Well, this is the slowest internet connection I have EVER seen. So this will be quick to try and get it to work.
First impressions of Tenerife --WEIRD. Island looks like somebody took a huge excavator and just dropped bucket loads on the place. Strange mountain formations!! The natural vegetation seems to be scrub, but there are amazing plantings of cacti and then there are the banana plantations -- some under burlap it seems.
It will be an interesting week.
Waiting on Richard, Jennie and TovaElise. We requested adjoining rooms which they do not have so they had us across the courtyard from each other, but have offered us a villa (2 bedrooms and 2 baths, living room and kitchen) and I took them up on it.
Millions of kids here -- kids club happening now -- noisy but fun. Great place.
sorry no pictures -- internet won't upload from my phone.
Sunday, 3 November 2013
Flying Very High
So this is a first. Here I am at cruising altitude and connected to the internet. Norwegian charges for coffee and movies but the wifi is free -- strange.
Another first on this flight. I changed my seat assignment of 23A to get an aisle seat and I like being at the back so I can stand easily (and use the washroom). 30D was available with no one else booked in the trio of seats, so it looked like a good spot. We boarded from the back of the plane and upon getting to my seat in the second last row, I was greeted by a man across the aisle, one row back at the rear of the aircraft. He was a little strange and I thought he might be mentally challenged and so was obliging when he asked my name, and asked him his. Well, he was drunk and started to be vulgar towards the flight attendant. She warned him, the head steward warned him, and we pulled over to a side parking spot and they asked me and the couple in front of him to please just go forward in the plane and they took him off. Never seen that before. Naturally we had already lost time as they tried to subdue him and when he was removed they had to start the paperwork for the flight again, so eventually it was 1.5 hrs later than scheduled that we finally got a spot in the queue and headed off.
This is the second incident of disruptive behaviour that I have encountered on this journey. At the train station in Tonbridge the other day, the train before mine was delayed for about 15 min while an individual was ejected and then the train was allowed to leave. I wonder if this kind of thing is on the increase or if I have just never been exposed to it before.
The flight to Tenerife is 4 hours and 15 minutes. The plane is only about half full and this was the cheapest airfare to that location. Norwegian must be heavily subsidised by their government. I read in the magazine that they have just inaugurated direct flights from Oslo and Stockholm to NY, Ft. Lauderdale and LA on Dreamliners. Who is making money here?
Well, If I can send a picture of myself while in flight, I should be able to find the shuttle to get me to the hotel. Here's hoping!
Another first on this flight. I changed my seat assignment of 23A to get an aisle seat and I like being at the back so I can stand easily (and use the washroom). 30D was available with no one else booked in the trio of seats, so it looked like a good spot. We boarded from the back of the plane and upon getting to my seat in the second last row, I was greeted by a man across the aisle, one row back at the rear of the aircraft. He was a little strange and I thought he might be mentally challenged and so was obliging when he asked my name, and asked him his. Well, he was drunk and started to be vulgar towards the flight attendant. She warned him, the head steward warned him, and we pulled over to a side parking spot and they asked me and the couple in front of him to please just go forward in the plane and they took him off. Never seen that before. Naturally we had already lost time as they tried to subdue him and when he was removed they had to start the paperwork for the flight again, so eventually it was 1.5 hrs later than scheduled that we finally got a spot in the queue and headed off.This is the second incident of disruptive behaviour that I have encountered on this journey. At the train station in Tonbridge the other day, the train before mine was delayed for about 15 min while an individual was ejected and then the train was allowed to leave. I wonder if this kind of thing is on the increase or if I have just never been exposed to it before.
The flight to Tenerife is 4 hours and 15 minutes. The plane is only about half full and this was the cheapest airfare to that location. Norwegian must be heavily subsidised by their government. I read in the magazine that they have just inaugurated direct flights from Oslo and Stockholm to NY, Ft. Lauderdale and LA on Dreamliners. Who is making money here?
Well, If I can send a picture of myself while in flight, I should be able to find the shuttle to get me to the hotel. Here's hoping!
Saturday, 2 November 2013
Wrapping up England
So today was my last day here and there were lots of things to finish off.
I did the cycle ride to the airport and watched a plane fly right over my head. I was down in Crawley before I changed direction and came back through Horley in order to head west. Very soon one leaves town and is on the Surrey cycle path in the most pleasant rolling English countryside. There are great houses with large estates and high walls and gates and fantastic views of the valleys, and then there are lesser houses in between -- some refurbished cottages from the old days and some newer homes. It is a lovely variety as one rides along the little country lanes named for some of the great houses and lined on both sides with hedgerows very close to the road. With the rain and the leaves, I was not anxious to take any paths which were not paved, and even these required very careful riding. The symbol means "share the path" -- I wish we could get this in our area!
Today I had hills, I had wind, I had sunshine and I had serious rain. I guess all that was missing was the hail that I had on Tuesday. I had lunch at a pub which one gentleman recommended to me as 'spot on' -- and it was (steak and mushroom pie with great veggies). I made several wrong turns because I didn't have my gps out all the time, but still managed to get the bike back to Redhill in mid afternoon which had been my plan.
Redhill has better shopping than Horley so I picked up some stuff -- baking sheets at the pound store and flip-flops at a store that sells trendy name brand pseudo sportswear (Quicksilver, etc).
Trained back to Horley and started to get my departure set up -- wake up call for 4 am and transfer for 4:15. The flight is at 06:35. Glad the airport is so close. There will be a bag left here of the stuff that I will not need in the Canaries, and my weight limit is less for this segment of the vacation than across the Atlantic. I will have one night here on the way back as I get to Gatwick too late on the Sunday night to get a flight home the same day.
Another good day --sense a theme.
I did the cycle ride to the airport and watched a plane fly right over my head. I was down in Crawley before I changed direction and came back through Horley in order to head west. Very soon one leaves town and is on the Surrey cycle path in the most pleasant rolling English countryside. There are great houses with large estates and high walls and gates and fantastic views of the valleys, and then there are lesser houses in between -- some refurbished cottages from the old days and some newer homes. It is a lovely variety as one rides along the little country lanes named for some of the great houses and lined on both sides with hedgerows very close to the road. With the rain and the leaves, I was not anxious to take any paths which were not paved, and even these required very careful riding. The symbol means "share the path" -- I wish we could get this in our area!
Today I had hills, I had wind, I had sunshine and I had serious rain. I guess all that was missing was the hail that I had on Tuesday. I had lunch at a pub which one gentleman recommended to me as 'spot on' -- and it was (steak and mushroom pie with great veggies). I made several wrong turns because I didn't have my gps out all the time, but still managed to get the bike back to Redhill in mid afternoon which had been my plan.
Redhill has better shopping than Horley so I picked up some stuff -- baking sheets at the pound store and flip-flops at a store that sells trendy name brand pseudo sportswear (Quicksilver, etc).
Trained back to Horley and started to get my departure set up -- wake up call for 4 am and transfer for 4:15. The flight is at 06:35. Glad the airport is so close. There will be a bag left here of the stuff that I will not need in the Canaries, and my weight limit is less for this segment of the vacation than across the Atlantic. I will have one night here on the way back as I get to Gatwick too late on the Sunday night to get a flight home the same day.
Another good day --sense a theme.
Friday, 1 November 2013
NCN 2
When I think of some of my favourite rides -- Tamaki Drive, Rhine cyclepath, Cozumel Island -- they all have water in common. So, it should come as no surprise that I chose the shore road along the Channel for today's ride.
It started off with a flat tire -- pumped up enough to get to the train and down to Brighton and then fixed by a nice guy in the Velo Vitality shop. But once I started heading west (into the wind), it was lovely. There were serious waves crashing onto the pebbled beaches and sea walls, but that did not stop the wet suit-clad surfers, not the kite sailor/surfers, or the little kids who are on half term vacation this week, who, despite their adults being dressed in hooded parkas, were running into the surf with shorts and bare feet. I was thankful for my several layers.
NCN 2 is the Shore trail on which I rode from Brighton Pier to Worthing Pier, 20 km away. It had an incredibly varied path -- along the sea on the sea wall, past hundreds of tiny 'cottages', past a number of amusement areas, through the busy port of Shoreham, over locks in a dock area, past warehouses and fancy summer houses. It is an area of work and play and has been so for many, many years. I just finished Pride and Prejudice this evening and had to smile at the talk of Brighton, then as now.
I promised myself fresh fish and the Blue Ocean cafe in Worthing was recommended by several of the people I asked. They did not disappoint -- the chips may have been so-so, but the cod was fantastic!
The ride back to Brighton had the wind at my back, and was without the rain that had come down while I was lunching. It is always easier (and faster) to return when one knows where the twists and turns happen. I must admit that I have been very pleased with my new phone and the map features it has. I love the little blue dot to show me where I am -- and the location of the train station that I want to reach. More rain on the ride back, but it was just a short cycle from the Horley station back to the guest house.
Another great day! (Yes, I wore pink tights and everyone noticed me!)
It started off with a flat tire -- pumped up enough to get to the train and down to Brighton and then fixed by a nice guy in the Velo Vitality shop. But once I started heading west (into the wind), it was lovely. There were serious waves crashing onto the pebbled beaches and sea walls, but that did not stop the wet suit-clad surfers, not the kite sailor/surfers, or the little kids who are on half term vacation this week, who, despite their adults being dressed in hooded parkas, were running into the surf with shorts and bare feet. I was thankful for my several layers.
I promised myself fresh fish and the Blue Ocean cafe in Worthing was recommended by several of the people I asked. They did not disappoint -- the chips may have been so-so, but the cod was fantastic!
The ride back to Brighton had the wind at my back, and was without the rain that had come down while I was lunching. It is always easier (and faster) to return when one knows where the twists and turns happen. I must admit that I have been very pleased with my new phone and the map features it has. I love the little blue dot to show me where I am -- and the location of the train station that I want to reach. More rain on the ride back, but it was just a short cycle from the Horley station back to the guest house. 
Another great day! (Yes, I wore pink tights and everyone noticed me!)Thursday, 31 October 2013
Horley, Surrey
Well, the normal English weather caught up with me and today was rain, mostly rain, a bit of rain, and totally clouded over. I chose not to ride, so I walked and checked out this town.
Horley is a small town with basically one main street. It has one regular grocery store, one budget grocery store, an Iceland (all frozen foods), all on this main street, and then there is a huge Tesco extra (think Loblaws superstore) complete with clothes, electronics, toys, household stuff, but no furniture. That mega store is on the northwest end of town by farmers' fields -- about a 15 minute walk from the Gatwick Belmont.
This guest house is only one of at least 8 on this street. Many have a small restaurant associated with the accommodation, and several have parking available for when you leave the country for a week. They are all fairly large houses which have been split into rooms. I would think that they are all at least 100 years old. Most of the guests come and stay for one night and then fly. The guest house delivers people to Gatwick (about 1 mile away) any time of the day or night -- good thing, my flight is at 06:35 on Sunday. I am known as the lady who is staying a long time with my 5 night reservation. They do two options for breakfast of which I am doing the continental and have a pub in the evening, which I have not frequented. I have my bread and cheese and cider up here.
There doesn't seem to be much happening in Horley. Several of the store fronts are available for lease. There are at least 4 charity shops. The largest selection of shoes is at the discount warehouse, and they didn't have a pair of sandals for next week. I have been told that the shopping is much better in Crawley -- about 2 miles down the road. Strange they use miles, but all their groceries are in metric measurements.
So I poked along the main street, spent several hours at Tesco (came up with a few bargains) and walked the trail to Gatwick Airport. I had read in a blog that one can cycle through the airport grounds and get views which normal air passengers can't. I would like to try that on Saturday before I return the bike. My legs are tired and I walked holes through my socks -- good day.
Horley is a small town with basically one main street. It has one regular grocery store, one budget grocery store, an Iceland (all frozen foods), all on this main street, and then there is a huge Tesco extra (think Loblaws superstore) complete with clothes, electronics, toys, household stuff, but no furniture. That mega store is on the northwest end of town by farmers' fields -- about a 15 minute walk from the Gatwick Belmont.
This guest house is only one of at least 8 on this street. Many have a small restaurant associated with the accommodation, and several have parking available for when you leave the country for a week. They are all fairly large houses which have been split into rooms. I would think that they are all at least 100 years old. Most of the guests come and stay for one night and then fly. The guest house delivers people to Gatwick (about 1 mile away) any time of the day or night -- good thing, my flight is at 06:35 on Sunday. I am known as the lady who is staying a long time with my 5 night reservation. They do two options for breakfast of which I am doing the continental and have a pub in the evening, which I have not frequented. I have my bread and cheese and cider up here.
So I poked along the main street, spent several hours at Tesco (came up with a few bargains) and walked the trail to Gatwick Airport. I had read in a blog that one can cycle through the airport grounds and get views which normal air passengers can't. I would like to try that on Saturday before I return the bike. My legs are tired and I walked holes through my socks -- good day.
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
NCN 21
NCN 21 is route 21 of the National Cycling Network which goes from somewhere in London, down to the Channel at Eastbourne. I did not cycle all of it, but certainly a picturesque part.
I set off about 09:15. The first part of the route was on a secondary road heading south, but after Crawley, I turned east and most of the next section was on an old railway section which is an elevated ride through the Medway river valley. Today it was leaf strewn and, thanks, to the big storm of last weekend, many branches and in some instances, trees across the path. It meant that most of the ride I was concentrating on the path instead of the fabulous scenery so that twigs didn't end up in my spokes. The further east I got -- I started in Surrey, cycled through Sussex, and ended up in Kent -- the more rolling was the countryside. The roads are narrow with no shoulders, but the drivers are amazingly considerate and careful of the cyclist. There were some wrong turns and I have not cycled this much in quite some time, but after 55 km, I did arrive at Scotney Castle.
I am a puzzle person -- sudoku, crosswords, jumble, and picture puzzles. About 25 years ago, I had a 4,000 piece picture puzzle which took 3 months to complete. It was of Scotney Castle. I had no idea where that was and it took some searching (yes, there was life before google) to find that Scotney Castle was at Royal Tunbridge Wells. Actually it is just outside of Lamberhurst which is southeast of the other city, but Royal Tunbridge Wells is the closest big city. And Google maps provided a great route for the ride. The Castle which I saw in the puzzle was the Old Castle, and there is now a new house up on the hill. The Old Castle has a moat and the main building is now in ruins. I arrived about 2 pm and knew I did not have much time for my visit. It was a walk around for photos, but no visit to the new house, which, I am sure, would be lovely -- maybe someday. I celebrated my visit with a cream tea at the teahouse and then it was back on the bike.
I knew that I could only ride till just after 4 pm since the sun sets about 4:30 and the road is very sheltered by trees so it darkens quickly. I managed to ride back to a train station by 4. I knew I would be able to take the bike on the train, but wasn't sure about the bike since it wasn't a folding one. First train north to Tonbridge. Second train west to Redhill, Third train to Horley. I made it back to the hotel at 7 pm.
What a wonderful day!
I set off about 09:15. The first part of the route was on a secondary road heading south, but after Crawley, I turned east and most of the next section was on an old railway section which is an elevated ride through the Medway river valley. Today it was leaf strewn and, thanks, to the big storm of last weekend, many branches and in some instances, trees across the path. It meant that most of the ride I was concentrating on the path instead of the fabulous scenery so that twigs didn't end up in my spokes. The further east I got -- I started in Surrey, cycled through Sussex, and ended up in Kent -- the more rolling was the countryside. The roads are narrow with no shoulders, but the drivers are amazingly considerate and careful of the cyclist. There were some wrong turns and I have not cycled this much in quite some time, but after 55 km, I did arrive at Scotney Castle.I am a puzzle person -- sudoku, crosswords, jumble, and picture puzzles. About 25 years ago, I had a 4,000 piece picture puzzle which took 3 months to complete. It was of Scotney Castle. I had no idea where that was and it took some searching (yes, there was life before google) to find that Scotney Castle was at Royal Tunbridge Wells. Actually it is just outside of Lamberhurst which is southeast of the other city, but Royal Tunbridge Wells is the closest big city. And Google maps provided a great route for the ride. The Castle which I saw in the puzzle was the Old Castle, and there is now a new house up on the hill. The Old Castle has a moat and the main building is now in ruins. I arrived about 2 pm and knew I did not have much time for my visit. It was a walk around for photos, but no visit to the new house, which, I am sure, would be lovely -- maybe someday. I celebrated my visit with a cream tea at the teahouse and then it was back on the bike.
What a wonderful day!
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
England's green and pleasant land
I still have the chicken stickers on my hand which Clara bestowed on me yesterday. She is exhuberant and generous and I will miss her and her brother, but there is another little grandchild I will have the delight of spending time with next week. But I get ahead of myself.
Since flying over the Atlantic for just a week in the Canaries is a bit crazy, I added 5 days of (hopefully) cycling in the English countryside. (I am looking to get back some of those 8 weeks of cycling that I lost in the summer due to the broken foot.) The storm yesterday bought down many leaves and twigs and left the path that I cycled quite muddy in spots. But the cycling along the hedgerows and through farms was a totally different side of England from the city I saw last month.
And it truly is a green and pleasant land.
Since flying over the Atlantic for just a week in the Canaries is a bit crazy, I added 5 days of (hopefully) cycling in the English countryside. (I am looking to get back some of those 8 weeks of cycling that I lost in the summer due to the broken foot.) The storm yesterday bought down many leaves and twigs and left the path that I cycled quite muddy in spots. But the cycling along the hedgerows and through farms was a totally different side of England from the city I saw last month.
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