The white cliffs of Dover

The White Cliffs

A little excitement this week as we finally got our bank card. Its basically a debit card, but you can't get one until you live here about a month And there are a number of things you cant get (like a cell phone) until you have one. So we were able to get our I phone hooked up and running on Sunday. Before that i had bought a one month plan and Leanne had her work phone.

We decide to take a trip to Dover on Saturday and see the White Cliffs. It would be another hour train ride to get there, part of it on a high speed train. Coach seems to be getting the hang of mass transit, the bus and tube he tends to just sit, with the train he will lay down. So far on the train trips we've been able to get seats with a table. The table gives Coach an area to lay down.

About 6 stops on the way out with one connection (switch from on train to another) and like last week the county side was fantastic. About 3/4 of the way there we started to see views of the English channel and the coast of France. 

As we arrived we were greeted by the view of the largest castle in England, Dover Castle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover_Castle

We may make another trip here to see it.

From the train station we walked to town and the beach. It was a stone beach with no sand, and not all that crowded. About 200 yards out there were a lot of swimmers that looked like they were swimming some type of course.

Past the beach are the ferry boats, lots of them. It took us about an hour to walk from the beach to the start of the cliff walk and we must have seen four ferry's leave and four more come in. Its a huge port with lots of trucks and cars waiting to get on them. The ferry's are about the size of a cruise liner and can hold up to 1,000 cars. As you looked across the channel you could see the boats coming and going all day. France can be seen in the distance. 

About 2 miles into our walk we looked back to see where we had been. Far off is the beach, the ferry port to the left and another view of the castle.

The view was stunning and we could not have picked a better day. The temps were in the 70's and as you can see clear sky's all day.  Leanne's cell phone kept getting info for France and mine got them from France and Belgium. 

There were a lot of people walking the cliff walk, young and old. From this point we would be walking to the light house far off in the distance. Also at  about this point we got to the Fan Bay Deep Shelter. During WW II there was a gun battery here along with a series of tunnels where the service people stayed. The guns are gone but the tunnels are still there for tours. 

More info about this and the white cliffs are on this web page.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/white-cliffs-dover/?p=1356319341746

And there is no guard rail at the edge of the cliff. Over here they figure if your dumb enough to walk off the edge, go for it. 

After a stop at the light house we hiked down to the city of St. Margret. We had been told that there was a nice pub down by the beach.

After a long walk down we made it to the pub for a couple of pints and some fish and chips. This pub has the distinction of being the closest pub to France.  

Another stony beach, Leanne said the water was not cold, but it was weird not walking on sand.

Being we walk down to the beach the only way out was up. A short climb up a busy road and thru a walk way of stairs and we got to a bus stop for our ride back to Dover. So far for most of our travels we have been able to take a bus from one town to another. They seemed to be doing that right here, and we see no need for a car.

A day trip to Oxford

We decided to take a day trip to Oxford on Saturday. For this trip we would have to do a few transfers on modes of transportation. We started on the bus, switched to the tube and then switched again at Paddington station to get on the train to go to Oxford.

Being used to just hopping in a car to go places it sounds like a lot. For the most part its all very easy after being here a few weeks.

After a short time we were out of the city and into the farming country. Along the way we saw the  canals  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canals_of_the_United_Kingdom)  that were used for shipping before the coming of the train. After an hour on the train, along with a few stops we made it to Oxford. We would be doing a 5 mile walk in and around town starting at the Oxford Castle and finishing at Stanford Lock.    

   In England women seem to wear hats for special occasions, this one was for a wedding.

If your wondering why the oars, today was also the  Oxford Royal Regatta.

 This canal is part of the Thames canal system, we saw lots of narrow canal boats like this one. There are some that can be rented, kind of like a house boat only smaller and narrower. The couple on this boat were in there probably in there early 70's.

 Our guide book said that this area is were the Ox would cross (ford) the river in 900 AD.  And that is how the town got its name.

 The building in white is the Salters Steamers company that does river trips. It was founded in 1858, its amazing the history we have seen while we are here.

 The start of the Royal Regatta crew race.

The race was a two day event, the day we were there the races were over a 1000 m course. There were single on up to an eight person crew, men, women and mix groups racing two boats at a time.

Along the river banks were about 12 boat houses that held all the boats. Each was owned by either a college, city or local rowing club.

 Coach and I taking a break while watching the race.

 Another lock we passed along the way, this one had a lock house. There are some locks that have an operators and some that the the people on the boat have to activate.

At the end of our walking trip we caught a bus back to downtown Oxford. We never get tired at looking at the architecture, it like we stepped back in time. 

After that is was time to head home. Coach (our dog) is able to go on all the modes of transportation over here. He is a quick learner for getting on and off of everything. The only problem he has is the escalators. Your not supposed to let a dog on them because there nails may get stuck in the groves. Coach hates them and when ever we can we avoid them. When we have to go on the i carry him and he does not like that either. 

And now to tell you about the new pet in the family. The house we rented came with a Koi pond, and in it was one gold fish. We have decide to name him Willy, and may start a free Willy fund.

One of our main worries is that our cat 25 will have him for lunch.

Time to explore

The past two weekends Leanne and I did some exploring, more dog walks in Kensington Gardens and also Hyde Park. In Kensington Garden is a memorial to Prince Albert (not the guy in the can) the husband of Queen Victoria (queen Vicky).

Pictures don't really show how beautiful it is, the round dome building in the background is the Royal Albert Hall. There is a lot of info on them and its best to look them up on line and read all about the history of each.

From there we were off to the Boroughs Market near the London Bridge. A foodie paradise, lots of places  to eat and drink or buy to take home. Its also a great place to people watch. 

We did not buy any mushrooms (there was a lot neither of us had ever seen before) but we did partake in the sweets. We will be going back here again, but maybe not on the weekend.

A walk across the Thames river on the London bridge and then off to where Leanne works for her to show me her new office. It always impresses me to see where she works, what a fantastic women.

From there we walked along the Thames river, so much to see but you have to walk to see it. We only walked a bit of it but on the way we saw about 6 memorial. One was Cleopatra's Needle, a 65 ft. tall obelisk from 1450 BC. It was moved from Egypt to London in 1877. More history, check it out on line. On each side of the needle are Egyptian sphinxes, one has damage from a WW 1 German air raid. 

Near the needle we had a great view of the "London Eye, and Big Ben. 

On Sunday we walked again thru Hyde park and then on to Green park and St. James park. Green and St. James are connected to Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guards was going on while we were there. We couldn't see much near the palace because there were so many people there. They did march down the street in front of us on the way back to the barracks. Queen Liz was not home, she was on holiday (vacation). Next time we'll call to say we're stopping by.

After we left the Palace we finished walking thru St.James park got another of the "London Eye"
 and another of Big Ben.

by the way, we did buy some Italian sausage at the Borough's. We've had a craving for spaghetti, so its time to cook.

Every one on this side of the pond

After spending Saturday and Sunday with Kim and Jim it was finally time for Coach, 25 and I to fly across the pond. The big day was Monday July 27th and our flight would leave at 8:00 pm. We used a service to ship Coach and 25 and they had to be in there approved  pet crates and dropped off at a shipping terminal at 3:30 pm. Inside the crates i added a calming pheromone for both of them, Coach also had a calming collar on.

  After all the paper work was filled out Kim dropped me off at the terminal. I was able to see the pet crates loaded onto the plane, they would be in a controlled area that would be the same temp and pressure as mine (just no alcohol in there class of seating).

The flight was a smooth 8 hour flight and we arrived at 10:00 am London time. I was able to get thru customs, grab a cab and be to the house by 11:30. Leanne was working from home so she was at the house when i got there. The pets would be delivered to the house so we called on them and they said it would be around 4:00 pm (it takes longer for them to go thru customs) I stayed up for a while but was dragging by 1:00 pm and went to sleep for a while. At 4:30 the pets has still not arrived, there had been a mix up and they had been trying to call my U.S. number. Once the problem was fixed they delivered our pets around 5:30 pm. Coach seemed to have more jet lag than 25 and for the most part they both looked good.

  It was a long day for all of us, the pets in the crates and us worrying about what condition they would be in.

The rest of the week went by fast. Leanne was able to take Coach on his morning walks, something that she has missed since she got here. 25 has gotten back to her normal routine, sleeping all day with an occasional break to get something to eat. I have been able to check the local area out a bit.

Friday night we went to a local pub called the "Scarsdale Tavern" about 5 blocks from our house to have a pint and get something to eat. Its a small place, a little bigger than the local bar in my home town. We were standing outside having our pint while waiting for a place to sit outside. We had Coach with us so we figured we would have to sit out side. Then one of the locals said that dogs could go in.  They are very pet friendly in London and for the most part you can take the dogs just about anywhere. The food was great and they pumped the room temperature beer from the keg.

One more thing, while we were outside Leanne mentioned if the guy at the bar looked familiar. It was Piers Morgan from 'Americas Got Talent" and CNN. He must have known we were going to be there and that's why he showed up. 

On Saturday Leanne and I took Coach for a walk in Kensington Gardens. We rode the bus there, it was Coaches first ride on a bus and he did not care for it. The Gardens is a large park that is connected to Hyde park. Kensington Palace is at one end of it and as you walk from it there are lots of trees with paved and unpaved walkways. Dogs don't have to be on a leash there so Coach got a lot of running in. 

We had breakfast across the street from a hat store. They sold the type of hat you would wear to a royal wedding. If one happens while were here Leanne knows where to go.

Our container shipment came in. I had to box Coach in so he wouldn't get in the way and put 25 in her shipping crate till they left.

A WEEK ON LAKE MICHIGAN

Before the big move we had planned a week at lake Michigan with my kids and grand kids. Leanne flew in from London for the festivity, we were also able to have her sister Kim, her man Jim and his son Zack join us. The house was a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house that sat on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. Charles and his family stayed in his camper while the rest of us were in the house. The kids picked a room that was the "kids only, no adults aloud" room. The rest of the house was suppose to be ours but the kids seemed to have the run of that also.

The kids enjoying the lake

Coach found some shade.

The house was close to Silver lake dunes so many trips were taken there with the Jeeps. Damian and Sandra brought one along with Heather and Keith, Damian also brought about 8 dirt bikes. One that he rode in the dunes and a few that the kids were able to ride a bit on the lane going to the house. 

 One day a group of us rod on the Mac Woods dune ride, this is a picture was taken at the top of a hill overlooking Silver lake. On the ride we sang Christmas songs (the trip was our Christmas presents to the kids)and Heather did a few cheer-leading cheers. The driver liked our group (she was a cheer leading coach) and stopped and made us do a cheer.

A game of Left, Right, Center. 

and a pic with Leanne and I with my kids the last day.

Weeks apart

Leanne and i have not seen each other since June 25 when she went to London to start her new job. This Saturday she will fly back over the pond for our planned family vacation on lake Michigan.  Lee has had a hectic few weeks, issues with the house we rented, a day when the tube (subway) went on strike and all the joys of learning the in's and out at the new work place. Our air shipment arrived and a week after she was there. After putting stuff away she said i better hurry up and get over because shes taking all the best spots for clothes.

Her commute is about 45 minutes and she is getting in the grove of going to and from work. A few times the line she takes has had issues and had to take other lines and a bus. She is a lot better at direction with subways and buses, it must be from all those years when she worked in New York. The day the Tube was on strike she ended up walking home because the lines to the buses were just to long. It was over 5 miles and she was able to see more things that we'll check out once I'm there.

This past week I have been visiting family and friends from my home town. Coach and 25 (our dog and cat) have been doing fine. The move does not seem to bother them so far. Saturday we will be heading to lake Michigan to the house we rented. While we are there i have to take the dog and cat to a local vet to do the paper work to fly over.  This has to be done 10 days before they fly and is the reason we didn't do it sooner.  

The Move

So those of you who are wondering "what all did they have to do for this big move" I will try to explain most of what we did.

After Leanne got her offer most of you knew we had to fly to London to find a place to live. We were there a week and did not do any sight seeing at all. We mainly checked out the area we would be living, where we would be shopping and also where we could walk Coach.
After getting back to the states we had to decide what we would take over and what would stay. We had one shipment with a 750 pound limit that would go by air. This would arrive to the place our new place in England in 5 to 10 days. The next shipment would be by boat and would take 6 to 10 weeks. There was a container we were allowed but we never got close to filling it. The house in England is not as big as the one in Charlotte so there was no reason to take a lot of stuff. Everything else was put in storage.

Our new house in England is in Holland Park, just west of Kensington gardens. Its a three story condo, they may call it something else over there. The first floor is the kitchen/dining room, second floor is the living room and the third floor has two bedrooms. It is smaller than the Charlotte house and has less storage. So when we were deciding what to take a lot of stuff had to be put in storage. The good news is when we get back it will be like Christmas when we open the boxes. Happy to see what's in some of the boxes and wondering why we kept stuff in other boxes.
As of today Leanne has received the air shipment and the shipment by boat should arrive the week I get there.

Address changes, visa's, all our medical records for us and the animals. There was also the paper work to send Coach and 25 over. We had to purchase shipping crates for the both of them. They will fly over the same day as me and after they go through customs they will be delivered to our house. Once they are in the house and out of there crates Leanne and I will be able to relax.