A last sunny walk from Arlington Street, down Boylston to The Top of the Hub restaurant, 52 floors up The Prudential building with amazing views over Boston to have our last American lunch, to Barnes and Noble, such a brilliant bookshop (and where the lovely Mr S spotted Michael Gove – not one of our beautiful things!) then back up Newbury to our hotel by Boston Common and pick up the luggage ready to fly home overnight, catch the train from Paddington and home…….
1 We have two new horses in the back field. They don’t stand still for long but seemed to be interested in my taking a photo!
Two new horses
2 My brother and his wife are on holiday on Tybee Island getting away from the heat of Atlanta for a while. P sent me this from the beach.
Greeting
3 We were taken out for a meal tonight by M and R as a thank you for their holiday – a really lovely treat. It was our first visit to the Meadery which was lots of fun. I liked this statement on the menu.
The Redruth Meadery
I enjoyed collecting these. Click on any one for an enlargement to see the detail.
1. The flight was only 40 mins from Varanasi to Kathmandu but we were at the airport very early and on arrival in Nepal were two hours in the queue for our visas so we arrived too late for any sightseeing today. The good thing about this was that we all talked to each other in the queue and had lots of laughs! Our first sight of Kathmandu and the mountains from the plane was beautiful indeed.
2. Our welcome in the hotel was lovely as it had been in India. There were bowls of flowers throughout the lobby.
3. After such a long day which was tiring despite doing nothing, we opted for room service which we have never done before. Our very simple meal was so beautifully presented on a trolley which became our dining table. Tomorrow we get up at 4.30 am to have our flight over Everest! I can’t quite believe we are really doing this trip!
1. Sunrise over the River Ganges was such a beautiful experience.
2. Towards the end of our visit to a silk weaving factory, they asked for one of us to model a sari so I offered. It felt lovely wearing it and even I began to feel elegant which is not my normal style! I wish I would have occasion to wear one at home and I now, really wish I had bought it even though I have no idea when I would be able to wear it. It would just be so lovely to have it just as a piece of art.
3. The streets are so busy and to Western eyes, chaotic, but we saw no evidence of any accidents; everyone was so skilful in steering around each other. Tuktuks share the roads with bikes and bike rickshaws, motorbikes and scooters, ( on which the women in their beautiful saris, ride sidesaddle ) buses and coaches, horse drawn carriages, motor cars and tractors, and cows, sacred and revered and for whom the traffic stops.
I will post many more photos on our return. It’s a bit tricky on limited Internet.
1. We had a brilliant train journey from Agra to Jhansi, two and a half hours watching the changing landscapes. The stations were quite an experience, so very busy and full of wonderful smiley, helpful people.
2. There was a festival going on in Orchha and we moved among the crowds observing rituals and feeling very privileged to be allowed to do so. There were lots of flowers, mostly marigolds being made into small bunches for offerings to the Gods. Again we were of interest to passers by. Look at those beautiful smiles!
3. Immodium. It works. Enough said.
1. With 9 hours to fill today, we opted for a late Full English breakfast and very good it was too! We then went on the bus to Staines. There was a lovely mosaic in the bookshop, an interesting sculpture near the shops and a lovely old lych gate to St Peter’s Church.
2. We had a delightful walk along the Thames which was full of water birds – swans, coots, ducks and geese. Watching the swans landing and taking off is always fun.
3. Now we are just full of excitement and ready to be off, flight at 8.45pm. Dehli here we come!
I can’t upload photos for some reason so there’ll be lots to look forward to when we get home!
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