Travel Prep | The Travel Lady In Her Shoes

Thursday’s Doors, Stourhead

The Gate Keepers Cottage, Stourhead

Today’s Doors come from the gardens at Stourhead, a National Trust estate in Devon, UK. This summer as part of my “English Garden Tour” I again explored many fine estates and gardens, both public and private, as I toured along my path to Cornwall and then back to Sussex and Kent.

These are photos of the fabulous doors I found at Stourhead! If you would like to know more about the estate look HERE in the previous post about it!

When you arrive at Stourhead, you pass the gate keepers cottage. I loved the door, and the look of the cottage was just my style.

I can’t imagine living in the estate house with all those pictures to dust and all those rooms to clean. Of course, the owners of Stourhead didn’t have to do any of that either! They had plenty of servants, housemaids, butlers, farm workers, gardeners, and ground keepers to maintain their 2600 acre estate. But, I am glad the National Trust preserves not only the manor house, but all the out buildings as well. It gives you a proper prospective of things, although I imagine the estate cottages and out buildings are nicer today than they were back in the day!

Stourhead, of course, has the estate house and this was the door that welcomed you in! There are lots of rooms to tour here and a very interesting family history.

The Main Entry Door at Stourhead Manor House

The Manor House at Stourhead, (Notice the Main Entrance and the Servants Entrance!)

Then there are the out buildings and these doors were some of my favorites!

The Mossy Green Door at Stourhead

A Close Up of the Limey Green Door, Stourhead

A Close Up of the Mossy Green Door, Stourhead

I love that stonework too and the door defines the mossiness of it!

A Thursday Window That I Liked Too, Ha Ha

Another Outbuilding with Limey Green Door and Fantastic Windows

Another Outbuilding with Mossy Green Door and Fantastic Windows

Workers Cottages at Stourhead

The Row of Workers Cottages at Stourhead

Of course the connected worker’s cottages were my very favorite! And they all had Red Doors!

The Red Cottage Doors!

This is just one of many photos in the Thursday Door Collection featured by Norm2.0! Won’t you join in or take a peak at all the doors? See you next week!

Some Things Are Never Easy!

The Dreaded Airport!

I’m back from vacation!

As one gets older things are not so easy! I put this post under the Travel Tips category, but maybe it would be better under Travel Warning!

My observations:

The long term parking lot gets farther and farther away from the airport. At our airport the only solution was to walk from the new LONG TERM lot to the departure Terminal! A good 30 minutes and pulling/carrying luggage to boot! Are you kidding me?

There is a great deal of distance to walk in the airports now to get on or get off a plane! You know you are in trouble when the signs are posted to let you know how much time is needed to get from A to B! 20 minutes? Are you kidding me?

At the Departure Gate, a good hour is spent notifying passengers to MAKE SURE their wheeled carry-on luggage fits in the bin used to measure said luggage. No one pays any attention to said notifications, but the passengers begin to eye up everyone’s carry-on luggage. When the announcement to board plane is made the boarding attendant personally asks, as she takes your boarding pass, that each passenger place their carry-on luggage in measuring bin to see that indeed your carry-on is the proper size. Most fail, and passengers get to leave their luggage, to be properly stored in the baggage section on the plane. Results: Over 1 1/2hours to board plane and plane is an hour late taking off! Check YOUR Baggage in the first place!

The seats on airplanes are getting smaller and smaller and I sit in business class!

After arrival at destination, to get to the Car Rental Station, one does the required 20 minutes from Landing station to terminal, including 3 sets of escalators, and more walking to wait in line at Passport Control. Following Passport Control, you are off to claim baggage in another section of the terminal. From there you exit the terminal, walk over the sky bridge to another building and take a set of elevators to the ground floor and a large bus terminal. Now you wait in the proper bus line that it took you 20 minutes to figure out, because there are lots of buses going everywhere and you must wait on a particular brand of Car Rental Bus that finally picks you up and takes you to the hinterland where the said Car Rental Station is. At the Car Rental facility there is another line and although you have pre-booked everything there still is a line and finally after a thorough car examination, by the attendant, you can escape the airport. Now the fun begins because you are driving on the opposite side of the road and on the opposite side of the car than you are used to! There is always an adjustment period, and lots of driving reminders from your better half! There, now didn’t I make that sound more civil than it actually was? But, who cares you are out of the Airport!

Moving on…………………now to return home.

On final arrival at destination, at the end of the trip, new adventures await. There are now new computer kiosks to check your passport, take your picture, and get your fingerprints. This all has been added since you departed the same airport three weeks prior. You still get to talk to the agent, who asks if you have any food with you, or plants before he welcomes you back to the US.

Waiting at the baggage claim, you wait and wait and wait, because this time your plane arrived early and it seems every other plane has arrived at the same time too. TWO hours later you have your luggage, (this is the reason no one wants to check their bags) as you watch the Customs Line get longer and longer and six lines deep. Once in line with the throng of other people, the beagle sniffing drug dog is the only thing one finds remotely amusing! Who knew they used little beagles for this job? When you finally get to Customs (after another 1 1/2 hour wait) I am again asked about any food or plants and after 2 seconds of questioning I am allowed to pass. I want to Run out of that airport Screaming, but I don’t. There is probably another line for that!

Believe me when I say ONE NEEDS a Vacation from the Vacation upon return! My front porch may be my next vacation spot!

PS OK, My ranting is over! I did have a lovely time in England doing my annual garden tour. As always, there were some setbacks and some new unplanned adventures. Read all about it in future posts, now that I have re-couped from the air travel! Have you had similar experiences? I have traveled to Europe at least once a year for over 15 years and I have never experienced “Airport Situations” as this years! And I get to experience it again in September!

PSS…….If one is looking for gainful, steady employment I think the drivers of the small shuttles that Beep, Beep, Beep along while taking passengers from one spot to another, may be a good prospect with job security to boot! I can’t see the “Airport Situation” getting any better any time soon! There, all is off my chest!

Great Expectations

A Young Daphne du Maurier

No this is not about the Charles Dicken’s classic novel. It’a about how I always have such “Great Expectations” before I set off on a new adventure (vacation)!

My new adventure is Cornwall in the United Kingdom and I am really looking forward to it. So I have been doing some research (as always) and this time was led to books by Daphne du Maurier, an English novelist who wrote between 1931 and 1989. She was born in Cornwall in 1907 and died in Cornwall in 1989. So I think she would know about Cornwall! Three of her books were written specifically about life in Cornwall; Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, and Frenchman’s Creek. So I ordered a book from the UK that contained all three books. It was published in 1939 and the book itself was a treasure. The binding was like new, so someone cherished this book. There was that musty smell that old books have, with the pages yellowed on the edges. I felt the book had just left the library of Miss Jane Marple’s cottage in St Mary Mead! I have a good imagination, don’t I? Agatha Christie is another author I enjoy! Imagine my surprise to find out that the sweet looking, Daphne du Maurier, who wrote these fantastic romantic novels, also wrote The Birds, which was made into an equally famous movie by Alfred Hitchcock!

I read all three novels (they were romance) and I did get a good perspective of the sea, coves, bogs, moors, smugglers and inns in Cornwall. I got a good idea of the Cornish people as well; very sturdy those folks! So now in my mind I have “Great Expectations” for Cornwall. I googled Jamaica Inn with the plan of going there, since it still is a working inn. The reviews, however, were very dismal. The location is off a very busy road (as it was in the old days) but the Inn is more like a rest stop on a toll road. Very touristy. It did not meet my expectations, so rather than ruin my dream I’ll think of Jamaica Inn as written in the book.

Another book I read before my vacation was The Lost Gardens of Heligan by Tim Smit. Wow, this garden has been in Cornwall since the 1600’s and there is quite a story here! Heligan is on my “List of Gardens” to see during my Second UK Garden Tour. I won’t spoil it for you, but I must say, I think it will be the first garden I’ve ever visited that had an exorcism by a priest in the 20th century! Now that should interest you, it did me!

One of The Lost Garden of Heligan Sculptures

I was also inspired by all the documentaries, mysteries, and great TV programs to be found on the Acorn App (all British TV) that is streamed to my TV! I hardly watch anything else now! No sex, no violence, no filthy language here! How refreshing! I especially like all the Agatha Christie, Miss Marple series, with my favorite Miss Marple being Geraldine McEwan, who was the sleuth from 2004 to 2009. What a darling old lady she was! I am glad I got to peek into her cottage at St Mary Mead (on TV) because I know I will see small villages that are very similar on my Garden Tour and I just know my book came from one of those cottages! Hopefully, I’ve offered some inspiration for your pre-travels, it’s good to know something about the place you’re visiting, so you get a feel of it before you arrive! Great Expectations To You!

Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple

AnyList: A Must for Planners!

Make a List

I am a list maker! And an itinerary maker, a book reader, a blogger, a plan maker, and oh yeah, a grocery shopper! So I am always looking for a better way to keep it all together! And I want it on my IPhone, my IPad and my computer, simultaneously. And all in one place!

This week I have been experimenting with the App ANYLIST and I love it!

Here are the reasons why:

I can quickly create any Organized Custom List I want and find it on my IPhone, my IPad and my Computer in one place. I can make Folders and keep lists in each folder. For example; I have a “Travel Folder” and in it I have a “Travel To Do List”, a “Packing List,” and an “Itinerary List,” to name a few. I also have a custom “Book Folder” with lists in it, and a “Blog Folder” with lists. All kinds of Lists and each in it’s own Folder! I can mark items off the Lists one by one or create a “Favorites List” to save items for the next time I travel and I won’t have to make each List over again. I can just add new items to the custom “Favorite List.”

I can share my lists with friends or family or mark them private.

It makes a FABULOUS Grocery List! It automatically puts your items in a grocery category and you can customize the categories to the Layout of your grocery store and how you shop there! For example; if you go down the vegetable and fruit aisle first at Kroger, the fruits and vegetables would be first on your list at that store. Do you shop for different items at different stores? Do you shop for bulk items or at vegetable stands? You can customize your grocery items to different stores or locations.

If your husband is like mine and wanders a different way in the store, the list can be set up for him with his shopping pattern!

You can import recipes from the web or write your own and save the ingredients to your List. It also saves the actual recipe and instructions too, and shows which item goes with what recipe. And puts the Recipes in categories too, like,” Main Dishes, “Breads,” “Pasta,” whatever category you want them in.

You can take a picture of an item, if you want a specific brand of anything. This is good too if your husband is shopping for you, as he will most likely come home with the only product you didn’t want, or buy several different kinds of something because he had no idea what you wanted! I know this from experience ladies! You can also add a note to the Grocery item, such as to remind yourself you have a coupon.

You can add anything to any List by Voice by using Siri! I Love this, I don’t even have to open AnyList to add something!

Location Reminders alert you when you go by your Grocery Store, etc. that you have items on a List for there. So you won’t get home and say, “I drove right by the grocery store, or CVS, or the cleaners, and forgot I needed some things!” Your Lists can be categorized to your local store, how cool is that?

So, if you are a List Maker like me or an Organizer, this is the App For YOU! Enjoy!

PS…… I needed some help with one of the instructions and a real person answered my email promptly. Another great thing. And they send out new messages periodically to review a feature of the App, so you will get full use of it! Absolutely LOVE IT!

PSS… I am posting this under my Tuesday Travel Tips even though it is not Tuesday. I have too many tips to post and not enough Tuesdays right now.

Before you Go on Vacation You Might Want to TEP!

Let’s TEP!

Where are my emails? What info did I have in my Itinerary? How can I send a post and a picture to my family? How do I see all the maps I downloaded? How do I call my vacation host? What’s the weather for today? I need my Wi-Fi!!!

Does this sound like you when on vacation?

It’s that time of year again when I’m off for a vacation and absolutely DREAD turning on my International Service on my phone! The roaming rates are sky high to begin with and I am at the mercy of internet service at my place of lodging! We do not EVER use the free Wi-Fi services offered at coffee shops or other places. They are not SECURE!

So this year we are using TEP, a portable Wi-Fi, for Smartphones, tablets and laptops.

Why are we going this route?

Here are the benefits:

It is a small hand held device that provides internet access with your own Wi-Fi network and your own personal password. It will fit in my husband’s pocket or my small purse!
It will connect up to 5 devices at the same time, in every country that I would ever think of going to! Even on a cruise ship!
It has 8 hours of battery life with a 20 hour standby time. It comes with a battery charger too.
There are no set up or cables required.
There is no Data limits or caps.
You can rent the device or buy it. (We travel a lot so we bought one, the fees are lower per day and you are only charged for the days you use it. If you rent one it is mailed to you and then you are charged a flat fee for every day it is in your possession, whether you use it or not and we didn’t want to have the hassle of sending it back every time)
There are no ROAMING FEES!
24/7 customer support. Get in touch via phone, email, chat, or social media!
100% No BS money-back guarantee, guaranteed.
The reviews were fabulous!

This is going to be one less headache when traveling! And with the money saved I can buy another plane ticket for a vacation! Yipee!

PS I am posting this under my Tuesday Travel Tips even though it is not Tuesday. I have too many tips to post and not enough Tuesdays right now.

JustPark: How To Find a Parking Space ANYWHERE in the UK!

My Abarth, Zoom, Zoom!

Time for the annual Garden Trip to the UK! YEAH! For Americans there is the thrill of driving on the wrong side of the street with the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car! Now if that is not enough to say you are having fun then let’s add looking for a parking space in a village with unknown, very narrow streets where you pull in the side mirrors to keep from hitting the cars that are double parked on the only main street. And these are the villages that have only one main road!

Last year, after driving from Heathrow Airport to Tenterden, we thought we were well into the feel of the wheel so to speak. The hardest part is pulling out onto the road, we tend to forget and go back to our old ways on the wrong side. It’s good to have another person with you to remind you, “You are on the wrong side dear,” or more like, “What the hell are you doing? You’re on the wrong side!’

When we arrived in Tenterden we immediately began our quest for a parking lot. We wanted to go to the grocery store and have a look around town before we went to the B&B. We pulled into a lot and a spot after waiting for someone to pull out. It was a very busy lot to say the least, but we were so glad we had even found a parking lot! We got out of the car and noticed quite a few people were sitting in their car. Well that was good because we couldn’t figure out how to pay the meter. There was only one at the end of the lot. A very nice man came to our aid and said we had to put in the number of our license plate to correspond with the number marked on the pavement of our spot in the lot. Back to the car to get all the proper information. Then back to the parking meter and after having to get the correct change made from quite a few of the car sitters, we were making quite an impression. Then I noticed a very sick looking woman walking with crutches from across the street to the car park. As I looked up I saw the sign, “Surgery Parking.” It was what we call, the doctor’s office parking lot. OMG! So we went and moved the car. We drove down the street a little further and found the entrance to the grocery store parking lot. Imagine our amazement that you pay to park here as well! But at least we knew how to pay the meter and after again getting change from some more of our new car friends, we were able to get out and about. Now picture this scene, to some extent, in every town we visited. At least after that first day we always tried to keep a lot of change with us!

This year I found the App, JustPark, an app for parking in the UK. I tried it out to see if it would actually work in some of the places I was going. It did. Just put in location. The map pops up with the location of the lot. Then pick a lot, if there is more than one. Sometimes in really small places there is no lot, you may be parking in a private drive close to your location. It also shows how far you are from particular sights or events. Good to know! A virtual camera shows you the actual parking space. It asks you what day you want to park there and for how long, and you can extend it without returning to the lot to put more money in a meter, so no parking tickets either! The App shows you the fee to park there. Because I have put my credit card info into the app, at home on a secure computer, my spot is paid for when I get there. The map screen shows me exactly how to get to the lot! I hope this works as well as I want it to! It will make my day so much easier! Check out JustPark.com! Oh and how do I always have wi-fi everywhere abroad? Without the roaming fees that drive me crazy? See my next post on TEP!

PS I am posting this under my Tuesday Travel Tips even though it is not Tuesday. I have too many tips to post and not enough Tuesdays right now. And no I am not taking my Abarth!

One Word Photo Challenge: Cage

Montefolonico, Italy

Here is a Stone Sanctuary in Montefolonico, Italy. Are they trying to keep the stone mushrooms in or out? Inquiring minds would like to know!

Look here to participate the One Word Photo Challenge presented by Jennifer Nicole Wells!

Guest Blog: The Jazziest Tram in Rome

TramJazz Rome, Italy

Doing tons of research about “things to do in Rome” I came across TramJazz. This is typically only a little fun-fest known to locals. Extensive research pays off. TramJazz is basically what it sounds like. It’s a “tram” that features “jazz” music accompanied by a traditional Italian 4-course meal. There are different types of jazz music featured, but on the night I was able to attend with a friend, it was, “Wonderful World”, a tribute to Louis Armstrong. When booking, you get a choice of sharing a table of four or sitting at a table of two. We chose to sit at a table of four. The TramJazz departs Piazza di Porta Maggiore at 9pm. The tram is really a trolley car that is on a cable track. When you arrive, they check your reservation and then show you to your table on the tram. The tram seats 22 guests. There are 3 servers and a 2-piece band. Upon being seated we were greeted by our table mates. They were a cute Italian couple that didn’t speak any English!!! Our server brought us wine and our first course. The menu was in Italian only, and the tram had very little lighting, so seeing what we were being served was a bit of a challenge. This was tough for me because I am a very picky eater. The first course was a type of black licorice bread with sausage, ricotta cheese and honey. The tram started on its journey. It was night time so seeing the city all lit up was really nice. The jazz musicians could only play music when the tram was stopped. After traveling for about 20 minutes the tram came to a stop in front of the National Museum. The jazz musicians began playing. They played 4 to 5 songs while we were stopped. We also were served our second course. It was Eggplant Parmesan with tomato sauce. We knew it had to be really good because all of the Italian people on the tram were licking their plates. The tram was back on the move. It took us through the “old city” and landed at The Colosseum. We were able to get out here and take a few pictures. The jazz music continued, as well. We were served our next course when the tram started moving again. This time we received Broccoli Lasagna, another homemade dish, using the freshest ingredients. The last course was my favorite, it was Citrus Gelato! YUM! We also were given unlimited wine the entire night!!!! The tram was now back at Piazza di Porta Maggiore and we were off the tram and headed back to our hotel. It was about a 3-hour ride. The music was absolutely fantastic and definitely a fun thing to experience. I mean, how many people can say they listened to Louis Armstrong on a Trolley through Roma?

The price of the tour is $65.00 per person and if you want to have an authentic Italian meal with the locals, enjoy jazz and want to see Rome at night, this is the tour for you!

Ryn Jarrett opened her web business, Roman Holiday Italy Travel, in 2016. TramJazz is one of the tours she reviewed as a recommendation for Roman Holiday Italy Travel. Please feel free to check out her business page at www.romanholidayitalytravel.com.

Color Your World: 120 Days of Color; Scarlet

My Scarlet Shoes

It’s Spring and time to think about new shoes!

I think every woman should own at least one pair of Scarlet shoes, don’t you? Nothing perks you up and makes you feel sexy than Scarlet shoes! Scarlet shoes can make even the plainest/dullest outfits come alive! I love my Scarlet shoes! I love all these shoes, especially, because they are good for traveling!

Multi Colored Dress Up Shoe

Go With Everything Casual Shoe

They are stylish, lightweight, versatile, and support your foot with those elastic, stretchy bands. If they get dirty (no way), but if they do, you throw them in the washing machine! Voila good as new! Who knew they could make such a practical and stylish shoe? As you see I have different styles and colors for every adventure. There are oodles to select from! I buy them at the Charleston Shoe Company, in Charleston, South Carolina. You can order them online too, take a peek!

PS I don’t have nail fungus! It looks like I do, if you look close up at my feet in these pictures! I painted my toes a funky green for Easter! SB told me to Never use that color again! OK, OK, an experiment that did not work!

Scarlet was the name given to Torch Red in the 1998 Crayola Collection. It is also known as Shag Carpet Orange in the “Retro Colors” set. It is Chili Pepper Red, and the color for New Mexico in the “State Crayon Collection.”

This post is just one of many in the Color Your World: 120 Days of Crayola Challenge!

Check out some of the other 150+ challenge participants, it’s amazing what we have done with the Crayola colors!

Color Your World: 120 Days of Crayola; Cornflower

The Lonesome Cornflower Blue

Cornflower has been in the Crayola Collection since 1958. In the “Colors of Binney & Smith” set, a special collection in 2003, it was known as Century Cornflower.

In the “State Crayon Collection,” it was the color for Minnesota, known as the Lakes of Blue.

Did you know that in 1959 the first Crayola TV ads appeared on the Children’s TV show Ding Dong School? Ding Dong School was known as “the nursery school of the air” and was a half-hour children’s show which began in Chicago, IL. The hostess was Miss Francis. Who remembers Miss Francis? Raise your hands! Ding Dong School was the precursor to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Sesame Street!

This post is just one of many in the Color Your World: 120 Days of Crayola Challenge! Enjoy!

Frances Horwich 1955

	CadyLuck Leedy on Meet the Family: Kinlet to Act…
	CadyLuck Leedy on Meet the Family: Kinlet to Act…
	Dawne Novelo on Meet the Family: Kinlet to Act…
	CadyLuck Leedy on Charleston Farmhouse, Home of…
	travelphotosafari on Charleston Farmhouse, Home of…
	Kaye on Bateman’s: Home of Rudya…
	CadyLuck Leedy on The Dirt on the Domestics; Lif…
	Jacqueline Prichard on The Dirt on the Domestics; Lif…
	Thursday Doors: Door… on The Eyüp Cemetery, Istanbul,…
	CadyLuck Leedy on From Cong to Dingle
	Elizabeth B Labrie on From Cong to Dingle
	CadyLuck Leedy on Thursday Doors: Davidson …
	Bespoke Traveler on Thursday Doors: Davidson …
	CadyLuck Leedy on Conwy Sites and Mawr!
	darwinontherocks on Conwy Sites and Mawr!

Travel, Gardens, Food, Photography, Books, Shoes

Posts from the ‘Travel Prep’ category

Thursday’s Doors, Stourhead

Some Things Are Never Easy!

Great Expectations

AnyList: A Must for Planners!

Before you Go on Vacation You Might Want to TEP!

JustPark: How To Find a Parking Space ANYWHERE in the UK!

One Word Photo Challenge: Cage

Guest Blog: The Jazziest Tram in Rome

Color Your World: 120 Days of Color; Scarlet

Color Your World: 120 Days of Crayola; Cornflower

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: