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Beijing City – Summer Palace

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By Paul S Bryers, September 2016
The Summer Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is located in West Beijing, and is easily accessible by subway. The Palace consists of beautiful buildings, made-made lakes and gardens. The walk along the shore of the main lake offers plenty of shade, either from the avenue of trees or beneath the painted ceiling of the open-sided corridor – the longest such structure in the world. Access to the inside of the Palace buildings is very limited, but their beauty is, in any case, apparent from their external architecture and decoration. There is much talk of the Empress Dowager Cixi in the Palace literature as the Dragon Lady, due to her apparent ruthlessness. I’m not sure she was any worse than any of the Emporers.



Beijing City – Chaoyang and Xicheng Districts

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By Paul S Bryers, September 2016

Beijing is a vast city, with seemingly endless ring roads that radiate out from the old Imperial center. To make sense of where you are, it is best to understand that there are 4 central districts which contain most of the main sights:

– Dongcheng: Major sights such as Forbidden City, to the East of central lakes

– Chaoyang: Embassies, international bars and restaurants (area Sanlitun is hub for fashion), to the East of Dongcheng

-Xicheng: Central lakes and backpacker area, to the North of Dongcheng

– Haidian: University and Summer Palace, to the West of Dongcheng.

This post deals with Chaoyang and Xicheng Districts.

Chaoyang

Our well located hotel (Holiday Inn Express Dongzhimen) is in Chaoyang district, so we spent our first morning, a Sunday, walking to the local Dongyue Temple and Ritan Park.

Dongyue Temple is a Daoist (Taoist) temple in the Chaowai area of Chaoyang.  The temple is dedicated to the God of Mount Tai. Founded during the Yuan dynasty, it is the largest temple of the Zhengyi school of Daoism in northern China. The temple itself is very peaceful, being off the main tourist route, and contains some interesting architecture and antiquities. Our favorite was the Bronze Wonder Pony, pictured below, which promises cures for all illnesses in return for a prayer and a touch. My back is still stiff but there is time yet…..

Walking South a few blocks is Ritan Park. As this was a Sunday, everyone was out either practicing their tai chi (to a variety of musical genres – including country), vogueing, or showing off their birds’ songs. The park  includes The Temple of the Sun, a very picturesque small lake and a hill topped with a shady pagoda offering great views of the city.



Xicheng

We then took a subway to the 2008 Olympic Park (Lines 2 and 8). While the buildings were very impressive, the concrete landscaping was a bit barren. Still, worth the short journey.

A few subway stops back towards the city center are the Drum and Bell Towers. These were the Emperors clocks. Both towers offer great views of the city, after a short, steep climb.





A few subway stops and bus (#909) ride away is the sprawling 798 Arts District. Partially renovated factories house a vast collection of contemporary art. Definitely worthy of a visit. There are plenty places offering great food and coffee, like Flat White.

As a footnote, the subway and buses are easy to use, but if you do get stuck somewhere, taxis are easy to wave down and inexpensive – just make sure the meter is running.

Isle of Coll, Inner Hebrides, Scotland

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By Paul S Bryers, June 2016

I have been coming to Coll for family summer vacations, on and off, for over 55 years. Coll – 12 x 3 miles and pop. 200 – is located 3 hours sail from Oban on Cal Mac’s Clansman. There are flights from Glasgow and Oban, but I recommend the sail. Typically, you will need to spend the night in Oban as the Clansman leaves early morning. There are plenty of great B&Bs in Oban (I recommend the Corriemar House on the Esplanade). It is more difficult to find good places for dinner, but the Ee-Usk on the North Pier is excellent.


The sail to Coll is beautiful, with views to the Morvern and Ardnamurchan Peninsulas and the Isle of Mull. As you approach Coll watch for the Islands of Rhum, Eigg, Muck and Canna to the North. If you are lucky, you might get to see the Isle of Skye in the distance.

Coll is the best place I know for total relaxation. If you need to be with people, don’t come.

As the Clansman pulls into the pier at Arinagour, the Island’s vilage, you get a sense of the rest of the island i.e., lots of machar with a few houses here and there.

You can stay at the Coll Hotel (simple rooms, great little bar and restaurant), in the village bunkhouse or in self-catering cottages scattered across the island. There is also a walled campground.

Eateries are limited to the Coll Hotel and The Last Port of Coll – both good, with local seafood (and wifi). Food stores are The Coll Stores and a small shop attached to The Last Port of Coll. My advice is to bring most your own food (and wine) if you are going to be self-catering.

You can walk everywhere (if you like 5-10 mile walks), but it’s best to have a car. You might be able to get someone to drive you around, but I wouldn’t bet on it – you cannot rent a car on the island. The island is pretty flat, so biking is an option. Take your own bike or hire from Fiona Kennedy at the Post Office.

There are excellent walks and beaches along the West facing coast of the island, especially at the West End (e.g. Crossapol, Caolis and Feall Bays) where there is a RSPB Reserve (think Corncrake and Lapwing). The East End sports two very beautiful beaches – Sorisdale (famous for Bill Travis in Ring Of Bright Water) and North End Beach. Between the two Ends are plenty of other beaches (e.g., Hogh Bay). Vitually all have golden or white sands and turquoise blue waters. However, if you want to swim, a wet suit is preferable (OK, essential if you are over 10 years of age).


Kayaks are available for rent in the village, and you might be able to get a local to take you out on a boat trip. Seals are plentiful on the rocks off of many beaches, and are very inquisitive so come fairly close.  Finally, there are a wide variety of seabirds, including the very noisy oyster catcher.

Weather – This is Scotland, so it can be wet for a few days in a row. However, over the last 10 years I have found the weather to be consistently good late May and June.

Short Two Night Castle Experience in and around East Coast and Royal Deeside, Scotland

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Having always travelled to the West Coast of Scotland while on vacation, it was time to investigate east of Inverness to see some famous castles. First stop, under 2 hours from Inverness, is Fyvie Castle. This National Trust property has terrific gardens (free of charge) and has a long history, reflected in the architecture. The original castle can still be seen in the two towers that rise above the exquiIte gardens. It is well worth doing a tour of the the castle itself – (£12.50 per adult: weekdays guided and weekends self-guided). Look out for the music room with the splendid tapestries – very good place for a classy wedding.  

Next up was Dunnottar Castle. En route, have lunch at the Ythank Hotel, Methlick – great traditional pub food with friendly locals. You can stay in Stonehaven for the night, it is just a short coastal walk to the castle – The Ship Inn is a good option for B&B and dinner with a great view of the harbor. 

And now for the big hurrah – Balmoral Castle, private summer residence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This is a wonderful experience – just £11.50 per adult. Exquisite gardens – floral and vegetable. As for the Castle itself, you only get to see inside the Ballroom, but even from that you get a feel for the small scale, private splendor that makes this the annual retreat for QE2 and her family. And yes, there is a corgi trail for the kids to follow. After Balmoral, a trip to Braemar Castle is in order, and a walk along the Queen’s Drive with a follow up walk to Lion’s Head is very rewarding

And finally, stay the 2nd night in Ballater, a Royal Deeside town – in fact, The Royal Deeside town. You must stay at The Auld Kirk (try for Room 4) where you sign in at The Pulpit and enjoy your breakfast under the stained glass windows. Then enjoy dinner at The Lochnagar Indian Restaurant – great ambience. 

Rise early and do an easy 3 hour walk around Loch Muick – wear a deer stalker and plus fours as it is still on QE2’s Balmoral Estate. And finally, finally, a wonderful drive through Cairngorm National Park back to Inverness.

Beautiful Views on the Golden Circle Tour, Iceland

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By Paul S Bryers, August 2015.

After two days of exploring Reykjavik city, it was time to head out for some lakes, rivers and waterfalls. The Golden Circle tour is one of the most popular day excursions from the city. The tour takes you to Geysir to see small, bubbling thermal pools and, well, geysers, and then to Gullfoss too see tremendous waterfalls, and finally to Pingvellir for some in-your-face geological education. There are many companies which offer the Circle tour. We used Iceland Horizon and had Gerta as our very knowledgable and talkative guide.

Our first stop was not on the classical tour – why not I don’t know as it was spectacular – the Tungufljot waterfall. It was a beauty! Make sure you view from both the upper and lower car parks.      
 

Next stop was Geysir. This was a bit disappointing in comparison to Yellowstone, as most of the geysers don’t shoot off that often. However, there was one which went off every 4 – 5 mins and it was pretty spectacular. View the water spout both from beside the thermal pool and from the red rock hilltop about 100 m above the pool. If you want to eat, get the delicious lamb soup from The Cantina.     

 

Then we were on our way to Gullfoss. However, as we approached the entrance to the waterfalls, our guide whipped us straight past to view the barren landscape of the Highlands and a distant glacier. It was worth it, more or less. 

Gullfoss is an incredible sight – OMG amounts of water per second fall from one cascade to another until finally plunging into a volcanic rift. Make sure to view from both the top and lower pathways. On the latter pathway you will get a wee bit wet, but it’s worth it. And watch out for the lovely Icelandic horses in the vicinity – small and cute, but also hardy.    

   

Our final stop was Pingvellir, site of the Icelandic Parliament from 930 until 1798. Pingvellir National Park is located in an active volcanic area (OK, so is most of Iceland) and covers approx. 24,000 ha, of which about 9,000 ha constitute the World Heritage property. If you have heard about continental drift and wondered “what does that actually look like?”, then this is the place to come. Its best-defined feature is a major rift, which has produced dramatic fissures and cliffs demonstrating inter-continental drifting between North America and Europe in a spectacular and easily understandable way. It did not come as any surprise that some scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed here – those naughty Lannisters! The National Park is enclosed by mountains on three sides, featuring grass-covered lava fields, and Lake Pingvallavatn lies at the southern end of the park.     

   

After Pingvellir, it was a short ride back to Reykjavik. So, that was the Golden Circle!

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Torla, A Great Base Camp for Exploring Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, Pyrenees. By Paul Bryers, 2015.

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Torla is a small village located in the Province of Huesca in the Aragon Region of Northern Spain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torla). It can only be accessed by the N-260 from Broto or from Biescas through the port of Cotefablo. We were lucky enough to stay there in August of 2014 for five nights, and used it as a base for exploring the nearby Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. Our accommodations were in the Hotel Villa de Torla (http://www.hotelvilladetorla.com/index.aspx), which turned out to be an excellent choice. The hotel is located right in the center of this little mountain village. The rooms were very clean and well appointed. We had a suite on the top floor with an incredible view down the valley and a big Jacuzzi that came in handy each night after a hard hike – for some reason you could not go in the Jacuzzi without a glass…

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