At Home in London AND On the Move - Wales
Jan. 8th, 2002 11:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lillibetThe rest of Anne & George's trip went quite smoothly. We did finally get to
the London Eye on the 30th and they enjoyed it as much as Beckie and I did
in October. It was Jason's first time, as well, and everyone agreed with me
that the views are wonderful, but the mechanism itself adds a degree of
niftiness to the whole experience. Other touristic highlights included a
wonderful day at the Victoria & Albert Museum and an afternoon at the
British Museum. Anne & George made it to the Tate Britain on their own, as
well as the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey.
We saw three more shows after _Twelfth Night_ on Boxing Day. On the
Saturday following, we went to see David Mamet's _Boston Marriage_ starring
Zoe Wannamaker and Anna Chancellor. It was a very witty, funny piece, and
we all enjoyed watching it, but when it was over and we compared notes, we
all found that the play itself was hollow and left us with nothing much to
take away from it. On New Year's Eve we went down to the Savoy and saw
_Return to the Forbidden Planet_, the science-fiction rock & roll verson of
_The Tempest_. More of a show than a play, it pulled together familiar
lines from various works of Shakespeare, some of the conventions of the
B-movie schlockfests, and a bunch of classic tunes from that era. I think
what made it watchable was the musical skill of the performers and their
complete commitment to the performance. It was lots of fun. Our last show,
on the 2nd, was _Kiss Me, Kate_, which has recently transferred from
Broadway. I'd never seen it before and it's a fun show, although the ending
seemed somewhat abrupt and too easy to me. The cast was generally strong,
especially the leading man, who was really throwing himself into the role.
We had a private box for that one, which meant an obstructed side view, but
we had fun.
We had some good meals, as well. I cooked some of my current favorites,
including fried chicken with rice & gravy, fettucine alfredo with spinach
and smoked salmon, and tarragon chicken with chanterelles.
Before _Boston Marriage_ we tried a North African place around the corner
from the theatre called Souk. They have a set menu that includes a tray of
their appetizers (hummus, tzatziki, tabouleh, roasted pepper & tomato salad,
baba ganoush, etc.), followed by a selection of entrees--lamb, chicken and
sausage dishes, as well as a chickpea conconction and overly salty spinach
with feta--and then dessert of various baklava-like pastries. The basement
dining room is hung with draperies and the seats are mostly low couches, so
it has a very exotic feeling. Not the best food of its category I've had
here in London, but very convenient, tasty enough, and a fun way to try lots
of different things.
On New Year's Eve we dined at Simpson's-on-the-Strand, just around the
corner from the Savoy Theatre. Jason and George started with devilled
whitebait, while I had a plate of smoked salmon and Anne tried their
excellent kipper pate. For mains, Anne had the duck confit with lentils,
George the roast lamb, and Jason some divine rainbow trout, while I had the
fillet in a green peppercorn cream sauce. We couldn't pass up their
desserts, so Jason and I had strawberry charlotte, Anne had the Gran Marnier
chocolate souffle and George the white and bitter chocolate mousse.
After _Kiss Me, Kate_ we went back to Olivo, which Jason and I had enjoyed a
couple of weeks ago. I found it even better than it was the first time.
Instead of the beef carpaccio, I had the carpaccio of swordfish starter,
which was delicious, but I stuck to the main dish of veal escalope that I
had enjoyed so much the first time and George followed my lead. The four of
us also shared a middle course of mushroom riotto, which made a nice taste
for all of us, although Jason finds their risottos too crunchy for his
taste. He started with a plate of roasted vegetables and followed up with
the same lamb he'd had before. Anne started with baby squid and was
delighted by the opportunity to have grilled sweetbreads as her main. I was
very brave and tried a bite--the taste was just fine, but the texture wasn't
something I'd want very much of. We skipped dessert in favor of making the
tube home.
Our New Year's celebrations were just wonderful. After the delightful meal
at Simpson's and the great show at the Savoy, we made our way home by tube
in time to pass midnight drinking champagne laced with chestnut liqueur out
on our deck while watching the dozen or more fireworks displays visible in a
ring over the rooftops. We had a lazy morning the next day, getting in up
in time for a lunch of little nibbly bits, including some of the foie gras
we'd brought back from the Perigord. Barbara came over and the five of us
headed up to Wood Green to see _The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the
Ring_. Jason and I were happy to see it again and very pleased to share it
with the others. Afterwards we came back to the house for dinner and a very
pleasant evening all together.
On January 2nd I woke up with a bee in my bonnet to get the next batch of
travel planning underway. So we're now scheduled to spend this weekend in
Zurich--where we'll catch up with a friend in town for a conference and
check off another new country for both of us, the last weekend of the month
in Paris--where we'll finally get to the Musee d'Orsay, a weekend in Ireland
in February--where we'll meet the new Kehoe, Patrick Thomas, the first week
of March in Greece and the last in Spain. October suddenly seems so close
and we have so many places we still want to see!
Anne & George's visit ended on a high note as we made our way down to
Maidstone by train to have dinner with Marie-France and her family on their
last night. We had planned to do it the night before, but miscommunication
set in. We were glad it worked out that way, however, because in addition
to Marie-France and her husband, Paul, we were joined by their son,
Christopher--whom I hadn't seen since he was three--and his girlfriend,
Anna. It was a delighful evening and the food--pot roast with all the
trimmings--was lovely. The train worked out very smoothly and it was a
great send-off for Anne & George.
On Saturday morning we said goodbye and headed off for my Surprise Birthday
Trip, leaving Anne & George to pack up and head out on their own. On my
list of suggested presents, I had added "plan a trip" and Jason decided it
would be a good birthday gift. He had set up a weekend in Wales in honor of
my birthday! We picked up a car and drove out to the Cardiff area (about
150 miles from London). We stopped at Tintern Abbey on the way and explored
the ruins there and then headed on to Carleon, where the Second Augustinian
Legion of Roman soldiers was stationed for two hundred years or more. They
have a wonderful exhibit of the fortress bath complex and a very well
executed museum about the legion, both of which we enjoyed very much. It
was getting too dark for us to explore the amphitheatre and barracks complex
nearby. We made our way across country on tiny little roads through a maze
of enormous hedgerows through miniscule towns. Our favorite roadsign said
"CAUTION: ONCOMING TRAFFIC IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD," but we were also
amused by the For Sale signs on various buildings advertising their
availability through the agency of "Crook & Blight." Finally, we reached
our destination, The West House Country Inn in Llantwit Major, perhaps ten
miles south of Cardiff along the coast.
We had a nap and then went down to the dining room for a wonderful meal. I
started with a plate of smoked salmon and haddock, while Jason had the
pumpkin soup. His steak in peppercorn cream sauce was quite good, but my
veal in a creamy mushroom sauce was delicious. For dessert he had a first
class creme brulee, while I succumbed to the temptation of a two-inch thick
slice of warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream. After that, it was easy to
fall into bed early and get a long night's sleep.
After a full English breakfast in the morning, we headed up to Cardiff for
the day. First we visited Cardiff Castle. Originally founded by the
Romans, it was upgraded throughout the history of Wales. It's final owners,
the Bute family (an offshoot of the royal house of Scotland, that married
into the Pembrokes whose estate included the castle) completely re-did the
living quarters in the late 19th century in the pre-Raphaelite style that
sought to recapture the intensity of the medieval period. That was
fascinating and beautiful and we had a grand tour led by a spry gentleman
who reminded me a bit of my grandfather. After the tour and a climb up into
the Norman keep at the center of the castle yard, we headed over to the
National Gallery of Wales.
The National Gallery is a fascinating place. The ground floor is their
natural history museum, with a wonderful section on the "Evolution of Wales"
over the last 700 million years. Upstairs, there's an archeology section we
skipped, and an excellent art gallery with a wonderful collection. The
French Impressionists are their strongest suit, particularly a fine set of
some of the best Monets I've seen, but they have many lovely and interesting
works. The special exhibits included one on the recent application of
cutting edge analytic technology (x-rays, electron microscopy, infrared
scanning, etc.) to the works (and alleged works) of Welsh painter Richard
Wilson, as well as a small selection of the sketches by brother and sister
Augustus and Gwen John.
We spent a very happy afternoon there, leaving only when the docents kicked
us out and shut the doors behind us. We wandered through the pedestrianized
shopping district at the center of Cardiff, basically tripping over the
sidewalks as they were rolled up. By 6pm everything was shut. Even the
pubs were closed. We finally found an Italian chain restaurant that was
open and had a nice meal of gourmet pizzas. That was right around the
corner from the cinema, so we went to see Nicole Kidman doing an excellent
job in _The Others_. It's quite a spooky film, but not one of the gory,
ridiculous horror films. I'm afraid I guessed the plot twist before it was
revealed, lessening its impact, but I was still very impressed. We made our
way back to the hotel (getting somewhat lost along the way, but making it
eventually) and turned in.
After another wonderful breakfast on Monday morning, we checked out and
headed up the road to the Museum of Welsh Life. This is on the grounds of
the Plymouth Estate, which originally included the Elizabethan manor house
and a farm. In addition to those buildings, they've moved perhaps a hundred
other historical structures from elsewhere in Wales, constructed a Celtic
village according to current archeological thinking, and created a central
museum building with exhibits of farm implements, clothing, musical
instruments and other household and professional goods illustrating the
Welsh way of life through the ages. It was a marvelous place and we could
have spent the whole day, but after a couple of hours, it was time to get on
the road.
We made it back to London pretty easily, turned in the car and came home to
start catching up. After a long stretch of guests and the weekend away, I
decided I'd just as soon spend my birthday quietly at home. I've been doing
a few tasks, reading a book my father sent for Christmas, and taking it
pretty easy. I think I'm going to order Chinese food for dinner.
Hope 2002 is off to a great start for all of you.
the London Eye on the 30th and they enjoyed it as much as Beckie and I did
in October. It was Jason's first time, as well, and everyone agreed with me
that the views are wonderful, but the mechanism itself adds a degree of
niftiness to the whole experience. Other touristic highlights included a
wonderful day at the Victoria & Albert Museum and an afternoon at the
British Museum. Anne & George made it to the Tate Britain on their own, as
well as the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey.
We saw three more shows after _Twelfth Night_ on Boxing Day. On the
Saturday following, we went to see David Mamet's _Boston Marriage_ starring
Zoe Wannamaker and Anna Chancellor. It was a very witty, funny piece, and
we all enjoyed watching it, but when it was over and we compared notes, we
all found that the play itself was hollow and left us with nothing much to
take away from it. On New Year's Eve we went down to the Savoy and saw
_Return to the Forbidden Planet_, the science-fiction rock & roll verson of
_The Tempest_. More of a show than a play, it pulled together familiar
lines from various works of Shakespeare, some of the conventions of the
B-movie schlockfests, and a bunch of classic tunes from that era. I think
what made it watchable was the musical skill of the performers and their
complete commitment to the performance. It was lots of fun. Our last show,
on the 2nd, was _Kiss Me, Kate_, which has recently transferred from
Broadway. I'd never seen it before and it's a fun show, although the ending
seemed somewhat abrupt and too easy to me. The cast was generally strong,
especially the leading man, who was really throwing himself into the role.
We had a private box for that one, which meant an obstructed side view, but
we had fun.
We had some good meals, as well. I cooked some of my current favorites,
including fried chicken with rice & gravy, fettucine alfredo with spinach
and smoked salmon, and tarragon chicken with chanterelles.
Before _Boston Marriage_ we tried a North African place around the corner
from the theatre called Souk. They have a set menu that includes a tray of
their appetizers (hummus, tzatziki, tabouleh, roasted pepper & tomato salad,
baba ganoush, etc.), followed by a selection of entrees--lamb, chicken and
sausage dishes, as well as a chickpea conconction and overly salty spinach
with feta--and then dessert of various baklava-like pastries. The basement
dining room is hung with draperies and the seats are mostly low couches, so
it has a very exotic feeling. Not the best food of its category I've had
here in London, but very convenient, tasty enough, and a fun way to try lots
of different things.
On New Year's Eve we dined at Simpson's-on-the-Strand, just around the
corner from the Savoy Theatre. Jason and George started with devilled
whitebait, while I had a plate of smoked salmon and Anne tried their
excellent kipper pate. For mains, Anne had the duck confit with lentils,
George the roast lamb, and Jason some divine rainbow trout, while I had the
fillet in a green peppercorn cream sauce. We couldn't pass up their
desserts, so Jason and I had strawberry charlotte, Anne had the Gran Marnier
chocolate souffle and George the white and bitter chocolate mousse.
After _Kiss Me, Kate_ we went back to Olivo, which Jason and I had enjoyed a
couple of weeks ago. I found it even better than it was the first time.
Instead of the beef carpaccio, I had the carpaccio of swordfish starter,
which was delicious, but I stuck to the main dish of veal escalope that I
had enjoyed so much the first time and George followed my lead. The four of
us also shared a middle course of mushroom riotto, which made a nice taste
for all of us, although Jason finds their risottos too crunchy for his
taste. He started with a plate of roasted vegetables and followed up with
the same lamb he'd had before. Anne started with baby squid and was
delighted by the opportunity to have grilled sweetbreads as her main. I was
very brave and tried a bite--the taste was just fine, but the texture wasn't
something I'd want very much of. We skipped dessert in favor of making the
tube home.
Our New Year's celebrations were just wonderful. After the delightful meal
at Simpson's and the great show at the Savoy, we made our way home by tube
in time to pass midnight drinking champagne laced with chestnut liqueur out
on our deck while watching the dozen or more fireworks displays visible in a
ring over the rooftops. We had a lazy morning the next day, getting in up
in time for a lunch of little nibbly bits, including some of the foie gras
we'd brought back from the Perigord. Barbara came over and the five of us
headed up to Wood Green to see _The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the
Ring_. Jason and I were happy to see it again and very pleased to share it
with the others. Afterwards we came back to the house for dinner and a very
pleasant evening all together.
On January 2nd I woke up with a bee in my bonnet to get the next batch of
travel planning underway. So we're now scheduled to spend this weekend in
Zurich--where we'll catch up with a friend in town for a conference and
check off another new country for both of us, the last weekend of the month
in Paris--where we'll finally get to the Musee d'Orsay, a weekend in Ireland
in February--where we'll meet the new Kehoe, Patrick Thomas, the first week
of March in Greece and the last in Spain. October suddenly seems so close
and we have so many places we still want to see!
Anne & George's visit ended on a high note as we made our way down to
Maidstone by train to have dinner with Marie-France and her family on their
last night. We had planned to do it the night before, but miscommunication
set in. We were glad it worked out that way, however, because in addition
to Marie-France and her husband, Paul, we were joined by their son,
Christopher--whom I hadn't seen since he was three--and his girlfriend,
Anna. It was a delighful evening and the food--pot roast with all the
trimmings--was lovely. The train worked out very smoothly and it was a
great send-off for Anne & George.
On Saturday morning we said goodbye and headed off for my Surprise Birthday
Trip, leaving Anne & George to pack up and head out on their own. On my
list of suggested presents, I had added "plan a trip" and Jason decided it
would be a good birthday gift. He had set up a weekend in Wales in honor of
my birthday! We picked up a car and drove out to the Cardiff area (about
150 miles from London). We stopped at Tintern Abbey on the way and explored
the ruins there and then headed on to Carleon, where the Second Augustinian
Legion of Roman soldiers was stationed for two hundred years or more. They
have a wonderful exhibit of the fortress bath complex and a very well
executed museum about the legion, both of which we enjoyed very much. It
was getting too dark for us to explore the amphitheatre and barracks complex
nearby. We made our way across country on tiny little roads through a maze
of enormous hedgerows through miniscule towns. Our favorite roadsign said
"CAUTION: ONCOMING TRAFFIC IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD," but we were also
amused by the For Sale signs on various buildings advertising their
availability through the agency of "Crook & Blight." Finally, we reached
our destination, The West House Country Inn in Llantwit Major, perhaps ten
miles south of Cardiff along the coast.
We had a nap and then went down to the dining room for a wonderful meal. I
started with a plate of smoked salmon and haddock, while Jason had the
pumpkin soup. His steak in peppercorn cream sauce was quite good, but my
veal in a creamy mushroom sauce was delicious. For dessert he had a first
class creme brulee, while I succumbed to the temptation of a two-inch thick
slice of warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream. After that, it was easy to
fall into bed early and get a long night's sleep.
After a full English breakfast in the morning, we headed up to Cardiff for
the day. First we visited Cardiff Castle. Originally founded by the
Romans, it was upgraded throughout the history of Wales. It's final owners,
the Bute family (an offshoot of the royal house of Scotland, that married
into the Pembrokes whose estate included the castle) completely re-did the
living quarters in the late 19th century in the pre-Raphaelite style that
sought to recapture the intensity of the medieval period. That was
fascinating and beautiful and we had a grand tour led by a spry gentleman
who reminded me a bit of my grandfather. After the tour and a climb up into
the Norman keep at the center of the castle yard, we headed over to the
National Gallery of Wales.
The National Gallery is a fascinating place. The ground floor is their
natural history museum, with a wonderful section on the "Evolution of Wales"
over the last 700 million years. Upstairs, there's an archeology section we
skipped, and an excellent art gallery with a wonderful collection. The
French Impressionists are their strongest suit, particularly a fine set of
some of the best Monets I've seen, but they have many lovely and interesting
works. The special exhibits included one on the recent application of
cutting edge analytic technology (x-rays, electron microscopy, infrared
scanning, etc.) to the works (and alleged works) of Welsh painter Richard
Wilson, as well as a small selection of the sketches by brother and sister
Augustus and Gwen John.
We spent a very happy afternoon there, leaving only when the docents kicked
us out and shut the doors behind us. We wandered through the pedestrianized
shopping district at the center of Cardiff, basically tripping over the
sidewalks as they were rolled up. By 6pm everything was shut. Even the
pubs were closed. We finally found an Italian chain restaurant that was
open and had a nice meal of gourmet pizzas. That was right around the
corner from the cinema, so we went to see Nicole Kidman doing an excellent
job in _The Others_. It's quite a spooky film, but not one of the gory,
ridiculous horror films. I'm afraid I guessed the plot twist before it was
revealed, lessening its impact, but I was still very impressed. We made our
way back to the hotel (getting somewhat lost along the way, but making it
eventually) and turned in.
After another wonderful breakfast on Monday morning, we checked out and
headed up the road to the Museum of Welsh Life. This is on the grounds of
the Plymouth Estate, which originally included the Elizabethan manor house
and a farm. In addition to those buildings, they've moved perhaps a hundred
other historical structures from elsewhere in Wales, constructed a Celtic
village according to current archeological thinking, and created a central
museum building with exhibits of farm implements, clothing, musical
instruments and other household and professional goods illustrating the
Welsh way of life through the ages. It was a marvelous place and we could
have spent the whole day, but after a couple of hours, it was time to get on
the road.
We made it back to London pretty easily, turned in the car and came home to
start catching up. After a long stretch of guests and the weekend away, I
decided I'd just as soon spend my birthday quietly at home. I've been doing
a few tasks, reading a book my father sent for Christmas, and taking it
pretty easy. I think I'm going to order Chinese food for dinner.
Hope 2002 is off to a great start for all of you.
