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Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Weekend Excursion
Portugal has the worst drivers in all of western Europe, or so everyone keeps telling us. So, what did we do? We rented a car for the weekend to head north up the coast to Porto.
Without the time constraints of a bus or train schedule, we were able to see many things in a short time span. We hit the picturesque medieval city of Obidos, where we wandered up and down the narrow cobblestone streets. Then, on a whim, we stopped in Foz de Arehlo. It turned out to have an amazing beach that stretched out into a sheltered bay on one side and bordered the Atlantic on the other.
We stayed on the coastal roads and ended up in Sao Martinho do Porto, a beach town situated on a crescent-shape bay that was full of fishing boats. For a Friday night, things were pretty quiet. Being the off season, many things were closed and there were only three lodging options available in town. We stayed one block from the beach for 40€ ($60).
The next morning, we made our way to Aveiro, the "Venice of Portugal" where we navigated the canals in an old, brightly painted wooden boat.
We also learned how to make ovos moles, the sweet treats that were invented here. As the story goes, the nuns at the convent would use egg whites to starch their habits, but they were wasting the yolks. By adding sugar, they were able to preserve the yolks for up to three weeks and use the concoction for eating. These days, the mixture is encased in a pillow-like shell similar in taste and texture to a communion wafer.
From Aveiro, we drove up to Porto, where we saw the sun set on the River of Gold (Rio d'Ouro), bathing the river and buildings alongside it in golden light. One can see how the river got its name.
On Sunday, we headed to Fatima, an important Christian pilgrimage site in a city named after the daughter of Mohammed. Thousands of worshippers come to this location, many of whom walk on their knees to the chapel built over the location where Mary first appeared to three children in 1917. The apparition returned two more times, each time relaying prophecies about the future that later came true.
We came back to Lisbon later that night. Happily, we returned the vehicle, and ourselves, in one piece. However, there was one point on our trip that an ambulance (not on an emergency call) crossed over the center lane on a curve and nearly crashed into the car head on.
"So, that's how they get clients," said Jennifer, after our close call.
Perhaps our visit to Fatima gave us some good karma.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
One part rodeo, one part gladiator
Portuguese bullfights differ from those in other countries in two major ways.
First, the star of the show is not the matador, but a horseman bullfighter, costumed as an 18th-century nobleman, with a plumed hat and embroidered coat.
Second, and most importantly, the bull is never killed in the ring thanks to a decree made by the Marques de Pombal in the 18th century.
The latter seemed to make the idea of attending a bullfight a bit more palatable, so that's how Jen and II found ourselves at the Campo Pequeno in Lisbon at 10pm at the last event of the season.
Outside the venue, a group of folk dancers competed for attention with a group of protesters who were trying to drown out the music with airhorns and cowbells. Inside, we climbed the stairs to the second balcony and took our seat in the first row, which offered the best view of the action, and cost 17.50€ ($26).
We were joined by Peter, a Danish tourist who came by himself, leaving his wife and kids back at the hotel.
The principle characters paraded into the ring, led by the forcados, then the matadors and finally the caveleiros. After the introduction, the bull is ushered into the ring and the battle begins.
>Bullfighting originated as a military training exercise for both man and horse, building dexterity and agility as they avoided the horns of the angry bull. These days, the horsemen display their skill by guiding the horse left, right, forward and back as the bull (with his horns filed down) chases from behind. The closer to the bull the caveleiro is, the bigger the applause when he finally "escapes."
The barbaric part comes when the cavaleiro charges the bull with a bandarilha (dart) and drives it into the bull's back. With each successive pass, the dart gets shorter and shorter, which increases the risk to the horse and the horseman. Meanwhile, the bull gets increasingly angrier and weaker at the same time.
When the cavaleiro is finished showing off his bravado, a group of eight men charge the bull and the frontman flings himself onto the front of the enraged charging bull, while the other men work on slowing the bull down. It looks pretty comedic, but the danger is high.
Finally, a group of cows are paraded into the ring and the bull follows them out. Then the process is repeated with another bull and a new cavaleiro.
In the end, I left with no desire to ever see another bullfight (as expected). It just wasn't a fair fight. Sure, it was a cultural experience, but then again, so is NASCAR, and I have no plans to attend a race anytime in the near or distant future.
If I were the Marques de Pombal, I would have made another decree. I would ask that the bulls be "marked" with paint or velcro darts instead of causing real harm to the animals.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Heavenly treats
Although they are sold in bakeries across Lisbon, the best place to get the goods is at this particular pastry shop, which is to Portugal what the Magnolia Bakery is to New York City -- an institution. Originally made by the monks at the nearby Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, the recipe has not changed over the last 172 years. Heavenly, indeed!
Line up at the front of the store to take away a box filled with the yummy goodness, or sit down and have the waiter bring pasteis fresh out of the oven to your table in the enormous cavernous eatery. Jen, my latest travel partner who arrived just today, and I had one a piece and it was clear we would have to order another . . . and another.
"I can't have just one," says Mariana, the front desk clerk at the youth hostel where we are staying. "I usually end up eating five or six and have to stay in bed the next day. But they are so good!"
As a friend pointed out, they are "LisBon Appetite." I say: FINALLY! Most of the main dishes are bland and uninspired, but the desserts are a different story.
Mariana has been our sweets pusher since we got here. Tomorrow, she has recommended we try "travesseiros" at Piriquita in Sintra. We're not making a special trip or anything -- we are going to get a little culture, too.
But I will be sure to report back on how these new goodies stack up against the pasteis.
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Scintillating Sintra
Even in October, the crowds were as thick as a bees in a hive. The best way to avoid them is by walking, although if you don't want to climb straight uphill, hop on bus #434 and take it all the way to the Palacio de Pena.
Home to final kings of queens of Portugal, the palace is a heady mix of styles from Arabic to Victorian. Walking across the draw bridge, you can imagine visitors arriving in carriages for grand parties on the palace's sweeping terraces that offer views of the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.
While it's interesting to tour the private chambers of the royals (smaller than I imagined), the best part of the visit is to wander through the gardens surrounding the palace. The paths wind past church ruins, duck houses, grotto and underground passages that lead into the surrounding hills. I brought my flashlight for this purpose, but the passage narrowed and I couldn't get through with my backpack on.
The main path eventually leads down to the Castelo dos Mourros where King Joao III liked to paint. By the time he lived at the Palacio de Pena, the 9th century military fortress had long been abandoned.
In 1839, a complete restoration of the fortress was undertaken. Archaeological research within the stone walls have found objects that pre-date Arab occupation.
After exploring the site, you can walk down the hill to Sintra or ride the bus. If there's time in the day, there are several museums in town, plus good eats and pricey gifts shops. I also recommend the Quinta de Regaleira, at one time an elegant summer retreat for the Baroness de Regaliera, which has intriguing gardens that beg to be explored. The Initiatic Well is a subterranean tower that sinks 27 meters into the earth, made accessible bya spiral staircase that leads down to a series of underground walkways. This structures, as well as others in the garden, are linked to the Knights Templar.
TRAVEL TIP: Buy a two-day pass to visit the four major sites (Palacio Nacional de Pena, Castelo dos Mouros, Monserrate and Convento dos Capuchos) for 20 Euros or a pass to vist to two of the sites for 11 Euros (but you must decide which two at the time of purchase). Tickets can be bought at any of the sites.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Seven Hills
The Castelo de Sao Jorge at the top of the highest point, is a natural first stop. While taxes and buses do head up there, we walked through the sleepy neighborhood of the Alfama, which was just starting to wake up on a Sunday morning.
The timeless alleys and squares are like living museums with white-washed or tiled houses with red-tile roofs, flower-laden balconies and old-world looking people in the windows or in the streets offering a friendly "Bon Dia" as we walked by.
At the top of the hill, we entered through the gates of the castle and were instantly transported back to the 11th century when it was built by the Moors, the Arab invaders that controlled the city until Dom Afonso Henriques led a siege in 1147 that ultimately drove them out.
The castle, once home to kings and queens, now has peacocks, turkeys, cats and tourists roaming the ground. We were fortunate enough to arrive before the nine o'clock buses carrying the masses. We took in the city from the castle's vantage point atop the hill. Boats were sailing in the Rio Tejo, a church bell was ringing somewhere down below and more areas to explore were beckoning.
The rest of the day, we meandered and really fell in love with the picturesque city. We finished the day at a small but packed restaurant serving fresh seafood and meat dishes, typical of Portugues cuisine.
As we fell asleep, a trio of musicians performed under our window at an open-air cafe four stories below us.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
North shore ramblings
The further west in town you go, the more authentic the experience. Colorful fishing boats bob in the gentle water of the port protected by a high wall from which the locals will dive into the water for a swim. A few blocks uphill, the main square is surrounded by Spanish colonial buildings that feature intricately carved wooden balconies that are typical of the area.
Just outside of town, you get into the heart of the island's wine-growing district--the Orotava Valley. The town of La Orotava is just a short distance uphill from Puerto de la Cruz, and can easily be explored on foot.
We wandered up the steep cobblestone streets passing the main church with doors that make you feel only inches tall. The Casa de los Balcones is an overpriced store that sells high-quality Canarian products at high prices. However, the building in which it is located gives you the chance to peer inside a historic building with its lovely inner courtyard. Plus, it is open midday when all the other businesses close for three hours for siesta.
It was in this town that we finally found a laundromat to wash our clothes. I can't think of a better place in which to be stranded for a few hours.
We headed back down to Puerto for dinner and finished out the night with sangria and dancing in the streets to the music of a Canarian band.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Pooling Resources
In Bajamar, older men chat on benches in front of the tiny church, people walk their dogs or stroll along the narrow streets. And some take to the waters at the "piscinas," two sea-water pools set on the rocky shore below the Hotel Delfin (50€, including breakfast), which caters almost exclusively to Germans and older tourists. We spent two nights with the sound of waves crashing over the espanade lulling us to sleep.
Early morning and late evening are the best time to watch the locals taking a dip in the natural pools that are filled with sea water that washes over the edge of the cement and into the pool. The Tenerife tourism literature describes this area as a health-conscious tourist destination.
We decided to dive into the healing waters this with the old folks. Brrrrr. The saltwater made my eyes burn, but did wonders for my blisters. Swimming over to the far side, we sat under the spray from the ocean only a few steps away.
As for food, we skipped the cafeteria-style hotel buffet and opted for a fresh dinner at El Abogado, halfway between Bajamar and Punta Hidalgo. The fish was freshly plucked from the water by a fisherman that day and now I stood before a tray of fish, from which I selected the one I would eat.
Before the grilled fish, we enjoyed Gambas al Ajillo (garlic shrimp), boiled potatoes and yams and Pimientos Padron (salted and roasted jalapeno peppers), a local specialty.
A delicious end to the day!
History mystery
They are believed to have been blonde-headed, blue-eyed Berbers from Africa. They lived in caves and made pottery using clay from the abundant volcanic material on the island.
That's all we could really figure out from the archaeology museum in Puerto de la Cruz. There are "pyramids" on the islands, but they are shrouded in controversy. The Guimar Pyramids were discovered in 1996 and thought to be of great significance. However, the terraces of rock yielded no artifacts and resemble the agricultural terraces still in use on the island today.
Only one pottery figurine (El Guatimac) was discovered at the site but it was found in a cave, along with bones fragments and potsherds.
However, founders of the museum at the site go to great lengths to try to make an arguments that the islanders were great pyramid builders, like those in other parts of the world. The museum has photo after photo of pyramids from Peru, Guatemala, Mexico and Egypt.
Yes, I believe that there was contact between early civilizations, but the assumptions and connections made by the Canarian museum were based on the research of a Norwegian man who recreated full-size reed boats, made like those from antiquity, and sailed across the Atlantic successfully.
He just happened to settle in the Canary Islands toward the end of his life and after talking to people on the island about his theories someone decided to take a pile of rocks and build pyramids and call them ruins.
Now, if someone comes forward with more compelling evidence, I'm willing to entertain the idea, but for now, I remain skeptical.
If you're ever in Tenerife, pay a visit to the Pyramids of Guimar to decide for yourself . . . if you are willing to pay the 10 Euro ($15) entrance fee.
Black sand beaches
The south is touristy (full of visitors flying in from London, Madrid and Miami to stay in high-rise hotels on the beach), but there are some gems.
El Medano has the longest beach in Tenerife. The black sand beach is the result of Teide's eruptions, the most recent being in 1909. The sand is interrupted by flat layers of lava rock that flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
The beach is littered with millions of colorful pieces of tumbled sea glass in colors you just can't find on Lake Erie. So, Lauren and I scoured the beach, picking up glass in shades of lavendar, light blue, turquoise, cobalt, yellow and olive green. Oh my!
During our hunt, we watched surfers hanging ten, nude bathers strutting and dogs patiently waiting for their owners to return. As the last bit of sun passed over a distant peak, we wandered into a beachside bar for a pizza run by an English bloke who had traveled extensively in the United States and had lived briefly in Hawaii.
"I really loved the scenery in Hawaii," he told us. "But, I loved the Canarian lifestyle."
In that moment we could understand what he meant. We've eased into island time, living in the moment without a car in the world.
Friday, October 09, 2009
For the birds
Jose Ledesma tells me that joke while dining at a local Canarian restaurant owned by a friend of his.
Ledesma raises racing pigeons. In fact, one of his birds, Bayo Casablanca, holds the world record for longest distance traveled. Facing extreme conditions, the bird traveled from Morocco, over the open ocean and made its way back to Tenerife.
"The fact that they know how to get back is one of the mysteries of the world," says Ledesma. "They have a sense that humans just don't have."
Ledesma, who once raised and trained falcons, stumbled across the racing pigeon industry purely by chance. Now, he is considered a respected leader in the field, and is known all over the world. He raises pigeons that are purchased for racing.
Once every two years, he organizes a pigeon race that begins in Fuerteventura, one of the other islands in the Canaries. Participants from countries such as Belgium, Germany, Ireland, China descend upon the islands to cheer on their bird, and hopes it will be the first that arrives back to the loft, which is in the backyard of Ledesma's home.
The prize: 12,000 Euro ($18,000). A couple from The Netherlands were the most recent winners. They shrieked with joy when their bird was the first to enter its roost.
When I first started to research the Canary Islands, I thought I'd find the canary bird here. Nope, I haven't see Tweetie, but I now know more than ever about the pigeon.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
We caught the monkey, but killed the bat + more animal stories
The Canary Islands are located off the coast of Morocco, but belong to Spain. The flight from Madrid cost under $200, and it's worth every penny to make the three-hour journey to this island chain.
The island oof Tenerife is the most popular with tourists. The beach resorts in the south appeal to sun and surf lovers, the legends of the Knights Templar, the colonial past and Mary of the Sea attracts history buffs and the volcano that rises from the center of the island is a mecca for nature lovers, not to mention UFO enthusiasts.
"There are a lot of sightings, especially on top of El Teide [the volcano]," says Kalani Hano Hano, an American friend of a friend, who moved to the island in 2005 with his wife, who is Canarian. Kalani, himself, witnessed an event that he can't necessarily explain that lasted four hours. "Lights would appear every few seconds and shoot across the horizon," he says. "I've never seen anything like it."
It's no wonder that you can spot unusual phenomenon on the island, especially.on the volcano. There is no light pollution obscuring the night sky and we witnessed a shooting star within minutes of looking skyward from our vantage point at our hotel, which is located high on the volcano.
This spot will be our home for the next couple of days and we're looking forward to seeing what's out there in the daylight. We arrived well after dark, mostly because I had to stop to take pictures of sunset behind the peak, which poked out of the clouds that were below us.
After killing a bat with our windshield on the way up, we pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and I was amazed by the rock formations. When I got out of the car for another picture, I could hear the pitter patter of feet on the pavement, but I could see nothing. There were no lights in the parking lot. But, I felt something lurking behind me. Kalani had just warned us about packs of ferocious wild dogs roaming the highlands, so when I finally saw the creature by the light of the car's dome light, I froze with fear and whispered to Lauren, "There's something out there; I think it's a wild dog."
She couldn't see anything, but once her eyes adjusted, she could see the Unidentified Feral Observer (UFO) with its pointy ears and muscular body.
"Oh my god," she cried. "It's a dingo. Get in the car. Hurry!!!!!"
I jump in the car and close the door, not knowing what to do next. I drive 15 feet from our parking spot to the entrance, and Lauren runs in to find out if it's a friendly pet or not. The desk clerk confirmed our suspicions that it was indeed wild, but assured us that we would not be eaten. But the behavior of the animal was so strange. If we turned our back on it, he would approach closer and closer as if he was going to pounce or try to take our grocery bags. Lauren and I backed slowly toward the front door, closing it behind us.
"You know, the wild dog reminded me of the dog in the animated film 'Lilo and Stitch,' says Lauren. "In the movie, the dog was actually an alien that the girl adopted from the pound. Maybe there are aliens here after all . . . or maybe it was the chupacabra."
It looks like we're going to have a good time here. The stranger the better.
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Monkey business
The best way to get to the top of the iconic rock is by cable car, which takes about 6 minutes. For roughly $20, a one-way ticket includes a self-guided multimedia walking tour and access to the major attractions on the way down to the town at the base.
As you step off the cable car, the monkeys await. A young boy eating a candy bar as he exited was stunned when a monkey charged at him, jumped on his back and stole the candy bar from his grasp just as he was about to take a bite. The boy was fine and was laughing about it, but it was still a shock to see it as it happened.
First lesson learned: Don't eat around the monkeys.
We spent the next few hours strolling from site to site, enjoying the monkeys along the way. Babies jumped from tree to tree or clutched their mothers; juveniles wrestled and clacked their teeth together and the older males napped on the rocks.
If the monkeys weren't cool enough, we went subterranean a few times, which provides respite from the sun and heat.
St. Michael's Cave, with its high ceiling dripping with stalgmites, was incredible. The first visitors to set foot inside were Neanderthals nearly 40,000 years before Christ. Later, the caverns were thought to be the Gates of Hades, the entrance to the underworld. In the 20th century, the caves were used by WW2 soldiers as an emergency hospital, and it serves as a concert hall to this day.
After all our walking, we stopped for a beverage at the eatery next to St. Michael's Cave. While Lauren ordered a passion fruit slush puppy for us to share, I watched the tourists taking pictures of the monkeys gathered outside. One woman was nervous, so I told her there was nothing to worry about unless she had food on her. Lauren came out and started telling the woman about the boy with the pilfered candy bar.
The words "They won't bother you, as long as you don't feed them" were still hanging in the air as a monkey lept from the roof onto Lauren's back. She shrieked and the frightened woman looked horrified as she watched the monkey try to snatch the slush puppy from her hand. Lauren didn't relinquish the drink, but some spilled on the ground and the monkey bent down to lap it up.
Meanwhile, another monkey swooped in and grabbed the styrofoam cup from behind, and finally Lauren let go. The monkeys had won, and we were still thirsty.
Second lesson learned: Don't drink around the monkeys.
We wandered off down the path again, laughing all the way. And by the way, I got it all on camera. Pictures to come....
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Monday, October 05, 2009
Four Countries / Four Days
There is a saying that a Moroccan man told us: If you slow down, you'll catch the monkey, but if you go too fast, you'll kill it.
Four days is not enough time to really get to know a place or its people, but I've been here before and I wanted to give Lauren, my current travel companion, a taste of Morocco so she plans her own trip back.
"It was chaotic, yet it was fascinating," she says. "The cultural differences were astounding. The world is so small but so different. Morocco got my travel bug itching. I would like to go back."
From the souks of Morocco, we are heading to the Rock right now. Gibraltar is just across the strait from Morocco, but instead of figs and cous cous, we'll be eating fish and chips.
Whether we kill the monkey remains to be seen. The Barbary Apes await. Stay tuned to find out.
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Sunday, October 04, 2009
Likely Story
The touts in Tetouan, Morocco, are relentless, especially since we seem to be the only tourists in this town. They say the want to practice their English, but they really want to take us to a carpet shop, so they can get a commission on whatever we buy.
Yesterday, we arrived with packs on our backs and we stuck out like a sore thumb. Our first priority was to find lodging, but the touts were trying to lead us elsewhere.
Now, after 24 hours, we can not only spot them coming, but we've managed to avoid them rather successfully. First sign that he's a tout, he seeks you out and speaks English very well. The second sign: he is missing teeth. He likes to tell you lies; anything to get you to follow him.
What business do you do? I'm a photographer. Oh, he says, come take picture of my home. Uh, no. No really, please come. I live just here.
Okay, I have to admit I was curious to see if he was for real. And of course he led us directly to a rug store. He said he was the owner, named Hassan, but there was no way.
He really pulled the rug over our eyes.
However, we started talking to a man in the store, who was likely the owner, and he seemed to know a lot about Ohio, including the area codes. And he said he'd been to Put-in-Bay. Interesting.
Anyway, we've wandered the souks of the medina, just enjoying the day-to-day activities. We'ved stopped at coffee shops and patisseries.
And soon we'll be going to Ceuta, the Spanish enclave on the African coast and returning to mainland Europe. The excursion to Morocco was respite from the Euro, and it paid off. We slept (or not, depending on whom you ask) for only $15, compared to nearly $50 anywhere in Spain.
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Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A Bull Market
"All sports teams have advertising on their uniforms," matador Joselito Ortega told CNN. The next time he steps in the ring, he will be using pink capes embroidered with the words "Gay Up," the name of the energy drink, which targets the gay market.
"Our hope is that Joselito Ortega becomes a huge figure in bullfighting and an icon for the million of gays that love the sport inside and out of Spain," José María Terrón, the president of the company that produces the drink, told El Mundo.
Ortega, who is heterosexual, just wants to perform well.
"I am a bullfighter. That is not going to change," he told the press. "I am going to go out into the ring as I have done until now, to risk my life, and the seven goring wounds on my body prove that. If the gay community welcomes me as an image or a symbol, that is fine."
TRAVEL TOKEN: Which souvenir would you like me to bring home from Spain: a four-pack of "Gay Up," a pink bullfighting cape, or Joselito Ortega?
Bullfighter Joselito Ortega poses with the cape at his home in Benalmadena, southern Spain, on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009. Ortega is breaking with a sacred tradition, agreeing to serve as an advertising billboard while slaying bulls and endorse a soft drink that caters to gays. (AP Photo/Sergio Torres)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Excess Baggage
1. This meat bag was part of a print advertisement campaign launched by VLCC, a beauty and fitness company in India.
2.French designer and artist PinkWolf has created luggage that makes a bold statement in the security line. If the gun suitcase isn't quite your style, perhaps the knife or hatchet might be more suitable.
3. While this was a Amnesty International campaign designed to call attention to human trafficking, I would like to see a piece of luggage with a 360-degree photo-realistic image of someone stuffed in inside.
If you want to see more, check out some pre-filled suitcases, that make life's bigger pleasures more portable.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
It wouldn't be so funny if it happened to you . . .
"Monkey pushes woman off cliff" read the headline on Wednesday's "Weird News" feed. Naturally, I had to click the link. The woman, who was visiting the Chengdu Wildlife Park in China, fractured her hip and broke three ribs after plunging 20 feet off the side of a cliff when she was pushed by a primate in hot pursuit of goodies she had with her. A spokesman for the park told the press, "Her mistake was to show fear. If you show fear, a monkey will bully you." Yeah, but getting thrown off a cliff? The 60-year-old woman is suing her travel agent.
A woman got more than she gambled for on a Southwest flight to Las Vegas last month. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that a man exposed himself to his female seatmate, then punched her when she screamed. He proceeded to removes his clothes as flight attendants and passengers tried to subdued him. The woman was taken to the hospital for treatment, and Darius Chappille was carted off to jail.
Speaking of naked antics . . . last month, Reuters reported that an extremely drunk, nude man stumbled back to the wrong hotel room in Queenstown, New Zealand. He fell asleep in the room where another couple had been sleeping; the female occupant hid in the bathroom while her husband called the hotel staff. The drunk man could not remember with whom he had been, nor which room. No charges were filed in the incident.
If you want to check out more tales of travel gone wrong, visit TitanicAwards.com, which nominates the best of the worst travel experiences. There is a particularly harrowing bus ride that scares me silly. See below or click here to view.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Heading out again
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Not-so-smooth sailing for young adventurer
Laura Dekker, 13, wants to do a solo voyage around the world, but The Dutch Council for Child Protection has asked a court to intervene in order to keep her from going. A ruling is expected by the end of the week.
Dekker was born on a boat while her parents were sailing around the world. She has extensive experience, but there are concerns for her well-being.
An editorial in the Dutch daily De Volkskrant critiqued: "She simply does not have the experience to anticipate the problems and possible crises that await her."
What do you think? Will it be the adventure of a lifetime or an error in judgment on the part of her parents should she go?
Sunday, August 09, 2009
My ode to fellow Competitouristas
I'll never forget . . .
. . . Ray getting through the labyrinth in seven minutes. Lucky, bastard! :-)
. . . Pat giving it her all despite being ill early in the trip. Next time, don't drink water from the Jet d'Eau.
. . . Teri maintaining her cool despite missed trains and closes venues.
. . . Veronica's extensive knowledge of Broadway musicals and Comi-con lore. A girl after my own heart.
. . . Dan never needing an excuse to strip down to his skivvies. I'm surprised you didn't film yourself at the FKK area in Munich's Englischer Garten!
. . . Karen describing Dan's edible underwear in front of the chocolate museum. I don't think i would've been able to keep a straight face.
. . . Jan is a seriously competitive adventure junkie with some mad survival skills! If the civilized world would come to an end right now, I'd stick by your side.
. . . Sean's acting abilities and charisma. He can channel Donald Trump, Howard Cosell or a used car salesman. And that's just scratching the surface.
. . . Margaret's ability to warp time and space--doing things in half the time it takes a normal person. She's also capable of leaping tall mountains in a single bound.
. . . Tyler's party tricks. He always kept us entertained with drinking games and human knots. Might I add, he's also a heck of a pianist.
. . . Ally's style and grace. She always looked calm, cool and collected, even zip-lining over Munich's Olympic stadium.
. . . Bob's laid-back attitude. For him, Competitours wasn't about winning; it was all about enjoying the ride. And what he told me outside of Loden Frey in Munich helped me foster a more cooperative relationship with other teams.
. . . Judy's marksmanship. Are you sure you didn't train with the special forces?
. . . Sherri's rebellious nature. She wasn't afraid to say, "To hell with the game, I'm drinking a beer instead!"
. . . Ksenia and I straddling three countries together while we waited for lunch to appear at Dreilandpunt. It still hadn't been served by the time we got back to the table.
. . . Lyndall kindly sharing her wine and her seat with me on the train to Cologne. Thanks!
. . . Radford dressed as a merman as he sang the Loreley song on the banks of the Rhine River. When I saw the video, I knew "As Seen on TV" were going to be a serious threat!
. . . Lanthy on the toboggan run. I nearly rear-ended her after she and Rad got stuck behind some kids.
. . . DeAnna sharing her shoes with me at the Conquest Go Kart Center in Koblenz! Without her generosity, and close-toed shoes, I wouldn't have been able to race at all.
. . . Kelly's superhuman intelligence. I think she was the only one to get that crazy math equation in the underground bunker.
. . . Steve for getting us where we needed to go just in the knick of time (mostly).
. . . Sheila's ability to put up with me! You never know how two strangers are going to get along when thrown into a stressful situation. We complemented each other very well and I'm happy to have been her partner. We may not have won the grand prize in the end, but we received the longer-lasting gift of friendship.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Worthy Adversaries
Day 1:
Sean is clearly a skilled impersonator. He adopted a few other voices during the course of the trip, too.
Way to pull out "Little Town" from the music cache. It really does exemplify this scene!
Are you sure you're not a used car salesman in real life?
Day 3:
I like Tyler's version of "encouragement."
Same, same, but different!
A very creative solution to the fact that these teams did not get to the actual toboggan run. Some people call it poor time management, but I call it brilliant.
Day 4:
Sherri and Judy proved themselves to be the rebels of the bunch in this act of open defiance against Competitours.
Sorry Sean and Jan, Manuela is the true star of this video with her sign language for bird poop.
Day 5:
I didn't realize how close Tyler and his mom really are until I saw this video!
A bathroom turned nightclub. The 80 cent cover charge is a bit steep, though.
I have to admit that I was worried Bob wouldn't turn off the video at the end. Phew!
Day 6:
Way to channel your inner Merman, Rad. I felt this video showed your range and your potential to become the victor.
Teams Absolutely Fabulous and Shake & Bake really work well together.
This wasn't the first or last time Dan took off his pants in front of people on this trip.
So what if the museum was closed; if this spy had more time, she would have climbed up on the roof to get in through the ventilation system.
Sean and Jan definitely have a way with people; and this video shows they can talk locals into having their way with each other.
Day 8:
Happy Birthday, Sherri! If I wasn't in contention for the big prize, I would've been doing the same thing.
That girl's got skilz!
Team Serendipity Video Highlights
Day 2, Salzburg, Austria:
Part of the movie "Sound of Music" -- specifically the song '16 Going On Seventeen' -- was filmed at the Baroque Gazebo at Hellbrunn Palace. One of the challenges there was to conjure up and sing a quick verse and chorus of new lyrics based on using your age (ie- 42 Going on 43').
Link to video
Back story: We were exhausted after hitting the ground running on Day One and we hadn't mastered a routine for planning and researching our challenges yet. But, we had a couple hours on the train to Salzburg to start re-writing the lyrics to this song. However, we didn't have anything solid by the time we got off the train. We made some last minute changes at Hellbrun as we approached the gazebo, and this was our second take. The judges didn't award us full points on the Hellbrunn Palace multi-part challenge, but this particular video earned the respect of Judge 2 who said: "I love the team chemistry shown in this duet. It's not hard to see they're enjoying themselves in this self-effacing parody."
Day 4, Munich, Germany:
The challenge was to go to Loden Frey, a large department store that has a wide selection of traditional folk clothing, and pick an item, say its original function/significance and what situation could you justify wearing it in America and why.
Link to video
Back story: When we got to the department store, all we could see were dresses after dresses. I headed over to the men's section and saw a hat with what looked like a duster on it. Perfect, I thought, but no one in that department spoke English. We headed over to the hat section and the sales woman was very helpful. At one point she disppeared and I wasn't sure if she was coming back. She had been researching the traditional function for the trachten hute and gamsbart. We didn't even ask her to do that. I give her most of the credit for this video. After all, other teams were told they weren't allowed to film in the store, but Daniella was an active accessory to our "crime" in the accessory department.
Day 6, Koblenz, Germany:
Speedy is my middle name, which made this challenge appealing. We were to record our fastest laps around the track at Conquest Go Kart Center and the lowest times would received the highest number of points.
Link to video
Back story: While there is not much to this video, we got a good laugh when Sheila went the wrong direction on the track and I caught in on tape. Needless to say, her times weren't so good, but luckily we had two chances to better our lap times. Team Swift (DeAnna and Kelly) actually talked us into doing this challenge with them and it turned out to be a blast. The place required racers to wear close-toed shoes, which Sheila and I did not have. Kelly and DeAnna offered to lend us their shoes and we took turns racing. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts for being so generous. I also credit Kelly for giving me pointers on how to take the turns without taking a foot off the gas pedal. I'm now working toward becoming a professional drifter.
Day 8, German/Belgium border:
On our last day of challenges, we opted to take a railbike tour through some tiny villages. Our task was to find out from the locals some quirky fact or legend or event/person that should put those villages on the map.
Link to video
Back story:Very few people speak English in these small towns, but we met Alexandra, who spoke very well. I find the video very funny, because I say in it that there is something very special about the town and ask her to tell us what it is. Alexandra responds, "Yes, that's a hedge." Every time I watch the video, I laugh hysterically at that part. But, you have to admit, that's definitely a quirky fact about Kalterherberg. Apparently, the wind is so bad in the winter, that the locals grow their hedges high enough to block their homes from the cold. They also get frost starting in August. Anyway, Alexandra was so helpful and friendly and I love how she concludes the video: "Yes, come here!" So, if you are reading this, Alexandra, I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you!
Also on Day 8, The Netherlands:
From Germany and Belgium, we headed to The Netherlands to go skiing at Snow World. While on the ski slope, our job was to film a 30-second video with some color commentary about how well we were (or not!) skiing.
Link to video
Back story: I always bring Peruvian finger puppets with me on vacation so I can pass them out to kids. Well, this time, they came in handy for one of our challenges. I had an Andean shepherd wearing a colorful manta and knitted cap, so he essentially became the mascot for the ski slope. People were laughing and looking at me as I gingerly made my way down the slope with "Snow Joe" on one hand, and the camera in the other hand. This video is the very last one we did for Competitours. It goes show that we kept our humor intact, despite the crazy pressure we had been under for the entire trip.
Sheila hit it off with Snow Joe immediately and she took him to Paris with her as she decompresses before returning to Canada. It looks like they are having a great time, together!
Second isn't so bad
"We fell short of first place by 21 points, but in our minds we are very much winners - in many ways," Sheila says. "This adventure and the new friendship was great."
Doing something like this trip can test a relationship, but throughout the week, Sheila and I were rarely, if ever, at odds. We seem to like to do the same things. We always looked deep into what worked, what didn't and how we could improve our game, but never took constructive criticism personally. We were flexible enough to change on a dime and try something else if it was necessary. And most importantly, we kept our head in the game, but had a lot of fun, too.
This trip may not be for most people, but it's well suited for someone who likes to be on the go, is willing to try new things and isn't afraid to talk to people. From the moment I heard of Competitours, I knew I wanted to do the trip and I want to give a shout out to Fran Belkin, who told me all about it.
It's been an amazing race.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
It all comes down to this
In Day 7, we slipped to second place, but the challengers, "As Seen on TV" are only 10 points ahead of us. Furthermore, Lanthy and Rad couldn't stay the extra day to compete because they had to get back to NY for work. Instead of getting no points for today, they will receive an average number of points for the last seven days.
When we did the math, it was clear that we would only win if we received full points for everything we were going to do on Day 8. We had to be on top of our game. No pressure or anything.
We picked two challenges that were worth a maximum of 75 points that would make us the victors as long as we won them. Otherwise we would receive a minimum point value and land in second place.
The first was to go railbiking on the German / Belgium border. The task involved interviewing locals in some of the towns the rail bike went through to find out what is interesting about their communities. But many people did not speak English. I used an online translator to write out the instructions in German and French, and thank goodness I did. We did find a woman in Kalterherberg, Germany, who did speak English well. She was very helpful and funny and the video we did with her was one of my favorites from the day. The other two were mediocre, which led Sheila and I to believe that we wouldn't score well on the task.
Hoping that no other teams would arrive, we waited to see who would come for the later tour. Margaret and Tyler were there and Jan and Sean showed up late with Steve, but they still were able to do the tour.
We tried not to think about the outcome. We just tried to forget about it and have fun with our last challenge at Snow World. Waiting for the train to take us there, we were pacing. "This is what happens on race days," she says. We just wanted to get a move on, but the public transportation forced us to slow down.
After spending the afternoon under the hot summer sun, we were transported to winter in an instant. I didn't have mittens, but I brought an extra pair of socks to wear on my hands. Hey, you have to be resourceful.
To help with our challenges, I brought along one of my Peruvian finger puppets. I usually carry a handful when I travel so I can give them to kids. I thought for sure I would use them in a challenge or two, but so far I hadn't. When I found out we'd be going skiing, I knew I could use them for something. One of the puppets was an Andean shepherd with a colorful manta and a blue knitted cap. We nicknamed him "Snow Joe," and he became our commentator on the slopes.
I can't begin to tell you the strange looks I got as I skied down the slop with socks on my hands, a talking finger puppet on one finger and my video camera in the other hand. Honestly, I was probably a danger to myself and others, but most people just thought it was mental.
Anyway, it worked out that we got the highest score on that challenge. It was all because of Snow Joe.
We returned back to the hotel pleased with how hard we had played the game over the last eight days and how we had had fun along the way, too. Sure, we wanted to win, but we would be happy with second place, too.
But we would have to wait until morning for the results.
Going Head-to-Head
When Steve, our "tour dude," asked if we knew what four countries we were going to, only Sheila and I had the correct answer. It's just a shame we didn't get any points for getting it right.
The answer is a bit deceptive considering the fourth country no longer exists. Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany meet at what is called Dreilandpunt. Back in the late 1800s to early 1900s, Moresnet was a small country that had a little slice of this four-corners region.
Now the spot is a tourist destination and it's home to the biggest labyrinth in the world. We were set loose in side but I quickly realized I would not find my way so easily. And sure enough, the way to go was hidden; looking down the path, it looked like there was a dead-end at the end, but the path took a sharp U-turn and then wound it's way to the finish point at a raised platform at the center of the maze. It was disheartening to lose the first challenge, but it was still a lot of fun.
Next we did skeet shooting. We were in the first group to go and when the guy said "pull," I fired away, nailing the first two points. At that point, people were impressed, but I only got one more shot after 10 pulls. Sheila on the other hand, got 6 points, which landed us in third place. Team Absolutely Fabulous killed this challenge with 16 and Weathehekawi followed in second with 13.
Next was the crossbow competition, which we did not win, followed by giant darts. I scored the highest number of points (86), but they averaged team scores. Our average was lower than "As Seen on TV" when the dust settled.
We took a break for lunch before heading on to our last challenge of the day which involved feeling our way in the dark for more than an hour.
Underground bunkers that were once used for defense, can be explored by flashlight. A local tour company started a game in which particpants are given clues on how to get through the dark tunnels, performing tasks along the way. It was fun and frustrating at the same time. We didn't find some of the answers, and the clues were in Dutch or French most of the time.
Nonetheless, we got 5th place, earning the maximum number of points possible in that challenge.
It was a long and tiring day, and to make matters worse, we slipped to second place by only 10 points. The second place team are worthy adversaries, but we are going to give them a run for their money on the last day of the trip. We still have a chance to win this thing and we'll do what it takes to be the victors--within reason of course.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Day 6 in the Rhine River valley
On my first trip abroad, those many years ago, Chris and I floated down this very section of the river. It started off fine, but after a few hours we were out of water and stuck on the roof of the boat under the hot sun. The only water being vended was carbonated, which is not satisfying to my taste.
If dehydration wasn't bad enough, we took the wrong train getting back to where we were staying in Heidelberg and by that point in the evening the trams to our friends' apartment was no longer in operation, so we walked five miles (at least) to get back. And when I got inside, I stuck my mouth under the tap and drank and drank and drank. The next day, my stomach was grumbling, and while I was on the tram to the train station, I lost it. Luckily I had an empty Bimbo bread bag to hurl into.
Good times.
Well, I'm happy to report I had a much better day on this go around. Sheila and I got an early start, dashing out of the hotel to catch the direct train to St. Goar, but after calling about the opening hours of some of the sites on our list of challenges, we spontaneously decided to jump off the train at Koblenz instead, which forced us to spend time researching alternatives at a hotel across from the train station.
Sheila and I decided to head south to Marksburg Castle for an in-depth look at the medieval way of life. The guide was somewhat helpful, but rushed us through each room making it hard to film our challenges, but we somehow got it all. For example, we learned the origin and modern meaning of the German phrase "give it one more tooth." The cauldrons in the kitchen were hung on saw-like bars that can raise and lower the pot toward the fire to help it cook faster. Germans use the phrase to tell people to hurry up.
We ran into several other teams at the castle and were a bit concerned about scoring because many of them are VERY creative, and we just weren't feeling it. Sheila had a sleepless night, and I certainly got less than usual. But I think we still did very well considering.
We headed back on the train to Koblenz with Team Swift (DeAnna and Kelly), who convinced us to do the go-carts with them. It didn't take much to change our minds from doing the Koblenz walking tour and soon we were speeding along the race course. The secret, as Kelly told me, was to keep your pedal to the metal and use the brake sparingly. By the first turn, I had become a "drifter," my wheels squealing at every turn. Unfortunately, the proof that I was a speed demon on the first try was not to be had. The printer broke and my lap times weren't recorded for the challenge. I had another turn on the track, but this time, two young children were on the course, too, causing back-ups and slow times.
We'll find out soon enough if I beat the rest of my challengers, but in the meantime, Sheila and I had to beat the clock -- or should I say the glockenspiel. We needed to catch the famous clock in the tower above 1411 Haus in action playing the French national anthem. We made good time and was able to spend 20 minutes in the museum, before filming the tune and the glockenspiel in action.
After the challenges were complete, we headed back to the room to do some uploading. Shortly after, we heard a "hello" coming from outside our window. When we looked up, there was a man in his window flashing us. We laughed at him and shut the blinds. It turned out to be Dan, go figure.
Good times, yet again.
Day 5 in Munich again
By morning, everything had changed totally. We opted to join the group heading to the Olympic Stadium to walk along the outside rim of the field's roof (similar to the Sydney Bridge Climb). The way down was a zip line across the stadium.
Sheila conquered her fear of heights instantly as she soared along the tethered wire. I could hear her screaming all the away across. And then the infectious laughter soon followed.
After the fun was over, we had to get our heads back into the game. We decided against going to the castle and opted to visit the BMW Museum that was located adjacent to the Olympic Stadium instead. We didn't think a lot of people were going to do it and we were going to rock our A-Game for sure.
We stopped for a break and began brainstorming some ideas while we grabbed a bite to eat in front of a huge showroom of BMWs. Sheila befriended the man at the front desk and barraged him with thousands of questions and within 20 minutes we had our plan. We filmed our challenges and then headed to the gift shop, where we both bought souvenirs. However, the souvenir Chris wanted me to buy wouldn't have fit in my carry-on luggage.
The last challenge was the mosot interesting to research. It's a bit odd to approach strangers to ask where the famous toilets are! Several people just gave us odd looks, and finally, a clerk at the BMW shop said he knew what we were talking about and off we went.
On the way, we decided to develop lyrics to sing the praises of the fancy toilets, which paid off because we weren't allowed to film inside. Now it's up to the hands of fate to see iif we can maintain our lead.
Day 4 in Munich
After two cloudy days in Austria, we were happy to see the sun again. It was perfect for exploring the the large park in the city called Englischer Garten. We had five things to find there, and we enjoyed seeing the masses of people out in the park, riding bikes, drinking beer, surfing in the Einsbach River and sunbathing in the nude.
Sheila and I knew we had to come back (no, not for that). So, we rushed back to the hotel, grabbed a bathing suit and came back to the park to swim in one of the man-made rivers.
The river rushes through the park much like a lazy river at a water park, except the water is anything but lazy. We hopped in the freezing water and floated briskly downstream to the spot where we had left our towels and cover-ups.
It felt spectacular after a long hot day. We climbed out and sunned ourselves dry on the banks. Across from us in the FKK area that is designated a nude bathing spot, a naked man was reading a book and writing in his journal. Coincidentally, our rickshaw driver that led us through the park early in the day told us that the locals call the FKK area the "nut meadow." Explanation not necessary, I'm sure.
Anyway, the sun was starting to set and the chill in the area sent us running for a nearby cantina, where we stuffed ourselves with fajitas with guacamole and bean mousse.
So much for having an authentic German dinner. I can't help that I don't like to drink beer, either.
Day 3 to the Austrian countryside
Luckily, there are several challenge options from which to choose; and we were soon on our way to the town of Hallein, where we planned to do three challenges that were all located fairly close to each other: summer tobbagoning, salt mines and the Celtic Village.
Yes, we were still bummed out that we couldn't go to the ice cave, but quickly entertained ourselves on the ski slope. The goal was to get the faster time on the tobbagon run than any other team doing the challenge and we had to video the whole thing to prove it.
Lanthy, Sheila and I all had technical difficulties on the way down. I accidently hit the button, which caused the video to stop. Same story for the other two. So, we went again. This time, Lanthy and Rad got stuck behind slow-going kids, and in turn, caused us to slow down, too. So, we had to go a third time. This time, we FLEW. I can't recall one time that I put on the brake.
But it was Sheila that got the fastest time, which she attributed to her aerodynamism. She had crouched down really low.
Exhilarated, we headed down to our next challenge: the Hallein Salt Mine, producing what was once considered white gold. For one of our challenges, we had to recruit four tourists for a fashion show using the stunning white uniforms given to us before the tour. No one else spoke English, except our guide, who enthusiastically helped us with our homework. Before we ascended from the mine, she announced that we were going to do a fashion show and a German family taking a weekend holiday stepped up.
Wolf Dietrich von Ratineau, the lord of the saltmine, once commented, "If it's on fire, let it burn." Our fashion show was infernal. The pieces will be sold under the brand name "House of Brine." Keep on the lookout.
Already on day three, we'd gone to incredible heights and equally incredible lows, but our last challenge remained at ground level. We just had to film a couple facts about the Celtic Village. As we discovered, the village was economically self sufficient thanks to the mine. Plus, they only could work during the winter. Sounds like the good life.
Speaking of the good life, Sheila and I recaptured the lead after day three, despite losing timee after being turned away from the ice cave.
Downtime in Salzburg!
The hotel clerk recommended the oldest restaurant in Europe called Stiftskeller St. Peter. Even though I was hoping for a quick, hearty meal so I could get to bed, Sheila convinced me that we should go. It was worth it.
According to Fodors: "Legends swirl about the famous St. Peter's Beer Cellar. Locals claim that Mephistopheles met Faust here, others say Charlemagne dined here, and some believe Columbus enjoyed a glass of its famous Salzburg Stiegl beer just before he set sail for America in 1492."
We ordered weinerschnitzel and a bottle of wine, enjoying our meal in a 1,200-year-old building. The original part of the restaurant was carved out of the side of the rock cliff on which the Salzburg Fortress sits.
The walls originally had ox blood-stained walls, but that is no longer thet case. The wait staff happily explained the history of the restuarant in between courses.
At the end of the evening, we strolled along the river back to our restaurant taking in the nighttime skyline.
It was a wonderful ending to a hectic day.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Day 5 Munich part 2
By morning, everything had changed totally. We opted to join the group heading to the Olympic Stadium to walk along the outside rim of the field's roof (similar to the Sydney Bridge Climb). The way down was a zip line across the stadium.
Sheila conquered her fear of heights instantly as she soared along the tethered wire. I could hear her screaming all the away across. And then the infectious laughter soon followed.
After the fun was over, we had to get our heads back into the game. We decided against going to the castle and opted to visit the BMW Museum that was located adjacent to the Olympic Stadium instead. We didn't think a lot of people were going to do it and we were going to rock our A-Game for sure.
We stopped for a break and began brainstorming some ideas while we grabbed a bite to eat in front of a huge showroom of BMWs. Sheila befriended the man at the front desk and barraged him with thousands of questions and within 20 minutes we had our plan. We filmed our challenges and then headed to the gift shop, where we both bought souvenirs. However, the souvenir Chris wanted me to buy wouldn't have fit in my carry-on luggage.
The last challenge was the mosot interesting to research. It's a bit odd to approach strangers to ask where the famous toilets are! Several people just gave us odd looks, and finally, a clerk at the BMW shop said he knew what we were talking about and off we went.
On the way, we decided to develop lyrics to sing the praises of the fancy toilets, which paid off because we weren't allowed to film inside. Now it's up to the hands of fate to see iif we can maintain our lead.
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Detour to Salzburg
Sheila and I plotted our strategy on the train, coming up with new lyrics for the tune "16 going on 17" from the "Sound of Music" for one of the day's challenges. We were going to have that ready when we got to the Hellbrun Palace, where scenes from the musical was filmed.
Rolling into Salzburg, we crossed a river with steep cliffs on one side. At the top of the cliff, the imposing Salzburg Fortress stood guard over the town. As we learned during a tour of the structure that day, it had near been impenetrated or damaged, However, there was one small nick that occurred during a peasant revolt. We had to search the entire fortress to find it. We thought it would take forever, but we finally found someone who knew where it was and she told us the story behind it.
Then we rushed off to Hellbrun Palace to sing our song, as well as do a few other challenges. The highlight was a tour of the Trick Fountains that catch unsuspecting tourists unawares. We knew what to expect, so whenever we saw a lot of water on the ground, we figured that was an area to avoid. But, we still got wet a few times nonetheless.
We rushed through our challenges to save some time, but we both realized that was a mistake. We should have taken more time to enjoy these historic sites, but we were chasing points. And it hurt us in the end. We dropped to second place on the second day with an abysmal score.
Despite the bad scores, one video stood out among the rest and the judges made special note of it. Our "16 going on 17" rendition knocked their socks off: You can tell these two have amazing chemistry. They are having a great time and it shows.
"That to me was a huge compliment," says Sheila, "and it reflected how I feel."


text:
Monday, 2 May 2016
Second hand car salescat.
20 comments:
I've had a quick read through several previous posts, you've had so much going on! A wedding, a new baby, new kittens, Roxy and sadly Frodo leaving.ReplyDelete
I have a cat myself now, Angel, he is just over two years old, so a teenager, with teenage habits. Up all night and sleeping most of the day.
A wedding is in the future here too, my grand daughter got engaged last February to a wonderful young man she met three years ago. Or four years, I've lost track.
It's heartwarming to see young people settling with their loves.ReplyDelete
I love your cat's name - Angel, so sweet.
Thought I'd pop in and say hullo when I saw you'd visited my blog.ReplyDelete
Don't cat find strange places to sleep though. Many seem to enjoy sleeping around potted plants which is something I'll never understand.
We have a rescue cat called Candy we chose as our home was empty after saying farewell to our 13yo in 2014.
Nice to see you Mimsie. Thank you for visiting.ReplyDelete
Hi Janice - I would buy a car from that beautiful creature .. if it woke up - but I'd be distraught to see the road covered with cat! I hope Frankie didn't have a temper tantrum?! Cheers HilaryReplyDelete
For once there were no tantrums - sigh of relief. He should be growing out of that phase soon . . . we hope :-)ReplyDelete
First visit to your "space" and I got goosebumps just staring at your HEADER! And perhaps the kitty is dreaming of "going places"...:)JPReplyDeleteReplies
Hello, JP - nice to see you and thank you for visiting. I'm pleased you liked the header - all our walks are in areas like that. We are so lucky.Delete
I love your header picture too-so full of movement! I certainly would buy a second hand car from this sleeping cat-cats are so reliably honest!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you Sarah - Herschel is quite a responsible cat ;-)Delete
Kitty is a hoarder, so I would not trust buying a car from her.ReplyDeleteReplies
You may well be right, Susan :-)Delete
How cute, makes me think when Arthur plays with the little cars but Toby (grandson) is delighted !ReplyDelete
Aww!! Sweet :-)ReplyDelete
I'm not so sure this cat would give up any of his cars without a struggle! Mine certainly wouldn't.ReplyDelete
Good to see you again. I've also been neglecting my blog and want to get back into taking photos and going places just so I can write about it. It's so nice, and almost comforting, to see familiar names are still around!Replies
I agree - it's good to see familiar names again :-)Delete
It always amazes me how cats can sleep in the most uncomfortable places and positions!ReplyDeleteReplies
. . . but don't dare ever move them - that is the height of bad manners for a cat!Delete
Ha! Reminds me of the days of having a little boy around.ReplyDelete
Cars, cars and more cars . . .ReplyDelete
I appreciate that some people like to give awards but for me your comments are reward enough.
Thank you for visiting. I love to read your comments and really appreciate you taking the time to respond to posts.
I will always try to repay your visit whenever possible.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
Pivoine stay.
The stay is made up of :
3 nights in our hotel, breakfast included
3 suppers of 3 courses, water and wine included in our Restaurant L'Auberge
2 lunch in the Thermes de Spa
9 treatments per person in the Thermes de Spa
Unlimited access at the Baths of the Thermes de Spa, the day of the treatments and also the funicular tickets back and forth.
The treatments you will have are :
* Niagara bath
* Massage under the affusion shower
* Watsu
* 4 hand massage
* Head massage
* Carbonated bath
* Shiatsu
* Facial treatment
* Oriental ceremony
Price per person :
850 EUR all included
65 EUR is charged for occupying a single room
The stays start the day of arrival at 2 :00pm at the hotel (or at another time upon agreement). Stays also available in our hotel l'Auberge de Spa situated at 50m of "Villa des Fleurs".
Book your stay
Our privileged partner
Sign up for our Newsletter
Book via HOTELS-FAGNES
Come and stay in one of our 20 charming characteristic hotels, situated in the middle of the Ardenne Bleue.
Hôtel Villa des Fleurs à Spa
Rue Albin Body, 31
4900 Spa Belgique
Tél. +32(0)87 79 50 50
Fax. +32(0)87 79 50 60


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Stockton, CA
David Eugene Wilson, Jr.
Aug. 1, 1983 - Sept. 13, 2008
David Eugene Wilson-Jr., age 25 passed into God's hands on September 13, 2008 in Stockton. David was born on August 1, 1983 in Hayward, California. David is survived by his mother Christina Wilson; his daughter Selu Patrice Wilson (fatty girl); his brothers Tyrone Marshall, Andre Housley and John Kelly; his sisters Jannie Edwards, Patrice Wilson and Teayna Stephens. David is preceded in death by his father David Eugene Wilson-Sr. and his brother Billy Giddens. David brought joy into the lives of everyone who knew him and he will be deeply missed by all of his loving friends and family.
Visitation will be held on Monday September 22, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and a Celebration of David's life will be held on Tuesday September 23, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel of Alternative Burial Cremation Services located at 445 N American St., Stockton, California. Committal will be private.
David Eugene Wilson Jr.
Stockton, CA


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Back Of Door Shoe Storage
The fact is that shoes take up a great deal of space in some beneficial storage areas such as wardrobes, flooring, and also entrance space. We have athletic shoes, around your home shoes, work shoes, gown shoes, and also the list goes on. With numerous shoes, just how can we maximize our storage space?
By utilizing shoe storage items to make the most of the potential of your existing space you can storage your shoes and also still have plenty of space to store the rest of your requirements.Back Of Door Shoe Storage
For people who own 10 sets of shoes or much less a shoe storage product in the wardrobe can be the suitable solution. Nonetheless, placing shoes in the wardrobe is inadequate. It is much as well easy for them to become a chaotic mess.Back Of Door Shoe Storage
For people who want to keep shoes as private sets a clear plastic box is the suitable shoe storage solution. These boxes aid to repel dust and also are excellent for seasonal or rarely worn shoes. While these boxes can be piled high and also use a sight of all your shoes at once they are not the recommended solution for people who have a majority of shoes as expense and also crowding can become a concern.


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You may already have a very good idea about what you want to put in your prenup, and most of it is probably assets. You're just trying to protect yourself in case of a divorce so that you don't lose a serious amount of wealth. While that's fine, it's also wise to take a minute to think about the following things that you're legally not allowed to put in your prenuptial agreement in Florida.
What you can't put in your prenup
What NOT to do on social media while getting divorced
You know that person: the person who takes a picture of every plated dish or cup of coffee before consuming it, who snaps selfies at every possible opportunity, and who seemingly feels hashtags are more appropriate for conveying their thoughts than actual words. Society has become so inundated with social media cues that most people post or tweet without a second thought.
What should you do to keep your child in the country?
If you're getting divorced from someone from another country, and the two of you are fighting over custody, you may be concerned that your spouse is just going to pack up and leave before the divorce proceedings are finished, taking the child along. This can make it very hard to see your child again, and it could even be impossible. Depending where your spouse goes, officials may not be able to bring the child back.
Actress seeks $37,000 per month in support for pets
When high-profile or very wealthy couples divorce, there can be a lot of money at stake. For many people, this makes just about every aspect of the divorce more complicated, from dividing up property to establishing child support. Because of this, many decisions about a settlement need to be made in court.
I have a prenup: Will it be enforced?
Prenuptial agreements can be a critical tool in just about any marriage. They can set rules and sort out complex financial issues when two people are planning for a future together. However, issues can and do arise when it comes time to enforce a prenuptial agreement.


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$6 billion credit line facility for Pakistan
$ 6 billion credit line
facility for Pakistan
Micro-financing for cottage
British Airways
Islamic Banking
There is two track approach to fight poverty and
economic growth
From SHAMIM AHMED RIZVI
July 30 - Aug 05 , 2001
Pakistan is likely to receive the biggest ever
interest free credit line of about 6 billion US dollars from the
international donor agencies during the next 3 years under Poverty
Alleviation and Growth Facility (PRGF) programme. A high powered
delegation from Pakistan is currently visiting Washington to meet their
counterparts in IMF Headquarters to give final touches to PRGF agenda
for the meeting to be held in this regard in Islamabad in coming
IMF has already indicated to provide $2.5 billion
under this programme while the remaining 3.5 billion dollars will be
provided by other donor agencies once a formal agreement is signed with
the IMF. This credit will be interest free as Pakistan will pay only
half per cent markup as service charges on the total loan of $6 billion
payable in 20 years. Pakistan will provide substantial amount, almost
equivalent amount, from its own resources to supplement the funds for
overcoming the massive task of poverty alleviation.
Finance Minister, Shaukat Aziz has already announced
that all allocation for poverty alleviation, direct and indirect,
spending will cross 40 billion in the current financial year. The budget
allocation will increase in subsequent years. Creation of new jobs and
poverty alleviation will be the 2 points on which the government will
focus in all public sector development activities under its 3-year
economic revival programme.
Talking to a delegation of World Bank on the issue
the Financial Minister said that the government has adopted a two-track
approach to fight poverty. On the first track the government is
improving stabilisation of the overall economic situation and laying the
foundation of a sustainable economic growth. This would create an
enabling environment for the promotion of investment, which would lead
to economic growth, job creation and consequent reduction in poverty.
He said while economic growth is critical to poverty
alleviation, the trickle down affect may take a while to impact the
masses. Hence through the second track the government has launched a
series of programmes as direct interventions for reducing poverty. These
reforms, the finance minister added included the Khushhal Pakistan
Programme under which Rs. 30 billion is planned to be spent by the
federal and provincial governments for the purpose of small public works
schemes in both the urban and rural areas like farm to market roads,
lining of water courses and improving the drainage system etc. These
schemes have provided half a million temporary jobs across the country
and augmented the income opportunities for the beneficiaries.
The second targetted programme is the Khushhali Bank,
which has started operating in all the four provinces and will be
operational in 30 districts by the end of this year. He added that the
bank would extend micro credit rural and urban areas who had never had
access to credit facilities before and would enable them to augment
their income in order to improve their living standards. By the end of
the year, the bank would extend credit to 50,000 borrowers in 30
districts of the country, with an overall credit size of almost Rs. 500
million. This will be a record in terms of faster expansion of micro
credit operations in the region.
The third scheme of direct intervention is the Food
Support Programme (FSP) whereby a cash subsidy of Rs. 2,000 per annum
was provided to poorest of the poor. An allocation of Rs. 2.5 billion
during the year was spent on this programme from the federal budget. The
programme was implemented again at the district level through the help
of district officials. Some 1.2 million households with an income of Rs.
2.200 per month or less were given this subsidy by crediting their
accounts with the post offices.
The programme was essentially designed to mitigate
the impact of increase in the support price of wheat, which would have
adversely affected the poorest people. In the next fiscal year
allocation for this programme will increase by Rs. 400 million to Rs.
2.9 billion.
The fact that every third family in Pakistan lives
below poverty line as compared to every third in 1990 provides an idea
of the velocity with which this monster is spreading in the national
fabric and stresses the need for more meaningful engagement on the part
of the government. Neither there is any text book-like solution to fight
poverty, nor any other country's experience can be of any help in this
regard, as the spread of poverty is so multifaceted and all encompassing
that it requires a multi-dimensional approach with an appropriate set of
policy mix to achieve a noble cause at any given point in time. The
renewed consensus within the international development community to
fight this pressing social evil is an outcome of the realisation that
economic and social evil is an outcome of the realisation that economic
and social problems are intertwined so closely that they can not and
should not be seen in isolation.
The two-track approach to fight poverty, as the
Finance Minister reportedly explained to the World Bank delegation,
envisages stabilisation of the overall economic situation and provides
an enabling environment for the promotion of investment, which would
lead to economic growth, job creation and consequent reduction in
poverty. Simultaneously, the efforts to tackle the poverty in a more
direct way include Rs. 30 billion earmarked under Khushhal Pakistan
Programme for small public works schemes like farm to market roads,
lining of water courses and improving the drainage system. This effort
is supplement further by Khushhali Bank, Food Support Programme,
assistance through Bait-ul-Mall and Zakat Fund. Since the trickle down
effect of growth takes time to be felt at the appropriate level, the
rationale of attacking the poverty in a more direct way can hardly be
disputed. Despite all noble intentions, the measures to fight poverty as
outlined by the Finance Minister, seem to be too little to bring about
any meaningful difference in the quality of life of the millions of
Pakistanis living below the poverty line.
It is believed that despite all emotional commitment
to improve social conditions of the poor in the country, the difference
can be felt only through improvement in fundamentals supplemented by
efforts to improve the distribution of income in the country.
Whereas, the Khushhali Bank and Khushhal Pakistan
Programme provide the framework for better distribution of the income by
involving more and more people in the development process, they fall
abysmally short in resources when compared with the enormity of the
task. In the first place they suffer from the lack of resources
resulting from sluggish growth, while on the other hand the government
has failed to improve the delivery system. Not only the public
institutions have failed to halt declining performance, but they could
not develop the capacity to reach the large segments of population in
the rural areas or the urban slums. It is therefore advisable that the
system be harnessed in a way as to ensure growth and revenues, so that
the efforts to fight poverty could be meaningful and sustained by
consistent increase in revenues.


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Curator | Writer | Academic
Richard Martin is Curator of Public Programmes at Tate. He teaches in the Department of Culture, Media and Creative Industries at King's College London, supervises dissertations at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, and writes on contemporary art, film and architecture for a range of publications. He is the author of The Architecture of David Lynch (Bloomsbury, 2014).
Previously, he taught literature, visual culture and critical theory at Middlesex University and Birkbeck, University of London, worked as an editor and writer in the Research Department at Tate, and spent two years in the policy team at the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE). He holds a BA in English and American Studies from the University of Manchester, an MA in English from University College London, and completed his PhD at the London Consortium, a multi-disciplinary graduate programme partnering Birkbeck with the Architectural Association, the Institute of Contemporary Arts, the Science Museum, and Tate.


text: I have had this problem for as long as i can remember but it never really annoyed me enough to find a solution until recently. I have the HP Pavilion a1324n computer tower which has ports on the front in two different sections. There's a section 3 down (below my LightScribe DVD Writer/CD-Writer and DVD-ROM) and another section just below that which is in a slide down compartment. In the top one there are ports for a SmartMedia/xD, CompactFlash I/II, MMc / SD, Memory Stick / PRO, USB 2.0. In the bottom section there are ports for 2 more USB 2.0's, Headphone and mic, and a couple others I don't use. My USB ports and others haven't had any problems other than the headphone jack. When ever I try and plug headphones in I get no sound out of them, and my speakers don't mute either. As far as I can tell it can't even tell that I've plugged anything in. The speakers I have are the Microsoft digital sound system 80 which hooks up through a USB in the back of the tower. I'm not sure if you need anymore information but I tried to list as much as possible. Anyways, if anyone could help out with this it would be awesome.


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Napa, CA 94559
Halloween Festivities in Downtown Napa!
Thanks to the Bank of Napa staff, characters from Disney and other movies that conjure up the Halloween spirit will be having fun downtown from 11am to 2pm! It's a whole day of fun throughout downtown and in the OxBoo Commons. Trick or Treating at all businesses with black and orange balloons.
There will also be lots of public safety and emergency vehicles in the Touch a Truck area. This may be just the inspiration your little goblin needs to one day trade in his or her costume for a firefighter's or police officer's uniform.
Happy Halloween!
Here are the participating businesses:
Acumen Wines
Anette's on First
Anna's Bridal
Arts of the Napa Valley
Be Spoke Collection
Beaded Nomad
Ben & Jerry's
Blackbird Inn
Boho Lifestyle
Bookmine at Pearl Street
Bounty Hunter
Ca' Momi
Downtown Joe's
Eye Works
Helen Lyall Clothing for Women
JaM Cellars
Jax Diner
John Anthony
Mustard Seed
Napa Noodles
Napa River Inn
Napa Roasting Company
Napa Running Company
Napa Tourist Info/Square One
Napa Valley Bistro
Native Sons of the Golden West
Norman Rose
NV Traditions
Scott Lyall Clothing for Men
Sole Desire
Sweetie Pies
The Roost
Toy B Ville
Vintners Collective
Visitors Center at 600 Main
Whirlwind Blow Dry
Wood and Rowan
Wunder Boutique & Spa
Yo Belle


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New York City is after all, a city on the water. This week, we've rounded up the Instagram photos from our readers that combine the architectural skyline and the city's rivers. Hashtag #UntappedCities on Instagram and Twitter if you would like to have one of your photos entered in the running for our weekly "Best Of"column. Also, you can keep an eye on what contributors and readers are checking out by browsing the live feed.
Looking at the Empire State Building by 212sid
NYC Noir by linda_401
Astoria Queens at Sunset by tsetan_c
Looking Towards 1 WTC by cainite_
The Seagull and 1 WTC by jimscopes
New Jersey by denn_ice
Dubai sunshine by qattandxb
DMV (DC, Maryland, & Virginia) by pierre_funes
Gotham in Fog by 11th.commandment
NYC from Staten Island Ferry Boat by tsetan_c
View of the Skyline from The Green-Wood Cemetery by durkacs
Water Reflects the City Light by denn_ice
Follow Untapped Cities on Instagram! For more of our favorite Instagram photography, check out the live photo pool and the Best of the Untapped Pool.


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Product Description
Sterling silver pendant modeled from an antique plaster cameo made in the late 1700's to early 1800's.
I have been using authentic ancient Greek and Roman coins in my jewelry for the last 30 years. Most of the pieces I put on Zibbet are silver cameos modeled off of antique plasters done in the late 1700's to early 1800's by museums in Europe. This is my AveriDesigns line. I also use modern and vintage shell, plastic and stone cameos for my models. I make molds of ancient coins, but only cast one side when doing a reproduction.


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Find a copy in the library
Finding libraries that hold this item...
|Motion picture music
|Material Type:
|Document Type:
|Sound Recording
|Music Type:
|Motion picture music; Musical revues & comedies
|All Authors / Contributors:
Richard Rodgers; Oscar Hammerstein, II; Julie Andrews; Bill Lee; Irwin Kostal
|OCLC Number:
|Music by Richard Rodgers ; lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.
Originally released in 1965; includes some previously unreleased material.
Compact disc.
Program notes by Judith Crist and Bert Fink, and original liner notes (15 p. : ill.) inserted in container.
|Originally produced for records by Neely Plumb.
|Starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer [sung by Bill Lee] ; Irwin Kostal, arranger and conductor.
|Event notes:
|Recorded in 1964.
|1 audio disc (77 min.) : digital ; 4 3/4 in.
|Prelude and The sound of music --
Overture and preludium : Dixit Dominus --
Morning hymn and alleluia --
Maria --
I have confidence --
Sixteen going on seventeen --
My favorite things --
Do-re-mi --
The sound of music --
The lonely goatherd --
Edelweiss --
Laendler --
So long, farewell --
Entr'acte --
Climb ev'ry mountain --
My favorite things (reprise) --
Something good --
Processional and Maria (The wedding) --
Sixteen going on seventeen (reprise) --
Do-re-mi (reprise) --
Edelweiss (reprise) --
So long, farewell (reprise) --
Climb ev'ry mountain (reprise) --
Finale --
Bonus tracks: Robert Wise interview ; Richard Rodgers interview ; Charmian Carr interview.
|Other Titles:
|Sound of music (Motion picture)
Featuring Julie Andrews, this soundtrack to the winner of an Academy Award for Best Picture spent four and a half years on the charts. Includes the hit Do-Re-Mi.
" ... Impossible to resist ..."--Entertainment Weekly.
User-contributed reviews


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Homeart goes into voluntary administration
ABOUT 600 Australian employees of the retailer Homeart are facing an uncertain future after the company was put into voluntary administration this week.
The company, which has some 116 stores across the country, including many in regional towns, has operated under the brands Homeart and in the past, Copperart.
Administrators at PPB Advisory were appointed on Thursday to manage the voluntary administration of the company and have begun a review of the business.
However, a statement from the firm said the business, founded in Melbourne in 1979, would continue to operate as usual while the review was underway.
PPB Advisory partner Daniel Walley said the review would allow them to investigate "all possible options, including a possible sale as a going concern" for the national retailer.
"We are working constructively with Homeart suppliers, business partners and its dedicated team of 600 staff to ensure we achieve the best possible outcome for the business," he said.
The first creditor meeting is expected to be held in the first week of February after the initial review.


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High Quality Drywall Contractor. Available 24/7/365. Our Team Of Professionals Will Do It Right. Guaranteed. Check Out Our entire Website For More Information & Photos Of Work We Have Previously Done. The Owner Is On Site For All Work. Family Owned & Operated.
Drywall Masters has been in business since 2008. We specialize in drywall and paint services starting from nail holes to new custom homes. We have done all kind of work at hospitals, churches, clinics, homes, schools, & office building.
Drywall Masters is a family owned and operated business. We do services in Salem, Portland, Eugene and surrounding areas.
During all these years, we have helped many families complete their drywall needs. Just as we hope to meet your needs
For nearly 20 years our family have been helping Oregon families with drywall needs. Drywall Masters Started short time after our family learn the trade and notice the importance of helping families remodel their properties.
All of our customers like the way our crew handle the drywall process.
We as a family do most of the service.We don't hire different crews for every little stages of the process as other companies do.
Our happy clients do not like the way other companies operate. Other companies will have a ton of people visiting your home. Estimators, project managers, cleaning crew, installers, finishers, primer and paint crews. supervisor, business owner and so on.
Drywall Masters, is known in Oregon for producing high-end quality results from their professional technicians.
We specialize in high-quality finishing and drywall installation, including hand and spray texturing, from residential patches and remodels to commercial properties and new construction.
The actual process is divided into 5 areas:
*Drywall Installation , Finishing, Texturing, Primer and Paint
Installing involves the installation of Sheetrock; finishing is the application of tape and joint compound; and spraying is the application of the texture.
Options include smooth wall or numerous kinds of texture on the walls and ceiling. Primer is an excellent product as well when it comes to getting a superior quality paint look.
*Patching, Remodeling, New Construction, Pre-sale touch ups.
*We gladly work with Builders, Insurance, Home owners, Real estate brokers, Leasing companies and anything in between.
Textures: Orange peel, Brocade, Hand textures, smooth finishes.
* Hard jobs are welcome- Rounded walls, and ceilings, tall ceilings, Vaulted ceilings.
*Any size jobs from a small nail hole to a new custom home.
*Wall paper and pop corn texture Removal.
*Painting Service:
Interior and Exterior paint.
"We make it match!
Not look like a patch."
Sign up to hear from us about specials, sales, and events.
1035 hoffman RD NE, Salem, OR 97301, us
Available for any questions 24/7/365


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Drain & Sewer Services West Palm Beach
Drain and Sewer Services West Palm Beach
One of the most frustrating experiences a homeowner can have is a clogged drain. Every day things that shouldn't go down our drains do. This can include grease, hair, debris, toys, sanitary items, paper towels, and more. Unfortunately once a drain is clogged it can render the drain useless until the problem is fixed. A clogged drain can also present health hazards that come from standing water. Miranda Plumbing Services in Port St Lucie and West Palm Beach South Florida offers drain clog service to make your home pleasant once more.
What Are The Signs Of A Clogged Drain?
There are several signs of a drain that has become clogged. One of the easiest signs to spot is a drain that will not empty water at all. Other signs of a clogged drain are slow draining water, a toilet that doesn't flush or is slow to flush, water back up in a tub or shower, a smell coming from the drain and visible debris in the drain.
What Are the Dangers Of A Clogged Drain?
While a clogged drain may seem to be just an inconvenience, there are some dangers associated with a clog. Standing water can pose a drowning hazard for young children. A toilet that does not flush will fester and present fouls smells and bacteria into the air. Debris in a drain is also a breeding ground for fruit flies and other small insects. Standing water also allows mosquitos and other insect to breed.
Why Shouldn't I Unclog My Drains Myself?
While there are products on the market for a clogged drain, they can be dangerous both to the inhabitants of your home and your pipes. The caustic chemicals that make up commercial drain cleaners can eat away at some pipe materials creating a bigger problem. Most commercial drain cleaners will also not clear clogs in toilet drains.
Why Shouldn't I Unclog My Drains Myself?
While there are products on the market for a clogged drain, they can be dangerous both to the inhabitants of your home and your pipes. The caustic chemicals that make up commercial drain cleaners can eat away at some pipe materials creating a bigger problem. Most commercial drain cleaners will also not clear clogs in toilet drains.
Another common problem often happens when homeowners plunge their toilets. They plunge so hard it makes a leak in the wax seal between the toilet and the bathroom floor. This allows a little flushed toilet waste to leak under the toilet to stagnate and/or leak onto the floor. A Miranda professional will avoid this problem, and fix it if his inspection finds toilet waste leaking onto your bathroom floor he can give you a quote to repair it quickly on the spot.
Why Choose Miranda for your Bathroom Plumbing?
Our highly trained technicians use non-chemical tools to clear your drains. This can include:
- Snaking the drain for minor clogs, or
- Hydro pressure washing your drains to properly clear more serious, stubborn clogs.
- If roots are the problem we have another trenchless -no digging trenches- method to clear and repair.
- We have 34 years of experience clearing drains. We know all the best methods, and have the proper equipment.
The hydro pressure washing safely removes the entire clog. Just snaking a clog isn't always enough. It can make a hole in the greasy clog, but leave much of it behind to clog up again. Hydro pressure washing safely cleans out the entire clog. Watch our video using a clear drain tube and a red simulated grease clog to see the difference!
Our 5-5-5 Guarantee
You can rest easy knowing our highly trained technicians will not leave your home until we are sure the problem is resolved. When we clean your drains we offer you the 5-5-5 guarantee. This guarantee means that if within 5 years, 5 months and 5 days your drains fail, we will come back out at no cost to you. The guarantee gives you more than 1,900 days of protection.
While clearing a drain clog can be a messy and quite unsavory job, our technicians are able to remove the clog without creating a mess in your home. We will leave the area in better shape than it was when we arrived.


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Our Communities
From our sponsorship of Walsall FC to our national charity partnership with Marie Curie, we're incredibly proud of what we've done in our Community and can't wait to do more.
Love your everyday in Scotland 2016
Get a day from HomeServe for your community group
Does your community facility need a revamp? Do you have a project in your community that we can use our skills to support? If so, we want to hear from you!!
Cash for Your Community
In partnership with the Express and Star, Cash for Your Community provides local community groups with the chance to win a share of £35,000 to help improve and support the work they do in their local community.
Regional Partnerships
As a diverse business with bases across the UK, it's important to give something back to the places we call home.
Marie Curie
We're proud to have supported Marie Curie as National Charity Partners since 2009. Our partnership has enabled us to use our skills to provide practical solutions and support from across the business to those in need.
Walsall Football Club
By investing in our local community we've had the great pleasure of working with Walsall Football Club and creating a winning partnership.


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Treatment Options
A look at the multidisciplinary team in head and neck cancer care and the evaluations needed before treatment can begin.
Information about radiation therapy for head and neck cancer treatment.
A look at the role the medical oncology team plays in the interdisciplinary care of head and neck cancer.


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As Congress debates changes to the National Flood Insurance Program, private insurers assess whether to enter the flood insurance market.
The devastation of Hurricane Harvey has spurred discussions about the future of the National Flood Insurance Program. Faced with a renewal deadline of September 30 and already burdened with some $25 billion in debt, lawmakers on both side of the political spectrum have proposed legislation to solidify the NFIP's financial footing.
A common theme among those proposals is increasing private participation in the flood insurance marketplace — a move that Florida has already undertaken. In 2014, the state approved a law permitting private insurers to underwrite flood hazards. The Florida Office of Insurance has since certified nine Florida-based insurance companies to provide flood policies.
A 2014 Deloitte study also noted that several private insurers currently cover excess flood risks. These companies provide coverage above the limits of a NFIP policy, which stand at $350,000 for a residential property and $1 million for non-residential structures.
A recent Rand Corporation report counted between 130,000 and 190,000 privately sold and underwritten flood insurance policies — a small number compared to the 5 million residential policies backed by the NFIP. Nevertheless, in light of the ongoing discussions about NFIP reforms, private insurers are exploring the possibility of entering the flood insurance market on a greater scale.
Better Risk Models
In the past, private insurers hesitated to enter the flood insurance arena due to inadequate risk models. With more robust data now available, however, insurers now possess the tools to properly assess flood risk and set rates. In fact, several NFIP bills currently under review in Congress address the possibility of sharing data.
"Insurance companies for many years did not have that information, and they didn't have any good way of measuring how risky a house was for flood peril," Nancy Watkins, Principal Consulting Actuary for Milliman, told the Insurance Journal. "With catastrophe models over the last few years, and with a lot of big data sources coming available that didn't used to be available, that problem has largely been reduced."
Another factor that could prod more private insurers into the market are rising NFIP rates. When NFIP premiums rose after 2005's Hurricane Katrina, rates reached a level more in line with what private insurers would charge, Watkins added.
With regards to rates, a Milliman study done in conjunction with risk modeling firm KatRisk analyzed whether homes in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana that represent more than half of in-force NFIP policies might benefit from private insurance. The research revealed that 77% of all single-family homes in Florida, 69% in Louisiana, and 92% in Texas would be charged lower premiums than those available from the NFIP. "Alongside the NFIP, a thriving private insurance market would provide wider and in many cases less expensive options that could protect more U.S. consumers, expand the awareness of the need for flood insurance, and spread the risk beyond the NFIP," the report concluded.
Dipping Their Toes
As the Milliman study suggests, the NFIP and private flood insurance will coexist as both spread coverage to more properties in need. G. Michael Sloane, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Wright Flood, which offers federal, excess, and private flood insurance, told the Insurance Journal that private insurance will never replace the NFIP, but there is "no doubt" some portion of the risk covered by the federal program could be transferred to the private market.
One way private insurers can make headway in the flood insurance market is by tacking on flood protection to existing homeowner policies, Watkins noted. Water damage, she explained, occurs from a burst pipe or a deluge of rain, not only from a hurricane. By offering homeowners more comprehensive property coverage, and not just for at-risk properties, insurers can increase premiums.
Yet many insurance experts expect the industry will make a gradual dive into flood insurance. For now, many are studying the marketplace or merely dipping their toes into the waters. Chris Grimes, an insurance analyst with Fitch Ratings, told CBS News that it may take up to five years before insurers enter the market in a meaningful way. "We'd see slow growth at the start," he said, "as private insurers get the necessary data and do their analysis."