Cali World

[SkirtDude]

1 hour ago, at9 said:

I don't think we have bullet trains here in the UK. Their natural habitat is Japan. in France they have TGV (Trains a Grand Vitesse) and near identical technology is used on the Eurostar trains that run through the tunnel.

We now have the Siemens Class 374 Eurostar (think is 180mph +) and for services to the Kent Coast are the new Hitachi 'Javelin' trains (150mph)

London's a very diverse city, but there's a lot to see and do :) 

[Steve63130]

I highly recommend spending time in Scotland. Take at least a week. Go on a small tour bus to the Loch Lommand area; and to Loch Ness and Inverness. The Isle of Skye is spectacular. St. Andrews has lots of history and golf. And Edinburgh is a lovely city with lots of history, too. 

I have a high heel friend in Scotland who doesn't participate in forums, but he would probably be glad to meet with you. Shoot me a PM if you're interested and I'll contact him.

Steve

[Cali]

It's still too early to really plan anything other than rehearsal dinner. I need to find out if there is any family events planned after the wedding and to hear from my other (side) family there. I'm looking for ideas at this point in time.

[Cali]

Since it has been damp lately I have been wearing my Soda booties. Wish I had gotten a second pair when I could. Love this color.

[MackyHeels]

3 hours ago, Cali said:

Since it has been damp lately I have been wearing my Soda booties. Wish I had gotten a second pair when I could. Love this color.

Looks awfully familiar, except lack the authentic leather nubuck suede uppers . Great knockoffs otherwise same as my Rag & bone booties.

[HappyinHeels]

at9,

Well, from an American perspective, it is a bullet train compared to Amtrak. The speed of the train on the French side is 180mph/280kph which is flying compared to what you see here. Train travel in the USA is not fast, not cheap, and uninspiring for the most part. There are a few scenic railroads out West like the Durango-Silverton train in SW Colorado which I'e ridden twice and the Cumbres-Toltec railroad on the Colorado-New Mexico border. Travelling aross Canada by train is outstanding and there is one particular ride through Mexico's Copper Canyon considered to the best train ride in North America.

I distinctly remember looking out the window and watching the utility poles flying by as if I were passing someone's picket fence in a car going 80 mph/130kph. Each time a train would pass in the opposite direction it would tug at the train I was travelling on. A normal action + reaction but not a sensation one sees very often. The point is the tunnel's completion and very high speed train service actually allows one to leave London in the morning and spend the day in Paris and take the last train back. This is precisely what I did as I had a finite amount of time.

Cali,

I'm sure there are nooks and crannied the length of the British Isles worth exploring. Your task is to come up with a reasonable plan to see some of them. Maybe arrive via Heathrow and depart via some other airport perhaps Dublin or Paris. That may simplify your logistics. You'll figure it out. How far into the future is this trip??? HinH

[Shyheels]

Trains in Britain are a very mixed bag at best. While the Eurostar may blow the doors off Amtrak as far as speed does, it is also the exception. For a lot of our trains the schedules are actually running slower than they were in Victorian days. And that's assuming there's no industrial action, as there almost always is on Southern Rail (one of our many rail companies) Over here trains are cancelled because fallen leaves are on the tracks (I'm not kidding) or 'the wrong kind of snow' has fallen (again, not kidding - that's an exact quote from a railway exec after trains were cancelled a few years ago)

As to cost, I live 60 miles from London. An annual rail ticket from my town to London, as used by commuters going to work in the city, is over $US10,000  Again, not kidding...

 

Edited December 4, 2018 by Shyheels

[Steve63130]

What's the cost for a single return trip (round trip) from your town to London? Just curious, so when we visit you, I can budget the trip better.

:-)

Steve

PS. We won't be there this month! LOL

[Cali]

HinH - In and out through Heathrow, non-stop from/to San Jose. First hotel is the "wedding hotel" with reduced rates for a block of rooms. After that, unplanned.

[at9]

Cost depends on several things. Whether the time is peak or off-peak. Whether you book ahead online or just turn up at the station. The whole rail ticket pricing system in the UK is a horrible incoherent mess. One of the easy ways to find out trains times and ticket prices is:

https://www.thetrainline.com

[Cali]

Thanks at9, I try that when I get times and places I want to go to.

[blueparrot]

The monthly cost of a train/bus pass for the Dallas area is $96.00.  If you need to go farther to either Fort Worth or Denton it doubles that.  Daily pass is $6.00.  Before I was sacked my train trip was about 32 miles each way with a short bus ride at the work end.  It isn't real fast, as it takes a long time stopping at many stations along the way.  The freeways around here are jammed with traffic and one will need blood pressure medicine to cope with it, so finding a job that is near rail stations is a very good thing.  Most higher paying jobs are on the North side of Dallas while the affordable housing is on the South side where I live.  Dallas has one of the better rail systems in the USA.  Most cities this size have only a few lines (Phoenix has only one and it is quite limited in where it goes) but here there are the Red, Orange, Green, and Blue lines going off in different directions.  You can even ride from DFW Airport to downtown right from the terminal on the Orange Line.  Some of the suburbs refuse to allow any rail or bus service into or through their cities.  They cite crime as a reason but I suspect it is also economic/policital as they believe everyone should drive a car.  Arlington (where the Cowboys play) and Grand Prairie and two west of here that don't allow it.  The train to Fort Worth has to detour north to go around them. 

Cali, I have a pair of Michael Kors that look a lot like yours but without that strap.  Same color and heel almost identical. 

 

[Cali]

I was walk pass two women talking at a retirement party this afternoon. One woman asked the make of the boots the other had on. She said they were "Cathy Jean's" and was explaining that Cathy Jean was an now defunct store in the local (big) mall. As I walked by I said I have Cathy Jean boots (got them 2011). She couldn't understand how I could have a pair. Then I showed her the heels on the boots I had on.  My CJ's were a favorite pair, but they only have a 3 inch heel.

Edited December 5, 2018 by Cali

[Cali]

My plane tickets are purchased, 2 weeks in UK in May/June.  Plan to get a rail pass and use it. Centered out of south-of-London, I plan to take day trips and maybe a 4-5 day trip. 

Bath

Stonehenge (I think they don't let out if you don't go there)

Birmingham and Liverpool (family?)

Now where else should I go.

 

 

[at9]

You can visit Stonehenge but you can't get right up to the stones.

[HappyinHeels]

at9,

I've never visited Stonehenge so I don't know about the touch policy. I do remember when visiting the Great Pyramid and Sphynx in Egypt  you could still touch them. They changed that when they realised human skin oil was damaging the stone. Smart move! HinH

[Shyheels]

When I first visited Stonehenge, in '72, you could walk right in amongst the stones. Not anymore. You can still do that at the (equally, if not more haunting) ancient stone circles in the Hebrides and on Orkney. They are well worth the trip. And nowhere near the crowds.

Edited December 11, 2018 by Shyheels

[Cali]

10 minutes ago, Shyheels said:

ancient stone circles in the Hebrides and on Orkney

 They might be nice, but a wee bit too far.

Looking for places I can get to via rail.

Edited December 11, 2018 by Cali

[Shyheels]

The midges would be pretty nasty up there anyway that time of year. Britain is full of lovely places, depending on your interests - the Lakes District; Snowdonia (in Wales) and the imposing mediaeval castles at Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech; seaside villages in Cornwall...and on ad on

[Steve63130]

Take a train to Edinburgh. Lovely place to explore for a day. And have a wee bit o' Scotch! Have fun!

Steve

[Cali]

1 hour ago, Steve63130 said:

a wee bit o' Scotch

Only a wee bit?????

I've done a Kentucky Whiskey Tour when grad students brought in many whiskeys in mason jars to a conference after party.

[at9]

The UK has so much to see. From the world class mainstream museums, wonderful historic houses and landscapes preserved by the National Trust and English Heritage, to strange and wonderful places. One example that I've visited. It's totally mad, impossibly full of stuff and utterly wonderful: http://www.lolc.co.uk/

The real problem for a visitor is deciding what to leave out, as much as what to see.

PS: Just found that the little museum I've just praised is closed until further notice. I really hope it survives.

Edited December 11, 2018 by at9

[Cali]

Today I did my first shopping trip of the year. Went to the BIG mall, entered through the back door and found a parking within few steps of the front door.  Bought a replacement coat for one that was stolen.  Then bought a few presents and got a nice one for me. Then on to my main mission knee high leather boots with 4+ inch heels. Looked at the limit stuff at a few independent stores. Checked out the Steve Madden store, nothing new, then over to Aldos to exchange some pads. Checked out the boots, too.

Up next Macy's. Nice sale on some boots.

Tried on some size 10 Kors, black leather kh boots....too small and they only had that pair and a size 8.

I brought another boot up to get my size brought out, up it came back as out of stock. After the saleswoman was done with the other customer, she told me that she would go back and look. But in the mean time another woman picked up the display model and was trying it on. The saleswoman scanned the code and went back to look for it and the woman tried on the heel. I found the Jessica Simpson Rollin Platform Dress Boots in suede, see below. So I pick them up as well, the saleswoman found a pair of size 10 so I sat down to try them on and asked for size 10 of JS boots. The woman who was trying on the display boot came over to see what other sizes they had. While the saleswoman went to look for more boots, the woman chatted as I tried on the same boot she was looking at, to small. She liked the boots I had worn in, Madden Girl Motorcycle boots. Then I tried on the JS. She was telling me how she would fall off these. The JS was too tight as well. While we were talking, her 6-7 year son wandered over, standing about 10 feet away but staring at the boots I was trying on. He would stare at the boots, then me, then the boots, ...like crazy...LOL.

The saleswoman could find any other boots in her size, so she went back to where she was sitting to change into her boots.  When she left, holding her son's hand, he was still staring.  I wonder what she told him later.

 

[p1ng74]

Sounds like you had a fun time, but too bad you didn’t find conclusion to your main mission.  Keep looking and I hope you find one!

[Cali]

In the backyard sitting in the sun on a chilly (57 F) winter day.

Going to the beach later.

[Cali]

I'm on one of my 5 week vacations, skiing and working around the house, so I haven't been posting many pictures.  

Today I had a dentist appointment. The first thing the receptionist said after "good morning" was "let me see your nails" then she came out from behind her counter/desk and said, "what heels are you wearing today, I want to see."

"Boots" 

"Of course it raining, how high are they? Pull up your pants, I want to see the whole boot."

After showing her the boots, she told the new girl that "he always has the best nails and heels on."

When you "sit" in a dentist's chair with your head way back your heels are on display.

BTW, these are the boots I fly in most of the time, including international.

 

[Cali]

It not always heels. 

DIY day, inside while it rains outside.

Working on a ladder so have NB W630's, extremely light weight running shoes.

And since everybody has been showing their spots I wanted to show mine....LOL

Leopard print leggings.

[jeremy1986]

The running shoes are cute, @Cali -but I'd take the boots any day  

[HappyinHeels]

Cali,

Those boots are stunning and definitely something I would wear. I have a couple of boots similar to the bottom but not in that colour. Hmmm, so 57F was a cool day. I guess it's all relative. I went outside just now to see the lunar eclipse. The skies are crystal clear with a fresh blanket of 11" (27cm) of snow and the current temperature is -2F (-18C) so it is very crisp but very little wind. Sat in a lawn chair in my winter jacket while sipping a beer. The air has a very refreshing quality to it. Very much reminds me of where my dad grew up in Quebec. They always have about a metre (39 inches) of snow on the ground this time of year. I was NOT in any sandals.  HappyinHeels

[Cali]

The rain stopped and the clouds parted just in time for the eclipse.

HinH here's how I view temperatures (brrrrrrrr meter)

Cool is in the 50's

Crisp is in the 40's

Very Crisp is the 30's

Nippy is in the 20's

Cold is 5 to15

Very Cold -10 to 5

Butt-a$$ Cold is under -25

I've been all these temperatures in California.

Edited January 21, 2019 by Cali