This weekend we went to Tabea's town, Regensberg. We are in Nurnberg with her parents because she has a sort of continuing education (she calls it Seminary) these two weeks. But we had to go to Regensberg for the weekend.
She has an amazing apartment. The view out the windows in her living room/dining room is great, verdant mountains with a few rocks and some little red-roofed houses. The apartment is very clean (that's a German thing I've come to realize) and has a bedroom on the main floor and a kitchen -- pretty small, but I've seen worse-- and a bath and the living room/dining room. Up a spiral staircase is the second bedroom. It's in a little village. On Friday night when we arrived, we went across the street to the biergarten to have a beer or some food or whatever we could find. There, luckily, we found a really great cover band playing the funniest American music mix you can imagine. It was great to hear a bit of old (and new) American music live and to just sit there and watch people.
On Friday, I had helped Tabea to make a real American cheesecake. I had forced her to go back to the store and get cream cheese that was different than what she had originally purchased, but it worked and we made a really great cheesecake. Well, it had one crack in the middle, which Tabea says Betty Crocker says means the cheesecake was too dry. Oh well. Then we made a raspberry sauce. She had a friend coming through on Saturday, so we shared our cheesecake with him.
After he left, we went into the city center of Regensberg. There we happened upon a concert in the park with lots of people milling around and eating and drinking at picnic tables. Very German. And we had a coke (which I ordered in German) and then decided to walk past the Dom, (cathedral) and see some of the other things. We eventually went into an Irish pub, which was great fun because inside we found a ton of Germans and another American cover band. And all the Germans were singing the English songs with various states of accents. Truth be told, on some songs, I actually figured out some ofthe words I'd never known before because the guy singing was annunciating so well. And it was the strangest mix, from Johnny Cash to Don Maclean to Green Day to John Denver. And a lot more modern bands that I can't remember at the moment. The good things is that it was just all such mainstream popular American music that I knew all the words. And no one here was going to judge me for knowing all the words to such a strange variety of music. So that was nice. We sang along with the crowd.
Afterwards we came home and slept, rather unsuccessfully. There is a Catholic church next to Tabea's apartment and they were having some sort of anniversary festival ---she said it wasn't the 1000 year festival because they are older than that. She didn't really know what year it was. And anyway, they were celebrating quite thoroughly. There were some men still singing and making noise until 3 or later. And additionally, the stupid church bell rings right into that room every quarter hour, and then on the hour more, and then at 6am, noon and 6PM and then some other random, inexplicable times, it rings for half an hour. It isn't particularly surprising, then, that I had terrible nightmares that night because my brain was trying to process the German shouting under my window and the church bells, etc. Tabea also didn't sleep well, so we took naps on Sunday.
We went back then to Beringersdorf where Tabea's family is. Nico and Johannes had gone to the lake we'd been to earlier in the week with the kayak and fishing equipment -- in Germany you have to take courses and pass a huge exam to get a fishing license-- Johannes did it a couple of years ago. When we got back, Johann called and asked if we'd bring sandwiches. So we did and sat with them. They were not successful in their fishing endeavor, but we had fun on the kayak too so it wasn't a waste. And it was a nice evening, a little cold for Tabea, but I didn't think it was so bad.
And now it is Monday. I am going to do homework and I think Tabea has planned all the evenings this week. She's also starting to plan the France part. I won't (probably) be able to blog much in France because we are camping and won't have internet access. We are going to go down from Konstanz, where her other brother lives, through Switzerland, and to Cluny to see the cathedral there. And then down to the sea and through Provence where the lavendar should be blooming. From there we'll go along the sea, stop for a moment in St. Tropez because I said I would like to see it, and then go over into San Remo Italy for a few minutes just so I've been to Italy. It should be a beautiful trip. Tabea is very excited about it and keeps looking at maps of France. I guess she hasn't been in years to France. (She keeps using her vacations to come to the US).
That's all the news for now. My German gets steadily better. We had lunch yesterday with the Catholics at their big celebration (you can buy food like bratwurst and chicken on spits and pork chops etc,) and she wanted chicken and I wanted bratwurst, so we had to go in separate lines. I was able to order what I wanted without mustard pretty well and have a light but polite conversation. Some of it was a little in English, but they don't really know English in the villages, so it was mostly German.
Now I am back to working on my papers. Uggh.
Wendy
Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Catch up, part 2
Well, somehow what I was writing didn't seem to be saved. So I will try quickly to recap.
Barbara is doing well. She teaches every day until noon, comes home and cooks because Nico and Johannes and Tabea and Friedrich all take the biggest meal of the day in the middle of the day. But I've been trying to do some of the cooking to help out. Yesterday I made a giant batch of the DeBoer chicken salad and they loved it. We have stuff to eat for days now of course.
I think we will see Tobias this weekend briefly when he heads up to Kritzeberg (the farmhouse the family owns in the Bavarian forest that I went to the last time I was here). He is still living in Constanz and we will visit him later in our time here on our way to France.
Tabea is overworked I think. She has "seminary" two weeks every few months here in Nurnberg, that's what she is doing now and why we are here. She has a car now, which is good, because she is traveling back and forth quite a distance. She comes home at lunch often to eat with me. This weekend we will go to REgensburg because she must take care of her congregation. I think she is wearing herself out because she is always willing to help and she takes on too much. I think she will learn to moderate with time. I hope.
Tabea and Barbara and I went to the forest yesterday and picked wild raspberries and blueberries. It was nice. Not yet enough for a pie, but close. It was hot outside for them-- 80s-- and so we didn't stay too long.
Although I am learning German, it just doesn't feel like work because it belongs to communication. So I am content here. It is nice to relax after the whirlwind trip through England. I am quite enjoying the slower pace here. We eat outside every meal, except breakfast, and the sun pretty much shines all the time. There is very little humidity and very little wind. So the garden is as much a part of the house as the rest. Barbara has an ongoing feud with the flies but they don't have screens on the windows-- houses built in the 18th century didn't of course--and they leave all the doors open. Barbara has pinned netting onto some of the windows so that the bugs are kept to a minimum, but it is still just much more open. And the very thick stone walls keep the house remarkably cool even in the middle of the day.
That is mostly what is going on here. I will try to catch up on Bath and London and Canterbury and Dover later.
w
Barbara is doing well. She teaches every day until noon, comes home and cooks because Nico and Johannes and Tabea and Friedrich all take the biggest meal of the day in the middle of the day. But I've been trying to do some of the cooking to help out. Yesterday I made a giant batch of the DeBoer chicken salad and they loved it. We have stuff to eat for days now of course.
I think we will see Tobias this weekend briefly when he heads up to Kritzeberg (the farmhouse the family owns in the Bavarian forest that I went to the last time I was here). He is still living in Constanz and we will visit him later in our time here on our way to France.
Tabea is overworked I think. She has "seminary" two weeks every few months here in Nurnberg, that's what she is doing now and why we are here. She has a car now, which is good, because she is traveling back and forth quite a distance. She comes home at lunch often to eat with me. This weekend we will go to REgensburg because she must take care of her congregation. I think she is wearing herself out because she is always willing to help and she takes on too much. I think she will learn to moderate with time. I hope.
Tabea and Barbara and I went to the forest yesterday and picked wild raspberries and blueberries. It was nice. Not yet enough for a pie, but close. It was hot outside for them-- 80s-- and so we didn't stay too long.
Although I am learning German, it just doesn't feel like work because it belongs to communication. So I am content here. It is nice to relax after the whirlwind trip through England. I am quite enjoying the slower pace here. We eat outside every meal, except breakfast, and the sun pretty much shines all the time. There is very little humidity and very little wind. So the garden is as much a part of the house as the rest. Barbara has an ongoing feud with the flies but they don't have screens on the windows-- houses built in the 18th century didn't of course--and they leave all the doors open. Barbara has pinned netting onto some of the windows so that the bugs are kept to a minimum, but it is still just much more open. And the very thick stone walls keep the house remarkably cool even in the middle of the day.
That is mostly what is going on here. I will try to catch up on Bath and London and Canterbury and Dover later.
w
Catch Up
Well, I cannot possible tell everything which has happened since last I blogged. I didn't have internet in London and then I have been resting and I didn't have internet in Germany really until yesterday-- my own fault, Johannes or Nico would have been happy to help me, I just didn't get it done.
I am in Germany at the Baaders' house now. It is an early 18th Century house. I will try to put up pictures later today because it is so amazing. The front door looks like a castle door with metal plates across wooden planks. This is the parsonage to go with the Baroque church across the street where Friedrich (Tabea's dad) is the pastor. The church is also very nice but a bit overly ornate for my taste, but that is the Baroque period.
Since I have been in Germany, I have been practicing my German and doing pretty well. Some words now just enter my head in German and not English. On the other hand, my grammar is going slowly. But for 3 days, it is okay. Everyone is very helpful. Tabea's mom helps me a lot. Her brothers also help.
Johannes is doing his year of volunteering, helping at the hospital and he has grown A LOT. Not only is he taller, but he is just not the little village boy I knew last time. He is a young man now, starting to think about his future. Luckily he has not quite entered the age where he is too cool for Tabea and I. The first day I was here he spent most of the afternoon talking to me about cameras. Friedrich had gotten a new one for his birthday from Barbara (Tabea's mom) and Johannes was excited to show me what it could do. It is a very nice camera. After it was dark we went out on a little walk and he showed me how to take pictures at night-- he took some of the stars, etc. It was cool. I knew intellectually that such things were possible, but I had never really tried to do it. Johannes must understand everything, like Matt. If he understands it, there is no reason for him to study it or practice it. If he does not understand it, he will put forth herculean efforts to understand it. And if someone does something illogical to him, he believes he must have seen something or perceived the event incorrectly because it is far more possible in his mind that his eyes played tricks on him then that people would behave illogically.
Nico is doing HVAC training as nearly as I can tell and he is excelling at it. But then again, I remember from last time that if you put something mechanical in front of Nico he will take it apart and rebuild it better than it had been before. Nico also just bought a 2 person kayak. The other night he and I took it out on a nearby lake while Tabea and Johannes swam. It was a bit cold for swimming for me and I would have only been a drag on Tabea and Johannes because I am not German and therefore not part fish. So we were on the boat which was fine with me. We also discovered that we are quite fast at paddling because Tabea and Johannes were thinking of tipping us over.
I had written a lot more but somehow it got deleted. I will try to find it and add it later.
w
I am in Germany at the Baaders' house now. It is an early 18th Century house. I will try to put up pictures later today because it is so amazing. The front door looks like a castle door with metal plates across wooden planks. This is the parsonage to go with the Baroque church across the street where Friedrich (Tabea's dad) is the pastor. The church is also very nice but a bit overly ornate for my taste, but that is the Baroque period.
Since I have been in Germany, I have been practicing my German and doing pretty well. Some words now just enter my head in German and not English. On the other hand, my grammar is going slowly. But for 3 days, it is okay. Everyone is very helpful. Tabea's mom helps me a lot. Her brothers also help.
Johannes is doing his year of volunteering, helping at the hospital and he has grown A LOT. Not only is he taller, but he is just not the little village boy I knew last time. He is a young man now, starting to think about his future. Luckily he has not quite entered the age where he is too cool for Tabea and I. The first day I was here he spent most of the afternoon talking to me about cameras. Friedrich had gotten a new one for his birthday from Barbara (Tabea's mom) and Johannes was excited to show me what it could do. It is a very nice camera. After it was dark we went out on a little walk and he showed me how to take pictures at night-- he took some of the stars, etc. It was cool. I knew intellectually that such things were possible, but I had never really tried to do it. Johannes must understand everything, like Matt. If he understands it, there is no reason for him to study it or practice it. If he does not understand it, he will put forth herculean efforts to understand it. And if someone does something illogical to him, he believes he must have seen something or perceived the event incorrectly because it is far more possible in his mind that his eyes played tricks on him then that people would behave illogically.
Nico is doing HVAC training as nearly as I can tell and he is excelling at it. But then again, I remember from last time that if you put something mechanical in front of Nico he will take it apart and rebuild it better than it had been before. Nico also just bought a 2 person kayak. The other night he and I took it out on a nearby lake while Tabea and Johannes swam. It was a bit cold for swimming for me and I would have only been a drag on Tabea and Johannes because I am not German and therefore not part fish. So we were on the boat which was fine with me. We also discovered that we are quite fast at paddling because Tabea and Johannes were thinking of tipping us over.
I had written a lot more but somehow it got deleted. I will try to find it and add it later.
w
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Other Bath Pix
A particularly old church I came across as I was strolling along back to Bath. And the lane I strolled down. Note the old wall. It was cool.
Also, a sneak peak at the Roman Baths from the lobby of the Pump Room. And by the way, English steak is comparable to Nebraska beef. All those cows making pastoral landscapes must pay off.
Prior Park
To the left is the house at Prior Park. There are actually two other sections you just can't see in this picture, which are attached via breezeways. The house is now a Catholic School.
Below is the view from the house with the cows and the bridge and Bath in the background. Nice isn't it?
It isn't easy to take a picture of yourself, a bridge and a distant house. I am so cool. And I am wearing clothes. My dress is just a strapless smocked/halter dress.
The paladian bridge with the house in the far background.
Bath Assembly Room pix
the blue is the ballroom, the yellowish is the tea room.
It was hard to capture the scale of these rooms, but they were indeed grand. Here the Bath elite would mix for the season. Here daughters would be brokered and connections made and broken.
Bath Pix Begin, In Random Order
The famous Royal Crescent from the lawn. The lawn was landscaped so that it was like bringing your country mansion to the city. You rented one of the 30 units in the Royal Crescent for the season and you could look out and see cows grazing the lawn and go out onto the lawn.
The medieval city walls at bath, a fragment that remains is now about walking level.
The "Parade Grounds" at Bath.
Beau Nash was charged ( I can't remember by whom) with developing manners and etiquette for the city of Bath because it was here that all sorts of Middle and Upper class people intermixed and had to because of the Baths.
Nash developed what we think of today as English manners. When to address someone, how to address them properly, how long and on what subjects to talk to people, etc. etc. This code which he developed was in place from about 1700 on. One of the things he did was find ways for the sexes to mix more. This Parade Grounds and Garden is a perfect example. The women and men would walk the park and could stop and talk to one another without violating rules of decorum.
Salisbury Cathedral Pix 2
they built with very interesting stone in Salibury. In some places outside of Salisbury, when I was on the bus, I saw the famed checkerboard buildings. All around the area, they built in patterns with stripes of this type of building material and stripes of Bath Limestone so it looked like the buildings were striped, or checkerboarded, etc.I may have already included this picture, but isn't it nice?
The inside of Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury
Salisbury Cathedral, up close
Swans on the River Avon
Sheep in Front of the Canterbury Spire
Sheep in front of the River Avon
Sheep in front of the River Avon
and the river by itself
Royal Pavilion Brighton Pix
evil creatures
unusual flowers 
unusual flowersthe Royal Pavilion
gardens at the Pavilion
more pix from brighton
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above is the path home along the upper cliff pathon the side is the path. there were usually more people, mostly on bikes so I snapped this one quickly
below is the view of the sea from my window
pix from Brighton
Well Tabea missed her train in London cause she got lost, so she'll take a much later train and then a cab from the station, but I have to let her into the rooming house, so I have some time to upload photos.
the black butterflies at the Royal Pavilion
Me on the Brighton Pier. At the very end of the land on the horizon is the first white cliff I walked to.
below is the zoom lens on the first of the cliffs I walked by the next day
the black butterflies at the Royal Pavilion
A very different sort of beach from Eluethera
Beach and pier at Brighton
Beach and pier at Brighton
Bed, Bath and Beyond
I finally got some sleep last night. Thanks to the decreased population density of seagulls here. By the way, I learned yesterday that seagulls (yes SEAGULLS) are a protected species in England. Uggh.
After sleeping, I had a lovely breakfast with the other residents of this rooming house, a German couple and an Italian woman here on business. It was quite cold and gloomy when I left the boarding house about quarter to 10. I thought it might be a miserable time, but I went out anyway. First I went to the visitor's center to make reservations for Stonehenge tomorrow and to get a ticket on the bus around town today. My feet being somewhat tired still, I thought it might be nice especially since there is a stop right by my rooming house. So I went on the tour to almost the end, stopped at the number 1 Royal Crescent, one of the most famous architectural features of Bath. It is a crescent-shaped Palladian style series of row houses that were the "season" (winter ball season) residences of the rich and aristocratic in Bath during the 18th century. This particular one has been restored to the period. It was fascinating. I learned such tidbits as: the reason dishes often have a silver (or gold) line around the edge is because it was a useful ornamentation when candles were very expensive and light was very limited. The silver reflected the candlelight and you could see your plate or teacup! Also there were many mirrors used in decoration for similar reasons. I aslo learned that Bath was the premier gambling location of the Georgian era. People would gamble after dinner in the drawing rooms or studies, etc. Women even gambled quite frequently. The docent said that it out-vegased vegas in its day. When Victoria came to the throne, however, it was all stopped. She said that the Victorians were actually much worse than the Georgians, they were just better at hiding it! In the basement of the house was the kitchen. In the kitchen was a fireplace and turning spits in front of it. But how were the spits turned? There was a contraption almost identical to a hampster wheel suspended from the ceiling and very high. Dogs, yes DOGS, were put there and made to run to keep the spit going. It was apparently almost universally done in Bath homes. Imagine Erasmus in one of those things (since it was made for dogs of his size). The information there said that if the dog wouldn't run, to train them, they put a hot coal on the wheel so the dog had to run to keep away from it. Not sure exactly how that worked, but I was feeling sorry for Rassie just thinking about it. The docent there said that this was a step up because it was children they used before dogs. Also there were similar contraptions throughout England for dogs to cause a wheel to spin to churn butter, etc.
While I was in number 1 Royal Crescent, it rained profusely, but when I got out it was much nicer. I hopped back on the bus, listened to the rest of the information, hopped onto the accompanying tour (part of the price) a little further afield into the countryside and went to Prior Park Gardens. That was an absolutely magnificent experience. I felt a bit like a Regency English lady since I was wearing a long dress-- okay of t-shirt material and smocked at the top, but still-- because that is actually one of the warmer outfits I have. As I got off the bus, the skies cleared and it was rather warm. The park workers were falling over themselves to help me since there weren't any other customers since it had been raining most of the day. I walked through the wooded forest areas of the park and often couldn't see any sign that I wasn't back 200 years. The garden is done in the natural style (which is entirely calculated and not at all natural) so that there is a great view down to a manufactured lake from the house. The house itself is now a school, but the lawn down to the lake still has grazing cattle. Over the lake itself is a Palladian bridge, one of 4 in the world. It was rather beautiful. On the lake, again, many swans and signets were chasing the ducks. Beyond you could see a panorama of Bath from certain angles, others had weeping willows and other beautiful trees. It was idyllic. I thought that if Dad had been born a man of leisure in England during the time period, he might have created exactly such a garden. There were, after all, hydrangeas blooming!
I decided to walk back down the mountain to Bath instead of taking the bus. It was an excellent choice. The sun was still shining through the clouds and the exit from the gardens took you through a little village and along a walled street past a 16th century church. It was amazing and I am not sure I took enough pictures even though I took tons. It was incredibly romantic to walk along this walled path with nothing but cottages that were 2o0 or more years old. I saw two cars and a motorcycle the whole time, and they were parked. Otherwise I passed two men walking together and later a woman with a baby in a stroller, but, other than that, had the place to myself. So cool. I took a stroll today through the English countryside.
Back in Bath, now 2:30, absolutely famished, I went to the Regency Tea Rooms at the Jane Austen museum. There I had the "Tea with Darcy" which consisted of cucumber and cheese sandwiches, a scone with clotted cream and jam like nothing I'd ever eaten before and lemon drizzle cake. An excellent lunch substitute. And the tea I had was so amazingly excellent, a blend of chinese teas that was popular in Austen's time. If I could get that tea I would never drink anything else. It was really smooth.
Then I decided, having already done the part of the day Dad would have liked best and Mom would have enjoyed (the gardens), to do the part Mom would like best and Dad would enjoy. I went to the Fashion Museum. The museum is located in the Assembly Rooms, the rooms where all the balls were held in Regency Bath and where there was a Tea Room, described in Austen's Northanger Abbey, and where the people would gather other than at the Pump Room (which Tabea and I are going to tomorrow). The Assembly rooms were being decorated for an event this evening in Christmas decorations, apparently to somehow gather support for some sort of Christmas events. I think some quite notable people were supposed to be coming. At any rate, they let me peak into the rooms and I have never seen grander rooms ever. It's what I wanted the ballroom at the White House to look like. First, the Ballroom is HUGE, second, there are gorgeous chandeliers and a beautiful carved white stucco ceiling. Otherwise the ornamentation was plain but for some big fireplaces-- several on both sides of the room and on either end. The tour bus information said that the balls began at 7 with the minuet wherein only one couple at a time danced. That lasted for 2 hours. Then there was other dancing from 9-11:30 when everyone would go to bed, only to get up at 6 am to "take the waters" (i.e. bathe in the natural spring waters).
Back to the fashion museum in the basement of the Assembly Rooms. The museum is actually a bit lacking in display, only a few things from each era, but some really interesting things nonetheless. The best display was of some 30 sets of gloves from 400-200 years old. The gloves were unbelievably embroidered and there is no way to tell men's gloves from women's except for their size. Quite interesting. Other than that, they had an American (yes!?!) woman's wedding dress from 1900 and many of the things she had in the wedding, including all the bills. It must have been quite a nice affair because it was $425 for the 100 guest dinner and $30 for the flowers. Would that weddings cost that now! But of course it does show how the elaborate weddings of this era are not unique. The receipts indicated that elaborate weddings were happening at least in 1900. The other piece of interest I wanted to include from the Fashion Museum was regarding a handbag they had from the 1800s. It was embroidered with beetle wings from India. Apparently it was quite fashionable to embroider with beetle wings! They were beautiful. . . Ah fashion.
After that I came home, exhausted and am writing you. Tabea comes in about 5 hours and I want to shower and rest a bit before I walk to the train to meet her. Also I think I might go get a steak at the Pump Room because they have a ribeye for 15 pounds and I am starving and haven't had red meat in a while. I think I need to do it for scientific purposes as well in order to compare it with Nebraska beef, New York beef and French beef to put it on that scale. I hope it comes rather towards the Nebraska side and not the French side, but for scientific purposes, I will have to eat it either way!
The skies are clearing again, which is good. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain all day, of course, it was supposed to rain all day today too and there were some nice spells. We'll see. Hopefully it isn't too miserable at Stonehenge tomorrow.
I might have more to report this evening, but this is it for now.
Wendy
After sleeping, I had a lovely breakfast with the other residents of this rooming house, a German couple and an Italian woman here on business. It was quite cold and gloomy when I left the boarding house about quarter to 10. I thought it might be a miserable time, but I went out anyway. First I went to the visitor's center to make reservations for Stonehenge tomorrow and to get a ticket on the bus around town today. My feet being somewhat tired still, I thought it might be nice especially since there is a stop right by my rooming house. So I went on the tour to almost the end, stopped at the number 1 Royal Crescent, one of the most famous architectural features of Bath. It is a crescent-shaped Palladian style series of row houses that were the "season" (winter ball season) residences of the rich and aristocratic in Bath during the 18th century. This particular one has been restored to the period. It was fascinating. I learned such tidbits as: the reason dishes often have a silver (or gold) line around the edge is because it was a useful ornamentation when candles were very expensive and light was very limited. The silver reflected the candlelight and you could see your plate or teacup! Also there were many mirrors used in decoration for similar reasons. I aslo learned that Bath was the premier gambling location of the Georgian era. People would gamble after dinner in the drawing rooms or studies, etc. Women even gambled quite frequently. The docent said that it out-vegased vegas in its day. When Victoria came to the throne, however, it was all stopped. She said that the Victorians were actually much worse than the Georgians, they were just better at hiding it! In the basement of the house was the kitchen. In the kitchen was a fireplace and turning spits in front of it. But how were the spits turned? There was a contraption almost identical to a hampster wheel suspended from the ceiling and very high. Dogs, yes DOGS, were put there and made to run to keep the spit going. It was apparently almost universally done in Bath homes. Imagine Erasmus in one of those things (since it was made for dogs of his size). The information there said that if the dog wouldn't run, to train them, they put a hot coal on the wheel so the dog had to run to keep away from it. Not sure exactly how that worked, but I was feeling sorry for Rassie just thinking about it. The docent there said that this was a step up because it was children they used before dogs. Also there were similar contraptions throughout England for dogs to cause a wheel to spin to churn butter, etc.
While I was in number 1 Royal Crescent, it rained profusely, but when I got out it was much nicer. I hopped back on the bus, listened to the rest of the information, hopped onto the accompanying tour (part of the price) a little further afield into the countryside and went to Prior Park Gardens. That was an absolutely magnificent experience. I felt a bit like a Regency English lady since I was wearing a long dress-- okay of t-shirt material and smocked at the top, but still-- because that is actually one of the warmer outfits I have. As I got off the bus, the skies cleared and it was rather warm. The park workers were falling over themselves to help me since there weren't any other customers since it had been raining most of the day. I walked through the wooded forest areas of the park and often couldn't see any sign that I wasn't back 200 years. The garden is done in the natural style (which is entirely calculated and not at all natural) so that there is a great view down to a manufactured lake from the house. The house itself is now a school, but the lawn down to the lake still has grazing cattle. Over the lake itself is a Palladian bridge, one of 4 in the world. It was rather beautiful. On the lake, again, many swans and signets were chasing the ducks. Beyond you could see a panorama of Bath from certain angles, others had weeping willows and other beautiful trees. It was idyllic. I thought that if Dad had been born a man of leisure in England during the time period, he might have created exactly such a garden. There were, after all, hydrangeas blooming!
I decided to walk back down the mountain to Bath instead of taking the bus. It was an excellent choice. The sun was still shining through the clouds and the exit from the gardens took you through a little village and along a walled street past a 16th century church. It was amazing and I am not sure I took enough pictures even though I took tons. It was incredibly romantic to walk along this walled path with nothing but cottages that were 2o0 or more years old. I saw two cars and a motorcycle the whole time, and they were parked. Otherwise I passed two men walking together and later a woman with a baby in a stroller, but, other than that, had the place to myself. So cool. I took a stroll today through the English countryside.
Back in Bath, now 2:30, absolutely famished, I went to the Regency Tea Rooms at the Jane Austen museum. There I had the "Tea with Darcy" which consisted of cucumber and cheese sandwiches, a scone with clotted cream and jam like nothing I'd ever eaten before and lemon drizzle cake. An excellent lunch substitute. And the tea I had was so amazingly excellent, a blend of chinese teas that was popular in Austen's time. If I could get that tea I would never drink anything else. It was really smooth.
Then I decided, having already done the part of the day Dad would have liked best and Mom would have enjoyed (the gardens), to do the part Mom would like best and Dad would enjoy. I went to the Fashion Museum. The museum is located in the Assembly Rooms, the rooms where all the balls were held in Regency Bath and where there was a Tea Room, described in Austen's Northanger Abbey, and where the people would gather other than at the Pump Room (which Tabea and I are going to tomorrow). The Assembly rooms were being decorated for an event this evening in Christmas decorations, apparently to somehow gather support for some sort of Christmas events. I think some quite notable people were supposed to be coming. At any rate, they let me peak into the rooms and I have never seen grander rooms ever. It's what I wanted the ballroom at the White House to look like. First, the Ballroom is HUGE, second, there are gorgeous chandeliers and a beautiful carved white stucco ceiling. Otherwise the ornamentation was plain but for some big fireplaces-- several on both sides of the room and on either end. The tour bus information said that the balls began at 7 with the minuet wherein only one couple at a time danced. That lasted for 2 hours. Then there was other dancing from 9-11:30 when everyone would go to bed, only to get up at 6 am to "take the waters" (i.e. bathe in the natural spring waters).
Back to the fashion museum in the basement of the Assembly Rooms. The museum is actually a bit lacking in display, only a few things from each era, but some really interesting things nonetheless. The best display was of some 30 sets of gloves from 400-200 years old. The gloves were unbelievably embroidered and there is no way to tell men's gloves from women's except for their size. Quite interesting. Other than that, they had an American (yes!?!) woman's wedding dress from 1900 and many of the things she had in the wedding, including all the bills. It must have been quite a nice affair because it was $425 for the 100 guest dinner and $30 for the flowers. Would that weddings cost that now! But of course it does show how the elaborate weddings of this era are not unique. The receipts indicated that elaborate weddings were happening at least in 1900. The other piece of interest I wanted to include from the Fashion Museum was regarding a handbag they had from the 1800s. It was embroidered with beetle wings from India. Apparently it was quite fashionable to embroider with beetle wings! They were beautiful. . . Ah fashion.
After that I came home, exhausted and am writing you. Tabea comes in about 5 hours and I want to shower and rest a bit before I walk to the train to meet her. Also I think I might go get a steak at the Pump Room because they have a ribeye for 15 pounds and I am starving and haven't had red meat in a while. I think I need to do it for scientific purposes as well in order to compare it with Nebraska beef, New York beef and French beef to put it on that scale. I hope it comes rather towards the Nebraska side and not the French side, but for scientific purposes, I will have to eat it either way!
The skies are clearing again, which is good. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain all day, of course, it was supposed to rain all day today too and there were some nice spells. We'll see. Hopefully it isn't too miserable at Stonehenge tomorrow.
I might have more to report this evening, but this is it for now.
Wendy
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Salisbury, Excitement, Bath
This morning I got up early, had breakfast at the earliest possible time at my hotel (they all give free breakfast) and was off to the train. The trip to Salisbury went smoothly enough. I was seated next to a chemist who works on submarines in Plymouth. Interesting "chap."
As we were going along the train, I looked up and saw a beautiful castle pirched on the side of a hill overlooking the plain we were travelling on and out to the sea. I looked it up later and realized it was Arundel Castle. Someday I need to come back and see that. It was the most castle-y castle I've ever seen. Just exactly what you'd think of with turrets and everything.
There are butterfly bushes EVERYWHERE in this country and they range in size from VW bus to small house. It's unbelievable.
Went to Salisbury. There as I was walking to the Cathedral, which has a spire you really can see from everywhere, I got my first glimpse of the Avon river. It's beautiful. I would maybe call it a brook or something, but it is an important river here. Of course it's about 2 feet deep in most places and 6 feet wide. (It's actually deeper here in Bath, but in Salibury it is super wimpy.) There were swans meandering on the river and sheep grazing in the field nearby. It was the quintessential pastoral landscape, especially with the Spire in the background.
When I was a little girl, I saw a picture of a John Constable painting of Salisbury Cathedral. I was fascinated by it and always have thought it would be neat to see it. In the painting, the clouds look menacing, light here, dark there, with patches of blue sky. A cow drinks from the Avon river in the middle ground and a couple stroll along in the foreground. Some sheep are present. That was pretty much recreated in reality-- minus the cow-- today for me. It threatened to rain, rained for a moment, cleared up alternatively every five minutes. The trees are even larger than they were in Constables time, and I couldnt' get exactly the shot from the same angle he painted the picture, but I got rather close. I'll put it up later.
I am sorry but I can't put up pictures tonight either as I am just too tired.
I walked up to the cathedral then and for some reason had low blood sugar, perhaps because I was carrying my very heavy packpack -- I think it is 40 lbs-- the mile and a half from the train station. I stopped then in the cafe and ate lunch. I only felt slightly better so I walked halfheartedly through the inside of the cathedral-- it was magnificent, but for me it is the outsides that are always the most interesting. Also I had to walk with my backpack as there was no place to store luggage. I didn't have the willpower to climb the 300 steps to the spire, especially because I thought it might be really cloudy when I got to the top. I didn't spend more than a half hour in the Cathedral itself. The priest of the Cathedral did see me studying particularly closely a tomb of a bishop from the 11th Century and he struck up a conversation with me. He seemed like a nice fellow, wanted to know where I was from, etc.
I went to the Chapter house of the Cathedral, saw the medieval carvings, stumped the docent with a question I had about them, viewed the Magna Carta for about 10 seconds, and rather dispiritedly and footsore moved on.
I left the Cathedral and walked around town for a few minutes, considered getting a taxi back to the station, didn't want to spend the money, so walked back taking a few more really good pictures on the way. Bought a ticket to Bath about 8 minutes before the train was scheduled, got on the train and then. . .
They closed the tracks because there had been an accident.
So everyone got off the train, we sat for an hour while they got a bus. I met an Englishman whose wife was from a little town called Brock Nebraska. Now they live in Nice France. He was a lively and interesting fellow who very much reminded me of one of the guys in the class I taught at Rejoice.
The bus came; it was an hour ride; I saw some of the famous chalk carvings in the hillsides.
It was a two story bus, winding roads, I was exhausted because of stupid seagulls, and I got extremely carsick. I didnt' think I was going to make it, but at last we arrived, I caught the next train the rest of hte way to Bath, got a cab to my hotel in Bath and collapsed. . .
For about 20 minutes. But then I realized I need to take advantage of my time here and I was a little perked up from resting and it is much easier to go around without that ridiculously heavy backpack.
So this evening I walked around Bath.
It is now my very VERY favorite city in the WORLD. Dresden was before, but now it's Bath. Bath is located sort of in some old mountains. They are tall, but very rounded. Everywhere you look are Georgian buildings made of the same kind and color of stone. It is quarried near here I read once. The River Avon wanders through here too. Always, wherever you look, there is some elaborate church spire. There are parks and squares everywhere. Mostly they are done in a more "naturalistic" or "informal" style. So you get grand and sweeping vistas which were cleverly planned out.
I peeked at the Roman baths. It is astounding to think of this very place and all the people who have walked through here.
I am sorry this blog sounds like a weather report, but I am way too tired and footsore to do better at the moment. My reflections will come later I suppose. Right now I am going to take a nice bath (since I am in Bath) and then sleep.
Tomorrow I will probably try to rest my feet a bit. I might go to the modern baths and soak my poor feet. Certainly I am going to try to see some of the gardens and possibly the Abbey museum since we wont' have time when Tabea gets here. She arrives tomorrow night. But based on the plan I have for us on Friday and Saturday, we're going to need to sleep, so I'll have to put off talking to someone I know for the first time since Sunday afternoon until Friday. And you all know how easy that will be for me.
It just started raining. My bed is under a slanted roof with a window in it so the rain is pattering against it. It sounds like the beds in the tent camper did when I was a kid. I suppose I wouldn't have known what to think if you'd have told me the last time I was sleeping in the tent camper that I would be reminded of it by my guesthouse lodgings in Bath, UK 20 years later.
Okay, I am struggling to stay awake now so I'll sign off for now.
Hope all are well.
There will be much to report tomorrow.
W
As we were going along the train, I looked up and saw a beautiful castle pirched on the side of a hill overlooking the plain we were travelling on and out to the sea. I looked it up later and realized it was Arundel Castle. Someday I need to come back and see that. It was the most castle-y castle I've ever seen. Just exactly what you'd think of with turrets and everything.
There are butterfly bushes EVERYWHERE in this country and they range in size from VW bus to small house. It's unbelievable.
Went to Salisbury. There as I was walking to the Cathedral, which has a spire you really can see from everywhere, I got my first glimpse of the Avon river. It's beautiful. I would maybe call it a brook or something, but it is an important river here. Of course it's about 2 feet deep in most places and 6 feet wide. (It's actually deeper here in Bath, but in Salibury it is super wimpy.) There were swans meandering on the river and sheep grazing in the field nearby. It was the quintessential pastoral landscape, especially with the Spire in the background.
When I was a little girl, I saw a picture of a John Constable painting of Salisbury Cathedral. I was fascinated by it and always have thought it would be neat to see it. In the painting, the clouds look menacing, light here, dark there, with patches of blue sky. A cow drinks from the Avon river in the middle ground and a couple stroll along in the foreground. Some sheep are present. That was pretty much recreated in reality-- minus the cow-- today for me. It threatened to rain, rained for a moment, cleared up alternatively every five minutes. The trees are even larger than they were in Constables time, and I couldnt' get exactly the shot from the same angle he painted the picture, but I got rather close. I'll put it up later.
I am sorry but I can't put up pictures tonight either as I am just too tired.
I walked up to the cathedral then and for some reason had low blood sugar, perhaps because I was carrying my very heavy packpack -- I think it is 40 lbs-- the mile and a half from the train station. I stopped then in the cafe and ate lunch. I only felt slightly better so I walked halfheartedly through the inside of the cathedral-- it was magnificent, but for me it is the outsides that are always the most interesting. Also I had to walk with my backpack as there was no place to store luggage. I didn't have the willpower to climb the 300 steps to the spire, especially because I thought it might be really cloudy when I got to the top. I didn't spend more than a half hour in the Cathedral itself. The priest of the Cathedral did see me studying particularly closely a tomb of a bishop from the 11th Century and he struck up a conversation with me. He seemed like a nice fellow, wanted to know where I was from, etc.
I went to the Chapter house of the Cathedral, saw the medieval carvings, stumped the docent with a question I had about them, viewed the Magna Carta for about 10 seconds, and rather dispiritedly and footsore moved on.
I left the Cathedral and walked around town for a few minutes, considered getting a taxi back to the station, didn't want to spend the money, so walked back taking a few more really good pictures on the way. Bought a ticket to Bath about 8 minutes before the train was scheduled, got on the train and then. . .
They closed the tracks because there had been an accident.
So everyone got off the train, we sat for an hour while they got a bus. I met an Englishman whose wife was from a little town called Brock Nebraska. Now they live in Nice France. He was a lively and interesting fellow who very much reminded me of one of the guys in the class I taught at Rejoice.
The bus came; it was an hour ride; I saw some of the famous chalk carvings in the hillsides.
It was a two story bus, winding roads, I was exhausted because of stupid seagulls, and I got extremely carsick. I didnt' think I was going to make it, but at last we arrived, I caught the next train the rest of hte way to Bath, got a cab to my hotel in Bath and collapsed. . .
For about 20 minutes. But then I realized I need to take advantage of my time here and I was a little perked up from resting and it is much easier to go around without that ridiculously heavy backpack.
So this evening I walked around Bath.
It is now my very VERY favorite city in the WORLD. Dresden was before, but now it's Bath. Bath is located sort of in some old mountains. They are tall, but very rounded. Everywhere you look are Georgian buildings made of the same kind and color of stone. It is quarried near here I read once. The River Avon wanders through here too. Always, wherever you look, there is some elaborate church spire. There are parks and squares everywhere. Mostly they are done in a more "naturalistic" or "informal" style. So you get grand and sweeping vistas which were cleverly planned out.
I peeked at the Roman baths. It is astounding to think of this very place and all the people who have walked through here.
I am sorry this blog sounds like a weather report, but I am way too tired and footsore to do better at the moment. My reflections will come later I suppose. Right now I am going to take a nice bath (since I am in Bath) and then sleep.
Tomorrow I will probably try to rest my feet a bit. I might go to the modern baths and soak my poor feet. Certainly I am going to try to see some of the gardens and possibly the Abbey museum since we wont' have time when Tabea gets here. She arrives tomorrow night. But based on the plan I have for us on Friday and Saturday, we're going to need to sleep, so I'll have to put off talking to someone I know for the first time since Sunday afternoon until Friday. And you all know how easy that will be for me.
It just started raining. My bed is under a slanted roof with a window in it so the rain is pattering against it. It sounds like the beds in the tent camper did when I was a kid. I suppose I wouldn't have known what to think if you'd have told me the last time I was sleeping in the tent camper that I would be reminded of it by my guesthouse lodgings in Bath, UK 20 years later.
Okay, I am struggling to stay awake now so I'll sign off for now.
Hope all are well.
There will be much to report tomorrow.
W
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
teenagers
Uggh, there are teenagers being very loud outside my windows tonight, drowning out even the seagulls for moments. There, the seagulls are back.
Instead of having a leisurely afternoon by the sea, I walked four miles to the next town, Rottingdean, along the base of the white chalk cliffs. Then I walked back along the top of the cliffs. For three hours I never stopped. Uggh. My feet are pretty spent tonight. Luckily I had some pretty great tennis shoes. Thanks Jolin for being patient while I stewed over that decision for an hour. The effort paid off I think.
The cliffs were amazing and there were some pretty great flowers too. They have such interesting stuff growing wild here: Dusty Millers the size of bushes, tall dandelions-- three or more feet tall, bee balm, lots of bee balm. Quite a pretty walk.
I had fish for dinner from a fish and chips shop. The poor gal behind the counter couldn't understand my accent. She had some sort of Middle Eastern accent and didn't seem overly confident in her English, then throw in an American and it was quite tricky.
I thought about going to a pub or something to talk to some locals, but really I am just too tired from my trek this afternoon. And tomorrow I have to get up early to catch the train to Salisbury, view the cathedral, then catch a train to Bath and move into the room there. Tabea comes on Thursday!
I promise to post pictures sometime soon, but for now I am too tired and I want to finish reading a chapter of my book on the history of Salibury before I go.
Have a good evening all.
Wendy
Instead of having a leisurely afternoon by the sea, I walked four miles to the next town, Rottingdean, along the base of the white chalk cliffs. Then I walked back along the top of the cliffs. For three hours I never stopped. Uggh. My feet are pretty spent tonight. Luckily I had some pretty great tennis shoes. Thanks Jolin for being patient while I stewed over that decision for an hour. The effort paid off I think.
The cliffs were amazing and there were some pretty great flowers too. They have such interesting stuff growing wild here: Dusty Millers the size of bushes, tall dandelions-- three or more feet tall, bee balm, lots of bee balm. Quite a pretty walk.
I had fish for dinner from a fish and chips shop. The poor gal behind the counter couldn't understand my accent. She had some sort of Middle Eastern accent and didn't seem overly confident in her English, then throw in an American and it was quite tricky.
I thought about going to a pub or something to talk to some locals, but really I am just too tired from my trek this afternoon. And tomorrow I have to get up early to catch the train to Salisbury, view the cathedral, then catch a train to Bath and move into the room there. Tabea comes on Thursday!
I promise to post pictures sometime soon, but for now I am too tired and I want to finish reading a chapter of my book on the history of Salibury before I go.
Have a good evening all.
Wendy
First Day in Brighton
Hello All!
I should have perhaps started this chronicle yesterday, but I was so tired from the trip that I am just now getting underway. Also, now I have pictures to include from yesterday evening when I went walking around.
After a somewhat eventful plane trip and a very smooth transition into England, I am in Brighton. Last night I walked to the end of the pier and around the Royal Pavillion gardens taking a few pictures.
If you are not interested in flowers, do not read this paragraph. The Royal Pavillion gardens are quite nice. I saw some white valerian, which I thought was interesting, along with several shades of pink. Also there were hollyhocks everywhere. Surprisingly, there were palms, obviously planted, but clearly not being dug out to overwinter. So the weather here must always be quite temperate. I had read that before but was quite shocked about the palm trees. Also, there were fuscias, in the ground, that were as tall as me, giant rambling fuscia bushes. The grass, which seems always to be inhabited by random teenage jugglers and a smattering of the youthful punk population of the town as well as the occasional double-knit polyester clad, white-haired, elder lady of Brighton, is rather pale and well worn. It looks sad, as though someone ought to take a little care of it. Compared to the otherwise beautiful landscaping, it is quite an eyesore.
The poppies and pansies are in full bloom so you can imagine the temperature here is not very hot. In fact, last night I needed a sweater to walk around. Nevertheless, my little room, which is a sea-view insofar as I can see the sea if I stick my head out the window, is quite warm. Last night I opened the window when I couldn't take it anymore. The seagulls, since the sea is about 100 yards from me, are so deafening that I had a terrible time sleeping last night. The mournful wail of the gull made me want to give the gulls something to mourn about! I even contemplated whether it would do any good to throw things at them but decided it wouldn't and that my aim is probably not particularly good at moving birds from a third story window anyway.
The room is about the size of my bathroom in Syracuse, just enough room for a twin bed and a little desk with about 1.5 feet between them, but it serves my purposes and is quite clean. While it is true that the bed is at a 10 or 15 degree slant from one side to the other, it is rather comfortable anyway and I used the blanket- unneeded in the heat-- to prop my right side up even with my left. The sheets are quite nice though and that is something very important to me so I am happy. Also there are 2! pillows. So I feel like I've found a bit of luxury here.
Last night I had dinner at the attached French bistro, which I knew would be good when I entered and the other three diners were all speaking French and the waitresses were speaking fluently with them. I could pick up a little of what they were saying here and there, but I am worried about going to France now because I realize just how quickly everyone speaks. I immediately after dinner went back to my room and looked up how to say "please speak more slowly" in French.
The dinner was fantastic. I had salad lyonnaise, with bits of side pork (they called it bacon) and a poached egg in the middle. Then I had a chicken quarter which was unbelievably juicy with a red wine sauce. I cannot describe how good this chicken was. The skin was crispy but the sauce was creamy. Oh so delicious! I was persuaded by the first two courses to try the dessert. Creme brulee the way it is supposed to be. Wow.
This morning I had a very full English breakfast and walked over to the Royal Pavillion and went inside. I never use the audioguides at musuems, don't know why really. I guess I feel like you see then only what they direct you to see and cannot find the little things for yourself. My favorite room was not the extremely elaborate music room or the banqueting hall, which were amazing of course, but the kitchen. It was enormous and they had all the copper kettles original to the place. So many copper pans in all shapes and sizes, and a fascinating contraption for roasting (and turning) hundreds of small game birds over one of the fires. I am bringing home a poster of one of the meals they served there, a very famous meal honoring Tzar Nicholas I. It is unbelievable the amount of food they prepared, hundreds of dishes, including lobster and shrimp "pyramids" and a pastry replication of the Royal Pavilion. Perhaps that was one of the most lavish meals served in the history of the world. I thought of you Jenny Penny when I was reading about it and at the kitchen itself. You would have loved that place, a combination of two of your loves-- history and cooking! Mom too. I think you would have really marveled at it.
Having watched the movie Young Victoria on the plane, I was particularly interested in Queen Victoria's apartments. They were quite beautiful with a type of yellow wallpaper that had just been invented a few years before the rooms were decorated.
Throughout the Pavillion there were black glass butterflies, an exhibit which the city of Brighton, owner of the Royal Pavillion since Victoria sold it to them, has commissioned. The exhibit is to symbolize the fact that this palace was made at a time when much of England was starving (around the turn of the 19th century). Extravagance in the face of so much need. Nevertheless, the palace remains a beautiful beautiful and somewhat unique fantasy world. And yet also, the world it depicts is only possible because of the terrible orientalizing which was done by the British at this time. The building mixes influences from India, China, Japan and Egypt, exoticizing everything. It is its own act of colonization by the way it interprets the East to the visitors of the palace. The black butterflies, beautful and light and so gorgeously snuck into the Regency decorations of the place, are meant to suggest both the terrible excesses of the time and the great beauty created through excess, a not-straightforward ethical problem of historical grand architecture. The exhibition suggests that we should all reflect on this complexity in our own excesses. It made me think of how lucky I am to be able to come here and see all of this and how I have a responsibility because of that "excess" to do something with my time here. And so I continue to ponder it all and try to use my experiences to shape the thinking I do in my own work. A very interesting exhibit especially given the history I have with the symbol of the butterfly.
This afternoon I intend to sit on the beach, although it is quite gray and a bit cold here, and read or watch people walking. I might try to do some more sightseeing at some of the churches in town this afternoon later, but mostly I am relaxing as there is a great deal more to see on this trip and I don't want to expend all my energy at once.
I am quite tempted to go to the bistro again tonight because I have rarely had such delicious food. Since it is 15 pounds, however, I may just eat fish and chips on the pier. It is my own black butterfly decision.
I should have perhaps started this chronicle yesterday, but I was so tired from the trip that I am just now getting underway. Also, now I have pictures to include from yesterday evening when I went walking around.
After a somewhat eventful plane trip and a very smooth transition into England, I am in Brighton. Last night I walked to the end of the pier and around the Royal Pavillion gardens taking a few pictures.
If you are not interested in flowers, do not read this paragraph. The Royal Pavillion gardens are quite nice. I saw some white valerian, which I thought was interesting, along with several shades of pink. Also there were hollyhocks everywhere. Surprisingly, there were palms, obviously planted, but clearly not being dug out to overwinter. So the weather here must always be quite temperate. I had read that before but was quite shocked about the palm trees. Also, there were fuscias, in the ground, that were as tall as me, giant rambling fuscia bushes. The grass, which seems always to be inhabited by random teenage jugglers and a smattering of the youthful punk population of the town as well as the occasional double-knit polyester clad, white-haired, elder lady of Brighton, is rather pale and well worn. It looks sad, as though someone ought to take a little care of it. Compared to the otherwise beautiful landscaping, it is quite an eyesore.
The poppies and pansies are in full bloom so you can imagine the temperature here is not very hot. In fact, last night I needed a sweater to walk around. Nevertheless, my little room, which is a sea-view insofar as I can see the sea if I stick my head out the window, is quite warm. Last night I opened the window when I couldn't take it anymore. The seagulls, since the sea is about 100 yards from me, are so deafening that I had a terrible time sleeping last night. The mournful wail of the gull made me want to give the gulls something to mourn about! I even contemplated whether it would do any good to throw things at them but decided it wouldn't and that my aim is probably not particularly good at moving birds from a third story window anyway.
The room is about the size of my bathroom in Syracuse, just enough room for a twin bed and a little desk with about 1.5 feet between them, but it serves my purposes and is quite clean. While it is true that the bed is at a 10 or 15 degree slant from one side to the other, it is rather comfortable anyway and I used the blanket- unneeded in the heat-- to prop my right side up even with my left. The sheets are quite nice though and that is something very important to me so I am happy. Also there are 2! pillows. So I feel like I've found a bit of luxury here.
Last night I had dinner at the attached French bistro, which I knew would be good when I entered and the other three diners were all speaking French and the waitresses were speaking fluently with them. I could pick up a little of what they were saying here and there, but I am worried about going to France now because I realize just how quickly everyone speaks. I immediately after dinner went back to my room and looked up how to say "please speak more slowly" in French.
The dinner was fantastic. I had salad lyonnaise, with bits of side pork (they called it bacon) and a poached egg in the middle. Then I had a chicken quarter which was unbelievably juicy with a red wine sauce. I cannot describe how good this chicken was. The skin was crispy but the sauce was creamy. Oh so delicious! I was persuaded by the first two courses to try the dessert. Creme brulee the way it is supposed to be. Wow.
This morning I had a very full English breakfast and walked over to the Royal Pavillion and went inside. I never use the audioguides at musuems, don't know why really. I guess I feel like you see then only what they direct you to see and cannot find the little things for yourself. My favorite room was not the extremely elaborate music room or the banqueting hall, which were amazing of course, but the kitchen. It was enormous and they had all the copper kettles original to the place. So many copper pans in all shapes and sizes, and a fascinating contraption for roasting (and turning) hundreds of small game birds over one of the fires. I am bringing home a poster of one of the meals they served there, a very famous meal honoring Tzar Nicholas I. It is unbelievable the amount of food they prepared, hundreds of dishes, including lobster and shrimp "pyramids" and a pastry replication of the Royal Pavilion. Perhaps that was one of the most lavish meals served in the history of the world. I thought of you Jenny Penny when I was reading about it and at the kitchen itself. You would have loved that place, a combination of two of your loves-- history and cooking! Mom too. I think you would have really marveled at it.
Having watched the movie Young Victoria on the plane, I was particularly interested in Queen Victoria's apartments. They were quite beautiful with a type of yellow wallpaper that had just been invented a few years before the rooms were decorated.
Throughout the Pavillion there were black glass butterflies, an exhibit which the city of Brighton, owner of the Royal Pavillion since Victoria sold it to them, has commissioned. The exhibit is to symbolize the fact that this palace was made at a time when much of England was starving (around the turn of the 19th century). Extravagance in the face of so much need. Nevertheless, the palace remains a beautiful beautiful and somewhat unique fantasy world. And yet also, the world it depicts is only possible because of the terrible orientalizing which was done by the British at this time. The building mixes influences from India, China, Japan and Egypt, exoticizing everything. It is its own act of colonization by the way it interprets the East to the visitors of the palace. The black butterflies, beautful and light and so gorgeously snuck into the Regency decorations of the place, are meant to suggest both the terrible excesses of the time and the great beauty created through excess, a not-straightforward ethical problem of historical grand architecture. The exhibition suggests that we should all reflect on this complexity in our own excesses. It made me think of how lucky I am to be able to come here and see all of this and how I have a responsibility because of that "excess" to do something with my time here. And so I continue to ponder it all and try to use my experiences to shape the thinking I do in my own work. A very interesting exhibit especially given the history I have with the symbol of the butterfly.
This afternoon I intend to sit on the beach, although it is quite gray and a bit cold here, and read or watch people walking. I might try to do some more sightseeing at some of the churches in town this afternoon later, but mostly I am relaxing as there is a great deal more to see on this trip and I don't want to expend all my energy at once.
I am quite tempted to go to the bistro again tonight because I have rarely had such delicious food. Since it is 15 pounds, however, I may just eat fish and chips on the pier. It is my own black butterfly decision.
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