Archive for the ‘Travels’ Category

München Airport ~ Kempinski Hotel

Posted in Germany, Travel, Travels, tagged , , , , , , on Tuesday, 1 January, 2013| Leave a Comment »

When we lived in Germany and were flying out of München airport on an early flight, we would opt to stay at the Kempinski Hotel the night before rather than drive the 2 hours prior to a flight.  The hotel still offers their “Park/Sleep/Fly” package starting at €169 for one night, early morning breakfast, parking for 8 days and use of the 24 hour gym/spa/swimming pool. The lobby is very modern as is the rest of the hotel:

Kempinski Munich Hotel

The location of the hotel can’t be beat as it’s between terminals 1 and 2 with the car rental return conveniently located opposite the hotel entrance. Nothing quite like walking out of the hotel lobby to the airline check-in counter in about 5 minutes. We checked in thinking we would have a quiet night in our room but once we found out there was a “Winter Market” going on at the airport, complete with an ice skating rink, Bavarian curling lane, over 50 food/gift market stalls, a live band and glühwein, we headed out to enjoy. Logan and I ate the savory crepes and roasted chestnuts while John searched for the best Bratwurst. The Winter Market was a nice surprise to end our vacation in Germany.

Winter Market

Skating and curling rinks at the Winter Market Munich Airport

At the Winter Market Munchen Airport

It was a wonderful visit to Bavaria and before we knew it, we were packed up and on our way back to London. At the end of a trip, I wish I could snap my fingers and be home. I can’t complain though, our Easy Jet flight was smooth and on-time with the trains between Gatwick and St. Pancras running frequently so we only had a short wait for our train home.

Bye to Germany

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Grafenwöhr and Weiden, Germany

Posted in Germany, Travel, Travels, US Military, tagged , , , , on Sunday, 30 December, 2012| 8 Comments »

Grafenwöhr was our stomping grounds from 2001 to 2005 and it was so nice to be back in the area.  It’s a beautiful location and it’s grown quite a bit since we left but it still has several historic buildings:

Water Tower, Grafenwoehr

Water Tower, Grafenwöhr

Forsthaus circa 1909

Forsthaus circa 1909

We lived about 30 minutes from Graf in the sleepy town of Neunkirchen bei Weiden. It has two churches, the kindergarten my daughter attended, lots of walking/biking paths and much more. We met many wonderful friends when we lived there and still keep in contact with them.  A flood of memories came rushing back as we drove into town:

sign for Neunkirchen

We saw a rainbow as we drove toward Neunkirchen ~ made me feel welcomed:

Rainbow

When we lived in Neunkirchen, we had two large dogs who loved running free in the forest surrounding the town.  We went back to see if there were any changes and we’re happy to report everything appears exactly the same.

Logan in the forest

Logan in the forest

It’s important to keep a lookout for interesting things when driving in Germany, you never know what you might see along the road. Here’s a tiny chapel:

Little chapel near Kaltenbrunn

or a cross along the road:

Bench and cross near kaltenbrunn

We went to our favorite restaurant, Pegasus not once but twice. We were considered stammtisch (a regular) when we lived in Neunkirchen.  We would walk in and they wouldn’t even ask our order ~ they would just bring our drinks and food to the table.  Unless mussels were in season, then John would change his order.  If you’re in the area and get a chance to go to Pegasus, I highly recommend the Scampi Diavolo.

On Friday, we went to lunch at Pegasus with our German neighbor, Norbert and his son.  Then today, as we headed out of town and at the last minute, we decided to swing by and eat there one more time since we have no idea when our next trip to Germany will be.  Surprisingly,as we drove into the parking lot, we saw Norbert walking toward the entrance!!  Must be fate ~ we couldn’t have planned it any better.

Pegasus at the flugplatz ~ our favorite restaurant

Pegasus at the flugplatz ~ our favorite restaurant

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Neunkirchen is very close to Weiden which is a very pretty German town with a lovely pedestrian zone (Fußgängerzone).  It looks even prettier with Christmas decorations.  We met with our friends, Nadja, German and their two adorable daughters for dinner in Weiden:

With Nadja and fam in Weiden

More of beautiful Weiden at night:

Arch to Weiden

Archway to Weiden

Weiden

This was less of a sightseeing trip and more of a chance to reconnect with old friends.  From the looks of our photos, we ate our way through Germany!  Good food, Great friends!

Lunch with Youngs, Gilbertsons

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Eating our way through Germany

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Dennis Severs House

Posted in London, Travels, tagged , , , , , on Thursday, 20 December, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Even though I researched Dennis Severs’ House before going to visit, it wasn’t quite what I expected.  I must be one of the ones he referred to as “pigeonholed styles of intelligence” because I wanted a little more explanation about the rooms and perhaps a little more light (even if it was more candlelight) to see the rooms.  But I’m getting ahead of myself, let me start over…

A group of us expats met at the house at noon. There are very limited hours and days when the house is open to the public. For more information go to the Dennis Severs House website here. No talking or photographs are allowed inside the house.  I took a few photos outside but if you want to see additional indoor photos, click here for a photostream on Flickr.

18 Folgate StreetDennis Severs' House

18 Folgate Street
Dennis Severs’ House

Dennis Severs was an American artist from Escondido, California and he moved to London right after high school.  He was especially enthralled with the Victorian age and, in 1979, purchased a home (circa 1724) in East London, just steps from Spitalfields Market. He lived in the house from 1979 to 1999 and refurbished each of the 10 rooms to reflect the time periods between 1724 and 1914.  One room represents the Enlightenment Age, another the Romantic Age, and so on.  He lived in the house without electricity to better experience what it was like back then. His vision was for a person to feel like they stepped through the canvas of a painting and back in time.  The house is set-up as though the family living there just “popped out” for a minute.  There are food items on the tables, dishes in the sink, laundry hanging, a tea-cup spilled on the floor, etc.  Dennis Severs wanted those visiting to feel, smell, and hear the house.  He was adamant that it wasn’t a museum, but a spiritual experience.

The idea is great and I was so looking forward to it, but the execution proved harder to achieve. Letting yourself get lost in the experience is difficult because the rooms are small and you’re trying to avoid stepping into and in front of the other people.  A better experience would be to have the room to yourself, perhaps sit, and let yourself absorb the sights, sounds and smells.  That would require much better scheduling of visitors on the part of the Spitalfields Trust who owns the property.

I also didn’t like the typed notes found around the rooms which stated “if you’re looking at individual items, you’re not doing it right”.  It was jarring to say the least.  Who wants to be judged when you’re trying to get into the experience.  And who doesn’t look at individual items on display.  When I visit a friend’s home, I always look at their items on the mantel, in the windows and on their walls. Why else would they have them out in the living room?  The motto of the house is “Aut Visum Aut Non!” (You either see it or you don’t) ~ I get the feeling those running the visits don’t care one way or the other.

Would I recommend you go? I give a qualified yes.  Don’t go with any expectations of learning about a certain time period but go for the experience of seeing a “preserved” house and participating in something different.  I may return myself just to see if I get a different experience out of it, now that I know what to expect.

Dennis Severs House 4 stories and a basement

Dennis Severs House
4 stories and a basement

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London: Pub Quiz and Tennis

Posted in Blogs I visit, London, Travels, tagged , , , , , on Wednesday, 28 November, 2012| 3 Comments »

Although I feel like I’m on a permanent vacation, listed below are a few thoughts on activities I’ve done that locals might do.  I’ll be sure to pass it on to the next Expat who asks about living in London:

1) Went to a Pub Quiz Night in St Johns Woods last night and had a great time especially catching up with my friend, Leslie. I’ve been to Pub Quiz Night twice and would recommend it as a fun night out.  Some pointers if you’re going to your first Pub Quiz Night:

  • The number one tip for Quiz Night is to have a British person on your team ~ preferably one who knows about Cricket, Rugby, Football (soccer) and British TV/Movies.
  • It’s best to have a team of no more than 4 people.   Any more than four and you spend more time second-guessing answers
  • Know your team members ~ don’t go with a super competitive team if you’re there just for fun
  • It doesn’t matter if your team member has an ivy league degree in quantum physics, they still might know jack about pop music so don’t be intimidated that they know everything even if they act like they do
  • Don’t get there too early or else the beer/glass of wine might muddle your thoughts.  After two glasses of wine, some answers were on the tip of my tongue ~ how could I have forgotten the title of “Jerry McGuire”  when I could remember all the actors in it and have seen it multiple times.  Thankfully someone finally got it!
  • It costs between £1-2 for each player and first place winners split the monies collected (usually).  Some pubs offer a bottle of wine, vouchers, etc.
  • I’ve been to The Warrington in Maida Vale http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/pubsandbars/the-warrington-info-18136.html and to the Lord’s Tavern in St Johns Woods http://www.lords.org/lords-ground/lords-restaurants/lords-tavern/
  • Here’s a list to get you started if you want to partake: http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/pubsandbars/quiz-nights-in-london-pubs-recommended-london-621.html

2) I was thrilled to find a group of ladies who play tennis (doubles) every Wednesday for 2 hours at Westway Sports Center’s indoor courts.  The group didn’t have space for a permanent member but I signed up as a substitute four weeks ago and have already played three times.  I prefer singles but am embracing the challenge of doubles.  Westway also has a climbing wall  for all levels ~ may give the beginners route a try.

Side story: Westway is close to the Latimer Road tube stop and that’s how I usually get there, but after a late night at the Pub Quiz, I decided to catch a cab there to conserve my energy (the Tylenol hadn’t kicked in yet).  The cab driver was taking a longer route than I preferred (cost me an extra £2) so I was getting a bit irritated with him but when I told him to drop me off and I’d walk the 100 meters to the front door (the car couldn’t get any closer), he said “Are you sure? Do you know this area? Do you work here?”  I wasn’t sure why he was asking so many questions but I held up my racquet and said “I play tennis here”  Then he said “I was just checking to make sure it was safe ~ the area looks a little run down from the last time I was here about 6 years ago.”  How kind that he was looking out for a woman alone.  I wanted to say “hmmm, I have a racquet and I’m not afraid to use it” but I just thanked him and hopped out.  As I got to the front door, I turned around and he was still there waiting to make sure I got in safely.

3)  Learned something new about traveling around London.  We get our US mail at West Ruislip which takes about 40 minutes (without tube delays) but I learned you can use your Oyster card (frequent travel card for the tube which you just keep adding money to) on any of the trains within the tube area.  So we hopped on the train at Marylebone station heading for West Ruislip and was there in 15 minutes and it cost the same as the tube!! May even check my mail more than once every 10 days.

4) I love reading blogs/informational websites on London.  Here are my favorites so far:

Those were the highlights of the day-to-day life in London ~ now back to a museum or guided walk.

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Heidi and Colin’s London Adventure

Posted in Day Trip from London, Travel, Travels, tagged , , , , , , , on Saturday, 24 November, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I’ve got a good excuse for not being on facebook for a week ~ Heidi and Colin came to visit. Heidi is a good friend who I met when I moved to Germany in 2001.  Her son, Colin is 8 years old (soon to be 9) which I find hard to believe since it seems like yesterday we were visiting the Weiden Klinikum and he was one day old.

I’m very impressed how both of them dealt with the six hour time difference and jet-lag with no problem at all.  Heidi is an intrepid traveler and is passing on this wonderful trait to Colin.  Logan was in charge of making sure they felt welcomed to her room (she camped in our room for the week):

And in case they didn’t remember the time back in Texas

Hampton Court was on the schedule for Monday but since the landlord called and stated the window repairman would be coming to fix a window which has been broken since we moved in (and is very unsightly), Heidi and Colin ventured off to Hampton Court on their own.  Turns out, the repairman cancelled around 11.  I was bummed since I wanted to spend the day with my friends and I haven’t been to Hampton Court yet.

On Tuesday, we went on a “behind the scenes” tour of St Paul’s Cathedral.  I was a little disappointed as I was lead to believe we’d be going to the top of the dome (or at least higher than usual).  They even warned us about the 400 plus stairs and I wore my running shoes which I’m loathed to do in this fashion conscious group/town.  I was anticipating great views. It was not to be.  Our tour guide was informative and gushed when she spoke of Christopher Wren, the builder of the Cathedral.  I think she has a bit of a crush on him but I didn’t come away feeling I’d learned much about the history of the Cathedral that I didn’t already know (which isn’t much).  I’ll be going back for another tour soon.  There’s so much to see there and we didn’t scratch the surface.  Photos aren’t allowed in the Cathedral but you can check out beautiful photos on their website by clicking here.

After St Pauls. we walked over to the Tate Modern which is, hmmm how to I say this…. very modern.  After going through several of the exhibit rooms, Heidi and I gave each other “the look”  which we both knew meant let’s get the heck out of here.  Thankfully, Heidi and I have very similar tastes/tolerances.  Once we left the Tate Modern, we walked over the Millenium Bridge (for walkers only) to the tube station. Here’s Heidi and Colin on the bridge with the Cathedral Dome in the background.

On Wednesday, we thought Colin (being the 8 year old boy that he is) would enjoy the Guard Museum and the National Army Museum.  I hadn’t even thought of going prior to their visit since there’s so many other museums to see but I’m glad I did. I would highly recommend both of them.  The Guard museum is small enough to go through in about an hour and the Army museum is about an hour and a half or so.  And there’s a really nice gift shop at the Army Museum.

Wednesday evening, Logan and Colin stayed at the flat while John, Heidi and I went to an event with a few friends from John’s class.  It was an “American” themed evening with dinner at The Diner  (My dinner was good/Heidi’s a little too rare)

and then it was off to Rock of Ages which we really enjoyed. Although all the performers were spot on, my favorite is Simon Lipkin who plays Lonny the narrator.  He could easily interact with the audience and then drop right back in line with the story.  Very talented and can really rock the mullet hairstyle. The show is a little raunchy and a lot burlesque so if you’re in any way prudish I suggest you don’t go but if you want a good laugh and want to rock to the 80s music, give it a try.  I haven’t seen the film version but can’t imagine I’d like it  ~  it’s the live performance that made this so much fun.

After a late night at the theater, we got up at 0’dark thirty to catch the 8:30 train from Paddington station to Bath Spa.  Again no photos but this time it’s because I forgot to bring my camera.  Will have to rely on Heidi to send me her photos.  Speaking of cameras, Colin accidentally left his camera on the back of the stall door hook at the Roman Baths Museum and he/Heidi didn’t realize it until we were on the train to London.  Thankfully an honest soul turned it in to Lost Property!  Good karma for him/her.  Colin has some interesting photos on the camera and was relieved it’s not gone forever.

Bath is a World Heritage Site and truly a beautiful town.  I had fun just walking around the town spying a couple of locations I’ve seen in films such as “Persuasion” and “Vanity Fair.”  Unfortunately,  it was started to rain as we got off the train and it was VERY windy.  I lost another umbrella to the wind ~ this makes my third since moving here.  Guess that means I shouldn’t buy the cheap umbrellas and go for sturdiness.

For me, the highlight of the visit was the Roman Bath Museum ~ the self guided audio tour is interesting and the kid version was fun too. Colin clued me in when to listen to the kids version if there was something particularly funny or something “gross” like the killing of a sacrificial goat.  Sometimes it’s interesting to see life through the eyes of an 8 year old boy or, at least, try to figure out what they find entertaining.

Bath is also having their Christmas Market now.  Although Heidi and I are spoiled by having been to so many German Christmas Markets (they are the best!), we both enjoyed wandering the streets looking at all the vendors.  The vendors were selling quality items.

I’ll be going back to Bath soon with John and Logan. It’s easy to see why Bath is listed as a must see on all the travel guides and has been the number one city suggested by our British friends.

Yesterday (their last day) came way too quickly ~ they went to Hamleys (the FAO Schwartz of London) in the morning and then we went to the Wallace Collection for a student led tour.  The students were from St Vincents and are between the ages of 8 to 13.  I was impressed at their presentation of selected collection pieces.  Colin even got to try on a knight’s helmet.

For our final dinner, we went to our favorite neighborhood restaurant on the corner called “Gettis”  We’re always treated so well when we go there and this time was no exception.  The waiter picked up right away that Colin is a “meat only” kind of guy and so the waiter teased him for the entire meal that he was bringing “vegetables” for him.

…and Colin declared Getti pizza better than Pizza Express.

… and then we said farewell until next time.  Heidi and Colin stayed at a Heathrow hotel on Friday night so they wouldn’t have to get up any earlier than necessary.  Smart traveler!

Missing them lots ~ the flat is way too quiet!

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Edinburgh Getaway Weekend

Posted in Edinburgh, Scotland, Travel, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , , on Saturday, 10 November, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I’m so thrilled to finally be in Scotland! I’ve wanted to visit here for many years and hope this will be the first of many visits.  We ‘re in the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh for a couple of days and next spring, we’d like to head further north and enjoy the Highlands.

We took the 2pm train out of the Big Smoke (I’ve recently learned this is a nickname for London).  The 4.5 hour ride was quite entertaining. As you can imagine, Friday afternoons are busy with commuters getting out of the city.  It was an oversold train and not enough seats for everyone.  Thankfully, we were able to get a seat.  Although the trains have some seats reserved, no one really pays attention to it and it caused a bit of a ruckus in the train car we were in.  But once everyone had a beer from the bar-car, things settled down until the Newcastle Soccer fans began singing their team song.  If you saw “Eurotrip” and remember the scene with the Manchester United fans, you’ll know what I mean.  John was going to say he was a member of the “Newcastle Fan Club of Ohio”  And even more entertaining was listening to some of the Brits discuss the US Election results.  The GOP definitely needs to work on their PR overseas.

Once we arrived (and after dropping off our luggage), we went directly into Old Town to walk around and get a bite to eat.  Edinburgh is a beautiful city and especially pretty at night with the lights shining.  Old Town in Edinburgh refers to medieval times and the Edinburgh New Town refers to the 18th Century time period.  Being from the United States, “Old Town” usually refers to the 18th century time frame while here it’s recent history.  Such a difference in historic perspective.

As of 1995, both of Edinburgh’s Old Town and New Town are on the World Heritage Site.

John and Logan in Old Town

We woke up to crystal clear blue skies and decided to take a bus tour of the city and a walking tour of Old Town to get an overall sense of Edinburgh. We could see the castle from many angles but won’t actually tour it until tomorrow.  The castle is very impressive from below.  No wonder no one has ever been able to conquer the castle.

Castle from below

Old Town looking toward Grassmarket

Logan on the Old Town Tour

We came across a wedding party coming out of the St Giles Cathedral while we were on the walking tour.  I was completely distracted since I’m a drawn to weddings.  I love the idea of couples just starting off on the lives together.  Tried not to be a creeper but took a photo of them anyway

Scottish Bride and Groom on their wedding bus

This statue is a “Tribute from Men and Women of Scottish Blood and Sympathies in the United States of America to Scotland”

Although Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, they have their own designs on their money (it doesn’t have the Queen who is on the money in England).

Robert Burns lived in Edinburgh.

Robert Burns is a favorite Scotsman who wrote “Auld Lang Syne” which everyone sings on New Year’s Eve and last year was our first “Burns Night Supper”  (and we’ve already got an invitation to the upcoming Burns Night Supper in Jan).

We didn’t have time today to visit The White Hart which is the oldest pub in Edinburgh (dating back to 1516 and where Robert Burns frequented). Maybe tomorrow…

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UK Day Trip #2: The Making of Harry Potter: Warner Brothers Movie Studio Tour

Posted in Day Trip from London, Favorite Girl, London, Travel, Travels, tagged , , , on Sunday, 28 October, 2012| 4 Comments »

As a huge fan and aficionado of all things Harry Potter, Logan loved The Making of Harry Potter tour.

Our adventure to The Making of Harry Potter began when Logan and I caught the 9:05 am train to Watford Junction then took the studio shuttle bus (£2 RT) to Leavesden where the movie lot is located. The train ride from London takes about 20 minutes. The shuttle bus stop is out the front entrance of the Watford Junction train station and to the left. The shuttle ride was about 15 minutes (including wait time).

Tickets for the tour must be purchased online but can be picked up at will-call if there’s not enough time to receive them in the mail.  Adults are £28 and children (5 to 15) are £21 but I purchased the souvenir book and the audio guide for Logan so her ticket was £30.75.  As you enter the building, there’s a cafe and a Starbucks. Backpacks/large bags are not allowed on the tour so there’s a coat/bag check as well.  At your scheduled time,  you queue up and they let about 40 people in at a time.  I would highly recommend going on the first tour of the day so there’s no one in front of you.  We were on the 10:30  tour and it was crowded overrun with kids on bus tours. Give yourself about three hours for the tour.

A brief (maybe 5 minutes) movie is shown with Daniel, Emma and Rupert explaining what it was like on set as well as what to expect during the tour. I liked that they acknowledged the thousands of cast and crew, from the hair & make-up crew to the other actors. It was heartfelt and, since it was such a large part of their formative years, it was probably a good way to end their time at “Hogwarts.”   If you go, sit in the front row so you’ll be the first one into the Great Hall and have your camera ready. You’ll be able to take a photo without anyone else in it ~ as long as you’re fast!

Once the movie ends, the screen lifts to reveal the gates into the Hogwarts’ Great Hall

The actual jersey Rob Pattinson wore:

They only let one group at a time into the Great Hall so you’ll only have about 5-10 minutes to look around and take photos before they shoo you out.

Then it’s onto the “museum” with all the original costumes, props, sets, etc. The sets include Gryffindor Common Room, the boys dorm room, Hagrid’s Hut, Dumbledore’s office, the Potions room and parts of the vast Ministry of Magic (including Voldemort’s Magic is Might statue).

There was so much to see and Logan took a little longer since she had the audio guide.  I sat and relaxed on the bench with the other “older folks” but I throughly enjoyed watching the younger kids eyes light up when they saw an item they recognized.

Scary Death Eaters…

Death Eaters Masks

Ron’s bed

Dealthy Hallows costumes

There was also a small outside lot including the Weasley car, the bridge, Privet Drive and the house in Godric’s Hallow

Half way through the tour, there’s a green screen photo session where you can ride either in the Weasley car

…and flying through London on a broom

A fitting end to the tour is the room with shelves with thousands wand boxes (a la Olivander’s Wand Shop) with the name of a cast or crew member on each box ~ a “credits” roll.  Really a nice touch and nod to all those involved in making the magic happen.

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UK Daytrip #1: Cambridge

Posted in Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , , on Saturday, 13 October, 2012| 2 Comments »

We ventured out of the city today and into the beautiful UK countryside.  We purchased a Family Rail discount card for £28 and the roundtrip tickets for the three of us to Cambridge cost £29.

The train ride was about 45 minutes and we arrived at 10 am to a chilly but, thankfully, sunny day in Cambridge.  We decided to catch the “hop on, hop off” tour bus so we could get an overview of the town. Cambridge has long and interesting history and here’s what I know:

  • Population ~ approximately 120K
  • It’s on the Cam River
  • The Romans came through and took over in 40AD
  • The first college was Peterhouse, which was founded in 1284. There are now 31 colleges which make up the University of Cambridge
  • The first Women’s colleges were founded in the late 1800’s but degrees weren’t awarded to women until 1948.
  • There are still 3 all-female colleges, but no all-male colleges.
  • Some famous alumnus: Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, Crick & Watson who discovered the structure of DNA, Lord Byron, and so on.  Ah, to be in the shadows of geniuses
  • “Punting” refers to the flat-bottomed boats that are pushed along with a pole

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (also known as the Round Church) was built in 1130 and is one of only 4 round churches still in existence in the UK.

The Cambridge American Cemetery is situated on 30.5 acres donated by the University of Cambridge.  There are 3,812 remains of American service members from WWII who are buried in the cemetery.

Here are some photos from our bus tour:

  

We ended our day with a tour of Kings College Chapel which is AMAZING!  Henry VI began the building of the Chapel in 1446 but it wasn’t finished until the time of Henry VIII.  There are 26 gorgeous stained glass windows:

and the ceiling:

Here’s where an entrance way has been worn over the 400 + years:

Outside at Kings College:

And once again, we’ve gone somewhere with so much more to see and do.  We’ll have to plan a return trip to Cambridge when the weather is warm and we can go punting!

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The Wallace Collection

Posted in London, Travels, tagged , , , , on Saturday, 6 October, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The other day, a few expats and I spent some time at the Wallace Collection located in the Hertford House at Manchester Square in Marylebone, London.

The Hertford House ~ Wallace Collection

First off, the house itself is gorgeous! I was overwhelmed upon walking in (there are three floors and twenty-nine galleries), and after a light lunch in the museum cafe, we went on a tour with an engaging and informative guide.  She has a passion for the Wallace Collection but specifically paintings and furniture from France.

Although the 3rd and 4th Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace (illegitimate son of the 4th Marquess) were instrumental in acquiring the vast collection, it was the 4th Marquess who is considered one the greatest collectors of the 19th century.  When his son, Richard Wallace died in 1890, his widow lived at Hertford house until her death in 1897.  In her will, and at the bequest of her late husband, the collection and house was converted into a public museum.  It opened to the public in 1900.

According to our tour guide, the stipulation in the will regarding the collection is it must stay “as is” ~ nothing added, nothing removed.  None of the items can be loaned to other museums, this is the only place you’ll see it.  They must have a vast storage area because the galleries change out periodically for certain events and specific tours.   For example each month, a great work is highlighted as the “treasure of the month” and there are scheduled talks about the piece.

The museum also has scheduled Exhibitions, Conservation Displays, Special Talks, Study Events, Adult Art Classes, Youth Activities & Family Workshops.  I’m bummed I missed out on the French Wine Tasting event which was in September but plan to make up for loss time with as many other events as I can.  I am completely amazed by the sheer size of the collection and can imagine I’ll be spending many rainy days exploring the galleries.

For any one with children, there’s a “Takeover Day” on 23 November 2012 (Friday) ~ students from St Vincent’s Primary school will take charge of the museum, from the front of the house to leading groups on an interactive tour.  I think visiting children would find it more interesting coming from their peers.

On a side note, I saw a photo of the museum art pieces being evacuated before the Blitz and, thankfully, the house itself was spared during the bombing of London. Whew…

If you decide to visit, the museum entrance is free of charge as are the daily tours. There are fees and reservations required for certain events and talks.  The museum is open everyday except 24, 25 and 26 December.  For more specific information, click here.

If you go, look for me there since I plan to spend a lot of time in the galleries while living here.  How could I not, it’s an easy 10 minute walk from our flat.

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A Royal Day Out at Buckingham Palace

Posted in London, Travels, tagged , , , on Sunday, 16 September, 2012| 4 Comments »

Decided we better visit Buckingham Palace, official residence of Queen Elizabeth, while the State Rooms are still open to the public. They will close on 7 October until next summer.  In addition to the State Rooms, the tour included the Royal Mews and The Queen’s Gallery.

We started off with The Gallery ~ the largest exhibition of anatomical drawings by Leonardo Di Vinci.  I’ve seen Di Vinci’s artistic work including the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper amongst others but I didn’t realize he pioneered the understanding of human anatomy.  Unfortunately, the drawings on display at the Gallery were unpublished, due to his death in 1519, until 400 years later.  What a loss. It was fascinating to see all he accomplished regarding anatomy drawings even BEFORE he did an actual autopsy.  Such a prolific amount of work ~

Next stop was a visit to the Royal Mews which is responsible for any road travel for the Queen and members of the royal family ~ the mews includes carriages, the Rolls Royce and, of course, horses.  The staff of the mews and their families live on the second floor of the building.

The Gold State Coach ~ it’s been used for every coronation since George IV and it takes 8 draft horses to pull it.

Logan and I in front of the Mews Living Quarters (second floor):

Lastly, we visited the State Rooms ~ of course, they are impressive with paintings (Reubens, Rembrandt,etc), sculptures (my favorite is the Mars & Venus by Canova), porcelain and English & French furniture.  I also loved seeing all the portraits of past royalty.  I especially liked the one of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with their children.  Another bonus of going this year is a special Jubilee celebration display of the Queen’s diamonds.  Lots of bling to be seen. Photos are not allowed indoors but we snapped a few outside from the gardens.

I’m glad we did the tour but, wow, it was so crowded with the hordes of tourists.  I’m saving some of the other touristy places for the winter with the hopes it’ll be less crowded.  At least that’s how it is in DC.  Our list of things to do and see in London is long but I also have a list of things we won’t be doing while we’re here including Madam Tussauds Wax Museum and this:

London Duck Tour

Never had to keep a “not to do” list but with so many choices, it’s good to narrow the field a bit.  Thankfully, I found a great London blog called London Unveiled which suggests some very good off the beaten track options.

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