Italy via London (or is it London, then Italy)

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This is the first ‘episode’ of another of 'our' travel experiences.

The collective ‘episodes’ (this merely being the first) describe our journey from our arrival in London, England (from the 2nd week of May) for the first ten days of our extended holiday. On the 10th day we fly to Rome to begin a short visit to that city before hiring a car and pointing it in the direction of who knows where. If you were to read our previous 'blogs' you'll be aware the we tend to take the crazy option - going where the road looks like it might go somewhere interesting / delightful / challenging / etc. That said, we do undertake research before departing Australia to give us some background options of possibilities. But, 'planning' an itinerary from an armchair is fraught with difficulties. Eventually, we'll find our way back to Rome to depart for home.



We've attached a few pics that give you a flavour of our journey, and some 'flow over' past the dialogue. As always, if you want to 'see' more detail in an accompanying picture, click it to enlarge.

Friday 13th May - Departure

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We got married on a Friday the 13th, so we thought nothing of travelling on this date. But, it appeared many did. Our morning departure Scoot Air plane from Gold Coast to Singapore was only about quarter full. We really enjoyed this low-cost carrier as the space between rows is about 60%!m(MISSING)ore then full cost carriers. Upon arriving in Singapore mid afternoon to catch a late evening flight to London, we worked out it's been about 20 years since we'd flown into Singapore (we've visited more recently overland). What a change. Where once there were suburbs of 2 & 3 story walk-ups, now the landscape is like a pincushion of high rise towers. Across the ditch in Malasia it's the same. The once agricultural lands surrounding Jahore Baru are now blanketed by urban or industrial development. The economic rise of east Asia is well pronounced here.



Our flight from Oz arrived about 3:30 local time and the 'connecting' flight to London was to depart at 11pm (it did). We felt thirsty so went in search of a beer. We'd forgotten that Lee Kuan Yew (Singapore's founding PM) had undertaken radical change to the island in the early 1960's to address squalor, gambling and crime. One edict was to impose a significant tax on alcohol. Accordingly, we had to pay A$16 for a stubby of beer!!!! Even so, this 'golden' brew still went down well.



The 13 hour or so journey to western Europe is always trying, but at least this flight departed and travelled in the dark allowing us much time asleep. The main 'purpose' for visiting London is to pursue some family history.

Saturday 14th May - London

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Our flight arrived at Heathrow at 5:15am. Instead of the hoped for sunshine, a double blanket of cloud greeted us. The temp was cold, and the grey sky didn't invigorate any feelings of welcome. Worse, the UK government has scrapped the 'Commonwealth' category at customs entry in favour of EU passport holders. Now, Aussies no longer have any semblance of cred in the queue to gain entry. That must be the price we pay as our politicians look to Washington rather than Whitehall.



Having visited London a few times past, we knew to organise ourselves in advance. Prices are high at the best of times in London so paying nearly double for paper rail tickets over an Oyster card is a double whammy. We'd selected an apartment in Shepherds Bush close to a tube station so with Oyster in hand the journey was simple. The apartment selected is bright and airy in a residential street within a 5 minute walk from the tube.



After gaining the keys to the apartment, cleaning ourselves up to feel less gritty, and taking a big deep breath with a cuppa, we headed out to get some supplies.



With map in hand, we learnt that along with the typical high street of shops and eateries there was also a large Westfield Shopping Centre, a local common and a couple of pubs - all within a 5 minute walk from the apartment. Retailers open at 10am, and we arrived at the Westfield just in time for opening. After a few hours of excited 'discovering' we headed to a supermarket to buy the necessary provisions before returning back to the apartment to wind down. When at home, we prefer to buy Australian fresh food rather than imported. So, it was a bit disturbing to see the nation of origin on the food at the supermarket; beans from Peru, Bananas from Equator, Lamb from Ireland ... and so it went. We wondered what the English nowadays grow.



The local High street is an important shopping precinct in Britain. We thought that having large Westfield style shopping centres would diminish the demand for High Street shopping. Not so in Shepherds Bush. While Westfield offer similar retail outlets to that back home, we noticed that the High Street shops had garnered a different market. Unlike in Australia, the High Street shops sought not to compete (and lose). Rather, they differentiated from that in the shopping centres. In fact, we noted the Westfield in Shepherds Bush is attempting to copy the High Street. The food court isn't dominated by the fast food crap as offered at home. Instead they have a heap of stylish 'pop up, street food' type eateries all linked to a common food prep area. Vietnamese Pho, Japanese Tepinyaki, Indian, Thai... etc. We noted some High Street landlords had 'invested' in pop-up street food outlets that have become a roaring success. Clearly, enough to encourage Westfield to follow.



After a couple of hours downtime, we headed out late afternoon to enjoy the available pub options. What we hadn't planned for, but are overjoyed with, is that we are spoilt for choice with the local pubs. Both have craft beer, and one is a Brewdog pub. Brewdog make wonderful hop laden beers, and this venue also has heaps of experimental brews on tap. Brewdog is sort of like James Squire in Oz, except the beer at Brewdog is infinitely better. Oh, what bliss! After sampling the nectar of each along with a few morsals to keep us from completely losing orientation, we toddled back to our digs for some well earned deep snoring.

Sunday 15th May - Tate Modern

While we'd found the grey, overcast London sky daunting yesterday, we noted a few patches of blue as we ventured out today. Tantalising as it may have been, the blue failed to alleviate the cold. Rugged up, we decided to head for the Tate Modern. It has a wonderful reputation. Instead of catching a tube rail, we decided on a bus; Judy so wanted to ride the top deck of a double. The bus we needed to take actually commences the route at Shepherds bush so we were the first on. Up the stairs we went and grabbed the front seats. As we departed, the sun emerged to highlight the wonderfulness of green that is London Spring. The route took us along Bayswater Road through Holland Park, Notting Hill, and Bayswater with Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park on our right. The morning sun filtering through the fresh green leaves was splendid. At Marble Arch the bus did a 'righty' towards to head for Buckingham Palace then Westminster before crossing the Thames to drop us off. The warmth of the sun through the bus windows lulled us to enjoy the 'crisp' morning. But, once off the bus, the bracing air soon reminded us that this was far removed from 'our' sub-tropical climate.



Tate Modern is in a converted power station that has sat beside the Thames for many a long year. By the time we got to the Tate the crowds had emerged to stroll the riverbank path. Before entering, we ducked into the adjoining Globe Theatre to take a squiz. Appealing as it appears in pictures, the building has been refurbished such that it really mocks the original (more pastiche than...), and with an overpriced entry appears designed to cater for the package tourist (successfully, it appears).



We didn't want to spend all our time at the Tate, so elected to visit just one floor for a 'taste'. We were extremely impressed with what we saw; the impact of the social icons of technology, science and commercialism as art. The thematic association of social icons into modern art over time (ie. from early 20th century to now), and the repositioning of how art is interpreted was very well conveyed. One comment caught our attention;





"We are now in the transition from an object-oriented to systems-oriented culture. ... Art does not reside in material entities, but in relations

between people and between people and their environment" (Jack Burnham).





We bid farewell to the Tate and made our way back to London (cbd) via the Millenium Bridge (pedestrian) to St Pauls Cathedral. We had a snack nearby and decided not to walk further in a barren Sunday CBD, but instead caught a tube train to Lancaster Gate beside Kensington Gardens. At this section, the large park is divided into two sections - Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park by a large body of water (lake?) called The Long Water. It later incurs a name change to The Serpentine. There will be an explanation, but we didn't seek it out. Instead we lapped up the sunny warmth and strolled the pathways edged with either floral displays or copses of Chestnut, Sycamore and Oak trees. In most places, the grass was unmowed, giving the domain a quite rustic ambience.





As we ventured forth, we stumbled up the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. What a joyous place. So the story goes, Diana was fond of placing her calves in water and so the fountain is really a ringed race. The fountain is like a big water-race set on a gentle hill. Water is pumped from the bottom up to the top and it tracks down a marble path akin to a gently bubbling creek. Whether it was intended to be a kid magnet is unknown, but on this day kids were revelling in getting wet, typically by wading.running through the water. We commented to ourselves that it appeared everyone within the enclosed area was happy; that laughter and joy filled the air. Whether that was the intention we know not, but this outcome certainly celebrates what the lady meant to so many.



We continued on and found a lovely grassy spot under a Chestnut tree to lie down, take our shoes off and enjoy the warming mid-afternoon sun. The Chestnut is in flower so we found ourselves being carpeted by falling petals - not sure if there was any meaning to that, but we enjoyed the 'space'. Eventually, a large cloud drifted across the sky to block the sun so we took our leave and wandered to Bayswater Road to get the bus back to Shepherds Bush. On the way from the bus stop we passed 'our' pub and had to prevail with a pint before settling for the evening. What a way to enjoy life.

Monday 16th May - Basingstoke

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From his 'ancestry' endeavours, Bruce had befriended online a distant 'Moon' relative who shared the same Great, Great, Great, Great-grandfather. Today we trained it to Basingstoke to meet Pat (relative) and Peter. Basingstoke is in Hampshire and some 70 kilometres from London. While 70 km in Australia is 'near', not so the UK. It cost us A$180 return on the train (cheapest fare). The fare from Robina to Brisbane on Translink (a similar distance) is A$27 return!!! Clearly, much to be said about the negative impact of privatisation of merit goods.



The train departed Liverpool Station and within a short time left the urban behind, opening up to woodlands and farming fields. In the sunshine, it was a marvellous view from the train. At Basingstoke we were met by Pat (the 'relative') and her husband Peter. After pleasantries, we went by car to visit Basing House - at least the excavated site thereof. We learned Basing House was the largest private Tudor residence in England (rivalling Hampton Court Palace in size and opulence). Belonging to William Paulett, the 1st Marquess of Winchester, the house was well frequented by nobility. In case you were wondering,a Marquess is the second highest rank. Beneath a Duke, a Marquess stands above an Earl, Viscount and Baron. During the Civil War, Paulett swore allegiance to the crown, and his dwelling paid the price as Cromwell's mob lay siege and eventually set it on fire.



Like other remnant sites, Basing House has been the subject of much excavation by archaeological students from several universities.



After having our fill of history we made our way to a local pub, the building was 17th century, but the facilities had been updated to the present. A good salad, a cold ale and great conversation in the mellow sunshine made for a wonderfully enjoyable day.



We eventually bid our goodbyes and returned as we arrived. Only difference was that we stopped into the local for a pint or two of craft ale. Enjoyment!!! 😊

Tuesday 17th May - National Archives

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Today we ventured into the 'purpose' of the London stopover - family history research.



We'd known that one of Judy's forebear (maternal side) was a Jeremiah O'Mullane who was born in Ireland and at about 18 joined the British Army into the 11th Foot Regiment. At the time, Ireland was gripped by the potato blight. Jeremiah's unit was sent to guard convicts in Australia and about 12 years after enlistment, Jeremiah gained a discharge at Sydney. The current view is that Jeremiah was born in Ballincollig. But, having visited there and searched for records of O'Mullane's, it appears quite unlikely. More likely is that he enlisted at the Ballincollig Barracks and that enlistment was deemed his place of birth. Our next step was to try and search his enlistment papers to see if anything was recorded about his birthplace.



We took the bus to Kew get to the National Archives, located near the Kew Botanical Gardens. After the bus deposited us at the closest stop, we still had a 20 minute walk. The walk in the morning sunshine, while crisp was enjoyable. And, the streets we took to get to the archive led us through some high value real estate. The gardens of these homes were typically lovely, and the scents from flowers / trees delightful. We enjoyed identifying spring flowers we'd not seen since living in Melbourne.





We spent much time seeking records, but sadly in vain. It appears little remains of the records for this unit during it's Australian 'tour'. To console ourselves at the negative outcome, we took the walk along the Thames River bank back to the bus stop. It's great the way the British make public paths along rivers - choosing not to follow the selfish approach to privatise such delightful landscapes.

Wednesday 18th May - The Kinks

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A wet morning greeted us. We continued on our 'purpose' and headed to the Guildhall Library to do more research. We'd been there on a previous trip to London and discovered a trove. But then we were very limited by time to investigate in depth. today we were 'chasing' details of James Moon - Bruce's Great, Great Great-Grandfather. On this visit, much was 'discovered'. We felt happy with our 'finds' by 1:30pm when we had to depart.



Using our phone GPS, we navigated our way to the Harold Pinter Theatre to collect our pre-paid tickets to see the matinee performance of 'Sunny Afternoon'. This 'live' show is a musical about the journey of the band The Kinks. Those our era reading this blog would understand our fascination. Those younger, goto:



http://sunnyafternoonthemusical.com/ for the musical,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:The_Kinks_songs for Kinks songs, and

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/kinks-songs/ for the (supposed) top 10 best.



We had a ball!



We are now getting accustomed to London public transport. We downloaded an 'app' that enables us to determine which bus/train to take to where we want to go. The app is also gps related so for those sections we need to walk, it shows us the quickest way. In a sense, the 'app' is giving us a freedom usually reserved to knowledgeable locals.

Thursday 19th May - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime...

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We again returned to Guildhall to continue our family research. We have begun to link some patterns. We'd learned earlier that economic times in England rose rapidly during the mid 1830's due to Railway Mania; a mad rush by private firms to build railway lines (raising money in the stock exchange to buy access corridors). Much money was invested before a collapse in 1845. Of importance here is that this 'flash cash' empowered a housing build/renovation boom (till the 1845 bust).



At the Guildhall Library, the subject of our research was Bruce's Great, Great, Great, Great-Grandfather James Moon (and possibly his son, James Hinton, who migrated to Australia). James took a different course to many in that he didn't seek pursue indentureship into a trade. Instead he bought his admission (to the Painters & Stainers Guild).



We reviewed the annual trade journals and noted that James initially 'advertised' as a painter. A few years later, he was a 'painter and plumber', then a couple of years later a 'painter and surveyor'. Not long after, he was just a Surveyor', and a few years later an 'Architect and Surveyor'. Later, just an 'Architect'. As an 'Architect', he was now listed in the Professions section! The Institute of Architects was only established in the 1830's. It appears that with his building background, James was able to tout for business as an Architect.



We also discovered that James' son James Hinton appears too have begun advertising as a Solicitor in his late teens. He was 25 when he emigrated to Australia. But, before we could explore further, we had to depart Guildhall to attend another play.



The matinee performance of this play was "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime". Adapted from a 2003 novel, the play was challenging in that it was both a mystery and also a social statement. The director and playwright had fused many attributes of the text to challenge the audience. We were some of the very few 'oldies'. Being a matinee, and the book clearly part of high school curricula, the theatre was filled with high school aged students. That said, only a very few had uniforms. We assumed private schools, but the lack of uniform made us wonder.



We did enjoy the show. On the topic, go see:



http://www.curiousonstage.com/about/



and



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curious_Incident_of_the_Dog_in_the_Night-Time



We've included pics of a couple of flash cars we've seen. London is expensive, and the car choice by some rubs it in. The Daimler SUV is approx A$600,000. The Merc Sports SUV is a steal at about A$250,000!!!

Friday 20th May - Windsor Castle.

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Before leaving home, we discussed our options regarding transport. Last time we were in London we were able to use a 'Seniors' pass for X pounds a day. That has now been consigned to the rightists' dustbin. The Oyster card seemed our best bet (Oyster = Miki / Opal / Gocard / etc). But, we didn't want to be buying one at Heathrow. We saw an 'offer' with The London Pass wherein if we bought a 3 day pass, we could secure an Oyster card with 25 quid credit. And, it would be posted to us in Oz. A week before departure, it duly arrived. Having the card was a blessing when we also had to negotiate our travel to accommodation (one less thing to worry about).



With the 3 day pass, one has to use it in 3 consecutive days. Today was our start. The London Pass is a free entry to selected tourist venues. Having enjoyed a trip west on Monday, we decided to go visit Windsor Castle. We'd previously been to Windsor, but not inside the castle. Scenically, Windsor is a delightful area. Quite wooded, with pretty townscapes. The Pass instructed to use the Paddington Station, take the train to Slough and change for Windsor (free for us). On Monday we'd travelled through Slough. This time the route was quite different and less attractive. That changed as we departed Slough on the quaint train to Windsor through wooded greenery.



Upon leaving the station, we could see by the number of tourists that that this was a major destination. Another 'offer' at Windsor was a short boat trip up/down the Thames. Figuring that taking this option would see us less plagued by the hordes, we wandered down to the river by a delightful path through gardens and park. The cruise was interesting, but not spectacular. Perhaps if it was sunny we may have felt differently. The gloomy sky does place a dampener on how one feels. That said, we did enjoy the journey. Judy, especially, liked both the commentary and the swans gliding alongside waiting to be fed. The trip heads upstream past Eton College, the Windsor racetrack to a lock > > and after turning around, back to the wharf.



We returned to the castle and now with periods of sunshine, we proceeded with our audio guide to be told all about the castle. We've seen a few castles in our travels and other than the size of the place, Windsor isn't a standout. But, the State Apartments made up for any doubt that this may not be 'up there'. Goodness, don't the royals know how to put on a show. They say the crown is self funded. That may be the case, but we suspect that government makes their business prospects more productive than many other entities.



We eventually took our leave and headed back to London to buy some sandals for Bruce and some dinner from M&S. We do like the English supermarket ready-made meals. They are innovative and tasty. We lament that when Coles employed a UK person to head supermarkets, they initially copied the style. Sadly, some clown took over and dumbed down the flavour component. It's a major irritant for us that the generic Australian taste copies the sweet bland that is the US.

Saturday 21st May - Still on the tourist merry-go-round.

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Today we headed for Westminster Abbey. Bruce had always a yearning to see inside but past visits just didn't facilitate. As the midweek bus trips were slow, we assumed similar for today. Without peak hour traffic the bus sped through the burbs quickly. We alighted at Westminster about 3/4 hour early. Thinking we had oodles of time till opening, we went for a wonder. Pleasant though it was scenically, the icy breeze kept us shivering. We headed to the Abbey after about 15 minutes only to find a substantial queue had already formed. After half an hour of waiting, we eventually began to shuffle towards the entrance. The queue had by now become extensive, snaking around corners and up alleys. We don't know if this is typical, but what an earner for the church!



We followed the throng to gain an audio guide and after listening to an initial welcome message, joined the mob to go gawk at selected icons. What can we say about the Abbey. Without the crowds it would be pompously spectacular. The structure is important in that unlike so many in western Europe, it has withstood the ravages of war and largely remains as originally built. While there may be prettier churches, few could boast the tombs, adornments, embellishments and name plates of kings, queens and notable royal sycophants.



Given the cold day, a cuppa, scones and cream in grand English style (linen and fine china) warmed the depths of the bod. Once refreshed, we headed to a riverboat to take us downstream from Westminster to the Tower of London. Though with a marked nasty history, the Tower is one of those places that Britain should hide under the carpet. But, given the numbers of tourists that frequent the place, the London economy clearly likes dollars over morals. Built under the command of William of Normandy (later 'the conquerer') who needed a stronghold keep in order to suppress (and plunder) the Anglo-Saxon occupants, the compound has grown over time. More a prison and despatching centre for royal sycophants and those elites considered beyond their use-by-date than a place to lock up the riff-raff, the compound nonetheless appeals to tourists.



The highlight for us was the wonderfully sardonic humour of the Yoeman (beefeater) as he led us around significant parts of the compound and provided a potted history of events over time. We squizzed at the usual displays; tools of war, prison oddities, crown jewels (Judy commented that with such wealth, why are they charging visitors), and the tools of torture. While the tools of torture may have been horrific for anyone on the receiving end, in comparison to what the Americans used in the Gulf War they seemed a bit tame.



Being late afternoon, cold and with drizzle, we caught the ferry and bus back to the local for a pint before tucking into a meal at the lodgings!

Sunday 22nd May - A lovely day for an outing.

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When looking at the weather prediction late last week, we were advised it would be (what we call) miserable for the weekend. Imagine our glee to wake up to a clear blue sky. Still cold, but!



Judy had long wanted to visit Tower Bridge, but it was too cold yesterday. So, today was the day. Iconic as it may be, the 'attraction' is a bit of an anticlimax. After all, to anyone but a civil engineer, it's just a bridge. And, the authorities have enclosed the top section so no-one self harms. Sort of shows how dumb we've become. Everybody is denied the view because maybe someone who doesn't want to live might do what they want! As one employee noted 'If you want to go see London from on high, pay your 80 quid and go to the top of the Shard'. That said, the view through the small windows showed the building investment currently occurring in London. The horizon was like a porcupine of cranes.



Once down, we collected another beautiful roll from Pret-a-Manger (a sandwich shop with French styled chewy rolls) along with a Miso soup, and then headed for the wharf were we'd take the ferry to Greenwich. Judy, especially, enjoyed the Pret-a-Manger roll on our first day to the point of requesting same each day. Somehow, Paul was not the same!!!! We did like the juice drinks, for example Pomegranite and Hibiscus; Lemon and Ginger; etc. sugar content was low and they had plenty of flavour.





While awaiting the ferry, we noticed that Sunday must be window cleaning day for the high rise buildings. So many had the gantry on top extended and window cleaners doing their job. The Shard intrigued us. Being an elongated pyramid, one cannot use a gantry. Solution? Open the glass door of a floor, extend a basked carrying crane out and let the window cleaners 'adjust' the crane to enable them to go about their business. Until seeing this, we'd not really thought about how these 'odd' shaped glass buildings (and there are many in London) would have the glazing cleaned.



The ferry departed and downstream we went, past wharf after wharf now converted to high end accommodation, past Canary Wharf (now a business precinct), around the isthmus called Isle of Dogs, and eventually to Greenwich wharf on the opposite side. The initial purpose for the trip was to a) enjoy the sunny day along the lower Thames, and (b) visit Cutty Sark (another free entry for the pass). Once inside the Cutty Sark we were not only confronted with a history of tea cartage (for which she was built) but also an explanation of Australian wool (when the tea trade from China ceased, the vessel became a 'merchant' ship). Listening to the bleating of sheep broadcast throughout one deck was 'interesting'. Made us wonder how seamen on those live meat export ships 'switch off'.



One item Bruce had always had a yearn to visit was the Royal Observatory. Little did we realise how beautiful was the walk to the observatory - sitting on a hill overlooking the Thames. The Observatory was important in the modern history of astronomy, navigation and the development of navigational instruments while at sea. It is also the site of what is properly known as the Prime Meridian (or commonly referred to as Greenwich mean). Fascinating as the 'tour' of the Observatory was for us, we revelled in the adjacent gardens filled with Azaleas and Rhododendrons - IN FLOWER!!!! 😊 On this sunny afternoon, splendid is the only possible word.



We made our way back to 'our' local for last beers (this time in London) as tomorrow we head for Rome and warmer weather, YAY!!!!).

Reflections.

When we'd planned the London 'stopover' it was to undertake more family history research. Near departure, we organised a 3 day 'tourist' voucher and a side trip to Basingstoke. On reflection, these two additions were fortuitous. The family history research kept leading us blind alleys. While our 'project' developed somewhat, we didn't achieve what we'd hoped.



Perhaps because of the weather, the day out to Basingstoke was a highlight. Delightful country scenery, good company and relaxedness was a great 'foil' to the urban.



The 3 day tourist pass forced us to mingle with the 'riff-raff'. It's not something we appreciate. We try be travellers enjoying the ride rather than 'sightseers' seeking to tick off iconic items. Multiple people gawking at the same time at (often contrived) 'attractions'. We dislike that we can't 'be' in that moment reflecting on the possible history, the then social time-frame, the events, etc. There are just too many people to achieve such reflective 'moments'. That said, many we visited were sort of bucket list items and now they are ticked off. And, even without a pass, we would still have had to jostle with the mob. Perhaps the endearing attributes were the unexpected little surprises. The parks, the journey, some of the jokes and amusing comments by tour guides. Given most of the 'attractions' have been modelled to make the tourist experience less stressful, maybe that's the price of 'doing' the attractions.



We were a lot more relaxed this time in London. Clearly, having been here before helped orientation. But, a nice comfortable apartment in Shepherds Bush made a great base. And, awakening to the joyous birdsong of Blackbirds and Thrush warmed our hearts. Part of the relaxedness was having 'apps' that allowed us to use our smartphone to negotiate urban travel easily certainly helped immensely.



it'll now be interesting to see how we 'negotiate' Rome.



Cheers

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Photos

A different approach
We were surprised that parks and greenspaces leave large tracts of grassed areas to grow unmowed. And, the prolific use of trees is enjoyable.

Times they are a changin'
Scooters now dominate the bike rack at Kew!!!