Donkeys & Rellies

Sunday September 1 and another road trip.  This one to my Aunt Roma's in Sussex for lunch (via the Lockwood Donkey Sanctuary to pet some "neddies").

The donkey sanctuary is small and modest and home to 20 or so formerly distressed donkeys who  seem well fed and very content.

It was the donkeys' feeding times while we there and we learned that not only to love to eat hay, they also love to the cardboard boxes the hay is served in.  How efficient!

After the donkey sanctuary it was off to my auntie's place.  She lives in a village in West Sussex called Ifold and like many English people is enormously proud of her beautiful garden.

It was a lovely lunch with John's assorted cousins and their families and a great last full day in England before heading off to Vienna.

Driving fun and Bletchley Park

Friday August 30:

The kids and I headed off for a driving adventure (in the Zipcar we'd reserved) to Bletchley Park (where the team of mathematicians and others broke the Germans' enigma code during the War).  Ellen was unable to come as she spent the day resting her bad back.

Stop one was in the north London area of Barnet which is the site of Arkley Golf Club.  In 1975 my mum's half-brother, Ray Brimble, was killed in a plane crash there.  Ray was the team manager for famous British racing car driver, Graham Hill.  On November 29, 1975 Hill was flying with his team to Elstree Aerodrome in north London but tragically crashed in heavy fog at Arkley Golf Club about 3 miles from Elstree.  There is a small plaque at the club commemorating the site of the crash.

The golf club kindly allowed me to troop to the second hole and take a quick shot of the plaque:

Driving on the motorway was much easier than I expected.  Thankfully, the road wasn't wet or we would have slid off the side of the highway :-)

Bletchley Park was very pretty and extremely interesting.  They do a good job there of making you aware of what life was like for the hundreds of people working there encrypting and decrypting codes.  The interesting thing is that they simply hired smart people (who could solve puzzles) most of whom were young.  Those chosen to work there were sworn to secrecy (so no one knew that they were even there) and with most able-bodied men enlisted in the active services, the Bletchley codebreakers were mostly women.  Many of them describe those years as the best of their lives.  They had come from all over Britain, and were thrown in with hosts of other smart, young people with whom they worked and lived and most had a wonderful time of it.

The focal point of Bletchley Park is "The Mansion":

The machines used for encryption seem so primitive by today's norms (they were, in fact, little more than elaborate typewriters):

The machines used to decrypt codes (like the Bombe) were much more elaborate and imposing.

Bletchley Park is definitely a nice day out, especially for those with an interest in the science of code-making and code-breaking.  It is also located in the midst of some lovely Buckinghamshire countryside, making the trip there from London most enjoyable.

The Geffrye Museum +

On Thursday August 29 we ventured up to Camden so that Ted could shop for comics at Megacity Comics located in funky Camden Town market.  Once he had bought his sizable cache of comics we headed to the Geffrye Museum located near Hoxton Overground station.  The Geffrye Museum calls itself "The Museum of The Home".  It's located in a former 18th century almshouse and is comprised of a series of rooms made up to represent the typical "livingrooms" of the English from the 1600s to the very recent past.  It is interesting to see the subtle changes from room to room, which by the end of the string of rooms represents quite a radical change in decor.

Some pictures from the Geffrye Museum of interiors:

The exterior of the museum is also interesting (given its history as a former almshouse):

Exterior of the front of the Geffrye Museum:

The back of the Geffrye Museum (as taken from the platform at nearby Hoxton Overground station):

After having toured the Geffrye we made our way to Euston station area to engage in an activity booked months before: the live game known at Hint Hunt.  

Hint Hunt is a team game in which a team (optimally, four people) is locked in a room for one-hour and within the room are a host of clues which will enable them to determine how to get out.  At first, everyone flounders around confused and unsure how to proceed, but slowly things start to make sense and you barely have enough time to get out.  It is the quickest hour I think I've ever experienced!  In our case, we were actually engaged in putting the last item into place so as to open the door, when it opened (as the hour was up)!  In other words, we missed out by mere seconds.  It was great fun and a great example of the power of people working together and in an organized, strategic manner.  Great fun.  Sorry, no pictures as they're not allowed (for obvious reasons!)

On the way back from Hint Hunt (walking distance to our flat) we had to pay homage to the great Utilitarian legal philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, by actually visiting him at University College, London.  He really didn't say much . . .

MacBeth and The George Inn

Wed. Aug. 28:  John & Ted headed off in the morning to visit our friends at Wildy & Sons while Ellen & Maggie hit Oxford Street (specifically the massive store, Primark) for clothes shopping.  Maggie did very well there getting clothes for her upcoming school year.

Only a law nerd would be as excited as John to see the Incorporated Council on Law Reporting (publishers of the various British Law Reports) on Chancery Lane.

The four of us met up and walked from St. Paul's Cathedral across the Millenium walking bridge to the southbank of the Thames.  Here's the wonderful view from that bridge looking east.  One can see Tower Bridge off in the distance and to the right, the new office tower, the Shard, which is now the tallest building in Europe.

We saw the wonderful matinee production of MacBeth at the new Globe Theatre (accurate recreation of the original Globe Theatre in London).  The play was marvelously well acted and made for a splendid afternoon.

The stage of the Globe Theatre prior to performance

After the play we had dinner at the George Inn, a 1600s coaching inn in south London.  It is a delightful pub for a good dinner.

The George Inn

The British Museum

Tue. Aug. 27:  We headed out in the morning for the 15 minute walk from our flat to the British Museum where we enjoyed the exhibit about the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and the devastation of Pompeii and Herculaneum.  One sees the physical remainders of the horror of the burial of these cities in molten ash and the deaths of thousands.  Sorry, pictures not allowed in the exhibit.

The imposing entrance to the British Museum

The kids at the British Museum

After our tour of the museum we returned to the flat, ate, and all succumbed to jet lag and got an early night.

Arrival in London

The flight was uneventful (but as is always the case - long).  Ellen and the kids managed to sleep a fair bit but John wasn't so lucky.  The plane landed around noon on Monday August 26 and we were at our rented flat in Fitzrovia by 1:15.

The flat is great.  Small but spread over 2 storeys.

Here's the view of the living/kitchen area:

The iconic BT Tower is within a few yards of our flat.  Here it is as viewed from the little terrace of our flat.

The trip began (for John & Ted) on Friday August 23 when we set out with all of Ted's stuff packed in the car for delivery to storage in Waterloo (for his next year of university).

Here's a view of the Chicago skyline while we passed through on our way to Waterloo.

Sunday August 25: John & Ted drove the scenic route from Waterloo to Toronto stopping in West Montrose, Ontario to see the last 19th century covered bridge in Ontario and to have a look at the Elora Gorge.

John & Ted met Ellen & Maggie at Toronto Airport (they flew from Winnipeg on Sunday morning) and as our flight to London was not until 11:20pm, we had the day to spend in Toronto.  The kids headed off to the Toronto Convention Centre for FanExpo (the city was overrun with nerds, geeks, and costumed characters) while John & Ellen wandered about the city.  The kids had a great time and the parents had a relaxing day walking around the city and  relaxing in the lobby of the Royal York Hotel).