Well, as most of you following the blog will have realized, I have gone on a hiatus. The trouble I have having to pay for my internet access on a per-hour basis, added to the inability to post pictures, has contributed to the decision.
But worry not! (Like you are, heh.)
This coming Sunday,31 July, I'll be back in Indiana, and we shall resume.
Until then...tinkerty tonk.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Something Old, Something New
Good news, followers! Pictures should be returning to TBP soon. I'm now blogging from a shop down the street that allows me use of a flash drive.
Today I walked up through Kensington to visit the Royal Albert Music Hall. Proms is underway (the 75-night string of concerts BBC and the RAMH put on during the summer--read about it here), and I paid the £8.50 to take the tour. I had no idea it was Britain's #1 concert locale, sort of like the Madison Square Garden of London. Everything from Cirque du Soleil to any Philharmonic worth its salt to Eric Clapton. During Proms, concert goers willing to camp out can basically be groundlings to the ongoing concerts at £5 a head. Also, I got to see the Queen's concert box...not too shabby.
The Hall was Prince Albert, the Queen's Consort's idea. He died at 42, and it took a while to be completed, because Queen Victoria was so devastated by his death that she took all the money and built a memorial across the street from the Hall. The Memorial is pretty amazing, too, by the way.
I also hit the British Museum of Natural history today. Highlights? I got to see a coelecanth (read Ghosty I), see a full-sized, naked Neanderthal lady statue, and by far the most awkward exhibit of the summer--how sexual intercourse works.
There was a display where it had a slice view of a man on top of a woman, and how their parts interact during...interaction. I took a picture, because it's my duty as I see it, but there were a few people looking at me like I was a creeper. But to them I say, look, if people are going to put on a show, then they shouldn't be surprised when people stand around and watch. Just like that couple at Hampton Court Palace.
Lastly, I went into Harvey Nichols department store. (Fans of the show Absolutely Fabulous know to call it Harvey Nicks.) I viewed this as a fact-finding tour of commercial excess. Where else am I going to have the chance to try on a Mark Jacobs Italian leather jacket priced at £1,465 (about $2,400US)?
Thinking about where to use up my last 4 BritRail pass destinations. So far I have Winchester Castle and Canterbury Cathedral. I ruled out Bath because it was too far away to get there and back in one day and do anything while there. I'm on the fence about Windsor Castle because I saw Hampton Court Palace, and they might be too similar. Ditto with Dover because of Beachy Head.
Any ideas?
Today I walked up through Kensington to visit the Royal Albert Music Hall. Proms is underway (the 75-night string of concerts BBC and the RAMH put on during the summer--read about it here), and I paid the £8.50 to take the tour. I had no idea it was Britain's #1 concert locale, sort of like the Madison Square Garden of London. Everything from Cirque du Soleil to any Philharmonic worth its salt to Eric Clapton. During Proms, concert goers willing to camp out can basically be groundlings to the ongoing concerts at £5 a head. Also, I got to see the Queen's concert box...not too shabby.
The Hall was Prince Albert, the Queen's Consort's idea. He died at 42, and it took a while to be completed, because Queen Victoria was so devastated by his death that she took all the money and built a memorial across the street from the Hall. The Memorial is pretty amazing, too, by the way.
I also hit the British Museum of Natural history today. Highlights? I got to see a coelecanth (read Ghosty I), see a full-sized, naked Neanderthal lady statue, and by far the most awkward exhibit of the summer--how sexual intercourse works.
There was a display where it had a slice view of a man on top of a woman, and how their parts interact during...interaction. I took a picture, because it's my duty as I see it, but there were a few people looking at me like I was a creeper. But to them I say, look, if people are going to put on a show, then they shouldn't be surprised when people stand around and watch. Just like that couple at Hampton Court Palace.
Lastly, I went into Harvey Nichols department store. (Fans of the show Absolutely Fabulous know to call it Harvey Nicks.) I viewed this as a fact-finding tour of commercial excess. Where else am I going to have the chance to try on a Mark Jacobs Italian leather jacket priced at £1,465 (about $2,400US)?
Thinking about where to use up my last 4 BritRail pass destinations. So far I have Winchester Castle and Canterbury Cathedral. I ruled out Bath because it was too far away to get there and back in one day and do anything while there. I'm on the fence about Windsor Castle because I saw Hampton Court Palace, and they might be too similar. Ditto with Dover because of Beachy Head.
Any ideas?
Friday, July 15, 2011
A Second Go
With 15 days left in England, it's time to start making some choices.
I promised myself that if I really liked something, I'd go back and visit it again before I left. Today I did that with The Globe and the British Museum.
When you buy your tickets online, you have a free tour and admission to the exhibition hall. I took advantage of that today, and while it's no substitute for attending a performance (which EVERYONE should have the chance to do before they die), it's a great stand-alone experience.
A well-informed guide walks you through the theater and gives a presentation about the theater itself, its construction, and Elizabethan times. If you've attended a performance, or have drama experience, or love Shakespeare, then odds are most of it will not be news to you, but that's okay. It's fun to watch other people get stoked by the experience, too.
The exhibition is a wonderful little museum, filled with play artifacts and interactive displays about the different aspects of play production at the Globe, which is really unlike play production anywhere else. It's important to remember that a play at the Globe is not just a play performance, but a play performance done under Elizabethan conditions. In other words, no miking, uniform lighting at night, and virtually no electronics.
My favorite part of the exhibit was the giant bear (as in, Exit, pursued by a ...), the Elizabeth I costume, and the musician scores/director's books on display from different plays. Makes me very excited about seeing 'Anne Boleyn' next Saturday afternoon.
I hit a couple of book stores I had read about. (I picked up Antigone from a store called SKOOB. Get it? 'Books' spelled backwards. It's a second-hand shop, and I could plunk down a LOT of money in there if it wasn't for my budget.) Then I trekked north to the British Museum to revisit Sutton Hoo, the Rosetta Stone, and a few other items, but also to see the stuff I missed the first time. There's a great Japanese wing with a bunch of cool crap from the Edo period (samurai armor, amazing statues and prints, and a daimyo's clock that really looks like a Dalek). There's also an Enlightenment Wing that covers the Renaissance and later...but the coolest discovery I made on the second pass was a statue of Thalia (pronounced tha-LIE-ah), the muse of comedy.
Should have left an offering!
I promised myself that if I really liked something, I'd go back and visit it again before I left. Today I did that with The Globe and the British Museum.
When you buy your tickets online, you have a free tour and admission to the exhibition hall. I took advantage of that today, and while it's no substitute for attending a performance (which EVERYONE should have the chance to do before they die), it's a great stand-alone experience.
A well-informed guide walks you through the theater and gives a presentation about the theater itself, its construction, and Elizabethan times. If you've attended a performance, or have drama experience, or love Shakespeare, then odds are most of it will not be news to you, but that's okay. It's fun to watch other people get stoked by the experience, too.
The exhibition is a wonderful little museum, filled with play artifacts and interactive displays about the different aspects of play production at the Globe, which is really unlike play production anywhere else. It's important to remember that a play at the Globe is not just a play performance, but a play performance done under Elizabethan conditions. In other words, no miking, uniform lighting at night, and virtually no electronics.
My favorite part of the exhibit was the giant bear (as in, Exit, pursued by a ...), the Elizabeth I costume, and the musician scores/director's books on display from different plays. Makes me very excited about seeing 'Anne Boleyn' next Saturday afternoon.
I hit a couple of book stores I had read about. (I picked up Antigone from a store called SKOOB. Get it? 'Books' spelled backwards. It's a second-hand shop, and I could plunk down a LOT of money in there if it wasn't for my budget.) Then I trekked north to the British Museum to revisit Sutton Hoo, the Rosetta Stone, and a few other items, but also to see the stuff I missed the first time. There's a great Japanese wing with a bunch of cool crap from the Edo period (samurai armor, amazing statues and prints, and a daimyo's clock that really looks like a Dalek). There's also an Enlightenment Wing that covers the Renaissance and later...but the coolest discovery I made on the second pass was a statue of Thalia (pronounced tha-LIE-ah), the muse of comedy.
Should have left an offering!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The National Portrait Gallery
Went to The National Portrait Gallery this morning after typing out nearly 1K on Ghosty 3 in nearby Trafalgar Square. (Hoping some of the Britishness rubs on my characters.)
What was cool about the NPG? Number one was the Romantic painting of George Gordon, Lord Byron. I have got to get me an Albanian costume. Also, pretty much all of the other big shot writers I love had portraits there, too...Coleridge, Keats, Cassandra Austen's portrait of her sister Jane...of course, there were the famous Warhols of Liz Taylor and Mick Jagger, too...I was told that going to the NPG is like looking through someone else's yearbook, but I disagree. It's like looking through a history book of famous English figures in history, art, music, literature, and popular culture. Pretty cool, and at 3 stories, it won't kill your knees, either.
Lots of sculptures, too. There's a cool one of Darwin, and one of Tennyson that makes him look like Santa. There's a painting of Bernard 'Monty' Montgomery pointing at Normandy that just oozes smugness. Well done, painter!
I bought a ticket to go see 'Anne Boleyn' at The Globe on Saturday. It's a matinee, and it's a groundling ticket. Don't know the show at all, but I can hardly wait. (AnnieB is Henry VIII's 2nd wife, the first to be executed.)
I also visited the Museum of London (free). Some cool stuff about the Anglo-Saxons and the Great Fire, but if you're interested in 20th century London, you're much better off going to the Imperial War Museum. Still, pretty cool for free. AND it's right next to the original wall of Londinium outside, so there's that. Well, rubble of it anyway. It's been like 2000 years.
Well...back to writing!
What was cool about the NPG? Number one was the Romantic painting of George Gordon, Lord Byron. I have got to get me an Albanian costume. Also, pretty much all of the other big shot writers I love had portraits there, too...Coleridge, Keats, Cassandra Austen's portrait of her sister Jane...of course, there were the famous Warhols of Liz Taylor and Mick Jagger, too...I was told that going to the NPG is like looking through someone else's yearbook, but I disagree. It's like looking through a history book of famous English figures in history, art, music, literature, and popular culture. Pretty cool, and at 3 stories, it won't kill your knees, either.
Lots of sculptures, too. There's a cool one of Darwin, and one of Tennyson that makes him look like Santa. There's a painting of Bernard 'Monty' Montgomery pointing at Normandy that just oozes smugness. Well done, painter!
I bought a ticket to go see 'Anne Boleyn' at The Globe on Saturday. It's a matinee, and it's a groundling ticket. Don't know the show at all, but I can hardly wait. (AnnieB is Henry VIII's 2nd wife, the first to be executed.)
I also visited the Museum of London (free). Some cool stuff about the Anglo-Saxons and the Great Fire, but if you're interested in 20th century London, you're much better off going to the Imperial War Museum. Still, pretty cool for free. AND it's right next to the original wall of Londinium outside, so there's that. Well, rubble of it anyway. It's been like 2000 years.
Well...back to writing!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Portmeirion: A Review
First of all, let me say that the night before, I saw 'Much Ado About Nothing' at the Globe Theater. So anything that followed that was going to suffer in comparison.
If you're a fan of the quirky 60s show, 'The Prisoner,' then a visit to Portmeirion on the western coast of Wales has to be on your bucket list. That being said, you cannot go into your journey expecting too much.
First of all, it's a difficult journey. From London, expect a trip of 5-6 hours, excluding a layover at Birmingham station. (Be careful to be in the right car, because the route splits.) The long part of the trip will be along the Welsh coast, where there are easily 15 stops. Then, if you elect to stay in Porthmadog (I imagine there are more places to stay here than in smallish Minfford), you'll need to tack on an extra hour or so taking the train to Minfford. This can be pleasant, because the view is nice, and it is a narrow-gauge rail which has a lot of steam train traffic on it. In fact, you can continue on this train throughout picturesque Wales and the Snowdonia Park.
Then, you have a good mile walk (rent a car!) through a frustratingly poorly-marked park surrounding Portmeirion. By the time you get to The Village, you will completely understand why Number 6 never tried to escape via land.
As for the village itself, you will see many of the familiar sites of the show, although it will seem far more cramped, and the geography of the place will be confusing. Also, most of the place is off-limits to tourists, as a large portion consists of private residences and hotels.
Fans of the show will be disappointed that nearly everything Prisoner-related has been scrubbed from the attraction, save for a Prisoner Shop tucked away in what was reputed to have been Number 6's residence...although this last bit is a fabrication. No way. If I could post pictures, you would see what I mean.
I probably was poisoned by my affection for the show, but knowing that many people share my perspectives, I thought it was important to put this out there. All I'm saying is, that unlike the vast majority of places I've been to in the UK, I was underwhelmed. Doc Martin's Port Isaac was superior in nearly every respect.
Portmeirion can be done in 1-2 hours, unless you are there to sketch or paint. Go after 3:30 in order to get the half-price admission, and you will still have several hours to enjoy it. Nearby (well, in the area, anyway) is a castle/hotel that is of local interest, and if you have a vehicle, you might want to travel to the other side of the estuary and visit Harlech Castle, one of the most important fortifications in Wales.
If you're a fan of the quirky 60s show, 'The Prisoner,' then a visit to Portmeirion on the western coast of Wales has to be on your bucket list. That being said, you cannot go into your journey expecting too much.
First of all, it's a difficult journey. From London, expect a trip of 5-6 hours, excluding a layover at Birmingham station. (Be careful to be in the right car, because the route splits.) The long part of the trip will be along the Welsh coast, where there are easily 15 stops. Then, if you elect to stay in Porthmadog (I imagine there are more places to stay here than in smallish Minfford), you'll need to tack on an extra hour or so taking the train to Minfford. This can be pleasant, because the view is nice, and it is a narrow-gauge rail which has a lot of steam train traffic on it. In fact, you can continue on this train throughout picturesque Wales and the Snowdonia Park.
Then, you have a good mile walk (rent a car!) through a frustratingly poorly-marked park surrounding Portmeirion. By the time you get to The Village, you will completely understand why Number 6 never tried to escape via land.
As for the village itself, you will see many of the familiar sites of the show, although it will seem far more cramped, and the geography of the place will be confusing. Also, most of the place is off-limits to tourists, as a large portion consists of private residences and hotels.
Fans of the show will be disappointed that nearly everything Prisoner-related has been scrubbed from the attraction, save for a Prisoner Shop tucked away in what was reputed to have been Number 6's residence...although this last bit is a fabrication. No way. If I could post pictures, you would see what I mean.
I probably was poisoned by my affection for the show, but knowing that many people share my perspectives, I thought it was important to put this out there. All I'm saying is, that unlike the vast majority of places I've been to in the UK, I was underwhelmed. Doc Martin's Port Isaac was superior in nearly every respect.
Portmeirion can be done in 1-2 hours, unless you are there to sketch or paint. Go after 3:30 in order to get the half-price admission, and you will still have several hours to enjoy it. Nearby (well, in the area, anyway) is a castle/hotel that is of local interest, and if you have a vehicle, you might want to travel to the other side of the estuary and visit Harlech Castle, one of the most important fortifications in Wales.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Hampton Court Palace
Traveled by boat to Hampton Court Palace today, the home of Henry VIII and several other royal people of note.
While it's pretty and a unique way of seeing London, I don't recommend traveling by boat. It took about 4 hours to get the 15 miles or so upriver, and we often were moving slower than the joggers along the banks. Still, it affords views you would not see otherwise, so if a relaxing boat ride is your thing, go ahead. They serve alcohol, not that I would partake, but there you go.
HCP is as advertised, and worth the admission. I was struck by its scale right away; it dwarfs many of the older structures I've seen in the UK, and its caretakers have struck a good balance between preserving the authenticity of the site vs. making it accessible to tourists. The clock in the Clock Court was boffo, and while I'm not a garden guy, I couldn't help but to be impressed by the magnificent Privy Gardens and the Ponds Gardens on the grounds. The hedge maze did not live up to its hype, I'm afraid, but the great halls inside gave me pause.
However, the highlight of my tour came when Henry VIII and one of his wives were posing for a picture with a family, and a teenager attempted to stand next to him. Fake Henry VIII yelled at this kid.
"On your knees, boy!"
The kid turned red immediately; Fake Henry VIII seemed genuinely angry. (I'm sure he wasn't, but this kid believed he was.) I laughed for a good 15 minutes afterwards. I followed the family to see what would happen next, and sure enough, the little sister ratted out her older brother, telling them, "Jeff said the F-word!"
Thank you, Hampton Court Palace. You were marvelous.
While it's pretty and a unique way of seeing London, I don't recommend traveling by boat. It took about 4 hours to get the 15 miles or so upriver, and we often were moving slower than the joggers along the banks. Still, it affords views you would not see otherwise, so if a relaxing boat ride is your thing, go ahead. They serve alcohol, not that I would partake, but there you go.
HCP is as advertised, and worth the admission. I was struck by its scale right away; it dwarfs many of the older structures I've seen in the UK, and its caretakers have struck a good balance between preserving the authenticity of the site vs. making it accessible to tourists. The clock in the Clock Court was boffo, and while I'm not a garden guy, I couldn't help but to be impressed by the magnificent Privy Gardens and the Ponds Gardens on the grounds. The hedge maze did not live up to its hype, I'm afraid, but the great halls inside gave me pause.
However, the highlight of my tour came when Henry VIII and one of his wives were posing for a picture with a family, and a teenager attempted to stand next to him. Fake Henry VIII yelled at this kid.
"On your knees, boy!"
The kid turned red immediately; Fake Henry VIII seemed genuinely angry. (I'm sure he wasn't, but this kid believed he was.) I laughed for a good 15 minutes afterwards. I followed the family to see what would happen next, and sure enough, the little sister ratted out her older brother, telling them, "Jeff said the F-word!"
Thank you, Hampton Court Palace. You were marvelous.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Idler's Academy
Sorry, guys...no pictures today, but I wanted to post anyway. It's not that I haven't taken any recently, but the computers at the hostel I'm staying at don't allow me to transfer stuff via jump drive, so...just text. That being said, I'll keep it short.
Went to the Idler's Academy in West Kensington today. It's a bookstore/tea house that has some amazing books in it, and it has the kind of "here we are, the last bastion of civilization standing against the creep of Phillistinism" feel to it. Perfect for a grammatical, literature-oriented, writerly snob like me.
They have a tea towel with all the Latin conjugations and declensions on it, for cripe's sake! They have a great all-around selection, which included titles like The Idler: Smash the System, Roland Barthe's Mourning Diary, and a book I hope I can find on my Kindle, Eli Pariser's The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You. The idea is that the internet is becoming more and more personalized which, like 24-hour cable news fragmentation, actually prevents us from getting a clearer, broader picture of the cyberworld. Apps like Facebook and Google tend to reinforce this.
Anyway, great place. But don't take my word for it.
I stayed for a few hours this afternoon, sitting by the window, drinking five (!) cups of Earl Grey, and typing out some notes on Ghosty 3.
By the way, it has a title now.
Ghosty: Trip No Further. It's a reference to a line from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night:
Trip no further, pretty sweeting
Journeys end in lovers meeting
This every wise man's son doth know.
What's the significance? That would be telling, as Number Two would say.
(By the way, Portmeirion is still on. If I cancelled, I'd eat the cost of the lodging, so I guess I'm going after all!)
Went to the Idler's Academy in West Kensington today. It's a bookstore/tea house that has some amazing books in it, and it has the kind of "here we are, the last bastion of civilization standing against the creep of Phillistinism" feel to it. Perfect for a grammatical, literature-oriented, writerly snob like me.
They have a tea towel with all the Latin conjugations and declensions on it, for cripe's sake! They have a great all-around selection, which included titles like The Idler: Smash the System, Roland Barthe's Mourning Diary, and a book I hope I can find on my Kindle, Eli Pariser's The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You. The idea is that the internet is becoming more and more personalized which, like 24-hour cable news fragmentation, actually prevents us from getting a clearer, broader picture of the cyberworld. Apps like Facebook and Google tend to reinforce this.
Anyway, great place. But don't take my word for it.
I stayed for a few hours this afternoon, sitting by the window, drinking five (!) cups of Earl Grey, and typing out some notes on Ghosty 3.
By the way, it has a title now.
Ghosty: Trip No Further. It's a reference to a line from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night:
Trip no further, pretty sweeting
Journeys end in lovers meeting
This every wise man's son doth know.
What's the significance? That would be telling, as Number Two would say.
(By the way, Portmeirion is still on. If I cancelled, I'd eat the cost of the lodging, so I guess I'm going after all!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)