Funchal Bits and Pieces Part One

 There are times when I think all of us have a desire to seek justice. The crazy driver trying to pass you on curves and then cutting you off, you want to see him pulled over by the cops and just give him a smiling wave. Well yesterday such a fantasy took place. I had been out on the balcony admiring the park and reveling in the quiet when one of the little motorcycles without a muffler began roaring up and down the road next to the park as he popped wheelies and revved his engine. We went our for our second walk shortly thereafter and sure enough there he was racing down the road next to the building and going through pedestrian walkways with wild abandon. He zoomed around the fountain for another pass and to our utter joy we saw him pulled over by a motorcycle policeman. You should have seen the other walkers giving thumbs up to the officer and I shouted out, Bravo!  The kid, to our immense pleasure, did not look very happy!

I eat very little meat since we favor fish and vegetables. But when I do eat meat, I consume the five major meat groups, lamb, partridge, goat, rabbit and roast suckling pig!  I’ve had all five on the island and each was better than the other. The first two were grilled, the second two in a fabulous stew and the pig - my goodness, the pig! Sunday lunch found us wandering on small streets and we found a place with pictures of Suckling Pig. We asked it they had it that day and the answer was "of course," so we settled into a lovely courtyard.  We were quickly brought a plate of olives, two small glasses of dry Madeira wine, and menus. We noticed that the people next to us had ordered the suckling pig and when it was brought to their table we just assumed that two of them had ordered the same thing. When we found out that it was only for one, we made sure to share the meal.  It was delicious! The skin was the color of rich Corinthian leather and cracked at the wack of the back of a spoon, the flesh was moist and falling off the bone.  Truly one of the best Sunday Lunches ever!

Coffee culture is alive and well here and even more intense than we’ve seen in other countries. There are cafes every twenty feet ranging from huge outside tented areas to little five person walk-in bars. They seem to be packed at all hours of the day and sometimes we’ll notice that they are having cake and coffee at 6 or 7 pm, just when we are thinking about dinner. Most places charge less than one euro for a coffee, but other high-end sit down places will find you paying 3 or 4 euros for just a plain little cup, nothing fancy. We do not frequent those spots but instead love to try little places. After two weeks going to the same place every morning after our run/walk, we are now known and they just get the order going since it is always the same. Nice to be a local!

We have done many of the tourist things and for the most part enjoyed them. Taking the Teleférico up to the Monte Mountain and gardens was fun. Spending two hours in the Botanical Gardens was another great adventure. Two concerts in one week has left me exhausted not to mention walking past at least five museums and countless must-see churches (which we did not).

The food here has been universally wonderful, in stark contrast to our time last year in Ponta Delgada. The difference is that they actually grow a lot of things on this island and the waters are much warmer meaning far more availability and variety of fresh fish. We have eaten in hole-in-the-wall places where a wonderful lunch was under ten euros and we’ve been to some far more expensive places too. What they all have in common is a deep appreciation for good quality fresh food, prepared with a minimum amount of fussiness and served with pride.

More later,  Cindy and William

Funchal Bits and Pieces Part Two

 For the past year I’ve read a few travel articles comparing Madeira to Hawaii. While there are some obvious comparisons: they are both volcanic islands in the middle of an ocean, and they are verdant and lush with wild scenery and beautiful beaches - but they really are not to be compared for a variety of reasons. First, no one can really afford Hawaii!  The hotel prices are ridiculous, the food is mediocre, it is difficult to get around in Hawaii, and the most glaring difference is that you can’t get Spam in Madeira! Madeira is most likely what Hawaii was sixty years ago and it all might change here in another twenty years, but for now, this is really a marvelous island with marvelous people and a fun place to spend weeks upon weeks without busting the budget.

Every morning I stand on our balcony and do my resistance/tai chi exercises and marvel at how clean this island is. I watch with great admiration as the two-man street cleaning crew begins its twice daily task of keeping this areas streets and sidewalks immaculate. First the guy with the leaf blower makes sure that all the papers, cups, leaves and other debris that has accumulated on the sidewalks is blown into the street so that the little street sweeper truck can scoop it all up. In the early hours just after sunrise, the little park across the street is peppered with the ‘green men,' (wearing neon green vests) - those who are charged with cleaning, pruning, sweeping, clipping and mowing, doing their jobs. Poetry in motion!

Many of you may have been reading about how some European cities are trying to limit the number of tourist that flock to their cities. Of greatest concern is how many large cruise ships there are that now pull into small ports and discharge upwards of five thousand passengers per ship. The mayors and city councils are all too aware of the fact that these tourists do not contribute much to the economy since they seldom purchase meals or other high ticket items, choosing instead to bring food from the ship to eat in the public places of these towns or returning for meals on the ship. Venice, Barcelona, Nice, and many Greek Islands have all set caps on the number and size of ships that can visit their cities. Just this week the mayor of Nice announced that beginning July 1 of this year no ship with more that 900 passengers will be allowed to visit the city. He said the passengers on the larger ships that, “pollute and dump their low-cost clients” in ports of call have no place in the French region.”  Here in Funchal we have watched in amazement at just how many tourists can arrive all at once. Today there are three ships in harbor with a total passenger population of 9,500!  When that happens, and it happens every four-five days, the town has a very different feel. The passengers are either German or British and can be identified easily. The Brits are loud, sunburned and casually dressed, meaning they are wearing flip flops and tank tops. (It appears no one told them there is no beach in Funchal.) The Germans are - well, German - in mismatched shorts and tops, wearing sandals with socks, and oblivious to their surroundings. What they have in common is the propensity to sit at an outdoor cafe for hours with just a coffee or beer!  We have spoken to several taxi drivers who think that they add nothing to the economy; certainly they don’t take taxis.

We had a spell of foul weather, lots of rain and wind, and I thought, "well why not get a haircut, - it is, after all, an indoor event." I wandered out between storms towards a place where I thought I had seen a lighted barber pole. It started raining so I took off my glasses which were getting rather wet and saw the pole and sign that read Old School on the shop window. Old school is just fine with me so I walked in and was told to come back in twenty minutes for my haircut. I arrived at the appointed time and was directed to a small waiting area Where I put on my now dry and clean glasses. What to my wondrous eyes should appear but a much clearer vision:  The sign which really read Old Skull!  The next thing I noticed was that other than the skeletons of a large cobra and huge mongoose encased in glass, I was the oldest thing in the room by at least fifty or sixty years! The young kids getting their haircuts were all getting fades or something like that; in any event I knew that was not the look I wanted. The young barbers all had one thing in common and that was their extensive tattoos covering every exposed part of their bodies, legs, arms, shoulders, etc.  I was trying to decide if I should just get up and leave when a well-dressed young man came up, called my name and shook my hand. Well I’ve always been a sucker for courtesy so I followed him to his work area. He had greeted me with Bom Gia, which is Brazilian Portuguese for Bom Dia so I asked him where he was from in Brazil (I did this in Portuguese, if you please). He was delighted I knew the difference and he also knew I didn’t speak Portuguese so he spoke to me in perfect English and we established what I wanted and we were off to the races. I got a perfectly lovely haircut, so says Cindy, and had an interesting experience to boot!

Funchal Part Two

 Week One is done and dusted and we are still enjoying our time on the Portuguese Island of Madeira.  Funchal is quite touristic but still feels, acts, portrays itself as Portuguese through and through.  Actually Madeiran through and through - there are some differences in customs and colloquialisms between here and Portugal, mostly in foods and coffee orders, which we are learning at a rapid rate.  

The city is gorgeous and our apartment is at the edge of the Old Town and about 100 yards up from the marina/ the ocean.  Perfect.  We have never stayed or lived anywhere that had so many excellent restaurants within a stone's throw - and that doesn't count the dozens of excellent restaurants 5-10 minutes farther out. It's amazing.  The apartment itself has presented us with various challenges, the kind we have faced in other apartments where the owner never lived on site. The two bathrooms have zero towel bars, the shower heads have had to be replaced, there is no place in the shower to place your soap, washcloth, shampoo ... well, you get the drift.  Cindy is on a first name basis with all the members of management. In order to get in and out of the complex you need a key card and they gave us ONE, which means we need to coordinate all our coming and goings. After the first week they gave us a new one but it didn’t work and they never tested it. This was particularly difficult when our friends from the mainland came to visit, one card for four people just doesn’t work!

They have wonderful concerts in various venues every week - so far we've only managed to hear the Buena Vista Social Club concert - not the original group of course but really fine and fun musicians.  We'll go to some more concerts before we leave on Feb. 3. We walk everywhere in order to do everything. In order to get to the above concert we had to walk thirty minutes, all up hill!  Coming home was a breeze but getting there was not half the fun

The downside is that it's an island!  Our friends who visited us here live in Southern Portugal and couldn’t leave on their scheduled flight because all flights were canceled that day due to wind sheer at the small airport. They finally got out the next day after more hours of waiting, missed their train in Lisbon (both days; MUCH rescheduling happened); it was one hassle after another.  

Speaking of airports, this one is named the Cristiano Rinaldo Airport after the famous son who is a futbol/soccer star. Everyone here just calls him CR7 (the number of his jersey). There is a stadium, museum, statue, store, hotel, and so much more that is simply called CR7. From all accounts he is a rather remarkable human being contributing much back to the community that he loves so much. Nice to hear about honorable professional athletes.

We have done a lot of touristy things but the one that was the most fun was taking a toboggan for two kilometers down a steep and curvy road. It was exhilarating and just a tad frightening - but oh my, the memories! 

Funchal January 2025

Last year we spent two weeks in January in Punta Delgada. It rained the first week and was ok the second and we decided that this year we would find a place where the weather was more accommodating to our needs. We chose Funchal, only because our friends Marc and Abi jointed us for week two after having spend a week in Funchal and they raved about it. 

We booked, sight unseen, a two bed/two bath apartment right downtown overlooking parks and the harbor. We traveled for twenty seven hours, Dulles to Casablanca, to Lisbon to Funchal and arrived exhausted but happy to see the sun shining and the breeze fresh. We got our first taste of hospitality in the town car we had hired to take us to the apartment. The driver was so proud of his island and gave us a running cometary on the history and geology of the island. He alway said that everyone we would meet would be friendly and helpful, except the fruit merchants at the Central Mercado. H warned us not to engage them in conversation or try any of their samples since they would get very aggressive in trying to get you to purchase their fabulously expensive fruits. (He was right on both counts)!

We were met by the apartment manager and shown around the apartment, which is stunning, but we were so tired everything just went in one ear and out the other. After he left we unpacked and walked on our wrap around balcony that has spectacular views of the harbor, the big park and the mountains on the other side of the building. We summoned the energy to change for dinner and ventured out at about eight. We did not want to go too far and found a few restaurant quite close to the apartment and settled into a lovely outdoor terrace table. English, we have learned, is spoken by almost everyone in the hospitality business and while our attempts at speaking Portuguese were appreciated, they were unnecessary. We ordered a bottle of the house white, which at eighteen euros was a bargain,(the Euro is almost at parity with the dollar) and they proceeded to bring us ultra fresh local bread rolls, lots of butter and cheese and olives. I started with a local speciality which is tomato, onion soup with a poached egg and moved on to octopus, grilled and served with fresh flat green bean, carrots, beets and potatoes, enough for two!!  Cindy has what she thought would be a small salad of fresh greens, grilled shrimp and vegetables, again enough for two. We had a most enjoyable time, eating and drinking slowly and realizing that we were really finally here. Our two servers we so sweet and helpful and we thought all was right with the world. We took the short walk home, had a small cognac and hit the sack for nine hours of much needed sleep.

The next morning we woke up refreshed and happy not to be putting on heavy socks, shoes, coats, gloves and hats!  Winter here is 62 and sunny at eight in the morning and it only got more beautiful and he day progressed. We took a long walk around the harbor, a large ship was in with two thousand passengers, all Brits and you could see and hear them from great distances. We went to a nearby cafe for our Pingados, Portuguese for macchiato, and we shared at Pastel de Nata. Thus fortified we went to a large mall where we were told there was on Optician who might have clip on sunglasses since I had forgotten mine at home. We walked in and asked in Portuguese if he spoke English and of course he did!  He had what I wanted and I asked him if he could adjust my other set of glasses that were at the apartment. He said to just bring them in anytime and he would fix them, again an excellent example of Island Hospitality. Of course the minute we got home and started to arrange things at the table by the door, I found my sunglasses but now I have a nice souvenir of Funchal. (I did bring my glasses to him today and of course he fixed them at no charge and was so friendly wanting to know how we liked his Island!)

We returned and dressed for lunch, it being a Sunday we wanted to treat ourselves to a relaxed meal. We had noticed a lovely bistro The Golden Gate Cafe, which remained us of a similar bistro in Nice, so we went and sat outside in the lovely warm sun and had a light but refreshing meal of fresh fruit salad and and omelette with a small salad. The people watching was a treat as was the local white wine. Again, one does not go hungry in Portugal, the portions are on the large side so we are learning to order accordingly. A unhurried walk through yet another park set us up for a refreshing nap, which we both needed as we are still catching up with time zones.

 

La Jolla, 2024

 We are back in La Jolla for a two week stay at our timeshare overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The weather has been fantastic, 70-degree sunny days and 55-degree evenings. Our walking/running routine is firmly in place every morning as are our multiple trips on foot for shopping and restaurants and so forth. For the past week we have been getting 20K steps in before dark. 

Much has changed in the two years since our last visit. The hills have gotten steeper, the prices have gotten steeper and I swear my legs have gotten shorter!  La Jolla is still the village of designer clothes, designer cars and designer dogs; I’ve never seen so many ‘cutesy’ dogs, many of them dressed much better than me. These dogs have more gene varieties than a Calvin Klein showroom!

We had a car for the first six days of our visit so we could stock up on heavy groceries such as water and wine.  We have also been able to go into San Diego to dine with our friends there, and it was lovely to catch up after two years of only emails! On Wednesday we drove north for about 40 minutes to Encinitas where there was a noon concert Cindy wanted to attend. It was held in the Encinitas Public Library and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful library!  The south side of this modern facility is all floor-to-ceiling glass with spectacular views of the town, beaches and Pacific. I had fully intended to drop Cindy off and walk around for an hour, but unlike the dark, dreary musical venue here in La Jolla where we went on Monday for a concert, this one had a raised stage, plenty of chairs in comfortable configurations, and the backdrop was the Pacific Ocean!!

We drove home the long way and stopped for a late lunch at a restaurant right on the water. As we sipped our Prosecco we noticed a little roiling in the ocean very close to shore - and there, undulating with abandon - was a pod of six bottle nosed dolphins. They performed for us for twenty-five minutes going back and forth in front of us as they fed on the fish that appeared to be plentiful.  Next we heard and then saw a red aerobatic plane directly above us.  It turned out to be a skywriter and the plane released smoke that took the shape of a slithering snake!  Who knew we would have such performances during lunch, which incidentally was excellent.  (A mango/ avocado /shrimp stack and grilled salmon atop a salad.)

Sunsets here always find us on our bench at the beach waiting for the green flash, which we have seen two out of five evenings, always a highlight of our visits here.  We have another six days here and they are packed with visits from family and friends. It is funny, we have more friends here that we enjoy being with than we do in West Virginia. We only lived here for seven years and we’ve lived in WV for sixteen, go figure!  On the 7th we’ll take a morning flight to San Francisco, where Cindy will then take a cab to Palo Alto to visit one of her dearest friends. We have a room near the airport and will have a late dinner when she returns from the visit.  The next day we have our flight home. We are flying Alaska and I now remember why I liked them so much when we lived in Washington State:  They are head and shoulders better in every way than the big three, American, Delta, and United. The service was spectacular, the food was restaurant-quality, and the plane was spotless and comfortable. They even clean the toilets every so often, which is highly unusual in the USA.

And yes, we already voted!  Stood in line for about an hour the day before we left to make sure our voices were heard. Now we just wait!!

With best wishes, Cindy and William

History, Speed and Food, Part One

 September 2024

We just returned from a five-day trip filled with fun and frolic, having visited Colin and Meagan at their home in Williamsburg, VA spending lots of time doing things we normally don’t do. We started with a marvelous dinner at the Fat Canary restaurant on Colin’s Birthday. This is an old standard in Williamsburg that is justifiably well known for its ambiance, food and drink. We started in their excellent retail wine cellar looking at wines for dinner and then sampling them before we went upstairs. We tried and very much enjoyed an un-oaked Chardonnay from South Africa; alas we had just consumed the last bottle!  It was a lovely long evening of celebration and song.

The next day we had a lovely drive on the Colonial Parkway from Williamsburg to Jamestown in glorious weather where we proceeded to experience the Jamestown Settlement. They have a great large indoor area that is filled with dioramas depicting the area as it was in 1607 as well as tracing the history of the region to the present day.  We really wanted to get outside so we skipped most of the films, lectures, and displays and dashed out to the entry of the old fort just in time to see a musket demonstration. All of the enactors were in period costumes and their knowledge of the period was encyclopedic. The young man doing the musket demo really knew a lot about all types of other weapons of the time and could, and did, trace the history of successful battles to improved armaments.  And he was humorous to boot; it was a very entertaining and interesting presentation.  We then wandered around the old fort and marveled at how they had to live with constant fear of the locals as well as the Spanish. Since they were the first English settlement, Spain was eager to get rid of them so they could claim the entire area. We saw infirmaries filled with the tools of the doctors of the day and demonstrated by an enactor who again knew his stuff!  The stories and tools were quite gruesome.

The highlight for me was outside the fort at the water’s edge where they had two replicas of the ships that brought the settlers from England. We boarded one of the ships and were amazed at how small they were to have carried 75 men and boys. The crew had some sleeping facilities, not pleasant but far better than the others who basically had to sit up most of the day and sleep on the planks when there was space. Quite the transatlantic crossing!  It was all great fun and so educational I almost forgot I was in a museum!

On the way home we stopped at a seafood place that was smack dab in the middle of a strip mall and had one of the best meals of the trip (among many). Fresh oysters several ways, crisp salads with seafood and icy cold Sancerre. A surprise and delight!  We did a little shopping for dinner and headed home for well deserved naps. 

That evening Colin produced a mammoth meal with the ease of an experienced caterer. Seafood kabobs, sausages, multi colored peppers, all grilled to perfection and served with fresh breads and greens.  Cindy had brought her famous cole slaw but we forgot to serve it since there was so much bounty on the table. We continued the celebration of Colin’s birthday with French sparking wines and Italian whites. 

On Saturday morning we walked through Colonial Williamsburg, marveling at the old homes and gardens (one of which has a huge old-fashioned windmill). It is a meticulously maintained town and at every turn there is something to catch the eye. The Farmer’s Market was in full swing and, like all such markets, filled with colors, aromas and people from all walks of life.  We were again blessed with spectacular weather, just perfect for wandering and sampling and enjoying being outside. 

In a surprise twist, we found ourselves heading to Busch Gardens, someplace I had heard a lot about but never visited. As we approached the entrance we became aware of the fact that we were not the only people who thought visiting here would be a good idea. It took about twenty minutes of inching forward before we got our pass. The kids have an annual pass which gives them priority parking so once in we headed for the uncrowded VIP area and were parked in minutes. It is a huge place, 425 acres to be precise, and filled with more rides, walks and restaurants than you could possibly handle in one day. We were assured that the best way to get familiar was to take the railroad train around the entire park. Oh my, what a delight!  I was like a little kid getting onto the train which is an genuine steam driven train with a colorful locomotive and coal car. The train engineers were in period dress and the whole thing was so authentic. We settled in and soon the train steam whistle blew and we were off at a brisk pace of 5 mph.

The train goes through all of the six countries that are part of the experience, much like EPCOT. We boarded in Scotland and went to Italy, Ireland, Old France, New France (Canada), England and Germany.  We crossed over a 90 foot bridge over a beautiful river with little river cruise boats taking passengers between amusements. It was a physically beautiful ride, with views of forest, fields, wildlife and flora galore. However, we did see some amusements!!  I shall never understand how something that takes you to the top of a two hundred foot structure and then plunges you straight down at sixty miles per hour can be considered an amusement. There were several of these and all of them packed so obviously I’m in the minority. It doesn’t have to do with age either, since I’ve never had an interest in carnival rides. The last one I enjoyed was outside a drugstore in Norwalk where I sat on one little wooden horse and my sister on the other and my dad put the nickel in the slot and we were off just like Roy and Dale Evans.  Now that was a ride!!

Much to my disappointment, we had to get off the train and walk through the countries we had just whizzed by. It was lots of fun and we enjoyed every moment. This time of year they do a scary Halloween thing that is a major attraction at night when it is dark and spooky but we did not stay for that. We had built up quite the appetite and ended up in Germany, the largest of the country areas.  (Since Adolpus Busch was from Germany, it makes sense.)  We entered the Octoberfest tent and grabbed some O'fest food and drink. Sausages, chicken, red cabbage, white cabbage, a variety of potatoes and lots of mustard and German beer hit the spot!  All too soon, we were on our way home for some well deserved nap time. 

That night Colin prepared Greek Grinders, at least that is what I called them. We had purchased some really good baguettes at the farmer’s market and he filled them with grilled chicken, tzatziki, tomatoes, peppers, onions and sausage - and oh my were they good. We had Cindy’s coleslaw alongside, and for dessert, Cindy’s Lemon Lime Satins topped with crême fraîche. We had a lovely evening just sitting around and talking about the day's excitement. We hit the beds early since we had a very early departure the next morning to go to Virginia Beach.

History, Speed and Food, Part Two

 September 2024

One of the other reasons for our visit to Williamsburg was the fact that Meagan had purchased four tickets for the Blue Angels Air Show in Virginia Beach and she invited us to come with them. Well, I had to think real hard about that one, who would want to go to a large airfield, filled with lots of planes you can walk around or through - as was the case of a C-4, right through the belly - and then sit and watch lots and lots of planes doing crazy things five hundred feet above you?  I felt mesmerized before we'd even left the house that morning! The night before we watched an awesome documentary on Prime Video called the Blue Angels and it really got us in the mood for the show and made it that much more enjoyable knowing all the background information. I highly recommend watching that show. 

We arrived after a lovely drive along lots of water and Naval ships and joined some of our 120,000 closest friends. The Oceana Naval Airbase is huge and it had to accommodate all these people. I must say, they did a remarkable job moving folks, parking cars and manning information areas. Once out of the car you could smell the jet fuel and it was better than breakfast!  Meagan had secured VIP space for us and we wandered around the static exhibits of planes both old and new until we arrived at our area, which was the equivalent of being on the fifty yard line at a football game.  We were given bracelets which allowed us access to everything, and found a table for all our stuff which included cameras, noise cancelling headsets, booklets, foul weather gear (which thankfully we didn’t need) - and headed back out to the static exhibits.  This link will give you a sample of what was there on the ground and this link for what was in the air!

We wandered for about an hour or so before the shows started.The Blue Angels weren’t scheduled until 3 pm and the shows started at 11 am so we saw a heaping helping of airplanes before the Angels took to the air. Our VIP area included lunch, beers, wines and soft drinks, as well as our own set of personal Porta Potties; did I mention free beer?!  The food was very good and everyone was in a party mode with lots of friendly chatter since we were all part of this special aviation community.  

There were some mighty impressive aerial displays for the next three hours as you can see from the links above, but none as impressive as the F-35C Lightning II demonstration . This is the Navy’s only fifth-generation stealth aircraft and it is remarkable. At one point in the demonstration it flew straight up and just hovered in the air, looking like it was holding a stationary point for what seemed like a minute, a feat that few aircraft of that power and weight can do. It also has a turn ratio that is much smaller than other aircraft of its caliber enabling it to excel in dog fights or close ground cover. Oh, and it is LOUD! Most of the planes are really loud but this one, operating so close to the ground, seemed really loud. We were all glad we had our headsets with us to protect our aging eardrums!

Finally, it was time for the big show and it did not disappoint. The precision of the Blue Angels is as crisp on the ground as it is in the air. The ground crews all have routines that are fun to watch and really important in order to maintain the safety of the crews and planes - it is actually choreographed as 2 people get ready for the pilot of each plane. This season they have - for the first time - a woman as a team member. She was part of the film by Amazon Prime and we got to know a lot about LCDR Amanda Lee. Every time the Angels were introduced, she received the most applause and cheers.  All of these Blue Angels have more than three thousand hours of flight time and I think most are also graduates of Top Gun training in Miramar. They are the elite of the elite and the hours of training, both mentally and physically, are grueling and do not allow for errors.

They do have ways to surprise the audience. One of their signature formations is the flying Delta, in which they fly in a delta pattern with only eight inches between the jets. They flew by the observation deck and everyone was watching as they slowly started to turn for another pass and then BAM! one of the two ‘extra’ planes came out of nowhere at 500 feet doing 800 miles an hour right above our heads!  It caught everyone by surprise and there were loud cheers once we realized what had happened, but oh my, it was loud and got the old ticker racing.  And before we knew it, it was over.

As you might suspect, it takes awhile to get 120,000 people out of a parking lot and onto one of two roads leading away from the air base. We used that time to talk about our favorite events and it was fun to talk about something we all enjoyed immensely.  By the time we got to the house we only had thirty minutes to ready ourselves for dinner but we all managed to be in the car at the right time and heading to the Blue Talon, a French Bistro in downtown Williamsburg. Once you enter, you leave the USA behind and are in the middle of an authentic Bistro, complete with stamped tin ceilings, cosy banquettes, caned chairs and marbled tables - and of course a long, lovely Zinc bar. We shared heaping platters of mussels in white wine with frites, bien sûr. Salmon rillettes, patés with cornichons and grilled bread, and a bottle of French Crémant, a lovely sparking wine that is just like Champagne but can't be called that because the grapes are grown slight out of the area. We got down to business after the openers and had Gran Mère’s roasted chicken, grilled shrimp, and Steak Frites, mon dieu, a grand feast with appropriate French red and whites to make it a special penultimate dinner with the kids. 

We were all exhausted and hit the hay by 9:30 since Meagan had to go to work early, Colin had appointments, and we had a road trip to Fredericksburg ahead of us. We took the slow road, which went through Yorktown, I mean Historic Yorktown. Over the big bridge and then off to smaller roads through rural Virginia. It was all rather spectacular scenery and the day was just perfect for meandering. In one of the small - they were all small - towns, we stopped at a funky coffee shop and had a surprisingly wonderful lunch. Cindy had a Gouda and red pepper soup and I had a chicken salad made with amazingly fresh and flavorful greens and well-seasoned grilled chicken. Everyone was addressed as hon, sweetie, sugar, darling and our wait person looked like someone out of central casting oozing southern charm. 

We got to Fredericksburg, I mean Historic Fredricksburg, in time to check in and take a quick nap. It had rained a bit but it was mostly over by the time we decided to take an exploratory walk. We had been here in 2011 but remembered almost nothing about the town or the hotel so for us it was all new.  Actually Cindy remembered one thing, the name and location of a tattoo parlor called "Sorry Mom Tattoos."  Still there! - and who could forget a name like that.

Fredericksburg really is a lovely town with lots of shops, bars, restaurants and historical placards all over the place. We returned to the hotel to get ready for our reservation and decided to have a drink in the bar, which looked lovely. This is the only bar I’ve ever been to in the USA that has Pinot Bianco from the Aldo Adige region of Italy, up near the Austrian border. It is really a delicious wine and it was served ice cold from a freshly opened bottle. I immediately liked the place. 

We dined at La Petite Auberge, which at 7:30 on a Monday was almost empty. We were shown to a lovely corner table and there was a bottle of the same French sparking wine we had enjoyed the night before, courtesy of Colin and Meagan. A nice surprise and an excellent way to start the evening. Our waitperson was young, talented and ever so professional. She made appropriate recommendations and never hurried us, which allowed us to order course by course depending on our hunger level. Roasted duck with scalloped potatoes, roasted halibut with the very best tasting vegetable melange and of course more wine. We did skip dessert since we were happy with our meal and nothing sweet would make it any better.

We woke up early the next morning and took a long wake-up walk down to the river. On the way I noticed a real barbershop with the lights on and the barber looking out the window. I motioned with my head and he opened the door to let us into a time warp. The place had six chairs and sinks that had been there since 1928 and one barber who looked like he might have originally opened the place. It turns out that Junior, that really is his name, is 77 years old and had been working at that place for more than fifty-five years. What he lacked in tonsorial skills he made up for in chatter. I mean nonstop, uninteresting chatter, but I was desperate for a haircut. Cindy, always quick to read a room, excused herself and continued her walk. JR, as I called him, would stop cutting my hair and show me photos of the shop as it looked way back then, which to me is the way it currently looked. This meant that a fifteen-minute haircut took thirty, but hey, I was in no hurry. 

We found a place that had real expresso, as it happened served by a German woman, and we were in heaven. The place smelled of fresh hot croissants and pastries.  Simply the nicest way to leave a city, which is what we did as soon as we had finished our breakfast. It was a most wonderful way to end our four days of excitement. 

Best to all, Cindy and William