dancing in the street

Friday 11 September

Hondarrubia, Espana


Well there we were, resigned to the leaving of San Sebastian and a long 8 1/2 hour return drive to Penestin with the sun scorching down.  But . . . we found this gem of a town, Hondarrubia, just before leaving France and stopped for lunch - right at the tail end of their annual festival!

Great Alpine type houses and cafes (well Pyrenean type really I suppose - ha ha) - and so strange, but so beautiful, right next to the sea.  You can even spot an open air escalator right in the middle of the town!!! Amazing!!

There were loads of flags out for the Festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

I found this out about the festival:

The main festivity of Hondarribia takes place between the 7th and the 11th of September in honour to the patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe.The biggest celebration within the festivity is called the "Alarde" which occurs on September 8th. The Alarde is a military procession held to celebrate the vows made to the Virgin of Guadalupe in 1639 in gratitude for breaking the siege imposed on the town by French troops.However, the Alarde is just one of many activities taking place during those five days in Hondarribia, since there are also concerts, Basque dance, Basque sport exhibitions, activities for children and much more.

We discovered there was going to be dancing in one of the squares that evening for the final night of the fiesta and it was a hard to draw ourselves away . . .

and all this so close to France - that's Biarritz just across the estuary!  

MUST return here some day for a longer stay.

And now you can read about our weekend back in France - just click here.

Or if you'd rather start at the beginning of the holiday, then click here

I saw three ships

So we start the adventure squashed into the back of AJ's car loaded with duvets and pillows, zooming over the Pennines on a dark Sunday night in May to gather with the rest of the family at Grandma's for the Cunard weekend, you can read all about it here on the Cunard website - Three Queens salute Liverpool

but not before we catch the midnight fun at Wallasey Town Hall - crowds on the prom waiting for the firework display to kick off the weekend

such a great atmosphere - and the dark Mersey ever flowing below

We glimpse the first of the Queen Cunarders, safely moored outside the Liver Building and awaiting her two sister ships tomorrow

and we're treated to the fireworks at last - OOOOs and Ahhhhs all round

and now flash forward to the next morning - the Cunarders assembled for battle, armed with tasty flat whites, at Woodside.

and securing a spot right under that magnificent Art Deco ventilation shaft for the Birkenhead Tunnel.  Great article here on the architecture of the Mersey Tunnel too.

we patiently await (and no, that's not Tilly with binoculars on David's shoulder!!)

First comes the lovely Razzle Dazzle ferry - here was my earlier piece when we first spotted 'Snowdrop' a few months ago - Razzle Dazzle

Followed by the proud little pilot boat

getting closer and closer

then the first of the Queens (I now have no idea which was which - sorry!!)

but they were pretty impressive

especially as they danced and turned in tight circles around eachother

Some pretty good pics and video footage here, so you get the picture:  LIverpool Echo coverage

But finally hunger called - and we dived under the River . . .

to Liddypool and the wonderful Bluecoat cafe, for a pretty good nosh

And then we were loose on the streets

ambling back to Lime Street for J's train

only to find total chaos and queues

but finally, mission completed

and we were off back to meet up with the crew - via a quick sample of the new Liverpool city bikes

and here was a lovely little Pixie I know . . .

and yours truely

This is the other Mersey Tunnel ventilation shaft on t'other side.  Someone's done a brilliant blog piece on the Mersey tunnel if you're interested:  Wonders of the World: The Mersey Tunnel

A final glimpse of one of the ships

before everyone headed home.

And a wonderful whirlwind day it was.  All tired, all happy.

remembering

Lovely day on Saturday - taking Mum to St Nick's to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of VJ Day.  She'd been on a special invite list, being local and also having been enlisted in the forces all those years ago.

As we approached the church the rain dried up and the sun peeped through

and that's the first time I've been piped in anywhere - felt very important!

Interesting to remember being told that my great grandfather James Waugh was the organist of St Nicolas Church, many moons ago. History of the church to read here with a lovely etching showing ships on the river just in front.  St Nick's is more or less opposite the Liver Building.

The service was lovely and the singing of 'Praise my Soul the King of Heaven' was really rousing with just about everyone in full voice.
As we left the church, Mum had a lovely chat with Dame Lorna Muirhead, Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside and we spotted the sweet little regimental pony!!

 But the day was far from over - our chauffeur awaited to whisk us away for lunch . . .

 so it was bye bye to St Nick's

and off down the Strand in the sun - that Mum remembers so well being flattened in the blitz - the morning she had to report to her smouldering office as usual.

And off past Liverpool Cathedral to Hope Street and the great little 60 Hope Street restaurant (with it's very own super lambanana)

to sample their lunch for the first time.  And totally delicious it was.

 even down to the choc/orange pud Mum and I both chose.

So a lovely, poignant but happy day. And it got Mum and I to thinking about Dad, also conscripted, when he sailed off to India in August 1945 with the army and the war was declared ended before they arrived.  I wondered if he'd sailed from Liverpool, right in the shadow of St Nick's where we'd been today.  Mum didn't know - he hadn't been able to tell anyone at the time - that was the way it was.  
So tonight I got out his Indian journal, which he had re-written up for his first grandchild - to see.  And, yes, he set sail 70 years ago from very close to where we'd all been this morning!!

extract from the first page . . .

and Dad could see the Liver clock as he set sail, presumably from Prince's Dock . . . .

So a bit of writer's liberty here, as he wasn't off to California - but you get the picture ....

the hundred

So this was another adventure with our nonagenarian, back in a still sunny September

and another place on the Wirral I'd never been to in my life before!
The priory grounds have been restored recently and you can read more about the history in this great blog - Birkenhead Priory

natually we climbed the tower . . .









and peeked over to Cammel Laird's on this side of the mighty Mersey and the Pier Head on t'other

and in the Priory museum, we remembered about the Wirral Hundred where I was born!

We were just about to leave when one of the curators invited us up some old stone steps to the HMS Conway Chapel - a real gem and just fascinating! 

especially as Mike so vividly remembered as a child when the Conway was grounded, and then in later years caught fire, in the Menai Straits - read the story here

And to our amazement there was a massive link with the once Poet Laureate - John Betjeman - who served on the HMS Conway for serveral years after leaving school.  This is one of his poems, lesser known than 'Sea Fever' but all about the Conway tradition that seagulls are the returning spirits of cadets who have crossed the bar.

Such an interesting day!!