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Bath, England. There are 38 trains per day going from London’s Paddington Station to Bristol Temple Meads Station. The train passes out of the city and into the green countryside and within a few minutes’ villages and fields with an esthetically pleasing number of sheep, cover the landscape. An hour and twenty-four minutes into the trip, the train arrives at the station of Bath Spa before continuing to Bristol, a city straddling the River Avon further west.

The Roman Baths have always been the center of town; although the name has changed over the centuries. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/428  The Romans named the town Aquae Sulis, Latin for “the waters of Sulis.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquae_Sulis  They merged the existing Celtic god of Sulis with their god Minerva and encouraged her worship at the baths, which they expanded and revised over the centuries into a major religious complex. The excavated Roman Baths, and the museum created to display and interpret the astounding array of preserved artifacts, continue the tradition of being the main tourist attraction and the reason for over one million visitors to the site each year.  https://www.romanbaths.co.uk/walkthrough 

We had planned a long week-end in Bath, in part to attend an event in the town’s comedy festival. https://www.bathcomedy.com/. But, of course, we had to see and do more than that. After arriving on the train and leaving our bags at the hotel, we set about learning our way around the town of Bath. We had compiled a list of things to see and do, but they were in no particular order, making this a very flexible few days. City center is old with narrow and winding streets, much of it still cobblestoned. We set off after determining the first thing we needed was lunch. It took a bit of walking, but we decided on a ‘pasty’ shop. Pasties are a common lunch item here in the UK, but to this point I had not had one. They are essentially a meat (or meatless) pie folded around with pastry so they can be eaten like a hot sandwich. http://westcornwallpasty.co.uk/ There were no tables to sit at. Noting that we were “not from around here”, the shopkeeper told us to simply go to the corner and turn left, there we would find a courtyard with benches. Yes, yes we did. We found one open bench as this is the courtyard in front of the Roman Baths. To our left stood Bath Abbey. http://www.bathabbey.org/

Bath Abbey is the second most visited spot in Bath, so it was also on our list of ‘must see’ sites. After watching a bus load of students go into the Baths, we decided we would go into the Abbey. The Abbey is a beautiful Anglican Church which also dates back hundreds of years. In addition to soaring ceilings and huge stained-glass windows, the abbey has a bell tower which stands 212 steps above the ground offering fantastic views of the city center and beyond. http://www.bathabbey.org/towertours Up we went. We add this to our list of “they would never let you do this in California” activities. Narrow, steep, dark, slippery; and totally worth it.

Now it was time to hit the Roman Baths. It is important to note that while the Roman Baths do have water in them, visitors are not allowed in the baths. The nearby Thermae Bath Spa uses the same water which is treated to make it safe for bathing. This was not our first Roman Bath. Most recently, when we were in Paris, (I know, it is good to be me) I visited the Cluny Museum of Medieval History, which is built over the remains of Roman Baths, https://www.musee-moyenage.fr/lieu/les-thermes-antiques.html. That was an amazing site to see with vaults rising more than 14 meters high; original walls and floors. Excavations in Paris indicate a much larger complex than is currently visible; in Bath much of the bathing complex is excavated and is accessible to visitors. We thought we were going to see an open bath area with columns and original floors; we did see that, and then the separate wings with saunas, therapy pools, frigidariums, massage and changing rooms for both men and women in addition to the whole large pool for socializing and swimming in the middle. There is also the museum which has been created to walk you through the artifacts and the lives of people who made them as you go from entry level (current street level) of the baths down to the base level. (Roman street level) Building fragments, headstones, tools, jewelry, pots and glassware; the largest hoard of Roman coins found Great Briton. It is simply astounding. It is stops like this that make us so grateful to be in London for an extended period of time – we would never make a trip from Baltimore to Bath, and only now know what a worthy side trip it makes. 

Over the next few days we accomplished our ‘must see’ list; we spent much of Saturday completing the Bath Skyline Walk, https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bath-skyline  A six mile walk of ‘moderately’ challenging terrain with wide views of the city and hills, forests, and meadows. (more sheep, and lambs too) We Saw the Royal Women exhibit at the Fashion Museum https://www.fashionmuseum.co.uk/news/royal-women  Having recently read the book The Gown by Jennifer Robson, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39893613-the-gown, it was a treat to view actual gowns made by the designer Hartnell. The Victoria Art Gallery had an exhibit of the Sharmanka Travelling Circus https://www.victoriagal.org.uk/events/sharmanka-travelling-circus An animatronic exhibit of found objects set to music and lights to create a 20 minute show. And, though not on our original list, while walking the Bath Skyline we found ourselves very close to the American Museum in Bath. https://americanmuseum.org/  Their current exhibit of Kaffe Fassett’s Quilts in America was truly something to see. Educational and inspiring. Fassett used quilts from the museums collection to inspire himself to create new quilts. The exhibit was a combination of both the new and the old. Who would have thought; a small town in England would have such a great display of American quilts.

38 trains go back to London, Paddington Station each day. Back on the train, back to work for Andy, back to planning the next trip for me.

Blog 9.1 – What accent do you think the citizens of Anatevka have?

Seeing Fiddler on the Roof in London

Fiddler on the Roof as a Broadway musical is now fifty years old. Long enough for both of us to have seen it many, many times. It is Andy’s favorite musical, is my second favorite – Lez Miz is still the top for me. So, when I read a good review in December of Fiddler on the Roof here in London, I signed us up. And, since Friday night I have puzzled with one question.

Have all the Fiddlers I have watched before had American accents? Didn’t they all have Russian accents? I ponder this as the Fiddler production we saw in London clearly had Scottish and English accents. They tried to be Russian at first, but it did not hold up. It added a little humor that I don’t think is supposed to be there – especially in the second act; which is tragic, not humorous.

We are the strangers here, in a strange new land to paraphrase Tevye from the second act. It is again surprising to me to add another item to my list of “The same, only different”. I would not have thought Fiddler on the Roof would have been on this list, especially after fifty years.

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/dec/06/fiddler-on-the-roof-review-trevor-nunn-menier-chocolate-factory-london

Blog 9 – “Just another winter’s day in Southern California”

But, not Southern California – Barcelona.

Last week we left chilly and rainy London and headed to chilly and rainy Barcelona. As it turned out, it rained all week in London, but cleared up nicely in Barcelona. We have wanted to visit this city for a long time and being this close to it now (1-hour 45-minute flight), time was up, time to go. We explored the architecture, the beach, one mountain, and the food and drink of the city.

It’s embarrassing to admit, but it turns out that both of us were among the many folks who believe that to label something as “gawdy” is to compare it to the work of the architect Antoni Gaudi of Barcelona – wrong. https://www.alphadictionary.com/goodword/word/gaudy  Both words do have the same Latin root of gaudere which means ‘joy’, but gawdy had been in use for hundreds of years before Gaudi came along with his detailed architectural plans. We also learned that he was not a tile-obsessive church builder who worked on only one building for his entire life and still did not even finish that. There is so much more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Gaud%C3%AD

We began our Gaudi education with dinner and a tour at Casa Mila. http://www.lapedrera.com/es It was here that we were first awed by the sheer scope of his work and learned that his true greatness lies not just in decorative arts but in the engineering of design to be both beautiful and functional and in harmony with nature. In the attic of Casa Mila, designed to be the laundry of the house with white arched ceilings and ingenious ventilation, we saw models of his work and the way he determined the use of the catenary curve as a building structure, which had previously only been used on bridges. The attic was the last stop before we were allowed on the roof of the building. From the roof we could see both across the city and down the atrium, which the house is built around. Not a straight line to be found.

Casa Mila set us up for the following morning when we planned the 10:00 am tour of the Sagrada Familia, ‘the church’. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia  https://sagradafamilia.org/ But, truly, nothing could prepare us for the scope and size of this project. It is not just big, it is huge. It is not just decorated, it is the bible told in art sculpture, and decorated. Gaudi envisioned the outside of the church to be a teaching tool that even the uneducated would be able to understand. But that is not the best part; the best part is when you walk through the doors and take in the astounding beauty of the arched ceilings being held up by marble columns that appear to be trees which frame the stained-glass windows lining the walls. Sagrada Familia means Sacred Family. Gaudi wanted the church to be open to all peoples, the sacred family of humanity. I am not a Catholic, far from it, but none-the-less this felt like a sacred space for me. We spent almost the whole day there; looking up, looking out, looking at the museum which now occupies the basement.

The next day started with Park Guell. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_G%C3%BCell  https://parkguell.barcelona/ca/ The Park Guell is a failed housing development. It was meant to be a contained neighborhood with a central space for social and market interaction, but few plots of the land were sold. In the end, the land and the house which Gaudi himself lived in, were donated to the city. The park is a combination of urban nature trail and the beautiful park center designed by Gaudi. Much of the urban nature trail part is open to the public, but the Gaudi buildings at the center are by paid admission only. Our tour guide explained that access to the central section of the park had to be limited because when it was free to all there were over 9 million visitors a year. The built and natural environment cannot support that many people.

Our last Gaudi building was the Casa Batllo. https://www.casabatllo.es/en/online-tickets/ This is another ‘house’ designed by Gaudi. It is similar to the Casa Mila, but smaller and currently under major renovations. The renovations did not diminish our visit. Work areas were sealed off using see-through plastic so we could see the actual work being done. By the time we left this site, we had both become true Gaudi fans. TripAdvisor says there are ten must see Gaudi works in Barcelona. It just was not possible for us to tour them all and we have added several to a list of what to see ‘next time’.

And, there is more to Barcelona than only Gaudi buildings – although they are the main tourist attractions. We climbed Montjuic. To get to the top you can either walk/climb the trails or take a combination of the funicular and cable car. The funicular is being upgraded so it was not available when we were there; it has a bus replacement (no fun) and once we had covered that much of the mountain by foot there didn’t seem to be a reason to take the cable car for the rest; although we did take it down. Montjuic has a castle at the top. It is the fortress type of castle with views from the water to the valley of the city to Mount Tibidaboon the other side. The centuries old history of the castle is difficult as it has both protected the city of Barcelona and fired on it during ‘The Troubles’ of the late 1930’s.

The castle is not the only thing on the mountain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montju%C3%AFc  The mountain was the home of the 1929 Exposition (World’s Fair) and many of the venues for the 1992 Olympics. We were able to look around the diving pool; while the fencing is graffiti covered, the pool area is still in use and open to the public in the summer months. A lovely restaurant and bar are also attached – but we were not hungry at the right time. Both share beautiful views of the city and sea from their vantage point on the side of the hill. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piscina_Municipal_de_Montju%C3%AFc The Olympic Museum is right across the street from the pool, so we stopped there to see an assortment of memorabilia going back to the original games in Greece. A few more steps and we were at the Miro Foundation and Museum. Modern art not being my favorite, I suspected I would be done in 15 minutes and could then wait for Andy at the café in the museum’s atrium. It didn’t quite work out that way. Using the audio guide to the artwork, it was really pretty interesting, and we both finished at the same time; and went to the café together.

Down the cable car, a short rest, and then off to the 2019 Barcelona Beer Festival. We look for a special event to tie our travels to, the beer festival was the event for Barcelona. We could go any time, but why pick just anytime when we could also attend the beer festival. Of course, I don’t drink beer; but I do listen to music, eat festival food and if available, cider. It was 99 different beers and 1 cider – so we were good for the evening. Andy didn’t have to taste them all – we’ve done site tours of Flying Dog and Anchor Steam in the US. He did get to try some Russian beer and others from Spain and the UK. My cider was from Quebec; not US, but pretty darn close. A fun, and highly organized (which always appeals to me) event. https://barcelonabeerfestival.com/?page_id=1278&lang=en

In between everything listed already, we walked, we ate tapas, and we drank Aperol Spritz’. The La Rambla is the main boulevard for shopping, eating, hanging out. Right off La Rambla is the Boquiteria, or market. Think of Reading Market in Philadelphia or Quincy Market in Boston; fresh food, prepared food, trinkets, and of course, beer and cocktails. (I cannot compare to Baltimore’s Lexington Market – must admit, I have never been inside) We went for the gelato which hit the spot on a clear day with temperatures in the 60’s. We walked the Gothic Quarter with its narrow streets, shops, restaurants and churches; the Eixample area which has more shops and restaurants and the beach with sand, sun, and water.

Three restaurants were particularly good, each for their own reasons. Bronzo is a non-traditional tapas place offering more Italian/Sardinian types of food. We went there because one of the folks Andy works with is one of the three owners of the restaurant. The food was good, the place is cute enough and has some outside seating if weather permits. http://www.bronzo.es/es  We also went to La Pepita which is a much more traditional tapas restaurant. It is completely covered with graffiti – I added a “Baltimore Hon” to the corner of the table we sat at. Very good and surprisingly fast given how busy they were. http://lapepitabcn.com/  And, the last day we had brunch at Blai 9 which was not too far from our hotel. Blai is a street that is closed to traffic so it has lots of restaurants with outside tables. Cute. They line up their tapas on the bar area and you just take what looks good to you. They charge you based on the empty plates. http://blai9.com/ So good.  FYI, Barcelona believes in siesta time. Most restaurants do not open for dinner until 7:30 – 8:00. 

The rain from the first day cleared up, the sun came out and it was beautiful. As my friend and artist, Jay Wolf Schlossberg-Cohen would say: “it’s just another winter’s day in Southern California.” But it wasn’t. It was several beautiful winters’ days in Barcelona.

Writing about International Women’s Day is not working out. (See comments to previous posting, IWD was to be the next topic.)

When my notes International Women’s Day reached four pages, I knew it was too much. It may be that obsessiveness was about to take me over again, but I have nipped that for the time being, at least for this topic.

Coincidentally, Google thought that I might be interested in a Buzzfeed article where they collected 34 Things That People Didn’t Realize Were 100% American Until They Left America. Since in our few months we have experienced many of these differences, it occurred to me that I could just use the Buzzfeed post for my blog post. https://www.buzzfeed.com/ehisosifo1/34-things-that-people-didnt-realize-were-100-american-until

That would be wrong – but an annotated selection I think is fine.  See below:

Drive-thrus:

“I’m from Northern Europe but have visited the US a couple of times. Their love of SUV cars and drive-thrus is unreal — like there is a Dunkin’, a Subway, and three other kinds of fast food places next to each other, and all of them have a drive-thru.”

No, we don’t have drive thrus here. And, there is no Dunkin; plenty of Starbucks, McDonalds, Nandos, and, of course, KFC.

Sales tax:

“The prices abroad don’t add tax after the fact. You pay what the price shows. No need to figure out the tax before you pay.”

True here too. The price is the price. Few exceptions on restaurant bills where a ‘service’ may be added, otherwise the cost on the menu is the cost; very little discretionary ‘tipping’.

Multiple soda flavors:

“Getting to choose from like 50 different types and subtypes of sodas.”

Nope, very few soda flavors; Coke, Diet Coke, and Coke Zero. Many restaurants make their own sodas and flavored waters. And, no refills; not even for iced tea. I learned that lesson early on, when my lunch cost me way more than expected; one ice tea + one ice tea + one ice tea.

Water fountains:

“I’ve noticed there’s a big shortage of water fountains once you leave the US.”

Another truism. Even museums which I thought you could count on to have a fountain by the restrooms – nope; bring your own water.

Cashiers bagging your groceries:

“I went to Germany and found it strange that they don’t bag your items for you. Everyone just brings their own bag or dumps their stuff in a backpack.”

This is true in London also. The cashiers sit on chairs, scan your items, and wait for you to pack up.

Cold drinks:

“In every European country I’ve visited, the drinks would best be described as cool, but definitely not ice-cold like in the US.”

Some places will provide ice if you ask for it, but some others do not even have an ice maker. Just not the way they are used to it.

Free public restrooms:

“When I visited Europe I thought it was the strangest thing that you had to pay to use a public restroom.”

One of my recommendations for visitors is always to carry a couple 50 pence coins with them. Many times, you can find a restroom, but just as likely you will have to pay for it.

And, I will end my version of the list with this one:

Sugar:

“When I visited Japan, even some of their sweetest desserts paled in comparison to how much sugar is in American food.”

So true here. A bottle of lemonade here is 38 calories. Compare that to what you have at home – 120 at least.

On that sour note, my posting for this time is complete. I will continue to look for things that are the same only different as we transition into spring in the UK.

Cheers!

Blog 7 – Did we go anywhere in February?

Several previous posts have been about our trips and travels away from London; to Paris, to Scotland, but February was all about staying home. (Andy needed a passport renewal, impacted here by the shutdown there. It was actually updated and returned within 9 days, but we could have never counted on that fast service)

So, we planned to stay in London, what were we to do? There were the Chinese New Year’s activities, (see previous post) and some mundane items that needed attention to too; like finding a theater to see all the Best Picture nominees before the Oscars on February 24^th. Pretty much by going for a walk, we discovered the area of Shepherds Bush. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherd%27s_Bush Lots of small shops, a very small mall with a small Vue Cinema (and just about the worst Chinese Buffet we have ever been to), and the huge Westfield mall with a beautiful large Vue Cinema. Between them, and the few nominated movies we saw in the states, we were pretty well ready for Sunday night. Only here, it was Monday morning with the actual awards starting at 1:00 am. Thank heaven for the DVR.

This past weekend may be a good example of our stay at home weekends in London. We started our weekend on Friday night with dinner at George IV’s pub. Every now and then our timing is perfect, as it was last Friday, and we are able to find a seat to eat dinner. Their pub food is not what I used to think of as pub food, bangers and mash, shepherds pie; they have some pasta dishes and I had a lovely salmon special with leeks. The music was to start at 9:00, but the band was just arriving when we left at 9:30. A little bit of 9 out of 10 Cats do Countdown and off to bed we went. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_Out_of_10_Cats_Does_Countdown)

On Saturday we sought out the Virgin Active Health club which is located in Chiswick Business Park. (https://enjoy-work.com/) Saturday’s weather was beautiful, so we started with eating brunch outside at a nearby café. A Business Park. I even like business, and this did not sound interesting to me, but we needed to find a gym in the area and there are just not that many to choose from; off we went. I have seen the backside of the Business Park’s buildings from the underground and from walking up the High Road but had no idea of what the center of the building’s campus might look like. It looks like a Millennial’s work dream. Wide sidewalks, bike paths, benches, grass, meeting pods, a pond with waterfall, and a Starbucks kiosk that was influenced by Airstream. Twelve buildings form a long oval with all this and more inside.

On the back side of the business park, a new bridge was opened that connects the area with the Chiswick Park Underground station. Between the two are a few apartment buildings and a nature preserve; Gunnersbury Triangle Nature Reserve. (https://www.wildlondon.org.uk/reserves/gunnersbury-triangle) This little bit of green has a surprising number of trails, benches, and factoid signs. Lots of wildlife right there between all this modern development.

We ended our Saturday night by going to Showstoppers at The New Palace Theater. (https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/showstopper-the-improvised-musical/) In two acts, this repertoire group creates a brand-new improvised musical for every show. They begin by asking the audience for several ideas for a setting. Members of our audience suggested a biker bar, bottle cap factory, and based on a vote of the audience, the winning idea of a high school for superheroes. After that we were solicited for types of musicals that the music can be sung like. We had Motown, War of the Worlds (musical), Wicked. Using a variety of hats and props the first act is improvised, acted and sung. At intermission the audience is again solicited, this time for the opening scene of the second act. Suggestions are submitted via Twitter. The whole evening was much fun and more so for us Americans when one person’s super power was deemed ‘Baseball Fact Man’. We laughed pretty hard at the ‘baseball facts’ description of the 1965 game between the Boston Bowlers and the Baltimore Batters. Some Batters made it to ‘4^th’ base during the ‘match’ where an imaginary ball was rolled, thrown, and lofted underhand; Baltimore won the game. Well that’s something.

On Sunday afternoon we took the underground, District Line, to Tower Hill Station to join a walking tour of “Bizarre London”. Note Tower Hill station is named for the nearby Tower of London and Tower Bridge. As it was the second beautiful day in a row, the area was filled with folks waiting to go in the Tower or see the various other sites located in this area. We had come for the ‘show up’ tour presented by London Walks. We have done other walks on our own using the City Walks London, 50 Adventures on Foot and London’s Village Walks guides. But we hope to use this group for a Beatles tour and possibly a Harry Potter tour when friends and family visit this summer; we needed to verify that they are a good option. (https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/115945-london-walks)

Yes, based on this one data point, London Walks is a great walking tour option. First, you don’t have to plan too far in advance as you might have to with other tour groups; you just show up. They have lots to choose from; morning, afternoon, and evening Jack the Ripper options. And, not too expensive. 10 pounds regular and 8 pounds concession. (Concession is a discount for students or over 65’s, under 15 are free). They do only take cash, so you must be prepared for that. A good number of folks showed up for this tour, but the guide handled it well, bringing everyone in very close and keeping us all together. The tour lasts two hours. We started at the nearby Trinity Square Gardens (https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/leisure_and_culture/parks_and_open_spaces/Trinity_Square_Gardens.aspx) and Memorial (https://alondoninheritance.com/london-monuments/trinity-square-gardens-memorials-to-execution-and-wartime-sacrifice/)  where she explained both and their significance over time. We walked over to a section of the original Roman walls which circled the city of Londinium founded as part of the Roman Empire. This is one of several sections of the Roman wall remaining in the city which is now surrounded by skyscrapers of all sorts of shapes and sizes. Our tour ended outside Liverpool Street Station. Functions of the buildings in this area have changed; this is the location of the St. Mary Bethlehem Hospital which was founded to treat the mentally ill. They did not treat them well; starvation and shackles being a major part of the therapy, with the patients put on display for the weekend entertainment of the passerby’s who watched as cold water was thrown on the shackled patients making them scream and shake. Over time, the name became shortened and pronunciation evolved to become simply “Bedlam”. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlem_Royal_Hospital)

Who wouldn’t need a coffee after that? Whew, off to Joe and the Juice we went before making our way back to Chiswick and a Thai food dinner. To get ready for next week’s movie at Shepherds Bush, we re-watched the Lego Movie, Part 1, set the DVR for the Oscars and off to bed we went – weekend complete.

Blog 6 – The significance of Chinese food

Not all, but certainly many, points in my life have involved Chinese food; our current point of being in London is no different.

When Aj lived at home, it seems like he attended Sunday evening religious school forever; so proud, but that is a different topic than this one. While he was at school this was my chance to clean the kitchen, do the week’s grocery shopping, and make lunches for the upcoming week, this did not leave time to actually make a dinner on Sundays – so the Chinese dinner tradition took root. Over the years we had several favorites based on the assessment of their Hot and Sour soup, Dumplings, and Orange Chicken.

Within our TESCA arts group someone said once that the plans were a result of Jay (Wolf Schlossberg-Cohen: https://www.wolfschlossberg-cohenstudio.com/ ) and I meeting over Chinese food. This may be true. There were many nights when the two of us, the three of us, the four of us, the five of us, would meet at one of the various Chinese restaurants that could accommodate our meeting and food requirements. We could all find something we liked, as spicy as we liked it. Sharing of food begat the sharing of ideas: we could make Tallit (prayer shawls), we could make invitations, we could make candlesticks, we could make ruah panels, we could make a difference. And, we did.

When working on the College’s Middle States Accreditation report in 2013/14, it was the weekly delivery of Chinese food from New China II that saved our sanity. As the accreditation saga continued, so did the reliance on Chinese food to be the break that tough days need. Eileen reports that the New China II delivery is still her basis for any workgroup that is anticipating a long day.

Moving to London, a very international city, we never even thought about access to Chinese food. We hadn’t seen any in our neighborhood, but we assumed we just hadn’t looked. Last fall, as Christmas day approached, we began searching for Chinese food in earnest. What is Christmas without Chinese food and a trip to the movies? Apparently, that is “American”. They don’t do that here; almost everything is closed including trains, busses, restaurants of all nationalities, and all but one movie theater. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t find a Chinese restaurant, we couldn’t get to city center for the one (Leister Square) movie theater that was open on Christmas day anyway. We barbequed on Christmas and watched Netflix.

And, the restaurants we found didn’t pass the Soup, Dumpling, Orange Chicken test. We kind of let it go. There is plenty of Thai food, Indian food, Italian, and burgers to last us for the duration. But, this past week was the start of Chinese New Year – the year of the Pig!  The pig is not my Chinese zodiac symbol, it is my, for lack of a better phrase, my spirit animal. Pigs are smart, they are good tempered, kind, and positive – and they only go forward. I still aspire to hear the words: “That will do pig”.

Off we went looking forward to ‘the largest Chinese New Year celebration outside of China’, so said the publicity for Sunday the 10^th. (https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/whats-on/chinese-new-year/about ) We arrived in plenty of time for the parade and found a great spot behind four little kids so I could see over them. It is not for me to critique the hard work of many people to create such a parade, but at the end we were looking forward to what else there may be to do. In the end, we spent the day going between Trafalgar Square, Leister Square, and Chinatown. Our day ended with a dinner of the best Chinese food we have had here. They passed the soup test and dumpling test; no Orange Chicken, but the Chicken with Ginger was very good.

We had our Chinese, we made some plans; another circle is complete.

Blog 5 – Why not put whisky in the porridge?

We were in Scotland last week splitting our time between Edinburgh, Glasgow, and a day trip to the Highlands – we just could not go that far without seeing Loch Ness.

Plenty of old stuff to see. The Edinburgh Castle (https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/) has a history going back to 900 BCE. It has been attacked, re-built, expanded, attacked, rebuilt, expanded for centuries and still maintains a military contingent; as well as multiple museums, artifacts, two cafes and a whisky shop. It takes hours to see most of the castle grounds. We had a great tour guide, Dave from TripAdvisor, who shared so many stories with us. One such story was about the one o’clock gun. This is a working, piece of artillery that is fired every day at one o’clock so that all in hearing distance know the exact time. Back in the day, this was important for the navigation of ships which docked in the harbor – it is now done for tradition and because tourists expect it. Important note; the gun only fires blanks. (https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/discover/highlights/one-oclock-gun) Edinburgh, according to Dave, was the first location in the UK to be attacked in World War II. Luckily many of the bombs dropped did not explode, so major damage was avoided; the city though did not want to appear undefended, so they fired the one o’clock gun. In effect shooting blanks at planes that dropped bombs that didn’t explode. This story may, or may not, be true. Edinburgh was bombed repeatedly during the war causing much loss of life and extreme damage which I in no way intend to minimize by repeating Dave’s anecdote of the first bombing and the only ‘use in anger’ of the one o’clock gun.

Ebenezer Scroggie. No, this is not a misspelling of Scrooge. Taking the Dark Side tour; at night, in the rain, we heard many stories and legends of people and places in old Edinburgh. Anna, our tour guide, shared one such story regarding how Charles Dickens came upon the idea for A Christmas Carol. The version of the story shared with us in the Canongate Graveyard is this: Charles Dickens was visiting Edinburgh and walked through the graveyard as a visitor to the city might do. The graveyard is a mix of markers, crypts, and vaults arranged in narrow and steep paths; it is interesting. Dickens happened upon the grave of Ebenezer Scroggie, where he read the headstone inscription as: “Here lies a mean man”. His writer’s imagination took it from there. What kind of man would bear such an inscription? What must his life have been like? Changing the name slightly, the character of Ebenezer Scrooge was born. The resulting story becoming one of the best loved Christmas stories of all time. To thank his inspirational muse, Dickens arranged to have the grave and marker cleaned up – it was then that he learned that the inscription was actually: “Here lies a meal (not mean) man”. Scroggie was a merchant of corn and supporter of the poor, loved and respected within the community. Sadly, over time, as the origin of A Christmas Carol became known, the grave became a tourist stop; the marker being eventually removed to eliminate disturbance to the site. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4y78YB9vVMG1xYrW8CmzjPw/that-ebenezer-geezer-who-was-the-real-scrooge)

The Dark Side tour also included stories of witches, 4,000 burned in Edinburgh, cannibalism, vampires and a mountaintop inhabited by faeries. Not Tinkerbell fairies, mean and spiteful faeries. There were the Brownies. Brownies were willing to help humans in a pinch, completing chores such as dishwashing and bedmaking when the people just did not have the time. But, if you did not properly appreciate them, or if you planned for them to do the dishes instead of you – they would become angry and burn your house down. These faeries served to keep children in line and chores completed. We also learned of Kelpies which are demons who usually appear as horses. Harry Potter fans may recognize the Kelpies. And, the last of the three, whose name I do not remember; were naked old men who would chase you through the woods. I think many of us recognize these too.

In Glasgow, we took a walking whisky tour. A little fresh air is a good thing when tasting whisky. Our guide, Cam, took us to four very different and interesting pubs/whisky bars where we learned some of the history, categories and customs regarding the ‘water of life’. I know, I’m not a whisky drinker; but when in the land of whisky, you cannot ignore its pervasiveness in the culture – we had to know more and not just by ordering shots on our own.

I learned that there are five, or six, major areas in Scotland that each have their own category of the drink that are divided by Smoky versus Delicate and Light versus Rich. (https://www.malts.com/en-gb/whisky-guide/the-flavour/) The Islands are slightly salty and smoky; the Islays have a powerful peaty smokiness; the Campeltown distilleries are famed for their smoky, oily character and distinct briny flavor; the Speyside are the lightest and most subtle; the Highlands has many varieties, lighter to smoky and peat styles and the Lowlands are known to be more gentle, floral and frequently triple distilled creating a more delicate drink. Turns out, I am a Delicate whisky drinker who really does not like the smoky or peat flavors found in the Highlands variations; preferring the Lowlands brands such as Auchentoshan. The lighter, Lowlands, whiskies are also known by another name; Breakfast Whiskies. Yes, breakfast; there is no time that whisky is not appropriate.

It seemed no trip to Scotland would be complete without a day trip to the Highlands. Looking up the area before the trip I learned it had been ‘scrubbed by glaciers’ creating a landscape that is too rocky and barren to support agriculture but does sustain the grazing of sheep. The weather is harsh and the people friendly. So, while we knew there would be lakes (lochs), we did not expect much in the way of landscapes – we were so surprised then to see the Munros (mountains) and the glens (sharp sided valley between) and the largest lakes in the UK. The Highlands are beautiful; green valleys, snow-topped mountains, lakes as clear and still as mirrors. Weather-wise we were lucky too, with the sun shining and little wind. For twelve hours we were awed by the rugged landscape, old, old castles, and the stories of all shared by our tour leader, Andrew. We know we had a rare glimpse; a day later the Highlands were covered with snow and what green was left is surely now gone – but the green will return in the spring and most likely so will we. (https://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/highlands/)

Whisky in the porridge, why not?

Blog 4 – We went to Paris last week!

Andy has global work responsibilities, this means a trip to Paris is part of his job; of course, I went. Taking the Eurostar Train, it is two and a quarter hours London to Paris; city center to city center. Of course, I went. There is so much written already about the people, the streets, the museums, the shops, the food, the wine, the light; I won’t attempt to write all that again, here.

What I will write here, is that we went to Paris last week. We saw new people and old friends. In a coincidence of timing we were able to connect with our old friends Art and Annmarie who we have known via P&G going way back. We worked together, went through graduate courses together, and even lived together for a while. Over the intervening years, all our lives continued to go forward; we all had children, A & A moved away from California; Green Bay, Cincinnati, Connecticut, then Singapore, now Paris. We moved away from California; Baltimore and now London. It was great to talk with fellow Americans who understand how frustrating it is to have your children’s address have to be your address because your credit card company does not accept a residence outside the US. Or, the little things you can miss like Hidden Valley Ranch dressing or Puffs tissues.

We went to Paris last week. Art and Annmarie were able to spend time with me during the day; it is great to have personal guides who know the streets and speak English and even some handy French. We went to museums, parks, cafes, and shops. We drank coffee au lait; and ate croissants, baguettes, and falafels. We examined the Le Marias for signs of Jewish life both historically and in the present. We were not disappointed; we were overwhelmed. Our route, our stopping points, and my reflections on what we saw and learned are just too complicated and detailed to include in this short posting. 

In the evening Andy joined us; the first night for Mexican food (in Paris!) and on Friday, as we made our way to the Galleries Lafayette. (https://haussmann.galerieslafayette.com/en/galeries-lafayette-the-best-shopping-mall-in-paris/) This is not just a beautiful and incredibly expensive shopping area; this is a ‘whole nuther thing’. The American idea of ‘mall’ does not fit for this building which is arranged more like a six-story indoor street market, only the shops are Chanel, Dior, and other expensive designers and retailers I don’t even know. The building itself is gorgeous! The domed ceiling is a tremendous work of stained-glass art that must be seen in person to fully take in the scope and detail. And, as A & A showed us, there is a rooftop deck. You can see for miles from the top of the building. After taking in that view, (the Arc de Triumph, the Eiffel Tower, the Pompidou Center, the Opera Garnier) we went next door to another shopping center, the Printemps (http://departmentstoreparis.printemps.com/store/haussmann/) This building is not as gorgeous on the inside and the shops are still expensive, but the rooftop deck was beautiful. It had an outdoor restaurant with planters of trees, shrubs, flowers and lights which encircled us as we enjoyed a glass of wine while the sun went down over Paris, the Eiffel Tower et al in the distance. The remainder of the evening was spent laughing, eating and sampling absinthe at the L’ Absinthe restaurant (http://www.restaurantabsinthe.com/) We think we had a great time, but that may be just the absinthe’s effects.

We went to Paris last week. On my own for a day, following Boulevard Saint Michel, which fronts Notre Dame Cathedral, I located the Cluny Museum, The National Museum of the Middle Ages. (https://www.musee-moyenage.fr/) You might be thinking, that this does not sound like a fun place – oh, but it is. It is unfortunate that the building/s are undergoing renovation through 2020 so not all of it was open; in fact, almost all the “middle ages” is not open, but enough to make an interesting afternoon was available. Special exhibits included a section devoted to magical unicorns. This incorporated tapestries based on the six senses which date back to the 1500’s. (yes, the Middle Ages) (https://www.musee-moyenage.fr/collection/oeuvre/la-dame-a-la-licorne.html) Can’t go wrong with a good fabric exhibit. But that is not the best part – the museum itself is built over Roman ruins! The public baths have been excavated and some areas are available to walk into and touch. The baths date back to the 1^st century; and I could touch them! It’s a time/space/history thing for me. (https://www.musee-moyenage.fr/lieu/les-thermes-antiques.html) 

We went to Paris last week! And if that weren’t enough, we finished our week by going to Disneyland, Paris. We left the yellow vests protesting in the streets and took the RER train to pure escapism. While we felt a few things could have been better marked; there is no missing Disneyland from the train station; the entrances to Disneyland, Disney Studios, and Disney Village literally meet in front of the station and there is nothing else. We love most things Disney; they are well run, clean, the rides are fun, and all is thematically on point. Some attractions and shops were not open because of the time of year, but this did not impact what mattered to us. Some parts of the parks were crowded, with long waits for the popular attractions. We had a “Fastpass” which allows you to get a time-stamped ticket to come back to a popular ride later. We used this for Star Wars Hyper Space Mountain – receiving a time two hours later gave us the opportunity to get some lunch, do “It’s a Small World” and the “Tea Cups” before returning and walking right onto the ride. Whooo, Wheee, what a ride it is too – I don’t remember that Space Mountain had a 360-degree loop. By the end of our three days we felt we did all Disneyland Paris had to offer, in some cases doing the same rides multiple times. (Highly recommend the Buzz Lightyear Laser ride, fun and interactive; and no loops) And, the last day it snowed! A beautiful park made even more so by mother nature’s handywork.

Disney themes are self-reinforcing and self-promoting. (Marketing 223) In Cinderella’s Castle you can buy Cinderella’s dress. You can then wear the dress to the parade in the afternoon where Cinderella will wave to you while you listen to the “someday my prince will come” song and then wear it again later to the Illuminations show where once more you will see pictures of the princesses and hear the songs to end your Disney day. The same characters, songs, and themes repeat at every opportunity; Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Frozen. Shop, see, hear, experience. Notably for this trip was the inclusion of the Lion King and the theme/song Circle of Life. As I wrap up this trip, I think the Lion King analogy fits the best; we had sun, clouds, and snow. We had highs and lows in a city with its own highs and lows, past and present. And in meeting up with Art & Annmarie we are reminded it is a good time to review and celebrate our own Circle of Life. I do love a good circle.

Blog 3 – How to have a great week-long visit with your adult son

First, move to London. Make sure you acquire a comfortable space which allows for sleeping and bath independence. Make the bed, buy a weeks’ worth of snacks and then encourage the child to visit in all manner of ways.

Then, ask the child what he would like to do – after you have already purchased tickets for some events. Plan for live theater shows. If you can, buy tickets for Hamilton; let the son buy tickets for the show he wants to see, Company. If you will be together for New Year’s Eve, go ahead and plan something for that night too.

In our experience, this plan works.

What follows is essentially an accounting of the places, shows, and events we attended during the “winter break” between Christmas and New Year’s, plus a few extra days.

It takes at 9 – 11 hours to fly from Dallas to London – so day one, don’t plan on doing too much. If you insist on walking your child around the new neighborhood, the high street, and to a great pub on the River Thames, etc.; he will almost fall asleep walking. Plan some nap time for day one. Dinner at a close café.

Day two; hit the ground running. A top priority for this trip was seeing the Renzo Piano exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/ Upon entering we found there was also a separate exhibit on the drawings of Klimt and Schiele. The architect, Renzo Piano has been responsible for some of the most iconic buildings in the world. It is Piano who joined with architect Richard Rogers to create the Pompidou Center in Paris. The models and drawings presented at the RA demonstrated some of his thought processes in making this now famous building. It was Piano who designed the New York Times building in Manhattan. From this show I learned that what appears to be a steel rod frame surrounding the tower also has very thin ceramic cording which helps control heat gain in the building. This extraordinary exhibit was finely detailed with models, drawings, notes and pictures for 12 of Piano’s most famous works, we were there for hours. After a lunch break we went on to the Klimt/Schiele rooms. This did not take as long. In addition to these ‘special’ (read extra cost) exhibits we also saw “The Secret to a Good Life” A project by Bob and Roberta Smith. This women-family-artist-centered exhibit defies description; but I loved it and will share one quote here: “Bob’s mum taught him that the secret to a good life was a good pencil – What’s your mother’s secret to a good life?” This mum is still working on an answer.

Continue the day by walking through the Christmas market at Leicester Square, going back through China Town for Chinese food and then finishing the evening by seeing Company at the Giulgud Theater (http://www.gielgudtheatre.co.uk/) featuring Patti LuPone whose rendition of The Ladies Who Lunch brought the audience to its feet. We waited for her at the stage door, but she did not leave the building that way. Such a treat to see this show.

Day three; hit the ground running again. Go to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see it and to the “A Home for All, Six Experiments in Social Housing” exhibit. The exhibit’s premise is that as housing reaches a critical shortage again in the United Kingdom, it is time to look back to the 50’s and 60’s efforts to recover from the war and slum clearance when various models were enacted by joint efforts of architects and government. As the cry for ‘quantity’ is heard repeatedly, the need for ‘quality’ ought not be ignored. Spend the rest of the day viewing at least some of the rest of this huge museum. Fashionistas take note, the V and A is number 3 on Culture Trips list of “The 10 Best Museums For Fashion Fanatics In London”. https://www.vam.ac.uk/

Time for a change. Go home and put on the warm jackets. This is the night for Christmas at Kew Gardens. It is not possible to describe the beauty of this garden and the Christmas lights can truly only be enjoyed by being there. Take a look at the website to view all that goes on at this Royal Park. https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/christmas-at-kew/everything-you-need-to-know-for-christmas-at-kew

Day four; Hit the ground running, again. Today is the day for Westminster Abbey. Not especially looking forward to this – we’ve seen a lot of Catholic Churches; we have been to Italy already and not big Royal Family fans either. But the child said we had to go and in addition to the regular entrance we also had to pay five more pounds to see The Queens Diamond Jubilee Galleries.  https://www.westminster-abbey.org/visit-us/plan-your-visit/the-queens-diamond-jubilee-galleries/  He was right; so right. The galleries just opened this summer. They are still something of a secret, very few visitors compared to the crowds downstairs. Essentially, they cleaned out the attic space above the church, installing museum types of exhibits and railings to look down into the church. Again, we spent hours here. Please visit the website for more information; this is a very worthy trip. They have the Magna Carta there!

As it turns out, Day four was New Years Eve. As written earlier, I had gone ahead and made plans for us to watch the fireworks put on by the Mayor of London because the trick here is how to watch fireworks at midnight without standing outside in the cold for six hours – the solution? Book a restaurant on the river. Las Iguanas is a Latin restaurant at Southbank, right down river from the London Eye, the center of the fireworks. They put together a great evening of food, drinks, music, a champagne toast and access for attendees on the river bank just in time for the show. No achy feet, plenty to eat and drink. Happy 2019!

Day five; Take a break! We slept in a little while Aj went for a run. Great way to start the new year all the way around. After that, we made our way to Kensington to visit the Design Museum. The Design Museum was named European Museum of the Year 2018. It is new, beautiful, and had a great exhibit on “home futures”. The theme is: Are we living in yesterday’s vision of the future?  The answer was that in some ways yes; the Roomba has a cousin from the 50’s and a screen in every room is not a new idea, they reality is we live is just much smaller screens than the CRT versions from the 60’s vision. This is another great museum that we would all recommend. https://designmuseum.org/#  Since we were in Kensington, we had to track down Churchill Arms. The pub does not belong to the Churchill family, though it is said that his grandparents did frequent the place, but it is dedicated in drink and decoration to the great man. The outside is always extensively decorated – and at Christmas, that means Christmas trees. It is something to see. And, if you are hungry, they claim to be the first pub to offer Thai food, which is now combined at many pubs. https://www.churchillarmskensington.co.uk/about

Day six; I pushed this off as far as I could in the trip; we had to go to the Tate Modern Museum.  The building was originally a power station on the Thames. The entry is nice with trees planted and almost always buskers out front entertaining the crowd. The building itself is big and all brown brick. It is imposing and unfriendly and it houses modern art – my least favorite. But, its on the river, its free and it has several cafes and shops, so there is that. During our visit, it also had an extensive exhibit on Anni Albers, a weaver and artist from the 40’s – 80’s. https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/anni-albers  We can always learn something from a fabric artist. Some of her designs were exceptional, still in use today, and her life story of coming out of the Bauhaus in Germany in the late 30’s is a lesson for all time. Turns out to be another museum where we spent the whole day.

But, then, we had to leave. We had tickets to Hamilton! Finally, our chance to see this play. It did not disappoint. The singing and acting were excellent, and while it is long, 2 hours 45 minutes; it still felt like it was over too soon. The theater it is playing in is the Victoria Palace Theater. Beautiful! It was completely renovated prior to the Hamilton run. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Palace_Theatre

Day seven; Answer the question: “Where do the ‘Fuller’ brand pubs get their beer?”  Why from Fuller’s Brewery in Chiswick. (https://www.fullers.co.uk/brewery) Beer making has been going on in some of the same buildings on the same site by the river for over 350 years!  They do charge for the tour, but it is 2 hours which ends with all the beer and/or cider you can drink by the end of the time.  This becomes another day when nap time needs to be included. After the nap, go to Trafalgar square to see the inlaid brass markers that have codified standard measurement lengths since 1876.  https://untappedcities.com/2013/02/05/london-trafalgar-square-standard-units/ Back to Leicester Square where you see the best Lego store – ever. You are greeted by a replica of the Leicester Square Underground entry, which is next to an 18-foot recreation of Big Ben. The entire store is filled with demonstrations of Lego creativity – on a very large scale.

Day eight; send the child back to America. Spend the rest of the day reading and being lazy. It is another day that nap time needs to be included. What a week it has been.

Excel spreadsheet summary to-date:

Location/ Name	Special Events	Recco	Cost
Hydepark	Winter Wonderland	Absolutely.	Free to enter, all else expect city prices
Kew Gardens	Christmas at Kew	Absolutely.	Reserve well in advance 25 pound
Chiswick House and Gardens	After Dark	Probably.	Buy tickets online.  About 10 pounds each
Royal Academy of Arts	Renzo Piano, Klimpt/Schiele	Absolutely.	Free to enter, 17 pounds special exhibits
Leicester Square	Christmas market, Lego Store	Probably.	Free to enter, all else expect city prices
Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)	A Home for All, Six Experiments in Social Housing	Absolutely.	Free to enter, special exhibits extra
Westminster Abbey/Galleries	The Queens Diamond Jubilee Galleries	Absolutely.	20 pounds online plus 5 pounds for Galleries
The Design Museum	“home futures”	Absolutely.	Free to enter, special exhibits extra
The Churchill Arms Pub	Outside decorations	Absolutely.	Free to look, extra for beer, dinner
Tate Modern Museum	Anni Albers	Probably.	Free to enter, special exhibits extra
Victoria Palace Theater	Hamilton	Absolutely.	20 – 250 pounds. Book only through their website
Fuller’s Brewery	Brewery Tours	Absolutely.	Tour is 20 pounds

Blog 2 – A walk in the park

British gardens, greens, and commons are a walking surprise, not quite an ‘adventure’, but close.

Winter in London could be depressing. It’s cold with highs in the 40’s and 50’s. It rains some, though not all, days. And the days are short. December 21st, the shortest day, saw the sun rise at 8:03 am and set at 3:53 pm for 7 hours and 44 minutes of sun that day.

But, it is not depressing. Not for us, not for me. There are so many new things to see and places to go that even the dark has not depressed our mood. One reason is the abundance of parks and green spaces. We are ‘between the greens’ which our first realtor told us was ideal. One direction is Turnham Green, a small park with crisscrossing trails which go from one street to another. To the other is Chiswick House and Gardens with 65 acres of grass, woods, formal gardens, and conservatory, in addition to the house which was created by Lord Burlington in the 1700’s. Since moving here, I have visited Chiswick House and Gardens several times – today, the conservatory was open: Surprise; Camelias; in bloom!

I know they are camelias because the little signs said so. The green, the color, smell on an otherwise gray day was such a treat and so unexpected. There is green in the rest of the garden and in London on the whole. It’s that ‘November green’, where the leaves have dropped, but the grass and some plants are still green. A very few flowers are to be seen apart from the flowering tree around the corner that just doesn’t seem to know what season it is.

The parks, the greens, the commons are all busy most of the time. People walking, dogs walking, people walking dogs–London is a very dog friendly area. Folks on bikes, kids on scooters; all coming out to run errands, breathe fresh air, see the sun, or get some exercise out of doors in a space that can accommodate a range of physical abilities. Or, maybe they are in the park for an event; such as the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. (https://hydeparkwinterwonderland.com) The Wonderland is truly a wonder with Christmas Village shops, Traditional food stands, Beer gardens, Games, and Carnival rides – huge Carnival rides. We could see several miles from the top of the Ferris wheel. And while it is a large event, it does not begin to fill Hyde Park leaving plenty of green area, ponds, and walks open to all.

Kew Gardens (https://www.kew.org) is where Henry VIII chased Anne Boleyn until she caught him. Her favorite bun shop across the road is still open and selling a variety of baked goods. Kew is a walled park which charges admission to all. It operates as a Royal Botanic Garden under the support of Prince Charles. Their mission is: “Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew’s mission is to be the global resource for plant and fungal knowledge, building an understanding of the world’s plants and fungi upon which all our lives depend.” This means there are few dog walkers, but many visitors who have come just to see the gardens. Kew puts on the “Christmas at Kew” event. A yearly sold-out display of lights, food, and drinks that is simply amazing. Displays of light-wrapped trees are just the beginning at Kew; there are light cathedrals, lasers, disco balls, and a small carnival area for the kids. The finale this year was a Disney “Frozen” display and music projected over dancing waters. Oohs and aahs by all in attendance.

Our own Chiswick Gardens (http://chiswickhouseandgardens.org.uk) creates “After dark” to celebrate the season with drinks, food, and light displays. The walk through the garden ends with a tent enclosed food and drink court just to make sure you don’t leave hungry.

We didn’t expect any of these events. The Chiswick Gardens was our first nighttime garden light show and it was fun. It is an easy walk with a popcorn and drink kiosk at about the halfway point. A lovely evening. The Winter Wonderland is unbelievable in size and scope; right in the middle of the city. And, the Kew Gardens Christmas was overwhelming, with each display being more interesting and beautiful than the one before it.

When we said we would move here, we didn’t know what to expect. The phrase “the same only different” is repeated by many Americans in London – but, the gardens, they are a revelation. From the variety of terrain, to the amount of green, to the special seasonal events; all have been quite the surprise.