Lunch on the 'English Riviera

A nice day for a cruise up the river Dart

Here is Connie and Kris at the port of Dartmouth - arriving by steam train from Paignton

What to do on another rainy, Devon day? Courtenay Park, across the street, is becoming a marsh.

We could walk to Forde House. The original part of this house is on the right side - the gabled roofs. This was a retreat owned by the Monastery, built in the 1100's. When the land was taken by Henry VIII and given to the Earl, the main house was built. In doing so, the entrance of the house now faced away from the estuary. Formerly, entry would be from a boat rowing up the Lemon.

This door and the coat of arms above it are still part of the original decor. It remains unchanged from before the Tudor Dynasty.

This 'private house', later called a privy has sat astride this stream for 200 years before indoor plumbing made it obselete.

Then there's the coastal town of Sidmouth with plenty of open beaches

Even a walk along the Devon Coast is called on account of rain..

Oh Well, might as well stay at home.....

Christmas Day was an appropriate time to visit some of the local churches; here is Highweek - overlooking Newton Abbot.

Boxing Day we drove to Bickford for a family dinner. The area is part of a church courtyard - the building now used as a house has been everything from a blacksmith to stable. The road immediately outside the front door was used by Cromwell as he drove Charles I from the throne.

Traditional Goose Dinner and a toast to the New Year with friends

Lake remains unimpressed throughout the meal. She's waiting for leftovers.

This 300 year old anchor boasts of Teignmouth's long existence. When this anchor was new, Teignmouth had existed under various names for hundreds of years.
Because it is at the mouth of the Teign Estuary, it has always been rich in fishing, but in earlier times, it was also a primary source of salt and clay mining.
Teignmouth underwent a renaissance in the Victorian era and began the long change from fishing to Holiday resort. The seafront now is choc-a-bloc with local B&B's but there are still fishing trawlers offshore where the local catch is taken to restaurants and markets all up and down the coast.

High Tide is beginning to reclaim the beach. Though the area is quiet now, during the summer it ifs filled with beach goers and bathers. There is enough of a curl for surfers to board.
For those not interested in swimming, there is a constant supply of shells washed in from the rich feeding grounds just offshore.

The local pier in Teignmouth has seen better days. Closed now for the winter, during the tourist season it hosts a small casino and amusement park. During its heyday there was a dance hall at the pier's end.
During WWII, the middle part of the pier had to be cut away. It was considered an ideal landing spot for enemy planes coming over from the Continent.

This was originally a Grand Ballroom when Teignmouth was a popular Victorian Holiday Spa. After many years of neglect, it will soon re-open as the riviera Cinema.
The land area in front is called The Den. Before Teignmouth became a Holiday spot, this area was the beach where the local boats would haul in to offload their catch and repair and lay out their nets to dry.

This is the last view of Teignmouth. It is The Triangle and was the original intersection for the beach and overland roads into town. The fountain was built in the 1800's.

From here we go to Newton Abbot - about 5 miles up the Teign Estuary.

The Maltings has been in Newton Abbot since the 1700's. This is the same building that was in use when the Railway came through and still has a siding, though no longer in use. It is here that the grains will be cleaned dried and packed for beer and ale production.

Just an example of where some of the finished product will go.

A number of breweries still depend on The Maltings for their beer and ale.

Notice the heavy wooden beams and cast iron columns capable of supporting a great amount of weight.

The floor above still holds malt as it dries and is raked by hand back and forth - before being milled, sifted, dried and finally sorted by grade into these sacks.

You can purchase your own specialty malt for brewing from the shop on the premises. And there is plenty of brew on tap.

The grain is now brought in by truck but a railroad siding still exists.

At the top left of the picture you can see the chute where product can be loaded onto trucks

Newton Abbot's first train station was built by Brunel for his Atmospheric Railway. This was the terminus. The Atmospheric Railway didn't last, but a station (this is the second) has stood on this site since. It is part of the main Penzance to London link on the Great Western.

The station is a 2 minute walk from Park House.

Beneath St. Leonard's tower, a local procession winds its way into town.

St. Leonard's Church tower has stood here since the Middle Ages. The roofline of what was the church itself is still visible.

Now the Public Library, this was originally an Engineering School.

The local cinema was originally part of the City Market. The building dates from the late 1800's and boasts two screens. You'd have to drive all the way to Paignton to find a bigger cinema.

This monument marks the spot where Portestant William of Orange and wife Mary (Stuart) kept England from falling back under Catholic rule.

These bootscrapers are found outside many homes here. They were standard when streets were unpaved and sidewalks non-existant.

St. Paul's Church was the original owner for the Parsonage.

Park House has served as a parsonage, a boarding shool, and headquarters for a local clay mining firm.

The Park outside the house - with the bandstand

Christmas 2006 in our house with Hun

This is our house we've lived in since June '06. Originally built in the 1860's as a parsonage, it has served many purposes, but it has been decades since it was used a residence. The land for the property was deeded by 'the Bountiful queen Anne' for the clergy poor. Land rent is 'one peppercorn per year if demanded'.

You can always expect to dress up on those days when you will be out at sea between ports of call.

This is outside the entrance to one of the theatres.

If the day had been clear, you would have seen the Teign estuary off in the distance. Hun, of course, is looking for sheep to shepherd.

According to records, nearly all visitors to Venice stay for only 8 hours. If you want to experience Venice, you should stay here for a few days. Wake up in the morning to the sounds of the boatmen calling out to each other as they manoeuvre around the canals in their boats delivering produce - everything has to be brought in and taken out by boat; food, refuse, furniture, even funeral processions.

And this is where we stayed while in Venice. The villa has been around since the 16th century.

It was home to the artist Favretto (I haven't heard of him either) - a Venice favourite.

The villa, like all Venice buildings, sits on wooden poles driven deep into the mud. Through the centuries, as this and all buildings have settled, humidity continually creeps up into the building itself. Many buildings have now abandoned their ground floors and live only in the upper levels.

Here is the view from our Hotel on The Grand Canal.