Hastings Are Here

Bill and JLynn have arrived. They are troopers and I kept them marching through the very crisp afternoon. We took a 94 bus to Piccadilly Circus and dropped in the tourist centre on Lower Regent's Street to pick up their London Passes. We pressed on to the National Gallery for a partial "highlights" tour and lunched at the Pret around the corner from the NG. We walked down Whitehall past Trafalgar Square, with an attempted stop at the Banqueting House (closed for a function), looked into Downing Street, walked to Westminster Abbey where they had a nice look around inside. We walked from there past Westminster Palace and along the Victoria Embankment, taking in views of the river and all the fun things on the South Bank. We continued as far as the Embankment Station and they were able to catch a few glimpses of St. Paul's and the City. We caught the Circle Line at Embankment and arrived home in time for supper. After supper they pressed on for a few hours and then went to sleep on the floor of our lounge -- delux accommodations!

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Palace and its famous clock tower

Returning to 27 Palace Court for supper

They will join us on our excursion to Hampton Court today.

OXO

D.

Stonehenge, Stourhead, and Winchester

Wednesday, Emily and Madi's last full day in England, we went to Stonehenge, Stourhead, and Winchester with the students on our weekly field trip. The weather was beautiful and it was a very nice day.

The whole gang at Stonehenge -
thanks to Amy for the photo

Stourhead is a historic 18th-century home with BEAUTIFUL! gardens designed by the owner of the home, Henry Hoar, more or less as an amateur art project. He did a great job as you can see. The little temples are simply intended as focal points in the garden.

A lovely fall view of the lake

The fall foliage is just beginning to turn

This is the Temple of Apollo where Lizzy and Mister
Darcy had a bit of a discussion in the latest version
of Pride and Prejudice.

Emily and Madi at Stourhead

Visiting Jane Austen's grave at Winchester Cathedral
(it didn't bring us down)

The house on College Street behind the Cathedral where
Jane Austen spent her last days and ultimately died --
thanks to Emily for discovering this site for us

The girlies in front of Winchester Cathedral

We are off to Hampton Court today, so check here later for more stuff.

OXO

D.

Primrose Hill

Yesterday was Stephen and Ann's last full day in London, so after taking care of some class-related stuff, I joined them at the Camden Town Station (I miraculously made the journey from Palace Court to there in just 25 minutes). They had been to Highgate Cemetery in the morning. We walked through Camden without acquiring any piercings or tattoos and walked past the Camden Locks and along the canal until we reached the Primrose Hill area. We dragged Ann to the top of the hill for a spectacular view of London. It is closer than the view from Hamstead, so you can see things with more detail. Coming back down the hill we walked along Regent's Park Road into a beautiful, calm, tourist-free neighborhood. We stopped for lunch at a Greek restaurant and then walked to St. Pancras Church and St. Pancras Station. The station is currently undergoing MAJOR changes and additions as it prepares to become St. Pancras International: the terminus of the Channel-Tunnel trains. The completed station is to open in 28 days when the first trains will head to Paris. The new line, which tunnels underneath much of London and it's suburbs, will shorten the journey by 30 minutes.

Stephen admiring the Communist caps and Ann
being tolerant and patient

The Taylor-Woodburys with the Camden Locks
in the background

Me and my short little brother standing on the summit
of Primrose Hill (I'm not that tall -
must be a crazy perspective problem)

Regent's Park Road in Primrose Hill
(not just a hill, but an entire neighborhood)

Going in to check out the progress on the new St. Pancras
International - don't worry the old part is still there and
beautifully restored - opening in 28 days, however,
will be a miracle!

Last night Emily, Madi, Kris and I went to see Spamalot, which was jolly good fun. Today the girls are going to finish up some souvenir shopping and tomorrow we are going to Stonehenge, Stourhead, and Winchester. It is raining today, but tomorrow's forecast is for a beautiful day. We'll keep you posted - with a new post, of course.

OXO

D.

Varied Adventures

So, after breakfast yesterday (Saturday) we went to Portobello Road, place where the riches of ages are sold; everything and anything a man can unload is sold off the barrow in Portobello Road. There was some successful shopping and then, of course, lunch furnished at a price by the Eastern-European vendors in the bratwurst stall.

Back home, Emily and Madi departed to kill off their London Pass that expired yesterday. Kris went down into the bowels of the building to do laundry and I went for a "stay-awake" walk with the Ringers, Stephen and Ann, and the Carliles who had just arrived. S&A broke off early to go the Cabinet War Rooms and several minutes later we found Stephen sitting on a wall waiting for Ann to finish the museum and I joined him there while the others went on to other sites. The three of us took a bus to Tottenham Court Road and ducked into the British Museum to see the Korean Moon Jar, the Elgin Marbles and the rotunda. That is all we had time for because the museum closes at 5:30 (except for the gift shop which likely stays open another hour to suck £s from the visitors).

At about 5:45 we met Emily, Madi, and Kris by the front gates and proceeded to the original Bloomsbury Wagamama for supper (Em's London Pass entitled her to a free meal when she bought another + we really like to eat there). The rest of the evening was spent buying souvenirs on Oxford Street and riding various buses home.

The ladies examining some of the riches of ages

Yummy bratwurst mit grilled onions, sauerkraut, und
mustard -- notice Emily's great new scarf

The stay-awake walk -- the young woman you
don't recognize is a student, Katy Lund

I was there too -- thanks to Amy for the photo

The Taylor-Woodburys with their favorite Elgin Marble

Delicious offerings at Wagamama

Today is Sunday and I don't believe we will have any adventures to report, so stay tuned for more posts next week.

OXO

D.

More Shibboleth

Here are more photos of the installation at the Tate

For Maren: They Cacked

These beautiful flowers, a gift from Maren and Gavin when they left to return to AZ around the 21st of September, lasted almost forever. We finally threw out the last two roses yesterday.

The City and Bankside

The program has arranged for all of us to have Royal Palace Cards. Earlier in the week the directors went to Hampton Court in the rain to make make arrangements for the passes and get temporary cards.

David, Jeff and Gary at Hampton Court
with their VIP visitor cards around their necks

Today Emily, Madi, Kris and I caught a Circle-Line train to the Tower of London and went in for a visit. Since Kris and I just received our Royal Palace Cards, which allow entry into any of the Royal Palaces (Tower, Hampton Court, Kensington, etc.), we went in too. The woman at Hampton Court who helped us (the directors) with our cards told us to look for Moira who is the first female Beefeater at the Tower. We walked in the gate and there she was. I walked up to her and asked her if she were Moira and she said that she was. So that was historic and a nice coincidence. We took a Warder's tour of the Tower which was fun and then saw the Crown Jewels and other great attractions. When we finished it was lunch time and we went to Pret, bought some sandwiches and accompaniments, and nipped into St. Dunstan's in the East to eat our lunch.

From there we went to Lloyd's of London and Leadenhall Market. We jumped on a bendy bus and rode to the St. Paul's stop. We ducked into Postman's Park so Em could see the hero plaques before doubling back to St. Paul's. It was closed for a function so Em and Madi will have to go back. We crossed the river on the Millennium Bridge and quickly ran into the Tate Modern to see the new installation in the Turbine Hall. Kris and I lingered there while Em and Madi took a tour of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The installation at the Tate is crazy: a huge crack that spreads the length of the enormous Turbine Hall. It is called Shibboleth and was created by Doris Salcedo, a Columbian artist who feels marginalized by European culture. It is quite provocative. It cost £300,000 to install it, so it must involve complete floor replacement at the end of the installation. Mom and I sat by the river until Em and Madi were finished, then we returned home for supper.

A Circle-Line train approaching at the Bayswater Station

Grammy and Madeline on the train

The girlies at the Tower of London

Lunch at the ever-lovely
St. Dunstan's in the East Garden

Leadenhall Market filled with City businessmen
getting sloshed before midday

Maren, be sure to show Finn that Madeline
is riding a bendy bus

The seventeenth-century Temple Bar
(former gateway to the City on Fleet Street) has been taken
out of storage after over a century in mothballs and is now
installed at Paternoster Square next to St. Paul's.
It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

The ladies on the Millennium Bridge on their way to the
Bankside area on the south side of the Thames River

Shibboleth by Doris Salcedo, recently-opened
installation in the Turbine Hall of the the Tate Modern

Kris sitting by the Thames at high tide, trying to make
sense of Shibboleth while we wait for the girls

Tonight, Emily and Madeline have gone to the Sound of Music and have not returned, so they must have scored some cheap tickets. Stephen and Ann are back in London and Kris and I went with them for gelato and a little grocery shopping at Tesco. There will certainly be more adventures to follow, although I am not clear about what is happening tomorrow -- we'll see and we'll let you know.

OXO

D.