Located in North Yorkshire, England, Whitby lies along the coast of the North Sea. The River Esk bisects the seaside town – the West Cliff is the bustling town, and on the other side of the river (East Cliff) stands the Church of St Mary and the ruins of the Benedictine Abbey.
Church of St Mary and churchyardWhitby Abbey
Captain Cook learned seamanship here and a statue commemorating him stands on the West Cliff near the Royal Hotel.
J3Mrs at en.wikipedia [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], from Wikimedia CommonsIn addition to the statue of Captain Cook, nearby is a whalebone arch to signify the town’s whaling history.
But that’s not all… the town has a connection to Bram Stoker. It’s claimed that it was this location that inspired his novel – Dracula, although the Scots would disagree as they feel it was Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire and the ruins of Slains Castle… but that’s another story.
And if you’re looking for some really unique jewellery, you have to visit the Whitby Jet Store.
Sorry for the delay getting these posted. Internet woes, what can I say.
This was our most active day on the walking front. My leg was feeling much better. We started out morning with a cruise on the Seine.
Musee D’Orsay from the Seine
Back in 1910, when the Seine flooded, the waters rose so high that only his head was visible above the water. Since then the people of Paris judge the height of the river by how much of the statue is submerged.
le zouave on Pont D’Alma
Once a royal palace, The Conciergerie became a notorious prison and Marie Antoinette was kept there until she was executed by guillotine in Place de la Concorde.
The Conciergerie
After our boat cruise, we walked along the Seine taking in some of the sights we’d seen from the water.
The narrowest house in Paris
Almost every bridge or fence that has a place for a padlock has one on it these days. The names of lovers are written on them and the idea is that their love will last forever when the lock bearing their names is fastened to the object. The city of Paris comes along and cuts the locks off the bridges because when they get this filled, the wind can’t pass through and the bridge will begin to sway in the wind and become unstable.
Lock covered pedestrian bridgeLamp post on Pont Alexandre IIIDinosaur skeleton at the Bateau Mouche docks.
On Avenue New York, a replica of the flame held by the Statue of Liberty stands above the entrance to a tunnel. Many people believe this is the tunnel where Princess Diana was killed and leave flowers (and padlocks on the chain barrier surrounding it) but it isn’t.
Since we didn’t have to be at the Eiffel Tower for our Behind the Scenes Tour (and jump the queue… ya right), we walked further along to Pont Bir Hakeim.
Sculpture on Pont Bir HakeimThe Passy Viaduct on Pont Bir Hakeim
By now it was getting close to the time for our Eiffel Tower tour. We walked back and waited near the north pillar for our tour guide. While we waited, the wind came up and it began to rain. Not a nice place to be stood waiting to see if “maybe” (that was the word used by one of the earlier tour guides) our guide would turn up.
On level 2 of the Eiffel Tower
The wait to get tickets and get to the top level was going to be at least two hours, not to mention it would be that long to get back down afterwards. As much as I wanted champagne at the summit, I caved and we walked down the stairs from level 2 to level 1. Stairs and I still aren’t friends and going down is much harder than going up. Our guide said there were about 700 steps from the ground to the second level, so I figure we traversed about 350 give or take.
On one of our rest stops on the way down, I got this photograph of the Eiffel Tower elevator. Years ago, a man controlled the weight and speed of the elevators at the Eiffel Tower. He sat on a seat outside the carriage and turned the wheel one way or the other to make adjustments. Not my idea of a fun (or even safe) job. Now, a mannequin sits in his place so that people can see the technology from years gone by.
Eiffel Tower elevator mannequin
Whilst disappointed about no champagne en coupe lumineuse au sommet de la Tour Eiffel, we decided to find a place where we could buy a bottle of nice champers and we’d have it back at the hotel where it would be just the two of us and we wouldn’t be rushed.
A plus to the day was we were ‘downtown’ so got to see the Eiffel Tower lit up after dark. A tripod would have worked better but I tried to balance myself against the stone wall to keep the camera from moving too much.
Eiffel Tower at night
Once an hour, on the hour, and lasting for five minutes the Eiffel Tower glitters. Lights randomly go off and on and it’s truly a sight to see. When I was in Paris in 2003, the main tower lights went out and it was just the glittering ones that were on. Either way, it looks amazing.
BTW, we walked a mere 27,467 steps today… and I feel fine.
A unicorn is a legendary animal with a large, spiraling horn protruding from its forehead. In folklore, it is always white but can look like a horse or a goat. This wild, woodland creature was a symbol of purity and grace and could only be captured by a virgin.
A mercat cross is the market cross which be found in many Scottish towns, cities and villages. The cross is a symbol of the right to hold a regular market or fair which was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. It indicated a burgh’s relative prosperity and marked the settlement’s focal point. In many cases, these crosses are topped with the Royal Unicorn.
There are more crosses with the Royal Unicorn, but these are a few.
Aberdeen Mercat Cross:
Richard Slessor [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Edinburgh Mercat Cross:
By User:Kim Traynor (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Glasgow Mercat Cross:
Thomas Nugent [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsAnd to end my post, here are the Irish Rovers to sing you out…
Travel is defined as the movement of people on foot, a bicycle, car, boat, or airplane. Whatever your preferred mode, the anticipation of visiting someplace new, or even returning to the same place is exciting.
We all have places we want to see, things we want to do on our “Bucket Lists”. I’ve been fortunate and have crossed a few things off my list of places I have to see. First on that list was my father’s birthplace in Scotland and the Orphanage where he was raised before he came to Canada. You can see some of the photos from that trip here.
Since that first trip, I’ve travelled back to Scotland six more times and each time have added at least one new ‘thing to see and do’ to my trip along with returning to favourite places and visiting family and friends.
I don’t know about you, but part of the excitement (at least for me) is in the planning stages. Choosing where to go, where to stay and what to do in the area.
Old bridge at Carrbridge
Carrbridge is a perfect example of someplace new and it was only because of the need for a public convenience that my husband and I found ourselves here. I knew of the old bridge and had seen pictures of it, but I since I was here I had to see it for myself.
What’s your favourite travel destination? Do you like the planning process?
I’m currently sitting at just over 62,000 words in my first draft and my target length is 85,000. This book hasn’t progressed as quickly as I had hoped but I’ve not totally thrown in the towel yet, either.
I don’t have a cover to show you but as the book hasn’t progressed to that stage, I can’t.
Here is the cover image for my first book. I see my name and the title Shadows from Her Past exactly how they are here. Keep the ‘author brand’ continuity if you will.
I also see the past and present being represented much as they are here but, shall we say, in a more modest setting. Present looking into the past and the two characters who are most important to the heroine appearing with her in the mirror’s reflection.
What do you think of my vision?
Blurb for Shadows from Her Past:
Sarah finds herself back in her time without her husband, Robert, and adopted daughter, Jenny. When she sees visions of them appear, Sarah doesn’t know if it’s her imagination or if they’re really there trying to break through the constraints of time and space.
David Robb, a student doctor at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary who has been assigned to her case, bears a familial resemblance to Robert. Sarah develops feelings for him but also feels like she is betraying her husband, despite them being centuries apart.
Will Sarah make a new life with David in the present, or will she find her way back to her husband and daughter in the past?
~~~~~~~~
Keep coming back for news regarding Shadows from her Past. In the meantime, you can purchase book one in the series – A Shadow in the Past in paperback from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Chapters, and local bricks ‘n mortar bookstores.
If you’d prefer to buy it as an ebook, all you have to do is click on the logo of your choice to download it. The link for all the amazon domains is the same, you just have to change the .co.uk to your own.
Whatever your genre, or preferred medium, curling up and reading a good book on a cold wintry day is fab and in my corner of the world, there have been a pile of them this season.
There are loads of genres to choose from – crime, romance, paranormal, Young Adult, New Adult, non-fiction, memoirs and literary fiction.
A great place to get your reading material is at your local independent bookstore. Mine is Leeds County Books. If I find a book whilst shopping elsewhere, I take down the details and then go here and order my copy, if it isn’t already on the shelf.
I also have a great collection of ebooks on my ipad in the Kindle app.
And I’m going to do a wee bit of shameless, self-promotion here. If you’re looking for a great read, check out A Shadow in the Past and The Consequences Collection, written by yours truly.
This algebra function struck fear into the hearts of many a high school math student. I don’t recall having to solve quadratic equations below grade 9, but from that year through grade 12 there was always a segment in the math curriculum for the study of these.
By Jennifer Ledwith [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsEven though, once I got the knack and found quadratic equations easy to solve, I still hated them.
What memories of high school math set your teeth on edge?
Looking out over Paris from Parc de Belleville taken on my first trip to the City of Lights in 2003
Known also as the City of Lights, Paris is the capital of France and the country’s largest city. And possibly most importantly, where my husband and I will be from today until 27th April! Woo hoo!
Places we’ll be visiting whilst on our trip (and in no particular order) include:
The Arc de Triomphe. When you climb to street level at the George V metro stop, the sight as this massive structure comes into view is truly breathtaking. This trip, I plan on going to the top since I didn’t get there on my only other trip. The views down the Champs Elysees should be spectacular.
Notre Dame Cathedral. I visited here in 2003 but didn’t get up to the gallery where the gargoyles that keep watch over the city reside. I think they are wonderous creatures and have to get at least one photo of me, and maybe even a selfie of hubby and me with a gargoyle and definitely one with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
And no trip to Paris would be complete without going to the Eiffel Tower. The views from the second and third levels are amazing and this time, we might even push the boat out and have a glass of champagne at the top.
And given my Scottish heritage, no trip would be complete without a trip to a Scottish Pub. My two favourites in Paris are The Highlander and The Auld Alliance.
Of course, there will be others but to find out what they are, you’ll have to come back to my blog each day as I plan to write posts from here every day.
Oban is a resort town in Argyll and Bute on the west coast of Scotland. Until the Victorian era, it existed only as a fishing village, when it became a popular departure point for the Western Islands.
Atop one of the hills in the town, and visible from almost everywhere, stands McCaig’s Tower – better known as McCaig’s Folly.
McCaig’s Tower from the harbour
Unlike most distilleries, the Oban Distillery is located in the heart of the town.
During the summer months, the population swells to over 25,000. You can find out more about the town here.
My Scottish roots and writing by Melanie Robertson-King
