Out of Town Nov. 26 to Dec. 5

Bill writes: Just a note that we'll be out of town Saturday, November 26 until Monday, December 5. If Grommet lets us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bill writes: Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

We found that it isn't easy tracking down a place to have Thanksgiving dinner in London. We found several that said they did American-style Thanksgiving--but it was going be things like salmon for the main dish and tarts or flan for dessert. Or if the menu said "Turkey with all the trimmings!" the trimmings were inevitably something very british, like boiled miniature potatoes and leeks. C'mon!

Well, we finally found one restaurant, called Villandry, that we hope will do it proper, with mashed potatoes for the turkey and pumpkin pie for dessert. Just as nature intended.

We're keeping our fingers crossed!

The First Capital of England

Aline writes: On Wednesday Bill and I visited Winchester. It has many claims to fame: as the fifth-largest Roman town in Britain, as the first capital of England where many Saxon kings are buried, and as William the Conqueror’s seat of government. It was a wonderful town to visit, and it has something from every period of history, plus it is a vibrant modern town. This town is one of many that we have visited over the years thanks to our bible, Daytrips London, which we have been working our way through for over 20 years. Thanks to our favorite tour book, we knew what rail station to start from, how long it would take to get there, had a walking tour map and descriptions of places of historical interest. Just a small plug in case anyone is planning to come over here!

Anyway, we began at the Westgate, one of two remaining medieval gatehouses, built in the 12th century. Be sure and spot the fellow walking though it to get an idea of the scale.


Just around the corner is the Great Hall, the only remaining part of Winchester castle, built at William the Conqueror’s behest. It’s imposing from the outside


But amazing from the inside. Many important events took place here, including Sir Walter Raleigh being sentenced to death. As you can see, it has a fabulous roof.


Also inside it is what used to be considered King Arthur’s round table. It has now been dated to the 13th century, so it’s too late for King Arthur, but it’s a beautiful and fascinating object nonetheless. It’s inscribed with “This is the round table of Arthur with 24 of his named knights.”


But for me the highlight was Winchester Cathedral.


I have always wanted to visit it since I heard Graham Nash sing, “I'm flying in Winchester cathedral / Sunlight pouring through the break of day” on the “No Nukes” record I had as a teenager (I know at least Eric remembers it). But it surpassed all my expectations. Begun in 1079, there was a purity about this cathedral that most others I have visited don’t have (this especially struck me after the chaos of Westminster Abbey that I saw a few weeks ago). It may be that with the longest nave in England, and with a screen that was perforated so you could really see the whole length, it felt like a cohesive whole.



Or it may be that the simple unadorned Norman section, reminiscent of the Templar church in London, evoked a beauty all its own, including the wonderful medieval paintings that have been uncovered.



Or maybe it was because it not only houses the bones of many early Saxon kings and the site of the shrine of St. Swithun (that end of the cathedral was trampled by so many medieval pilgrims that, in conjunction with the high water table, the floor visibly tilts down and was only saved by a diver who managed to dive down and repair the pylons under the crypt), but also the grave of Jane Austen.


Even the crypt was beautiful, adorned by a single modern statue of a figure that holds a cup of water, which fills up during the winter when the crypt floods since the Winchester water table is so high.


In any case I was completely enchanted.

And it doesn’t end there! Next to the cathedral is the city museum, that has a wonderful little collection of roman archeological finds, including whole mosaic floors, and statuary and paintings (shown in pics below) from the old Minster, which dated from the 8th century and was torn down when the new cathedral was built.




The second medieval city gate, the kingsgate, isn’t quite as grand, but as you can see by my shivering self in the picture, it is imposing enough! And check out my first ever winter hat from Marks and Spencer. ☺


Like many other English towns, it still has a wonderful market cross within its pedestrianized downtown, which is also charming.




As you can tell, I really loved this town!

The Lord Mayor's Show

Bill writes: Every year, the city of London gets a new Lord Mayor, an office that has existed since 1189. This is not the mayor of London (currently Ken Livingston), but the Lord Mayor of the City of London, the inner square mile of ancient Londinium. For one year, he is the head of the Corporation of London. During that year, he (there's only been one female Lord Mayor) leads an incredibly busy life, presiding over many hundreds of civic and financial and charitable duties in London and overseas. Within the city limits, he holds the second highest office in the nation, above that of the Prime Minister, and second only to the Queen.

David Brewer is the new Lord Mayor, and was sworn in on November 12th. This involves a complex ceremony and includes two parades as he processes in a State Coach that dates from 1757, proceeded by some 150 groups and floats.

To give you an idea of the procession, here are some photos of it. It ranges from military bands, to funky small town floats, to Pearly Kings, to sumptuous carriages. The Lord Mayor is in the final photos in his golden carriage.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Eel Pie, and I

Bill writes: Today I had my London class, which was in Greenwich this week. Got into town an hour before lunch so I went here for lunch.



I think I know why each of the dishes is served with liquor. I mean it would take that, wouldn't it? A lot. Well, as it turned out, they were out of eel, as they only serve it Thursdays through Sundays and today was Tuesday. Just my luck.

For class, we went into the Painted Hall. However, we had to sneak round quietly, as they were filming. I was suprised they let us in at all, but as we were mostly a well-behaved bunch (this is Britain, after all), they let us stay while they lit and shot a few scenes. Here they're getting ready.



And here they're filming (NAME DROP WARNING! NAME DROP WARNING!) Gwyneth Paltrow (who is that blurry brownhaired person in the center at the back).



I almost ended up in the scene as they were rounding up several extras to come in as we were leaving, but it would have been rude to ditch my class for a pathetic grasp at fame. (Though I was ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille. Plus, all the extras got free food at the catering truck after. Probably eel.)

After class, I also almost managed to walk through a take as I was crossing through between buildings. Luckily I saw them and stopped in time, and as the security guard was thankful I didn't mess things up for her, she and I struck up a conversation and she let me stay around and watch them filming (NAME DROP WARNING!) Martin Freeman from "The Office" as he rode off in a Ferrari with a bunch of guys in the back. Mr. Freeman is the one on the right.

Granada, Spain. Part 2.

Bill writes: The Alhambra sits on top of a mountain overlooking Granada. The name "Alhambra," "the red one," derives from the color of the palaces when seen from the city.



Once we entered the Alhambra, the first thing we encountered were the gardens of the Generalife. The Alhambra is filled with gardens. The gardens and the weather reminded me of California--looked like it could have been in some garden in San Jose.



The entrance at the other end of the Alhambra, the 9th Century fortress of La Alcazaba, is blocked by an enormous door. The ramp leading up to it was designed to hold off attackers, as was the door. It was designed to impress and intimidate. You can see how immense it is by noticing Aline at the bottom of it.



Most of the buildings were built by a succession of medieval Arab kings. However, the newest building was erected for King Charles V. He and the missus wanted a palace in the Alhambra, so they tore down an existing moorish one and built their own, based on the circle and the square. From the outside, it's a big square.



While from the inside, it's a big circle.





But the great palaces--there are several within the Alhambra--are where the real interest and beauty lies. Everything is symmetrical, everything is delicate, and sturdy, and balanced, and open--to the sky and to views of water. Perhaps the most immediately striking thing, though, is the carvings. The walls are inscribed with text from the Koran as well as with geometric shapes.





And this extends to the ceilings as well.



Entire walls are covered with this incising.



As well as arches.







And not even the ceilings escape the intricate designs.





Along with the incised designs, the other features you find throughout are water and symmetry.













We also went on a night tour, and you can see the difference between how the same building looked during the day and at night.





Another feature is that there are views everywhere, views of the city, views for the women to view the men in the court, and views of the omnipresent water.







Not suprisingly, we had a wonderful time. Though, the Alhambra has an emotional overwhelming effect like stepping inside the Louvre, and then stepping inside the paintings inside the Louvre.