May 23 2013
Oh my goodness. I don’t even know how to start to describe where we are. We spent the morning in Bath, which was lovely – we toured the Roman baths and really enjoyed the fantastic museum. We then headed to a place that had been recommended as the best B and B in the Cotswolds. My friend Pip had stayed here with her partner Tony and their baby tortoises and had told me that I really needed to visit at some point. When I was thinking about our trip, I sent an email to see if there was a vacancy for a couple of days at Byfield House, the place that Pip had recommended. I got this amazingly detailed email back from Jill who let me know that they only had one night available in May/June. Well it turned out that we could fit in the single night. Jill sounded totally delightful on the email so I was keen to come and meet her. She told me that Brett had been born in Melbourne and that Brett’s ancestors were on the goldfields of Bendigo. Well it all seemed as though it was meant to be.
We are in the absolutely beautiful town of Painswick in the Cotswold’s. We drove through spectacular English fields and arrived in this wonderful Cotswold village. A drive down a tiny street, with stone buildings scraping the side of the car. I stopped to ask someone directions to Byfield House and the comment was ‘oh you lucky things it is the most magic place’ – sounded hopeful so we kept driving and found this stone building in the middle of the town that was lovely, but the stone exterior hid what was inside. Well we are sleeping on the top floor of a 14th century Tudor house. I am not often speechless, but arriving here was just totally blown away. Jill and Brett are the most fantastic hosts. The houses in Bisley Street are all 14th century. The village is a historic wool town surrounded by exquisite national trust woodlands.
Jill is a completely extroverted antique collector and across about four floors the house is filled to the brim with the most amazing antiques and paintings. All incredibly early furniture – it is like sleeping in a museum. We have the whole house to ourselves and there must be at least twenty rooms – all filled to the brim with antiques – Lydia is beside herself and is off with the camera – a bit like a country house photographer. There is a fridge full of food, bottles of wine for us to drink, piles of amazing books and exquisite magazines. I am sitting in an antique armchair completely surrounded by extremely early artwork. Lords and Ladies are looking at me from every wall. It is sort of like being in the most amazing antique shop. The wineglasses are beautiful, every piece of furniture an exquisite example – centuries old. No description can do it justice.
We were welcomed with tea and brownies in the antique kitchen and sat and chatted for ages.
Lydia and I marched across the most amazing fields, past old mills and climbed stiles along the side of the river. To the tiny local pub for the best fish and chips I have ever eaten. I am now climbing into a huge antique bed. Lydia has her own antique filled room next door and our fresh croissants will be delivered early in the am – it is just heavenly!
Byfield House
Filed under England Lydia June 2013
Francis, William and Kevin
We had a lovely day in the home of El Papa in Roma. Musei Vaticani was as fantastic as always. My favourite continues to be the Galleria delle carte geografiche, the amazing long gallery painted by Danti between 1580-1583. The golden frescoes on the ceiling are just incredible and the maps – commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII, make this space, I think, even more fantastic than the Cappella Sistina. The Musei was pretty crowded but our wait in line worth it once we entered. Michelangelo’s artwork is unquestionably spectacular, but it always intrigues me how people rush past all of the treasures and don’t even stop to look at what must be the most amazing collection in the world.
I was very excited as the Vatican hadn’t given away their Chagall’s – they were hanging exactly where they should have been. I know that Capella Sistina is amazing, but personally, I always find it so stark and do hope they bring comfy chairs in for conclave. Always crowded, the security makes so much noise telling everyone to be quiet, for me, it loses some of the feeling of a sacred space. I had not known the Stanze di Raphael was the residence of the Popes between 1507-1585 – I was rushing this morning and tipped my cup of tea all over the wall in the hotel – imagine doing that to the Raphael frescoes.
One really should wear ones glasses. I was convinced our flight back to London left at 8.45pm – no it was 6.45 – I have never gone so close to missing a plane !! Wouldn’t it be just terrible to be stranded in Rome!
We arrived back into Heathrow and collected our car. Well a few years ago my children remember the total saga of picking up a car in Paris on a Friday evening and not being able to get the damn thing into reverse. We had to make sure we only drove forward, until a kindly elderly medico helped by jumping into the car, laughing and driving off waving (he did bring it back) and madam (neither of them spoke English) was in fits of laughter on the side of the road – whilst this madam was in floods of tear after travelling with four L’enfant terrible. Well this time we are in Reading. Totally dodgy neighborhood. We pulled into the golden arches – because I had almost caused us to miss our flight we hadn’t had anything to eat since the morning so we decided we would succumb to salty chips. Anyway, we pulled into this dark commercial area with a whole heap of feral kids with car bonnets up. I obviously don’t get out much cause Lyd told me the same types hang out around Coles – anyway the hoodies, tatts and metal (and that was the girls) made me feel slightly anxious at 10.30pm at night. We ran in got something to eat, came out and started the car up – well do you think I could work out how an hell to put the thing in reverse – we searched the car for books, flicking lights on and off. The car in front of us contained hoodie wearing, delinquent looking UK types and we could see them staring. Well, impressions can be so wrong. We eventually decided that they weren’t going anywhere and we couldn’t go forward so I climbed out (of the locked car) and went and said ‘ I know you are going to think I am really weird by I can’t work out how to put the damn car in reverse’ – out of the shadows came these very cultured young men (not) who climbed into the car – I did think for a moment he would steal the car and Lydia, but no, he was totally delightful – they all thought it was incredibly funny and Lyd is now reminding me of my judgmental ways – they couldn’t figure out why and earth we had left Australia for cold, boring old England
Today’s drive through the Cotswold’s to the home of the Bard of Avon was pretty damn gorgeous. I had never been to this part of England and the gardens of Anne Hathaway’s cottage really looked like a postcard. We drove across picture perfect fields through the Venice of England, Bourton on the Water, and had lunch in a lovely old pub overlooking the idyllic village scenery.
Well we went from honey golden old stone to tonight’s fantastic ‘grand design’ house near Bath. We have the house to ourselves and it really is so stunning. I have been out in the garden with the camera. The awards that it has won and the architectural magazine features are all downstairs and I am looking forward to getting out with the camera again tomorrow.
It really has been 24 hours of total culture change!
Filed under England Lydia June 2013
Latte macchiato
May 21 2013
Well apparently I have scarred my children for life. Alex, because he thinks I am disgraceful as I am not drinking espresso after lunch. It seems (according to my Italian/Chinese, kilt wearing coffee expert son) that one should never have milk in coffee after lunch. If I really must, I should drink macchiato’s but I am obviously a disgraceful insult to Roma if I drink children’s hot milk with a stain of macchiato. I think my morning cappuccino is acceptable and I think my evening chianti would be OK. Although Lydia is convinced her mother is an alcoholic, as after tonight’s chianti, I did have trouble getting the card in the hotel room door. Don’t you love children that think their mother is totally out of control having one chianti! Although, I do rather love the Italian view of a glass of chianti – I think it is probably half a bottle .. but alas when in Roma ……
Lydia is scarred because of the old homeless woman outside Termini when we arrived. We were walking past and she just lifted the skirt and stood up and had a pee on the pavement. Lydia is apparently traumatised because an old Italian woman bared her ‘big hairy bottom’ [my daughters words not mine] in the middle of a civilized city. I did remind my daughter that the older woman was once 24 and her response was ‘she was probably doing the same at 24’. Lydia’s comment was ‘please get me back to a country where homeless people are at least civilized’.
I am a disgrace, but we did have rather a nice day wandering the Roman streets. It is pretty cool isn’t it how you can be just strolling along and there is a Corinthian pillar in the middle of the street that has been sitting happily there since a few decades BC.
We walked up to Via Settembre and then across to Piazza Barberini. The Fontana del Tritone was all covered up so we strolled down Via Sistina to Spagna to the Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti. It might be the widest staircase in the world but it does make a pretty good perch to people watch in Roma. Piazza Di Spagna is full of extremely expensive shops but people from all nationalities sit and watch the world pass. We wandered on to Piazza del Popolo. The “trident” of Via del Corso, Via del Babuino Via di Ripetta are all full of designer shops and it is somewhat ironic that they all converge in the ‘peoples square’, the centre for Italian executions. We walked across the Fiume Tevere via the Ponte Margherita along a much quieter street past the Castel Sant’ Angelo. As we passed the mausoleum of Hadrian I did think of him and my time spent sitting on his wall in the English countryside with just the cows for company. The bronze statue of Archangel Michael, standing on top of the castel was looking down on the men trying to lure gullible tourists with the latest Louis Vuitton ‘genuine’ creation. We walked back across Ponte Umberto I to the gorgeous Piazza Navona that contains my favourite fountains. Surprisingly, we stopped for gelato and sat and watched the world go past. We sat quietly in the Pantheon and marveled at the oculus to the sky. I am constantly intrigued by sitting in a church where the damn great hole in the roof lets all of the rain in but I do think it is pretty cool that a pagan temple is now a Christian place of worship. I do think it is one of the most amazing places .. worshipping in a great big Roman temple.
A walk back past the Fontana Di Trevi to throw our coins to ensure that we would return. No matter how many times one stands before the temple to the ‘Roman holiday’ its sheer beauty takes your breath away. Although one does wish you could sit for just a moment without being annoyed by rose selling nuisances.
We stomped back up the stairs to the Qurinale to what I think is one of the most beautiful churches in all of Rome – Santa Maria della Vittoria. Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa is one of my favourites and I love the fact that it is always so quiet there.
We had a lovely dinner tonight on the roof top of Roma. Tomorrow we will visit el papa Francisco. I am totally intrigued by the calendars on sale all over Roma with the dishiest priests portrayed for each month. Sort of like the Italian version of the New York Fire Department muscled men in braces and not much else calendar. I just can’t quite get my head around the whole concept of ‘playboy’ mate of the month in the white collar but we are in a city that sells I heart Francisco t-shirts so I guess Cosi va il mondo.
Filed under Uncategorized
Botticelli, Bernini and Crocodile Dundee
May 19th 2013
We had dinner tonight in a traditional small ristorante, Berzitello. Do we really sound like that? Lydia and I looked at each other over our rigatoni, tagliatelle and chianti and both said ‘what is that terrible noise’. It was like a female version of Crocodile Dundee (only worse). We decided they must be Queenslanders! A table full of outspoken fellow country people – we heard (and the whole restaurant heard), about their cruise, their shopping and their expertise in wine (really exaggerated). They were absolutely full of it. It was a stark contrast to last night’s ‘museums under the moon’. We were lucky enough to be in Firenze for the annual after dark museum opening – all museums were open and free until midnight so we spent an enchanted evening with Botticelli, Michelangelo and of course David.
We are not sure what the Italian version of the Blarney stone is but the rather lovely Italian waiter who served us at dinner last night, at the very gorgeous Ristorante Accademia, had definitely kissed it. He then went on to kiss my daughters hand and tell her that she was the most beautiful sight he had ever encountered. I told him I would rather like a house to visit in Firenze so by the end of dinner he and I had completed the deal on the dowry, the wedding and how often I would visit. Lydia sat giggling, blushing and shaking her head. My the time we walked out the door he had handed over his phone number and I was planning the bambinos – reality check though – I am not sure the Italian waiter can keep my daughter in the volume of gelato that she consumes! Tonight in Roma Lydia told me that she could still feel a small amount of blood swishing through her right arm – she is determined to replace her whole circulatory system with gelato!
Roma is as always totally wonderful. After dinner we circumnavigated the whole city – Lydia has now been sacked from map reading after we ended up almost at Musei Vaticani when we were supposed to be reclining on the steps of Piazza di Spagna. After walking for what seemed like hours around the Palatino we finally staggered back past Fontana Di Trevi and up the steps beside the Quirinale. This is the home of the Italian President and is high on Qurinal Hill, the tallest of Rome’s seven hills. It seems it has housed thirty popes, four kings and eleven presidents. As we walked up the side, at first we couldn’t work out what the suave looking suited Italian men were doing standing looking very James Bond like, but we then figured out where we were. I have been reading Dan Brown’s latest book (as you do when it is set in Firenze) so was convinced we were going to be kidnapped and thrown into the back of the discrete BMW.
Well I do like camping under the stars (all five of them) and tonight is just beautiful. We have been a bit spoilt. We were upgraded on the plane on the way over and now have been upgraded to a beautiful suite in the lovely Hotel Artimede. I have real tea in front of me, and Lindt chocolate and the couch is very comfortable. The gelato princess is lying in the room beside me reading. We are on Via Nazionale – a short walk from Fontana Di Trevi, Piazza Di Spagna and Piazza Barberini – that is if you don’t let my gelato eating daughter anywhere near a map !!
Filed under Uncategorized
Antica Torretta
May 18 2013
Stunning dinner tonight in a beautiful restaurant in Piazza Broilo topped off a gorgeous Veronese day. The rain cleared by lunchtime and we sat in Pizza delle Erbe and shared a pizza. We had a great sleep in Hotel Giulietta E Romeo in a quiet cobbled street just off Piazza Bra in the shadow of the Arena – so good a sleep that we missed breakfast so justified our gelato in the afternoon. The Montague’s and Capulet’s may have feuded but surely they would have stopped every now and then to take in the beauty of this stunning place. Everywhere you walk the scenery gets more stunning. The view across the river really looked like a magnificent painting from the old Masters. We had dinner tonight in the gorgeous Antica Torretta. A beautiful small restaurant on the corner of a small piazza. I had seen it on Trip Advisor but we saw it when we were out wandering today and it looked so beautiful we wandered back for dinner. Scampi, pasta with asparagus and speck and as you can see below we couldn’t resist the stunning desert. We have planned a hike in the morning to Castel San Pietro so think our fantastic dinner was justly deserved!
Filed under Uncategorized
Mille Miglia
May 16 2013
Click here to see our welcome to Verona Ken Smith this is especially for you !
Yes we are in Italy. Fast cars, cigarette smoking, arm waving, pasta eating and yes gelato !! What is it about my instant Italian speaking children. Well, last time we were in Verona, Italian speaking Al became fluent overnight BUT his sister beats him. She has the app that she just types in and it yells Italian. Only problem is it didn’t understand ‘where is the bus?’ .. ‘where is the train?’ .. yes but we were at the train station. Maybe a sigh of relief cause I can just see the oh so stylish Italians being pleased to have an iphone shoved in their face, that screams at them in US accented Italian. A slightly vague moment in rain soaked Italy – are we in Verona or the Italian lakes? The night was clear but the flooding drains and puddles (make that lakes) told us they had a lot of rain. We wandered in the direction of the Arena di Verona, the wonderful AD 30 Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Bra. Well tonight was fantastic – last year Al and I were in Sienna for the Palio. This time oh so much more stylish – boys and their toys – Ken would have been in his element.
The Mille Miglia took place in Italy 24 times between 1927 and 1957. The open endurance race saw the best of Italian sports cars hit the road for the 1000 mile race. It is now re-enacted each May and arrived into Verona last night as we did. The only cars that can enter are those made between 1927 and 1957 .. gorgeous cars with the Arena as a backdrop. We ate our way through fantastic pasta and had a front seat as the Ferraris, Alphas and Fiats sped past.
Filed under Uncategorized
PBears marching band
It is sort of weird isn’t it that you can wave goodbye to the White Cliffs of Dover and a few minutes later have to be singing
Allons enfants de la patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arriv
Contre nous de la tyrannie
L’tendard sanglant est lev
Entendez vous dans les campagnes,
Mugir ces froces soldats
Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras
Egorger nos fils, nos compagnes!
At 20000 feet, one minute the green fields of the mother country, the next the slightly browner fields of the French countryside. It takes about 8 hours to swim (if you are superhuman) the channel and what seems like a few minutes to fly over.
Our flight from the US was tiring. A bit too short to be easy. By the time you get up in the air it is only about four hours before they are trying to organise everyone for landing. Arrived into London at 9 and both felt really queasy. Not real sure what was happening over the Atlantic but boy did that plane bump around. A strong tail wind had us arrive about 45 minutes early. From the glitz of New York, to the staid but very cultured Smithsonians, and now the somewhat comforting sign of red buses, London cabs and young English lads standing outside ye olde English taverns with the obligatory pint of ale.
We decided that the tube was the easiest as had booked into a hotel in Covent Garden/Bloomsbury. I did think of Henrietta as we walked up High Holborn. My third great grandmother Henrietta Harriet Haywood was born on the 7 February 1826 and christened in St Marylebone Christ Church in London. On the 12th of June 1843 she was convicted at the Old Bailey of stealing, 10 cigar-cases, value 3s.; 3 tobacco-pipes, 1s.; 3 pipe-bowls, 9d.; 2 snuff-boxes, 8d.; 34 cigars, 2s. 6d.; 1 umbrella, 1s.; 3 ounces of snuff, 9d.; 1 cup, 3d.; 1 saucer, 3d.; 21 cards, 3d.; 3 cigar-tubes, 1s.; 2 snuff-boxes, 9d.; 1 walking-stick, 9d.; and 1 pound of tobacco, 4s. 6d. Now, one can only assume the black market existed at the time for tobacco products, otherwise my grandmother a few generations back had a large nicotine habit. If so, she had better lungs than me! Although in London, one can always imagine why one would need to steal an umbrella. She was a servant of Solomon Phillips, a tobacconist who lived in a grand house in High Holborn and 170 years later her direct descendants are booking into a swish hotel a few doors up in one of the loveliest parts of London. We had arrived in London via the US from Bendigo and my grandmother ended up in Bendigo via the convict ship the Woodbridge and a stint in Van Dieman’s land.
We wandered a bit but then the awful waves of tiredness just wouldn’t let us stay standing any longer. A long sleep and then mugs of good English restorative tea and felt somewhat revived. I don’t know what they do with their tea but even good old builders tea seems to taste better in the English air or should I say damn freezing air. Oh my goodness, it was so damn cold. Lydia turned blue and I had to drink a good Chianti to warm up. Well the Brits might deal with the cold by way of keeping calm and carrying on but we followed the adage keep calm and hakuna matata. Simba was fantastic and the costumes and color of the performance spectacular against the gorgeous interior of the Lyceum. I have now switched from Dancing Queen to a bit of Elton and the Circle of Life. The Lyceum is currently home to the Lion King but is a stunning 1834 late baroque, rococo styled building in Wellington Street off the Strand. The ceiling is covered in wonderful flamboyant carvings and you feel like you should be dressed in ball gowns, gloves and diamonds rather that slightly travel weary trousers and walking shoes.
After a proper English breakfast and more builders’ tea, we peaked outside wrapped up like Michelin tyre men in coats, scarves, and numerous layers, but the English had turned on the weather for the colonials. Spectacular English sunshine.
Lizzie had lots of visitors when we called in and as the Queen’s Guard marched up the Mall I expected to see Paddington Bear following. I don’t know what it is but every time I see the Queen’s Guard with their bearskin hats I think of Paddington.
We visited Nelson and the lions. London was looking quite regal and restrained. Although maybe it just seemed so, as it was mid week, and the last time I was here there were Aussie flags draped all over the lions and our fellow countrymen were partying with Nelson. We caught the train to Oxford Street and a short whizz through Liberty. Caught up with Pip at the Kings Fund, a gorgeous building on Cavendish Square.
Back to the great hotel that we were staying at, with the most fantastic staff, and then, as always, the entertaining ride in the London cab. Today’s trivia was that there are about 65000 cabbies in London and it takes 3 to 5 years to get your licence. Our cabbie was a martial arts expert who liked doing the run from Heathrow so he could nick into the Marriott to use their gym between pick-ups. He lives near Cambridge and it often takes him longer to drive home than to drive to Belgium. He had been driving cabs for twelve years but still said he thought it was amazing he could drive into the tunnel and pop up in Belgium in 20 minutes. Well in the US you get educated in the subway, in the UK you just need to step into a London cab.
I am looking out the window at 35000 feet and can see huge peaks and snow fields that have probably only ever had Yeti wander over them. Sitting amongst the clouds I often expect to see Botticelli cherubs playing in the clouds, but as we fly over the Italian alps, I expect to see them with their golden bows and arrows chasing Yeti across the spectacularly snow capped peaks.
I do wonder whether this pilot trained with Goose and Maverick… One minute I can see the horizon, the next it feels like and looks like we are swinging between horizontal and vertical. I do hope my stomach settles down though as the voices around me remind me that our decisions about what to eat will be easy for the next few days … It is never too late, too early, too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry for gelato !!!
Filed under Uncategorized
Mao, Motown and the Mafia
What is it about the African American gene that makes these dudes so damn cool and such great dancers? You could ride around on the New York subway all day and be totally entertained for a couple of dollars. Between 125th in Harlem and Wall Street we had the gorgeous young man in the cap with the coolest moves and the classiest gold piercings, with Motown blaring from his IPAD, and a lecture on American history and why slavery is still alive and propagated by non-Obama voting descendants of the Deep South.
Off the train, it was apprentice Jordan’s on the basketball courts of Harlem. Yep, the cool dance moves translate to the basketball courts and the gorgeous little tots, with their cornrows and smiling faces all holding on to rings connected by a rope quietly crossing the road like very well behaved ducklings.
Wandered down past the dance clubs of the 20s and I reckon I could hear jazz music and the swinging of skirts. We hopped back on the subway in the depths of Harlem and headed for the Statue of Liberty.
The 46 metre regal lady who has welcomed immigrants since 1886 was still closed as Hurricane Sandy had slightly battered her but we stood on the edge of the water and admired her from afar.
The brass bull, the 3200kg symbol of Wall Street was still standing, despite the state of the economy, and looked slightly perturbed with kids climbing all over him.
I had a moment of hmmm where are we … but then looked up and saw the sturdy face of Mao next to a mafia suited godfather type character and knew we were walking in the right direction. A stroll through Chinatown and Little Italy. I now know why the suited men from Pakistan are selling copy watch, copy handbags in Hong Kong cause all the Chinese are in New York ‘missie missie, copy watch, copy handbag’. I felt like I was in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The train back to Washington was again uneventful. Laura had given us the front door key so we let ourselves into the calm of the Embassy. Our trip to Old Town Alexandria, Virginia was easy on the train. Across the Potomac River, the 1749 Old Town is now filled with great shops and restaurants but there are still signs of the part that it played in the American Civil War.
What does one do just before they leave the US – shop of course. To Pentagon City for serious retail therapy.
Filed under Uncategorized, US 2013 with Lydia
Peanut butter and chocolate milk shakes
Monday May 13
Well it was Mother’s Day and it was damn good!
We are having a fantastic time in the Big Apple’s glorious sunshine. The hotel that we are staying in is fantastic. We are just below the Empire State Building on 35th and 6th in the Midtown, which is terrific for travel in either direction. The subway is just outside the door and really easy to navigate (although we did get stuck on an express train yesterday and ended up in the Bronx). The very large members of the NYPD had me slightly worried on the platform, but I remembered what Tom told me – people in NY are either wealthy or homeless … I think he may be right, with even the Bronx yuppified.
Lydia took some very cool photos in Times Square but I much prefer the quiet areas of The Villages. We caught the subway to Brooklyn for the obligatory walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. We did have a bit of rain that day but not enough to even get damp. We got off the train in Dumbo (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). It is quite a fascinating historic waterfront area and we recognized a streetscape that we have seen in many movies. They were shooting the next Spiderman movie there that day but we didn’t offer to be extras. Not sure I could really see myself hanging upside down on the Manhattan Bridge.
Apparently, the cardboard box was invented there, but now it seems home to very beautiful things to put in cardboard boxes. Really lovely shops, especially some wonderful looking furniture and lighting ones.
We walked up to Brooklyn Heights and found a great place for breakfast. Fantastic organic café, Siggys, (we were preparing ourselves for the chocolate and peanut butter milkshakes), where we munched our way through beautiful omelets with fresh herbs and goat cheese. As we drank our smoothies, we felt incredibly pious with our oh so healthy choices (hmm can’t quite say that about yesterday). The walk across the Brooklyn Bridge was lovely with views of the Statue of Liberty in the distance.
Lydia hit the shops whilst my head hit the pillow for a nap. We did Macy’s sale – the store is only a few minutes walk away and millions of New Yorkers (probably temporary New Yorker tourists) were collecting armfuls of bargains. I think clothes here are at least half of what we pay at home and we did manage to support the US economy. We keep getting reminded that we need to shop as we walk past massive electronic signs, constantly updating, telling us the size of the US debt. There are so many numbers and they seem to keep going up. Looks like our spending is not making one speck of difference.
Well we danced to Mamma Mia on Broadway and wandered home along Broadway with Lydia shaking her head at her mother singing the Dancing Queen. There are so many colourful characters (and quite a few unwell ones – I have found that a bit upsetting – the number of obviously really mentally unwell young things on the streets) me singing ABBA at the top of my voice seems quite normal (although I keep getting the ‘oh mother’ from my much more refined daughter).
We had a lovely Mother’s Day. Went in search of the supposedly best pancakes in New York. Not sure that the Jewish grandmothers of years past made buttermilk pancakes smothered in maple syrup (if they didn’t they should have) but found the bakery amongst the interesting migrant tenements of the 1940s. On the Lower East Side, the Clinton Street Bakery constantly wins awards for NY city’s best brunch. The queues can be up to 3 hours but we went for a bit of a walk and didn’t have that long to wait. Now, I have eaten at the cheapest Michelin starred restaurant in the world, now I think I can claim to have eaten at the one with the highest calories – but boy was it worth it! The chocolate and peanut butter milkshake was totally yum and we really should have stopped there. But no, Lydia and I managed to do a fair job of polishing off buttermilk pancakes and brioche French toast with banana and pecans. The staff wore t-shirts that said on the back ‘made with love and butter’… We know, we enthusiastically poured our maple syrup butter over everything.
Now before you start to worry that we will come back like whales (highly likely), we did then march across Central Park for four hours. My goodness, that park is so huge. The New York sunshine was out and our stroll, (well waddle for the first two hours with pancakes and brioche swishing around inside us) was just lovely. We both have a bit of a tan (or it could be the maple syrup leaking out our pores). Some young smooth New Yorker said to Lydia last night, ‘I think you have dropped something’. When she turned he said ‘my heart’. Well it made her smile.
Anyway we traipsed throughout Central Park and sat for a while and were totally entertained by young African American street performers. They are so talented … I love the confidence they exude and their acrobatic skills were fantastic. They did remind us that they rule, with Obama still in the White House. A bit more shopping, and by that time we were starving (yes hard to believe), so off to Carmines for family sized portions of hearty lasagna. We could have taken ten of our friends and there still would have been enough.
A beautiful morning in NY. Off for a boat ride to Staten Island and then a mosey around Harlem and then I suppose we might by hungry! No Tom .. I think we will bypass the macaroni and cheese ones at Shopsin’s!
Filed under Uncategorized, US 2013 with Lydia
Hebe and Juno’s new home in the West Village
May 10 2013
If anyone has a Swiss bank account that they would like to share, please let us know, and then send Hebe and Juno (business class of course) – Lydia and I would like to buy a house in the Village and Hebe and Juno would have lots of friends – Max who was out with his mother was very cute and would make a nice friend for the girls. He is a long-haired daschund but we think the girls could cope because they will be very happy chasing squirrels around their local park.
We had a wonderful walk around out new neighbourhood and found our local coffee shop and where we will buy our bagels once we move in. Washington Square Park is a very nice brunch spot with bagels from Murray’s – Scottish smoked salmon and cream cheese would be very nice for breakfast each day – at least we had protein, and maybe slightly more healthy than bagels with peanut butter and cream cheese (hmmm maybe not!). We don’t mind that our neighbours will be Uma Thurman and Sarah Jessica Parker – we are happy to have them share our neighbourhood as we stroll the gorgeous tree lined and cobbled streets. We don’t mind that the bohemian days of Greenwich Village are gone as Hebe and Juno are far too refined to be bohemian and it is not that far on the subway to MOMA. The brownstones are really lovely and we thought we could sit on the steps of ours aka Carrie Bradshaw. It is hard to believe that the frenetic streets of New York are all around, in such a peaceful and beautiful neighbourhood.
From Greenwich Village we went to the 911 memorial. It was quite emotional to stand staring into the deep holes of the World Trade Centre buildings. The memorial is very beautiful with the single survivor tree surrounded by swamp white oaks. The pools are ringed by the names of the almost 3000 people who lost their lives that day. Seems that it was a bit symbolic being there today as the building reached 1776 feet, with the erection of the 408 foot spire this morning, draped in a US flag.
Our mastery of the New York subway continued with a train ride to MOMA. Well sort of mastery. Standing in front of another ticket machine trying to figure out what our zip code was to be able to buy a train ticket. A few trips back to the window trying to figure out what numbers we had to put in and we were eventually on our way to 11 West 53rd Street with me exceptionally excited, as of course Chagall’s are a feature of their surrealist collection. Frida Kahlo just inside the door, a heap of Picasso’s hanging around and a whole wall of Monet – but seems they think they might have lent the Chagall’s to someone – they are just not sure who might have them or where they might be – I suppose no great cause for concern, in that the last one that came up for sale only fetched about 4 million dollars, but I guess when there are rooms and rooms of Cezanne’s, Picasso’s, Dali’s, Van Gogh’s and Monet’s, a few misplaced is not something to worry about.
Well we are off to Times Square – we don’t expect Friday night in Times Square will be as peaceful as the location of our new home but after a day of upper class gorgeousness, priceless art and beautiful tributes we need a bit of New York glitz!
Filed under US 2013 with Lydia
Sleeping under the stars 