The weather was a pleasant 75F to 80F so I spent my freetime on Sunday walking around the city, along 6th street and up to the Capital Building before walking back down Congress Avenue to the park next to Town Lake.

I then took the rental car a Hybrid Ford SUV over to Central Market, a supermarket with character, and did some shopping – including my lunch, they make the best Chicken Salad sandwich! Then on to more shopping in Best Buy, Barton Creek Square Mall and another supermarket, Randels before heading over to Zilker Park Botanical Gardens which is my favorite place in Austin to wander around and relax in or to just find a quiet spot and sit and chill out or think things through.

A short drive later and I was back at the hotel where I crossed the street to the O’Henry house and museum which tells the story of Austin’s famous writer. Then another walk over to the State Capital where I watched the locals and visitors enjoy the surrounding park as the sun started to set, bathing the Capital in a warm golden light.

I didn’t have much free time by myself in the evenings as I was traveling with a colleague but I did manage to visit both the old site of the Gingerman, now called the Ghost Room (apt considering we visited on Halloween) as well as the new Gingerman. Also had a pleasant meal in the the historic Driskill Hotel.

On Tuesday evening I walked over to Speakeasy which has changed a lot and now has the entrance on Congress Avenue. The bar is still very nice and similar to the old one, but it’s just not the same. Still I enjoyed watching the Salsa dancing and the live band whilst consuming a couple of Dos Equis.

Wednesday evening was by far the highlight of the trip, an evening at the Broken Spoke listening to Dale Watson sing to a crowded dance floor in this ledgendary Texas dance hall. Thanks to some really nice folks that I met I even got up and danced the Cotton Eyed Joe and the two step. Having only danced the two step once before, during my last visit, my dancing skills were not great but improved as the evening went on.

This visit still didn’t reawaken my old desire to move to the city. That phase of my life is definately over and these days my hopes and goals are considerably different. However my visit to the Broken Spoke did leave me wondering about how things would have been different if i had moved to Austin when i was younger. I will therefore be glad to get back home on Friday. Besides I have plans for the weekend that I’m looking forward to that outway anything Austin could offer.

The reason for visiting the Yucatan Peninsula was my desire to visit as many of the historic Mayan sites as I could.  I arrived at the hotel in the late evening on Monday.  After settling in, exploring the rest of the resort and having dinner it was time to get some sleep before the start of what was to become a very busy week.

Tuesday morning, an 8am pick-up from the hotel lobby to take me to the first and one of the most photographed Maya sites, Chichen Itza.  After a long drive and a stop at a cenote, and another for lunch the tour bus finally arrived at Chichen Itza where our very knowledgeable guide explained the main sites of this ancient city.  The most famous of which is El Castillo which was built around 800 AD.  The city was a major commercial and religious centre until around 1200 AD.

Chichen Itza also features a well preserved ball court used for playing an ancient ballgame after which either the winner or loser (know one is sure which) would be sacrificed to the Mayan gods.

The immense size of all the constructions on this site is very impressive.  So too is the fact that the civilisation that constructed them clearly understood the way sound waves travel.  There are only two places in the ball court where an echo can be produced, under each of the two hoops used for passing the ball through during the game.  It is also possible for two people at opposite ends of the ball court to hold a conversation without having to shout over the long distance between each other.  Even more impressive is that if a group of people standing in front of El Castillo clap their hands together three times the resulting echo from way above at the top of El Castillo sounds like the name of the Mayan god Kukulcan.

Wednesday morning was spent at another famous Maya site, and one visited by nearly every cruise ship that stops in the area.  Tulum is a walled city located on top of a cliff overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean.  Tulum dates from around 1200 AD until the arrival of the Spanish.  The city was an important training port.  Tulum is located just 30 minutes south of the Barcelo hotel, and makes for a very easy and interesting half day excursion.

Ready for a break from Maya ruins Thursday was time for something a little different, a visit to an ecological theme park called Xel-Ha.  Xel-Ha’s main attraction is it’s excellent snorkelling.  However it also has a nice walking trail and, my main reason for visiting, a Bottlenose Dolphin training facility.

The Dolphin swim lasted 45 minutes and included the opportunity to swim with three dolphins all aged between 3-4 years old.  The experience was both educational and fun.  On the fun side, the dolphins jumped over the dolphin swim participants and also gave each participant a foot push.  The foot push involves either one or two dolphins pushing the participant through the water at high speed and is extremely exhilarating.

8:00am on Friday morning and I was once again waiting in the hotel lobby for another tour bus.  This time the destination was the city of Coba that was only recently rediscovered and is currently being excavated.  Before arriving at Coba the tour made a stop at a Maya village where today Maya decendents live very much as their ancestors did before them.  These hunter gathers open up their homes to the Coba Maya Village tour and allowed us to see how they live and work.

After a visit to a sacred cenote and lunch it was on to Coba’s historic site.  A major city between 300 AD and 1000 AD it is now shrouded by the jungle.  Whilst less well preserved than Chichen Itza, the history, location and lack of crowds makes this site well worth a visit.  It’s highlight is the 42 metre Nohoch Mul pyramid.  The climb up this old and worn building is rewarded with a spectacular panoramic view of the surrounding jungle.

Another popular ecological park called Xcaret, about 20 minutes North of the Barcelo hotel, was the location for Saturday’s day out.   Built around the ruins of an ancient Maya city Pole this park is a mixture of an archaeological site, zoo, water park & beach resort.  I enjoyed an underwater walk using Sea Trek equipment (a helmet that pipes air in from a facility located on the shore).  The weighted helmet allows you to walk easily along the sea bed whilst watching the wide variety of sea life.  Xcaret also has performances of various Maya ceremonies throughout the day, including a demonstration of the ballgame, as part of a 2 hour spectacular in the evening.

Sunday was my last full day in Mexico and I decided to relax on the beach and take advantage of the sea kayak rental.  It’s been a while since I had been in a kayak so I really enjoyed the chance to spend as much time as I wanted paddling around in the warm Caribbean sea.  The sea was rougher than when I rented a Kayak on Wednesday, and unlike Wednesday I wasn’t the only one on the water so it wasn’t as serene or relaxing, but was fun battling the waves.  Sadly it was too windy for the beginners windsurfing course so I didn’t manage to try out windsurfing, maybe on my next visit…

You can find more photos of my visit to Riviera Maya in the Photo Album.

This wasn’t however my first visit to the Lake District, having visited many years earlier as part of a camping trip with the Scouts.  This trip gave me the opportunity to explore in more comfort and to take in the history of this beautiful part of the UK.  Its easy to see why this is the most visited national park.

The hotel for my stay was the Beach Hill Hotel, located on a quiet and area of Lake Windermere, a short drive from the comparatively busy town of Bowness-on-Windermere.  The hotel was very pleasant, the rooms whilst small and in need of renovation were acceptable for the price paid.  The public areas of the hotel were more impressive and the view over the lake from the Lounge, Restaurant and Gardens was nice on a sunny day.

Next to the hotel was a small park with access to the lake, which made for a pleasant stroll in the early morning.  Further south of the hotel is the popular Victorian lakeside park, Fell Foot Park, which was in full bloom with spring time daffodils during my visit.  However, poor weather and visiting in the low season meant that the park was very peaceful and quiet.  The park, like many properties in the Lake District is managed by the National Trust (buying an Annual Membership is highly recommended before visiting).

On the other side of Lake Windermere is the famous Hill Top Farm and the Beatrix Potter Gallery (set in the former solicitors offices of her husband Mr Heelis in Hawkshead.  Both properties are now managed by the National Trust.  A visit to Hill Top Farm is highly recommended, however, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t look exactly as you expect… nearby Yew Tree Farm was used for the filming of the movie “Miss Potter”.

Beatrix Potter is not the area’s only famous author.  Wordsworth lived and wrote in this spectacular countryside.  North of Windermere is Grasmere, and it is in this area that Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount house can be found.  Both are interesting properties with a significant amount of history and artefacts housed within each property.  The guided tour of Dove Cottage is very good and enhances the experience of visiting the property.  A museum is located next to Dove Cottage, both of which are within easy walking distance of Grasmere.  Wordsworth’s last home Rydal Mount is just a short drive away.  Whilst in Grasmere be sure to buy some of the locally produced Sarah Nelson’s original Gingerbread.

A little further afield and highly worth a visit in good (or at least dry weather) is Castlerigg Stone Circle, one of Britain’s earliest stone circles dating from around 3000BC.  Situated in a location with good views over the rolling hills.  Those willing to take a short walk along a well paved hiking trail amongst the nature that abounds the area will want to pay a visit to the waterfall Aria Force.  A short hike from the National Trust car park presents you with a good view of an impressive waterfall.

The drive toward Coniston is via some very scenic countryside.  Previously the home of John Ruskin, Coniston is also the backdrop for Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons books.  Nearby is the beautiful Tarn Hows with a nice, easy walking trail around the lake and spectacular views.

Other National Trust properties visited, and recommended, are Townend in Troutbeck – a large and somewhat rambling farmhouse and the tiny Bridgehouse.

As you leave the Lake District and head back towards the Motorway to take you home it is well worth stopping at another National Trust property, Sizergh Castle.  This impressive building is still lived in by the descendents of the family that has owned the property for over 750 years.  Both the interior tour and gardens are worth spending a couple of hours wondering around.

I stayed at the Best Western St Raphael hotel just a short walk from the main train station.  This made the trip from the airport very convenient and cheap as I was able to take a bus from the airport to the distinctive Hauptbahnhof railway station.  The hotel was very nice but not really close to any of the tourist attractions, which is hardly surprising considering they are spread out around the city.  Hotels near Lake Alster are perhaps in the best location, unfortunately their prices reflect this fact.

A guided tour of the Rathaus (City Hall) should be considered a must and is the only way that you will be able to see the wonderful interior of this impressive and imposing neo-Renaissance style building dating from 1897.

Hamburg has many churches, including several neighbouring the main shopping streets of  Spitaler Straße and Mönckebergstraße.  These streets link the Rathaus and Railway station.

One of the more famous churches is the ruin of St. Nikolai Church which sustained significant bomb damage during World War II.  As with Coventry Cathedral in England the Steeple remained intact despite the significant destruction.  The ruins and steeple now stand as a memorial against war.

Continuing to travel away from the city centre is St Michaelis church which is famous for the great views of the city from its tower.  If you’re feeling fit and not too tired after the walk from the city centre then you can walk to the top of the tower.  Having walked the countless steps to get to the top, I would recommended that you take the lift.

The view from the St Michaelis also includes the harbour which is within walking distance.  Two distinctly different ships can be toured from the harbour front, and I would recommend visiting both.  Rickmer Rickmers is a sailing ship that has been carefully restored and is definitely worth exploring.  The other, more modern ship, is Cap San Diego.  One of the last remaining examples of a pre-container cargo ship.  The Ship is now a museum and can be explored at your leisure.  Within the aft cargo hold is a very good exhibit explaining the emigration from Hamburg to the new world of America.  Hamburg was a major departure port used by those looking for a new life in America.  I hope one day to see the other side of this story by visiting Ellis Island in New York where these new American’s were received.

Whilst visiting the waterfront its worthwhile taking a harbour tour with one of the many boat tour companies.  The tour provided a good view of the city skyline from the water and also provided an interesting view of the modern container docks.  You really get a feel for the immense size of these huge container ships being loaded when you’re on a small tourist boat.

In the centre of the smaller part of Lake Alster was a Christmas Tree that was illuminated at night. A walk around this smaller part of the lake is a good way to get away from the hustle and bustle of German’s second largest city.

There is certainly no shortage of Christmas Markets within Hamburg, including one next to Lake Aster with an Ice Rink (however I didn’t go and practice my skating).  However, I found it difficult to find something to either my taste or that of the intended recipient (shopping rarely poses a problem for me).  It was however fun to browse and experience the food and drink available at the various stalls.  The almost continual rain during my visit did little to dampen the spirits of the locals and tourists alike congregating around the various stalls selling Glubwein – mulled wine.  One of the more traditional markets was the one outside the Rathaus, which also had the best shelter from the rain!

A good way to explore Hamburg is via the double decker tour buses that run a hop-on-hop-off tourist service with recorded commentary in many language, including English.  I found this especially useful due to the rain one afternoon and simply stayed on the bus for the round-trip, listening to the commentary and deciding where to return to on another day… hopefully dryer day.

With the very odd exception everyone I met was pleasant and helpful, despite me not being able to speak more than basic pleasantries in German.  However, whilst the city does cater well for tourists, it does not cater well for international tourists, especially out-of-season.  If only I’d have paid more attention in my German lessons at school.

Hamburg wouldn’t go on my list of must sees but its certainly got some interesting attractions and its worth taking a couple of days if you happen to be nearby.  Hopefully my next trip to Germany will be to Berlin.

The highlight of this year’s festival was Reba McIntire’s performance on 7th June at LP Field.  The new stage layout meant that my 4th row seat was right in front of the stage giving me some great views of the numerous acts that I saw during the four day event.  Other great acts included Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Martina McBride and Alan Jackson to name but a few.

This was the first year that I didn’t visit the autograph booths, instead I spent each and every day down at the Riverfront Park, listening to lots of live music.  After the shows at LP Field there are lots of bars to choose from… but my favourite is Roberts Western World, made famous by the band BR-549.

Anyone considering visiting for the CMA Music Festival should also get tickets for Marty Stuart’s Late Night Party at the legendary Ryman Auditorium.  This show starts the day before the Festival and this year lasted a full 4 hours!  Ending at 2am in the morning.  Of the many acts Raul Marlo of Mavericks fame was especially good.

My visit to Nashville this year was preceeded by a few days down in Memphis.  I won’t be back at the Music Festival in 2008 but maybe in 2009… until then take a look at this selection of just a few of the artists I saw in 2007.  CMA Music Festival 2007 Photos

Prior to visiting Nashville I spent a few days in Memphis, TN, click here to read about Memphis.

Two of Memphis’ most famous landmarks amongst Rock n Roll fans are Sun Studios and Graceland.  Sun Studios has been remarkably well preserved and a short informative guided tour explains the history of the studio and the record label. A short drive outside of downtown Memphis is Elvis Presley’s Graceland.  The legendary Stax recording studios have been recreated and features an excellent museum charting the development of Soul music, the history of the recording studio and Memphis in general, as well as the artists made famous by Stax.

Beale Street, provides a lively mix of blues, soul, R&B, and even Jazz. Rum Boogie Café and Alfred’s were my two favourite hangouts. With the latter providing excellent views overlooking Beale Street from its 1st floor patio. Live music can be found in the numerous bars, as well as in the park and on the street everyday of the week, but Saturday night was busy but fun experience.

Mud Island with its scale model of the Mississippi River was a nice interesting and relaxing walk in the warm sun. The various parks and streets lined with historic building also made for pleasant walks.

The Rock & Soul museum is also worth a visit as it charts the development of Blues and Country music through Rock n Roll, Soul and R&B. Just over the road is the Gibson guitar factory which offers tours throughout the day, this experience inspired me to try and learn to play the guitar (again – last time was when I was still at school!).

The drive from Memphis to Nashville was pleasant, with a tree lined highway for most of the route. I took a brief stop for Lunch at Natchez Trace State Park, which was a nice scenic recreation area not far from the main highway.

Helsinki is quite small for a capital city and can be walked quite easily.  Senate Square and the impressive Lutheran Cathedral that overlooks the square are two of the major landmarks.  A side street off Senate Square is the site of the Street Museum, this short street showcases examples of street paving, lighting, postboxes and phone booths from the early 1800s to 1930s.

The Russian Uspensky Cathedral is a very impressive building but was unfortunately closed to the public whilst I was there.  Another impressive cathedral is the Temppeliaukio (Church in the Rock)  This unique building was quarried out of the stone and has an impresive copper lined roof.

Suomenlinna Fortress is an old millatary fort located on a series of islands a short boat trip from the city’s harbour.  The islands house a collection of museums charting Helsinki’s naval history, including a Submarine that’s open to the public during the summer.  The city’s skyline is also very impressive from a harbour boat trip, however in early May it was a little cold on the outside deck of the boat!

Further afield is Provoo which I visited during a brief trip in 2003.  Provoo is a little town with lots of beautiful old wooden houses (and a great confectionary shop with a wonderful selection of chocolate).   

A selection of photos from Helsinki have been added to the Photo Album.  A separate Album contains a few photos from my earlier visit to Helsinki in 2003

A boat trip on Amsterdam’s canals is a must, with most of them starting at the dock near the main railway station.  Amsterdam is also a nice city to walk around, so long as you don’t mind walking on cobblestones and avoid its more infamous areas.

A visit to the Anne Frankhuis Museum is a must, it is a very moving and interesting experience.  The original building has been very well preserved whilst a neighbouring building hosts a collection of displays, artifacts and audio visual presentations about Anne Frank’s time in hiding.  Having never read Anne Frank’s Diary prior to visiting the Museum I purchased a copy at the gift shop as I exited the museum and haven’t been able to put it down since.

Amsterdam is also home The Rembrandthuis Museum and the Van Gogh Museum.  I found the Rembrant Haus particularly interesting.  The Rijksmuseum was undergoing extensive renovations but the famous Night Watch by Rembrant was still on display.  Even with most of the museum closed there was still enough to see to keep me occupied, but then I’m not a great one for spending much more than 1-2 hours in art museums.

A short bus ride away is the old fishing village of Marken and Volendam both of which are worth a visit, but Marken is much picturesque.  A short train ride away is Zaanse Schans where several good examples of the famous Windmills can be found.  Some of these windmills are open to the public and you can get a close up view of their workings.  The area by the windmills is very quite scenic, once you get past the factories by the train station.

A small selection of photos of Amsterdam can be found here.

The highlight of my trip in March 2007 was seeing the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). The best viewing (and safest driving) was with Iceland Excursions. Tours were cancelled on two of the four evenings due to bad weather. My first night’s viewing was very uneventful and I basically spent several hours standing in the cold. However on my last night’s viewing (with Iceland Excursions) was completely different – a nice warm coach and some good views of the Aurora Borealis.

Iceland’s Golden Circle tours offered views of excellent vistas, all of which were made even more interesting due to the late snow. Geysers and Waterfalls aplenty can be found in Iceland with some of the most well known being easily accessible via a day trip from Reykjavik. At Gulifloss you can walk down a very slippery snow covered path to get a closer look at this famous waterfall. This would be a nice easy walk in the summer but during the winter months. Iceland Excursions offer an excellent Golden Circle tour and they have some of the best tour guides.

Iceland’s reputation for being expensive is well founded. There are lots of nice cafes and restaurants that serve good food in pleasant surroundings including “Bistro”, “Reykjavik Pizza Company” and the sometimes smokey “Pinkid”.

Anyone with an interest in horses should take book a horse riding trip, these range from 90 minutes to a whole day. The Icelandic horses are truly magnificent animals with a wonderful temperament. If you need to relax after riding then a visit to the Blue Lagoon. Blue Lagoon’s geothermal heated pool also makes for a nice relaxing visit enroute to the airport before a flight back home.

A selection of photos from my visit to Iceland, including the Northern Lights are in the Iceland Photo Album.

I learnt to ride horses (western style) in Austin, thanks to colleague trying to teach me once.  I’ve seen more Country Music acts than anywhere else I’ve visited (with the exception of the Music Festival in Nashville).  For many years Austin was somewhere I wanted to move to, it’s still a great place and I love it but life moves on and goals change.

This trip was just for two weeks for work, however I did manage to get out to the Salt Lick and County Line and my favorite bar… the Broken Spoke on South Lamar.  More importantly I took two-step dance lessons – for the first time, and made a new friend.

I’m still dancing now that I’m back in the UK, but now it’s Rock ‘n’ Roll dancing… two-step is difficult to find in the UK

My free weekend in Austin was used to explore a little more of the Hill Country that surrounds Austin, including Enchanted Rock and Gruene.  I was lucky enough to see the Derailers play at Gruene Hall on the Saturday night.  On Sunday I decided to cool off from the Texas heat in Inner Space Caverns located just at the side of I-35 north of Austin.

A selection of photos from my most recent trip can be found in the Austin 2007 Photo Album.  A small selection of photos from my two month visit in 2003, including pictures of me learning to ride horses can be found here.  This site also includes a selection of other photos from my time in Texas.