Author: Sue Barnard

It is not everyday you meet someone who has climbed to the summit of Mount Everest. And it is even more rare to meet the climber who holds the Guinness World Record for climbing Everest in the fastest time. So one can appreciate how rarer still it is to have met the man who has also climbed Everest 15 times. Nepalese Sherpa Lhakpa Gelu broke the record in 2003, climbing the south side.

We had spent the morning driving 94 miles from Seattle to the Mount Rainier National Park to spend a couple of nights close by at a really nice wooden lodge with all mod cons. We decided to drop in at a local restaurant and upon leaving enquired why there were references to climbing Mount Everest and various clothing and equipment. It was then that the quiet and unassuming restaurateur told us that he had climbed Everest. When I asked how long it had taken, he was exacting with his timing – 10 hours, 56 minutes and 46 seconds. Lhakpa Gelu now lives in the US, keen that his children grew up with a good education. The life of a Sherpa is dangerous, and the more climbs that are carried out, the greater the dangers. It was an incredible chance meeting and without taking the opportunity to speak with others one never knows what interesting encounters one can have.

Our afternoon was spent in paradise. This could mean anything in this state with cannabis and marijuana being legal but actually, for us, it involved a visit to an area within the Mount Rainier National Park, named Paradise. And if this really is paradise there are parts of it I could happily spend an eternity in. Walking amongst wildflowers, looking at the incredible mountainous views and watching wildlife we had not seen before (including golden mantled ground squirrel, marmot and ptarmigan) were favourites. But if paradise is so darned hilly I want escalators added. Huffing and puffing up the mountainside only to climb down before going up again was not the gentle three hour stroll I was anticipating… but the views were incredible. We shall share some of the photos with you.

Our timing coincided with an abundance of wild plants in flower

Tomorrow we spend more time in this beautiful park.

Copyright: words and photos Sue Barnard 2019

Our main focus today was the Pike Place Market, about 10 minutes walk from our hotel and close to the waters edge of Elliott Bay. We had booked a culinary walking tour, which we find is a good way not only to learn about local cuisine, but also cultural and historic aspects. It is also good to meet tourists from other countries, and on this occasion there were 16 of us from different parts of America and from Holland.

Our introduction to the day was quite a shock. Our meeting point at Post Alley was in the middle of ‘Gum Wall’. This comprised two walls of the alley being covered in various colours of chewing and bubble gum. Whilst colourful from a distance, close up was the ugly truth of how it was formed.

We were told that the concept of sticking used gum to this wall started in the 1990s when patrons of the market theatre, in this stretch of Post Alley, were asked not to bring gum inside the building. Hence, they stuck the offending items on the wall outside before entering. A trend started for this behaviour. Coins were even placed on the top of each piece of gum at one stage to add a shiny finish, before someone came along and prised off the ‘lolly’. Attempts have been made to remove the offending items over the years, but as soon as the gum is removed, more gum is placed. It is now considered a tourist attraction.

Having come to terms with this, we headed with our food guide Joseph to a variety of food companies, mostly long-established family businesses. The market itself has quite a history having been in continuous operation since 1907 and in 1971 the seven-acre site was given official recognition and protection as a place of historical standing. Some changes have been made over the years, and especially to the wooden flooring which was becoming dangerously worn. To address this, sponsors were called upon to help replace the flooring with tiles. Each tile under the feet of today’s visitors has a sponsor’s name on it. Bizarrely, as John looked down he saw a sponsor with the same surname as his. What were the chances of this, especially for quite an unusual name?

We walked on, and found out that more than 300 companies and stall holders work out of this site. We tasted food from just a few each, it seems, has an interesting history. These included an 80 year old fish company whose owner set up the idea of ‘the flying fish’ whereby he threw fish through the air to a colleague at another part of the stall to speed up the sales transaction. We witnessed this today and by lunchtime there were so many onlookers that customers would find it hard to purchase. It was great for marketing, but we doubted the actual benefit for sales.

We watched cheese being made in big ‘baths’ at Beecher’s where we were able to taste 2 day old cheese curds; an 18 month aged hard cheese with a nice nutty flavour, and a really nice cheese sauce with pasta. The crowds lining up to purchase the cheese even at 10 am stretched right up the street, and this seemed to be typical of many of the most respected stall holders. The line outside Pike Place Chowder having clam chowder as one of its most popular dishes, stretched up the road and around the corner.

Starbucks too was popular with its shop in the marketplace considered its first outlet, but we were told this was in fact its fourth, but hey, who wants to disappoint the happy tourists taking their selfies outside?

My favourite of the day was Chuckar Cherries, whose owner inherited 8,000 cherry trees. Having such a number there was a need to find a way to preserve the fruit, but the aim was to do this without additives. A way was found, and today the company provides so many lovely and unusual cherry products many coated in chocolate, some with nuts, and with wine. From having a simple but quickly perishable fruit the company has developed an interesting and unusual range. Sadly it is not available in the UK, so we will just have to enjoy them while we are here!

Tomorrow we hit the road, heading to Mount Rainier.

Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2019

He’s a little shy but we felt it is an appropriate time to introduce everyone to Little Ted. He’s been travelling with us for four years and always gets into our photos, but to date he has been low key when it comes to social media. The thing is, he made such a hit with the BA staff today that we thought it was time to introduce him and share the photos with you.

The crew on the flight from Heathrow to Seattle were so taken by him that they took him to visit the cockpit and meet the Captain and First Officer, tour the First Class lounge and they even made a Superhero Ted outfit for him while he was away from us. They also showered him with a range of gifts and gave him his own travelling logbook.

I was a big hit with Customer Services Manager Shelagh

This is me with Simon and Nichola. We are on first names you know

Time to take control of the controls

I am now the proud owner of my Skyflyers logbook and 100 years BA celebration badge. Even my mum and dad don’t have these

So what did Little Ted make of all this fuss? He confided: “I had a super time away from my parents. I think I should travel First Class in future. The BA staff have given me a taste for it.”

Will you grace our travel blog with your presence in future LT? “Hmmm, that depends on what exciting plans my parents have for me. I am new to this social media thing, so it also depends on how many ‘likes’ I get for my appearance today. Do you think they will like me mom?” I’m sure they will love you Little Ted. Goodness, we haven’t even reached the US and he is taking on Americanisms.

Meanwhile his mum and dad had a good trip out, despite the threatened strikes and are much looking forward to their days in Seattle before heading to the west coast and south to San Francisco.

Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2019

It is said that lightening does not strike twice. I shall let you into a secret. It does!

Those who have been watching our blog over the past year will recall that our historic trip to the area we had read so much about – the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic – was abandoned after 24 hours afloat. We had hit the rocks – quite literally. Years of searching for such a trip, to follow in the wake of Sir John Franklin and his lost ships the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, had ended as soon as we had completed the mandatory safety procedures.

This was rather more realistic to the fate of Franklin’s ships than we had anticipated. Franklin set sail from England in 1845 and never returned. His ships were not found until 2014 and 2016, with the help of the company we were due to sail with. Our grounding resulted in the Canadian Coastguard sending a Hercules aeroplane on a 9 hour flight to locate us, and a sister ship coming to the rescue taking the crew 24 hours to reach us.

But we got back safe and sound apart from the obvious disappointment. Endless email exchanges over the months followed and we managed to reschedule the trip for this month. A big sigh of relief all round, for us, the organisers and agents who had their work cut out sorting this logistical nightmare – and they did a fine job too.

We geared up for our adventure again… until we received an email a month ago to be told that two of the company’s leased ships had been withdrawn by order of the Russian Government, and would not be sailing. More logistical nightmares for the companies and us.

Our flights were booked. If we cancelled we would lose them. Do we cut and run or see what we might do to salvage the situation? We chose the latter, flying to Seattle and returning two weeks later. But what to do in between? An impromptu trip to the Destinations Show earlier this year had resulted in us talking to US travel expert, Vacations to America. A call to this company helped secured a trip we probably would never have planned. A route was drawn together in a matter of hours to fit within our fixed flights.

The result… we will be driving 1,200 miles from Seattle to San Francisco covering some beautiful landscapes, national parks, coastlines and small towns, before flying back to Seattle for our scheduled flight home.

So lightening does strike twice in theory and we are hoping it will not be accompanied by a thunderbolt in the form of the threatened Heathrow strikes this week. We will keep you posted.

We went to prison today. Dartmoor. Luckily our ‘porridge’ was short term, a few hours. Others are not so fortunate. This was Dartmoor Prison Museum next to what was considered the most notorious prison in the UK. Famous residents have included Frank Mitchell the Mad Axeman, and George Haigh the Acid Bath Murderer.

Our first sighting of Dartmoor was a large grey granite building in the distance, somewhat uncomfortably situated within the beauty of Dartmoor’s National Park with its rolling heather-clad hills. First thoughts were of a Victorian workhouse.

It started life as a site to house prisoners of the Napoleonic War (POWs) who were being accommodated offshore on prison ships. When the conditions were considered unacceptable it was decided that a prison should be built and Dartmoor was ideally situated near the sea. Some prisons throughout the world have been built by inmates, but this was not the case with Dartmoor which involved local contractors. The prison we see today started life in 1806, but it was not until 1850 that domestic convicts were housed. This was because until this time many of our convicts were sent to Australia and other far off lands, but when such countries started to refuse to take any more, alternative solutions had to be found.

Stories of riots, great escapes and contraband abound. During a 1932 riot the governor was reported to have said: ‘This class of prisoner here is the worst I have ever had to deal with’, largely as a result of disagreements between two gangs.

One of the well publicised escapes was that of Frank Mitchell the Mad Axeman. He was sprung from prison with the alleged help of the Kray twins, but once outside was found to be ‘Too hot to handle’. His tall size made it difficult to disguise him. It is reported that he was very quickly despatched (within 11 days of his escape). His body was never found and lack of evidence resulted in no charges.

Today Dartmoor is a category C prison, for inmates not considered a high escape risk. It was downgraded from category B (high escape risk) in 2001 because permission to improve security was refused at this Grade II listed building.

What surprised me very soon on arrival at the museum was the examples of inmate creativity. When incarcerated creative work seems to be a form of escapism. Way back in the times of the POWs, prisoners were creating small domino sets from beef bone; bracelets from human or horse hair; and boxes from cut paper work. Today this continues with paintings, woodwork and metalwork. Unfortunately, some are creative in other ways. Many examples of weapons were on display and escape items such as the knotted sheet.

One exhibit was the smallest working mobile phone I have ever seen, about 2.5 inches long and less than an inch wide. It is described as being appropriately shaped to be tucked away in the smallest of orifices. Various seller websites describe it being able to clear ‘the BOSS chair’. The Body Orifice Security Scanner is in the shape of a chair, upon which prisoners sit in order to detect drugs and metal in bodily parts others would not care to probe.

Images today are limited as photography inside the museum is prohibited for security issues. However, I am sure there are many inmates who said upon leaving: ‘You’re welcome to HM Prison Dartmoor ‘.

Copyright: words and photos: Sue Barnard 2019

**A technical hitch yesterday may have led to duplicate emails. Apologies. We don’t know if it was a web issue or a slow WiFi problem. Formatting was also affected. The correct view can be seen on the following link: https://timetocompletethebucketlist.com

Our visit to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Rosemoor garden today was timely. Yesterday saw the launch of a new section within the site and it was impressive to see it in all its glory.

The Cool Garden has been introduced to provide visitors with ideas of how to work with nature, and in this case water. Devon is often affected by heavy rainfall so it is appropriate that this topic is being addressed at Rosemoor.

The design, by Chelsea gold medalist Jo Thompson, takes an abundance of water through the garden via falls, to attractive rills and onto teardrop-shaped pools. What is lovely is its pristine look, with lots of cleanly cut slate walls, clear water falls, and plants in colourful bloom. We were particularly impressed by the permeable resin-bound gravel walkways. If water falls on the firm, flat path it simply seeps through. How it does this is a mystery as the paths look solid.

The planting is in cool whites, blues, yellows and greys. This is in sharp contrast to the nearby ‘garden room’ of hot colours. But we will let the photos do the talking.

However, our favourite plant name for the day is:

Copyright: words and photos, Sue Barnard 2019

A chance meeting at an event in London last year led to our morning visit today. We headed just a few minutes walk from where we were staying to The National Lobster Hatchery, Padstow, to meet Business Development Officer Clare Stanley who arranged for us to have a behind the scenes tour. Clare and I had been attending a shellfish workshop.

The hatchery was set up in 2000 when fisherman Eddy Derriman recognised the vulnerability of the lobster fishing industry. In Norway stocks crashed in the 1950s-1960s. Where once annual catches were more than 1,000 tonnes, today it is around 30 tonnes. Stocks simply have not re-established. In the 1980s-1990s stocks in Cornwall were declining and some in the industry realised something needed to be done for long-term survival.

Eddy Derriman started researching and decided to set up a hatchery. Its aim was to produce and release baby lobsters in an effort to enhance and protect Cornwall’s stocks, as well as to carry out vital research and education. Four years of hard work led to charitable status. In 2016 he received an MBE for marine conservation.

To protect our fish stocks the industry has a Minimum Landing Size (MLS) for each species. A lobster’s carapace (best described as the shell at its neck area) must be more than 90mm. This enables younger lobsters to grow and reproduce before being caught. Those less than this size must be returned to the sea. Those above this size can be landed, and with eggs if they are carrying them. But this is where the hatchery steps in. It is in the interest of the industry to pass these females to the hatchery, which will hold them in tanks until the eggs are hatched, and then return the adult lobster to those who have landed them. These tanks are aptly named the ‘maternity ward’. Each female can lay up to 35,000 eggs. It is estimated that just 1 in 20,000 newborn lobsters survive in the wild – they are eaten by predators, including their own kind. In the hatchery around 1 in 20 survive.

Here we watched as newborn lobsters swam towards a light and into a new tank. The babies are ‘positively phototactic’, which means they naturally head to the light, just like moths do. They start feeding straightaway, either consuming very fine high protein feed provided in the tanks, or each other. Two-day old lobsters (about half a centimetre long) were intent on eating each other in front of our eyes. That’s nature.

In the first month the lobsters go through great bodily changes, before they look like the lobster shapes we are familiar with. At this stage they are moved to individual containers, by hand.

This involves thousands of baby lobsters. Here they are grown on until reaching around 25mm long (about 3 months old) when they will be able to defend themselves more effectively. These juveniles are then released onto the seabed, their natural habitat at this stage, assisted by divers or via tubes from boats.

As a charity relying solely on donations the hatchery has developed many creative ways to raise much needed finance. Some local restaurants run a ‘Buy one, set one free’ scheme where customers who purchase lobster from the menu are asked to donate £1 which helps pay for the release of a lobster from the hatchery. One restaurant alone has raised £37,000 in three years. Other supporters include beer and wine companies making donations from sales. Even wedding favours can now include an ethical way to remember the day with an ‘Adopt a lobster’ scheme for just £4 each.

Today much research continues. PhD students are actively engaged in genetics research, environmental conditions, and the possibility of tracking in the wild to help further knowledge of this species.

A most interesting visit and our thanks to Clare and the team.

Nice view from the office, Camel estuary

Copyright: words and photos, Sue Barnard 2019

Fish. If we weren’t watching it, we were cooking it, or eating it. Today was our much looked-forward to visit to Rick Stein’s Cookery School in Padstow. We were to spend the day on a fish and shellfish course and it did not disappoint.

Rick Stein opened his seafood school 20 years ago, primarily to provide his chefs at The Seafood Restaurant with intensive training in preparing and cooking the fruits of the sea. The lecturers were all highly experienced personnel working at his establishment. Within a short time he decided to offer some courses for aspiring cooks and such has been the success that today its prospectus is packed with one, two and four day courses, half days and evenings throughout the year. To be commended is that courses are offered to primary and secondary school pupils, with the hope they will be inspired to cook and eat a wide range of fish. Their dishes alone include hake en papilloma (for 8-12 year-olds), and monkfish with crab linguine (for 13-17 year-olds). Central to the teaching is that all techniques and recipes are based on those used in the restaurant.

Our day started with the reassuring ’elf and safety advice. This was important when working in a real industry kitchen with 14 students new to the environment and each other. Tips such as not catching a knife if it is falling or if carrying a knife hold it down at arms length and with the sharp edge backward. Fortunately, we all took heed and nobody was injured in the making of this event.

The format taken was that a recipe was demonstrated by chefs Sam or Aarron then, working in twos, we prepared the dish ourselves. It was interesting to note that John and I were the only couple, and that there was an equal balance of men to women. Most others were men or women attending on their own. Some of the men had received the event as a present from their partners, and had been cooking for several years.

Our recipes created during the day were:

But it was the techniques we learned, or honed, that were especially helpful such as filleting; a quick method of de-veining prawns; preparing and cleaning scallops; checking the freshness of clams, cleaning and cooking them; and working as a team within an industrial kitchen. Advice was also given about buying fish and recommended suppliers.

What was impressive was that nothing was wasted in this establishment (despite what we hear in the media about the industry in general). Every part of the fish not used, and all vegetable pieces, were set aside for stock, reflecting an efficiently run business.

If we worked well we were told that wine would follow in the afternoon. We did as we were told and indeed the wine did flow. Of course, it would have been rude to decline the hospitality. It was a brilliant day and we came away enthused, if not somewhat tired after a non-stop day.

Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2019

Six and a half hours on the road and I swore that I would never travel to Cornwall again, at least not by car. Traffic jam followed traffic jam with little light relief, and service stations were packed to bursting….

However, I surprised myself how quickly I could change my mind when the door to our accommodation was opened. What a delight! We have come to the South-West of England to enjoy a cookery course at Rick Stein’s in Padstow, combining this with some sightseeing and relaxation around the town, before heading back via a few days in Devon.

I shall let the photos do the talking.

This says it all

Looks like a picture postcard, but it is for real. A view from our room.

Tea for two

Toiletries designed by Mrs Stein

A hamper just in case we get hungry at night

A little midnight reading

A view of our accommodation (just a room, not the lot!)

Lovely hydrangea

I could go on as there are so many photogenic views, but I cannot pass by some images from our meal this evening at Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant. What a treat.

This has proved to be a good start to our trip. We look forward to what tomorrow at the cookery school will bring.

Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2019

Romania offered so much more than we had expected, which had been based, predominantly, on attention-grabbing headlines over the years. This was a beautiful country in terms of mountainous, flat, and green landscapes. The architecture was a surprising mix of Baroque, Gothic and Renaissance buildings, plus many occupied or derelict Communist structures. The painted monasteries and churches were breathtaking.

But what of the three aspects I had considered in my initial blog – the orphanages, Ceaușescu, and the Roma people? I was told that those orphanages have long since gone, much improvements have been made, and fostering is a favoured route today. However, some reports online make for uncomfortable reading.

Discussion about the end of Communism was interesting. While many say they would not want to go back to those times, there are some who think otherwise arguing that at least they had a job, an income and their family members were within the country. Since the 1990s the population has dropped from 23 to 19 million; those leaving Romania for a perceived better life often do not return.

Regarding the Roma people they appear to face the same issues as in the UK. There are estimated to be around 630,000 people, around 3% of the population, but some sources consider this to be higher. During the Communist time attempts had been made to settle families and some of those areas remain today.

Generally what we saw was a prosperous country. There was no shortage of cars, many of the big brands were there including Lidl, Renault, H&M, C&A, KFC, Zara and many more. Unemployment figures are generally low at around 3% but this hides a disparity in parts of the country especially where some large industries have closed.

Friends have asked whether we were on a group holiday. We were – booked through a UK travel company in the usual way, but specialist companies might be an option too. Wildlife and horse riding trips can also be provided, and some operators offer overnight stays in pensions and ‘live ins’ with families. Our tour involved a lot of road travel, but this did give us an insight into village life, the architecture, the plains and their agriculture, the mountains and ski resorts. However, if possible avoid times of religious festivals as sites get extremely busy. Prices were favourable at around half of those in the UK. A starter, main meal and drink of good quality usually came to around £22 for two people.

Romania offered far more than we anticipated and I am sure we only touched the surface. The local people were friendly, and our group’s cohesion made for a most pleasant tour. Amazingly some of our fellow travellers knew one of John’s colleagues from the aviation insurance market.

Copyright: words and photos Sue Barnard 2019