The Men of Kent

Michael and I flew to England to pay our respects at the memorial service for Margaret’s husband, Peter, who passed away in April.  The service was a moving testament to a man well loved by family and friends.  The wake was held at the Crown Inn, a beautiful, old pub (1874) in the nearby village of Chislehurst.  

Afterwards, we decided to visit the Hop Shop in Shoreham, to see the lavender fields and to have some afternoon tea, as it was only a 20 minutes drive from Chislehurst.  Two hours later we arrived!  We were told it was near Lullingstone Park, and we typed Lullington into the sat nav by mistake.  We had been driving down the highway for nearly an hour before we realised our error, and after turning around, we got stuck in the mother of all traffic jams, due to animals on the road and a break down.  When we finally arrived at the Hop Shop, we discovered that they didn’t have a café.  They did, however, have a lovely shop crammed with everything lavender you could possibly think of – soaps, candles, ice cream etc.  We continued driving until we found the Honey Pot Tea Rooms where we enjoyed a very nice cream tea (albeit without clotted cream as they had run out). We returned to our hotel in Orpington and enjoyed our evening meal at the nearby Italian restaurant, Osteria Da Fabrizio .  The meal was excellent and the owners must have been huge Elton John fans, as his music played non-stop throughout dinner (amazing how prolific a song writer he is).

The following day we picked James and Amber up from Orpington station as we were taking them on a pilgrimage to see where James’ grandmother had been born and raised in the village of Goudhurst.  It was a picturesque drive through the countryside and I don’t think that they could believe how narrow some of the roads were.  It was pretty hair-raising at times, as you can’t really see around the bends as roadside hedges obscure the view.  We arrived in Goudhurst in good time and were delighted to discover that the village fete and dog show was taking place.  Talk about perfect timing!  We parked the car and walked to the nearby Glebe Field to the fete.  We purchased some drinks (Pimm’s for the girls, beer for the boys), and set out to show James and Amber a real slice of English village life. We saw the Weald of Kent Morris Men performing their dances.  One particular gentleman really relished clashing his stick (he reminded me of Private Fraser in Dad’s Army).
 
Then we watched the girls from the local primary school perform Maypole dancing. I had never seen Maypole dancing before and it was interesting to see them dance and make intricate patterns with their ribbons around the pole.  There were dogs of all shapes and sizes, with some of them in fancy dress.  We ate strawberries and cream and scones and really enjoyed ourselves.  The weather was perfect and it was fun to see so many people having a great time.

When we finished at the fete, we visited St Mary’s Church with its square tower on the top of the hill. This was where Michael’s mother attended church as a young girl.  The church tower was open to visitors, so Michael and James ascended to the top to admire the views, leaving Amber and I to explore the church.  We were amused to discover that a paper-plane competition was taking place in the aisle, with young boys doing their best to make their planes fly the furthest.  

Lunch was at the 14^thcentury pub, The Star and Eagle in Goudhurst.  The weather was so beautiful that we were able to dine outside in the sunshine.  Just when I thought the day could not get better, I found that steak and kidney pudding was on the menu – perfect with Kent ice cream to follow, all washed down with another glass of Pimm’s.  It really doesn’t get more English than that!

We wandered around the rest of the village, pointing out the street where James’ grandma was born, trying to imagine what it must have been like to grow up in the little town.  Now, of course, Goudhurst is very gentrified, but it would have been very different 70 years ago.

Driving back to Orpington, we saw a sign pointing to the Hush Heath Estate Winery and decided that we should take a look.  We gained entry after first negotiating their new automatic driveway gates (they kept closing), and discovered a vast estate of 400 acres of vineyards, apple orchards and woodlands.  The friendly staff offered us a tasting of 3 wines and we sat outside and enjoyed sampling the wines.  Unfortunately, they had sold out of their red wines, however their white wines were very good.  Michael as he was the designated driver sampled apple juice.  It would be lovely to return there in a couple of years to see the new tasting rooms, which are being built.

Margaret and her family joined us for dinner at the Cow and Pig across the road from our hotel.  It was a lovely meal and it was fun catching up on each other’s news.  Margaret was also able to tell James a few tales from his grandmother’s youth.   

James and Amber stayed overnight in Orpington, so the following morning we set off for the thirty minutes drive to Chartwell, the former home of Sir Winston Churchill.  We arrived two hours later, having typed Chartwell into the sat nav.  We now know that there are two Chartwells!  Still, at least we saw plenty of pretty country lanes and even a number of greyhounds along the way.  We were all pretty hungry by the time we arrived and were very happy to see that the café offered cream tea (clotted cream and all).  Suitably refreshed, we took a walk around the extensive gardens, which were quite lovely.  The views were stunning and there was a huge rose garden with roses of every colour in full bloom.  There were lots of dogs there, as it seems a popular place for locals to come and walk their pets.  We visited the studio where Churchill spent many hours painting and saw a large number of his works.  The house itself is a rambling mansion and we were able to walk around the various rooms, which were crammed with interesting memorabilia and the like.  There was also a very interesting exhibition on Lady Clementine Churchill, a remarkable woman.  We all enjoyed our visit to Chartwell and it has inspired James to visit the Churchill War Rooms in London.  

We had hoped to have lunch with James and Amber, however time had run away from us, so we dropped them off at Sevenoaks Station so that they could return to London.  It was lovely to see them again and we had a lot of fun together.      

More photos of Goudhurst and the surrounds

Angel of Haarlem

It was another bank holiday weekend in Ireland so Michael and I took the opportunity for a short break in the Netherlands.  We arranged our flight to Amsterdam for the Friday evening, which was possibly a mistake on our behalf.  Dublin airport was very busy (which was to be expected) and our flight was considerably delayed.  Many of our fellow passengers were in “party mode” and were hitting the bar pretty hard. The delay in our departure meant that the drinkers had even more time to imbibe, so they were very merry, loud and boisterous when we finally boarded.  Thankfully it was only a short flight.  We arrived in Amsterdam after midnight and spent what seemed an eternity clearing customs before finally catching a taxi to our hotel in the nearby city of Haarlem.  The hotel was a pleasant surprise, having only been open for six months, so everything was brand new and appealing.  We located our room, intending to go straight to bed.  Michael plugged in his Bagel (a charging device for our electronics) and there was a flash of sparks and then darkness – the power had been blown.  The night desk gentleman was lovely and offered us free drinks at the bar whilst he worked out how to fix the problem, however, since it was by now 1.30am, we each settled for a glass of water!  The power was eventually restored and we returned to our room and literally fell into bed.

We slept late the following morning before setting off to explore the city.  When we went down stairs, we discovered that the hotel was next door to a huge ice rink and the windows in the lounge looked straight into the facility.  Unfortunately, being summer, there was no ice, however it must be nice to relax in the warmth of the hotel and watch the skaters.  The walk to the town centre was approximately 40 minutes from our hotel, which was no great effort on our part, as everywhere is perfectly flat.

The streets were pristine and the houses and gardens that we passed were immaculate, with roses in bloom everywhere.

Our first stop was the Grote Markt (big market).  The market has existed in the centre of Haarlem for around 700 years and is surrounded by very grand buildings.  On Saturdays, a food market is held, selling everything from fish, cheese, meats and vegetables.  We had a lovely time wandering the stalls, stopping for a fresh pastry and admiring the local produce.  We also tried hot stroopwafles, (thin layers of baked dough with a caramel syrup filling) which were delicious.  

Michael and I walked around the mediaeval city streets before heading to the Jopen Brewery.  The brewery is housed in a former church (Jacobskerk) and is a very popular place to visit.  Once it would have seemed strange to drink beer in an old church however a number of churches in Dublin have been repurposed into bars and distilleries, and I guess it is nice that the beautiful buildings have been kept instead of demolished. Michael had a lovely time sampling different beers and it was nice to just relax and enjoy the surroundings. In fact, we enjoyed the brewery so much that we returned the next three days.  We then enjoyed a lovely meal at Chez Bastijan, a quaint restaurant in the middle of the city.

The main reason for our visit to Haarlem, was that I wanted to see the Frans Hals Museum.  The museum was originally established in 1862, and then split into two locations.  We visited the main collection, which is housed in the former Oude Mannenhuis, which was an old men’s almshouse founded in 1609.  There were several of Hals’ paintings, the most notable of which were Group portrait of the Regents of the Old Men’s Almshouse and Group portrait of the Regentesses of the Old Men’s Almshouse.  There were also many other artworks on display from the Dutch Golden Era and we spent a while wandering the various rooms.

We followed our museum visit with a leisurely canal cruise, which showed us a different perspective of the city with a very interesting commentary.  We alighted the cruise at the point nearest the second Frans Hals museum, which is housed in the Vleeshal (Flesher’s Hall).



The building itself is absolutely beautiful and dates back to 1605. It was originally a meat hall for butchers and it is decorated with the heads of bulls and rams.  Unfortunately the contemporary works on display didn’t interest Michael or myself very much. 

Michael and I decided to sit in the sunshine and enjoy a drink watching the cyclists.  We had just commented on the tranquillity, when an elderly cyclist rode around the corner and straight into a car, right in front of us! Michael was out of his chair before the cyclist even hit the road as he rushed over to help him.  People came from everywhere and an ambulance was called. The cyclist didn’t appear badly hurt, however he did hit the road head-first and he wasn’t wearing a helmet (virtually no one does in the Netherlands as it is not compulsory).  I think he was just badly shaken  (so was I for that matter).  He was a very lucky man.  

The next day we took another canal cruise, as we hadn’t completed the entire route the day before. This time Michael and I were the only two aboard, so the captain was happy to give us additional information about Haarlem and its history.  We followed the cruise with a visit to the Cathedral of St Bavo, a pretty church consecrated in 1898.  

We decided to venture outside the city to Zandvoort aan Zee, a lovely beachside town situated on the North Sea.  It was only a short train trip from Haarlem and we were soon walking along the sea front. There were a number of beach clubs and we sat outside and enjoyed a drink watching the waves.  The wind was very strong however we were protected by a wind-break.  No one was swimming, as I would imagine that the water was very cold. 

The highlight of Haarlem for me would be our visit to Corrie ten Boom House, a museum dedicated to the Ten Boom family and the work they did in hiding fugitives hunted by the Nazis. Our guide took us through the former family home and related how Jews and members of the Dutch underground were secreted in the house at great personal risk to the lives of the Ten Boom family.  We saw the false wall in the bedroom where the fugitives hid in a small, narrow space.

We heard the story of the family’s betrayal, arrest and transportation to concentration camps in Germany. Miraculously Corrie survived and afterwards dedicated her life to travelling the world to spread her Christian faith.  It was a story that I remembered from high school and it was sobering and emotional to see the actual house and exhibits.  One thing that did rankle me though, was that after we were shown the hiding place and told the harrowing story of the six people who remained hidden in the closet for 47 hours before their release by a resistance group, an American woman immediately jumped into the space to take a smiling selfie.  Really?  A selfie? I don’t think that was appropriate at all but maybe I am just turning into a grumpy, old lady!


 

Michael and I really enjoyed our time in Haarlem.  It is a beautiful, relaxing city and well worth visiting.

            

    

Spring Wind in London

It was a bank holiday weekend in Ireland so Michael and I decided to hop across to London.  James and Amber were in Australia attending a wedding and they kindly let us stay in their apartment.  It turned out that we couldn’t have chosen a better weekend, as the weather was absolutely glorious – sunshine and temperatures in the high 20’s.

We began our Saturday with a canal walk to the Broadway Market for breakfast. It is always good there and we enjoyed grazing our way along the various food stalls.  It was such a lovely day that we decided to return to the canal and head over to Little Venice where the Canalway Cavalcade was being held.  It took us most of the day to saunter along with the crowds of people and we detoured along the way to visit Queen Mary’s Rose Garden. 

The garden was looking lovely with the roses budding however it was a little early for them to be in bloom.  We arrived in Little Venice to see the brightly decorated canal boats, over 100 of them, and people of all ages enjoying the sunshine. 

There were stalls, live music, street food and children’s activities.  Michael and I had a walk around before finding a place to sit and enjoy our first Pimm’s of the weekend.  It was great to be back in London.  

The following day I fulfilled my promise to take Michael to see the artwork at Kenwood House.  We finally arrived by a circuitous route, having got lost a number of times along the way.  It didn’t matter though, as it was another beautiful day and we enjoyed rambling across Hampstead Heath.    I was correct when I predicted that Michael would love the house and artworks and we spent a while exploring all that was on offer.  We finished with a walk around the grounds and the gardens were beautiful with bluebells carpeting the area.  It really is a lovely place to visit. 

 

We walked back through the heath and surrounding streets to Kentish Town to the Bull and Gate where we enjoyed a fabulous roast dinner.  Michael and I, feeling refreshed after our meal, set off along the canal to the Camden Markets. 


This turned out not to be one of our better ideas, as it seemed that the entire population of London had the same idea.  The crowds were horrendous, and after pushing our way through for a while, we decided that we would give up and have a drink at the Camden Head before heading for home.

Michael and I met his godmother, Margaret, the following morning at Victoria Station.  It has been nearly 18 months since we last saw her, and it was lovely to spend the day together.  Michael suggested that we head over to Gordon’s Wine Bar near Charing Cross station, in the hope that we could claim a coveted table outside.  I was doubtful, as I thought that on such a glorious day, everyone else would have the same idea, however I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not crowded at all.  The bar is thought to be the oldest wine bar in London with a fabulous history behind it. 

We spent a lovely couple of hours eating, drinking and chatting in the sunshine before making our way across to the outdoor Café in the Crypt at St Martin-in-the-Fields where we enjoyed a final cup of coffee before returning to Victoria Station so that Margaret could catch the train home.