Good Neighbours - Edison, Ford and Firestone.

People from the Northern United States and Canada have been travelling to Florida for the winter since the 19th century so this isn't a modern day fashion. The difference is that the earlier snowbirds had lots of money and bought winter homes in the Sunshine State.

Three of these gentlemen were friends and neighbours in Fort Myers - Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. One invented rubber made from Goldenrod, one made cars and the third made tyres. Put the three together and you can see the result in Edison's garage at the home in Fort Myers.

The home is actually two houses, the second one containing the guest bedrooms. Set in lush gardens the two story white houses have red roofs and the main one is surrounded by a wide patio - like a large outdoor sitting room. When the houses were built central heating hadn't been invented so it was, obviously, cooler to lounge outside. Can't you just picture the men having an afternoon nap there?

The rooms themselves open onto the patio and into each other to help any passing breezes keep the rooms cool.

All of the rooms are beautifully furnished. The living room has sofas and chairs and a well-stocked bookcase. The dining room has the table laid with hand painted china, crystal and silverware.

Lighting throughout the house is, of course, electric and consists of ten brass chandeliers and electroliers that were originally in the Edison home at Menlo Park (New Jersey). Some of the bulbs are ones that were invented by Edison - and they are still working.

Following a tour around the house there is a visit to the laboratory and a chance to look in the museum to see examples of some of the many items that Edison invented.

A blooming Lipstick Tree

The beautiful gardens are filled, not only with native trees, shrubs and flowers, but also with plants from other continents. He would experiment with various plants to see what could be made from them - such as the tyre from goldenrod.

The adjoining Henry Ford house is also open to the public. Some evenings when the friends were all in residence they would roll back the living room carpets and square dance. The caller? Henry Ford. I would have loved to have seen them and their guests on one of those evenings!

 

First Stop - Oslo

Moored by the Ramparts

Yes, I've been cruising with P&O again. This time on the Arcadia. Last year I did a Baltic cruise in June (on the Oriana) and the weather let me down. St. Petersburg was wet and Tallin was freezing. So this year I went in July and the weather was fantastic - blue skies and sunshine! I also chose a cruise calling at some different ports, the first stop being Oslo, the capital of Norway.

Coach drivers everywhere are excellent especially those who have to manoeuvre their buses around some very tight corners, but guides come with various qualifications. Especially problematical are the ones with heavy accents which get emphasised through the sound system. Fortunately all of our guides - at least, on the tours I took - were very clearly spoken and interesting to listen to.

In Oslo we were driven around the city being shown the sights such as the Nobel Peace Centre and City Hall where the annual Peace Prize is presented on 10th December each year. The recipients are selected by the Norwegian Nobel Committee made up of five people chosen by the Norwegian Parliament. Other sights we passed were the National Theatre, the Ibsen Museum, the Royal Palace and, in Market Square, the Cathedral.

Nowadays instead of through-traffic clogging up the centre of the city there is a tunnel and Main Street is pedestrianised. With the sun shining it looks fabulous as the restaurants have tables set out in what was the road - and doing fantastic business. It reminded me of the ramblas in Spain with shops and restaurants along one side and a tree-lined 'rambla' on the other.

Out of the city and we were taken to Holmenkollen to see the famous Olympic Ski Jump, the first in the world. Remember Eddie the Eagle? No, we didn't go to the top but to the viewing platform part the way up, from where we watched daring young people whizz down on a zipline wire. Rather them than me.

The view down across the fjord is glorious - blue water, islets and every imaginable foliage green of nature's palette.

Back down into the city again to finish our tour and have a couple of statues pointed out to us. Two of their 'war' heroes - Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) and Sir Winston Churchill.

Inevitably it was time to return to the ship to sail on to our next port of call - Copenhagen. As I visited this city last year you can read the blog about it and the ports of call during that cruise on www.auntiestravels.blogspot.com

Dancing the Night Away

One of the things that I look forward to on my cruises is ballroom dancing. As a single person living in a village this is the only time I get to participate in one of my favourite activities.

It wasn't until my third P&O Cruise that I discovered that members of the Entertainment Staff drop in at the dances and help the host and hostess by dancing with people needing a partner. Unfortunately, since that cruise, it seems that the young men no longer have the time or, as I discovered on one cruise, they cannot dance.

Obviously I have complained to both P&O and Carnival (the parent company) each time I have returned from a cruise. The popular response is that they don't - at the moment - have enough members of the Entertainment Teams to go around but.... They are working on it and there will be more staff and they will be taught the basic steps. I first complained after a cruise last September and I am not giving out any prizes to those of you who have guessed the reason for this blog.

On one occasion I was told that there are Dance Hosts on Cunard but not on P&O because Carnival want to keep each Line distinctive. (When I cruised on P&O's Oceana last year it was just like being on a Carnival cruise ship. I know because when I lived in Florida I used to take short breaks on their ships out of Tampa).

As single people pay extra - a LOT extra - surely we are entitled to a couple of Dance Hosts?

Of course there are Strictly Come Dancing Cruises on P&O but you can guess what happens to the price. Way out of my league with the added Single Supplement.

Come on, P&O, stop spoiling the cruises for singles who want to dance.

Thank goodness for the dance tutors who also act as hosts. Without them I wouldn't get in any dancing and on this Baltic cruise it was Wayne and Sharon who came to my rescue. Thanks guys!

A plea - if you are single, cruise and enjoy dancing but there aren't dance hosts on the Line you use - write and complain. It seems that that is the only way - at least with P&O. Maybe if a few thousand single ladies write and complain they might (fingers crossed) re-think their policy.

Spending Wisely

How splendid that we can now see pictures of a far distant planet. Two things I want to know - 

1. Why do we need to know about it? 

2.  How much is it costing?

I'm sure that money would have been better spent on medical research.

Here in the UK a great deal of money is being spent on improving some rail lines. Excellent - and about time too.

But there are other lines that need work done on them.

And a vast amount of money is being wasted over the HS2 plans (a high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham). My advice to the Government? Scrap HS2 and invest the money in transport improvements. And I know that I am not the only person who would like to see that happen.

At a time when wages have been frozen or increases kept to the minimum up pops an official body recommending a large increase to politicians' salaries.

Forgive me, but where have the so-called experts been hiding? And - our taxes probably pay their wages.

Oh yes, I know that some MPs are saying they will donate their wage increase to charity.... Where the first bite of the cherry will go to the admin people.

Far better, ladies and gentlemen of the House of Commons, to be brave and vote AGAINST an increase so that that money can be put towards, say, the Health Service.

So there!

A Stately Sail to Seville

Academy of Dance

One thing large cruise ships cannot do is sail majestically up the Guadalquivir River to the beautiful Spanish city of Seville. And to anchor at what must be the prettiest port in the world.

Fortunately there are a few small cruise ships that do just that. P&O's Adonia being one of them. 

Opened in 2014 the Muelle de las Delicias is near the Academy of Dance in the Maria Luisa Park. The port building is made up of re-used shipping containers painted grey and architecturally arranged. It doesn't look as awful as it sounds.

From the dock it is very easy to walk into the city along the Paseo de las Delicias shaded by the numerous trees in the park. Once in the centre there are, of course, plenty of shops, the famous Cathedral and the Alcazar to visit. (Last year I posted a blog about the latter on auntiestravels.blogspot.com). A word of advice - to avoid the long queues to get into the Cathedral and Alcazar get there VERY early.

Bridges over the river at Plaza de Espana

Don't want to go into town? Take a stroll through the beautiful park with its ponds and lakes and, of course, trees and flowers. Within a five minute walk of the ship is the fabulous Plaza de Espana, built as a showcase for an Exposition in the 1920s. With its towers, ceramics and huge fountain it is a magnet for tourists. The building now houses Government offices and the Town Hall. And it is all very photogenic.

When it came time to sail away the ship's decks and balconies were filled with happy cruisers who had spent two days discovering Seville. And we waved our thanks to the people on shore. For me the two memorable things about our sail downstream were sitting on my balcony listening to bird song from the bushes lining the banks and, later, passing through a small town with the residents waving and cheering. I felt like the Queen with all that waving!

Prior to Seville we had made calls at Lisbon and Portomao (to take a look at some of the Algarve). Following Seville we crossed to Tangier to be greeted with a pall of smog - yucky. I was very glad that I had opted to stay on board. Yes, the smog did clear but I wasn't prepared to venture ashore on my own. Coward!

Sailing back north in the Atlantic we eventually reached Galicia in north-west Spain to anchor at Villagarcia de Arousa.

Digging for clams

Unfortunately it was a rainy morning and the weather didn't improve as our coach wended its way to the small fishing village of O Grove. As the tide was out we could see fishermen in wellies digging for clams. The next part of the trip was on a land train across to the small island of La Toja. It is described as beautiful but to see that we needed sunshine. The best bit of trip was a stop in Cambados to visit the Parador el Albarino for tapas and wine tasting. The tapas - of course - were delicious, as was the white wine.

Sailing into Bordeaux

The last port of call was Bordeaux. Again it was a river trip up the Garonne to anchor in the centre of the city. I would have enjoyed two days there with time to do my 'own thing' on the second day after a coach tour of the City.

P&O always come up with surprises for cruises so I always look forward to the next year's programme. My plans? So far, the Northern Lights and later in the year Iceland.

www.pocruises.com

A Short Tour of Gran Canaria

Never having visited this island, when on my cruise I took the opportunity to have a look around - the lazy way on a coach.

Gran Canaria is famous for its variations in temperature. In January when we left Las Palmas (in the north) it was chilly but in Puerto de Mogan - down south - it was warm enough to sunbathe.

Along the east coast there are many resorts which tend to be concrete jungles. For example, Playa da Ingles, through which we drove to Maspolomas in order to admire the sand dunes which are spectacular and made the journey worthwhile.

Back on the coach we took the picturesque coast road which goes through the purpose built resort of Puerto Rico. The hills and valley are filled with characterless blinding white blocks of apartments and hotels which look like a child's painting. Beach and water sports are available.

Our last stop was at Puerto de Mogan where we encountered chaos. It was Friday and Market Day so loads of traffic and locals from nearby villages. Plus - would you believe - road works.

And this is a resort described as small and tranquil. That day it was far from tranquil and I'm sure the locals didn't appreciate the coach loads of tourists

I wandered around the market which, as well as comestibles, was also full of tourist tat. I found a small local minimart, bought some snacks and a bottle of water then searched for somewhere to sit. Away from the market is a small promenade and, miracle of miracles, I found a vacant bench. Sitting in the sun, snacking and reading is my ideal way of passing the best part of an hour.

Our return journey was much quicker as we took the motorway. The only drawback for anyone with claustrophobia are the tunnels. Most of them are quite short, if close together, but there is a long one. I usually close my eyes and think of green fields but with long tunnels the weight overhead gradually impinges. By the time we saw daylight again I was sweating and my hands were clenched. Obviously I shan't go that way again!

I was cruising on my favourite ship - P&O's Oriana. All excursions are graded as to physical abilities - i.e. number of steps, amount of walking etc - but no warnings for claustrophobics. I'm sure all cruise lines use the same method and would suggest they include such a warning.

Finally I've seen La Coruna

The Tower of Hercules

This was not the first time I had been to this city when on a cruise, just that I hadn't, until now, successfully been around it. Previously I had opted to go it alone but it had always rained. Yes, I'm a coward when it comes to bad weather.

This time I was sensible and booked a tour.

Following a boring drive through the port area to get to the exit, the coach did an about turn to drive us back the way we had come, but this time outside the port along Avenida de la Marina where we could admire some of the older buildings. Do you know that La Coruna is also called the 'Crystal City'? This is due to the number of glassed in balconies fronting the apartment blocks. A very wise precaution as many of them face the sea (the Bay of Biscay) so the windows help to keep the wild weather at a distance and also enable people to use their balconies even in winter.

Some of the things of interest we saw in passing were the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Mankind, the Millennium Monument and some excellent beaches.

Heard of Sir John Moore? He was a Lieutenant-General in the British Army which fought Napoleon's troops at La Coruna. There is a memorial to him and the soldiers who lost their lives in that battle in the San Carlos Gardens.

Out of La Coruna we headed to the Tower of Hercules Lighthouse. It was originally built in the 2nd century but this version dates to the 18th century. There is a long slope up towards it but you don't have to struggle up there to see the building.

By the time we reached a large restaurant on the top of a hill we were well ready for our tapas and wine - tea and coffee were also available. The views and the food were fabulous and I suspect some were wishing they had doggy bags. No, I don't really know why because the food on board the ship is some of the best I've ever had.

La Coruna from the restaurant

Back down into town and another drive through La Coruna back to the ship.

If you don't want to take a tour or wander around the city let me recommend some lovely gardens just a couple of minutes from the ship. Stroll out of the port and up to the Avenida. Don't cross the road, but turn left.

This was - of course! - another excursion I took on my P&O cruise on the Oriana.