Thursday, July 29, 2010
On the road again
Wednesday 28 July
We left Arnprior for the drive to North Easton, Massachusetts just before 10am and travelled through Ontario and into Québec. It was interesting to see all the signposts in French but not so interesting to be caught in the Montréal traffic!
After Montréal the highway stopped and the road was just a two-way road (thankfully traffic-free) to the border. We got out and had a look around the duty free shop and then went across the border. I had no problem as I got my passport stamped when I arrived in Seattle and it's good for 90 days. Robin also has a British passport and we had to get out so he could fill out a visa waiver form. After a bit of waiting around we were on our way again and into Vermont.
The drive through Vermont and New Hampshire was spectacular - miles of forests and hills and mountains.
We got into Massachusetts just in time to hit the Boston rush hour and so were delayed by about half an hour but we eventually got to my cousin Lynn's house at about 7.30pm.
Lynn's husband Dana was there to meet us with their nine-year-old son Danny and about five minutes Lynn came in having picked up their other son Kyle (who's eleven) from karate.
They have done a lot of alterations since I was last here in 2005 and the place is stunning with a wonderful pool and hot tub outside as well as an extended kitchen inside. After dinner we got into the hot tub and sat and chatted until late. What a great way to recover from a long drive!
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| My rental car - a Chevrolet Impala - parked in Arnprior |
After Montréal the highway stopped and the road was just a two-way road (thankfully traffic-free) to the border. We got out and had a look around the duty free shop and then went across the border. I had no problem as I got my passport stamped when I arrived in Seattle and it's good for 90 days. Robin also has a British passport and we had to get out so he could fill out a visa waiver form. After a bit of waiting around we were on our way again and into Vermont.
The drive through Vermont and New Hampshire was spectacular - miles of forests and hills and mountains.
We got into Massachusetts just in time to hit the Boston rush hour and so were delayed by about half an hour but we eventually got to my cousin Lynn's house at about 7.30pm.
Lynn's husband Dana was there to meet us with their nine-year-old son Danny and about five minutes Lynn came in having picked up their other son Kyle (who's eleven) from karate.
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| Robin, Danny, me, Dana and Kyle |
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Ottawa
Tuesday 27 July
We set off for the 45-minute drive to the Canadian capital and had a clear run all the way. We parked up near the Parliament building. We decided to do a river cruise and went down to the locks which link the Rideau Canal to the Ottawa River to get on board.
The boat gently sailed up the wide river in gorgeous sunshine and we had great views of the Parliament building and other notable buildings but mainly the riverside was green and it was easy to forget we were in a city.
After a pint in an Irish pub we went for a wander around the outside of the Parliament building. Robin had never been here despite living in Canada for over 40 years! The building is very imposing in a Victorian gothic style and surrounded by statues of the great and the good.
As the temperature was around 30C we decided to get back in the car and head back to Arnprior.
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| Canadian Parliament, Ottawa |
The boat gently sailed up the wide river in gorgeous sunshine and we had great views of the Parliament building and other notable buildings but mainly the riverside was green and it was easy to forget we were in a city.
After a pint in an Irish pub we went for a wander around the outside of the Parliament building. Robin had never been here despite living in Canada for over 40 years! The building is very imposing in a Victorian gothic style and surrounded by statues of the great and the good.
As the temperature was around 30C we decided to get back in the car and head back to Arnprior.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Driving to Arnprior
Monday 26 July
Another breakfast at the greasy spoon ($5. Really. That's £3) and then I hit the road to Arnprior near Ottawa to see my Uncle Robin. The journey took just over five hours and apart from a bit of rush-hour traffic around Toronto, it was a clear run.
It was great to see Robin at last although he was worried that his residence card (which he had applied to renew in April) still hadn't arrived and so he wouldn't be able to come with me to see his daughters in Boston as planned. After a call to the Immigration people it turned out that if he was travelling in a car he wouldn't need the card. So instead of him flying home as planned, I said I would drive him home. This will mean a slight adjustment to the trip and I won't get to see Montréal but it was either that or Robin wouldn't get to see his daughters.
We went to my hotel (the Country Squire Motel - how appropriate...) so I could check in (Robin only has a little flat so no room for guests to stay) and then went down to the Madawaska River - very picturesque!
Spent most of the time just catching up - not much to blog about!
Another breakfast at the greasy spoon ($5. Really. That's £3) and then I hit the road to Arnprior near Ottawa to see my Uncle Robin. The journey took just over five hours and apart from a bit of rush-hour traffic around Toronto, it was a clear run.
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| Arnprior Museum |
We went to my hotel (the Country Squire Motel - how appropriate...) so I could check in (Robin only has a little flat so no room for guests to stay) and then went down to the Madawaska River - very picturesque!
Spent most of the time just catching up - not much to blog about!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Toronto
Sunday 25 July
I went round the corner from the hotel for breakfast at a cross between an English greasy spoon café and an American diner. Cooked breakfast for $5 - no complaints from me!
Then to get to the CN tower. This involved taking a tram (known as streetcars in these parts) and then a subway train and a short walk. The weather started out cloudy but by the time I emerged from the subway the sun had come out and it remained sunny and warm all day. It's amazing the difference the weather makes - when I arrived yesterday in pouring rain the city all looked rather dreary. Today in the sunshine, it was a sparkling metropolis.
I queued up for the lift up the CN Tower - the second tallest structure in the world. Security involved standing in a chamber which blew little gusts of air on you - I've only ever seen that at the Statue of Liberty. The lift whizzes you up to the observation deck at the equivalent of the 114th floor in 58 seconds and has glass on three sides and glass panels in the floor. Once there, there were amazing views for miles - apparently you can see 100 miles on a clear day. In fact, it was pretty clear after yesterday's rain! Then up to the Skypod which is another 100m higher at 447m, or about a quarter of a mile.
Once down I decided to a bus and boat tour. First was the boat which went out to Toronto Island and gave great views of the city's skyline. The bus took in many sights and districts and was a good way to spend the afternoon.
The tour ended back at the lakeside (Lake Ontario, by the way!) and so I sat and had a beer outside looking out to the Lake.
I then wandered up to King Street where there is a good selection of restaurants, and I went for a Thai meal. This was one of the best Thai meals I've had outside Thailand or London. Actually, that doesn't narrow it down very much. And I had a very good Thai meal in Paris a couple of years ago. Anyway, it was very good!
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| Toronto |
Then to get to the CN tower. This involved taking a tram (known as streetcars in these parts) and then a subway train and a short walk. The weather started out cloudy but by the time I emerged from the subway the sun had come out and it remained sunny and warm all day. It's amazing the difference the weather makes - when I arrived yesterday in pouring rain the city all looked rather dreary. Today in the sunshine, it was a sparkling metropolis.
I queued up for the lift up the CN Tower - the second tallest structure in the world. Security involved standing in a chamber which blew little gusts of air on you - I've only ever seen that at the Statue of Liberty. The lift whizzes you up to the observation deck at the equivalent of the 114th floor in 58 seconds and has glass on three sides and glass panels in the floor. Once there, there were amazing views for miles - apparently you can see 100 miles on a clear day. In fact, it was pretty clear after yesterday's rain! Then up to the Skypod which is another 100m higher at 447m, or about a quarter of a mile.
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| Cruising around the islands, Toronto |
The tour ended back at the lakeside (Lake Ontario, by the way!) and so I sat and had a beer outside looking out to the Lake.
I then wandered up to King Street where there is a good selection of restaurants, and I went for a Thai meal. This was one of the best Thai meals I've had outside Thailand or London. Actually, that doesn't narrow it down very much. And I had a very good Thai meal in Paris a couple of years ago. Anyway, it was very good!
Trains, rains and automobiles
Saturday 24 July
Having slept through Indiana and Ohio, as well as into a new time zone, I woke up in Pennsylvania and caught a few glimpses of Lake Erie as the train sped onwards. I went through to have breakfast in the dining car (French toast and bacon - yum!) and not long after that the train arrived in Buffalo. I had read that the Lake Shore Limited is sometimes known as the "Late for Sure Limited" but it didn't live up (or down!) to that this time, pulling in on schedule at 9am.
A quick taxi to the nearby airport and I picked up my rental car which will be my transport for the next ten days or so. It's a sleek black Chevrolet Impala - very smooth and comfortable.
I drove up to Niagara Falls and parked up. From the US side you don't get the best view but you do get to stand very close to the Falls. They are an amazing natural feature but marred by the blatant commercialism of the area. Before I even got to the falls I went into a shop and was offered a four-hour Falls "Experience" for "just" $65. I decided to walk instead, qhich cost precisely $65 less! It was already getting busy at 10.30am and there were souvenir stalls and food vendors all over the place.
After taking some photos I got back in the car (even the parking was $10!) and drove to Rainbow Bridge which crosses the border into Canada the border crossing was very quick and easy and once I had found a cash point I then looked for somewhere to park - the first place I saw wanted $20! (The US and Canadian dollars are currently about equal). I managed to find somewhere a bit cheaper and wandered down to see the Falls from this side. This was certainly a more spectacular view - amazing to see such a volume of water cascading down. However, there were even more people and even more chances to part you from your money. I had thought about a boat trip but the weather was quite dull and I didn't really have enough time as I had told the people at the Toronto guest house I would be arriving around 5pm.
Probably unfairly, I compared Niagara Falls to Victoria Falls which I visited a few times when I lived in Zambia in the late 90's. The Vic Falls are taller and more spectacular and not surrounded by tourist development. Interesting that I felt I got more out of going to the Vic Falls, which are between two of the poorest countries in the world (Zambia and Zimbabwe) than the Niagara Falls which are between two of the richest.
I got back in the car and headed for Toronto. The traffic was quite heavy and the heavens opened and there was torrential rain. I got to the Comfy Guesthouse at about 4.30 and checked in. The weather was still pretty bad so I took a little drive around the downtown area and came back for dinner in a pub near the guesthouse - delicious!
Having slept through Indiana and Ohio, as well as into a new time zone, I woke up in Pennsylvania and caught a few glimpses of Lake Erie as the train sped onwards. I went through to have breakfast in the dining car (French toast and bacon - yum!) and not long after that the train arrived in Buffalo. I had read that the Lake Shore Limited is sometimes known as the "Late for Sure Limited" but it didn't live up (or down!) to that this time, pulling in on schedule at 9am.
A quick taxi to the nearby airport and I picked up my rental car which will be my transport for the next ten days or so. It's a sleek black Chevrolet Impala - very smooth and comfortable.
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| Niagara Falls from the US side... |
After taking some photos I got back in the car (even the parking was $10!) and drove to Rainbow Bridge which crosses the border into Canada the border crossing was very quick and easy and once I had found a cash point I then looked for somewhere to park - the first place I saw wanted $20! (The US and Canadian dollars are currently about equal). I managed to find somewhere a bit cheaper and wandered down to see the Falls from this side. This was certainly a more spectacular view - amazing to see such a volume of water cascading down. However, there were even more people and even more chances to part you from your money. I had thought about a boat trip but the weather was quite dull and I didn't really have enough time as I had told the people at the Toronto guest house I would be arriving around 5pm.
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| ...and from the Canadian side |
I got back in the car and headed for Toronto. The traffic was quite heavy and the heavens opened and there was torrential rain. I got to the Comfy Guesthouse at about 4.30 and checked in. The weather was still pretty bad so I took a little drive around the downtown area and came back for dinner in a pub near the guesthouse - delicious!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Science, a thunderstorm and a train
Friday 23 July
Breakfast was a square bagel called (naturally) a squagel... A few more postcards to write and then I headed off for the final attraction on my Citypass, the Museum of Science and Industry.
This museum was a little outside the city centre in the university district, so it involved a ride on Chicago's commuter rail system, called the Metra. The train was a double-decker and after about fifteen minutes I was there. The weather was hot and humid so a good day to be in air-conditioning.
Like the others I went to yesterday, this museum was first-rate with displays about weather, transportation, anatomy and astronomy. They had an entire German U-Boat that was captured by the US Navy in WWII.
I had a bit of time to kill so I went back into downtown Chicago and had a beer in a bar. Very nice, but I didn't notice that while I was in there a storm had gathered and I had to walk back to the hotel in pouring rain and enormous thunder and lightning strikes. My umbrella was pretty useless and so I was soaked by the time I got there so had to change once I had picked up my case from the bag store.
I got a taxi to Union Station to catch the overnight train, the Lake Shore Limited, to Buffalo. My sleeper ticket enabled me to go into a nice lounge with comfy seats and TVs, etc. and at about 8.30 we were led through to the platform and on to the train. I was shown to my "roomette" which was a little cabin with nice wide seats and a sink and loo. The carriage manager invited me to go through to the dining car for wine and cheese and there I got talking to a nice couple from Buffalo who apparently use the trains to do all their travel. It was certainly a lot more civilised than flying.
By the time I got back to my cabin, the seats had been turned into a bed and the train left the station at exactly 9.30 as scheduled.
Breakfast was a square bagel called (naturally) a squagel... A few more postcards to write and then I headed off for the final attraction on my Citypass, the Museum of Science and Industry.
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| Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago |
Like the others I went to yesterday, this museum was first-rate with displays about weather, transportation, anatomy and astronomy. They had an entire German U-Boat that was captured by the US Navy in WWII.
I had a bit of time to kill so I went back into downtown Chicago and had a beer in a bar. Very nice, but I didn't notice that while I was in there a storm had gathered and I had to walk back to the hotel in pouring rain and enormous thunder and lightning strikes. My umbrella was pretty useless and so I was soaked by the time I got there so had to change once I had picked up my case from the bag store.
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| The Lake Shore Limited |
By the time I got back to my cabin, the seats had been turned into a bed and the train left the station at exactly 9.30 as scheduled.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Museums
Thursday 22 July
I was in desperate need of a haircut so I found a branch of Supercuts along Michigan Avenue. The guy who did the deed turned out to be really interesting - he had travelled extensively in Europe and Australia when he served in the army. I then bought a few postcards and went to a Starbucks to write them. The post office was in the middle of a building site so I went all the way around the block to find the entrance!
The forecast was for possible thunderstorms so my plan was to visit a couple of the museums included in my Citypass. The first one was the Field Museum of Natural History which is really magnificent. They have Sue, the most complete T-Rex skeleton ever discovered. She is displayed in the huge central hall of the museum, off which there are brilliant displays of animals from throughout the world, an Egyptian tomb which originally came from Saqqara (just south of Cairo), a great collection of Native American artifacts and lots more.
I then went next door to the Shedd Aquarium which was equally impressive. They had tanks with all kinds of fresh water and marine creatures including a vast tank with dolphins and baluga whales.
After a chance to recuperate at the hotel I went to Quattro's Restaurant to sample something that Chicago is famous for - its pizza! It did not disappoint and this being the USA it was the size of a cartwheel...
I was in desperate need of a haircut so I found a branch of Supercuts along Michigan Avenue. The guy who did the deed turned out to be really interesting - he had travelled extensively in Europe and Australia when he served in the army. I then bought a few postcards and went to a Starbucks to write them. The post office was in the middle of a building site so I went all the way around the block to find the entrance!
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| Field Museum, Chicago |
I then went next door to the Shedd Aquarium which was equally impressive. They had tanks with all kinds of fresh water and marine creatures including a vast tank with dolphins and baluga whales.
After a chance to recuperate at the hotel I went to Quattro's Restaurant to sample something that Chicago is famous for - its pizza! It did not disappoint and this being the USA it was the size of a cartwheel...
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Chicago
Wednesday 21 July
I started the day with breakfast at the diner attached the hotel and looked through various leaflets to weigh up the options. I decided the best bet was to opt for a city tour so I went down to the nearest stop which was just a few minutes' walk away. The tour was a "hop on, hop off" bus tour and the vehicles were open-top buses and old-fashioned trolley buses (although not powered by overhead cables).
The tour went down past Soldier Field, which is where one of the local football teams plays. It is an interesting mixture of styles as when they built the space-age style new stadium a few years ago they kept the original 1920's façade. The bus went past the museum campus and on along past Grant Park and stopped at Navy Pier where I decided to get off.
Navy Pier was originally a training area for the Navy but is now a recreational area with shops, restaurants and a funfair. With a cloudless sky there were some good photo opportunities with the skyline looking magnificent.
Back to the bus and onto the middle deck of a triple-deck road! Alarmingly, there was an area with burnt-out and overturned cars. The guide explained that they were filming the latest "Transformers" movie in Chicago! Apparently the film company had paid $20 million to the city to be able to film here.
I got off by the Hancock Center which, although not the tallest, is one of Chicago's most recognisable buildings. I didn't go into that building but had a wander around the Fourth Presbyterian Church opposite - make famous in the film "My Best Friend's Wedding".
Back on the bus and my next stop was at Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower). This was the tallest building in the world from 1973 to 1992 and is now the fifth tallest. I joined the queue and bought a Citypass which is a discounted ticket for five attractions in the city. The lift takes people to the 103rd floor observation deck in just under 70 seconds, so ears were popping!
The view was magnificent, despite a bit of heat-haze. On one side of the building there are four glass boxes which project outwards so you can stand inside and look directly down. Only the glass separates you from a drop of well over 1,000 feet. Scary!
Another ride on the bus took me to Millennium Park. It turns out that London wasn't the only city to miss deadlines for millennium project - this one was finished in 2004! It's a great space with an outdoor stage for free concerts, and some great contemporary art installations. One is a huge, highly-polished mirrored bean shape by Anish Kapoor and another is a modern version of a pair of gargoyles. They consist of two glass brick towers on which are displayed huge images of Chicagoans' faces. Every so often their mouths open and they spit out a huge gush of water! On such a hot day, there were lots of kids queuing up to get wet!
My final stop on the tour was the Adler Planetarium where I saw two shows in separate theatres, each with projections onto a domed ceiling. First was one called "Night Sky Live" which described tonight's sky over Chicago and second was one called "Journey to the Stars".
I then walked back through the park to the hotel for a rest before heading out for a great bowl of pasta at Portillo's (nothing to do with Michael Portillo, I assume!).
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| Chicago |
The tour went down past Soldier Field, which is where one of the local football teams plays. It is an interesting mixture of styles as when they built the space-age style new stadium a few years ago they kept the original 1920's façade. The bus went past the museum campus and on along past Grant Park and stopped at Navy Pier where I decided to get off.
Navy Pier was originally a training area for the Navy but is now a recreational area with shops, restaurants and a funfair. With a cloudless sky there were some good photo opportunities with the skyline looking magnificent.
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| Transformers 3 film set |
I got off by the Hancock Center which, although not the tallest, is one of Chicago's most recognisable buildings. I didn't go into that building but had a wander around the Fourth Presbyterian Church opposite - make famous in the film "My Best Friend's Wedding".
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| Willis Tower |
The view was magnificent, despite a bit of heat-haze. On one side of the building there are four glass boxes which project outwards so you can stand inside and look directly down. Only the glass separates you from a drop of well over 1,000 feet. Scary!
Another ride on the bus took me to Millennium Park. It turns out that London wasn't the only city to miss deadlines for millennium project - this one was finished in 2004! It's a great space with an outdoor stage for free concerts, and some great contemporary art installations. One is a huge, highly-polished mirrored bean shape by Anish Kapoor and another is a modern version of a pair of gargoyles. They consist of two glass brick towers on which are displayed huge images of Chicagoans' faces. Every so often their mouths open and they spit out a huge gush of water! On such a hot day, there were lots of kids queuing up to get wet!
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| Crown Fountain |
I then walked back through the park to the hotel for a rest before heading out for a great bowl of pasta at Portillo's (nothing to do with Michael Portillo, I assume!).
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
On the road
Tuesday 20 July
Tony and Aileen took me back to the airport to pick up my rental car and we said our farewells - such great hosts and I had a great time with them despite it not exactly going to plan...
So I set off in a green Chevrolet Cobalt for Chicago. It was quite a small car but comfortable and it had cruise control which made the drive nice and easy. The drive through Iowa passed through miles and miles of rolling farmland - not unlike rural England as it was all very lush and green. I came off the Interstate and drove through Iowa City which is a very pleasant small town. A few miles further on and I crossed the mighty Mississippi into Illinois. Even at this point the river is huge, bearing in mind it has a thousand miles or so to go before it reaches the Gulf of Mexico.
Illinois was a bit flatter than Iowa and the road to Chicago was a toll road. Irritatingly, instead of collecting the toll (about $5) all in one go, there was a series of tollbooths collecting small amounts so I had to keep rooting around to find change.
Eventually the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) loomed up ahead and I arrived in Chicago. I checked into the Travelodge (a bit faded but clean and comfortable) and left the car at the rental location.
The hotel is about 10 minutes' walk from Grant Park (where Obama made his victory speech on election night in 2008) so I wandered down there and through to the lakeside. It was remarkably tranquil and hard to imagine that this enormous expanse or water (Lake Michigan) was just a lake. It's about 100 miles to the other side.
I wandered down to the Field Museum and then back through the park and up S State Street to the Thai restaurant attached to the hotel.
Looking forward to exploring more over the next few days.
Tony and Aileen took me back to the airport to pick up my rental car and we said our farewells - such great hosts and I had a great time with them despite it not exactly going to plan...
So I set off in a green Chevrolet Cobalt for Chicago. It was quite a small car but comfortable and it had cruise control which made the drive nice and easy. The drive through Iowa passed through miles and miles of rolling farmland - not unlike rural England as it was all very lush and green. I came off the Interstate and drove through Iowa City which is a very pleasant small town. A few miles further on and I crossed the mighty Mississippi into Illinois. Even at this point the river is huge, bearing in mind it has a thousand miles or so to go before it reaches the Gulf of Mexico.
Illinois was a bit flatter than Iowa and the road to Chicago was a toll road. Irritatingly, instead of collecting the toll (about $5) all in one go, there was a series of tollbooths collecting small amounts so I had to keep rooting around to find change.
Eventually the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) loomed up ahead and I arrived in Chicago. I checked into the Travelodge (a bit faded but clean and comfortable) and left the car at the rental location.
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| Lake Michigan, Chicago |
I wandered down to the Field Museum and then back through the park and up S State Street to the Thai restaurant attached to the hotel.
Looking forward to exploring more over the next few days.
Monday, July 19, 2010
What a relief!
Monday 19 July
It was such a relief to wake up this morning feeling normal again! So, back to the business of seeing Iowa.
We had a very leisurely morning as Tony had some work to do. Aileen and I decided to brave dodging the thunderstorms by going for a walk along the trail which goes along the creek behind their house. Needless to say, we got soaked to the skin and were very grateful to a kind driver who gave us a lift home...
Around midday there was another power cut - there must have been storms elsewhere as by this time it was sunny. So we got in the car and went to explore downtown Des Moines. It is a compact city centre with all the amenities required. We parked up and had a look inside the State Capital building - an amazing French-style building with a gilded dome built in the 1880s. We were able to go into the State Senate and State House of Representatives and just before we left we were shown into the Governor's office by one of the staff - a very nice lady who answered any questions we had and seemed very interested in us.
From there we went to see the Science Center of Des Moines which had various interactive exhibits including snakes and other reptiles. We went back to the house having planned to have a quick cup of tea before heading out to a shopping mall but when we got back the power was still off so we went straight to the Jordan Creek mall. To make up for the missed cuppa we had a coffee and a bear claw (a kind of foot-shaped Danish pastry although this foot had seven toes!). Tony showed me part of a department store which would be completely alien at home, i.e. the firearms department. Extraordinary!
We then had our dinner at Bravo Cucina restaurant and came home to laze around in the evening sunshine in the garden.
It was such a relief to wake up this morning feeling normal again! So, back to the business of seeing Iowa.
We had a very leisurely morning as Tony had some work to do. Aileen and I decided to brave dodging the thunderstorms by going for a walk along the trail which goes along the creek behind their house. Needless to say, we got soaked to the skin and were very grateful to a kind driver who gave us a lift home...
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| Iowa State, Des Moines |
From there we went to see the Science Center of Des Moines which had various interactive exhibits including snakes and other reptiles. We went back to the house having planned to have a quick cup of tea before heading out to a shopping mall but when we got back the power was still off so we went straight to the Jordan Creek mall. To make up for the missed cuppa we had a coffee and a bear claw (a kind of foot-shaped Danish pastry although this foot had seven toes!). Tony showed me part of a department store which would be completely alien at home, i.e. the firearms department. Extraordinary!
We then had our dinner at Bravo Cucina restaurant and came home to laze around in the evening sunshine in the garden.
The perfect storm
Sunday 18 July
Sunday was not exactly the day I had planned... If you are of a delicate disposition, stop reading now!
At about midnight I suddenly had a stabbing pain in my lower abdomen which I assumed was to do with a bit of constipation and so spent most of the night in the toilet. At about 2.30am it started raining and by 3am it turned into an almighty storm - we were all up and following its progress on the weather channel. I was still in some considerable pain but the storm certainly gave me something to take my mind off it. Then at about 4am the electricity went off and we were plunged into darkness just looking out into the wildness of the storm.
Eventually the storm abated and we went back to bed although there was no chance of sleep with the pain I had in my side. At about 8am Aileen went out to get me some Alka Seltzer thinking that might do the trick but it made no difference and so Tony and Aileen took me to the Mercy West Urgent Care Clinic to see a doctor. Of course, in the back of my mind was the knowledge that health care is not free in the US and that I would probably have to deal with my travel insurance company so I gave them a quick call.
On the way to the clinic we saw some of the devastation caused by the storm - some enormous trees were down including a huge pine tree which had been uprooted.
On arrival at the clinic there were about 6 forms to fill in and I received a blank look from the receptionist when I said I didn't have an insurance card or a social security number. Nevertheless I was taken through to a treatment room where a nurse took my blood pressure, etc. She also took a sample of blood and sent me for an x-ray and then I had to wait for the doctor to arrive. The doctor was a very pleasant lady who explained that my symptoms were pointing to appendicitis and that I would have to go to a hospital to get the opinion of a surgeon. If this diagnosis was correct I would have to have surgery which would mean at least a week of recuperation and would put paid to my trip to Chicago at the very least.
By this time it was about 10.30am and we got into the car and drove to the Mercy West Lakes Hospital, about 10 minutes' drive away. Tony and Aileen told me this was a brand new hospital and it was certainly very smart indeed. I was shown into a treatment room and had more forms to fill in and they told me that the surgeon was on his was and that I would have to have a CAT scan. Before that I had to drink some contrast material (not barium, but apparently something similar) - I had to take four lots in half-hour intervals. They put in an intravenous needle and took more blood samples and gave me a painkiller. At about 1.30pm I was taken through for the scan which involved lying flat and going backwards and forwards through a big doughnut-shaped machine. I was then taken back to the treatment room where Tony and Aileen were still waiting.
After about another half-hour, the surgeon came through and told me that thankfully it wasn't appendicitis and that I had a kidney stone which would probably pass in a day or two. He prescribed Vicodin (which is the drug Dr Gregory House is addicted to in the TV show House!) and recommended that I drank lots of fluid - in fact he recommended beer! Sadly he was unable to give me a prescription for that! He said that there would be no problem with my continuing my journey as planned - what a relief! By now Tony and Aileen felt that they knew the workings of my bowels intimately and we were rather amused by the surgeon's recommendation that I get a stool softener to help with the constipation...
We then went to the Hy Vee supermarket which has a pharmacy to pick up my prescription and went home for a well-earned cup of tea! Fortunately by this time the power was back on...
After our tea we went out for a little run in the car to Maffitt Lake which is an absolutely beautiful place where Tony goes fishing and they have picnic areas, etc. We also drove around the area past some amazing properties - there is certainly some money around here!
Back home for lasagna and then to bed to catch up on the sleep lost the previous night.
Sunday was not exactly the day I had planned... If you are of a delicate disposition, stop reading now!
At about midnight I suddenly had a stabbing pain in my lower abdomen which I assumed was to do with a bit of constipation and so spent most of the night in the toilet. At about 2.30am it started raining and by 3am it turned into an almighty storm - we were all up and following its progress on the weather channel. I was still in some considerable pain but the storm certainly gave me something to take my mind off it. Then at about 4am the electricity went off and we were plunged into darkness just looking out into the wildness of the storm.
Eventually the storm abated and we went back to bed although there was no chance of sleep with the pain I had in my side. At about 8am Aileen went out to get me some Alka Seltzer thinking that might do the trick but it made no difference and so Tony and Aileen took me to the Mercy West Urgent Care Clinic to see a doctor. Of course, in the back of my mind was the knowledge that health care is not free in the US and that I would probably have to deal with my travel insurance company so I gave them a quick call.
On the way to the clinic we saw some of the devastation caused by the storm - some enormous trees were down including a huge pine tree which had been uprooted.
On arrival at the clinic there were about 6 forms to fill in and I received a blank look from the receptionist when I said I didn't have an insurance card or a social security number. Nevertheless I was taken through to a treatment room where a nurse took my blood pressure, etc. She also took a sample of blood and sent me for an x-ray and then I had to wait for the doctor to arrive. The doctor was a very pleasant lady who explained that my symptoms were pointing to appendicitis and that I would have to go to a hospital to get the opinion of a surgeon. If this diagnosis was correct I would have to have surgery which would mean at least a week of recuperation and would put paid to my trip to Chicago at the very least.
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| Me in the Mercy West Lakes Hospital, Des Moines |
After about another half-hour, the surgeon came through and told me that thankfully it wasn't appendicitis and that I had a kidney stone which would probably pass in a day or two. He prescribed Vicodin (which is the drug Dr Gregory House is addicted to in the TV show House!) and recommended that I drank lots of fluid - in fact he recommended beer! Sadly he was unable to give me a prescription for that! He said that there would be no problem with my continuing my journey as planned - what a relief! By now Tony and Aileen felt that they knew the workings of my bowels intimately and we were rather amused by the surgeon's recommendation that I get a stool softener to help with the constipation...
We then went to the Hy Vee supermarket which has a pharmacy to pick up my prescription and went home for a well-earned cup of tea! Fortunately by this time the power was back on...
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| Aileen, Tony and me, Maffitt Lake |
Back home for lasagna and then to bed to catch up on the sleep lost the previous night.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Three States
Saturday 17 July
A day of travel! It seemed such a shame to be leaving Seattle after such a short stay - I suspect this will be a theme of this trip! Jeanna looked after me brilliantly and was the perfect host and tour guide - thanks so much. She drove me back to Sea-Tac Airport for my journey to Des Moines, Iowa. This involved two flights, changing planes in Denver, Colorado.
The first flight left exactly on time and actually arrived in Denver half an hour early - just as well as I was worried that, given the schedule 40-minute layover, my baggage might not make it. The terminal at Denver was huge - I came into gate 36 and had to make my way to gate 91 - and the place was packed. The flight to Des Moines was on a small 50-seater plane and I was in seat 1A! This meant that I was first off the plane and into an almost empty airport - quite a contrast to Denver.
There to meet me were Tony and Aileen - Tony worked with my Dad in Beckenham and we have known them for over 30 years. They moved to the US 20 or so years ago and I have visited them previously in Lompoc, California and Las Vegas, Nevada.
After showing me around their beautiful house, we went to their next door neighbours' house where they were having a birthday party - with no expense spared! Good to meet some "real" Americans in an out-of-the-way place.
Looking forward to seeing more of Des Moines and around over the next two days.
A day of travel! It seemed such a shame to be leaving Seattle after such a short stay - I suspect this will be a theme of this trip! Jeanna looked after me brilliantly and was the perfect host and tour guide - thanks so much. She drove me back to Sea-Tac Airport for my journey to Des Moines, Iowa. This involved two flights, changing planes in Denver, Colorado.
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| Denver International Airport |
There to meet me were Tony and Aileen - Tony worked with my Dad in Beckenham and we have known them for over 30 years. They moved to the US 20 or so years ago and I have visited them previously in Lompoc, California and Las Vegas, Nevada.
After showing me around their beautiful house, we went to their next door neighbours' house where they were having a birthday party - with no expense spared! Good to meet some "real" Americans in an out-of-the-way place.
Looking forward to seeing more of Des Moines and around over the next two days.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Food!
Friday 16 July
After a lazy morning we headed to the annual Bite of Seattle festival, which is a big food festival that takes place at the Seattle Center. This is an area that hosted the world's fair in 1962 and is the cultural heart of the city. We wandered around the various stalls selling food from anywhere you could think of (and a few places you couldn't think of) and took in a cookery demonstration and some wine tasting - sadly they weren't offering Washingtonian wine so we had to put up with Californian. Tough, but someone had to do it. Lunch was at the part of the festival called "The Alley" where for $10 they served little samples of dishes from seven of the top restaurant in the city. Mmm!
We then took the monorail to the Westlake Shopping Mall and wandered down to Pike Street Market which is on the waterfront. Here are stalls selling fresh fish, fruit and veg, flowers and all sorts of other delights. One piece of entertainment consists of the guys on the big fish counter throwing big salmons across to each other. Across the street from the market is the original Starbucks shop - very unassuming and hard to imagine that such a massive worldwide enterprise started there.
After coffee at another Starbucks (the original being ludicrously busy) we headed back to Lake Stevens through the Friday evening traffic and lounged around watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire? before heading out for dinner at "Mi Tierra", a Mexican restaurant in Monroe. Jeanna was determined for me to have good Mexican food, and my burrito certainly didn't disappoint!
Back home for an episode of Bones and then to bed. Hard to believe my stay in Washington State is over!
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| Fish at the Pike Street Market |
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| Pike Street Market, Seattle |
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| The original Starbucks, Seattle |
Back home for an episode of Bones and then to bed. Hard to believe my stay in Washington State is over!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Ferry Funny Fish
Thursday 15 July
We started the day by driving to the Ballard district of Seattle to see the Hiram M Chittenden locks which are in Salmon Bay, part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. They sit between the freshwater lake and the salt water Puget Sound and let all sorts of vessels from big ships to kayaks pass through. The most interesting part is the fish ladder which allows the annual migration of salmon from the Pacific back up to the freshwater streams to spawn. July and August are the peak times to see them leaping up the ladder - and we saw a few doing just that!
We had fish and chips (where am I?) before heading into Ballard itself which is a rather quaint and pleasant area where Jeanna was keen to show me the Cupcake Royale store - no arguments from me!
We then headed for the waterfront in Downtown Seattle itself and decided to take a water taxi across to West Seattle which gave us great views of the city in the glorious sunshine (Seattle is renowned for its rain - not this week!). The ferry ticket also included a free bus trip took us past the only sandy beach in the area - sadly no time to stop, though.
Our next stop was back in Downtown at Pioneer Square where we join the "Underground Tour" which was a walking tour showing how after the fire of 1889, buildings were just built over the top of other buildings and the roads (but not the pavements) were raised. The guide was very amusing with a brilliant dry humour - sadly lost on some of the others in our party!
Dinner was at a little Italian restaurant and we ended our day at the "Comedy Underground" club, with five comics who were all entertaining, although some more than others!
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| Me and Jeanna, Chittenden Locks |
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| Coffee and cupcake |
We then headed for the waterfront in Downtown Seattle itself and decided to take a water taxi across to West Seattle which gave us great views of the city in the glorious sunshine (Seattle is renowned for its rain - not this week!). The ferry ticket also included a free bus trip took us past the only sandy beach in the area - sadly no time to stop, though.
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| Seattle |
Dinner was at a little Italian restaurant and we ended our day at the "Comedy Underground" club, with five comics who were all entertaining, although some more than others!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Deception and beer
Wednesday 14 July
I'm a bit jet-lagged, so although my intention was to do this last night, I went to bed at 9pm instead and it's now 6.30am on Thursday.
The flight on Tuesday was fine - the upgrade to World Traveller Plus made it a bit more comfortable although I'm not sure it would be worth paying that much more for it! Still, you can't look a freebie in the mouth... One huge benefit was that I was first through immigration at Seattle and there were no queues at all. Jeanna was there waiting for me and we set off in her car to her new house in Lake Stevens, which is about 30 miles north of Seattle. The airport is to the south of the city so we got some good views as we came past - it really looks stunning with all the lakes and waterways around - it reminded my a bit of Sydney. When we got to the house we sat out on the deck and chatted over Jeanna's home-made cookies while she told me about the itinerary she had worked out for my stay!
So yesterday we set off to catch the 10am ferry across Puget Sound from Mukilteo to Clinton on Whidbey Island - about a 15 minute crossing. The weather was perfect - clear and cloudless and not too hot - so there were great views across to various mountain ranges. We then drove to the north of the island to Deception Pass State Park. Deception Pass is a narrow waterway so named because the expedition led by George Vancouver discovered it and believed it to lead to the open Pacific Ocean. The weather was clear enough for us to see over to land in the distance (actually Canada!) but it would be easy to think that this was open water in poorer weather.
We decided to take a short walk to see the bridge over the pass and then carried on for what turned out to be about three miles around some of the park's perimeter and over the top called Goose Rock. Most of the walk was through forest and was only marred by the noise of testing coming over from one the Boeing headquarters across the water. We had a picnic lunch and then headed back home via the quicker (but less scenic) Interstate.
After a quick stop at the house we went off to the Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville. For the extortionate sum of $1 we took the brewery tour which was basically an excuse to drink beer. The tour guide (it did not surprise us in the least that he had spent time in Australia - typical surf dude type!) told us a bit about the history and process of the brewery which everyone soon forgot as we sampled five different types of their beer - all very good indeed! We stayed there for some food (burger - what else?) before returning home.
A great first full day!
I'm a bit jet-lagged, so although my intention was to do this last night, I went to bed at 9pm instead and it's now 6.30am on Thursday.
The flight on Tuesday was fine - the upgrade to World Traveller Plus made it a bit more comfortable although I'm not sure it would be worth paying that much more for it! Still, you can't look a freebie in the mouth... One huge benefit was that I was first through immigration at Seattle and there were no queues at all. Jeanna was there waiting for me and we set off in her car to her new house in Lake Stevens, which is about 30 miles north of Seattle. The airport is to the south of the city so we got some good views as we came past - it really looks stunning with all the lakes and waterways around - it reminded my a bit of Sydney. When we got to the house we sat out on the deck and chatted over Jeanna's home-made cookies while she told me about the itinerary she had worked out for my stay!
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| Mount Baker |
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| Deception Pass |
After a quick stop at the house we went off to the Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville. For the extortionate sum of $1 we took the brewery tour which was basically an excuse to drink beer. The tour guide (it did not surprise us in the least that he had spent time in Australia - typical surf dude type!) told us a bit about the history and process of the brewery which everyone soon forgot as we sampled five different types of their beer - all very good indeed! We stayed there for some food (burger - what else?) before returning home.
A great first full day!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
About to depart
Tuesday 13 July
Slight panic yesterday afternoon as BA's website wouldn't allow me to check in online. However, a quick phone call revealed the reason - World Traveller (Ecomony Class to you and me) was overbooked so I had been bumped up to World Traveller Plus. That means I should get a wider seat and more legroom which should make the nine-and-a-half hour flight to Seattle a bit more bearable.
I'm now at Heathrow having got the train and tube from Bickley (the Tube Exits iPhone app came into its own - I can thoroughly recommend it!). It's my first flight from Terminal 5 although not my first time here as I was a guinea-pig when they were testing it before it opened in March 2008. I shouldn't have bothered really as the opening was an unmitigated disaster! Had lunch in Gordon Ramsey's "Plane Food" restaurant which is very nice and saw ex footballer and TV pundit Trevor Brooking in WH Smith's!
Anyway, all is fine now and am waiting to be called to the gate in about 15 minutes.
See you on the other side!
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| Heathrow Terminal 5 |
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| My plane! |
Anyway, all is fine now and am waiting to be called to the gate in about 15 minutes.
See you on the other side!
Monday, July 5, 2010
A week to go...
This is a blog about my trip to North America in July and August 2010. I have been planning this trip for well over a year, and in just over a week I'll be boarding the plane and crossing the Atlantic.
My plan is to fly to Seattle to stay with my friend Jeanna, with whom I taught in Cairo. From there I will fly to Des Moines, Iowa to stay with Tony and Aileen who have been friends of the family for over thirty years. I then drive to Chicago and stay for a few days before taking the train, the Lakeshore Limited, overnight to Buffalo, NY, just by the Niagara Falls. I then plan to pick up another car and drive to Toronto - my first ever trip to Canada! I'll then drive to Ottawa and see my Uncle Robin in nearby Arnprior, who will join me for the next part of the journey. We will spend a day in Montréal before driving to see my cousins (Robin's daughters) just south of Boston. After that, I plan to continue to New York and finish up in Washington DC from where I will fly home.
I will try and keep this updated as often as I can with photos and news - I hope you enjoy it!
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