Little Known Ben and Alician Museums

Slowly catching up now, bear with me.

Back at the end of July, we had another visit from that lady of alician nature. Yes, she doesn't seem to get enough of us, and so had come back in order to get a bit of pampering.

So, a bit of shopping was in order, followed by a production of Anthony and Cleopatra in an open air amphitheatre on top of the business school building. Definitely something different.

Of course a trip to London was also in order. This time the weather held up, so we first went and saw a not-so-well-known city icon. Yes, you might know of Big Ben, but the odds are that you have never seen Little Ben. This little gem is situated right outside of Victoria Station and is another great example of what you can find if you go off the tourist track.

Then it was time to hit the museums. Well one in fact, but it's big enough to be counted multiple times. That's right, the British Museum was on the list for today. A quick visit to some of the newer exhibitions (like the Australian one) was followed by the Egyptian mega-exhibition. Working our way between the statues, and the crowds of people it was a relief to stop off in the great court to have lunch (taking in the amazing glass ceiling).

Before we had to leave this city, we still had time to relax in Green Park (although all the deck chairs were already taken), and enjoyed the sun whilst people watching.

So a great time was had by all, and hopefully a bit of culture taken in. Thanks Ali for a wonderful time !

French Visits and Footing London

Again a bit delayed, but back in mid July we had a visit from Celi, coming over from Paris on the Eurostar (makes a change to all those that take the plane). Personally I think she was trying to escape Bastille Day, although with the amount of tourists in Oxford and London at this time, I wouldn't count it as much of an escape...

Apart from coming over for the organised Harry Potter Tour of Oxford (coinciding with the release of the final film), she also wanted to take on the services of yours truly as tour guide for London.

Ever up for a challenge, I prepared a tour to cover all sorts of interesting sights tailored to her preferences. Usually I make sure quite a bit of walking is involved in my tours, allowing participants to actually see quite a lot of London that they would normally have missed. It also means they get tired a couple of hours before time to come back to Oxford, allowing me to 'reluctantly' suggest stopping off at a nearby pub.

We started off at Paddington, taking the bus across to Camden Market, walking around the stalls and stables for a while, and sitting down on a scooter to eat our lunch. Then took the tube down to Green Park, where we walked down through the park to Buckingham Palace. From here we walked along the lake until we came down to Westminster. Passing Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament we went over Westminster Bridge (taking photos looking back across the River Thames at parliament).

From here we walked along the river (to the left of the bridge when you arrive on the south side) until we got to the Tate Modern. We used their facilities (very clean, by the way) and viewed some of the unusual art and photos on show, as well as the building itself (old power station).

After the cultural part, we walked further eastwards until we got to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, where unfortunately there were no tickets left for todays shows, nor were they doing tours, as a show was currently in progress (tip: get there in the morning to get on a tour).

Walking back the way we had come, we took the millennium bridge linking the Tate Modern to the original Tate Gallery (upon being built, it swayed so much that people got sick, and so it had to be rebuilt to reinforce the stability of it).

Arriving at the other bank of the Thames you have in front of you St Paul's Cathedral. Upon entering we caught part of a sermon which actually mentioned Harry Potter in it (a bonus for Celi!). We then made our way towards Holborn, walking along the roads and observing the buildings around us.

At this point, Celi had not complained at all about having walked too far, or being tired, so for the first time ever, I had to propose having a rest at a local pub outside of Paddington station! Is this a sign that I'm getting weak? Or maybe that she does enough walking around the streets of Paris, to rival my tours? I'll let you decide that one.

Of course, the other days she was here, we also went around Oxford, visiting some colleges, St Mary's Tower, and some of the local pubs.

Hopefully she'll remember the visit favourably (as we did) and come again soon...

(See all the photos here)

Knee Breaking Hills and Bavarian Weddings

A bit late in reporting, but just over a month ago (25th June), Martin and Sibylle got married in a lovely Bavarian village close to Wuerzburg called Castell (from the Faber-Castell pens fame). The weather may not have been playing ball during the weekend, but it stayed dry for the most part and a lovely day was had by all.

We also met up with the rest of Martin's family after a very long time, and were able to chat for a while with Ulrike.

The time around the wedding was spent visiting Wuerzburg with the newly married couple, going up to the palace in the bright sunshine and looking out over the city. We also managed a rushed lunch out on the ramparts (well, Kaesespaetzle for some of us, and cake for the rest).

And where does the knee-breaking hill come into this? Well, in order to get to the church one had to go up a pretty steep hill, which was appropriately named (the pub at the base of it also had the same name)...

So an enjoyable time was had by all, a lot of catch-up from the last decade or so, and a great occasion to do it at. So here's to a long and fruitful life together Martin & Sibylle !