UK Visit June 2013

In early June I was given the opportunity to undertake a quick visit to Liverpool in the UK. It was work related and a really worthwhile trip. It only takes between 7 and 8 hours to fly direct from Atlanta to Manchester and then a quick train ride down to Liverpool.

When I arrived in Manchester it was a Manchester United game day and the rail service runs special trains that only go to the football ground.

Once in Liverpool I stayed at the Marriot just down the street from Lime St station so had an easy walk. The Marriot is directly across from St John's Garden.

The city centre of Liverpool has been closed off and turned into pedestrian malls that are easy to get around and obviously popular with the people.

It is a pleasant walk through the malls down to the famous Albert docks which had recently celebrated 25 years since its refurbishment.

A number of museums are located in the docks area but the one that was the most enlightening was the Slavery Museum and I was surprised to learn that all the slaves from Africa destined for America were brought to Liverpool first. A very sobering place to spend a little time.

Another thing I found out was that both the Union and Confederate governments had embassies in Liverpool during the Civil War.

If you love old boats then this is the place to come.

The historic buildings in Liverpool are amazing architectural masterpieces and somehow seem to blend with the many modern style structures.

While there I also took the opportunity to eat at Jamie Oliver's Italian (also located in the mall). The meal was superb.

And was finished off with an individual (non Italian) trifle.

No visit to Liverpool would be complete without a least some mention of the Beatles and this new exhibit and interactive display is also located in the Albert Dock area.

Although it was only 4 days it was good to be back in the UK and as you can see by the photos it was sunny  and warm every day.

Cheers Ross

Aussie V8 Supercars Austin, Texas

In May I got the chance to attend the first visit of the Australian V8 supercars to the USA. The 3 day event was staged at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, only 80 miles away.

http://circuitoftheamericas.com/v8-supercars/

The circuit is relatively new and host the US Grand Prix and the Moto GP as well. I went with my neighbour Keith ( who happens to be an Austin Police Officer) and we were treated to under cover seating and and a hospitality venue that supplied breakfast and lunch as well as an assortment of beverages.

This is the area we were seated, directly over the pit lane.

In the middle of the circuit is a concert venue called Austin in the Round and the stage is to the left of the observation tower.

And of course there are always the stunning girls.

On the Friday afternoon when all practice had finished the organisers opened pit lane for a walk through.

The Australian teams were more than happy to answer questions,

and even put on pit stop demonstrations for the crowd.

We had a great time over the 3 days with the eventual winners being the Red Bull racing team. We were surprised how many Australians had made to journey over for the event. Just about everywhere you went in Austin you would hear an Australian accent.

At one of the practice sessions we were lucky enough to sit next to Bob Bondurant, one of the real racing legends here in the US (at one time being top driver for Ferrari F1). He gave a presentation during the break and described his journey of recovery from a very serious accident to becoming one of the USA's top driving instructors. http://www.bondurant.com/

All in all a top weekend

Cheers Ross and Bev

First Cuise - Allure of the Seas 2

The cruise started in Ft Lauderdale, Florida and it is easy to see the amount of money tied up in beautiful boats.

I can also understand why many people retire down this way. In its own way it is quite similar to the Cold Coast in Queensland.

Our first port of call was Laberdee on the north coast of Haiti. This area is totally isolated from the devastation that still grips the main population areas.
We enjoyed a small boat cruise along the coast line and watched the brightly coloured local fishing boats trying to earn a living from the sea.

At the same time enjoying the local favourite tipple. Jamaican rum and fresh coconut.

Our second stop was the Jamaican port of Falmouth with its colonial architecture.

We visited the "Good Hope Great House" which is well preserved and stands as a reminder of the plantation days.

The view from the front of the house was very reminiscent of the scenery around Lae in PNG.

And of course the hometown favourite.

On the evening we departed Jamaica we were treated to a magnificent sunset.

Day 5 saw us arrive in Cozumel, Mexico and a totally different scene to the previous 2 stops.

Cozumel is an island off the Yucatan Peninsula and it is nearly totally reliant on tourism for its survival.

The island has a rich history including some very old Mayan ruins (complete with this young man in costume) and was first visited by the Spanish when Cortez stopped there in 1516.

It also has an agave plantation and tequila distillery.

The main street of the capital San Miguel De Cozumel near the cruise port has some very upmarket shops and fine restaurants.

Cozumel along with Cancun are very popular holiday destinations with both the Canadians and Americans and what better way to fill in time waiting to reboard the ship than with a tangerine margarita.

The remainder of the cruise was very relaxing and so after 7 days we returned to Ft Lauderdale and made it home to San Antonio the same day.

It was our first ever cruise and we still have a lot to learn but enjoyed it enough to know that we will do it again.

Cheers Ross and Bev