Today PetDoc and Noise had to go back to work (suckers!) so Serdic and I decided to get out of the city for a day, and we did a side trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge. I had been before, but not for nearly 15 years, and Serdic had never been, so we decided it would be a worthy way to spend the day. We took the train from London to Salisbury (a journey of about an hour and a half), then caught the "Stonehenge Tour" (of course) by bus to Stonehenge.
Stonehenge is a really interesting and awe-inspiring place. I know many people who say it's just a pile of rocks, but I find it endlessly fascinating. Why is it there? What were the people who built it like? What did it mean to them? They obviously put so much effort and care into building it, but what was it for? Whatever it means, it is a striking sight and we spent a lovely hour circling the stones and examining them from all angles.
We caught the next bus back to Salisbury where we found a 13th century pub for lunch, The Haunch of Venison (gotta love those Ye Olde British Pub names). We had a fantastic lunch -- I had shepherd's pie and Serdic had a chargrilled pork loin with bubble and squeak (!) and a cranberry jus. Delicious.
After lunch we wandered down High Street to Salisbury Cathedral. The cathedral is famous for having the tallest spire in the UK, and it certainly is a beautiful building, situated in a large green space that sets it off to perfection. We spent a lovely hour exploring the church, including the chapter house where one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta is displayed. Eventually we wandered back to the train station and caught a late afternoon train back to London, arriving back in time to have take away fish and chips with PetDoc (Noise had to work late). All in all it was a lovely day. We have been blessed with wonderful weather so far (knock on wood) -- sunny and warm (without being too hot) nearly every day. I even have a bit of a sunburn on my face -- funny that I had to come to England to get too much sun!
I am also told that it is my responsibility to blog about the concert we attended last night, as Serdic fears he wouldn't be able to do it justice. I think that will have to wait for my next entry, as this one is long enough, but let's just say that last night we stood in a crowd of 30,000 people and sang Happy Birthday to Andrew Lloyd Webber. It was awesome.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The Buckingham stops here
I'm really kicking myself for leaving my camera cord at home, as I'm taking some really lovely photos and wish I could share them. I guess that'll just have to wait until we get home. I promise not to post more than 500 or so.
We had a lovely day today, and got to spend the whole day with PetDoc and Noise, which was of course the best part. We started with a tour of Buckingham Palace, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was really neat to see all those places I'm familiar with through tv and photos, and to really take in the grandeur of the place. The set up for a grand state dinner was especially interesting ... PetDoc asked me how we get invited to one of those!
After leaving the palace we took the tube over to London Bridge, and walked across the bridge (Noise sang the song for us) to the south bank of the Thames. We found a fun little pub (The Bunch of Grapes) where we had DELICIOUS steak and ale pies, then wandered the Borough Market for awhile, seeing lots of fun things for sale. We also popped into Southwark Cathedral for a quick visit -- I was interested in the cathedral mostly because it's where Shakespeare attended services, but it was also a beautiful building and an oasis of quiet and peace in the middle of the very busy market.
Then we walked a ways down the south bank of the river to the Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian bridge across the Thames. We crossed the river on this bridge, giving us a stunning view of St. Paul's at the other end, and up and down the river to all the sights. The sun had come out at this point (it was grey and cool earlier) and it was just a beautiful, interesting walk. PetDoc and Noise hadn't been on the bridge either, so it was a first for them! I didn't want them to spend the whole time we were here "re-doing" stuff, so I'm glad they saved some stuff (like Buckingham Palace this morning and the Tower of London tomorrow) to do with us!
So now Serdic is cooking dinner in PetDoc and Noise's little flat, and I think we're going to eat out in the garden. So I'd better get going. Hope everyone is well!
We had a lovely day today, and got to spend the whole day with PetDoc and Noise, which was of course the best part. We started with a tour of Buckingham Palace, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was really neat to see all those places I'm familiar with through tv and photos, and to really take in the grandeur of the place. The set up for a grand state dinner was especially interesting ... PetDoc asked me how we get invited to one of those!
After leaving the palace we took the tube over to London Bridge, and walked across the bridge (Noise sang the song for us) to the south bank of the Thames. We found a fun little pub (The Bunch of Grapes) where we had DELICIOUS steak and ale pies, then wandered the Borough Market for awhile, seeing lots of fun things for sale. We also popped into Southwark Cathedral for a quick visit -- I was interested in the cathedral mostly because it's where Shakespeare attended services, but it was also a beautiful building and an oasis of quiet and peace in the middle of the very busy market.
Then we walked a ways down the south bank of the river to the Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian bridge across the Thames. We crossed the river on this bridge, giving us a stunning view of St. Paul's at the other end, and up and down the river to all the sights. The sun had come out at this point (it was grey and cool earlier) and it was just a beautiful, interesting walk. PetDoc and Noise hadn't been on the bridge either, so it was a first for them! I didn't want them to spend the whole time we were here "re-doing" stuff, so I'm glad they saved some stuff (like Buckingham Palace this morning and the Tower of London tomorrow) to do with us!
So now Serdic is cooking dinner in PetDoc and Noise's little flat, and I think we're going to eat out in the garden. So I'd better get going. Hope everyone is well!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Rule Britannia
Just a short note to say that we have arrived safely in London. Our trip was slightly more eventful than hoped, as our flight was delayed two hours leaving Ottawa and therefore late getting into London, and we had to wait in line at customs for ninety minutes, but once we collected our bags and made it out into the arrivals area where PetDoc was waiting for us, things picked up considerably. We had a quiet day yesterday, just hanging out with PetDoc and Noise, exploring their neighbourhood a little bit, and having our first meal of "pub grub" (bangers and mash).
Today Serdic and I did the big London tour, starting at Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, and walking to St. Paul's, via Trafalgar Square. Lots of walking, lots of quintessential London sights and moments. We are a bit tired tonight, but it was a lovely day and we really feel like we're in London now.
I unfortunately forgot to bring the cord for my camera, so any photos will have to wait until we get home. But rest assured, I have taken many! :-)
Tomorrow we are touring Buckingham Palace, and then going wherever our feet take us. Hopefully it won't rain!
Today Serdic and I did the big London tour, starting at Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, and walking to St. Paul's, via Trafalgar Square. Lots of walking, lots of quintessential London sights and moments. We are a bit tired tonight, but it was a lovely day and we really feel like we're in London now.
I unfortunately forgot to bring the cord for my camera, so any photos will have to wait until we get home. But rest assured, I have taken many! :-)
Tomorrow we are touring Buckingham Palace, and then going wherever our feet take us. Hopefully it won't rain!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Counting down
Well, the countdown to our trip officially begins today -- we leave one week from tonight (and the Air Canada replacement tickets appeared on my visa statement today, so I guess we really are booked!). I am getting very excited, although I still have a lot left on my To Do list! I am most excited, of course, about seeing PetDoc and Noise. I have missed them dreadfully over the last few months and am very much looking forward to having some time with them and seeing their new "space." This will also be the first major trip Serdic and I have taken together (we have had long weekends in a variety of places, but this will be our first real vacation together) so I am very much looking forward to the experiences we are going to share in one of my favourite cities in the world.
This trip is deliberately being planned to not be planned, if that makes sense. Usually when I go on vacation I have a schedule and an itinerary mapped out for each day, and while I'm a big fan of allowing time for serendipity to take hold and going with the flow, I also like to have a basic idea of what I want to see and where I want to go in order to make the most of my (usually very limited) time in any given city. This time, though, we are planning very little in advance and instead are hoping to each day just pick an area of the city and explore. I have been to London several times and so have done all the big "touristy" stuff, and that's not the stuff that interests Serdic anyway (he much prefers getting off the beaten track and wandering) so we're hoping to really sink our teeth into the city and not be typical tourists.
We do have a couple of things booked and planned. On the Saturday morning all four of us (me, Serdic, PetDoc and Noise) are going to take a tour of Buckingham Palace. I'm a huge royalty buff (although I prefer the history, not the current lot) so I'm looking forward to this. I have, of course, seen Buckingham Palace from the outside several times, but this tour is only available a couple of months a year (usually when the Queen is elsewhere) so this is the first time I've had the chance to go inside.
I think the thing I'm most looking forward to, though, is the concert the four of us will be attending Sunday evening. There's going to be a celebration of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 60th birthday in Hyde Park, complete with performances by some of my favourite theatre people and followed by fireworks. Andrew Lloyd Webber's shows were in many way responsible for sparking my love of theatre and so I have great affection for him in all his wackiness, and the concert should be a grand time.
We also are planning a couple of nights in Edinburgh later in the week. Again we don't have a long list of "must see" items, we mostly want to just wander and get a feel for the city. We do have a day trip booked to Loch Ness ... not so much to look for the monster but because we wanted to get out of the city and see the Highlands, and this tour was an economical and interesting way to do that without renting a car. Also, Rick Steves recommended it, and anyone who has traveled with me knows that I always do what Rick tells me. So I'm really looking forward to adding a new city to my list, and I have my suspicions it will become one of my favourites.
So lots of excitement and planning going on. Given the airline drama of last week I will still worry a little until we are actually sitting on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic (and until I am actually in possession of a refund for the Zoom tickets!), but so far, it seems like everything is a go. And I can't wait!
This trip is deliberately being planned to not be planned, if that makes sense. Usually when I go on vacation I have a schedule and an itinerary mapped out for each day, and while I'm a big fan of allowing time for serendipity to take hold and going with the flow, I also like to have a basic idea of what I want to see and where I want to go in order to make the most of my (usually very limited) time in any given city. This time, though, we are planning very little in advance and instead are hoping to each day just pick an area of the city and explore. I have been to London several times and so have done all the big "touristy" stuff, and that's not the stuff that interests Serdic anyway (he much prefers getting off the beaten track and wandering) so we're hoping to really sink our teeth into the city and not be typical tourists.
We do have a couple of things booked and planned. On the Saturday morning all four of us (me, Serdic, PetDoc and Noise) are going to take a tour of Buckingham Palace. I'm a huge royalty buff (although I prefer the history, not the current lot) so I'm looking forward to this. I have, of course, seen Buckingham Palace from the outside several times, but this tour is only available a couple of months a year (usually when the Queen is elsewhere) so this is the first time I've had the chance to go inside.
I think the thing I'm most looking forward to, though, is the concert the four of us will be attending Sunday evening. There's going to be a celebration of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 60th birthday in Hyde Park, complete with performances by some of my favourite theatre people and followed by fireworks. Andrew Lloyd Webber's shows were in many way responsible for sparking my love of theatre and so I have great affection for him in all his wackiness, and the concert should be a grand time.
We also are planning a couple of nights in Edinburgh later in the week. Again we don't have a long list of "must see" items, we mostly want to just wander and get a feel for the city. We do have a day trip booked to Loch Ness ... not so much to look for the monster but because we wanted to get out of the city and see the Highlands, and this tour was an economical and interesting way to do that without renting a car. Also, Rick Steves recommended it, and anyone who has traveled with me knows that I always do what Rick tells me. So I'm really looking forward to adding a new city to my list, and I have my suspicions it will become one of my favourites.
So lots of excitement and planning going on. Given the airline drama of last week I will still worry a little until we are actually sitting on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic (and until I am actually in possession of a refund for the Zoom tickets!), but so far, it seems like everything is a go. And I can't wait!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Changing gears
So this morning my horoscope said "Sudden challenges present themselves. Be prepared to change gears at the drop of a hat." Which is funny, if you know that I spent most of yesterday afternoon dealing with the sudden and complete collapse of Zoom airlines ... the airline upon which Serdic and I had booked our flights to and from London (leaving in less than two weeks). It was a bit of a scramble, but I was eventually able to book flights on the same dates with Air Canada (for $200 more per person!) and I think we are still all systems go for our trip. I was not expecting to have to spend an extra $2000 yesterday, and I am very fortunate that between us we were able to make the snap decisions and do the financial juggling necessary to make it happen (cell phones and online banking with joint accounts -- what a world!*). It really brought home for me how much my financial situation has changed in the last year ... there was a time not so long ago when coming up with $2000 on the spur of the moment would simply not have been possible, and we would have had to cancel the trip, or at least postpone it until the refund from Zoom was processed (Visa promises me that they will get my money back, but it will have to be after the scheduled dates of travel, after Zoom "fails to provide the service," so things will be a little tight until then, but it's doable).
*On a side note I am constantly amazed by how much money passes through my bank accounts every month without ever actually physically being money. My paycheque is deposited automatically, all bills are paid online, 99% of the shopping is done with debit/credit cards, my savings accounts are all automatic contributions online. I try to imagine sometimes what life would be like if we were still bartering livestock for services rendered! Now I go whole weeks without even seeing any physical, tangible money. (If only I could go whole weeks without spending any!)
So, as always, never a dull moment. This Zoom thing is a hiccup, but it seems to be sorting itself out and we are fortunate that we are in a position where we can make alternate arrangements (and are not stranded in another city trying to get home). Many people are less fortunate than we, and I try to remember that. Even as I was cursing and throwing things yesterday.
But I sure hope no more "sudden challenges" are on the horizon.
*On a side note I am constantly amazed by how much money passes through my bank accounts every month without ever actually physically being money. My paycheque is deposited automatically, all bills are paid online, 99% of the shopping is done with debit/credit cards, my savings accounts are all automatic contributions online. I try to imagine sometimes what life would be like if we were still bartering livestock for services rendered! Now I go whole weeks without even seeing any physical, tangible money. (If only I could go whole weeks without spending any!)
So, as always, never a dull moment. This Zoom thing is a hiccup, but it seems to be sorting itself out and we are fortunate that we are in a position where we can make alternate arrangements (and are not stranded in another city trying to get home). Many people are less fortunate than we, and I try to remember that. Even as I was cursing and throwing things yesterday.
But I sure hope no more "sudden challenges" are on the horizon.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
A picture's worth a thousand words
We've been enjoying some beautiful weather here in fair Ottawa (finally, after what has been an extremely rainy and cold summer) and Serdic and I have been trying to get out for walks as much as possible, both to take advantage of the nice weather and to get in shape for England (lots of walking!). Also, I want to play with my new camera. So here are some photos I've taken over the last couple of weeks ... click on the "all sizes" option above each photo to see it larger, and you can get a good sense of the clarity and quality of photo this camera takes. I am very pleased with it so far, and I don't even really know how it works yet!
Check them out here.
Check them out here.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Random thoughts
So Serdic tagged me in a meme. 6 Random Things, huh? Let's see.
1) I believe in ghosts. Not to say I necessarily believe in white sheet draped creatures swooping through haunted houses, but I believe that the spirits of people who are extremely attached to a certain place for one reason or another can continue to inhabit that place after the person has died. Someday I'll have to tell the story of my own encounter with a ghost! (I keep trying to turn it into a novel, but that's still a very nebulous dream at the moment.)
2) One of the great loves of my life is musical theatre. Not as a performer (my last appearance on stage was at the age of eight, in a production of The Sound of Music) but as an audience member. There's no place on earth I'd rather be than in a theatre as the lights go down and the orchestra strikes up the overture. Heaven on earth. Next February will mark the tenth anniversary of my first trip to New York and my first Broadway show (also The Sound of Music, coincidentally) but I love theatre in all its forms, from tiny little high school productions to community theatre to professional big budget spectacles. On one trip to NYC in November 2001 my friend Stacy and I saw five shows in 48 hours (Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m., Saturday 5 p.m., Saturday 8 p.m., and Sunday 2 p.m.) and on Saturday as we literally ran from theatre to theatre I remarked to Stacy that I thought this is probably what heaven is like. You get up from one show, run down the street to the next theatre, settle in and they perform a fantastic show for you, then you get up and run down the street to the next theatre and do it all again. I have very fond memories of that trip, and of every show I've ever seen.
3) I'm having trouble coming up with six things, so I asked Serdic what I should say. "What do you find random about me?" I asked. "Everything, dear," was the reply.
4) I can never answer those "what's your favourite book" questions. I always have sixty-two answers, depending on my mood. I have lots of old friends that I come back to time and time again, but I can never choose just one. At this time I have four books on the go, three I have never read before, and one old friend. Oh, and also the People magazine that I picked up yesterday.
5) I am a very bad packrat. I keep EVERYTHING. It is a sickness.
6) I present six random photos taken with my new camera yesterday (have I mentioned how much I love my new camera? Because I do. A lot.):
1) I believe in ghosts. Not to say I necessarily believe in white sheet draped creatures swooping through haunted houses, but I believe that the spirits of people who are extremely attached to a certain place for one reason or another can continue to inhabit that place after the person has died. Someday I'll have to tell the story of my own encounter with a ghost! (I keep trying to turn it into a novel, but that's still a very nebulous dream at the moment.)
2) One of the great loves of my life is musical theatre. Not as a performer (my last appearance on stage was at the age of eight, in a production of The Sound of Music) but as an audience member. There's no place on earth I'd rather be than in a theatre as the lights go down and the orchestra strikes up the overture. Heaven on earth. Next February will mark the tenth anniversary of my first trip to New York and my first Broadway show (also The Sound of Music, coincidentally) but I love theatre in all its forms, from tiny little high school productions to community theatre to professional big budget spectacles. On one trip to NYC in November 2001 my friend Stacy and I saw five shows in 48 hours (Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m., Saturday 5 p.m., Saturday 8 p.m., and Sunday 2 p.m.) and on Saturday as we literally ran from theatre to theatre I remarked to Stacy that I thought this is probably what heaven is like. You get up from one show, run down the street to the next theatre, settle in and they perform a fantastic show for you, then you get up and run down the street to the next theatre and do it all again. I have very fond memories of that trip, and of every show I've ever seen.
3) I'm having trouble coming up with six things, so I asked Serdic what I should say. "What do you find random about me?" I asked. "Everything, dear," was the reply.
4) I can never answer those "what's your favourite book" questions. I always have sixty-two answers, depending on my mood. I have lots of old friends that I come back to time and time again, but I can never choose just one. At this time I have four books on the go, three I have never read before, and one old friend. Oh, and also the People magazine that I picked up yesterday.
5) I am a very bad packrat. I keep EVERYTHING. It is a sickness.
6) I present six random photos taken with my new camera yesterday (have I mentioned how much I love my new camera? Because I do. A lot.):
I don't think I have six people to tag, but I'll tag Cupcake, PetDoc, Noise (they share a blog but they can make separate entries!), BluffDwellers, and Charlotte. Feel free to play along if you like, and if you don't, that's ok too!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)