Well I'm finally in Atlanta, after a very long day! Flight left Gatwick at 12.20 and it was a direct flight of about nine hours. Very excitingly bought a camera from Duty Free before I left - a Fuji FinePix f10. It's really lovely! Sadly I've had to wait until I got here to play with it as it needed a charge, but tomorrow, I enter the digital world!
Flight was ok - watched War of the World (just ridiculous) and Mother In Law (entertaining enough, was nice to see Jane Fonda on screen again!).
Atlanta Airport is apparently the busiest airport in the world (but don't they all say that?). Anyway, lining up for immigration took forever, we had to get our fingerprints and photos done. There wasn't a major questioning of "what are you doing here?" etc. thank goodness, but I had all my bits of paper printed out if there was. Then after going through customs, and picking up luggage, there was then another security check, our bags were taken off us again, we had to be scanned and take our shoes and belts off to be scanned. After putting shoes and belts back on again, then we had to travel on the transit to the entrance to the airport where we retrieved our luggage again! Rigmarole! I guess the US is on a higher state of alert at the moment though.
Travelled into Atlanta on the metro which is known as the MARTA here. Found the guest house that I had booked, and it was all shut up - I'm really unimpressed! I booked through Opodo, and had confirmed the booking with them. But according to the B&B next door, the guesthouse where I was meant to be staying has turned into an accomodation bookable only by the week. It looks quite dodgy now, and apparently one of the current guests has a pig in his room! The lovely woman at the guesthouse next door recommended the Hotel Indigo nearby, so that's where I am now. It's really lovely! Can't wait to go to sleep in the lovely bed! It's a bit more expensive than I wanted to pay, but when you've been travelling all day, you don't really care!
Needless to say, I've sent Opodo a stroppy message, demanding an immediate refund and an explanation. Not nice being in a strange city, on your own, lugging round a suitcase with nowhere to stay!
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Monday, September 19, 2005
Fiona in the snow!
It snowed in Christchurch over the weekend - quite heavily from the looks of it! Some photos on John's Flickr account...
Thursday, September 15, 2005
team blogging!
Following the very successful presentation about blogging that I gave to my department last week, I've set up a team blog for us to use. The CBK blog will give keen people a forum to discuss blogs, RSS, wikis and other exciting technologies! I just hope that I can keep my two blogs separate and don't post messages about some gig or restaurant that all my colleagues can see!
queuing!
As someone who has inadvertently started a queue just by milling around, I loved this article from the Guardian about the appeal of queuing.
Haven't seen any of the famed petrol queues yet though!
Haven't seen any of the famed petrol queues yet though!
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
current!
Have been reading about the launch of the new 'Berliner' version of the Guardian over the last couple of days. The new edition was launched yesterday and has had a complete redesign - the size is halfway inbetween a broadsheet and a tabloid (much easier to read on the bus!) and there is a brand new font. I also think it's less inkier on the hands, but apparently that's not consistent. There's an interesting Editor's blog that has blogged all the steps of releasing the new edition (not the whole redesign process though - that's taken about three years!).
One link I found quite useful on the blog was to Newseum, a site which has the front pages of 470 newpapers from 46 countries - it seems very up to date.
One link I found quite useful on the blog was to Newseum, a site which has the front pages of 470 newpapers from 46 countries - it seems very up to date.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
at the Square & Compass, near Swanage
We visited the lovely Square & Compass pub near Swanage last weekend. This is taken at the end of the night so we're looking a bit tired and emotional - from left, Corinna, Will, Sue, Mhairi and Felix.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Dale Chihuly at Kew Gardens
Kt has posted some photos on her Flickr account of the Dale Chihuly 'Gardens of Glass' exhibition we went to a couple of weeks ago at Kew Gardens. Click on the photo to see more!
Mhairi and John in the kitchen
John came round for dinner a couple of weeks ago during his visit to London - here's a photo of us using the self-timer on the camera!
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
learning!
I've volunteered to do a 'Lunch and Learn' session at work next month focusing on blogs, wikis, RSS, and other nifty social computing tools. One of my colleagues suggested that I blog my creation of the presentation, and of course the blog provides a good record of where I've been and what's good!
Have been doing some research today, visiting Headshift, the Guardian Online Blog, BoingBoing and Demystifying Usability.
I went to the City Information Group presentation that David Tebbut gave a few months ago on blogging and social computing - I was up to speed with most of it already, but it was a useful summary.
Will be telling everyone about NewsGator as well which is the RSS tool I use for subscribing to content. Google Talk has just been launched today and I'll touch on that as well as Skype which has been big news recently.
If there's any librarians interested, there is a huge Google Directory page with links to loads of librarian created blogs, including Dispatches from a Public Librarian on old favourite McSweenys.net
On a less serious note, I'm not sure how I found it, but I stumbled across this great table today, plotting Global Average temperature vs number of pirates.
Have been doing some research today, visiting Headshift, the Guardian Online Blog, BoingBoing and Demystifying Usability.
I went to the City Information Group presentation that David Tebbut gave a few months ago on blogging and social computing - I was up to speed with most of it already, but it was a useful summary.
Will be telling everyone about NewsGator as well which is the RSS tool I use for subscribing to content. Google Talk has just been launched today and I'll touch on that as well as Skype which has been big news recently.
If there's any librarians interested, there is a huge Google Directory page with links to loads of librarian created blogs, including Dispatches from a Public Librarian on old favourite McSweenys.net
On a less serious note, I'm not sure how I found it, but I stumbled across this great table today, plotting Global Average temperature vs number of pirates.
Monday, August 22, 2005
stunning!
Kt and I went to Kew Gardens yesterday to see the amazing 'Gardens of Glass' exhibition they've got on there. They have placed glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly around the gardens, both outside, on the lake and in the conservatories. They were just amazing - surprisingly it was sunny yesterday so the coloured glass glistened beautifully in the sun. I especially loved the 'walla wallas' giant pods of glass which were on the lake. A wonderful day out!
Monday, August 15, 2005
even cuter!
Current work obsession is the Polar Cam - the webcam at the Polar Bear plunge pool at San Diego zoo!
Friday, August 12, 2005
Monday, August 08, 2005
chilling!
Had a lovely day at Fruitstock yesterday afternoon. Fruitstock is an free festival that’s held in Regent’s Park every August and is organised by Innocent, a company which makes smoothies and fruitjuices. There are loads of foodstalls, including a very popular stand from our favourite piemakers, Pie.
The DJ tent was fantastic again this year with a good set from Hed Kandi, which saw Andrew grooving along with quite a few babies on shoulders.
Sitting eating Pies are (clockwise from Mhairi in hat) Geraint, Simon, Li-Ann and Melissa.
Monday, August 01, 2005
renovated!
Visited an old Notting Hill favourite, the Hillgate, last night with John. It's just been renovated and is much more minimal inside than it ever was! No nick-nacks or decorations inside. The outside is much the same with hanging baskets and we had a nice sit outside on the picnic benches.
They stock one of my favourite new beers, Kronenbourg Blanc, which is a rival to the Hoegaarden white beer. It's very nice and refreshing - but I guess from reading the summary above, I'm the target audience!!
They stock one of my favourite new beers, Kronenbourg Blanc, which is a rival to the Hoegaarden white beer. It's very nice and refreshing - but I guess from reading the summary above, I'm the target audience!!
dramatic!
Went to Sadlers Wells on Saturday night to see the dance version of 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses', which was created and led by Adam Cooper. It was properly a 'dance drama' rather than a ballet, but the staging, although a little melodramatic, was quite enjoyable. The novel, and the film are mostly told through letters, so it must have been a little difficult to translate this to dance, but it all worked quite well.
innovative!
I visited the British Library at the weekend and took a tour (I was the only person on the tour so it was very personal guiding!). It was fascinating and I loved seeing the different parts of the library, especially the King's Library (donated by George III) and behind the scenes, showing the conveyer belt system that distributes the books from the basement up to the different reading rooms. We weren't allowed to go into the reading rooms as it's all very serious, but there were quite a few exhibitions to see as well.
The Turning the Pages room was really cool and is now available online - you can see pages from famous books and recreate the experience of turning the pages. The British Library has pioneered and sold on this technology. There was a very interesting Hans Christian Andersen exhibition with lots of things for children to play with, but also a good examination of his life. Apparently he went to London and stayed with Charles Dickens at one stage and overstayed his welcome!
The Turning the Pages room was really cool and is now available online - you can see pages from famous books and recreate the experience of turning the pages. The British Library has pioneered and sold on this technology. There was a very interesting Hans Christian Andersen exhibition with lots of things for children to play with, but also a good examination of his life. Apparently he went to London and stayed with Charles Dickens at one stage and overstayed his welcome!
musical!
So I'm planning a trip around the South East of the USA for October - my route is from Atlanta, to Savannah then to New Orleans. It's all very exciting and I'm sure a highlight of the holiday will be my visit to Athens, Georgia, home of REM and the B52s!
Thursday, July 28, 2005
ethical!
Really liked the idea of Scarlet Mist, an ethical website where you can exchange concert tickets or sell them for face value - hope it catches on and also hope that some Belle & Sebastian tickets for September come up!
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
hungry!
Amongst all the depressing and frankly scary news there is at the moment, I loved this article about the Hungry Caterpillar, and how the book helps children to count as well as think about time.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Congratulations!
Many congratulations to Julia, Craig, Finbarr and Megan who completed the 100 Km Trailwalker event at the weekend - we're still marvelling at the blisters, but more than that, we've admired the strength and fortitude they showed! They've raised about £5000 for Oxfam which is brilliant!
Friday, July 15, 2005
moving
We all stood silent for two minutes in the sunshine at noon yesterday to remember the victims of the bombing last week. Hundreds of people standing in front of City Hall where we were, and then we could see people standing outside on top of buildings on the other side of the river. The huge building site behind our offices fell silent for two minutes as well as the roads around the city.
Two recent articles in the Guardian have resonated with me recently, along with all the coverage of who the bombers were and the aftermath of the attack. The first, an article about the moving speech made by Marie Fatayi-Williams, the mother of one of the victims, shows the anguish and loss of a bereaved and confused mother. And the second is a letter to the terrorists from a young Muslim from Yorkshire, emphasising that the bombers are not representative of their religion or community.
I've also been following this diary on the BBC site written by a survivor of the Piccadilly Line train.
Two recent articles in the Guardian have resonated with me recently, along with all the coverage of who the bombers were and the aftermath of the attack. The first, an article about the moving speech made by Marie Fatayi-Williams, the mother of one of the victims, shows the anguish and loss of a bereaved and confused mother. And the second is a letter to the terrorists from a young Muslim from Yorkshire, emphasising that the bombers are not representative of their religion or community.
I've also been following this diary on the BBC site written by a survivor of the Piccadilly Line train.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
The Writer
The Writer is a new sculpture by Giancarlo Neri that has just been installed on Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath. It's huge! Hopefully you'll be able to see from the photo the scale of the table and chair.
Fabienne and I went up to Hampstead for a swim in the Ladies Pond. After such a warm day, it was lovely and cool and relaxing.
Afterwards, we caught the bus down to Kentish Town and bought fish and chips from the Five Star Fish and Chip Bar (this was Fabienne's first fish and chips experience) and went and sat in Charlotte and Annie's garden to eat them. We dodged all the grey haired stetson wearers at the Dwight Yoakam concert at the Forum!
Fabienne and I went up to Hampstead for a swim in the Ladies Pond. After such a warm day, it was lovely and cool and relaxing.
Afterwards, we caught the bus down to Kentish Town and bought fish and chips from the Five Star Fish and Chip Bar (this was Fabienne's first fish and chips experience) and went and sat in Charlotte and Annie's garden to eat them. We dodged all the grey haired stetson wearers at the Dwight Yoakam concert at the Forum!
Monday, July 11, 2005
groovy!
Went along to the very groovy Jazz Cafe Picnic at Kenwood House, Hampstead, last night. It was a gorgeously sunny day, and we sat in the sun and had our picnic, before retiring to the deck chairs for Lemon Jelly.
Unafraid!
Thanks very much for your messages last week – it was so lovely and reassuring to know that you were thinking of me and everyone here.
I normally travel into work (from Caledonian Road tube to London Bridge tube) by bus and it’s only occasionally that I’ll catch the tube to work as it’s normally so crowded and hot! So thankfully I stayed with my normal plan yesterday. Thankfully also Kt, who works in Fulham went to work at her normal time, rather than 20 minutes later when she would potentially have been on one of the tubes that was bombed.
Didn’t really notice anything on the way to work, even though I was travelling above ground at the same time that everything was happening other than quite a few more people walking around, and a few ambulances. My bus takes me past Kings Cross and about 500 meters from where the bus bomb went off. When I got to the office, I noticed that the TV screens in reception were showing a newsflash of ‘Walking Wounded’ and so we checked the internet at our desks.
Realised what was happening and managed to get a text message to family before the phone system overloaded. E-mail was still working so I managed to check that everyone in London was ok. A friend of a friend was on one of the tubes but thankfully managed to get out with only glass scratches and smoke inhalation – she’s very lucky though and the scenes down there must have been horrific. I think people were down there for 30 minutes or more.
Our systems at work are pretty good with coping with an emergency, including cascading communications and contacting everyone. One of my team members, Charles, was AWOL and we had an anxious couple of hours trying to get hold of him. Finally he managed to call in from a phone box.
The transportation system was totally shut down and we were told at work to stay put. Our office building which is right next to Tower Bridge is brand new and pretty bombproof so it was a lot safer to stay inside. By about 4pm though, we were told that we could go home and so I met up with Charlotte and we walked to Angel together (took about an hour) then caught a bus home from there. Many people were walking as there weren’t many buses at that stage, but everyone was quite cheerful and there was none of the anger and annoyance when there’s a tube strike etc.
Unfortunately our section of the Piccadilly line is likely to be out of service for the next few weeks as there is probably quite severe damage to the tracks and tunnel so that’s going to make transport a bit harder than normal. There’s also a sense that we knew this was going to happen at some stage, London’s always going to be a target for this type of thing and has been in the past. So thankfully the emergency services were extremely well prepared and were able to cope with the situation.
I think everything should return to normal pretty quickly but people will be pretty shaky for a wee while which is understandable.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
rockin'!
Went to see fab band Rilo Kiley last night at Koko in Camden. Band were good but I think I overdosed a bit on their CDs a few months ago! Good sound though with small extra horn section. They finished with a cover of Pete Townshend's 'Let My Love Open the Door' which is a bit of a favourite of mine.
Koko is a lovely refurbished old theatre with chandeliers, mirrors and lots of burgundy walls. Very confusing layout - I got lost in the toilet maze! Nice and convenient for us though - I'd in fact got the date of the concert wrong and had to do a dash down there at 9pm.
Koko is a lovely refurbished old theatre with chandeliers, mirrors and lots of burgundy walls. Very confusing layout - I got lost in the toilet maze! Nice and convenient for us though - I'd in fact got the date of the concert wrong and had to do a dash down there at 9pm.
selected!
Big cheer in the building today when it was announced that London had been selected to hold the 2012 Olympic Games. Don't know if I'll still be living here then, but it's a great opportunity to revive part of East London and also an impetus to make the transportation system much better.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Why does it always rain on us?
I went with Kt, Fabienne, and Fabienne's classmate Paul to Wimbledon last week. It rained, but it was quite an experience! We saw about ten minutes of tennis. Probably I'm looking merry because of the prosecco we'd just drunk... Not long after this photo, the heavens truly opened again and we went home for a shower and pizza.
dangerous?
Having been at numerous events where friends have had items confiscated due to a security risk, I thought this article about the decline of the Swiss Army Knife after September 11 interesting.
Monday, July 04, 2005
B - A - N - A - N - A - S
So Dad wants to find out what a Hollaback girl is - don't have any idea from looking at the lyrics. Any suggestions?
marathon!
Well I spent 14 hours watching Live 8 at the weekend! Bit of a marathon effort but I had Charlotte, Kt, some wine and pizzas for company. I really enjoyed it - this review in the Guardian today summarises pretty much what I thought!
Didn't end up buying a white rubber band but I liked PopJustice's suggestions of what to do with the redundant fashion accessories.
Didn't end up buying a white rubber band but I liked PopJustice's suggestions of what to do with the redundant fashion accessories.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Malta photos
The first set of Malta photos are now on Flickr - please click through to see the set! More photos to come next week.
Monday, June 27, 2005
free katie!
We're all fascinated by the creepy relationship between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. This website has some interesting comments on their relationship and the role that Scientology seems to be playing. Apparently Katie, once a strong Catholic, has now been assigned her own Scientology 'minder' who is sheltering her from conversations with family and friends.
The Factnet website, although a bit out of date, has some interesting comments on celebrities and Scientology. Check out point 2 for another view on the Michael Jackson / Lisa Marie Presley marriage!
The Factnet website, although a bit out of date, has some interesting comments on celebrities and Scientology. Check out point 2 for another view on the Michael Jackson / Lisa Marie Presley marriage!
Malta Day Nine
Travelling day today - I caught a couple of buses to Mgarr, then the ferry between Mgarr and Cirkewwa, then a bus back to Valletta and finally the airport bus. Of course I arrived far too early for my plane, but I was a little unsure of the time it would take me and didn't want to be late!
Flight back on Air Malta was fine and made it home in time for Big Brother!
Flight back on Air Malta was fine and made it home in time for Big Brother!
Malta Day Eight
I got friendly with a couple of Italian men, Mauro and Patrizio, who are from Perugia and were staying at the same guest house as me. They had seen most of the island by motor bike, but they decided to come with me to do a tour of the island by boat on the Gozo Princess.
The trip started and ended at Mgarr harbour and we travelled all around the island, making a couple of swimming stops along the way. Spectacular cliffs especially on the south side of the island, and quite a few caves.
The tour took all afternoon, and then I had a final swim in Marsalforn Bay, before dinner. Did my only souvenir shopping of the holiday when I bought myself a model of one of the Malta buses. Didn't really see much else I was interested in!
The trip started and ended at Mgarr harbour and we travelled all around the island, making a couple of swimming stops along the way. Spectacular cliffs especially on the south side of the island, and quite a few caves.
The tour took all afternoon, and then I had a final swim in Marsalforn Bay, before dinner. Did my only souvenir shopping of the holiday when I bought myself a model of one of the Malta buses. Didn't really see much else I was interested in!
Malta Day Seven
After breakfast, I caught the bus from Marsalforn back to Victoria and had a brief look around the Citadella. It was really too hot to do much walking around so I wandered back down to the bus terminus and caught the bus to Dwejra.
Dwejra has a few notable sites, the main one of which is the Azure Window, an arch rock formation. Along the cliffs is also a hidden bay, the 'inland sea' where fishermen shelter to this day. I took a boat trip out from the inland sea though a crack in the cliff and out to the sea proper. The Azure Window is very striking and the diving in this area is meant to be fantastic. Further along the coast is the Fungus Rock, which used to be covered in fungus and mushrooms that were picked by the Knights of St John and used for medicine.
The scenery was quite spectacular but I didn't do any swimming as I couldn't be bothered changing and clambering across the rocks into the water.
Caught the bus back to Victoria and attempted to do some blogging in an internet cafe, but the connections were pretty bad, and I lost a bit of what i was trying to do. Met an Australian woman who was on her first holiday abroad on her own and very keen to talk to people! Her family was originally from Malta so she was interested to see what it was like - surprisingly she didn't have any family left on Malta, they had all immigrated to Australia.
Went back to Marsalforn and had a lovely swim in the bay - the sun was out until about 7.30 so it was wonderful to relax.
Dwejra has a few notable sites, the main one of which is the Azure Window, an arch rock formation. Along the cliffs is also a hidden bay, the 'inland sea' where fishermen shelter to this day. I took a boat trip out from the inland sea though a crack in the cliff and out to the sea proper. The Azure Window is very striking and the diving in this area is meant to be fantastic. Further along the coast is the Fungus Rock, which used to be covered in fungus and mushrooms that were picked by the Knights of St John and used for medicine.
The scenery was quite spectacular but I didn't do any swimming as I couldn't be bothered changing and clambering across the rocks into the water.
Caught the bus back to Victoria and attempted to do some blogging in an internet cafe, but the connections were pretty bad, and I lost a bit of what i was trying to do. Met an Australian woman who was on her first holiday abroad on her own and very keen to talk to people! Her family was originally from Malta so she was interested to see what it was like - surprisingly she didn't have any family left on Malta, they had all immigrated to Australia.
Went back to Marsalforn and had a lovely swim in the bay - the sun was out until about 7.30 so it was wonderful to relax.
Malta Day Six
Decided to do a last swim at the Blue Lagoon this morning but was thwarted by the arrival of hundreds of jellyfish. There had been a couple of jellyfish around at the hotel, and I'd had mild stings from a couple, but they were nowhere near as intense as this morning. So sadly I had to abandon that idea.
After sitting by the pool for a couple of hours, I caught the hotel boat to Mgarr, the harbour town in Gozo. Caught a bus from Mgarr to Victoria / Rabat, the main town on Gozo, and then after waiting for an hour for a connection at a small cafe in the gardens, I caught another bus to Marsalforn. The buses on Gozo are old as well, but grey and red in colour scheme.
Marsalforn is one of the main seaside resorts in Gozo, but is far quieter and low-key than its counterparts on Malta itself. I stayed at a lovely guesthouse right in the centre of town which was beautifully decorated and very comfortable.
After the sub-standard meals on Comino, I was delighted to have a delicious meal of mussels and ravioli filled with Gozo cheese at Il-Kastell restaurant by the sea front. Beautiful!
After sitting by the pool for a couple of hours, I caught the hotel boat to Mgarr, the harbour town in Gozo. Caught a bus from Mgarr to Victoria / Rabat, the main town on Gozo, and then after waiting for an hour for a connection at a small cafe in the gardens, I caught another bus to Marsalforn. The buses on Gozo are old as well, but grey and red in colour scheme.
Marsalforn is one of the main seaside resorts in Gozo, but is far quieter and low-key than its counterparts on Malta itself. I stayed at a lovely guesthouse right in the centre of town which was beautifully decorated and very comfortable.
After the sub-standard meals on Comino, I was delighted to have a delicious meal of mussels and ravioli filled with Gozo cheese at Il-Kastell restaurant by the sea front. Beautiful!
Malta Days Four and Five
Had a lovely few relaxing days on the island of Comino.
Most people in the hotel (a surprising number of Russian children amongst them) were staying on an all-inclusive basis, and I had to stay half-board, which meant breakfast and dinner were included. The food was pretty terrible and the entertainment every night pretty cheesy, but the surroundings were lovely. The hotel had its own pool and a couple of private beaches. There were also water sports you could do - hiring yachts, wind surfers etc.
But the highlight was the ten minute walk around to the famous Blue Lagoon which was one of the most beautiful places I've seen - especially after 4pm when the day-trippers had gone and the residents had the place mostly to ourselves! The water in the lagoon is absolutely turquoise and just stunning - a few fish swimming around and I even saw an octopus one day!
The other benefit of only going to the lagoon in the early morning and late afternoon was that it was much cooler. The heat was intense and at the lagoon especially there was no shade from the sun, apart from hiring a sun umbrella.
Spent quite a bit of time on Comino reading and catching up on new music on my iPod. Really enjoyed the new books by Nick Hornby (A Long Way Down) and Ian McEwan (Saturday), both of which gave different views of London life. Saturday is set on the day of the big Anti War march in February 2003, a day which many people, myself included, remember vividly. So this was quite an interesting concept, showing what happened to one man on that day.
Most people in the hotel (a surprising number of Russian children amongst them) were staying on an all-inclusive basis, and I had to stay half-board, which meant breakfast and dinner were included. The food was pretty terrible and the entertainment every night pretty cheesy, but the surroundings were lovely. The hotel had its own pool and a couple of private beaches. There were also water sports you could do - hiring yachts, wind surfers etc.
But the highlight was the ten minute walk around to the famous Blue Lagoon which was one of the most beautiful places I've seen - especially after 4pm when the day-trippers had gone and the residents had the place mostly to ourselves! The water in the lagoon is absolutely turquoise and just stunning - a few fish swimming around and I even saw an octopus one day!
The other benefit of only going to the lagoon in the early morning and late afternoon was that it was much cooler. The heat was intense and at the lagoon especially there was no shade from the sun, apart from hiring a sun umbrella.
Spent quite a bit of time on Comino reading and catching up on new music on my iPod. Really enjoyed the new books by Nick Hornby (A Long Way Down) and Ian McEwan (Saturday), both of which gave different views of London life. Saturday is set on the day of the big Anti War march in February 2003, a day which many people, myself included, remember vividly. So this was quite an interesting concept, showing what happened to one man on that day.
Malta Day Three
Made a quick visit to St John's Co-Cathedral this morning. Although I've seen enough churches in my travels to last a lifetime, I was glad I made the effort as the interior is truly spectacular. Lots of carved wooden walls and a floor which looked like playing cards all laid out. In a side room there were a couple of Caravaggios, including one of the beheading of St John the Baptist. It's pretty gory, but this guy sidled up to me when I was looking at it and asked whether I'd like to buy a copy of it. I said (in a polite way of course) that I thought it would be a terrible painting to have on your wall!
Caught the bus to the ferry at Cirkewwa next - it's a journey of about 90 minutes and was very hot! But it was really interesting to see the different towns. The buses are really only for local people and tourists doing day trips so it was a bit awkward carting luggage around. Independent travellers are not very common I guess!
At Cirkewwa, I took the Comino Hotel's boat over to the island. I'd booked into the Comino Hotel for three nights - the hotel is virtually the only building on the island so it promised to be nice and relaxing!
Caught the bus to the ferry at Cirkewwa next - it's a journey of about 90 minutes and was very hot! But it was really interesting to see the different towns. The buses are really only for local people and tourists doing day trips so it was a bit awkward carting luggage around. Independent travellers are not very common I guess!
At Cirkewwa, I took the Comino Hotel's boat over to the island. I'd booked into the Comino Hotel for three nights - the hotel is virtually the only building on the island so it promised to be nice and relaxing!
Malta Day Two
Was woken quite early this morning by fireworks - there was a Festa (Maltese festival day) at a town a couple of miles away) that had fireworks going when I arrived in Valletta about 6pm and went on until 11. The fireworks started this morning at about 8 and in fact were still going when I left Valletta on the Monday morning. I can only conclude that the Maltese love fireworks. They were very loud and not particularly spectacular.
After breakfast at the hotel, and looking at the area where the filming had gone on the night before, which was now a normal street, I walked around to the Malta Experience, an audio visual presentation of Maltese history. It was quite cheesey ("10,000 years ago Malta was formed...") and the English voiceover was done by Derek Jacobi, but it gave a good overview of the history of the country. This history consists mainly of getting invaded or attacked every couple of hundred years!
After sitting in the cool of the theatre for an hour, I spend a while walking around the city, vaguely following the Lonely Planet walking tour. Valletta is actually one of the world's first planned cities, overseen by Jean de la Valette, one of the Knights of St John who had settled on the island in the 15th century. He decided that the streets should funnel the sea breezes, that the streets should be relatively wide, and that each building should have a statue on the corner. Most of the buildings today still fit this pattern.
Wandered around for a few hours until I was overcome with the heat, had to sit down and have a couple of drinks and a sandwich, and later a nap!
Decided to go out to Mdina in the late afternoon - although I had told the driver where I wanted to go, the bus seemed to overshoot the town and I ended up a couple of miles down the road, the only passenger on the bus. Thankfully the bus turned around and deposited me at the gates to the city.
Mdina is also a fortified city, although quite a bit smaller than Valletta. It was much nicer in the cool (er) air of the late afternoon and most of the tourists had gone. I wandered around for a bit and took in the view out to Valletta, Sliema and Buggiba - half the island in fact! Had a drink and a cake at the Fontanella Tea Rooms which has the fabulous view, and later some dinner at the Xara Palace Hotel (somewhere I'd have liked to stay...). Caught one of the buses back to Valletta - thankfully it got me to where I needed to go easily!
After breakfast at the hotel, and looking at the area where the filming had gone on the night before, which was now a normal street, I walked around to the Malta Experience, an audio visual presentation of Maltese history. It was quite cheesey ("10,000 years ago Malta was formed...") and the English voiceover was done by Derek Jacobi, but it gave a good overview of the history of the country. This history consists mainly of getting invaded or attacked every couple of hundred years!
After sitting in the cool of the theatre for an hour, I spend a while walking around the city, vaguely following the Lonely Planet walking tour. Valletta is actually one of the world's first planned cities, overseen by Jean de la Valette, one of the Knights of St John who had settled on the island in the 15th century. He decided that the streets should funnel the sea breezes, that the streets should be relatively wide, and that each building should have a statue on the corner. Most of the buildings today still fit this pattern.
Wandered around for a few hours until I was overcome with the heat, had to sit down and have a couple of drinks and a sandwich, and later a nap!
Decided to go out to Mdina in the late afternoon - although I had told the driver where I wanted to go, the bus seemed to overshoot the town and I ended up a couple of miles down the road, the only passenger on the bus. Thankfully the bus turned around and deposited me at the gates to the city.
Mdina is also a fortified city, although quite a bit smaller than Valletta. It was much nicer in the cool (er) air of the late afternoon and most of the tourists had gone. I wandered around for a bit and took in the view out to Valletta, Sliema and Buggiba - half the island in fact! Had a drink and a cake at the Fontanella Tea Rooms which has the fabulous view, and later some dinner at the Xara Palace Hotel (somewhere I'd have liked to stay...). Caught one of the buses back to Valletta - thankfully it got me to where I needed to go easily!
working bee!
Want to see some photos of John and his friends laying a new path and building a deck? Click here for John's photo album on Flickr.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Malta day one
A bit delayed flying into Valletta today, but made it through ok. There's a regular bus service that runs from the airport into the city but it's in no way a shuttle! Many of the buses on Malta and Gozo are old British Leyland buses, yellow on Malta and grey on Gozo. Some are very old and rattly but great characters! Bus into the Valletta terminus took about 40 minutes.
Managed to find my hotel, the British Hotel, without too much trouble - I hadn't realised that Valletta is quite hilly and there are lots of steps! Found out later that it was one of the world's first planned cities - it's specially designed to withstand attack, but also the streets funnel the wind so there's a bit of a cooling breeze! There were meant to be statues on every corner when the city was built, and you can still see some of these today.
Great excitement at the hotel as the new Steven Spielberg film, Vengeance, about the 1972 Munich Olympics and the terrorists, was filming outside. From my perch (about four floors up - jeez I was glad there was a nice man to carry my bags up as there was no lift!) I watched for about an hour. Couldn't recognise anyone from that height, but allegedly Eric Bana and Daniel Craig are in the film. There was just one scene that they were shooting. I got a bit bored after an hour or so. Didn't see Speilberg himself - i guess he must delegate quite a bit of the scenes!
Went and had some pizza and a beer at the Cafe Deux Baronnes which has a fabulous view over the Grand Harbour and to the Three Cities. After dinner had a bit of a wander around, but Valletta gets quite quiet after dark (most people stay in Sliema etc.) so thought I'd be sensible and go back to the hotel.
Managed to find my hotel, the British Hotel, without too much trouble - I hadn't realised that Valletta is quite hilly and there are lots of steps! Found out later that it was one of the world's first planned cities - it's specially designed to withstand attack, but also the streets funnel the wind so there's a bit of a cooling breeze! There were meant to be statues on every corner when the city was built, and you can still see some of these today.
Great excitement at the hotel as the new Steven Spielberg film, Vengeance, about the 1972 Munich Olympics and the terrorists, was filming outside. From my perch (about four floors up - jeez I was glad there was a nice man to carry my bags up as there was no lift!) I watched for about an hour. Couldn't recognise anyone from that height, but allegedly Eric Bana and Daniel Craig are in the film. There was just one scene that they were shooting. I got a bit bored after an hour or so. Didn't see Speilberg himself - i guess he must delegate quite a bit of the scenes!
Went and had some pizza and a beer at the Cafe Deux Baronnes which has a fabulous view over the Grand Harbour and to the Three Cities. After dinner had a bit of a wander around, but Valletta gets quite quiet after dark (most people stay in Sliema etc.) so thought I'd be sensible and go back to the hotel.
Friday, June 17, 2005
sensible!
Bought myself a new hat and a long-sleeved shirt last night from M&S to protect myself from the heat of the Maltese sun. I fly out tomorrow morning from Gatwick on Air Malta and I'm staying for a couple of nights at the British Hotel in Valletta, the capital.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
uploaded!
At Simon's at the moment, uploading some new CDs onto my iPod. Birthday CDs include Fat Freddy's Drop, Belle & Sebastian, Arcade Fire, Tegan & Sarah and Hone Tuwhare. Also am adding on new Coldplay, Kathryn Williams and White Stripes.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
technical!
Today I've had a couple of blog-related successes. One of my colleagues, Megan, is part of a team of people (Nola's Strollers, named after the newborn daughter of one of the walkers) doing the TrailWalker challenge next month. TrailWalker is a 100km (63 mile) walk near Brighton - teams of four people have to walk together round the clock. It's a huge physical challenge and Megan wanted some help setting up the blog. I was happy to help and share my knowledge, which also included Flickr.
I also was able to work out how to set up a Links section (see the permanent section to your left) which involved inputting some HTML code - very technical and I'm delighted it works!
I also was able to work out how to set up a Links section (see the permanent section to your left) which involved inputting some HTML code - very technical and I'm delighted it works!
Friday, June 10, 2005
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Monday, June 06, 2005
te reo!
We have our 'CBK Academy' (basically a corporate-sounding Away Day) at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hampshire on Wednesday and, as part of the multi-cultural nature of our business and our people, I've volunteered to do my introduction on Maori. Had a bit of a hunt around on the net today and as I don't feel comfortable with translating a whole phrase that I've made up into Maori, I thought I'd just read out one nice sounding one to say to everyone. The bulletin board on Maori.org.nz has thrown up some good phrases so I'll be practising these tonight!
cute!
Recommended site from Fiona is Kitten War - not as horrible as it sounds, it pitches kittens against each other to which is the cutest.
spotted!
Helped Rupert Graves and his little boy through the turnstiles at Caledonian Rd tube station on Saturday. Sigh...
Friday, June 03, 2005
arty!
Visited a couple of exhibitions on Sunday. First of all I went to the National Portait Gallery which had an exhibition of the photos of Lee Miller, who seemed to know everyone and had a really interesting life. She was American, but lived in Paris, Egypt and London, becoming an accredited war photographer during WWII. She travelled to Paris and Germany after liberation, taking some chilling photos of Belsen and other concentration camps. After the war, she was friendly with Picasso and took many photos of him.
There was also an exhibition of photos of Frida Kahlo at the NPG, prior to the major exhibition of her work at Tate Modern later this year.
I also visited the Royal Academy and saw the Matisse, His Art and His Textiles exhibition which was very interesting, but very crowded! I think I've been spoilt with all the time I spend at Tate Britain during the Turner Whistler Monet exhibition, having the rooms to myself! But it was fascinating to read about Matisse collecting fabrics throughout his life and having a real knowledge and desire to use different patterns in his work.
There was also an exhibition of photos of Frida Kahlo at the NPG, prior to the major exhibition of her work at Tate Modern later this year.
I also visited the Royal Academy and saw the Matisse, His Art and His Textiles exhibition which was very interesting, but very crowded! I think I've been spoilt with all the time I spend at Tate Britain during the Turner Whistler Monet exhibition, having the rooms to myself! But it was fascinating to read about Matisse collecting fabrics throughout his life and having a real knowledge and desire to use different patterns in his work.
harmonic!
Saw the always great Ben Folds in concert at the Barbican last night. It was a rescheduled concert from last November when Ben had pneumonia and had to cancel the tour. This time he was only suffering from a cracked rib, caused by a freak luggage accident, and the ever-present fragile fingernails which have to be held on by bandaids, due to frenetic piano key pounding.
Here's a review of Tuesday's concert at the Hammersmith Apollo. It was very similar at the Barbican, including the musical version of Dr Dre's Bitches Ain't Shit which was simultaneously amusing and quite chilling as well, when we could hear all the vitriolic lyrics so clearly. The audience also all took part in some very enjoyable three part harmony singing, conducted by Ben.
Here's a review of Tuesday's concert at the Hammersmith Apollo. It was very similar at the Barbican, including the musical version of Dr Dre's Bitches Ain't Shit which was simultaneously amusing and quite chilling as well, when we could hear all the vitriolic lyrics so clearly. The audience also all took part in some very enjoyable three part harmony singing, conducted by Ben.
smouldering!
Kt and I went to see 'Blood Wedding' last night at the Almeida Theatre in Islington. The main attraction was not the Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca, but Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal who played the smouldering lover, Leonardo. It was very interesting, quite poetic and symbolic. Here's what Michael Billington thought in the Guardian.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
wishing!
If you were interested, here's a link to my Amazon wishlist...
WARNING - this doesn't take you through to my personal wishlist apparently, so you'll need to search for my name or certain key words.
WARNING - this doesn't take you through to my personal wishlist apparently, so you'll need to search for my name or certain key words.
The photos are here!
I've mastered the technology and my photos are now posted on flickr - so just click on this photo to access them!
Applied Arts Museum, Budapest
Exterior of Applied Arts Museum in Budapest. Sadly it was closed, so I had to content myself with photographing the exterior!
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Monday, May 23, 2005
The final chapter!
Went to see that final Star Wars Film "Return of the Sith" last night and really enjoyed it. Bits of it were sad as we expected, but we really enjoyed fighting Yoda as well as repeated sightings of the cloned Temuera Morrison!
Slovenia Day 7
After packing up and checking out, headed off to the Modern Galerija Ljubljana, the Slovenian Modern Art Museum. The museum is housed a in a pretty ugly building and the exhibits were kind of mysterious but it was good to see what Slovenian art was like! The main exhibition was a retrospective on Peter Weibel, who had some multi-media displays, moaning rocks and videoes of him getting blood drawn from his arm. Might have meant a bit more if I was Slovenian!
Had a wander around the city - there was some kind of bee festival at Stari Grad with some Slovenian musicians with giant wooden saxophones. So I bought some Slovenian honey!
Headed off to Ljubljana Airport with enough time to check it, sit in the sun and eat a sandwich and an icecream and drink a beer, as well as get a bit sunburnt. Also had a chat with an Australian woman who had been on the bus with me from Bled to Ljubljana.
Arrived back in London to find out that the Stanstead Express wasn't working, but they were charging the same ridiculous amount (£13.40 Stanstead to Tottenham Hale) for a replacement bus service!
Had a wander around the city - there was some kind of bee festival at Stari Grad with some Slovenian musicians with giant wooden saxophones. So I bought some Slovenian honey!
Headed off to Ljubljana Airport with enough time to check it, sit in the sun and eat a sandwich and an icecream and drink a beer, as well as get a bit sunburnt. Also had a chat with an Australian woman who had been on the bus with me from Bled to Ljubljana.
Arrived back in London to find out that the Stanstead Express wasn't working, but they were charging the same ridiculous amount (£13.40 Stanstead to Tottenham Hale) for a replacement bus service!
Friday, May 20, 2005
Slovenia Day 6
Caught the bus at 10.30 this morning to take me to Ljubljana. Took about an hour and a half, but was better than train which calls at Lesce Bled, about 4km away from the lakeside (had to catch a taxi from the train station the other night as I couldn't work out the buses!).
Arrived in Ljubljana, but couldn't check into hotel room as it was too early. So I walked through town and then up to the castle. It was quite a hike (again!) but also well worth it. There was quite a good 3D presentation of Ljubljana through the ages, giving computer renditions of how it looked and looks now. Also climbed to the top of the tour which gave a fab view of the city.
There was a bit of an event that I just missed by about half an hour - the city's high school graduates dance a quadrille in the streets of the city every year, joining up with other schools around the country. So I missed that, but then there have been students around town all day dressed in their orange and black tshirts and blowing whistles!
Did a bit of a tour of the city, using the guide book as a guide. The city's centre is quite old, most of the building are about 300 years old. The buildings themselves are actually quite similar to Stockholm, Tallinn etc., but there is also a river that runs through the city with different bridges, the Dragon Bridge, the Three Bridges and the Cobbler's Bridge. It was a lovely sunny day with loads of people hanging out.
Checked into the City Hotel and at last I had a hotel with MTV which meant that I was able to take part in Simon's interactive show, Wishlist!! He is the moderator for this show which means that people send him text messages requesting songs or just telling him how cool he is, he responds and this all gets printed on screen as the videoes play. He takes on the persona of the 'Hiya Horse'. It was all pretty cool and I got a couple of messages on screen as well as a couple of responses from Simon and his workmates.
After that I walked through the Tivoli Gardens to the Museum of Modern History of Slovenia which told the story of Slovenia in the 20th century.
Arrived in Ljubljana, but couldn't check into hotel room as it was too early. So I walked through town and then up to the castle. It was quite a hike (again!) but also well worth it. There was quite a good 3D presentation of Ljubljana through the ages, giving computer renditions of how it looked and looks now. Also climbed to the top of the tour which gave a fab view of the city.
There was a bit of an event that I just missed by about half an hour - the city's high school graduates dance a quadrille in the streets of the city every year, joining up with other schools around the country. So I missed that, but then there have been students around town all day dressed in their orange and black tshirts and blowing whistles!
Did a bit of a tour of the city, using the guide book as a guide. The city's centre is quite old, most of the building are about 300 years old. The buildings themselves are actually quite similar to Stockholm, Tallinn etc., but there is also a river that runs through the city with different bridges, the Dragon Bridge, the Three Bridges and the Cobbler's Bridge. It was a lovely sunny day with loads of people hanging out.
Checked into the City Hotel and at last I had a hotel with MTV which meant that I was able to take part in Simon's interactive show, Wishlist!! He is the moderator for this show which means that people send him text messages requesting songs or just telling him how cool he is, he responds and this all gets printed on screen as the videoes play. He takes on the persona of the 'Hiya Horse'. It was all pretty cool and I got a couple of messages on screen as well as a couple of responses from Simon and his workmates.
After that I walked through the Tivoli Gardens to the Museum of Modern History of Slovenia which told the story of Slovenia in the 20th century.
Slovenia Day 5
Was a beautiful day when I woke up in Bled - not hugely hot but nice all the same. Walked through the town and then up to Bled Castle after breakfast - it's quite a hike! The castle is set on a rock which is surrounded by woods and there are quite a few ways up. Thank goodness I inadvertently chose the easier one and saved the steeper one for my trip down! Spectacular views from the top of the lake, the mountains and villas and houses dotted around the countryside. There's a museum there that wasn't very interesting but there was an old printing press in another section of the castle. There was little printing museum and a man was printing examples for us - he'd put your name in and he even got me to turn the wheel on the press - difficult! So I have a little souvenir of Bled now.
Walked down the cliff face and then walked around the lake which is about 6km in circumfrance and took a couple of hours including stops. It was truly spectacular - took loads of photos, pretty much all of the island in the middle of the lake! There are quite a few expensive looking villas dotting the surroundings. The villa where Tito used to host summits is now a 5 star hotel, Villa Bled.
Back in town, I caught a gondola (I think they're called Pletna) out to the island in the middle of the lake which has a church and a few buildings on it. I shared the boat with a group of very giggly Austrian pensioners! They couldn't speak any English so conversation was difficult. The gondola was powered by one man rowing - and there were 14 of us on board! Journey took about half an hour each way. St Mary's church on the island is designed in a Baroque style and has a 'wishing bell' in it - ie you ring the bell and wish! It was actually quite difficult - it felt really heavy to ring! One of the Austrian dears, who must have been about 4 foot 10, nearly got carried away!
The lake is absolutely teaming with fish - they were jumping out of the water all over the place! It's also a very popular lake for rowing regattas and there were crews training in the morning and late afternoon. No motor craft which made the whole place feel really peaceful. Settled down for a beer after all my exertions and wrote some postcards!
Walked down the cliff face and then walked around the lake which is about 6km in circumfrance and took a couple of hours including stops. It was truly spectacular - took loads of photos, pretty much all of the island in the middle of the lake! There are quite a few expensive looking villas dotting the surroundings. The villa where Tito used to host summits is now a 5 star hotel, Villa Bled.
Back in town, I caught a gondola (I think they're called Pletna) out to the island in the middle of the lake which has a church and a few buildings on it. I shared the boat with a group of very giggly Austrian pensioners! They couldn't speak any English so conversation was difficult. The gondola was powered by one man rowing - and there were 14 of us on board! Journey took about half an hour each way. St Mary's church on the island is designed in a Baroque style and has a 'wishing bell' in it - ie you ring the bell and wish! It was actually quite difficult - it felt really heavy to ring! One of the Austrian dears, who must have been about 4 foot 10, nearly got carried away!
The lake is absolutely teaming with fish - they were jumping out of the water all over the place! It's also a very popular lake for rowing regattas and there were crews training in the morning and late afternoon. No motor craft which made the whole place feel really peaceful. Settled down for a beer after all my exertions and wrote some postcards!
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Budapest - Slovenia Day 4
Got up super early to catch the 8.45 Venezia Express from Budapest to Ljubljana (if you're wondering how that's pronounced, it's loo-blee-ah-nah). Journey was supposed to take about 7 and a half hours but they ended up running about half an hour late. Never mind! The train was super comfortable and I shared the compartment with two Croatian guys. One was about 50 and lived in Budapest. The other was from Dalmatia but was actually born in Melbourne (to a Croatian family) and had moved back to Croatia when he was six. So that was interesting to have a bit of a chat to them. We actually travelled via Zagreb which I didn't realise at first but now I guess it makes sense geographically. Scenery wasn't very exciting until we left Croatia and entered Slovenia. Landscape then started to get a lot hillyer with lots of little towns and tiny churches up the top of mountains etc.
Arrived in Ljubljana and then had about an hour til my train to Bled. Bled is about an hour out of the capital and is beautiful - a picture postcard place! There's an island in the middle of a lake with a church on it, and a castle on the hill overlooking the town. Really looking forward to exploring tomorrow! I'm staying at the Hotel Trst and I have a room that looks over the lake - so exciting (that's my room in the top right-hand corner)!
Just had dinner at Restaurant Okarina - it's the asparagus festival here at the moment so I did have some!
Arrived in Ljubljana and then had about an hour til my train to Bled. Bled is about an hour out of the capital and is beautiful - a picture postcard place! There's an island in the middle of a lake with a church on it, and a castle on the hill overlooking the town. Really looking forward to exploring tomorrow! I'm staying at the Hotel Trst and I have a room that looks over the lake - so exciting (that's my room in the top right-hand corner)!
Just had dinner at Restaurant Okarina - it's the asparagus festival here at the moment so I did have some!
Budapest Day 3
Decided to wake up early and get to the train booking place early. It was pretty painless and I got my ticket for the train from Budapest to Ljubljana tomorrow (Wednesday).
I then found my way down to the Museum of Applied Arts which has an excellent collection of art nouveau objects and is itself housed in a specially designed period building. However it was closed because of the holiday yesterday. I was gutted! I was so looking forward to seeing it that I must confess I stamped my foot in frustration! Oh well. Took some photos of the exterior.
So I found my way down to the brand new Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art (I was getting to be quite an expert at the transportation system by this time) which is in a new area for museums and theatres, none of them very attractive from the outside, but quite interesting inside. There was an interactive centre where one could do their own interpretations of art by Hungarian artists. There was even one where the web cam took your photo and then presented it hung on various Budapest buildings.
Stopped in at the Central Market for a look around - it's a huge building with fresh produce and meat on the ground floor and souvenirs (chiefly lace and ceramics - very nice but really not my style!) on the upper levels. The produce all looked like great qualitz and there were loads of different varieties of salami for sales - it's just shame that I'm not going straight back to London today!
Went for a tour of the Hungarian parliament building next. As an EU citizen I got in free - result! Parliament buildings were very ornate with lots of painted interiors. Parliament was actually in session but we weren't allowed to go in.
Back at the hotel I decided to have a massage at the baths which was a very interesting experience! There were about eight women all getting massaged in the same room with the therapists (who were all about 60) chatting away over us. Certainly not the serene experience I'm used to! Was great therapy for my legs which were aching after walking around so much!
Met Heike for dinner again. After a detour to Cafe Gerbeau to buy some chocolates we had dinner at Fatal Restaurant which was a lot cheaper than last night. Huge portions though! It was great to meet Heike, who's a teacher who lives in Berlin.
I then found my way down to the Museum of Applied Arts which has an excellent collection of art nouveau objects and is itself housed in a specially designed period building. However it was closed because of the holiday yesterday. I was gutted! I was so looking forward to seeing it that I must confess I stamped my foot in frustration! Oh well. Took some photos of the exterior.
So I found my way down to the brand new Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art (I was getting to be quite an expert at the transportation system by this time) which is in a new area for museums and theatres, none of them very attractive from the outside, but quite interesting inside. There was an interactive centre where one could do their own interpretations of art by Hungarian artists. There was even one where the web cam took your photo and then presented it hung on various Budapest buildings.
Stopped in at the Central Market for a look around - it's a huge building with fresh produce and meat on the ground floor and souvenirs (chiefly lace and ceramics - very nice but really not my style!) on the upper levels. The produce all looked like great qualitz and there were loads of different varieties of salami for sales - it's just shame that I'm not going straight back to London today!
Went for a tour of the Hungarian parliament building next. As an EU citizen I got in free - result! Parliament buildings were very ornate with lots of painted interiors. Parliament was actually in session but we weren't allowed to go in.
Back at the hotel I decided to have a massage at the baths which was a very interesting experience! There were about eight women all getting massaged in the same room with the therapists (who were all about 60) chatting away over us. Certainly not the serene experience I'm used to! Was great therapy for my legs which were aching after walking around so much!
Met Heike for dinner again. After a detour to Cafe Gerbeau to buy some chocolates we had dinner at Fatal Restaurant which was a lot cheaper than last night. Huge portions though! It was great to meet Heike, who's a teacher who lives in Berlin.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Budapest Day 2
Well I´ve finally made it to an internet cafe in Budapest. It´s actually a holiday weekend here in Hungary this weekend (Whit Monday) so lots of stuff is closed. But not the important touristic stuff of course!
Flew in here on Saturday night and I´m staying at the gorgeous Hotel Gellert which is actually a bit of a city landmark. It´s mainly famous because of its gorgeous pools. There is an outdoor pool and an indoor pool and then thermal pools which are segregated for men and women. The whole pool complex is gorgeous! It´s all art nouveau, with lovely mosaics and decoration. Someone said that it´s like swimming in a cathedral and that´s pretty accurate. Luckily I get free access to the whole complex which was a big factor in me parting out the extra money to come stay here. The rest of the hotel is ok, my room is pretty small but never mind!
Yesterday, I did a bit of a walking tour of the city. Caught the funicular from the river up to Castle Hill which is where the Old Town is. Spent the afternoon up there, including visits to Fisherman´s Bastion and the Budapest History Museum. The History Museum was actually fab. There are loads of rooms cut deep into the hill (the hill was formed by the thermal activity) and so there were lots of nooks and crannies to explore. You could even go caving if you wanted but I wasn´t that keen!
Today I went on a tour out to Statue Park which is where all of the communist statues are now displayed. I joined a tour which was a Spanish woman and I, who were taken around it by this Hungarian man. He was really interesting. We could ask him about anything to do with Budapest so it was great to get a Hungaran opinion! We also went to an apartment where they had recreated a communist era home. They even had a Hungarian version of Monopoly which wasn´t about capitalism and buying stuff at all but about being nice to old ladies and saving money. Hilarious!
This afternoon I walked up to Hero´s Square which is where all the old rallies, May Day parades etc were held. Also, I took a tour of the Budapest Opera House which is probably the most gorgeous theatre I´ve ever been in! Sublime decoration.
As it was a beautiful day I went back to the hotel and had a swim and a bathe in the gorgeous thermal baths. As it was a national holiday, there were loads of holidaying Hungarians.
After my soak, and with a very red face from all the heat, I met Heike, a German woman I had got talking to at the baths for dinner. She had organised for us to go to Kaszu, recommended Hungarian restaurant. As it was recommended bz the hotel, it wasnćt the cheapest but it was certainly memorable! The food and service were excellent, apart from the ever present violinist and pianist who played cheesey classic and pop hits all night, taking requests from the guests rich enough to tip!
Flew in here on Saturday night and I´m staying at the gorgeous Hotel Gellert which is actually a bit of a city landmark. It´s mainly famous because of its gorgeous pools. There is an outdoor pool and an indoor pool and then thermal pools which are segregated for men and women. The whole pool complex is gorgeous! It´s all art nouveau, with lovely mosaics and decoration. Someone said that it´s like swimming in a cathedral and that´s pretty accurate. Luckily I get free access to the whole complex which was a big factor in me parting out the extra money to come stay here. The rest of the hotel is ok, my room is pretty small but never mind!
Yesterday, I did a bit of a walking tour of the city. Caught the funicular from the river up to Castle Hill which is where the Old Town is. Spent the afternoon up there, including visits to Fisherman´s Bastion and the Budapest History Museum. The History Museum was actually fab. There are loads of rooms cut deep into the hill (the hill was formed by the thermal activity) and so there were lots of nooks and crannies to explore. You could even go caving if you wanted but I wasn´t that keen!
Today I went on a tour out to Statue Park which is where all of the communist statues are now displayed. I joined a tour which was a Spanish woman and I, who were taken around it by this Hungarian man. He was really interesting. We could ask him about anything to do with Budapest so it was great to get a Hungaran opinion! We also went to an apartment where they had recreated a communist era home. They even had a Hungarian version of Monopoly which wasn´t about capitalism and buying stuff at all but about being nice to old ladies and saving money. Hilarious!
This afternoon I walked up to Hero´s Square which is where all the old rallies, May Day parades etc were held. Also, I took a tour of the Budapest Opera House which is probably the most gorgeous theatre I´ve ever been in! Sublime decoration.
As it was a beautiful day I went back to the hotel and had a swim and a bathe in the gorgeous thermal baths. As it was a national holiday, there were loads of holidaying Hungarians.
After my soak, and with a very red face from all the heat, I met Heike, a German woman I had got talking to at the baths for dinner. She had organised for us to go to Kaszu, recommended Hungarian restaurant. As it was recommended bz the hotel, it wasnćt the cheapest but it was certainly memorable! The food and service were excellent, apart from the ever present violinist and pianist who played cheesey classic and pop hits all night, taking requests from the guests rich enough to tip!
Friday, May 13, 2005
Monday, May 09, 2005
Dad at Wedderburn shed
Dad at the famous railway goods shed at Wedderburn, during a recent trip around the Maniototo. The shed was made famous by Graham Sydney who immortalised it in his 1975 painting 'July on the Maniototo'. There's a good article on the Graham Sydney website from the Listener in 2002 about the shed.
Mum & Dad at Dansey's Pass Hotel
Friday, May 06, 2005
Fiona at Tate Modern
Fiona in the turbine hall, Tate Gallery, February 2004. We went to the Tate to visit 'The Weather Project' installation.
The explanation
If you're wondering what's going on with the new posts and photos appearing, here's what I'm hoping to achieve. No luck so far with sending photos from my phone via Flickr to my blog, so I might try to use Blogger mobile instead.
If you have any photos you would like to see on the blog, please email them to me (at normal email address)!
And yes I am going on holiday soon, hence the interest in blogging again. More details soon...
If you have any photos you would like to see on the blog, please email them to me (at normal email address)!
And yes I am going on holiday soon, hence the interest in blogging again. More details soon...
Friday, November 26, 2004
seated
If you're in a position to choose your own seats next time you fly, SeatGuru looks like a great site. Gives you impartial reviews of each seat on a variety of aeroplanes and airlines.
Don't know whether I've recommended TheatreMonkey before, but it's a similar site, but this time for London theatres and concert venues. I always look there before I book any tickets!
Don't know whether I've recommended TheatreMonkey before, but it's a similar site, but this time for London theatres and concert venues. I always look there before I book any tickets!
party week
As part of party week next week, I'm off to the IM2004 Awards Dinner at the Grosvenor. Promises to be a very glamorous evening with entertainment from consumate entertainer Barry Cryer and dancing to 'The Spotlights'. I'm especially excited about the prospect of Amaretto panacotta - two of my favourite edible items in one! Ernst & Young are finalists in three sections, the Knowledge Management Project Award, the Intranet Project Award and the Premier Project Award.
I'm also off to the City Information Group Christmas Party at One Whitehall Place which will be held in the Gladstone Library - quite appropriate for a group of what are, essentially, librarians!
I'm also off to the City Information Group Christmas Party at One Whitehall Place which will be held in the Gladstone Library - quite appropriate for a group of what are, essentially, librarians!
Thursday, November 25, 2004
not the rice
Loved this drawing of Tilda Swinton at the Modern Women exhibition at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery at the weekend.
We also visited the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and I went through the Ed Ruscha exhibition - hadn't heard of him before, but I thought it was very interesting! They'd called the exhibition Ed In Burgh - ha ha!
We also visited the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and I went through the Ed Ruscha exhibition - hadn't heard of him before, but I thought it was very interesting! They'd called the exhibition Ed In Burgh - ha ha!
Monday, November 22, 2004
worldly... but not that technical
So I can't get the map thing to work. Oh well. It looks quite impressive, what with Russia and Canada filled in. But I've still only seen 14% of the countries in the world, so it looks like I'll be travelling for quite some time yet...
Saturday, November 20, 2004
celebrations!
Up in Scotland at the moment for Steve and Aoife's wedding. I travelled up to Edinburgh on the train on Thursday with Lisa and her other brothers Andrew and Tim who are over here for the wedding. The wedding was held Perthshire, near Scone and we were staying at the lovely Murrayshall Hotel, where the reception was held.
The actual ceremony was held at St Stephen's, Blairgowrie. It was a full Catholic service but very moving with lots of mentions of Val and Eileen, Steve's parents. We were bussed there and back through lovely Scottish countryside. The wedding breakfast was absolutely gorgeous with pate, courgette soup, beef and sticky toffee pudding. Each of the tables was named after a different NZ wine (we were Forest Hill) and there was a bottle of the appropriate wine on the table for us to drink. Favours were little bottles of Lindauer!
After the meal, we danced the night away to a ceilidh band - I managed not to fall over in my new heels which was a miracle! The Kiwi boys even did a haka to round the evening off - Tim was really the only one who new what he was doing but it was very impressive!
The actual ceremony was held at St Stephen's, Blairgowrie. It was a full Catholic service but very moving with lots of mentions of Val and Eileen, Steve's parents. We were bussed there and back through lovely Scottish countryside. The wedding breakfast was absolutely gorgeous with pate, courgette soup, beef and sticky toffee pudding. Each of the tables was named after a different NZ wine (we were Forest Hill) and there was a bottle of the appropriate wine on the table for us to drink. Favours were little bottles of Lindauer!
After the meal, we danced the night away to a ceilidh band - I managed not to fall over in my new heels which was a miracle! The Kiwi boys even did a haka to round the evening off - Tim was really the only one who new what he was doing but it was very impressive!
Monday, November 15, 2004
curly reunion!
Had a great time catching up with Sue, who was in London over the weekend. Dragged her round to buy shoes on Saturday after lunch at the Aveda cafe.
We then met up with Kt, Lisa and St John for the Lord Mayor's show fireworks. We walked through the City, past the recently completed Paternoster Square surrounding St Paul's to Farringdon. Had drinks at the Slaughtered Lamb (this is near Smithfield hence the name) and Cicada before going next door to The Real Greek, a souvlaki restaurant. It was just lovely to all catch up together - quite rare to all be in the same place. Hopefully this link will go through to photos at some stage when they're posted.
After dinner, we cabbed down to holborn where my workmate Owen was having 30th birthday drinks at the Old Crown. We gave him some lovely mother of pearl cuff links from thomas pink and nicola gave him a shrek cake (not a comment on his looks!).
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
spotted!
Attending my second Rufus Wainwright concert in as many weeks last night, I picked up a flier advertising Lulu's Christmas concerts and showing her in all her botoxed glory for Simon and I to chuckle over. We were discussing whether or not she had cheek implants, when we looked up and saw Lulu, in the flesh, standing about 3 metres away from us. Bizarre coincidence!
PS and we saw a v drunk Beth Orton as well!
PS and we saw a v drunk Beth Orton as well!
little emperors
Interesting series of articles in the Guardian's G2 section this week on China - I especially enjoyed the article about the 'little emperors', China's generation of only children. Very strange to think that soon, there will be no aunts, uncles or cousins!!
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