Now for something different

Sometimes it's difficult to find the time and possibility to get out of the run-of-the-mill day. Over the past week we made the effort, and had the luck of having interesting opportunities turn up on our door.

We saw The Artist the other day, which although I believe it's a great film, well thought through, and interesting throughout, I don't think we're going to see an emergence of lots more silent black and white films in the future, there's too many people brought up on just computer generated films that they won't be seeing this film, unless it's shown at school. But for the rest of you - go and see it, well worth the visit, even if you haven't liked silent or black and white films in the past.

 

Last Sunday we headed off to London with a short list of things we would try to do. We wanted to see if we could get in to see the Leonardo exhibition at the National Gallery, get discounted tickets for an afternoon performance of Cirque du Soleil's Totem, and depending on the weather, go around some of the famous sights taking pictures with my new camera (see previous post "Oxford Shooting").

 

The weather couldn't have been any better. Slightly fresh, but very sunny and not a cloud in the sky. We got on our early train to find that it's heating system wasn't working, so spent the whole journey (luckily only an hour) with hat, coat and gloves on. Arriving at the National Gallery at 10.30am we went to the ticket desk to ask about tickets to the Leonardo exhibition. The lady was a bit surprised that we would ask such a question at this time of the day (the box office had only been open 30 mins). Apparently people had been queuing since 5.30am to get a ticket for later in the same day. Pleased that we didn't freeze for four and a half hours outside to see pictures on tiptoes in a huge crowd of people, we set off to some of the other works in the gallery, which were also quite nice.

 

Exiting the building onto Trafalgar Square, it was the perfect moment to start taking some photos of such landmarks as Nelson's Column, Westminster, and the fountains around the square. We also happened across a gentleman that had a bird of prey he was showing off flying above us, hopefully scaring some of those pigeons away.

 

Working our way down towards Westminster, crossing the river and then taking a bus from the South Bank also gave some picturesque opportunities to try to capture. Arriving at Covent Garden we had a warming snack of a Ben's Cookie and Hot Chocolate drink whilst walking around the market stalls and shops.

 

We then set off to Leicester Square and after not finding any tickets for Cirque below 70 pounds per person, decided to pop into the Prince Charles Cinema where they were just about to show Melonchia. This is not a Hollywood film, so can be considered a bit weird, but sitting back in those leather chairs, we enjoyed it all the same.

 

With hunger starting to set in we headed off to Chinatown where we sat down and had dumplings, duck with pancakes and lemon and chili chicken. A quick walk to help digest, and then we caught the train (this time with the heating working) back to Oxford.

Later in the week we went to the Oxford Playhouse to see "Flamenco - Rafael and Friends". This was a great mix of Rafael on the guitar, with different types of drums / bongos, and lots of tap dancing (sitting down as well as standing up). The speed of those feet, and the mixes of voice, music and tapping really made for a great night.


What a great set of experiences to have enjoyed...

(more photos can be found here)

Oxford Shooting

Don't worry, it hasn't suddenly become some violent crime hotspot (well, not to my knowledge anyway). Last Saturday, after finally receiving the last part of my self-given Christmas present, and with lovely sunny weather, I went into town in order to test shoot some photos.

So, walking around the grounds of Christchurch, along the high street, and around the Radcliffe Camera, we had a few opportunities to frame some of the typical architecture and tourist sights of Oxford.

Christchurch of course being famous for being used in the Harry Potter films most recently. Unfortunately nobody from the films was here to pose for the shot, so I got a local to pose instead (see photo above).

Not all of Oxford is old stone-coloured buildings, as you can see below, there are also nice examples of pastel colours being used for external walls in amongst the other church-like structures:

 

And just to stop you thinking everything is square here, we also have fine example of cylindrical buildings, which are the perfect shape for storing all the books that are published in the UK (admittedly, most of them are in the underground cellars...):

There are also some unsavoury sights and stories around town. To find out all the details you will have to come visit, but I leave you with one example of what you can expect to find:

So what are you waiting for? Come and book your place to visit now :)

If you are still undecided, take a look at the rest of the photos here, and see if they can persuade you...

Revisiting 2011 Goals

As mentioned in my previous post, there was a bit of a goal to achieve by the end of the year. The Oxford Ale Trail from Brakspear involved 19 pubs dotted around Oxford, whereby one had to drink a pint in each one to receive a stamp in the booklet. Once 10 stamps were collected you are given a t-shirt, and once all have been visited you get a tour around the brewery in Witney.

When you start on this quest (booklets are given out in October) you have all the time in the world. Three months to get 19 pubs done, easy !
Of course, as you get further on in time, you realise you don't actually have many free nights when you can go to some of the out-of-the-way pubs.

As December looms, you start to panic, with still 10 pubs left and needing to do your Christmas shopping, you can't seem to find the time to collect any more stamps. This is when the logic thinking comes into play, and you ascertain that you will have to do a good few pubs in one night.

So on December 30th we set off to visit the Cape of Good Hope, Hobgoblin, Chester Arms and finished at the Royal Oak. Despite the weather trying to put us off, the fact that the Chester Arms was well hidden, and that we'd heard many a story about the Hobgoblin, we actually made it to all of them, having the last pint at the Royal Oak just before closing time.

What a great end to the year, and I'm sure we'll revisit many of these pubs again as we did not have chance to taste all the different ales, nor the food that we often saw being served whilst drinking our pints.

So 2012 allows us to prepare ourselves for completing this trail with more time to spare hopefully.


Cheers !

Old Year's Goals and New Year's Party

The last three months has seen some very dedicated concentration in order to achieve a certain goal before the end of 2011. Finally on Dec 30th we succeeded. Yes, 19 pubs later, The Oxford Ale Trail was completed, and with one day to spare, no less.

The work towards this goal saw us visiting many a drinking house within the confines of the city which we would not normally have seen, let alone entered. With the t-shirt collected, just have to organise the tour of the brewery in Witney some time soon. What a good feeling having achieved that goal of goals in time for the new year to start with new ones.

Following on from the party we had in Oxford last year with Ali, Luigi and Roberto, New Year 2012 was seen in with Doug and Gem. A 20s theme was on the cards (although we didn't know about this beforehand) which meant the bar staff were dressed very fancy. Great food was consumed (the 9oz steaks and Bailey's Creme Brulee were of note) and afterwards the disco in the marquee picked up the spirits too. A very good time had by all, and a great reunion.

So now it's 2012. A new year with new resolutions. I wonder what yours are? In any case, here's wishing you all the fun, enjoyment and success for the coming twelve months, and hoping all your dreams come true.

More pictures can be found here.

To a healthy and prosperous year !

German Christmas Market Meetup

The Christmas days were spent this year as well celebrating in the surrounds of Wiesbaden in Germany. Unlike previous years, there was no snow on the ground, no freezing temperatures and no chaos at the airports. However, Lufthansa still managed to make us wait an extra hour in the plane before take off because "...there are a lot of people on board". Yes, without the annual excuse of poor weather conditions to blame, they resorted to telling us that they were not prepared for a plane to be nearly full during the festive season.

In Mainz we were able to meet up with Mar, Ali, Roberto and Mamen. A visit to the Christmas market also was not forgotten, but the poorly laid out stalls (like every year) meant that one was forced to squeeze between people to get to where the drinks were being served, and then try and squeeze out again without spilling your drink over anyone nearby. This is where the Hyde Park and Oxford xmas markets do have their advantages.

It was then off to the villages of Wiesbaden to see Friedi, Marc, Julianne, Christiane and the rest of the family. Much was eaten, drunk, and many a sudoku filled in during this time. The usual walk in the snow was of course slightly altered to being a quick walk in the surrounds of the house, as it's not as much fun without the crisp crunchy stuff to tread on.

Back to Mainz to see Vera and Kiani (what a lovely drawing I was given) and then afterwards we met up with Britta, Johannes and Maya. Great to catch up with all the news since we last saw them, and to see that they are still doing well.

Finally time to fly back, and this time the flight actually left on time (although did arrive 20 mins late).

Since then, have met up with the parental people for a late xmas meal (next time we'll reduce the number of carafes of wine I think...) and hopefully get to meet up with more come New Years Eve.

Good luck in the sales !!

Winter Wonderland @ Hyde Park

What with Oxford's Christmas Market not quite standing up against the ones of Germany, the week afterwards we decided to go and have a visit to what London has to offer.

The plan was to take a leisurely stroll through the markets of Hyde Park, South Bank and opposite the Tower of London. A visit to Oxford Street to see the lights was also on the todo list, as was a possible visit to some of the big department stores.

Arriving at Hyde Park Corner, we noticed straight away that something was happening. The tube was a lot more full than usual, and as we came out to ground level, we saw the mass of people before us. However, looks could be deceiving, as at a slightly slower walking pace you could actually get to where you wanted without having to push past many people (a far cry from the (Mainz Christmas Market).

In Hyde Park, they have erected many stalls selling Christmas gifts, handicrafts, food and drink. There was a German village area with German beer, sausages, music and Gluehwein; there was a helter-skelter, lots of other amusements, as well as an ice rink.

Walking around this wonderland really did impress us. Not only did it take two and a half hours to return to the beginning again (this place is huge!), but the selection of food was great (Christmas Dinner in a bap anyone?), the glow juice was also very tasty, and you didn't feel cramped, sticky or dirty (adjectives that I would often use when in the Mainz Christmas Market).

After enjoying all Hyde Park had to offer (ok, we didn't try something from every stall...) and looking at what time it was, we decided to give the other markets a miss, and instead head off to Harrods.

Looking around this huge store, with all the festive lighting and decorations was definitely a good choice. Amongst the noteworthy things seen was a throne for a dog, a Christmas pudding cat bag, and a leg of ham costing 1500 pounds (they didn't give us a tester of this though)...

Next up was Oxford Street, where, to our surprise, all traffic was blocked, and the streets were taken over by pedestrians. This really made a difference to getting down this road that would normally be packed and difficult to maneuver. Whilst consuming a belgian waffle, we were delighted to see that a firework was just beginning, which we watched from the middle of the road.

Once the light display was over, we moved down to the Liberty store, which was also nicely done up for the Christmas period. From here it was time to head back to Paddington to get the train back to Oxford.

A very nice Christmas trip to London to finish off 2011.

More pictures can be seen here.

Oxford Festive Market

Also a bit delayed, but at the Oxford Castle there is currently the Oxford Christmas Market. Not that big, but still has a stand with the German sausages, another with mulled wine, one with Fruit Punch (Feuerzangebowle) and a selection of handicraft stalls.

So, as the first market we had visited this winter, it was pretty good, and gave a god taster for what was to come.

To see more photos, click here.