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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.

What constitutes an adventure?

Where does this adventure begin? It begins with letting go.Goodbye to knowing the geography and history of Towson, Baltimore, Maryland,the U.S. Goodbye to knowing routines for work, for entertainment, for relationships. Goodbye to physical possessions like cars and houses and furniture. And, goodbye to friends and family that won’t be seen again for sometime.

It all leads to discovering different geography, history, entertainments, possessions, and friends. A conference presenter once said: “To learn something new, we must be willing to sacrifice at least a small amount of our self-esteem.” We cannot maintain mastery and acquire new skills, we must open ourselves up to being vulnerable, unsure, unskilled. We must let go of the rope we are holding to swing out to the next rope we grab; that’s how you move forward.

We have let go of the rope. The smallest of tasks have presented situations of pure confusion. It was among the easiest of trips in Towson to go to the White Marsh Ikea. Fifteen minutes away; take the beltway to the White Marsh exit, park on the left of the parking lot, go in through the exit. No problem. As we left Towson, we also left our King-sized bed thinking it probably would not fit in any rental properties we would be taking. We had a vague idea of going to Ikea to get a bed frame and then ordering a ‘bed in a box’ online. It seemed easy enough. From our temporary apartment to the closest Ikea it was a distance of about 9 miles depending on route. This is nothing for a person with a car, but we don’t have a car any more. A 25 minute car trip via the Underground is an hour and 15 minutes. No problem, we have time, we are up for figuring out which train to take and which direction. Walking from the station is not a problem – we like to walk.

We arrive at the huge Wembly Ikea. Hours are spent looking at the various items we might need, and which bed frame option might work best. The afternoon is spent looking, as it was still to soon to actually buy a bed because we still had not rented a long-term place in London yet. The trip to Ikea was research. It is getting dark and time to return to our apartment. It is 4 o’clock in the afternoon. And, it is raining; buckets. We re-plan the route back, less walking now would be good. The bus route is less walking, so we decide to take the bus. Ah, but which bus stop? This is where knowing the geography is helpful. We get to the bus stop in front of Ikea, but it is not for the bus we need. The one we need, is completely on the other side. We begin to walk that direction, in the pouring rain, when a car hits a water-filled pothole right next to the sidewalk, we are both drenched. As you might imagine, this is now an adventure that was not funny at the time, it is funnier now (I hope). We finally find the correct bus, going the correct direction and board with lots of other folks sharing the similar experience of being wet, tired, and completely over-dressed for a hot, steamy bus; at least they knew where they were going.

We return to our apartment soaked, tired and hungry. We both change into our one other pair of pants and dry socks. We are now just tired and hungry and one of us, me, unwilling to walk far for dinner. We find there is a Sicilian restaurant across the street with empty tables. We decide to try it. What is the worst that can happen? Bad food, bad wine, bad service. None of this happened. The service is very good, the wine is good and the food is fabulous; right across the street. We have found one of the best restaurants ever because a trip to Ikea ended up being a wet, exhausting mess. As it turns out, we found a bed frame that we both very much like right on our own High Road. Free delivery with no problem of when and where.

Months ago, as we looked forward to making this move, we anticipated adventures like exploring Stonehenge, taking tours of castles, traveling to other cities and towns in the UK and Europe – did I think going to Ikea would be an adventure? No; that’s the thing with adventures; they are hiding everywhere, even in plain sight. We are still ‘up for the adventure’ of living in London, knowing now that there is going to be a lot of it, and that most likely it will turn out to be worth it. We are still reaching for the next rope which is my current definition of ‘adventure’.

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes, a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

For many years Andy and I have enjoyed this quote, in fact, we stenciled it on a wall in our home on Carriage House Ct. I knew only that it came from Lord of the Rings. I did not know the whole context or even the whole poem.

As I started this blog, to document our adventures in getting to London, being in London, and going to other places from London; the line kept coming back to me, we are wandering – we are not lost.

So, to start on the right foot, the entire poem must be cited here. Note that additional information below is taken from Wikipedia.

The poem appears twice in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of The Lord of the Rings. It appears first in Chapter Ten, “Strider”, in Gandalf’s letter to Frodo Baggins in Bree, although when Frodo reads it he does not realize that Strider (Aragorn) is the subject of the verse.

The verse is repeated by Bilbo at the Council of Elrond. He whispers to Frodo that he wrote it many years before, when Aragorn first revealed who he was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_that_is_gold_does_not_glitter