The Mostly True Adventures of Miss Kindle: 2013

Monday, July 15, 2013

Number of tube rides= 24
Number of times my face was uncomfortably close to a smelly armpit= 3
Number of times " Due to the extremely hot weather, it is advisable that riders carry a bottle of water with them" was announced on the tube=5
Number of days temp was in the 80's=11
Number of days it rained=1 (for an hour)
Number of times a Londoner said to me " You brought the lovely weather with you, we never have weather like this" = 6
Number of times I thought "Liar, it was this hot the last time I was here"=6
Number of nights the Oxford cat jumped through my window and slept on the spare bed=5
Number of afternoon teas I had= 1
Number of pasties I ate= 1
Number of fish and chips dinners=2
Number of castles I visited=2
Number of museums visited=??? More than 5
Number of libraries visited=??? several
Number of evensong masses=1
Number of times I took a nap in a park=3
Number of times I had a delicious single vanilla cone no flake ice cream for lunch=5
Number of people I met from Massachusetts=7
Number of times I asked for directions= daily
Number of times I got lost=2 (both times in Victoria Station)
Number of times I gave directions (accurately)=3
Number of plays attended=4
Number of hats knitted=6
Number of times I was nearly run over by a biker=5
Number of times I saw someone get hit by a bike=4

Number of fantabulous memories from this trip= thousands, millions, there really is no number

Highclere Castle, the very reason my trip has been so long, soooo worth the wait and the visit. In February, when I booked this trip, I could not find a coach tour to take me to the castle, nothing was running any of the days that I was going to be here. So I decided to go on my own, no bus. A group of us estimated that it was only about $20 bucks cheaper to go on our own, but we had as much time as we wanted there. So I decided to spend the day there.

Newbury is about an hour train ride from Paddington Station, and then a 10 minute cab ride from Newbury station to the castle. Riding up to the castle takes your breath away. It is HUGE! I had a 1pm entry time, and it was only a little after 11, so I wandered around the Gardens, the woods, the gift shop, and sat under a tree and had a snack. I'm glad I brought an apple and banana because the cafe was unimpressive. I did have a cuppa and stole a spoon. I met far more Americans here than any other nationality.

Once I entered the house it is a one-way unguided tour. I had bought the longer book about the castle at the gift shop, so I knew what to look out for. No photos were allowed inside, but I befriended a mother and daughter from Alabama, and the daughter took pictures inside, she promised to send them to me. I got to see the dining room, the library, Lady Sybil's room, Lady Edith's room, and Lady Grantham's room. I walked down the big staircase, and looked at the main receiving room. It was pretty awesome. Filming of season 4 just ended Thursday, and a production team was there filming a movie to be aired in the states. I was filmed but not interviewed, they just interviewed staff of Highclere.

The grounds are exquisite, there is a wildflower meadow, and a secret garden. It was easy to spend time wandering the grounds. I shared a cab back with the mother and daughter from Alabama, and took the train back to London.

The visit was the perfect ending to this amazing trip

Highclere Castle, it really is that big

Highclere through the wildflower meadow

Had to take a selfie

Ok I took a couple of pics inside. This is Sybil's room

Edith's room

Recognize the pillars? this area is from season 2

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Day 15: The Wonderful World of Harry Potter, part 2

I got up bright and early this am, put on my new Platform 9 3/4 tee shirt, and headed off to Victoria station to meet my bus to go to The Making of Harry Potter. I have issues with Victoria Station, I aways get lost, after circling twice, including the outside, and finding a family that was looking for the same bus, we eventually got to the right place, and just in time. I got to sit on top, window seat. The ride was uneventful, but we were the first bus to arrive for the day, and I was glad because things quickly became crowded.

The studios are amazing. Sets right from the movie, the Gryffindor common room, Horcruxes from the movies, the invisibility cloak, Hagrid's Hut, wands, broomsticks, and best of all the huge model of Hogwarts that they used for filming until the last movies. This model filled a room and it took my breath away.

Outside was Privet Drive, the Knight Bus, the bridge, consession stands selling butterbeer (but not frozen, this is England, they have views on ice)and the giant chess pieces.

The gift shop had everything Harry Potter, and i walked away with a few things. I am so glad I was able to come, and the tour bus made everything so much easier. Tomorrow Downton, and home on Tuesday. I can't believe it. I can't believe the laundry I have to do.

The very colorful tour bus

#4 Privet Drive

Butterbeer, kinda gross, but I like the cup

Wands, all the major ones are here

The Great Hall

Harry's cupboard under the stairs

Gryffindor Common Room

The Knight Bus

In front of the Hogwarts model, size does matter

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Day 14: The Wonderful World of Harry Potter pt 1

I have loved the work of Vermeer for a long time. This morning I got a chance to see an amazing collection of Vermeer's work with instruments in his paintings at the National Gallery. Other Dutch artists were there, but I was in love with the paintings, and the instruments they had on display. I also got to enjoy a concert performed on antique instruments by music scholars. It was lovely.

On Trafalgar Square there was a concert for reading and children. It was a huge event with a lot of celebrities, but I only got to see a person dressed up as a pig. It was really hot outside in the sun and concrete, so I went back in the museum to see a cool display of saints as interactive structures. They were loud and cool. But you can read about the Lit Festival here:
Trafalgar Square Lit Festival

I then made my way to Westminster via the Victoria embankment to meet with a Harry Potter walking tour. We were supposed to see sights that were in the movies, but I was not as happy with this walk as I was with the Jack the Ripper walk. There is another Harry Potter walk, and I wonder if that is any better, but I won't get a chance to do it.

Platform 9 3/4 was my next stop, so off to Kings Cross I went. Whoever came up with that shop is a genius. My credit card is now as tired as my feet. A hotel picnic dinner and early to bed, because tomorrow is early to rise and I am off to the Harry Potter Experience tour.

And no baby yet...

Trafalgar Square silliness

The Knight Bus, just not purple

Day 13: Covent Garden and Oompa Loompas

Covent Garden is a bigger tourist trap than Faneuil Hall. I am making a broad statement, I realize but there it is. I started my day off ordering tickets to the National Gallery's special exhibit on Vermeer and Music. I am going tomorrow.

I then walked to the Sir John Soane museum, and it was weird. I felt the museum was more like a good museum's attic of abandoned art. Each room had a different theme, sketches, statues, a crypt, but the collection overall was kinda weird.

Next I found the theatre where I was going to go that evening, I wanted to make sure I could find it and the closest tube stop. Covent Gardens is the closest stop. I went to Marks and Spencer to change some more money, I am hoping this will be it for the next few days. Then I walked ALL over Covent Garden. And I mean all over, I thought my feet were going to fall off. So I rested and watched some street performers, they are all over the place. For dinner I went to my favorite fish and chips place, Rock, Sole, Plaice.

After some food and people watching it was time for some chocolate! Charlie and the Cocolate factory is a new musical, and it was fantastic. The young boy playing Charlie is phenomenal. When you think Hollywood movie kids can be a hit with one movie, theater kids have to rehearse and then they perform for ages. The work seems so much harder somehow. The sets were out of this world, and there were flashes, loud noises, very entertaining. My seats were also on the main floor, and were amazing, plus I though I paid a lot for my ticket, but others who tried to get half price paid more and also paid more in fees. So I feel a little better. It was a busy day that ended on a high note.

A very tall Yoda

A floating gold man

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Friday, July 12, 2013

Day 12: Medicine, Murder, Modern, and Midsummer

My day started off at the Old Operating Theatre Museum. It's a quirky attic museum and to get to it one has to climb a very narrow spiraling staircase. This museum is the location of where they used to do surgeries over a hundred years ago and it was one of the funkiest museums ever. The attic room was jam-packed with old instruments, herbs and their uses, medicines, and preserved organs. The next room was the observation room, where surgeries were performed and med students watched. It was facinating, well I thought it was.

Next I went to the London Dungeon, which moved from the Tower Bridge area to Waterloo, next to the London Eye. So back on the tube I went and found it and even though I had a ticket already, it was a 45 minute wait. If you did not have a ticket, it was a 2 hour wait. It was creepy, gory, Disney gone bad fright fest. There were rides and we met famous killers and murders from London. Sweeny Todd, Jack the Riper, saw signs of the Plague, it was disgusting and cool.

I walked down the Jubilee walkway and headed over to the Tate Museum. I was never much of a fan of modern art before, but some of the pieces were amazing, and the museum is free. I wanted to explore St. Paul's, but they were charging £14, for entry. So I took some ictures of it from the outside.

Shakespeare was next. I saw a fantastic performance of Midsummer Night's Dream. It was supurb, and the audience was howling with laughter. A great day overall.

Stairs to operating Theater

Old Operating Theatre attic

Operating Theater room

Dungeon Fool dancing with little girl

Oh, Wall! Oh, Wall

Oh what fools these mortals be

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Day 11: Buckingham Palace and Jack the Ripper

I really wanted to have tea with the queen, but apparently she is rather busy directing staff for her coronation celebration on Saturday. It's ok, I understand. And her palace was shut down for the celebration and renovations, so once again I could not tour her place, but I did get to see the Royal Mews, her carriages, horses and limo. And I got to see her art gallery, I liked the Mews better.

I took a walk to the gates, left my business card there, because some palace insiders tell me that Duchess Kate is due any day, quite possibly on Fri or Sat, and I think they might require a hat. What royal wouldn't want a Boston Beanie?

Next was a walk to St. James Park, I had some time before Evensong at Westminster, so I saw a crazy squirrel and took a nap, I like this park better than Kew Gardens. However when I got to Westminster, there is no sung Evensong on Wed, groan!

So I went down the street to a pub, didn't have a great meal, and then I was off to Tower Hill to begin my walking tour of Jack the Ripper. The tour was great, filled with gory details of the murders, and still probing the question of who did it? And it actually got chilly last night, so I have to make sure to wear warmer clothing tomorrow, because I will be out all day doing a marathon of museums, and then Midsummer Night's Dream at night.