Hereford England

Our fifth sit was in Hereford, England. Hereford is a town of about 70,000 people and our hosts lived a few miles or a quick bus ride from the center of town in a nice community of friendly people.

We cared for two dogs, Sye, a sweet old soul, and Ruby, a rambunctious puppy our hosts saved from a difficult situation and were working diligently to help her adjust to a normal life. The house was probably built in the 1800’s with a roomy master bedroom and bathroom.

Sye

Ruby

A nice gift!

Our host presented us with fresh cut flowers, local ciders and jam and also veggies from their garden. The garden, yard, was a cornucopia of foods and flowers with ample room for the dogs to play. Our favorite was the apple tree in the front garden. Katherine, our host, said it was the last of a grove of trees that once filled that area. I am not a fruit eater although I’ve had hopeful thoughts of eating healthier by consuming more fruit, but I have not been successful. I have eaten some very tasty apples especially in Western North Carolina that is home to groves of them. But the apples from this tree were the best I’ve ever eaten! They were crispy with a little sweetness and a tinge of sour. I had at least one a day and the tree was colored two-thirds by green leaves and the remaining third by those red apples.

I took the bus to downtown Hereford to get groceries, have my beard trimmed, have a couple of pints at the Kings Fee, a cup of coffee from a food truck and just to look around. Barb had injured her foot so she stayed “home” with the pups and watched her new best thing- Jamie Oliver on the tellie. While waiting on the bus there was a nice man there that explained the location of grocery stores and the particulars of the bus times, drop offs, routes and ticketing information. He was far more helpful than the internet. I told him I wanted to go to Lidl’s and he agreed that was the store to shop because they have the best prices but there was also a Morrison’s across the street. Within a short time the bus pulled up and we both got on. He sat in the first seat near the front of the bus and I took the next one next to a young guy with a headset on. The bus was almost filled and trip in took about 20 minutes with no stops until we were just about downtown. I was hoping to see a sign for Lidl’s but wasn’t have any luck but at one of the stops the man I spoke with stood up turned his head toward me and gave me a nod so I took my cue and got off. He waited for me and explained where I could pick up the bus for my return trip back and the times to be at the bus stop.

There were several restaurants with some diversity of ethnic foods, some pubs and a variety of places to browse. I found my way to Lidl’s behind the KFC and next to the bus station, across the street from the train station and their competitor Morrison’s. I bought all of my groceries and waited for the bus at the Kings Fee by having a couple of pints of Carling.

Crown and Anchor

While we enjoyed our stay in Hereford our favorite memory will have to be the people, our hosts and the patrons of the Crown and Anchor restaurant pub that was literally two doors from our sit. There was a “beer garden” in the front consisting of 10 picnic tables and free standing tables with benches with umbrellas over each one. The building looked to be built in the 1800’s painted brilliant white with the wood beams in black. Inside there was dining room of about 20 tables to the right, a small sitting area just inside the door, usually with men talking with pint in hand and just beside that was the bar with a smaller dining area. Each time in the people in the waiting area greeted us and usually talked to us about our stay in Hereford.

Beer Garden

Our first meal there was an absolutely delicious burger served to us by one of the owners. Our next visit in for a pint one of the men said, “You must be the Americans my wife spoke about waiting on the other day.” We told him we loved their place and the townspeople were very fortunate to have a place like this to visit. While we were enjoying our pint outside he brought us a small booklet on the history of Hereford during the second World War when it was used to make munitions for the allies. Our stay was only for a week and time passed quickly. The Crown and Anchor was one of the main highlights of our visit.

Cheers!
John

Munich

When we visit unfamiliar cities or towns of any size we like to take a tour to see if any section or streets appeals to us. Since we’ve been in Europe the “City Tours-Hop-on-Hop-Off” have been perfect. So on our initial trip into Munich, Barb found out where that tour company starts their tours and we took the train to the city center. The tour cost about $23 each but we were entitled to three tours and an English audio tour. The bus showed us Nymphenburg Palace, Olympic Park, the English Garden, the historic Old Town, Odeonsplatz and many others, about 19 specific places and general information about Munich. Our strategy is to take one full route, identify potential places of interest and take the next bus to those locations at no additional cost. We were directed to a bus immediately across the street from the bus tour building so we hopped on and listened to the stories and information and saw a clean, beautiful and vibrant city. I made some notes on the tour map of places that might be fun to go back to.  After the first tour, nine points of interest, we decided to eat some authentic German food. We didn’t want to walk too far so we could get on the next route. Looking around we saw a Subway, a sign that indicated what was probably Lebanese cuisine, the Best Kebabs & Pizza in Munich, Ruff’s Burger and Taco Libre. Plenty of delicious looking ethnic food but no sign of any German fare. We opted for Taco Libre and split a carbonated lime drink and a scrumptious quesadilla for about $10.50. Disappointed but definitely satisfied.

The pedestrian area at Marienplatz

We saw the bus for the next tour and hopped on, plugged in our earphones and enjoyed the next sites. I had a couple of places marked on my map as we headed to the last stop before getting back to our starting point, Marienplatz. There was a very large pedestrian area busy with people walking and sitting under umbrellas in front of restaurants and cafes. We also saw a few German cuisine restaurants so I looked at Barb and we both agreed this was our stop. As we got off the bus Barb said the Viktualienmarkt, outdoor market, was in this area. We headed for what looked to be a bar with the front sliding doors wide open to a few tables in front looking onto the pedestrian area. As our luck would have it we were in a restaurant/bar that serves beer from the Paulaner brewery. I ordered a pilsner and Barb ordered a similar beer called the Furstenburg, she had to for our friend Ryan Furstenberg. As we drank the beer Barb turned on her cellular trying to locate the market and deduced it must be behind the huge building across the walkway and talked about making our way over there, after finishing our second beer.


As dinner time was upon us we went to one of the first German restaurants. It was busy with diners all sitting at long tables. With no hostess, find seats, ask if those spots are available and sit down. The harried smiling waitress rushed to our table and asked if we would like the English menu. She came back with it showing each item has a three digit number, placed a small pad and pen on the table and asked if we would write down our selection and she would be most grateful.


In short order we had our beers and no sooner toasted to our good fortune when the food was brought to the table, a plate of sauerkraut, boiled potatoes and five small “vurst” of different types and a basket of pretzels. The food was exactly what we wanted and it didn’t disappoint.

Rathaus-Glockenspiel

As we left the restaurant Barb pointed straight ahead of us across the pedestrian walkway and said the market should be somewhere in that direction. There were businesses and many people to our left and an old building to our right. We headed toward the right. We passed through some arches into a huge courtyard surrounded by large building one being the Rathaus-Glockenspiel. The building dates back to 1908 and every day at 1100 and 1300, dolls high up on the building, reenacts dances in tribute to a 16^th century Duke with a dance of hope and encouragement. There were many people and businesses and we saw the stairs for our train home. We meandered around down one street and another looking at people and the different stores. As we turned one corner we noticed tops of tents across the street from us. Barb said, correctly, “I think that is the market.” Although we had no idea exactly how we got there it turns out it was exactly on the other side of the building Barb initially indicated.
The market was quite large with many tents of merchants selling wine, cheese, flowers, produce, prepared foods from sushi to brats and beer. In the center of the market were huge chestnut trees and dozens of picnic tables with the backs of each bench seat abutted against the one behind it with rows in between sections of the benches.

The beer garden

I went to a small booth with the sign “Bier”. The building may have been 10’X15’ with a small gate and turnstile to direct the flow of customers. All the signs were in German but I was able to understand “.51 L ‎€ 3.9” over the first window and “1 L ‎€7.6” over the second. It wasn’t difficult because on the counter were glasses of beer of two different sizes. I picked up two of the half liter and moved to the third window with the man with a wooden change box on the counter quite worn from sliding change coins out for the many customers. He spoke to me in German, I handed him the ‎€ 10 he passed me my change and said “Danka”. There was always a line there every time we went to the market, sometimes with 8 people sometimes with 20, but it never took more than a few minutes before I walked away with my beer.


I found Barb at the table sitting next to some people with a scrumptious plate of food. We toasted to our good fortune and took a sip. There were hundreds of people sitting in and around the picnic tables, old, young, some dressed fancy, mostly dressed casually. Some had their meals served to them from the surrounding merchants, others brought Tupperware filled containers or pulled from plastic bags bought from a market merchant but almost everyone seemed to have beer. We loved it!

The beer festival

On one of our visits to the Viktualienmarkt beer garden, we sat next to a couple from Munich. Wolfgang and his wife lived near Viktualienmarkt and came to the market about 3 times a week. Over beers we talked history, politics, Germany and the US. They asked if we would like to go to a Wine festival. Of course! So the 4 of us left the beer garden for a short walk to the wine festival. The festival was packed. Wolfgang turned to us and asked if a beer festival would do. Of course! We took a bus and ended up under the famous Angel of Peace to a wonderful festival. More beer, German music, a good sized pretzel and we were enjoying the festivities. When it was time to go, Wolfgang and his wife accompanied us back to the train station. We said our goodbyes and headed back “home”.

To see more of our photos from Munich, click here for Barb's photo's.

Cheers!
John

Little Bear

We arrived in Munich at the main train station. Anna, our homeowner and Mom to Bear, met us. As we drove through the city, Anna pointed out several areas of interests. We were excited to explore Munich!

We arrived at Anna and Mat's home. It is a modern home in the suburbs of Munich. As we started up the stairs to drop off our backpacks in our room, we met Bear on the second floor. Bear is a petite, black kitty. She immediately came over to greet us and I immediately fell in love! Bear has a mild form of Hydrocephalus. Commonly known as water on the brain, Bear sometimes wobbles and loses balance, however, this actually makes her so endearing. She has the sweetest little meow and is just very affectionate.

That night, Anna and her husband Mat took us out for a traditional Bavarian dinner. The restaurant was right in the neighborhood and a nice stroll from the house. I had pork tenderloin and spaetzle, John had schnitzel with roasted potatoes. We ended up eating leftovers for the next 2 days! Wonderful!

The next morning Anna and Mat left on their motorbike for eastern Europe. John and I took the next 3 days to relax and spend time with Bear so she was comfortable with us and got used to us staying in her house. We all got along wonderfully!

We had 2 weeks in Munich and alternated days between staying at the house and venturing into the city. We'll have a post about the sights and sounds of Munich.

Bear was a delight to take care of. She took her beauty naps in the afternoon and in the evenings, John and I would play cards at the dining table while Bear would run up and down the stairs (yes, she may wobble but she is a streak going up and down the stairs!) and venture outside to the patio, always stopping over to the table for pets and scratches.

We had a wonderful time at Anna and Mat's. I'd like to think we made new friends who we would love to see again. That is the great thing about pet sitting, meeting wonderful people and experiencing different cultures.

Cheers!
Barb

Westerplatte

In 1939, 205 Polish defenders on the tiny peninsula of Westerplatte held off about 2600 Germans who attacked them from land, sea and air.

This was the invasion of Poland by Adolf Hitler and ignited World War II.

Guardhouse 1

 At 4:45 AM on September 1, 1939, the Germans opened fire on Westerplatte. The Germans initially thought this "skirmish" would be over in less than an hour. The Polish army was under orders to hold out for twelve hours until they were relieved, but relief never came. The Germans learned on day 1 how determined the Polish army was to maintain their ground at Westerplatte. The German marines attacked 4 times but failed to break through to the circle of reinforced guardhouses. 

Barracks

Over the next 6 days the Polish army held out at Westerplatte. Meanwhile Hitler invaded Poland in the north, south and west. On September 7, having fought for seven days against enormous odds, the Polish army surrendered.  Surprised at how few defenders there were, the German soldiers saluted them as they marched out into captivity and German General Eberhardt allowed Polish commander Major Sucharski to keep his saber, an extraordinary show of respect. 

Guardhouse 1

Westerplatte is now a memorial. Guardhouse 1, which was the key point of defence against the Germans  is intact with 2 shells from a Schleswig-Holstein ironically propping up the entrance. The inside provides representations of the interior.  The barracks is also "standing", reinforced so that visitors can tour the ruble. There are memorials to the soldiers that fought and died. It is well laid out and well worth of short trip from Gdansk (formally Danzig) to visit Westerplatte.

You can see more of my photos from Westerplatte here.

Barb

Gdansk

John and I had a few days in between sits. We looked at the map of Europe and cheap plane fares. We wanted to go somewhere different, somewhere "exotic" (well, at least to us).  We settled on Gdansk Poland. Neither of us knew anyone that ever visited Poland. Neither of us had ever even thought of visiting Poland. The town of Gdansk sounded inviting and it was a fairly cheap flight from Edinburgh. So off we went!

We arrived in the Gdansk airport around 9:30pm. Most signs were in English which was most helpful! John and I learned 5 or 6 key words in polish so we could at least communicate a bit. My Uber was not working (long story there for another time) so we grabbed a taxi. I showed the driver the hotel address and between her broken english and our polish we arrived at our hotel in good time.

Our hotel was situated on a busy street. Directly across the street was a huge ferris wheel. There were cafes with outdoor seating lined up and down the road. The street was packed with people.

We walked into the lobby and were greeted by name! The hotel employee stated she likes to know everyone that is arriving. We were given a quint little room with all the mod-cons (European for modern amenities). The windows, looking onto the street and ferris wheel, were large and opened in. There was a ledge that you could sit on and enjoy the view.

The first night we didn't get much sleep as the tourists and locals were partying it up until daybreak. We got up and decided to have lunch at a milk bar. A milk bar is a cafeteria style restaurant held over from the communist days of Poland. Authentic polish food. We made the 4/10 of a mile walk over to a popular milk bar. On our walk we passed over the harbor, past beautiful churches, cafes and shops. Lunch was great! Potatoes, cabbage and pork. After lunch we strolled the streets until we came upon one street that was much busier than all the rest - Long Street in Old Town.

Long street is lined up and down with outdoor cafes. There are buskers and tourists eating ice cream. Ice cream seems to be the big hit in Gdnask, everyone strolls along with a cone or a waffle topped with ice cream or just cream and fruit. We spent the afternoon on Long Street, people watching and partaking in drinks.

As we headed down Long Street to find our way back to the hotel, things started to look familiar. As we passed through a small tunnel we realized that we were staying on Long Street! This was great! We were in the heart of Gdansk!

That night we didn't get much sleep as the tourists and locals were partying it up until daybreak.

The next 2 days were spent exploring Gdansk. So many cafes, so many desserts and the milk bar! We discovered that there was an excellent milk bar just doors down from our hotel! We ate there every day for the next 3 days. We also tried street food, we picked smoked cheese cooked up and served with cranberries, delicious! We toured Westerplatte, the sight of the German invasion into Poland that started World War 2. We'll have a post about that shortly.

Those next 3 nights we didn't get much sleep as the tourists and locals were partying it up until daybreak.

We left Gdnask by train heading to Berlin where we would stay overnight to catch a train the next morning to our sit in Munich.

We loved Gdansk and highly recommend it. Speaking polish would be helpful but not necessary as you can get most menus in english and people do speak some english.

You can see many more of my pictures of Gdansk here.

Cheers!
Barb