T stands for The Three Queens. and The Three Graces.

Liverpool (my home city) has been throbbing with activity this weekend as the major British  shipping company Cunard has been celebrating it's 175th anniversary.

 The three imposing buildings that line the Liverpool  waterfront,  (from the left) The Royal Liver Buildings, The Cunard Buildings and The Port of Liverpool Buildings. These magnificent buildings are known as The Three Graces.

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 The Queen Mary was the first ship to arrive on Saturday.

On Monday she set sail to greet her sister ships,  The Queen Elizabeth 2 and The Queen Victoria, in the bay of The River Mersey

 

The Three Queens arriving at The Pier Head.When they had lined up opposite The Cunard Buildings, they performed a very clever manoeuvre, turning to face the buildings. The icing on the cake was a fly past by The Red Arrows Aerobatic Display Team.

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It is estimated that one million people visited this magnificent spectacle, over the weekend. We had a band from The Royal Marines playing, The Welsh Choral Society performing, along with folk groups singing sea shanties and  the street performers strutting their stuff too!  There were several Pop Up food stalls selling some delicious food,  from all over the world.

  It's amazing the amount of talented people that live in this vibrant city.

My thanks to the truly amazing Denise for devising ABCW and Roger for his tenacity in his administration of ABCW.

best wishes to all,

Di..ABCW team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saklikent Gorge Turkey.

Saklikent meaning 'hidden city' in Turkish. The gorge is 18km long and 300m;  one of the deepest canyons in the world. It was opened to the public as a national park.

 

It is accessed by walking along a rickety wooden walkway that is  secured to the side of the gorge. The views along the gorge are breath taking, because there is very little light, the water  is icy cold.  

When we got to the bottom of the gorge we walked through a shallow part to the other side and oh boy! it was freezing. Considering  the temperatures above the gorge were about 90f   and the water was so icy cold it was quite a phenomenon, 

After the trek across and along the gorge we stopped at a remarkable trout restaurant which was built on floating platforms.

We had yet another delicious lunch of barbecued trout with meze and freshly baked bread. I swear that it was the sweetest, nuttiest trout I have ever tasted.

 

 

 

Time to sign off now and have a quick snooze, still trying to fight off the nasty bug that has beset me,

My sincere thanks to our special deviser of ABCW the sensational Denise.

Also thanks to the superman Roger who systematically sorts and controls the daily doings of ABCW.

Di.  from the ABCW team of helpers.

 

 

 

Q stands for Quayside.

Quays hold a fascination for me, wherever we go on holiday, particularly in the UK  I always have to find the nearest Quay. There is nothing better than settling in my comfy portable directors chair, in a sheltered spot, and just watch life passing by on the Quayside.

This a scene from The Royal Albert Dock on the Quayside in City of Liverpool UK. The building in the background with cupola's on each turret is The Port of Liverpool Building,  I worked for an Investment  Management and Stockbroking  Company there, many years ago. It was quite an honour to work in such a beautiful building overlooking the River  Mersey and the Quays of Liverpool's wonderful  Albert Dock.

The Colonades in the Albert Dock.



 



Busy little ferryboat  on the River Mersey chugging past The Albert Dock.

 Scenes from the docklands in days gone by before the rejuvenation.

The Quayside when the docks were flourishing with large ships waiting to unload passengers and cargoes. On the left is a tug boat which would have guided the  ships alongside the Quay.

 

 

Port Isaac in Cornwall.

Quayside scene with fisherman's boat.

One of my favourite places to sit and watch the fishermen bring in their catch. We would sit in front of the wall on the left then when the fish had been cleaned and gutted in the shed on the right, we would tootle across and purchase our supper. The fishmonger was quite a character and was always eager to advise on some recipes for our purchase.

Beautifully fresh Turbot caught in Cornish waters and landed on the Quayside before our very eyes, totally fascinating.

 The chatty fishmonger skinned and gutted this fine specimen and then went on to tell me how to cook it. I listened carefully then thanked him, also I purchased  kilo of juicy plump Cornish Mussels.



Roasted Turbot with mussels, garlic and white wine then finished off with cream and flat leaf parsley.

My thanks to the quintessentially, Yorkshire lass, Denise for devising ABCW and Roger who quietly administers the site, enabling us all, to 'Quote' Roger, 'do what we do' !

Best wishes to all from
Di...ABCW team.