Isle of Wight from Ryde to The Needles Park

We took a ferry to cross the strait known as The Solent to reach England's largest island, the Isle of Wight located in the English Channel.  Allison has been working at Ryde Academy so I spent a day in Ryde enjoying the sights while Allison taught at the Academy.  It's amazing how many people travel each day by ferry from the mainland.  Southampton to Ryde is a short 25 minute ride, but if you choose to bring a vehicle you take a different ferry which increases the journey to around 1 hour.  When we went on our sightseeing adventure of The Needles Park and Carisbrooke Castle we took a different ferry again which brought us to Cowes.  Many ferry choices to ensure your safe arrival on what is a very beautiful island.

I travelled across to Ryde via hovercraft.  The last time I was on a hovercraft was years ago when I crossed from Dover to Calais en route to Paris.   I'm not very good  with water travel so I was a bit apprehensive.  I was supposed to have gone with Al and Kat the day before, but because of the weather forecast Al suggested I go the following day.  It was a good decision as the day was overcast with periods of sun and the passage across was smooth.  Once on the other side we took a quick taxi ride to Ryde Academy.  Al went inside to start her day and I turned back towards town to start my day.

Al's teaching spot.

Hovercraft, deflated on the platform waiting to be boarded

Hover Travel brings us to Isle of Wight

Hovercraft on the move.

 I spent the day poking around the town of Ryde. I enjoyed the sights along the seafront, browsing through the quaint shops, eating leek and potato soup at a hole in the wall cafe and finishing the day with Al at a local pub.  I walked along the large and long esplanade area which provided me a view of the marina, the pier and the beaches.  I could visualise that this would be quite a busy spot during warmer weather.  Beyond the pier as I walked towards town, I was met with the distinctive architecture that defines England's beauty.  Like most towns, a church's majestic structure dominates the scene and Ryde is no exception.  The spires of All Saints' Church are visible from the esplanade and the church itself becomes even more impressive as you get closer.  Dating back to 1872, it's another example of England's rich history.

All Saints' Church

Focal presence in the small town of Ryde

Completed in 1872 

Spires of All Saints' Church in the background.

More pictorial evidence of Ryde's quaint beauty. 

Career change, Gail?

Street view from the Esplanade.

Views from the Esplanade

Views from the Esplanade

Is that a Christmas Tree?

Nope, my mistake seaside means palm trees.

Yup, palm trees.

After a day on the streets of Ryde I had built up quite the thirst.  Al and I had agreed to meet at a pub on Main Street at 3 pm.  I was at a Used Book store and as I perused their inventory I lost track of time.  I arrived at S. Fowler & Co. at 3:20 pm and Allison looking all worried and pacing, was ready to send out search and rescue.  It's ironic that here was the child worrying about the mother and here I thought only mothers had the licence on worry.

My next trip to Isle of Wight was by ferry to Cowes.  We travelled with Kat and her family, Dad, Annette, Steph and Adam.  Arriving in Cowes we had just missed the bus that would take us to Carisbrooke Castle and because we were on a schedule, we decided to walk.  Sure, what's a 25-30  minute walk, up hill?? Well it was sunny and given all the walking I had been doing since my arrival in the UK, this was not a problem. The castle was built in the 12 century.  Carisbrooke is a historic motte and bailey castle; a fortification with a wooden or stone keep (fortified tower) situated on a raised earthwork called a motte. It is enclosed by a courtyard or bailey and surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade (fence or a wall).  It was relatively easy to build and yet was still militarily formidable.  We walked all around the wall which considering its age is still in good shape and provided an amazing view of the surrounding countryside. There is a chapel within the courtyard and beside it a beautifully maintained English garden. Interestingly the castle was home to The Princess Beatrice (daughter of Queen Victoria) from 1896-1944.  Now it's a tourist attraction under the control of the English Heritage.   

Walking to Carisbrooke Castle.  Missed bus just ahead!

Sign along the way. Seriously?

View from the road as we walked higher and higher.

Met Max along the way. Boy did he love that ball.

Carisbrooke Castle

Chapel within!

Walking up towards the keep.

The Troll under the bridge.

The walkway provides some amazing views

Al and me

Castle with a View 

View keeps getting better.

and better

English garden

Courtyard with flair

Fish and Chips were terrific as well as the crab guacamole

Always more room for ice cream.

After lunch we hopped back on the bus and headed for The Needles Battery.   We stopped first at Alum Bay.  There we found a small amusement park with gift shops and rides.  One of these rides is a chairlift which operates from the park down to the beach. There had been some very high winds the weekend before so we were unable to go down to the beach, but the views from up top were simply breath taking.

The view from a top Alum Bay

Simply stunning

We got back on the bus and continued past Alum Bay and travelled towards The Needles Battery. The views from the bus of the coastline were spectacular.  When we were dropped off by the bus at the Needles we were amazed  by the wind.  The wind was so forceful it actually moved you as we walked closer towards the rock formations that form The Needles. 

Coast line 

View from the top

Coast view 

The 3 distinctive white rocks that form The Needles.

Wind was fierce, but that didn't stop Al and Adam

I on the other hand preferred to hold on to the rail, tightly!

Al and Kat 

What a fabulous panorama!  As we took in the views, some jumped for joy, some held on tightly, while others posed in front of the magnificent back drop.  The eventual arrival of the bus was a welcomed reprieve from the fierce winds. After all, there's only so much of Mother Nature and all her splendour that one can take in.     

Stay tuned for my next blog which takes place at Stonehenge.

Southampton, UK

Allison lives in the quaint city of Southampton.  It's a very old place with it's striking stone architecture, a western wall dating back to 1339 which encloses parts of the city, the beautiful green foliage, the abundance of parks and the waterfront.  An interesting fact is that the RMS Titanic sailed from the port of Southampton in 1912.  This is actually quite a successful port city both for commercial and leisure ships. The pilgrims aboard the Mayflower sailed from Southampton.  Southampton is also the home port for such well known transatlantic passenger cruise ships as the RMS Queen Mary and Queen Elisabeth.

Memorial built for the engineers of the RMS Titanic

So on my first day in Southampton, I walked the city streets with Kat and Steph while Allison spent the day teaching at Ryde Academy.  Pretty sure I had the better day!  I hope the pics to follow give you a sense of the place.  The weather was perfect for walking around; mild and sunny.  There is little evidence of fall here as the trees are green and few leaves have fallen.  Southampton's low lying and sheltered location means that it is among the warmer and sunnier locations in the UK.  Nice choice Al!

Main street: anchors away.

Sailor's Memorial Church

Anchor marks the spot

Courtyard of the Sailor's Church

Oiii, when in England, try the phone.

Love all the stone.

More quaint flats.

Here's the church, minus the steeple.

Love all the lane ways.

Different angle of a row of flats down this lane way.

Parts of the Western wall still stand.

What does it say Kat and Steph?

Cruise ship in port

Starbucks is in port.

Waterfront Casino.

Waterfront.

Hard to believe this is fall.

So many parks and green spaces.

Street view.

Buildings are so amazing

I'd like to keep my money in THAT bank.

Street view

So amid all the history and the age of many of the buildings you enter into the market area, which is very reminiscent of Sparks street back home.  The streets are cobbled and there are no cars permitted, just lots of pedestrians.  There is a huge mall (West Quay) with lots of stores, some familiar and others not. The more interesting shops are all along the Above Bar area. On weekends, vendors set up kiosks featuring food from around the world.   At the end of the pedestrian street there's a stone passage way marking the end of the Above Bar area.  I must say I left it with some reluctance, but I will definitely be going back.   Ethiopia has given me an appetite for shopping.

The exit to the Above Bar shopping area.

Well this was a nice way to spend my first day in Southampton.  Al came home from her day of teaching and it was time to get ready to go with the girls to their soccer game.  They have joined a league that meets Tuesday nights and it was good to see Al on the field.

Sneak peak of our next adventure.  Stonehenge, y'all!

Trip To England

My flight to London Heathrow airport was October 14, 2013.  I departed from the airport in Addis Ababa at 10 am.  My Canadian Thanksgiving was spent in the air. All in all not a bad thing as my final destination would be Southampton; temporary home of Allison and Kat.  The flight touches down in Rome for 1 hour to re-fuel.  An interesting fact about Addis Ababa is that due to its high elevation, planes are unable to sustain the weight of the necessary fuel to carry them for extended flights.  So it's great for those people going to Rome, but for those of us going on to London it's a very necessary pit stop, even if it adds an additional hour to our flight.  Having landed and re-fueled we were back in the air for the 2 hour flight to London Heathrow.  We arrived there at local time 6 pm (8 pm in Addis).  Customs was relatively smooth except that Ethiopian Airlines neglected to give us our Customs landing cards.  I remember thinking that perhaps Heathrow doesn't require this paper work? Wrong, as it was the first thing they asked for.  So I had to step out of the line and find and complete the landing card.  Fortunately I had remembered to get Allison's address so completing the form was easy.  No where on the form were any questions about declaring duty free items, so I briefly worried about this, before signing the form and getting back in line. I approached the Custom's officer and handed her the form and my passport.  She asked me the purpose and length of my stay and where I would be staying, then stamped my passport and I was in.  Well okay then, why didn't I  buy more alcohol at the Addis duty-free??  Here I had thought a l litre bottle of Gray Goose and a bottle of white wine might have been pushing it, not!  Oh, well live and learn.  Now I needed to find the bus and train connection that would take me to Southampton.  Heathrow is huge and crowded, but fortunately the signage is very good.  Once retrieving my bags I just followed the signs for Central Bus Station.  It was quite a ways, but once there I just went to the ticket counter and gave the woman my destination.  Visa is accepted everywhere, well everywhere except Ethiopia.  Ethiopia is a cash society, crazy for most North Americans who love their plastic.  I had to think for a minute, when the PIN request came up as I have not used my PIN since leaving Canada in July. So I was extremely thankful that it worked  (muscle memory when it comes to shopping is amazing)  I of course would test that out on my first day of shopping and browsing in Southampton, but hang on I still had a 2 hour bus and train connection ahead of me.  The bus to Woking was supposed to arrive a 7:01, but it didn't arrive till closer to 7:30.  This worried me as I sure hoped that I would not miss the train connection.  I kept asking people if they knew when the bus was coming, IF the train would wait and mostly, what is the name of our bus.  I kept forgetting the name WOKING, go figure! Anyways it did finally arrive and we were off. Nice comfortable coach and they even have seat belts. We arrived at Woking station @ 20:06 and as I quickly scanned the board I saw that my Weymouth train with stops at Southampton Central was scheduled for 20:10.  I quickly asked the attendant who said I needed to be on the other side. Okay, but how do I get there?  Oh he says, pointing vaguely down the tracks on the side I am on, you just go up and over.  Cool Story Bro!   So I walk (fast as I can with two rolly suitcases) looking for this up and over ramp.  I see the sign  lift and realize that I need to use an elevator.  You get in this corridor and there are numerous lift doors designated by Platform numbers.  I do not know the platform number so I have to guess and given that I have less than 3 minutes to be right, I hope I am!  Phew, it was the correct lift and I am standing on the right platform as the train approaches.  I follow behind a girl which is fortunate because you have to press a button to have the door open otherwise I may have still been standing there, blank faced, waiting for the door to open. I sit down in a comfortable seat and slide my suitcases in. The train is not at all crowded which is nice since I need two seats for me and my bags. So after around 55 minutes the third stop is Southampton Central.  I am so excited and I start to smile when I hear the announcement, "Mind the Gap!"  Kat had written that in her blog, so it reminded me  that "Yes, I have arrived and now I too will start living these English moments!"  If there is right or wrong exit to go to, you can be sure I would choose the wrong one!  Well, given how smoothly it was all going, yes of course I went out the wrong exit.  I looked for Kat and knowing that the train was late, I was pretty certain she would be there.  Well yeah, she was there, but of course it was on the other side.  I determined this when I asked the attendant if there was another exit.  He was so helpful and gave me another ticket so I could exit from the other side. That is one thing you need to remember, "Hold on to your ticket cuz you need it to exit the station!"  I was no sooner heading towards the lift (not going to fool me again!) when I saw Kat coming towards me.  She had suspected I might have gone out the wrong door and the equally nice attendant on the other side had allowed her access to come look for me!

We walked the short 2 minute distance to their flat.  How wonderful to be so close to the train especially since Allison and Kat spend a lot of time on trains as they head to their teaching placements.    After a mere 30 minutes after arriving at Kat and Allison's flat, Allison arrived home from school.  Woot!  Hadn't seen Allison (aside from Skype) since July so it was sweet!  Allison's first comment, "Ma!  You're here in our home!!"

From arriving at the Addis Airport at 8 am that morning to sitting in their |Southampton flat, I had basically been travelling for 12 hours.  Small price to pay.  I had arrived and my UK adventures were just beginning.
Stay tuned!

Thanksgiving Y'all

To all our family and friends, Happy Thanksgiving!!  Thanksgiving may not be celebrated here in Ethiopia, but I'm devoting this blog to giving thanks and a bit of reflection.  Paul and I feel blessed that we were given this opportunity to assume a work/leisure (me) posting in Ethiopia.  22 months ago the prospect of Paul returning to Ethiopia seemed very grim and highly unlikely.  We were reconciled to the fact that Paul would not have the opportunity to work at an International posting.  As Paul's progress following his stroke in November 2011 continued to improve the possibility became a reality.  We are both thankful for Paul's recovery and restored good health.  The preparation to come to Ethiopia involved a complete upheaval of our life and existence in suburban Barrhaven.  We are thankful for Gail who took us in when we only had an empty house (contents which had been purged, stored or shipped) and put up with us, our two girls (Al and Jenn) and Al's boyfriend Alex (visiting from Switzerland) and of course Lexxie.  We lived with Gail the last two weeks before we flew to Ethiopia.  And though we left after two weeks, we left behind boxes of irreplaceable family pictures, cherished Royal Doultons (from my Mum) and even our car that Gail is generously storing for us until we return. Thank you to Brooke who also generously offered up storage space for all our Christmas decorations.  It is so reassuring to know that household items that hold so much meaning to us are housed safely with family.

It was hard leaving home because it meant leaving our children behind.  Sure, sure they may be young adults, but as parents they will always be our "children".  We are thankful that our kids have shown us that though of course they miss us, they are becoming self-sufficient adults that we are so immensely proud of.  Aley and Daylan have had their fair share of their Dad's extended travels.  For Allison and Jennifer this was a first to have their Mom away for this length of time.  Allison's adjustment perhaps has been made easier by the fact that she was moving to Southampton, UK to assume a teaching position.  This leaves my youngest, Jennifer with the biggest adjustment.  Jennifer is fortunate that she has her Dad  and step-mom (Janet) and her step brothers (Phil and Paul) and step-sister Laura. But I know how it wrenches my heart that I am not there as she begins 3rd year of University and that I can't be a part of her ringette season.  I am thankful for Jenn's strength  and courage.  She amazes me with each email she sends me and I sometimes marvel over the fact that at times Jenn is the one supporting ME during this time away.

We are thankful that we will have the pleasure and joy of seeing all our children, including my sister-in-law Johanna and my brother Wayne at Christmas this year.  We are wildly excited despite the fact that the trip is less than 12 weeks away.

I am thankful that being in Ethiopia has given me freedom to indulge in things I wasn't able to do because I was employed full time.  I am currently tutoring a 4 year old Italian child in English.  This has been such a rewarding experience as I push Anna to find the "h" in words, a letter she tends to drop.  She is such a quick study, but teaching her through conversational English has been pushing me to research phonics and ESL strategies.  It is so rewarding when I hear her speaking with more confidence, better pronunciation and in the right tense.

Freedom also gives me the opportunity to travel.  I am thankful that I am able to travel with Paul when he goes on a road trip.  Bahir Dar was our first trip together, but there are more in the offing.

I am thankful that I am able to share birthday celebrations with my first born, Allison.  The journey begins tomorrow, October 14th as I fly to Heathrow, followed by a bus/train to Southampton where I will meet up with Allison, her flatmate (soul-mate!!), Kat and her sister Steph (visiting from Ottawa). As I said earlier, it's been hard being away from our children.  When Paul "suggested" I visit Allison, I literally jumped on the suggestion and made it so.  Who's having the hardest adjustment, eh? Stay tuned for more blogs on our UK adventures!!

We are thankful that while we are in Ethiopia we enjoy a very, privileged existence.  We are so fortunate that  Paul is paid by Canadian standards and the cost of living in Ethiopia being so low means our Canadian dollar goes a long way.  We enjoy a housekeeper/cook, gardener/handy man and a nightly guard, privileges we would never dream of having in Canada and yet here it is within our reach.  We are thankful and yet saddened when we drive around Addis and see the stark disparity in standards.  There is shocking evidence of the have's and have nots.  Driving down main street Tele-Bole we are continually approached by beggars that come to the car (Mothers with children, cripples hobbling along on crutches, old men and woman). We always have birr in the car to give; a small price to pay and yet any offering is always met with such gratitude. We often wish we could do more.  I am thankful that Paul is working on a project that is helping to promote Ethiopians' capacity to provide for themselves. There are approximately 14 million people in Ethiopia that are chronically food insecure and who experience a hunger gap between 2 -5 months a year. This is an unbelievable fact that most of us cannot relate to.  I am thankful that through networking with colleagues and associates of Paul I am being better positioned to help with this need which is rampant throughout Addis.

Living here in Ethiopia, has made us extremely thankful for the standard of living we take for granted.  Paul has been telling me for years that our North American standard of living is not the norm in the global sense.  I never quite understood that until coming here and living in the middle of it.  I am thankful that living here is giving me a clearer perspective and a greater appreciation for the blessings we have.

So when you all sit around enjoying your turkey dinner this weekend (which we would be doing if we were home), be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving and We Miss You All!

Weather's Improving.............at last!

Yes like a true Canadian I feel it's time to talk about the weather. I was told when I first arrived in Ethiopia that there are two distinct seasons in Ethiopia, the dry season which runs from October to May and rainy season from June to September. Altitude is another factor which influences the climate of Ethiopia's large surface area of about 1.2 million square kilometers. Addis, because of its high elevation, experiences much lower temperatures than Bahir Dar or Awassa. I first visited Ethiopia in April and I was met with sunshine and 24°C - 26°C. It was a different story when I returned at the end of July. It was cooler (18°C - 20°C) and it rained (thunder and lightning) daily. I was told that after New Year's, (September 11th), the weather would drastically improve. This did not happen. I was then told that, Meskel (September 27th) marks the end of the rainy season. Well, yes there has been improvement to rain every day, but nevertheless rain and cool temperatures continue to be more the norm than the exception. So I decided to break it down into terms that I could more easily assimilate. After all, there isn't a country anywhere (meteorologists, please calm down) that can accurately predict weather with absolute certainty. The Farmer's Almanac love to make predictions but, let's face it, they have a 50-50 chance of being right. How often have you been "fooled" by a weather forecast? Seriously? My hair is a fair testament to being caught without an umbrella.

So I started looking at the climate of Ethiopia and discovered that Ethiopia has in fact broken down their 2 distinct seasons into 4. Well I thought this makes total sense because breaking the year into 3 month increments gives you a better chance of getting the weather right, right? Wrong! Wrong in the sense that from my North American perspective (what other perspective would I have?), their "names" for each season has added less clarity.

Yes, but hold on, this is not North America so the names of our seasons need to be applied with an African twist. (You say tomato and I say tomatoe.) Let's look at the seasons, the TIA way:

Kiremet or Meher: June, July and August are the summer season. During these 3 months (and I can fully substantiate this), the city experiences heavy rain, thunder and lightning. NOT a pleasant experience for my Lexxie-Bear. The temperatures are cooler as well. (18°C - 20°C)

Tseday: September, October and November are referred to as the spring season. The rain has definitely slowed (not over ) down, there are more sunny days and the temperatures are getting warmer.

Bega: December, January and February are the winter dry season. Rain (I will take this at their word!) has stopped and there are seasonal highs of 22°C - 24°C and sunny.

Belg: March, April and May are the autumn season, with very occasional showers. May is typically the hottest month in all of Ethiopia. For we in Addis, we're talking nice, dry temperatures of 24°C - 26°C and mostly sunny.

So you see, it's all making more sense. (TIA) Here in Addis we are experiencing Spring-like conditions, as days are getting warmer and the sun is staying out longer with less rain interruptions. I know I can hardly wait for winter because by then the temperatures will be up in the 24°C - 26°C range and the likelihood of any rain will be extremely low. Before we have a chance to tire of winter's lovely conditions we will move into autumn and its promise of more sunshine, dry conditions and warm temperatures. But alas, once that ends we will be back to summer, rain and more rain. Thank Goodness, however, because with spring comes the promise that the rain will slow down and eventually stop and the temperatures will improve. And then before you know it the much anticipated and glorious winter will be back!!

Hey, my fellow North Americans and those in the UK, who knew that I, who have always considered summer to be my favourite season, would now be looking forward with such anticipation to winter? Yes a country can change and confuse you, but you need to roll and change with it. Even though I still do not understand why Spring follows Summer and Autumn follows Winter, I'm loving the many twists that TIA brings.




Pictures are currently delayed as I need Paul (he's at work!) to transfer the pics from his camera. Yeah, I like to write, but can't be bothered with the techie stuff.

Paul's home and the pics are ready for viewing. Spring is in the air.

Spring winds, tidings of good weather to come! 

Summer rains bring Spring flowers. Yeah right it does!

Kids, check out our Christmas Tree.  It's waiting for you guys!!

I enjoy sitting out on our deck above as the weather improves.

Flowers help hide our gated existance.

Side Patio door leads to: Watch the first step!

Spring view of our front yard.  Time to put out the patio furniture.

Did someone say it's spring?

I will just sit and wait!

....for the green, green grass of home.