London 2013

He lived here a short time

Deb Proudly in front of our apartment

This pub is the only 1 in Britain on both sides of an ally. I can testify it is also twice as loud as it was right under our bedroom window!

 

 

 

The auctioneer for theatre tickets!

Our look from the Hungerford Bridge as we walked to dinner

This is our third year to visit this great city. Our location on Craven Street, by far the best. We are steps from Trafalgar Square, near the center of the theatre district and the tube allows us easy and cheap mobility.

The benefit of repeat visits to the city is a lack of urgency to see everything at once! We made our way to the Soanes Museum on Monday morning, after a few right and wrong turns , we circled Lincoln’s park to find the museum closed on Mondays. Well at least we knew how to get there. We then popped up to the Dickens’s museum, a very informative display and well worth the time. At dinner we walked across the Hungerford Bridge, a block from our apartment and had dinner atop the OXO building, a great view and an evening that was clearing. At about 7 pm helicopters started flying and hovering about a mile away. I mentioned this was not only loud and disturbing but also unusual. We had not seen this even at last year’s Olympics. At 7:30 pm there was an audible cheer, the announcement of the Royal birth was official. I suspect that the helicopters were from William’s helicopter squadron as a stream of them hovered at 5-minute intervals for the next hour, over St Mary’s hospital.

We did try to see The Book Of Mormons, no tickets were available but there was a lottery at 5:30 pm the day of the performance. Quite a happening as over 100 people hoped to be 1 of 21 tickets drawn. The MC was hilarious, we were unsuccessful but entertained.

We already had tickets to The Curious Incident of the dog in the night. Curious was fabulous with a remarkable set and acting.

Radcliffe in The Cripple of Inishmaan, was obviously professional, the second act fortunately salvaged a very weak first act.

Many of the theatres have been updated and are far more user friendly but retain their charm.

We also took the tube out to visit Kew gardens; in spite of spending 3 hours there we only saw half the acreage.

Catherine unfortunately had her wallet and phone stolen last week while at a local gym while babysitting. We made our way to Covent Gardens Market and found a suitable replacement wallet, final decision in this regard is still pending. In spite of my best efforts my suggestion of choice was of course found to be lacking.

The flat in which we are staying has fantastic location. The down side is that this damn city never sleeps. People party to all hours and as they complete their revelry, the street cleaners and garbage cleaners appear! With the heat wave and open windows, sleep is interrupted. Nevertheless we are convinced about the locale, we just need to be 100 yards down the street.

The trip to Heathrow on the tube is dead easy from the Craven street address, get on the tube at Embarkment, use the elevators at Earl’s Court (where we stayed last year) to transfer to the Piccadilly line and in 55 mins Terminal 3 appears.

The golf clubs were recovered after payment of 36 pounds, cheap when one considers the inconvenience of carrying them about, and another trip is in the books. Next year’s planning starts now!

A morning in Vienna,Evening in London

When art and architecture combine

Funky colors, who cares about square corners!

Generous foliage and roof top trees

Our flight did not leave until late afternoon, and with the remaining time on the hop on hop off bus, kindly donated by the McGuire’s we headed downtown again. The heat wave in Europe continues and the subway was filled with folks headed for the recreational island formed when the Danube was partially redirected to form the “new Danube”. It is basically parkland and bike paths, a finger of land surrounded by 2 arms of the Danube. Obviously popular for sunning and swimming.

We visited the Hundertwasser House, a public housing project with unique architecture. It was designed by a local artist to make fun of the drab buildings which surround the neighbourhood and are generally publicly funded. The pictures tell the story of uneven borders and walkways, funky colours and trees on rooftops. We could not see the apartments as they are private residences, and appear to be all occupied.

Coincidently there was a Linda McCartney photo exhibit; powerful for all the images she captured as a professional photographer before marrying Paul, a little disappointing, as I am sure with more resources the exhibit could have world class.

The hop on /off bus did not appear as  scheduled. For those who have traveled with me, I fuss about being on time so we set out to walk to the subway. We were back at the hotel in 20 mins, well in time for our late checkout.

The Vienna airport is unique, it has miles of check in counters, all well staffed, and all that was missing were the passengers! We went through duty free on 2 levels as we made our way to the get, there was no wait in security do to staff redundancies. We are truly blessed in Vancouver to have an airport that is more beautiful and functional.

We watched the Open on the Pope’s TV until departure. We would miss the Mikelson victory as the flight took 2 hours just as the leaders had finished the front 9. Luck was with us as our plane landed just in front of a large contingent from asia and customs was quick. As we made our way to the carousel our luggage started to circulate and Carol and Brian said their good byes as they went to meet their Brighton friends and start the next part of their tour. It had been a wonderful trip, great memories and easy companionship.

Meanwhile at special baggage a German couple’s stroller blocked the belt. I hate to rant but who the hell invented these things! They barely fit on a sidewalk; they can carry more than homeless man’s possessions, and you need an engineering degree to put them together and worst of all the designers fail to take into account the limitations of travel!

The blockage had to wait for an “engineer”, this was the guy who had a key to disable the belt and give the offending stroller a nudge.

My golf clubs have cost me a fortune, multiple extra charges by gouging airlines, a transportation fee on the bike trip and now a storage fee at Heathrow (by far the most reasonable price at 9 pounds a day)

I had in fact queried the Austrian airlines representative and got a bit of a discount. I asked what if my clubs were skis; she quickly replied that they would be free! Next rip the clubs are in a ski bag.

We took the tube to Charring cross and with the help of Tom Tom eventually found our address. Problem. No key.

In record time and with a little luck I had a new sim card, and with even more luck a lady came with a key, purely by coincidence. Marital peace does not allow me to divulge the details of how the confusion came about regarding the key transfer.

The apartment is adjacent to where Benjamin Franklin lived while in London. Walter Isaacson wrote an extensive biography of Franklin, which I highly recommend. Franklin lived in England from 1771-1775, as he spent and extended period out of the colonies trying to maintain funding for the revolution from the French and to make peace with Great Britain.

The Vienna Experience

The magnificent roof with the Hapsburg coat of arms

The spire of St. Stephan's

We had made great time in reaching Vienna and after check in we had at least 3 hours before the planned trip to Draw’s favorite restaurant in downtown Vienna. We started on a walk to circle the park adjacent to the hotel and after a few meters simultaneously said, “let’s get the bikes!” We cycled for an hour, there was an unusual combination of different lake front access, varying from small beaches, rocks, decks and docks and simple steps. The city as is Europe is in the midst of a heat wave, thus the beaches were crowded with all ages. On gazing at the scene I could not help wonder as to why older men insist on wearing Speedos, who must tie them up using visual aids due to the acquired visual impairment for the task from their pannus of abdominal girth, or why in a similar vein only rotund women dare go topless.

Although crowded, the cyclists and walker are mutually respectful with safety always in the forefront. Here we were 2 miles from downtown Vienna and here was this wonderful recreation destination. Much of the lake was surrounded by 1 and 2 room cottages, a wonderfully accessible retreat from the heat.

We cycled an hour and returned the bikes to the hotel garage and final good byes were repeated.

We had to take 2 taxis to the restaurant, max capacity being 4 people. Fifteen Euro and 10 mins later we were at the Wissen Rauchfangkehrer. The décor was original, the service professional and the meal and presentation up to Drew’s standards.

The next day we split up, Drew and the McGuire’s cabbed to the centre of the city as Drew was to check in to a hotel directly across from the Rauchfangkehrer. We took the U1 subway to the hop on hop off bus. This service is not quite up to London, or Paris standards, but we did do a loop of Vienna, seeing the major sites from the outside. 

We settled on visiting the Leopold museum, and thoroughly enjoyed the displays of  Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt. It was interesting that Schiele was born in Tulln, partly educated in Krems and his last school was in Klosterneuberg; all towns we had visited on the trip. He died at age 28 from the flu of 1918, he was truly prolific and avant guarde for his generation.

We decided to dine in a square adjacent to the magnificent St. Stephan’s Cathedral and returned to the city after a quick shower. Our total transportation costs by the subway were equal to 1 cab fare downtown, more importantly it was faster with trains coming every 2-4 minutes.

Vienna

The day started better than it ended, Drew as usual first to breakfast. A little different plan, first a 30 minute train ride to Tulln, then 40 km into Vienna. Drew was a little negative about the probability of heavy traffic. In fact the ride was fast and no incorrect turns, we had the highest average speed of the trip. The bikes are now parked in the hotel and will be shipped back to Passau, we are checked in and due to go to another of Drew's favorite restaurants. As promised some more photos:These are of the Abbey at Melk.

Entering the Abbey at Melk

Outer Courtyard of the Abbey at Milk

Interior Courtyard of the Abbey at Melk

Hallway in the Abbey at Melk;prisitne

Spiral stairway adjacent to the Church

Window's ornate decoration create a catching image

The Gold overwhelms the Church

A closer view of the ornamental gold in the Abbey at Melk

Drew's Challenges Continue

A Typical Structure in Grein

Drew,Pope,Deb,Carol and Hugh Grein in the Background

After a short ferry ride to reach the south bank of the Danube from Grein

The Monastary at Melk from a distance

 

The blog requires an intact memory, time, Internet connections and interesting events.This post will be a little brief as I recharge creative juices.

 Today we prepare for our last journey, the first part by train from Krems to Tulln, then a 40 km ride into Vienna. The group has debated back and forth how best to do this, I do not think we are entirely agreed, Drew wouldn’t mind taking the train all the way to Vienna.

Yesterday was short, but we did pause for a sumptuous lunch at Drew’s favorite hotel in Durnstein. It lived up to his billing! We also had coupons for wine and liquor tasting which was tempered by the extreme heat and balance concerns.

The ride into Krems went well, however Drew with all his guidance stuff left us in the dust, having the temerity to text me he was checking in as the 4 remaining members of the group debated map interpretations!

The hotel issues continue to plague poor Drew. We are at the same hotel, he on the 3^rd floor, McGuire’s and Tildesleys on the 2^nd. After dinner we entered by a side door, using our room keys, Drew snapped his in one of the outer doors, although he has access by stairs to his room, he had no key. We also found that the elevator turns off at 1030. Not up to a 4 star hotel billing!! No one answered the emergency number so we returned to the restaurant apparently run by the same owners. In short order a lady returned with the master key along with a man with a tool kit. Their response made me think that this was not an unusual occurrence!

I attach now a series of photos, which capture some of the beauty of the last few days and spares you for the time being any more of my prose.

Another partially filled river hotel

The Trek Continues

The heat creates the need to keep gear clean

I was able to keep tabs on Drew as he settled into his distant hotel, feeling horrible about the turn of events. By 9:30 pm he was showered rested and reflective.

His has not been the only room issue on this trip. My beefs although trivial, make me reminisce about boyhood squabbles, and as usual are directed at the Pope. His presentation at the front desk at times can be imperious, however successful. The Faulty Towers moment in Burnham led him into a larger, better lit and better ventilated room than mine. Yes you guessed it, the same price. In Antwerp, at check out there was 200. Euro difference, his room equivalent, somehow less expensive. When we checked in at Schlogen he correctly inquired about the view, and we all switched to a river view, our room the only of 3 in the complex without a balcony!

Last night I figured out his strategy… get to the check in desk first! Our room is spectacular, roomy, with a balcony and adequate ventilation. I noted the McGuire’s were in a corner room, no balcony with neighbours able to peer in. This did not last, he complained. The poor front desk lady was so flustered as she was doing the paperwork for the upgrade she struck her forehead on a desktop decoration. Her post concussion syndrome led to his moving next door into a slightly larger room.

Drew fortunately is the same hotel for the rest of the trip; inequities if present should be minor.

At dinner last night we met an English couple with 2 scraggly dogs that were bred for rat hunting. Well behaved and they looked the part. On questioning about travel, we fou

The monestary at Melk

nd the dogs have passports to avoid quarantine. The cost: 200 pounds per dog! I guess cheaper than boarding them for 6 months!

Yesterday was very hot, but we got good distances in early. We traveled on the south side of the river and made Melk in time for the tour of the monastery. It has the largest collection of Catholic volumes in Europe. The cleanliness of the floors makes me question how floors that are hundreds of years old can be kept so clean. St Pauls hospital needs to recruit these cleaners!

It will be another hot day, travel to Krems, and our last stop before Vienna.

Mauthausen

The walls of Mauthhausen

Trains carrying prisoners entered this gate

Barracks filled to overflow in 44

The quarry, now overgrown

Thick walls

A happier scene of Grein

Hugh and deborah, Grein in the background

Drew is a retired cardiac surgeon, he likes to get up early and he really does not want to wait. The night before we had managed to activate our iphones, he had been terribly lost at being disconnected. We both bought plans with substantial data and some talk for about 30 euro, try that in Canada!

My phone rang at 7 am, even though we had agreed to leave at 0830, he was already in the restaurant. Naturally Deborah and I speeded up, we could not contact the McGuire’s as his phone is Canadian and our Austrian plan does not include long distance. On the agenda was a long ride; we estimated 60 km, and a climb to the infamous Mauthausen concentration camp. Drew and I fetched the bikes from the parkade, and in fact we left at 0830 precisely. The path out of town retraced the tramlines but traffic was light and we progressed well. It was 25 km to the camp, a nice journey save a difficult climb of about 1 km and 800 feet. We all pushed our bikes.

We arrived at about 11 am, the photos tell part of the story: A rock quarry where prisoners worked 7 days a week, on 660 calories per day under horrific conditions. The construction company that built the camp was owned by the SS, the materials and labour to build the camp were all from slaves. The kill rate was remarkable, most died from malnutrition, and exposure, many were murdered and tortured to death. The death toll over 4 years was greater than 100,000, over ½ of the victims in the last 4 months of the war. The camp was liberated by the 65 Th infantry of the US army and in fact many liberated inmates died of overfeeding within weeks!

Having visited the SS and Gestapo museum last year in Berlin, I am sensitive if not more emotionally affected by these stories than history classes allow. I was glad to leave. We were however delayed as Deborah and Carol read every signpost. Drew was incredulous about the time they were taking considering shopping was not involved.

I won 5.00 euro from the Pope for the over and under bet as to when they would reappear. God he hates to lose.

The trip down the hill more than made up for the climb.

There were a few detours as a result of the flooding and each time we took a reading we seemed as far away from Grein (our destination) as the previous 30 mins. At mid afternoon we decided to investigate a Celtic village near Mitterkirchen. Somehow we lost Drew, thankfully our Austrian phones worked and in fact we knew where the other was thanks to an App, “find friends”.

Drew has had a premonition that things were not right with the tour, he had booked after us and so was a sort of add on. We finally made our way in Grein, a beautiful setting! We were at separate hotels and we separated. An hour after we checked in I called Drew, after a few rings his breathless voice answered. He was making his way up an incredible grade to a hotel 7 km out of town!! No one knew this was the deal. He turned around and our hotel called his and arranged a ride for him, the bike was left with us. After the longest ride of the trip (70 km), this adversity was most unwelcome.

Fortunately his hotel was spa like, with a pool and good restaurant. We would reconvene in the am; the ride to Melk was only 44 km.