Ballymena in the Sun

It was another great day in Ballymena today. Lots of rain, some clouds, a little drizzle, and then a brilliant sun after work. It couldn't be more Irish. You see the Irish get all the weather off the ocean and it tends to be wet. It makes the place look lush but it can be a drag after a while. Here is where I am for those of you who don't know.

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I had a big day at work and followed it up with a quick supper in the hotel. After that a walk around town. You see, for all my visits to Northern Ireland I haven't really seen the town in daylight. I always seem to be here in the off-season: fall or winter. Now that the days are longer here is a very little taste of what it looks like.

Also here is my car while I'm here.

Yes, it's an Audi. You see, I've always wanted an Audi, so here was my big chance. It didn't cost anymore but as the lady at the car rental place said:"I think you'll be pleased." I was.

This, on the other hand, is not my car, but it is a cool ride nonetheless.

For a real cool mini-pick up check out the Austin Mini entry here at Wikipedia.

A Good Deed

England is full of Frenchmen (and women). They were on the subway, on the train, on the streets, and especially in the airport. Sure enough there was a couple in front of me the other night as I tried to check in my bags for my flight to Belfast. Off all things they were carrying on two flats of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I suppose I should have asked them where they got them (I though Krispy Kreme was a US thing, but apparently they have stores in the UK to0) but that's not the point.

The point is that airline and transportation authority rules restrict liquids and gels in the cabin. So the question is where does a jelly or creme filled doughnut fall? Well apparently it's OK. I translated for this young couple who didn't speak any English first at the check in desk and then at security. That's where I left them. In the end I saw the fellow in the departures area holding his flat of doughnuts. I guess things aren't as strict here in the UK as back in the USA. I don't think that would have flown (excuse the pun) back at Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey, then again the Americans do like their doughnuts.

On another note did you know Tim Hortons is also in the UK? Yep, they have outlets in Ireland and Scotland (even in Ballymena, where I am). Who knows where else? The Internet isn't very good at locating them, but I've seen them with my own eyes.

Another Day In London

I seem to have the jet lag mostly behind me..for now.

Yesterday was a big day with lots of trains and subways. We headed into London with Rob and the gang. First stop was the Michelin building, or Michelin House, at the corner of Pelham Street and Sloane Avenue in Chelsae. It was a neat spot. The building is no longer owned by Michelin but has an interesting past. It now houses several very good restaurants (including one called Bibendum) and some other commercial space. We didn't eat there but kept on our way to Camden Town Market.

Note in the picture of the lobster and Aidan, the little crustaceans still have their elastics on. I can't believe they don't know how to cook lobster. It was 11 pounds sterling for a lobster. Include the exchange rate and the size of them and it looks like about $15 a pound. Pretty pricey.

The market was impressive. There were shops in all sorts of nooks and crannies. We spent a good three hours milling about, in and out of the rain, looking into everything from clothing stores to antique stores. The food market was very good. We ate Indian, Chinese, and I had food from the Alps. Specifically I had raclette and tartiflete (which is much like truffade). The boys in the booth were legit and not just locals posing as Frenchman or Swiss. It was very good. The market also has an area called The Stables which was neat since the whole area had been stables in the past. Here are some pictures of it as well.

Today we hung out around the house and went out to Black Heath for a run around the heath (or common). It was nice and sunny, eventually, and we played baseball, soccer, Frisbee, and tried to fly a kit. There wasn't enough wind. We also hit the local market. It was great. The bread, fish, meats, sausages, and produce all looked amazing. I think I could live there, but Michelin doesn't have a plant in London yet. This afternoon it was more trains to get to Gatwick airport and then Belfast. Now I'm in Ballymena and headed to bed. Work tomorrow and hopefully some poking around tomorrow night.

My Latest Trip to the UK

I've decided to do a little more blogging, especially while I'm travelling. If I can find the time it's a good way to tell everyone what I'm up to. Anyway, here goes...

I Left Geenville this morning at an ungodly hour. That's a few days in a row I've been up just after 5. I wouldn't complain but I was up late packing and getting ready. On Thursday part of the issue was my volleyball league. It was worth it in the end. We won the whole league. I also made some new friends playing with this team who will likely let me play with them again.

Jane also came out for some of the volleyball with Isabelle, which was nice. I'm away for a little while and I won't get to see them much. Add to that the fact that this week has been totally crazy with late days for me and lots of activities for everybody, and it feels like we haven't seen much of each other lately (or maybe it's just me).

Back to today...the flights were good. In fact both the Greenville to Newark leg and the Newark to Heathrow flight were only about one third full. I got some prime seats too. A bulkhead row by myself meant lots of legroom and space to do some work and catch up on my email. Sneak in a nap and a movie and before you know it you're in the UK.

Arriving at Heathrow was a little hairy with practically zero visibility and some gusty winds. Once down we were met by the police at the gate who escorted a young lady off. It looked like someone tipped them off or something. Nothing ever seems to go smoothly.

A quick trip through customs, got my bag, and I'm off to Greenwich on the tube to find Rob, Michelle, Aidan, and little Kathleen (although she is not so little anymore).

Tomorrow is a trip into London and likely out for Indian food later. By then I should have pictures to post. In the meantime I leave you with Dave Carroll. I didn't fly United this time but Dave has a story to tell if you haven't heard it before. It's a good one. You can find out more here if you're interested.

The Mission Inn

The two fellows below are Joseph and Napoleon. They are the birds in residence at the Mission Inn where we stayed our last few nights in California. They are terribly loud and sometimes obnoxious. They do talk a little, but mostly just say "Hello!"

They are located just outside the main entrance, a short walk behind the the walkway you see below. The Mission Inn has a long history and has had some notable guests. Everyone from Ronald Reagan to Ozzie Osbourne has stayed there. Richard Nixon and his wife Pat were even married in one of the chapels.

This is what the entrance looked like from the street.

Inside the first courtyard it was very pretty. Everything was lush and green, with palms standing over the pool and the restaurants.

This is one of the patios for the restaurant. The hotel had some great balconies and walkways which gave a great view of the hotel and the courtyards.

There was a great religious influence all around. It certainly felt like a monastery in some places.

The inn has several towers.

The chapels had some very nice architectural points, including this stained glass window.

The pool below and the street behind it. It was a little cool but it didn't stop Isabelle from going in and staying a while.

Below is one of the chapels.

This is another view of the courtyard. There were also a few conference rooms and large ballrooms. One room on the way to our room had an old brass sign that read: Bride's Dressing Room. I suspect there are lots of weddings held here every year.

The clock was interesting. It had a rotating mechanism with life sized figures and animals which turned with the hours. You can see one of the figures in gray playing the violin.

Finally, a view from the top deck.

From the looks of this picture we could have been in Italy or Spain. Anyway, that concludes my recap of the trip to California. Like I said before, I think I need to go back and see the rest of it now: San Fransisco, Yosemite, the Sierra Nevadas, Big Sur, the giant redwoods....

California

California is an amazing place. It’s so large and has so many different regions it was really amazing to see. We only saw a small part of it but it makes me want to go back someday to see the rest. Our trip took us from Ontario (a city outside of L.A.) to Barstow and then San Diego. We did a large amount of driving but it was well worth it. As usual Isabelle was a trooper through the rough parts and certainly enjoyed the good parts. We haven’t been able to get her to tell us what she liked most. She just keeps saying is was all good. I'm taking that as a good sign.

First night we arrived in Ontario and drove to Barstow. Barstow has a residential area and a commercial area full of outlets. We stayed near the outlets but really only used the hotel as a base for two nights. Our first day was the biggest. We had planned about 9 hours in the car to cover several hundred miles. The target was Death Valley. We drove through some incredible sights. Lots of mountains with snowy peaks, lakes that were dried up and salty, and some neat little oases that must be awful in the heat of summer.

The picture above and some below are from Badwater. It's where the road comes by a lake that is about 280 feet below sea level. In fact it's the lowest point in North America.

The ground is covered in salt from the lake slowly evaporating each year after the rains.

Apparently due to the temperatures this is the best time of year to visit. Of course I had packed most of the wrong things. I had pants I didn’t wear and a fleece I really didn’t need. I did wish I had packed more shorts. At least I had my hat.

If you look very carefully you can see the white rectangular marker up on the cliff that shows sea level, about three quarters of the way up the picture.

Later we took a walk up an old mining road. The ravine we were in was pretty cool with walls shooting up both sides.

The neatest part of Death Valley for me was the sand dunes. It was like being at the beach in the middle of nowhere.

Here they are in the distance.

Isabelle played in them like we were at the beach. They were huge and went on for miles. We could see people in the distance walking along the ridge like ants. The sand was smooth and dry. Apparently they are in constant motion and change all the time.

On the way back to Barstow we even found some snow, but we had climbed over 5000 feet above sea level.

Day two had us packing up and heading south towards Joshua Tree National Park. The park was hot but very different than Death Valley. It was greener and much more visitor friendly. The Hidden Valley trail was very neat and we did some bouldering at some of the stops. The park is less commercial and had nowhere for us to eat so we packed a picnic and ate in the sun.

There were climbers everywhere. It seemed like a playground for rock climbers. You could see them in the distance on outcrops and by the side of the road packing up their gear. We also saw (relatively) lots of wildlife. There were coyotes crossing the road in front of us, and lizards all over the place.

One really neat trail I mentioned above was in a little spot called Hidden Valley. It was a trail surrounded by outcrops and hills that formed a natural area where cattle were kept back in the day. The trail was well marked and easy for the little ones. There was lots to see and the weather was perfect.

This little bad boy is a teddy bear cactus, or cholla cactus. They are pretty but nasty if you touch them. One trail was all about them and took about half an hour to walk.

This one isn't a cactus at all. It's an ocotillo as is actually a plant. Some were in bloom with purple flowers. Apparently they can flower several times a year, depending on the rain, not the season.

The end of the day took us to the lovely little town of Palm Springs. Palm Springs isn’t what it used to be. In its heyday it was the place to hang out with the rich and famous at one of several resorts. These days it is still a neat place but I think it’s a little more hip and young than some of the other resort towns nearby. Sonny Bono was the mayor there for a while and he is well represented. We ate at a lovely spot downtown and had a pretty good meal considering we were fighting the Valentine’s Day crowds. Our hotel was also good, although clearly from another era. It had a great pool that Isabelle and I both enjoyed while Jane took a break and found us somewhere to eat.

The restaurant was called the Matchbox.

Note the palms on the left with their "haircuts". This was taken early in the morning when only the older and those with young children were up and about. The night scene was very hip and trendy, much like you would expect in Palm Springs.

Day three had us heading for San Diego. We drove up past Salton Sea and sort of expected to see a few more resorts on this inland saltwater lake. In the end it was pretty barren and didn’t really look like much of anything. In fact things were pretty run down. We did see lots of farmland and some grape growing areas. The best was yet to come though as we got closer to San Diego and drove through towns like Julian. It was nestled in the foothills and very pretty. Between the apples and the hills it reminded me of the Annapolis Valley or western North Carolina. We didn’t have time to stop but did notice the huge change from desert to lush agriculture as we got closer and closer to the coast.

One thing that really was a sight to behold was the OHV Areas. OHV stands for Off Highway Vehicle. The areas set aside for these are huge and well used. I suppose the logic is that if you give the people a place to run amok with their machines they might stay off the more sensitive areas (and state and national parks) and not make too much of a mess there. The trucks pulling dune buggies, four-wheelers (or quads) and dirt bikes just kept coming. The motor homes and trailers were also everywhere. At some places they were set-up like chuck wagons in the desert circled for the night.

On the way into San Diego we stopped at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. It was one of three things we did in and around San Diego and was pretty impressive. Isabelle got pretty tired but had a pretty good time. It provided a good view of some pretty cool animals in a setting that was very much like their natural habitat. The rhinoceroses and the giraffes (there must have been a dozen or more) were great to watch.

Can you believe somebody skinned a zebra!

Isabelle surprised us as she's never been this brave with "wild" animals before. Too bad I sneezed just seconds later. You should have seen the look I got from the deer. Those guys have big eyes.

Jane found us a great little restaurant in Old Town for our supper. It could have been called Casa Guadalajara. The food was great. I had fish tacos that were excellent, and the guacamole just melted in your mouth. Isabelle especially liked it.

Day four had us cruising the downtown killing time before our next adventure. We drove some of the trolley tour just to see the city and ended up in Coronado across the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. It was a neat spot with a great beach. Having an hour to kill before our next adventure we got out and walked around a little. I was surprised how cold the water was. I guess I expected it to be a little warmer than here since it was further south, but there must be some currents at play because it wasn’t much warmer than the Bay of Fundy in August. Either way it was nice to walk on the beach.

After the beach we went to SeaWorld. Usually we wouldn’t have gone to a place like SeaWorld, it’s just too commercial and not really our style. We did go and actually had a pretty good time. Isabelle got to go on some rides and we saw both the sea lion show and the orca show. Shamu is pretty impressive. They had a Sesame Street area that was all about kids and Isabelle seemed to have a great time. I know she slept well that night. We really enjoyed the Sea Lion Show, The Shamu Show, Shipwreck Rapids, and of course the Sesame Street Bay of Play. (Note: our visit was not to the SeaWorld where the trainer was killed by a whale, although it happened only days later-see here for the CBC report on that story).

Dinner was another of Jane’s finds. Point Loma is a part of San Diego that is pretty affluent. Some of the houses where very big and certainly well located on cliffs overlooking the water. It also has a working side too, and that is were we found Point Loma Seafood. It is nothing more than the best fish market I have ever seen, with a no frills seafood menu. There are no servers so you just order, wait for your food, and find a table. Again I had the fish tacos and really liked them (my new favourite Mexican dish). I think everyone had more than they needed but it’s so hard to leave any. After a quick dip in the pool back at the hotel we were all in bed.

One point on the beds. The suite we got, at a good price, was two rooms, one of which had bunk beds. Isabelle loved it. She managed to sleep up top both nights and didn’t fall out.

You can't go to San Diego without going to the world renowned San Diego Zoo. We saved it for day three in the city and had a good time. The only hitch came as we were pulling up. Just as I was parking the car Isabelle affirmed (for the third time) that her belly hurt, adding she may be sick. No sooner had we pulled up that she was. We wern't sure what the day would bring but decided (like any parent that had already paid to be somewhere) that we would push on, at least cautiously. Isabelle recovered, had a good lunch, and we never looked back. We still don't know why she was sick but she's a trooper to put up with us and all of the things we put her through.

I don't have too many pictures of our visit to the zoo but I did find my new favorite animal. These takin look like something our of Star Wars. They also have a quiet confidence and an air that drew me to them. I think they're pretty cool.

On the way back towards L.A. and Riverside where Jane's stamp show was going to be we stopped at a nice little state park just before Laguna Beach. It was nice to just sit in the sun and listen to the ocean for a while. It reminds me of how much I miss my beach in Saulnierville.

An hour or more in traffic and we eventually got to the hotel. We got a good deal at the Stamp Show hotel and had a very large and comfortable room. The whole facility was nice with a pool, four restauraunts, a spa, and lots of other amenities, all on the historic grounds of the Mission Inn. (I will post pictures once I get them off the camera.)

On Friday Jane was off to her show and Isabelle and I headed home. The flight was delayed but uneventful and we had a busy weekend without Jane as we got over the jetlag and got back into the routine.