Letter from Hong Kong - #1

I arrived in Hong Kong around 6:00pm local time Wednesday; that is just about 17 hours flying and with layovers it is about 24 hours. We have always said it takes about “24 hours door to door”, it still remains true today even though we fly over the “Pole”.

The weather is warm here, of course. When we arrived it was about 25 degrees Centigrade (I'll let you figures that out!), but Thursday it was more like 30 degrees, that is about 86 F with the humidity at close to 85%, it was quite a bit warmer than the NY temperature I left Tuesday.

Here is a view from our Hotel room in Hung Hom on the Kowloon side looking toward Hong Kong Island. As you can see it is a little bit foggy. The night view is fantastic and will send a picture later; maybe when they do the Laser Light Show.

Breakfast of Champions! Located in the Hung Hom Train Station just accros the street from our hotel. Coffee, Sausage and egg Biscuit is just like the States except smaller! Maybe we should adopt in the States.

Hong Kong Coliseum, built in 1983, incidentally when I was living here in Hong Kong,

 also just across the street from our hotel

Kowloon Park an oasis in the middle of Tsim Sha Tsui. We took Sister here Thursday after her doctors appointment.

Picture of the group in the Park.

So that is enough for now. I will be here for awhile so much more to come, if you care!

Balloons in the Neighborhood

Back to blogging before I get to Hong Kong! As all of you (at least two) who read my blog know I haven’t blogged recently. However, since I leave for Hong Kong in about a week and plan to be blogging from their regularly, I thought I better see if I still know how.

So with about six balloons from the Adirondack Balloon Festival landing in our neighborhood I thought this just might be a good time.

We have been living in the neighborhood for about twenty-two years and have seen the balloons go over our area at high altitude, but never landed here. So, it was an exciting to wake up and see them here.

This is a shot I uploaded to Instagram earlier. 

     This is at the entrance to our community.

Of course the trick is getting the balloons down without destroying anything!

Here is a shot from the 2009 Festival. Check out their web site! To see almost one hundred balloons go up at a time is beautiful. Ask Joan, Tom, and Tum about it!

European Cruise - Copenhagen

This trip marked the third time I had been to this lovely cosmopolitan city of about two million people. The first time was when I was in the military in late 1950, the second time was t cruise out of London with Jenny and Tony and Barbara. Copenhagen is one of my favorite cities in the world. Besides being a lovely city, it is such a walkable city and we love to get out and hit the streets.

First before I post the pictures we took on this cruise here are a couple of photos from my first visit to Copenhagen about 1958. Of course one cannot go to Copenhagen without going to see the Little Mermaid, a memorial to Hans Christian Anderson.

Don't you love this one! The changing of the guards at the palace; note the kid in the background marching with the troops and keeping in step!

Tivoli Gardens. We did not visit this site on this trip, but thought I would show the way it looked in c1958.

For some reason I have always liked this shot of Hotel D'Angleterrie. Check out the cars! When we were in Copenhagen several years ago we went back and took the same shot but due to so much construction of the streets and surrounding area it didn't come out too good. The Hotel still stands. Check it out.

This is one of my favorite shots of Copenhagen; I wished I had a shot of this area in 1958, but I don't. I wonder what the area looked like then? Doesn't this port area look a lot like Honfleur? This area is called Nyhavn, a waterfront, canal area where you can just hang out and have a sausage and beer to relax after walking for hours.

Copenhagen is also a great place to walk to see this beautiful city, especially by the waterway.

One of the side streets with the Nikalaj Kirke in the background. Built in 1200, it is one of the oldest churches in Copenhagen.

Copenhagen City Hall, where the Lord Major holds "court, was built in 1905. We spent about an hour or so inside until they kicked us out because they were closing!

Water fountain in front of the Palace with the Marble Cathedral in the background.

European Cruise- Honfleur

So while the ladies were off to Paris, I stayed in the beautiful port village of Honfleur. This village is probably were the phase, “kodak moment” was born! Around every corner one encounters beautiful scenery that he has probably seen in travel magazines or in a museum painted by an Impressionist Painter. My photo’s doesn’t do the village justice:

I told you! Beautiful! As Jenny says, this looks very much like harbor scene in Copenhagen, which I will show later since was our last stop on this trip.

Saint Catherine's Clock Tower; the largest wooden church in France is on the left. The church is shown in the next photo.

In this shot you can see the church on the left. The clock tower was built separate from the church.

A very unique church; the church dates back to the end of the 15th century.

One of the many streets with quaint houses. There was a sign on one of these that indicated a Jean LeClair (1919-1996) lived here. I think he was a local artist but I couldn't find any information on him.

A shot my daughter might have taken, but she would have presented much better! I thought of Jenny when I took this one: notice the "creperie" sign!

Like I said, "kodak moments" everywhere!

Another shot of Saint Catherine Church from a different vantage point.

The old and the new!

Jenny is probably sorry she went to Paris instead of staying in Honfleur and had crepes by the waterfront!

European Cruise- Honfleur (Paris)

Honfleur is the port where many visitors take off for Paris; not me! I had already been to Paris and I just didn’t think I could take a two plus hour trip to Paris and the same back to the ship for a couple hours visit in Paris! But Jenny and Peggy did and love it!

Before posting the pictures Jenny took of her trip into Paris I am posting a couple of the pictures I took of my trip in 1958. I am amazed that the color of the slides are so good, after traveling so many miles and stored in less than optimum places.

Of course you know this monument; the slide stills looks good after 50+ years! The Eiffel Towel was Built in 1889; it was the tallest man-made structure in the world for years. At over 1020 ft it is approximately 500 feet taller than the Washington Monument.

A picture taken in 1958 of the back of Notre Dame

Arc de Triomphe in 2011; it stands only 165 feet but it rivals the Eiffel in terms of popular places to visit in Paris.

The Louvre, maybe the world's finest museum. One the day Jenny took this picture, the Hyde Collection's Rembrandt, Christ with Arms Folded, c1657-1661, was on display as part of Rembrandt: The Faces of Jesus Exhibition. The Exhibition traveled to Philadelphia, which we were fortunate to have seen.

Jenny's shot of the Eiffel Tower, which I think is great! The sky was perfect!

Peggy & Jenny standing in front of Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel was built between 1806-1808 to commenorate another one of Napoleon's war victories.

Of course the Grand Dame of cathedrals: Notre Dame.

European Cruise - Saint Malo

Saint Malo is a beautiful, walled-village in Brittany, which dates back to the medieval times. It is also the stepping off point to get to Mont Saint Michel, a World Heritage Site located about one mile off the coast of France. Of course today you do not need a boat to get there.

After the a causeway was built in the late 1800's visitors were able to drive up to monastary. Sometime in 2014 a dam and a bridge will be completed to make Mont Saint Michel an island again!

A gate/bridge leading into the inter sanction of the monastery.

A shot looking up a narrow staircase to the top. It took a little effort to get to the top!

I like this hugh wheel used to lower and closed the gate. How many men do you think it took to man this?

Maybe we are loving this beautiful World Heritage site too much!

Amazing stone work! The monastery was built over a 350 year period mostly because of fire and the 100 year war (1337-1453), which is a little more than 100 years!

Back to the walled-village of Saint Malo.

Hotel de Ville within the walls of the old port village.

Saying good-bye to the beautiful, pictureque village of Saint Malo!

European Cruise - Concarneau

Next stop going north on the beautiful Brittany coast was Concarneau, full of history and art. The village has two distinct districts: the modern and the walled medieval area. We spent most of our time in the walled medieval village.

Walled citadel at port.

Another shot of the fort which probably dates around the 13th or 14th century.

One of the streets in Villa Close, the old town.

The village is still a major fishing port.

We had a good lunch here; Jenny loves crepes and she says they were the best. Check the restaurant sign. What is "Route 66" sign doing in the logo?

Remnants of bombed church.

The replacement to the bombed church. What a change in the architectural style!

The view of the village as we were leaving port. What a lovely village with so much history.