I finally arrived to the Bay House in Ventnor, Isle of Wight after a long flight from Syracuse, NY, to Heathrow and then a long drive to Portsmouth UK. From there it was a ferry ride to the Isle of Wight. Along the way I got carsick and let's just say it wasn't my best moment meeting my editor from England for the first time.
After a day of touring the Isle and Osborne House - Queen Victoria's summer residence - which I will blog about later - I woke up this morning with no intention of getting in a car. The roads here are very narrow and I don't understand how it was I did not see any car accidents. I had to keep closing my eyes while being driven around for fear that the next winding turn on the road would send a car barreling toward our windshield.
I spent this morning exploring Ventnor. All roads lead up here, or down, depending on one's perspective. There is absolutely no reason to belong to a gym if you live here as long as you walk everywhere.
After two days of drinking airport coffee I was looking for a good cup of joe this morning. I landed at the Seapot right along the Esplanade; but it was bustling with people and I couldn't wait. So I kept walking until I reached the beachfront of Ventnor and indulged in one of the best latte and chocolate croissants I've ever had at The Met. The wait staff were very helpful to me as I was trying to unload some coins and had no idea what they were without using my reading glasses. And a note to the British- it's time to scale down the width of your coinage. They are too thick and heavy and the treasury might save some metal if they would look into it. Plus for the life of me I can't figure out why a 2 pence is so large. I thought it was £2 coin and couldn't understand why the waitress stood waiting for more money when I handed it to her.
After refreshing my soul with caffeine I walked the steep climb to the town? village? centre of Ventnor. I needed to find out how the bus routes work and the woman at the tourist information desk was very cheerful. So were the people in the food co-op and the 'Scoop Store' where I could buy just enough detergent for one load of laundry. That would never happen in America - we're all about super sizing it.
Tomorrow I have a planned visit with the Isle of Wight record office in Newport to look through news articles about William's yacht the Utowana and his visit to the Isle of Wight in 1891 for the Regatta yacht races in Cowes. According to American articles I've found, he hosted the Prince of Wales on his yacht while stationed in the harbor. I'm curious to see what the British papers have on record about him.
I am also very curious to find out if he was invited to the festivities at Osborne House while staying in Cowes. And if I can navigate the bus system and not get too lost I may visit Shanklin where William resided when he received his first hunting license at age 16. The thatched roof cottages in the village centre look very hobbit-like.
After a day of touring the Isle and Osborne House - Queen Victoria's summer residence - which I will blog about later - I woke up this morning with no intention of getting in a car. The roads here are very narrow and I don't understand how it was I did not see any car accidents. I had to keep closing my eyes while being driven around for fear that the next winding turn on the road would send a car barreling toward our windshield.
I spent this morning exploring Ventnor. All roads lead up here, or down, depending on one's perspective. There is absolutely no reason to belong to a gym if you live here as long as you walk everywhere.
After two days of drinking airport coffee I was looking for a good cup of joe this morning. I landed at the Seapot right along the Esplanade; but it was bustling with people and I couldn't wait. So I kept walking until I reached the beachfront of Ventnor and indulged in one of the best latte and chocolate croissants I've ever had at The Met. The wait staff were very helpful to me as I was trying to unload some coins and had no idea what they were without using my reading glasses. And a note to the British- it's time to scale down the width of your coinage. They are too thick and heavy and the treasury might save some metal if they would look into it. Plus for the life of me I can't figure out why a 2 pence is so large. I thought it was £2 coin and couldn't understand why the waitress stood waiting for more money when I handed it to her.
After refreshing my soul with caffeine I walked the steep climb to the town? village? centre of Ventnor. I needed to find out how the bus routes work and the woman at the tourist information desk was very cheerful. So were the people in the food co-op and the 'Scoop Store' where I could buy just enough detergent for one load of laundry. That would never happen in America - we're all about super sizing it.
Tomorrow I have a planned visit with the Isle of Wight record office in Newport to look through news articles about William's yacht the Utowana and his visit to the Isle of Wight in 1891 for the Regatta yacht races in Cowes. According to American articles I've found, he hosted the Prince of Wales on his yacht while stationed in the harbor. I'm curious to see what the British papers have on record about him.
I am also very curious to find out if he was invited to the festivities at Osborne House while staying in Cowes. And if I can navigate the bus system and not get too lost I may visit Shanklin where William resided when he received his first hunting license at age 16. The thatched roof cottages in the village centre look very hobbit-like.
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