Stonehenge - ancient mystery

Ever since I first heard of it, I thought it would be cool to see Stonehenge, although I didn't really ever put it on the bucket list.  It was one of those, if I happen to be in the neighbourhood, I'll probably drop by, but not sure what all the fuss is about.  Just a bunch of big rocks in the middle of a field, yes?  So when my friend, London, said, "Do you want go and see Stonehenge?" I thought sure, I'm kind of in the neighbourhood.  Didn't realize that a 2-hour drive (half of that trying to get through a few miles on the M25) was "in the neighbourhood" in England.  Problem here is that none of the roads go in a direction that makes sense, they all go in circles.

Anyway, we finally get there, the sky is mostly cloudy (what?  in England they get cloudy skies?  Note the extreme sarcasm), and somewhat dreary, but it's not raining nor windy nor cool.  So hopefully I will get some good pics.  I had spent a fair bit of time on the plane coming across the big puddle reading through the manual for my "new" Nikon D7100 that I've had since Xmas and not really taken the time to figure out how to use.  Now is a great chance to try my hand at some manual settings, especially some of the cool, built-in special effects.  If things don't go well, I can always go back to Auto.

First, I want to make note that English Heritage has done an amazing job of protecting this amazing site while still providing an opportunity for the masses to view it and wonder.  Free wi-fi allows for the download of a free audio guide to a smartphone or tablet, An Exhibition area displays video of the history of the site, the skeletal remains of a man found during one archaelogical excavation, and reconstructed Neolithic huts similar to what might have been used by people working on the building of Stonehenge.  They have completed a major landscaping project that has restored the terrain surrounding the stones to grass, Although no one is allowed to go near the stones, and therefore my one wish, to be able to stand in the very center to see if there is truly a magic there, is not to be granted, it is still an enchanting place.

There is a bus that takes visitors every 5 minutes throughout the day along the 3-mile route from the visitors' center to the area of the stones, although there is also a walking path for those that choose.  We opt for the bus simply because we have arrived later in the day than expected, and we wish to have more time viewing the stones and taking photographs, listening to the audio guide and learning what is known about this mysterious structure.

The bus arrives at the site, which is atop a hill.  Every direction you look, it appears that you are looking down or across.  Which makes sense if the stones were indeed used for the purposes of measuring time by the sun, although the purpose of it remains a mystery to all.  Perhaps it was intended to be a compass for alien air traffic control, or a spaceship landing site?  Maybe it was a giant gathering place, like the Colisseum in Rome, for the myriad of Druids that lived in the area.  Maybe it was simply intended as a permanent shelter, a neolithic condo, that was never finished because the original intention and design was lost when whoever designed passed away. Whatever the purpose, it was important enough to the people that died in the construction of it, to risk their lives.  All comments, thoughts and ideas are welcome here.

At any rate, walking around the stones, marvelling at how they came to be here, why, and by whom were they transported here and assembled, was quite the experience.  The gray matter is still working on it, and probably will be for quite some time to come.

After returning to the visitor center, the gift center called to me, and we wandered about, looking for treasures that were not just cheap souvenirs.  I find a lovely silver charm of the stones, and then we notice a display of local wines and liqueurs, samples of which were being offered.  Never one to turn down the chance to try something new, beverage or otherwise, we learn that one of the offerings is something neither of us have heard of - damson gin.  Now, gin I know of, it goes great with tonic.  But what is the meaning of damson?  As we learn, the gin is soaked in damson plums (now it rings a bell), and the gin takes on the unique flavour of the fruit.  We try it, and instantly two bottles find their way into our possession.  It is divine!  And of course, all the more desirable since it is unlikely to be found anywhere else.  Easily, anyway.

A final selection, yes I know, a bit cheesy, but it's hard to turn down a t-shirt that reads "Stonehenge Rocks!"  Another wonderful day!

Back in England

Wow, so here I am in England.   For the weekend.  Yes, I know, it's crazy to fly over the puddle for three days, but I have a friend there that I've been dying to see, and I don't get a ton of holidays, so a weekend it will have to be.  Besides, you could say that he's more than just a friend, nudge nudge wink wink, and worth spending two days getting there and back.  Let's just call him London.

Arrive Thursday evening, fairly late, and Air Canada still hasn't figured out that feeding some breakfast at the beginning of a long day flight, and then a tiny sandwich at the end of the flight and dropping off the passengers at 9:30 p.m. doesn't work.  So, London makes me a fantastic salad and a plate of antipasti, with buffalo mozzarella, salami, pancetta, and ricotta stuffed peppers.  No wonder I find him irresistable!

Friday morning dawns, the sun is shining, it's not supposed to rain much, and we decide to go to Windsor.  I don't even know what's there, but London says there's a castle, and I've never seen a real castle, so it sounds good to me.  Windsor the town is a beautiful, Olde English towne (have to spell it that way, sorry), with narrow streets, old brick homes with tile roofs and large chimneys, and the quaintness I expected.  It's so like the movies that I almost feel at home, and that it's nothing special.  Yet in some ways, it feels like I'm in a James Bond movie.  Except for the fact that I'm a passenger in a Mitsubishi, and I'm pretty sure James Bond never drove a Mitsubishi.

The terrain is much more rolling than I expected, and the castle sits atop a hill.  The climb goes past a small Italian restaurant so we stop for a lovely lunch of calzone (him) and spaghetti (me), then up we go to see Windsor Castle.  I am awestruck.  The closest I have ever come to such magnificence was, well, never.  Never have I seen such a beautiful place.  Suddenly, I understand the magnitude of wealth that the Royal Family and the history of England lays claim to.

I can't imagine what it would have been like to live in such a place, and then we go inside and it's even more incredible.  The courtyard is the size of a football field.  From the entrance, we can see how high up we truly are, and I marvel at what the landscape might have been like 200 years ago.

Upon entering, London mentions that the last time he was here, he was not impressed with Queen Mary's Doll house, but since it only takes a couple of minutes to see it, we go there first.  I find it fascinating, but that's because the dollhouse that I had when I was small was approximately two feet by three feet, made of metal, and had pre-cast plastic furniture, and all the decorative features of the house were painted on the walls.  Queen Mary's dollhouse, on the other hand, was a miniaturized castle.  Complete with electric lighting, chandaliers, art on the walls, dishes on the table, absolutely incredible.  My favourite was the staircase to the main hall, where two suits of armour stood guard.

From there, we enter the main display of rooms, from the king's bedroom where the closet is bigger than my living room, to St. George's Hall, where the Coats of Arms from over 1000 knights are displayed.  We notice that Prince William was the 1000th name on the list, but couldn't find his Coat of Arms.

The artwork, decor, furniture, displays of china, swords and other armaments, spaciousness, opulence, ostentatiousness, splendour and timeless beauty are truly overwhelming.  Still I can't get through my head that people have lived here.  Unfortunately, we're not allowed to take pictures inside, which I understand.  Still, it would have been nice to have something more concrete than memories to take home with me.  So, in one of the gift shops, I purchase a couple of keepsake items.

The first item I find is keychain crowns - for my quartet, Nuance, that is working towards becoming "Queens of Harmony".  The next is something I've been looking for a long time, a silver charm for a charm bracelet that I've had for ages, but no charms to add.  The charm is a replica of the round tower.  Last but not least, my favourite fragrance in a hand cream, and hand wash - White Hyacinth.  A beautiful flower with a beautiful scent.

On our way back to the car, I spot another view of the castle, and in the setting dusk, it helps me imagine what it might have looked like centuries ago, complete with the moat.

Desert storms

Jan. 8

Thursday morning spawned a dust storm - it is winter here after all, and the past few days have been unseasonably warm (but thankfully so!).  At home, I hear there have been super cold temperatures and piles of snow, but here, up till now, it's been gorgeous, almost too hot to go outside on the upper level and tan (for me anyway).  But today, the wind has kicked up, the air is cooling off to a more seasonable 16 C, and with the wind, the dust and sand from the desert of which this island is made blows freely.  Even the Weather Network shows current conditions as simply "Dust".

The air is quite hazy, but we have planned to go out anyway to see a couple of the local sights - my friend's friend will drive us south into the desert to see the Tree of Life, the first oil well, and then when we return we will hopefully see the Fort or the Grand Mosque.  Timing will be the key, since Lisa has a client appointment later in the day, and we'd also like to have some lunch together.

But first stop, the Tree of Life.  Many cultures and countries make reference to a Tree of Life, this one is called that because it has been growing, seemingly miraculously, in the middle of the desert for over 400 years, with no apparent source of water.  We must park a fair distance from the tree and walk across the windy, dusty desert to get up close.  Although an iron fence at one time protected it from vandals, there appears to be no protection from anything right now, and I was able to touch it (for luck?) and marvel at the wonders of nature, to see green leaves in the midst of such an expanse of arid sand.

Nearby, they have put a very cool "human" sundial, so that if you step on the current month, your own shadow will point to the correct time (it's hardly accurate to the minute, unless you're Twiggy).  And yes, it was about 12:10 p.m. when this pic was taken:

As we drive back towards town, we pass by several oil wells, most of them quite a bit smaller than I envisioned, less than 2 stories tall in most cases.  They are, essentially "portable", since the smaller pockets can dry up within a couple of weeks, so the drills are then simply moved to a new location.  It's too windy and dusty to leave the car for very long, so I just quickly grab a couple of shots of drills and the pipes that carry the crude to the nearby refinery, as we stop briefly.

Closer to town, we see a delivery bike (food is delivered here by motorcycles with large boxes on the back, as they are more easily maneuvered through the constant traffic), and the wind is so strong that the driver must lean into the wind just to stay upright.

The sand blows across the road, just like the snow does here in Canada.

 Traffic is horrendous, since it's almost the weekend (work weeks here are Sunday - Thursday), so we opt to do the Grand Mosque today, and leave the Fort till tomorrow.  I am forced to admit I remember little of what I had learned in high school about the Muslim faith, and feel inadequately knowledgeable about the current state of affairs in this area of the world.  Fortunately, my hostess and friend has been living in the Middle East for the past few years, and is able to guide me toward keeping a neutral tone.  Our tour guide, while knowledgeable, seems intent on not just providing information about the Mosque itself, but also about the Muslim faith.

It seems only fair to listen, since they have provided a "loaner" abiyah and hijab (gown and head covering) so that we can enter the temple.  No women are allowed to enter without covering, and it feels odd in some ways and familiar in others.  I recall as a child in the Mennonite church, that women were expected to wear "head coverings" to church, which were really just small caps made from a thin mesh and bobby-pinned to the hair.  Symbolic at best, but the similarities between Muslim and Mennonite symbolism and a loose interpretation of the culture kept revealing themselves.

The Mosque itself is huge, and beautiful without being grandiose.  The chandelier in the great temple is made from Austrian crystal, and the marble floors are mostly provided by Italy.  While Daya and I tour the Mosque, Lisa (a Muslim) makes a run to the liquor store.  Somewhat ironic....

Shopping in the souq

Jan. 6 and 7

One of the things that I had read about Bahrain was that it had the oldest pearl diving business in the world.  And of course when this close to the source of gold, one really must at least check it out.  Plus, Daya loves to shop as much as I do.  So off to the souq (open market) we go.  Daya calls the driver, and he picks us up and drives us downtown.

My first impression is that it's a little bit like the 5th ave. market in Playa del Carmen, but it's much bigger.  And of course the culture and ethnic flavour differs vastly.

The shops have a variety of souvenirs from Bahrain, other GCC countries, India, Turkey, and Pakistan.  Beautiful brass coffee pots, carved wooden collapsing bowls, camels made of camel leather, pashmina shawls of various qualities, and a million different colours.  There are high quality knockoff designer purses, fabrics from all over the Middle East, designer and Arabian perfumes, sweets, electronics, spices and nuts, and of course jewellery.

The area is crowded, the streets narrow, barely wide enough for a few people, yet cars are parked along the shops, and others driving along, trying to pass.  Merchants call to us as we pass, "Madame, we have nice purses here", or "Come into my shop".  Nothing has price tags, you have to ask "how much", and the first price is always inflated, and the negotiations begin.  Even low priced items, 2 BD, usually come down to maybe 1.5.

On our first tour through the souq, I find lots of things I'd like to buy, but I don't want to spend all my money on the first day, nor do I want to fill my suitcase.  But I do find a few treasures.  In between shops, Daya tells me funny stories, she has a ton, and we laugh all day.  It's so good to be with my friend again!

But we can't find a smartwatch for her.  And the shops close from 1 - 4 pm every day, then open again till midnight.  So we go from the souq to the mall, and finish our first day of shopping at the mall, finding a few good deals there.

The next day, though, we go back to the souq, so that I can find some loose pearls, and gold earrings. Bahrain has the oldest pearl diving industry in the world, and I would love to take some pearls home and design my own jewellery.  Finally we are able to find everything we came for, and it's getting late.  As we wander about trying to find our way back to the front gate, we come across a beautifully decorated mosque.

Alex has reserved places for us at a wine tasting at the Royal Golf Club,  So we race home, grab a bite to eat, get fancy, and off we go.

The wine is amazing.  And my host is very knowledgeable about wine , since he is qualified to teach wine tasting.  For the second time in my travels, I am fortunate enough to be on the company of someone from whom I can learn about wine.  I'm sensing a trend here.

Camels and Burial Mounds

Jan.6

The morning dawns clear and warm, and we decide to spend the morning planning the rest of the week.  There are so many things to do, but I would like to focus on things that I can't do anywhere else.  So, we decide that we will have a bit of lunch, and then check out the things that are close by, within walking distance.  It is really warm out (actually, it feels hot and humid to me), but we are in a Muslim country, so long pants and tshirts are required.  And bottles of water, and sunblock, and sunglasses...

Our first stop is the camel farm that is only a short 10 minute walk from Alex and Daya's villa.  Here they raise camels, mostly for preservation, but also for milk.  They are really dromedaries, only one hump, but are just as cute.  About 100 camels reside at the farm, and I have a blast, taking pictures.

From there, we walk to an archaelogical dig of several burial mounds, just around the corner, interesting largely because of the size of the mounds.

Finding that they are constructing new residential buildings close by, we wonder if more mounds were there that were simply plowed under, glad that there were some that had been preserved.  The landscape is so different from what I'm used to, that I must take a photo or two.

Birthdays in Bahrain

Jan. 4

Arrived safely last evening, to the happy faces of my friends, and a beautiful, warm evening.  As we drive to their house, I marvel at all the interesting light displays on the buildings, palm trees, and light posts.  It seems I arrived shortly after the country’s national birthday, and all the decorations are still out.  We stay up very late, talking and catching up, and drinking the most wonderful wine.  They give me a quick tour of their beautiful home, and I fall in love quickly with everything!

This morning, I rose, took a shower and dressed, and opened the door to “my” room, and was told to go back to bed, because the maid would bring me breakfast in bed.  Wow!  My amazing hosts had already eaten, but they joined me in a coffee, and we picked up the conversation easily.  It’s the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday today, and also my hosts, Alex’s!  They tell me that the work week here is Sunday to Thursday, but today is a holiday, so we can relax and celebrate Alex’s birthday, first by going shopping for his present, then by going out for dinner.  Score!

Daya and I head to the mall, which unexpectedly has mostly the same stores I’m used to seeing at home, including the food court.  After finding a few things, we head back, where their friends Angel and Mike meet us, and Alex breaks out the champagne and a selection of very good cheese.

Finally, we head to Le Sauvage, a restaurant on the 34^th floor of a major hotel in the capital, Manama, where we revel in beef tenderloin from Argentina, and several wonderful side dishes, and a beautiful Pinot Noir. That’s when I find out that I am privileged to be in the company of someone qualified to be a sommelier.  How on earth did I get so lucky? 

The view from the restaurant is beautiful, and I get a few shots from the camera on my phone, but everyone is tired, so we go back and say good night.  What a fabulous vacation this is turning out to be!

On my way

Yesterday, the flight from yyz to lhr was largely uneventful.  Or was it?  Upon getting in line to check into my flight, I thought I recognized the couple in front of me.  When she turned her head a little, I was sure of it, and she confirmed with a hug that I was in line behind a woman with whom I had worked several years ago. It was great to catch up with her and her husband, who I also had worked with. 

But the evening was fantastic.  Having been unsure of what my situation would be like when I arrived in London, and whether I would even be allowed to leave the airport, K found that because my luggage had not been checked through, I needed to go through customs in order to get my bags.  Carrying a Canadian passport does have its advantages, as well as having a friend to stay with, and I was asked only how long I would be in the country.  So off I went to find my friend almost first in line to greet me, and having a cab already booked, we were on our way to Watford.

We talked late into the night, almost finishing a bottle of 2008 Rioja from Spain in the process.  And still were not able to get completely caught up.  It was wonderful to see him again, and the night was too short, but he bundled me back in a taxi this morning to catch my flight to Manama, Bahrain.

Yesterday the bulk of the flight and the view was hampered by either clouds or darkness.  Today, I hoped that I would have a chance to see a bit of Europe as we flew over, but to no avail.  More clouds, for about the first two hours.  Then, finally a break, and I could see a range of mountains below – the Alps perhaps?  My European geography was never great, and is even rustier now, so I consult the map view on my little TV.  Budapest is behind us, and we moving toward Bucharest, so no, not the Alps.  Will have to Google this.

More clouds.  Lunch arrives just in time to distract me, and is way too much food, but quite tasty.  A really interesting variety of spicy meatballs and rice, potato salad, roll with butter, cream cheese and crackers, and a dessert that seemed to be a  cross between tiramisu and black forest cake fluff.

As we fly over the Black sea (according to the little map), I realize that we flew almost directly over Constantinople, and am reminded of a children’s story, was it a Dr. Seuss book?  Something about Constantinople or Timbuktu, was it Mr. Brown can moo, can you?

Now we are 2 hours from our destination, have bypassed Ankara, and will soon be over Batman, then the next recognizable name on the map is Baghdad.  I feel as though I’m in a spy movie!  The sun is already starting to go down, but in my home time, its only 8:55 a.m.  So I have lost almost a full day by the time I arrive at my final destination.  There is snow on the mountains below, but I know when I land, it will feel quite balmy.

And soon I will see another friend, the one I have come halfway around the world to see.