Off With Her Head

Thursday December 20, 2007

Had been a bit colder overnight, so the walk through the park (one of two routes to the main part of St Albans and the rail station) was quite misty--very impressionistic!



This morning we toured St Paul's Cathedral, again no photography allowed except once we climbed over 200 twisting, stone steps in a narrow stairwell, first to the Whispering gallery that overlooks the sanctuary and then on up another level to an outside balcony that circles the steeple. Wonderful, panoramic views of London--a bit hazy though.





After seeing the cathedral, we headed into the true "city" of London, i.e. the financial district, where we met Cora for lunch. We had sandwiches al fresco (but with huge space heaters right by the table) in the many laned arcade of Leadenhall.



After eating, we three took a brisk walk over to the Tower of London. While Cora returned to work (would have enjoyed having her be able to spend the afternoon with us, but golly gee one does need to work!), Mike and I bought tickets for the 2:30 p.m tour of the Tower. We were escorted around by a Beefeater in full uniform. He regaled us with history and humorous asides. Unfortunately because of the lateness of the tour, and the early sunset, we could not fully explore the grounds as well as we would have liked after the talk was finished. The gates do really close at sunset!!





Once outside the prison walls, we walked across the Tower Bridge and were also able to get night shots of the Tower all aglow.





After returning across the bridge, we made our way home. This night CW came upon us as we walked towards their cottage! He left us at another area pub, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, reputed to be the oldest continuously running pub in England, while going on home to attend to Guinness. Later CW and soon after Cora, joined us for another pub grub meal--yummy! We ended the evening at the Rose and Crown, the pub right around the corner from the house. Thursday evenings will find a miscellaneous group of folk musicians wander in any time after 9p.m, grab a pint, settle in near the fireplace with whatever instrument of choice they have and then seemingly know instinctively what tune to play! Nothing is announced to the patrons, indeed many never stop their conversations, but it really is quite alot of fun to sit and watch it all!



We left everyone still fiddling and strumming away around 10 p.m. as another day of work loomed ahead for two of the four in our party.

Holy and Wicked

Wednesday December 19, 2007

Just Mike and I on this day as we headed into London. Our first stop was to obtain theater tickets for a matinee of "Wicked", playing at a theater across from Victoria Station. I had been inside this huge rail terminus many years ago when after college I, with a friend, did a 3 month trek around Europe. We landed in England at Victoria.



With tickets in hand, we took the tube to Westminster Abbey. The rest of the morning was spent looking into all the nooks, crannies, small chapels and not to be overlooked, the very floor we were standing upon, as well as every wall, for all the graves, shrines and commemorative plaques to the famous deceased housed and/or at least honored in the Abbey. Quite an impressive array of influential souls from all walks of life can be found within these hallowed walls. We could only take pictures in the small, outdoor garden that is not open to the public all the time, but fortunately for us, was so on this day.





From the Abbey, we walked over to the Royal Society. there CW gave us a tour of his work place--several historic townhouses now with open internal access. Afterwards, we three headed to lunch near Trafalgar Square.





After a nice treat of having lunch with CW, he directed us to the proper tube station where we took the underground back to the theater. Thoroughly enjoyed the show!



Pleasant surprise for us as we were trekking home from the rail station--Cora caught up to us, but since we were limping along, literally, as both Mike and I had shoe/sore feet issues this day, Cora continued on ahead. Another delicious dinner awaited us this night.

Oh For the Student Life

Tuesday December 18 2007

Cora and CW took this day off from work to escort us out to Waterbeach, their second home. What a great taste of the typical English country village!





We took a quick walk along the Cam River, a favorite site for Guinness when he lived in Waterbeach, and then back onto the overground train into Cambridge.




We walked into a couple of the buildings at Cora's college where she obtained her Masters degree (congratulations, dear) and then had had a pub lunch nearby. Now we were prepared to spend the rest of the afternoon exploring this ancient town with its numerous, famous colleges and universities.



Trinity College allowed inside photos--a rare treat.



We even observed punting on the Cam although it had to be a bit nippy for the participants as the day was cloudy and raw all day.



I thoroughly enjoyed walking the narrow historic streets with the stone buildings.



Oh yes, we really were there as you can see.





We ended the day with a bit of shopping and then met a friend of Cora's from her university days at a pub famous for its WW11 patrons--RAF and US airmen. Dinner was from a Marks and Spencer take away located right on the train platform. We enjoyed hearty sandwiches on the 45 minute overground train ride back into London. Then home to St Albans via the usual train.

On Our Own

Monday December 17, 2007

Today Cora and CW returned to work, so armed with a map and our necessary train and tube passes, we walked to the overground train station (by the end of the week, we knew this route really well!) and then changed for the tube at St Pancras station. First order of the day was to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We arrived early enough to be by the entrance, but unfortunately not along the fence which would have enabled us to see the action inside the courtyard. Again we had a sunny, but chilly morning. However in the 1 1/2 hours we stood outside, the day turned cloudy and windy. We did get a good view of the soldiers and band as they marched past us.



After the show, we walked along the street next to the palace until we arrived at Speakers Corner and Hyde Park. Then into the Knightsbridge area for lunch and a bit of shopping at Harrods. Fortified and with lighter wallets, we wandered into Hyde Park, stopping to see the Albert Memorial and then past the Serpentine and over to Bayswater.





This route brought us eventually past Marble Arch and onto Oxford St--a big mecca for every retail store you can imagine. Poked around Selfridges (like Macys) and a few other shops, then continued onto Regent St which has Fifth Ave quality stores.
Finally we arrived at Piccadilly Circus and just beyond we had been steered by CW via mobile phone to await him at yet another quaint pub. There is less number of hours of daylight in England during this time of the year, so it is fully dark by 4p.m. or so, so it is not odd to head for a pub at an early hour! Once CW arrived, we shortly thereafter made our way to St Albans for a nice dinner.

Going Down to London Town

Sunday December 16, 2007

Who says it rains in England? Awoke early to a glorious, sunny day, albeit abit chilly. Today big G stayed home while we four headed into London. We changed trains and headed to Maida Vale, the section of town where CW lived when he studied abroad for one semester while at University of Delaware. Beautiful residential neighborhood with a canal running nearby, hence the area's nickname of Little Venice. We walked to the street where CW shared a flat and eyeballed the slightly below street level entry.
The house:


The canal complete with houseboats:


We then took the tube to Trafalgar Square, where the locals and tourists alike were out enjoying the beautiful day. Took the obligatory snapshots of Nelson's Column, the National Gallery and surrounding streets.



From the square, we walked to Admiralty Arch then onto Pall Mall for a ways until we could see the back of the building complex of the Royal Society, where CW works.






We walked through the Horse Guards parade grounds; saw a sphinx like calvaryman astride an equally still steed, then to the sight of the Parliment complex beside the Thames.





On the bridge crossing over to the South Bank, we got a good view of the London Eye.



The rest of the day was spent mingling with the crowds enjoying Frost Fest--outdoor vendors, bookstalls under a tent, jugglers, dancers and the always fascinating living statues.



Lunch was at a noodle place that provided huge bowls and/or plates of delicious food. Watch out for an American debut of this chain called Wagamama soon to open in Boston.
The author enjoying her soup:


We briefly visited the Tate Modern art gallery and had a fun time at the Globe Theater, with an actor giving the history of this historic, albeit newly built, home of Shakesphere's plays. Our full day ended with a quick stop at a pub along the bank and then home. Guinness was glad to see us!

Family Outing

Saturday December 15, 2007

After a good night's sleep and breakfast, the four of us, with Guinness too, headed off to the train station--a healthy, mostly uphill climb of about a half hour.


As was the case all week, we experienced no rain. We had some cloudy days for sure and temperatures stayed in the 30's (sorry, American terminology) but we were free to move about without being encumbered with brollys.

This first morning we stopped to look inside the impressive St Albans cathedral. It is quite close to Blacksmith's Lane. Sorry, no pictures permitted from inside.


Then on to the overground (yes, Guinness can travel via public transportation--so civilised) into St Pancras station. We got to really know this station as we used it everyday to switch to London's tube system.

This day we headed out to Chiswick, Cora's and CW's first cottage upon their arrival in England 3 years ago.


What fun to see this suburb of London! We stopped for take away--sandwiches consumed on the green in Richmond, our next stop.



We spent the rest of the afternoon walking through historic Richmond, wending our way to a favorite romping grounds for Guinness when they lived in nearby Chiswick--
Richmond park. On the way to the park, we stopped on Richmond hill to view the winding Thames River--at a vantage point used by J.M. Turner for one of his landscape paintings.




After a walk through the park, we all returned via public transportation to Blacksmith Lane for a delicious dinner and a bit of relaxing before heading for bed.
A great beginning to what was a fantastic week.

Are we there yet???

Thursday December 13, 2007/ Friday December 14, 2007

What was to have been a very long "day" became much longer when we left home at 8:30 a.m. after dropping Shelby at the kennel. The first heavy snowfall of the season was predicted to arrive by mid morning, so we attempted to evade the lovely flakes since we were driving to Newark airport. We managed the first 60 miles down the thruway with dry road conditions, but encountered heavy squalls around Kingston, continuing for about 40 miles. After that fun, we again had a dry stretch followed by the weather for the remainder of the day--sleet, freezing rain, ugh! Safely enscounced at beautiful Newark airport, we had 9 hours to read, eat and people watch.
The day got a bit worse when instead of departing on Virgin Atlantic at 9:25 p.m. for Heathrow, we did not leave until 12:15 a.m.!! There were baggage inspections by ticket agents while we sat in the waiting area (not ours and not for contents, merely hefting bags and eyeballing them for size); further baggage issues as we sat fully loaded at the gate but could hear things being moved around under us; then the plane had to be de-iced (but why at the gate when we would still probably have to wait awhile on the runway?); then the most exciting part of all--are you ready?!--when the power was to be switched from land to the plane, EVERYTHING shut down; this was accompanied by a strange chirping sound in the rear of the plane (kind of like the smoke detector when the battery needs replacing!); since we were sitting right in front of the attendants' station, we could clearly hear the conversation one attendant had with her boss--"there is a strange noise in the back of the plane that I never heard before!"--Oh, great--can I please deplane now?!! Finally the power was turned back on and the poor souls in the rear of the plane were revived( it had gotten really hot back there apparently), we took off!! Rah, rah, I think!

Had a pretty decent meal for airline food, I think--it's been a long time since I've been served food as snack boxes and VERY small bags of peanuts that I usually cannot open has been the extent of airline goodies doled out of late. Then after the food was cleared, I watched "Hairspray". Thoroughly enjoyed this bit of fluff--it was 2 a.m. at that point and I'd been awake for 20 hours already! Mike watched the latest Harry Potter flick. Managed to doze a bit despite some plunges due to turbulence.

What a relief to finally arrive at Heathrow--oh wait, we were so late that there was not a gate available for awhile so lets sit on the runway some more! After this horrific night, we were sure that customs etc would be a disaster and that our luggage was probably in Timbuktu! What a pleasant surprise when life improved again--we cleared passport inspections and customs without any problems and yes, our luggage was one of the first few pieces on the carousel! With CW's instructions in hand, we found the long passageways, moving platforms, stairs, ticket booths and finally the Piccadilly tube line without too much difficulty. Another hour on the tube to St Pancras and again with CW's thorough directions, we found our son!! There he was patiently waiting by a nicely decorated Christmas tree as we staggered over to him--just 3 hours later than originally anticipated!

We three then proceeded home via the overground to St Albans. Despite being exhausted, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the typically English streets, houses and landscape. What fun to see Guinness again too. After dropping our luggage (with pleasure!) and a bit of a snack, we headed to the park with Guinness for his daily run. By now it was dusk! We three later headed to one of the local pubs, the Rose and Crown) for a light dinner. Loved the pub--again it was just what one conjures up in one's mind when thinking of a pub--actually every pub we frequented during our week there fit the bill admirably! Cora returned mid evening from an office gathering and then TO BED!!! So that was day 1 and 2!!