so lunch will have to suffice ?. A full report on our drive north and lunch will follow tomorrow. See you then.

Remember that the most valuable antiques are dear old friends.  —H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

We aren’t Virgin virgins anymore and we wish we were

by | Jun 1, 2024 | Air travel

This trip is our first time on Virgin Atlantic Air. I had heard good things about them, but sadly, I have to say that it’s all a lie. Well, it’s mostly a lie.

We were flying in Business Class, which is (of course) a little spendy. When you fly in business, you expect that if you pay that kind of money, you will get a product on par with other business class flights we have taken. But I knew as soon as we boarded this would not be a great flight.

First, the seats were the narrowest Business class seats I have ever seen. There was a small shelf with a can of water on it. You had to fold up the shelf for takeoff and landing. But I had to fold it up right away because there was no way I could sit in the seat with it open. There was no storage. Most Business class seats have decent storage. A place to put your phone or Kindle, but not on Virgin. There’s a tiny slot already filled with headphones, the airline magazine and the safety card. And that’s about all it would fit. That meant I had to keep my phone and pretty much anything else I wanted to have with me on my seat next to me.

One of the main reasons for choosing Business Class is the promise of lay-flat seats. In all our previous Business Class experiences, the seats began in an upright position and could be reclined to a fully flat position. This was not the case with Virgin Atlantic. The seat settings were limited to two extremes: upright or completely flat, like a dining room chair. Transitioning between these settings was cumbersome, adding to the overall dissatisfaction.

When you wanted to get some sleep, you had to stand up, move everything off the seat (hold it all while standing in the aisle) and then press a button that tilted the seat forward and flattened it. (I am so sorry I didn’t get a photo of that, but I promise to get one on the way home. The photo above is one I stole off the web.) Then, behind the seat, there was a large bag (like a cloth laundry bag) with a mattress cover, pillow and blanket inside of it. You made up your own bed (even though we had been told that the flight staff would do it), and that was that. It was almost impossible to do anything in the seat once it was flat. And you still had all the stuff you had when it was upright, except now you couldn’t put your headphones away either.

I have to admit that I got a couple of hours of sleep, but the bed part was pretty hard and not very long, so that meant sleeping on my side with my legs curled up. Speaking of the seat being…not very long…anyone over my height would have a very hard time sitting in the upright position. A tiny footstool sticks out into the aisle, and my feet barely fit on it. If my legs had been any longer, I would have had to put them over and into the aisle. Not good.

Speaking of the aisle, these were the most open seats we have ever seen. You were looking directly at the people sitting across the aisle from you. It’s one of the strangest configurations I have ever seen. My buddy Mike sent me a photo of his Virgin seat on an Airbus plane, and it looked very nice—more like the seats we are used to. Our 787 did not get those very nice seats.

There were other things even if you liked the seats (I don’t know how you could). The entertainment system had some movies, some TV, audio and game selections as well. But except for one film, they were all pretty old, and I had seen them. It was kind of sad, actually. I hope they change the movies before we go home at the end of the month.

It wasn’t all bad. The service was excellent, and the crew was very nice. Dinner was outstanding—some of the best food I have had on an airplane. But breakfast was totally inedible. I don’t get that. Some of the worst coffee I have ever had, cold fried sweet potatoes and a quiche that was as salty as the Dead Sea. The OJ they gave me came in a glass that was sticky all over. You can bet I passed on that.

Maybe the best thing about flying Virgin into Heathrow is that they land at Terminal 3. Most flights from the US land at Terminal 5, especially those from the US. But Virgin pretty much has Terminal 3 to itself. This meant getting off the plane and through passport control and customs in less than ten minutes. This is unheard of at Terminal 5. We had planned our usual time to do that and so had told our driver from Welcome Pickups to grab us at 11:00 am. We thought if we landed at 10 (as we were supposed to do), we would be an hour getting through. It took 2.5 hours on previous trips to get clear through in Terminal 5. But our flight arrived early, and by the time we got through passport control and customs, it was only 10:20. I called our driver, and he said he would be there by 10:40. That was super.

Speaking of drivers, when we went to Portugal last winter, I found a new transfer company to get us from airports to planes, planes to trains and trains to hotels. They are called Welcome Pickups. I have to give them a shout-out here because we have already used them twice on this trip, and they are superb! They are worldwide, and you can hire them easily on their website. So far, we used them at home to get to SeaTac, then another driver picked us up at Heathrow and took us across London to Kings Cross rail station to catch our train to Leeds. Both were on time or early. Both texted us to let us know where they were. Both stayed right on top of everything. This is the same way it was in Portugal. We have at least three more Welcome Pickups trips arranged on this trip. They charge a predetermined price (like Uber or Lyft), and it is right in the same ballpark price-wise. But they meet your plane (holding a sign with our name on it at Arrivals), they help you with your bags, and they get you where you are going as quickly as possible. Yesterday’s ride to King’s Cross would have been even worse in a taxi. We had horrendous traffic, and I would have been watching the meter all the way as it went off the charts. BTW: I know I have used the quote below before but it is still the truth. And to my British followers, I am NOT doing my Victor Meldrake impersonation.

Airplane travel is nature’s way of making you look like your passport photo.  —Al Gore

And off we go…

by | May 30, 2024 | Air travel

As I type this, we are sitting in the waiting area at SeaTac airport waiting to board our Virgin Atlantic non-stop flight to London. We spent some time in the Priority Pass lounge and met two really nice couples. One heading off to England and Scotland (we told them we would look for them there) and the other heading in exactly the opposite direction—Asia, for a month-long trip starting in Tokyo and ending the Maldives.

That’s something I love about travel—meeting some great people. Strangely enough, the couple heading to Asia were both teachers from Chicago and he was a…yearbook adviser. We truly enjoyed talking about travel and today’s legal development with both of them.

So we are off. First to London, then a train to Leeds to see our good friends Paul and Gail. After that, it’s Scotland, London and then a Viking cruise to Norway. Please stick with me as I will do my best to post photos and the story every day. You should see some amazing stuff. If you want to know when I post, make sure you sign up for e-mail alerts when I post. You can see that field on the right.

See you in London.

The air of England has long been too pure for a slave, and every man is free who breathes it.  —James Mansfield