Letters to a Sister 3

Rats This week I have two problems, both rat related.

Now, as you know, if you live on farmland and keep poultry, you’ll have rats. Fact. We’ve always had a big brown rat around the pond. In fact, the first year we lived here, when we didn’t know what we were doing and the pond froze so the fox could walk to duck island and kill every single duck, James asked if he should still continue to feed the rat each morning. (He was young.)

However now, after two mild winters, they have become more of a problem. They get the eggs, they carry germs and will kill the young poultry when it first hatches.

So, last year we bought two farm cats, Milly and Molly, to live outside. Even if they don’t get the bigger rats, they’ll get the babies and that will keep the population under control. I didn’t spay them, figuring that a few cats outside would be fine, they can each have a litter and then I’ll get them all spayed.

Am pretty sure now that Milly & Molly are pregnant rather than greedy. Still no idea who the father is, but can definitely smell a Tom some mornings. Not pleasant.

Did some internet research to learn how I should be looking after them. Learned that sometimes cats can produce up to 8 kittens. Eight. Not really sure how I am going to mention this to David. Milly & Molly were perfect, the only two in the litter, born in a stable but handled regularly so not feral & used to a GSD. Perfect. I had assumed that as they were a pair, they would each produce a pair. Six kittens, living outside, helping to control the rats around the pond, ideal. I’ll have them all neutered after the first litter and we’ll all live happily ever after.

But eighteen? Oh dear. And whilst I can kill the odd cockerel ( especially after he has attacked me & is showing signs of aspiring to world domination) there is NO way I could dispose of a kitten. (I promise to send photos when they’re born – am guessing end of May.)

Can you advertise for good homes on fb? Have a feeling its against the fb rules, my account will be shut down by fb police. Oh the shame.

I will have to smuggle them into people’s homes. Perhaps I cd take them as thank you gifts when invited out for dinner. Can be gifts for all my nieces & nephews on their birthdays. House warming gifts? Could have a party & give them as leaving gifts/party favours. This clearly needs some thought.

My next problem is also rat related. Last Summer we had “Mr Rat” the exterminator, but then he was ill and stopped coming, leaving both a healthy rat population and some traps.

I, in my wisdom, decided to set some of the traps. They worked. I now have a rat. An alive one.

Now, it is one thing to employ a man to put down poison or to get some farm cats to kill the babies, it is quite another to be faced with a rat, perfectly healthy, looking through the bars of the trap at me. He has a little furry face and sweet little ears and cute pink paws.

He also screams the rat equivalent of death threats whenever I go near and tries to bite me through the cage. Clearly hates me. What to do?

Cannot bring myself to kill him, not face to face – plus not sure how. I can kill something quickly, before it feels fear, in an instant. But how do I even get it out of the trap without it biting me? Nor can I leave it to starve to death. Seems cruel.

So I am now feeding a rat and regularly topping up its water bowl. This is so not what I had planned.

When David gets home I will suggest he might like a drive into the countryside, away from other houses and farms and we can release it. I fear he will mutter. Will also be nervous that cage in car may not be as secure as I hope. Oh dear, big problem.

Maybe I can add it to the surprise kitten gifts…..Just be glad it’s not December or guess what you would be getting for Christmas……

Will write again next week.

Take care.
Anne xx

PS Mimi is trying to sell her car. She told me she has advertised on a car website but at the last minute she got worried about putting her mobile number on a public site. So she used a false number. Not sure she really thought that one through.

Letters to a Sister 2

Posted by anneethompson

Letter to a Sister 2

Okay, so James suggested I join some facebook groups to advertise some of my articles. Good idea. Joined a German Shepherd Dog (GSD) group and then got lots of hits on my dog training article. Still good. Decided to join some more groups. Some are ‘closed groups’, so you cannot see any of the stuff on their timeline until you are accepted as a member. No problem, I thought, and joined a few. Ah. GSD also stands for ‘gender sexual deviation’. Saw some very unexpected photos. Thought they probably didn’t want to learn about dog training…….

Not sure if Milly and Molly are pregnant or just enjoying their new food. At the end of May either we will have kittens or they will be on a very strict diet.

Silver Call duck is nesting. The rats kept getting her eggs so she is now in a huge plastic crate with sheer sides. Male Call duck is sitting next to it in the hope she will emerge. (She only comes out at night to eat and swim – sensible duck!)

Friday was the Lunch Club. The leader was away, so she had asked me to go round as people were drinking their coffee, show them the menu and ask what they wanted to eat. Easy, you might think. The trouble is, I am usually tucked away in the kitchen, so I don’t usually see any of them and I don’t know their names. So, when I took their order, I wrote it next to their names and added a short description in the margin (wearing peach cardigan, dressed in red, that sort of thing.)

All was going fine until some helpful person turned on the heating and they all took off their cardigans and jackets. There is something indistinguishable about a group of ladies with short grey hair all wearing home knitted jumpers. They looked identical. I kept asking people for the second time what they wanted to eat. They were confused, I was confused, the list was a mess. If I am asked to do it again (which I doubt) I will ask if I can put a small ink spot on their cheek when I have taken their order so I can keep track. Should go down well.

Hope all is well with you. Take care, Ax

Letters to a Sister : 1

Posted by anneethompson

Ugh, yesterday was a horrible evening.

In the afternoon was Baking Club (a few teenaged girls come round, we bake something nice and have a short Bible study.) Anyhow, yesterday was very hard work. I was feeling hormonal (grumpy) and we ran out of time, so the Bible bit was really rushed and not very interesting. We are trying to make cupcakes for a fundraiser. The idea is that we will invite all our friends and family round for an afternoon in June, give them a cupcake and a cup of tea and collect donations to help stop child trafficking. We started making them yesterday – each girl made thirteen, twelve to go in the freezer and one to take home. But it took ages. In the end, they made the cakes and the icing and I said I would put the icing on later, when the cakes were cool.

They all made different flavours. Suzie made chocolate ones, with chocolate icing made using Nesquik. I iced them (they looked good) and put them in the freezer. James then wandered into kitchen, saw the remains (all over kitchen) and asked if I had bought new Nesquik because the stuff in the larder was out of date. I checked. It was. Bother.

Then had one of those struggles with conscience – checked ingredients and it was just sugar and flavourings, no milk powder, so it would be okay. Wouldn’t it? But what if it wasn’t and I made everyone sick? What if I killed someone’s granny? Decided was not worth the risk. Texted Suzie’s mum and told her to not let Suzie eat the icing, then scraped all the icing off all the other cakes. After ages, decided it wasn’t coming off very thoroughly, so I would eat denuded cakes and bake fresh ones tomorrow and never mention it to Suzie.

Took naked cakes to freezer in garage. Freezer completely full because one in kitchen has died. Then David arrived to ask if dinner was ready. Told him I was having a crisis. He offered to make space in freezer while I cleared up. I believe it is now all in alphabetical order. Super.

Jim started to cook dinner (macaroni cheese with bacon and leeks and chicken pieces – I killed two of the cockerels last week.) I continued to ice the other girl’s cakes. Then Becky arrived home. Went to do her washing and informed me that dog had pooped all over utility room floor. Was not very grateful to her for telling me. She left and hid in room for a bit.

Finally, cleared up poo, cleaned up very messy kitchen, finished making dinner and fed all the animals.

Had big glass of wine.

Hope your evening was better than mine.

A Snapshot of New York in March

Posted by anneethompson

A Snapshot of New York in March

A Quick Trip to the U.S.

Husband had a work trip in New York, so I decided to tag along. I knew it had been snowing (even more than usual) so chose my clothes carefully: no thick sweaters because all rooms, restaurants and taxis would have heating on full, very thick coat because outside would be freezing, walking boots because paths would be wet and salty. This all worked well except that I had not thought about the journey. As we walked through the exec lounge and sat in first class on the plane, everyone else was wearing suits and smart shoes. I pretended I was part of Bear Gryll’s production team and dirty walking boots were completely normal footwear. Think everyone was fooled. (Except for husband, who banned the woolly hat until we had left the airport.)

Stayed in the Chatwal Hotel on 44th Street btwn 6th & 7th Ave. Very nice place to stay, comfortable and clean with excellent facilities and art deco furnishings.

When we first arrived, I wanted to go and see the flower display that Rebecca Law had done in the Viacom building in Times Square.

I had seen it on the internet, so was interested to see it myself.

There are three different art displays, one in each entrance and one at the top of the escalators, before you go through the security barriers.

I liked them a lot, especially the upstairs one as it was in a smaller area and you could smell the flowers as they dried.

It was interesting to notice that people leaving the building all tended to look up at the display as they passed.Most art displays become ‘invisible’ after a while, where as this was clearly still being looked at.

We spoke to a man who worked there and had been involved with assembling the display. He said it was quite hard work. I think he enjoyed talking about it more than he had enjoyed actually doing it.

Strolled around. There were piles of snow heaped in the gutters and all the paths were very wet. I liked looking up, seeing all the different levels of rooflines. Lots of huge billboards flashing brightly lit adverts. The streets smell of roasted chestnuts and hotdogs as you pass the vendors. It was so cold, any exposed face actually hurt.

Went to Duane Reade – useful if you travel with someone who snores (earplugs), are feeling unwell (medicines), or have lost your luggage (make up and toiletries.) They also have food for when you wake at 4am wide awake because the time zone is different.

Passed the New York Public Library, which I have seen many times but never actually been into, so decided to go inside. It has a beautiful entrance, you walk up marble steps into a marble lobby with many staircases.
I walked upstairs and came to a hallway with a beautifully painted ceiling and lovely carved door frames. Went into a room, where people were working at long tables and portraits lined the walls. There were no books. I had seen the library in a film where they had burned books to keep warm, so I was pretty sure there should be books. Unless they had burned them in real life?
Explored a bit further. Still did not see any books. There were lots of doors, which were locked. Found more paintings and a book in a glass case. Began to find this amusing. Were there books in this library? I wondered if the architect had got carried away with making it all look lovely and had then decided he did not want it spoiled with lots of books. Maybe the initial brief had been unclear. Guessed this may have caused some arguments, especially as the word ‘library’ had been carved above the entrance.
Asked a guard if there were any books. He directed me into a room of map books. Not really what I had hoped for. Saw lots of people studying microfiche, but no books.
Decided to go back to the entrance and ask at the ‘information’ desk. Felt a little surreal to ask “Are there any books in the library?” However, found a very helpful little man who looked like he should have been selling magic wands. He explained that actually this was a research library. He told me that most books – novels etc – are kept in the library opposite. He then clearly decided that as I was foreign, I may not understand what a library was, so went on to explain that residents could obtain a library card and could both read books or even borrow them and take them home for a week or two. Managed to keep my expression interested and surprised. Thanked him and left. I still have a feeling that I somehow managed to miss a huge room full of books, but I never found it. Beautiful building though.

Went to bed about 5pm. Woke about 3:30 am. At 4am, gave up on sleep and got up. Decided to try and find a deli or diner for some breakfast. It was snowing quite heavily, so very happy to have my sturdy walking boots and big coat. Did not expect to meet anyone, so pulled on jeans and coat over pyjamas. Felt rather adventurous to stand in Times Square wearing pyjamas!

New York at 4am is very nice. It is still brightly lit and feels very safe (I wouldn’t go down any small alleyways but main streets were fine.)

Lots of people were around – mainly shift workers and homeless people I guess.

Found a deli and had bagels and coffee. Nowhere in the world does bagels and coffee like New York. Perfect.

Walked past the ABC studios. They have a window into the studio, so you can watch them filming the breakfast show.

We were joined by a lady who became very excited to see Mary Mary about to perform. Apparently they are famous gospel singers. We joined her in waving excitedly and they looked pleased and waved back.

Luckily they didn’t know we had absolutely no idea at all who they were!

At 8:30 NY time, we went into the hotel restaurant and had pancakes and more coffee. (I was showered and dressed by now, in case you were wondering.) Had a stack of pancakes and maple syrup. Another New York essential. I figured this counted as lunch if I stay on BST.

In the afternoon we met some friends. Got a taxi (they allowed us to fit 4 people) to Central Park. It was so pretty with all the snow.

Ate in Tavern on the Green. This is a lovely restaurant right in the park, inside had lots of art deco furnishings, outside twinkling lights reflecting on the snow. It had comfy seats (makes a big difference to a meal!) and an open kitchen so you could watch the chefs. When we had eaten there previously (1999) it had a smart dress code but now it is casual, so jeans were okay.
Food was nice but my body thought it was 2am and could not cope with eating much. They packed up the remains of my dinner ‘to go’, which all restaurants in US seem happy to do and it takes the guilt out of having a small appetite.
A lovely evening in a beautiful venue.

Didn’t go shopping, but there is every opportunity if that’s what you enjoy.

It would at least be warm.

Another, colder, option is to visit the Intrepid Aircraft Carrier museum on the Hudson.

You could then eat in a typical American diner.

I ate in the Market Diner on 11th Ave and W34 street.

Had pie and coffee and pretended I was Jack Reacher.

A slightly more luxurious alternative with a much better view is dessert for $12 at The Mandarin Oriental on Columbus Circle. Afternoon tea is $48 (or $80 with a glass of champagne.) If you want a window table (which you will) then be sure to book it when you make your reservation.

Another fun thing to do is to walk along The High Line. This is a disused elevated freight railway, which has now been turned into a park/walkway. In March, with all the plants under snow and in freezing wind, is probably not the best time to see it. However, even in arctic conditions it is interesting. You can see lots of old industrial buildings, there is random artwork along the route and best of all you can walk for nearly two miles without constantly stopping for road junctions. (Walking in New York is mostly slow and disjointed unless you are in Central Park.)

Being in New York is always fun, always easy and there is always something to do. Even a short trip is worth the jet lag.
(And if you happen to know where the books are in the public library, please do tell me in the comments below!)

If you enjoyed this, you will love my new book: The Sarcastic Mother’s Holiday Diary.
I have always written a diary on holiday, so last Christmas, I decided to find all my old diaries and blogs, and make a book for my children. However, several other people also asked for a copy, so I have written a public version – it’s available on Amazon and has been described as “The Durrells meet Bill Bryson”!

Why not buy a copy today? I think it will make you laugh.

The US link is here:US link

https://www.amazon.com/Sarcastic-Mothers-Holiday-Diary-ebook/dp/B07N95281F/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549015525&sr=8-1&keywords=the+sarcastic+mothers+holiday+diary

The India link is here: India link

https://www.amazon.in/Sarcastic-Mothers-Holiday-Diary-ebook/dp/B07N95281F/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549015429&sr=8-1&keywords=the+sarcastic+mothers+holiday+diary

The UK link is here: UK Link Here!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sarcastic-Mothers-Holiday-Diary-ebook/dp/B07N95281F/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549014970&sr=8-2&keywords=the+sarcastic+mothers+holiday+diary

Thank you for reading
anneethompson.com
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Milan, Italy

Posted by anneethompson

Milan, Italy

Family Diary August 2009

Day 1: Train from Verona to Milan, 1½ hours. Rather hot because the air conditioning broke.
Checked in to Hotel De La Ville, booked through Citalia.
Nice hotel with good facilities. Looked at pool (small), bar (pleasant) and fitness room (looked okay.)

Walked around Milan looking for somewhere suitable for a family to eat that did not involve taking out a mortgage. Found a pub, which had a free buffet (which was not especially nice) with drinks plus you could order food. We had lasagna and pizzas.

Wandered around the cathedral, which was very pretty.
There is a nice big square outside where the whole world hangs out.
The outside of the cathedral is covered with some pretty cool gargoyles.
Very gothic.
It took over 600 years to build – which seems excessive until you see it. I expect it caused a few arguments at the time.

Strolled around some posh shops trying on perfumes.

Day 2: Buffet breakfast. We were quite late in eating and it looked like it had been there for a while, though the selection was good. The best bit was a little news sheet that you could pick up as you went in (in various languages.)

Walked around Milan.

Found a ferrari shop.
Bought a ferrari bag.
Also bought a ferrari hat for a friend’s new baby (my family felt he would have sufficient teddy bears and cute clothes.)

Saw a few pretty squares and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Which sounds like another church but is actually a four storey arcade of shops. I am not much interested by shops but the arcade was worth a visit.

I sat in the cathedral square and drank espresso while the family continued shopping. It was the most expensive coffee I have ever sipped, but I told myself I was paying for the atmosphere, not the coffee (or the dirty table.) Watched the world go by.

Bought some Dolce & Gabbana perfume (not sure how my daughter managed to persuade me into that one) and wandered around with the D & G bag pretending to be rich.
Sandwich/burger from a food hall.
Boys swam in pool on hotel roof (were not impressed by how shallow it was.)

We went to an art gallery. Saw some fantastic art (and some really bad art.) We had wanted to see ‘The Last Supper’ at Santa Maria delle Grazie, however tickets need to be prebooked a couple of months in advance, which we hadn’t realised.

Went to hotel gym with boys. They went in the jacuzzi (which was broken). We used a few machines but all the best ones were broken or had pieces missing. Shame.

Ate in McDonalds. By far the poshest McDonalds I have ever been in!

Walked down to Sforza Castle. This is a fifteenth century castle and at night it is floodlit. There is a big fountain in front and it is very pretty. Had ice creams.

David and I had drinks in the hotel bar. Pleasant.

Day 3: I went to Mass in the cathedral (Duomo). People were queuing to go inside but if you are attending Mass you can go straight in. You need to be appropriately dressed (covered shoulders and knees.) I found it hard to follow the Italian, though there were some discernible words. I just liked being there.

Walked back to the castle. It was way too hot and felt a lot further during daytime. Drank lemonade in the gardens.

The kids stood in the fountains (other people were too, so I figured they wouldn’t get shot.) A man approached David with some English passports he had ‘found’. He wanted David to go with him to a phone box to phone the owners. David said he would use his mobile at which point the man became very aggressive and snatched them back. I took photos of him which I later showed some police who were in the cathedral square but they were completely disinterested.

Dinner in a restaurant at the top of La Rinascente which is a shopping mall selling designer stuff (pretty boring unless you like that sort of thing) but has a very interesting food hall at the top and a restaurant on the roof. It was lovely, we sat in the balmy evening air over looking the gargoyles on the Duomo. Very atmospheric.

Had drinks (and hot chocolates) in the hotel bar and played cards.

Day 4: Collected hire car and drove to Lake Como.

Puglia, Italy

Posted by anneethompson

Puglia, Italy

Family Diary 2012

Monday: Drove from Sorrento to Puglia.
Mammoth journey, took forever. Loads of traffic – most of it on the wrong side of the road whilst over taking at least one car and two scooters on a blind bend.
Also had a detour due to a forest fire.
Nice lunch at a service area – freshly cooked burgers and nice sandwiches.
Arrived in Torre Canne about 4:30.
Spent a long time looking for Hotel del Levante. (We booked this holiday through Citalia but I think they no longer use this hotel as it isn’t on their website. I don’t know why – it wasn’t the prettiest hotel we have stayed at but we liked it.)
We unpacked and looked around.
It all felt very foreign after the Sorrento Hotel Bristol and was much less luxurious. However, it was clean and the pool and beach were excellent.
Dinner was okay.
Slept well even though it was quite noisy.
The rest of the family stayed up.
There was a shared computer in the foyer which James had a dispute over with another guest (who felt that he was more important so told James to let him use it. Man was now on Mike and Mark’s hit list.)

Tuesday: Got up and walked along the beach to the lighthouse.
There were lots of men setting up stalls on the beach selling beachwear and toys. Hotels were setting up their chairs on the beach, ready for guests.

Breakfast.
Big discussion about that evening. The hotel was holding a Gala Night which involved paying an extra €15 per person to ‘cover drinks’ (we had already paid for dinner in our ‘half board’ rate). Which was quite a lot for six of us and we had to pay even for those who wouldn’t drink.
Coffee at breakfast was nasty, but the hot chocolate was good.
There was a buffet breakfast with a good range of fruit, cakes, cheese, eggs etc.
Some people took food from breakfast to eat later (which I am not sure was ethical.)

Swam. We were invited to play volleyball. We lost, but not too embarrassingly.
Went in sea until David told me there might be jellyfish. (We did not see any jellyfish the entire holiday, so he may have been lying because he was bored with me swimming.)
Pizza lunch from pizzeria next door.

Went to Gala night.
It was brilliant so I am very pleased that we did!
They had set up a fountain in the pool, there were lights in the trees, ice sculptures, flowers and candles.
All very beautiful.
We sat at tables around the pool, listening to the sea.
There was a huge buffet, which we thought was the main meal but then they served dinner! Lots of food, lots of wine.
There was a band with a singer, then fireworks, then dancing.
They brought out a massive chinese lantern which they lit using a blow torch and set off to float above the sea (we were a little nervous at this point in case it set fire to the guests, but luckily no one got burned – would have rather spoiled event…)
Lots of people came onto the beach to watch the dancing – I am assuming they walked up from the town. Mark did one of his frenetic dances and they all cheered (proud mummy moment.)
Was great fun.

Wednesday: Very sleepy.
Late breakfast at 9.
I went back to bed, family went on beach.

Went into town just as everywhere was shutting. David bought a ball. Mike didn’t buy a tee-shirt. Becky didn’t buy a jumper (yes, a jumper. Why? It’s boiling hot!) Everyone hot and grumpy.

Drove back to hotel. David only went wrong once, family very restrained in their feedback.
Hotel man looked very depressed when we gave him another car to fit into his over crowded car park (maybe he drank too much last night too.)

Spent the afternoon in the sea and pool.
Boys took inflatable boat into sea. Didn’t float to Corsica (lucky, would have been inconvenient.)
Becky was presented with shells – was not especially keen on the crab claws or the bits that were still alive.
I swam with David for a while and did not get stung or eaten.
Read and had an ice cream and an espresso next to the pool. Felt very contented.

Dinner was slightly dysfunctional (the staff must have been tired from the previous night.)
The house next to the hotel had a party. Extremely loud music for much of the night. Not much sleep again.

Thursday: After breakfast went to Alberobello.

Saw lots of trullo.

These are little round white houses.

They were first built in the fourteenth century. The Count, who owned the land, told all his workers to build them because they could be quickly dismantled when the land was inspected and he could avoid paying taxes.

They were pretty, but it was too hot for them to be interesting for long.

I bought a cushion cover for my collection (more expensive than ones bought in Asia or the rest of Europe or US!)

Mike didn’t buy a tee-shirt. Becky didn’t buy a bikkini (but at least she was now looking at weather appropriate clothing.)

Friday: Breakfast at 9.
Every morning, David woke the boys by phoning their room with an annoying poem or song. Every morning James answered and put down the phone. It was a little ritual. Do hope he never phoned the wrong room.

Did nothing. Nice.
Last night, the boys watched a horror film where the main spectre was called Natasha. Today, when they were swimming, a small girl joined them. They asked her name. She said ,“Natasha.” They then both roared, “Na-ta-sha” back at her. Luckily she seemed completely unalarmed by this and continued to play pool volleyball with them. Must have had older brothers.

Saturday: I walked along the beach before breakfast.

I really liked that beach.

It was packed with whole families, mostly Italian, from grannies to babies.

Sellers walked up and down with swimwear and beach toys.

Everyone was relaxed and enjoying themselves.

After breakfast we drove to a zoo but it looked a bit naff and over priced.
Drove on to some caves.
I wandered around gift shops and had a coffee in the shade and read.
The family went into the caves and said they were excellent.
Had lunch there (not overly efficient service.)

Drove back to hotel. Got petrol – always an adventure in small town europe if you don’t speak the language. This time we had to pay in advance. Worked it out eventually.

Sunday: Day by sea and pool.
Boys played volleyball against various teams, including ‘marathon girl’ (who was a very pretty teenager who was also rather good at volleyball!)
The hotel staff wandered around, inviting people to join in various games. It was ideal for a family.

I stopped worrying about people ‘stealing’ from breakfast. Everyone seemed to do it and were very open about it. One old lady even took foil with her to cover her plateful!

Enjoyed the sea. Had big waves.
Nice dinner (they were sometimes a bit random.)

Chatted, then James took his holiday photos. All of them, for the entire holiday. In his room. Not going to be an artist I feel.

Monday: We packed.
We asked to keep one room until we left in the afternoon. Everyone moved their stuff in.
We swam and played on the beach.
Made sand animals on the beach and lots of people stopped to look at them. Clearly the Italian word for “Dragon” is “Crocodee” Showered, pizza, played Catan.
Flew home. Good holiday.

anneethompson.com

Garda, Italy

Posted by anneethompson

Lake Garda, Italy

Excerpts from a family diary August 2014

Wednesday: We arrived at Hotel du Lac du Parc, booked through Citalia. I had recently had surgery, so David and I drove there via France, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria. It was a lovely drive, really interesting and the traffic was okay.

Met the family there (they flew.)
I walked around the hotel grounds. Very pretty gardens with lots of little ponds with bridges and ducks. There are chalets in the grounds where you could stay (seemed to suit people with young children who prefer to self cater.)

There are also two swimming pools, one which seems more suited to young families. Both have plenty of sun loungers next to them and a nice mix of shade and sun. We liked the one next to the bar, where you could buy drinks and ice creams and take them back to the loungers.

I was feeling ill so had dinner in my room. The family ate in the hotel restaurant then played cards in the bar.

Hotel is nice.

Bathroom light seems to be permanently on, which is a little odd.

Thursday: All had breakfast on the terrace.
Very nice food.
Nasty coffee and juice from a machine. Then realised that other people were ordering drinks from the waiters. We copied and then had very nice coffee and fresh juice.

Mark said he did not want to see the opera in Verona, which we have already bought tickets for. David said that was fine, but he had to then pay the €120 for the ticket.
Mark then asked, “Why would you pay so much for me to not enjoy something?”
I decided not to join discussion.

There are dogs here which is nice. Someone has allowed their dog to wee in the lift, which is not nice.

Went to pizza place opposite hotel for lunch. Villa Aranci. Very nice, rustic setting, not too expensive Boys had tankards of beer, I had some nice wine.

I slept. Everyone else swam.The hotel provides blue swimming towels, which is good (some hotels do not allow you to remove towels from the rooms.)

Becky sunbathed. Boys then played “How near to Rebecca can we throw the ball and not hit her.” They do not improve with age.

Nice dinner in restaurant. Family went to watch a jazz concert in town, I went to bed.

Friday: Pouring with rain, which was disappointing.
Breakfast.
Relaxed day doing very little.
Lunch at pizzeria again.

Nice dinner then had hot chocolate in the bar and played games. Everyone discussed the bathroom lights, which are always on in all our rooms.

Saturday: Raining again.
Family went to hotel gym or read/slept.
Went to Co-op near hotel and bought food for lunch.
Ate on balcony (each room has a balcony overlooking the garden.) Mark chose beer, nutella and crisps. Great diet….

Family played Catan then swam.
I walked into town with Nina (Riva del Garda, a five minute walk from the hotel.)Saw a band.

Sunday: Not raining. Excellent.
Breakfast, then family swam. An Austrian boy joined them at the pool.

Walked into town and looked around. Some nice shops selling touristy things.

Pizza in restaurant next to lake. Bottled water which arrived open and tasted of ‘tap’.

I slept, family went to pool and played volley ball.
Were joined by a group of Germans. Mark said he managed to use all three of the German words he knows. One is a swear word. Super.

Found a switch under the mirror in the bathroom. This operates the bathroom light. Informed family.

Nice dinner. The restaurant staff are really friendly. They have noticed that James eats the most, so always give him a huge portion.
David always orders three bottles of wine: a nice one for us (and anyone else who wants it), a sweet white (usually Becky and Nina drink that) and a red (for just Mark. Hmmmm)

Monday: Another cloudy day.
Gave up on pool when it started to rain.
Walked into town (5 minutes) and got a ferry to Limone. It was very windy on the ferry, wished I had worn something warmer.

Limone was a pretty town. Had some nice little shops for buying trinkets.
Had coffee and ice creams, then got the ferry back.

James told us that going to reception to say that you have lost your key card for the fourth time is embarrassing.
Rebecca told us that she is going to make an “I am 22” badge. (She gets a lot of attention from boys in the 12 -15 age bracket!)

Tuesday: Rebecca did the ‘ice bucket challenge’. The concierge (male) seemed delighted to throw a bucket of iced water over her.

Drove to Verona.
Stayed at Romeo and Guilietta hotel (booked through Citalia).
We had been told that parking was provided. They showed us on a map where we would probably find a parking space (which is not what we were expecting) and gave us a permit.
I was ill, so slept in room. Family walked around the city and had ice creams.

Watched Madam Butterfly in the arena. Is such a magical setting. This time we took cushions to sit on and bottles of drink. They confiscated the bottles, though we were allowed to pour the drink into plastic cups. (They said it was due to the health risk from glass bottles. However, there were people wandering throughout the arena selling glass bottles of drinks, so was somewhat inconsistent!)

Wednesday: Returned to Garda.
I was ill so stayed in room.
David, Nina and James took big inflatables to the lake and floated around on the waves.
I was too ill to go into dinner. The staff were very accommodating and let David order from the restaurant menu and then bring it to me on a tray. So much nicer than having to pay for room service.
They also started to ask if David had murdered me, as they had not seen me for some time!
During the meal, the room started to shake. I texted to ask if we were having an earthquake.The family all rushed upstairs thinking I was having a funny turn! They assured me I was imagining things, should stay in bed and went back to finish their meal.

Thursday: Another sunny day so family relaxed at pool.
News reports were all discussing the earthquake tremors from the previous day (Ha.)

Saturday: I finally felt well enough to go into dinner.
It was fun but clearly the family had become rather out of control in my absence: Mark received a menu with additional comments, such as, “okay but sauce no good” scribbled next to each dish. The head waiter was adding his own recommendations! David produced a list of Italian phrases copied from google translate, which he proceeded to read while the waiter waved his arms in exasperation. James confided that he has now lost his room key six times, so has ‘borrowed’ the cleaner’s one.

Sunday: Mark has been to keen to try the little “make your own tart” things at the buffet breakfast. Unfortunately, the pastry case (which in fairness, does look remarkably like a small ice cream cone) turned out to be cardboard. It is for collecting jam in, not eating. He realised on his first bite.

Breakfasts were nice. There was an extensive buffet and in one corner was the ‘egg lady’ where you could line up and ask her to cook eggs, omelets or pancakes.

David and Mark, James and Nina decided to take two man canoes out onto the lake. There was a cabin in the hotel garden where you could hire canoes and life jackets.
They went out and I took photos.
Such beautiful scenery.
Rebecca then switched places with Nina and the two boys went together.
They managed to tip up and lost James’ tee shirt, which he had been using as a back rest.
Also, at some point, each male decided to stand up. Individually. For no reason. Why would you feel the need to stand up on a canoe? It is like climbing towers and throwing socks in random places: one more thing about men that I cannot understand even a little bit.

Monday: During breakfast, James’ room key fell out of his pocket. (I have lost count now.) A nice lady pointed it out.

The family drove up into the mountains around Garda. They said it was cold! They took some great photos of the views.

Mark locked one of James’ shoes in the safe. He then lost the code. The only option was to ask the security man to come and open the safe. There was some discussion as to who should do this. I have absolutely no idea how they explained that it contained only a flip flop.

At dinner time, there is a miniature orchid on each table. Very pretty. Nina caused ours to have a slight mishap. May try and switch it. Or glue it?

The hotel is full of German people. I guess they drive down, presumably with their dogs. I have had to instigate a ban on mentioning the war or speaking loudly in a fake German accent. (Do other mothers have these problems?)

We left for our long drive home.

This was such a lovely hotel, with friendly staff. Even being ill here was nice because they had such a relaxed manner. It was clean and pretty with lovely meals and lots of activities, most of which we didn’t manage to try. I definitely hope to stay here again. Next time I will hire bikes, and get the ferry to all the little towns around the lake and maybe walk up a mountain or two. Will also be ideal if I ever decide to bring my ducks on holiday….

Palma del Rio, Spain

Posted by anneethompson

Palma del Rio,Spain

Family Holiday 2008.

A learning experience……

Saturday 2nd August (Please note the month. It matters…)

Flew to Malaga.
Waited over an hour for Hertz hire car to be ready.
Drove to Palma del Rio.
The instructions, map and actual road numbers all completely different. Felt somewhat stressed. Spent about an hour in Palma del Rio trying to find villa.
In the end we phoned the owner and forced Rebecca to use her GCSE spanish and get us directions. (She actually did rather well.)
Met Pepe.

Villa very pretty, lots of dark wood and comfortable furniture. Rather smelly (of poo.)

Extremely hot.

(This villa can still be booked through: holidaylettings.co.uk I notice that it now has air conditioning. If your husband ever tells you that ceiling fans are just as good as air conditioning, do not believe him.)

Went to Supermarket in Palma del Rio. Hard to find stuff without speaking spanish.
Bought food and cleaning materials.

Family swam, I cleaned villa (it wasn’t dirty, I just could not work out where the smell was coming from and felt better knowing that I had thoroughly cleaned everything myself.)

So hot. At 9pm it was 40º.

Sunday: Fuse blew at 6am and everyone woke because the fans stopped working.

Late breakfast then swam, read, relaxed.

Evening, had dinner in Rio del Palma. Most restaurants have shut for August (because it is so hot that everyone who lives here goes somewhere else! This area is known as ‘The Frying Pan’ and I know why now…)

Walked through a park and had an ice cream and some nice sangria.

Monday: Shopped, had pizza lunch then swam.

Went into Palma but did not manage to find the Tourist Information Office.

Ate dinner in a restaurant that used to be a monastery. Menu was all in spanish. When we used the dictionary we translated it as ‘road kill’, ‘chatty aubergine’ and ‘gizzard’. Meals pretty awful when they arrived (so maybe those were the correct translations after all.)
Puddings were very nice, so was the sangria.

Way too hot.

Tuesday: We found the Tourist Info but they didn’t speak any English.

Did very little, too hot.

Wednesday: Had a very nice coffee in town and strolled around.

Drove to Cordoba. Saw mosque turned cathedral, lots of arches. I found it more interesting than the boys did.

Cordoba very pretty, lots of narrow streets selling silver. I bought a silver necklace.

Had hot chocolate and churos.

Walked around a park.

Found a nice tapas cafe.

Walked some more. My feet hurt (probably swelled up in the heat) so bought some leather sandals. Then got a whole new lot of blisters in different places.

Walked to a horrid square. Ate horrid ice creams.

Drove back to Palma. Passed a castle on a hill which was lit up so it looked exactly like it was floating in the sky. Magical.

Thursday. Did nothing, too hot.

Dinner in Ecija, in a museum restaurant (was better than it sounds.)
We were always the only customers in all the restaurants.

Friday: Swam and lazed.

Saturday: Went into town and managed to buy postage stamps without Rebecca helping! Had lemonade and coffee.

Drove to the castle and had a beer. I got locked in the toilet. For ages. Family didn’t notice.

Sunday: Rebecca traumatised as there was a lizard in her room. Mark not overly sympathetic. I tried to catch it and chased it behind the wardrobe, which didn’t seem to reassure her.

Went into town for a coffee. It’s nice coffee but I swear the price went up a little every day. David tried to order coke instead and the man asked if he wanted milk in it, so gave up and had coffee too.

Went back to villa to find a mouse swimming in the pool.

Went to chinese restaurant in Palma. Nice, lots of food, really tasty.

Drove to Cordoba. Found Salon de Te. Very interesting. Had drinks and tapas.

Drove home via a really cool square – Plaza Cappuchino – full of low lights and candles.

Monday: Drove to Seville.
Followed walk in guide book for a while but extremely hot and children complaining.
Gave up and went back to Palma for dinner.

Tuesday: Lazed around.
Started planning another trip to Seville tomorrow, will be better prepared this time.
I did some washing in the children’s bathroom and noticed sewage bubbling up into the shower tray. This explains the unfortunate smells.

Wednesday: Men came and emptied the septic tank. Stinks.

Drove to Seville.
Left the children at an amusement park with a telephone and lots of instructions about staying together.
We got a taxi into town. I had worn comfortable shoes.
Wandered around Seville, very pretty (though still hot.)
Had coffee.
Had a horse and carriage ride around the city and park – much the best way to see the city without dying of heat exhaustion.

Tried to buy a tea pot but all the shops were shut..
Collected the children. They had all had fun except for James who was slightly hysterical due to a scary roller coaster that Rebecca had insisted he went on because they weren’t allowed to separate.

Drove back to stinky house.

David made cocktails then gambled with the children. (Sometimes not convinced we would get any parenting prizes.)

Thursday: Coffee in town.
Tried to order a bread and tomato dish that we have seen other people eating. Failed. (Stupid waitress.)
Tried to buy a tea pot. Failed. (Stupid town.)
Read swam, played cards.
Went for a drive (in search of tea pots. Failed.
Dinner in Palma, then watched a Jude Law film in Spanish. Was not great.

Friday: Had coffee at the ice cream parlour in Palma. Nice. David had crushed tomatoes, olives and bread with oil and salt. He was happy.
Drove around, swam and lazed.
Dinner at a nice hotel in Ecija.
Packed. David appeared to be trying to pack the drawers but he assured us he was mending them.

Saturday: Home. Felt cold.

Two Days in Dubai

Posted by anneethompson

Two Days in Dubai

November 2012

We caught a Virgin flight from London Heathrow to Dubai International Airport. A taxi then took us to the Sheraton Hotel in Dubai Creek.

The Sheraton was lovely, with a beautiful foyer and our room had great views across the creek to the city. When it was clear we could see all the main sky scrapers. When it was hazy we could watch the boats lined up in the creek.

Day One: David was working, so I decided to try and find the Gold Souk. I don’t speak any Arabic, so was nervous about using public transport on my own, so I wanted to visit somewhere I could walk to.

This was also my first visit to a muslim country, so I was unsure of what was appropriate. I asked the concierge, who assured me that I did not need to cover my head unless I planned to visit a mosque and my dress (long sleeves, high neck line, long skirt) was sufficiently modest. She said I was safe to walk around on my own but it was very hot so most women didn’t walk.

I set off, armed with a map and an iphone which I didn’t know how to use. The hotel was right next to the creek so for a while I was distracted by all the boats unloading. It was hugely interesting to watched relatively small boats which were stacked high with everything from plastic chairs to washing machines. It was amazing that some of them had made it across the sea, they seemed much too heavily laden.

There were also lots of men. While I was staring at the cargoes, they were staring at me. It felt uncomfortable so I moved on.

I found a shopping area on a main road. Stopped to look at small supermarkets and shops selling plastic shoes and cheap handbags. All the other women were wearing black abayas (long cloaks that cover other clothes) and despite the heat, I was tempted to do the same, as I found all the men stared at me and I didn’t like it.

Found a cheap clothes shop and bought a long black tunic and hijab (black headscarf.) The tunic was fine but I didn’t know how to tie the hijab and my attempts looked silly (I looked more like a washer woman from a child’s story book!) I would have asked a random woman in the shop but no one seemed to speak English. Decided to wear it anyway. If I had found a full burqa I would have bought one. I love the thought of being able to hide. Would have been great for the school run when the children were young or for nipping to the shops in pyjamas.

Lots of the shops had interesting textiles and fancy shaped coffee pots. There were also lots of mosques. Whatever your religion, you cannot deny that mosques are pretty. I once read that the castle in Disneyland is based on a mosque, and I can see why.

I found the area where my map showed the gold souk should be, but I couldn’t see it anywhere. Tried to find someone who spoke English. Failed. Then spotted a small shop where they took in sewing, run by Chinese people. I went in and asked if they spoke mandarin, which they did. Excellent (Note, if, like me, you are not very good at learning languages, learn mandarin. It is the only one you need. There are Chinese people in every country I have ever visited.) They said I was actually right next to the gold souk but at the back. They pointed out how to find the entrance.

I looked around the souk. Window displays full of gold. Also, a lot of dodgy looking men suggesting I might like to follow them to buy a fake watch or designer handbag. I didn’t. The whole souk seemed to have only men in it. Some wore European style clothing, some wore traditional white thobes (Arabic dress.) I saw very few women and they seemed to all be wearing full burqas and escorted by men.

Left the souk and tried to find my way back to the hotel. Got thoroughly lost. Found a tiny spice souk. A very friendly man (who spoke excellent English) showed me round. It smelt wonderful and was very interesting. I thought about buying some frankincense (just because I had never seen it before.) Didn’t. Then spent the rest of the trip wishing I had and also knowing I would never be able to find my way back again.

Continued to be lost for some time. There were lots of people, so I wasn’t worried, it felt safe. Found a main road. It was busy, full of cars and also a man pushing a hand cart. Found the waterfront. It was beginning to get dark.

There was a call to prayer. It drifted across the water, a lovely sound I thought. All the men stopped their activities and knelt on little prayer mats to pray. I didn’t see any women praying and wondered why.

I realised I was at the wrong waterfront, this was not the creek where my hotel was. Felt slightly concerned that maybe women are not supposed to walk around after dark on their own. Managed to find someone in a shop who spoke English and got directions. Returned to the hotel unscathed.

David finished work. We had dinner in the hotel, then got a taxi to the main part of the city. Saw the sky scrapers (but I think you had a better view from our hotel.) Went to a shopping street and I bought a cushion cover for my collection. Also bought some gifts and a weirdly shaped tea pot. I bought a white throbe and a ghutra (checkered headscarf) and egal (black rope you tie scarf with) for the dressing up box at home.

Day Two: David didn’t have to work so we got a taxi to Royal Mirage Hotel for breakfast. It was beautiful.

We walked around a bit. It was very pretty, very clean (and very ‘fake’.) There was even a souk, but a rather sanitised version of the ones I had visited (and a lot more expensive.)

We had an extremely nice breakfast sitting on an air conditioned balcony.

We left via the main reception area, which had the darkest black men I have ever seen, dressed in costume opening car doors as they arrived. I asked if I could have my photograph taken and they were very friendly. I wonder if they mind that their job is just opening doors for rich people and being looked at as a novelty. Maybe they are just happy for the money or are students doing it temporarily. I hope so.

Went back to our hotel. Drove via a beach which we went to look at. Not allowed to take photographs because of modesty laws.

We had arranged a trip through the hotel with Arabian Adventures (arabian-adventures.com ) and were going to see the desert. We were advised to wear sturdy boots for walking on the sand and trousers for when riding on camels. Very exciting!

We were collected from the hotel by a silver 4×4. We then drove to two other hotels and collected other tourists, before driving off to the Dubai Conservation Desert. We then met up with several other Landrovers, all identical. They stopped and changed the tyre pressure, then we set off.

First we were driven to a small camp where we watched a falcon display. Then we were taken for a short camel ride. Great fun.The key advice would be, lean back hard when they stand up. Camels really stink. They also had mouth guards, so I am guessing that they bite. My children will be pleased to learn that I do not wish to ever own a camel.

Then we went ‘wadi bashing’, which basically involved driving very fast across the dunes. It was not unlike being on a roller coaster. I was grateful for the seat belts and roll bars, not that we needed the latter. One man felt car sick, which added a little tension to the trip.

We stopped to take photographs of the sunset. I think it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The whole desert seemed to change colour as the sun dipped.

We then drove to a camp. It was lovely, all set up in the style of a beduin camp. We sat on cushions around long low tables and watched belly dancers in the candle light. We were then given a shisha supper, which was delicious. Although we didn’t know anyone else, there was a lovely atmosphere and people chatted and were very relaxed (perhaps it was sharing the common bond of not being sicked on by the poor travel sick man!)

Finally, we were all returned to our hotels.

An excellent day from start to finish.

Why not buy a copy today? I think it will make you laugh.

The US link is here:

https://www.amazon.com/Sarcastic-Mothers-Holiday-Diary-ebook/dp/B07N95281F/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549015525&sr=8-1&keywords=the+sarcastic+mothers+holiday+diary

The India link is here:

https://www.amazon.in/Sarcastic-Mothers-Holiday-Diary-ebook/dp/B07N95281F/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549015429&sr=8-1&keywords=the+sarcastic+mothers+holiday+diary

The UK link is here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sarcastic-Mothers-Holiday-Diary-ebook/dp/B07N95281F/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549014970&sr=8-2&keywords=the+sarcastic+mothers+holiday+diary

New York and Denver to Las Vegas

Posted by anneethompson

New York and Denver to Las Vegas.

New York and Denver to Las Vegas

New York and Denver to Las Vegas

Excerpts from a family holiday diary

August 2010

Thursday: Flight from Heathrow. David used his Virgin Gold card to get us all into the executive lounge. Very nice, will forgive him for all those business trips. We made good use of the facilities. Becky had a haircut. We had cocktails and champagne, then a meal. Boys played snooker while we read papers and had coffee. Very nice.

Flew Economy to JFK. Flight lasted forever.

Arrived JFK. Got monorail to Avis. Rented totally massive car.

Drove to Hilton in Montvale. Nice but am way too tired.

Friday: Got bus into Manhattan. Checked into W hotel in Times Square. Very trendy. Suite. Bathroom had a glass wall, very strange – who wants to watch someone using the toilet?

Looked down into Times Square. Pedro spent ages looking out and learnt the sequence of all the electronic billboards. Can recite them. Sad. Clever, but sad.

Walked around. You feel like you are in a movie set in NY. So many people, everyone rushing, shops you can get lost in, sirens and cars beeping, smells wafting from all the fast food places and delis.

Ate at Smith and Wollenskys. David and James shared a huge steak (half a cow.) I ordered chicken, expecting a portion and a WHOLE chicken arrived! Delicious food but too much. Excellent red wine. Fun evening, ate and laughed a lot. Didn’t see anyone famous.

Saturday: Breakfast at Starbucks.

We all queued outside Abercrombie and Fitch, waiting for it to open. I had an argument with a woman who pushed in. Can’t quite believe I did either of those things, embarrassing.

Went downtown. Saw Statue of Liberty, China town, Little Italy. It’s nice to just walk around, looking at places.

Lunch in a diner. So american! Had booths and everything! Pedro had philly cheese steak. Very NY.

Got bus to Woodcliffe Lake, then taxi to Hilton.

Dinner at Applebees. A comfortable restaurant, reminds me of Beefeater in the UK but with lots of sports paraphernalia on the walls. Becky got told to move further from the bar – I always forget how strict the US drinking laws are.

Shopped.
Really really tired.

Sunday: Church at Cornerstone Christian Church in Wycoff. Saw a few people we recognised. Good music with a band, interesting talk, friendly people.

Went into city with some friends. Ate at a mexican restaurant. They kept bringing us huge platters of food. Really nice.

Walked through central park and round zoo. Very hot. Central Park always surprises me, such a big park in the middle of the city. Saw lots of places I recognise from films. The zoo is small and smelly but nice if you like zoos (which I do.)

Back to friend’s house. Take-out pizza.

Monday: Pancakes at IHOP on Route 17. Perfect! Quantities still huge though. It is not possible to only order one pancake, they come in stacks. All the coffee everywhere is ‘bottomless’ (free refills) which is wonderful.

Went to a friend’s pool. Swam, chatted, relaxed. BBQ chicken and corn with friends. Then went to Paramus Park Mall in the evening. So big! Dairy Queen ice creams, then said goodbye – always sad.

Tuesday: Gym and swam at hotel. It’s a nice hotel, very inexpensive and convenient being so near the city but also in New Jersey, so you can see a little of ‘real’ America too. Breakfast in hotel lounge. Bagels – I had forgotten how fantastic the bagels are in NY.

Drove round Upper Saddle River, saw the house where we used to live. Remembered all the traffic laws – like having to drive slowly past schools, not being allowed to park on the street at night, having to stop if you see a stationary school bus. Also all the ‘unwritten’ rules, like watching the opposite traffic lights and moving the very second your light turns green or you get honked!

Went to Summit, met friends.Sandwiches from a deli for lunch. Had forgotten how easy it is to get nice food in US. Summit is nice, lots of trees, lots of typically american houses, clean and peaceful.
Went to town pool. In US, most towns seem to have a town pool. You have to be a resident of the town to become a member but can then invite friends. It’s where people meet their neighbours and spend summer afternoons. It doesn’t really have an english equivalent.

Wednesday: Breakfast. Packed.
James informed me that if you hide shampoo they keep leaving more. (Horrid image of hotel shampoo stashed in mini fridge comes to mind…..) Becky added that it doesn’t work with hairdryers. (Not sure how she would know that.) The boys swivel chair was in the bathroom. They told me they had used it in a game. I decided not to ask… (Tip for parents of boys: If its not dangerous, illegal or mean, then you are probably happier not knowing.)
Boys raved about how comfortable their beds were and even went as far as looking at the name on the mattress!

Newark airport. Awful.

Flew to Denver.
Collected another car the size of a caravan and drove to Best Western in Dillon. Next to a lake. Very pretty.
Ate in an American Restaurant. Nice.
James threw lemonade over Pedro, who was surprisingly good about it.

Thursday: Beds do not compare well with Hilton, bad night’s sleep.
David went for early walk and came back with coffee for everyone.
Breakfast bar in hotel. James used internet in lobby. I looked at views across lake.

Supermarket trip. Family stocked up on bottles of water and gateraid (which no one likes, so not sure why.)

Drove. Went through a dodgy town (it had a ‘Kum and Go’ – didn’t stop to find out WHAT that was!) Listened to audio book. Drove. Denver to Vegas is shorter on the map…..

Amazing scenery. Amazing weather. Few rain showers, fantastic clouds, snow at one point when we were really high. Mountains, lakes, trees, rivers, cattle ranches.
Stopped at Bongo Billy’s deli (yes, real name!) and bought sandwiches. Boys bought food from a Subway opposite.

Had ice creams in Ouray. Cute houses, looks like a cowboy film set. Spent some time wandering around. Interesting curiosity shops.

Drove up a steep mountain pass – scary. Brilliant red rocks. Followed annoyingly slow lorry.

Pizza Hut in Durango.

Arrived at Holiday Inn in Cortez. Really nicely decorated with lots of American Indian stuff.

Friday: Slept well.
Breakfast not so good. Polystyrene plates and plastic spoons. David burnt finger on bagel. I put sugar on oatmeal, then discovered it was mushroom soup (don’t know how I missed that one!)
Got petrol.
Becky spotted meercats. But they aren’t really meercats, must be cousins.

Found track to Valley of Gods (not easy, drove along someone’s driveway at one point. Lucky we didn’t get shot.) Saw amazing rocks. Road very rough.

Back on main road. Totally straight, no bends for many miles.
Saw eagles eating dead horse.
Looked at American Indian stuff on stalls next to road. Interesting but expensive.
Went to a visitors centre. Looked across a valley to an ancient town built into canyon wall. Looked like a toy town because the canyon is 4 miles across.

Drove to Tuba City, checked into Quality Inn Motel.
Lots of American Indian stuff.
Ate in restaurant next door. All other customers Native American Indian. Not sure if that’s a good sign or not. Nice pink lemonade. Very pink. Menu had food poisoning warning at the bottom, rather put me off my dinner.
Bad night due to motel having a blocked toilets problem (not ours). Maybe related to food poisoning warning on menu…..

Saturday: Went to Indian Trading Post. Interesting, some good stuff.

Drove to Grand Canyon. Found really good place to stop, amazing views.
Saw eagles soaring. Beautiful. You cannot help but be amazed at the size of the canyon. It deadens all sound and sucks you into its peacefulness. Best if you avoid the main car parks which are touristy. Bought a Christmas ornament.

Drove to Las Vegas. Queues at Hoover Dam, checking for terrorists.
Drove down The Strip. Checked into Mandalay Bay hotel. Nice room, tele in bathroom.
Met my sister who has come down from Calgary.
Mandalay Bay is nice if you like massive hotels. It was clean and the rooms had everything we needed.

Sunday: Starbucks breakfast. James awake and smiling. Pedro awake but not speaking, just making rude gestures.
Pool, incredibly hot. Lazy river nice but too crowded.
You remember you are in a desert as soon as you step outside of the hotel.

Lunch in a diner. Huge portions again.

Walked to other casinos: Luxor – impressive (though males rather distracted by bikini clad girl in lobby.) Excaliber – pretty castle outside. MGM – boys remembered rainforest cafe. Too hot to walk further.
Las Vegas seems different to when we visited in 1999. It seemed smarter then, everything looked new and people were well dressed. Also, all the food was very cheap due to hotels making their profit primarily from the casinos. This time it felt slightly old. Lots of people were very casually dressed and the food was pricey. It felt like it was trying too hard.The casinos didn’t feel excitingly low lit, they just felt dark, as if they couldn’t afford any more light bulbs.

After dinner, drove to Bellagio. Amazing lobby, like a giant garden. Watched fountain/music display.

Monday: Coffee and donuts in room. Swam, chatted, relaxed.
Drove to Venetian to pick up theatre tickets. Ate in their Italian restaurant (waiters were arguing.)
Saw gondoliers and giant toffee apples.
Went to Phantom of Opera show. Nearly late because traffic was so bad. Show was short but good scenery and singing.
Drove home past erupting volcano and fountain display.
To date, seen 4 brides, 2 Elvis’, 2 show girls in a car park.

Tuesday: Donuts and coffee.
Packed.
Swam and sunbathed.
Drove to airport, which is right at the end of The Strip, so very easy.
Nine and a half hour flight home. Ugh.

xxxxxxxxxx

Please note: Some (one) names changed to protect the identity of persons involved. (I do not know why their identity needs protecting and maybe should be worried……)

Anne E Thompson

Author

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Letters to a Sister 3

Letters to a Sister 2

Letters to a Sister : 1

A Snapshot of New York in March

A Snapshot of New York in March

A Quick Trip to the U.S.

Milan, Italy

Puglia, Italy

Garda, Italy

Palma del Rio, Spain

Two Days in Dubai

New York and Denver to Las Vegas

Main menu

New York and Denver to Las Vegas

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