A-Z Blogging Challenge - Berlin

Berlin is one of my favourite cities, mainly because it evokes so many different periods of its history. The first time I went there was not long after the infamous wall came down, and there was a marked contrast between the East and West sectors of the city. The western sector, especially around the Kurfurstendam, was vibrant and modern, with fashion shops, restaurants, and hotels. Even here, however, was a reminder of Berlin’s past, with the spire of the Kaiser Wilhelm Church, damaged by Allied bombing during World War 2, which had been retained as a memorial hall.

In what had been the communist east, the buildings were drab, especially the grey-brown blocks of apartments which had been built for the working class. Even the famous ‘Unter den Linden’ avenue was almost deserted, and Potsdamer Platz, once the social and shopping hub of pre-war Berlin, was said to be the biggest building site in Europe.

 

The pre-war buildings had been reduced to rubble by bombing raids in World War 2, and the huge open square was left derelict, as it contained the border between the east and west sectors of the city. After 1961, the Berlin Wall was built right across the square. Only after the fall of the Wall in 1989 did any new building start, and now Potsdamer Platz contains many new office buildings, shops, restaurants, and entertainment complexes.

One of the most well known places of the ‘Cold War’ was Checkpoint Charlie, the only place in the city where foreigners and member of the Allied Forces could cross into the eastern sector. One member of our tour group had served in the RAF and was based near Berlin. He told us how they used to go through the checkpoint to various restaurants in the eastern sector. It was the first time he had been back to Berlin since the wall came down, and he stood wide-eyed watching the traffic now flowing freely along Friedrichstrasse, and said, “I can hardly believe what I’m seeing.” The line of the wall is marked by a double row of cobblestones.

The site of Checkpoint Charlie in the 1990s with the original sign
and East German watchtower (on the right)

On my first visit to the checkpoint, the original East German watchtower was still there, but that has now been demolished, and the ‘guardhouse’ in the centre of the street is a copy of the original. The nearby museum, ‘Haus am Checkpoint Charlie’ contains a mass of fascinating information about the Wall, including details of escapees hidden in cars and being smuggled through the checkpoint.

A-Z Blogging Challenge - and A is for Amsterdam

Another April (don't they come around quickly?) and time for another A-Z Blogging Challenge, thanks to Arlee Bird and his team.
This is the 4th year I've taken part, and, since in previous years people seem to have enjoyed my blogs about different places, I've decided this year's A-Z will cover other places (mostly in mainland Europe) which I've visited, some only one, some several times.

So - here goes: A is for Amsterdam

My first visit to the city was as one of the leaders of  a school group (of 12-15 year olds) back in the 1970s. Main thing I remember is a canal cruise in the evening, which went through part of the Red Light district. Most of the teenagers were fairly wide-eyed at the sight of women leaning out of red-lit windows – except for a group of 4 boys, all aged about 13, who had spent most of the trip to the Netherlands playing cards. Even on the sight of the scantily clad women couldn’t drag them away from their card game!

A few years later, I took my car over to Holland, one of the only times I have driven on the ‘wrong’ side of the road. We stayed at a seaside town, but one day decided to be brave and drive into Amsterdam. I had the route into the city planned in my mind, but unfortunately, there were road works on the main road that should have taken me right into Dam Square, and traffic was diverted. As with many diversions, the signs didn’t help, and eventually I decided that a narrow street might take me to Dam Square. Only after I’d turned into it did I realise I was driving the wrong way up a one-way street. Fortunately, no traffic was coming the other way, but when I got to the end, there was a policeman directing traffic. He obviously saw my car’s British number plates and grinned as he gave a shrug, then stopped all the other traffic, and with a sweeping movement of his arm, waved me into Dam Square.

On another visit to the city, my purse (wallet) was stolen. I think it may have been in a souvenir shop, although I didn’t discover the loss until later. My friend and I then had to ask for directions to a police station (where I needed to report the theft for insurance purposes). This involved a trip on a crowded tram where we had to ask people to tell us when we reached the police station – which turned out to be the city’s police headquarters. After all the hassle, though, we did get to meet the most gorgeous blond-haired and white-uniformed police officer, who was most sympathetic, but obviously couldn’t do anything about the theft apart from give me an official report to submit to my travel insurance company.

 

I’ve been to Amsterdam several times since then – seen the canals frozen over on a New Year’s Day and visited the Van Gogh Museum, but maybe my most abiding memory is of the Anne Frank Haus on Prinsengracht. The rooms where the family hid were much smaller than I’d expected, and it was hard to imagine eight people living there for two years.

Anne Frank house

50% discount on two of my books this week!

As part of Read an E-Book Week, my publisher has reduced two of my novels to half price - and half of $3.99 means they are only $1.99 until March 8th. Just quote the code REW50 at checkout.

Changing the Future
Lisa Marshall is stunned when celebrated volcanologist Paul Hamilton comes back into her life at the college where she now teaches. Despite their acrimonious break-up several years earlier, they soon realise the magnetic attraction between them is stronger than ever. However, the past is still part of the present, not least when Paul discovers Lisa has a young son. They can’t change the past, but will it take a volcanic eruption to help them change the future?
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/161712

 

Dream of Paris
Anna Richards has a dream of going to live and study in Paris, but when Matthew Carlton comes into her life, her dream changes direction.
Attraction sparks between them, but Matt’s behaviour is strangely inconsistent. Anna is shocked when she discovers the reason and is sure there is no future for them.
Can Paris work its magic and make her dream come true?
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/283149

'Irish Inheritance' - now released!

'Irish Inheritance' was released yesterday as an e-book by my fantastic publisher, Rebecca J. Vickery!

Here's the 'blurb':

English actress Jenna Sutton and American artist Guy Sinclair first meet when they jointly inherit a house on the west coast of Ireland. Curious about their unknown benefactress and why they are considered as ‘family’, they discover surprising links to the original owners of the house.

They soon unravel an intriguing tale of a nineteenth century love affair. At the same time, their mutual attraction grows, despite personal reasons for not wanting romantic involvements at this point in their lives.

A local property agent appears to have her own agenda concerning the house while other events pull Jenna and Guy back to separate lives in London and America. Friction builds over their decision about the house and its contents.

Will their Irish inheritance eventually drive them apart — or bring them together?

And here, to whet your appetite, are the first two pages:

"A house in Ireland?" Jenna Sutton stared over the mahogany desk at the lawyer. "Someone I've never heard of has left me a house in Ireland?"
The white-haired lawyer peered over his steel-rimmed spectacles. "A half share of the house, Ms. Sutton. Along with a half share of what, at current exchange rates, amounts to approximately fifty thousand pounds."
Jenna shook her head and swiped several strands of her hair back behind her ear. "I don't understand, Mr. Moore. Why would this Helena – what did you say her name was?"
"Miss Helena Keating."
"Why has she left me a house and twenty-five thousand pounds? How does she even know about me?"
"Ms. Sutton, I can only give you the information passed to me by the law firm of Daniel McGrath in Dublin. We were instructed to find any descendants of James Oliver Sutton—"
"My grandfather."
"Yes, and as far as we can ascertain, you are his sole descendant. I understand your father died in an automobile accident about twenty years ago. My condolences."
"Thanks, but I was six when he died and only have some vague memories of him." She frowned. "Do you know what the link is between this woman and my grandfather?"
"That wasn't part of our instructions."
"Have you any information about her?"
Mr. Moore pushed his glasses back up his nose and flipped through the papers in the blue manila folder on his desk. "Miss Keating was born in 1920 in County Galway, Ireland, and died last year in Dalkey, near Dublin, where she has lived since 1940."
"So she was—" She did a quick calculation in her head. "About fifteen years older than my grandfather."
The lawyer picked up another sheet of paper. "Yes, he was born in April, 1936."
"I wasn't aware he knew anyone in Ireland, and I'm pretty sure he never went over there. He lived his whole life in a small village in Kent."
She couldn't imagine her grandfather being anyone's toy boy either. He'd been devoted to her grandmother. So what on earth was his connection with this Irish woman?
Another thought occurred to her, and she looked at Mr. Moore again. "You said I had a half share of the house and the fifty thousand pounds." Even saying the words seemed surreal. She hadn't yet wrapped her mind around what the money meant. "Who gets the other half?"
"I'm sorry, Ms. Sutton. I don't have that information. The Dublin law firm is dealing with the estate. Our job was simply to—"
"Yes, okay, to find the descendants of my grandfather."
"I'm sure Mr. McGrath will be able to tell you more when you meet him in Dublin."
"When I meet him in— Whoa, who says I'm going to meet him?"
"Mr. McGrath has suggested an appointment at two-thirty on May 10th, to be followed by a visit to the house the next day."
"May 10th? That's—" Another quick calculation. "That's next Tuesday."
"Yes. Will that be a problem? I would be more than happy to contact your employer and request leave of absence for you."
"Erm... Well, I'm an actress and – and kind of between jobs at present, so I don't have an employer."
"I see." The lawyer cleared his throat, and Jenna had the impression she might as well have said she was a nightclub stripper. "That simplifies matters, of course."
She chewed her bottom lip. Not really, but maybe Charley would lend her the money for a quick trip to Dublin.

Irish Inheritance available on Amazon
USA http://amzn.to/1fN5uWx $2.99
UK http://amzn.to/MYJOND £1.87
Also on Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/405113

'Irish Inheritance' - Dalkey

I’m continuing to feature some of the places that appear in my soon to be published new novel ‘Irish Inheritance’ –and today we're in Dalkey with Jenna and Guy.

Dalkey is now considered  to be a suburb of Dublin, but it was originally a town in its own right and still retains a ‘small town’ feel about it.

 

 

Its main street houses a variety of shops, serving both the locals and the tourists. There are plenty of pubs and restaurants too.

 

Originally founded as a Viking settlement, Dalkey became an important port during the Middle Ages, and there are still two harbours in use today. Bulloch Harbour is the larger of the two, but Coliemore Harbour is more picturesque with its view of Dalkey Island.

Dalkey Island, now uninhabited, apart from a herd of wild goats, was first occupied in the Stone Age. There are the ruins of a 9th century church which was probably abandoned when the Vikings used the island as their base. Today the island’s most striking feature is the Martello Tower, one of several erected along this part of the Irish coastline by the British Admiralty in the early 19th century, as part of the defence system against the threat of a Napoleonic invasion.

Dalkey once had seven castles, built in the 15th century as fortified townhouses. Only two still exist, and one of them (Goat Castle) dominates the northern end of the main street. It now contains the local heritage centre, and ‘Living History’ presentations take place during the summer months, with actors portraying maids and merchants, and describing life in the castle in the past.

Dalkey boasts a long list of famous people who have at some point made their homes here, from George Bernard Shaw and James Joyce in the late 19th/early 20th century, to modern musical stars like Bono, Enya, Chris de Burgh, and Van Morrison. An area south of the town, overlooking Killiney Bay, is home to the mansions bought by some of these millionaires. But then, who wouldn’t want a view like this from their house?

Killiney Bay, south of Dalkey, is sometimes compared to the Bay of Naples – and, according to some, is better than the Bay of Naples!

"Irish Inheritance" - The Wicklow Mountains

I’m continuing to feature some of the places that appear in my soon to be published new novel ‘Irish Inheritance’ –and today we're travelling through the Wicklow Mountains with Jenna and Guy.

The Wicklow Mountains form the largest upland area in Ireland. They occupy the centre of County Wicklow, and extend over its border into the counties of Carlow, Wexford, and Dublin. The highest mountain is just over 3,000 feet, and several river systems have their source here. The upland areas consist mainly of blanket bog and heathland.

The mountains have been inhabited since Neolithic times, and several passage tombs can still be found in the area. After the English invasion in the 12th century, the mountains became a stronghold and hiding place for Irish clans who were opposed to English rule. They also harboured rebels during the 1798 Rising. At the start of the 19th century, the ‘Wicklow Military Road’ was constructed (and still used today as the R115 road). It runs for about 36 miles from north to south across the spine of the Wicklow Mountains, and was intended to make it easier for the British Army to seek out rebels and keep control of the area.

Four barracks were built along the road, including this one at Glencree, which housed 100 soldiers, from 1806 until the 1850s. The buildings later became a reform school for 300 boys, and the, during the 2nd World War, they became a temporary Refuge Centre for German and Polish war orphans, who were looked after by the Irish Red Cross.

The Glenmacness valley from the top of the waterfall

'Irish Inheritance'- Glendalough, monastic remains in County Wicklow

After a short break over the holiday season, I’m featuring again some of the places that appear in my soon to be published new novel ‘Irish Inheritance’. Today we're visiting Glendalough in County Wicklow, which Jenna and Guy visited on their trip across from County Galway to the east coast of Ireland.


Image from Glendalough Visitor Guide

The monstery at Glendalough was founded by St. Kevin in the 7th century, and became an important monastic community until it was destroyed (by the English) at the end of the 14th century. The church remained as a place of worship and pilgrimage, and the buildings which survive probably date from about the 11th and 12th centuries.

The Round Tower, probably the most famous round tower in Ireland, is about 90 feet high, with an entrance about 10 feet from the base. Towers like this may have been built as bell towers, but also served as storehouses and sometimes as places of refuge.

The Cathedral is the largest and most imposing building at Glendalough and dates from the late 12th/early 13th century. This photo shows the square headed west doorway, and you can see the remains of the chancel arch, and the east window.

Nearby, St. Kevin’s Church has a steep stone roof, formed of overlapping stones and supported by semi-circular vault. The belfry, with four small windows, rises from the eastern end of the roof.

There are several other churches at Glendalough, and further up the valley with its two lakes, are the foundations of St. Kevin’s cell, which was about 10 feet in diameter, and probably had a bee-hive type of roof.

I'm sure that Guy, my hero, being American, would have been as impressed by these ruins as my Canadian friends were when I took them to Glendalough a few years ago!