Is life over 50 a symbol of gold?

Have you ever pondered on that question?
Few days after my 50th birthday,  all kind of leaflets came through the letter box.

To read more. Click here.

Camden Town and Hampstead Heath

A wonderful day in Camden Town. It has been a while since I visited Camden Town Market.
It was a sunny day the market was busy.

Hampstead Heath.

After Camden Town I decided to head to Hampstead Heath and Kenwood House. Walking through the park was just amazing, children climbing trees, friends sharing a precious moment and family claiming time together.

Cocktail at the Savoy

At the Savoy that was the palace of Savoy, where the King of France was

imprisoned by The Black Prince,

   

                                    I sipped the cocktail Français.

 

It had a combination of all French liqueurs. With petit rose buds floating in the nectar.  
This could have grown at Poitier, subject to the battle. 
To supplement this I had a dessert. 

The dessert was a splendid thing. Surrounded by portraits of the famous American actresses at the Savoy.

The Waiter was very cool and picked up that I spoke French. 

                         

  

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote at this Palace.
               “When in April it rains”  Amlet Travel  27 APR 2016.

 

To Be Or Not To Be

 Shakespeare was known to his friends as the Gentle Genius.     Nobody actually knows his exact date of birth except he was born in April 1564.

In the evenings at the Maiden Traven’s on the River Thames, he and Ben Johnson had wit contest and always Shakespeare would win. Then late at night, they would walk the streets of London listening to the Troubadours and the sound of the people which they would use as inspiration for their plays the next day. Shakespeare used to write on the hoof depending if an actor was to turn up that day or whatever was going on his writing would reflect the actuality of the situation.



He wrote around 37 full plays including Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth

Shakespeare’ father in Stratford-upon-Avon went bankrupt when he was at an early age, the money he earned from acting; writing and ownership of playhouse went back to Stratford to redeem his family’s honour.  

•  Words like "assassination", "addiction", "generous" and "bedroom" were first recorded in his play. 
•  He introduced over 3,000 words into the English language: some are still in our  daily : "heart of gold" and "tower of strength".

He owned a vast amount of land where he kept sheep.  

 
The fact in his will he left his wife the second best bed, it not as it appear because traditionally the eldest child has the very best bed, also to have a bed at that period meant you had mega status.

“Exit, pursued by a bear”

What to do in Vietnam?

 

Vietnam is an amazing place to visit. A few days to discover a different side of  this beautiful place.

 

  Củ Chi

Today we headed to the Cu Chi Tunnels. There is over 250km tunnels built and used during the Vietnam War.  The lifestyle of the Vietnamese people was pretty incredible to how they managed to survive by using the ant hills to hide vent shafts by only cooking in the morning so the smoke would be mistaken for mist.

 

Ho Chi Minh

We jumped on a boat to the coconut village, a quick twenty-minute boat ride we were at the coconut village where they made all things with coconuts. The sweets were like nougat; our favour had to be the coconut wine which had been left in a jar with dead snakes.  However, the highlight of the tour was going for a paddle one of the many canals in the area.

 

Phan Thiet

Taking a private car wasn't really the traditional way of doing things but it was the same price as the train to we opted for it. 

  Đà Lạt

We decided we would take the bikes and check out the elephant waterfalls, about an hour away. We travelled down these mountain roads which snaked through some beautiful scenery.

 Elephant Falls is a standalone waterfall in the middle of the Vietnamese landscape. 

The trek was a makeshift route through the different spots, quite an adventurous trek.

We trekked back up and saw this Hindu temple in the backdrop to which we decided to visit. The temple was newly built with 5 statues inside with bonsai trees all around the exterior and completely quiet.

 

100 Roofs Café
Now I've been to a lot of bars all round the world. This bar was a unique one, I've ever experienced such a place. Downstairs opened into a series of manmade tunnels and caves. A massive labyrinth of stairs, the further we went through the most magical it became.

Photos used with permission.

What Does the Easter Bunny/Hare Have To Do With Easter?

There is no mention of this long-eared, short-tailed creature in the Bible.
So why do we associate rabbit or hare with Easter?

No-one knows exactly how the origin of the association. According to some sources, it was a celebration originated from the 13th-century pre- Christian Germany.  

It was first mentioned by Georg Franck von Franckenau’s De ovis paschalibus (About Easter Eggs) in 1682 decrypting a tradition where an Easter Hare bringing Easter eggs to children for good behavior.

There are many reasons why rabbit or hare became a popular choice for Easter. They are both prolific breeders, they represent fertility, a time of hope and perhaps a new start.

Have a great Easter.