Home Away From Home

  When I traveled in Europe with my parents as a teen, we stayed in one grand hotel, The Grosvenor in London, and one apartment owned by my dad's company in Milano, Italy.  Otherwise, for six weeks we stayed in what were then called pensions (pen-see-ons), essentially rooms in someone's home with breakfast provided.  We met so many wonderful people that way, tried out our language skills, and I just loved the experience.

   Fast forward to last fall and London where I discovered the modern version of the pension, the small  B&B.  I stayed two wet but lovely weeks in the village of South Ealing in an Edwardian terrace house with old working fireplaces, beautiful old woodwork, and chickens and rabbits in the garden.

It was a 15 minute walk to the Tube station, and then a straight shot into London on the Picadilly Line.  The quiet neighborhood was made up of young families and students and there were grocery stores and small ethnic restaurants an 8 minute walk from the house.  It was perfect for me. 


   Linda, my host, owned a business in London.   She was friendly, interesting, and couldn't have been more generous, stocking the cupboard for breakfast and buying little treats she thought I would like to try. 

 

   My comfortable room was on the second floor, but the whole house, including kitchen, was mine to use.  Linda worked long hours so we chatted in the morning and in the evening I usually had the kitchen and house to myself. I had a shelf in the fridge and cupboard, and use of the cooker and washer and dryer.

South Ealing, walk to the subway

   There are several websites out there for booking home stays, but the one I used was Airbnb.  From their listings and the recommendations people leave, I think you can get a pretty good sense of whether or not the site will be appropriate for you.  The cost of my room was about $40 per night.

Not a sight you would see in my town!

I so enjoyed living as a Londoner for two weeks, shopping groceries, stopping to buy a coffee on the way to the Tube in the morning.  If you are adventurous and friendly, I would recommend trying a homestay next time you are traveling.
  

Thanks for reading my blog.  I enjoy reading your comments.

Guns 'n Roses

The Imperial War Museum in London is well worth a visit.  When I visited last fall (with fellow blogger Fun 60), sections were being renovated for the centenary of World War I in 2014, but there was still plenty to see. The most moving exhibits for me were in the World War II section, particularly one of London at war and one of the Holocaust.  I hope to get back this fall to see the renovation and the parts that were closed.

Thanks for reading my blog today.  

                        

Joining Our World Tuesday at http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/

    

Chaska, Minnesota

 Last weekend I was in the area of the small town of Chaska, Minnesota.  I read that it had a museum as well as a well-preserved historic district, so I thought it was worth a visit.  Sadly, the museum wasn't open on Saturdays so I was unable to see it or to buy a guide. I had a bit of a look around with a map of the historic buildings on my phone, but I know I missed things.

The town grew up in the mid 1800s around brick manufacturing.  While most towns of this era were built of timber from the Big Woods of Minnesota, Chaska was built of the local yellow brick.  That's probably why so many of the buildings are standing today -- they didn't succumb to fires.  The Herald newspaper building above was built in 1871.

 

This 1902 beauty, on the square around the central park, is for sale.  Only $400,000 and the inside is as elegant as the outside.

 Moravian settlers built several churches in the area, beginning in 1858.  This one faces City Square Park.

One of the brick manufacturers built row houses for his workers and their families.  Row houses are commonly found in big cities.  These are unusual because they were built in a very small and rural town.

Chaska had several flour mills, most water powered, but this one, built in 1900, was steam-powered.  Today it has been converted to a restaurant, shops, and a sports bar.

Sadly, many of the historic buildings are empty of tenants. This sign looks out on the empty street from a block of closed businesses.

The museum is fundraising by selling bricks made from the Chaska clay deposit.

The lack of a map and the treacherous walking conditions (snow had not been plowed but left to pack down, melt, and refreeze into ice) meant that I missed interesting buildings.  Maybe I'll have to go back someday.

Lost: One Hour. Found: Signs of Spring.

Except for that lost hour of sleep, it's been a pretty nice weekend here.  Most exciting is, the snow is beginning to melt and the birds are beginning to sing. Also my potted hyacinth burst into bloom, scenting the whole house, my garden seeds arrived in the mail, and look what I found at a used book sale.  1,000 Place To See Before You Die for dreaming, and Let's Travel Minnesota for being a little more practical and likely to happen. 

Rosie

Cat

 

Gentle eyes that see so much, paws

that have the quiet touch, purrs

 

 

to signal, "all is

well" and show

more love than

words can tell.

 

Graceful

movements

touched with

pride, a calming

presence by our

side.  A friendship

 

that takes time to

grow.  Small

wonder why we love them so.

--author unknown

Yarrrrr, Matey! Just Don't Do It!

   The Museum of London Docklands relates the history of the Thames River, the docks, and the dock workers that brought goods to the city. 

   One of the many fascinating exhibits is on the topic of punishment for piracy. Of course, pirates had to die for their crimes, but the extreme methods of execution were designed to deter further would-be pirates from contemplating similar acts.

This chain was found in 1920 when the the area of the Execution Dock in Wapping was dredged.  The chain was used to hang a  body from a stake in the river for three tides after the execution.  Behind the chain is a receipt for the delivery of pirates to the Execution Dock, dated 10 May 1762.

   Taken from the stake, the lifeless pirate's body was tarred (for preservation?), stood in an iron gibbet cage, and hung in the river until it rotted away. 

   Apparently, it was quite a sight to see a row of "gibbet tassles" swaying over the water.  Horrifying, I would think.

  The museum is in a sugar warehouse built in 1802 on the West India Docks, Isle of Dogs, east London.

Thank you for reading my blog.  Fair winds to ye, and yo ho ho, me blogging buckos!

Summer Dreams in a Vase

    Once again it was -19F the last couple nights (-28C), and those kind of temps make Minnesotans do rash things.

I spent the grocery budget on flowers, and I am not one bit sorry!

 

So elegant and uplifting, how could I resist?

Then I got a little carried away and this pot also made its way into my cart.  For later.  :-)

 

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine for the soul." 

       Luther Burbank

 

See?  Quite a bargain at any price!