Feeling Like a Kid Again

We didn't have the time to go camping this last weekend. Well, yes we did, but didn't get reservations in time. That's the problem with spontaneity. So, we camped out in the back yard. What fun it was. We put up the tent, pulled out the Colman Stove and once the camping started, we didn't go back into the house. Well, we used the fridge and bathrooms. We even had a fire in our fire pit. In the morning we woke up early to the "dawn chorus." Try it sometime, you'll feel like a kid again.

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Southern England, Spring 2014

After leaving Poland, England was the next stop. I'm so fortunate to be able to travel there yearly.

In the little village of Sonning the pub was built hundreds of years ago. Here's the hallway leading up to our room. It's so charming.

 There are a lot of private people in Sonning - this sign was on an estate.

Though this photo isn't the best, you can see the quaint country lane.There are so many like this in south-west England. We could never have one-way lanes in Orange County. Everyone would be in a long line with two cars facing each other on the road - no one would get anywhere. 

Look at these street signs - they've been marking the way forever!

 Flowers even grow out of the walls.

After driving through the countryside, there are plenty of thatched pubs to stop and grab lunch.

We had lunch at the restaurant at the Shard in London. I love this old building and streetlight in front of the Shard - a ultra modern building.

 The views were amazing.

I guess that's enough travel log for now. I'll write again later.

Gdansk, Poland

I've just returned from a wonderful trip to Gdansk, Poland, followed by 10 days in the UK (I'll share my adventured in the UK at a later date). Gdansk is a beautiful city with a rich history. The people are friendly.

Notice all the windows, they seem to have been installed by the same company.

Even the gutters look charming.

Many of the roadways in town had these arches.

World War II is very much present in the various monuments around town. Gdansk was taken over by the Germans. Later they were bombed by the Americans and the English, leaving the city in rubble, but the people we happy to be free from the grip of the Germans. Much of the city had to be rebuilt using the bricks from the ruins. Unfortunately, they were then taken over by the Russians. It wasn't until 50 years later before they were once again free.

The monument below touched me the most. It show a photograph of Jewish men who were lined up against a wall and shot. This was before Hitler decided bullets were to expensive to do the job. The wall still has bullet holes in it and they've added metal fingerprints and chin prints in the exact spot where the men were. One can feel nothing but awe and respect in this place. The way it was done made the event absolutely real. It's difficult to describe the feelings from this place, knowing how many fell to the same fate.

On a lighter note, here I am for the very first time, standing on the shores of the Baltic Sea. The wind coming off the sea was very cold that day, but I never dreamed I would be in such a place. It was beautiful.

I'm waving bye for now, but will write again in the few days with some pictures of England, a place I go every year or so.