Living in San Giorgio di Pesaro and Kingston

On the second day on Big Island we went to see the volcanoes. We didn’t see any flowing lava which was rather disappointing but the whole thing was so incredibly impressive. The volcanoes in Hawaii are shield volcanoes which means they just keep oozing lava and growing.

Part of the road around the top of the volcano was closed due to high levels of sulphur dioxide but it was still possible  to drive part of the way and see the core  of the volcano still smoking. It was lying in a sea of solidified lava and diagrams explained how the top of the volcano had collapsed creating the cliffs on which we were standing, with the dried lava below and then in the centre the crater.

It was also possible to walk through a “lava tube” created 500 years ago – literally a long tunnel in the lava. Finally one drives for about 30 minutes over lava fields running from the top of the volcano down to the sea. The scale of the lava fields and the amount of lava produced over thousands of years was incomprehensible.

On our first full day on the Big Island we decided to go up to the north peninsula. Our first stop was at Hapuna Beach – almost as nice as Torrette Beach. . From there we moved on to Pu’ukohola Heiau which is an ancient Hawaiian temple site. An interesting place but unfortunately the temple area is considered very sacred and so closed to the public. From there we drove through the small town of Hiwa which had some nice art and crafts shops and restaurants and onto their equivalent of Lands End. A couple of photos and then back for lunch.

We had lunch at the Bamboo Restaurant which according to the guide book is one of the best on the island. It is very low key but the food was good. We both had salads and felt very virtuous. However, when the waitress offered desserts we crumbled opting for home made passion fruit cheesecake.

view from hotel terrace	view from hotel room
water feature	hotel pool

We are staying at Fairmont Hotel. It is built on a very ancient lava flow. In the 1960s they decided to create hotel complexes along the coast. From the main road one turns towards the coast and you travel for a couple of miles across the brown/black lava flows and then the the landscape changes into beautiful manicured lawns and shrub lined roads. The hotels are landscaped with beautiful gardens complete with cocount palms, tulip trees, banana trees, hibiscus shrubs etc. All very artificial but very lovely gardens.

We flew to Hawaii on the Thursday evening and didn’t end the day in the happiest frame of mind. We had arrived at LA airport early and got through the security controls with no problems. Wandered round the shops etc. until about 1hr before the flight  and then decided to walk the 15 minute walk to our gate – 69b. Half way there we happened to look at the departure board and noticed that the gate was now 75b which was back in the main terminal. We walked back and checked with the airline counter that the gate had definitely changed and then to settled down to wait. 10 minutes later the announcement came that the original gate number was correct and so we wondered back to gate 69b. Around the gate were a lot of unhappy customers moaning who had also spent time walking from gate to gate but also complaining about the condition of the lounge around gate 69b. They are in the middle of refurbising this part of the airport and so we were surrounded by scaffolding and dim lighting. There were no staff at the gate and no notice giving flight number so there were lots of moans about customer service from United Airways. Eventually staff from the airline arrived, confirming we were in the correct place, and after 20 minutes we were getting on the aircraft. The flight (5 hrs) went smoothly and  at 7.15p.m. we got off at Kona airport on the Big Island. Contrary to all the travel programmes no one met us with garlands of flowers. Instead we picked up our luggage and then went to car rental. The first car we were given had a GPS system that didn’t work. So changed cars and started off. Just out of the airport the car sounded as if it was running in first gear. We returned to the airport where we were told that the car was fine but we had been using the gear overdrive on the automatic. However, they noticed that the tyre pressure was low and so returning to the airport hadn’t been a complete waste of time. Back on the road we finally got to the hotel. Bill went to park the ca while I booked in. The hotel is rather large but eventually we found the room – large, comfortable. We decided to unpack and then go for something to eat. “Where’s my wallet. I’m sure I had it with me. Just a few minutes ago I used it to give the carpark guy a tip”, said Bill. We searched the room and couldn’t find it. We returned to the lobby and borrowed a torch to retrace Bill’s steps to the car. Nothing. Returned to the room searched again. Nothing found until I decided to store the cases and lifting one of them off the stool at the end of the bed we saw the wallet. Relief all round  and then headed for the bar thinking the worst was over and we could actually start to enjoy Hawaii. The bar was full with loud, drunk Americans on their last night. We wandered into the quietest corner of the room only with only a young Japenese couple sitting in front of us. She, we think – we hope, was very drunk as otherwise we cannot explain her disconcerting behaviour of turning round, looking at us, smiling and moving her head in circles. We left the bar after a quick drink we returned to the room hoping that the next morning would make us more positive about Hawaii. 

We were due to get the plane to Hawaii on Thursday afternoon. Rather than hang around the hotel we had booked tickets to go and see the Getty Villa. As the name suggests it  is a reconstruction of a Roman villa and houses the Getty of Greek and Roman art. We had been wanting to see it for a number of years and so we were hoping that we wouldn’t be disappointed. Glad to report that the villa, the gardens and the art were fantastic. We were also blessed by the weather as after the rain of the day before everything was looking pristine and the skies were blue.

Among the exhibits we were able to see the “Fano Athlete”. This bronze statue was found of the Adriatic coast, near Fano, in the early 1960s. Fano has been campaigning to have the statue returned to Fano claiming that the Getty Museum had illegally obtained the statue. The campaign continues.

(We went on a garden tour and the guide told us that the water in the main pool was 17.5 inches deep. Roman ponds were deeper but in California if a pool is over 18 inches deep then a permanent lifeguard must be provided).

Until Wednesday the 5th October Los Angeles hadn’t seen rain for over 3 months. So as it wasn’t an ideal day for sight seeing we decided to go shopping. We began with a visit to Lady Jane’s an “old english tea shoppe” in Melrose Avenue. Recommended by New Yorker friends Peter and George who have a nose for finding out pastry shops. After having had coffee for a few days it was nice to have a cup of tea and a cup cake and alternatively watch the rain and the display of cakes. Heavy rain is not ideal conditions for walking up and down Melrose Avenue and so we asked if there was a mall near by. The folks in the tea shop told us about the Grove shopping mall which was near by and as it turned out was part of the famous Farmer’s Market. We drove there, parked and then realised that it was an outdoor mall but the management had very kindly provided free umbrellas for customers. So managed to have a stroll round the shops and finished inside the farmers market eating pastrami on rye (for Bill) and turkey on white (for Terry).

On the second day of our trip we got out the car and headed to the Getty Centre. This museum was funded by oil tycoon Paul Getty and houses his art collection from 1500 onwards. The weather forecast was for cloud and a possibility of rain but we got a beautiful sunny day. Ideal for seeing the buildings and garden of the centre. We arrived about 11.00. After parking the car a small tram takes you up into the hills and into the centre. We arrived just in time for a garden tour. The garden itself is seen as a work of art and it wonderful. Judy, our guide, explained the concepts behind the plan not just of the garden but of the courtyards within the building. The building themselves are coated with blocks of tavertine marble and going round the museum the changing perspectives on the buildings and on the surrounding landscape are always enthrallling. In fact the  collection comes second to the buildings and gardens.

After the museum we drove down Sunset Boulevard and came to the Ocean at Santa Monica. Beautiful houses, beautiful tree lined avenues and then very quickly into the Venice Beach area with a decidedly down at heel feel. Moving from the “haves” to the “have nots” doesn’t take very long here.

After our 11 hour flight we arrived in Los Angeles at 1.30pm. Long, long wait at immigration and a long, long wait at the hire car followed by a drive on the very down at hill Freeway wasn’t the best introduction to the city. However, once of the freeway and driving to the Beverly Hills Hilton things looked much better. The room was comfortable and the bed even more so.

barman preparing Bill’s second margharita.

 After freshening up we decided to walk down to Rodeo Drive (about 10 minutes away) and then go for something to eat. Not too many eating places in the area but on a side street saw a Mexican bar and restaurant.  Went in and sat at the bar. We decided to order a couple of Margheritas and look at the menu. The bar man then showed us the bar food. While sipping the delicious Margharitas and chomping on crisps and chili salsa I opted for guacamole and bill for empanadas (a pastry roll stuffed with shrimp and crab). They were delicious. Bill then opted for another Margharita of the Barman’s choice – it was a margharita with raspberries. We also opted for a chorizo burger – chorizo wrapped in crispy cuicharrron with chipotle aoli and mushrooms). Again delicious. We asked the barman about his favourite drinks and he told us that one of his favourites was made from gin and basil etc. So we are going back tomorrow to try it and get some more delicious food.

The lady in the picture is Michaella Brabilla the current Minister for Tourism and she welcomes you to the web site on bringing pets to Italy. The web site Bringing your pets to Italy is in 5 european languages, including English. It gives some general information about bringing pets to Italy and also has a search engine to help find hotels and restaurants who are animal friendly.

Not much comes up for the Marche but in our limited experience when eating in restaurants with Pam, Michael and dog Max there has been no problems with restaurants allowing the dog in. So obviously a work in progress.

On Saturday evening it had began to rain. On Sunday it rained all day.

Our first stop was the Schonbrunn Palace, summer home of the Austrian Emperors and whose tube stop was on the same line as our hotel. Had a very informative tour and we were been looking forward to seeing the gardens but wind and rain made it impossible. So we took outselves to the Museum of Modern Art. Big mistake. Lovely building, lovely cafe but for me a rather boring collection. This took us into early afternoon.

Not wanting to go to another museum we wandered the streets for a bit and it left me wondering what was worse – a wet Sunday afternoon in Vienna or a wet Sunday afternoon in Belfast. At least in Belfast the shops open from 1.00 to 6.00. In Vienna it is only the museums and cafes and perhaps the Belfast museum is more interesting than the Vienna Museum of Modern Art.

Having tasted Austrian food for two evenings we opted for a change and went to a Sri Lankan restaurant. We saw it advertised near the opera house and discoverd it’s nearest tube stop was on the same line as the hotel. We had a really good meal. We had rice, string hoppers, hoppers with chicken curry and various vegetable curries. All finished off with Wattalapam (a dessert flavoured with cardmoms, cinnamon etc). Very tasty and something you can’t get in a wet Sunday evening in Belfast.

(p.s. Belfast is the photo on the left)