Category: travel

I love me a good Spinal Tap reference!

Anyway, when we left you last we had witnessed the penultimate Monty Python show and were spending the weekend with Kate’s aunt and uncle. Sunday morning we were treated to a brunch with Kate’s family before we had to motor off to Heathrow. Heathrow again?! This time it was nothing to do with departures or arrivals, rather it was the most convenient place to pick up our hire car. So off we went, found our vehicle, and job done!

Well, not quite. Rather than head straight back to Coventry, since we were to the west of London, we decided to visit a classic landmark that neither of us had seen in years… one that people fall in love with, or ask “why did I bother to come and see a bunch of rocks?!”. Yep, Stonehenge.

Thanks to our trusty sat-nav, we arrived in relatively no time, although the traffic got pretty bad as we approached. We had our fingers crossed, as typically you need to pre-buy timed tickets to see the site, however since we had no idea what time we would arrive, we just had to wing it. Thankfully things were on our side (for the moment) and in we were able to go!

The new visitors centre is actually a mile or so from the site, so it was on to one of the shuttle buses to head out. Above us a few clouds looked a bit ominous, but that didn’t deter us… we just grabbed our rain jackets and went. On the bus some rain started to fall, but not enough to stop intrepid travellers like us to get out there. So once we arrived we jacketed up and went to the stones.

It was at that precise moment that somewhere some druids took umbrage with our arrival and called on the rain gods, as the clouds went black and the rain bucketed down. Hard. Within a minute we were soaked! But that didn’t worry us too much, as laying eyes on Stonehenge, we were actually pretty excited.

We both remembered being further away, so to get within a few metres was very cool. We made our way around, in the driving rain. Trying to take pics actually became pretty comical as clothes were soaked, cameras drenched, and umbrellas turned inside-out. Crazy! But like the handful of others still out at the site, we figured we were already soaked and had no idea when we would be back, so took it all in.

Getting the selfie was quite tough… keeping a camera relatively dry was hard work in those conditions! But as you can see, we thought it was quite hysterical that to this point in the day it was balmy and warm and sunny, and that the second we arrived it was torrential. That’s England for you I guess.

So with Stonehenge visited, we thought it was best to get back to the Visitors Centre and dry out a little. As things would have it, we were back for all of 5 minutes when the rain stopped and sun started to peek through the clouds. Aaarrrgghh! But we just thought it was pretty funny. Kate suggested heading back to the site to see it properly and take our time. After a little deliberation, it was back on the bus out to the stones.

It ended up being a great decision. There was not another drop of rain and it gave us a chance to dry out a little. We had time to be casual, and listen to the audio guide to hear all about the druids, the astronomy, and all the history. Sadly Spinal Tap were not mentioned at all (not even in the gift shop either!). What a wasted opportunity.

 

We ended up spending quite a bit of time. Given the rain, and that it was getting late (7pm), there was hardly anyone about, meaning photos with no people were a possibility. We snapped away, and looking at the pics it seemed we had a lot of the same pictures of a bunch of rocks, but it was very cool nonetheless.

But by this time they were getting ready to shut up the site. So back on the bus yet again and we were at the visitors centre. We poked around the exhibition, but by this point we were done and it was time for the longish drive back. In the end those druids were looking out for us after all.

 

Another weekend, another trip to London! This was the big one, but we’ll get to that.

This weekend we were lucky enough to be able to catch up with Kate’s other aunt and uncle for the weekend. Straight after work on Friday, it was back on the train and down to London to catch up with them for a late supper and catch up. Like the other night, it was great to relax with Kate’s family and feel welcomed on the other side of the world.

After a warm nights sleep (England is in a heatwave, which while not a heat wave like we have, still pretty warm and humid), Kate and I hit the streets of London to wander and do some shopping. When on Regent St, it is always worth a pop in to Hamley’s to see what toys are on offer.

As you can see we got a chance to catch up with some of the Lego locals. Alas, little Prince George was not around. I did spy a Corgi though.

When trying to think of things to get up to, we thought we might pop in to Westminster Abbey, as it was something neither of us had done is quite a while. Alas, when we arrived there was a VERY long queue and we quickly decided against it. But as luck would have it, we wandered around the corner and realised there was something neither of us had ever done, and that it looked like we might have an opportunity. It seemed the Houses of Parliament were open for visiting!

We didn’t have tickets but chanced upon a couple that were just released, so after a little waiting, it was inside the hallowed halls!

Needless to say they were just a little bit more impressive than the ones in Canberra. Like many buildings here, artwork centuries old just casually hangs in the halls. If I worked there I would be scared I would break something that was a few centuries old. As it was I got told off for touching something I shouldn’t have!

Sadly photos were not allowed in most of the building. But it was a great way to spend a couple of hours, and we were glad we had the chance to see a lot of what the Parliament had to offer.

With that it was getting close to evening, and we had to make our way to the O2 Arena in Greenwich for the big one. MONTY PYTHON! We actually secured tickets for the show before I had my study leave approved. We were super lucky to score tickets one night they went on sale, and figured “ah, why not!”. In the end it turned out to be the second last time Python would perform together (so they tell us, although as the name of the show suggests “1 Down 5 to Go” is sadly probably pretty accurate).

The O2 had quite the buzz when we arrived. We were surprised to see so many restaurants and night spots there. But no doubt most were there to see the Python lads, given the amount of costumes and t-shirts wandering the arena.

We even came across a very large parrot. Clearly he was pining for the fjords.

In we went into the cavernous arena. It is a little bigger than Rod Laver, but with much steeper sides. As it turned out, our tickets were fantastic, given we elected to get tickets on the (relatively) cheaper side. Up on the top level, but at the front, and just side enough to be close but have good view. Kate’s mad ticket skills to thank for that!

And without further ado, the show was on! I won’t give a blow by blow summary, but what we got was 2.5 hours of classic sketches performed live, plenty of songs, some choreography between skits as well as some video to keep us laughing while the boys changed.

So was it funny? It was hilarious! Was it perfect? Far from it. Some skits didn’t translate as well, and there were some odd choices (the weird Ministry of Silly Walks dance remix thing was just horrible). There was also the strong nostalgia that went from very sweet to a little sad at times.

But overall, it was quite the thing to see Messrs Cleese, Gilliam, Idle, Jones, and Palin in the flesh (for me, especially Michael Palin). It was worth it just to witness Spam, Dead Parrot, and Nudge Nudge Wink Wink done by Monty Python live… something I never dreamed I would ever see.

Of course we got all the other classics… Spanish Inquisition, Australian Philosophers, and awesomely, the Lumberjack Song and Galaxy Song. It was all wrapped up with a big, emotional sing-a-long of Always Look On The Bright Side of Life (of course).

So was it just a big cash in? Quite probably. But did it matter in the end? Not at all. It was Monty Python.

Hello again!

Thought I should provide a sporadic Warwick update. Mostly it has been work (very fruitful I must say… it would be awesome to be able to focus on research this much all the time), but there has been some time for minor shenanigans now Kate has arrived.

Oh, I don’t think I have mentioned my flat on campus. It is owned by the Maths Research Centre. It sure it distinctive! Nice and comfy though which is important.

Anyway, first up, my Warwick host Jane and her husband treated Kate and I to an evening trip on their canal boat. The canal system in the UK is quite extensive, and with a long canal boat you can travel much of the country (in a very leisurely fashion). So after work one evening, we headed for Stoke Bruerne were her husband Ian and daughter Helen were waiting. With that it was a couple of hours of leisurely boating along the Grand union canal. I say leisurely but I was put to work helping out with some of the lochs. By the end I was quite the expert (well, maybe not).

Part of the trip involved a 3km trip through a very dark tunnel. It was quite eerie in a way, especially when another boat would be coming at you in canal just wide enough to fit the two boats. Thankfully Ian is quite the experienced skipper so all was fine.

The end rewards for our boating was some good pub food. Not a bad life.

The next night we had the opportunity to catch up with Kate’s uncle and aunt. Awesomely, they live only 20 minutes from the Uni of Warwick, so it means that we have the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time with them. Kate spent the day while I was at work, and after job done I was picked up for a good catch up dinner. It was great to catch up with a side of the family we don’t often get to see.

Canal boats… pubs… catching up with family… not a bad side benefit to this trip to Warwick.

Hi all!

Apologies for the lack of updates. I am being told off by a few people now that they are expecting more stories here on the blog and I am not delivering. So I best fix that!

Part of the reason is that my main activity here is just work, so I didn’t think I would bore you with the details there. But in the last week and a half there has been a bit to report. So let’s start the first of a handful of new posts…

Weekend before last I was back off down to London. No major activity planned, but rather to head out to Heathrow bright and early on the Sunday morning to pick up my lovely lassy from the airport. Woo! But rather than head down super early on the Sunday morning (a 6am arrival), I decided to wander down the day before and catch up with a London based Aussie friend of mine that I hadn’t seen in a while. So back on the train it was to central London. Sadly, our plans fell through at the last minute, so I was left to my own devices for the day.

I didn’t have anything particular in mind, so I just decided to wander, visit some record and comic stores, and just soak up the hot, steamy, London. In my wandering I was happy to come across an Invader perched high on a wall. I was hopeful that I would come across more in the area, but alas no.

A few hours of wandering and I was tiring out from the humid weather. As luck would have it, I passed a cinema that had a screening of the new Richard Linklater film “Boyhood” in only 10 minutes time. Score! So rather than keep wandering, I decided it was time for a relax and movie. I was super keen to see it, and knew I would probably miss it back home, so was pumped (I won’t go into my review here, feel free to check me out on letterboxd if you want some thoughts).

3 hours later it was back into the glorious balmy London early evening. Since I was staying out at Heathrow for the evening due to Kate’s super early arrival, I decided to head out in time to watch the World Cup 3rd place game. I arrived easy enough, with plenty of time to settle into the bar for some World Cup. An average game later and it was bed time.

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ! Holy moly, it’s 5am. So a quick check out and I was in Terminal 3 arrivals, anxiously waiting. And waiting. And waiting. Sadly, the plane was delayed almost an hour and a half. Boo. But in the end a surprisingly sprightly Kate popped out into the arrivals hall and all was good in the world.

So did we head back to Warwick for Kate to settle down and get some rest? Of course not! A day of wandering London was in order! The plan was to keep her awake as long as possible to get into the local time zone. So after dropping off some bags, we decided to grab some brunch and wander one of my favourite places, the National Gallery. I still get a buzz seeing the Botticelli’s and Van Gogh’s.

With that it was some more wandering, slowly making our way back to Euston station. We had some time to a quick pop into the British Museum (another favourite) but the crazy crowds meant it was fleeting. With that, it was on a train back to Coventry, and with it, finally some rest for Kate.

I woke on Friday morning still abuzz from the gig the previous night. Somehow I managed to get a deep nights sleep in my Hammersmith hostel, amazing given my adrenaline levels and being in a noisy hostel.

The main plan for the day was not to head back straight to Warwick though. One of my new work colleagues had a meeting in London, so Jane, my main research partner here, decided to come down to London and join us, so that we could have a more casual day getting to know each other and talk research. So at midday I was to meet up with Jane and Sara. But in the meantime the morning was mine.

Given I have spent so much time in London, I decided to do something I had not done in quite a while, that was to check out some of the still remaining Banksy gems around the city. Sadly, not that many are in great shape. Many have been destroyed, vandalised, painted over, removed, etc, so finding many is actually more difficult than it might seem in London. So when researching online, I came across a great blog post by a dude called Mitch who had details about how to get to and find 4 of the main ones still up. You can read his great guide here, so I won’t go into all the detail of how to find them: http://mitchfournier.com/2013/03/09/in-london-see-some-banksy-for-7-20/

So thanks to Mitch, I headed out exploring. First up from Hammersmith was to visit Portobello Road. No Mary Poppins, but the markets were being set up and I saw my first Banksy in a few years, and one of the classics “Graffiti Painter”.

This one is quintessential Banksy… so funny yet so well created. Unfortunately this is hard to get a great snap of as it is just behind market stalls, and I guess everyone takes it for granted these days as things just get left in front of the work, hiding it from public display. But I was able to manage some pics. The detail for covert spray painting and stencil work is always under appreciated in Banksy’s work, and in this one, the artist is some of his best work.

So off it was to chase more Banksy! Next stop was Great Portland Street to see another classic. Not as classic for the stencil work, but for the appearance of a trademark rat and witty slogan. Again, this was just there for all the locals to casually wander by, except for people like myself to visit. A French trio were also looking out for some Banksy work and we crossed paths here, enabling a cool snap.

This is also a great one to see as it contains the classic elements and is well preserved and is easy to get some snaps of. Easy to get to as well, so pop it on your list of Banksy targets!

Coffee in hand, it was off to number 3. Rather than tube it, I legged it down to Regent St to check out a Banksy in a slightly less obvious location. Although much closer to busy thoroughfares, it is hard to spy as the “Falling Shopper” is not at eye level, rather up high, adding to the drama of the piece (as well as a “how the heck did he do it?!”).

Although not as classic as the others, this is still a great one to see and super easy if you are shopping along Regent St.

As luck would have it there was even a Banksy exhibition happening in London, and just near the Falling Shopper. Believe it or not, it was being held at… Sothebys. Yep. I guess not unexpected, given Banksy pieces, both prints and street works, command such huge prices, of course Sothebys would house it. This was  an exhibition collected of works from Steve Lazarides, Banksy’s former agent.

Over time, he has obviously amassed a huge Banksy collection of prints, one off canvases, and gallery pieces, and they were all on show. No auction, but apparently all up for sale. I decided not to waste their time and find out how much some of my favourites were. Below are a bunch of pics of some of my favourites, which was kind of odd to see all in a gallery setting. Regardless, still a thrill to see them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hadn’t gotten my fill of Mr Banksy quite yet, and it was time to visit just one more. I legged it down to the nearby tube station, swinging by the National Gallery building. This is what I love about London. If I wanted to pop in and see a Botticelli, I could. Not today, but I would be back in to see one of my favourite paintings before I leave England no doubt.

I did like the big blue rooster though out the front. Now THIS is art.

So off it was to Tower Bridge, and down to my last Banksy stop. This last Banksy was the one I was most keen to see. Why? Well, I am lucky to have my own Banksy, and it is a limited print of this work…

“Choose Your Weapon” is a great work, well preserved in an area down from Tower Bridge. I was super excited to see this one because it adorns my study wall. Like Graffiti Painter, some of the stencil work on this is incredible, again hard to imagine that he would have had hours to do this without being caught.

The juxtaposition of Banksy’s stencil work and the Keith Haring dog is great, a fantastic comment on the hoodie/pitbull culture of some parts of the UK.

 

While checking this out and snapping photos, an older guy decided to say hi and have a chat, asking me if I had travelled to see the piece and what I thought. I said I thought whoever owned the wall was a rich man. He played dumb for a little bit and then explained that it was his wall and that he owned the row of shops it was painted on. He explained how he had to put in the camera to stop the vandalism, but that it was regularly visited by all kind of people, including even the local school groups. He seemed like a nice chap and told him I was thankful of people like him that decide not to tear down the wall to sell.

So I said goodbye to my last Banksy and made my way to catch up with Jane and Sara, down on Southbank.

We spent the afternoon talking research and wandering Southbank, and finding time to pop into the Matisse paper-cut exhibition at the Tate Modern which was quite cool. After some dinner, it was back on a train to head back toward Banbury with Jane, to spend the weekend with her and her family before moving into my own flat next week. But what a way to spend a casual day in London.