Quickie Weekend in New York

We took a little trip down to New York last weekend, for lots of little reasons, but no one big reason other than, it's New York, and it's just next door. Well, in North America, next door can be a six hour drive, but still if you live within driving distance of a city like New York, why not make the most of it.

Whilst there, we caught up with good friends, and rode the new Seaglass Carousel (twice), which K has been waiting a long time to go on, and had just opened earlier this year.

A very relaxing day wandering round the city, eating in dim sum Chinatown, and having cake. What more could one ask?

However, the main reason fort the trip was to go see the Wild Kratts Live with the kids. This is one of their favourite shows, and this was the nearest place they were playing on their tour, despite their production company (and one of the brothers) being based in Ottawa. We weren't sure if they'd like it, as it's a very different experience watching a stage show, that watching the same people on an animated TV show, but they were both enthralled by the whole experience, so it was well worth the trip.

October Weekend in Maine

Last weekend was Thanksgiving, and so a long weekend (we don't say Canadian Thanksgiving, as why would you?). We took this as an opportunity to take a weekend away. We've been promising the kids some time at the beach, and to find some rock-pools all summer, but hadn't quite got round to it..

Mount Washington with snow.

We booked up a weekend in Maine for Thanksgiving weekend a while ago, thinking that even if the weather was rubbish, we'd still be at the coast. As it turned out, we couldn't have asked for better weather. Friday was raining and miserable, but we left Saturday morning, and Saturday, Sunday and Monday were unseasonably warm, with blue skies all the way. We may even have got a little too much sun, as we weren't quite prepared with the sunscreen.

This waterfall...

Being the start of autumn, the colours of the trees all the way down were spectacular. On the way down, we stopped off at some views on Mount Washington, and other parts of the Appalachians for some pictures. Unfortunately, at one such stop, my phone slipped out of my pocket and bounced into a (rather pretty) waterfall. Oops. Fortunately, I now have a new (upgraded) phone. The pleasures of paying through the nose for a contract!

The little house that K found and rented was perfect. Two rooms, and plenty of space, although we were only to use it to sleep in.

Once at the beach, the girls had a blast. We hit Old Orchard Beach (Maine's equivalent to Blackpool in terms of stores and attractions, but with a much prettier beach). where the girls ran around like fools, even though the water was 55oF (that's 13oC in real money, but you know those crazy yanks and their love of the Imperial measure), then moved on to find rock-pools full of crabs, little shrimp and even a fish.

Monday was an easy day of beach in the morning, then the afternoon wandering round Kennibunkport. The girls also ate loads of seafood. LP loving the mussels, and A getting stuck into the calamari (and also the chips).

Of course, this was but the last of a great number of travels near and far this summer. I haven't posted on them all, as I've got out of the habit, what with facebook being such an easy medium for sharing photos. But here's to more of this type of thing! I'm sure there'll be the obligatory Halloween post, with maybe another of the costumes, as they've been rather time consuming in their build, but more of that in a later post.

Easter Break Part 3

I've finally got round to writing up the rest of the holiday. Less writing it up and more collating the pictures.

In the morning, we were at the doors of the Empire State Building pretty much in time for it opening, since our hotel was in it's shadow. After that, we wandered off to see the NY Library and Bryant Park, where we found another carousel, then lunch, then off to central park to play while the sisters headed off to MoMA.

The last picture has Abi listening at the whispering arch at Grand Central Station.

The next day we went to the Natural History Museum. That took all day, as it should, and we still missed out the whole planetarium part.

 The kids touching a fossil egg, and LP with her favourite, a triceratops.

Abi and her monkey from the Empire Stare building with a Proganochelys, which is a favourite in the dinosaur train episodes we have. Yay for education through television!

That night, the grandparents looked after the kids, and the adults went our for a few cocktails, and a walk through Times square. Where we were mobbed by some famous people!

 

The last day of our stay in New York was spent wandering through Little Italy and Chinatown.

 

 

 

K organised a place in Brooklyn for two nights, our day in that part of town was spent going round the Brooklyn Children's Museum and the Transit Museum.

 

Then back into Manhattan for a last dinner with the rest of the family before they all headed their separate ways.

 

The Town of Quebeck in New-France

We took a bit of a last minute decision to go and visit Quebec City this week, so I went and looked out the travel books I have for the city:

The first of these dates back to my original trip to this Belle Province, and is well thumbed, if not out of date (not that the museums or fortresses have moved much since 2000). I'll stick them both in my bag to take with me, but even though I have just finished my last book, I doubt I'll actually get through reading HPL's travelogue of Quebec City, which is apparently the longest written work he ever produced, and the trip to Quebec was the only time he ever came to Canada, but it's heavy going by today's standards (Rough Guide it ain't). However, there are some nice little observations in there, and some great drawings the man himself drew to accompany the work, so I will at least skim through it, and compare my trip to his (not that he went to the aquarium, which is his loss really)

Mark's Wedding

Trips to Scotland are like buses. Nothing for 5 years, then three come along in quick succession. The latest was a return to Scotland for the wedding of Mark and Hannah (making the trips for teraly three weddings and a funeral). As I had caught up with pretty much all my family in one go in February, this trip was always going to be one where I tried to get in touch with as many friends as possible.

First stop Edinburgh:
Gamers and fencers, or at least those who are still in town and wanted to come out. Really great to see everyone. A shame I was only on town for 1 night, and thanks ever so much to Gav and Sabrina for letting me crash at theirs.

 

 

Then up to Fife for the wedding. The Balbirnie House Hotel to be exact. Meeting up with so many fencers that were all in Strathclyde Fencing Club back when I started was a bit like getting into a time machine and going back 20 years.

 

 

Then back to Edinburgh, to meet and catch up with Hazel, then a pint with my old boss Rory. I also found out that they've opened a Gaming Cafe right next door to my old flat. Maybe for the best that that wasn't there at the same time as me, as I took long enough to write up my thesis as it was.Then it was time to head back to Airdrie for the night, seeing Pamela and Roy for a cuppa after tea. Meanwhile, I took a wee trip out Falkirk way to see the Kelpies.

Then over to Glasgow for some shopping, a little sight seeing, and to meet up with Susan for a pub lunch in Auctioneers (Jamie Oliver's new restaurant on George Square was closed on Mondays), and a good catch up (as well as vicariously finding out about others we went to Uni with).

The next day was flying back to the girls in Montreal. A short and hectic visit, but I think I made the best use of my time there, and touched base with as many people as possible.