Saturday 31 March 2007

Continuing a theme… Today I ventured out to spend the morning walking through London’s oldest public cemetery, All Souls – Kensal Green. In what appeared to parallel my odd, eclectic mood of late, it was a ramshackle collection of Georgian catacombs next to simple markers overgrown in brambles next to Victorian mausoleums next to modern day tombstones.

Nothing starts a cemetery adventure off than a welcome sign like this. Of course, upon hearing this Amy was glad she chose to sleep in.

Clicking on the images will take you to a larger version.

Not sure WHO this is, or what he composed, but all I could think of (in true Ray form) was the Seinfeld episode with The Maestro. Sorry… I digress.

Wednesday 28 March 2007

By now you’ve come to expect the occasional odd nuance from me. Maybe some of you are surprised, but few of you shouldn’t be. First it was the bench pictures (which have long been ostracized to their own blog and now will be shamelessly plugged by pointing out the link in the right hand margin). Next it was the blue-hued photos from Rome (OK… THOSE were an accident caused by a bad camera setting). Then there’s my fascination with street sweepers. All of these probably have some sort of Freudian connotation, that I’m sure will all come out during therapy later in life.

I suppose I could bore everyone (did someone mention bench pictures again?) by telling you about my experience the other morning with “rail rage” on my commute to work, or maybe how the hallway entering our flat always seems to smell of curry, or even how we now have a family of ducks nesting in the water garden just below our balcony, but that would be... well... boring.

Lately… I’ve taken to photographing cemeteries. I just find them fascinating. This isn’t really a “new” fixation either as those family members that were dragged to a remote location on Long Island to see Theodore Roosevelt’s grave may attest to. For whatever reason, it seems I took more photos of gravesites on our recent trip to Ireland than anything else. Perhaps I’m going through a dark period with a slight macabre touch.

These were taken in a small un-named cemetery located next to our hotel in Dublin. I left Amy at the breakfast table whilst I took advantage of the rising sun that was casting some neat long shadows.

(Click on the image for the larger version)

Powerscourt Estates had acres of glorious, sculptured gardens and fountains, but when I climbed to the top of the ground’s watchtower I noticed something that wasn’t on the map, an overgrown graveyard with remnants of perhaps a chapel. The fun part was that the only access that I could find was a section of collapsed wall, which of course I climbed through. Needless to say, Amy didn’t join me.

(Click on the image for the larger version)

The cemetery associated with St. Kevin’s Monastery in Glendalough had several Celtic Cross style headstones which were perfect against the misty, hazy weather we had on our visit.

(Click on the image for the larger version)

Saturday 24 March 2007

Lions and Bitters and Ale… Oh My!!

Amy has been in Houston for business all week, so with nothing else better to do I spent the day walking through several different parts of London. No agenda, just me and my camera, and the name of four pubs: The Red Lion (Crown’s Passage), The Golden Lion, another Red Lion (THE most popular pub name in the UK), and The Black Lion. NOW do you get the title?

Here’s a photo diary of my travels:

Staple Inn on High Holborn was built in 1586 and one of the few buildings in the area that survived the Great Fire of 1666.

This is just a cool building near the Holborn Viaduct.

The entrance to the Central Criminal Court Building.

St. Paul’s Cathedral, still my favourite church in London.

This was from Postman’s Park which houses a memorial to men and women that performed heroic acts of self sacrifice.

Walking home, Green Park is still showing its signs of spring even though we had snow flurries this past Thursday.

The more I look at this statue of Queen Victoria in front of Buckingham Palace the more I realize that she could have probably kicked my butt.

This is a weird Ray moment (I know… I know… ANOTHER one). I just always get a kick out of the street sweepers that work the streets of Westminster. Not sure why… I just do.

Everyone has heard of Big Ben, but did you know that there was a Little Ben also?? It’s located just outside of Victoria Station.

There it is... Throw in a visit to the Museum of London and four pubs and you have how I spent my Saturday.

Sunday 15 March 2007

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a faithful trip.
If going to Dublin on St. Patty’s Day, don’t take a ship!!

A three hour tour… a threeeee hour tour...

OK… St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin sounded like a good idea, and it was, don’t get me wrong. It’s just a shame that the weekend was marred by the complimentary cruise of the Irish Sea.

Well… not really a cruise, but a ferry trip that due to gale force winds and a broken bow thruster caused us to spend nine hours, yes… that was NINE hours bobbing in high seas off the coast of Wales. Mix in an accident on the roadway causing a backup and we didn’t make it home until 1:30 AM Monday morning.

Oh…. Anyone needing a recommendation on coach tours that use ferry crossings? Contact Amy… she’ll give you ALL you need to hear.

Saturday 17 March 2007

St. Patrick’s Day!!

We had grandstand seats at the start of the parade which kept us away from the majority of the 630,000 spectators (mostly Americans... seriously… it was like Spring Break – Dublin). It was somewhat entertaining with high school and college marching bands (again… from America), some International groups, including one bagpipe group from Spain (I kid you not), and several local “pageants”. Pageants, from what we can tell, were local community groups (made up of ALL ages) all dressed colourfully with different themes.

Prior to the parade we visited Trinity College and viewed the Book of Kells, an original illustrated Latin translation of the New Testament created by Celtic monks in 600 AD. For me, the coolest thing I saw the WHOLE trip was walking through The Long Hall, which is where the oldest books of the college’s library were stored. We couldn’t take photos of it or the Book of Kells, but here is a photo found on the web. It really was awesome seeing all those tattered splines stored up to the ceiling.

After the parade we fought the crowds, sitting in a couple pubs watching Ireland play its 6 Nations rugby match. THAT was a blast!! Then we wandered through St. Stephen’s Green and Merrion Square. As in most European capitol cities there are ample statues commemorating national legends. Among those honouring Oscar Wilde and James Joyce, to name a few, was my favourite of the bunch that we accidentally stumbled across while roaming the streets.

John G… this one’s for you.

Friday 16 March 2007

Today we ventured out and toured the countryside with a visit to County Wicklow, stopping at the Powerscourt Estate and then later into Glendalough. Powerscourt Estate dates back to the 1600’s and is known as one of the most beautiful country estates in Ireland. We spent most of our time wandering through the formal terraced gardens, and I stumbled across an isolated cemetery (spotted from my visit to the top of the Watchtower).

Glendalough (pronounced Glenda-loch) is a valley located amongst the Wicklow Mountains and is the site of the remains of the 6th century monastery started by St. Kevin. It also has an example of a “round tower” which is specific to the Irish countryside.

Thursday 15 March 2007

Sooo…. Where would YOU go to spend St. Patrick’s Day if you could?? Anyone say Ireland?? More specifically Dublin?? That’s what we thought too, and today we were off on our coach tour to the Emerald Isle with complimentary cruise of the Irish Sea (more on this on Sunday’s post).

Our travels took us through Wales where among other things we were introduced to the term “sea mist” (Seems that’s Welsh for rain). One of our stops was at a village that touts the world’s longest name. Ready?? It’s

which translated means “St Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool and the church of St. Tysilio of the red cave”. I really think it mean “Place to stop and use the toilets while trying to get tourists to buy stuff”, but that’s just me.

Caught the ferry from Holyhead over to Dublin, checked into the hotel, and by 18:00 were in Dublin’s City Centre eating traditional Irish roasts and drinking Guinness.

Sunday 11 March 2007

No Planes, No Trains, and No Automobiles…

or Where East Meets West

On a whim on a simply glorious day we decided to take a boat cruise downstream on the Thames and visited Greenwich (pronounced “Gren-itch” for those unaware), home of The Old Royal Observatory keeper of Greenwich Mean Time and The Prime Meridian (Longitude 0۫ 0’ 0”).

We got a late start, but still were able to stand with one foot in the eastern hemisphere and one in the western hemisphere. Not often one can do that. Plus the views of London from Greenwich Park were something to see.

Saturday 10 March 2007

I’ve started a new “hobby” today. Along the lines of my Bench Photos (some of you may have noticed there is a link to my new “Bench Blog” in the right margin in an effort to keep this blog “bench free”).

I have decided to join a photo “group”, The Way We See It - London.

In a nut shell, it is an opportunity to go out and see different parts of London and take photos. Each week a new lesser known part of the city is “assigned” and one goes and takes pictures of this area. It’s not a contest, there is no rating, it is just a catalyst (for me anyway) to get out and see parts of London I wouldn’t normally go to. Plus… I’ve decided to research new pubs in these areas, because we ALL know how thirsty one gets when taking photographs.

Amy joined me on this first adventure, but I fear it may be her last as she was “baptised” by a pigeon on a high fibre diet as she sat on a park bench while I did my thing.

Once my photos “go live” I'll post a link. Plus… one can ALWAYS visit my bench pictures if one should so choose.

Sunday 04 March 2007

We had a late afternoon flight home which allowed Amy more shopping time and me a chance to wander the side streets and see the Scala Contari del Bovolo or Venice’s “Non-Leaning Tower of Pisa”. It’s just a five story exterior staircase of an old palace built in 1499, but it DOES look like the Tower in Pisa.

- Well, it's obvious that Ray has taken charge of the blogging. He's so much better at it - and he has the time to make it his own... HOWEVER... "a light nosh", "nicked treasures", "refurbishment" and "taking the lift"... What has happened to that Texan I brought to London nearly a year ago? I think he's gone a bit native on me.

Saturday 03 March 2007

Today was our “cultural” day, visiting St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace. St. Mark’s Square is full of idiots feeding those rats with wings (otherwise known as pigeons), and is also the lowest spot in Venice which leaves it prone to flooding. Several spots were holding water especially near the entrance to the church.

While not as expansive as St. Peter’s in Rome it is still impressive, just in a different way. The entire 11th century church is fitted with gold inlayed mosaics, and (also like Rome) contains nicked treasures acquired from The Crusades. The four bronze horses (taken from Constantinople) and the gold altar screen were the highlights. The Treasury Room contained some rather morbid relics of the bones of St. George and one of the Doges.

I was the only… how shall I say… “interested” one that went to the top of St. Mark’s bell tower, but wasn’t allowed to add it my “Things Climbed” list as you could only use the lift. However, I was there as the bells tolled noon which was a bonus, as were the views of the city.

Next was a walk through of the Doge’s Palace. The Doge of Venice was basically the “president” of Venice during it reign of power. Not a king… not a bishop/pope… but a Doge. I like the Stairway of Giants (the main entrance) and also the large “legislative” rooms, The Senate Hall and Main Council Hall that were adorned with gold painted wood work, large mechanical calendars, and scenes painted on every wall and ceiling.

The Bridge of Sighs connects the Doge’s Palace with the prison. Unfortunately, as with most things in Venice, there was some refurbishment going on next to it which made for a not very desirable photo. Later that evening we did the touristy thing and took a gondola ride. Honestly though… I know we were in Venice and it’s the thing to do… but it really wasn’t all that impressive. Plus our gondolier didn’t even sing.

Afterwards we finished with what turned out to be our best meal of the trip. We stumbled across this place on a side street near our hotel that did its best to discourage being “found” by tourists. No signs or menus displayed and the shades and curtains were all drawn closed. Philip peeked through a crack in the door, and saw that it was indeed open. Obviously, it was a local hangout as we watched the owner meet and greet those coming in.

It was here that I went against my usual bland palate tendencies and ordered the Spaghetti alla Venezia (the squid ink pasta), which turns the pasta, as well as, everything else it touches black!!! I also had calamari steak and grilled octopus.

Surprised??? I was.

Amy ended her meal with what she claims was the best tiramisu EVER.

Friday 02 March 2007

Today we visited the trade islands of Murano and Burano by catching the “vaporetti” (water bus… or big boat) from Venice. Murano is the sight of all the shops where hand made blown glassware is produced. Let’s just say… Amy made out like a bandit. Among her purchases was a chandelier to build her new dining room around once we get back to the states; because everyone KNOWS the first thing a house needs is a chandelier.

Burano is known for producing hand made lacework. This made it handy for Amy to buy a lace tablecloth for her dining room table that will go under her new chandelier. It is also a very scenic village. All the homes and buildings are painted different bright colours and honestly… is what I though Venice would look like. Very “postcard” picturesque. It is also the home for the church, St. Martin Bishop whose bell tower leans at 5 degrees like the tower in Pisa.

Thursday 01 March 2007

Arrive in Venice and take a water taxi to our hotel. Our small room (with a smaller shower) was very stylishly decorated in a Venetian sort of way, and had a view overlooking the Grand Canal. At first that sounds very chic, until you realize it’s like having a room next to an interstate. Still… it WAS pretty cool.

While waiting for Christine and Philip to arrive we took off walking and ended up having a light nosh off the canal near the Rialto Bridge. It was on our “shortcut” back to the hotel where we were introduced to the labyrinth that is local Venice. Dead ends, small bridges over canals, smaller alleys… but eventually we made our way back.

The four of us walked over to St. Mark’s Basilica and had drink at Harry’s American Bar which turned out to be an old Ernest Hemmingway hangout and the place where the Bellini was invented. Their Amaretto Sour needs some work though.

Thursday thru Sunday 01-04 March 2007

Hey Mambo… Mambo Italiano…

Amy had that song in her head for the whole weekend, which was fitting since we sampled all that is Venice plus some with her friend Christine and her husband Philip. They say the best way to “enjoy” Venice is to just wander the back streets, because since it’s a relatively small island you really can’t get lost… trust me… we tried.

Even in the birthplace of opera, the romanticism of a singing gondolier, the cultural expanse of early Venetian glory, and the charm of its splendid decay, for us… Venice was all about the food. Whether it was just cheese and antipasto in an outdoor café or lunch at a canal side bistro or squid ink pasta in a local ristorante (that tried oh so hard NOT to invite tourists) it was the food and wine (beer for Ray, thankyouverymuch) that stole the show.

Salute…

Wednesday 28 February 2007

Pub Update
For my complete list click on the link in the right margin.
22. The Jugged Hare: A refurbished bank building with a nice older “feel”, but not an authentic pub. We like the food there (try their Poacher’s Pie) and the high ceilings make for less smoke. Plus they serve Fuller’s ESB, my fav-o-rite ale.
23. The Clachan: SoHo area pub built in the late 1890’s and near The Palladium Theatre. Stopped in for a few before seeing The Sound of Music. Nothing special and not sure what the name implies.
24. Dover Castle: Small, HIDDEN pub built in 1777. Not very ornate inside, just your basic original, creaky, quaint, friendly “local” pub tucked back in a maze of alleyways near Regent’s Park. Worth a try to find, but bring a map.
25. Cock & Lion: Drawn in by name alone, and was disappointed with the upstairs portion. Very modern. The downstairs seemed more authentic, but it was way too crowded.
26. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese: A MUST see!! Built in 1677 on Fleet St, but still need to know where it is as the entrance is off a small alley. Really cool series of small rooms, hallways and stairs. Like nothing I’ve visited so far. Dickens-esque.
27. Seven Stars: Built in 1602 and survived The Great Fire. Located behind the Royal Courts and part of the pub is an olde wig shop. It was supposed to have won an award for being one of the best dinner pubs, but find that hard to believe as there was a small pile of cat food on the bar.
28. St. George: Small local refurbished pub on the backside of our flat. Several TV screens and off the beaten path might make this a nice one to re-visit for watching a rugby match.
29. Audley: VERY roomy Victorian pub in Mayfair. Crystal chandeliers, dark panelling, and a LONG ornate bar benefiting from either being well preserved or having a “non-altering” renovation.
30. The Guinea: Tuck away amongst the mews in Mayfair, parts of it go back to the 1600’s. Cosy little place more know for its food as it is the 3-time winner of Britain’s Best Steak & Kidney Pie. (attached restaurant was frequented by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Liz Taylor)
31. Ye Grapes: Tucked away in Shepherd Market away from the Mayfair bustle. Built in 1882, it has surprisingly high ceilings and cool wood carvings over the bar.
32. Red Lion: Near Parliament built in the late 19th century. Etched mirrors behind the bar. Not bad, just not “special”.
33. Cock & Bull: Modern Fuller’s pub (much like The Jugged Hare) in Sutton. Literally can see it from my office window. Scene of a couple “businessman” lunches.
34. The Old Star: Right next to St. James’ Park tube stop and claims to be a traditional pub. Sorry… but if you offer free WiFi… you’re NOT a traditional pub.
35. The Feather: Again in the St. James’ Park area. Was built in the late 1870’s, but the victim of a modernizing refurbishment that reduces its character.
36. The Strutten Arms: A cluttered dark, local pub built in 1848 with neat little alcoves along the side wall. Seems Peter Sellers and friends developed the old BBC radio show “The Goons” here.

Saturday 24 February 2007

Trendsetters!! (and didn’t even realize it)

After spending the late morning walking through Green and St. James’ Parks checking out how many daffodils were fooled by the mild winter (surprisingly more than I thought)… then an impromptu afternoon mini-pub crawl (sorry, but you can’t be a traditional pub if you offer free WiFi)… then venturing to St.George Tavern to watch England get absolutely SPANKED by Ireland in Six Nations Rugby… we decided to spend the evening in Kensington.

First we visited Bill Wyman’s Sticky Fingers restaurant for dinner before making our way over to Piano Kensington, a small little place that was the coolest evening we’ve had in a long time.

We were lucky enough to grab seats at the bar where we met and visited with the owner (and performer) Bazz Norton. Little did Amy realize that when she ordered that first Cosmopolitan that it would cause such a chain reaction. Seems the girly pink-hued cocktail in a martini glass caught the fancy of EVERY one else in the packed house. Toward the end of the evening, Bazz leaned over to the bartending staff and asked, “What the hell is with all the Cosmopolitans tonight?”

To which they just nodded their collective heads towards us and explained, “She started it!!”

Who knew?

Tuesday 20 February 2007

Happy Mardi Gras Day!!

Except here... here it's Pancake Day. Read HERE more details.

Show me your waffles!!

(oh.... and Happy Birthday Steph!!! Our baby is 20 years old today -sniff-)

Sunday 18 February 2007

I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand...
Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain...
He was looking for a place called...

Gonna get a big dish of beef chow mein...
Ah-ooooooooo, Werewolves of London... Ah-oooooooooooo

Happy New Year!!!
Chinese New Year that is.

On a whim we strolled over to Chinatown this morning to take in the festivities. Watched the parade then walked through the heart of Chinatown.

Funny thing... Beef Chow Mein isn't even ON the menu at Lee Ho Fook's. Well, maybe it is during the full moon.

Ah-oooooooo....

Tuesday 13 February 2007

Day IV

First thing this morning we re-visited St. Peter’s to mail some postcards from the Vatican Post Office. Since the line to enter the Basilica was almost non-existent we decided to take another visit. This time we visited the crypts below the main floor that contains the papal tombs. The moving part of this was seeing how many people came specifically to honour the tomb of John Paul II. It also speaks volumes of the man that was JP2 comparing his plain stone tomb to those of the more egomaniacal creations of some of his predecessors.

The rest of the day was spent visiting some “other” churches in Rome. Now… let me say this. We stopped in a few parochial churches yesterday as we past them, and even the ones that could only seat 200-300 people were magnificent inside. From the outside, one might not even realize that it was a church, but the frescos, the marble statues, the domes… Those Renaissance Catholics could really do churches.

Back to today’s activities… First up was a visit to St. Peter-In-Chains that was built originally in 440 AD, but “redone” in 1475. However some of the columns of the original church are still used. This church was built to house the chains that bound St. Peter when he and St. Paul were imprisoned in Rome. They are presented within the main altar of the church.

It also contains the Michelangelo sculpture of Moses that was to be part of the tomb honouring Pope Julius II. Again… pictures (well, MY pictures that is) can’t capture the detail of his work. Along one of the side walls there were some pretty creepy memorials to “someone”. Seems my Latin isn’t what it used to be and wasn’t able to translate.

Next was one of the oldest and best preserved churches in Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore. Built in 432 AD to honour the Virgin Mary this church contains what is believed to be the remains of Christ’s manger contained in an urn and displayed in a niche below the main altar.

Along with some of the best preserved mosaics of ancient Christian Rome, the church also houses the tomb of Pope Sixtus V who probably is most responsible for Rome as it is seen today. He initiated the levelling of medieval Rome and the building of the “new” grand churches connected by long boulevards in the 16th century.

Lastly we visited the basilica of San Giovanni in Laterno the FIRST Christian church built in Rome in 318 AD, and basically the original St. Peter’s if you will. Up until 1870 all the Popes were crowned here and is the sight of the original Papal Palace.

Several relics from the pagan temples of Roman times are built into this Christian basilica. The large doors in the main entry are from Rome’s Senate House in the Forum, and the chapel in the left transept contains an altar framed by large gilded bronze columns that tradition says are from the Temple of Jupiter considered to be the holiest spot in ancient Rome.

Adorning either side of the nave are twelve huge statues depicting each of the apostles added when the church was “redone” in the 1600’s. The floor plan of this church was the reference point of most of the main churches in Rome, including St. Peter’s.