Sunday 30 October

Another busy day today, we did:

National Museum of Air and Space (Wright Flyer),

Lunch from the numerous food trucks parked on the Mall,

Coffee in the National Sculpture Garden (watched by a friendly, cheeky albino squirrel),

National Museum of Natural History,

Ford's Theatre (museum, theatre and talk by a NPS ranger, and Peterson House across the street where they took Lincoln after he was shot in 1865),

Another hour in the National Museum of Natural History.

Back to Alexandria on the Metro and dinner before returning to hotel. Really looked forward to putting my feet up tonight.

Saturday 29 October

We left early this morning as we had a 4-1/2 hour drive to Washington D.C. We had a few stops along the way, the traffic built up the nearer we got to Alexandria, Va. where we were staying. We arrived just after one and left the car at the hotel and took the metro into the city. It was a short, easy journey and a nice sunny afternoon so we spent it strolling around, sometimes taking the DC Circulator bus. We saw the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the conservatory at the Botanical Gardens, the U.S. Capitol building and Union Station. We got the metro back to Alexandria and then took the free trolley that runs along King St. We found an Irish Pub and had a fish and chip dinner before heading back to the hotel, we were ready to put our feet up!

Friday 28 October

Today was a busy day, we were on the road at 7:30 (10 minutes after sunrise). We wanted to drive south 56 miles to Cape Hatteras lighthouse (the tallest in the U.S.), then work our way back through the day. 

Some parts of The Banks are quite isolated, with sand dunes and scrub land the only thing between the road and the water (one both sides). Other areas are so commercial, with houses, condos, hotels and businesses filling every space. Rarely do you see the ocean, unless you stop and walk over the dunes to reach the beach, even most of the homes have a sand dune between them and the ocean. Apparently these are placed so as to protect the homes and to keep the sea back. The sand blows across the road like our snow does.

After that we stopped at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge for a walk. Quite a lot of birds here but it was tough to get close to them.

Next up was Bodie Island lighthouse where they had a nice boardwalk through a marsh area, and a viewing platform in the water.

Our next stop was at the Wright Brothers National Memorial where there is a visitor centre (due to be closed and rebuilt shortly), replicas of a 1903 hangar and quarters/workshop, a bronze and steel sculpture recreating the historic flight, and monument.

Our final stop was at the Jockey's Ridge State Park which is the tallest natural sand dune system in the U.S.

Thursday 27 October

This morning we visited the Tryon Palace, which was only a few minutes drive from our hotel. The original palace was built in 1770 and was NC's first state Capitol, it was the home of Governor Tryon. The Capitol was moved to Raleigh in 1794 and the palace burnt down in 1798 - wonder if it was an insurance job?

In the 1930's it was decided that the palace would be reconstructed, after the original plans were found. There was a highway on top of the original site but once excavated they found the old foundations and it has been rebuilt on them. Building took place between 1952-9; furniture, household items and books were all purchased in England over many years. There are two other homes close by, all had guided tours, also a museum, and all for a one ticket price. 

We left about 2:15 but easily could have spent the rest of the day there. We needed to hit the road again and get to the Outer Banks for our two night stay at Kitty Hawk, by the ocean. We passed a couple of surprises on our drive, one was loads of fields of cotton, the other fields of solar panels.

We finally got a seafood dinner tonight - North Carolina Flounder. Very good.

Wednesday 26 October

We set off about 8 this morning and headed for Charleston and over the bridge to Mount Pleasant. The traffic wasn't bad so Ian was happy. Our first stop was at the Charles Pinckney National Historic site, a former rice and indigo plantation. The current house was built over the original in about 1820. 

We continued on and stopped at Wilmington, NC for a break and a walk along the river (Cape Fear area), then continued on to New Bern. Our hotel is located near a marina and next door is an Outback Steakhouse which made dinner an easy choice.

Tuesday 25 October

We got the bus into Charleston this morning and spent the day exploring. We started at the visitor centre, which was a two minute walk from the bus terminus, they showed a 40 minute movie about the city and its history. We then walked to the Aiken-Rhett house which was built about 1820 and the house and it's outbuildings (stables, coach house, kitchen, slave quarters) have been preserved. The house remained in the same family until 1975.

Next we took a trolley ride to Broad St. There are three different routes, they run often, and are free. This is meant to keep cars out of town, seems to do the job. We then visited the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon (1771), where there is a tour and exhibits. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking and looking at the old buildings and streets, it's an interesting place. Trolley and bus back to the hotel, traffic was bad and the crawl took an extra half-hour. We walked to the Early Bird Diner for dinner, mostly southern food. I had fried chicken and collard greens, nothing like KFC! Very tasty.

Monday 24 October

Jon had already left for work by the time I got up this morning. I was just about ready to head downstairs when Cuba (one of the dogs) came to say hi and see if I was getting up!

We ended up hitting the road again after 9, it is mostly straight highway down to Charleston, an easy ride. We visited Drayton Hall Plantation (which is about half an hour before the city) and we pulled into the drive and got out of the car to pay, it was all under trees and we got swarmed by mosquitos, guess it was lunchtime! They were biting so we drenched ourselves with bug spray. Luckily, out in the nice hot sun they didn't bother us. We took a guided tour of the house, we also had another tour that talked about the slave workforce, their lives and where they'd come from. The house hasn't been restored, it has been stabilised - no furniture or other items, an interesting place. It was only another 20 minutes to the hotel.

Sunday 23 October

We had a lazy Sunday today, had Brekkie and took the dogs for a walk.

Went for a drive and another walk in the afternoon. Jon & Michele took us to a riverside walk to show us where they go kayaking on the Catawba River.

We got back around mid afternoon so Jon could fire up the BBQ and cook us some ribs, sausage and beans, southern style. He did a nice job - they were very good. We relaxed in the garden and had a cold beer while we waited for dinner. Another nice day.

Saturday 22 October

We had an easy morning today. We took the dogs for a walk around the neighbourhood in the morning, then we had coffee.

Went out for a drive to Latta Plantation for a house tour and walk around the grounds. It has been sunny all day but cooler - had to wear my hoodie! We headed to Big Ben, an English pub for a late lunch/early dinner. There was a spice shop next door so we popped in and bought some hot chilli powder, which will come in handy next time I make a pot of chilli (a staple of Canadian winter's). We got home and have tuned in to Match of the Day, for Liverpool's earlier game, we know they won so no disappointment to come.

Friday 21 October

Here we are in the Appalachian mountains, and it's raining again. What a lovely spot it would be if the sun was out and the sky was blue. We travelled half an hour and stopped at the New River Gorge visitor centre. We watched a short movie for some info. about the area. Over the years there has been a lot of coal mining, and once the railway was built there was an influx of people from around the world. The new bridge was built in 1977, and at 876 feet it is the third largest in the country. Apparently, it takes 45 seconds to cross, before the bridge it took 45 minutes.

We continued on and early afternoon it got warmer and the sun peeped thru, by the time we arrived in South Carolina, and my brother Jon's place it was sunny and 23. We all had a nice dinner and stayed up chatting until almost midnight.

Thursday 20 October 2016

Well this morning started well . . Ian WOKE ME UP at 6:45 to say don't rush getting up as we had bouncing down rain and we could wait a bit before setting off!  Men!

Set off just before 8, rain had eased off. Stopped at the last Timmy's before the border for a loo and a coffee. Didn't take too long to cross border, only 15 mins. Still raining but almost stopped.

Wasn't long before we got on our first toll road (makes you appreciate Ontario's free highways). 

No sightseeing stops today, but we did visit an outlet mall at Grove City, Pennsylvania. Bought a couple of quick dry tops that will come in handy when we are travelling.

Continued on for three more hours to reach our hotel in Summersville, West Virginia. Passed thru a lightning storm just before we arrived, impressive but didn't last long. We walked to a Mexican place for dinner and a couple of welcome beers. It has been a warm day, up to 25. 

Saturday 14th May

Another nice morning as we headed up Mount Etna (an active stratovolcano, the tallest in Europe). We were told it was still erupting but not to worry because it is continually emitting gas so a serious eruption is unlikely. The last eruption was in the 1940's and a big one in 1928 - seemed like we were safe enough!

We drove up above the clouds to the first level at 1910m and walked around. It was sunny, chilly and windy. We didn't bring jackets so I had to wear layers (t-shirt, hoody, cardigan and rainjacket). We walked around the rim of a secondary crater and Ian walked to the bottom. Some of the group chose to go up in the cable car to the second level at 2500m and they said the wind was ferocious. The last level (2920m) had to be reached by 4x4's and apparently the walk at that level was cancelled as it was considered too dangerous. We were happy at the first level walking the rim, and checking out the shops and cafe's.

We drove back via Giardini-Naxos, the next little town from where we are staying, on the coast. It is where our guide and driver live.

We've just been down to dinner, our last night, and have to pack for tomorrow's flight back to England.

Friday May 13th

It was a lovely sunny day today, nice and hot. I could see a nice sunrise from our window about 5 (before going back to bed).

We left about 8:30 this morning for our journey to Siracusa (Archimedes lived here). Upon arrival we walked down to the old town (Ortygia) harbour area and took a boat trip for an hour. The sea was calm so it was a pleasant journey. We then walked up to the huge Plaza where the cathedral was. White marble everywhere, and the sunshine made it very blindingly bright. We walked around the little streets and found a lunch eatery then we walked some more and took lots of photos. Saw Greek temple ruins under the city hall, went in the cathedral, and saw a Carravagio painting in a church.

Thursday 12th May

We awoke to very misty skies and some rain this morning. We'd heard thunder at 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. Fortunately it cleared up by 9 a.m. so didn't interfere with our plans. We went down into town (our hotel is built high on a cliff side) and headed for the Greek theatre, a Roman amphitheatre (it is thought that the Romans built on top of a Greek theatre). It was a bit of a climb but the views were worth it. We then walked from the Messina gate to the Catania gate, approximately one km, a main street with loads of shops and eating places. We bought a few souvenirs, a bottle of local wine for this evening, and stopped for gelato for our lunch break - loads of choice, it was hard to pick just one.

We returned to the hotel about 3:30 and spent the rest of the afternoon on the terrace. All the rooms have a small terrace, but we have an end room next to Martin & Jean and the four of us share a huge terrace that gets the sun most of the day. We are making good use of the sun loungers.

Had a nice dinner, salmon and lamb, plus a surprise birthday cake from tour leader - very embarrassing actually!

Shared a bottle of Sicilian wine with Ian and Martin & Jean, nice evening.

Wednesday 11th May

We left the hotel at 9:00, all packed and ready to move on to Taormina where we stay for the remaining four nights. We stopped along the way to visit a 4th century Roman villa, an amazing discovery from last century. The villa had been buried under a mudslide, and once discovered, was dug out and found to be in immaculate condition. The villa was huge, and many rooms had the mosaic floors mostly intact. There were also some frescoes, and the remains of the different temperature baths. The whole structure was preserved with elevated walkways above, partial walls had been built so it was easy to see the sheer size of it and the different rooms. There was a high roof covering it and offering protection from the elements. This was the highlight of the trip and we took loads of photos of the incredible mosaics.

We contained our journey to the coast and checked into our beautiful hotel at Taormina. We all have sea view rooms and the rooms and food are excellent, we are to be spoiled here!

Tuesday 10th May

It was an early start today, we left the hotel at 8:00 for our visit to Palermo.

We drove for about 60 mins. and stopped for loos and/or coffee, and then arrived in Palermo about 9:30. We went to the cathedral first and looked around inside and out. It is very big, typical with lots of gold and silver, and lots of visitors too. We then did a driving tour  of the city before dropping us all off for a walkabout on our own. We went for lunch first, we found a small quiet restaurant with kebabs and panini's and tables in the shade, and enjoyed a nice meal.

We then met at the bus again and went for our visit to Monreale to see the Benedictine Abbey. It is noted for it's fine medieval mosaics and cloister. We had to climb 100 steps to get up to it, not an easy task with the heat and humidity, but we made it. We had a sit down in the abbey while our enthusiastic local guide told us all about it.

We got back to the hotel about 7, dinner at 7:45 and organize ourselves as it's our last night at this location.

MOnday 9th May

Monday May 9th

We left the hotel at 8:30 for our visit to the Valley of the Temples (Unesco). Once we arrived we waited half an hour for security to check us in and let us through. Italian organization at its best!

This area includes 7 temples, in the Doric style, from the 5th century BC - we saw 4 of them. It was fairly high up and we could see for miles. It was a walking tour, with a local guide, and a visit to the archeology museum which has many interesting finds from the area. 

Afterwards we went into town (Agrigento) and had a pizza lunch sitting outside. We returned to the hotel at 3 and spent some time pool side in the sun.

Four-course dinner again - not sure how many more I can eat.

Sunday 8 May

We were up at 2 this morning getting ready for our taxi to the airport for our 6 a.m. Flight to Catania. Everything was on time and we arrived in Sicily at 10 a.m. local time. Riviera travel were waiting for us and we soon got on the road. There are 50 people on the tour, we haven't been in a group this large for a long time. Everyone came on the Manchester flight, there is another tour for a group that came from Gatwick, business seems good.

It was about 18C, but still early in the day. We had about 2 and a half hours drive south east to Agrigento where we will stay for three nights. We stopped for a lunch break along the way and after being told our rooms would have a mini fridge we bought some Peroni beer for later.

The hotel Kaos is in a really nice setting with a large outdoor pool and extensive gardens with lots of olive and orange trees. We explored the grounds this afternoon and then sat on the loungers around the pool in the late afternoon. Some people were swimming but not us.

We had dinner and tried a few new things. It was four courses: salads, pasta, main course and dessert. Jean and I tried the tagliatelle with sardines and fennel followed by the sea bream. We listened to the lounge singer until we could stand it no more and called it a night.

Saturday 7th May

We went into Sheffield today to return the rental car. Good job we had the SatNav to find our way as all the roads are different from when we lived there. Sorted that out and then we headed to the city centre for a look around. Ian hasn’t been back as often as me so he was interested in looking around and taking a few photos. Lots of changes over the last forty years! We went in the Winter Gardens, a nice glassed in area with lots of big plants, it was nice with the sun streaming in. Stopped for a coffee. We also walked around the Town Hall, Peace Gardens and Cathedral areas. There were several brass bands performing together, they were doing some Pop Beethoven and getting the crowd moving. Went in Marks and Spencer for a bit of shopping and had a spot of lunch. We then got the bus back to mums, which was an experience for Ian - he hasn’t caught the bus for a long time. Have managed to do the ironing and our packing ready for going to Sicily early tomorrow morning. We are now relaxing over a beer before our roast lamb dinner . . .  yummy!!!

Friday 6th May

It has been overcast all day - we should have stayed in the Dales!!!

Up early this morning to do a few chores. First stop was Ecclesfield cemetery to do some tidying up/repair of my grandparents grave. Exciting stuff while on vacation, Ian is thrilled  : -)
Almost a couple of hours, and we did get it done. Looks a lot better now, and hopefully no weeds for a while. We then treated ourselves at the coffee morning at the church and I had a toasted teacake and Ian had a Cress Scone (sounds weird but he said it was good).

We went out with Mum this afternoon to a garden centre at Shelley. Pity it was still overcast as it is high up and you can see for miles. Mum shopped for some plants and then we sat in the cafe looking out at the scenery.

We have to return the rental car in the morning, so have just emptied it of all our bits and bobs. One more day before the Sicily portion of our holiday so we have to pack too.

Thursday 5th May

Another lovely sunny morning - we won’t need to go to Sicily (for the weather) if this continues!!!

We drove back to Sheffield from Ripon this morning and went to Martin and Jeans to have lunch with them and finalize our plans for travelling to Sicily on Sunday. The four of us went to The Millhouse for a pub lunch and back to their’s for a chat, at which point Martin let us know the taxi will be picking us up at 2:35 a.m., to get to Manchester for our 6 a.m. flight. Not sure if it is worth going to bed or not.

Ian’s camera had a rest today - no photos.

Wednesday 4th May

We awoke to another lovely sunny morning. Once again, we had a leisurely breakfast and lingered over coffee until we’d decided where to spend the day. Today’s choice was York, an old walled city. We set off and parked at the park and ride, which made it very easy. We set off walking the top of the walls surrounding the city. We passed lots of interesting buildings and looked down onto hidden gardens, roman ruins and newer houses. We took a break and had a pub lunch, then walked back along the river and sat a while in the Museum Gardens. Lots of people were sat on benches or the grass enjoying the sunshine. Late afternoon we all headed back and had a break before going out to dinner at The Royal Oak (pub) for our last night in Ripon.

Tuesday 3rd May

It was a lovely sunny morning so we decided to drive up to Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales. We passed lots of baby lambs in the fields with their mums. Once we arrived we must have been under a black cloud because we had a quick hailstone shower. Didn’t stop us, we had lunch and then a visit to the Wensleydale creamery and sampled some of their cheeses. We also visited Fountains Abbey and had a walk in the grounds before heading back to Linda’s.

Monday 2nd May

We set off for Whitby this morning, an old fishing town on the coast. It was a little dull and we had a few small showers during the morning but didn’t get wet. On arrival we walked down the hill to the harbour, then through town, over the harbour bridge and up 199 steps which took us to a church and the old abbey grounds, way above the harbour on the other side. We then walked down to the town again and it started to rain so we went in for lunch. Once we’d filled our stomachs and had a nice coffee we set off back to the car. On the way back to Ripon the sun came out and it was gorgeous, I remembered why they call this Gods Country. Dave drove along narrow one lane roads with hedges, had to slam on the brakes a few times as cars came in the opposite direction and someone had to back up and let the other car past. We stopped for a walk and ice cream at Rosedale Abbey, then we stopped again at Rosedale Chimney where there was the ruins of an old iron ore smelting place that closed in 1920. We were very high up and could see for miles, we also got a little wind swept.