Tag: Hello Friends and Family

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Hello Friends and Family: York

York is a great city. I love York. It has so much history. Now, it’s been a while since I visited, but I didn’t feel like writing about it at that point. So I didn’t. But now I’ve been home for quite a bit, I thought it was about time.

Having heard that the City Walls Walk served as a good orientation to the city, I was going to walk it on my first day in York. However, it was drizzling, so I thought it might be better to spend a day inside. Instead, I went to the Yorkshire Museum. The museum was awesome. I especially loved the large space downstairs with all the medieval stuff.

My second full day in York had fine weather, so I did the City Walls Walk. Starting at Micklegate Bar, I did the Henry VII Experience (small, but interesting). From there I walked clockwise along the walls, looking at the city from all angles. The Richard III experience wasn’t as interesting for me as the Henry VII one, and I had a bit of trouble finding the walls again by the King’s Pool. Otherwise, it was a very enjoyable walk.

On Sunday I tried a self-guided walk from a brochure that took me around a number of cat statues on buildings. The cats themselves were underwhelming, but it provided some structure for my wandering around the city’s snickleways. I finished the walk with a good chunk of the afternoon left, so I went to the art gallery – it had a fairly interesting selection of old paintings.

The following day I went to York Castle Museum and climbed Clifford’s Tower. While an excellent museum, the York Castle Museum had mostly recent and social history (not really my thing). I enjoyed it, but I don’t think I’ll be rushing back. The museum is next to Clifford’s Tower; there’s not much to see in there, but the views from the top are spectacular.

I started Tuesday with the Jorvik Viking Centre. I had been expecting something geared more towards children, but it was really very interesting. From there, I wander along to Pavement (the first paved street in York) and bought some doughnuts for lunch (so yum). The church of All Saints Pavement was right there, so I took a look before going to the Merchant Taylor’s Hall.

I spent more time at York Minster on Wednesday than I had thought I would. I arrived right on time to join one of the free tours (great!). I liked hearing all the stories and having various details pointed out, but my favourite part was going around afterwards by myself and spending as long as I liked looking closer at things.

On Thursday, I joined the “free” guided tour by White Rose York. Our guide was called David, and aside from being a bit odd (with dreadful teeth), he was a brilliant guide. He was particularly good at altering the tour to suit the group. I made friends with the dog that joined the group with her owner (Jo – such a sweet, well behaved dog).

Friday started at Bar Convent, a building just outside Micklegate that hid a convent of catholic nuns during the late 17th and 18th centuries. The exhibition was alright, the chapel even better (despite the elderly volunteer guide who was so bored he kept offering one-on-one tours of the rest of the exhibition). In the afternoon, I went to Barley Hall. It was a bit difficult to find, but was appropriately authentic (so cool!).

I went to the centre of York, to the Roman Bath Museum, on Saturday morning. It was a tad underwhelming, but I had great fun with the dress-ups at the end. From there, I walked around looking at medieval churches that I hadn’t been to yet. My favourite was St Denys Walmgate, with Holy Trinity Goodramgate and its box pews a close second.

After a late start on Sunday (thanks horrible Spaniards in my dorm) I wandered down to the National Railway Museum. I didn’t find it interesting, but it was free. In the afternoon, some of the guys at the hostel I was staying at (Astor York) held an Australia Day BBQ, with funds raised going to the bushfire relief efforts. I spent a lot of time standing around and talking to various people; it was really lovely.

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Hello Friends and Family: Edinburgh

I arrived in Edinburgh on Monday, following a train ride north from York. The train was running about half an hour late, but I got to my hostel without any problems. My room is on the top floor (it’s annoying that there’s no lifts for the luggage) and I’m in a bed called “James Bond.”

That evening, the hostel had a group going to a local pub for a pub quiz (apparently this happens every Monday). It was loud and rude and really not my thing but I’m glad I went; if nothing else, it was good to meet new people and socialise a bit.

I met a couple of the girls that had also been at the pub quiz at breakfast the next day. They were going to Dean Village so I joined them. It was pretty and peaceful enough, but would hardly be worth the walk if I was by myself. From there, one of the girls wanted to go to Linlithgow, so I went with her. We went around the palace but didn’t go in; I spent the next couple of days wishing I’d paid to enter and had a bit more time in the town.

Dean Village

On Wednesday, I went to the National Museum of Scotland. The museum was really good; I particularly enjoyed (and spent most of my time in) the Scottish History galleries. That evening, the hostel was taking a group to a ceilidh at a local bar, and I was planning to go, but both pairs of shoes were too wet to go out in.

I went around the museums on Thursday. I had only meant to go to the Writers’ Museum, the Museum on the Mound, and maybe St Giles Cathedral (if I had time). However, they didn’t take as long as I had thought, and by the end of the day I had been to the Museum of Childhood, John Knox House, Museum of Edinburgh, and the People’s Story.

On my way to finish off the museums on Friday, I spotted the Scottish National Gallery so took a look. I couldn’t find the Physicians’ Gallery but carried on to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. How many pictures of Bonnie Prince Charlie does one gallery need? I didn’t feel like going to the Surgeon’s Hall Museum, so went back to the National Museum for the rest of the afternoon.

Linlithgow Palace

On Saturday I did a little day trip to Linlithgow. I started with St Michael’s Parish Church; it’s a lovely building, very much like other churches from this period (it’s a shame so many of them in London burnt down). St Michael’s is next to Linlithgow Palace, the ruins of a palace lived in by several generations of Scottish kings and the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. I enjoyed exploring all the nooks and crannies inside.

My final day in Edinburgh was spent on Calton Hill. I really liked the view of Arthur’s Seat and the Salisbury Crags. On the way back to the hostel, I came across a man with an owl. The owl’s name was Hazel, and I took the opportunity to hold her (such a sweet bird).

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Hello Friends and Family: London II

My first full day back in London was a busy one. I tried to do the Roads to Rome walk by City of London Corporation, but kept stopping to take a closer look at things along the way. Despite forgetting to book beforehand, there was space for me to see the London Mithraeum. The whole experience is very well done.

Me at the London Mithraeum

From there, I walked past the London Stone, down Fish Street Hill, to the Monument. Even though it wasn’t on the walk, I took the opportunity and went to the top. The stairs are extremely narrow, and the climb had my legs and lungs burning, but the view was so worth it.

At the bottom of Fish Street Hill is the church of St Magnus the Martyr. Not surprisingly, I went in. It was awesome, but not as awesome as the next church I visited: All Hallows by the Tower. One of the few churches to survive the Great Fire, it doesn’t have Wren stamped all over it; in fact, there is an arch inside that was built during the Saxon period, and the museum in the crypt houses all kinds of wonderful Roman and Medieval treasures found on the site.

Aiming for a bit of a slower day, on Saturday I wandered down to Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. It was very pleasant. I had picked up a brochure outlining a “Plants and People” walk through the cemetery, just to give my wandering a bit of direction; it did what I wanted it to, but it was impossible to actually identify the plants along the way (probably because it was winter). There was plenty of wildlife, though, and people walking their dogs.

Headstones crowded like teeth in a small jaw

Sunday was the day I continued the Roads to Rome walk. Unfortunately, some of the tube lines were closed, so I couldn’t get back to Tower Hill (where I left off on Friday). I ended up at Bank station, tried and failed to exit at Monument, and so caught the next train to London Bridge. It was quite the adventure.

Having crossed back to the right side of the river, I headed towards Tower Hill. On the way, I found St Dunstan’s in the East; there was more church ruins and less garden than I had expected (I loved it, until lots more people arrived and it got busy). Being near Tower Bridge, I went inside for the Tower Bridge Exhibition. It was cool to see the history of the bridge, but I don’t think I would pay to do it again.

I followed the walk through Leadenhall Market (rather unimpressive), past the Royal Exchange and Guildhall, to St Alphage Garden. St Alphage Garden houses a section of the old Roman wall, extensively repaired during the Wars of the Roses. Nearby are the remains of the tower of St Elsyng Spital (unexpected but cool to see). I finished the day with a couple of hours at the Museum of London (I have to go back – I only got as far as the Medieval gallery).

Resting at St Alphage Garden

On Monday I had plans to meet one of my sisters for lunch near her office. Since it’s only a couple of tube stops along from Cockfosters, I swung by to take a photo (it was too good an opportunity to pass up). After lunch, I went to the Guildhall. The art was a lot more interesting than that at Tate Modern, but the Amphitheatre was pretty unspectacular. I enjoyed seeing the Great Hall, and the police museum was worth a quick look.

Wednesday was a Southwark day. I started by walking across London Bridge (Monument was much easier to get to than London Bridge station). The first major thing I did was wander around the Crossbones Graveyard – so much history, but it seems to be all garden these days.

This skull is made of coins

From there, I made my way towards Shakespeare’s Globe, but decided that going inside was too expensive (even with the discount voucher I picked-up from the hostel), so I went to Southwark Cathedral instead. So much history!!!!!

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Hello Friends and Family: Christmas and Cambridge

After leaving my disastrous stay at Palmer’s Lodge, I met my sister and her husband at Borough Market for lunch – I had a Chicken Masamann from the Thai food cart. We sat at a table at the top of a set of wooden bleacher-like things with a great view of everyone else eating their lunch.

The view from our table at Borough Market

On Christmas Eve we met my other sister and her wife in central London for panto. We saw Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the London Palladium. It was awesome, funny, and magnificent (I later read a newspaper review that gave the show only three out of five stars because there was so little plot – it didn’t need plot). This was followed by a meal together at a Mexican restaurant.

Christmas day was lovely and quiet. We watched a lot of T.V., drank a lot of tea, and ate a lot of chocolate. There was a particularly bizarre T.V. show called Martins Close; it was about a young man accused of murdering a woman whose ghost had since been seen several times. We also put together a kitset of a wooden marble run – so much fun!

On the Saturday I went to Cambridge by myself. First, I popped by the visitor information centre and picked up some brochures and a map. I spent the rest of the day at the Fitzwilliam Museum. It seems to be artier than I had thought it would be, but I enjoyed the ancient history bits.

The Fitzwilliam’s building is spectacular in its own right

Monday was a London day. We (my sister, her husband, and myself) had tickets to Witness for the Prosecution at London County Hall. We started with an hour in the treasures room at the British Library (I liked the illuminated manuscripts).

Getting off the tube at London Bridge, we bought hot chocolates at Rabot in Borough Market and drank them as we walked along the Thames to the winter market outside the Southbank Centre, where we had lunch. I had a Korean pork rice bowl that was quite a bit spicier than I had anticipated.

My delicious Korean rice bowl

On New Years Eve, I accompanied my sister and her husband to Cambridge. They were going to see the New Year in at one of the clocks there and had booked a fancy hotel room for the night. We had lunch at The Old Bicycle Shop (good food, great atmosphere). I was planning on seeing more of Cambridge afterwards (perhaps Great St Marys), but I didn’t feel like it.

I saw the New Year in hanging out the attic window. There were at least six fireworks displays going on that I could see, and several more that I couldn’t (judging from the sounds and wafts of smoke coming from the other direction). I had tried to watch the fireworks at Big Ben on the T.V. but the cameras weren’t great at seeing through the smoke created by the fireworks.

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Hello Friends and Family: London I

This last little while has been a bit of a bust – I’ve just spent three days in bed with a dreadful cold (today makes day four).

Me at Tate Modern

Anyway, before I fell ill, I visited Tate Modern, the British Museum, and Hyde Park. Tate Modern was boring – might be alright if you’re into art, but there was absolutely nothing there that interested me at all. Look at the photo; you can see how bored I am, can’t you?

I spent two days at the British Museum (heaven!!!!!). Definitely need to spend more time there. After the first day, I spent the evening with my sister and her husband at a nearby pop-up theatre. It was set in an igloo with beanbags. We watched the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” (so many feels!!!).

Lining up my camera for a photo in front of the British Museum
This stunning piece is both a clock AND a salt cellar
I thought this Saxon bracelet in the Enlightenment Gallery was gorgeous

The highlight of my visit to Hyde Park was when a squirrel climbed my leg. Hyde Park also has the Winter Wonderland Christmas market (I had a hot chocolate and churros for lunch). I also enjoyed looking at the orphan elephants sculptures.

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Hello Friends and Family: A Week in Lille

Statue in the middle of Vieux Lille

As of today, I have been in Lille, France, for a week. Lille is so much better than Paris; for one thing, the buildings don’t all look the same. So what have I been doing?

My first day here, I was quite nervous about leaving my room (I got a four-bed dorm all to myself – sweet!). I went out a couple of times to explore the communal areas and then to a supermarket and bakery (un croissant pour le dejeuner).

On Wednesday I went down to the centre of Vieux Lille and the tourist information centre. I found heaven: Furet du Nord. Furet du Nord is a massive bookshop – seven floors of books! All well organised and neatly presented for browsing. It was like a book supermarket (it has checkouts). Needless to say, I bought three books and two magazines, spending just over 30€.

On Thursday I visited the Christmas Market (Noel a Lille – check it out). I looked around for ages trying to find a hot chocolate, but there were no non-alcoholic hot drinks! Vin Chaud, yes. Mulled Cider, yes. Christmas Beer, yes. Hot Chocolate, no. Anyway, I bought a delicious thick waffle for lunch (so good).

Did you know, Eglise St Andre is not on the Rue St Andre? Silly, right? Anyway, I walked past Eglise St Andre, Ste-Marie-Madeleine, and the Porte de Gand on Friday morning before heading to the Musee l’Hospice Comtesse. It was really interesting, though I’m glad I spent the extra 2€ on an audio guide (otherwise I would have had no idea what I was looking at).

Porte de Gand

Near the Musee is the Cathedrale Notre Dame de la Treille. Despite being less than 200 years old, most of it looks like it’s stepped straight out of the 13th century. They’ve really done a great job of incorporating modern elements into an old style of building. Anyway, quick travel story: it was so cold that at one point I warmed my fingers on the prayer/offering candles (possibly a bit sacrilegious – don’t tell anyone).

I went a bit further on Saturday, visiting the Musee Canonniers (small, poorly run, not worth 5€), the Jardin des Geants (not much to see as it’s winter, but I had great fun trying to take photos with me in them), and the Porte de Roubaix (looks just like the Porte de Gand). It took me a while to find Eglise St Maurice, but it was well worth it.

Doesn’t the Porte de Roubaix look just like the Porte de Gand?
At the Jardin des Geants

Sunday morning I attended the meeting at L’Armee du Salut Poste de Lille (The Salvation Army Lille Corps). There were about 40 or 50 people at the meeting. They were so welcoming; Major Ludovic brought me their songbooks himself, and had one of the boys who spoke passable English sit next to me to translate.

We sang Voici Noel (Silent Night) and Jour de Bonheur (Joy to the World). After the service they all had lunch together then a “show” followed by afternoon tea. It was 3pm before I got away.

Yesterday, I went for a walk around the Citadelle de Lille. I had thought I might go to the zoo, but it was closed (despite the official Lille Tourism website saying they should be open). Instead, I wandered under the trees and looked at the fortifications.

Very windy
I think I’m getting better at taking photos of myself

So far this trip hasn’t been much like what I pictured it would be like, but it’s still been amazing, and I think that I’ve enjoyed it more than I would have had it been as I imagined. There are several things that I would have liked to do but I ran out of time and energy. I still have a day here before heading on to London, but I won’t have time to do it all; I’ll just have to come back.