Christmas Letter 2008

It was another action packed year for the Stones’. January and February were rather quiet and uneventful. In March, the Pipe Band travelled to Boston to take part in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. We marched the six miles without much incident although the Drum Major damaged himself with the mace near the end. We had to wait about an hour before we set off and it was at that time it began to snow. Suffice to say that tropical dress is not particularly helpful, even if it is Scottish.

The day before we left Ptolemy Xavier, a ruby Cavalier King Charles Spaniel arrived from the UK. This little bundle soon took over the household and everyone in it. He is quite a jumper and quite routinely surmounts objects 3 feet high or more. The other animals have grown up, although Matthias is still quite a small cat at 10 pounds. Artemis looks big, but is mostly fluff.

At the end of April I was off again, this time to Adelaide in Australia. The Regiment band was playing in the South Australia Police Tattoo. It was a great experience and I made a few friends along the way. The travelling however was not so pleasant as it took in the region of 40-42 hours, 12 time zones, loss of a day (the 25th April 2008 did not exist for me and the 6th May happened twice). All in all it was a long way to travel for 8 days, but the experience was well worth it.

June saw another short visit to New York. This time we stayed on 55th St, the Shoreham, which was very nice indeed. We, as usual took in a few Broadway Shows including, Gypsy, Xanadu, Curtains and In the Heights, which had won the Tony award the week before. In the Heights is a very good show. We also met up with Marisa’s friends Carrie and Peter and caught up with news.

On a more sombre note, Marisa’s grandmother Lucille (‘Cille) passed away and was buried at St. John’s cemetery in June. We were very glad that we were able to spend time with her at our wedding.

The summer was hot and humid as always and the days went by one after the other. We didn’t manage to accomplish a lot over the summer, but looking forward to our next vacation was certainly a motivating force. We had two God-children born during July and August. The first, Veronica and Pete’s daughter, Emilia was born on 13th July. The second was Saffron & George’s daughter, Tayla, born in South Africa on 9th August.

In September, for our anniversary, we travelled to Italy and spent time in Rome, Florence and Venice. Rome is an interesting city, with its many ancient buildings. We toured the Coliseum and the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel during our time there. I also admit to becoming very partial to Italian cuisine. In Florence we took a cooking class, where groups of five people put together a meal and then ate it. The food was very good and it wasn’t just due to my prowess making gnocchi. We also visited the Ferregamo museum. I also spent too much time (and …….) on the Ponte Vecchio, the jewelry centre of Florence. We caught the number 2 bus to Fiesole a small town on the mountain above Florence, with spectacular views and an impressive Roman amphitheatre, which is still used today.

From Florence it was off to Venice, where we had to get used to some very different modes of transport. It feels strange getting off a train and onto a motor boat to take you to your hotel. In Venice we visited the Dome San Marco, the Doges Palace and Bridge of Sighs. The highlight for me was the trip out to the Venetian glass factories, where glass objects are blown and moulded by hand into the most intricate of patterns and designs. We also took the traditional Gondola ride through the canals.

After leaving Venice we travelled to London for a time, to take in a couple of shows (Zorro, the musical and Avenue Q). We also met Roz and Alan for dinner with Josue and Kerry. The following day we travelled down to Dover and visited Dover College. Unfortunately everyone was out on a charity walk, but I did manage to catch Mr (Rupert) Hill who gave us the ok to look around. Then we caught the train to Walmer to visit Leo Forsdyke. We sat in his living room for ages catching up and then he took us to lunch at a favourite pub, The Hare and Hounds. Unfortunately we were unable to stay as long as we had wanted as we had to get back to London for Zorro. However, I have pledged to myself to not wait another 15 years and will probably attempt a longer visit next time I am over there.

Other than as spectators we have not really been involved with much theatre this year as previously. However, we did take in the Bermuda performance of the Full Monty. It also appears that we will be involved in the pantomime which begins in early December. Also in October I received my Efficiency Medal for 12 years service in the Bermuda Regiment.

My business appears to be rolling along quite nicely and it seems as I will have enough work to get us through the current financial slump, but only time will tell.

I wish everyone a very Happy and prosperous Christmas season and wish good health and happiness for the New Year

September 28, 2008 - London/Bermuda

Ending a vacation is never fun. We decided to sleep in and had breakfast delivered to our room since we knew it would be a really long day. We then packed and had time to walk around Victoria Station to visit Boots and a few of the shops that were opened before noon. We checked out around 11.45 and boarded the Gatwick Express for the 30-35 minute ride to Gatwick. Aidan worked on a few soduku puzzles while I read a novel that I picked up from the bookstore.Checking in at the airport was interesting. Instear of standing in line to work with an agent, the whole area was now self-check in kiosks. It was pretty easy to get us both checked in and then we had to stand in line to check our bags - that line moved pretty fast. We then went through security and then a separate scan for our shoes. We then relaxed for a few hours - walking about, reading, doing a few soduku puzzles. In no time we were boarding the plane and on our way home.

September 27, 2008 – London / Dover / London

We got up very early and headed down to breakfast by 7:15. The restaurant was much better this time around. We caught the 7:49 train to Sittingbourne. The view wasn’t very good as it was so foggy you could hardly see past the railway fence. We arrived in Sittingbourne and exited the train to catch a bus to Faversham. We sat at the top front of the double decker bus. The fog gradually cleared during this trip and we arrived in Faversham with about 1 mile visibility. This meant that we were able to see fields of hops (we were in beer country!) and Marisa got to appreciate the gardens long the way. The train to Dover Priory left at 9:54. The train was fast to Canterbury East, where we saw the ruins of the city walls and the Cathedral in the distance. From there we stopped at every stop to Dover Priory. We arrived at 10:40 and headed off towards Dover College. Just inside the main gate we met Rupert Hill, my former deputy housemaster. It was great to catch up, however briefly because he was going to officiate a sponsored walk the students were engaged in. Because of this there was nobody on campus, which was a shame because all of the buildings were locked up. We didn’t get to see the refectory and chapel from the inside but we got a few pictures from the outside. We then walked down Biggin Street, stopping at Marks and Spencer for a few things, including a jacket for Marisa. We visited the waterfront and Marisa got to see the white cliffs. Then walked back up to the station to catch the train 11:49 to WalmerLeo met us at the station. He still had the same car – the white F reg. Citroen BX GTi from when I last saw him in 1994. He took us to his house and served up some pink champagne, we sat in the living room and talked about various subjects and he told us of some of his adventures in Kenya. At 1pm we drove to the Hare and Hounds in Northbourne for a very nice lunch. We started with Cream of Mushroom soup and then Marisa had a steak and mushroom pie and I had Cumberland sausage and bubble and sqeak. The food was very good. From there we drove back to the station. The train came 15 minutes earlier than expected so we bade a hasty goodbye and thank you and headed back on the train. We were very sleepy and don’t remember anything between Folkestone Central and Maidstone East. We arrived back at Charing Cross and walked to pick up our tickets for Zorro the Musical. We picked up a Cornish pasty and went to Next and Marks & Spencer on Oxford Street. Zorro the Musical was a great performance, to the music of the Gypsy Kings. The singing and dancing was great and the cast looked to be having a great time. It is definitely a show worth seeing. Marisa couldn’t get enough of the flamenco dancing in the show and insisted that we need to go to Seville for vacation one day so she can learn. Afterwards we walked to China Town for another meal and then caught the tube back to Victoria.

September 26, 2008 – Venice / London

We started our morning early as we had to walk our bags to the Rialto Bridge pier to meet our private boat that would then take us to a private car to get to the airport. We gave ourselves 30 minutes which worked out beautifully – we were able to view all of the produce, laundry and similar boats going down the Grand Canal. And then there were the water buses that were packed to capacity with people going to work, etc. Our boat was a bit early – there was to be a taxi strike starting at 9am so we got underway at 8am in order to avoid it. We had to wait a bit for our private car but it was worth it – we were driven to the Marco Polo airport in a Mercedes Benz. The scenery wasn’t as impressive as those along the canals but it was interesting nonetheless. We had a long wait at the airport. We had some breakfast, including freshly squeezed orange juice, while we waited for our ticket counter to be opened. When it did we had a long wait in line to check in. Once we got past security we relaxed until our flight as announced. We were on a smaller plane so we had to board a bus and then boarded the plane on the tarmac. The flight was quick. We got to see Venice from the air then Switzerland, Germany and Belgium and eventually we even got to see us leaving the Belgian/French coast and flying towards the English coastline. Aidan was able to point out Dover, Folkestone and Romney Marsh as we flew over them. Once we landed we got our bags and caught the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station.Our favorite hotel, the Thistle Victoria, is now simply renamed ‘The Grosvenor’. We checked in and were more than a little stunned when we walked into our room! It is wonderful! It is one floor above Buckingham Palace Road with large windows and even a balcony (we can’t use it for security reasons though). All I can say is that I am grateful to be able to enjoy this lovely room. We set up our wireless internet access and then headed out for lunch. After lunch at Top of the Town in China Town and a walk around Charing Cross (we needed schedules for tomorrow’s trip to Dover), we headed back to the hotel to do a little shopping (I had to visit a NEXT store and get something from LUSH). We met up with everyone (Roz, Alan, Josh & Kerry) a little after 6pm. We took the underground to Embankment station and walked to Chinatown for dinner. After a lovely meal we headed to the Noel Coward Theatre to see Avenue Q. It was absolutely insane – we really enjoyed it. We then started back to the hotel but discovered that Victoria Station was closed. We had to get off at St. James’ station and walk to the hotel. When we neared Victoria we could see all of the emergency vehicles. They have the whole area cordoned off – thankfully, they have not evacuated the hotel.

September 25, 2008 – Venice

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AIDAN!!!!!For some reason we had an early morning. Perhaps we wanted to see what breakfast was like in Venice (it was pretty much the same as it as in Rome). Then again, we also did not know where we were supposed to meet for our City Tour (it turned out that there were two tourist offices near St. Marks Square). Either way, I was ready to go back to sleep at about 2pm this afternoon. We actually took about 30 minutes to figure out where our city tour was to begin. It was quite cool so we walked around the alleys and window shopped until 9am. The tour did not begin until 9.30 so we were pretty cold when the guide took us into the sun to explain the morning’s activities. We started at St. Mark’s Basilica. We were among the first to enter and it was an amazing site. First of all, the floor was very uneven due to the increasing water level and what t is doing to Venice – St. Mark’s is one of the lowest lying points in Venice and it floods more than 200 days per year!. Second, the artistry in the basilica was amazing. It was like stepping back in time. We moved through it so quickly though and the lines behind us were ridiculous! We then went around the corner to the Doge’s Palace. We found this tour quite fascinating for both its artistic content (we learned about certain Venetian artists) and the visit to the Bridge of Sighs prison (we were actually inside of the bridge). After those two most informative visits, we hopped on a boat to Murano. Our guide was excellent in leading us on a leisurely stroll to the boat while talking on his cell phone (he looked very chic though so we gave him the benefit of the doubt). The boat ride took u through the Venetian lagoon from the southern to the northern part of Venice. We had wonderful views from the water of Venice and the surrounding islands. Murano was lovely. We immediately went to a glass blowing exhibit. One artist made a glass aquarium – when the molten glass was poured onto the glass fish and such one couldn’t help but hold their breath at the sight of the glowing goo. The master glass blower made two items within a 15 minute period. The first was a highly stylized rose-coloured flower vase; while the second was a horse. The horse was the most interesting to watch as he literally formed it in seconds. We couldn’t help but applaud when he finished the piece. We then went upstairs to the gallery and were awed by the chandeliers, wine sets and other sculptures. Of course, we had to add something to our collection.We headed back to Venice and after walking through crowds and crowds of tourists, we had lunch at a café near the Rialto bridge (the food was ok but the service was lacking). We returned to the Rialto market for fresh fruit (amazing, as before) and then did some window shopping. We found the square that our gondolier trip was to depart from and kept close by, shopping and enjoying afternoon tea in the area. At 6.15 we began to board our group gondolier ride. There were 5 boats with 4 to 6 people in each boat. One boat had an accordion player and a wonderful singer. They played us over most of the Grand Canal (almost to the Rialto Bridge) and through various canals back to the beginning of our trip. We heard most of our favorite Italian songs and many others as the sun went down. Even with another couple in the boat with us, it was easily the most romantic way to experience the true feel of Venice (and it wasn’t that expensive – thanks Viator.com). After our trip we went to Trattoria de Bruno for dinner. It is literally under our hotel and we were spoiled. We were treated to a complimentary sherry as we read through the menu. I opted for cured beef and grilled shrimp while Aidan decided to have vegetable soup and scaloppini. We enjoyed the house red with fresh bread with delicate olive oil and a fragrant balsamic vinegar. Aidan loved the vegetable soup (talk about fresh ingredients) while I savored the Bresola with reggiano. The main course was presented with a flourish. Aidan’s scaloppini was smothered in fresh mushrooms while my grilled shrimp were served whole, split in half and grilled. We followed this with crème caramel for Aidan and cappuccino for me. The restaurant then gave us a lemon flavored aperitif when we had finished. We then decided to visit the Rialto Bridge to enjoy the warm and relaxing evening.

September 24, 2008 – Florence / Venice

Aidan’s Morning: I woke up with a sore throat and stuffy nose – GREAT! Left the hotel at about 8:30 to do some “secret” shopping. Had to hang around for an hour for the shop to open, but got what I was looking for – SUCCESS! Walked back to the hotel, completed packing and walked to the train station. Marisa’s Morning: Aidan’s sick! We still decided to split up to do shopping on our own. It probably was worse for Aidan since he’s blowing his nose so much. I am thankfully unaffected (knock on wood). After Aidan left I headed around the corner to the market. The vendors were just setting up so I walked around admiring the tapestries, lace, glass, paper, wool and leather goods. I was a bit peckish so I also visited the farmer’s market. They had everything – olive oil, fruits, vegetables and even pig snouts… I really mean they had everything!!! I could not decide what to eat so I went back out and got some paper, glass and a mask. I headed back to the main street for breakfast and opted for a café across the street from the hotel. I had a lovely fruit salad with nectarines, apples, kiwi, pineapple and strawberries. It was refreshing and filled the void. I then headed back to the hotel instead of visiting the leather shops as I had planned (big mistake). I watched Starsky and Hutch and Knight Rider in Italian while I waited for Aidan. When he came back we finished packing and headed out to the train station.Rest of the day:Ate McDonald’s at the station, not particularly inspiring. The train left 10 minutes late. The ride wasn’t as nice as the Rome to Florence leg. The car we were in seemed smaller. There were also tons of tourists in our car whereas we had an equal number of business people on the train to Florence. We arrived in Venice at about 2:30pm. We were met as promised at the station and travelled to the launch. We caught the taxi to the Rialto Bridge. The ride was luxurious, to say the least. The Rialto bridge was busy when we landed. We then walked the rest of the way to the hotel, which was an experience in itself. Venice is CROWDED. We checked in, dropped off our stuff and went for a walk. We walked to the Piazza San Marco, which was also crowded. We were a bit concerned that all we would see of Venice was crowds and crowds of people. Thankfully, that is only the case in tourist spots! We then continued wandering around. The smaller streets were more bearable. After having a piece of Pizza and doing some shopping etc. we came back to the hotel to do a couple of things (we have Internet access, yea!). Then we went to dinner, close to the hotel in a vine garden. The food was very nice indeed. Marisa had the pasta in the squid ink and said that it was excellent. We also had amazing desserts and a wonderful local Cabernet. After this we went for a walk around, Piazza San Marco was much less crowded and there were three groups playing classical music. We also picked up a few knick knacks and then headed back to the hotel.

September 23, 2008 – Florence

It’s now Tuesday night and we still don’t have Internet access from our room even though both hotels have said that they have wireless or high speed access. In Rome the hotel provided access only via our television (it was murder to try to read the screen) and here in Florence we purchased a 5 euro card that only seems to work downstairs. I guess we’ll be sending our vacation log when we finally get some decent access (hopefully in Venice tomorrow).Today was all about exploring Florence and Fiesole. We started our day around 8.30 knowing that we had to meet our city tour group at 9am. We opted for a quick breakfast of pastries and juice from a little café as we were still somewhat stuffed from the previous evening’s cooking class. We signed in and got our tour sticker and eventually were led to our double decker bus. Thankfully, the top of the bus was covered as it was cool in the morning (and in the evening now that I think of it). .We started our trek up the Avenue of the Hills (we saw some amazing Villas) towards Piazzale Michelangelo. At the top we enjoyed amazing views of the city and saw a reproduction on Michelangelo’s ‘David’ (the first of three viewings of ‘David’ today). The Avenue of the Hills, while being the playground of the rich and famous also had the distinction of having certain stretches dedicated to Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. We then headed back across the river to the Piazza della Repubblica for our walk to the Duomo. I loved looking at the small eclectic shops, the leather goods stores and the amazing architecture. Our guide was very knowledgeable and kept us engaged. When we arrived at the Duomo she shared with us stories about the competition to create the dome and the bible stories behind each panel on the most popular door of the Baptisery. We then went to the Galleria dell’ Accademia. I couldn’t remember what important work was located at the Accademia but once I turned the corner in to the main hall I was awestruck by Michelangelo’s ‘David’. The statue is breathtaking in person. The gallery allows you to walk around the statue and we were amazed by the detail – the veins in his hand for example. We then visited the musical instrument gallery before seeing ‘David’ one last time. We decided to have pasta for lunch and decided to look for a café on the sidewalk. During our search we ran into friends formerly from Bermuda (now from Ohio). We caught up a bit and then headed back to Piazza della Repubblica to have lunch in the café across from the carousel. After lunch we purchased tickets for the CitySightseeing Firenze bus that covered Florence (Firenze) and Fiesole. The bus was uncovered on the top but the sun was out so we were really comfortable. We plugged in our earphones and listened to commentary and classical music as we drove out of the valley towards Fiesole. The villas on this journey were beautiful as well and we commented that we may have to consider a Tuscan Villa once we secure an Irish cottage and a Boston brownstone!!! Fiesole was lovely – a small town with so much history. We walked up into the hills and enjoyed amazing views of the valley that contains Florence. We saw many olive groves and visited Etruscan tombs and Roman baths. We also visited the archeological zone that contained an amphitheatre and Etruscan, Medieval, Roman and even prehistoric archeological finds. Unfortunately the museum was closed so we were only able to see the amphitheatre and the Roman arches on the hill.The ride back to Florence seemed much faster. We got off at Santa Croche but the church and grounds had closed for the day. We visited a leather merchant and purchased a photo album for our Italy pictures. We then headed to Piazza della Signoria to see the reproduction of Michelangelo’s ‘David’ outside of the church (where the original ‘David’ had resided before being moved) and the original sculpture of the ‘Rape of the Sabine Women’ as we had seen the plaster version at the Accademia. We then walked to the Uffizi and looked at the statues of great Italians. We decided to visit Ponte Vecchio again to explore what styles of jewelry were unique to the region. I was also able to see a florin which was the old currency for Florence in the middle ages.We returned to the hotel to freshen up for dinner. We decided to stay close to home and ate at a restaurant on our street. We had the house wine (superb) and local pizzas (I had the Florentine – Florentine salami and roast peppers – while Aidan had the Mercato – ham, 4 cheeses and mushrooms). We then took a walk through the market area where the vendors were selling everything from leather to paper to lace. We then decided to have gelato at Il Triangolo delle Bermude. Since we were from Bermuda, the server called the owner of the store who shared with us why he named it the Bermuda Triangle (he owns three gelato stores in Florence that form a triangle). He was really excited to meet us! I had ice cream while Aidan had sorbet. Now we pack as we’re off to Venice tomorrow!