Category: Places

Ride the World’s Oldest Surviving Ferris Wheel With Me!

Vintage Ferris Wheel – the highlight of my trip!

You know how I am about history, particularly that which falls into the English Victorian era – so image my delight at discovering this extraordinarily beautiful gem here in Vienna!

Btw, if you would like to read my post about my visit to Vienna, you can find it here: http://luxuriousnomad.com/vienna-city-of-contrasts/

This Giant Ferris Wheel was built in 1897 and was constructed to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Emperor Francis Joseph I.

Although some of the superstructure and all of the cabins were destroyed by fire and bombs during WWII, the Giant Ferris Wheel was restored and became a symbol of the reconstruction of Vienna.

Oh, and in this innovative billboard, you can see an example of the dinner ‘tours’ they have.

Entering the exhibition prior to the Wheel itself is like stepping into a magical world……… I cannot begin to express just how much I loved it!

A panorama that goes right around the room – a room that is filled with cabins/carriages containing vintage dioramas with full movement…

I could have just stayed in that room for hours and hours and hour…

This below is a 360o photo I took of the interior…

…and now to the ride itself…

Is it just me, or does that look like a robotic Mr Pumpkinhead?

To your right, you can see the bungy-jumping tower I mentioned in the Vienna post.

…and here is the amazing piece of architectural art of which you saw closeups in the Vienna post…

…a sneak peek inside one of the dining cabins…

I sooooooo do not do heights, but one needs to make an exception for something of such historical significance and absolute beauty…

~ Bella

Vienna – City of Contrasts

Welcome to Vienna!

Although I do not tend to have rigid ideas of what a place will be like before I visit, I must admit I wasn’t expecting such contrast here in Vienna between the old and the new – not just buildings but also philosophies and … well, read on and you will see what I mean.

The photos and commentary below are a little jumbled in order thanks to a minor technological hiccup… 🙂

So, let’s start with the view from my hotel bedroom window that greeted me upon arrival…

…and here begins the contrasts… This is the church of St Joseph and it is home to musical performances from Mozart to Electronica! …and it is lovely to hear the bells peel at noon each day.

…and in the morning, this is what it looks like…

Breakfast in the hotel to start a wonderful day of sightseeing…

So, then I headed out for the day with my intention to explore and also to catch the hop on hop off bus to get an overview of the city.

No sooner do I leave the hotel than I have my first blonde moment… I had plugged in to my GPS where I needed to go however as I walked it would say “60ft” then “150ft” and I kept wondering why..??? Hmmmmmm – note to self: when you keep getting further away from where you want to go, it is because you are WALKING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION! LOL! I realized my error at “286ft”. 🙂

This statue is of Empress Maria Theresia, the only female ruler of the Habsburg Empire. Maria had 16 children in all, one of the being the famed Marie Antoinette of France (I didn’t know Marie Antoinette came from Austria!).

Also, she was a woman ahead of her time instituting reforms especially in finance, education, healthcare, and civil rights.

I love that many buildings retain their gilt trimmings…

If you look carefully at the Hotel Regina below, the facade is actually a picture. It seems quite common here that when a building is being renovated, they do their best to disguise the scaffolding and preserve the vista of the building by putting a lightweight image of the building on the outside of the scaffolding.

This wedding cake looking building is the Votive Church. It was built between 1856 and 1879 but since the city walls still existed at that point, the church had no parishioners!

This was one of the absolute highlights of my trip – riding the oldest surviving Ferris wheel in the world at das Prater!

I have created a separate post for that here: http://luxuriousnomad.com/worlds-oldest-surviving-ferris-wheel/

Set aside in 1873 for the World Exhibition, the Prater is a lovely public park – free to enter and wander around (the rides all vary in price).

…and no, it is not your imagination – this column is crooked.

Seeing signs like this one realizes just how small Europe really is…

This is a railway station – and if you look to the left, you can see the building extends and actually looks like a train…

Yes, this is as close as it looks – and it was that close on BOTH sides of the bus!

…is this the Austrian support for ‘Free Willy’? 🙂

A little later in this post you will read more about graffiti – and this photo below shows just how committed they are to their “craft”…

The modern buildings here are largely works of modern art…

…on the bus, there is a commentary provided in a variety of languages…

…it may be fuzzy, but this is one of my favourite moments – seeing a neon “FREEDOM” sign… Being a girl who values freedom more than anything in my world, I loved this!

Vienna’s weather is extremely changeable – very much like Torquay… One minute sun, the next a shower, then the sun shines through again…

The food here has been wonderful… This below is from an upscale Italian restaurant not far from the hotel – and these were the sweetest clams I think I have ever had! The owner prepared a special dish for me – tossed in truffle oil… YUM!

As I leave the hotel via the private entrance/exit, I smile every time I see this gorgeous door…

OK, back to St Joseph…

Street scene just around the corner from the hotel…

Of course – an Irish Pub in Vienna!

I don’t know if you can make it out, but that is a stuffed rodent in the window!!!

One thing that did surprise me was that smoking is still permitted indoors (although thankfully not in the hotel in which I am staying). There are remnants of the idealized notion of Viennese smoky cafes everywhere…

When I brought up the Google Earth image of where I am staying, since the wifi here is soooooo slow, I actually really liked the impressionist images it gave me…

One of my ‘locals’ – yes, it is an Asian restaurant but they have the fastest wifi I have found…

This below may be a chain, but they have the yummiest of icecreams!

No, these people are not crimson, it is just the outdoor heaters…

…even my minimal German can work out what this shop is!

OK, let’s get into the subject of graffiti a little more… While there are some examples of ‘local art’ like these below that are quirky, a little later you will see another side to this ‘artistic endeavour’ in Vienna.

Love this outdoor ice-skating rink!

…and now for some more graffiti…

Here in Vienna, graffiti is considered a valid form of personal expression… What I certainly didn’t expect is to find the Danube lined with graffiti!

Back to das Prater (and apologies the photos are not in order)

What everyone needs – a pink pig covered with graffiti dispensing cash…

People actually bungy-jump from this tower!

This (below) is a person on an exercise machine…

Suddenly I am back in France???

It is obscured, but this below is a suburb of Heaven… The Steinway Haus…

Goethe looks like he has had one too many Rotwein und Wiener Schnitzels

There is something that just doesn’t sound right calling Alexander the Great, Alexander the Grosse…

…and just when you thought you had seen it all – animals playing a Viennese waltz on piano accordion…

One cannot come to Vienna without having a Wiener Schnitzel!

This below is the little Italian restaurant I mentioned earlier…

…and to finish off my day, a massage… I love that the hotel has a spa – and that the floatation tank looks like it is smiling at me!

There is SO much to see and do here – in one week I have not even scratched the surface of the surface of the surface…

Tomorrow I need to curl up at the hotel and get a bunch of work done (and fit in yet another massage) – and it is supposed to rain all day, anyway – and then on Friday I head to Italy!!!

Danke, Vienna!

~ Bella

Meandering through South Devon

I am about to leave beloved England and was delighted that my wonderful friend, Gillian, offered to take me out meandering through South Devon for a few hours this morning…

We did not have a destination other than seafood for lunch! So, the following photos are from our lovely little journey…

…and this was our fabulous curl-up spot for a delicious lunch!

The Lighter Inn in Topsham. Here is a blurb from their website that gives you a little of its history:

“The Lighter Inn takes its name from the Lighter, a flat bottomed boat used at Topsham to unload larger ships that had to anchor in the middle of the channel. Until 1958, the quay by the Lighter Inn was still served by a railway siding, and the area not so developed for tourism.

A former landlady of the pub was mentioned in a police report as early as February 1832, as is displayed on our wall, “Mrs Perriam, of the Lighter public house, Topsham, was fined 1s for allowing tippling in her house, from which arose the row we stated in our last.””

This photo (below) is of the ceiling!

…and of course, every pub needs a cow.

Thank you, Gillian, for a most glorious day!

Agatha Christie and Dartmoor Ponies

What do Agatha Christie and Dartmoor Ponies have in common?

Well, normally I would imagine the mystery writer and Dartmoor ponies would have very little in common, but yesterday they both featured in a family reunion of sorts…

As you may have read, I have been tracing my ancestry and some of my distant cousins decided ever so thoughtfully to get together and take me out touring for the day while I was still in Devon. I felt so blessed and had a wonderful day!

After being collected in Torquay, our first stop was Agatha Christie’s house, “Greenway” on the River Dart.

(…and if you look carefully at the photos of my steam train and river cruise day, you will see a photo of the house taken from the river)

According to Wikipedia, the house was first mentioned in 1493 as “Greynway”, the crossing point of the Dart to Dittisham.

Below, my lovely extended family…

The painting below is of four-year-old Agatha…

This, below, was my favourite room… The lovely library – and note the paintings around the top of the walls…

During the Second World War Greenway was requisitioned by the US Coastguard and one of the men stationed here, Lt Marshall Lee, painted a beautiful mural.

You can read more about the mural here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greenway/features/greenway-library-frieze

My studious crew…

Some very straaaaange walking sticks…

We made a new friend while enjoying a cup of tea…

Then off exploring…

…and off exploring through several towns, including one of my favourites – Tavistock.

This below is a statue of Francis, 7th Duke of Bedford in front of the Magistrate’s Court, Tavistock.

Dartmoor Ponies…

…and delight upon delight… We stopped for an ice-cream in the middle of a herd of wild Dartmoor Ponies!

When Agatha Christie and her husband bought Greenway in the 1930s, the population was over 25,000 – but alas, according to several sources, only around 800 ponies were known to be grazing the moor by 2004. Thankfully, they have since been granted ‘Rare Breed Status’ and efforts are in place to ensure the continuation of this lovely creature that is native to Britain.

You can learn more about these beautiful animals here: http://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/learningabout/lab-printableresources/lab-factsheetshome/lab-dartmoorponies

…then back to my cousin’s lovely home to chill before heading out again for dinner…

…to the delightful Artichoke Inn. The Inn dates back to 1165 when it was used as a recruitment outpost for the crusades.

…a perfectly glorious way to end a perfectly glorious day!

Steam Train Travel Through Devon

Glorious Steam Train Travel!

Being a lover of the Victorian era, it is not surprising that I adore steam trains…

Yesterday, I went via regular train from Torquay to the next stop being Paignton where I boarded the Dartmouth Railroad’s “Braveheart” steam train, bound for Kingswear, then across by ferry to Dartmouth. Lunch beside the river then a cruise along the River Dart before returning via steam train back to Paignton.

As soon as I get a chance, I will add commentary to the following, but here are the photos of my amazingly wonderful day… If you get the chance, you absolutely must do this journey!

…and here is a photo taken a day later from the Imperial Hotel in Torquay, looking across the bay and seeing the lovely plume from steam train making its way along the coast…

Visiting My Great-Grandfather’s Great-Grandfather!

What an extraordinary day!

As you may know, I have been tracing my ancestry and one of the reasons I came to stay in Devon for a couple of months is to investigate and actually (hopefully) find the grave of a particular ancestor and the church in which the family worshipped.

The photo on the left, taken in around 1925, is of my great-grandmother (who largely raised me), her husband and their daughter.

This particular quest was following my Pop’s line (the man in the photo – my great-grandfather who died four years before I was born) – the Parnell family, who hail from Devon; in particular, a small village just a few miles north of Exeter called Brampford Speke.

While still living in America, I was blessed to find online a genealogist, Graham Parnell, with the same last name from the same area as my ancestors (although we have yet to find how we are related) and finally the day came when we would meet and he and his lovely wife Jan had offered to take me to see the area and to (fingers crossed) find the grave of my great-grandfather’s great-grandfather!

Parnell Family Quest Adventure…

Beginning at the beautiful Victorian Torquay Railway Station, I boarded a train for Exeter St David’s.

Opened in 1859 and rebuilt in 1878, the station is a lovely piece of Victorian heritage.

As we travelled along the coast, it was amazing to see the sea SO close to the train as we went through Dawlish. Just yesterday, the waves were so fierce, they were breaking over the top of the carraiges and actually broke the window on a train!

You can actually read more and watch a video of the trains being hit by the waves here.

Mother Nature is quite magnificent!

Well, finally reached my destination, Graham and Jan found me and we set off on our adventure.

Parnell Family Church

First stop, the beautiful St Peter’s Church of England in Brampford Speke. This is the very place John and Ann Parnell – my great-grandfather’s great-grandparents – not only worshipped but were buried.

First recorded in the early 1100s, when Walter de Treminet gave it to the monks of St Nicholas Priory, Exeter, the church was largely rebuilt in the 1400s and then again in the mid-1800s when unfortunately most of the building – apart from the tower – was demolished.

My extended Parnell Family (even though we have yet to find the actual link) – Graham and Jan Parnell. We have only just met, but I love them dearly.

I was curious about the term ‘speke’ and discovered that from the time of around King Henry II, 1154-1189, the manor of Brampford Speke belonged to the family of Especk, from which the family name Speke later derived.

The population of the village is only around 300 but the church is still a lovely centre of the community.

It’s times like these I wish I had paid more attention in Latin class! I did some digging, and according to my rough translation, it reads, “Be Faithful To The Dead And I Crown You Life” (although if anyone reading this has a better grasp of Latin, please feel free to comment with a correction!)

In the (rather blurry – sorry!) photo below, you will note that it is a “free” pew. From the beginning of the 1800s to the 1960s, many churches ‘rented’ pews as a way to increase revenue to cover the rising costs of maintaining the buildings.

If you want to know more, there is an excellent article on the renting of pews here.

I love this church – it is simple yet elegant, unassuming and beautiful.

Then we proceeded outside in an attempt to find our target – John Parnell.

Although you cannot see over the wall, the church is built on the red sandstone cliff overlooking the River Exe, after which Exeter was named.

Parnell Family Ancestor – FOUND!

Although largely overgrown, this is the resting place of John and Ann Parnell – my great-grandfather’s great-grandparents!

Graham and Jan have said they will come back, clean up the grave and take some photos for me (so will post them at that time).

I cannot begin to express just how lovely it was to find them! I will be writing a whole post on them at some other time – and several of their children and grandchildren (my 2x and 3x great-grandparents) will be featured in a future edition of Bridgit’s stories!

I could have stayed here all day – I love this place!

Then it was on to see where many of Jan’s family were buried – and along the way, so many beautiful buildings – I mean, just check out the roof in this one below!

…but first, a spot of lunch!

‘The Ring of Bells’ pub dates back to around the 1400s and was such a treat. We had a delicious plowman’s lunch, equally delicious glass of wine (ok, two)…

Located in a lovely village called Cheriton Fitzpaine, this Grade II listed pub has been serving the local community literally for centuries.

This long building below used to be the pub’s skittle alley…

…and just around the edge of the building is the church!

…but before we get to the church, check out the old school next door – in particular, the pigs on the roof! Seriously!

Parnell Family Church

…and from there it was off to St Mary’s Church in Upton Helions where John and Ann were married in 1805.

On the side of a steep hill looking over the River Creedy, Upton Helions is a small village with less than 150 people.

Now, while this may seem a narrow Norman door, it is not until you have something – or in this case some one with which to compare it, do you get a sense of just how small it is!

15th century lion carving at the end of the pews…

This was very interesting… Carved from alabaster and though to commemorate Richard Reynell of Creedy Wiger (d. 1631) and his wife Mary. Typical of the Jacobean era, they face each other across a prayer desk.

I traced this organ down – it is a thirteen stop foot pump organ, purchased from Chicago Cottage Organs’ distributor in London. As best I can tell, it dates from the end of the 1800s. Here is a rare find where you can even view one of their entire catalogues from 1890.

What’s that saying about “measure twice and cut once?” Obviously someone had a challenge somewhere when the church was being restored…

…and on our way back to Graham and Jan’s home, we crossed the “Bridge Over Troubled Water” – yes, the song. Bickleigh Bridge in Tiverton, Devon is ‘the’ bridge.

…and then……… I made a new friend! Isn’t she BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!! This is just one of Graham’s much loved automobiles.

…and then a lovely ride back home on the train to Torquay.

Valentine’s Day 2017 will always hold a special place in my heart, for this was the day I met my ancestors and my Parnell Family history really came to life.

~ Bella

Sleeping Beauty – Torquay Pavilion

The Forgotten Torquay Pavilion

Sleeping peacefully on the shore in Torquay, Devon in the United Kingdom is a once magnificent building – the Torquay Pavilion.

Although it has been closed since 2015, this Sleeping Beauty has thus far had a very checkered life, first as a theatre, then an ice-skating rink, amusement park and shopping arcade…

Built in 1912, originally the lounges and cafe were all lined in oak and it was home to performances from many notables, including Sir Lawrence Olivier.

Saved from demolition in 1973 and now a Grade II listed building, it sleeps peacefully with its statues of Mercury reaching to the sky, awaiting someone with the passion, money and foresight to awake her from her slumber.

Devon Road Trip

What a FABULOUS day!!! Road trip from Torquay through Paignton, Chirston, Kingsweir, Dartmouth, Slaptop, Stokeham, Chillington, Charleton, Frogmore and Salcombe.

Historic Hastings Castle

A visit to Hastings Castle is not only interesting from an historical stand-point, it is also a tribute to the people who essentially uncovered it from being largely buried for centuries. While there is not a lot left of the Castle itself, what is there, and the video that has been put together, are definitely a must-see.

Will add more info later – here at least are the photos…

Victorian Era Cliff Railways

I love funicular railways and have even been on the world’s steepest in Tennessee. These lovely railways connect Hastings Old Town with the top of the cliffs where you find, among other things, historic Hastings Castle.

From Old Town Hastings, you can take the West-Cliff Railway up to the top – and from there it is a relatively short walk to Hastings Castle. Also, one of my favourite places to sit and work is the cafe at the top! Magnificent views, great food, terrific service… I love it! The line was opened in 1891 and the carriages still have a Victorian feel…

I will provide more information later – here at least are the photos…