June 19 Circular walk, Chepstow

The plan for today was to get oriented to "walking" by doing a 12.8 mile circular walk from Chepstow to Tintern and back, the Wye Valley Way being the outbound route and Offa's Dyke the return.  Just so you know, I did actually make it to Tintern where I took a ten minute break to have an ice cream cone.

The remains of the Abbey: 

The Wye Valley way was mostly through woods where there were lots and lots of tree roots (as one would expect) and many rocks, and some disconcerting, confusing bits,  It was ALL UPHILL.  It was so uphill that there were many stairs:

When you see these stairs of rock held in place with large iron pegs, you realize how much work goes into making a path.  The serious sets of stairs had railings.  And the most serious staircase was:

That is because it straddled an abyss.

There was also a grotto (at least that is what the sign said):

Oh!  And in one place there was a break in the trees ,and you could glimpse the River Wye way down below:

Shortly after Tintern, there was supposed to be a turn off through woods cutting over to Offa's Dyke.  Lots of people must find it difficult to find the entrance to this secret passageway because there was a piece of wood hanging from a tree swinging about that was supposed to be a signal that, "Hey, it is here!"  But try as I might and having paced back and forth a half dozen times, I could not find it AND the hill was so densely treed and steep like you wouldn't believe that I gave up and took a route that added about four miles to the day's demands.  (Then there were all the wrong turns and such).  For example, this sign encouraged folks to make a left.  

Well, I was all for a cow free day, so off I went, only by and by I realized that pushing though waist high grass to avoid some moo-ers was absurd.  And you know what?  There were no cows where this jokester didn't want you to go, anyway.

It was not a completely cow-free day, as this hungry horde demonstrates:

FINALLY, after many false turns:

(The acorn tells you you are on a National Trail, in this case Offa's Dyke.  Oh, joy at last)

As I was headed back towards Chepstow, approaching a view point:

where you get a view of the Abbey:

(I think there is a joke there, but I don't get it), a gentleman walking in the other direction said, "You are almost there."  I replied, "That depends on where one is headed."  He mused for a moment and also replied, "That is very wise."  I thought I had just stepped out of a Winnie the Pooh story.

Twelve and a half miles turned into about 17 or more.  The app does not keep proper count when you use poles, but I left at 5:50 a.m. and returned at 3:15. with one 10 minute break.  Seriously.  And it was hot.

All day when I was not glancing at the news from Israel, I was WhatsApping with the taxi driver who, a few months ago, had told me he could take me to Tintern in the morning and my bag to Monmouth.  But today he never replied.  Back at the Inn, I asked if they knew of any taxis:  "Here is the list," the guy said.  Either the taxis were out of business or just didn't answer.  I really wanted a ride to Tintern so that I would not have to walk 18 miles tomorrow, but it ain't happening.  Fortunately, I did get a luggage service that agreed to take my bag  tomorrow and the next day. (Luggage mostly set after that.)  And also fortunately, Offa's Dyke is not as demanding as the Wye Valley Way!  So much for the early check-in I asked for in Monmouth and paid for!

June 18, Chepstow

A taxi ordered for 8:00 a.m. allowed time for about an hour's walk about town, quite lovely at that time of day, but then because of some confusion, the taxi driver and I did not hit the road until 8:10.  After a few minutes, Mr. Taxi Driver announced that because of traffic—like Manhattan at rush hour only worse—I would likely miss my bus.  NO! I immediately went into gear looking up alternatives, and arranged with Mr. Taxi Driver that if such should indeed come to pass, would he please take me to Paddington Station where I could catch a train, a less appealing solution than the bus because changes were required and my suitcase it heavy, but what can you do?  Well, I made it with about five minutes to spare, due to the acrobatics and ingenuity of said Mr. Taxi Driver who, at a red light, opened the trunk of the cab, threw my suitcase over a barrier after yelling at someone to ask if yonder was the National Express Stop (it was). But not surprisingly, the the bus was twenty minutes late, since it, too, was fighting traffic.  We did reach Chepstow right on schedule, though.  No doubt Mr. Bus Driver was really gunning it once out of London.

Chepstow is where Offa's Dyke, The Wye Valley Walk, and the Wales Coastal Path begin. No, that is not quite true, the Coastal Path runs through Chepstow but does not start here.  If you care about the details of Offa's Dyke, click on the blurb to make it big enough to read:

I did this walk once before; it was my second long distance path, and I have to admit that I do not care about the dyke a whit although the guide books make a real fuss about it.  All you can see, if and when you can see it, is grass.  Anyway, it is a route!

The Chepstow Bridge at low tide:

View from the Chepstow Bridge at low tide:

There is clearly a thing about dolphins in this town:

                                            

In addition to a bridge, a river and dolphins, Chepstow also boasts a castle, or at least the remains of one:

As if the (attempted) rush to the bus were not enough, here were two other adventures today + one aborted.  The aborted adventure was a walk called, enticingly, Giant's Cave, but after a few blocks, I realized it was almost all on pavement, so that ended that. Then I began a walk that was supposed to be a circular walk beginning with the Wye Valley and then veering off to the left.  Most of the WVW was lovely enough except for the bugs, but shortly after the turnoff there was this:

I could have scaled it, but the path on the other side looked to be very overgrown, snd it was hot and 3:15 in the afternoon.  I did not have a good feeling about this, so I simply turned around followed the WVW back to town.  The final adventure was a trip to the Super Tesco, a grocery concern.  You have no idea how complicated crossing a street can be.  I have been crossing streets since I was five and never had so much trouble as I did today. The traffic is whizzing by in multiple lanes and there is no pedestrian access to any lights.  Fortunately, a woman came along and I, feeling VERY FOOLISH, asked her, "Can you please tell me how to cross over to the Tesco?"  "Well, you go up the road and you will see an underpass, go through that and up the stairs and then cross over by the gas station," and so on.  I finally got there but on the way back, I realized I had memorized everything except how to find the entrance to the underpass from the exit side.  Again, a passerby gave me directions.  Google Maps cannot do it all.

There almost was an exciting evening activity but.....

 😞

June 17, Richmond upon Thames

The very famous Kew Gardens are right here in Richmond, so off I went this morning with my pre-purchased ticket  to arrive at the Victoria Gate by 10:00 a.m. Already there was quite a queue. Many many many school groups were visiting, as well. Each school is distinguished by its distinct uniform: e.g., blue or pink gingham or solid yellow or shirt and tie for the girls (yes, the girls wear ties.  Maybe some boys do, to, but not among the groups I saw), but all the boys dressed pretty much the same in grey pants and navy blazers (blazers in the heat)!  So....it seems that if some wee chappie were not too happy with his situation, why he could just tag along with some other group.  Of a truth some schools do have similarly colored uniforms for boys and girls, such as red shirts and black skirts or pants.

A botanic a garden is not just for growing things; in addition to live specimens of myriad variety, there was an exhibit of botanical art, which, in case you did not know, is a very exacting art form.  As you can see, every part of the tree/plant/flower in its various stages of growth and development are included. "Call me by my name!' demands Walter White of Breaking Bad fame, but I cannot name any of the plants, real or painted.

I did not take a lot of photos because why look at mine when professionally taken pictures can really do the job. If you click on this link you will see at the top of the page a number of different headings such palm house, hive, tree top walkway, greenhouse, pagoda, orchids and so on.  Just click on your favorites and enjoy the show.

Of course, I could not resist taking a few shots, like of these water lilies, for example.  

Someone told me that in Thailand, people sit in them!

Like all growing things, they do require tending::

A flower:

Another flower:

This is like the tree in my bedroom, only bigger:

There is SO MUCH interesting stuff to read regarding various plants and flowers, but this bit about the bees I could not resist passing on:

Kew's hives contain up to 50,000 honey bees, all born from the same queen.  In each hive, you will find several types of honey bee, a single queen, thousands of female worker bees and hundreds of male drones

To pass on the location of pollen and nectar-rich flowers, worker bees communicate with each other through a series of movements called a waggle dance.  The waggle dance is composed ot two parts—the waggle run and the return phase.   The duration of the waggle indicates the distance to the nectar source:  the longer the waggle run, the further the flower.  The angle at which a bee then dances across the comb tells the colony the direction of the flower in relation to the sun.

Who figures out this stuff?

Lady of the Leaves:

Tired: take a sit down on this bench

For anyone who has seen the movie Le Violin Rouge (The Red Violin) and if you have not you definitely should, here is a possibility for the source of the mysterious red color of the instrument:  Some rattan plants bear a fruit which exude a red resin known as dragons blood.  This was once used medicinally and also as a dye for violins. So there you have it!

I also learned that star fruit can treat eczema, and pepper can treat stomach acid.  Whether that would be green, red, black, or white peppercorns, and whether you should eat the entire peppercorn or grind them up and sprinkle generously on your eggs, the blurb did not reveal.

After a few hours at the gardens, and fortified with a mix of chocolate and coffee gelato and strawberry sorbet, I headed back to the Isabella Plantation, this time taking the four-minute longer walking route.  A good choice!  A good part of it followed the Thames and on the way back, a different route meandered through some woods and lanes.  All in all 14 miles of pleasant walking, much beauty to enjoy, and many interesting things to learn.

A word about the hotel because I love talking about hotels.  The Selwyn is just about the only game in town since Richmond is not a tourist attractor.  The rooms are small, very small, very very small, but the bed was excellent, blackout curtains made it easy to fall asleep especially at this time of year, and the shower was decent.  It seems, though, that hotels are really cutting down on amenities.  There was a bottle of water, two cups and saucers, and a few coffee pods but no sugar or milk or even milk substitute.  Not even a drinking glass in the bathroom.  I say! Jumping ahead to Chepstow where the Three Tuns offers a large, colorful room, but way less class. You can't have it all!  But more about Chepstow in the next post.

 

June 16, Richmond-upon-Thames

Devoted the day to Richmond Park, advertised thusly:  

"Spend the day in the company of kestrels, fallow and red deer, and meadow butterflies. Richmond Park is a National Nature Reserve, a haven for rare or endangered species such as stag beetles, bats, and moths. The park is home to a variety of natural habitats, including ancient anthills that date back 150 years and an oak tree estimated to be 750 years old. The 600-strong herds of red and fallow deer have roamed the park since 1637, providing a unique connection to the park’s past.

If you’re into history, there’s plenty of it here. The park can trace its origins back to 1625, when Charles I brought his court to nearby Richmond Palace to escape the plague sweeping through London. He turned this landscape into a hunting park, filled with red and fallow deer. Amazingly, some of the trees that Charles would have ridden past still stand today."

Stag beetles, bats, and mothsI did not encounter, but am completely taken by the part about the anthills. And, ohmygod, the very trees past which the king, running from the plague, rode?  From such a factoid you could plotz!

My day in the park, what with all the ins and outs  added up to 15 miles.  Some of it was delightful; some was a slog.  When it got hot and there was not shade, and the scenery looked like this: 

it was a slog.

The park is HUGE, and a lot of it is quite lovely.  The best part, where I did not spend anywhere near enough time, was The Isabella Plantation, where someone, named Kev, whose Insta (as people seem to call it) I have but cannot find it on my phone, took this photo:

(For some reason, it evokes that  R.E.M song...."That's me in the corner..." Only really, that's me looking at my phone trying to figure out where I am)

The Isabella Plantation, really a park within a park, was spectacular.  I didn't even try to take any pictures, but look here if you want to get a sense of its prettiness.  What you cannot see from the pictures are the paths and ins and outs, which is what gives the growing things such charm.  Every twist and turn yields a new surprise.

Not in the Plantation—BTW, I am surprised that word hasn't been woked out of existence—but in the park proper was this structure, which, in East Rock Park, IS NO LONGER ALLOWED!  

As noted above, red deer are a big attraction in the park.  Take a look at those fab, velvety antlers!  Inter alia, they serve to scratch a hind leg 

It can't be easy to walk around carrying all that weight on your head.  Here is the Google scoop on antler function, which maybe everyone knows anyway, but it's been a slow newsday!

• Dominance and Mating:  Male deer, especially during the rut, engage in fights to determine which deer will have access to females for mating.(Ok, so does the winner get ALL the does?)

• Sparring and Rituals:  Deer fights often involve sparring with antlers and pushing matches to assess strength. (And the antler bashing makes a lot of noise, too.)
• Consequences of Losing:  The loser of a fight typically yields to the victor, retreating and avoiding further confrontation. (That's gotta sting.) 
• Potential Injuries:  While fights are often ritualistic, injuries like skull trauma, ruptured arteries, or gouges from antlers can occur, according to aboutdeer.com. (Oy!)
• Stress and Energy Expenditure:  Fighting is energetically costly and stressful for the deer involved. (One would think.)
• Continuing Challenges:  The dominant deer may still face challenges from other males, so they cannot rest on their laurels. (It's a hard knock life, really!)

June 14-15, Departure and Arrival

 Two and a half hours to JFK on a Saturday afternoon, in the rain, is not bad at all, and since I had reserved a,—OK, let's call it by its name, Virgin Atlantic Upper Class!!! seat, check in and security took about five minutes.  With tons of time to spare, I thought it wise to check my phone plan.  Had the Unlimited International kicked in?  No, it had not!  Netflix with ads, which I had unsuccessfully tired to cancel, was still there.  Fortunately, I had the 800 number for international plans, which is a mighty good thing, because that little-known number allows you to speak to a person. Unfortunately, however, the person I got was barely understandable, and it sounded as if she was a million miles away, which I am guessing, she was.  Anyhow after some irritating back a forth, it seemed as if all was in working order, only it was not.  I still had the plan featuring Netflix with ads + an extra $100.00 charge for switching plans.  Another phone call, this time with a man who did not seem to be millions of miles away, and, after a  L O N G  L O N G time on hold, the desired plan was finally in place, for real, at last.  

At least there was some art at the airpot: 

                         

No, not an ad for an Apple Store.

Slept all the way from New York to London, a way of travel I highly recommend. 

The weather was perfect—today— and Richmond, several miles from central London, is an upscale area, full of upscale offerings:  shops, bakeries, coffee shops, eateries of many many kinds, lovely homes, a huge, and I mean huge green...maybe the size of a number of football fields, yeah, lots and lots  of football fields, parks, and so on.  Oh, and there is the Thames, of course!

As I was admiring this house: 

                                                

a woman came out.  She announced with some nostalgia that the roses had been just beautiful this year, but now she will have to wait for the second blooming.  But as you can see, what is there now is far from shabby.

Then I met Louie:

                                                        

Man, he was a huffing and a puffing.

Anya and Hugo, on the other hand, were neither huffing nor puffing:                                                                    

They were itching and scratching. or thinking and grooming.

And whom do we have here?!!

None other than:

In the soda section of the local Waitrose...No, I did not try any:

Life or art? 

Clearly, it is an attempt at art.  The @NatBowenArt reveals all!