Hey London

We didn’t make it to the lighting of the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square as the rain poured down and we didn’t feel like venturing into the cold night.  I did however visit the tree the following day and I was a little disappointed.  The Christmas lights around the city have been so spectacular, that I think I was expecting the tree to be something extraordinary.  In fact, it is just a large pine tree decorated with single strands of white lights.  Ordinarily I would have been impressed by such a big tree, so I guess it just goes to show how spoilt I have become. 

We moved into our new apartment in Fulham Broadway, which illustrates the point that you should never judge a book by its cover.  The apartment is housed in an old council development, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the Colcroft or Jasmine Allen Estates (fans of The Bill will know what I am referring to).  Its beauty is not enhanced by the scaffolding, which surrounds the building whilst repairs to the balconies are underway.  The apartment is situated on the 4^th floor and we were pleasantly surprised to find a very spacious, nicely furnished and comfortable unit.  The owner is very friendly and has bent over backwards to make sure that we have an enjoyable stay.

Tim returned from Birmingham where he had an eventful time.  We lost no time in continuing his guided tour of London, first with a visit to the Portobello Road Markets and then over to the Spitalfields Market.  Then it was off for a quick walk around Brick Lane followed by a drink at the White Hart to soak up the Ripper atmosphere.

A rare treat was in store for Tim as we took a trip to Goudhurst to show him where his Grandma was born.  We took to the train to Gatwick Airport where we collected our hire car before travelling to Orpington to collect Peter and Margaret for the outing.  I think Tim enjoyed the trip, listening to Margaret explain the various points of interest and fill him in on some of the lesser known details of his grandmother’s history.  We had a lovely cream tea at the Star and Eagle in Goudhurst, which dates back to the 14^th century.  A quick walking tour of the village followed and we were able to visit St Mary’s Church and the attached cemetery.  Lunch was at The Peacock Inn, another 14^th century pub where the beams were so low that Michael and Tim were practically bent double walking to our table.  The food was great and the company was even better.  We returned Margaret and Peter to Orpington and then we journeyed home. 

 

Tim and I took the train to Oxford for the day.  It was a very chilly day and I think that Tim struggled with the cold.  It was a busy day in Oxford although nowhere near as busy as when Michael and I visited in the summer.  There were carollers dressed in Victorian attire singing on a street corner to raise money for the homeless and they would have been frozen stiff by the end of the day.  We visited the huge grounds of the university and marvelled at the ornate buildings.  The most enjoyable part of the day was a visit to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.  The building itself is a magnificent neo-Gothic structure, which resembles a cathedral with a glass roof.  All around are statues of famous scientists and each column is made of different stone collected from all around the United Kingdom.  The exhibits themselves are fascinating with large whale skeletons suspended from the ceiling and huge dinosaur skeletons on the floor.  It was a very interesting museum and I would like to return with Michael one day, as I know that he would really enjoy it.

 

Another day trip took Tim and I to Brighton.  It was a very windy day and we enjoyed walking along the stony beach, watching the waves crash over the pier.  The pier was almost deserted and it was exhilarating being blown along by the icy wind.  We spent the remainder of the day walking through the many cobblestone lanes filled with interesting shops.  I think Tim really enjoyed Brighton, as it was completely unlike anywhere else he had seen before.

 

The Tower of London was next on our agenda and I was more than happy to accompany Tim, as it has been 30 years since my last visit.  The Yeoman Warders were in fine voice as they regaled visitors with embellished tales from history.  Tim and I wandered up and down stairs exploring all the different rooms.  Naturally we went to see the Crown Jewels and I was most impressed with how they have improved the display since I was last there.  Now visitors stand on a moving walkway so you glide past the jewels.  This stops people standing in front of the displays and ensures that everyone can view them.  We also saw the famous ravens and I was able to fill Tim in on the legend, which surrounds them.

We spent the afternoon at the Tate Modern, as Tim wanted to see the exhibition Conflict Time Photography.  This was an excellent exhibition which showed photos taken of historic events (ie the bombing of Hiroshima), moments after the events they depict, then those made days later, then weeks and months later and finally years later – sometimes 10, 50 or 100 years after the event.  The results were quite moving and certainly very interesting.

 

The three of us went off to the Churchill War Rooms.  I had visited there just after they had originally opened to the public 30 years ago.  This was the original wartime bunker that sheltered Churchill and his government during the Blitz.  It is a fascinating display, which gives you a glimpse of what it must have been like during the WW2.  Two major things have changed since I was last here.  Firstly, security or rather lack thereof.  When I visited in 1984, security was very tight as there had been a spate of bombings by the IRA.  I remember that it was the first time that I had my handbag x-rayed outside of an airport.  This time a gentleman asked to see inside by bag however he only gave it a cursory look.  The other change has been the addition of the Churchill Museum.  This interactive museum comprehensively details everything about the life of Churchill from his birth, political career and personal life.  You could easily spend hours looking at all the material, which ranges from artifacts, displays, memorabilia and videos. All of it is very well presented and very interesting.

 

We took Tim to Southbank to view the Christmas Market and to lunch at the Real Food Market.  It was a glorious, sunny day and the markets were crowded with people enjoying the sunshine.  We also took a peek at the ice skating rink, which has been set up in the courtyard of Somerset House.  It was full of families enjoying themselves with tiny children holding onto baby polar bears to help them balance.

Made of Lego

Michael and I left Tim in peace on Sunday as he had gone out to a music venue the night before.  The gig didn’t start until 11.30pm so we knew that he wouldn’t have arrived home until the early hours of the morning.  We took a short bus ride to Apsley House, also known as Number One, London, which was the home of the first Duke of Wellington.  This wonderful mansion has changed little over the years and holds one of the finest art collections in London and a huge collection of silver and porcelain.  There is even a massive nude statue of Napoleon.  Michael also took a walk over to the Wellington Arch in Hyde Park and was able to climb to the top and walk across it.  It was a very interesting visit, made more so by the fact that we had visited Waterloo earlier this year.

 

U Boats at the Royal Academy

I took Tim to the British Museum as I wanted him to see the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles.  I think he was suitably impressed although I think he was just as irritated as me by the people lining up to take selfies with the Rosetta Stone.  We wandered the museum for about two hours exploring the African and Japanese sections.  The Tree of Life made by 4 Mozambican artists was particularly interesting.  It is a tree made from cut up guns, which had been decommissioned and handed in as part of an initiative to exchange guns for items like ploughs, bicycles and sewing machines.  The project was an attempt to eliminate the threat presented by millions of guns and other weapons hidden or buried in the bush of Mozambique.  It was nice to see something that was rather beautiful in its own way created from something so ugly.

Australia Memorial from Wellington Arch

St Paul’s Cathedral was next on the list and Tim and I were fortunate to time our visit with the choir rehearsal.  The singing was truly beautiful and enhanced our experience as we wandered around the magnificent cathedral.  Tim wanted to climb to the steps to the Whispering Gallery so I bravely ventured up with him.  I was doing quite well climbing the 257 steps up until the passage way suddenly narrowed to not much wider that me and I decided to leave him to it!  Tim climbed beyond the Whispering Gallery all the way up 528 steps to the Golden Gallery where he was treated to a fantastic view over London.  We then plunged down into the crypt to view the tombs of Wellington, Nelson, Turner and Reynolds to name but a few.  I think Tim enjoyed exploring the cathedral from top to bottom.

London Pride

Our son, Tim, arrived at Heathrow looking well considering he had just endured such a long flight.  It was wonderful to see him again and Michael and I are thrilled to be able to show him the sights.

 

Tim and I spent the next three days walking around London, and I do mean walking.  We covered over 71 kilometres in that time!  I know this because Michael loaded an app onto my phone, which counts the number of steps taken each day as well as measure the distance walked.  Even though we walked around so much we have really only scratched the surface with plenty more sights to see.

One of the more unusual places we discovered was a coffee shop, called Attendant. The café is housed in a former Victorian toilet, which was built around 1890 and had been abandoned since the 1960’s.  The building has been restored and the old attendant’s office has been turned into a small kitchen while the original porcelain urinals are still there and have been turned into a coffee bench.  I can honestly say that I have never had a coffee in a toilet before however, it was without a doubt, the best coffee I have had in London.

We walked past Lord’s Cricket Ground and were saddened to see the flowers that had been placed there in honour of Phil Hughes.  There was also a television crew filming an interview with people at the entrance gate.  Phil’s tragic death was very much in the news here, receiving wide coverage on both television and in the newspapers.  We also walked past Australia House and saw the flag flying at half-mast in his honour.  Very sad.

 

Saturday was a glorious day with the sun shining so Tim and I took full advantage.  Unfortunately, Michael had to work, so Tim and I started our day with a coffee at Trafalgar Square before heading to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard.  I think Tim enjoyed watching the pomp and ceremony taking place.  We then took a long walk along the Thames past Cleopatra’s Needle, across the Wibbly Wobbly Bridge and then past the Tate Modern where another Christmas market has sprung up along the forecourt there.  We then strolled past the Golden Hind and the Clink before lunching at the Borough Market.  The market was absolutely packed with people, as it seemed that the whole of London was taking advantage of the sunshine.  More walking took us to the Tower Bridge (after a quick look at the Shard – it is starting to grow on me) and then over to the Tower of London.  The poppies have now entirely gone and the moat now looks so bare without them. 

 

On Sunday we took Tim to Euston station where he boarded the train to Birmingham where he will attend a course for the week as part of his uni studies.  Michael and I then headed to the British Museum to view the exhibition Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination.  This wonderful exhibition traces 250 years of Gothic tradition.  There are many literary works featured from The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole through to Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde right up to modern day authors such as Stephen King, Clive Barker and Val McDermid.  There was much to see with excerpts of movies showing along with various props.  There was also a clip from the film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, which was hilarious.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the exhibition has once again renewed my interest in travelling to Transylvania. 

I took myself off to the V&A Museum to have a look at the exhibition Disobedient Objects.  I had already had a quick look at it with Tim but decided to return to investigate it in more detail.  The exhibition focuses on the period from the late 1970’s to the present day examining the role that of objects in political movements for social change.  There were banners and badges, placards and slogans.  It was an interesting exhibition, which highlighted various struggles that have taken place around the world. 

 

The weather is turning colder now with most days struggling to reach 8 degrees.  It is still positively balmy when compared to winter in Canada so I am not complaining.  Tonight we will rug up nice and warm and see the lights being lit on the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square.  It should be fun. 

Across The River Thames

Michael and I took a walk around the gardens Westminster Abbey to view the memorial crosses, which have been placed there.  Every year, in the lead up to Armistice Day, the public are invited to plant little wooden crosses with personal messages in honour of the fallen from past wars.  It was overwhelming to see the sheer number of crosses, with the saddest ones planted in the section for ongoing conflicts.  I was able to see the section reserved for members of the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), where my great uncle had served.

 

 

 

There are two rather whimsical displays on the streets of London at the moment.  One is the Year of the Bus sculpture trail.  There are three trails, which feature sculptures of London buses, which have been painted and adorned by well-known and aspiring artists.  Some of the sculptures are quite beautiful whilst others are amusing.  Following the display, the artworks will be auctioned to raise funds for three charities.  The other display is the Paddington Trail.  There are 50 Paddington Bear statues dotted all over London, which have been designed by celebrities such as Stephen Fry, David Beckham and Emma Watson.  It is fun to just chance upon one of these cute creations.  My favourite is the one designed by Stephen Fry, which features a rather smart looking bear wearing a Union Jack duffle coat. He can be found outside Downing Street.

 

I had read an article in The Age about wandering around the area of Kings Cross Station and how much the area has changed.  Michael and I set off to explore and had a very pleasant afternoon meandering through the streets.  We soon found the St Pancras Old Church and discovered the Hardy Tree.  Thomas Hardy trained as an architect before he became an author, and one of his jobs was to supervise the re-interment of bodies in the churchyard, which had been moved to make way for the railway lines.  He decided that the displaced gravestones should be placed in a circular pattern around a tree.  That tree has now grown in and around the gravestones in an interesting and rather beautiful way.  There is also a tomb for Sir John Soane and his wife in the churchyard.  This mausoleum provided the inspiration for the design of the iconic red telephone boxes of England.

 

We went to see the Christmas lights in Regent Street the night they were lit and were not disappointed.  Once again, traffic was stopped to allow families to walk the street to view the lights.  There are huge banners of lights strung across the roadway with some of them adorned with giant plastic snow domes, with the snow whipping about inside them.  Just lovely.  We also visited Marylebone High Street when the lights were turned on there, which was fun.  The streets around Sloane Square and where we are staying are adorned with small, real Christmas trees which hang from every light post, all twinkling with fairy lights.  Nearly every shop has now put up their Christmas window displays and the effect is magical.  

 There are even real reindeer for children to feed and pat at Covent Gardens!  The giant Christmas tree from Norway will be erected in Trafalgar Square over the coming days with the lights turned on there on December 4^th.  I can’t wait to see it.

 

I took myself off to the Royal Mews and had a lovely morning touring and viewing the fabulous state coaches.  My favourite was the coach designed to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  This coach was designed by an Australian and built in Australia.  Apart from being a very ornate and beautiful creation, the material used is also of great historical significance.  The crown atop the roof is carved from timber from the HMS Victory.  There are also timber sections from the Mary Rose, the Mayflower and various abbeys, cathedrals, castles and palaces.  The doorhandles are encrusted with diamonds and sapphires and the lamps are made of beautiful crystal.  It would be very comfortable to ride in as well, as it is heated and has electric windows!  On display were a number of other carriages including the Gold State Coach, which has been used for the coronation of every British monarch since George IV.

 

Next on my list was the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace.  This was where I made an uncharacteristic error and didn’t research what I was about to see.  I made the erroneous assumption that I would view paintings and artwork belonging to Her Majesty and therefore expected royal portraits and the like.  Instead, there were two exhibitions taking place, Gold and Cairo to Constantinople.  The first exhibition on gold was mildly interesting to me and there was an impressive gold tiger head on display.  The second exhibition showed a number of photographs, which were taken on a royal tour undertaken by the Prince of Wales in 1862.  Again, this was mildly interesting, if only to see how one could mistreat ancient monuments in those days ie climbing the sphinx and souveniring whatever one wanted.

I took a fabulous walk along the River Thames from Chelsea Bridge to Tower Bridge.  I have wanted to do this walk for some time since I read an article in The Age before we left Australia.  The Thames Path runs for 180 miles along the banks of the River Thames from Woolwich in South East London to Kemble in Gloucestershire.  I would like to walk the full length of the path some day but the short distance I walked has been enough to whet the appetite.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself walking along and stopping to look at anything, which caught my attention along the way.  The biggest find for me was discovering The Burghers of Calais statue by Rodin situated next to the Houses of Parliament.  I had no idea it was there and was thrilled to bits when I came upon it.  I am very grateful to have the luxury of time to explore the city in such a way.

 

Michael and I had a lovely evening at the Southbank Centre Christmas Market.  There were a number of wooden chalets selling food, drink, gifts and handmade crafts.  We enjoyed roast pork rolls with stuffing, washed down with mulled wine and brandy.  It was a very nice way to spend some time and I am sure we will return before the Christmas season is over.

One of the wonderful things about staying in London is the number of exhibitions, which are on at any given time.  Michael and I took in the Witches and Wicked Bodies at the British Museum, an exhibition that was not well advertised but well worth the visit.  On display were prints and drawings showing how witches and witchcraft have been depicted by artists, over the past 500 years.  There were works by Durer, Goya and Delacroix amongst many others.  It was all very interesting.

The World Press Photo Exhibition was held at the Royal Festival Hall and, whilst interesting, was poorly set out so you had to jostle the crowds to see the displays.  Much better, was an exhibition downstairs called Catching Dreams, which featured artwork by prisoners.  The artworks on display were of extraordinary quality and there are obviously some very talented people incarcerated in Britain.

 

Winter Wonderland has opened in Hyde Park.  This is a huge area filled with rides, Christmas markets, ice-skating and festive fare.  London really is a wonderful place to be at Christmas, especially if you are a child.  It was great fun walking around and seeing so many people having a great time.

London’s Burning

On Sunday we were to meet Michael’s godmother, Margaret, at Charing Cross Station.  The weather was woeful – our first day in London where it just teemed with rain.  We had arranged to meet Margaret by Eleanor’s Cross, however, as it was pouring, we decided to wait inside the train station.  Whilst we were waiting, I noticed two armed policeman patrolling the area.  I remarked to Michael that armed police always make me feel nervous and we agreed that they were there to make their presence felt during a time of heightened terrorism threat.  Suddenly we were aware of what looked like flares lighting a section of one of the train platforms.  We both stood there, along with a number of other people, trying to work out what was going on.  People started to walk quickly away from the area and Michael signalled to the police that something was going on.  Just when the police started to jog over to investigate, people started running out of the station.  I told Michael it was time to get out of there and I turned to start walking out.  Next thing I knew, someone screamed get out and people really started running, including me!  Once outside, I turned to see that Michael was nowhere to be seen.  I tried to turn back however, I was met by a wall of running people.  Finally, I caught sight of him, standing at the station entrance talking to Margaret.  By now alarms and klaxons are sounding and lights were flashing over the entranceways stating Do Not Enter and those two were standing there having a good old natter as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening!  I kept signalling wildly for them to get away from there whereupon they sauntered over to me and proceeded to discuss where we would go for coffee.  My response was to suggest getting as far away from the station as possible and could they please MOVE IT!  It wasn’t until we returned home that evening that we saw that a train carriage had caught fire and the station had been closed for two hours whilst the fire was contained and the mess cleaned away. 

 

 

The rest of the day was much more relaxed as we strolled the National Gallery and then lunched at the Café in the Crypt in St Martin-In-The-Fields.  This is exactly what it sounds like – a café set up in the crypt of the church.  All proceeds from the café go towards the preservation and upkeep of the church.  We had a lovely afternoon just sitting there chatting, so it didn’t matter that the rain kept up all day.

  

LDN

We caught the ferry Ulysses from Dublin Harbour to Holyhead and once again the crossing was very pleasant.  The ferry was very crowded as it was the end of the school holidays and many families were returning to the UK.  I had expected a nightmare experience at customs in Wales as the UK is has increased their security threat level to severe and with a number of Ebola scares I thought we may be subjected to increased scrutiny and temperature checks.  Ever alert, I had my passport in my hand with my finger marking the correct page ready for a long wait and then – walked straight through!  No passport check, no security, no sniffer dogs, nothing.  We then caught the train to Euston station (another pleasant journey) and no one even looked at our tickets.  We checked into our hotel, The President in Russell Square, and lost no time reacquainting ourselves with our now familiar stomping ground.

Our apartment was ready to move into on Monday so it was back to the Nell Gwynn complex in Chelsea where we have stayed a couple of times before.  I love the location as it is within walking distance to Harrods and it wasn’t long before I was there checking out the store. 

I took a tour of Kensington Palace, as I wanted to see the exhibition Fashion Rules.  On display were a number of dresses from Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales.  The dresses from the Queen dated back to the 1950’s and were absolutely exquisite.  The beading and embroidery were unbelievable in their detail and would still look glorious if they were worn today.  The items on display from Princess Margaret were from the 1960’s and 1970’s and made me smile with their bright colours and “out there” fashions.  The ones that disappointed were Diana’s.  It was surprising to see just how daggy the 1980’s were for fashion.  I could remember seeing photos of her wearing the dresses at the time and she looked beautiful in them, however they have not stood the test of time at all.  The rest of the palace was interesting with displays on Queen Victoria, which were fascinating.  One of the more bizarre features was a scratch and smell map of the Georgian Court which you could take around with you and then smell what each room would have smelled like in the time of George II and Queen Caroline.   I can honestly say I have never had that experience before!

One of the delights of coming to London is walking through Hyde Park.  We have been lucky as the first couple of weeks that we have been here have been very mild and quite sunny.  The park is ablaze with autumnal colour and it is just beautiful to stroll through the area people watching and seeing all the squirrels scampering about.  The Canadians go on about the fall colours of Canada but I would say that London is just as beautiful in the autumn.

 

The Christmas lights are being progressively switched on all over London and the city is being transformed into a winter wonderland.  Covent Garden looks beautiful with a giant illuminated Christmas tree and a huge statue of a reindeer.  Massive decorative balls hang from the ceiling and fairy lights twinkle everywhere.  Oxford Street switched on their lights last week and the whole street was closed off to traffic to allow families to stroll the street and admire the lights.  The window displays at Selfridges are amazing and the big department stores compete to outdo each other with ever more lavish displays. Harrods, John Lewis, Harvey Nichols and Fortnum and Masons all set the benchmark high.  Regent Street will turn on their lights on Sunday evening and I am sure that they will be just as spectacular.  Outdoor ice skating rinks have sprung up outside Somerset House and the Natural History Museum with children and adults alike having a wonderful time.  Michael and I either take a walk or a bus ride each evening to see all the decorations.  Marks and Spencer have even changed their name to Magic and Sparkle for Christmas!

 

Michael and I have been unbelievably lucky to return to London in time to see the completion of the artistic installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red.  I mentioned this installation in our last London blog when we were lucky to see the planting of the first few poppies in the moat of the Tower of London and then saw it again after the planting of the next few thousand poppies.  Now there are over 800,000 ceramic poppies and the visual impact is powerful. Over 4,000,000 have been to view the exhibition and Michael and I joined the throng shuffling past.  A petition was started to have the poppies remain permanently in the moat however, every single poppy has been sold to raise money for charity, so they have already started to remove them.  8,000 volunteers (including Michael’s Godmother) will remove, clean, package and post them to their new owners.

 

I took myself off to the Cartoon Museum to see an exhibition titled Hogarth’s London.  There were many of his prints on display and I spent a few hours happily examining the works and reading all about them.  The museum provided magnifying glasses so I was able to really study each print.  There was hardly any one else about, so I could take my time and really enjoy the artworks.

Michael and I attended the Lord Mayor’s Show.  This show has been held for 799 years so next year’s show should be an even bigger celebration.  We watched the flotilla featuring the Queen’s barge Gloriana row gently down the Thames.  The Tower Bridge opened to salute the flotilla and then it was time for us to head to the parade.  The parade was huge and involved more than 7,000 people, 180 horses along with dancers, drummers and floats.   

The mayor is transported in the gilded state coach, which is normally on display at the London Museum.  The Worshipful Company of Feltmakers, Pipemakers, Paviors, Marketors, Fruiterers, Farmers, Glass Sellers, Fishmongers, Surveyors and Chartered Accountants were just some of the groups represented.  There were a number of military bands, reggae singers, piano players and other musicians also as well as numerous floats representing the armed forces both past and present.  There was one entertainer who cajoled the crowd with cries of “Hi De Hi” to which we all dutifully responded “Hi De Ho”.  It was a fun way to spend some time knowing that many other generations before us had cheered their new mayor in a similar fashion.  The main thing that I learned is that there are two mayors of London.  One is The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of London, which is not be confused with Mayor of London.  I have included 2 links, which explain the difference and are quite interesting. 

*Link 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrObZ_HZZUc

*Link 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ROpIKZe-c

 

St Paul’s Cathedral was open for free as part of the Lord Mayor’s Show.  It is a fabulous building of immense proportions and is beautifully decorated throughout.  It was interesting to wander the crypts and to see Wellington’s tomb, which is so humble when compared with Napoleon’s lavish tomb at the Hotel des Invalides.

 

The Lord Mayor’s Show finished with a bang with a spectacular fireworks display over the Thames. The rain, which had threatened all day, came down quite heavily just before the fireworks finished, however no one put up their umbrellas, as they knew that they would block the view for the people behind.  We all stood there getting quite soaked instead.  The British really do have beautiful manners.

I had a very pleasant walk around Fulham Palace which in the historical home of the Bishops of London.  The palace grounds are beautiful to walk around and there is a 500 year old oak tree there among many fruit trees and other rare trees.  It is a very peaceful place with many squirrels scampering about.

On Armistice Day I was fortunate to join the crowds at Trafalgar Square for the Silence in the Square event.  The programme started at 10.00am with a Welsh male choir singing songs from WW1.  The choir was followed by various readings by actors and other entertainers and performers. At precisely 11.00am all traffic was stopped and the crowd observed the most profound 2 minutes silence I have ever experienced.  Not a sound could be heard, not a cough, sneeze nor a baby crying.  The Last Post was played followed by the boyband, Collabro, singing Bring Him Home from Les Miserables while being showered with red poppy petals.  The service was absolutely beautiful and very moving.  The crowd was then invited to place paper red poppy petals into the fountains at Trafalgar Square.

The Household Cavalry Museum was next on my agenda and I spent a morning listening to a guided tour explaining the various exhibits.  It was a fascinating look at the history of the cavalry as well as to take a glimpse into their every day life.  One of the most sobering displays dealt with the deadly IRA attack on the Household Cavalry in 1982 during which 4 soldiers of the Blues & Royals and 7 horses were killed. 

 

Another exhibition I attended was called Fields of Battle Lands of Peace 14-18, which was held in St James’s Park.  These wonderful photographs show how nature has over time healed the battlefields.  Each photograph links what happened one hundred years ago with what the area looks like today.  I found this particularly interesting as Michael and I had visited a number of the photographed areas when we toured the battlefields of the Somme.

 

I have just returned from the Tower of London where I went to see the royal salute in honour of Prince Charles’ birthday.  Three guns fired a total of 62 rounds to mark the prince’s 66^th birthday.  It was quite a show and by the time the last shot was fired you could barely see the guns through the smoky haze.        

Dubliners

Floozy in the jacuzzi

Well, the past three months have rocketed by, so I think that a blog update is long overdue.

We rented a nice two-bedroom apartment in Temple Bar so we were certainly in the heart of party central.  I have mentioned this area in one of my previous blogs as being the main tourist area.  During the summer the streets and pubs are packed both day and night with young backpackers and tourists.  Buskers and bands play in the cobbled laneways and you can hear just about every language being spoken as you walk around.  It is fun to see the different groups of people and every weekend there are many bucks and hens parties staggering through the area.  It is amusing watching the intoxicated hens negotiate the cobblestones in their stilettos!  Unfortunately, all of this activity makes for noisy night times and I have had many an interrupted sleep as the revellers enjoy their loud conversations and sometimes burst into song in their native languages.  Michael seems able to sleep through anything.  It is gradually becoming a little quieter as the weather cools.

 

Michael and I quickly established a nice routine with evening walks along the Liffey River and through Grafton Street and smaller laneways, stopping to listen to various musicians along the way.  Saturday morning we usually breakfasted at a café called Tamarama, owned by an Australian.  I always have the vegemite on toast with avocado and tomato, a very nice if slightly unusual combination.  The owner is a friendly guy even if he is a Sydney Swans supporter.  (By the way, I can’t let this opportunity pass to acknowledge the mighty, fighting Hawks as back to back Premiers – woo hoo!)

 

We finally took the opportunity to spend an evening watching Irish dancing.  The music was very jolly and the girls were very disciplined with their movements.  All the usual Irish ballads were played, however I found it odd that the band finished the evening by playing Country Road.  Not exactly what I would call an Irish classic!

Nelson Spire move to Phoenix after being bombed

We had a little bit of bad luck with our hot water service in the apartment, which gave up the ghost.  The plumber was unable to fix it, as it was the weekend, so our agent arranged a hotel for two nights for us.  The hotel was directly opposite the apartment, so we decided to sleep in the apartment and go over to the hotel to shower.  I was feeling a little grumpy at the inconvenience of having to shower across the road until I had to pass the homeless person who was sleeping on some cardboard at the entrance to our building.  It is so easy to forget how lucky we are.  There are many homeless people sleeping on the streets of Dublin, many of them Romanian.  It is a problem that we have encountered in just about every major city we have visited.

Michael and I celebrated two years of travel in August.  I am starting to worry if I am losing my Australian accent, as I was asked by one shopkeeper, “would that be a Canadian accent I be hearing then”.  I don’t know what he was talking aboot, eh?

Michael has taken the opportunity to do some scuba diving.  He undertook an orientation dive and refreshed his Emergency First Responder Course.  Thereafter followed some weekend dives and several night dives.  Unfortunately, one of his night dives turned into a rather dramatic event.  He and his dive partner were swept away by a strong current from their dive boat.  There they were, in the middle of Dublin Harbour, at night, trying to attract the attention of the dive boat, which was too far away to swim to against such a strong current.  Eventually they were spotted but not before they had spent one and half hours treading water.  When they were pulled aboard their boat, they were told that the Coast Guard and the Lifeguards had been called and were on their way to search for them.  They were also told that the rescue chopper was about to be mobilised as well however, the boat managed to contact the chopper to advise that they had been picked up before it took to the skies.  It was lucky that the chopper was stopped, as they would have insisted on rescuing Michael and his partner as a training exercise.  Luckily, while all this drama was taking place, I was fast asleep in bed.  I didn’t find out about this caper until the following evening.  Michael is one lucky man.      

The Cliffs Of Mohr

 

 

Michael hired a car so that we could travel around more of the Irish countryside.  You only have to travel for 15 minutes outside of Dublin to see the beautiful, green hills and meadows and we have been so fortunate with the weather as the sunshine extended through the summer time and into a glorious autumn.  We drove along the dramatic coastline to the famous Cliffs of Mohr.  The cliffs themselves are spectacular and there were a number of tourist buses lining the car park as people took to the paths to climb up to the scenic lookouts.  It was all very beautiful.

 

Our next stop was the old spa town of Lisdoonvarna where we were booked to spend the night.  The town of Lisdoonvarna is famous for the Matchmaking Festival, which is held there every year and is now Europe’s largest single’s event.  It was such a quiet little town whilst we were there that it is hard to imagine it packed out with thousands of people in search of a good time.  We stayed at the Hydro Hotel, which was opened in 1875 and staffed by the friendliest people we have met in Ireland.  One barman thought that Michael was German so addressed Michael in German, which left him rather bewildered.

 

 

The next morning we headed to the Aillwee Cave, which is believed to be the last bear den in Ireland.  The cave was discovered in 1944 when a farmer followed his dog who was chasing a rabbit.  Michael explored the cave whilst I was quite happy sitting in the café.  He found it all rather interesting.

 

 

Lunch was in the country market town of Ennistymon.  We found a lovely restaurant and, as it was such a sunny day, we ate outside next to the river where we could see a waterfall.  Excellent food and it was one of those occasions to reflect on just how blessed we are.

 

Next, we drove along to the small fishing village of Quilty, as Michael wanted to check it out as a potential dive spot.  It is an absolutely stunning place with the most beautiful, crystal clear water.  We could see many fish swimming there and some of them were quite large.

 

Limerick You’re My Lady

There was a young lady from Riga

Who smiled as she rode on a tiger

They returned from the ride

With the lady inside

And the smile on the face of the tiger

You can’t go to Limerick without reciting a limerick.  That was one I learned when I was six years old.  Amazing, isn’t it – I can remember that but I have trouble remembering what I did yesterday!

Michael had a few days work in Shannon so we spent three nights at the Radisson Blu in Limerick, which was a very nice way to spend some time.  We dined one evening at Durty Nelly’s next door to Bunratty Castle.  The pub itself is almost 400 years old and we had a lovely meal surrounded by history with live, Irish music playing.  Wonderful.

Unfortunately, we didn’t actually have the opportunity to explore Limerick itself.  We will definitely go back if we are lucky enough to return to Ireland.  I have just finished reading Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt, which was set in Limerick, and I would like to walk the streets mentioned in the book.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Yet another bank holiday afforded us the opportunity to travel to Northern Ireland for the long weekend.  Unfortunately, autumn arrived with a bang, and with it came the rain.  It didn’t bother us too much though as it just added a certain atmosphere to the drive.  Michael drove through the stunning Irish countryside, which seemed to change every few minutes.   There were glorious green meadows one moment, forests glowing with autumnal colours the next.  We then took the coast road to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.  This is the bridge that links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrickarede.  It is a narrow suspension bridge, which is 20 metres long and is 30 metres above the rocks below.  Needless to say, I was happy to wave to Michael as he bravely undertook the crossing.  I was perfectly fine standing on the cliff top watching him. 

 

Next stop was the Giant’s Causeway, which Michael was keen to see.  It is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, which were formed as the result of a volcanic eruption.  It is a very dramatic landscape and as we walked around the area, the wind picked up making the waves crash against the shore.  It was all very impressive.

 

 

We spent the night in Londonderry (Derry as it is known by the Irish).  The next morning we took a walk around the walled city, which has been extensively restored after the Troubles.  It is a very beautiful city with many lovely buildings however it is easy to imagine how harsh life was when checkpoints were set up and movement was restricted and how unsafe it used to be.  One legacy of those times is that every shop has steel shutters, which enforces the feeling that peace could be shattered at any given moment.

 

The Bogside Artists’ political murals of Northern Ireland are a sight to behold.  Just like Belfast, these huge murals have been painted to show the history of the area and its people.  They are powerful works of art and a testament to the brutality of the past.  I think the most moving mural showed a child, Annette McGavigan, who was killed by the crossfire between the IRA and the British Army.  The final mural is one of a dove, which gives hope of a lasting peace.

 

 

Another night in Londonderry was followed by a trip to the Bushmills Distillery.  Michael has become a connoisseur of Irish whiskey during his time in Ireland.  We were able to taste some very good whiskey and finished our time there with an Irish coffee, which was probably the best I have had since our arrival in Ireland.

More scenic driving which took us through Muff and out to Quigley’s Point.  We particularly wanted to see Quigley’s Point as we have both finished reading Trinity by Leon Uris, and this was where he set the fictitious town of Ballyutogue.  It is a pretty place full of small farms set on sloping fields, just like it was described in the book.

 

We called into the little town of Belleek, which is famous for one of the oldest working potteries in the world.  We had a look at the visitor centre and there were many beautiful pieces of pottery.  Michael pointed out that there was no point buying anything, as we couldn’t carry it with us.  How many times have I heard that over the past 2 years?

Upon our return to Dublin we discovered that the Bram Stoker festival was drawing to a close.  I have mentioned before that the Irish are very proud of their literary history and Bram Stoker is one of their favourites.  We were quietly reading at home when all at once there were banging drums and music playing.  We stood outside on our balcony and discovered that a large parade was taking place in our street complete with a giant mechanical horse.  Very impressive, if a little unexpected!

Yes a Stag Party dressed as smurfs

Our final night in Dublin was Halloween.  Halloween is huge in Ireland, in fact, I would say that it is celebrated more widely and extravagantly here than in Canada.  Most shops, restaurants and bars go to great lengths to decorate their buildings with pumpkins, bats, spiders, webs, rats and the like.  We walked through Temple Bar and the street was thronged with people dressed in all manner of costumes with realistic, gory makeup.  One of the best costumes I saw was a young man dressed as a pig, wearing a butcher’s apron smeared with blood, carrying a chainsaw.  We saw a number of people dressed as bananas (there must have been a banana costume sale), vampires, witches, monsters, werewolves and even a group of girls dressed as corpse Irish dancers!  The following morning we saw a young man staggering home dressed as a giant traffic cone which was rather amusing.

I am sad that our time in Ireland has drawn to a close.  I have really felt at home here and I find Dublin a lovely city to live in.  I really hope that we can return, as there is something about Ireland and the Irish that is very special. In fact 'tis grand.

Bram Stoker Festival outside our apartment. A flying horse