Wednesday 27 February 2008

ENGLAND ROCKED BY EARTHQUAKE!

Well... that's what the headlines read anyway.

Seems we had a 5.2 magnitude earthquake located north of London last night around 1:00 AM. Amy said she felt it.

I... as ususal... slept through it.

Tuesday 26 February 2008

Celebrity Sightings

Technically... seeing Kevin Spacey after his show doesn't count, BUT... we did see Forest Whitaker in the British Airways lounge (thanks Amy and her frequent flyer status) on the Saturday morning we flew to Prague.

We shared an affinity for the same breakfast pasteries. Just saying.

(Apologies... it's a slow blogging week and I've been informed bridges are boring)

Saturday 23 February 2008

So last night we attended the latest revival of David Mamet's play, "Speed-The-Plow" at The Old Vic theatre which starred Kevin Spacey (who happens to be The Old Vic's artistic director) and Jeff Goldblum.

Surprisingly humourous, it was a fast paced exchange that satirized the Hollywood movie industry.

After the show, we hung out at the stage door and Amy scored Kevin Spacey's autograph. Goldblum wasn't so amicable as he tried to slip away to his car in a hooded jacket. Yeah... like a 6'5" American was going to SLIP by a crowd looking for him.

Friday through Sunday 15-17 February 2008

Czech this out… (Sorry but it HAD to be done)

This past weekend we took a trip for our anniversary to visit the land of my heritage, a place where they not only know your name, but know how to pronounce it correctly as well.

Prague, simply put, was one of the most beautiful cities we’ve visited, mainly because it escaped the bombing of World War II. Let’s start with our hotel… Located in a protected building that shared the eastern gate of the town’s original walled city, it was within earshot of the bells of Tyn Church (which serves for a great morning alarm clock, whether or not we NEEDED that alarm), and a mere five minute walk from the Old Town Square. Breakfast was served every morning deep in the building’s cellar which dated back to the late 1600’s. Seems having a Czech surname finally paid off, as the hotel was fully booked and they set us up in one of the suites that overlooked the façade of the Church of St. James.

Now on to the sights... (as always - clicking on an image will get a larger version)

Old Town Square:

Should one walk out of our hotel and through the Ungelt Courtyard one would find himself right in the centre of the Old Town Square, which has been the heart of Prague since the 10th century.

Surrounding the square are beautifully pastel coloured buildings, as well as, the 14th century Tyn Church whose multiple Gothic spires dominate the square.

Town Hall and Astronomical Clock:

The centrepiece though of Old Town Square is the Town Hall and its Astronomical Clock, which is a collection of old world calendars, moon phases and zodiac symbols. Oh yeah… it keeps time too, and on the hour this timepiece, built in 1490, treats tourists to a procession of the twelve apostles.

Municipal House:

After this trip I have come to realize that I truly enjoy the Art Nouveau style of design and Prague’s most prominent display of this is its Municipal House. Ornately detailed in fantastic swirls of colours and tiling the interior almost outdoes the stunning façade.

It was in the basement of this building where we enjoyed what Amy describes as one of her best European meals in a long time. She made a point to throw in "European", because I think, for her, nothing compares to Ruggles or Vic & Anthony’s back home.

Powder Tower:

Located adjacent to Municipal House is the imposing Powder Tower, originally one of the entrances to Old Town it acquired its name in the 17th century when it was used to store the city’s cache of gunpowder.

Charles Bridge:

Completed in 1400 the Charles Bridge is Prague’s most renowned monument.

Now just a pedestrian bridge, it is adorned with thirty statues and features the Gothic Old Town Tower which some consider to be the finest Gothic tower in central Europe.


Prague Castle:

More of an “area” than a castle in the true sense, it still is Prague’s most visited site. Sitting high above the city this was Amy’s favourite place to visit as we had to climb the hill not once… but twice. There was a Presidential election occurring when we were there and most of the castle “complex” was cordoned off including our first choice to enter.

We did get to visit the most visible part of the Castle quarter, St. Vitus Cathedral which dates back to the 14th century. Including within one of the several beautiful side chapels is the tomb to Good King Wenceslas.


The Jewish Quarter:

Prior to World War II close to 80,000 Jews lived in this area which now totals closer to 6000, and still, to this day, contains the oldest working synagogue in Europe. Also synonymous to these streets is Franz Kafka. Time constraints limited my visit, but I did take in Spanish Synagogue with it bold Moorish interior.

...and surprise… surprise also took a walk through the Old Jewish Cemetery. Founded in 1478 it is Europe’s oldest surviving Jewish cemetery, and while there are over 12,000 remaining tombstones, there are thought to be closer to 100,000 people buried there in about twelve layers.

Sedlec Ossuary:

Continuing with the macabre… one of the highlights of the weekend (for me anyway) was a coach trip out to see the Sedlec Ossuary which is a small church decorated with the bones of between 40,000-70,000 people.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.


Cellar Pubs:

One of the coolest aspects of Prague, that neither of us realized, was the use of century old cellars to house pubs and restaurants. Climbing down narrow stairways into deep low arched stoned ceilings halls was… surprisingly enjoyable and made it one of our favourite things in what has become one of our favourite cities. Did I mention the cheap beer?

I could go on and on about Prague. The meandering maze of cobblestone streets lined with colourful buildings with intricate detailing made for surprises around every corner it seemed.


These were just the highlights, but we also ventured into several other churches where it struck our fancy, surprisingly finding out that Prague offered some of the most magnificent church interiors we have seen since our visit to Rome. Baroque chapels and tombs, as well as, the iconic statue of the infant Christ were within some of the churches we visited.


We did some of the more touristy things like walked through Wenceslas Square and even some of the lesser known things like finding the John Lennon wall hidden in Prague’s backstreets.

As much as we did do, there is so much more. It’s truly a shame we haven’t visited Prague earlier as we very well might have made a return visit. We enjoyed it that much… even IF there wasn’t a kolache to be found anywhere in the city.

We did have a great anniversary weekend in Prague. Ray forgot to mention that there were snow flurries each day, with mostly clear skies. It really was beautiful... but, I have to say that the "bone church" gave me the creeps!

Tuesday 12 February 2008

Anyone mention bridges?? Thought so.

London Bridge is not falling down, but it sure is disappointing.

The present non-descript structure is built on the site of the original crossing of the Thames and until 1750 was the ONLY bridge spanning the river. The original bridges were steeped in history and legend ranging as far back as Roman times, including displaying the severed heads of convicted traitors (William Wallace included) to the more modern sale and relocation to Lake Havasu. It is truly a shame that such a historic crossing point is not better represented than it is.

Not so for its neighbor, the iconic Tower Bridge.

Completed in 1894 the construction of the Tower Bridge was considered at the time to be the most ambitious undertaking of civil engineering ever and one can argue that it is the image most recognized when one mentions London. The eastern most of London’s bridges its most impressive feature are its two giant bascules that open to allow ship traffic up river.

Wednesday 06 February 2008

A lesser man might have visited 100 pubs and called it quits.

I am not that man.

As a matter of fact, some of the latest ones I've had a pint (or three) at have become some of my favourites. Below is my update, and as usual, the complete list is located via the link to the right.

Cheers!!

101. The Marquis of Granby: (Westminster) Tucked away amongst the office buildings near Parliament and a decent place with the traditional dark wood paneling.
102. The Pig’s Ear: I won’t lie… I got sucked in by the name. A local Chelsea pub w/ bench seating. If you’re in the area? Sure stop in, but it’s nothing special to look for.
103. Museum Tavern: Oddly… across the street from the British Museum. Located in a listed building this 18th century pub has been visited by the likes of Sir A Conan Doyle and Karl Marx. Though not while we were there.
104. The Plough: A pleasant surprise!! Nice Victorian pub with private/public bar dividing walls near the British Museum.
105. The Crown: Another cool Bloomsbury pub with partitioned seating and a great outside area (although it was far too cold on our visit).
106. The George Inn: Tucked away in a cobblestone courtyard, this is the only surviving galleried coaches inn left in London. A series of small bars now occupy its rooms. Very historic/authentic this 17th century building was a hangout of Charles Dickens.
107. Lord Clyde: Neighbourhood Borough area pub. GO SEE THIS PLACE. If it were more convenient for me I would go more often. Wedged shape building with interesting tiled exterior and partitioned Saloon/Public rooms. The coolest part was the draped entries past the exterior door. A must see!!
108. The Market Porter: Large and VERY crowded pub across from the Borough Market. Couldn’t appreciate the inside as it was too difficult to move around because of the market crowds.
109. Bunch of Grapes: Southside/London Bridge area pub in a listed building. Nice little place w/ a cozy atmosphere complete with cool little nooks and booths.
110. Globe Tavern: Near Southwark Cathedral/London Bridge. Seen in the Bridget Jones Diary movies it was built in 1872. Far more impressive from the outside and not a lot of seats on the inside.
111. The Cockpit: I was looking for so much more from this 1840’s pub that claims to have hosted the last “legal” cock fight in London. Wedged shaped exterior located amongst some narrow streets make it worth the visit, but I was a bit disappointed.
112. Opera Tavern: Built in 1870 on the edge of Theatreland and maintains its tradition roots. Dark and creaky… just as I like them.
113. Ship and Shovell: Not misspelled, this quirky pub is split into halves, but connected by a cellar passages under the street. We drank in the larger refurbished “half”, but the one across the street (which was closed) seemed far more cozy and older.

Saturday 02 February 2008

On the first Saturday of every month there are free tours of London’s Somerset House.

Once the site of a former Tudor style royal residence, the present building was constructed as the first government building in 1776 and now is a centre for the visual arts that houses several world renowned art collections.

The heart of Somerset House is the Safra Fountain Court that entertains the public in the more warmer months with a display of vertical dancing fountains. Something we no doubt plan on re-visiting this summer.

Friday 01 February 2008

Well... that didn't take long.

I said that I wanted to get back to tour the grand Southwark Cathedral and since today was my Friday off and London dodged the blizzard conditions the rest of the country was experiencing it seemed like an opportune time.

A place of Christian worship for over 1400 years it is adorned with fantastic stained glass windows, fan vaulted ceilings and intricately sculpted statues.

Although he isn't buried here, there is a monument to William Shakespeare. His brother, however, is buried within the Cathedral as are several other noted Britains.

The filtered light coming through the windows while I was there made for a very moving visit.