Saturday 8 December 2018 – Wythenshawe parkrun number 368

Sue and I went to the park in my car today, as we needed to collect hers from the garage immediately after the parkrun. Our encasement in metal was just as well, as we could shelter from the rain in the car before the shower stopped, conveniently at ten to nine.

The course was actually quite dry, much to my surprise, and on the warm morning it was a very pleasant outing, particularly as I decided to jog slowly until the final kilometre, so that I won’t be too tired for the 10km Tatton Yule Yomp tomorrow.

The lowest turnout since March, of 174 participants, was a reflection on the weather that greeted us this morning. Four of those who were in attendance were Victor and Franciska and their two children, shown above with Victor unfortunately hidden behind Franciska, who finished well inside 29 minutes (over 8 minutes behind Victor) despite the handicap of having to push a buggy with two children in residence. This would be their final parkrun here, as they are imminently returning to live in Amsterdam. We wish them well and do hope to see them on an annual visit.

Turning the other way, as we headed off for a coffee, we watched the runners continue to pour in to the finish.

Full results are here.

Later, this is a view of the Bridgewater Canal in Sale, in between showers.

Berlin Images (2)

There’s lots of graffiti in Berlin, not generally up to the high standard set by Valparaiso, but some of it is quite artistic and much of it is on the bits of wall that have been left as a monument. Many messages are conveyed through the different artists responsible for the graffiti. However, the picture above, painted on a new (post wall) building just behind the posts that mark the position of the wall – they are in the foreground – is a most evocative portrayal of the manner in which the wall cut through the meat of Berlin between 1961 and 1989.

The graffiti below simply brightens up a dull concrete block of flats.

Berlin Images (1)

It was only yesterday that we gathered outside a nice café for this group picture with Lauren. It seems longer ago than that!

I’ve spent the day doing ‘house admin’, including taking Sue’s car for its final service by the main dealer before its first MOT. “Do you want a valuation?” is their script. “No thanks, valeting inside and out will be fine” is my standard response.

I’ve still got to sort out the Berlin photos, but our walk/cycle up the road from the hotel to the bike shop/pub (we went up and down a few times) passed the water tower shown below. Ulrich thought it was the home of the very first ‘Concentration Camp’, but the extract from Wikipedia that I’ve inserted after the picture seems to indicate that the camp was in an adjoining building.

The Wasserturm Prenzlauer Berg is Berlin's oldest water tower, completed in 1877 and in use as a water tower until 1952. The structure was designed by Henry Gill and built by the English Waterworks Company. It is situated between Knaackstraße and Belforter Straße in Kollwitzkiez, in the Prenzlauer Berg locality of Berlin (part of Pankow district) and worked on the principle of using piped water to supply the rapidly growing population of workers.

Below the storage tank were the homes of the machinery operators who worked in the tower; these apartments - a landmark of Prenzlauer Berg - are still inhabited and in much demand.

An adjacent machine hall was the first concentration camp in Nazi Germany in the first half of 1933. That building was demolished in 1935.

Meanwhile thanks go to AlanR for solving my ‘image size with mobile blogging’ problem. ‘Send reduced’ is indeed the answer, though it took a Utube video to show me how it works, and I think all the pictures will have to be selected at the same time, or they finish up in different postings. There may not be any mobile postings for a couple of months, so I hope I can remember how to do it when the time comes! It’s a shame that Samsung have taken a backward step on this front.

Another Bike Ride Around Berlin

Today's 16 km ride was in the company of Lauren, a South African lady who has lived here for the last five years. She takes time off from writing a book about Germany (see daytradersberlin.de), to guide tourists on bicycles around some of the city's sights, concentrating on 20th century history and The Wall.

It was a lovely clear morning, if only a shade above freezing. The four of us were joined by three other guests for this informative tour, courtesy of berlinonbike.de.

Curious then that I have chosen an indoor shot for today's photo - the Neue Wache War Memorial that has been the
central memorial of the Federal Republic since 1993. The place is full of very recent history.

Added interest was provided by Ulrich, who was a student here shortly after the wall came down.

The guided tour lasted about four hours, after which Sue and I waved off Anne and Ulrich, collected our things from the hotel, wandered around a Christmas market, enjoyed afternoon tea and cake, and made our way back to the airport.

An enjoyable little trip in good company. More photos when I get time to post them.

A Bike Ride in East Germany

Well, it was a bike ride in what used to be East Germany. We started, on our 'sit up and beg' hired, solid and very heavy bikes, with a 7 km bike ride to a railway station where we caught a train to Oranienburg. Coffee and cake were then required as it had reached 11am. 

En route I'd noticed from the train that all private residencies were securely fenced, so a road like ours at home, where anyone can walk up to any front door without even having to open a gate, would have fences and gates at the boundary of each house. "For privacy" explained Ulrich. I expect there's a historical element that has generated a need for privacy. Whilst '1984' may not have occurred in the UK, perhaps it did here.

A short ride then led to Sachsenhausen. There's a large site of free to enter museums here. The place was a large Concentration Camp and apparently the site of 'Head Office' of the Concentration Camp regime that dates back to 1933. There were lots of visiting groups. We had a quick look round, but you could spend a whole day here. Horrific treatment of human beings occurred here.

We used cycle paths to get to Bernau via Liebenwalde. There was a 'shoe tree' and an ornate totem pole, as well as a short section of scary main road, otherwise it was a pleasant ride through flat farmland interspersed with pine forest and small villages. Today's picture was taken here.

We passed several buzzards, one of which was standing on a mole hill in a field full of mole hills, presumably waiting for its dinner to appear.

Luckily we finished the 57 km loop on cycle paths. Just as well, as darkness fell.

From Bernau, after grabbing coffees and chips from a café, we took a couple of trains to get us close to the Transit Loft. Total distance cycled for the day was 66 km, compared with about 35 km yesterday.

Ulrich and Anne then cycled off again to rendezvous with another of Ulrich's old mates. Sue and I chose to stay away from our saddles and stroll down to San Marco's for beers and pizzas.

Berlin

Hired bikes facilitated a tour of the city, culminating with a visit to the DDR museum, where the exhibits are usefully labelled in English whilst rather unhelpfully being hidden in cupboards.

It started rainy, then the sun came out. We had a coffee and cake break in a supermarket, despite there being a nice looking café nearby!

The others went up a West German tower. I stayed down and was entertained by a van driver who managed to hook her vehicle onto the tow bar of the vehicle ahead. The top of the tower is today's picture.

Later, we went to another traditional East German pub, where we enjoyed a good meal with a couple of Ulrich's old mates. He used to live here.

I've been unable to work out how to reduce the sizes of images attached to emails, hence yesterday's problems, so currently I'm stuck with one image per posting. It was simple with the S5 but I've no idea as to how to reduce an attached image to 10% of its original size using the S9.

Taxi, plane, bus, two trains and a walk later

Here's the original text of a failed message. I'm struggling with mobile blogging using this new phone.

It was a wet day in Timperley. We chose to move to a different country. Door to door to the Transit Loft (not 'Lounge') took nearly eight hours, so no daylight pictures were available here.

We have followed in the wake of Anne and Ulrich, who arrived yesterday and were watching Katie Archibald win an Omnium race (UCI Track World Cup) whilst Sue and I were puzzling over platforms. 

A magnificent steam engine roared through one of the stations, giving me no chance to grab a camera. The modern express pictured today seemed to be travelling comparatively slowly. 

Dinner at a traditional hostelry rounded off the day.

The Transit Lounge

Here we are tonight. This is a test posting.

A Cambodian Meal

Last night's pleasure with R and J at Angkor Soul.

Thanks to Helen and Paul for booking the table but failing to attend. We hope you feel better soon.

Friday 30 November 2018 – Tegg’s Nose and Lamaload

Today’s morning stroll was blessed with bright sunshine after a few indifferent days of weather. Sue and I picked up Rick in Timperley and it was just the three of us who set off some time later from Tegg’s Nose Visitor Centre, which turns out to have mutated into an excellent café.

The walk commenced with a short section of road walking down Buxton Old Road towards Walker Barn. Shutlingsloe and Jodrell Bank were both in clear, if opposing, view.

We soon passed a Wesleyan chapel dating from 1863.

Walker Barn used to have a pub, The Setter Dog, referred to in Jen Darling’s 1990 edition of ‘Pub Walks in Cheshire’, on which today’s amble was based. I think there was also a bike shop here; now all I could see was private houses.

Anyway, after crossing the busy main road to Buxton we headed along footpath number 557 towards Lamaload Reservoir (see top picture).

There were good views here towards the highest point in the area, Shining Tor, probably just to the right of the next picture.

The reservoir was hidden behind trees as we progressed to a fine rubbing post near Brock Low.

The reservoir now appeared. It’s very low, still suffering the effects of the dry summer.

Our path proceeded through the edge of a wood, where we could gaze into the sun for a group photo (with the aid of a post – we saw no other walkers).

A little later, after a pause for tea and cake, we passed sparse woodland by Snipe House that was occupied by a flock of hungry Fieldfares.

At Higherlane Farm it was just as well we had a map with us as the signpost could be deemed amusing but not entirely helpful.

There were fine views across the Dean Valley.

After a while on a farm/water board access road, we headed up through more woodland to join the Gritstone Trail, which we followed for the rest of the walk, ascending slowly back up to our starting point.

It took a little over two hours to complete this 8.5 km circuit on good paths, including about 250 metres of ascent.

Rick expressed his gratitude for the absence of six foot fences on this route, and we were all happy to enjoy coffees and teacakes in the warmth of the café whilst the sky spat on the windows.

Alpine Interlude (7) – Fontainebleau, 13 September 2018

A couple of hours drive from Troyes, Fontainebleau was our last significant stop on the way home. We stayed at Barbizon, but before going there we had a good look around Fontainebleau Palace and its grounds.

The place has a rich history…

“The hamlet of Fontainebleau was endowed with a royal hunting lodge and a chapel by Louis VII in the middle of the twelfth century. A century later, Louis IX, also called Saint Louis, who held Fontainebleau in high esteem and referred to it as "his wilderness", had a country house and a hospital constructed there.

Philip the Fair was born there in 1268 and died there in 1314. In all, thirty-four sovereigns, from Louis VI, the Fat, (1081–1137) to Napoleon III (1808–1873), spent time at Fontainebleau.

The connection between the town of Fontainebleau and the French monarchy was reinforced with the transformation of the royal country house into a true royal palace, the Palace of Fontainebleau. This was accomplished by the great builder-king, Francis I (1494–1547), who, in the largest of his many construction projects, reconstructed, expanded, and transformed the royal château at Fontainebleau into a residence that became his favourite, as well as the residence of his mistress, Anne, duchess of Étampes.”

And so on … including Napoleon Bonaparte’s presence before his first abdication:

“On 20 April 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte, shortly before his first abdication, bid farewell to the Old Guard, the renowned grognards (gripers) who had served with him since his very first campaigns, in the "White Horse Courtyard" (la cour du Cheval Blanc) at the Palace of Fontainebleau. (The courtyard has since been renamed the "Courtyard of Goodbyes".) According to contemporary sources, the occasion was very moving. The 1814 Treaty of Fontainebleau stripped Napoleon of his powers (but not his title as Emperor of the French) and sent him into exile on Elba.”

It’s a magnificent palace. Here are just a few of our pictures.

Porthmadog 2018

Here’s an overview of our recent trip to Porthmadog, together with route maps.

Day 1

Sunday 11 November 2018 - A Circuit from Tudweiliog

We started with this excellent walk featuring some splendid rainbows at Porth Ychain.

The walk ended near Porth Towyn, where a lone woman was swimming in the sea.

Here’s our route - 13 km with 100 metres ascent, taking 3.5 hours.

Day 2

Monday 12 November 2018 - Mynydd Tir-y-cwmwd from Llanbedrog

We went to Llanbedrog with my brother Dave. He’d never been there before! It’s a steep climb up to the Iron Man sculpture.

Here’s our route - 4 km with 200 metres ascent, taking 1.5 hours.

After the walk we visited Plas Glyny-y-Weddw. Had to seriously resist spending Lots of money.

On return to Porthmadog, we enjoyed a short walk to Tremadog, returning via a supermarket and a storm.

Here’s our route - 6 km with 50 metres ascent, taking 1.5 hours.

Day 3

Tuesday 13 November 2018 - A Criccieth circuit from Porthmadog

This was a 27 km circular walk via Criccieth, starting on a lovely morning from Porthmadog harbour.

The coast path leads through Borth-y-Gest to Ynys Cyngar.

A long stroll along the firm Black Rock Sands led eventually to an excellent café in Criccieth.

Beyond Criccieth we encountered (well, we failed to encounter) a path which had no access point, then a bit later another path that came to an abrupt halt at a high stone wall bordered by equally high barbed wire fences and no sign of a stile. We turned around near where this view from Bryn Braich-y-saint towards Porthmadog was recorded.

The horses were more friendly than the natives.

Here’s our route - 27 km with 500 metres ascent, taking 6.5 hours.

Day 4

Wednesday 14 November 2018 - Anglesey Coast Path - Newborough,  The Missing Loop

This was the day we completed a section of the Anglesey Coast Path that we missed out in April. Newborough Forest hadn’t lost any of its beauty.

The walk along Traeth Penrhos was arduous. We were sand-blasted. Goggles would have been useful.

We had to wait an hour and a half before we could splash our way across to Llanddwyn Island.

A lorry load of shells have been deposited – to be used as hard core for path maintenance. This area is easily accessed by car and is obviously a very popular place.

From the tip of the island there are good views to Snowdonia and (below) to the hills of the Lleyn Peninsula.

After an unfortunate episode with a badly behaved dog, we enjoyed an orange sunset shortly before returning to the car.

Here’s our route - 18 km with 200 metres ascent, taking 5 hours.

Day 5

Thursday 15 November 2018 - Ceunant Cynfal and Ffestiniog

We drove up to Ffestiniog, where Sue made friends with a ginger tom cat.

Our walk in Ceunant Cynfal featured a rain forest (yes!), moss laden trees, waterfalls, and some attempts at photographic artistry from Sue.

Shortly before arriving back at Ffestiniog, we paused to attack the contents of a large flask, with great views towards the Moelwyns.

Here’s our route - 8 km with 300 metres ascent, taking 3 hours.

And there’s more from Day 5…

Thursday 15 November 2018 - Around Harlech

We drove down to Harlech and soon found paths above the town. There were good views into Snowdonia, where cloud lingered just above the summit of Snowdon.

A little further on we were offered fine views of the nearby Rhinog summits.

On return to Harlech, before heading for the beach we admired the following view, apparently ‘The Postcard View’ of Harlech Castle. It’s rather blighted by an unsightly mess of green caravans.

Descending to the beach, you look back to the town to be presented with the sight of several abandoned hotels like this one. Harlech is not a pretty place.

There is, however, a fine beach, from where we watched the sun set at the end of our holiday.

Here’s our afternoon route - 10 km with 350 metres ascent, taking 3 hours.

An excellent short break. Thanks go to Dave and Maggie for the loan of their house in South Snowdon Wharf.