Wednesday, September 19, 2012

A Little Bit of Cambridge


Our flight didn't leave until 5:40pm so we took in a little bit more of Cambridge. Peterhouse is the oldest college but had what I thought was the best chapel windows. I wouldn't compare them to King's College Chapel whose windows were simply massive. But Peterhouse's were beautifully painted with the richest, purest reds and golds. The images still sit in my mind. We also visited Pembroke where we found a statue of Pitt and need to find out if he is the same William Pitt of Pennsylvania. We are at Heathrow now. Some thoughts on the trip.

1. One month later I still want to live here. I admire the civility of everyone and the order of things. And enough of the colonized have come home to roost that even the food is interesting.
2. It was reenforced today that Americans are crass and rude when we got on the Avis transport bus with a couple who undoubtedly were from NY. He ignored the queue rule and pushed passed us onto the bus. He refused to move his arm out of the aisle causing me to bump his wife. He groused and snarled for the entire trip to the airport. He departed the bus without consideration of his wife. At the terminal elevator, he got on first with his luggage cart and immediately started pushing the close door button before anyone else could board.
3. The best meal was the grouse at York Arms. Also, it doubled as the funniest meal because we were alone in this Michelin starred restaurant. How often can that happen?
4. The best hotel was the Caldonian in Edinburg, a huge suite with a perfect view of the castle.
5. The most transforming moments were the drive through the Grampian Mountains in Scotland.
6. The most beautiful man made sight was King's College Chapel.
7. The weirdest thing was the 1am drunk intruder in Oxford.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Shades of Venice and Eel Pie

Bridge of Sighs, The River Cam at St. John's College
St John's College has a bridge over The Cam that resembles the Bridge of Sighs, or so it is said. The college is set deep in toward the Backs, and one passes through arcade after arcade and court after court traversing it. The Backs is an expanse of green that edges the Cam and offers some of the best views of the colleges. Before leaving for Ely, we visited the Round Church, built along the idea of Jerusalem's Holy Sepelchre. It's very small with powerful columns. There was a nice 20 minute video on the history of Cambridge and made frequent note of the many accomplished graduates mainly Isaac Newton, John Harvard,


The trip to Ely was a short 15 miles. The name Ely came to be from the fishing of eels in the area. Ely was once an island surrounded by fens. The fens have been drained (we passed a windmill) but eel pie is still served. Ely Cathedral could be seen across the fens as we approached. It is called the Ship of the Fens. It is asymmetrical. The north west transept was demolished when it began to show signs of instability. The central tower collapsed in 1322 due to one massive supporting column giving way. It had unknowingly been built on sandstone. The tower foot was enlarged and the current octagonal tower built in its place. We took a tour of the tower guided by a charming gentleman I would guess was in his 70s and spritely led us up the 170 steps. We got the bird's eye view of both the interior transepts and nave and the country around Ely. We were able to see Cambridge. It reminded me of our rooftop excursion on the Milan Duomo. It leaves me speechless when I try to comprehend how men were able to build these massive structures without machinery. Pictures at Flickr.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Cambridge




King's College Chapel is a wonderful formation of late Gothic English architecture. It is extremely perpendicular. As a chapel your eyes are not pulled to side aisles or transepts, instead they keep sweeping up the columns and across the delicate fan vaulting. Consider these dimensions: 289' long (300 make a football field), 40' wide (6 2/3 Waynes) and 80' high (an 8 story building). The ante-chapel walls are heavily decorated,with heraldic carvings of the Tudors. Dragons, hounds, roses, crowns, and more reside here without any religious accompaniment. The rood screen was a gift of Henry VIII and has his and Anne Boleyn's initials, which helps date the screen between 1533 and 1536. Beyond the rood and through the choir stalls the front of the chapel is devoid of wall carvings. Beneath the great east window is Reuben's The Adoration of the Magi.
From the Chapel we walked to the Fitzwilliams Museum which has a strong showing of Greek, Roman and Egyptian holdings as well as Italian Renaissance, Pre-Raphaelite, and French 19th century.
Lunch was at Dojo, a noodle place where we had rice curry. Berry, berry good.
More photos at Flickr

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Peterborough and Cambridge




We are on the final stages of our trip spending the last 3 days in Cambridge. It is nice to book end the trip with Oxford and Cambridge, two eminent English speaking universities. On our way to Cambridge from Lincoln we stopped in Peterborough to visit St Peter's Cathedral. It is a fine example of Norman architecture with English Gothic adaptations. Three massive arches that grace the west front are unprecedented in Gothic architecture. There was a resemblance to Notre Dame de Paris for me, although certainly not on the same scale. The single story ambulatory was added last and is a beautiful example of fan vaulting.
Getting to our hotel in Cambridge proved to be problematic. The gps took us down a quite narrow, no not narrow, quite teeny impassable ally. Naive as we were we continued following her advice until passage was no longer possible. Ah, shades of Sicily! I jumped out of the car and directed the reversing of our route until we could turn around. We drove around the route about 3 times until we determined a possible alternative to Little St. Mary's Lane and ventured down it. Worming our way through throngs of people on the road we did arrive at the hotel at last. We spent the next 3 hours doing our regular walking down every street we came across. At one point we came across an impressive slow procession of robed children and adults led by a priest carrying a large scepter to Kings Chapel.
More photos at Flickr.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Lincoln




Both of us are a bit funky today. Fortunately the drive to Lincoln was a short 1.5 hours. Rather than going to the hotel we went directly to the Cathedral. It is an impressive site, set high up above all the city. In the medieval period it was reputedly the tallest building in the world. It has gone through many stages from Norman to present day Gothic as it was struck by fires and even an earthquake along the way. There is a road that leads from the main pedestrian shopping area to the Cathedral.  The name is Steep Hill so called because of the extreme grade.  A hand rail is available and vehicles banned.  Despite our frail conditions we managed both down and back up.  There was a stop along the way at Grays Tea Shop, however.
Our hotel is in a nice setting adjacent to the Brayford Pool, a naturally formed lake from the River Witham. Kayakers have been rowing past and there are barge restaurants. We ate on the Barge Restaurant mostly choosing it because it was spitting distance from the hotel. More photos at Flickr.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Light a Candle For Me

York Minster

This is not my picture but it does help illustrate the beauty of York. I have been stricken with what's most politely described as gastroenteritis and taken no pictures today. I did manage to drag myself out of bed and go to the Cathedral Tour we purchased yesterday. After, I immediately returned to bed and slept through the day. The tour wasn't up to the standards of Durham. But the guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the building. Most notable in the building was the absence of destruction from either Henry VIII or Cromwell. The large windows were intact and painted with a gray tint. The church has burned at least twice. The roof is wooden. The stone used is a sandstone which turns pink when exposed to high heat. There are pink markings on the columns witnessing the fires.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Durham and York




Before leaving Durham, we returned for a more in depth look at the Cathedral. A tour was just beginning, and we took advantage. What a great guide we had. He was a retired physics teacher who was also a Friend of the Cathedral. He was so clear and detailed in his description of both the history of the area and the Cathedral. He spent 2 hours with us. One of the best parts was seeing the tomb of Bede the Venerable.
We arrived in York mid afternoon. York has the most extensive remaining walls, called bars, of any English city. We entered through the Micklegate Bar. Our hotel is located directly across York Castle and a close walk to the Minster. The walk is through a great old city. Huge slates and cobblestones cover the area and make for small plazas and pedestrian streets. Boutiques, pubs, restaurants line the streets. York Minster, pictured above, is the largest Gothic Cathedral in Northern Europe. We stayed for even song and will return tomorrow for a guided tour. A few pictures are at Flickr.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

St Andrews and Durham

St Andrews Golf Club
The above is for all my golfing friends. I thought fondly of you today as we gazed upon the links. If it had been a Sunday, we would be free to walk the links. The Old Club was open only to members which squelched our plans to have lunch there. Instead, we went to the University Museum and St. Mary's College chapel before hitting the road for Durham.
The road to Durham hugs the coast of the North Sea for much of the trip. The road is high above the sea and allows for views of distant coastlines. You can also see barley fields and grazing sheep directly below the road.
Our hotel is a riot. If I were going to design a brothel, it would look exactly like The Gadds Townhouse. It was hard to find the reception desk in the purple light cast by the multifaceted chandelier. But we did find it just beyond the purple round couch. Every inch of the place is covered in velvet, tassels, damask, chandeliers. The best? Our room has a glass shower that partitions the bed from the rest of the bath. You must see it to understand it.

The Gadds Townhouse, Our Room
Yes, that is a velvet curtain hanging across the shower. But it was a good location to the Cathedral where we walked in time for even song. We will return tomorrow for a more extensive look.
More photos at Flickr

Monday, September 10, 2012

Through the Grampians






After breakfast at Cordhu House we said good bye to Norman, who gave us directions for St Andrews saying, "it's a scenic drive." The drive was through the Grampian Mountains, and 'twas a glorious ride indeed. The mountains are mostly devoid of trees and covered with heather. There are large areas cleared of heather and we wondered why. That is the patchwork appearance seen in the photos. At one point we came upon about a dozen men on the mountain side snapping and flapping small flags. Of course we panicked thinking it was some sort of terrorist warning system or a kidnapping ring trying to divert our attention. A few miles on we stopped at a roadside cafe where I chatted it up with some geriatric bikers. They (and the old Scots woman at the next table) gave me the low down on all things Grampian. Seems the heather is burned in controlled areas each year. The grouse go into the old heather to nest. When the young are ready to feed the burned areas have sprouted new grow for them. The flag wavers were chasing the grouse from the old heather for shooting.
We're on the North Sea now at St Andrews, where the 3rd oldest English speaking university is located. It is also the home of golf. The sport has been played here since the 1400s. We can see the St Andrew Links from our hotel room. We walked the 3 main streets down to the Cathedral and back up to the Castle. I don't think St Andrews is as architecturally significant as Oxford, but it seems to have a great character all it's own. More photos at Flickr

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Loch Ness





The fields of barley and the rolled hay here are beautiful and surround our guest house. I keep singing Sting's "Fields of Gold". We walked by this beautiful field pictured above on our way to the Cordhu Distillery this morning. Our tour guide was good. She told some of the same folk stories as the guide at Dalwhinnie, but was much clearer about the distilling process. I learned that it is not whiskey until it has been in the barrel for 3 years. Prior to that it is simply spirits. Both guides said that a bit of water releases the favors of the whiskey. We've been testing that theory nightly.
We also walked down the hill from the tiny village to the Knockando Woolmill, has been manufacturing continuously since 1784. I was hoping to see the weaving and dying, but there were no tours today. There were dozens of pheasants scurrying around the mill. It's hunting season for them.
In the afternoon we drove west to see the Loch Ness. The drive took us through Inverness, which was not remarkable other than the fact that we are listening to MacBeth, a Novel while we drive. Here, also are miles of fields with hundreds of hay roles scattered about.  It is very surreal. The Loch is a beautiful sparkling blue set among blue green mountains. We chose the Urqhuart Castle from which to view it. Though extensively ruined, it is still a splendid sight set high up on a headland. It was in its day one of the largest strongholds of medieval Scotland. It is also near this castle that the majority of Nessie sightings occur.
For dinner we returned to the Highlander Pub for steak and ale pie. It's a great little neighborhood pub with friendly and jolly Scots. More photos at Flickr.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Among the Fields of Barley

Dalwinnie Distillary
We drove north today into the Highlands. It is just the most beautiful countryside you can imagine. We're listening to MacBeth, A Novel, and it is so fitting. At one point one of the characters remarks, "they came through the Grampians" just as we were driving through them. Very moving. We stopped at The Dalwhinnie distillery for a tour and a taste. It was both educational and tasty. It took a while to find our B&B, The Cardu Country House. It's deep in the Spey Side in a tiny little village. We drove through deep woods and steep hills thinking "have we made a mistake?"  Not to worry. It is beautiful, and a nearby town has 2 nice pubs and an art gallery. Although it seems desolate, it is in fact quite busy with hikers, golfers, and whiskey seekers. There are in Spey Side alone 12 distilleries. Also here is the Knockando Woolmill, one of the oldest surviving mills. It has manufactured continuously since 1784.
Our host is Norman. We haven't met his,wife. But we have met the 2 terriers and the black lab.
More photos at Flickr.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Edinburgh Galleries

View of the Forth of Firth
We spent the better part of the day in the National gallery and the History Museum. The Gallery had a showing of Symbolist painters that focused on landscape, from Van Gogh to Kandinsky. I noticed that groups did not hover around the Van Gogh's, Monet's (no, I didn't realize he was a Symbolist either) or Gauguin's like they do in the States. Must just be a phenomenon there. It was nice to see works and artists unfamiliar to me. The galleries were large and bright, too. A second show was the watercolor works of Giovanni Battista Lusieri (1754–1821). Lusieri was one of very few Italian artists to use watercolor as a primary medium. I was astounded at the meticulous detail, precision and control of the medium in the works. They were primarily of Naples, Rome, Sicily, and Greek ruins. He was the draftsman for Sir John Elgin and many of his works were lost at sea when Elgin returned to England. Quite a few of the works were unfinished and one could see the process Lusieri employed. Every leaf, rock, blade of grass was first drawn in with pencil then ink.
The permanent collection was also extensive. What remains in my eye was Sargeant's Lady Agnew of Lochnaw. Stunning. Coming in close behind we're Titian's Venus Rising from the Sea, a Raffael Madonna, Canova's Three Graces.
We walked up the hill to Old Town hunting the History Museum. along the way we stopped for lunch at Porto and Fi. We wanted to see some of the artifacts from Scotland's birth. Most notable were some of the Lewis Chess Set, a 20' pike, and some renaissance wood panels.
We had dinner tonight at The Larder Bistro. Wayne had venison and I trout as well as starters and dessert....way too much. It was fun. We were snug in a back room with gay Scots. They really are a happy, joking lot.
No pictures today.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Edinburgh Castle




Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk.  Edinburgh Castle is directly across from our hotel room. It is quite a beautiful site, rising abruptly from the Princes park, perched high above the city. The 1/4 mile walk was a gradual grade and easy although fierce with wind. The Castle was not often used by royalty unless they were seeking refuge from invaders. The most noted royalty were Mary Queen of Scots, her son James VI of Scotland and I of England, Charles I. The most interesting thing was the murder of Mary's secretary David Rizzio. While dining with the Queen, he was ripped from the room and stabbed 56 times by stewards of the Queen's husband, Lord Darnley. Darnley was latered murdered. Hmmmm.  Wonder who arranged that.  The most beautiful part of the grounds was the ruined Abbey.
We walked down the hill on the Royal Mile. Excuse me, but I would rename this the Commercial 3 Mile. A the bottom of the hill was Hollyrood Palace, official Scottish home of QE II. A quaint little abode with the usual waiting rooms prior to the grand throne room.
The best part of the day was our decision to end the day at The Oxford Bar, the haunt of John Rebus. Well, not really end. We also had dinner at a very nice place, The Wildfire. A small but excellent establishment.More photos at Flickr.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Edinburgh




Our gps took us on the scenic route to Edinburgh. It was a bit harry at times driving on roads built for horse and wagon and lined with stone walls. The walls are amazing here. There are miles and miles of them meandering up and down mountains, segmenting grazing fields, lining roads. They all stand straight and high. Robert Frost would need to rethink his ideas on walls. The mountains are almost completely devoid of trees, but green with grass, ferns and heather. Sheep are everywhere. Once in Scotland the land flattened quickly for us and Edinburg snuck up without warning. The gps took us to a glorious hotel, The Balmoral. The doorman, dressed in a kilt, took our luggage, arranged to valet the car, escorted us to reception and chatted until the clerk called us forward. While the clerk was looking up our room, I mentioned that we were Hilton members. She said, "that explains why I can't find your reservation. The Hilton is down the road." So....back out to the road in a rush before the car is taken, we retrieved the luggage and listened with embarrassment while the very nice doorman in the kilt got us a map and gave us directions. As we left he said with a note of pity, "the Hilton isn't the Balmoral." he was right about that. It is however very nice. And we have a perfect view of the Edinburgh Castle. After check in, we walked down the main street and had lunch, took a look at the Sir Walter Scott monument and returned via the park. It is a beautiful city.More photos at Flickr.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Wordsworth




We started out today to see Beatrix Potter's home, but found that we needed to take a ferry across Lake Windermere to reach it. That would be okay except that my inquires of those locals in the car line told me the ferry only took 6 cars at a time; we were number 21 with no ferry in sight after a 10 minute wait. Instead, we opted to go to our second agenda item, Dove Cottage, home of William Wordsworth. Wordsworth lived in the cottage in Grasmere for 8 years. His sister, wife, sister-in-law, 3 children, S. T. Coleridge and another minor writer all lived in the 5 room cottage at one time. Wordsworth had seen the area when he was 14 and declared it paradise. It had always been his desire to return. It was here that he purportedly wrote his best poems. There was a very nice museum attached with many original writings and paintings of his contemporaries.
From Grasmere we drove to Keswick. It was a very hairy but stunning drive on a 6'6" road along the edge of the lake. At times the mountainside was to the other side of us; covered with huge ferns and cedars, it reminded me of northern California. The lushness and the green were tangible. Keswick was a bit more charming that Windermere. But still no really nice galleries or antique shops. We had a pub lunch and returned to Cragwood for some R&R.More photos at Flickr.

Monday, September 3, 2012

The Lake District




We were up bright and early at 6:30. The fire alarm roused us, and as I'm trying to shut off the phone alarm, then the iPad alarm, I come to realize I better get dressed. Out in the hall I met Paul, also obviously hastily attired assuring me nothing is on fire. I left him to sort out the problem and returned for an additional 10 winks of sleep.
We breakfasted alone. There is a nice selection of art for sale in all the rooms. Carl Melegari's work caught our attention. Seems he was a miner, which you can tell feeds his work. Take a look.
The drive to the Lake District is filled with views of the dales seemingly covered by heather. At least the color appeared to be purple heather. We are staying at The Cragwood House Hotel. From the back lawn there are 2 views of Lake Windemere. The building is stone with multiple gables and leaded windows.
After checking in we drove to the towns of Windemere and Bowness. The we're filled with tourists and had a honky tonk look and feel. But we took a 45 minute cruise on the Lake. It's beauty out shown any of the tastiness of the towns. Back at our hotel, we had a wonderful dinner and will dine here again tomorrow. More photos at Flickr.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Yorkshire Arms



The York Arms
Once we packed and cleared out of Oxford, we spent the better part of the day driving to Ramsgill in Nedderdale, Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Try finding that on the GPS. Our destination was the York Arms, a Michelin starred restaurant and inn. We discovered the Arms while watching The Trip, a British comedy film about restaurants in the north of England, and put it on our agenda. The last miles of the trip were along narrow, stone-walled roads big enough for one Peugeot (our car) or 2 smart cars. Needless to say there was a lot of nail biting and breath holding.  But we did arrive unscathed.   The Inn is nestled among fields of grazing sheep, along side a bubbling brook, down from a reservoir, adjacent to a vine covered English cottage; you get my drift? We walked in past tables filled with chattering, laughing people having tea in the sunny front courtyard. The clerk showed us to a lovely room. After walking around the area a bit, we returned to the room. Wayne read, and I went out to draw the lovely vine covered English cottage. Drinks were announced for 6:30, dinner at 7:00. At cocktail hour it was so quiet we asked about the other guests. Seems we were the only guests in the inn. This made for a jolly evening filled with undivided attention from all. After a dinner of grouse, we retired to the lounge for espresso and a visitation from Chef Francis Atkins. She explained the grouse we had was locally hunted, feeding off heather, which gave it the flavor. We talked about Scotland, where she last worked, and Scotch whiskey. We got good advice about touring there. This is a day and meal that we will long remember.More photos at Flickr.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

High Tea




Today was our last day in Oxford. I absolutely love the civility and order here. People really do queue up for everything. Among throngs of shoppers, They queue up at the bus stops a good 10 minutes prior to the bus' arrival. AND, then they stay in that line until all are orderly boarded. I want to live here. We did not encounter one surly, rude or curt person whether a clerk, a waitress, a porter, etc. (the intruder doesn't count). Even on the highways and byways, the drivers are courteous and considerate. I want to live here.
We spent most of the day walking around the city. We did get into University College to see the Shelly Monument. It's gated off now to prevent the students from defacing poor Shelly. Seems they like to paint his penis. And once they filled the alcove with water and goldfish. Poor fish!
We climbed to the top of the Carfax for another rooftop view of the spires. There was a nice woman who traded camera shots with us. After, we went to the Randolph Hotel for high tea. The Randolph is one of those famous Morse spots. However, it stands on its own as a very nice establishment, built in the Victorian Gothic style. After tea we revisited Magdalen College and then walked to University Park. There are very large specimen trees that we didn't recognized. We walked all the way to the Cherwell river where a beautiful scene of punters captured us. I want to live here. More photos at Flickr.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Will and Anne




Even though very little is known about Anne Hathaway outside of a few legal documents, she has been much maligned over the centuries as a shrew and a cradle snatcher. Probably, none of these characterizations are true. While she was 26 and pregnant, Shakespeare was 18 and poor and hardly a catch. We visited the house, now much enlarged, where Anne was born. The gardens were fabulous. There is a flower here, the anemone, that I'm coveting for our garden. The pink blooms, dogwood in likeness, sit on the ends of 3' stems. We strolled though a wooded path reading postings from Midsummer Night's Dream before leaving for Shakespeare's birthplace.
Shakespeare and Anne lived in the birthplace house. The Second Best Bed is here. The gardens here are lovely, too. We were amazed to be walking in the same halls as Shakespeare walked, breathed, sneezed, coughed, laughed and ......
More photos at Flickr.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Windsor, The Trout, and The Intruder




We went to the Queen's favorite week-end digs today, Windsor Castle. The castle had its beginnings with William the Conqueror who wanted to protect the Norman dominance on the outskirts of London and this strategic portion of the Thames. Thereafter it has mostly been a residence, in fact, the longest inhabitated castle in Europe.  It is an amazing piece of architecture, but not particularly interesting in terms of historically significant events...no blood and guts. The art, however, was nice to see: Rembrandt's, Van Dyke's. We came back early to Oxford for dinner at the Trout Inn, a must on our Morse was here list. It is in Lower Wolvercote north of Oxford, directly on the River Thames. Wolvercote is also where Wayne's sons attended school when he was a student at Oxford.
Oh,yes, the intruder. So, around 1 am I awoke to a lot of loud banging. Wayne said, "its just someone on the street." A couple of minutes later I awoke again and said, "someone is in the house". Big, brave, manly Wayne went downstairs, came backup stairs and said, "someone is in the house." My reaction: "What? Lock the bedroom door. No. Don't go down there. Call the police." His response, "Where are my pants?"  We both go downstairs like idiots. Passed out in the living room was a very drunk and vomiting male teenager. Wayne and I both are yelling, "Who the %.*#+~! are you? Get the **}>#>~£ out of here.". Nothing budged the retching retch. I try dialing the police with no success. Wayne is screaming in the guy's ear. I grab a tennis racket (yeah, good weapon) to hit him over the head. Then, suddenly he gets up, looks at us like we have 3 heads, and stumbles out the door without a word. Tonight we will double check the locks and make sure we have Inspector Lewis on speed dial.
See more of Windsor on Flickr. Sorry, no pics of  The Intruder.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Oxford Center, the Unfulfilled Quest




It was such a rainy day that we postponed plans to visit Anne Hathaway's home. Instead, we took the bus into the Center to look for 2 treasures, The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt at Keble College and the Shelly Memorial at University College. Alas, we were thwarted on all counts. The Keble College Chapel was under renovations and closed. University College was closed to all visitors. Not to be dissuaded we journeyed on to the Sheldonian. What? Closed for renovations?!?! Oh, you say we can climb to the cupola instead. Okay, why not. Why not indeed. First, the roof was designed by Christopher Wren, and his handiwork can be seen as one climbs into the cupola. Wow. Secondly, the best view one could hope for of the Oxford architecture is here. After lots of ogling and snapping of pics, we descended and headed for Wayne's college, Exeter. It's a small but beautiful college. We sat in the chapel for a bit and went to the door leading to Wayne's tutor, John Wilson. Later, we did some regular living, shopping for socks, having a new watch battery installed and buying some pasties for dinner at home. As we headed for the bus, torrential rains fell as the sun broke through. At the last moment the rainbow appeared.  Pics of our day.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral






I've often remarked to people who have never visited the Grand Canyon that photographs simply cannot capture the essence of the place. The vastness, the depth, the colors and the atmosphere must be experienced personally to grasp the spirit of the place. If you've been to the Grand Canyon, then you will understand what I mean when I say the same applies to Stonehenge. While the two places don't compare physically, the experience is similar. The scale of the stones seen here is under estimated. And the mystery of the who, why, and how only add to the amazement. When Wayne was here 35 years ago, his sons could climb on the stones. Today the area is cordoned off. We circumvented the site with audio guides that gave some insight into the henge origins. I sat and drew for a while. How lucky.
Salisbury is only a short drive from Stonehenge. The spire of the Cathedral rises dramatically over the horizon as one approaches. It is one of the few Cathedrals constructed in a short time and on a large close. As a result the building is one of the purest of English Gothic architecture. John Constable painted the Cathedral many times. Having seen these paintings at The Frick, The NY Met, etc. I've wanted to see the a cathedral in the same light as Constable. A bonus was seeing one of only 4 existing Magna Carta copies in the chapter house.
More photos at Flickr.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Bath and Wells

Wells Cathedral
We had a long drive through on and off rain showers to Bath to see the Roman ruins. Bath is a much larger city than I knew. There is a large pedestrian, upscale mall surrounding the Abbey and the Baths. The sun broke out and we ate lunch outside at one of the restaurants across from the Baths. It is just as fascinating to me that the Baths could be uncovered and reconstructed as it is that they ever were built to begin with. The Abbey has a unique exterior, angels climbing up a ladder on either side of the main entrance are book ended by a high relief carving of the Jesse Tree.
Wells was another 1/2 hour from Bath through narrow roads that were canopied by large trees. The Cathedral sits to one side of the town center and adjacent to the Bishop's palace. The cathedral itself, like all we've seen, is awe inspiring. Please see the photos for the best understanding.Flickr


Sunday, August 26, 2012

Stratford -Upon-Avon



Wayne dining with Shakespeare at The Garrick Pub
If music be the food of love, then play on.We spent the afternoon with Viola, Olivia, Malvolio, et al at the Royal Shakespeare Co. It was a bright and sunny, crisp day suitable for a walk along the Avon. The streets were packed, but being mostly Brits they nicely queued up and gave way to the pushy Americans. So, we had no problems making our way to Shakespeare's birthplace and his grave in Holy Trinity Church as well as having lunch before the play. It was great fun watching a Shakespeare performance in Stratford. We will return later in the week to tour the birthplace home and Anne Hathaway's home.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Blenheim Palace





Blenheim Palace is the Churchill family estate. Winston Churchill was born here.  Built in the English Baroque style, it has been home to the Churchill family for over 300 years. Our guide was very good. She concentrated on the history of the family telling it through the paintings, furniture and tapestries in the rooms. Most notable sights were the furnishings that came from Versailles, the Singer Sargent painting of the 9th Duke and his wife Consuelo Vanderbilt, the C. Duran painting of Consuelo that hung nearby, and the 10 Flemish Victory Tapestries of John Churchill.  The gardens were very formal, very green and beautifully set against the River Glynne.


We returned to Oxford and the Ashmolean Museum in mid afternoon.  There is a beautiful Uccello painting, The Hunt in the Forest, here.  We later went in Blackwells Book Store (another Morse haunt) to pick up an Oxford tour book. We then returned to Summertown and had dinner at The Spice Lounge, a very good Indian restaurant.  
See more photos at Flickr

Friday, August 24, 2012

Inspector Morse, The Ashmolean, and Evensong




We have finally gotten our body clocks on UK time. After a late breakfast we headed for Oxford Center to check on our Morse tour. On our way out the door we met our neighbor, Harold. He was with Anna, his and our house keeper. She was kind enough to help us with the oven. Alas, it would not work for her either.
From the information center in Oxford, we walked down Broad St and over to Christ Church College, the most beautiful college I've yet seen. The gardens were lush and so well tended. We visited the Cathedral where there are several Burn-Jones windows. Funny story. One of the Burn -Jones windows was being cleaned and had plain glass in place of it. When the docent relayed the cleaning information to a visitor, she exclaimed, "Oh, no. You've cleaned it completely off!" You may see this
over-cleaning on Flickr.
Next on the agenda, Morse. We are Inspector Morse, Lewis and Endeavor fans. As such, Wayne is always pointing out Oxford buildings during the shows. This tour gave us the opportunity to see those spots in true time.
When at Christ Church we saw a posting for Evensong and decided to attend. After the Morse tour we had enough time to visit The Ashmolean. We went immediately the the Pre-Raphaelite Gallery. Wayne remembers when he first saw these paintings 35 years prior and fell in love with them. The collection is small and of early works.
We ended our day in Oxford back at Christ Church Cathedral for Evensong. The choir was young adolescents. The sound was quite lovely and soothing after such a long day on our feet. Back home we cooked some pasta and settled in for a little tv and reading.
To see more photos of today visit Flickr.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

The Cotswolds



Wayne with his Scotch egg in Stow
Today we drove out to the Cotswolds, a very picturesque English countryside. The area is populated with small towns and villages built othat one. In the Middle Ages the wool trade made the Cotswolds prosperous. Some of this money was put into the building of churches so the area has a number of large Cotswold stone "wool churches". the first village we came to, Stow-on-Wold was having an art show in its church. We bought a small painting of the local landscape. Here we also had lunch. I had The Best Damn Fish and Chips; Wayne had a warm Scotch egg. As we drove through the countryside to the next village of Bourton-on-Water, we saw many sheep and fields upon fields of hay or wheat. Bourton-on-Water looks like it belongs in the Shire...too charming for words. A very shallow yet wide river runs through the center of the town. There were children everywhere wading and playing. I stuck my finger in for a test run and immediately withdrew it before icicles formed.
See more photos of the Cotswolds at Flickr

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The Botanical Gardens, Magdalen College, The Bodleian

Wayne at the King's Arms, Oxford
Yep, we did all those things. We started the day searching Corn Market St for some electrical adapters. The street is pedestrian and has an enclosed market nearby where these poor pigs were begging for attention. From there we walked to the botanical Gardens. They were mostly interesting for the perennials and wild flowers. Across the street from the Gardens is Magdalen College. Inside is a most beautiful chapel. Among the many notable alumni are Oscar Wilde, CS Lewis, Cardinal Wolsey. Up the hill and on our way home was The Bodleian, the library for the Colleges.More photos at Flickr

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Boston and Beyond






We began by being tourists on our home turf. We spent the day walking around Plymouth Harbor, visiting the Rock, looking at The Mayflower. Remembered the last time we were here with Carolyn and Ralf. Met Jeff at the house; he drove us to the bus. Arrived at Logan 5 hours early. We are EXCELLENT travelers. Really, we just rather sit there and read than kill time elsewhere. Met an interesting guy in the restaurant. He was from Cambridge, UK but living in Maine. The flight was smooth, quick and uneventful. Love British Air. Arrived Heathrow 9:00am, got the car, panicked, drove any way. Arrived at the house around noon. Left the house around 12:01pm. Strolled to Summer Town and caught the bus to Oxford Center where we walked down High St past the Sheldonian. Wayne was grinning ear to ear. Walked back to a pub, The Eagle and Child where we had the worst beer you can imagine. So close to Belgium, yet so far. There was a trivial pursuit game going on. After finishing the awful beer and stuffing myself on a burger, we caught the bus back to the house.
More photos at flickr.

Monday, August 20, 2012

The Night Before




We spent he night before our departure for the UK in Plymouth because our home exchangers had arrived and were in our house. There was the most beautiful sunset occurring as we approached the hotel. I think it is a very good omen. Tomorrow we fly to London.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Great Barrington and Tanglewood

Neighboring Picnicers at Tanglewood
It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.  We spent it in Great Barrington, which has a different feel than the other surrounding towns.  There are far more young people, more of a hip, funky atmosphere.  We ate lunch, roamed the streets window shopping and gallery browsing.  Tonight we returned to Tanglewood for an all Wagner program.  It was thoroughly transcending.  More pictures at flickr.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Norman Rockwell and William Shakespeare

Rockwell Museum
Norman Rockwell moved to Stockbridge, MA in 1953 so that his wife could be treated at the Austen Riggs psychiatric hospital.  (side note. James Taylor was also treated there and refers to his time at Austin Riggs in the song, Fire and Rain).  Stockbridge remained Rockwell's home until his death.  He helped established a custodianship which became the Norman Rockwell Museum.  The museum is the authority on Rockwell and holds over 700 pieces of his.  We went primarily to see the current show, Howard Pyle.  Pyle was an illustrator and children's book author during the fin de siecle.  Rockwell studied and admired his works as a student.  Pyle hardly had his own style.  He would mimic styles he felt best illustrated the texts he was illustrating.  To my delight, the show included Hokusai's The Great Wave of Kanagawa.  Previously, I've seen this print only in reproduction.  There is always something new to discover in the Berkshires.
Tonight we saw The Tempest at Shakespeare and Co.  It's our only play this trip.  The production was not great.  Olympia Dukakis played Prospero and she was extremely weak.  Her voice is not suited to Shakespearean dialogue.  Physically, she didn't control the character, either.  To our delight Merritt Janson played Miranda.  We saw her last year as Rosalind in As You Like It.  It was the best portrayal of Rosalind we've ever seen.  She was equally good as Miranda.  Other principals were also noteworthy.  Kristin Wold as Ariel was charming and captivating.  More photos at flickr.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Hancock Shaker Village

Hancock Shaker Village
The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing....USBCSA....nope, no hope of an acronym there!  The Shakers are a religious sect who live communally and are amazing at invention, music, egalitarianism. The only remaining members live in a Maine commune. Since we had seen Borrowed Light at Jacob's Pillow on Sunday, we wanted to visit the Shaker Village in Hancock, MA.  It is a beautiful setting in which most of the buildings still stand in pristine condition.  The Shakers have not lived in the village since the 1960's.  We heard nice talks in the round barn and the dormitory about the structures and life in general.  The dormitory dining room had 2 interior windows, borrowed light.  
This evening we attended a Brahms Piano concert at Ozawa Hall performed by Gerhard Oppits who, over 4 evenings, is playing the complete works for piano without one piece of sheet music.  Very impressive.  We sat on the lawn this evening among the crowd that spilled out of the hall like fruit from a cornucopia.  It was beautiful to watch the interior of the hall warm as the sky cooled to evening then night.  We re-visited our discussion about LeWitt's art.  I asked why Wayne could consider the Brahms' piece art and not the LeWitt wall paintings.  More photos at flickr.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Mass MoCA

Sol LeWitt Wall Painting
Mass MoCA in No. Adams, MA is one of the largest centers for contemporary visual and performing arts in the US. It is located in a converted factory building, which offers huge display spaces. We went primarily to see the "Oh, Canada" and "Invisible Cities" shows. Fortunately, a tour of all the galleries was beginning as we arrived. It was nice to get an over view and introductions to pieces in each gallery.  We had not been to the museum since its initial opening and were pleased and surprised at the improved holdings and curatorship. The most interesting was the Sol Lewitt retrospective. Please visit this site to understand the magnitude and importance of this show. 65 artists and students spent 6 months installing the work which will be on display for 25 years. Lewitt had gifted his work to Yale University when he was dying from cancer. Yale, realizing their limited space, sought out Mass MoCA and LeWitt agreed. He visited and collaborated on the placement and configuration of the spaces prior to his death.
Sol LeWitt Wall Paintings
Of the two other shows, I liked The Mountain by Graeme Patterson in the Oh, Canada show.  My best description is art within art within art.  Patterson describes it as the first of four installations that focus on his personal experience with male bonding.  Coming in a close second was the entire Invisible Cities show, particularly Melting Pot by Miha Strukelj.  The concept is inspired by Italo Calvino's novel of the same name in which imaginary conversations take place between Marco Polo and Kubla Khan.  Polo describes his voyages and the cities to Khan.
Invisible Cities

I was so happy to have finally seen some contemporary art that can be visually exciting, provoking, evoking and accessible without extensive reading and probing to understand the artists' intents.  More photos at flickr.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

The Clark

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute is in Williamstown, which is also home to Williams College.  This makes for a great day visit.  The very small town center hosts a wonderful gallery, The Harrison and an adequate little lunch spot, Thai Garden.  The Harrison's main show was John MacDonald's paintings and Paul Caponigro's photographs. MacDonald's work, pictured above, was of landscapes in and around Williamstown.  The quality of the paints is almost encaustic in appearance.  I couldn't decide if that was a mixing choice or a medium effect until reading the artist's statement.  He's a plein air painter interested in light and texture.  

The Clark is a very interesting place.  It  houses the private collection of the Clarks, (he, grandson of Singer Sewing Machine founder) and has a mission dedicated to research, and extending and advancing the public understanding of art.  This trip was a bit disappointing because the original building is under renovation and the current show is recent archaeological discoveries of northern China.  I admit this lack of interest is due to my complete ignorance of Chinese art, religion, culture, etc, etc.  I did enjoy a couple of the sculptures. Zhenmushou (Tomb Guardian Beasts) from the Tang dynasty.  The expressions and the melding of beasts/humans was captivating.  And the Warrior Guardian from the Qi dynasty because of his posturing amused me greatly.   ZhenmushouWarrior Guardian


John and Kathy returned for a sleep over on their way back to PA following their trip to P'town.  We ate at Chez Nous.  It was enjoyed by all.  More photos at flickr.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Ozawa Hall

We spent most of the day reading and napping.  Sometime in the early afternoon we went to Lee for lunch and then to the new Big Y for water, milk and bananas.  Not very blog worthy.  But tonight we attended a concert at Ozawa Hall.  The Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra played Brahms' Tragic Overture, Schubert's Symphony in B minor, and Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra.  Each piece used a different conductor.  They were all big symphonies with large sound which we thoroughly enjoyed.  It is fun to see the student musicians revel in the opportunity to play and be heard. The picture is taken from the top of the hill. Attendees have the choice of sitting outside or inside.  The angle disguises the orchestra seats but highlights the drama of the building and the stage.  More photos at flickr.


Sunday, July 15, 2012

Jacob's Pillow 80

We had an early performance time today, 2pm at Jacob's Pillow, to see Tero Saarinen's Borrowed Light. Saarinen is Finnish who began his career with the Finnish Ballet. The piece is inspired by the Shakers and uses original Shaker music. However, the work is not about Shakerism but rather community and devotion. There are 8 dancers and 8 singers from the Boston Camerata. The dancers and singers share the stage; their costumes are black and the light is stark, cast at an extreme angel from stage left. The title comes from the Shaker practice of adding interior windows to a building in order to extend daylight hours. There were many aspects I liked. The dancers make exaggerated zombie like movements with a lot of stomping. All of us would have preferred more traditional dance. But I did appreciated Saarinen's ability to extract and project a visceral feeling of human struggle both emotionally and physically within a community or space. Here is a brief clip of Borrowed Light from the company's website. I don't believe it is the Camerata performing the music here, though.
Tonight we ate at Bistro Zinc. It was amusing that at our 8pm reservation the menu was practically empty of all selections. All these old folks around here eat early and wiped out the kitchen.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Tanglewood 75

It was a sun scorching day. We had worried that the predicted evening showers would affect our Tanglewood concert. But it was beautiful all day and night. First thing I realized at around 5am was that I left all the tickets at home. Thus, we began the day by stopping at the Tanglewood box office for replacement tickets. We next stopped in Lenox for a light lunch at Patisserie. They have the most mouth-watering, beautiful desserts. I highly recommend it. We ate on the patio and then went across the street to visit The Wit Gallery and discuss works and possible options with the clerk. We didn't have time for extensive visits to other venues, but we did take abbreviated tours. First, we stopped at Arrowhead, Herman Melville's home in Pittsfield. There was a very funny sculpture in the field of Moby pursued by Ahab.
We also stopped at Ventfort Hall, the filming sight for Cider House Rules.
It was now late enough that we headed to Tanglewood and took our place in the short line for the 5:30 opening of the grounds. Inside we found a beautiful spot under a huge maple tree to spread out and relax. The performance this evening was in celebration of Tanglewood's 75th anniversary. The pieces were all relatively short with various conductors attending. I'll list the highlights for my own memory, but to also recognize the performers. 1. Keith Lockhart conducted Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man and 3 dance episodes from On the Town by Bernstein. 2.James Taylor sang with John Williams conducting selections from the Great American Songbook. 3. Stefan Asbury conducting Haydn's Piano Concerto in D. 4. Andris Nelsons conducting Anne-Sophie Mutter playing Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy and Yo-Yo Ma playing Tchaikovsky's Andante Cantabile. 5. Andris Nelsons conducting Ravel's LaValse 6. David Zinman conducting Beethoven's Fantasia with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver conducting Our groups' favorites were Mutter's performance and the Beethoven. The Chorus gave me chills. Everything was topped off with a fabulous fireworks show.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Becket Bound

We are back in the very lovely Berkshires of Massachusetts. We come every year to enjoy Tanglewood, Shakespeare & Co., Jacob's Pillow, The Clark and more, more, more. Our friends John and Kathy met us. They actually arrive ahead of us because we got a late start and then hit very heavy slow traffic. We had stopped at Whole Foods along the way and picked up steaks and every cheese, cracker, hors d'oeuvres one could desire. After conversation over the hors d'oeuvres in which we solved most of the nations political and social ills, we ate, drank and laughed into the wee morning hours. Great to be back here where we are staying for the second year in Becket at the home we exchange with Kate and Greg. Hope they have as much fun in Wareham.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Reason Rally


It rained pretty heavily on and off today. We walked down to the Reason Rally to check things out. There was a fairly large crowd despite the rain. After hanging around for a few speeches, we went to the National Gallery to escape the downpour. There we saw a Picasso exhibit of some 55 works. The exhibition presented the development of Picasso's drawings over a 30-year period. There were his earliest drawings on loan from the Barcelona Picasso Gallery which we remember seeing years ago when we were in Barcelona. Another reminder from our travels were two large-scale group portraits from the Dutch Golden Age, on long-term loan from the Rijksmuseum and the Amsterdam Museum. We ate lunch in the Gallery and bought an umbrella for the duration of the day. Back at the Reason Rally we heard Dawkins speak, but the speech was uninspiring. Far better was Greta Christina. She laid it all out about how religious enthusiasts work to destroy the freedom of others.
Tonight we picked up Adam and Maura for dinner in their neighborhood at an Indian restaurant and a Dvorak concert, Stabat Mater, at the Kennedy Center. The concert was excellent. The choir blew us away.
For more DC pictures please visit my flickr page.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Cherry Blossoms


Today was beautiful, warm, and sunny; perfect for a walk along the Tidal Basin through the cherry trees. Prior to the Tidal Basin we walked to the Hirshhorn Gallery to see a light show. It was okay, a bit dated in technical terms. But still worked optically. We also got to see one of our favorite sculptors, Juan Munoz, pieces "Last Conversation Piece" which is a permanent installation outside the Museum.
The walk along the Tidal Basin was jammed with people. But everyone was in good spirits, taking photos and lounging. This year we walked toward the Lincoln Monument rather than toward the Potomac as in the past. At one point a helicopter past overhead and sent the cherry blossoms flying through the air. Our walk took us to the new Martin Luther King Monument. The area has MLK quotes engraved in granite along a wall. Very moving and sad.
To end our day we stopped at the Corcoran, our first visit ever. The holdings are fantastic. There are many Hudson River School pieces.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

The Nation's Capitol

The drive into DC from Juanita's and Carlton's is an easy 15-30 minutes when you do it at noon. Otherwise, it is a tangled nightmare of traffic. We chose the noon time trip. At the HIlton we were told our room would not be ready for a few hours. We walked around the corner to the Mozart Cafe for a light lunch. I thought the Renwick Gallery was close by and we headed for a quick visit. Unfortunately we headed the wrong direction. What should have been a 5 minute walk turned into a 30 minutes walk. The exhibit was not anything I was interested in, either. It was decorative arts from the White House archives. This was mostly furniture and china. In the past we have seen amazing exhibits of turned wood and jewelry.
Back at the hotel, Adam stopped by after work. He went to dinner with us at Alabardero, a Spanish restaurant. It was an elegant place and reminded us of Paris. Strange, I know, since it was trying to be Spanish. I haven't taken any pictures in 2 days, so you must be happy with the restaurant. Lo siento!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Manassas and Peking (Duck)



The first thing we did today was go into the Wegman's that is adjacent to the hotel. I've been curious about this chain. eh. The wine selection was great, but otherwise Whole Foods, et al, seems comparable. We went into Fredericksburg and had lunch at Soup Taco, a small Venezuelan restaurant near the visitor's center. My dish was sumptious homemade corn tortillas stuffed with refried beans, cheese and onions. George Washington, James Madison and James Monroe are among the luminaries who called Fredericksburg home. We drove out to Spotsylvania and then through the battlegrounds.
We arrived at Juanita's and Carlton's home in early afternoon. Sandra came over after work and we headed to Falls Church, VA to eat at the Peking Gourmet Inn. This Inn is famous for its....wait.....Peking Duck. They serve around 250 per day. Wow. The inside of the place was elegant and the waiters were dressed in red jackets. The duck is sliced at the table and the first pancake for each person is rolled by the waiter. After that, you're on your own. The foyer walls were covered with pictures of famous visitors, Presidents Clinton, Bush, Bush. It was a great day and a great time visiting with auntie and uncle. They are the best.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Manassas


We stayed in Staunton, VA last night. It is a lovely town that hosts Shakesperean plays on a regular bases. The town was spared during the Civil War and thus has beautifully preserved Victorian homes. The main street is long, unscathed and filled with shops, albeit shops with knick knacks. We ate last night in a beautifully converted rail station. Tonight we are staying in Fredericksburg. We aren't sure why we booked here since we toured the area 3 years ago. Instead of coming here directly we opted to visit Manassas' National Park. The main battle fields behind the visitor's center was picturesque with golden grasses and rolling hills. The film (there is always a film) at the center was very sad. Over 5000 casualties in the first battle and 25,000 in the second. For more pictures visit my flickr.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Folk Art and Highways

Before Southern Highland Craft Guild members. The Guild is an educational, non-profit organization founded in 1930. It is a network and market for mountain craftspeople. there are more that 900 artisan members who are selected by a jury. The quality is superb. Everyday a different member works at his/her craft on site. Today we saw a weaver. Her colors were so rich and beautiful. We purchased a small carved wooden bluejay to hang on our Christmas Tree. The remainder of the day was spent driving to Staunton, VA. It was another beautiful ride through the Smoky Mountains. See more photos at Flickr