I (heart) Scotland

Things have been very busy recently. Nothing too exciting, but just time consuming. We were gladly able to get away to Scotland this weekend with some friends. I don't know what it is, but every time I go there, I am so impressed with the place. It's a beautiful place to visit and now that we know of a nice place only 3 hours from home, perhaps we will make it up there more often for weekend camping trips. Farmer Jim (the guy who reluctantly agreed to let us sleep in his field) probably wouldn't like that, but we'd figure something out.

The point of the weekend was to do as little as possible. It seems that whenever we travel, we never stop moving. For this trip, we only moved the cars once, and that was to go further down the hill to get out of the wind.

It was a simple weekend. We slept in tents, ate food off the grill (way easier than the campfire), and walked around the hills and beaches. On the drive back down, we stopped off at Holy Island, which is only accessible during low tide, to see the castle and town. I also bought some mead, which is awesome. It tastes like you are drinking slightly alcoholic honey water, but it is 30 proof, so it works its magic pretty quickly.

I have the day off tomorrow, but if all goes well I will get my car to the shop for its required yearly testing and then install a new floor in the hallway. In the near future, I will be putting in some tile in the kitchen and bathroom. I've never used an angle grinder before, so hopefully it goes well. The tile I got for the kitchen are about $11 each, so accidents will be costly.

In just over a week, I will be on a plane for the cabin trip and a wedding. I'm looking forward to it.

Summer

Our one day of sunshine in Bavaria was well spent

Beer at the lodge at the end of the ascent

The busy summer continues. Over these past few weeks Stefan and Wang Man have come and gone. They traveled from China to Europe for most of August.

Technically, the drinking age is for beer 16 in Germany, but that is often ignored.

Kate and I were able to meet them in Stefan's home town in Germany, Mittenwald. It is in

Bavaria, close to the Austrian border. Despite 3 days of heavy rain, we had a good time.

We were able to get in a day of hiking when the weather was nice. Most of the time was spent

hanging out with Stefan and Wang Man's friends and family, playing soccer, drinking beer, and eating more meats, cheeses, and breads than we should have.

Rainy day at a mountain lake

Pre-flight, Munich

Following Germany, we all flew to the UK for a few days. I had to get to work to prepare for a conference, but we were able to take advantage of the weekend. We spent a rainy Saturday in York and a sunny Sunday walking around Fountain's Abbey.

Cliffords Tower, York

Studley Royal, Ripon

Stefan and Wang Man spent a few days in Scotland. They went to the North Sea camp site that Kate and I stayed at with Allen, but they ended up breaking in the Skoda with car camping due to the rain. Luckily, the rain broke for a great sunset and sunrise. From there, it was a day and a half in Edinburgh, and ended with tent camping in the Lake District.

Following their visit, I was off to the US for a week long work trip. I was able to meet up with some old friends, which is always fun. I hadn't seen Patrick since Australia last April and Dan and Jenny since I left Hawaii. It just so happens that Dan and Jenny bought a townhowse this week, so I also got to take a look at that. The plan is to buy a wedding gift that isn't on the registry. I just need to find something with a lot of gold highlights...

I flew to Germany last night and am currently in my hotel room. I tried (somewhat) hard to stay awake all day, but I passed out on the couch for 3 hours this afternoon and now I am wired at almost 10:00pm. Traveling east to west is so much easier than west to east.

After a couple of days in Germany, I will be back in the UK. Next month, another trip back to the US for the cabin trip and wedding. I'm excited.

Some Rain

These past few we have been lazy on the weekends. Last weekend we spent a rainy evening at the Opera in the Park in Leeds. Kate got some tickets from a co-worker and we made our way down to Leeds for some culture.

We prepared a pretty large picnic and traveled with a couple of the regulars to our weeknight dinners. We brought a lot of wine, along with some curry, bread, cheese, snacks, and gummy bears. Despite the rain, it was a pretty good time (thanks to the wine?). We are at the point now that a little rain can't ruin a good time, even if it is a picnic.


There were apparently 50,000 other people in the same boat as us, but most of them had umbrellas while we had to settle for garbage bags. A lesson for the next time.

This weekend we went up to Sutton Banks near Thirsk in order to go for a walk around the famous white horse. Sadly, it was not an impressive site. It was run down and hardly looked like a horse. Even from a distance it is a bit hard to make out. It was made about 150 years ago, so that may have something to do with it.

Part of the disappointment was the rain. After about 45 minutes of walking in the rain we decided to go back, but we got stuck behind some old people eating ice cream. We hooked a left on to a new trail, the weather cleared, and we ended up having a good time.

We made out way through some wheat fields, through some pastures with lots of cows, some sheep and goats, and a field of rabbits. We ended up finding the largest natural lake in the Yorkshire Moors (not very large).

At the lake, we found a rope swing that ended up being strong enough to hold adults. We spent some time on that before heading up the hill and back to the car. When all was said and done, it ended up being a good day, despite the wet start.

(You can't really tell, but I am very high up over the water here. I swear.)

On Tuesday Kate and I will be flying to Germany to meet up with my old roommate, Stefan. He and his wife Wang Man are in Europe for a month before heading back to China. After 4 days in Bavaria we will all fly back this way for some time in the UK. I am really looking forward to it.

The last time I saw Stefan and Wang Man was in 2004 when they were living in Germany. I crashed with them for a couple of days as I was backpacking through Europe. One of the things I remember is eating dinner with them in their apartment. We were eating by candlelight while listening to Goldfrapp. As they were clearing the table I laid on the floor and fell asleep until morning. Hopefully I don't repeat that. I felt a bit rude. In my defense, I was really tired.

Scotland

This year's 4th of July weekend was spent away from large crowds. Seeing as we were celebrating America's independence from Great Britain, we thought it might be better to lie low and head to a place that fought for their own independence: Scotland.

Scotland has an open camping law. Basically, as long as you are not ruining a farmer's crops or bothering livestock, and you are at least 150m away from anyone's house, you can set up camp anywhere. How cool is that? We took advantage of the camping laws and scenery. I think the last time I went camping was in New York in April 2009. It rained a lot on that trip and was very very cold. While it did rain while we were in Scotland, we were pretty lucky in that we were either in the car or in the tent when it was happening.

We traveled with our friend Alan. Seeing as my car had been having issues, we took two cars with the understanding that we may end up in one before the weekend was over. Despite my car operating fine the last few weeks, the oil light came on after about 30 miles of driving. I checked the oil (which was fine; in fact, there was so much coolant mixed in with it, the level was higher than needed), I added some oil, and set out again. We didn't even make it a total of 50 miles before there was a strange rattling from the engine as we crested a hill. The engine light came on (never a good sign), followed a few seconds later by catastrophic failure. All lights on the dash came on and the engine died. I was able to coast to a side road and put my car in the weeds.


We pulled off, let the farmers know our intention to return on Monday, moved all the necessary gear to Alan's car and continued north, an hour and a half behind schedule and loaded into one car.


The weekend included a lot of driving. We got to Glasgow around 1:00am and looked for a place to set up. Despite trying to find some woods before hitting the suburbs, all we could find was sketchy industrial land with fences and barbed wire. We pushed through the city and camped in a field about 10 miles north.

The next day we headed up to Loch Ness. Along the way we stopped at some waterfalls and did a short hike. We bought waterproof, windproof sweaters out of a community center. We ate fish and chips and haggis. That afternoon, after starting up the scenic road along Loch Ness, we stopped for some hiking. We found a cool waterfall and eventually wandered down to the water. Instead of driving further, we decided to spend the night on the shores of the loch.

It was a beautiful night. We set up just off the beach and had a bonfire. We ate cheese, crackers, and deli meat and drank Scottish wine. Around midnight, with light still in the sky, we went to bed.

On Sunday we headed through whiskey country towards Aberdeen. We stopped to buy some whiskey and eat lunch in a small town. Since it was Sunday, not much was open, but we were able to make it to Aberdeen just in time to miss all of the museums and sights that closed at 3:00pm. After walking around the city, we headed along the coast towards Edinburgh.

We were on the hunt for a place to sleep, but the first place we stopped very clearly said "no camping" and was a bit exposed to the heavy north sea wind. We played on the beach and on the huge dunes for a while and decided to shoot for the cliff in the distance. The GPS guided us there and it turned out to be a perfect spot.

We set up the huge 3-room tent on a cliff over the sea and enjoyed the Scotch whiskey while watching the water and sun. The cliff was one step down from a higher cliff, so the wind was not a big issue. We didn't see another soul. It was a perfect spot and is marked in the GPS in case of future trips to Scotland.

The next day we swung down to Edinburgh for a quick walk along the magnificent mile and off to get my car. I had coordinated with a local garage owner; the deal was I gave him my dead car and he towed it for no cost. I think it was a pretty fair deal.

That did, however, leave me without a car. After spending an entire week of staying up past midnight trying to find a good diesel car for under 1000 pounds, I located a Skoda Octavia just north of Newcastle. Kate and I drove up last night and I ended up with a "new" ride. So far, so good. There are a few issues, but the miles on the odometer are low for a diesel and it should get around 60 mpg on the highway. Ideal for the road trips we are planning on taking. Not only that, but the boot (trunk) is huge and, unlike my Daewoo, things seem to work on it. Still too early to tell if it was a good purchase or not, but I have a car once more. That makes transportation much more straightforward.

Today we went to an outdoor play with some friends. It was a production of Shakespeare's "As You Like It." It was a good time. It was on the grounds of an old estate. We showed up early and had a picnic. From there we followed the actors around the grounds where they would put on the various scenes. We carried our chairs with us and got to see a good portion of the grounds. All in all, a really enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon and evening.

Germany, France, and Wales

These past couple of weeks have come with a good deal of travel. I spent some time in Germany and France, followed by a short car camping trip in Wales this weekend with Kevin, Lisa, and Kate.
Germany was good. It was a short trip, and for work, but I was able to get everything I needed to get accomplished done in two days.

Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

St. Eustache Cathedral, Paris

St. Eustache Cathedral, Paris

Following Germany, I made my way to France for the Memorial Day weekend. I stayed in Paris, but seeing as it was Memorial Day, it seems fitting that I was able to take some trips to the Beaches of Normandy as well as Belleau Wood. That made for a lot more driving than I would have liked, but you can't win them all. The trip itself was great. Paris is probably my favorite city to visit. There are great monuments, parks, and buildings everywhere you turn. I could spend a lot more time there. Maybe some day I will...

Belleau Wood Memorial and Cemetery

This weekend, with the weather sunny and warm, we took a last minute car camping trip to Wales for some hiking in Snowdonia. It was a bit risky due to the issues with my car. According to the mechanic, my head gasket is going and I could have a catastrophic failure at any time. With that being said, the weather was great and the risk paid off. No major car issues, besides being thirsty for oil. The sun was shining and weather was warm and we ended up with some decent sunburn.

Snowdon, Snowdonia National Park, WalesConwy Castle, Wales; the best castle I've seen so far in the UK.

It sounds like later this summer Kate and I may be able to meet up with Stefan and Wang Man when they are back in Germany.The planning for the car camping trip for Scandinavia has started. We may not make it to as many countries as we would like, but it's shaping up to be a good trip.

Return to Pompei -or- Escape from Italy

Pompei tiled floor

Here I sit in Naples International Airport, waiting for the airport bus driver strike to end so that I can make it to my plane. Watching the cultural clash in the airport has been fun. My flight takes me to London first, so there were a lot of Brits at check-in and now at the gate. However, I'm still very much in Italy (and will be until the bus driver strike ends).

Pompei

Checking-in was interesting. I was able to get a business class ticket because the economy class was sold out. With the upgrade came the perk of standing in the business class line. There was a skeleton of a British woman, probably at least 143 years old, who was quite in-dignified that she had to wait for the desk clerk to get ready. The clerk was apologetic to the woman: “sir, I will be ready shortly.” On top of that, the economy class desks were ready for customers before the business class desk.

Pompei: the raised stones were so that people could cross the streets when flooded.

Then, there was the guy that looked like he was trying to be in a fashion magazine for men aged 55+ who want people to know you fly business class. He was wearing boat shoes, white pants, a pink button up shirt (with the sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms), and a lime green cashmere sweater tied around his neck. Oh, yes, he also had the coach bags at his feet and his grey hair was slicked back. All he needed was a pair of aviators sunglasses and a yacht parked in a blue lagoon with a 20 year old in a bikini sunning herself on the deck. I've seen that add. I'm hip to his ways: he's made it.

Pompei: outside the court house

The Italians are quite possibly as opposite the British you can get. Italian families of 10 were pouring into the lines, moving the ropes, standing well in front of the yellow line, and not waiting for the customer in front of them. They stand in whichever line; when they get kicked out of business class check-in, they plead a little with the attendant, who offers an apology so sincere it looks that he may cry. The Brits, meanwhile, standing ramrod tall in a perfect queue and watching the Italians getting herded away, are happy that justice has been served. Then, checking their watches, they mutter to themselves about how slowly it is all moving along.

Pompei: mosaic

Don't get me wrong, I love it. It is truly one of my favorite things; watching the interactions between people and cultures. I feel a little guilty about it, but I get secretly gleeful when I look at someone and can predict how they will act. It's probably the closest thing I have to a hobby, unless you count wasting hours on the internet as a hobby. If you do, then I have that locked up as my #1, followed closely by the people watching bit.

Naples: I was here for work and stayed on for the weekend in order to see some sights. I was originally planning to rent a moped or motorcycle and ride the Amalfi Coast, which is supposed to be some of the best riding there is, but Naples doesn't have that sort of rental service available and the weekend ended up being rainy. Riding in the rain is something I don't do.

Naples

Instead, I made my triumphant return to Pompei, my favorite tourist attraction. I should caveat this all by saying that the last time I was in Naples, about 5 years ago, I hated it. It was in a two-way tie with Singapore for my least favorite place I have ever visited. My reasoning for disliking Naples so was, in hindsight, based on the fact that my travel plans were getting altered beyond my control and I got stuck here for three days longer than I had planned. I was a bit emotional about that.

Pompei bath house

At the time, however, the reasons I had for disliking it included the fact that the people are pushy, traffic is horrendous (plus everyone uses their horn like it's their job), and things aren't set up in a logical manner. Everything is a mess; Naples is a teeming mass of cars, scooters, people, vendors, garbage, and stray dogs vying for space in the narrow streets. While I still think all of that is true, I really liked it this time around.

People in Naples remind me of people in China. Everyone lives in such close proximity that they tend to be in everyone else's business. One of the nights I was wandering through the neighborhoods it really stuck me how everyone was greeting everyone else. They all seemed to know one another and acted very familiar towards one another- it didn't matter if they were man, woman, child, young, or old. The stereotype about the Italians being very expressive is, from what I saw, very accurate. Walking around is like listening to the Super Mario Brothers movie.

Another thing that struck me is that people are very comfortable approaching anyone else. It's quite probable that the people I saw in the neighborhoods didn't really know everybody else, they just acted that way. In the train stations people would ask someone a question. It didn't start with 'mi scusi' or hesitation, but instead it sounded more like, “hey, what's what?!” Even crazier is the fact that seemingly random people would go out of their way to stop and answer the questions.

Sorrento

Last night, while waiting over an hour to get into a famous pizzeria (pizza was invented in Naples), there was a crash between a moped and car. The way they drive here, it seems that at any given time roughly 60% of all two wheeled vehicles in the city should be getting crushed by a four-wheeled vehicle. However, that was the only accident I saw (although every car and moped looks like it took part in a demolition derby, so if I was more attentive I may have seen more crashes). Maybe it's just human nature, but the way everyone reacted to the crash gave me a flashback to China. There was a loud crunching sound of breaking plastic, a big thud, and tires screeching (in that order; if the tires came first, there may not have been the other two sounds). Immediately, about 100 people started running to the scene. Not to help, mind you, just to watch. They formed a big circle and everyone was giving their input. It was interesting to watch the watchers.

Sorrento

Getting back to my trip: The first five days were for work, but I got out early on Friday and was able to take a boat to Sorrento. It was a neat town, but a total tourist trap (despite the fact that I'm a tourist, I tend to stay away from the trinkets and 'authentic' garbage that is hawked everywhere). There were two cruise ships moored just outside the city and a lot of people speaking English. Still, it was a place worth seeing.

Pompei

On Saturday I went to Pompei. Last time here I must have had less time to see it because I didn't remember a lot of the sections, only the area by the stadiums. First, a little history of the city. It was established around 300 BC by the Greeks as a trade port. It eventually made it to the hands of the Romans and received a lot of funding for renewal and upkeep from the Empire. In AD 62, there was major earthquake that damaged much of the city. It was being rebuilt, but earthquakes continued to be common and in AD 79 the city still looked like a giant construction site. In that year Mt Vesuvius erupted. The eruption happened in phases. On the first day, about 2m of volcanic stones and pebbles covered the city. Some people were killed and some roofs collapsed, but for the most part everyone was okay. The next day, it was a very fine ash that fell on the city; another 2m or so. If you are counting that's 12 feet of volcano guts covering the city, which protected the buildings. As the fine ash was still falling, Vesuvius released a poisonous gas that killed all animals and people in the area. The ash continued to fall and perfectly preserved the shapes of the bodies (after the flesh rotted, there were hollows in the ash layer) and buried the city completely. The city was lost for centuries. It was re-discovered in the 1500s and excavation began in the 1850s. They are still excavating to this day.

Pompei

If you've never been to Pompei, I would have to describe it to you as just plain awesome. It is so well preserved that pots and pans were left in place and in tact, some with food still in them. The paint remains on the walls, columns remained standing, and tile mosaics can still be seen in the floors. The streets still have the rut marks from chariots. Walking in Pompei is like walking in an abandoned city, not a town or small 'historic site,' but a no kidding, full-sized city. Also, it doesn't have the dead feeling that ruins have. The better preserved houses look like they could have been lived in 10 years ago. The fact that it didn't die a slow death of desertion, but instead was preserved in a vibrant, rich state makes a big difference. They had houses with bedrooms, kitchens, dining rooms, gardens, bathrooms, and running water. The city had restaurants, markets, temples, banks, recreation areas, and businesses large and small. On a basic level, life 2000 years ago wasn't all that much different from today. I just really like thinking about that. So, in conclusion: if you find yourself in Italy, go to Pompei. You won't be sorry.

Pompei: rut marks from carts still visible in road.

Pompei: largest of 3 stadiums; gladiator battles were popular.

That was the most exciting part of the trip. Other than that, it was lot of walking around the city and eating pizza. Now, I'm in the airport waiting to find out if I will be able to get home. The volcanic ash is apparently causing issues. Getting to London shouldn't be a problem, but going north to Manchester may be.

In the end, I made it to London, but my Manchester flight was cancelled. Thanks to Kate working online in the background, I found my way to the trains bound for Manchester airport in order to pick up my car. When all was said and done, I was only 3 hours behind schedule.

Other than that, the last month has included hiking, a trip to Chester, eating outdoors when it's warm (enough), and preparations for an impending visit from my boss. Kate cleaned the flat this weekend (no coercion on my end, I swear), which is awesome. Now all I have to do is catch up on the work I meant to do this week and I will be ready for the visit next week, including a trip to Germany and France. Good times will be had by all.

Hiking alongside the lambs

Dinners in the garden.