tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20912161737233660032024-03-21T15:26:31.878-05:00Erik's Jolly Old Albion“London is a roost for every bird.”
-- Benjamin Disraelierik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-27735225077744703252010-01-07T07:35:00.002-06:002010-01-07T07:51:25.688-06:00London remembered: A dozen random "bests"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHYHnjsLb94cvaWPXDPsrtTHOlRUpSPzasoBV_pbQY3oAaGBmUWkz20FohMsVKzfHdQGwhO16V3_t7sZ55GtBIq6bApxThuUUEDfRYVQovvpFvZEdYdPFbsQ5ile0AalQNx8eSYim_hI/s1600-h/IMG_3109.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHYHnjsLb94cvaWPXDPsrtTHOlRUpSPzasoBV_pbQY3oAaGBmUWkz20FohMsVKzfHdQGwhO16V3_t7sZ55GtBIq6bApxThuUUEDfRYVQovvpFvZEdYdPFbsQ5ile0AalQNx8eSYim_hI/s400/IMG_3109.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423995021164192290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">BEST PUB:</span> The Churchill Arms</span>, Kensington Church Street.<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">I'll always remember the small lads perched on stools, sipping lemonades and watching Arsenal v. Aston Villa, the decor devoted to County Clare's GAA teams and the friendly young barman who befriended us. When I asked about the Manchester United v. Leeds United result, he told me Leeds had won and that I should "rub it in" to the other barman. Cheers, mate!</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">BEST CIDER:</span> Addlestone's Premium Cloudy Cider.</span></span> <span style="font-family:arial;">I sank a pint (or was it two?) at The Malt House in Fulham, as the pub filled with Chelsea supporters.<br />Ah. It was two pints, sorry.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">BEST FISH 'N' CHIPS:</span> Geales</span>, 2 Farmer Street W8.<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">I had haddock. Inger believes the chips were so crunchy because they had been briefly par-boiled before being placed in the fryer.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">BEST DESCRIPTION OF AN ESSENTIAL OIL:</span> At Neal's Yard Remedies in Seven Dials.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />It stated: <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Myrrh. Blends well with Frankincense."</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Y'know, I've read that somewhere before.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">BEST OPENING PARAGRAPH IN A 300-YEAR-OLD BOOK:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">"Being a very dismal account of four young men, who made a match to play at cricket, on Sunday the 6th of this instant July 1712, in a meadow near Maiden Head Thicket."</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />-- "The Sabbath Breakers," displayed at the museum of Lord's Cricket Ground.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">BEST SIGN AT A FOOTBALL GROUND:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">"Caution Beware of Stray Footballs."</span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />-- Entrance to the North Stand, Brisbane Road, Leyton E10.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 0);">BEST PERFORMANCE OF A CHINESE FEMALE BY A MASSIVE BLACK MALE:</span> Clive Rowe in "Aladdin"</span> at the Hackney Empire.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Rowe was absolutely brilliant, as was the remainder of the pantomime's cast.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">BEST SANDWICH:</span> Egg and cress</span> (pictured, left), served with the cream tea special at Auntie's Tea Shop, Cambridge.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Second place goes to the sausage and fried onion sandwich at the Lamb & Flag, Covent Garden.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">BEST MUSEUM:</span> Joint first place goes to the museum at <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lord's Cricket Ground</span>, St. John's Wood, and the <span style="font-weight: bold;">London Transport Museum</span>, Covent Garden.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">BEST REMINDER OF MY RAGING ANGLOPHILE TENDENCIES OF HIGH SCHOOL:</span> Stepping into the Rough Trade record shop in Brick Lane, I realized within moments that the album playing on the shop's stereo was <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Sister Feelings Call" by Simple Minds</span>, my favourite album by my favourite band in high school. It was eerie.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">BEST SONG BY THE JAM HEARD IN A RESTAURANT:</span> "The Bitterest Pill,"</span> heard while I ate cottage pie in the S&M Cafe in Portobello Road.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">BEST PUNK ROCK PILGRIMMAGE:</span> Inger photographed me snarling outside <span style="font-weight: bold;">No. 430 King's Road, Chelsea</span>.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Now a Vivienne Westwood shop, No. 430 was the location of "SEX," the Westwood and Malcolm McLaren shop where the Sex Pistols were formed.</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-28088763203123153342010-01-06T15:11:00.003-06:002010-01-06T15:24:02.010-06:00The most fitting farewell<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27WGq0H0EMpZa9QgNJf7653JmC8GIE3A7CJlfCDv9TKIZvjPvsDaCsr9c6Zya6Z4mwwCKLtdCrbRKLGLfhiYORuLeTtMGVYNG_cmA1vhoPwXxqGkJQxmegotv6v0k7Dih9-8cjPtULBg/s1600-h/IMG_3116.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27WGq0H0EMpZa9QgNJf7653JmC8GIE3A7CJlfCDv9TKIZvjPvsDaCsr9c6Zya6Z4mwwCKLtdCrbRKLGLfhiYORuLeTtMGVYNG_cmA1vhoPwXxqGkJQxmegotv6v0k7Dih9-8cjPtULBg/s400/IMG_3116.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423740625652062514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I couldn't think of a better way to conclude my visit to <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LONDON</span>.<br />I browsed a used bookshop in <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">NOTTING HILL GATE</span> and found four treasures for a total of two quid:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. <span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">"THE CRICKETER'S BEDSIDE BOOK,"</span></span> a 1966 collection of 31 historical essays, edited by the late Ron Roberts.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">SHOOT!</span></span> magazine from 21st of May, 1977 (Arsenal's David O'Leary and Bristol City's Paul Cheesley on the cover).<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">SHOOT!</span></span> magazine from 10th of June, 1978 (Tottenham's Glenn Hoddle and Southampton's Nick Holmes on the cover).<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">SHOOT!</span></span> magazine from 24th of February, 1979 (Tottenham's Osvaldo Ardiles on the cover).<br />It was actually a SHOOT! magazine from 1983 that helped fuel my ANGLOPHILE tendencies, back in my youth.<br />As I prepared for bed on my final night in London, I sipped cider (two-litre bottles of <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">STRONGBOW</span>? Rule Britannia indeed!), listening to <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">TEST MATCH SPECIAL</span> on the radio and read the old soccer magazines.<br />It seemed like a perfect way to say farewell.</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-58347615961377554152010-01-04T02:37:00.003-06:002010-01-06T12:35:43.826-06:00To Ms. Annika Hogstrom: An apology<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1MtMSWirTB_HLFa-9auvNLMlIB-WJ27l3J3eAUcfWsJvg2ETKeUjuHrC60gmanRov9pCoEQK9DDZ_EBoUMe_MqFqW1p3kQKz2F1CfvzjA4S2iieQSmPmdePYWEJIA4NMDI2UIbb6HsiM/s1600-h/harwoodarms.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1MtMSWirTB_HLFa-9auvNLMlIB-WJ27l3J3eAUcfWsJvg2ETKeUjuHrC60gmanRov9pCoEQK9DDZ_EBoUMe_MqFqW1p3kQKz2F1CfvzjA4S2iieQSmPmdePYWEJIA4NMDI2UIbb6HsiM/s400/harwoodarms.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423697299347794930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I couldn't help myself.<br />I know I promised 10-year-old <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">ANNIKA</span> I wouldn't eat any "bunny" when I was here.<br />I completely intended to keep that promise -- the "game terrine" at Corrigan's Mayfair didn't contain any rabbit <span style="font-style: italic;">*to my knowledge.*</span><br />However, when <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">INGER</span> and I entered the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 0);">HARWOOD ARMS</span> gastro-pub in <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">FULHAM</span> yesterday, we were met with this blackboard-advertised, daily special:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Whole rabbit leg stewed in cider & mustard with smoked bacon, prunes and brussel tops."</span><br />You had me at "stewed in cider."<br />I had to order it!<br />Before it arrived, Inger and I shared a starter: <span style="font-weight: bold;">chanterelle and Jerusalem artichoke tart with watercress and Ragstone goats' cheese.</span><br />Mmmm...<br />The rabbit arrived, and<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>it fell off the bone and tasted absolutely glorious.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Don't tell Annika it was a bunny," Inger helpfully advised. "Tell her it was a mean old hare."</span><br />In either case, I am now formally apologising to you, Annika. I am sorry, but I simply had to order the rabbit.<br /></span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-5930048654758641382010-01-02T14:47:00.003-06:002010-01-06T12:30:52.974-06:00Keeping up an 800-year tradition of drunken university antics<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixo0imeIDi9U3HrYMpSXyEiFKseBp0HsPDj4P1zoCZyMXjujZQMb7j8ffPq83ZmdM_ByXHy9UXDyVlOLzdi-KIxrtTKn5LmLed1rS4whRFliwYdnvBEd4kknGCqzAai1bySFghlXE4-XI/s1600-h/IMG_3105.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixo0imeIDi9U3HrYMpSXyEiFKseBp0HsPDj4P1zoCZyMXjujZQMb7j8ffPq83ZmdM_ByXHy9UXDyVlOLzdi-KIxrtTKn5LmLed1rS4whRFliwYdnvBEd4kknGCqzAai1bySFghlXE4-XI/s400/IMG_3105.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423696058652944786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">It's the banner headline in today's <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">CAMBRIDGE NEWS</span>, which I picked up during a day-long visit to the famed university town:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">"60 HURT AS REVELLERS CELEBRATE NEW YEAR."</span><br />A learned institution also noted for it's students' reckless attempt to free-climb the outsides of 800-year-old college buildings, <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">CAMBRIDGE</span> faces a pressing crisis, according to <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells,"</span> who e-mailed the following comment to the newspaper following a recent night of on-the-piss escapades by layabouts:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Complete and utter madness. What on Earth is this country coming to? Where on Earth is the pleasure in spending hard-earned money on alcohol, and then just vomiting it onto the street?"</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">INGER</span> made a dead valid point in this raging debate:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"It's not the students' hard-earned money. It's mummy and daddy's money or part of their college grant."</span><br />Here, here.<br />Don't let a few Tunbridge Wells disgusteds ruin the pissed vomiting of Cambridge students!</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-38614912074868290862010-01-01T15:49:00.004-06:002010-01-06T12:30:03.091-06:00U.K. update: A pub scorecard<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb83Cli8KL3R90CGY-q5MrLhZclpFI0_8-dJnIO3aQUJEcHiQ2MO82xn79KK1PLYspU9TCUsR2L0bqsjjyigU_tGkp7NrVohTR43v-nSkpqMU4qVXF5zxBQTwM6MWn7LZFiMX9Z2SbJLs/s1600-h/IMG_3020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb83Cli8KL3R90CGY-q5MrLhZclpFI0_8-dJnIO3aQUJEcHiQ2MO82xn79KK1PLYspU9TCUsR2L0bqsjjyigU_tGkp7NrVohTR43v-nSkpqMU4qVXF5zxBQTwM6MWn7LZFiMX9Z2SbJLs/s400/IMG_3020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423695752218413330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The following is an updated scorecard of the pubs I have visited.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">DUKE OF WELLINGTON</span>, 179 Portobello Road, W11 -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">PINT:</span> Strongbow. <span style="font-weight: bold;">CLIENTELE:</span> A few locals, a few more tourists. <span style="font-weight: bold;">FAST FACT:</span> A pug type of dog walked into wearing what looked like a dog-sized army coat.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">CHURCHILL ARMS</span>, 119 Kensington Church Street, W8 -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">PINT:</span> Fuller's London Pride. <span style="font-weight: bold;">CLIENTELE:</span> Mostly locals, some chatting with the Irish proprietor, others craning their necks to see Arsenal v. Aston Villa on the telly. <span style="font-weight: bold;">FAST FACT:</span> Pub's decor consisted of memorabilia associated with County Clare's Gaelic Athletic Association clubs.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">SUN IN SLENDOUR</span>, 7 Portobello Road, W11 -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">PINT:</span> Aspall's Suffolk Cider. <span style="font-weight: bold;">CLIENTELE:</span> Typical Notting Hill Gate mix of young professionals and European tourists. <span style="font-weight: bold;">FAST FACT:</span> I once watched the barman chucking empty kegs out of a sidewalk trapdoor toward the waiting beer distributor's lorry.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">COACH & HORSES</span>, 391 Leyton High Road, E10 -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">PINT:</span> Strongbow. <span style="font-weight: bold;">CLIENTELE:</span> Primarily locals who have just witnessed another dire performance by nearby, underachieving football club, Leyton Orient. <span style="font-weight: bold;">FAST FACT:</span> Spotting my Leyton Orient football scarf, a local lad playing snooker asked what I thought of the club's chairman. I was able to intelligently respond. Huzzah!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">DUKE OF YORK</span>, 2 St. Ann's Terrace, NW8 -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">PINT:</span> John Smith's Extra Smooth. <span style="font-weight: bold;">CLIENTELE:</span> Professionals spending their lunch hour down the pub, the cheeky bastards. <span style="font-weight: bold;">FAST FACT:</span> I ate a slightly upscale version of the traditional pub grub called "bangers and mash." It consisted of three Cumberland sausages and mashed potatoes smothered in onion gravy.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">THE PLOUGH</span>, 27 Museum Street, WC1A -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">PINT:</span> Bullmer's cider. <span style="font-weight: bold;">CLIENTELE:</span> Mostly tourists coming in from the torrential rain. <span style="font-weight: bold;">FAST FACT:</span> Pub was slightly less crowded than the hordes who pressed against the glass case in the nearby British Museum to see the Rosetta Stone. Only slightly less.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">LAMB & FLAG</span>, 33 Rose Street, WC2 -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">PINT:</span> Courage's Best Bitter. <span style="font-weight: bold;">CLIENTELE:</span> Locals who knew the way by heart and tourists who had stumbled into the pub strictly by coincidence. <span style="font-weight: bold;">FAST FACT:</span> To reach this hard-to-find pub, we had to walk down a series of increasingly narrow and crooked alleys in a warren of streets immediately to the west of Covent Garden.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">PRINCE EDWARD</span>, 73 Princes Square, W2 -- PINT: No pint. I had a cup of warmed Pimm's. <span style="font-weight: bold;">CLIENTELE:</span> Students from rather posh backgrounds, plus a few guests from the boutique hotels nearby. <span style="font-weight: bold;">FAST FACT:</span> My sister Inger told me I should tell 14-year-old daughter Kerstin that the pub's name was in fact, "Prince Edward Cullen." I certainly shall not. Have you heard Kerstin squeal for that pale Vampire bloke?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">SEVEN STARS</span>, 53 Carey Street, WC2A (pictured) -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">PINT:</span> Aspall's. <span style="font-weight: bold;">CLIENTELE:</span> Older folks and a black cat eating its dinner on the bar, but usually barristers, solicitors and judges, based on the proximity of the law courts. <span style="font-weight: bold;">FAST FACT:</span> William Shakespeare was preparing for the first performances of "Twelfth Night" when this pub opened in 1602.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 0);">THE GEORGE</span>, 213 The Strand, WC2R -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">PINT:</span> Hog's Back Brewery's OTT (Old Tongham Tasty), a locally brewed, real ale. <span style="font-weight: bold;">CLIENTELE:</span> European tourists. How do I know? This one bloke with guidebook to "Londra" ordered a beef burger and proceeded to eat it with a knife and fork! <span style="font-weight: bold;">FAST FACT:</span> Samuel Johnson once used The George as his postal address.</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-86178818271353144512009-12-31T13:37:00.003-06:002010-01-06T12:28:37.454-06:00Hearing the adhan after curry -- another slice of London life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmAF4jgCpY71XtSUq5lby5w6d4xTFxqOB-1XiZzt3CoXR3n7MQGI70SrzcCC-EUhyCFYefHBzVgurKj6WWUVa7jyy5Krdix8VS3i-Nrgo2npQ7PwgIaCl4nW7m3eRsa9g4RZ8Sse4pOI/s1600-h/IMG_2924.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmAF4jgCpY71XtSUq5lby5w6d4xTFxqOB-1XiZzt3CoXR3n7MQGI70SrzcCC-EUhyCFYefHBzVgurKj6WWUVa7jyy5Krdix8VS3i-Nrgo2npQ7PwgIaCl4nW7m3eRsa9g4RZ8Sse4pOI/s400/IMG_2924.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423695477749155730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">My sister <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">INGER</span> and I took the Circle Line to Aldgate Station this morning so we could stroll down <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">BRICK LANE</span>.<br />The center of the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">BANGLADESHI</span> community in <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LONDON</span>, it was largely devoid of the tourists that otherwise fill the streets and the Underground trains.<br />After we browsed the nearby Spitalfields Market, we reversed our travels and walked to 89 Fieldgate Road and <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">TAYYABS</span> -- one of London's most celebrated places to get <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">CURRY</span>.<br />We dined on fabulous <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">SOUTH ASIAN</span> food -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">saag alou</span> (creamed spinach with potato), <span style="font-weight: bold;">karahi chicken</span>, a couple of <span style="font-weight: bold;">veg samosas</span> and two orders of scrumptious <span style="font-weight: bold;">tandoori nan</span>.<br />It was absolutely delicious.<br />When we left the packed restaurant, we heard the adhan -- the Islamic call to prayer -- for the nearby <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">LONDON ISLAMIC CENTRE</span>.<br />It was a great moment that unveiled yet another aspect of London life.<br />Soon, we'll be getting back on the Tube to head for Westminster and the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">NEW YEAR'S EVE FIREWORKS</span>.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Happy New Year everybody!</span></span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-28279687276078913122009-12-30T14:50:00.003-06:002010-01-06T12:27:16.181-06:00A busy day in Covent Garden<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJC9giXFRO3hfCdgPfNz1at9ga0YJGd-V1o_OqqyKWsSNGH5bqpxI-zig7Bm7W4w9XzvrlK1Hw5LXCtlEAeY0_86pmMgTnMChmKRkd8ioTpzUENdVaW7DBCae2R_MoQNKz0mkqQM0S9js/s1600-h/IMG_2901.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJC9giXFRO3hfCdgPfNz1at9ga0YJGd-V1o_OqqyKWsSNGH5bqpxI-zig7Bm7W4w9XzvrlK1Hw5LXCtlEAeY0_86pmMgTnMChmKRkd8ioTpzUENdVaW7DBCae2R_MoQNKz0mkqQM0S9js/s400/IMG_2901.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423695077085918946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Rafael have scored and <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">MANCHESTER UNITED</span> lead <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">WIGAN</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">3-0</span>, at half time of the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">PREMIER LEAGUE</span> match on <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">BBC RADIO 5 LIVE</span>.<br />I am listening to the match as we relax in the flat, following a busy day in <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LONDON</span>.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">INGER</span> and I spent the day in the area of <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">COVENT GARDEN</span>.<br />Here are a few of the highlights:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Neal's Yard Remedies</span> was one of the first UK shops to promote aromatherapy. While browsing the essential oils, I spied the following small sign:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Myrrh. Blends well with frankincense."</span><br />You know, I have read that somewhere before...<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. The London Transport Museum</span> (pictured) presents the story of travel in the capital, from horse-drawn omnibuses to the most modern tube train car.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Hope & Greenwood's</span> in Russell Street is a shop specializing in traditional British sweets, such as jazzies, sugar mice and sherbet lemon. If you visit London, you should visit.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4.</span> If you stumble upon the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lamb & Flag</span> pub in Rose Street, do stop in for a pint and lunch. The historic pub is located on a "street" that isn't even really an alley. I ate a sausage and fried onion sandwich that was terrific.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Neal's Yard Dairy</span> is a traditional cheese shop, filled with huge rounds of cheese and staffed by cheesemongers wearing aprons and matching caps. We purchased Keen's cheddar, Gorwydd Caerphilly and a West Country cheese called Finn.<br />We're going to eat the cheeses with bread for dinner tomorrow night, after our visit to the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">LONDON EYE</span> but before returning to the Thames for the fireworks.</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-5502440030424488342009-12-29T17:15:00.004-06:002010-01-06T12:26:20.814-06:00Who knew tying my shoe could be such a thrill?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2oJOZv8V4Bo4GR7gnbzjq47-IUDOczZzjJzOj6UzqxMdd4ghiWIFyBtb61K04nGrlcDSkMR2zctWcjTssYIOUtLyHrgaMdiEdpTNHU75iv-0fDJVwQYQpW7ZVgTC2QRMLaussMhDoI8/s1600-h/IMG_2854.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2oJOZv8V4Bo4GR7gnbzjq47-IUDOczZzjJzOj6UzqxMdd4ghiWIFyBtb61K04nGrlcDSkMR2zctWcjTssYIOUtLyHrgaMdiEdpTNHU75iv-0fDJVwQYQpW7ZVgTC2QRMLaussMhDoI8/s400/IMG_2854.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423694838228779058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">What a day.<br />I strolled across the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">ABBEY ROAD</span> zebra crossing in honor of <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">THE BEATLES</span>, danced a panda dance when prompted at <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 51);">"ALADDIN,"</span> London's top-rated pantomime and popped in to the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">BRITISH MUSEUM</span> to have a look at the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">ROSETTA STONE</span>.<br />My proudest moment, however, occurred with the simple act of <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">TYING MY LEFT SHOE</span>.<br />What?<br />Well, I didn't tell the entire story:<br />I tied my left shoe sitting in the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">ENGLAND DRESSING ROOM</span> at <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LORD'S CRICKET GROUND</span> (don't worry, the England cricketers are in South Africa on a tour).<br />Imagine <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fenway Park</span> crossed with the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Baseball Hall of Fame</span>, and even that combination pales in comparison with Lord's.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">INGER</span> and I enjoyed a guided tour of it this morning.<br />Lord's is the home of cricket, the sport that captivates millions around the world, from India to Jamaica and from Australia and South Africa to England.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"It's the mecca of cricket,"</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">BRIAN LARA</span> once said of Lord's, where officials maintain the laws of the game, first played more than 400 years ago.<br />The tour group, including Australians, South Africans and only a pair of Americans (that would be us), sat round the visitor's dressing room as well as the home dressing room. Top players are a superstitious lot, our tour guide informed us, and he went round the room, telling us all which top overseas players traditionally changed at our seats.<br />The Australian Justin Langer changed where my sister sat.<br />The aforementioned West Indies legend Lara (think Barry Bonds without the taint of steroids) sat at my spot.<br />I can't even begin to tell you how thrilled I was to learn that fact.</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-51654729707345219002009-12-28T14:39:00.004-06:002010-01-06T12:25:28.396-06:00Two minutes of sheer joy at Brisbane Road<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOlIgLgC38mrZPFF5zjIckDUiBAYOuJ5-SMXmdIUzHcmtYyJab0N3UPyTmttCmVYEu6hYA_FruHlTylqFJ8I9tsaGkdmzZZifgXTz_H-rBJlZvLZaJKCxNuKeLOiEkqXnyRVNMfo5VDqE/s1600-h/IMG_2823.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOlIgLgC38mrZPFF5zjIckDUiBAYOuJ5-SMXmdIUzHcmtYyJab0N3UPyTmttCmVYEu6hYA_FruHlTylqFJ8I9tsaGkdmzZZifgXTz_H-rBJlZvLZaJKCxNuKeLOiEkqXnyRVNMfo5VDqE/s400/IMG_2823.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423694653189161074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">We enjoyed two minutes of sheer joy this afternoon, followed by about 31 minutes of "oh, dear.."<br />By "we," I mean supporters of <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">LEYTON ORIENT</span>.<br />The O's fell to <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">SOUTHEND</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">2-1</span>, at Brisbane Road today, and my sister <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">INGER</span> and I were among the 5,680 in attendance.<br />After slurping <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">BOVRIL</span> and eating my <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE</span>, we watched a goalless first half notable for Orient's tentativeness on the ball.<br />The second half began promising more of the same, until Orient's <span style="font-weight: bold;">Adam Chambers</span> opened the scoring in the 57th minute.<br />We shouted ourselves hoarse in the North Stand.<br />The warm glow didn't last long.<br />The Southend supporters in the East Stand were able to cheer two minutes later, when <span style="font-weight: bold;">Adam Barrett</span> sent the ball past Orient goalkeeper <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jamie Jones</span>.<br />The O's didn't look likely to reclaim the lead, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Alan McCormack</span> scored Southend's second in the 74th minute -- the ball seemed to trickle over the line for the goal.<br />By the end of the match, there was a dreadful feeling that the Southend supporters were correct when they sang: <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"This is why you're going down."</span><br />Inger and I stumbled upon the pub we wanted to find -- <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">THE COACH & HORSES</span> -- as we walked back down Leyton High Road to the tube station.<br />We downed a pint, and bloke playing snooker asked me what I thought of Orient's chairman, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Barry Hearn</span>.<br />I wish I could say that sort of thing happens all the time at home.<br /></span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-64204127782464863912009-12-27T11:04:00.003-06:002010-01-06T12:24:10.219-06:00"... and after we watched the Iranian protest march, we shopped at Tesco's"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvYX8-3a7AuGSwJRZIFvxoMfrCndLbvbWadmuukPfDC2i6lTnVRIHZXHufSp-rs17Yfi2XS5VdjfTb_FvHMY6wqCOdlO4S6IE75LAh7Jlz1glGYiDh3gREmnkUR9Uu0XPSaKlWMkbFuk/s1600-h/IMG_2770.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvYX8-3a7AuGSwJRZIFvxoMfrCndLbvbWadmuukPfDC2i6lTnVRIHZXHufSp-rs17Yfi2XS5VdjfTb_FvHMY6wqCOdlO4S6IE75LAh7Jlz1glGYiDh3gREmnkUR9Uu0XPSaKlWMkbFuk/s400/IMG_2770.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423694268993644530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">It's been a busy first day in <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LONDON</span>, but it's not over yet.<br />My predawn arrival thrilled me. Our Delta flight flew into the capital from the southeast, and I recognized a succession of landmarks from the air:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. The Canary Wharf development.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Tower Bridge.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. The London Eye.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Big Ben's illuminated clock face.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Wembley Stadium.</span><br />After spending an <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">*eternity*</span> in the queue for passport control, I hopped on the Heathrow Express to <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">PADDINGTON</span> and hailed a cab to <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">58 CHEPSTOW VILLAS</span>, the flat where we are staying.<br />My sister <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">INGER</span> showed me around the neighborhood this afternoon. We walked along the shops on Portobello Road (pictured), as well as those around Notting Hill Gate.<br />I wanted to feed the swans in <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">KENSINGTON GARDENS</span>, but I didn't have any bread crumbs. We rested at <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">THE CHURCHILL ARMS</span>, an Irish pub in Kensington Church Road.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Arsenal</span> played <span style="font-weight: bold;">Aston Villa</span> on the pub television, and the place erupted when Cesc Fabregas scored the first of his two goals in a <span style="font-weight: bold;">3-0</span> Gunners win.<br />Now, we're preparing for our fancy dinner at Corrigan's Mayfair, while listening to Hull City v. Manchester United on BBC Radio 5 Live.<br />I may never leave.</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-20200033705384750882009-12-24T05:43:00.002-06:002009-12-24T05:47:34.139-06:00"... and a partridge in a salad"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskw4jrd25CXScKvQjHaA5u6n-0hXd0gzPni3HAO2LV2txjK_1SjtNyL8ZG5GotuQunB76RNQwMQxBwyE3va2DPSTuQ32hD4J3PTPkmKCkae8yv_RXBonSuoL5ATP8AUzdI3bztkfLGDE/s1600-h/corrigans_salad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskw4jrd25CXScKvQjHaA5u6n-0hXd0gzPni3HAO2LV2txjK_1SjtNyL8ZG5GotuQunB76RNQwMQxBwyE3va2DPSTuQ32hD4J3PTPkmKCkae8yv_RXBonSuoL5ATP8AUzdI3bztkfLGDE/s400/corrigans_salad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418767961008138546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">We'll be celebrating the birthday of my sister <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">INGER</span> in fine style this weekend, with a dinner at <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">CORRIGAN'S MAYFAIR</span>, a celebrated restaurant located about 2 1/2 blocks west of the American Embassy on Upper Grosvenor Street, <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LONDON</span>.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />We'll be celebrating, but I am not sure what exactly I'll be eating.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Inger forwarded me a menu, and I have never heard of half the items.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Steamed brill?"</span> (Turns out it's a flat fish.)</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Grilled langoustines?"</span> (Some people call them " Norway lobsters.")</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Marinated ceps?"</span> (Unfancy name: "Mushroom salad.")</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The menu items I can identify make me blink in a "did-I-read-that-right?" style.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Oxtail ravioli?"</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" ><br />"Grouse pie for two?"<br />"Braised pork cheeks?"<br />"Salad of partridge?"<br />"Saddle of wild rabbit?"</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />As I read the menu, I began to feel:</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1)</span> Like the simple country folk I probably am.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2)</span> A bit crestfallen. What is there to eat here?</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Then I read:</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Roast cod, Jerusalem artichokes, red wine --"</span> ahh... <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"-- and bone marrow."</span> Errr...</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Perhaps I should just skip right to the dessert menu and the black figs and port with mulled wine sorbet. </span> </span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-15378020940266933052009-12-23T07:29:00.003-06:002009-12-23T07:39:03.780-06:00I'll be searching for you, P.G. Wodehouse<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAXawUh7UHqY2_TP-I-xZOfvg57oGuxWLBX3A_eUj4P14VPvBYKV7xv91hDOxsD9HOdmBId8waaUmwEPSilhQONaZ_MFdmvdwRHSfG4Xj5R7Ftb0h8ubStOZkpNPg5lb_TyQy6jwI6OA/s1600-h/IMG_2660.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAXawUh7UHqY2_TP-I-xZOfvg57oGuxWLBX3A_eUj4P14VPvBYKV7xv91hDOxsD9HOdmBId8waaUmwEPSilhQONaZ_MFdmvdwRHSfG4Xj5R7Ftb0h8ubStOZkpNPg5lb_TyQy6jwI6OA/s400/IMG_2660.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418425559002168210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I really only want to find one item when I peruse the shops in <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LONDON</span> (in a few days).<br />I want to find a collection of <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">P.G. WODEHOUSE</span> stories in relatively good shape.<br />That's because the collection of Wodehouse stories I have owned since adolescence is in relatively bad shape.<br />Whole sections of the paperback <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">"THE MOST OF P.G. WODEHOUSE"</span> have separated from the binding and there's an inch-long tear on the front cover.<br />This wouldn't matter, except these stories helped fuel the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">ANGLOPHILE</span> tendencies that are sending me to the U.K. in the first place.<br />The Drones Club, Mr. Mulliner, Ukridge, Lord Emsworth and even Jeeves stories are included in these stories. You remember <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">"JEEVES AND WOOSTER"</span> on PBS, don't you? It starred a pre-"House" <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hugh Laurie</span> and a pre-Twitter celebrity <span style="font-weight: bold;">Stephen Fry</span>.<br />If I don't find anything else during the next couple weeks, I want to find a Wodehouse collection. </span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-90382830425867492822009-12-19T09:01:00.002-06:002009-12-19T09:05:34.331-06:00England faces travel chaos and "Operation Stack"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6CrWnqVHsvYU4cBfzgB0oABu4wrINvpRc9o9ZiJF6-l-OLG4J4ebRspyYnO-4rJDCnyBcpUJqJ_HtWEkv-t0l3bGnzzXoOQkOSQ6KloGQzHuCouLqVcL4pfU8Ck0rnwYTJb1rzpBfmg/s1600-h/operation-stack-large.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6CrWnqVHsvYU4cBfzgB0oABu4wrINvpRc9o9ZiJF6-l-OLG4J4ebRspyYnO-4rJDCnyBcpUJqJ_HtWEkv-t0l3bGnzzXoOQkOSQ6KloGQzHuCouLqVcL4pfU8Ck0rnwYTJb1rzpBfmg/s400/operation-stack-large.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416963402679849298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Travel chaos continues in the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">UNITED KINGDOM</span>, a mere week before I travel there.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Today's news involves northern <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">FRANCE</span> as much as the U.K.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />More than 2,000 people have been evacuated from four <span style="font-weight: bold;">Eurostar</span> trains that were trapped in the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">CHANNEL TUNNEL</span> for up to 16 hours after breaking down due to the cold weather. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Storms that struck southeastern England yesterday have now impacted France.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Motorists are warned to avoid the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 51);">M20 MOTORWAY</span>, where authorities have initiated <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 0);">"OPERATION STACK."</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Kent Police and Port of Dover authorities declare an "Operation Stack" situation when lorries must be parked the closed motorway when the Channel Tunnel, English Channel or Dover ports are blocked by bad weather or industrial action.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The motorway could be closed for days.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />I wonder how it will be when I arrive in <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LONDON</span>?</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-31601141854979540612009-12-18T08:49:00.003-06:002009-12-19T09:05:55.308-06:00Spare us the gritters with a week and a day to go!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxQInaAPY0NBSIGg4IctFwwFxpIQDcX-d_u9O7Q7xmKAIADWV-RE93H7hqmh2iipk63bpQFQ4gnvx0D6ovySjnGPzoU-m4OJefiF_Z-zYI9HrKBDzersJIt5hNaBXbD4RWq7-D7dLs5Q/s1600-h/gritter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxQInaAPY0NBSIGg4IctFwwFxpIQDcX-d_u9O7Q7xmKAIADWV-RE93H7hqmh2iipk63bpQFQ4gnvx0D6ovySjnGPzoU-m4OJefiF_Z-zYI9HrKBDzersJIt5hNaBXbD4RWq7-D7dLs5Q/s400/gritter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416588885658560610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I leave for </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >LONDON</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> in a week and a day, so I am keeping my eye on a pair of forecasts for </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >BOXING DAY</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Here, </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153); font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >ACCUWEATHER</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> predicts </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >"a morning flurry; otherwise, cold with low clouds."</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I can live with that.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Across the pond, </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >THE WEATHER OUTLOOK</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> suggests </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >"an increasing risk of snowfall, especially in northern and eastern areas."</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Ahh...</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In case you haven't heard, heavy snow today has closed schools, slowed road travel and cancelled flights in portions of the U.K. Gatwick and Luton airports were both closed for periods, while Heathrow remained open but with about 70 cancelled flights.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A week and a day to go, and I am crossing fingers and toes -- please, no bad weather!</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Spare us the </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >GRITTERS!</span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-3485941521210239682009-10-14T12:20:00.001-05:002009-10-14T12:23:09.241-05:00Getting started with your Oyster card<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLgWzHExl2ne93kA0RcpTwKG5msgewQU1MN1_7R3CB1-rmspzZ1p3Mfg6CWCE5ZOA2A9ka4M2NgZk4NXLpMJznG5vLQby_hisPV1xuPTJ6MHqY-BrJv70pJFevSkxpd9aJ-7fDUVai4s/s1600-h/oyster-in-use.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLgWzHExl2ne93kA0RcpTwKG5msgewQU1MN1_7R3CB1-rmspzZ1p3Mfg6CWCE5ZOA2A9ka4M2NgZk4NXLpMJznG5vLQby_hisPV1xuPTJ6MHqY-BrJv70pJFevSkxpd9aJ-7fDUVai4s/s400/oyster-in-use.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392507418122284114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">"Your Oyster card is loaded with pay as you go credit and is ready to be used on the bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground and some National Rail routes (check with the train operator before traveling). When you have used up the credit, simply top up your Oyster card."</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-79669609923512411822009-10-12T10:17:00.003-05:002009-10-12T10:25:03.964-05:00Listening in to a nation's day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8c8u0RYlBt6oYDiKj57NWdLM1a-Zolt65nMcWyB6SdDOYySjqElpG8wPwPMV4_wtftCgrvCbD-jFPztXukZFjZaiAJtpQohcm218YOoz-yC5S4wClQ7LVSbKHL-6OnsxjF1HZGGdIV0/s1600-h/Chancerylane.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 348px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8c8u0RYlBt6oYDiKj57NWdLM1a-Zolt65nMcWyB6SdDOYySjqElpG8wPwPMV4_wtftCgrvCbD-jFPztXukZFjZaiAJtpQohcm218YOoz-yC5S4wClQ7LVSbKHL-6OnsxjF1HZGGdIV0/s400/Chancerylane.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391734640811418514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Here's a way to prepare for a trip to the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">UNITED KINGDOM</span>:<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Listen to <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">BBC RADIO 5 LIVE</span> online while cleaning the kitchen.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">That's what I did this morning.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The time difference meant I was listening to afternoon news on the station.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I heard about travel problems in central London -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">High Holborn</span> was closed both ways because of a building fire at a restaurant between A5200 Gray's Inn Road and A4200 Kingsway -- near the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chancery Lane Tube station</span>.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I also heard about a new documentary that shows -- in high definition -- a komodo dragon attacking a water buffalo -- an animal 10 times its size.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I also heard about the controversy surrounding Saturday night's broadcast of <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">X-FACTOR</span>, in which judge <span style="font-weight: bold;">Danii Minogue</span> (Kylie's B-list celebrity sister) attempted to make a joke about the sexuality of contestant <span style="font-weight: bold;">Danyl Johnson</span>. The joke backfired horribly, generating headlines in the newspapers and stories on the radio.<br />I felt like I was listening in to a nation's day.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The experience will surely give me some context during my trip. It also helped give me a clean kitchen!</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-3623805831736674432009-10-11T12:05:00.003-05:002009-10-11T12:12:44.656-05:00The journalists' cathedral<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjem0EoY8ZWPsf1eL8Pxe0sRQgs61Uag27veB3IfBYiQQ4FPgk79OKKy7XzQXRpBtv_WQ85O6KPhIy3LcuqvAdyXco37GgX58oFMOnkikZOS7rnjX1bAog_hUl6Km8h7EMMrj0nzbuxfvQ/s1600-h/st.bridesfleetst.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 378px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjem0EoY8ZWPsf1eL8Pxe0sRQgs61Uag27veB3IfBYiQQ4FPgk79OKKy7XzQXRpBtv_WQ85O6KPhIy3LcuqvAdyXco37GgX58oFMOnkikZOS7rnjX1bAog_hUl6Km8h7EMMrj0nzbuxfvQ/s400/st.bridesfleetst.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391391462667792818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I am reading about <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">FLEET STREET</span> today.<br />It would be fun during my <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LONDON</span> trip to visit <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 51);">ST. BRIDE'S CHURCH</span> -- <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"the journalists' and printers' cathedral."</span><br />The church boasts the largest spire of the churches designed by <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN</span>. It is said to have influenced the traditional, tiered wedding cake.<br />Situated behind the former Reuters building on the site of the 16th century press of <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">WYNKYN DE WORDE</span>, the church also includes a small museum.<br />The museum includes information on the Daily Courant -- Britain's first daily newspaper -- and the Universal Daily Register -- the forerunner of <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">THE TIMES</span>.</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-23565222775422297542009-10-07T12:25:00.003-05:002009-10-07T12:35:07.871-05:00The "hideous" symbol of greed I simply must see<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XjbFurVhHTDRsRsxwP2S8SvWn_eKJ4jQfJSs_gnDh6VKBZQzfRfIA_O-5350Hj6KBqkyLLbwSPIP_tywC4kV1d9hHzATwUMK7Bl8D-jrlet2rw1LJpXZSuXsnx65zh0jEx6srotrzTA/s1600-h/centre_point_london.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XjbFurVhHTDRsRsxwP2S8SvWn_eKJ4jQfJSs_gnDh6VKBZQzfRfIA_O-5350Hj6KBqkyLLbwSPIP_tywC4kV1d9hHzATwUMK7Bl8D-jrlet2rw1LJpXZSuXsnx65zh0jEx6srotrzTA/s400/centre_point_london.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389912681888610626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Lunch time.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Eating cooked carrots.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Reading <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"THE ROUGH GUIDE TO LONDON."</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Perfect!<br />I am actually reading about <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">CENTRE POINT</span>, one of the earliest -- and most controversial -- London skyscrapers.<br />Located almost directly above <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD TUBE STATION</span>, Centre Point was completed in the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">MAGICAL YEAR OF 1966</span> as speculative office space by the property developer, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Harry Hyams</span>.<br />The Rough Guide refers to the building as <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"hideous,"</span> noting that Hyams <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"kept it famously empty for more than a decade, a profit-making exercise whose cynicism transcended even the London norms of the time."</span><br />The tower is now a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Grade II listed building</span>, meaning it has been designated as <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance."</span><br />Brilliant!<br />I am certain that -- at 32 floors tall -- I am bound to see it when my sister and I visit London later this year.</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-92149974188773250602009-10-06T12:28:00.003-05:002009-10-06T12:37:23.141-05:00No. 430, King's Road, Chelsea<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lktq_5bHQyDD7cg8jvORrAGfGeWagGKmzNO4tlVBknbDBCv6-23TGkal6t6_jYBDZ1dyREIUoCoEJwQ3-ofz4RuSS-Op8tgKH6eTkI7ryWjddiKKgLFJWDNNJ938YOzIPHQiTvvzAHA/s1600-h/westwood_sexshop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lktq_5bHQyDD7cg8jvORrAGfGeWagGKmzNO4tlVBknbDBCv6-23TGkal6t6_jYBDZ1dyREIUoCoEJwQ3-ofz4RuSS-Op8tgKH6eTkI7ryWjddiKKgLFJWDNNJ938YOzIPHQiTvvzAHA/s400/westwood_sexshop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389542417771097986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I have just read about <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">KING'S ROAD</span> in <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">CHELSEA</span> in <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">THE ROUGH GUIDE TO LONDON</span>.<br />For all its history -- King's Road derives its name from its function as a private road used by Charles II -- I would like to walk it solely to find one address.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">No. 430 King's Road</span> for several decades has been the site of <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">VIVIENNE WESTWOOD'S</span> fashion outlet -- successively known as <span style="font-weight: bold;">Let it Rock, Sex, Too Fast to Live Too Young to Die, Seditionaries</span> or most recently, <span style="font-weight: bold;">World's End</span> -- and in 1975-77, in particular, it provided the epicenter of the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">BRITISH PUNK ROCK EXPLOSION</span>.<br />It was, after all, the original gathering place for the musicians (more likely non-musicians!) who would form the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">SEX PISTOLS</span>.<br />It's just a clothes shop, now.<br />But it's historic enough -- even for the legendary King's Road.</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-91736941475923776192009-10-03T08:48:00.003-05:002009-10-03T08:56:28.429-05:00Little details adding to excitement<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd14cM1nD5y_wKh1zWsaZ1HtLFd47UiURQYVRhN-WH2unWFmZhItlpVYRdA15Xlf5P4q43gp-MlK2cxM_oL-CD208auTMYq1qTdBK-ZDXKNzNDQ64YCl1tQep1jF-3nTnLcpJZL-q2JKI/s1600-h/swiss_cottage_tube.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd14cM1nD5y_wKh1zWsaZ1HtLFd47UiURQYVRhN-WH2unWFmZhItlpVYRdA15Xlf5P4q43gp-MlK2cxM_oL-CD208auTMYq1qTdBK-ZDXKNzNDQ64YCl1tQep1jF-3nTnLcpJZL-q2JKI/s400/swiss_cottage_tube.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388371856780031554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">It's cold, it's raining, I'm preparing to watch a Premier League football match on television and -- finally -- I feel the excitement building for my upcoming trip to <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LONDON</span>.<br />It has probably helped that I finished reading <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">"BRICK LANE"</span> by <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">MONICA ALI</span>.<br />The fine novel provides a different view of London life -- that of the immigrant seemingly stuck in a council estate.<br />Now, I have switched to reading <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">"THE ROUGH GUIDE TO LONDON,"</span> which is full of intricate details of the capital.<br />Additionally, it has probably helped that I have been watching the two seasons of the original, British version of <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">"THE OFFICE"</span> on DVD the past few nights.<br />The series broke such ground, influencing film and television in the U.K. as well as here. It really is a quality TV show.<br />The football on television helps, too.<br />To sum up: Little life details are helping to build my anticipation for London.<br />Brilliant, innnit?</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-89074492990910424422009-10-01T20:13:00.002-05:002009-10-01T20:23:18.254-05:00Monument to stubbornness<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN5UL8_hr6-oLnLXhwg6DRKzs7rrkamV4lHLxnj6pegjdAHmJBFXufF6mjrVJQg9qpr9ZueXvn3KO0GN0O1pryl6sBpex7ZxGwWTWvmnLmOH-2wmNlbxbp4p7jqTrHRJYxwa096aAdkc/s1600-h/spiegelhalter_wickhams.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN5UL8_hr6-oLnLXhwg6DRKzs7rrkamV4lHLxnj6pegjdAHmJBFXufF6mjrVJQg9qpr9ZueXvn3KO0GN0O1pryl6sBpex7ZxGwWTWvmnLmOH-2wmNlbxbp4p7jqTrHRJYxwa096aAdkc/s400/spiegelhalter_wickhams.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387807041694737778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I just read in <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">"THE ROUGH GUIDE TO LONDON"</span> about an architectural oddity that must be one of the great monument's to man's stubbornness.<br />Located along <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">MILE END ROAD</span> is a former department store -- a neoclassical building topped by a central domed tower built by <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">THOMAS WICKHAM</span>.<br />The perfect facade is interrupted, however, by a small, two-story shop that once housed a Jewish watchmaker named <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 0);">SPIEGELHALTER</span>.<br />Spiegelhalter and Wickham were in dispute, so the latter -- a Gentile -- was forced to build his department store around the existing watchmaker's shop.<br />Brilliant! </span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-84117833499901530352009-09-19T19:41:00.003-05:002009-10-01T20:24:10.607-05:00Whatever you do, don't say "SOUTH-WARK"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAezIXao09qKQxSeUjroXZTw1bXvMgcK-MiigPOi_Ch_h7jfDfP2Upu8pEhP1ryS9BWAshmwJpeS7H0APDiumAd1RRQnjL8U-mI8kpv63zS2iJiPPr3aXt3VenftJ0IiordltWKjKJmc/s1600-h/Southwark.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAezIXao09qKQxSeUjroXZTw1bXvMgcK-MiigPOi_Ch_h7jfDfP2Upu8pEhP1ryS9BWAshmwJpeS7H0APDiumAd1RRQnjL8U-mI8kpv63zS2iJiPPr3aXt3VenftJ0IiordltWKjKJmc/s400/Southwark.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383347471487724242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't want to appear too much of a tourist when I visit</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" > LONDON</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> later this year.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">That's why I am honing my pronunciation of certain place names.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I already knew that </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >KEIGHLY</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> up in the north of the country is actually pronounced </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >"KEETH-lee,"</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> and even many non-Anglophiles know </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >LEICESTER</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> is pronounced</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" > "LEHS-ster."</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Those two examples, however, cannot prepare one to know how to pronounce </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >LEIGH</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">. Is it </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >"LEETH?"</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Is it </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >"LEH?"</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It's neither. It's </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >"LIE."</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So why do the English pronounce </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 102, 51); font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >TEIGNMOUTH</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> as </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >"tin-MUTH?"</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I haven't got a clue.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Everyone knows </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0); font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >READING</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> is </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >"RED-DING,"</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> like the town in California.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Did you know the Norfolk town of </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >HAPPISBURGH</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> is actually pronounced </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >"HAZE-burr?"</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Hmm! Is that a fact?</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Truthfully, there appears to be no rhyme nor reason to the pronunciation of English place names. I suppose they can say the words any way they wish. They did invent the language, after all.</span><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204); font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >SOUTHWARK</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">? Yeah. The area of London pictured is actually pronounced </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >"SUH-thik."</span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-37125037513572406252009-09-13T08:31:00.002-05:002009-09-13T08:49:06.346-05:00London's streets in novel, song and mind<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9y9iFKUzcggD1P6uhtkeip3wV4snH8MyAV9ne-dCWd1cgZn1v_AkClW8PHPy5pnq2FMKq1NkPJcaRV69v6eYuoT4EQCMLhSn3ibvsFZgKeknOe85OnxDtFDkkfJ4o5jS3r4I-a259ccQ/s1600-h/electricavenue_brixton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9y9iFKUzcggD1P6uhtkeip3wV4snH8MyAV9ne-dCWd1cgZn1v_AkClW8PHPy5pnq2FMKq1NkPJcaRV69v6eYuoT4EQCMLhSn3ibvsFZgKeknOe85OnxDtFDkkfJ4o5jS3r4I-a259ccQ/s400/electricavenue_brixton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380944193000101794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Whitehall... Oxford Street... Portobello Road...<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">LONDON</span> seems like a collection of famous roadways.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">I hope to grace as many as I can come December.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Park Lane... King's Road... Kensington High Street...</span><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Part of my preparations for London include developing the proper mindset.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">I intend to begin some of those particular preparations today, by briefly abandoning <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">"THE ROUGH GUIDE TO LONDON"</span> to read the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">MONICA ALI</span> novel, <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">BRICK LANE</span>.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Named after a street in the East End heart of London's Bangladeshi community, the novel follows the exploits of Nazneen, a Bangladeshi woman who moves to London at the age of 18 to marry an older man.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">How will this help me prepare for London?<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">I feel the need to get London in my brain and heart.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">That's why I am currently listening to <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">EDDY GRANT</span>.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the British reggae musician's most famous songs -- reaching No. 2 on the charts on both sides of the Atlantic -- is <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"ELECTRIC AVENUE."</span><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">That's right. It's named after another London street.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Electric Avenue is one of the primary thoroughfares in Brixton. Built in the 1880s, Electric Avenue's early adoption of electric lighting gave the roadway its name.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">The street is at the heart of the eclectic Brixton Market, and affirms my contention that London is a collection of famous streets.</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-81934048977136408902009-09-12T19:30:00.002-05:002009-09-12T19:33:09.298-05:00The "Empire Windrush" and reggae before London<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6yXsJPDkwUq6vHqZFZgqEzCV4eJwZS-S2Q37H88w20TO5K8IimSjvkG5xzc7ajE0FMd9-YOAQTHHxUF5yS6VBZZvk-G9dwqFFIzPx8xRVmXlNMCNLUI9htWeIUYDcT3uPq_j9R-DCOw/s1600-h/empirewindrush.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 315px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6yXsJPDkwUq6vHqZFZgqEzCV4eJwZS-S2Q37H88w20TO5K8IimSjvkG5xzc7ajE0FMd9-YOAQTHHxUF5yS6VBZZvk-G9dwqFFIzPx8xRVmXlNMCNLUI9htWeIUYDcT3uPq_j9R-DCOw/s400/empirewindrush.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380743461986543442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">My friend <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bekah</span> travels later this month to <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">JAMAICA</span> for her honeymoon, so I made her a CD mix of some of my favorite reggae.<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">I am doing the same for myself, but instead of the Caribbean, I am going to <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">LONDON</span> in December.<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Surprised?<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Don't be. Tonight, I am reading about <span style="font-weight: bold;">June 22, 1948</span>, when the former troopship, <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"EMPIRE WINDRUSH,"</span> arrived at Tilbury Docks from Jamaica, with 482 Caribbeans on board.<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Britain was beginning the slow recovery from war in 1948, and Caribbean immigrants provided much of the labor for the efforts.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Shocked by the climate and not welcomed as warmly as possible, most of the Empire Windrush passengers endured, and in doing so, altered the fabric of modern Britain.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The musical scene was altered as well -- Trinidadian calypso star Lord Kitchener serenaded reporters on the dockside with <span style="font-weight: bold;">"London is The Place For Me."</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">See? It makes perfect sense for me to listen to reggae as I prepare to visit London.</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2091216173723366003.post-5291291121538487962009-09-07T09:58:00.002-05:002009-09-07T10:09:13.243-05:00A glimpse of Londinium<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqc1e30TJwsbC4b92yj_-q42IMHqzhRlgE099gEgFDaVn6adjLIjO06aQ6n1wsODECGWBRjghhnryqZb4WU3y7G3bJ2FC1mn9yb-gd-baymNpVX6olqfGO7zb9g2tdcVdeUIc8DBkfwE/s1600-h/londinium.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 330px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqc1e30TJwsbC4b92yj_-q42IMHqzhRlgE099gEgFDaVn6adjLIjO06aQ6n1wsODECGWBRjghhnryqZb4WU3y7G3bJ2FC1mn9yb-gd-baymNpVX6olqfGO7zb9g2tdcVdeUIc8DBkfwE/s400/londinium.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378742675387148274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Now that I have finally secured <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">"THE ROUGH GUIDE TO LONDON"</span> -- thanks Amazon.com! -- I feel like I can finally begin mental preparations for my <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">DECEMBER</span> trip to the English capital.<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">So, why am I reading about <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">LONDINIUM</span>?</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I decided that before I delved into the various sights and locales of London, I would spend some time investigating its lengthy history.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It was about 50 AD when the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">ROMANS</span> decided to establish a permanent military camp near a fordable point in the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">THAMES</span>, and Londinium was born.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Londinium enjoyed its greatest prosperity, the "Rough Guide" authors note, between 80 AD and 120 AD. Londinium grew into the Empire's fifth largest city north of the Alps.<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">The foundations of a Roman amphitheatre -- dating from about 120 AD -- can be seen near the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">GUILDHALL ART GALLERY</span> in the City.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I want to try to track it down during my trip. Then, I can say I glimpsed Londinium.</span></span>erik hogstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13007735586109479451noreply@blogger.com1