bensdiorama (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} bensdiorama) wrote,@ 2009-01-02 17:46:00 |
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UK
Lots of fun in London, but only one computer available to brag about it! Brief summary so far... the 30th, we saw a little (and plenty enough IMO) of the Tate Modern museum, then walked around St. Paul's Cathedral, then went to the musical Billy Elliot (excellent!!). 31st, 9pm we walked to a local pub to help the Brits "properly" exchange 2008 for 09. This included a great buffet dinner, and an inadequate attempt on my part to keep up with the local penchant for beer. Pubs are a nice thing. Today, after only a couple miles of walk along the Thames we found ourselves in the 'White Swan' (pub), with uncertain purpose. Nice warm faces and cozy fireplace inside to offset the cold snap we've had since arrival. H&S started off with a pint of room temperature beer, which I guess is an acquired taste, Bev with a cider. After a little of this, lunch seemed like a good idea. (I added my own *cold* beer.) We musta spent a couple hours in there and upon leaving, got a few friendly good-byes as if we almost were neighbors. It is also normal for locals walking their dogs to bring them in when they stop for their own hellos and refreshment.
Back to the chronology! ...yesterday (New Years Day) we started off with a quick walk in Kew Gardens as it was free admission. The dead gray of winter isn't the best time to see it, but by the time we left at 11:15, the front entrance were as busy as the gates to Disneyland. We walked the 15 minutes back 'home', to shift modes and drive to Windsor, about 30 minutes West. HOlly had a 'gig' in an orchestra for a light opera in the Castle Hotel. While HOlly went to 1pm rehearsal, Simon, Bev and I tried to entertain ourselves walking around a cold (2 deg C), mostly closed, and almost-but-not-quite quaint Windsor. Not being a fan of British Royalty, I'm still fairly sure we were right to not have paid to walk around inside the castle grounds. Well, anyway, finally the opera at 6pm. It was fabulously entertaining, at least for Bev and I with too little knowledge to find technical problems with any performances (as compared to the two musicians among us.) The show was excerpts from Johann Strauss' operas in Vienna, so included recognizable music, and it was fun to see the opera performance so close in the small venue. (btw, they sang in english so this helped a lot) Besides this, it was weirdly pretentious --in an okay way I suppose -- being all dressed up in a fairly posh hotel among people mostly older and quite a lot more well to do than us.
Enf for now. Tonight we learn French --so far it sounds like it might help to just plug my nose and slur badly. But that might not find me a toilet in time of need, so I better pay attention!
Lots of fun in London, but only one computer available to brag about it! Brief summary so far... the 30th, we saw a little (and plenty enough IMO) of the Tate Modern museum, then walked around St. Paul's Cathedral, then went to the musical Billy Elliot (excellent!!). 31st, 9pm we walked to a local pub to help the Brits "properly" exchange 2008 for 09. This included a great buffet dinner, and an inadequate attempt on my part to keep up with the local penchant for beer. Pubs are a nice thing. Today, after only a couple miles of walk along the Thames we found ourselves in the 'White Swan' (pub), with uncertain purpose. Nice warm faces and cozy fireplace inside to offset the cold snap we've had since arrival. H&S started off with a pint of room temperature beer, which I guess is an acquired taste, Bev with a cider. After a little of this, lunch seemed like a good idea. (I added my own *cold* beer.) We musta spent a couple hours in there and upon leaving, got a few friendly good-byes as if we almost were neighbors. It is also normal for locals walking their dogs to bring them in when they stop for their own hellos and refreshment.
Back to the chronology! ...yesterday (New Years Day) we started off with a quick walk in Kew Gardens as it was free admission. The dead gray of winter isn't the best time to see it, but by the time we left at 11:15, the front entrance were as busy as the gates to Disneyland. We walked the 15 minutes back 'home', to shift modes and drive to Windsor, about 30 minutes West. HOlly had a 'gig' in an orchestra for a light opera in the Castle Hotel. While HOlly went to 1pm rehearsal, Simon, Bev and I tried to entertain ourselves walking around a cold (2 deg C), mostly closed, and almost-but-not-quite quaint Windsor. Not being a fan of British Royalty, I'm still fairly sure we were right to not have paid to walk around inside the castle grounds. Well, anyway, finally the opera at 6pm. It was fabulously entertaining, at least for Bev and I with too little knowledge to find technical problems with any performances (as compared to the two musicians among us.) The show was excerpts from Johann Strauss' operas in Vienna, so included recognizable music, and it was fun to see the opera performance so close in the small venue. (btw, they sang in english so this helped a lot) Besides this, it was weirdly pretentious --in an okay way I suppose -- being all dressed up in a fairly posh hotel among people mostly older and quite a lot more well to do than us.
Enf for now. Tonight we learn French --so far it sounds like it might help to just plug my nose and slur badly. But that might not find me a toilet in time of need, so I better pay attention!
