Hats, Hats, Hats!

In preparation for Royal Ascot, it was "necessary" to spend a day hat shopping.... and we did it right!
Gillian and Sandra arranged our train tickets from Kings Cross to Kings Lyn via Cambridge.
*** Tip: Gillian used redspottedhanky.com to book the tickets and saved a lot!
The hired car was waiting at the station to drive us about 30 minutes to one of Norfolk's  prettiest villages, Burnham Market.  Across the village green, next to the Bakery and above the Butcher Shop was the most fantastic collection of hats I have ever seen in one place.....
I was like a kid in a candy shop!!!







The Hat Shop ~ Pentney House

Every room was colour coded and filled with hats and fascinators!

the orange room.....

the blue room....

the green room with bags to match  ......

All these colours and I was looking for a simple black and white hat to match my striped jacket - boring huh? 

I tried on 50, it came down to 2 ...... I really liked the one with the big red bow! 

 Gillian decided on this cute orange one....

..... you will have to wait until Ascot to see Sandra's periwinkle hat! 

All the hat shopping made us hungry...The Hoste Inn, across the square, has rooms and cottages for rent, a spa, a bar, and a great restaurant.  

And plenty of room for our boxes!

Our car picked us up at 3:00, we were back on the train for a 4:00 departure and back in Chelsea before dinner.

I have promised to take a whole AWC group next year before Royal Ascot rolls around again!  

Roland Garrrrros

Wimbledon in London, Flushing Meadows in New York, Roland Garrrrros in Paris, only one more Grand Slam to go ......
Melbourne Park in Australia!
(I'll have to wait until my Aussie friends move back!)



Sandra and I anxiously received our tickets only the night before and the friendly front desk clerk at our hotel (Holiday Inn- Paris-Auteuil) made copies for us......still unsure if the tickets we have with the name Johnsson on them will get us in, we proceed to Roland Garros, just a few blocks away,  and enter the maze of long lines with passport in hand.


We're in, with fantastic seats in Court Philippe-Chartrier and the first match, ElenaVesnina VS Victoria Azarenka is about to start...... there was going to be a lot of grunting going on!  

One of the tricks we learned quickly was to find two ground courts close together and sit on the top row allowing us to watch two matches at once.  That is where we came across this American player who I seemed to connect with immediately. She fought for every point. 

`Her name is Jamie Hamilton and she has only been on the pro circuit for a few years.  If I had googled her earlier I would have known that she went to High School in Auburn!

I am sure that is why she looked up at me when I cheered her on - my southern accent stood out among every other nationality cheering for her opponent.   

We watched Andy Murray's brother play doubles ... he was not there but his mom was!

Back on our court we were entertained by these guys changing into red, blue, and white bodysuits (Where's white?) ......

their buddy bailed when he saw them escorted out of the stadium.  

We really wanted to see Serena play but our time ran short and we needed to start the long trek back to the train station to catch the Eurostar back to London.

It was a momentous 36 hours in Paris!

I would do it all again !!!

2 Day trip to Paris ~ Fat Bike Tour

The chance to go to the French Open in Paris...
AND go on the Fat Bike Tour...
sign me up!

I didn't tell her but my plan was to let Sandra lead and I would follow. Both of us were a little apprehensive about "doing" Paris on our own. I have had some, let's say "unpleasant" experiences in the city but we were willing to tackle the adventure of the Eurostar, the Metro, hotel check-in, restaurants, a tour, and a day at the Roland Garros stadium together.  It was a fabulous trip!!!
First, the Fat (butt) Bike Ride......

........ even though the forecast was ominous, with clouds threatening rain any minute! 

(In honor of the Fat (butt) Bike ride!)  

We met our enthusiastic tour guide on the south side (?) of the Eiffel tower and followed him to pick up our bikes AND ponchos!  I have to admit, I was a little fearful of riding a bike around this busy city full of 4 lane roundabouts, with rain blowing sideways, rushing water in the streets,  and a plastic poncho blowing behind me, but hey...

I was following Sandra!   

~With a break for an afternoon treat of Croque Monsieur, apple tart and a glass of wine in a quiet park~

I really did FOLLOW her!  

And at the end of the day, we made it! 

I would recommend the Fat Bike Tour to anyone who wants to see Paris from a different perspective!

Next, THE French Open, a major grand slam tennis tournament .......

The Keukenhof Gardens and Flower-fields

As our coach approached the town of Lisse, just southwest of Amsterdam,  we could see the striped fields of rainbow colors in the distance.  Rick planned this weekend trip to Amsterdam at peak Tulip season and the Keukenhof Gardens and Flower-fields were calling us!

The gardens are only open from mid-March until mid-May.  7 million bulbs, not just tulips, are planted over 32 hectares - undoubtably the world's most beautiful spring garden!  Enjoy a few of the highlights!

If you use your imagination you can almost smell the blue hyacinth and hear the bees buzzing and the quiet water fountains.  (I won't mention the crowds of tourist from around the world!)

I can't think of a better way to welcome Spring!  

I Am.sterdam!

My first trip to Amsterdam and I'm left with  conflicting impressions....
The first,
intimate streets and canals, lined with bicycles, boats, and outdoor cafes. The 17th century architecture with it's slightly leaning buildings, peaked roof lines, and brightly painted shutters was charming.

We stayed in a fabulous Hotel - Andaz Amsterdam - part of the quirky new Hyatt Hotel chain.  It was new and funky and in the best location, between the Anne Frank House, Old Town, and the Rijks Museum.

This was our room...the fish represents Dutch industry, the back is a Delft tulip pot, stitched together with the 3 orange crosses- symbols of Amsterdam.  Very cool Hotel!

The first thing we did was find the Hop on-Hop Off canal cruise near the Central Station.  It was the ideal way to see the highlights of Amsterdam.  

Traffic on the canals could get a little crazy on a warm spring day! 

If you are a fan of Van Gogh you will recognise this!  I did get Rick to go to the Van Gogh Museum.  It was interesting to see how the artist's life and artwork changed throughout his life.  

My conflicting views of Amsterdam come from our tour of the red-light district, brimming with legal prostitution, sex-shops and "Coffee" Houses.  Our guide was VERY interesting - a "retired" hooker, actually from Oklahoma.  She was 30 minutes late, looked stoned, and a little shaky but she knew the back alleys and window lanes of the Red Light district and they all seemed to know her! Of course photos of the women are discouraged  but this is one of the famous coffee houses....Baba's.   

Complete with "cannabis" in all forms!

In contrast to the Red Light District and Old Town it was good to return to the quieter neighborhoods on the canals!