Canterbury, England

A worthwhile trip so far. The team is winning, met old friends. It has been very windy as assorted storms pass overhead but we have had only a very few minutes of rain to affect the cricket match.

These recently constructed apartments offer a good view of the cricket. I was told that those on the top floor sell for around £500,000!

Something I didn’t know about Canterbury! Despite having been to the city many times, I have never seen this memorial. Hidden away in the back streets, it’s only because I am staying in a different place to the usual that I spotted it. The second picture below explains it.

The inscription does not say that they were Protestants, convicted of heresy. They came from all across the county of Kent, brought to Canterbury the county town. There were other burnings in the county, and throughout England, during the same period.

The memorial, which was erected in 1899, stands in Martyr’s Field, which at the time of the events was outside the city.

Two weeks in England

I am back in England for two weeks, to watch the final matches of the County cricket season with my team, Kent, needing to win one game to guarantee promotion to the First Division. First game is in Canterbury where yesterday it was quite warm, 22ºC, but very windy owing the to the remnants of a tropical storm passing by.

Next week will be in Birmingha, where I have never been for a cricket match and where I have not been at all for about 20 years. Should be interesting on both counts as the match is against the top team in the Division (Warwickshire) and could be a championship decider, depending on the results of this week’s matches.

A boat trip along the coast

Last night, I and several members of the Balaia Bowls Club took a ‘sunset barbecue’ boat trip along the coast from Albufeira. A very pleasant evening it was too, even though the sea was a little rough at times. A couple of pictures to begin with below, more here. Some of the rock formations are pretty amazing and so are the fantastically expensive houses perched on top of the cliffs.

Our boat managed to get inside the cave at Benagil. The rock formations along the cliffs are a geologists delight. Puzzles me slightly how the same rocks can be eroded by the same sea in so many different ways, including the creation of the pinnacles and arches.

Walk from Carvoeiro to Ferragudo

Last week I was very silly. I was feeling the inactivity since returning from France. I had taken a bus to Carvoeiro and spent some time there and decided to take a bit of a walk along the cliffs between Carvoeiro and Ferragudo. Last time I did, I got lost and ended up in a thorny jungle.  It wasn’t so bad this time as recently a marked footpath has been created (the Camino dos Promontórios or Headlands path) which at least makes it easier to find the way – mostly. I did miss the path once or twice but it wasn’t difficult to pick it up again. It is a well trodden route but it not for the faint hearted. Much of the going is along rough paths strewn with loose stones, there are sneaky tree roots everywhere and some very steep ascents and descents.

The path is about 7 kilometres and it took me a little over 2 hours, but I came off a little before the end at the Praia dos Caneiros and walked into Ferragudo village along the road before I stopped for a much needed pint!

A pleasant afternoon and I didn’t really feel the 30ºC heat because of the sea breeze. But I knew all about it next morning! If you are tempted, there’s nothing along the way, take water at least. You can do this in a kind of circle either way by taking a bus to Carvoeiro and walking a little further to Parchal for a bus back, or do it in reverse starting at Parchal or Ferragudo. There’s nothing along the way, take water at least. Complete photos including several of Carvoeiro beach in the sunshine.  Photos here.

Visit to Toulouse August 2018

Visit to Toulouse August 2018

Finished by trip to France with a few days in Toulouse. My second visit after several years. Toulouse has much to see, a mix of an old and historic centre and more modern avenues and boulevards. The Garonne river and the Canal du Midi cut right through the city creating open spaces and an airy feel. Add the many parks and gardens and some nice walks can be had.

I have a few pictures here. The Roman arena was viewed through the fence as it is open only on a Sunday afternoon. In truth there isn’t a great deal to actually see as the remains are scant. It was reckoned however to have had a capacity of 7,000 with a later extension perhaps raising this to 10 or 12,000. The location is strange, being a long way outside the city in what must have been a farming area. I had this vision of the fans tramping home miserably after a poor game, no trams or buses in those days and probably the taxi chariot driver didn’t turn up. Most of the Roman period legacy of Toulouse is long buried under more recent buildings. Toulouse escaped mass destruction during World War Two so much of the early city centre is intact, including the  11th century brick built Cathedral.

I have tried to find out more about the barn at Barricou but failed. It is obviously very old. It sits rather incongruously in a modern linear park out near the Airbus Industries plant.

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Visit to Albi August 2018

Visit to Albi August 2018

A very popular tourist destination, Albi is known as the Red City because of the many distinctive red brick buildings, including the massive cathedral. Some pictures now via this link https://1drv.ms/f/s!Am0w7qp9HCpqhJlUer8fbIVgquMdSg

For those without cars, Albi is 1 hour by train from Toulouse. There are also trains from Paris via Rodez including one of the few remaining domestic overnight trains in the country.

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Visit to Lesparre

Took a day out last week to visit the town of Lesparre, primarily to the Tour de L´Honneur. The Tour is all that remains of a 12th century castle which one dominated the area and was in fact English until the year 1453, that same year of the battle of Castillon which marked the end of the 100 years war.

Lesparre has a huge church, the church (in English) of Our Lady of the Assumption, whose tower hits the sky. Close inspection reveals part of it to be in very poor condition.

The Tour de L´Honneur houses a nice collection of exhibits from recent and more distant times agriculture, wine making and resin collection. They also have special themed events in the grounds.

My pictures at https://1drv.ms/f/s!Am0w7qp9HCpqhJkSeNGMTu_cibOEHw

The tower is open for afternoon visits (1430 to 1830) between March and October except on Sundays and holidays. In July and August it is also open in the mornings from 1030 to 1230 except Mondays. It is closed at lunchtimes. The exhibits are labelled only in French but there is a brief guide available in other languages.

It is NOT suitable for those with mobility issues. A spiral staircase is required to reach the upper floors and the roof.

Free parking outside. For those without cars it is 5 minutes walk from Lesparre railway station (local trains from Bordeaux) which is also where local buses stop. The town centre, with all the usual amenities, is also about 5 minutes walk.

You can read about it on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_l%27Honneur

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