Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens

After visiting Buckingham Palace last Friday, I took a stroll through Hyde Park. I don't usually have much of an appreciation for landscaping, but even I was impressed by the many beautiful flowers I saw.



Looking southeast beyond The Serpentine, you can just barely see Parliament and Westminster Abbey in the distance.



One of the newest additions to the park is the Diana Memorial Fountain, opened in 2004. Signs encouraged people to dangle their feet in the water, but most of us weren't that brave on this rather cool day.



As I continued walking northwest along a path, I found myself in Kensington Gardens. Before now I hadn't realized that the one large green space is actually two distinct areas. Even the single lake has a different name here - The Long Water - and the birds love it! (Or at least they like the posts....)



An old favorite in this park is the Peter Pan bronze statue, dating from 1912. Like many other people, I stopped to have a look before heading off to the nearest Underground station...and my next adventure.

Visiting the Queen...and the Prime Minister

Right. However, while the Royal Family is on holiday, the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are open to the public from the end of July to the end of September. So that's where I went last Friday. There was even a special exhibit this summer - A Royal Wedding - to celebrate the upcoming Diamond Wedding Anniversary of The Queen and Prince Philip on November 20th. Photography was strictly forbidden inside. But once outside, we were encouraged to take pictures of the Palace itself (not the traditional view)...



as well as the beautiful grounds through which we exited.



While the Government is on holiday, the Houses of Parliament are also open to the public from the end of July to the end of September. And that's where I could be found on Tuesday. Many sites nowadays (such as the Palace) include an audio guide in the price of admission, so you can go at your own pace. Here we were instructed to stay close to our official Blue Badge Guide, and Nigel gave an excellent tour. We were even allowed to take pictures once we reached the oldest part of the complex - Westminster Hall. It was almost like visiting a bonus church!



Once my day was done, I walked through the rain to meet Dave at King's College London. Before I got there, the rain let up, and I spotted this faint rainbow.



And by the time we finished dinner and headed for home across Waterloo Bridge, it was dark.

Sandwiches for 50,000

It all starts with a bike ... one bike ... all you need is one bike [ can you sing that last line to the Manilow song `One Voice'?
This is Chris' bike. We got it from an add in the paper for all of 35 quid!


I don't have bike :( but Chris (from kings) was kind enough to loan me hers.
Getting bikes to London is easy on a Sunday. They are allowed on the Train.
Except from Woking on 23 September when they are doing track work. Oh yea, you can't take a bike on the replacement bus service.... Ok, so Chris started riding toward Weybridge where the train started on Sunday. I got on the bus. Funny thing about West Byfleet, if it is early in the day, and you're not paying attention, and you are in a strange land, 'West Byfleet' can sound a lot like 'Weybridge', so off the bus I got. Soon discovering my mistake, I returned to the bus stop and waited. The next bus came and almost passed me right by. After flagging it down, the fun began. When I got on I entered the twilight zone, for on the bus were the same people as when i got off. Apparently, I was not the only one lost.

Well, I finally got to the train station, found Chris and headed to Chris's place. After picking up the loaner, it was off to the festival! Can you find Chris?



He is not in the picture, so my guess is no :)

Here we are riding with 40,000 of our best bike riding friends.



we actually extended our ride by heading out to Clapham Common (one of the outlying starting
areas). All this riding of course works up an appetite, so we left our bikes at the rack and headed to the free sandwich tent.




Sorry I didn't get a picture of the mad house sandwich grab. Chris and I finished off 4 of them (not 2 and 2 though) and headed home. Quite a Sunday!

For the curious http://www.londonfreewheel.com . Oh and for the unaware hovis make good bread!

Shelly's Coming!!!

Shelly just purchased her airline tickets, so her trip is officially scheduled. Remember that we would enjoy other visitors as well...but spread out over time. After all, our guest room is also the living room, the dining room, the office, the kitchen, and the laundry room!

BBQ

Yesterday, Dave invited his local CS friends over for a barbeque. Keith, who was staying with us for the weekend, went shopping with Dave (in a car) and started the grill. Thanks, Keith!



Helen...



...and Nicolas (holding Samuel) live right here in Woking.



Sue and Paul were initially trapped in the car park!



Youssef (between Keith and Chris) journeyed by train to make an appearance.



The teriyaki burgers were a big hit. Thanks, Cathie!

Carters Steam Fair

Much of last weekend was taken up with visits to numerous Heritage Open Days sites. But we did find time to do a few other things as well. On Saturday we were home by 5:00 to channel flip between the England vs. Israel football match (England won, 3-0) and the England vs. USA Rugby World Cup match (England won, 28-10, but USA played far better than expected). That night we walked over to the fun fair (www.carterssteamfair.co.uk) on Wheatsheaf Common. The classic games in the Vintage Arcade were novel to us!



Out of the many rides, we were most fascinated by the Steam Yachts that dated back to 1921. At first we only saw the Britannia in use, with the Union Jack on its underside.



But soon it was alternating with the Columbia and its Stars and Stripes. To the right you can see the steam engine that actually powered the ride. And sure enough, it was someone's job to keep adding coal!



We passed on the candy floss (cotton candy) that was for sale, but couldn't resist trying the doughnuts that were fried before our very eyes, coated in sugar, and then handed over to us piping hot. Spectacular fireworks closed out a very enjoyable event.

Rosh Hashanah and Ramadan

It's the start of the New Year for our Jewish brothers and sisters, and the start of Ramadan for our Muslim brothers and sisters. (Both began at sundown last night.) It appears that no synagogues exist in Woking itself. But the Borough is home to 3 mosques, including the Shah Jahan Mosque, built in 1889 and the first one in Britain. Inside you will find beautiful calligraphy, including the 99 attributes of God, while outside you can walk among the peaceful gardens.



The Muslim Burial Ground is just a short walk away. Built for Indian Army soldiers who died in WWI, the graves are now in the Military Section of Brookwood Cemetery. However, the domed gateway and walls still reflect the design of the nearby mosque.



A Forum was started last fall in Woking to increase communication and understanding among Christians and Muslims. It sounds like the beginning of a program similar to the Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies (ICJS) in Baltimore, now celebrating its 20th anniversary. The ICJS has recently expanded its focus to Islam, and the Forum here also hopes to include other faiths at a later date.

Blame it on the Postcard

Interesting. I started this entry yesterday (9/11), but didn't actually finish and post it until today (9/12), and yet it's still dated for yesterday. Anyways....

One of the postcards in the Visitor Centre is divided into 4 quadrants, each showing a different historic church in the Borough of Woking. All 4 had visiting hours during Heritage Open Days (last Thursday - Sunday), so my mission was to go inside every one of them. The closest church was a 20 minute walk north of our flat, and we got a nice view of the town centre.



The farthest church was a 75 minute walk south of our flat, but you could still see the tallest buildings of the town centre way in the distance.



So what were the 4 churches? On Thursday I went to St Nicholas' in Pyrford, as shown in my previous post. On Saturday morning Dave and I climbed the tower of St Mary's in Horsell. That afternoon he and Chris toured the British Railways electrical control room, while I visited Shah Jehan Mosque.



After meeting Henry VII and company at Woking Palace on Sunday afternoon, Chris biked home. Dave and I continued on to St Peter's in Old Woking. (They're starting to look alike, aren't they?) After seeing the oldest door in Surrey, Dave ran home.



That left me on my own to follow the footpaths to St Edward's in Sutton Park. By Sunday night my feet were very sore, but it was definitely worth it!

The Road Less Traveled

It's not very often around here that I wake up to a bright blue sky without a cloud in sight. But that was exactly the case this morning, so I'll take it as a good sign on this September 11th....

Doesn't look very inviting, does it? Starting from the left you see a metal fence, barbed wire, a locked gate, a wooden fence, more barbed wire, and a river. But this is just one of numerous public footpaths that cut all across England. It even says so on the wooden post (you can't see the words that surround the yellow arrow), so up and over the step I went.



The arrow on this post pointed me to the right, as did the trampled grass. Don't worry, most paths have been much more obvious than this one.



Bonus sights along the way included these swans...



...and the Newark Priory, destroyed by King Henry VIII under his dissolution of the monasteries in 1539.



Did I ever reach my intended destination of St Nicholas' Church in Pyrford, c.1140? Yes!

Henry VIII - Live and In Person!

Here he is....



King Henry VIII enjoyed hunting on the grounds of Woking Palace on a regular basis. The buildings are now mostly in ruins, and the property is only open to the public several times a year. As part of Heritage Open Days 2007 (6-9 September), today was one of those days. A number of Tudor characters arrived from Hampton Court Palace by boat on the River Wey. Based on historical documents, Anne Boleyn (wife #2, seated left) and Catherine Parr (wife #6, seated right) most likely vacationed here.



Cardinal Wolsey was probably another frequent guest.



Other costumed people spent the afternoon sharing interesting stories about medicines and weapons from Tudor times. Chris enjoyed the related hands-on activities!

London On My Own

Yesterday I took the train into Waterloo all by myself. (Well, at least with no one else I knew - the train itself was packed.) Dave was working from the flat, while Chris had just finished rereading Harry Potter 5 and 6, and was getting ready to start the final one. (He's done now.) Perfect time for a church day! I spent the morning at Southwark Cathedral, and then crossed the Thames via London Bridge to enter the one square mile officially called The City. Armed with my map of City churches (www.london-city-churches.org.uk), I started my visits. Some survived the Great Fire of 1666, and many others were rebuilt afterwards by Christopher Wren. But each one has an interesting story. For example, St Ethelburga's was one of the oldest medieval buildings in The City until it was hit by a terrorist bomb in 1993. Reconstructed, it is now a Centre for Reconciliation and Peace. And given my Norwegian heritage, I was partial to St Olave's. In some cases - as shown by St Mary Somerset - only a tower remains, surrounded by a bustling, modern city.



In other cases - like St Dunstan in the East - the walls still partially exist too, so the former nave has been transformed into a beautiful garden complete with benches, once again in the midst of a bustling, modern city. Talk about a peaceful oasis.... By the end of the afternoon I had put a dent in my list, but I still have plenty of churches to see on future days - lucky me!



Before heading home, I took in a great view of the Tower Bridge lift. Ships have to put in a request at least 24 hours in advance, so the schedule is available online. In this case, 3 vessels were in the 18.30 time slot. Here's just one of the Kodak moments....

Woking 1 Weymouth 1

Yet another draw, which makes our young football club 1-5-1. At least this time we saw our Cards score a goal! During the first match we attended, our goalie was carried off the pitch on a stretcher after 20 minutes of play. The same thing happened to a different player tonight, but just before time ran out. It's a rough sport! Real fans probably didn't mind the refreshing temperature, expected to hit a low of 50 degrees. (Even Chris wore long sleeves!) But my days are numbered, especially when the rain decides to make an appearance too. I know, I know - the real season of American football starts this week. But if you get tired of the NFL, check out www.wokingfc.co.uk instead! Or the Rugby World Cup....

Labor Day

For those of you who are celebrating the holiday, I hope the weather is treating you well for outdoor activities - the Fair, the pool, the cookouts, or whatever you have planned. In your honor, Dave drank a Shepherd Neame Spitfire (he's having fun trying out the local ales), while I had a Pimm's (my new favorite). It was business as usual around here. Well, that's not exactly true. Apparently some local workers wanted a day off too, so 2300 of the Tube maintenance staff began a 72 hour strike during the evening commute. Actually, I'm sure this is not what they wanted, but it is what they felt they had to do. It will make life interesting on the London Underground through Thursday. And if the strike doesn't get the desired results? They'll do it again next week - same time, same place.

Just Another Weekend

Nope, it's not Labor (or Labour) Day Weekend around here. However, the final Monday in August is the Summer Bank Holiday, so last weekend was Bank Holiday Weekend. That Saturday we attended our first football match. We cheered our Woking Cards (short for Cardinals, wearing the red and white jerseys) to a 0-0 draw against Cambridge United. It's not the Premiership (as in Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United - the hated Yankees of the league), but tickets are attainable and affordable. Even at this level of play, home and away fans are kept segregated, and most stand the entire match. And to say the least, their language is...colorful!



On Monday we considered heading into London for the Notting Hill Carnival - Europe's biggest street festival. However, I was in the midst of a nasty cold (which Dave has this weekend, and Chris has avoided so far), so we opted against spending the day with well over half a million of our closest friends. Instead, we attended the Woking Summer Festival, a fundraiser for Rotary Club charities. Arriving just in time to see and hear the Surrey Pipe Band, we also took in a number of other events including a Punch and Judy show, and enjoyed watching children ride the double decker bus on the merry-go-round. It was a day that indeed lived up to its byline of "Family, Fun & Cars."

School? What school?

Some of you have asked us how Chris is doing in school. Well...classes haven't started yet. The term officially began on Wednesday, but that simply meant that teachers returned to duty. Chris reported to the Learning Centre on Friday for enrollment day. To best fit with his studies back home, he will be taking English literature, computing, physics, and maths. (Yes, that's with an "s," perhaps taken from sports, which are always called sport.) Most courses are team taught, and they usually meet 4 times a week - twice for 60 minutes each, and twice for 90 minutes each. Classes end early on Wednesdays so that everyone can participate in an enrichment activity, from sport to music, and everything in between. Chris has chosen photography. Next week he attends induction day, and classes begin soon after that. Now you know as much as we do!