Fringe Festival in August in Edinburgh, then road trip to The Lake District, The Cotswolds and ending off in Oxford. Our two week stunning trip.
We visited in August 2023.
Edinburgh in August – the City of the Festivals
During the month of August, Edinburgh hosts The Fringe Festival and plenty other festivals – the city becomes home to a multitude of live performances. Theatre, Dance, Musicals, Stand-up Artists, Music, Street Performences, Childrens’ shows and more. There is something for everyone. Some of the shows are free and others charge relatively reasonable prices.
After spending 4 glorious days in Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival we picked up our rental car and headed south to The Lake District. Spent 3 days in The Lake District and then headed south to spend 3 days in The Cotswolds. After The Cotswolds spent 3 days in Oxford and then returned the car at Heathrow.
We visited in August 2023.
You might like to check out my blog on our first leg – Edinburgh in August – The City of The Festivals
The Gallivanting Goldies are back. Corona is “over” and we, a little more golden, are back on the road. This time we spent 15 magnificent days doing a road trip in Portugal, from Porto in the North to The Algarve in the South. We flew into Lisbon, took a connecting flight to Porto, spent 4 amazing nights in this city which albeit at first looks grim and unimpressive but very quicky grows on you. On the fifth day we rented a car and started our road trip:- Douro Valley, Sintra, The Algarve and Lisbon.
The Gallivanting Goldies are back. Corona is “over” and we, a little more golden, are back on the road. This time we spent 15 magnificent days doing a road trip in Portugal, from Porto in the North to The Algarve in the South. We flew into Lisbon, took a connecting flight to Porto, spent 4 amazing nights in this city which albeit at first looks grim and unimpressive but very quicky grows on you. On the fifth day we rented a car and started our road trip:- Douro Valley, Sintra, The Algarve and Lisbon.
Who doesn’t dream of going to a beach wedding on a Greek Island? For the Gallivanting Goldies this dream became a reality a few weeks ago – at the beginning of September. We celebrated a family wedding at Porto Koundouros, Kea – and what a wedding it was and what a time we had!
The Goldies gallivanted (took about 14 hours) to The Maldives to celebrate a 60th birthday. My birthday. What a celebration. The turquoise sea, the sharks, the stingrays, the turtles, what’s left of the coral, the soft white sand and the wonderful amazing staff at Kurumba were the protagonists of what turned out to be a glorious celebration. Continue reading “KURUMBA MALDIVES, PARADISE IN THE SUN, SAND & TURQUOISE SEA – INDULGENT RELAXATION”
In anticipation of the soon to be trip to the Maldives, The Gallivanting Goldies equipped themselves with fins, snorkels and masks (one went all the way with a full face mask) and together with the latest GoPro 7 Black headed south to The Red Sea to trial run the equipment! The fins, snorkels and masks, particularly the full face one, passed the test with flying colors….still working on the GoPro! The best surprise however was what we saw. A stunning coral reef with an abundance of multi-hued fish!
This was a family trip. We visited our millennials in their own habitat. The Baby Boomers explored Shoreditch & Angel, the new trendy neighborhoods of London and loved it. We ate at neighborhood restaurants, saw the impressive street art, walked part of The Regent Canal pathway, ate at a Michelin starred restaurant, visited The Barbican, and had high tea at The Wallace Collection. A taste of London in all its’ diversity.
Newport, Rhode Island, is a small, vibrant upscale summer holiday town with a diverse and interesting history. Slaves, immigrants, George Washington and the tycoons of the 19th century all passed through and left their mark here. As did all the famous tennis stars and the Gallivanting Goldies!
We spent 4 glorious days here. We stayed at TheAdmiralFitzroy a B&B superbly located in all the hubb of downtown Newport. We strolled downtown Newport with its’ wharfs and tourist areas, walked part of the iconic Cliff Walk, visited The Breakers, sailed the bay, visited The International Tennis Hall of Fame; did the tour of Touro Synagogue and ate well!
One of the many wharfs in Newport
The mansions – the breakers
There are several mansions, extravagant relics of The Gilded Age, open to the public. We opted for the most well known and the showcase one – The Breakers.
The Breakers, built in the late 19th century, served as the Vanderbilt family’s summer “cottage”. This summer cottage overlooking the Atlantic Ocean has 70 rooms, each room more ostentatious than the next.
Included in the entrance fee is an audio guide of this enormous mansion. You can also download the free audio guide app and listen on your own phone with your own headphones. The audio guide is exceptionally well done, one of the best if not the best, that I have heard. Informative, interesting and not exhausting. Just the right amount of information.
The photos below are just a taste of the opulence and extravagance of The Breakers.
I love the game and still play it regularly so this was high on my list of to do things in Newport. I highly recommend spending time here. This is not only for tennis players and fans. The other gallivanting goldie, who does not play tennis, was schlepped here by me and thoroughly enjoyed the visit. The museum is informative and very well done. There is a pro shop inside, not to be confused with the street facing store, where I even managed to get some tennis apparel on sale.
Here too, as at Wimbledon, white apparel is the obligatory dress code. The reason being: white apparel doesn’t show women’s perspiration – a Victorian taboo.
I once played with racquets like these!
The first U.S. National Lawn Tennis Championships was hosted here and later moved to NYC to what we know today as the US Open.
The touro synagogue & loeb center
Apparently the oldest standing Synagogue in the U.S.A. and well worth a visit. The synagogue, built in the 18th century, is still in use by the small Jewish community of Newport. The beautiful complex includes, the Loeb Center which has a continous short movie about the Synagogue and the history of the Jews in Newport, a small but informative museum, gorgeous grounds and The Synagogue. The tour of the Synagogue, which runs every half hour, is the only way you can get to see the inside of the Synagogue which still has many of the original artifacts.
The Touro Synagogue – a listed National Historic Site
In 1790 when Rhode Island ratified the Constitution and specifically The First Ammendment prohibiting the establishment of a state religion and ensuring freedom of religion and freedom of the press, George Washington visited Newport and the Synagogue. Moses Seixas the leader of the Jewish Congregation addressed Washington in a letter which became famous as it symbolizes the tenet of religious freedom for all and the values of the newly established democracy. In his letter to the Jewish Community sent after his visit, Washington quotes from Moses Seixas address to him and pledges that:-
“…..the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance….” In today’s climate, this famous quote is sadly still so relevant.
Eating in newpOrt
Newport is famous for its’ seafood, particularly for lobsters and oysters. I am vegetarian and the other gallivanting goldie doesn’t eat lobsters and oysters. We didn’t go hungry – in fact had fabulous meals. We had coffee overlooking the wharf at The Coffee Grinder , dinner at Diego’sand lunch at BellesCafeat the shipyard looking out at the magnificent yachts. All were excellent.
The B & B where we stayed – The Admiral Fitzroy Inn
Inside the B & B
getting around
We had a car which for the entire time, except for driving once toThe Breakers, was parked at the B & B. Parking in Newport is problematic and expensive. We took the #67 Trolley from The Visitor Information Center – did the whole loop and for the rest walked. Newport is definitely walkable.
All the photos are mine taken with my iPhone.
If you intend spending time in Boston before or after, take a look at my posts:-
One needs to savor Back Bay. We didn’t rush around this neighborhood. We strolled, observed and savoured. As its’ name suggests this was once a bay which was filled in the 19th century creating this upscale neighborhood. Back Bay is known for its’ brownstones, trendy shopping streets, Copley Square lined with The Boston Public Library & Trinity Church, high rise buildings and hotels. Continue reading “Back Bay, Boston savoured by the Gallivanting Goldies”
Over 42 years ago, at school, I read Arthur Miller’s The Crucible which left an indelible impression. So while in Boston was eager and curious to visit this New England town with its’ infamous history. I did a day trip to Salem from Boston solo. The other Gallivanting Goldie was busy at a Conference in Boston.
