Family Boston & Southampton

   We stayed overnight at Heathrow, the Radisson Blu Hotel.  We dined at Annuya, in the hotel.  It was perhaps the best Indian food ever.

   We flew to Philadelphia on June 13 to find our connection was cancelled due to weather.  So we arrived at Rohanna and Will*s place at midnight.  Long day.

     We have a new camera, delivered to Roha*s before we arrived, a Canon SX50 HS.  Here are Zachary and Drew from across the room with the sun behind them:

    The 15th was Fathers* day.   Rohanna and Will served up burgers:

   We were joined by Felice and Lee:

 

Doug and Rachel shared Ella Leah with us.  The baby is very placid and quite a doll:

We stayed on  a couple of days to deal with the passport. 

Drew graduated from pre-school:

Zachary's second grade class gave a Norman Rockwell-style musical presentation of 20th century U.S. history:

Zach:

After confusion at the passport office, I was told that I would receive a 10 year passport.  I await with bated breath.

Then June 20, the 50th anniversary of Steve and Laney Bank, Dan's parents, in Southampton, Long Island.





The music was the Count Basie Orchestra.  We were told that half of them actually played with The Count.

Needless to say, we visited with all the FB grandchildren, Solana, Riley and Cadence:

(Riley will be going to Rome with us in a bit over a week.)

 Shandra and Dan:

 Dan with brother Josh, co MCs:

 

And Josh*s wife, Lissy:

 

passport

Wednesday June 11

My trip to the embassy was successful.  The process is of no interest.  I was issued a "limited validity" passport, good for 6 months.  So, I will go to Boston with Bruce on Friday.  The problem is that one often needs to have 6 months remaining on the passport to get into some countries.  So, I have to go to  the passport office in New York to get a permanent passport.  My just punishment, as this was the second loss within 10 years, is that I will be issued passports good only for one year. I am told that I should have no problem getting the passport, so I anticipate being able to go to Rome with Riley and Bruce.
 
  Up early to US Embassy.   After about 2.5 hrs., Leslie emerges with temporary passport.  Bruce sat out this process sitting in Grosvenor Square, reading Geithner's book and listening to Schubert in front of our embassy designed by Edward Durrell Stone.  We will be closing this embassy soon  and moving to S. London for security reasons.

 



 

  Non-citizen visa application line:

 



 

 

Peaceful and beautiful Grosvenor Square. 

 

 

As a reward we headed off for the rest of  the day at the British Museum.  There was a temporary Viking exhibit.  We were warned that it was disappointing.  It could have been more interesting, but, although they issued timed tickets, they let in twice as many as the exhibit could hold.  Thus, we could see little.

 

Lots of tired Chinese puzzling out the Parthenon Frieze. 

 The sculptures are no longer called the Elgin Marbles and the Museum makes it clear that they were legitimately acquired and will not be returned to Greece.

 

Bruce spotted this early Greek tomb panel of an angel precursor carrying off the soul of the deceased.

 

 

 

 

 

unexpected end of cruise

Sunday June 8

As we were stowing our stuff away in anticipation of our departure for France, we realized that Leslie's passport (along with credit cards and dollars and euros) was still in her suitcase which we threw out.  This required a serious change of plans.  We sailed for England.  Adventures with the Embassy to follow.

On our way we ran into a small storm. Unfortunately, we were in the English Channel shipping lanes at the time, which requires locating and dodging other boats.  It added a bit of adventure.

Back in Dartmouth, Bruce cancelled credit cards while Leslie went to the embassy site.  It required forms completed and an appointment scheduled.  The forms would not complete, but we finally got blanks printed.  The closest appointment is three weeks out and the emergency appointment link does not work.
 

M&S lasagne.

 

 

Monday  June 9

 

We awake early and pack.  To our surprise, everything fits in the new suitcases.  We have a quick breakfast and catch the 9:30 train.  We check in our hotel (smaller than the Piet Hein) and hurry over to the embassy.  We are informed that we can not get in without an appointment which, of course, I could not get last night.  He gives us a little paper with the website and emails and a phone number.  The number is no help.  I send an email to emergency passport services.  Now, we wait, checking the email every hour.

I have an appointment scheduled for Wednesday 8:30am for a limited validity passport.  I think it just gets me back to the US and then I have to get another regular passport.

Lovely Indian dinner:  lamb tikka balti, tarka dal, Peshawar nan.

 

 

Tues June 10

 

 

After getting passport pictures, we went to the Natural History Museum...

to see the highly recommended "One Million Years of the Human Story"exhibit on man in Britain.

We are used having the development of the various species of homo presented as a forward progression.  Thus, Leslie was bemused to see some of the figures on the chart facing back.

Needles were found associated with man and not Neanderthal.  The conclusion is that man tailored his clothes while Neanderthal tied his on.

After we finished the exhibit, we explored the rest of the enormous museum.   There was a section on natural history drawings.  We would like to hang this one of a Portuguese  Man of War by GW Dalby at home:

The museum had rocks in two places.  As usual we found many we liked.  This is granite before the crystals have been squished together:

There was "the crystal mystery box":

It is believed that the brown siderite formed around a cube shaped fluorite. The fluorite then dissolved and then the other crystals grew in it.  How the fluorite dissolved and left the siderite undissolved is unexplained.

This is a glass model of a marine invertebrate by Blaschke. No one has been able to reproduce his technique.

Slate workers showed off their skill by making slate fans:

Marbles of Rome:

Davys Wine bar dinner:  sausages, cheese

 

On the boat.

June 1. 

 Flybe airlines from Amsterdam to Dartmouth.  Visiting with Guy and Geraldine.  We will try for a cross-Channel voyage.  Previous attempts were frustrated by weather and illness.  Regardless, it is lovely to be here with them.  View from their deck showing marina and ferry dock:

home cooking.  melon and prosciutto, pasta

Sunday June 2

We packed and readied the boat. Pub dinner of Cumberland sausages and mashed potatoes.  We had a safety briefing and were fitted for life vests.  We mastered the pump toilet.  Our quarters are in the bow angling in feet to feet.  We slept on board in anticipation of an early start.



Monday June 3

We were awakened at 6:00 and cast off at 6:30. The time is dictated by the tides.  Our boat is Indian Summer,  a  motor yacht.

Starting  in the bow is our room.  Aft is the toilet and galley with a dining area. Aft of that, up three stairs is the saloon with comfortable seating for six.  Down a couple of steps in the stern is the main bedroom with a queen sized bed.  Up a few stairs in the stern is the cockpit.

We had an uneventful crossing to Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands.  The Channel Islands are part of the British Isles, but they are not in the UK or the EU.  They are Crown Dependencies so that their loyalty is to the Crown and not to Parliament.  This governmental organization dates from 1215.  For fun words, Guernsey is a bailiwick, run by bailiffs.

Dinner at "the Restaurant" in the Beaucet Marina:  lobster and shrimp salad, turbot.

Tues June 4 
 Our favorite red suitcase could no longer be repaired with duct tape and the new black one developed splayed wheels making it very hard to pull. Thus, today we shopped and have new suitcases.  We also bought unlocked phones.

We did our shopping in the town, St Peter Port which is a charming town.

We were evicted from an Italian restaurant when we ordered an eleven inch pizza and asked to share it.  Ended up eating at the Library Pub.

We visited "Guernsey's Story"' a large 10 panel embroidery on 16 to the inch canvas.  It is an interesting piece of history and a remarkable piece of handcraft.  While it had a single designer, it was sewn all over the Island. Each parish did a panel.  It was stitched a few stitches by some and worked by many accomplished embroiderers.

The stern gland on the boat needs attention.  Guy sat around all day waiting for the repairman.  He never showed.  We enjoyed a Scotch.  He never showed.  We finally gave up at around 8:30 and Guy cooked dinner.   Ground meat kabobs from the Sainsbury's.  Not bad.

Wed June 5  Herm

  We took a 25 minute ferry boat from Guernsey to Herm, another island in the Guernsey Bailiwick.  It is small; one can walk the entire coast in about 2 hours.  We saw this stone age tomb:

 
Lots of flowers.  These are called Guernsey Lilies:

  We took a trail down the middle of the island that led to the South Cliffs Trail. 
This was more difficult than we should have attempted, but quite scenic:

June 6

We took the ferry to Sark, another Channel Island.   Sark is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, but with its own parliament and laws.  It has a permanent population so 50+.  There is much quiet and beauty.

Sark has no cars, only tractors and horses.  We took the "bus" pulled by a tractor up the hill.  We walked around looking for a open place for a cup of tea.  We ended ip at the garden where we ate lunch, pate sandwich,

Then we visited the garden, beautiful, English style.

 We then contracted for a two hour horse cart ride around the island.

On our return to St Peter Port,  coming off the pier, we stopped at a plaque that memorializes three Holocaust victims. They are women from Austria and Poland working here.  These are apparently the only victims of the Holocaust that came from the Channel Islands.  They died at Auschwitz. 

We went back to the marina restaurant:  liver and onions; scallops and prawns.

June 7

We spent most of the day preparing for a departure tomorrow for Paimpol.  Guy spent hours charting our course.  We must have the same a high tide to leave Beaucette and enter Paimpol or we will be stranded outside and we must have waves that are not too high for Indian Summer and there are currents....   Geraldine does things to prepare the boat.  At noon, the boat is moved across the marina to the gas pumps.  The cost to fill the two tanks with diesel is about  375 liters.  Geraldine double checks the navigation.

We did laundry for the four of us while this is happening.  This requires going up the ramp and hen down a another set of stairs.  The ramp is 20 or so feet higher or lower, depending  upon the tide.

At around 3:00, we take a taxi into town, letting the Leigh's off to shop while we go to the Occupation museum, at the south end of Guernsey and near the airport.

The British Channel Islands were the only part of the Britain to be occupied by the enemy during WWII.  The Museum is a hodgepodge of artifacts like Nazi uniforms, decrees, ration books, and firearms.  As the Germans advance, the children and men of military age were evacuated.  There was a substantial German garrison.  About 20,000 Russians were imported to build fortifications.  Toward the end, in February 1945, the Germans stopped bringing in food and Guernsey faced starvation and was rescued by an emergency shipment of food by the Red Cross.

We then took the bus into St Peter Port where we joined Guy and Geraldine at a roof terrace restaurant for a drink.  We dined at the excellent marina restaurant for a third time, Leslie having steak Rossini and Bruce the prawn and lobster salad.

Amsterdam May 29 to June 1

Thursday May 29

Our train trip from Dresden to Amsterdam was uneventful, the change over in Hanover no problem.

We are staying at the Piet Hein where we have stayed before.  But this time our room is tiny. The bed is against the wall on one side and there is 18 inch clearance on the other, maybe 2 feet at the end.   There is not room in the closet to open the luggage rack. No wonderful the price is cheap (for Amsterdam).  We will be here another night as we have prepaid.

Srikandi Indonesian restaurant:  ok sate, excellent crispy duck, good mixed appetizer.

Friday May 30

 We spent the day at the Rijksmuseum.  We found the collection somewhat disappointing. There certainly are fabulous pieces, but much of the collection consists of genre painting and there are, in our view, better examples elsewhere..

Rembrandt's Night Watch:

One of the rooms was posted with the following text.

Maybe this is obvious, but we had not thought of it, but it explains why there is so much art seemingly alike that is competent but not great.  There was so much of it that a lot of not so great art survived.

Mostly we post pictures of things that caught our fancy.

An interesting Mondrian.  He is still using green.

An interesting Jesse tree:

Always a favorite -- pietre dure:

We extend our stay at this hotel at significantly greater expense. But we are here only one more night and it is not worth moving.

Dinner at Trattoria Toto:  gnocchi al forno; entrecôte and pasta with porcini.


Saturday May 31


We visited the Van Gogh museum. We decided that the picture we would like to bring home is Garden at St. Paul's Hospital

There was also an exhibit of Felix Valloton.

We enjoyed the canal trip.

Very indulgent seafood lunch/  Indian dinner