To V or not to V !

So...Verona or Venice?  We loved Venice when we visited 11 or 12 years ago and have always promised to go back, but then Verona was celebrating 100 years of its Opera Festival with a special guest artist, Placido Domingo.  OMG! What a choice!  In the end we decided on both and had a truly special 5 days.

We flew from Gatwick to Verona and it couldn't have been easier to get to our hotel, once the airport bus had deposited us in town.  Just a 10 minute stroll and we were in the middle of it all, with the Arena di Verona about 250 metres from the front door.  A quick snooze, a freshen-up and we were whizzing out of that very front door to the neighbouring pizzeria (In Italy? Of course!) for one of the most delicious pizzas we had had in a long time.  Pizza Hut and Domino's?  Fuggeddabouddit!
(Count the number of Zs in those last two sentences !)
The next day went by all too quickly as we explored the old part of the city on foot and had a lovely picnic by the river before heading back to the hotel to prepare for the evening ahead.

,

The three of us (Richard, I and our cool bag full of drinkies and snacks) headed for the Arena at around 8.30 with most of Europe.  In our row alone there were Finns, Germans, Poms, French, Spaniards and Dutch. Oh, and us! Verdi's Nabucco was on the programme and, although we hadn't heard of any of the other performers, Domingo was singing the lead, Nabucco, King of the Egyptians.  From 9 pm until just after one in the morning we were enthralled, entranced, charmed, entertained and thoroughly spoilt! Oh, what a night (as the song says)!  Domingo at 72 still has it, not as he did when he was 42, mind you, but most of it, and in spades!  The others, particularly the women, were excellent and the chorus was wonderful.  In fact, so wonderful that the applause for the Slave Chorus went on until they agreed to do it again!  We had never seen this before anywhere in the world, an orchestra and chorus repeating itself.
Enough of the raving on  - look at some pictures!

The next day we were on the train for Venice well before lunch.  The tickets cost about $12NZ each for the two-hour trip.  Comfy seats, pleasant conductor and pretty scenery.  What good value compared to the grossly-overpriced French and Spanish trains.  Bravo, Italia!

And then there she was - La Serenissima.  Last time we were in Venice, we wandered, got lost, wandered some more, stopped for a coffee and a people-watch and then did it all again.  This time was exactly the same - F A N T A S T I C O !! We had three full days and made the most of each hour - we tried to go out at different times of the day to see the light and reflections on the water and the beauty of all the ancient, crumbling buildings and marvellous, character-filled bridges.  We had a lovely trip on the water and this time, instead of just cruising up and down the Grand Canal, we went right around the outside of the island and picked up a really good idea of how all the canals and the land work together.  Still didn't stop us from getting lost though! The  Opera, the canals, the train and boat trips, the friendliness of our hoteliers and the gorgeous weather made this a super way to spend 5 days.

Long may this non-stop spoiling last!

The Trouble With Norfolk ...

...is that it's just SO pretty !  It's going to be very hard to leave on Saturday, but we HAVE to go to Italy for this Opera Festival in Verona where Placido Domingo will be singing Nabucco, and then we HAVE to go to Venice as the accommodation is all booked and paid for.  Otherwise..

We have been having a fantastic time here.  Suzi and Mike's house is just lovely and the water is about ten minutes walk.  We have been exploring in all directions on foot with the dog and also quite a bit  by car.  We went over the border to Suffolk on the weekend to visit Suzi's aunt and uncle, whom we met and just loved 12 years ago.  It was lovely to be with them again in their gorgeous part of the world.  Apart from the fact that we HAD to play cricket on the Village Green with the grandchildren (LOL), we had a marvellous day and weren't the least bit interested in leaving. They will be in NZ early next year and will hopefully come and stay so we can reciprocate their lovely hospitality

We've borrowed walking brochures and books and we've been going through them, crossing off our achievements.  Luckily, rather a lot of the walks begin and end in a pub carpark, so it's easy to get going and move along fairly swiftly with the promise of a nice lunch at the end.  We've found several lovely little spots along the rivers and on the Broads, so Richard's lust for water and boats has been easily satisfied.

Earlier this week we had a gorgeous walk which, due to road works over the years and an out of date booklet, turned out to be over 9 kilometres - pretty good for us!  We WERE a bit knackered by the time we got back to the ...you guessed it, pub, for lunch.

On Wednesday we went out on one of the restored old Broads motor boats.  It was built in 1937 and has been lovingly brought back to its former glory by Paul, a great bloke that Richard instantly bonded with.  He even let Rich have a go at the wheel, so he was in his element. I have to say, we had THE most gorgeous day for a jolly on the water; warm and sunny without a breath of wind - just glorious. Went fruit picking again on the way home - last week was raspberries and blackcurrants, today there were strawberries and raspberries - the treats and the treasures just keep coming!

 

Yesterday was a walk with Gerry and Joy, (Suzi's parents) around the estate of a National Trust house called Blickling Hall.  We didn't bother with the visit to the Hall, as there was rather a nice ... again, pub for lunch at the end of the walk!
A short blog, but really the pictures say it all.  Have a look and see if you agree.

The green, green grass of Away

Well, Richard does call it 'Home' sometimes, when he is feeling nostalgic about pubs or pork pies or really old buildings, but it isn't.  We are definitely Kiwis now and although being here is wonderful and amazing and very beautiful, it's very evident there are an awful lot of people in this country!
That having been said, we have spent this week managing to avoid a high percentage of them, firstly by travelling on the canal with Sandra and Barry and then, by visiting Barbara in rural Yorkshire

We left for 'the boat' last Sunday and drove through some very lovely scenery and quite a few counties to get to 'aReandaRe', which is what Sandra and Barry's narrowboat is (hilariously, we think!) named. We had a great couple of days catching up with them, walking, talking, drinking, eating some yummy food, getting caught in a hailstorm together, and all too soon it was time to leave.  My lack of practical skills made itself obvious in a big way on the boat and Richard and I had a taste of what it might be like should we decide to emulate Sandra and Barry.  Not on your life!  Rich would have to do EVERYTHING - my issues around heights, balance, small spaces, walking over running water etc would mean I could just about manage the cooking, and even then, Richard would have to get out on the front of the boat (leaving it to steer itself, I suppose!) to turn the gas on.  So, lovely to see them, great that we were able to test out an idea that had been floating in Richard's head for a while, and good to know that we can now move on with no lingering 'what ifs'.

The boat was gorgeous, had everything you would need and Sandra and Barry have made it a real home.  They are loving it and it's everything they hoped it would be.

Barbara's next and an action-packed two days in Yorkshire.  York Minster, narrow laneways, some beautiful gardens and a great walk around the old walls of the city followed by a drive into the Dales and some of the most stunning scenery we have ever seen.  We walked a little bit of the Dales Way, had a nice lunch out and then it was all over - time with Barbara passed way too quickly.

 rdc

 

On to Norfolk next - a quick two days with Mike and Suzi, whom we hadn't seen for 11 years, and their 3 little girls. Then they were off - leaving us in charge of their house and The Hound of the Baskervilles who, to be fair, is not yet trained, but is mad. The house is on the edge of a Broad (a bit like a river, a bit like a lake) and we have already taken the Hound out wandering a few times - it's a very picturesque area, the house is big and sunny and we will be more than happy here for a fortnight.