Headed North to Jorvik (York)

Today we are finally headed to York.  I have been looking forward to this for some time.  Our plan is to get to York today and do a quick walk about.  Then on Saturday check out the Jorvik Museum, the Minster, and the rest of York.  Saturday afternoon we are planning to head up to Whitby which is a village on the coast with great fish and chips.  Finally on Sunday we head back to St. Albans after breakfast.  That is the plan, we will see how it goes!

We got an early start leaving in the early afternoon to avoid some of the traffic.  Like most major cities in the US the Friday traffic heading out of town can tie up the motorways for hours.  Peter had his new GPS with the traffic alerts from the cell phone towers to break in on this trip which we hoped would take us around the worst of it.  It is 157 miles from St. Albans to York but with traffic we expected it to take 5+ hours.

The drive north was a great experience.  The UK version of rest area is kind of a combination rest area/truck stop in the US and they are quite frequent.  Each has petrol, food, and plenty of parking.  As we headed north the countryside started to have more hills and valleys.  It was quite beautiful, very green.

At Nottingham apparently is a large intersection of different motorways and can sometimes take more than an hour to get through.  The GPS took us off the highway, through some back roads and then back on the motorway.  In less then 15 minutes we were past.

We arrived in York in slightly under 4 hours, so excellent time and checked into our hotel.  I was anxious to get out and start exploring.  Just around the corner from our hotel was a section of the old city wall.  York is one of the few cities in England that still has most of it's old city wall nearly intact.  Most of the gatehouses are still standing as well. 

Having grown up playing D&D, as well as reading fantasy fiction, I have always been in love with Castles, City Walls, etc.  It was amazing to actually stand on one of these fortifications.  The battlements were higher then I expected.  In most films they only come up to chest height, but I could stand behind them and be fully covered.  I looked out and while not as high as I expected I could see how difficult it would have been to attack the walls.  I imaged patrolling them, looking out for barbarian raiders with the town safe behind the walls. 

We walked over most of the walls, even climbing through a couple of the gatehouses.  If I had done only this it would have made the trip worthwhile.  There was even more to do the next day.  While we were out exploring we checked on when the Jorvik Viking Center opened as well as a quick look at the York Minster.

We ate dinner at a carvery, which was quite good.  Still haven't found that horrible English food I keep hearing about.

Northerners ...

My dad had recommended that if I got the chance I should head to York.  He said with my love of history it was a "must see".  It was founded in 74 AD by the Romans and after the Romans left England it was taken over by the Vikings for a long period as well.  Needless to say this has given it a diverse and rich history.

I mentioned York to Peter, and it turns out he grew up there so offered to show me around.  I had also learned that just like in the US there are "Northerners" and "Southerners" in the UK.  There is quite a bit of disdain by both parties of the other.  Primarily the Northerners think the Southerners are "soft".

The Coaty McCoaterson story I think captures some of this :).

We are taking a half day this Friday and heading north, I can't wait!

There are good burgers in St. Albans

I took the burger judge (aka Peter) over to The Snug for a burger.  I had been warned by many people to not have a hamburger while over here as I would be very disappointed. 

I was in The Snug for cocktails (they have 2 for 1 on all their cocktails during happy hour).  Most people know my love for anything with fruit juice and alcohol.  I ran into one of the owners who had lived over in Canada for a time.  We were discussing the warning I had received and he insisted they had "good" burgers.  So I took the risk and ordered one.  I thought it was quite good, not the best but above average.

I wasn't sure though if perhaps it had been so long since I had had a hamburger that I needed a second opinion.  Peter had just returned from the US where he had some hamburgers so I felt his palate would be neutral.  We headed over and each had another hamburger.  My opinion was validated, they do indeed have good hamburgers.

So if your over visiting St. Albans and have a hankering for a decent burger check out The Snug.

In the new Flat - Finally!!!!

Just a quick note -

Finally made it into the Flat.  It is near the center of town at the top of the hill just off Lower Daganol street.  Two bedroom, two bath so plenty of room.  So nice to finally unpack.

Farmer's Market in Harperden

This Sunday I went to my first Farmer's Market in the UK.  Peter took me to the one in his town of Harpenden.  It was bigger then I expected but I soon learned that it basically travels between the various small villages/cities in the area.  They have them on different Sunday's of the month.

There was tons of fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, olives, bread, jams, etc.  We picked up some fruit, bread, and Sausage Rolls for later.  I was to be introduced to "pickle" as well.

First Oil Painting

For a long time I have enjoyed watching Bob Ross and his show about oil painting on PBS in the US.  I have wanted to try his method of paainting for over 20 years and when I got the opportunity to come to the UK I decided to send along my unused painting supplies rather then putting them into storage.


On a whim last week I decided to do a search on Google for "Bob Ross Certified Instructor St. Albans" and found Linda Peacock at Hidden-Talents who offers a class once a month.  I decided to sign up and today was finally the day to do my first Bob Ross oil painting, and my first oil painting that wasn't paint by numbers!

When I arrived I had all my supplies but had decided to not bring a lunch as it was only 6 hours and I had a Full English for breakfast.  When I arrived Linda asked if I had brought my "Kitchen Roll".  I didn't understand.  I asked Dana today what she thought a "Kitchen Roll" was and she got it right so clearly I'm just dense.

I thought they meant a roll, you know the kind you eat.  So I told Linda, "No I didn't bring a Kitchen Roll as I'm not hungry.  I had a full breakfast".  After much back and forth she finally went and got an example of a "Kitchen Roll".  Turns out it is a roll of paper towels.  So we had a good laugh about me being to hungry to bring my Kitchen Roll.

I thought my painting came out pretty good for the first time.

Definitly not PC

Nothing much happening this week as I am mostly just working.  I did want to make an observation though.  The UK is NOT PC.  It is refreshing watching the news.  People say what they think, if a politician doesn't like another politician they say so.

Watching the latest scandal around the phone hacking incident, I have seen their debates in the House of Commons.  When someone is speaking and makes a statement, if people in the audience disagree they make grumbling sounds.  It is so funny to watch, yet it also makes me think.

In the US we talk about our "Free Speech" yet often most of us are not free in our speech choosing instead to moderate it to not offend.  Our Congress acts like stuffy old men and women.  Yet we have this impression of the English as being the stuffy ones.  It must be the accent!

The other thing I have noticed.  Not only are people polite and apologize, but so does the police, companies, and government.  In a recent case a woman was killed by her x-boyfriend.  She had sought help from the police and courts but they moved to slow.  The police department actually apologized to her family and stated they were investigating.  In the US this wouldn't happen for fear of admitting responsibility and liability.

Chess Club

Part of experiencing a new country is the people.  So I decided that I wanted to play some Cricket and see if there any chess players in the area.  I sent an email to the St. Albans Cricket Club who invited me out next week to watch some games.  I also found the St. Albans Chess Club, and today went to their weekly meeting at the   White Lion Pub.

It was fun to play face to face again, and while my board vision needs drastic improvement, I did much better then I expected.  Several times I had to repeat myself as they couldn't understand my accent.  It was funny being the one with the foreign accent.   Was a good way to spend a Monday evening, drinking a pint and playing some chess!

Highland Festival

On Saturday Peter told me about the Harpenden Highland Gathering which was going on today.  I needed to do laundry but before I did I caught the train to Harpenden and walked over to Rothamsten Park for the fun.

I just missed the entry of the massed bands and opening ceremony which included the pipe corp.  I tracked down Peter and the girls at the main stage.  Maria and Anna's dance studio were putting on a performance of Wizard of Oz.  They looked so cute in their costumes.  Maria was a faerie and Anna was a flying monkey. 


While the dance performance was going on, The Black Watch with their traditional uniforms and black powder muskets marched into one of the arena's and put on a show of marching and firing their muskets.

The other arena had all the traditional Highland games including Putting the Stone, Weight Over the Bar, Weight for Distance, Tossing the Sheaf, The Caber, and Hammer Throwing.  The Caber is the most recognized of the Scottish games which is tossing a large log.  I always thought it was tossed for distance, but it is actually a precision throw which is judge by where the log lands in relation to the thrower.


Before Peter left he introduced me to the "99".  It was quite good, the UK whipped ice cream is more like a thicker whipped cream then US soft serve ice cream.

They had a solo pipe competition going on during the festival and I was able to catch a few of those in the afternoon.  I love the sound of bagpipes.  Bagpipes make such a unique sound that I have always found it gets my blood pumping.  Images of the highlanders charging into battle with the pipes blowing are always conjured up whenever I hear them.

Westminster and BBQ

Big Ben

I woke up early for a Saturday.  Several people from Serena were visiting this week and we were all going to go into London today.  Ron and I had planned to have breakfast before we left at 8:30 and then meet everyone at the train station at 9:00.  As it turns out the Comfort Inn doesn't serve breakfast on the weekends until 9:00. 

Off to the train station we went.  We met Ruben, Olga, Vincent, and Kim at the station and to save money we got a group ticket for the day saving us about 3 pounds each.  We got lucky and got the express train from St. Albans to London, this would be true the rest of the day, I don't think we waited longer then 2 minutes for the train or Underground all day.  It only stopped once before arriving at St. Pancreas.

The underground station we got off for the abbey was right across from Big Ben and Parliament.  We headed past these to Westminster Abbey arriving just as it opened.  Even this early the queue (line) was still about a 15 minute wait.  I got in the cash only queue, and the rest joined the credit queue.  I actually got into the Cathedral a few minutes before the others.  Just long enough to get into trouble.  I didn't see the "No Photos" sign and started to take a picture with my phone of the entry stain glass.  Several of the volunteer's rushed me shouting "No Photo's sir".

Westminster Abbey

Westminster is impressive, especially when you see where all the King and Queens have been buried and read about all the coronations, weddings, and funerals for the Royal Family that have been conducted here.  Items like the Coronation Chair built by King Edward the 1st to hold the Stone of Scone from Scotland add to history.

Places like Westminster Abbey, British Museum, and Buckingham Palace immerse me in the history and tradition of England.  I know I blather on about it in most of my posts, but these places humble me whenever I think about it.

As I had just seen the Royal Wedding on TV, many of the places I saw in Westminster were at least familiar to me.  Seeing the exact spot where Prince William and Princess Kate got married was kind of fun.

After we finished at Westminster, Ron took us on a bit of a walk to a restaurant called Jamie's Italian in Covent Garden.  All the pasta and sauces are made from scratch in the restaurant.  I had the lamb ravioli and it was delicious.  Afterwards we headed to past the Royal Opera House where Olga made a quick trip in to grab a brochure.

We walked down to the waterfront along the Thames and strolled back towards Big Ben and Westminster.  Along the waterfront is a statue that looks like it has been defaced.  The marble block it sits on is chipped and the bronze statue has holes in it.  This is actual bomb damage from World War I, when a bomb hit the street nearby and damaged it ... incredible feeling standing there for me.

We headed over to Marble Arch and Hyde park catching the Central Line of the underground.  We didn't get to see much as it was getting on in the afternoon and we all were headed to Peter's house for his annual BBQ.

The BBQ was a lot of fun.  I had my first introduction to a Spanish Tortilla which is made with diced potato's, onions, and egg.  Apparently we were the second shift, as they had already had all of their neighbors and people from the girls school over (100+) in the early afternoon.  It was a good turnout and nice to socialize with people from the office.  I felt for Peter and Imma having to prep all that food.  The food was all delicious, and Peter having eaten at place like 5 Guys in the US knows how to BBQ a good hamburger.

British Museum - Finally!

Russell Square

So today I took the day off and finally made it to the British Museum.  Ruben and family are over from the states and we all made the trip into London.  Initially we had discussed going to the Tower of London, as Cassandra highly recommended it for the Crown Jewels alone.  Once the day arrived though, it was raining, and not knowing how much of the Tower is outside we decided to go to the museum instead.

When I visited Ruben in the past we have gone on some history explorations ourselves so I knew he would enjoy it.  We got off the Tube at the Russell Square station and made a quick walk through the square to the museum.  It was absolutely pouring and being from Oregon I of course did not have an umbrella.  I got a few strange looks as we walked through the rain.

The museum was pretty crowded because of the rain.  It is very impressive.  The center courtyard has been entirely covered and there are more then 100 rooms inside, some the size of other museums just in themselves.  I know I have stated it in the past, but the history here is almost overwhelming.  The British Empire spanned the globe and this museum is where they store many of the treasures brought back from around the world.

We started in the Egyptian room.  First thing through the door is the Rosetta Stone which unlocked our understanding of ancient Egyptian life.  In addition complete statues, tomb false doors, art work, mummies from as far back as 2800BC.  Think about that, over 4800 YEARS ago.  From Egypt we moved into Assyria.

They have reconstructed the gates to the palace of Balawat from the remains of the bronze hinges.  It stood 30 feet high and 12 feet across.  When I think about how impressive that would have been for visiting people from other regions and how intimidating.  Olga noticed an interesting feature of the Assyrian Mosaics.  Nearly all the guardian figures were carrying HANDBAGS.  It was true though, if you go keep an eye out for that.  She also pointed out the detailed scroll work on the shoes.  One of my favorite exhibits was a full Lycian Tomb.  I had never heard of the Lycian's before.  Located in the mountains of Turkey you can see the ancient Greece influence.

After lunch we returned to the Museum and went through the mummies and the Greece/Roman rooms.  I'm still in awe of the level of technology the Romans's achieved more then 2000 years ago.  In one display was an ancient two chamber piston water pump.  Sometimes I try to image how much farther we would be today without the Dark Ages.  So much was lost and had to be reinvented.

Watching Vincent as we went through the Museum provided some entertainment.  He is old enough to appreciate it, but young enough to be impatient.  I was reminded of visiting museums with my parents when I was younger.  I would race ahead, read something and then go back and tell them about it, hoping it would speed them up.  As I have gotten older I try to imagine the life represented by the artifacts, or I'm just slower at reading then I used to be!

Around 3:00pm we decided to leave the museum and go see some other sights.  We had only got through about 40% of the museum so I will be heading back at some later date, maybe I'll take Dana when she visits.   I took them to the little church in Mayfair and then we headed over to Speakers Corner in Hyde Park.  After sitting and resting for a bit we decided to head down to the Palace as they had not seen that yet.

Lykian Tomb

After the Palace we headed out of London.  It was after 7:00 and had been a very full day.  Ruben estimated we walked 5+ miles.  They took me to dinner at Zizzi's in St. Albans where I had a pizza baked in a brick over.  It was very, very good.   Definitely a good day!

Pizza and Beer

Hollybush Pub

Today Lee took Ron and myself to the Hollybush which is a very nice Pub located out in the countryside.  I had my first "Ploughman's" lunch, though I got a non traditional one with Brie instead of the traditional cheddar.  We ate outside and Ruben "accidentally" drank my lemonade along with his own drink.

I had no plans for the evening.  Ron was in town from Hillsboro but he was heading to dinner with a former employee.  Then Peter invited me over for some Pizza and Beer at his house.  They were hosting Ruben and Olga as well.  I decided not to walk to the Train Station, take the train, then walk to Peter's house but instead took a taxi.  It turned out to be not that bad for the 6-7 mile trip to Harpenden, costing only 12 pounds.

Hollybush Pub Garden

Imma, Ruben, and Olga engaged in some conversation in Spanish, and while I don't speak it very well, I understood enough to get the gist.  Turns out Ruben has some Basque blood in him.  Maria, Anna and Vincente gave me my first introduction to Little Big Planet 2.  I have read about the game, with most reviewers saying it is a good reason to buy a PS3.  I would have to agree even though I was quite bad at it.  Anna was the only one that would wait for me so I died quite often.  I didn't die first though!

We had dinner from Pizza Express which turned out to be quite good.  I found out later that Vincente ate my meat pizza with the stuffed crust. (Noticing a Rosales Trend here?)  Then it was a taxi back to the hotel and off to bed as tomorrow I am taking the day off and going into London with the Rosales family.

The Snug

Where to eat?

Since I was finally feeling well enough to actually eat some real food, I decided to walk around the hotel and look for someplace I have not eaten at before.  Ruben and Olga recommended Zizzi's but I didn't feel like Italian tonight.

A sign for 2 for 1 Cocktails happy hour caught my eye at a place called The Snug.   Those of you that know me, know I do like myself some fruity drinks.  This place sounded perfect, and it was.  I had a Watermelon Cooler which was really refreshing and light.  Not only were the drinks good, but the food was as well.

I had the French Onion Soup which was very good and a Bacon Blue Burger which was also very good.  Definitely a place to check out if you get over here.

Sick

As a quick update, the reason nothing is posted about my weekend trip to London is ... because it didn't happen sadly.

I was quite sick all weekend, or as they say over here.  Feeling a bit rough.  Back at work today, but my weekend excursion to the British Museum will be delayed.  This weekend is Westminster Abbey.  In addition Ruben and his family arrived in St. Albans today.  I'll try to play guide!

Finally the Weekend

St. Albans Downtown

Been a busy week at work.  Most of the Dimensions CM Management team will be in Red Wood City next week for a strategy off site.  In addition we had a patch release this week and the additional work around strategizing for our Suites.

So I didn't really go anywhere besides work and the hotel.  On Wednesday Peter had me over for dinner at his house.  Met his family which was nice to finally meet the people he has talked about so much.  His daughters Maria and Anna were very nice, and I loved their English Accents.  Mari is quite the artist, and Anna has a "Trustworthy" friend in Liz.

I had my first experience with Crispy Duck, which is quite good.  You make a burrito with a pancake like thingy, some sauce, and the duck.  Delicious. 

One thing to note is that most American financial institutions treat you like a criminal if you dare to login from a foreign IP address.  I spent a good 3-4 hours trying to purchase something using my PayPal account to verify my security, and in the end had to give up.

Tonight I went to an Indian restaurant here in St. Albans called Veer Dharma.  It was so good, some of the best Indian food I have ever had.  A bit on the pricey side, but I'll be going back to try something else.  There was so much good food on the menu, I took over 20 minutes just deciding what to eat.

Tomorrow I am making the trip back into London.  My plan is to visit the British Museum which should consume my whole day based on what I can see.  The British Empire was kind enough to gather a good sampling of the worlds archaeological treasures into one place.  I'm especially looking forward to seeing the Rosetta Stone which unlocked so much of our current understanding of Egyptian Hieroglyphics.

Some Translations:

Look Close, No Birds Allowed

Shopping Cart = Trolley

Potato Chips = Crisps

Fries = Chips

Ice Cream Bars = Lollies

Stairs = Apple and Pears

Back to Work

St. Albans Cathedral

Not a lot to update today.  The Comfort Inn has a pretty good breakfast buffet and the staff is very nice.  Still miss the Black Lion, but I keep reminding myself this is only till the flat.

I wandered through Sainsbury's today, and it reminded me a bit of Fred Meyer's.  One thing I noticed is that most of the fruits and vegetables are prepackaged.  It makes shopping easier I think but I'll have to wait till I am grocery shopping.

After lunch I was talking to Ashe and he mentioned having a drink called a Shandy.  It is half lemonade, half beer.  I went over to the PeaHen after work and gave one a try, definitely very refreshing on a hot day like today.

Here are just a couple of observations I have after being here a week:

• Hot Food - When you order hot food, it comes .... wait for it .... HOT.  Apparently the restaurants have not been sued by people burning themselves like in the states, so the food actually comes out hot.
• ATM's - They advertise no fees and they mean no fees.  Pretty much every bank will give you cash off your ATM at no charge.
• People are Polite - They say please and thank you, drivers will stop to let you cross the road, they wait in line patiently, etc.  Refreshing change.

St. Albans Cathedral and the Romans



St. Albans Cathedral



Today dawned with much pain!  I woke up very stiff and sore from all that exercise walking around London yesterday.  So after resting a bit in the morning posting yesterday's activities I headed across the street to St. Alban's Cathedral. 

They are not sure when the first church was established here, but it is the oldest place of worship in England going back over 1700 years.  The location is where St. Alban was executed by the Romans for having sheltered a Christian Priest and helping him escape by disguising him in his cloak.  While the priest was hiding with him, Alban was so impressed with his faith that he had converted to Christianity.  After the priest escaped, Alban was tried and because he would not renounce his faith, executed.  He is the first Christian martyr of Britain.

No one knows when the first church was constructed on this site, which had been visited by Christians in Britain for hundreds of years.  They do know that King Offa built larger Abby Church for the Benedictine monks in 793.  A much larger church, the hard of the current  Cathedral was first constructed on the site between 1077 and 1115 using bricks and stones harvested from the ancient Roman city nearby. 



Roman Theater

It is quite an impressive building, and I liked reading about the interconnection of the various periods of Britain's history.  From the Romans, Saxons, and Normans all having their influence on the place.  I went inside and it was quite cool from the thick walls.  Inside there is a large number of artifacts and documents on display.  In the center is the Quire with the Bishop's Throne and an impressive pipe organ.  I'm looking forward to hearing it play during the Organ Music festival coming up next month. 

I left the Cathedral and headed down my favorite street, yes Fishpool.  I followed this down across St. Michael's bridge to the Roman Theater.  While many old Roman towns in Britain had theaters, this is the only one that is visible today.  The Romans used to hold plays, animal baiting and gladiator fights.  I went back across the street to the Verulamium Museum. 

Roman Mosaic





I arrived there at 4:00 and since it closes at 4:30 decided not to pay as I would not have enough time to enjoy it fully.  So I decided to head into the park and see the Hypocaust which has a very large mosaic.  It was impressive.  Even 2000 years ago the Romans had advanced systems of heating their homes very similar to the forced air heating systems of today.

Once the doors closed there I headed back through the park to my hotel.



First Trip to London

St. Albans Festival - Street Fair

My first weekend since arriving in the UK had arrived.  My parents had sent me a guide book to London a couple of months back and I have formed a long list of places I want to go see in London while I am here.  That being said today it was more like information overload.  I decided that today I would go see Buckingham Palace, and see where it went from there.

I ate a full breakfast at the hotel and then began the 15 minute walk to the Train Station in St. Albans.  Shortly after I left the hotel I saw a street fair setup as part of the St. Albans Festival that is going on through next weekend.  Once I arrived at the Train Station I purchased an All Day pass for 12 pounds.  This allows me to use the Trains, Tube, Underground, and Buses in all zones.  The station staff was very helpful making sure I got on the right train.  As a tip they said to make sure to ask about the return train, as not all of them heading north stop at St. Albans.

St. Pancras Station Mall

I got on the train which was quite full with all the people heading into Wimbledon.  The train takes you into St. Pancras station which is quite large.  It even has a full sized mall in it as you head towards the Underground station of Kings Cross.  In addition this is also where a large number of Eurostar trains to the rest of Europe are caught.  I made a note of this for a longer weekend.

Green Park

I had planned to take the Victoria line and get off at Victoria station for the palace.  On the train in though a couple suggested that it would be better to get off at the Green Park station and walk through Green Park to the palace.  As it turns out I would have had to do this anyways, ans the Victoria Line was closed between King's Cross and Green Park.  So I took the Piccadilly Line instead. 


Canada Gate



There is quite a bit of construction going on the Underground for the upcoming 2012 Olympics.  At the Green Park station they are adding lifts (Elevators) to provide handicap access to all levels, and adding a ramped entrance from the park.  I crossed Piccadilly street and headed into the park.  It is a beautiful park, and I especially loved the huge trees.  You really get a sense of the history by how manicured these large parks are in England.  The trees are all very old and you can feel the hand of history in the large number of gardeners that have tamed them.





Buckingham Palace

I followed the streaming crowd figuring they knew the way to the palace.  There are lawn chairs setup in the park.  At first I couldn't figure out if they were for an event or not, but as it turns out they are for rent. As you continue through the park you come out at the palace by the Canada Gate, which is a large and very ornate set of gates covered in gold decorations.  You don't get to go through the gates, but walking around them I came into the square in front of Buckingham Palace.  There is a large fountain in the middle of the square called the Victoria Memorial.  I spent some time at the gates to the palace waiting to see one of the Royal family, but it was not to be.

Queen Victoria Memorial



Now came decision time, I could continue down the mall with the others or up Buckingham Palace street.  I decided that on my first of many days in London that I would just follow my feet.  More of a scouting mission then anything else.  So I headed up Buckingham Palace road.



Queen's Gallery Entrance

Along the way I came to the Queen's Gallery and stopped inside.  The gift shop alone was impressive with it's statues and carvings along the ceiling.  You can purchase a combined ticket which gives you access to the gallery and the Royal Mews which is one of the oldest and finest working stables still in existence.  Here is where they store the various carriages including the one used in the recent Royal Wedding.



Leaving the Royal Mews and continued to follow the wall around the outside of the palace gardens.  This wall is topped with iron spikes and a barbed wire outward leaning fence.  Near the SW corner of the wall I came across Grosvenor Gardens.  It is a very small park that contains the memorial to the Rifle Brigade and a random statue of a lion chasing a kudu. 



Lion chasing Kudu



Off in the distance I could see a cross sticking up above the skyline so I headed in that direction.  This took me down Kings Road which is quite pretty with parks lining one side for as far as I could see.  I came across the church on my right which turned out to be St. Peter's Church on Eaton Square.



Protest against Syria

I spent a couple of hours walking around this area between St. Peter's Church and Bargrave Square.  What fascinated me about this area was the large number of embassies located here.  Many located here for hundreds of years.  As I have said before I love history, and walking through theses streets so close to the palace I could feel it.  The US has only had a place of prominence in world politics for less then a hundred years, while England and British Empire for much longer.  I could imagine dignitaries and rulers coming to visit the palace in past times.   



 



Wellington Arch

After wandering the streets, I headed around Bargrave Square.  On one side there was a protest going on across from the Syrian Embassy by what appeared to be Syrians living in the UK.  They were quite vocal and there was a large number of police nearby.  Each corner of the park in the middle of the square has statues to historical figures including Christopher Columbus and Simon Bolivar.

  

From the square a short walk up Grosvenor Crescent took me to the intersection of the Buckingham Palace Gardens and Hyde Park.  In the middle of this large round about is Hyde Park Corner that includes several memorials including the Wellington Arch, Australian War Memorial, Royal Artillery Memorial, and the Machine Gun Corps.  



Across the street from Hyde Park Corner is the Wellington Museum located in Apsley House the former residence of the Dukes of Wellington.  This is also one of the entrances to Hyde Park.  When I saw the map to Hyde Park I realized I would need to dedicate one day to this park alone.  It is quite large and features several different attractions.  I ate a late lunch in the park and realizing I was dehydrated, a large amount of water as well.

Something for Olga?

 

From Hyde Park I decided to head to Mayfair.  On the map there were a couple of other small parks I wanted to check out.  I left the park heading up Park Lane.  Almost immediately I was distracted by a statue of a hand pushing an old car.  I crossed Park Lane there and passed The Dorchester heading into Mayfair.



  

Church of Immaculate Conception

Farm Street

 There was definitely a different feel in Mayfair.  The building looked different, still old but there seemed to be a lot more businesses located in the buildings.  As I wandered through these streets, I spied a park entrance and headed toward it.  It was a small secluded park surrounded by buildings.  It is very hidden and is called St George's Hanover Square.  The most fascinating feature is a small Church called The Church of Immaculate Conception Farm Street.  I didn't take any photographs of the inside, as it is a working church and several people were worshipping at the high altar.  The high altar was quite stunning, especially with the large ornate stained glass window behind it.  If you are curious definitely head over to the link above to see it.  Definitely worth checking out if you come to London.

 



Force of Nature II

 I sat for some time in this church, it was very quiet and peaceful.  When I left it was starting to get late in the day so I decided to head towards Berkeley Square and from there back to Green Park station completing a large loop on my wanderings.  Berkeley Square was quite nice as well and had one of my favorite sculptures so far named Force of Nature II.  After leaving the square I stopped and got a frozen drink at Eat.  I thought Portland was big on the whole organic thing, but I saw several restaurants including Eat that specialized in Organic/Free Range food.  More then I have ever seen in Oregon.



Dancers in St. Albans

 I took the train from Green Park Station back to St. Pancras and from there back to St. Albans.  On the walk back to my hotel I walked through Maltings which is a mall located in St. Albans, and in the central courtyard they had various dancing groups putting on performances, mostly of traditional dances from various countries.

I was very worn out from the days walking, but very excited by everything I saw.  There wasn't enough room on this post for all the pictures that I took.  If you are interested you can find them all here.  It also shows you a map of the locations where the pictures were taken.





Moving Day



Today as the day when I had to change hotels.  The Black Lion Inn was booked solid all weekend for weddings.  So I checked out and took a Taxi over to the Comfort Inn.  The only reason I took the taxi was because of the large number of bags I needed to transport, otherwise it was a 5-10 minute walk.

The Comfort Inn is closer to the office, but it means that I no longer can walk through the park on my way to work each day.  Well I guess I could, but it would not be the direct route.  Since it was still very early in the morning I was not able to check into my room, so I stored my bags with the front desk and walked to work.

At lunch I walked over to Sainsbury's for lunch.  In the parking lot I saw a great business that seems so obvious once you see it.  There are these little manned carts that offer a hand car wash while you are in the store for 5 pounds.  There was 3 or 4 cars being washed as I walked through the parking lot.  I am surprised no one has done something like this in the US.

Why didn't I think of that?




Once I was done for the day I walked up the hill to the my new home.  On the outside it is an old building and so I was wondering if the rooms would have the same charm as my old hotel.  Everyone I had spoken to about the place always said something like this when I mentioned where I was staying; "Oh, well I hear they remodeled it recently.  We used to call it the discomfort inn, but I'm sure it is better now".  Not exactly a vote of confidence.







Once I got checked in, I went down to my room.  Walking in and comparing it to the room I had in the Black Lion.  It is bigger, the bathroom is bigger and more modern, the beds are softer, there is a dedicated desk area with plenty of workspace, more storage, nicer TV, and a much larger wardrobe for storage.

I DON'T LIKE IT AS WELL!!!

The old room I felt like I was staying in Europe.  It had the wooden beams and odd angles and corners, and while smaller and not as well appointed, it wasn't a cookie cutter hotel room.  This one is and could be in any hotel, in any city in the States.  My flat will be the same, but somehow that seems different.



One thing of note, when I first got into the room and setup my computer (first thing, tested the Internet and logged on).  My computer wasn't charging, none of the lights would work.  I was about to head up to reception when I noticed a small box on the wall next to the light switches in the entrance way.  It had a small slot on the top that looked like the size of a room key.  Sure enough when I put my room key in it all the power started working in the room, taking my room key out immediately shut off power to the room.  Apparently these can save hotels as much as 40% off their power bills.

Now I'm going to plan out what to go see on my first trip into London and then go to bed.  Tomorrow should be a busy day!

Ancient Rome, Ducks and Flats



An interesting collection of topics for the day.  Today I decided to walk a different way through the park.  I didn't realize, but the park runs from near the office all the way down to St. Michael's Bridge.  The current bridge is the oldest extant bridge in England, but the location has even more history.  It is believed that the Romans originally had a bridge over the River Ver at this location as early as 300 AD.



From there I walked through the park alongside ancient Roman ruins.  At one point I saw a portion of the old city wall.  Looking at a map of the park there are several other Roman ruins to explore and I plan to look at them this weekend.  These ruins are the remains of Verulamium which was the second largest Roman settlement in England.



Where are all the mothers?



Walking through the park this way goes along a couple of artificial lakes filled with all kinds of water fowl.  I saw Ducks, Geese, Swans, and Coots.  By filled I mean FILLED.  At one point I was walking through a flock of hissing geese who did not want to allow me along the path.  It being spring/summer I saw a large number of baby ducks and geese.



Today was the day I got to go look at a flat that will be available late July.  So at lunch time I walked up the hill towards downtown.  Along the way I spied a "Fish Spa".  I had heard of these back home, but never seen one.  I might have to go there just for the experience!

The flat was in a great location, nestled on a private road/alley amongst the old buildings of St Albans downtown.  It is midway between the office and the tube station to London and was much more spacious then I had prepared myself for after watching House Hunters International back in the states.



On the way back to the office I stopped by the Ye Olde Fighting Cocks for my first Fish and Chips which was quite good with some malt vinegar.  This pub claims to be the oldest one in England, but it is in dispute even though they are listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.



While Fish and Chips used to be the national food, I have been told by people in the office, and by a tourist video on the Virgin Atlantic flight that Curries have become the new national food.  While I haven't had a curry yet, I have eaten at several Thai places so far, all excellent.



Ye Olde Watch Your Head



All this walking has started to give me shin splints, but I keep reminding myself it is good for  me.  Tomorrow I change Inn's.  For the next month I'll be at the Comfort Inn and I'll let you know how "comfortable" it is!