The Liberty breathes a sigh of relief

Well, after last week's mammoth mileage, the Liberty got some respite this week as we all kicked back a little and relaxed somewhat, much to the Liberty's relief!

On Sunday it was back to New York so that Mum and Dad B could go and see all the sights they wanted to. We parked near Times Square and grabbed a quick bite for breakfast before heading off on an open top bus tour Quite early into the tour was the first stop - the Empire State Building. After our experience the previous week, we suggested they got off to view the city in the early morning sun. We elected not to go up again, as we'd only been up there the week before, so we left them in the queue to go in search of coffee (it had been another one of those early morning starts again ).

As we walked out of the building, the queue that had formed behind us snaked right out the door and around the corner we couldn't believe we'd got so lucky with the timing.

Anyway, while the parents were up the top, we decided to try and get our parking voucher printed so that we could get the guaranteed rate. We found out to our cost the previous week that they won't give you the internet rate without a printout, even if you have the email to show them on a BlackBerry.

So we went in search of an internet cafe to do our business. You'd think that, New York being a pretty cosmopolitan city and all that, an internet cafe would be easy to find. Ahem, no! Apparently not. We had been told to try the post office but that was a fair walk away and we didn't want to stray too far in case the parents got back down quickly.

Suddenly Annalie had the brainwave to try a hotel business centre. It would cost (of course) but it would be highly probably that we could get it printed. A Renaissance was in view so she tried there first. She was directed straight there, waited in line a few minutes for a computer to free up and then printed the voucher off. Turned out they didn't even charge either - bargain

We headed back to the Empire State Building to pick up the parents and get back on the bus. The tour took us through various neighbourhoods, Little Italy, Chinatown, the Fashion District, Ladies Mile etc, before dropping us off at the Ground Zero site. Annalie had read something about a church beside the site and it turned out to be St Paul's. It once stood in the shadow of the Twin Towers but miraculously survived as the two 100+ storey buildings crumbled around it.

The church became the nerve centre for the rescue operation and most of the emergency services crews sheltered there for rest and refreshments at some time during the clean up. The whole state seemed to volunteer or donate to help these weary but crucial team members to keep them going as they sought to bring some sense of order to the tragedy.

There are a number of exhibits in the church and it sends a shiver down your spine to read about the experiences of the firemen and volunteers that helped to keep the temporary shelter going.

We then walked around the corner of the construction site to the local fire station, where a memorial has been erected to honour the 343 servicemen that lost their lives on that day.

After a spot of lunch we strolled down to Battery Park where we took the free, yes FREE!, Staten Island Ferry to get a good look at the Statue of Liberty. It was a bit of a scramble to get a decent viewpoint, but we managed to get a seat on the right side so we could stand up when she came into view.

After plenty of photos were taken, the 30 minute ferry ride was over and we intended to ride straight back. Unfortunately the boat we were on was not returning to Manhattan so we had to make a bit of a dash for the other boat as the doors were just about closing.

We got back on the bus to finish off the rest of the tour but we didn't get off anywhere else. It was already getting quite late so we opted to get the car and head home.

Annalie's week has been a busy one at work. She's had constant meetings so getting some actual work done has been difficult. It's meant a few late nights for her.

For Ian it has been a good week though as he has finally started work with the volunteer Fire Service here in South Glastonbury He went in to see his mate, the Deputy Chief, and got his pager and an invitation to join drill night at the station. He came home with a huge red duffle bag of gear that is now attached to him by an invisible umbilical cord, just in case he gets called out.

He also got provided with some very handy red plates that have been attached to the front of the cars to identify him as a firefighter. They might come in handy in any run-ins with certain officers of the law

He actually got three shout in less than 24 hours the day after he got his "wings." The first was a fire alarm going off at a local Elementary School, which turned out to be a regular drill but someone had forgotten to inform the Fire Service that they were having it

Then when Ian was at Subway getting some lunch with his parents, the second call came in and he had to abandon them in the middle of Glastonbury. This time it was a car accident that was really no more than a fender bender and meant that he could rescue his parents again!

Finally, we were rudely awaken at about 3.20am as the pager went off. Ian sprinted to the Station, which is literally just at the bottom of our road, but was back in bed just after 4am because they weren't required after all and were stood down again. Still, Ian feels great that he's finally in and he's proudly parading around with the pager attached to his belt

Ian and his parents have mainly been pottering around locally, but on Friday they did head down to Essex to go on the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat. The carriages had open sides so you got the real feel (and smell) of the 1920s style engine, a proper "clickety clack" train. The train heads out of the town along the river giving and through some wildlife areas. The boat cruise up the river took them up to the Goodspeed Opera House and past Gillette Castle, a most pleasant way to spend a few hours, very peaceful and scenic.

Mum B has been astounded by the size of the portions over here. Not having much of an appetite normally, she's convinced she needs to starve herself when she gets back home. This week alone we've been to Houlihan's (so she could have her Lettuce Wraps!), Uno's and Bertucci's, which just has to be done for the fresh bread rolls and garlic dip, it's just amazing .

Saturday was another quiet one but with a trip up to Manchester for some last minute shopping for the parents. We might go back to Rose's for breakfast on Sunday, but we'll have to wait and see what the weather does. We do have a fallback though, so all is not lost if the rain continues.