Back to Kent

Even tho' I think every once in awhile that I miss having a car, when we actually do drive in the city I quickly remember how lucky we are not to have one.  When I say "we" drive, I of course mean Chris.  When we first came to London, I told him that learning to drive here could be one of the biggest challenges of my life, but also one of my greatest accomplishments.  However, it was not to be.  Just wasn't worth the hassle and most of the cars here have manual transmissions anyway, which I never mastered on my own side of the pond with the gear shift on my right...  I could really be dangerous behind the wheel here.  What with the "roundabouts" every 100 yards and the motorways named with letters & numbers, going clockwise and "anti-clockwise".  And when giving directions in the UK (or in fact anywhere we've been in Europe) no one uses street names.  It's "Go down this road about 5 minutes and turn right when you see the Budgens."  This includes the good old GPS, or "sat nav" as it's more popularly referred to here.  Our automated friend simply doesn't use road names or numbers, rather it's, "after 100 yards, turn right at the round about, third exit" or "after 200 yards, bear right" or "after 100 yards, go straight on!"  But she was spot on with her most recent commentary, and we were grateful to have her when we rented a car last weekend and drove to the Kent Coast.

I've been wanting to see Dover Castle, and a few different people recommended against staying in the town of Dover itself, so I found a hotel in the seaside port of Ramsgate, about 20 miles north.  Suffice it to say that Ramsgate is nowhere as scenic as its tourist website portrays, and the room we stayed in - although the hotel itself was charming - was probably the smallest we've ever stayed in.  Ever.  In our lives.  One of us had to back up around the bed when the other needed to grab something from the closet - er - cubby with hangers.  But it was clean and functional and completely fine.  And despite the lack of atmosphere in Ramsgate, we had really great dinners there both nights we stayed, first at a seafood restaurant tucked away above a fishmonger's shop, and the second at a Michelin-starred venue with a waiter from NYC.

The real highlights of this weekend were Dover Castle and the famed "White Cliffs".  And we thoroughly enjoyed the town of Sandwich, where we spent our Sunday before heading back to London.  Dover Castle is a fort that originally dates back to early Saxon days 2,000 years ago.  It was expanded upon under Henry II, who built the current castle in the early 12th century.  Well, we are talking about a king here, so I suppose it's more accurate to say that he had the castle built.  Over the years, it's served as a key defense of Britain, being quite close to the coastline of France across the English Channel.  From the first invasion by the French in 1216, to protection during the Napoleonic Wars threat in the early 1800's, to it's importance in the planning and execution of "Operation Dynamo" - a huge evacuation effort of British troops from Dunkirk during WWII - Dover Castle has earned its nickname of "key of England".

The castle is actually a huge complex, and your visit can be broken up into sort of 5 different eras of history; we spent the most time in the Secret Wartime Tunnels exhibit.  These tunnels were first built  - or dug I suppose - during the Napoleonic Wars - and became the crucial centerpiece for the afore-mentioned Operation Dynamo.  They basically provided an underground city including headquarters, barracks, and a hospital, and the amazing feat of the evacuation of nearly 340,000 troops over 10 days who were trapped in Dunkirk and unable to fend off the German army any longer, was carried out from these tunnels.  The exhibit was really well done and moving.

Leaving the castle, we drove to the nearby White Cliffs.  The weather had improved nicely by then and we had a lovely walk along the cliff edge (!) to get a good look.  We recalled our trip to the more-impressive Cliffs of Mohor in Ireland in 2005 - like then, there was not a guardrail in sight.  And it was windy which made us feel all the more vulnerable.  But we didn't fall thank goodness, rather we got some lovely pictures and strolled back to the car after about 30 minutes - we really didn't need more.  On the way back to Ramsgate, we stopped in the nice little coastal town of Deal and had a bit of a walk around before stopping for a pub lunch, then headed back to our hotel.  As I said earlier, Ramsgate doesn't seem to offer much in the way of culture or history, but we were 2 for 2 with really excellent restaurants for our dinners, in both food & service.  Made the lack of square footage in our hotel room bearable.  And speaking of the hotel, the common areas were really charming, and they even had an extensive vinyl collection and a turntable; while I was napping one afternoon Chris whiled away some time in the reception room listening to classic Dire Straits.

After packing up and checking out the next morning, we headed for Sandwich, a lovely and historic little Cinque port town. (What's a Cinque port? click here. )  At first we were a bit discouraged, as everything seemed to be closed, including the tourist information center!  But we stopped for a coffee and had a chat with the proprietor and she gave us some encouragement.  And believe it or not, the attendant at the public toilet was a wealth of information and had free maps for us!  Thank God for Chris's prostrate the size of a grapefruit.  So we went to the "Secret Gardens of Sandwich" which were beautiful, and strolled along the town "wall walk" and had a nice lunch before finally calling it a day and heading back to London.  It was a nice little getaway weekend in this nice little country of which we are privileged to be temporary residents.

https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/DoverEtc?authuser=0&feat=directlink

On Overload

So much has been happening since I last wrote I don't even think I can write a sensible commentary.

Chris & visited Dorset in September, more specifically the coastal towns of Bournemouth & Poole and had a very nice time.  I can't write a blog about the weekend, however, as I took no notes and it was already 6 weeks ago.  In a nutshell:  Bournemouth - pretty touristy, nice hotel, lovely gardens in the middle of town, on the seaside; Poole - much more quaint and pretty, on a harbor, very old, love their pottery.  Oh - and I was convinced that I saw Vanessa Redgrave there.  What Vanessa Redgrave, CBE, would be doing in frumpy clothing sitting on a bench on the Poole Quay (boardwalk) I have no idea, but if it wasn't Vanessa, then she has a twin.  An identical twin.  And even tho' the woman told me directly that she was not Vanessa Redgrave when I asked (oh, yes - I asked), if she had said she was I would've believed her, she looked that much like Vanessa Redgrave, even at close range.  As a matter of fact, I'm convinced that she told me that she was not indeed Vanessa Redgrave, so as not to start a riot of fans right there on the Poole Quay.  Chris & I are fortunate enough to have tickets to see Ms. Redgrave co-starring with James Earl Jones in the West End production of Driving Miss Daisy next weekend.  Perhaps a stage door interrogation following the play is in order.

Anyway.  At the end of September and beginning of October, London - indeed most of the lower UK - was blessed with summer.  Finally.  It was truly glorious weather by any region's standards: blue, cloudless sky and temps hovering right around 80 degrees F or a tad higher.  I took advantage by walking & visiting parks where possible, and Joyce, Jenny & I made a day of it and visited Ham House, a National Trust property in the southwest part of London.  Chris & I also finally made it back to Highgate Cemetery to check out the west side (we saw the east side last summer) and I must say, against most conventional wisdom we both preferred the east side.  You can only visit the west side through a tour group and aren't able to wander around on your own, which might have been why it was less appealing.  Still a beautiful, mysterious place.  Apparently, Highgate was the setting for various B-type vampire & horror movies in the 60's and 70's, and it's completely evident why it would have served as the perfect choice.

On the day that the weather was due to become more seasonable and England-like, Chris, Kyle & I flew off to the US for a visit.  True to form, it was jam-packed.   It unfortunately started with a 5-hour delay at Dulles for Kyle & I as our plane from London was delayed and we missed the connecting flight to Syracuse.  But it was all up hill from there.  We spent 2 days in Liverpool (NY) then drove down to Vestal to our house that we seem to grow to love more the longer we are away from it!  That weekend, the Manning family descended for the annual (when we can pull it off) Early Thanksgiving, and as usual, it was a hoot.  Following that, Chris flew to DC for work and Kyle and I took a road trip to NJ and PA before heading back to Vestal to prepare for the Wronsky's 50th Anniversary dinner, which was a sparkling success.   Then, after the bathrooms were once again clean, beds made up with clean sheets and every last crumb vacuumed away, we all flew down to Washington for a few more days of visiting with the guys before finally flying back to London.  Gosh - it made me tired just to recall all of that!

And speaking of tired, the jet-lag got the better of me on this end of the trip and it seemed to take longer than usual to get back onto GMT.  And now that I finally am, we turn the clocks back this weekend.  Woe is me, right?  Until the next adventure, I will survive!

https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/BournemouthPoole?authuser=0&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/Summer2011?authuser=0&feat=directlink

The Rest of Summer

18 August:  Eric arrives from US
20 August:  Michael & Sarah arrive from US
20-29 August:  Duck confit sandwich at Borough Market, Holly Bush, Hill Garden & Pergola, Golders Hill Park, Bull & Bush, Hyde Park, the Swan, Imperial War Museum, Museum of London, Three Stags, London Walks (Unexpected Downpour), Market Porter
23 August:  Sue & Sarah go to Richard Ward Salon in Chelsea to have hair done; Sarah gets hair done by Kate Middleton's personal stylist James Pryce; rainiest day so far this summer!  (He loved her dress!  Well done.)
25 August:  Michael & Sarah depart for Austria
29 August:  Eric departs for home
30 August:  Chris departs for US work trip, passes Liz on M1 who is arriving from Heathrow (2 days late - thanks Irene!)
1 September: Chris returns from US
2 September:  Meg & Glenn arrive from US
30 August - 9 September:  The Duke, Holly Bush, Geffrye Museum, Sông Quê, Cristina & Wycliffe, St. Paul's, Southbank, Vinopolis & the Whiskey Exchange, la Ballerina, Chris & Glenn golf at the Belfry, V & A, Hyde Park, the Swan, Notting Hill (fond farewell, Travel Bookshop!), Chris turns 49, Tower of London in the rain (finally see the Crown Jewels!  Kind of unimpressed so glad we weren't waiting 2 hours in a cold rain as others have done), Hung, Drawn & Quartered, Westminster sights, Belgo for dinner (unpleasant diner behind us - there is a story here), Camden Markets for last minute shopping, last stop at Holly Bush and final lamb dinner.  Whew!
9 September:  Liz & Koetz's depart for Heathrow.  Sue enters Betty Ford Clinic.

https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/SummerCompany?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Stratford-upon-Avon

I've been compiling a list of recommendations from various sources of places to visit in England, and several different folks suggested Stratford-upon-Avon - which will be referred to here at "SoA" or simply "Stratford".  Hyphens can be such a nuisance.

Stratford is in the Cotswold region (dedicated readers will recall that the Cotswolds are a "An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" north & west of London.)  The train from London took about 2 hours, and our hotel (the appropriately named "Shakespeare Hotel") was another one of those lovely old Tudor buildings built in the 16th century and nicely modernized for the 21st.  The first evening there, most shops & sights were closed, but we strolled around and got our first look at Shakespeare's birthplace, which is of course the biggest tourist draw to the city.  One of Chris's colleagues had recommended an Italian restaurant and it was fabulous - so fab in fact that it was our dinner spot for both nights.  (Well, it was fab, and we found all of our other choices booked the second night, so it worked out well.)

Saturday morning showed the promise of sun and off we went to explore the Home of the Bard.   First stop was the afore-mentioned Birthplace, and it was pretty neat.  Will was born to John & Mary Shakespeare; Dad was a glove-maker and married Mary Arden, who's childhood farm is another historic sight nearby.  The date of his birth (23 April, 1564) is estimated by the recorded date of his baptism; it's known that back then a child was typically baptized within 2-4 days of its birth (unless the poor thing was sickly - then it happened asap!) Will grew up in SuA, and at the age of 18 married the 26-year-old Anne Hathaway, who was - gasp - already with child!  I was a bit disappointed in this fact not because baby was already on the way (I mean, really - who am I to judge?) but because it ensures that the movie "Shakespeare in Love" (one of my favorites) is a complete work of fiction, rather than just a partial work of fiction.  **Sigh**  Anyhoo... Will went on to do all sorts of remarkable things, such as become the greatest writer in the English language.  His plays were being staged in London by 1592 and he spent his career between Stratford & London, where his company founded and constructed the Globe Theatre.  He lived out his days at New Place, the second largest home in Stratford, and died on 23 April, 1616 -  his 52nd birthday.

After the Birthplace, our 3-in-1"Shakespeare Birthplace Trust" ticket gained us entrance to Nash's House & New Place, and Hall's Croft. Nash's house is the still-standing next-door neighbor to New Place, and is a museum; New Place is a very interesting work in progress: the final home of WS, it's currently being excavated, centuries after having been demolished in about 1760.  Hall's Croft was the home of Will & Anne's daughter Susanna and her husband John Hall;  a "croft" is an enclosed area of land.  It's an interesting period home - the Halls were quite wealthy - with really lovely gardens.  In order to bring things full circle, our last stop of the day was the Holy Trinity Church, the final resting place of the Beloved Playwright.  It's on a very quiet and beautiful spot along the River Avon, and I think honors him well.

After a little siesta back at the hotel, we went to meet Mr. Josiah Grubb, guide for our evening's Stratford Ghost Walk, and he was delightful.  We ended up revisiting many of the spots we'd seen earlier in the day, but gained new ethereal insights.  Then it was back to Sorrento, where they already knew our name, and yummy Italian fare, of the Stratfordian ilk.  Sunday found us shopping in a colorful street market, then to the Royal Shakespeare Company for a behind-the-scenes tour, which was really interesting.  The RSC is home to one of the most - if not the most - prestigious Shakespeare companies in Britian; it's been burned down and rebuilt and currently produces multiple Shakespeare productions each year, featuring such notables as Dame Judi Dench, Sir Patrick Stewart, and Sir Ian McKellan.  When we were there, Macbeth was playing, but at a running time of 2:50, we wisely decided that Josiah Grubb was more our speed.

Statford-upon-Avon holds a worthy spot on our list of recommendations.  And so alas, parting in such sweet sorrow, I leave you better a witty fool than a foolish wit; but surely you know that despite the fact that our revels are now ended, we can always be assured that all's well that ends well.  So until next time, my friends... "A horse! A horse!  My kingdom for a horse!"  I know, I know.... "I must be cruel, only to be kind."  And...  oh forget it.  You get the drift.

https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/StratfordUponAvon?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Quand les Proches Entré - Deuxième Partie

Oh man, this one will be tough.  Paris seems like a lifetime ago at this point!  But I will do my best to remember the highlights, the first of which occured before we even left London.  We were nearly "down one Grampa" as Nicole so aptly put it, as after we all got off of the tube at St. Pancras station on the way to the train, Sam didn't realize we'd all exited and was still in the carriage after the rest of us had gotten off and the tone was sounding for the doors to close.  Fortunately we saw him just in the knick of time - it was the crowded morning rush hour - and he made it off in time.  Had he not... well, let's just say the Eurostar waits for no one.  Fortunately, it didn't come to that.

Dad was the only one in our group who had never been to the "City of Lights", but we all saw many sights for the first time.  We arrived in the early afternoon on a Wednesday and checked into a wonderful hotel, just steps away from the National Assembly and within a 5 minute walk of the Place de la Concorde.  The skies were questionable to begin with and we started off for lunch in a bit of a shower, but by the end of the day we were clear and dry.  We walked quite a bit - as you do in Paris - and made it to the Notre Dame Cathedral just before it closed for the day.  On the way back to the hotel we stopped for a libation and ordered a cheese board to share at the table.  Sam declared the butter the best cheese on the plate (he really did think it was cheese - must be something in the French milk) so we dubbed it "le beurre fromage" and had a good laugh.  Dinner that evening was fantastic - a bistro in walking distance with wonderful service, terrific food, and even an English menu.

The next day was Bastille Day, and we were lucky enough to catch a bit of the air show and parade right near our hotel.  We then were on the march once again, and headed for le Jardin & le Palais du Luxumbourg.  Mon Dieu, were they beautiful, and well worth the trek.  Also worth the trek was where we went for lunch afterwards: the "Académie de la Bière".  My guidebook had recommended it, and the gendarmes outside of the palace had heard of it, but they gave us directions European-style.  In other words - no sense of distance.  Cinq minutes turned into trente minutes, but at least we were going in the right direction.  Good beer and good food and a good resting spot.  Dinner that night was a bit more of a challenge - no English menu and not many English speakers, so we took the waiter's suggestion and ordered a price-fixed chef's menu for the table.  Smart move.  We might not have been able to name everything we ate, but we can definitely say it was delish.  And what better way to end a French dinner but with fireworks over the Eiffel Tower?  We only caught the tail end but it appeared to be an amazing finale to Bastille Day.

Our final day was picture perfect, just right for a stroll down the Champs-Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe followed by a river cruise on the Seine.  Unfortunately we were on a boat with a roof, which would've been great if it was raining; in our case it prohibited us from really being able to see some of the sights being spoken about in our audio guide.  Oh well... c'est la vie.  Still fun.  Our last meal wasn't a great way to end the trip, due to Chris getting into an argument with the waiter over our credit card use (or banning there-of), but the friendly receptionist at our hotel had us smiling again when we went back to pick up our luggage, and all was set right again.  Two and a half days is simply not enough for Paris - even if you've been before - but even a short trip can pack quite a punch and we all had a great time.

The family's final days in rainy/sunny London were spent at the Churchill Museum/Cabinet War Rooms, and a trip to Harrods along with half the population of the universe.  We did find by default a wonderful little pub in Kensington that had a limited menu of pub-fare pure and simple but it was really good.  And our Irish barmaid was a hoot so it was a good choice of spots to come into out of the rain.  We also squoze (squeezed?) in an early 21st birthday celebration for Kyle plus another dinner of lamb, so our companty left us with some yummy food memories to think about the next day when they were presented their airline choice of chicken or pasta, wrapped in plastic.

We are expecting a whole new slew of company during the second half of August and first part of September; I've thought of hanging a "No Vacancy" sign outside on the balcony but it could send the wrong message to the neighbors.  We're getting pretty good at making the Full English, so maybe considering opening a Bed & Breakfast is in order...   Contact me for availability and online booking options!

https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/Paris2011?authuser=0&feat=directlink

When the Relatives Came...

Well - Sam, Mike, and Nicole finally arrived in London 36 hours later than they were supposed to, and down 2 suitcases, but the point is they made it.  (Most of you know that Sam is my father-in-law, Mike my bro-in-law, and Nicole Mike's girlfriend.)  They were truly no worse for the wear from their preceding 48 hour travel debacle - at least nothing that a full English and a hot shower couldn't cure.  Of course a brief walk around Hampstead and a stop at the pub were in order, followed by a lamb dinner - Mike's favorite from his visit last year.

The next morning, the five of us (Kyle was working) were off to Cambridge by train.  (We did a load of laundry the night before, what with the missing luggage and all.)  Chris & I had never been to Cambridge either, and we all really enjoyed it.  It has very much the same ambiance of Oxford, but is smaller, more quaint, and dare I say prettier.  The weather started off a bit on the rainy side (shouldn't be any surprises here) but by the end of the day we were relaxing in a punt boat in the sunshine on the river Cam being steered by the lovely Lucy and it was wonderful.  We spent the afternoon mostly strolling around town enjoying the scenery and dodging the ever-present punt-boat captains in their efforts to give us an awesome deal on a river ride.  By the end of the day, the sun had come out, and when punt-pusher Andy approached us he caught us just in the right mood, so we took him up on it and were so glad we did.  He turned us over into the capable hands of the afore-mentioned Lucy who was back punting for her first day after a bit of a hiatus, but didn't miss a trick.  She gave us a great tour of the colleges & landmarks on either side of the river.  She also suggested a restaurant for dinner and was spot-on with that as well.

After spending the night at a very nice B&B just outside of town, we spent the next day touring the colleges of Kings (the most well know of Cambridge's schools), St. Johns, and Clare, which had the most  beautiful gardens.  And the day was beautiful as well which was truly a bonus.   After doing some walking and shopping, we went back to a pub that we'd been to the day before at the suggestion of a market vendor who not only sold me a shirt and a purse, but who's wife was from Schenectady, NY which is but a stone's throw from where Chris & I grew up and where our visitors were from!  We most likely never would have gone back on our own as we witnessed and experienced ourselves some of the rudest behavior I'd ever seen on the part of the blond, Eastern European waitress when we'd been for lunch the previous day.  However, the vendor told us that it was a well known pub - the Eagle - and that during the war it had been a favorite hang out of both RAF pilots and American service men who had adorned the ceiling with graffiti marking their visit, something Blondie had neglected to mention the day before.  (To be fair, this particular bar was in a separate part of the pub.)  So we went back to have a pint and got a good look at a place that had most likely little changed since 1945.  Very cool.

After waiting awhile for a very nice lunch at a place suggested by the cab driver, we re-claimed our things at the B&B and headed for the train station.  Cambridge was most definitely worth the visit.

The following day was one of rest and a slow start, as the gang needed some down time and it was raining.  We stopped in to Kyle's store to visit him on his work break that afternoon before going to an early dinner at London's version of Joe Allen (which we thoroughly enjoyed) and then on to see the West End production of "Pygmalion" with Rupert Everett as Prof. Henry Higgins - which we also thoroughly enjoyed.  (Spoiler alert:  Eliza marries Freddie in the play!  Who knew?  Who will get the Professor his blasted slippers?!)  As Kyle was unable to join us for the play due to work, we invited Chris's admin, Amina, and it was so nice to have her along.

The next day started bright and early as we were off to take the Eurostar to Paree!  Stay tuned.

https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/Cambridge?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Weather def. Wronskys in Straight Sets

(Cue violin music)
So... a few weeks ago, I had just kind of had it with what the latest in British summer weather had to offer.  Temps rarely getting above 70 degrees (21C); rain, then sun, then rain, then su..no - rai.. no, yes - rain, then hail.  And this is all within a 15 minute time span on any given day.  Enough to drive an otherwise happy-go-lucky person like me (ahem... yes - me) batty.  So... I decided that for our next weekend excursion, we would get outta Dodge.  What's close and easy to get to? France.  Paris?  Well, we'll be going again in July when company comes, so what about Lyon?  Sounds great.  The Eurostar goes there.  But you have to switch trains in Lille.  Well....  what about Lille, then?  Only an hour by train and I've heard it's a lovely place.  Lille it is.

Checked the Lille 5-day forecast (does that actually say 80 degrees on Sunday??), checked the London 5-day (60's with sun & rain.  Yup.), found a nice hotel, booked the tickets a few days ahead, and when I looked out the window at the crappy London weather I thought "Heh heh heh.  In a few short days, we'll be in warm, sunny Lille. Heh heh heh."

So...  Lille, in the very north of France, is a nice little town, and a nice little place to visit - but not for an entire weekend and not when it's rainy and cool (as it was meant to be in London); and London - where you normally live except this weekend when you chose to go away - is sunny and 80 (as it was meant to be in Lille.)  We did finally see blue sky and feel some warmth midday Sunday, and arriving back home were still able to enjoy the evening in Hampstead.  And the warm temps and sunny skies were forecast for Monday as well, and how wonderful, as we were right in the middle of the Wimbledon fortnight and anyone lucky enough to have tickets to Wimbledon - as we did (for Tuesday) - knows how spectacular a place Wimbledon is in the warm sunshine.  When it's raining, however... not so much.

And did it ever rain at Wimbledon on Tuesday.  It wasn't even one of those fickle rain-sun-rain-sun kind of days.  And when it was raining, it was RAINING - apparently the poor folks under the roof in Centre Court could barely hear the umpire shout her calls due to the heavy rain pelting the roof.  We in the uncovered Court 1 didn't have to deal with that nonsense.  Not us.   We could hear the cheers just fine over the walls from Centre Court while that match played and ours... well, didn't.  Around 4 pm (3 hours after our first match was due to begin) the big yellow thing in the sky seemed to be making an effort, and we actually saw some patches of blue.  So off the cover came and the match started, and it was actually a very good ladies quarter-final match (Kvitova def. Pironkova 6-3,6-7,6-2)... but then the sky brightening ended and it got dark and ominous again.  The 2nd match (Azarenka vs. Paszek) was barely begun before one of the players - not sure if it was Azarenka or Paszek - complained about the court being slippery, so the umpire came down, and a woman with a walkie talkie came out, and they all conferred and decided that the court was indeed too wet and play would... be... suspended.  And thus ended our once-in-a-lifetime Wimbledon experience.  Alack, alas, and woe is me.  Just one more piece of bad timing:  we found out the next morning that the match that got suspended ended up finishing on Centre Court - so we missed that experience as well.  But frankly, by the time play was called we really had had enough and it was time to go home.  In case you're wondering, Azarenka beat Paszek in straight sets.  And no, I am not making these names up.  Remember the easy last names, like King? Evert? Navratilova?

By the way, we did manage to relax with some Wimbledon traditional treats, like Champagne and strawberries & cream.  And even though it didn't turn out anything like we were anticipating, I am still happy to have had the Wimbledon experience.  We also made the most of Lille - they have a very nice fine art museum, the Palais de Beaux Arts, and we had a really great dinner on Saturday night at a Michelin-starred restaurant that one of Chris's colleagues recommended (which we'll be paying for in easy installments until 2012.)  The old town area is really beautiful with some great shopping if you like that sort of thing.  In retrospect, and even if the weather had been good, we really didn't need an entire weekend there and we wouldn't necessarily go back.  But, hey - it's another stamp on the old passport.

We have plans to go back to the American Embassy for the 4th of July picnic on Sunday.  Not sure what the forecast says but in my heart, I know it will be rain.
(End violin music)

View photos (such as they are):
https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/Lille?authuser=0&feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/Wimbledon?authuser=0&feat=directlink

The Ancient Town of Rye

Lately Chris & I have been trying to get away about every other weekend or so to places we can either get to easily on the train or that are within an hour or 2 drive from London.  Our last overnight brought us to Rye, which is about an hour train ride south of London.  Rye was once right on the coast, but violent storms centuries ago led to re-depositing of silt and reduction in tidal flow; the town now sits a couple of miles inland.

And is it ever ancient.  Everywhere you look is one building older than the next.  We didn't realize it when we booked, but scheduled in Rye the Saturday we arrived was an air show and 40's festival.  It was spritzing rain here and there, but by 4 pm the skies had cleared enough for the brilliant display of the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows.  Earlier that day they'd flown over Buckingham Palace for the finale of the Queen's Birthday Parade - we actually saw them last year too!  (See my Trooping of the Color blog from last June.)  We also had the treat before the jets flew of seeing the fabulous swing dance troop, the Lindy Hoppers, who perform wonderful Savoy-style classics with names such as "Shim Sham", "the Shag", and of course, the Jitterbug.  What fun to watch!  Earlier they'd had displays of WWII-era military and other vehicles; unfortunately they all disappeared while we were inside eating lunch and I didn't get any photos.

After the air display, and with the thought in mind that we have not been to the seaside at all in England, I really wanted to get to the beach overlooking the English Channel.  We were told that from Rye Harbor there was a walkway to the sea.  The nice lady at the Tourist Information office gave us the bus schedule to get to and from Rye Harbor from Rye, but also said we could walk if we wanted.  When we saw the sign that said "Rye Harbor 1&1/2 miles" and since by now the sun was shining we thought a good ole stretch of the legs sounded fine.  NOT.  The first half mile or so of the narrow road didn't have sidewalks, so we had to scoot to the shoulder whenever a car came by.  The rest of the walk - which seemed at least 3 miles - was, in a word, ugly.  No scenery to speak of; instead we passed storage facilities, factories, and a water treatment plant.  I did my best to convince Chris that once we reached our destination, waiting for us surely would be a picturesque harbor well worth the effort.  He never did believe me and good thing, as what awaited us was nothing worth even taking a picture of.  We did find the walkway to the beach and started to walk it, but quickly realized that making it all the way to the beach would mean missing the last bus back to Rye and we just couldn't justify making the walk back.  So a seaside scene still waits for us somewhere along the coast of England.

We did make it back to Rye by bus, then walked the town a bit more and had "a cuppa" at a nice little tea shop before  heading back to the hotel.  Have I yet mentioned the hotel?  Quite a place, the Mermaid Inn of Rye.  Thought to be built in about 1156 (then rebuilt in 1420, following the burning of the town by the French in the late 1300's), much of the authentic details and decor from that era remain.   During the 18th century, the Inn was a well known harbinger of smugglers who caroused and smoked their pipes and did unspeakable deeds, to be sure.  In 1982, Elizabeth, the Queen Mother stayed at the Mermaid  upon her installment as Warden of the Cinque Ports (of which Rye was a member.)  Alas, the room we stayed in was, I'm sure, far from any of the grandeur the Queen Mother probably experienced.  It really didn't seem to have been updated since the original plumbing and electricity were installed - and who knows when that was.  The bathroom and bedspread both looked to be circa 1970 - not a year known for it's forward thinking interior designs.  We did eat at the very lovely and atmospheric restaurant for dinner, but again, disappointingly, the service was very stuffy and the food, tho presented beautifully, was only mediocre.

All was not lost, tho' because the pub was pretty awesome.  From the hops hanging from the ceiling, to the fireplace that took up an entire wall, you could almost imagine the Highwaymen over the years who must surely have come knocking, knocking, knocking up to that old inn door.  Now is a good time to mention another tidbit about the Mermaid Inn and its history of harboring smugglers.  One of the most famous was a man named Christopher Syn, who was immortalized in the classic Wonderful World of Disney series, "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh", which any baby boomer worth his or her salt will remember.  Click here!  The town of Rye sits in the wetland area of Wallend Marsh, part of the bigger Romney Marsh.

Sunday started with a nice breakfast at the hotel (same stuffy service, tho') then a walk around in a bit of rain to do some shopping and visit the Rye Castle Museum and Ypres Tower, originally built as a fortress in 1249.  To be honest, exhibits at both of these places (to which you can buy an inexpensive joint ticket) are somewhat amateurish at best, with displays of folding particle board (like you might see at a school science fair) and facts typed on paper, laminated, and taped on the wall in some cases.  It all just felt a bit sad in a way, which was underscored when we inquired about purchasing some  pottery, for which Rye is known, and were told that most of the potters have gone out of business and their goods hard to come by.  We definitely got the sense that the tourism industry is Rye's bread and butter, and that the community - like many others - is dealing with underfunding in some important areas.

So despite a few glitches, I would completely recommend a day or overnight trip to Rye.  We enjoyed ourselves, and could almost smell the salty air... sigh.

https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/Rye?feat=directlink

Kew

Kew Gardens are the Royal Botanic Gardens in London.  I've been meaning to visit, and as we recently had an above 80 degree day, we took advantage.

They are a lot like Longwood Gardens near Meg (outside of Philly) but a lot more acreage.  I really didn't caption the names of the plants for the most part - except for some of the heritage trees.  Some of them you will know, as I did; a lot you won't, as I didn't, but they were all lovely.  The Brits really do know how to turn a spade - the gardens here are outstanding!  The first botanic garden at Kew was established in 1759 and despite a down period during the 19th century, it's been "growing" ever since.

https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/KewRoyalBotanicGardens?feat=directlink

Oxford & the Cotswolds

It was already nearly 2 weeks ago when Chris & I took advantage of the 3-day annual End of May Bank Holiday weekend (there's a mouthful) and took the train to Oxford, a stop that's been on the list since day One.  Once again, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the place, both the amazing architecture of the ancient buildings and the impeccably kept gardens.  Oxford is of course the home of Oxford University, which is itself made up of over 30 different colleges.  Nearly everywhere you walk you are within yards of a campus, with varying names such as Trinity, Wadham, Nuffield, and the most famous, Christ Church.

We arrived in the rain to a very unpromising weather forecast but vowed to make the best of it.  Our hotel was probably the most unique of all of our stays so far - a former prison.  Originally part of the Oxford Castle, which dates back to 1071, the facility was actually a working prison up until 1996.  I read after the fact that executions did take place there in medieval times - kind of glad I didn't know that little snippet until after we were safely checked out.  The developers used the old elements of the jail wherever they could, but they stopped short of locking us in our rooms at night.  It was a rather cool place.

After checking in we ventured off in the rain to find our recommended lunch spot and had a nice meal overlooking the Oxford Canal.  We decided to take our time eating as we started to catch some hints of the sky brightening, and sure enough, by the time we were through the sun was making a valiant effort to shine through the clouds, and eventually it won as you'll see in the pictures.  We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling and just looking at all of the beautiful scenery around us.  After unpacking at the hotel, we later walked to a nice little French bistro for dinner.  On the walk back we encountered lots of students in sweatshirts and flip flops, drinking beer and having fun and it was clear that in the end, Oxford is after all very much a college town.

The next day we opted to stroll into town for breakfast at a cozy little cafe, then got down to some serious sightseeing.  First stop was the Botanic Gardens and they were gorgeous.  We got rained upon just a teensy bit a the start but were able to duck into the green houses; the rest of the visit was dry, and then the sun was back out (more or less) for the rest of the day.  Story of my British life!  Many - but not all - of the colleges in Oxford are open for touring so we picked just two to actually pay and go into.  The first was Magdalen College (for obvious reasons) (although the correct pronunciation is "Maudlin" - hmph) and the second was Christ Church, being the most well known.  Really, how could I visit Oxford and not take in the very sight of where scenes from the first few "Harry Potter" movies were filmed? Both campuses were beautiful and worth the few quid it cost us to get inside.

After some pub snacks we continued to walk around the city and literally happened into an alleyway that happened to hold The Chequers - a pub where Chris happened to discover his favorite English beer!  What are the odds of that?  (It's called Thornbridge Ashford, by the way.)  So we were diverted for a bit.  Then we set off for a river walk along the Thames and back to the hotel.  Dinner was tapas at a chain Spanish restaurant, but it was right next to the hotel and we were tired.  We had decided earlier in the day to poo-poo the dire weather forecast for Monday (we'd been happily misled so far) and booked a van tour of the Cotswolds which we looked forward to as we went to bed.

And of course we woke up to rain that didn't stop the entire day.

But it was OK, because the tour was still lovely, despite the miserable weather!  I can only imagine how this "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" looks on a sunny day.  An "AONB" as it's called is an actual designation by the British Government of "a precious landscape whose distinctive character and natural beauty are so outstanding that it is in the nation's interest to safeguard them."  I just love how British that is!  So anyway, the Cotswolds are a designated AONB.  A well deserved designation for this region of southwest England, consisting of villages, hills and rolling pastures, a "cot" being a sheep enclosure, and a "wold" being a hill.  This place is full of both.


We were in a van with a very informed guide, John, and 2 couples from France who spoke little English (which was nice as we were more in the mood to sight-see than chit-chat.)  John drove us through picturesque villages with awesome names, like "Bourton-on-the-Water", "Stow-on-the-Wold", and "Moreton-in-Marsh"which coincidentally is the same village Dad & Darlene stayed in on their train tour.  The scenery was amazing, especially when we stopped at a few of the mentioned villages and toured a church, ate lunch or just strolled along the High Street.  I recently enrolled Chris & I in The National Trust, which has several properties in and around the Cotswolds.  I hope to get the chance to go back, perhaps on our own, perhaps on a better day weather-wise as it really was outstanding.


Then it was back to Oxford, back on the train, and back to London.  Another item crossed off the Ole' British Bucket List.


Pix in 2 separate albums:
https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/Oxford?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/Cotwolds?feat=directlink

Kent

Dad & Darlene arrived safely in London last week, and they may see more of the UK in the next month than we have seen in the last year.  We took it easy for the first few days and hung around Hampstead, then stayed in and watched the Royal Wedding on Friday, which was absolutely lovely and a brilliant day for the Brits!

We rented a car, and Saturday morning set out for Canterbury in Kent.  The weather was cool but sunny and Chris navigated the city streets amazingly well, considering he was not only driving a manual transmission, but driving on the completely wrong side of the road!  (Everyone here does it - it's something of a phenomenon.)  He was fantastic.  As was Canterbury.  I'm sure you're expecting some sort of history lesson here on Chaucer and his tales, but on that particular front... I got nothin'.  I'm serious.  Even after knowing we were going to be there, then having been there,  then coming back, I have no clearer idea now about who Chaucer was or why he chose Canterbury about which to write than I did before we went, although it is a charming little place.  And the Kent countryside is quite lovely.

The drive once we finally got on the motorway was very pleasant - getting out of the city itself took nearly an hour due to Saturday morning traffic.  Arriving in Canterbury, we were able to use a "park & ride" lot and took a shuttle bus into the city center which was quite convenient.  Canterbury has the look of a Shakespearean village with its Tudor-style buildings and narrow windy streets.  Its origins date back to the 6th century when St. Augustine founded an abbey there; its more recent attraction is the Canterbury Cathedral, the building of which was begun in 1070.  The cathedral is probably most famous for being the site of the controversial murder of Thomas Becket, the then-Archbishop of Canterbury, by the knights of King Henry II.  Thomas, apparently, was just too darn Catholic, and was eventually made a saint by Pope Alexander as a result of his martyrdom.  As we toured the cathedral, Dad became somewhat obsessed with the where's and how's of Becket's murder, and eventually tracked down Mr. Seares, probably the oldest docent of any cathedral in all of the UK.  Mr. Seares may have moved slowly (remember Tim Conway's 100-year old man on the Carol Burnett show?), but he knew his stuff and gave us all a detailed and informative accounting of the last moments of said Becket.  Turns out the guy was warned by the monks and could've made a run for it, but that would have made the afore-mentioned martyrdom somewhat hard to claim.

Before our tour of the cathedral, we ironically had our lunch at the delightful Thomas Becket pub.  Following the tour, we walked the medieval town streets a bit, then took the old folks to our reserved B&B outside of town to check in and let them take a nap.  Chris and I went back into town and (after getting just a tad lost) checked out the city wall and the quaint banks of the River Stour.  Later, we all had dinner together at the pub/restaurant  back at the inn; it was a busy night and although service was lacking, the food was surprisingly tasty, and we were entertained as we listened to the accounting of the Royal Wedding as read from the Daily Mail by the party at the next table.

The next day we departed for Maidstone and Leeds Castle.  The drive was really reminiscent of our trips around Ireland - narrow, windy roads and in some spots absolutely no shoulder - just a hedge or a stone wall with which the person in the front passenger seat feels she might easily become one with...  But again, Chris really did a great job driving.   Truly.

Leeds Castle was worth the trip mainly because of its gorgeous setting.  It bills itself as "the loveliest castle in the world"; I'm not sure if that's necessarily true.  The grounds were indeed breathtaking and really lovely; the castle itself was impressive, but arguably not the most impressive I've seen so far.  Originally a wooden fortress dating to the 9th century, it has served as the home of Henry VIII's first queen, Catherine of Aragon, the country seat  of Lord Culpepper, colonial governor of Virginia (my home state) and more recently the showplace of Lady Baillie, and American heiress who purchased the castle in 1926 and entertained the likes of Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and Errol Flynn.  The castle today shows as an homage to many of its various pasts, and is an enjoyable tour.   We ended our visit with a look around the aviary - Lady Baillie apparently had a real thing for birds - where we saw a peacock have an inquisitive encounter with a toucan, then had an ice cream cone and headed on our way back to London.

Just in the time (a full week) its taken me to write this blog, Dad & Darlene have visited Bath, Moreton-in-Marsh, Oxford, and Aylesbury.  They hope to head off to Dublin this week for a tour of the Emerald Isle.  We've enjoyed being their "home stop" on their whirlwind visit to the UK.

https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/CanterburyLeedsCastle?feat=directlink

Here I sit in the waiting room at Dulles Airport, awaiting my flight back "home" to London, after a lovely visit back "home" in the US.   Which one really is home?  Well, my comfy pillow and my husband and youngest son await me in London, although my 2 oldest sons, the rest of my family, and my photo albums are in the US.  So which is it?  While in the US, it was great to be back in our awesome house in Vestal, NY - but I don't feel at all attached to that community.  Kyle & I drove to NJ for a few days, where I felt right at home, although I don't have a house there.  I have many wonderful friends in the US, but have made some wonderful friends in London.  And we have some friends that live beyond both of those locations.  While in my "hometown" of Liverpool, NY, I stayed with my sister Maria and of course visited with family at the old homestead on Berrywood Road, but my childhood bedroom is now my stepmom's cool state-of-the-art sewing room.  And is Liverpool really my "hometown" anyway, when I was born at Ft. Belvoir, VA, and lived in 3 other  places before my dad retired and moved us to Liverpool when I was all of 8 years old?  I spent time with a friend of 34 years (gulp - yes, Nancy - that's 3-4 years) during my visit, and also time with newer friends of only 7 years.

What is it that makes a place home?

Lots of things.  Berrywood Road is my home because it's the place where I witnessed my mom ace "Jeopardy" and my dad nearly blow a gasket laughing at Archie Bunker, and smelled their fried onions cooking on Saturday night steak night (theirs, not ours), and fought with my sisters, and listened to Elton John on my red transistor radio, and talked to Chris on the phone for hours - after 11 pm of course - when he was away at college.  Michael was born when we lived there.  Ithaca, NY, is my home because it's the first place our young family lived on its own - moldy cinderblock walls, Campbells Soup and all.  Virginia will always feel like home as I've lived there longer than any other place - albeit not all at one time; Eric & Kyle were born there, and we purchased our first house there.  It's where both Mike & Eric live now and where I still have good pals.  Even Brookfield, Connecticut feels like home; even tho' we were only there for 2 years, it was our biggest challenge in many different ways and at the same time a great community to live in.  Medford, New Jersey is where 2 of the boys graduated high school, where we lost our 2 beloved pets, and where I struck out on my own and established a "career" of sorts completely separate from the needs of my 4 guys.  The house in Vestal is where my Christmas decorations are; our flat in Hampstead is where I keep the Pyrex baking dishes that I've had since my wedding shower.

Before our first move away from Virginia, my neighbor and dear friend Enid gave me a hook with a sign that read "Home is where you hang your hat."  At the moment, the place I hang my hat is 20 Pavilion Court in London, England.  But I suppose what truly defines "home" are the memories and experiences from all of the places, however many or few, where your hat has hung.  Having so many darn hat hooks has not always been the easiest of lifestyles, but in the end, I am blessed to have had so many wonderful places to call home.

A Year in the Life

26 March, 2010: Wheels on the ground at Heathrow.  Exhausted!  Daffodils in bloom.  Shopping for the entire flat at John Lewis.  Easter at Cristina & Wycliffe's.  First night in flat:  dog barking.  Kyle: "you have got to be kidding me!"  Cigar smell lingers.  "What do you mean you don't deliver groceries?"  Air shipment arrives; suits stuffed in cabinets. "What do you mean I don't have enough credit to get a mobile phone?" British Museum.  Kenwood House.  Linguine with cockles just doesn't cut it.  Weekend in Wissendine with the Wilsons.  Seriously - Kyle and I were not lost in Hampstead Heath!  Greenwich.  Colin Farrell?  SCOTLAND!!  Fitness walks.  National Gallery. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth - pinching myself.  Windsor Castle - awesome; Royal Ascot - freezing!  "What do you mean I still don't have enough credit to get a mobile phone?" British lamb is scrumptious. 4th of July with the American Ambassador & Bianca Jagger.  Cristina & Wycliffe's lovely wedding.  Mike visits!  Golf at the Belfry.  PARIS!!  David Hyde Pierce.  Maria visits!  Jersey Boys.  Chris sees Andrew in Oz. Anniversary at the Ritz.  Back to US.  Les Mis.  Brussels!  The Wallace Collection. STONEHENGE!  Thanksgiving in Prague with Matt.  1st snow in London.  Flights resume at Heathrow. Michael & Sarah & Eric & Lauren.  BRUGES!  Westvleteren #12. Christmas!  Fabulous Bath.  Bearable winter.  SPAIN!!  Daffodils in bloom. 26 March, 2011.  Yeah?  So what's next?

La Lluvia en España...

... not only stayed on the plain, but it stayed away from us altogether.  Our trip to the southern region of Andalucia in Spain was unforgettable - one of our best trips ever.  We'd originally been planning an excursion to somewhere hot & sunny for February - Egypt or Jordan perhaps.  However, political events in  the area gave us pause and we decided to play it safe and head to the Canary Islands, a Spanish owned volcano-created chain of islands off the coast of North Africa.   Then, the later our trip kept getting pushed back due to schedule conflicts, the more I thought that the south of mainland Spain might just be warm enough.  Many Brits travel to Spain for their  holidays so I had lots of advice and recommendations, and we decided to take our unpredictable-springtime-weather chances and go for it.

We're so glad we did!

We flew from London to Malaga (mah-lah-gah) (I learned quickly that the correct pronunciation is important if you don't want your British friends making fun of you), then rented a car - they drive on the right there - and headed to Marbella (mahr-bye-uh) and our first hotel.  (I've decided to skip the details of not being able to put the address into the GPS and going first to the wrong hotel.)  It was rainy and late so we decided to stay put and have a bottle of wine and some tapas in the hotel bar.  This was the only appearance of the "r" word on the entire trip.   I was a bit discouraged the next morning when I looked out over our balcony to the outdoor walkers below and saw many wearing hats & gloves.  But by the time we finished our fantastic breakfast and got showered and dressed, the sun was more dominant than the clouds and out we went to explore the old town area of the city - "Casco Antiguo".  It was lovely.  Marbella is a coastal city and our hotel was right on the Mediterranean Sea, so we were able to get our ocean-fix as well.  Of all places we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner that was highly recommended and it was good.

The next day we mistakenly left my coat behind in the lobby as we checked out - the good news was that I didn't need it the rest of the trip!  We left Marbella and headed for Seville, planning to make a stop on the way to a town called Ronda at the suggestion of a friend in London.  Ronda is also said to be the home of bullfighting, and who can resist that distinction?  After winding our way up the mountain road (brought the Lucy classic "The Long Long Trailer" to mind), we did go to the "Plaza del Toros" and saw the bullring and the Bullfighting museum and found both worthwhile stops.  What we weren't expecting, however, was the absolutely breathtaking views and vistas we encountered in Ronda.  The town is perched on a cliff, split by a  330-ft. deep gorge called El Tajo ("the cut").   The resulting scenery is, in a word, spectacular.  We truly had to tear ourselves away from the views in order to make it to Seville (seh-vee-uh) by dark.  And we did.

Seville is the capital of Andalucia and is a beautiful place.  Our hotel was in an area of wind-y city streets, barely the width of the car we drove.  The hotel itself was a former palace and had retained most of its original structure and decor, but the room was quite contemporary and comfy.  After a busy day (not only sightseeing, but Chris was called on some work issues dealing with the crisis in Japan and the LM employees & families living there) we decided again to stay at the hotel for dinner - which was truly the only letdown of the entire trip.  The food was, shall we say, lacking.  Our Napoleon waiter was wonderful and charming, but the dinner was disappointing to say the least, and poor Chris was forced to eat a well-done steak - those of you who know him know what a sacrilege this was.  But we rallied!

We toured the Seville Cathedral (amazing!) and royal palace (Reales Alcázare) the next day, and happened upon O'Flaherty's Irish Pub just outside of the cathedral (talk about sacrilege), so it being St. Patrick's Day, and myself being nearly completely Irish (blarney is the word you're looking for), we of course had to stop for a pint o'Guinness... and a green Heineken for me.  Yes, we've seen many cathedrals - just about every city in Europe has one - and as I've said before, they each have their own impressive distinctions; Seville's was no exception.  For example, it houses the tomb of Christopher Columbus.  Chris-to-pher-Col-um-bus for crying out loud.  And it was beautiful.  As were the gardens of the Reales Alcázare (btw, pronounced "al-cahth-uh").  In fact, these gardens were one of the highlights of the trip for me.  I almost could not stop taking pictures, as you'll see in the photo album.  Following our tours, we found the guidebook-recommended restaurant for tapas, where I tried the first of my two "mystery meals".  "Mystery" because the menus were completely in Spanish and the waitress/waiter spoke little English, so their explanation of the item sounded, well, like they were speaking in a foreign language.  I figured, hey - I ate ant eggs in Mexico City and liked them.  What's the worst that can happen?  In both cases, I was pleasantly surprised.

Back to the hotel for a needed siesta, then on to "Tablao el Arenal" for an authentic flamenco (or as Chris says, flamingo) show.  And what a show!  I will not claim to know a thing about flamenco and its origins, but I can say that it involves clapping of the hands, stomping of the feet, excellent guitar skills, singing that in some cases sounds like moans of pain, and a great deal of emotion and interpretation.  We really enjoyed it... but was not terribly disappointed when it ended.  What followed was a frustrating 30 minutes trying to find the restaurant that the concierge had made a reservation at for us; I must inject here that so far our experience in the UK & Europe has been that even if and when there is an actual street name, people don't use it when giving directions.  They simply say things like "Just go left up this road then across the square and down the alley and you will see it.  You will definitely see it!"  So then when we don't see it, and have to go back to where we asked directions and they look incredulous and say, "You didn't see it?!"  we feel incredibly estúpido.  C'est la vie.  We finally did see it and had a fine dinner.

The next morning was another simple but memorable interlude - breakfast of "york y queso" at what the concierge called "just an ugly bar on the corner - but the food is good."  It was a real working class, family-owned and operated corner eatery with pictures of Saints covering the walls and puerco legs hanging from the ceiling and no one spoke English aside from us and we still made do and it was great.  And then we left for our final - and perhaps favorite? - destination, Granada.  Ah, Granada.  I think what helps to make our stay there so memorable was the blue, blue sky.  Literally not a cloud in the 48 hours we were there.  This is why so many Brits love to travel there.  As we drove down the highway on our way there, I was struggling to get photos out the car window of the amazing views of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains; little did I know that this would be the view from the hotel balcony.  The city of Granada lies in a valley which our hotel overlooked.  Also overlooking the city is the spectacular Alhambra Palace, built by the Moors from the 13th to 15th centuries, taken over by the Christians around 1500 and declared a national monument in 1870.  It's also an official UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Alhambra is a city within itself, containing remarkable gardens, chapels, bath houses, armories, palaces (yes - plural), and more of those breathtaking views I keep speaking of.  We were also fortunate both nights there to eat at restaurants in the Albaicin region of the city which itself overlooks the Alhambra.  Our first night in fact was the best dining experience of the whole trip - the concierge back in Seville had made the reservation for us at Restaurante las Estrellas del Mirodor de San Nicolas and she must have pulled some strings, as we were seated at probably the most sought after table in the entire city of Granada.  Chris fell in love with the Rioja (Viña Ardanza Rioja Reserva 2001), the service was wonderful, and the food fabulous.  Much of southern Spain has a strong Muslim/Islamic influence, and Granada is where we noticed it the most.  Granada was also the hilliest place we visited and we got a good workout just walking around the city for two days.

I'm not going to say that my expectations before our trip were low; I was a bit concerned about the weather, and that this might not be the veg-out and just relax vacation that I knew Chris needed.   As usual, my worries were for naught.  The weather couldn't have been better, and although we hardly vegged-out, we had a fabulous time in an amazingly beautiful place.  And our first hotel had a spa so Chris got a relaxing massage in as well.  We hope to get to Italy later this year which is one of the trips I've been most looking forward to - our Andalucia experience will I'm sure hold up to anything Italia will throw at us.


https://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/Spain?feat=directlink
We just could not stop taking pictures!!  Hope you enjoy them.

Ode to January

According to Wikepedia, an ode is a type of lyrical verse, classically structured in three major parts.  So this won't really, after all, be an "ode" to January, as I'm hardly a poet.  It just sounded like a good title for the blog.

But I thought it was worth marking the end of this month, the longest of all dreary, grey, months; a month that I believe the British just lift their chins and bear year after year and feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of it for having tolerated 31 days of dark, dull, and wet.  Ironically, as I type, I'm squinting due to the sun coming through the window - a soft, pretty winter sun that we've actually had the benefit of seeing more than a few times over the past week, as well as earlier in the month, so 31 days ends up being something of an exaggeration.  On a clear day it's apparent also that it's staying light later into the afternoon, and I saw the tips of crocuses out front contemplating making a go of it,  so can spring really be far behind?

January was a pretty good month, really, all things considered.  After recovering from our Christmas & New Years visit and shoveling up the pine needles from our "no-drop" tree, we settled in nicely.  Kyle interviewed for admission to a well-reputed culinary program that begins in September - fingers still crossed as he hasn't heard back yet.  Chris & I visited the Churchill War Rooms & museum which were extraordinary.  We also took advantage of a sunny Sunday afternoon and visited Holland Park in Kensington, which was lovely!  I took lots of photos on my iPhone (Japanese garden, peacocks, parrots) then unfortunately lost them all when I plugged said phone into my desktop computer and iTunes restored all of my previous settings from my old iPhone... nevermind, too long a story, but they were great photos, darn it. (And yes - there really were peacocks & parrots!)

Saw the movies "The King's Speech" and "127 Hours", both of which I would recommend.  We spent a lovely weekend in Bath (see my previous blog), and then last week Chris & I attended a Burns Supper at our local butcher shop, which was a lot of fun, complete with the reading of the Burns poem and the serving of the haggis.  We'd tried haggis in Scotland and found it somewhat tasty.  I found last week's haggis tolerable as well, although keep in mind - I did grow up occasionally eating Spam & canned corned beef hash for dinner.  Now that I think of it, if you can imagine the two of those things mixed together and cooked inside a pig's stomach lining, you sort of can imagine haggis.  Anyway, at the Burns Supper they served the course with a taste of Scottish whiskey, which made it go down much more easily than it should have, resulting in my eating too much of it and paying the price later.  Consider it safe to say that I will most likely never eat haggis again.  (Given my above description of it, I'm sure you're wondering why on God's green earth would anyone try it to begin with?)

This past weekend I took Chris to the Wallace Collection to show him what all of the fuss is about, then spent yesterday mostly vegging on the couch and taking Baracca (the UK's version of Airborne) in order to fend of a pesky cold, and I think it worked, as today I happily ended the month on an up-note, walking with my wonderful fitness walking group and enjoying blue skies.  February looms, but if it's anything like its predecessor, winter here in London is shaping up quite nicely.  (Yes, I'm knocking wood, thank you very much.)

No photo album this time, but enjoy this one taken just moments ago out of our back window.  With apologies to the folks shoveling snow in the mid-Atlantic and northeast, Happy Winter!  :-)

Weekend in Bath

It being the middle of cold, dull January, without a whole lot going on, I decided to surprise Chris and plan a weekend in Bath for he & I.  I was assured that despite the weather, we would still have a lovely time and I was not misled.

We took a train on Friday afternoon from London's Paddington station for the 90-minute ride to Bath Spa.  We had a warm welcome at our hotel/B&B and it was a very comfortable place; the only disadvantage was that it was about a 10-minute walk into town, and the walk itself was not very scenic (and I think the next day was trash day.)  After settling in and unpacking, we took that cold, dark, un-scenic walk and were quite surprised once we got into the village as it seemed almost deserted.  Shops were closed and not many people out on the streets.  We managed to find a pub (no surprises there) and had a pint before walking a bit more, then hailing a cab for our dinner destination that had been recommended by a colleague of Chris's.  This was one of the highlights of the weekend for sure.   We went to the Bath Priory and it was a fabulous place - we had a drink by the roaring fire while we looked over the menu before we were seated, and the food & service were fantastic.  It was definitely a splurge but worth the visit.

After our "full English" (breakfast that is) Saturday morning, we walked back into town and were relieved to see many more people out on the town; things were bustling.  We did a bit of shopping (mostly looking) then headed for the Roman Baths.  A bit of background (*this is the history lesson portion of the blog so skip down to the next "*" if you tend to get bored by my ramblings):

Several milleniums ago, a dude named Bladud, son of the Celtic king, got leprosy and was banished to the countryside, where he herded pigs, which were similarly afflicted.  Bladdy noticed that when the pigs rolled around in the wet mud, their skin healed!  So, he smartly found the source of the water, took a swim (or a "bath", if you will), and behold, he was healed too.  He was, of course, taken back in by his dad, and later became king himself, not to mention the father of King Lear, but that is another story.  Needless to say, this became the founding and the naming of the city.  A thousand years or so later, the springs were re-discovered by the conquering Romans, who channeled the waters into an elaborate bathing compound and called their community "Aquae Sulis".  They also built a temple to Sulis Minerva (combination of the Celtic goddess of Spring and the Roman goddess of wisdom.)  As all good things must come to an end, the Romans fell, and although the baths went into decline, the area waters continued to attract visitors who believed in their healing powers. Throughout the centuries they've been visited by Bishops, Royals, physicians & lepers alike.  Excavation of the temple began in the 1700's, and the Roman Baths eventually became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  There!

*We had fun at the Roman Baths.  We then walked to the very nearby Bath Abbey, which was getting ready to close due to a BBC Radio live recording, so we unfortunately could not do the tour of the Abbey Tower, which allegedly has great views of the area.  But now we at least can be assured that the Bath Abbey must have awesome acoustics.  After an uphill, un-scenic walk back to the hotel, we rested, freshened up, and went out for a nice, although much less posh dinner back in town (after which we took a cab uphill back to the hotel.)

Sunday morning had us packing up and checking out early, then after leaving our suitcase at the hotel we headed to the Thermae Bath Spa.  You are not able to book ahead unless you are having a spa treatment (ie: massage) and we had tried to get in on Saturday afternoon but the line was much too long. We were both glad we opted for the second try on Sunday morning - it was another highlight.  For £25 each, we got 2 hours of soaking in warm, mineral-rich (?) waters, first in an open-air rooftop pool, then an aroma-infused steam room, then the largest (but most boring) "Minerva Bath" - basically an indoor pool.  But oh, so nice!  A great start to our final day.  With our hair mostly dry, we left the spa and headed to a landmark of Bath, the Royal Crescent, built in the 1700's and now supposedly one of the most distinctive examples of Georgian architecture in the world.  We also walked through the Royal Victoria Park and Botanical Gardens that held their own charm despite the grey weather.  After a nice lunch and a bit more walking and looking, we cabbed it back to the hotel for our bags then headed for the train station.  Bath is an absolutely picturesque city with an amazing history, and I hope to have the time to go back in some nicer weather.

Exactly one year ago today, Chris & I were in London, anticipating a big job offer and deciding whether or not to take it.  The weather was almost identical - cold, grey, and gloomy.  But we said yes anyway, and boy, are we glad we did.

http://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/WeekendInBath?feat=directlink

The Twelve Days of Wronskys

(To the tune of "the Twelve Days of Christmas")
"On the first day of Wronsky Christmas my true love sent to me, an airplane arriving on time!"

"On the second day of Wronsky Christmas my true love sent to me, two... uh... two tired boys... (no, there were three tired boys...). Two... umm... two happy parents (but that's totally stating the obvious...) Uh...two... two...extra litres of milk...?" OK.  Let me save all of us this aggravation and attempt this cute song no further.   Brain cells kind of fatigued after 12 days of fun.  So... I'll just give you a synopsis of what we did when the guys (and gals) were here.

Day 1
Boys arrive - Hallelujah!  Full English breakfast and naps, followed by quick tour of Hampstead and the Holly Bush Pub.  They are duly impressed.  Even more impressed by English lamb for dinner.

Day 2
Kyle shows his bros around Camden Town.  We all go to the Royal Albert Hall for a wonderful performance of Carols by Candlelight by the Mozart Festival Orchestra & Chorus.

Day 3
Off to Bruges early on the Eurostar!  Arrive mid-day, just in time for lunch and a tour of De Halve Maan Brewery.  Very cold.  Stroll around the lovely town; Belgian dinner then back to the pub where we had lunch - great beer menu!

 

Day 4
Breakfast at hotel then more strolling in the cold.  A bit of shopping then lunch on the square, followed by one last stop at the pub where everybody already knows our name.  Back on train and home to Hampstead in time for Christmas Eve Bolognese a la Chris.  Delish.

Day 5
Merry Christmas!  We all sleep in, then spend a typical Christmas Day lounging around and trying to cooperate for a family photo for Mom.  Something of a beef & wine debacle (much too long to go into here) but Plan B (pork roast) turns out wonderfully.

Day 6
Boxing Day, and Lauren arrives via BA on time and rested - she doesn't even need a nap!  Tube is on strike, so we take a cab to enjoy one of the kids' Christmas surprises from Mum & Dad - Rugby match at Wembley Stadium (Saracens vs. Wasps).  Home team Saracens win.  Lots of fun, despite initial confusion on what the heck was going on.  Grubber?  Scrum?  And these guys don't wear any padding!  Dinner back at the flat.  Lauren makes it until 9:30 pm!

Day 7
Decide to check out the area of Brick Lane and the Spitalfields Market.  Unfortunately, it's a Bank Holiday so most places are closed - including a couple of Indian restaurants that we'd hoped to try.  Stop for a pint at the Ten Bells Pub, made famous for providing a hang-out for two of Jack the Ripper's victims.  Back to Hampstead for dinner at a local Indian restaurant.  Good food - definitely spicy enough for the guys (a bit too much so for me!)

Day 8
Sarah arrives also on time and without any problems.  She does nap, then we shop for dinner and prepare for a visit from Andrew who is back from Oz for the holidays.  Really good dinner at home, then a Hampstead pub crawl.  Hilarity ensues.

Day 9
Nickel (make that 5P) Tour of London: tube to St. James Park, then walk to Buckingham Palace, up the Mall and down Whitehall past the Horses Guard & Downing St., and on to Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.  Then across the Westminster Bridge to the London Eye!  Lots of fun & good views despite the mist, fog, and rain.  Nice dinner at French Restaurant before meeting back up with Andrew and some of his mates.  Hilarity really ensues.

Day 10
Tower of London in the cold rain.  Still great visit!  Crowds seemed as big as when we were there in 2005 in the height of summer - on a sunny day!  Today's pub:  The Hung, Drawn, and Quartered - of course near the Tower.  Great dinner at home again courtesy of Chris - cockles & shrimp with linguine.  Mmmmm.  Kids will not be able to complain that they did not eat well.

Day 11
New Year's Eve.  Kids head out to Kyle's old restaurant for breakfast, then to Notting Hill & the Portobello Road Market.  Chris & I finish up shopping for our dinner:  Roasted Duck with Red Cabbage (although we had to substitute green Savoy), Applesauce and Potatoes Roasted in Duck Fat.  (Shots of Lipitor for dessert.)  Count down the New Year with Jools Holland on the BBC; kids introduce us to Sporcle, an online trivia game.  Chris, Mike, and Eric sample the (until recently dethroned) "Hottest Chile in the World" - the Jolokia.  Much milk drinking follows.  Fun night.

Day 12
Happy 2011!  Looks for about 15 seconds like the sun might come out, but it is not to be.  Big New Year's breakfast, then a late walk to Hampstead Heath and Kenwood House in the rain.  Still fun!  Final pub stop is the Spaniard's Inn before home to our last meal together of Braised Lamb Shanks.  More mmmmmmmm.  More Sporcle before bed.

Today
Kids out the door at 8:30 am to take the tube to Heathrow.  Sun threatens to emerge.  Sue goes back to bed.

So there you have the Wronsky Family London Christmas in a nutshell.  We really didn't see the sun at all but no one minded a bit.   The best Christmas present, needless to say, arrived on December 21 on the first flight to land at Heathrow from the US in days.  We loved having the girls as well - the male:female ratio was nearly evened up for a change - and they are absolutely wonderful.  We are lucky indeed.

My next task will be to find a warm & sunny holiday break for late January or early February.  Now that Christmas (and the kids' visit) is behind us, the dark afternoons are going to get old real quick.  Happy New Year!!

Check out the rest of the pix (may need to cut & paste link):
http://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/Christmas2010?feat=directlink