Birmingham-Jewellery Quarter

Everyone travels to London, Rome, NYC and Paris…. but how many people get to travel to Santorini, Aruba or Piraeus? These are like curated vacations, Sailing the seven seas on a cruise ship and getting paid for it!

I miss the newly wed, the nearly dead and the overfed----Now I am a Land Sailor, on break from the most amazing two months at sea onboard Holland America's Prinsendam: Videos of The Arctic Circle, The Norwegian Fjords capture the AWE in  this awesomeness...

I drive  "the wrong side" of the road, in Britian and  ended up HERE, in the Midlands...

What could be better- er....Chicken Tikka Masala with Garlic Naan. The flagship dish of Britain's acclaimed 'national cuisine'was invented in Birmingham in the 1970's.

Neon Blue Paraiba! with Mint Nail Polish-Delicious.

Birmingham, which is under construction-Three projects going on simultaneously.  Managed to shut the GPS off, and just use a plain old paper map to  find and visit The Jewellery  Quarter. I saw some amazing Gemstones and Colored Diamond Rings,
Pendants and Earrings. Just window shopping but retail therapy for my wife.

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Liverpool-San Francisco, With Grayer Weather

“If you want a Cathedral, we’ve got one to spare…
” so goes the old Liverpool folk song

The  beat poet Allen Ginsberg said "at the present moment (1965), the center of consciousness of the human universe is here".

The Cavern Club, proud to be the birthplace of the best
 band in the world--- The Beatles. In 2 years they played almost 300x) Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane, 
the Hard Days Night Hotel. it's all there on the Magical Mystery Tour.  The Who and The Kinks played here too.

 Paul McCartney, John Lennon Club Owner Ray McFall, Cynthia

Liverpool does   have a west coast vibe. Yet the tenure of Europe's capital of  culture is overstated. There are still bands arrogant enough to believe that  they can  overthrow the legacy of the Beatles practicing in abandoned warehouses and lofts. There are the museums, Alfred Dock, this  huge  Gothic cathedral that appears out of nowhere like a Denali or Kilimanjaro. 



Liverpool Anglican Cathedral is Britain's biggest Cathedral, and took 74 years to build and in fact, they are still building it!

Having been almost  everywhere  on the planet, it is easy for me to see that  the "stuff" here has shipped in from somewhere else, including the people  Since the 16th century, it has been a trading partner and  a port of call for the Irish, and in a sense, Liverpool is  the spiritual capital of Ireland - not Dublin.
.

Stayed at a great hotel called Georgian Town House Hotel

The Docks

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Edinburg, Scotland-Plaid Is A Color

Got Kilt?

The population of this city doubles in the month of August- there are festivals like the Ed Fringe and The Military Royal Tattoo. It has been a great time so far in Scotland. Kilts, Scotch Whiskey and Plaid-it's all on tap.



Bespoke-  Or one of a kind hand-made Jewellery is something I never considered, until now. Check out this video I shot: Jared, a Silversmith From the famous Military Mile Street, is taking the ECG from a Mothers womb of her unborn baby-and commemorating the birth of her child with this Bespoke Bracelet-Fascinating

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York-York Minister Cathedral

A beautiful and imposing Gothic cathedral  appeared with extra-ordinary bell ringers York Minister is .the largest  cathedral in northern Europe. 

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Winchester-UK-Good Knight

Coat Of Arms

From the knights of medieval legends to Indiana Jones, the holy grail has been the most sought-after Christian relic in popular culture: the cup that is part of an important theme of Arthurian literature.

Here Is the Arthurian Round Table-

Edward the 1st  built it  Henry the 8th

 had  painted the House of Tudor Rose in the Middle.

According to legend, it has special powers, and is designed to provide happiness, eternal youth and food in infinite abundance. Today, in Winchester,  England's ancient capital and former seat of King Alfred the Great.

Today I didn't find The Grail, Instead, I spotted  the  Legendary Round Table.

Sir Thomas Malory  wrote that this area  was Camelot.
The Pun is Mighter than The Sword-Having a good knight dressing in midevial 
battle gear as Edward The 1st. 

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London-The Underground

What's Up? I mean-WatsON

Oye Como Va 

With its circle logo, distinctive trains and user friendly map, few landmarks of  England  are as iconic as  The London Underground.
Below Mother Nature is Mother London herself-the electrified spaghetti of  the cities entire multi-layered infrastructure.  Until I can navigate the highs and lows,quirks and anomalies of this system , I couldn’t possibly call myself a Londoner.

I have my favorite already: The Victoria Line. It is used by 200 million passengers each year, And today I was one of them. I changed there for the Bakerloo Line and Piccadilly Lines .

Today I was at Baker Street and it seemed so much smaller- because the growth of the subway was just piecemeal and sprawling.The major tube upgrades, face lifts and new stations are simply spliced on to  the  old existing system.

This week there was a strike- there was some overcrowding, delays and cancellations on Tuesday.

I was really impressed with the quality and variety of Subway Musicians or Buskers-who have to audition for the right to freely play in The Tube Stations-I shot a quick video of this dude playing Carlos Santana's Black Magic Woman. 

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London-Westminster Abbey

Everything I knew about this monument is wrong: Big Ben is actually the bell that chimes the hour, the tower is St Elizabeth Tower.

The London Underground is not a political movement-its a subway also known as- The Tube.

1980

Climate is what I am used to getting in Florida and Santa Monica, but here there is Weather- so far so good- no rain today! Summer IS a nice DAY in England.

The first time I visited London, I was 20 years old. I flew over from new York on British Airways. These last few years I have sailed to Dover and around the British Isles. Tehre is nothing as spectacular as The White Cliffs of Dover or Beachy Head.

"English why do I need to study that, I joked, I'm never going to live in England!"

June 2015 at Sea in The English Channel

Today:Notes From The Underground -
trapped in a tube but there is finally light at the end of the tunnel!

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Alaska Summer

Being There

‘Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.’ Alaska is the perfect setting for those poetic reflections to come out and those bitter sweet moments of seemingly endless waitings---But delay is not denial! I remember...

Wow What a Summer in The U.K.. I passed up the chance to sail in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska for greener pastures here! BUT I remember 2011, 2012  Alaska seasons -The Great Land is a lot like pizza. When it's good, it's really good. When it's bad, it's still pretty good; and like the Pizza Guy, Alaska always delivers. From Float Plane Riding to Salmon Fishing, surrounded by waterfalls and glaciers-this is The Wild Life.




I knew there would be days like this,
 I just wish someone would have told me how many!

Not everybody trusts paintings but people believe videos. Nature's living mirror, however is water---whether still or in motion,The most beautiful landscapes go  better with H 2 OooooooohMG! 

The Happy go Locals don't tan, they rust, and if they smoke, they smoke salmon.The  cruisers who inhabit this place for 6  hours a day may have come on different ships, but they are all in the same boat-Mother Nature's.



Here are my top 5 Videos:

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Keep close to Nature's heart...and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean-John Muir


Write? Right!

Here are my travel blog entries:

• ▼  August (15)
  • Salmon Fishing- Reeling In The Years
  • Wings Over Misty Fjords-Flightseeing
  • Tongass---No Rain, No Rainbow Falls
  • B.E.S.T. Bears Eagles Salmon Totem Poles
  • In The Sky-Wings Over The Inside Passage
  • S E Alaska-Here Comes The Sun-
  • Tongass Rain Forest-On The Waterfront
  • Misty Fjords-Active Rain
  • Seattle- I Have My Reservations
  • Alaska,,Where Mother Nature Lives
  • Glacier Bay-WWJM(John Muir) Do?
  • The Chilkoot Trail-Miner For A Heart of Gold
  • Inside Passage- Grass Is Greener Where You Water ...
  • Ketchikan- A River Runs Through It
  • Tracy Arm Fjord- Inside Passage- Vivid Blues

• ▼  July (13)
  • Travels in Alaska-Quinn The Eskimo
  • Juneau--The Wild Gospel of Nature
  • Ketchikan-Path of Moist Resistance
  • Glacier National Park-Of The Mountains
  • Skagway-After The Goldrush
  • Juneau-Enlightened Land
  • Seattle-The Flannel Manner
  • Alaska-The Great One

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