Linda's surprise birthday visit to Berlin

Where am I going? That was the question Linda was asking on Monday afternoon as we left home. It is her birthday this week (I am not allowed to disclose the age, but can say she is not getting any younger). Of course I would not tell her, it's a surprise for her birthday. We left home about 15.30 and drove to Epping where we stopped at Cafe Nero for a coffee, she thought she was flying and going to a hotel the night beforehand, but she was so wrong!  After checking they were home, I drove her to Ivor and Denise's who had planned a special meal for her. She had a birthday balloon and a few presents from them and then we watched the television. I said we were leaving at 9am, but not which time zone!  Ivor and Denise told her they were going to working the morning (she hadn't a clue they were coming with us!) Linda's only concern was that she had to wash her hair in the morning.  

I woke her up at 3.30am, well it was 9am somewhere! She was very surprised that Ivor and Denise were coming, although pleased as she is friends with Denise. However, she was not aware of the final destination, and as I had checked in online she didn't get to see the ticket and we were flying from Heathrow T5. We managed to keep it a secret; right up to the flight was called. She had a top 3 of Vienna, Switzerland or Frankfurt - wrong, we were off to Berlin.

The flight was 1.5 hours and as it was with BA you got a breakfast roll on board. We landed at Berlin Tegel and then caught a bus and a train into the centre of Berlin. I had already organised the hotel, which is a short walk from Potsdamer Platz.  Although it was only 11am we were able to check in for one room to leave our luggage in.

It was very cold so we wrapped up warm and went for a walk.    We walked up the road and got to the first (of many) Christmas markets and had a look round, it is very interesting, but when you have seen one, you have seen them all, in fact there does not appear to any difference whether you are in the UK, Paris, Vienna or Berlin, they all sell the same, have Glühwein and are in wooden huts. We did test the Glühwein and it was very nice, I also had a bratwurst as I was hungry.  We walked around the market and lo and behold a Starbucks appeared, so time for a quick latte, check my email and rest. After this we started walking towards the Brandenburger Tor, built in 1791, and the Reichstag. We had a look around, it was getting very windy and bitter, I knew I should have worn my coat! We wandered along 'Unter den Linten past the hotel Adlon, where Michael Jackson held a baby over the balcony. We saw the Russian Embassy and several other buildings. 

It was cold and we needed a coffee so I picked the Cafe Haus Einstein which looked rather nice, but turned out to be very expensive. Denise and I decided to have hot chocolate, with rum, however they forgot to give us the rum, which was disappointing, although the good thing is they didn't charge us for it either. We then found another Christmas market for Linda and it was the same as the one before and the one after but we wandered around, had a look at a few things and then didn't buy anything as usual.

After this we decided to walk back to the hotel for a rest, it was about 1600. On the way we found another Christmas Market, but as it cost one euro to get in, we decided to by-pass it.     

At the hotel we rested in our rooms, we had been up since 0330 so were slightly tired by this stage.  We met up about 1900 as we were going for a meal, we chose an Italian across the road, which was very nice. We made the mistake of going for a starter and then a main course, as the starters were rather large, I had mushrooms stuffed with spinach covered in a cheese sauce, followed by octopus, Linda had feta cheese followed by spaghetti carbonara. It was delicious but we could not finish the meal. After this Ivor decided we needed to go for another walk, so we did, it was cold as I did not have my coat, gloves or hat as I thought we were only going for dinner. We wandered around the market again; it hadn't changed since the last time. I stopped outside Starbucks so I could log into the free Internet to check the Chelsea score (two nil up at this stage).  It was very cold with an icy wind and soon we wandered back to the hotel and early to bed.

On Wednesday we were up early as the intention was doing a walking tour. I did set the alarm on the iphone but forgot to move the clock forward an hour - so I wanted to get up for 8am, which is 7am English time but fortunately we woke up in time. Linda did wake me up in the night as she was too hot and needed the air con put on, didn't know how to do it, so decided to wake me up at 3am to ask me if I knew. I was not too pleased to say the least!

We stayed at the hotel NH Berlin Potsdamer Platz which is very nice. Breakfast was plenty consisting of coffee, rolls, cheese, meat, bacon and eggs followed by fruit. I got stuck in, remembering of course to eat fruit to keep myself healthy. We left the hotel at 0930 and caught the train to the east meeting point at Hackescher Markt. It was cold so I had my coat with me, but as it was going to get colder during the day I was not going to put it on yet, Linda also made sure I had my gloves and hat with me, I of course made sure I had Ipad2 with me!

The walking tour was 4 1/2 hours long and it was interesting, but a very long walk, we did cover most of East Berlin around the museum area, the wall, the Reich era and a few others, most of it was built by a bloke called Karl Friedrich Schinkel  - never heard of him, can't have a twitter account. We did stop half way round for coffee and I had one sitting down, and then a take away to help me on the rest of the  tour, by now it was raining, so I had to put my coat on. It was light rain for a bit and then it poured and poured and suddenly the tour was not so interesting. We did manage to go the whole course but at the end we were like drowned rats!

We decided we needed to have a coffee to warm up, as we were wet and cold and also to dry out, and lo and behold in the west, appeared a sign,’ Starbucks’. So gingerbread latte's all round.  We stayed there for about half an hour, time to check the email, news and the weather forecast - wet!  We then walked back to Checkpoint Charlie and took some photos in the rain. Denise was hungry and fancied a McDonald's and Linda wanted one as well, so I resisted temptation and just had nothing. We then walked back rain to the Topography of Terror, had a look round before going back to the hotel to dry out.  I had to book in online (waste of time as I would find out) and the time in my electronic diary was of course English time, so we went for a lovely dark beer in the local restaurant, and after 30 minutes I ran back to the hotel, booked in, printed out the boarding passes and ran back to the pub.

We then found a different Italian restaurant, which was rather busy, but Linda had pizza with several different cheeses and salami, which she then pulled off and gave to me, I had pork in a Gorgonzola sauce - lovely. As we didn't have a starter we had desert, Linda had panna cotta and I had tiramisu. By now we had had several drinks and eaten a lot so we needed a walk, it was about 10pm so we decided to go to the market, which as closed, apart from one Glühwein store, so me and Ivor had a glass. We decided to walk up to the Brandenburger Tor and see it in the evening lights, I saw a bus and said let’s get on that, we did and it was going the wrong way! This did explain why other people were getting off and we ended up at the Philharmonic  Orchestra Opera House, which looked good in the rain.

We then got on the bus 200 which is a good bus to get, if you wanted to go to West Berlin and the Zoo, unfortunately we didn't, however it did take us to a central location, where we could get 100 bus back the other way. We had paid fifteen euros for a group day ticket so we wanted to get our monies worth. We had a look around the Brandenburger gate and the promenade before catching the tube back to the hotel. I must admit not everyone was enamoured with Foots Tours tonight, and I certainly didn't get any tips! It was about midnight before we got to bed.

Happy Birthday Linda, it's Thursday and you're a year older.  I had made a card for her and bought her some chocolate from a famous Berlin store, both without her noticing. We had a late breakfast, checked out of the rooms, left the luggage in the store and went out, it was warmer today and no rain. We caught the tube, but managed to get on the wrong train, well it was going in the right direction, and after a few stops changed to another line which took us to the west side of the city, Kurfurstendamm  and shopping!  Linda was in her element (and Denise) with all those shops, and they looked in several, we even found them a Christmas market, which strangely enough sold exactly the same as every other one I had visited. I just find a seat, sit down, let them wander around and they find me when they are ready to leave

As it was Linda's birthday, she was allowed to look at the Steiff bears and then as another present I bought her one, such a romantic and with all these surprises I must be allowed at least 2 visits to Swaffham auction on my own!  I did get a nice Bugatti case for my iphone4s, which if I can't have car at least I can look at the case and dream of the car!

We didn't stop for coffee which meant I got a headache from a lack of caffeine. We took the train to Hackescher Markt and the Jewish quarter, where there was another market, I have seen them all now. Linda and Denise had chips, before we saw a star in the east (with a bucks on the end) and so finally we stopped for a coffee. After this we had a walk around the area, saw the synagogue and then caught a train to Unter den Linden and visited the Jewish holocaust museum. They searched you before you went in, which meant taking everything out of your pockets etc. It was ok, but once you have seen one museum and read about the holocaust, the others tend to repeat it from different angles, but the story remains the same, however, it did give me some thoughts for Sunday and the service on King Herod!

After is it was a short walk back to Potsdamer Platz time for Ivor to have a last Glühwein (I was driving tonight so could not join in), but I did have a cooked steak sarnie and enjoyed it.  We got back to the hotel and collected the bags and then took the train and he bus to the airport, it takes about 45 mins and was a pleasant ride, although the train was busy. I managed to get them on the right train, in the right direction so they were pleased.

We arrived at the airport, only to find the plane was delayed, it was a different plane, so our seats had changed, so I don't know why I bothered with all the hassle of checking in online!  We had a last Starbucks at the airport, before going through the security area and waited for the plane. It left about 90 minutes late, and then when we got to the gate, the seats had changed and we were dotted all around the plane! We were not amused and complained, it didn't do much good. When we got on the plane our original seats were empty and the excuse constantly was that the plane had changed, it must have changed at least three times! The pilot never mentioned a plane change but the winds in England for the plane being late.

We landed about 22:10 and then there was a queue in immigration, as they had only two people on the desks, ridiculous. It took about an hour to get through, it was quicker when they were on strike! In fact the non EU visitors desks had more staff, less queues and people were through quicker. We got back to the car and finally got home about 1am.

You can see some photos here.

I had a dream that one day

We have arrived in Atlanta and will soon be on our way home.  We enjoyed the stay in Bryson City, it was chilly during the evening but the sun shone during the day. We left Pigeon Forde on Tuesday morning on a guided tour as Linda needed to check out one more craft shop, which involved a slight detour before we crossed the mountains and into North Carolina.  The cottage was as we remembered it and you could still hear the stream flowing along and the ducks were still in the stream.  As the weather was warm we could sit outside on the rocking chairs and watch the wildlife.

On Wednesday, we had a lazy morning and watched the train go past, with the passengers waving us, see, we are even famous in North Carolina!  We had some lunch and then drove into Bryson city in the afternoon and saw the train return. There was a coffee shop, so we stopped and had a coffee – although it was not up to Starbucks quality.

 In the evening we watched TV, we tried to watch a film, however if was 7 minutes film, 5 minutes adverts, 7 minutes file, 5 minutes adverts and so on – it drove me mad and a film that could have lasted 90 minutes lasted 150 minutes.

The next day we had a wander down to Waynesville and low and behold I saw – no not a Starbucks but a Best Buy (computer shop for the uneducated). It was my turn to wander around, check prices on the Ipad to see if I could get it cheaper elsewhere, and then look at more items.  Linda followed behind asking questions like what does they do, what is that?  We were in there a good hour and no craft shops in sight.  However, she did get her revenge as there was a Walmart next door – so I had to follow her around there as she tried several jeans on and then decided 30 minutes later she didn’t like any of them, unfortunately there was also a craft section.

We then went into Waynesville and had a look around, it had a lot of quaint old fashioned shops, one which fortunately sold coffee.   I had a rest from all this shopping and checked my twitter account on the IPAD2.

After this we took the scenic route back through Maggie Valley, along Soco Road towards Cherokee. It was a windy mountain road with several bends, climbs and declines and it was pouring with rain. We saw a sign for SantaLand – but then the sign on the door said ‘closed for the season – reopens in May – perhaps Santa only comes here when its warm.

On Friday we had to leave the cottage and drive back to Atlanta. We went via Cherokee so I could go to the Tribal Grounds Coffee shop to get refreshments for the long drive ahead. The speed limits were even worse on this stretch, around 45mph and so it took several hours to get down from the mountains. It was warm at the bottom, which meant we had to stop so Linda could put a t-shirt on and take her jumper off, don’t know why she bothered she then threw milk all over it!  We had a wander through some shops and I got a pair of trainers for £10 so I was happy!

We are staying at the Hilton Homewood Suites in Buckhead, Atlanta. Traffic was very heavy as we managed to get across Atlanta, especially when my helpful navigator tells me to turn left after I had passed the junction. The room is very big, in fact is three rooms, bathroom, bedroom and lounge/kitchen with a rather big fridge. I managed to book in for our flights on line and print the boarding passes of in the business centre.

On Saturday we got up early, had the free breakfast, food always tastes better when it is free, and it was as I had amassed enough Hilton points to get the room free. We then went out to the Martin Luther King centre, had a look around and went in the Ebenezer Baptist church, where he used to preach.  After that it was back to the hotel, to do some packing, then out for the afternoon before proceeding to the airport. London here we come.

You can see some photo’s here.

I am just the chauffeur

I have had the role of chauffeur for two days, as I have driven Linda around all the craft shops in the area and a scenic drive through the Smokey Mountains. On Monday, Linda wanted to visit the craft shops and do some shopping, so I had to research all the relevant shops beforehand, then plan out the route on Google maps and then check I hadn’t missed any she wanted to visit. 

Surprise, surprise, she managed to get up early and be ready to go out on time – can’t be anything to do with the shopping trip!  I just drive, sit outside the craft shop, read a book on the Ipad2, wait till she comes back and then drive her to the next location, sit outside and wait.

We did about four craft shops in the morning (I lost count of the bags she came back with) but we did see a Staples so I was allowed a reprieve for 30 minutes to look round. I bought her a present, a Kindle as she wanted one (well I will have the new one but she can have the old one as a present). Like kids get ‘hand me downs’ – Linda gets the gadgets second hand, well, the new technology would be wasted!

After this short stop it was back to the craft shops, I did not know there was so many needlework, quilting, knitting and crafts shops in one area. I did get a slight respite when we stopped at The Tin Roof cafe for a spot of lunch. Linda had a pumpkin sandwich which was quite sweet but she liked it and then I had a turkey and avocado one and we both had coffee – I needed an infusion of caffeine as I had not visited a Starbucks all day- will be getting the shakes soon.  Linda’s next stop was the Outlet Centre and I got dragged around the shops as she decided I needed some new shorts and t- shirts. We went into one shop and the assistant asked where we were from, Linda replied London, UK and then she started trying her French out on us, Linda didn’t understand her and explained that we spoke English in London – perhaps she thought no-one outside America spoke English!

Linda then wanted to go to Wal-Mart, not sure why we came all this way to go to Asda! Evidently we needed some new jeans, hers have holes in them.  We went in and then she wants to look around the whole store (I knew I should have remained in the car) and I was instructed to find some new jeans. I identified two pairs, tried them on, they fitted so I was ready to leave but no, Linda needed to try on about a dozen pairs, all looked the same to me but I was informed they were different. Eventually, she decided on one pair as she didn’t like the others. It was now five o’clock,  I was tired as I had been driving her around since ten o’clock. She decided she had spent all my money and was shopped out, so I was allowed to drive back to the log cabin, then like a mirage in the desert I saw a Starbucks and I was allowed to get a latte to drink when I got home (once I had unpacked the car of course).

During the evening I cooked dinner and had to get the fire going, Linda must have been sleeping when they did fire lighting at Brownies or Guides! Or talking! Linda went in the hot tub again, as she liked that and also tried out the Jacuzzi before falling asleep- all that shopping must have been tiring.

On Tuesday we were leaving the log cabin and driving over the mountain to Bryson City in North Carolina. We were up early and started packing the car, and left at 10am. I had another treat today – I could drive to more craft shops- different ones in another direction. We visited two and Linda managed to find some more things to buy. Then she got bored of shopping so we went for a drive in the forest and mountains, this was similar to shopping, I would drive, she would want to take some photo’s, I would stop and then she would take some photos before I drove her to a new location.

She has managed to take 95 photographs today – so if you ask her around for dinner – be warned. We did go back to Pigeon Forde and stopped at Starbucks so I had coffee in the car for the long journey across the Smokies.  We then drove to Gatlinburg and had a look around, stopping at KFC for a snack.  It was then a drive across the mountain to Cherokee (Indian Reservation) – although I didn’t see any ‘injuns’ running away or John Wayne riding across the horizon. It was about 35 mile drive, but you can only drive at 25mph or if lucky, 35mph on some stretches.

The trees had some excellent autumn colours and Linda pointed out many maple trees to me, where the leaves were changing colour and were either red or yellow.   We saw several wild turkeys and Elk roaming wild in the forest – of course they would be better in a sarnie.  We did some food shopping and then went to the River Cabin where we were staying. Its quite warm here today and we sat outside, and some ducks then turned up to see if Linda had any food. They took what she had and then left – didn’t even stop for a chat.

In the evening, as a treat for Linda, we watched Opry Live – a celebration of country music, Linda is improving as she can put names to songs now, I do test her knowledge in the car as we can listen to country music on the radio – she is so lucky!

There are some photo's of the scenery here 

£25 to fill up the tank - Awesome!

I had to put petrol in the car and it cost £25 to fill the tank up, after UK prices I was quite surprised and you have to pay for your petrol first, so there are no drive aways, We left Nashville, about 10am,  on Saturday morning after a nice breakfast. 

There was no rush as it is a four hour drive to Sevierville at the foot of the Smokey Mountains. Its mid 50’s temperature today and the weather is fine- snow predicted in New York but not here. It was a pleasant drive, the American football team University of Tennessee is playing in Knoxville tonight and there are a lot of cars with flags, scarfs etc – all in bright orange. We stopped at some shops near Lebanon and Linda decided she needed some new tops, so bought a couple –of course there were in the sale.  Halloween is big over here – so there are shops everywhere with costumes and other rubbish.

It was back on the road, and after an hour I saw ‘the sign’ and so we stopped for a Starbucks. After this it was a straight drive to the mountains, well it would have been but my navigators couldn’t decide which way to go at some junctions, so we had a look around some other parts of the area. We are using the IPAD2 as the Sat Nav and so if the blue dot is not following the route – you are going the wrong way, in her defence it does not always update as quickly as we are moving due to the mobile signal. We are now back in Eastern time which means we have moved forward an hour, it get confusing as we are still in the same state. It could be worse if your house is in the middle for the dividing line – every time you go in the garden you lose an hour!

We are stay at the Hidden Mountain resort and it was well hidden, a bit worried when it talked about snow tyres and chains, but no sign of snow (yet). It was several miles up the mountain around a few twisty small lanes, it has two offices, East and West. East was nearer, but unfortunately we weren’t staying there. We found the West Office and booked in – our log cabin  is number 5097A and it was back down the mountain – about ¾ mile and turn left. We found it, it consists of a kitchen, living room, bedroom (with Jacuzzi), bathroom and then outside you have a rocking chair to sit and ponder as you look out over the mountain. There is also a hot tub for use on the other balcony. Inside there is an open fire place and logs provided.

We emptied the car and then went back into town as we needed to get some supplies, it is a  15 minute drive into Pigeon Forge. Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg all sort of merge into one, lots of shops, restaurants, amusements – think Blackpool doing country. Dollywood is here, but is shut this weekend. By now we were hungry and I could eat a horse – no horses were available so I settled for a cow. We went to the Longhorn steak house and had a huge meal, I had the T-bone and Linda chicken – it was lovely.  We also saw the big game on the tv and it was a popular place as the queues for tables was out the door when we left.

After this we needed to do some shopping and went to the local supermarket, which has a Starbucks inside, I could get into doing the weekly shop here – well I could drive and then drink coffee whilst Linda did the shopping. We bought some food – it was difficult to find everything and then back to the log cabin, I did get small Starbucks for the road, but because they were so windy I had to wait till I got home to drink it.  I have found the country music channel on the TV so we can listen and watch country music all day long.  Linda is so pleased!

On Sunday, I was up at 6am as I couldn’t sleep. Having caught up on my sleep I am awake by 6am (4am the other day) and so get up, do some reading or check the internet. Linda on the other hand is having no problems sleeping.  We had to prepare our own breakfast today, so it was cereal followed by a bagel with honey. The Mountain View Missionary Baptist church was not far away, a couple of minutes’ drive, we would have walked but left it too late – and there are bears in the mountain. It was a typical country church and very friendly. They sung the old hymns and the preacher preached a hell fire and brimstone gospel message based on 2 Corinthians 5.  It was enjoyable and the gospel message was certainly made very clear. We were the first international visitors they had ever had!

After church we had a little drive into town and wandered around, it was very busy so we came back to the log cabin to relax and watch country music. I sat on the balcony, in the rocking chair, with my hat on and did some reading watching the squirrels running up the trees, chased by a dog from the adjacent cabin.

The leaves are all in their vibrant autumn colours.  We did try out the hot tub and then watched a film in the evening, The First Grader, The true story of an 84 year-old Kenyan villager and ex Mau Mau freedom fighter who fights for his right to go to school for the first time to get the education he could never afford. It was interesting and we recognised some of the politics and issues involved. I cooked a nice dinner of salmon, fresh veg and sweet potatoes. We had the log fire going, although Linda with all her Guide training couldn’t get it to light, using a whole box of matches, I used one and some leaflets and it lit and was going all evening – I do have some uses (apart from driving).

Tomorrow is a big day for Linda, it is shopping day, where she gets to visit all the craft stores and shopping malls, I just get to do the driving.  So I went to bed early to prepare my  for this ordeal.

You can follow the action on twitter with thefoot73

Welcome to Hazzard County

Today’s excitement was a trip to Cooters – and to see the General Lee, of course I first had to explain to Linda who the Duke Boys were, as she has led such a sheltered childhood, never allowed to watch good TV etc.  The Dukes of Hazzard follows Bo and Luke Duke, two cousins living in a rural part of the fictional Hazzard County, Georgia, with their attractive cousin Daisy and their Uncle Jesse, racing around in their customized 1969 Dodge Charger, which they christened The General Lee, evading corrupt county commissioner Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg and his inept county sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. Most of the programme was about car chases and stunts with the strapline ‘someday the mountain will get them but the law never will.’

I could have sat in the car for $5 but I wasn’t that interested! Linda did well to get us there, following the map on the IPAD2 and it was a good museum and more importantly free.  We looked around some of the other shops and didn’t buy anything, there was a Willie Nelson shop which Linda did not like- the music was too loud. I was surprised she did not tell them to turn it down. Most of the shops were empty, but we found a coffee shop ( not a Starbucks – I hasten to add) and I had to have black coffee as they did not do anything like latte or cappuccino. Linda had tea as usual.

I had been up since 6am as I couldn’t sleep (Linda didn’t seem to have any problem) so I was uploading photo’s and writing the blog.  When Linda surfaced we went for breakfast – which was very nice and plenty of it. 

When we got back from Cooters we went for a walk around downtown Nashville. The Broadway road has all the music shops and cafes. They all have live bands, which are loud so you can listen to them outside. The weather has been rain with a wind today, so slightly cold.  We went in all the shops and looked around, I then decided to buy a Stetson, so I could fit in with my surroundings and found one I liked, but decided to check the other shops to see if I could get a better deal. The only problem was I then couldn’t remember where I had seen the first one I liked. So we had to go in all the shops several times to see if I could remember where I had tried it on, in the end I couldn’t so I had to go for option B (which was cheaper anyway) and buy the second one I had seen. Linda had to traipse round after me, which makes a change!

We then walked around the area, I was looking at  cowboy boots and saw some nice ones – the price was £1500, although they were made from real alligators, it would been ok if you got the alligator meat to eat as well.  Suddenly I looked and there in the east above a building was a Starbucks sign, it was 4pm by now and I had the shakes and other withdrawal symptoms – so we went in and had a drink. I do have an app on my IPAD2 which identifies your location and shows you the nearest Starbucks – very useful.

After this we came back to the hotel so I could sort out the pictures, update the blog and Linda could rest.  About 8pm we went out for dinner to a local restaurant, Tazza, we were the only ones in the restaurant. It was good and I had a healthy dinner of beef cubes  on sticks (otherwise known as a beef kebab!) with vegetables and rice. Linda had pasta in a tomato sauce. I did test it for her and it was also nice. After that it was back to the hotel, Linda wanted to check her farm out and I was going to relax and read my book (via my Kindle).


There are some photo's of the General Lee and Nashville here.

Nashville 2011

Nashville, Tennessee the home of country music – we have arrived.  It seems a long time ago that we left the UK, although only a few days in reality. We were flying out Wednesday afternoon but left home on the Tuesday evening at 6.30pm as we were staying overnight at the Thistle hotel near Heathrow (we would have left earlier but somebody was not ready). It was a steady run and no traffic problems and we booked in, it was a bit noisy with all the planes flying over but only to be expected.  

The next morning we watched some television – nothing really interesting, checked my twitter account and then left about 11am to go to the long term parking area. As we were getting the luggage out – the heavens opened and we got wet!  By the time we had reached Terminal 5 it had stopped.

We had upgraded to business class using our frequent flyer miles, but the desks were busy so they sent us to first class to book in, unfortunately they did not upgrade us to fly at this level. We were able to use the fast track route through security and soon were ensconced in the business lounge enjoying some food and coffee, I was hungry as we had not had any breakfast. Linda needed to do her farm, but now I have the IPAD2 its not a problem as she can use the laptop freely. The plane was leaving at 1500 so we wandered towards the gate, but the train had broken down so we had to walk to the gate area under all the runways using the emergency exit route – hope the plane does not have the same problem, it’s a long swim across the Atlantic. Fortunately the plane was ok and we got firmly settled in our seats, Linda likes the window seat so she can see out, so I get the outside one. We were soon off and tucking into some food, I had chicken kiev and Linda had some fish, the food is definitely better than cattle class and you get real plates and cutlery to use.  The flight was a bit bumpy in places, but the stewardess kept me going with coffee, not as good as Starbucks but ok. Linda went to sleep and I read a couple of books and watched some videos (on my IPAD2 before you ask).

We landed at Atlanta  about 1900 – which is about midnight UK time – it’s all a bit confusing as Nashville is in a different time zone to Atlanta so we are even further behind now. Immigration was a bit slow, although they seem a bit more friendly than last time and then we collected our luggage. It’s a strange system at Atlanta – as you collect your luggage and then hand it back after customs and collect it again at the front of the airport. We then had to go through security again to get to the front of the airport, take off shoes, belt, hold trousers up  etc and then catch the shuttle to the airport entrance (fortunately it was working – otherwise it would have been an even longer walk as there are six stops here compared to Heathrow’s two.

We finally reached the entrance, collected the suitcases again and then went to the  courtesy bus rank to wait for us bus to the hotel. We were staying at the La Quinta Hotel and eventually the bus arrived.  The hotel was a few minutes drive and we were soon checked in. The room is so big, it has two double beds in it, a kitchenette and a work space and of course, free internet access – so fire up the IPAD2 and off I go.  It did have a gym but I was too tired to visit there!  We unpacked a few things and then went to sleep as we were tired. 

The next morning we were up at just after six, yes even Linda and were soon tucking into the free breakfast.  We were picking up the car this morning, so go the shuttle to the area and then sorted out the car hire. Its difficult these days as they give you a line of vehicles in your class and you can choose the one you want – this did take me a little while as I had to sit in all of them and test them out, the choice was between a Ford Escape SUV and a Jeep. Whilst the Jeep looked good they were rather large, looked quite uncomfortable for  the long journey and Linda didn’t like them – so I had to have the Ford. We went back to the hotel to collect the luggage and were soon on our way, it is a 250 mile trip and will take most of the day with a few stops. The first stop was after 30 minutes as I saw a Starbucks sign and so we bought a coffee and continued on our journey. The car is an automatic with cruise control – and so you just sit back and relax and drink your coffee (with a hand on the steering wheel of course). The roads are straight and it gets quite boring, so I put some country music on. The speed limits are mainly 55mph which is slow, but once you get out of town they do increase to 70mph on the interstate.

We decided to stop at Chattanooga as there was a shopping centre there for Linda, a big one so she could wander around the shops, disaster was she found a craft store and was gone ages.  I needed a pay as you sim card for IPAD2 so we can use it as a satnav as well.  It was lunchtime so we had a snack (or rather a large snack as nothing is small here) and then were back on our way, via Starbucks of  course.  It was 75 degrees in Atlanta but cooled down as we went north to about 53. 

We arrived in Nashville at 5pm (or 4pm their time) and found our hotel we are staying at the Hilton Homewood Suites . There is not parking at the hotel but in a garage a few blocks away, so we checked in and it is a very big room, but only one king size bed so will have to share with my wife tonight. They do a complimentary dinner in the evening during the week – which was a chicken dish which filled a hole and there was free beer!

We decided to go to the Opry Classic Country Music show at the Ryman auditorium, which was a 10 minute walk away and got some good tickets. It started at 7pm and lasts about 2 hours. I even stayed awake for the whole show – which is good for me – Dolly Parton wasn’t there as she is touring Australia but the music was good and Linda enjoyed it, she is even getting to know some of the singers names now.

After this we walked back to the hotel, there was a slight drizzle and it is not so warm here and after checking email and twitter it was time for some sleep.

There are some photos here

London here we come!

We went to a local café for dinner on Saturday. The menu looked good but that was as far as it went. There was a nice bacon butty advertised – looked so appetising, real food I thought – but no they didn’t do that, I asked for something else on the menu and they didn’t do that either. I asked what they did do and the answer was rice. I am not sure why they bothered with the menu – the pictures looked good – but you can’t eat pictures.

Linda had chips the other day, so she asked for egg and chips. She was told they did not have chips and there was only rice. So she decided to share my rice. About five minutes later our friend ordered his meal and had chips. I said to the waiter you said there were no chips. He replied “when you asked there were no chips but now there is.”  The only bright side it was a healthy meal of rice.

Graduation arrived today, the procession was to start at 9.30 and it did by my command. I think I made them jump when I shouted out the instructions. The students were ready but not many other people had come by that time – so it was an empty field.  Linda was in fine form taking pictures, ensuring they were dressed right, giving instructions to them. We were able to give them all a card of London and a book.

Although the ceremony started on time it soon fell behind!  It was meant to finish by 1pm but most people didn’t arrive till midday. It was very hot and humid. However, it was good to catch up with a few friends from the last graduation and see our friend Stanley graduate with distinction. Linda had a chat with his mum, she was very pleased with his performance.

We had to leave before the end as our car was waiting to go back to Nairobi. We arrived at the airport in time and are waiting in the BA business lounge. It is rubbish – no wi-fi, a few  measly sandwiches, no latte – I am glad I am not paying for this. It is nice to eat sandwiches rather than rice  but I was hungry as all I have eaten since breakfast is 2 samosa.

So we are nearly home and time to  look at  the IPAD 2

We managed to give away

350 pencils

400 pens

50 Sunday school leaflets

22 bibles

75 hymn books

41 theology books

2 camera

1 personal  cd player with headphones.

6 soaps

3 umbrellas

Pair slippers, jacket, 2 t-shirts, 8 socks, rulers, pencil sharpener, erasers, shirt and tie, 4 bags

It’s here – finally!

No not the IPAD 2 but the Graduation Banquet. It was due to start at 10am on Friday the Principal told me, I just laughed and said so about 1pm then. No he insisted be here for 10am. 

However, on Friday I sent a text message to check and received one back stating it was now starting at 1pm. It had been delayed.  This meant we had the morning to catch up on other things (including reading about the IPAD 2) at the hotel.

We arrived at the college just after 1pm and it still had not started, it was delayed to 1.30pm.  Finally, it started at 1.45pm with just a few people present. Most of the graduands had not turned up; they had gone to town, visiting friends.  It did not appear to be very well organised, when people were asked to give a speech or sing a song the look of amazement on their faces indicated they had not been forewarned.

By about 2.30pm most people had turned up, although the programme was over running (as usual), I was due to speak at 2.45pm but did not start till 3.15pm. I was speaking on the subject of the 43^rd tribe – the church (Kenya has 42) and we are called to serve him.

Following the awards ceremony there is the candle lighting ceremony (health and safety look away now). The students have a candles which is then lighted and we sing the final hymn, however whilst we are singing the hymn  they put the candles on the wooden chairs or the floor – they are still alight at this stage – so if one falls over whoosh! Fortunately none fell over.

The goat had been sacrificed and we had it with rice (Linda just had rice) and we chatted with the guests.

On Thursday our car had broken down – a hole in the radiator. This meant water was flowing all over the road when we stopped. However, the local council road workers came to our rescue and started to fix it – well pour water in and watch it come out again – but we managed to get enough in there to struggle back to Kericho (although the pot holes didn’t get filled). Linda as usual was running around taking photos.

Saturday was the seminar day at Kericho AIC, we were assured that  50 were coming, so we photocopied enough for 20. It was due to start at 10 and finish at 2 – but no-one was there at 10 so it started about 10.30 – although people were still  arriving at 12.45. They then decided they would take tea at 1pm and finish – so I had to squeeze a  4  hour presentation into  2 hours by the time they had a break in the middle.  About 20 turned up – eventually.

It is very hot today – must be in the 80’s and it’s also the day of the Kericho marathon. Linda was out taking photos of the runners and the helpers. They must have been tired running in this heat – I felt tired and that was just watching.

This afternoon we visited the Mutai family and saw the two boys. They were fascinated with the IPAD  - drawing and making music on it – they wanted me to leave it behind (no chance!). They are building a house so we had a look round, it will be nice when it is finished, we all our friends building houses – in a few years we should not need to stay in hotels.

 We have given away all the pens and books now. We have to pack tonight but our luggage is reduced by 50% and down to three bags.

 Graduation tomorrow which should finish by 1pm and then back to our hotel to leave at 2pm to go back to Nairobi straight to the airport for the 11pm flight home and hopefully sleep most of it.

Hello Mr President - I am Linda

Linda had a royal invite this week to attend the awarding of a charter to Kenya Highlands Evangelical University by His Excellency the President Hon. Mwai Kibaki, C.G.H., MP

She did have a dilemma? Did she have anything in her wardrobe to wear. I am sure if we had been in the UK despite all the thousands of clothes she would have wanted  a new dress, however as we are in Kericho the local market does not provide the same choice, so she had to choose from her current selection.

She had to be at the university for  9.30am to meet our friend Joseph.  He had a chat with her, explained the layout and where to sit. She was only 11 rows back from the President. Fortunately for the President she had only taken her small camera otherwise she would have been telling him to stand still so she could get a better picture (shot probably isn’t a good word to use here).  It was nice and warm.

She thought it was starting at 10am – but it did not start till gone 11. The President flew into a local airfield and then arrived by car. He planted a tree ( we have something in common as I planted a tree at Sitotwet Bible College) and then the proceedings started, music and speeches. There were 18 MP’s president – and all were asked to introduce themselves for a minute – impossible – about 30 minutes later they were still going.

The President gave the address and spoke about not being afraid, why struggle when there are several options in life  and not holding back but going forward (or words similar).  This was new college, the first evangelical university in the area and it was a unique moment and Linda was there to witness it!

Three and half hours later it finished and the dignitaries went for dinner. Linda didn’t have a pass for this so she wandered around taking photos of the event.

Linda is happy because she has seen the President in the flesh and sat ONLY 10 rows away from him.

I feel sick – bang- Er where am I?

There has been a distinct lack of blogging activity on this trip due to two factors – I have been ill and then when I recovered I have busy catching up on all the things I should have done when I was ill!

On Friday I had not felt too good so had stayed in bed most of the day and Linda had popped into the college and collected our bag.  We were due to visit Stanley family on Saturday, but I was too weak in the morning to go, so Linda had to go alone. She had a good visit seeing the family and his new house he has built. It is an improvement on the last house as it has a tin roof and he can fit two beds in it. They also visited the local church – and great excitement – electricity has arrived. They don’t just have the poles and wires but electricity running through them.  This means they do not have to play the keyboard using a battery powered by solar panels.

On Sunday we were going to Samuel’s church to speak. He was one of the students who had graduated last March. I felt better and so we started off. We had not realised how far it was, nearly 2 hours.  We were nearly there, when I felt sick, which is unusual for me in cars. I got out to try and be sick and as I learnt over, I suddenly blacked out and fell backwards hitting my head of the ground. A women over the road screamed, but I didn’t hear – in fact I don’t remember anything, I may have gone unconscious as the next thing I remember is being helped to my knees – and feeling groggy with slurred speech.  I was a bit slow here- I should have asked Linda who are you – and not remembered her!

They took me to a local private hospital and I was briefly examined and then left on a bed in the examination room. I had to have a drip and so lay on the bed for about 5 hours. Whilst I am lying there other patients are being treated with malaria, flu etc – but the nurses were very friendly.  They checked I did not have malaria and then told me to rest, the doctor came and visited prodded my head a few times and said ‘you’ll; be ok’.  Someone else had to preach at the church – bit the congregation did come and visit me in the room and prayed for me.

They were talking about keeping me in – but I felt better so I wanted to come back to Kericho and our hotel.  Linda didn’t want me to stay either as she knew I wouldn’t like it, although I would have had my Ipad for company (IPAD 2 launch today!!).  Linda knew I was ill and a little concerned as I did not use the Ipad at all or even ask for it whilst I was lying on the bed – must have been very sick!

We had to pay the bill and at least got change from a fiver, so no need to claim on my travel insurance.   They managed to get me back to Kericho  and the hotel without any further mishap and I just had to lay in bed and rest – not very good at doing that.

On Monday I was due to started teaching at the college, but Linda prevented me from going. I was told to stay at the hotel and rest.  I set the students an essay question and Linda taught them for two hours and then  distributed the handouts for them to read.  On Tuesday I felt better so started the lectures on conflict management and reconciliation. I started with thirty students and gradually the fourth and third years disappeared as they had work to do for graduation. I was left with between 10-12. The studies seem to go well and they were very interactive. We completed some case studies on the Thursday which they said was helpful  to their ministry. On Thursday night I spent the evening marking their assignments.

One ring elephant, two rings rhino, three rings leopard

We were staying at The Ark, in the Aberdare National Park, and overnight there was a system that bell rang if there were visitors to the waterhole. About midnight  two black rhino had turned up and so the bell had rang waking Linda and I up. So we had to get dressed and then go and look at them. Interestingly no elephants turned up.  The good news is that out of the 2000 elephants Linda has now seen ONE!   So only 1999 to go.

I forgot to mention on Sunday it was  ‘tithing Sunday’ and so people brought their tithes to church including bananas and a rabbit.  Linda was quite concerned for the rabbit but I am sure it will make a nice dinner for someone!

On Tuesday we had an invite to the National Police College which is nearby. We had met some of the staff at PACPAC and they had invited us to visit. It was like the good old days, people marching everywhere, saluting senior officers, drill sergeants shouting at everyone and discipline in the classroom.  All ranks have to do drill and the 40 mile hike on a Saturday.  The Chief Instructor Miriam showed us around  and  was very informative.  We had tea in the officers mess, which had the heads of wild animals as decorations on the wall – in fact Linda saw more wild animals here compared to the park.  After this we met some members of the CPA and had dinner with them. The Kenyan training seems much better organised than ours – here you go a course before you get promoted so you have the skills for the next rank, not after you have been in the job for ages like Essex.

In the afternoon I was giving a lecture to the Sergeants and Corporals course at the regional training centre. It appeared to go down well sharing new concepts like the golden hour, problem solving triangle and 5 building blocks. We gave them all a pen at the end and they were extremely grateful for this – it doesn’t matter where you go in Kenya people are always grateful for a pen!

In the evening we had a dinner with James and Grace a typical Kenyan meal of rice.  Although in this part of Kenya you do not get ugali.  It was a lovely evening and we exchanged some gifts and had a good time.

On Wednesday morning we re-packed our bags and loaded up the car, we have distributed one bag of items already so it is less to carry. We met James for coffee and then made our way to the Aberdare Country Club. This is about 15 miles north of Nyeri and from here you are transported to The Ark.  The name gives you a clue on the shape of the hotel and it has four floors. It is situated near the water hole so in theory lots of animals come to drink – in theory!  We had lunch at the club, not sure if I can stomach all this rich food and Linda can’t even eat  any of the chocolate desert – as it is too sickly for her – Amazing!

The Aberdare Country Club has its own grounds of 100 acres and you have warthogs running around. There was an option of a 3 hour safari on route to the hotel – I sent Linda on the safari – which meant I would get three hours of peace and quiet and time to read my book. Well I would have apart from the Americans – why are they all so loud and ask stupid questions – like ‘is that Mount Kilimanjaro? (oh – that’s in Tanzania) or my favourite ‘will the road be dusty’  - no its going to be a perfectly tarmacked road which a sidewalk, traffic lights…. What do you expect in the forest?

Linda had a good safari – very excited that she had seen an elephant – and we emailed it to James to share her good news.  I did get some reading done, halfway through Sarah Brown’s book on life at number 10 – haven’t got to the bit where they kick him out yet.  It is an  interesting read and gives a good prospective on life at number 10.  It has put me off being Prime Minister as you have to be too social in the role.

Dinner was ok – didn’t eat too much as it was a bit rich – but had some rice and then afterwards settled down to watch for the animals – which was boring as part from a few buffalo no-one else came till midnight. I was going to watch the football as they had a satelite TV but was too tired (and reading the reports in the paper didn’t miss much as it was a draw).  I read the Times everyday as I can download it to my IPAD ( only 7 days to launch IPAD 2) so I keep up to date on world news which either on Japan or Libya.  

On Thursday we had breakfast at 7am and then back to the Country club for 0830.  We were then moving to Kericho – rain here we come. It is about 5 hours to get there, you go north over the equator and then back south across the equator. Although it is confusing as coming south I saw at least ‘three official equator signs’ in different positions so perhaps the straight line is now a wiggly one. I did see a shop called Equator Motor spares.  Linda wanted to get out and take a photo at one of the signs so we had to stop but this meant all the slow vehicles we had overtaken were now back in front of us, great!

We arrived at the hotel and were assigned our normal room.  So we started to unpack and settle in. It was back to rice for dinner with fish, although Linda was insistent that the head was cut off hers prior to service. 

True to form it is very wet here and quite cool compared to Nyeri.