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Published: August 15th 2014
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We have made the most of our last couple of days in England with a number of unplanned bonus activities.
We spent our last morning in the Lakes district exploring the evocative Castlerigg Stone Circle, a Bronze Age circle of about 40 stones, set on a flat grassy area surrounded by gorgeous peaks. There were huge drifts of Turneresque cloud over the fells and it was not difficult to imagine the sense of awe this place may have engendered for ancient people. Archeologists believe it marks a stone-axe trading area from around 2500 BCE and may have been the scene of some kind of ritual - some points have astronomical significance. From one point of view it is just a bunch of stones but there is something amazing about being somewhere that was of human significance so long ago.
Then we drove to Penrith to return the car and catch the train to London. Opposite the train station there are the ruins of a castle ( you don't get that in Melbourne!) and we were excited to discover it was the castle of Richard III when he was Duke of Gloucester. Thanks to Shakespeare we felt like we knew
exactly who had lived there (though thanks to
Josephine Tey we know Shakespeare was probably just writing what Elizabeth I wanted to hear).
We arrived in London late afternoon and spent the evening exploring Covent Garden and the surrounding district. There were some great buskers at Covent Garden, including a fantastic string sextet playing Brahms Hungarian dances and other familiar classics with great vigour. They actually danced while playing - even the cellist! We had an excellent pizza with beetroot salad at the Jamie Oliver cafe ( modern British cruising being a nice change from the albeit excellent pub food we have been eating) and wandered around the theatre district. Then we discovered the National Portrait Gallery had a late opening so took the chance to see some wonderful portraits. With limited time we picked one room in each area. from the traditional section, we chose Tudors including a fabulous sultry portrait of John Donne (definitely more poet than clergyman!) and the impressive Elizabeth I familiar from the cover of the Norton Anthology then we saw some excellent 20th century portraits in including Andy Warhol's portrait of Mick Jagger and a Jacob Epstein bust of Shaw. We also saw the
2014 national portrait exhibition - the British equivalent of the Archibald. Some good pieces but generally more traditional than the Archies.
On our last morning we had time for one more gallery and chose the Courtald, remembering a recommendation from my father on my first visit to London 32 years ago. It was an excellent choice - a magnificent collection of Impressionists and early moderns. I have developed a love for Cezanne landscapes and also enjoyed Wandinskys, Frys and Bonnards. The painted ceilings of Somerset house where the collection is housed are pretty amazing too.
So now we are heading to Heathrow after a little under two amazing weeks in England. Highlights are too numerous to list but here are some nominations:
Raphael: Bletchley Park, Julius Caesar at The Globe, British Museum
Danny: Stowe Gardens, Bletchley Park
Deborah: Punting on the Cam, scones and poetry in The Orchard at Grantchester, Lake District walks, Stowe Gardens, Julius Caesar at The Globe and of course spending time with our wonderful grown-up Raphael.
Ahora vamos para Espagna!
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