ENGLAND - LONDON 2019
ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, IRELAND, FRANCE, NETHERLANDS, DENMARK, GERMANY
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WALTHAMSTOW
Bakerloo tube station in Walthamstow - took Picadilly Line from Heathrow - then to Victoria Line to Bakerloo - about 45 minutes total travel time from Heathrow. Then about a 15 minute bus ride to home where I was staying.
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Ruth's home and neighborhood in Walthamstow
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Nearby Waltham Forest College. From what I understand, this college has certain elements of a community college with an emphasis on practical job training skills. They work closely with regional employers and arrange a number of apprenticeship programs. Not a liberal arts oriented school but more oriented towards practical useful applicable vocational / technical training. Something we need more of in the USA! https://www.waltham.ac.uk/
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Nearby Waltham Forest College
Bikeshare for Waltham Forest College & Walthamstow Council
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Walthamstow Council Offices (edge of building in left of this photo next to "outside" Cornilleou ping pong tables which I saw all over Europe) are on Waltham Forest College grounds.
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A Walthamstow neighborhood Tesco Market (a huge UK supermarket chain also with many smaller convenience stores all over the UK). While in the UK and while in Europe in general, I did not see many health food type stores nor any Trader Joes type stores. Many Europeans were probably too busy smoking? Interestingly, Aldi is a big chain in the UK and has the same German family ownership as the United States' Trader Joes. I found Aldi stores quality to be a joke compared to Trader Joes. Which frankly makes me wonder about Trader Joes! I view Aldi as a slightly better but smaller version of general mass market grocery stores, such as is the case with Tesco or in the USA Safeway or Albersons, or Vons. Mostly crap. The best market chain I found in England was Waitrose, which is membership-based. Waitrose has great stores always in great settings with good quality food. They are higher-priced compared to Whole Foods in the US for sure! (I found the mass market supermarket stores to be comparably priced to the similar US stores). But Waitrose is similar to Whole Foods in range of high quality items and produce, fish, meats. And the settings of the stores and layouts and spaciousness is impressive. I just looked it up - Tesco has 3500 stores in all sizes while Waitrose has 350 markets. Tesco dominates. Still the small Tesco stores are much better than your typical 7-11 or Circle K garbage in the USA. One generality: all nuts - almonds, walnuts, macadamia, pine, sesame - you name it - are insanely priced in Europe. Must all be shipped over from Spain or northern Africa or middle east? Not sure but I feel so spoiled by the quality and price of Trader Joes nuts! Call me nuts I don't care!
Coors Light - $5.25 US for four 12 oz bottles. It has reputation in England being a lighter "cleaner" beer, so I was told. So the Coors hype reached the UK! In general, the amount of drinking I saw taking place all over in the UK pubs was quite high. People seem to line up to get into their pubs even in the cold windy wet weather. Then they go outside to smoke. It is quite bizarre. The amount of smoking all over Europe is off the charts. Don't let some BS statistics try to convince you it has declined. So many smokers everywhere. France was the worst. Then Germany. Then England. That is my amateur non scientific assessment. Thank goodness for California - an oasis of relative "non-smokingness" in the world it seems!
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Pork seem to be very popular in England. Gammon steak, lardons, and back bacon (whatever they are) seem to be sold everwhere.
Molsky's Mountain Drifters and Jack Harris
St. Mary's Church
Walthamstow, North London, May 30, 2019
Concert Promoter: Music Halls Project
Ruth, who I stayed with in my first week in London and who was a very gracious and helpful host, is involved as organizer and/or board member and/or attendee of a number of London area folk clubs. This particular concert was not a folk club event; it was sponsored by a London area promoter called Music Halls Project which leases out St. Mary's Church and other greater London neighborhood church venues with great acoustics. Music Halls also promote concerts in other parts of England. They agree to install phenomenal sound and lighting systems for use by the churches in exchange for use of the facilities for concerts at specified times. A great mutually beneficial arrangement. We need more local music venues like these in America!
St. Mary's Church
Walthamstow, North London, May 30, 2019
Concert Promoter: Music Halls Project
Ruth, who I stayed with in my first week in London and who was a very gracious and helpful host, is involved as organizer and/or board member and/or attendee of a number of London area folk clubs. This particular concert was not a folk club event; it was sponsored by a London area promoter called Music Halls Project which leases out St. Mary's Church and other greater London neighborhood church venues with great acoustics. Music Halls also promote concerts in other parts of England. They agree to install phenomenal sound and lighting systems for use by the churches in exchange for use of the facilities for concerts at specified times. A great mutually beneficial arrangement. We need more local music venues like these in America!
900 Year-Old St. Mary's Church where concert was held
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Welsh singer-songwriter Jack Harris opened for the Molsky's Mountain Drifters. Great singer with great songs and good rapport with the audience and a razor sharp wit. Harris stole the show - he should have been the headliner! Molsky is from the Hudson Valley area of New York and is a renowned fiddler who tours extensively in the UK. He has Americana appeal and this was his crowd. His band is very talented but I found the sounds to be repetitive and frankly boring. All the songs sounded the same. To me, Jack Harris, who was not as appreciated by the traditionalist folk audience, really stole the show!
900 Year Old St. Mary's Church - dating back to the early 1100's ! The first vicar was in 1108! Probably is buried somewhere in the overgrown cemetary pictured below! The cemetary is horribly under-maintained!
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St Mary's Church Cemetary - quite overgrown!
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I had a nice chat with one of the show promoters from Music Halls Project during the intermission. He told me about their nice in the London area concert world, their basic business model, etc. At my request he demonstrated his "Transformers" style 2008 Volvo convertible and took down the top. I was not familiar with this convertible Volvo model. Looked brand new and was a 10 year old vehicle. Since everybody takes the tube, train, and buses in London, perhaps he keeps it garaged and brings it out for special occasions?
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Cute little Prince George - son of Kate and William. He was in the news when I was visiting because he was about to have his fifth birthday and the media was going nuts. A future King. Oh well. The continued worldwide obsession with the British Royal Family I find to be rather bizarre. The feudal history of England and the UK is fascinating but why is the "royal family" celebrated today? Do people want to go back to feudalism and serfdom? It is a form of modern day celebrity workship. Americans aren't the only celebrity worshippers!
George's father William, son of the late Princess Diana - who was a super celeb in her lifetime, seems like an upstanding enough fellow. But William's uncle - Prince Andrew's strong connection to the dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein is one of the many "royal family embarassments. Prince Andrew's interview on TV trying to explain his relationship with Epstein did not help his credibility. There are photos of him opening the door and escorting out one of Epstein's underage girls - at the doorway of Epstein's London mansion. With that interview, Andrew sure had bad crisis management consultants. Should have shut up until the attention deficit disordered confused public goes on to the next story. Instead Andrew made it worse by going on TV and having an interview. It seems like the powerful business and government and entertainment men who flew with Epstein and who who visited his private island on the "Lolita Express" are doing their best to put a lid on that scandal pretty quickly. Pulling out all the stops - lobbying their media jerk excutive contacts. Will they succeed? Hope not. There are some great podcasts and documentaries on Epstein. He was a pretty sick and evil character. Now I hear that his "assistant" and alleged "pimp" and "enabler" - well connected Ghislaine Maxwell is finally under investigation (as of the date of this writing late December 2019. What took them so long? Something stinks about this whole thing. Investigations are suppposedly taking place while behind the scenes efforts are being made to squelch. The Royal Family has threatened to withhold media access. As if access to the Royal Family has any significance. I guess to some in the media dependent on clicks and views this is a big deal. The investigation continues (?)
George's father William, son of the late Princess Diana - who was a super celeb in her lifetime, seems like an upstanding enough fellow. But William's uncle - Prince Andrew's strong connection to the dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein is one of the many "royal family embarassments. Prince Andrew's interview on TV trying to explain his relationship with Epstein did not help his credibility. There are photos of him opening the door and escorting out one of Epstein's underage girls - at the doorway of Epstein's London mansion. With that interview, Andrew sure had bad crisis management consultants. Should have shut up until the attention deficit disordered confused public goes on to the next story. Instead Andrew made it worse by going on TV and having an interview. It seems like the powerful business and government and entertainment men who flew with Epstein and who who visited his private island on the "Lolita Express" are doing their best to put a lid on that scandal pretty quickly. Pulling out all the stops - lobbying their media jerk excutive contacts. Will they succeed? Hope not. There are some great podcasts and documentaries on Epstein. He was a pretty sick and evil character. Now I hear that his "assistant" and alleged "pimp" and "enabler" - well connected Ghislaine Maxwell is finally under investigation (as of the date of this writing late December 2019. What took them so long? Something stinks about this whole thing. Investigations are suppposedly taking place while behind the scenes efforts are being made to squelch. The Royal Family has threatened to withhold media access. As if access to the Royal Family has any significance. I guess to some in the media dependent on clicks and views this is a big deal. The investigation continues (?)
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More pics of Ruth house and back yard - next door neighbor's house is on left with dog in back yard
WALTHAMSTOW FARMERS MARKET
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Walthamstow Farmers Market - many say one of the best in London. People from all over London come here for the Sunday market. Londoners love it and Walthamstow people are proud of it. I found it to be decent considering it is in a huge urban area like London - but I've seen better and a wider selection of produce in SoCal farmer's markets! Did not see much organic stuff. Of course conventional US produce is so herbicide and pesticide-ridden with Round-Up (Glyphosate) that conventional in the Europe is better than the US. I asked one guy where his apples came from. He didn't speak English and the guy next to him who was French said something to the effect of "How should I know." So much for the farmers market image. Still produce from Europe is probably more trustworthy. The US farm system and the Dept of Agrigculture and FDA is so corrupted by big Ag it is sick. Still I don't have the time or energy to go to farmers markets and rely on 3rd party sources like Trader Joes to certify that it is organic. I admire those who can take the time and energy to do so!
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Mariana from Portugal now living in London - on the train to Liverpool Station. Sarah Silverman's twin sister? She is a communications manager for an online marketing consulting firm. One of many Europeans originally from other countries now working and living in London. The range of nationalities and languages in London is stunning - many say it is the most diverse and cosmopolitan city if the world.
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Liverpool Street Station - huge hub for trains and the Tube
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This building is called "The Shard." I just could not justify paying 25 to 39 pounds to get the view from the tallest building in London.
Alternatively, The Sky Garden building (below) view nearby is much more panoramic and the place is really architecturally stunning inside. Plenty of seats, terraces, steps, lush plants, a 360 degree view from different spots, an outside balcony on one side of bulding, and a coffee bar / mini restaurant. And there is no admission charge at the Sky View. The Shard is crammed into increasingly narrow floors at the top and almost looks claustrophobic once to get to the top. The whole design seems dysfunctional just to set the tallent building record. Views on the top view flow seem to be obstructed everwhere by support beams.
Alternatively, The Sky Garden building (below) view nearby is much more panoramic and the place is really architecturally stunning inside. Plenty of seats, terraces, steps, lush plants, a 360 degree view from different spots, an outside balcony on one side of bulding, and a coffee bar / mini restaurant. And there is no admission charge at the Sky View. The Shard is crammed into increasingly narrow floors at the top and almost looks claustrophobic once to get to the top. The whole design seems dysfunctional just to set the tallent building record. Views on the top view flow seem to be obstructed everwhere by support beams.
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Here are photos found online of the Tate Modern complex and the building with the stunning views - the Blavatnik Building
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Tate Modern Art Gallery Complex - Blavatnik Building - Pheomenal Views!
The newly (2019) named "Blavatnik Building" - after a Russian oligarch (in London? Shocking!) He donated a huge amount for naming rights and money laundering priveleges! Just kidding. He didn't need permission - just did it! Phenomenal views. 360 degree balcony. Free admission. Nice coffee shop and nice vibe inside. The modern art galleries themselves of Tate did not do much for me. The talent behind much modern art I find to be often dubious. But I didn't have patience to wander through a gallery I must admit so I probably didn't give it sufficient time. But the views from the 8th floor view balcony - which seem much higher than 8 floors given the elevated location of the building itself - are stunning. Great place to stop by periodically for coffee or rest between frantic tourist excursions in London. One of the best view buildings in London without a doubt.
The newly (2019) named "Blavatnik Building" - after a Russian oligarch (in London? Shocking!) He donated a huge amount for naming rights and money laundering priveleges! Just kidding. He didn't need permission - just did it! Phenomenal views. 360 degree balcony. Free admission. Nice coffee shop and nice vibe inside. The modern art galleries themselves of Tate did not do much for me. The talent behind much modern art I find to be often dubious. But I didn't have patience to wander through a gallery I must admit so I probably didn't give it sufficient time. But the views from the 8th floor view balcony - which seem much higher than 8 floors given the elevated location of the building itself - are stunning. Great place to stop by periodically for coffee or rest between frantic tourist excursions in London. One of the best view buildings in London without a doubt.
London SoHo / West End / Denmark Street / Charing Cross Road / London's Historic "Rock Central" where
Historic Rock Music Tour. This tour guide (Jonathan I believe!) was phenomenally knowledgeable - from all accounts one of the best rock tour guide in London. A little manic in his presentation at time - trying to get as much info out as quickly as possible in the shortest amount of time - he has a lot of info to deliver that he is obviously passionate about - and doesn't allow much time for disussion - he quickly after a question re-starts is at times robotic but well put togetherr and knowledgeable presentation. He knows his stuff. And is old enough to have "been there" in the 1960's when it started. The number of shows he saw back in the day was astounding. The only complaint - not his fault - the streets of Soho / West End / Denmark Street / Charing Cross are so frigging full of cigarette smoking from all the addicts outside giving themselves lung cancer. It is insane. It was a continual irritant at we walked around - you could do well with a gas mask. But the info and history was pheomenal. Many of the clubs are gone or have morphed into bookstores or pharmacies or movie theaters but you still get a sense of the setting.
Historic Rock Music Tour. This tour guide (Jonathan I believe!) was phenomenally knowledgeable - from all accounts one of the best rock tour guide in London. A little manic in his presentation at time - trying to get as much info out as quickly as possible in the shortest amount of time - he has a lot of info to deliver that he is obviously passionate about - and doesn't allow much time for disussion - he quickly after a question re-starts is at times robotic but well put togetherr and knowledgeable presentation. He knows his stuff. And is old enough to have "been there" in the 1960's when it started. The number of shows he saw back in the day was astounding. The only complaint - not his fault - the streets of Soho / West End / Denmark Street / Charing Cross are so frigging full of cigarette smoking from all the addicts outside giving themselves lung cancer. It is insane. It was a continual irritant at we walked around - you could do well with a gas mask. But the info and history was pheomenal. Many of the clubs are gone or have morphed into bookstores or pharmacies or movie theaters but you still get a sense of the setting.
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Saville Theatre - now the Odeon
(from Wikipedia) "Brian Epstein, manager of The Beatles leased the 1471 seat theatre in 1965, presenting both plays and rock and roll shows. The venue became notorious for its Sunday night concerts. During one by Chuck Berry, members of the audience stormed the stage and the police were called to clear the theatre.
The Beatles borrowed the Saville to make their "Hello, Goodbye" promo (an early music video) in November 1967. The Rolling Stones played two shows on 21 December 1969.
The venue saw several appearances of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, notably with a series of shows in August 1967, after their mini US tour and their groundbreaking Monterey Pop Festival performance. The Beatles and all the rest of London's rock royalty saw the Hendrix show.
The theatre was sold in 1969, and returned to presenting theatrical productions.
(from Wikipedia) "Brian Epstein, manager of The Beatles leased the 1471 seat theatre in 1965, presenting both plays and rock and roll shows. The venue became notorious for its Sunday night concerts. During one by Chuck Berry, members of the audience stormed the stage and the police were called to clear the theatre.
The Beatles borrowed the Saville to make their "Hello, Goodbye" promo (an early music video) in November 1967. The Rolling Stones played two shows on 21 December 1969.
The venue saw several appearances of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, notably with a series of shows in August 1967, after their mini US tour and their groundbreaking Monterey Pop Festival performance. The Beatles and all the rest of London's rock royalty saw the Hendrix show.
The theatre was sold in 1969, and returned to presenting theatrical productions.
The Beatles borrowed the Saville to make their "Hello, Goodbye" promo (an early music video) in November 1967.
The Saville saw several appearances of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, notably with a series of shows in August 1967, after their mini US tour and their groundbreaking Monterey Pop Festival performance. The Beatles and the rest of London's rock royalty including all members of Cream (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker) and The Who (Pete Townshend, Roger Daltry, John Entwhistle, and Keith Moon) and all other major English rock stars were at the Hendrix shows to take in this new phenomal guitarist and performer. Rock historians say that Hendrix had an immediate impact on the music of many London rock groups - particularly Cream and The Who.
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The British Museum
The British Museum, in the Bloomsbury area of London, United Kingdom, is a public institution dedicated to human history, art and culture. Its permanent collection of some eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence, having been widely sourced during the era of the British Empire. It documents the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present. It was the first public national museum in the world. (From Wikipedia)
In the future I will be more academic and try to absorb the museum's phenomenal collection and the historical significance - all of which was "appropiated" from all over the world when England was a colonial power. Many of the countries are trying to get their artifacts back! Good luck! The British Museum has the reputation among scholars as simply the world's greatest archeological museum with the best exhibits relating to human history, art and culture. And like all British Museums, there is no admission charge! Yeah! (similar to Smithsonian in Washington DC. A great public spirited idea - tell that to the greedy French who rip you off for every cultural and historical experience they can sell you ! Including the Palace of Versailles - separate rip off admission for the gardens and you only see a small portion of the Palace while crammed up against the crowd!) The British Museum deserves two or three full days at least to appreciate it - I gave the British museum a couple of hours and saw some great highlights but frankly was eager to get out and see more of London and never took the time to return. Museums are not my favorite place to hang out but under the right circumstances it could be enriching - but I was eager to move on to explore London. Perhaps next time, when I receive the "grande tour" by a phalanx of renowned history, archelogy and classics professors - who are also super models.
The British Museum, in the Bloomsbury area of London, United Kingdom, is a public institution dedicated to human history, art and culture. Its permanent collection of some eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence, having been widely sourced during the era of the British Empire. It documents the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present. It was the first public national museum in the world. (From Wikipedia)
In the future I will be more academic and try to absorb the museum's phenomenal collection and the historical significance - all of which was "appropiated" from all over the world when England was a colonial power. Many of the countries are trying to get their artifacts back! Good luck! The British Museum has the reputation among scholars as simply the world's greatest archeological museum with the best exhibits relating to human history, art and culture. And like all British Museums, there is no admission charge! Yeah! (similar to Smithsonian in Washington DC. A great public spirited idea - tell that to the greedy French who rip you off for every cultural and historical experience they can sell you ! Including the Palace of Versailles - separate rip off admission for the gardens and you only see a small portion of the Palace while crammed up against the crowd!) The British Museum deserves two or three full days at least to appreciate it - I gave the British museum a couple of hours and saw some great highlights but frankly was eager to get out and see more of London and never took the time to return. Museums are not my favorite place to hang out but under the right circumstances it could be enriching - but I was eager to move on to explore London. Perhaps next time, when I receive the "grande tour" by a phalanx of renowned history, archelogy and classics professors - who are also super models.
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Abbey Road Studios St. John's Wood London
Abbey Road Studios St. John's Wood London
The glorious decade by decade history of Abbey Road Studios is shown below on the souvenir shop entrance walkway - a separate building next door but of course fences off from the studios. "EMI Recording Studios" (who acquired the studios in 1945) was the prior name of the studios that were originally built in the 1930's. "Abbey Road Studios" became the formal new studio name in 1970 after the Beatles released Abbey Road, with the album cover showing them walking across Abbey Road itself!
These studios are located in perhaps the wealthiest "suburb" of London - a super high end high quality residential area full of large homes and estates and super nice mid rise apartments - not far from Regents Park, Hyde Park, and the London Zoo. It seems like a great low key uncongested non-urban setting for creativity given that is is still located within "greater" urban London. The idea of recording in a crazy crowded location like Soho or the West End where all the music clubs of the 60's as well as many recording studios were located seems insane. Abbey Road studios seems like a great location to inspire Beatles-level creativity.
These studios are located in perhaps the wealthiest "suburb" of London - a super high end high quality residential area full of large homes and estates and super nice mid rise apartments - not far from Regents Park, Hyde Park, and the London Zoo. It seems like a great low key uncongested non-urban setting for creativity given that is is still located within "greater" urban London. The idea of recording in a crazy crowded location like Soho or the West End where all the music clubs of the 60's as well as many recording studios were located seems insane. Abbey Road studios seems like a great location to inspire Beatles-level creativity.
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(From Wikipedia:)
After arriving in London on May 29, 2019 and sleeping off jet lag and lying low for a day and a half, the walking begins. A manic frenetic "I want to see everything" tourist pace. 20,000 steps per day plus were typical for much of the trip. Average was probably about 17,500 steps per day, which factored in public transit times, tourist bus tours, boat tours, riding in people's cars here and there etc. Here are shown a screenshot I took of 26,000+ steps per day for the first couple of days in London (about 11-12 miles of walking per day). And oddly for the entire 6 week trip, I NEVER stretched out even ONCE ! - NOT ONE yoga type stretch. No exercise ball stretch. No foam roller stretch. Nothing. Did not do any weight bearing exercise - freeweights, machines etc, not even a pushup. At home I am at the gym constantly. Every other day at minimum - usually more often. On this trip I slept in different beds every three nights or so at friends' homes and later in various hostels. And my musculo-skeletal system felt great! Perhaps extensive walking ie 10+ miles daily is the key? It sure seemed to work for me. This was an incredible discovery. Of course when I returned home I have gone back to extensive stretching and weights and walking of course but the walks generally are not as long a distance - typically on average 6000 to 11000 steps per day. And when I walk shorter distances I somehow feel it regardless of how much stretching or weight training I did that day. The longer the walking the less stretching my musculo skeletal system seems to need. I plan to publish this finding in New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet, or some similarly prestigious medical journal. Perhaps win a Nobel Prize for exercise physiology.
RETURN TO LONDON FOR TWO DAYS OF SLEEP, SAUNA, TV, AND WIMBLEDON BEFORE RETURNING TO US
Final Three Nights at Hotel Near Heathrow
Before Flying Back to USA
Before Flying Back to USA
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Final Three Nights at Hotel Near Heathrow
Before Flying Back to USA
After six weeks of travel, staying at 9 different private homes and 8 hostels (= 17 different beds_ in 42 days), here I am for the final three nights of the trip before flying back to the USA. Time to decompress and relax and sleep and spend one day at Wimbledon - went there the very same day I flew in from Germany. I'm staying at a surprisingly affordable Radisson hotel conveniently located near Heathrow Airport. Though it was just a "regular hotel room," after being on the road so long it felt like I was in the "Presidential Suite." Forget "Presidential" references - that image has been defiled so badly by King Troompa Loompa. How about the King's Suite. Now I'm not a "royalist." Super Deluxe Suite? Anyway, there was a phenomenally hot, comfortable, and huge sauna. Exceeded expectations - the largest sauna I've ever been in, except for the phenomenal Refuge in Carmel Valley. Huge glass wall overlooking the indoor swimming pool. The first, last and only hotel I stayed at on the trip. Decompressing, sleeping, taking saunas, visiting Wimbledon one day, watching TV, resting, eating and more sleeping. First sauna in 6 weeks. Finally got a chance to kick back and watch TV, checking out out the BBC and ITV. TV was a such a nice diversion after being on the road being a manic traveler, deciding where to go next, where to stay, what to see, etc etc - playing tourist for such a long time. I even caught the last half of Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure! Almost a cult classic - has some good moments I'm ashamed to say! Even (the late) Clarence Clemmons of Springsteen band and Fee Waybill of the Tubes have cameo roles. Having a few days to wind down in a quiet hotel before flying back was a great move - only slightly marred by the fact that on the first night's stay there was a false fire alarm that went off around midnight while I was watching BBC. After we all dutifully went outside - walking down inside fire escapes of course, and after standing outside in the cold for fifteen minutes, and with perhaps a half hour before official confirmation of false alarm, I was able to sneak back to the room before the official approval was given for people to return to their rooms. Back to the warm room - it was cold outside at midnight.
Before Flying Back to USA
After six weeks of travel, staying at 9 different private homes and 8 hostels (= 17 different beds_ in 42 days), here I am for the final three nights of the trip before flying back to the USA. Time to decompress and relax and sleep and spend one day at Wimbledon - went there the very same day I flew in from Germany. I'm staying at a surprisingly affordable Radisson hotel conveniently located near Heathrow Airport. Though it was just a "regular hotel room," after being on the road so long it felt like I was in the "Presidential Suite." Forget "Presidential" references - that image has been defiled so badly by King Troompa Loompa. How about the King's Suite. Now I'm not a "royalist." Super Deluxe Suite? Anyway, there was a phenomenally hot, comfortable, and huge sauna. Exceeded expectations - the largest sauna I've ever been in, except for the phenomenal Refuge in Carmel Valley. Huge glass wall overlooking the indoor swimming pool. The first, last and only hotel I stayed at on the trip. Decompressing, sleeping, taking saunas, visiting Wimbledon one day, watching TV, resting, eating and more sleeping. First sauna in 6 weeks. Finally got a chance to kick back and watch TV, checking out out the BBC and ITV. TV was a such a nice diversion after being on the road being a manic traveler, deciding where to go next, where to stay, what to see, etc etc - playing tourist for such a long time. I even caught the last half of Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure! Almost a cult classic - has some good moments I'm ashamed to say! Even (the late) Clarence Clemmons of Springsteen band and Fee Waybill of the Tubes have cameo roles. Having a few days to wind down in a quiet hotel before flying back was a great move - only slightly marred by the fact that on the first night's stay there was a false fire alarm that went off around midnight while I was watching BBC. After we all dutifully went outside - walking down inside fire escapes of course, and after standing outside in the cold for fifteen minutes, and with perhaps a half hour before official confirmation of false alarm, I was able to sneak back to the room before the official approval was given for people to return to their rooms. Back to the warm room - it was cold outside at midnight.
Below - random collages assembled from the trip along with some other pics haphazardly uploaded simply because they were next in the Apple Photos app.
This digital scrapbook is
mostly focused on growing up in the Monterey Peninsula during the 50s, 60s and 70s. If you have any class or team photos, clippings, stories, names, links, memorabilia, corrections or clarifications you would like to contribute, let me know! ~Derek Morris Email: [email protected] www.derekmo.net |
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Acknowledgments
Special thanks to those who have contributed to this site so far: Robert Stanton, Jeanne Stanton, Annamarie Della Sala Stanton, Don Davison, Mark Smith, Joan Chapin, Kyle Wyatt, Martin Bradley, Marla Martin Anderson, Debbie Langdon Bradford, Lilly Hespen Menezes, Alan Herren, Mike Welch, Mary Jane Porter Perna, Susan Turner Pohlmann, Mark Bibler, Joe Cutrufelli, Jeff Sumida, Alice Valdez Gerschler, Jon Wren, Christopher DuBois, Duke Quinones, Patrick Duffy, Carl Becker, Dennis Taylor, Mike Ventimiglia, Jack Frost, Steve Martin, Mike Ivers, Tom Russo Sr., Chuck Della Sala, Mel Hagio, Rick Hattori, Randall Harris, Eddie Van Houtte, Anthony Della Sala, Pat Hathaway, Jack Pearson, Marie Pearson, Victor Henry and Dennis Copeland. We expect to be hearing from others soon!
Special thanks to those who have contributed to this site so far: Robert Stanton, Jeanne Stanton, Annamarie Della Sala Stanton, Don Davison, Mark Smith, Joan Chapin, Kyle Wyatt, Martin Bradley, Marla Martin Anderson, Debbie Langdon Bradford, Lilly Hespen Menezes, Alan Herren, Mike Welch, Mary Jane Porter Perna, Susan Turner Pohlmann, Mark Bibler, Joe Cutrufelli, Jeff Sumida, Alice Valdez Gerschler, Jon Wren, Christopher DuBois, Duke Quinones, Patrick Duffy, Carl Becker, Dennis Taylor, Mike Ventimiglia, Jack Frost, Steve Martin, Mike Ivers, Tom Russo Sr., Chuck Della Sala, Mel Hagio, Rick Hattori, Randall Harris, Eddie Van Houtte, Anthony Della Sala, Pat Hathaway, Jack Pearson, Marie Pearson, Victor Henry and Dennis Copeland. We expect to be hearing from others soon!
This digital scrapbook is
mostly focused on growing up in the Monterey Peninsula during the 50s, 60s and 70s. If you have any class or team photos, clippings, stories, names, links, memorabilia, corrections or clarifications you would like to contribute, let me know! ~Derek Morris Email: [email protected] www.derekmo.net |
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