recovering nicely?

The wedding was an expansive affair held at the Georgian Minstrels Ballroom of the Crown Hotel. Several factors kept the event from going too overboard. One was the skewed stairs that threatened to pitch revelers over the side with the slightest misstep. The other was the cash bar. This is evidently the tradition in England and a smart one too, because the party would get too out of hand otherwise. Still, there was much drunken debauchery and good natured mayhem. The event, which really was called a blessing for they were already legally married in the United States, lasted quite a long time. There were three parts and was typical of a British wedding, at least in Nantwich, Chesire....

The actual ceremony was traditional with a procession of bridesmaids and bride and started at 3:00. Only immediate family are usually invited to attend this part, but anyone who traveled to England from America was also allowed. The bride was aglow and all her friends from high school served as bridesmaids and her younger sister as the maid of honor. The blessing was given by a fellow who later claimed he had never done this before. He usually works these events as a "Toastmaster", adorned in a red coat and wielding a hammer to bang the table to get everyone's attention, but at this point he was serving as a justice of the peace. He wore a natty suit and was very nervous and kept getting the names wrong, but later we told him, to his great delight, he was much better than his counterpart back in the U.S.

The kids exchanged vows and afterwards we all retired to another room for drinks and then outside near the River Weaver for photographs.

The second part of the wedding began soon after with a meal. The Toastmaster was in his glory and kept making pronoucements and banging his little brass hammer. The pub upstairs in the room was open and if you wanted anything more than the glass of wine they served or the champagne for the toasts, it was a purchase. The Toastmaster banged his gavel, several people made speeches and we ate roast beef with Yorkshire pudding before the wedding party ended and the third part of this raucous event began.

They cleared most of the tables to form a dance floor and a rock band set up their equipment and from around 8:00 p.m. to sometime past 1:00 a.m. the place was filled with everyone at the wedding and any friends who wanted to come and a few stragglers. The band was comprised of their friends and they alternated sets with a DJ and as the night wore on more and more people came, some not even dressed for the wedding. One fellow who twitched appropriately on the dance floor had a blue mohawk streak through his otherwise bone white hair. It got more and more frenetic and the dancing a bit more spirited and shots of alcohol were slung back in toasts to the bride and groom and there was more drinking and dancing. At one point the hotel put out an assortment of finger foods in the other room and the revelers gorged themselves on fish sticks and quiches and pork pies and egg salad sandwiches before running out to the dance floor to dance off their alcohol. Long after the band packed up their gear the DJ had everyone hopping about. It was a lot of fun! But, some people got seriously drunk. Some of Janet's family were leaving in the morning....I don't know how they did it. For the rest of us Sunday came very late.



Along the canal in Nantwich, Chesire



Later, much later, Janet and I went for a walk along the canal nearby. There are thousands of miles of canals in England and many people use these long slender boats as a holiday getaway or in some cases a home. Many are enchanting with decorative touches of flowers either painted on the side or in pots on the top. We snuck looks in when we could and saw people eating or some relaxing on bank in lawn chairs. Boats can be rented for 99 lbs.. (that's sterling) for the day. We saw one boat coming back with kids drapped across the bow and on the roof and all gripping bottles of beer. It looked like a lot of fun too in the brilliant sunlight and the placid waters of the canal leading you through green fields.

A quieter life...

We only had one beer today, Sunday. Janet and I walked into town after dinner to the Bowling Green. Yet another pub! It is right on Monk's Lane. We had Old Speckled Hen Bitter and then happily strolled the dark streets arm in arm happy with the circumstances of our lives and the lives of our children.

running and rehearsals and gentlemen's clubs

Went for a run this morning. It's easy to do when you're jet lagged and your clock is screwed up. I got up earlier than I normally would and stepped out in the grey cold morning. Supposedly it is summer here; our hosts are talking about heat waves; but it's rather cold for us. It was in the high 80's at home.

Our hosts live in a little development on the edge of Nantwich and there is a large park on one end with a running track on the edge. This was helpful because I was fearful still of the traffic patterns. So, running on the path I could simply concentrate on running and not having to worry of the direction a car would come at me. Still, when the path neared the street it was still disconcerting because I've got cars coming at me the opposite way. Hopefully I'll get used to this soon, probably never enough to drive though.


After a loop and a half of the park, I followed the alley ways and paths we took to get into Nantwich proper just yesterday and loped along the leafy quiet Monk's Lane, past St. Mary's and the Crown and headed along the still quiet market street. I turned at the River Weaver and headed back towards home, past the outdoor pool and back to the park again, completing the loop in the opposite direction.

Later that afternoon Adam, Janet's present and future son-in-law, had to go to the Crown for some wedding particulars, and so the VFH crew went for another walkabout of Nantwich. Adam's father dragged us to the Nantwich museum, which is in an aging building across Pillory Street from our favorite fish and chips joint in Nantwich. It was free..... So we traipsed through the displays of pottery shards dating back to Roman times and a salt ship uncovered at an archeological dig. Our host then walked us through St. Mary's Church and the musty smelling artiface was haunting and beautiful and we were solemn in our ogling, up until he told us how as a boy he and friends had searched for an urban myth underground tunnel that supposedly allowed the Monks unseen access to St. Mary's. They were never successful in finding the tunnel, but did find the sacramental wine.

We then went to another pub. The Red Cow also serves Robinson's bitter, like the Rifleman. Robinson is Janet's maiden name and when her family members joined us they cooed happily at the brew. In the back of the bar there was a garden with a well maincured lawn, brilliant flowers, several cockatiels and african parrots in a large cage and two white chickens sashsaying around and getting underfoot. We caught up with Janet's brother and sister and their spouses and it was light and lovely. Janet then left for home with our host so she could change clothes for the rehearsal for the wedding while I tagged along with everyone to a local pub. I didn't order food, but sat and sipped a beer while the Robinson clan chatted away. I left then for the wedding rehearsal at the Crown. It was thanfully quick and then we retired to the restaurant downstairs for a pre wedding dinner and then later drinks in the hotel bar....

I would have been content to go home but it was Adam's "stag party", which means we drank a lot more. We parted ways with most of the wedding party and guests from America and our host dragged a few of us to the Men's Conservative Club, a gentleman's club. Julie, our host laughed derisively when her husband announced we were going to the club. She claimed it was like a brightly lighted fifties era front porch. But Colin said the drinks were cheap and his son, Greg, also was coming. Some of the American guests at the hotel thought we were going to a strip joint. That would have been a better destination, for the average age of the people at the club was dead (I'm stealing an old Freddie Roman joke...). It was bright and weathered and we were quite the different sort of clientel than the rest. Men played dominoes and cards and sagged in their bar stools, but it was nice and we met the piano player for the wedding, Bob. He was soft spoken and polite and it was said more than once he was very good, having played at one time for Rod Stewart. It was good to be here, for what better way to travel than to experience the society, the lifestyle, to talk with the people. Sure it's good to see the church, but what about how it was a playground for the local kids? I am fortunate. I am a fortunate traveler who appreciates the kindness of friends and strangers and understands and seeks out the lucky stroke of serendipity.

Nantwich...Just like I pictured it

Our travels to England started with our own version of a "magic bus"; a van ride to Newark; drinking beers along the way with the honorary members of the mooch crew. There were six others on this trip and we made sure they paid the necessary dues to gain entry to our exclusive traveling club (they had to at least chuckle at my jokes.) Then it was a somewhat cramped plane ride on a filled aircraft and then a caravan of cars that picked us up at Manchester Airport and drove us a half hour through some lovely countryside to Nantwich, Chesire where we are spending a good week with friends before moving on to our other destinations.

The main occasion of this particular trip was the second marriage of Janet's daughter. Yes...the second one to the same fellow. They met when she studied in Lancashire a couple of years ago. The "second marriage" is a VFH worthy manuever to save money on the expensive British visas. Had the girl simply emigrated to England, she would have had to purchase an engagement visa and then a marriage visa. Now they only have to pay for one, saving a substantial amount of money in the process. They married last September and they must still love each other because they want to go through this all again. They live in a flat in Liverpool, but his parents live in Nantwich and this is where the wedding is being held. His parents attended the wedding in the fall and stayed at Janet's and now are returning the favor by allowing us to stay an their place here in England.

I know, I know...it all sounds whirl-about complicated, and with the amount of beer we consumed yesterday on our triumphant arrival, things can get a little more than blurry.
After settling in at the neat, trim home, the wedding party girls all headed out for a "hen-do" in Liverpool. It is what they call the Bachelorette Party here. Hopefully no one gets a new tattoo.

After they left we sat for awhile in the back yard sipping beers and caught up. I have come to know and love the in-laws in England as my own. They are wonderful people, but we were unprepared for the massive wood pigeons that lumbered in and out of the tree in the backyard. They are twice the size of the sky rats back home and each time the rattled the limbs we flinched. The husband/fiance said these critters were edible...ugh.

When then began our Nantwich pub crawl. The groom and his parents led us through many of the walkways and alleys of Nantwich. It is a walking town and we marveled at the compact living conditions and the well-maintained gardens everywhere. They do more with a wedge of land than I can with all my property. Soon we walked the leafy Monks Lane that was once used by...monks ... The lane ended by St. Mary's Church. Soon we passed along Monks Lane and we marveled at the beautiful 700+ year old church, considerd by some as the finest example of a medieval era church in all of England. Many pictures drawings of Nantwich feature St. Mary's. Our first drink was at the Crown Hotel, where the wedding is to be held. The black and white hotel is over 400 years old and just on the other side of the square from the church. We giggled over the listing walls and staircases of the place that was rebuilt in 1584 after a devastating fire that leveled most of Nantwich. We drank a beer (or two) taking great care to not lean against the walls, as they were leaning back. There actually is a section of the wall exposed to show the wattle and daub type of construction of the walls.

The next pub was the Vine Inn on Hospital Street, just a stumble away, where we all had a very creamy Manchester Bitter, part of the Hyde's Brewery. Thankfully we had a number of English translators with us so the turned heads were out of curiousity and not derision with having invaded their private little world, although our guide/translator did not say hello to anyone. He has lived in Nantwich all of his life too and you can't walk down a block without saying hello to at least one person.

We thought our last pub was the Rifleman, or The Gun, as the boys called it for short. But it was just the last stop. According to the owner, Fred, a brother-in-law to the groom's mother, it is "a proper English pub". There we had a very good bitter called Robinsons. What Fred meant by the proper pub remark was that many pubs will serve just one beer and you go to that pub for that brew. Robinson's for instance actually owns the building and Fred runs the Gun. Other places with a revolving pub list don't have as loyal a clientel. Whatever, it's never that serious, especially when it's the fourth or fifth stop on the night. Everything though is on a hand pump and served at room or cellar temperature. Yum...thankfully though the beer is never more than 4.5% alcohol. We lingered at the Rifleman, the father's favorite place, over some ribald conversation and darts....before heading back to the Crown for a few more....

ouch....

Nantwich is an ancient town, dating back a good 1,000 years and was noteworthy for the production of salt. Going back to the Roman times it was discovered a spring was running salt water and that would be evaporated to leave the salt. This is an important commodity for preserving food, etc. and the town prospered. It then burnt down in the mid 1500's. The Queen at the time allowed the Royal woods to be used to rebuild the city. So far it's a lovely town. The people are friendly and it's worth the visit....especially since we're staying here for free!
www.nantichweb.com/history

Going Commando!

Ah....there's nothing like the warm climes of summer that lends itself to this one lack of detailing! Gone is the buttoned up approach to direction and dress and a certain nuance of freedom rules the day which swings into action like an over-zealous schoolboy. Yes, life is sweet in the summer, and breezy.

Alas, a commando approach to traveling is often a dangerous undertaking, especially with our fellow travelers in tow. The VFH mooch crew has swelled to eight today as we are all to travel on the same aeroplane to Manchester, England. We have rented a van and driver and got beer for the ride and we're charged and ready to go, but because a few details in Europe are not in our control, say the "caravan" of drivers picking us up in England, some of our lot are a bit nervous. Remember, the Vacations From Home credo is to do things as cheaply as possible. So, if you're unwilling to allow certain minutiae to pass, to go Commando as it were, then be prepared to pay top dollar for everything. That being said, as an honorary member of the mooch crew, be prepared to be asked if we could tag along for the ride.

Today is the beginning of a two week adventure for VFH to England, Scotland and Belgium. We take off from Newark this evening.

preparations...

Traveling my way is usually haphazard; I hit the ground running and spin in many directions. Whatever catches my fancy, when a left turn is much more appealing than a right turn, I take it. Sadly, lots of time is needed for such capricious travel and we have none of that in this impending trip to Europe. Every day's slate of events has been honed and tinkered with so that we can get the most bang for our time in England, Scotland and, especially Belgium. If such details were left to me though the Vacations From Home team would run around like headless chickens. But, my counterpart is a very detail oriented soul, of which I am extremely thankful for. She is NASA to my John F. Kennedy. Kennedy proclaimed the U.S.A. will send a man to the moon by the end of the decade, but NASA is the one to do it. I threw a lot of ideas against the wall and some stuck, but most dripped sadly to the floor. She made everything work. We are, I mean, she is, a well-oiled machine.
Nothing has been left to chance with her. She has made the air, train and hotel arrangements, and although I contribute by figuring out what beer to drink in Belgium, she has made maps of the bars that seem to be the best. So, attached, I am sharing some of her work. Click the links and see what we're going to do in our fleeting time in both Brugge and Brussels. Feel free to write to us if you have suggestions, but be aware Janet has done her research. Without her input we would be languishing at a train station somewhere, getting nowhere

beer map of Brugge:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=203125618653178581127.0004a5ad35c36c806be42&msa=0

beer map of Brussels:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=203125618653178581127.0004a59adfac9a0d86048&msa=0

The Triple Crown Finished? Hot Dog!

Today's entry may not cut the mustard with you racing enthusiasts, but now that the Triple Crown is finished and the Breeders Cup isn't until autumn you may relish the opportunity to take in the sport of kings even if it's a little race. So, this weekend we at VFH suggest you seek out a Wiener Dog Race. Yes, those furry tube steaks compete and they look just plain silly and cute doing it! Your favorite traveling companion, Vacations From Home, has discovered there is a whole circuit for these little Daschunds and there are organizations devoted to the racing wieners. Also, it's Father's Day this weekend (don't forget to call him) so what better way to celebrate with Dad then sharing a Hot Dog and watching a hot dog.


Now, racing these little critters seems to be a more frivilous activity and done mostly for charity or part of a bigger celebration. Daschunds don't suffer the same fate as Greyhounds when their racing days are over. Although there are concerns that the racing puts added strain on the spine of the dog, the races are approximately 25 to 50 yards in length and they are well attended and popular events even if condemned by some animal rights groups and opposed by the Daschund Club of America.

Some of the races to be held this weekend:

In the Texas Hill Country where a lot of Germans settled over a century ago (and where the climax of my latest book takes place ....The Music Made Me Cry on Amazon Kindle), this weekend is the Boerne Berges Fest. As well as all the beer drinking and lederhosen wearing that comes with a weekend like this, Daschunds will be racing throughout.
http://www.bergesfest,cin/

Oh...they're so cute! (Not like my frikin dog....)

At Paws in Huntington Beach, California there is a summer of racing Wieners including this Sunday. You can enter your wenig liebe, buy stuff for the little scamp and help a worthy cause as donations are made to animal rescue organizations.
http://www.wienerdogstore.com/

In Charleston, West Virginia there is the 5th annual FestivALL Charleston West Side Wiener Dog Races with proceeds benefiting the local animal shelter.
http://www.charlestonwestsideweinerrace.com/

The Georgia Daschund Races are being held in the metro Atlanta area this weekend. Winners of this event are invited to go on to the National Daschund Championship Races!!!! Georgia's website claims they don't race for profit, but only for "the thrill of watching your Doxie participate in challenging other Doxies". I'm getting the lingo and the depth of the devotion to these dogs bred by the Germans to hunt badgers and other burrowing creatures.

http://www.georgiadaschundraces.com/

Yes NDR is big time for the little wieners. It seems to be a more official sounding than other events around the country and their website looks official enough, but several other organizations claim the title of "national champion." It may be a good source of information of some races, but google daschund or wiener races and you can find something to watch this weekend maybe even in your neck of the woods.

A couple of quick clips of wiener racing:
(you will have to cut and paste them in your browser to see)

youtu.be/NCSuUJFsohM

youtu.be/IASE1Gu6vMc

Remember to call your Dad this weekend!

a solemn quest

Yes, yes, yes....we have been doing things here at Vacations From Home.... We had a lovely Memorial Day weekend at our friends' house in Delaware where we had to "dance off our alcohol" (yes, it was that bad....), and we traipsed about the area for Philadelphia's beer week... http://www.philadelpiabeerweek.org/ Although we avoided going into the city, several of the area bars had specials going on. We visited Isaac Newton's in Newtown and Iron Hill Brewery in Phoenixville. But recently we just cohabited and cooked and lounged about and basically laid low. We saw a couple of films, Hangover II ...don't bother .... and Super 8... it was entertaining.... like ET on crystal meth. We did spend a lot of time researching our travels in Europe and we stumbled across this article in USA Today:
www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2005-10-03-beer-usat_x.htm
Hopefully we'll be lucky enough to sample ourselves.