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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!



It is a two way street, no really!

Wonder who will win?

I had wondered about Fishpool Street.  It is quite narrow and with cars parked along it, there is only room I thought for a single car to get through.  The cars that are parked point in both directions, so I knew that at times traffic went both ways.  What I wasn't sure was if it was say one direction in the morning, and another direction in the afternoon. 

Yesterday in the morning I only saw cars going towards downtown, and in the afternoon on my way home I saw cars going the other way, so my assumption was that it worked as I thought above.

Today though, on my way to work I was walking at a busier time it seems, and yes it is two way all the time.

First Day in the Office

View along Fishpool Street

I woke up at 7am to start my first working day in the UK.  According to Google Maps if I followed the streets it was 1.2 miles to the office.  I had heard that there was a shortcut "through" the park.  So after eating a "Full English" I started the walk to the office.

I headed up Fishpool Street looking for the park.  Fishpool is clearly one of the older streets in St. Albans.  The houses line the street all connected together.  While the street is paved with asphalt, you can still see the former cobblestones near the edges and many of the driveways off the street are paved with old stones. 

Periodically you find small tunnels going into courtyards behind the houses, and in one place I found a small hidden stairway that headed up the hill between some houses giving access to homes off the street.  The street was very narrow especially with cars parked along it.



Gate House

 After a short walk I came to a crossroads at the St. Albans Cathedral.  There was a gate house through which one of the roadways continued.  I saw young men walking through the park towards me to get to their school which is right across the street from the Cathedral.  Since they were crossing the park towards me I figured there was another entrance on the other side and headed across.  It turned out to be correct, and I made it to the office in about 15 minutes instead of 24 minutes if I had followed Google's directions.



St. Albans Cathedral

 The St. Albans office is very nice, maybe even nicer then our new Hillsboro office.  I definitely liked the open layout.  Peter's office is a big fish bowl right as you come through the security doors.  Lee gave me a tour of the building and I got to finally put some faces with the various names I have worked with over the past few years.

Don passed on my welcome gift put together by Peter.  It included three books on various walks (50 Walks in Hertfordshire, 24 Footpath Walks Around St. Albans, and Countryfile Great British Walks). 

In addition to my normal workday, Katherine kept me updated on the hunt for a "flat".  It looks like I won't get into one until near the end of July.  Since my current Inn books a lot of weddings on the weekends I'll be moving to the Comfort Inn on Friday.  She did setup an appointment on Thursday for me to go look at one of the flats that will be available in July.

St. Albans Clock Tower

Don gave me a lift up the hill, and I ate dinner at a noodle bar  near the Clock Tower.  The Clock Tower is 600 years old.  Just reading about it and looking at the construction I could feel the history of the place.  After dinner I made the relaxing walk back down Fishpool to my Inn.  It was about 8:00 at night and the bells began to ring for 15 minutes or so.  I'll have to remember to ask about that when I get to the cathedral. 

As I sit hear writing this post with my window open I can hear the bells ringing for 9:00.  Definitely a good first day.

...Finally on my way

The day finally arrived.  I had my plane tickets for London.  The only downside was the 7 hour layover in LA, but a small price to pay for finally being on my way.

My daughters picked me up at 9:00am in Salem to drive me to the airport.  It was Father's day so I wanted to spend at least some time with them.  We had brunch at the airport, and both of them game me photo's from when they were younger for my desk in St. Albans.

I flew United to Los Angeles and checked into Virgin Atlantic to get my boarding pass.  Ruben was kind enough to take some time off from his Father's day to come get me at the airport.  We drove up Pacific Highway into Malibu.  Lots of beautiful beaches along this road. 

We stopped for dinner at the Chart House where I had the Prime Rib.  Peter had warned me that the beef was much more expensive in the UK, so I stocked up on a last meal.  It was very nice to see them again, and I look forward to showing them around St. Albans when they come out in July.

After returning to the airport, I finally boarded my plane to the UK.  It was a non stop flight and was going to be over 10 hours long.  We left at 9:15pm and landed at 4:00pm in London.  I was immediately grateful to be flying out Premium Economy.  The space was similar to a first class seat on a domestic flight, and they gave me some Sparkling Wine while we were at the gate.  Definitely the way to start a long flight.

I forced myself to stay awake for the entire flight watching five movies.  Well really six movies as I only watch half of two of them before getting bored.  I don't know about other long flights, but on Virgin you basically have your own personal video red box.  There were over 73 movies plus games and TV shows.  I played a game of chess with another passenger on the plane over their network.

Since I stayed awake the whole time, I got to interact with the flight crew quite a bit (I was the only one awake in my section).  So they gave me one of the few surveys each flight with a chance to win $400 (250 pounds).



The Black Lion Inn - My room is in the upper right with
the window open



Once I landed it took me over an hour to get through immigration and out into the airport where I was picked up by Greg from HCSCars.  It was a great ride, I rode up front to play with the buttons in the car per Peter's advice.  The drive to St. Albans looked pretty much like driving through Oregon (Aside from the cars on the wrong side of the road).  Once we got near my hotel (The Black Lion Inn) I started to see the narrow streets and very old buildings.

I go to the hotel around 6:00 ate dinner and forced myself to stay up till 9:30pm to get into the correct sleeping pattern as quickly as possible.