Helen was booked up for the day so I had a day to indulge myself. I have recently getting back into taking panorama photos and submitting them as photospheres to Google, so I was keen to go somewhere to indulge my current interest. There is no point in doing panoramas of streets as Google has already got that converted you need to find views where the Google car can’t get to. I checked out the Ian visits website, which covers all things unusual happening in London. A things jumped out as interesting the Kirkcaldy museum of material testing (would be closing to move soon) and Sikh festival in Trafalgar square, that would give me something to start and time to stop and take photos.
After dropping Helen off at church I headed to Wendover to catch the 09:13 to Marylebone which would not be my station or route of choice but there was engineering works at Watford junction which ruled out the Euston service. The station cafe was closed so I would have to wait for my coffee but the train left on time.
I took the tube to Waterloo as I wanted to make sure that I was on the 11 o’clock tour as it happens the tour at eleven was more of a recommended time as there was I timetable just some enthusiastic people who were more than willing to tell pi all about the equipment. I tagged on top a part that was being show the exhibits by a volunteer who was probably an engineering student as she sounded like she knew what she was talking about.
All talks stopped when it was announced that the big machine was going to be demonstrated. The big machine was about the size of the steam engine in the science museum. The way the machine worked was that it used water to hydraulically stretch or compress the material that was being tested. In the demonstration they were stretching bars from the pavement grates outside the building which when they were replaced the museum salvaged them. The curators got everyone involved in the process pressing the button to switch it on and then winding the wheel to move the clamps in and out. The bar under test started to flake then eventually broke with a bang and the building shook a bit. After a look at the other demos I headed off towards Trafalgar Square.
It seemed everyone was out walking on the south bank of the Thames, but I noticed that the gates to the foreshore were open so I headed down to the beach and walked on the beach instead. there were only a few of us down there. Around the national theatre I headed up to the masses and found the reason for the crowds. There were lots of street food vendors one section for Malaysia and and another for Spain. I was tempted by the food but the queues put me off. I shot off a few panorama sets while I was there as I want to improve my handheld technique.
I crossed the foot bridge that has a railway bridge close by then walked through the station at the other side. I popped out near where Alpine sports used to be and went around the block to Trafalgar square. I had picked up a cheese sandwich at the station then realised my mistake the festival had food stalls and they were all vegetarian. I could not resist buying a samosa though. I had a look around and took a few pictures then headed north destination Foyles.
I thought I might be able to buy the BluRay for Untouchable a French film Helen and I want to see but on Love Film there are no sub-titles (OK for me but a bit tough for Helen). Strangely they only sell DVDs in Foyles so I grabbed a few travel writing books and headed towards Oxford Street to have a look there. My extra effort was wasted I could not find any shops that sold DVDs or BluRays, I guess they have all gone on-line or people just stream movies these days.
I jumped on the Tube back to Baker street and the walked to Marylebone Station. By that time I was glad of a sit down on the train I had been on my feet since 09:00.
The day has finally dawned. I booked tickets for the Revolution Series cycling event in what was the Olympic velodrome a long time ago and they have been sitting immense draw ever since, I magnet to get task side status because I booked early. A of A&C picked us up at 08:45 because C was under the weather and we got the 09:15 from Berkhamsted all four tickets were only £43 all the way to Stratford International, that seems like good value for money. The train was on time and we walked the back road to St Pancras where we noted that the new Crick Institute building looking like it will be finished soon, although it did have quite a few missing tiles on the face of the building.
At St Pancras we jumped on the Javelin train to Dover but got off at the first stop which is Stratford International which is right under Westfield shopping centre. We stopped for a coffee and something to eat at Westfield as we had plenty of time to spare, and had heard that the prices at the venue were inflated. Helen had the healthy option of fruit yoghurt and a couple of pastries which when it turned up did not seem quite so, I had scrambled eggs on a muffin with spinach and asparagus, A had veggie breakfast and the other A had some sort of toasted meat and cheese thing with a small portion of chips. Westfield is my idea of hell on earth it is a shopping centre and an expensive one at that all the designer brands are there as well as a load of other shops which I would never frequent. I guess they must cater for tourists as they run a service along the lines of if you can;t carry your shopping hand it in and we will arrange fore it to be delivered to your hotel.
Revolution Series 2014 Lee Valley Velopark Laura Trott
Suitably replete we headed to the Olympic Velodrome which is now call the Lee Valley Velopark, it is about a 10 minute walk from Stratford International train station. It was a shame that the whole park was not open as we could have had a look around as we had some time to spare. I turns out that it will be opening on the 9th April so a return trip would be in order, as Helen never got the opportunity to see the park during the 2012 Olympics. The Velopark is a nice looking building slightly raised on a mound, and clad in a wood panelling that has faded a bit in the two years since I saw it last. The doors did not open until 12:00 so we went and had a look at the Olympic rings on one of the hills, and took some pictures.
When the door did open we queued up and were soon at the entrance. Velodromes are usually a controlled environment and is kept very hot. Warm air is conducive to fast times not only because it helps keep the athletes’ muscles loose and flexible, but also because warm air is less dense than cooler air, decreasing the aerodynamic resistance the riders encounter. That explains why we had to go through and air lock at the entrance, i.e. they let some people into an area then close the outside doors before opening the internal doors.
HDR of the Velopark Track
We soon found our seats which because I had booked early were right on trackside this meant that the cyclist came close enough for use to reach out and touch them, which of course we did not. You could feel the slip stream they created as they shot past. We were at the event for three hours during which we saw a variety of events including some UCI counting events. My favourite was the Sprint which involves a certain amount a cat an mouse as the cyclist vie for position sometimes balancing on their bicycles to remain at a standstill waiting for the other competitor to make a move, it is better to come from behind in the slipstream than lead out an opponent.
The sun was still out when we left and reversed our journey home, stopping for a bite at St Pancras, then being messed about at Euston with the train being called on platform 11 then when everyine was on 11 waiting changed it to 13. We still managed to get seats together. We all agreed that it had been an enjoyable day and would love to do it again.
I subscribe to the http://ianvisists.co.uk RSS feed and the other day I noticed that a post about visits to the Crossrail building site near Bond Street. Usually these things get booked up pretty quickly but I was lucky enough to get a space, if I remember correctly I was bored waiting for a plane when I did the booking via the http://eventbrite.co.uk website.
I had quite a few things planned already for the weekend so time was not on my side. First I had to check a couple of things for work as the electricity was being turned off at my local site so we were using the generator to keep the power to the computers going, I just had to check that it was still working which I did at 07:30. Then I checked a couple of issues for the accountants as it was the first end of period of the year there is always a few things that need tweaking. Next stop was a long over due hair cut, I find the best strategy is to get to the barbers in Wendover just before they open at 08:30 as you can get a space to park outside the shop and your first in the queue. On this occasion I was running late but third in the queue was OK as they have three chairs running on a Saturday.
It was with a cold head that I returned home to have a quick coffee then drop Helen off up the road then head to Berkhamsted station to catch the 09:46 which luckily for me was running 5 minutes late and I managed to catch it. About half way to London we stopped due to no power in the overhead lines but we were only stationary for about 5 minutes, clearly the train needed some maintenance running late then having to stop. We arrived at Euston at 10:24.
Crossrail big hole Bond Street London
I had plenty of time so I decided to walk, despite having a railcard. I had a couple of hours so I could take my time. Just off Euston the is the welcome trust which is always with dropping into as there is always something unusual to look around. Today there was an interesting art and photography exhibition. Then I walked down Tottenham Court road and did a bit of browsing in the technology so windows. I called Specsavers in Aylesbury to see if they had my contact lenses in and it turned out they had not, they gave been messing me about and I was about to run out of lenses. I had passed a branch earlier so I hoped on the bus and retraced my steps back where a reluctant employee phoned my branch to get my prescription only to announce that they had none. I asked about alternatives then she went into a back room and same back with a sample pack of 5 which would hopefully tide me over until they get some in Aylesbury.
I noticed that there are a lot of Japanese style fast food outlets about these days, but when I need lunch there were none to be found. I settled for a cheese sandwich from Pret. I found the building where we would all meet up it is at 75 Davies St in the Crossrail offices on the 2nd floor. We were given a presentation by the Bond street project manager who was very passionate about the whole project and was proud to be a part of it. I must say that all of the people they had laid on to talk to us were all very proud of their contributions. After the presentation with a few videos thrown in we went to an observation room in the offices which overlooked one of the ticket hall sites where yet more employees told us a bit more about the issues they had to overcome building in such a built up area.
Crossrail building site Bond Street London
There were the local residents of Mayfair no less, then the problem of getting stuff in and out of the site in such a busy area of London, then they had to be careful off the surrounding structures. All the local buildings were constantly monitored for movement, as well as under ground sensors as they were within three metres if the Jubilee line.
Next we were herded round the block to gave a look at the building site it self. Disappointingly we did not get to go underground but had to settle for a look down into the deep hole that had constructed to get the tunneling machines down. When the tour was over I had been on my feet long enough so I hopped on the tube and was soon back at Euston to catch the 15:54 back to Berkhamsted.
I got Helen some theatre tickets to see Mojo at the Harold Pinter theatre for Christmas, to lessen the pain for me not a theatre lover Helen agreed to go to the LHC exhibition at the science museum. We also planned a visit to the The National Theatre to look round the free landscape photographer of the year exhibition in the foyer. The day was all planned out.
We were booked on the LHC at 10:20 so had to be up relaunched early to get the train from Berkhamsted. We left the house at 08:40 with the hope of getting the 09:01. I had filled out a form for a rail card the night before so we could get one their of of the tickets, it works only take two trips to London to start to make savings something we would easily do in the year the card lays, the cost was £30.
Turns out I had filled out the wrong form we needed a child to qualify not something you can rustle up at the ticket office. The was an alternative so we got one of those instead same price same conditions just different form! The delay meant that we had to get the 09:15 which it turns out was an express so made little difference to our arrival time.
A bit of the LHC
We jumped on the tube at Euston and were soon at the science museum which is a short walk from Kensington Station via the French style cafés. At the museum we headed straight to the exhibition as we were a bit late for our 19:20 slot. The show starts with a multimedia show on a curved wall with scientists explaining their excitement of working on such a big experiment involving 10,000 scientists, and how they don’t movie if they have found any thing until the unblinding of the results a method used to take the human bias out of the experiment results. I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition and I think Helen did although she would never admit it. We had coffee and cake before leaving for our next destination the National Theatre for the landscape photographer of the year exhibition.
We granted a bus outside the V&A and changed at Haymarket to the 139 which dropped us of at Waterloo Bridge. The photographs wee very good but place was a bit b busy so it was sometimes difficult to get a good look at the pictures. You soon realise that it takes some effort to get a good picture when you realise that the photographers were at the top of a mountain to get the picture of the sunrise they must have walked up in the dark or camped out on the snow to get the perfect shot. If you’re in town it is with the effort and free.
Waterloo Bridge
Back on the 139 to Haymarket again for some lunch at Pizza Express, then it was over the road to the Harold Pinter theatre to see the play called Mojo, which had some famous actors in it. You may already know that I am not a fan of theatre the main reason is that I just don’t have the capacity to figures out what is going on. I have not problems with following films just state plays, I do enjoy the slapstick ones like “One man two governors” but it does not take much to follow the plot there. The important things is that Helen enjoyed it and I got a few brownie points for taking her.
It was dark when we left the theatre but eh journey back was simple despite there being a lot of people trying to leave central London at the same time as we did. We got the tube from Piccadilly Circus to kings cross then walked to Euston, and got the 17:54 express to Berkhamsted. Then it was share piazza from M&S a Netflix film and early to bed as it had been a long but very enjoyable day.
We were up early (07:00) but not as early as the fools who went to Hyde park for the start, they were up at 04:30 for a 05:00 departure from Aston Clinton. So we had a leisurely coffee and toast before heading off to pick up L from Tring. It is our annual pilgrimage to Brighton, the excuse is the London to Brighton vintage car run, but really is is a chance to get together with L&R and spend a Sunday night in Brighton followed by a morning shopping.
My good friend R has a very old Humberette pre 1905 which is the year limit for cars to enter the run. We met up round his on Saturday morning. To polish the car and discuss what maintenance should have been done on the car since the previous run which has not been done, and load it up on a trailer ready for the early start on Sunday.
We picked up L in Tring at 08:15 and were son whizzing around the M25, when we got close to Redhill we game the others a call. They had just arrived so we left the motorway and find them at the Starbucks. We soon found the others and grabbed a coffee then jumped back in the car and headed to Crawley.
The weather was quite cold but the sun was shining. We stood around for a while and a spotted K who was Geocaching something we have not done for a while. We found a small magnetic container in a metal box next to a post box. I took the opportunity to download the app to my phone. The White Hart provided refreshments while we waited to start the next leg.
The weather was still sunny when we arrived in Brighton, and after a challenge finding the entrance to the NCP car park we were soon in the Premier Inn, to dump our bags and go our separate ways. The girls went shopping and I went down to the front to meet up with the people in the car. I soon found them and we stood around chewing the cud before getting a call from K to let us know where we needed to go to load the car back on the trailer for the journey home. R had managed to blagg his way to a parking space down on the front by claiming his vintage car had broken a wheel, so we only had a short walk back then a ride to the hotel. We dropped of two others then via not the shortest route found the NCP car park.
We agreed to meet up at 19:00 for something to eat.
Billie Jean King at the premier of the battle of the sexes
Out of the blue I got an email at work from Helen asking if I wanted to go to a film premier in London’s Leicester Square that evening. Her sister had won a couple of tickets on Twitter and none of her friends could attend at such short notice. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, pondered for a short time and tried to figure out if it was possible. The event started at 18:00 so I thought it would be difficult to get there in time if I left work at the official time of 17:00, however if I left at 16:00 or soon after it should be feasible. The premier was for the film The Battle of the Sexes a documentary about tennis star and women’s rights activist Billie Jean King won a total of 39 Grand Slam titles, but the biggest match of her career took place in 1973 against former men’s champion Bobby Riggs, a self-proclaimed male chauvinist pig who declared that, even at the age of 55, he could beat any woman in the world. A rousing and hugely enjoyable documentary with a great soundtrack.
Danny Boyle at the premier of the battle of the sexes
I must admit I did not know what to expect and I did not know anything about the story, but it sounded interesting, and most of all it was one of those events you don’t want to miss because they don’t come along very often, and I just loved the idea that I had only just found about about it and would have to make a real effort to get to it. First things first check with the boss that he had not issues with me disappearing at 16:00, easier said than done he was in meetings most of the day, but we were due to talk so no problem. Next what time are the trains, Tring was probably the station of choice, there was a train at 16:34 (ideal) then one at 16:56 (OK but pushing it a bit. I never got to check with the boss but I took a flier, I had been in early for the past couple of weeks working on a big project, so the hours had been put in.
So I left work at just after 16:00, went home for changes into jeans and T-shirt (that is what you wear to a premier isn’t it?), drove to Tring station. I got to the station at 16:28 leaving me 6 minutes to get on the train. I had phoned Helen;s sister and she would probably be on the 16:34 if she rushed, so the challenge was on. Parking was easy as a space was free near the entrance, but the parking ticket proved confusing in my rush, it was not clear how much money I needed to spend, so I just fed the machine until it gave me a departure time, as it happens £4, not so bad. Next ticket I ran across the bridge to the ticket machine but noticed that the ticket office was open and there was no queue probably the quickest route. Travel card in hand I slipped onto the train which was waiting on the platform with 20 seconds to spare, slightly out of breath.
Yvonne Goolagong at the premier of the battle of the sexes
Helen’s sister had met up with Helen;s cousin on the way to the station and she was off to London for rehearsals, in play soon to be premièred. They both made the train at Berkhamsted and I switched carriages and joined them. We were soon arriving at London Euston. It was not too busy even though the rush hour was about to start it was 17:05 ish. We jumped on the Northern line and got out at Leicester Square at was 17:22 not bad I had left work only 1:20 earlier and had been home and got changed on the way. Next job was to find the cinema the Vue, we to the main square I noticed some press photographers but thought nothing of it, then down to the bottom of the square. We could not see it, so out come Google maps turns out we had walked past it the press were outside it was at the top of the square. First we checked that we were on the list, the people at the door checked our names ,and said we were a bit early which suited us as I was hungry and needed some food. After walking through some of Chinatown we settled on Pret as it was easier, and quicker. I had a goats cheese and beetroot sandwich, and a Pain au Raisin. At about 18:00 we headed back and they let us in.
I was not sure what to expect and was surprised to see press photographers either side of the foyer as we walked though. They clearly did not recognise me as only a few of them took pictures, perhaps they were going for the natural light and had switched off their flashes? We were directed up stairs to a big room where people were milling about in suits and smart dresses, there were a few of us dressed for the occasion in jeans and T-shirts mainly staff! We grabbed a seat round the edge of the room and indulged in some people watching. Basically people arrived through the entrance and were sometimes followed clearly staff who had had to refer to a printed booklet to know who they were and whether they were important. Some of the people (most whom I did not recognise) were stopped by the photographers in the room for a photo opportunity. Other “normal” people were left alone so it was easy to tell who was famous. I spotted a few people I recognised most famous of whom was Billie Jean King, and then Danny Boyle who sat down and chatted to someone I did not recognise only 4 yards away.
The eight of the 9 at the premier of the battle of the sexes
We managed to indulge in a glass of champagne and a bag of pop corn before we were called into the screening. I suggested we go early, and it was a good job as the centre section of the cinema was reserved for Billie Jean King guests, but we managed to get some good seat on the isle, then we sat back and waited for the film to start. Before the film there was an introduction by the directors and producers followed by Billie Jean King, who bought 8 of the famous 9 down to the front of the seats. The projects then rolled and we sat back and enjoyed the film. It was well made and told a great story.
When the film finished we did not hang about, and left to go home. Back on the tube then just made the 21:04 with seconds to spare and out of breath from running. I was home at 22:00 not bad I thought for a school night. I had thoroughly enjoyed myself, days like that don’t come along too often, they must be grabbed with both hands.
We caught the 09:01 from Berhamsted to Euston, at that tome an a Saturday you can park on the road near the station. Our mission to visit The View From The Shard, the new pointy building in London. Seats were easily found on the train and it arrived on time. Next was 68 bus to Waterloo bridge followed by a leisurely walk along the Southbank. We dipped in land a bit at the Golden Hind, and walked through Borough Market which was pretty packed and full of enticing food offerings. We found the Shard but our tickets were timed for 11:30 and we were early the nan an on the door said we would have to come back at the right time! Coffee time then.
Queuing was a breeze with plenty of security thrown in, including bag x-ray, metal detector and for me a frisk with a hand held detector because I set off the walk through one. Next we were herded to a lift which has video screens in the ceiling, the lift attendant told us we were travelling at 6 metres a second, and that was just about all the time she had before we arrived on floor 33.
View inside the Shard observation floor
Out of the lift round the corner and into another which dropped us off at floor 69, just as quickly as the first one. I asked ho many floors a day the lift man did he said they could only do one hour a day. Perhaps something to do with the rapid change on pressure that makes your ears pop.
The view from floor 70 is great far higher than the London eye. From this deck we saw the maintenance crews abseiling done the building.
We went up a couple more floors where you are more exposed to the elements, but still behind glass which makes taking photos a bit trick. I found that my polarising filter helped quite a bit. To leave you just do the same lifts but in reverse, and there is no security.
We wandered round borough market twisting all the cheese on offer, but did both get a halloumi burger each from a stall run by a couple of French hippies, I never knew the French had any concept of vegetarianism. We found a scarce spot to sit in the local church yard to eat our burgers the headed across the river to walk along the north bank of the Thames.
Church outside Borough Market
We wandered and ambled along until eventually we came across Covent. Garden, but realised that our heart was not into shopping. So we headed towards Dustin but not before a visit to a travel book shop and a quick stop in a shop on Tottenham Court Road where I purchased a USB extension cable, for the Raspberry Pi webcam set up. We then jumped back on a bus back to Euston and caught the 16:54 fast train back to Berkhamsted. We popped into Waitrose and got some salad stuff to eat , then went home had something to eat and watched the excellent BBC HD Australia documentary.
We were up fairly early to prepare for the annual London to Brighton veteran car run, but not as early as the rest of the crew who we would be joining at Crawley, they would be getting up at 04:30 to leave the village at 05:00. We made sandwiches and some hot honey and lemon for Neil who had woken up with a cold. However the torrential rain dampened our enthusiasm and it required some effort to leave the house. Sheets of rain across the A41 & M25 but the skies are now lightening a little. Feeling very sorry for everyone who went up to the start at Hyde Park at 5am and who would have spent 3 soggy hours in an open top car. We took the lazy option this year and opted to meet the cars at Crawley.
Steady progress around the M25, lots of standing water as we pass under the “give peas a chance” viaduct. Checked in with the frog whisperer to see how the car posse were progressing. They had reached the Little Chef and left before we were in the environ so we continue to Crawley as we might have time to get to the main street to film the Humberette arriving. The leaden skies persisted but the rain a little lighter as we pass the Chertsey exit. Best wishes to T who is in New York and should have been running the marathon there today, being cheered on by my lil sis. Lots of spray but sun shining as we join the M23. As we approached Crawley we started to spot some of the veteran cars.
We got to Crawley before the car and found a seat in the window seat overlooking the area where the car park up for a tea stop. We kept a lookout for the car with a half in the warm pub. Helen was perplexed about the the complicated parking ticket dispensers which required us to enter the last three digits of the car registration. The weather become more overcast for a while! Met up with R, K & J who had had a very damp journey as evidenced by R’s trousers. K said his sailing waterproofs had been very useful. Time for a quick bacon roll then down the A23 in pursuit oh the old car. Neil enjoyed practising his pursuit driving style and we found the Humberette just after Staplefield. We also linked up with the others and and J is in the car, e are officially a convoy!
Dog in vintage car
You see some funny things on the London to Brighton, lots of different car clubs by the side of the road, people with picnic tables complete with champagne, by far the best thing this year was a old 1920/30 coach like car all done out for a safari, complete with a leopard skin on the bonnet, the owner was in kilt and pith helmet complete with arrow and enjoying a pint.
As we approached Brighton we peeled off and headed in to the town centre, making sure we were west of the railway so that we avoided the traffic and got to our hotel. We parked up checked in then headed down to Madeira Drive to watch the cars coming in. Our timing was perfect as we got to the drive in came the Humbrette, there was a wait before it crossed the finish line as K had been promised a go in the car as it crossed the finish line. We headed to the other side of the finish line and soon found where they had parked up. The weather was now blue skies and sunshine, a perfect way to end the day.
The arrangements for loading the cars up had changed this year, the tender vehicles had to park up at the racecourse then come down to the drive to load the vehicles up but only of the organisers had confirmation that the vintage car had crossed the finish line. I accompanied R and K back up the the racecourse to get the tender vehicle. The new trailer was a dream to load and they people not staying over were soon on their way, we headed back to the hotel. Helen and I went for a quick look round the old lanes, whilst R and L had a rest in anticipation of the evening ahead.
R was adamant that we would go to a non-veggie restaurant as last year he had not enjoyed his meal at Food for Friends, we ended up in Zizzi which was started with the help of The Princes Trust, the portions were massive the Pizzas hung off the side of the ample plates,and R decided that 5 tapas style dishes were in order, and despite us thinking he would never manage to eat it all he did. After we met up with A and A for a quick drink at a pub opposite, where a jazz band was playing, we left the establishment at a reasonable hour and were in bed by 23:00.
The next day was the usual breakfast at Bill’s which I would recommend, the veggie breakfast is very different with it’s humus and guacamole toast, sweet chilli sauce topped off with mushrooms and poached eggs is like nothing I have seen anywhere else, and it really works. Breakfast was followed by some shopping in the Laines then at about 13:00 we headed home but not before dropping on on Helen’s aunt for some lunch.
My plans for Sunday were pretty simple, get up have some breakfast, take it easy, perhaps a walk somewhere. Things then got a bit more complicated, I checked out twitter and I noticed a tweet from “Ian visits” suggesting that Mark Abrahams was doing a talk in London and there were tickets available. Helen was insistent on the original Sunday plans so I was on my own. Ticket was booked and an additional event was found : the Pearly Kings and Queens Harvest Festival. I had a plan.
Who is Mar Abrhams you ask? You may remember Helen and I went to the Ig Nobels a few months back (see blog post) but if you can’t here is a summary I nicked from the internet : Marc Abrahams is the editor of the parody magazine Annals of Improbable Researchand the founder of the Ig Nobel Prizes, which honour bizarre, questionable, and downright funny scientific research and are presented at an annual ceremony at Harvard University. Abrahams and the Ig Nobel have been widely covered, including by the Guardian, the New York Times, New Scientist, Scientific American, and newspapers and TV programmes internationally. The author of The Ig Nobel Prizes, published in 2002, Abrahams writes a weekly column for the Guardian. He lives in Massachusetts.
I got the 10:54 from Berkhamsted, which was surprisingly busy, but I managed to get a seat, next to the loo. Better spot than those who had to stand just outside the loo door! I used the journey to finally catch up with the Archers, after holidays, using the podcast app on my phone.
Pearly queen
I got the tube to Bank then Google maps guided me to Guildhall. Guildhall has been the City powerhouse since the twelfth century. In an era when the Lord Mayor of London rivalled the monarch for influence and prestige, this was where he and the ruling merchant class held court, fine-tuned the laws and trading regulations that helped create London’s wealth. Today, 800 years on, Guildhall is still home of the City of London Corporation, and acts as a grand setting for glittering banquets in honour of visiting Heads of State and other dignitaries, royal occasions, and receptions for major historical anniversaries.
There were not many people there, as the main event did not start till 14:00, but that mean the Pearlies were easy to photograph and photograph I did. My understanding of the event is that it is a celebration of harvest time and all the Pearly Kings and Queens get together with the mayors of all the boroughs and have a celebration and march in thanks for the harvest. Apart form people in cloths covered in buttons, and people in cloaks with heavy chains around their necks, I saw Morris dancers, Chelsea pensioners, and some donkeys pulling carts. I had to leave just as it was starting, so what really went on who knows.
I jumped on the tube at St Paul’s and walked after alighting at Holborn then walked round the corner to find Conway Hall, to watch “The worlds most improbable event?” by Mark Abrahams. Once I had located the hall I popped round the corner to find something to eat, luck would have it there was a traditional Fish & Chips shop close by so got a bag full, and ate on the run.
Morris men
Conway Hall is an ethical place according to the sign you see as you enter. According to the website of Conway Hall : Conway Hall is owned by South Place Ethical Society and was first opened in 1929. The name was chosen in honour of Moncure Daniel Conway (1832 – 1907), anti-slavery advocate, out-spoken supporter of free thought and biographer of Thomas Paine. The Hall now hosts a wide variety of lectures, classes, performances, community and social events. It is renowned as a hub for free speech and independent thought. Our Library holds the Ethical Society’s collection, which is the largest and most comprehensive Humanist Research resource of its kind in the United Kingdom.
The talks had a different format to the Ig Nobel one, rather than the authors of wining papers presenting their research, guest speakers were invited to chose from a selection of Ig Nobel and other improbable papers, then present it in two minutes then answer one question from the audience on the subject of the paper.
Conway hall, London
Amongst the papers presented was : A bra that converted into a gas mask, The colour preferences of people with various mental conditions, and a patent application for a birthing aid based on centrifugal forces. At the end of the presentation was the obligatory recital of a poem by McGonagall about the Tay bridge disaster which can be found here. I bought a copy of the Mark Abrahams book as I left and headed back to Euston to catch the train home; Holborn – Piccadilly – Euston.
For dinner I cooked Tumbet using a recipe of my own making. Tumbet is a Spanish/Moroccan dish made with sliced and fried potatoes, aubergine, and red peppers layered with tomato sauce and topped with some hard cheese, then cooked in the oven. I first had it the other week as a Marks and Spencer ready meal and thought I could do that. My version involves roasting rather than frying and it makes it a lot less fiddly. Basically slice the potato and roast in the oven, when done put aside and replace with the peppers and aubergine slices. Whilst all that is happening make the tomato sauce by frying garlic briefly then adding tinned tomatoes (one tin per 2 people) and rosemary and thyme, then let it cook down whilst the roasting happens. Take a baking dish oil it a bit layer the ingredients and intersperse with tomato sauce top with some grated cheese (parmesan works well), cover with tin foil then cook for 30 minutes then uncover and cook for then 10-15. Serve with salad.
Today I am off to London to do a couple of things, a trip on the Dangleway which opened in June, and hopefully a look around a Royal Navy boat which has been moored up near Greenwich since Friday. The boat is part of the Olympic build up, it will be used by helicopters. I found out about the boat from the Ian visits web site which is always worth a look of you are planning a trip to London and want something to do whilst there.
I anticipated that the boat tour would be popular so o got the 08:39 train from Berkhamsted, then the southbound northern line to Bank, make sure you get the right platform, then the docklands light railway to Greenwich.
The queue for the Tour round HMS Ocean was about 400m long but I decided it was worth the wait, as the ropes were only available for the one day, and I had arrived early enough at 10:05.
Whilst waiting I checked out Wikipedia to find out a bit more about HMS Ocean, HMS Ocean of the Royal Navy is an amphibious assault ship (or landing platform helicopter) and is the sole member of her class. She is designed to support amphibious landing operations and to support the staff of Commander UK Amphibious Force and Commander UK Landing Force.
HMS Ocean and river boat
She was constructed in the mid 1990s by Kvaerner Govan Ltd on the Clyde and fitted out by VSEL at Barrow-in-Furness prior to first of class trials and subsequent acceptance in service. She was commissioned in September 1998 at her home port HMNB Devonport, Plymouth.
The queue went through a couple of tents the first was filled with chairs and was showing a Royal Navy promotional film, however no one day down they just stayed in the queue we didn’t want to join the navy we all wanted to have a look round the big boat!
I reached the front of the queue a surprising 30 minutes later, and it soon became clear why, the 2 boats ferrying us to the vessel were quite big. We looped round the back of the vessel before pulling along side so we could disembark. Once on board we were ushered up a stairway and into a large area within the heart of the boat, there were demonstrations going on you could, put on an army pack, or learn about reasons and guns. Took the opportunity to climb up the ramp to get some pictures of the helicopters on the deck, then went back in to follow the Tour round the rest of the boat. We were told all about the landing craft that they had strung up on the side then we ended up in an even bigger hangar arts on the bowels of the vessel, where there were more demonstrations and helicopters. I took as many pictures as I could buy the light was very poor.
In the bowels of HMS Ocean
Then it was time to get back on the little boat and go back to the Greenwich quayside, where I took a few pictures of the Cutty Sark, before heading off along the Thames path towards the dome. The path is a bit in a state of disrepair and in one place I even saw someone lose a show in the mud, o think the whole thing needs some money thrown at it to bring it up to the standard of the path on the other side of the river. Once at the Dome I stopped off to have some lunch, a humous sandwich which because it was a cafe rouge came with French fries, and welcome it was too. Next stop was the dangleway.
You might be wondering what I am talking about well it seems that the Dangleway is what people have started to call the Emirates Air Line, which is a cable car which goes over the Thames.
Emirates Air Line (also known as the Thames Cable Car) is a Transport for London (TfL) gondola lift cable car link across the River Thames in London built with sponsorship from the air carrier Emirates. The service opened on the 28 June 2012.
On 4 July 2010, TfL announced plans to develop a cable car crossing over the River Thames. It is the first urban cable car in the United Kingdom. Designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects, it crosses the river at a height up to 90 metres (300 ft), higher than that of the Millennium Dome. The cable car provides a crossing every 15 seconds carrying up to 2,500 passengers per hour in each direction, equivalent to the capacity of 50 buses. The cable car can also convey bicycles and passengers are able to use Oyster Cards to pay for their journeys.
Southbank of the Thames
A planning application was submitted to the London Borough of Newham in October 2010 for the “erection of a cable car for the length of 1,100 metres [3,600 ft] over the River Thames from North Woolwich Peninsula to Royal Victoria Dock at a minimum clearance of 54.1 metres [177 ft] above mean high water springs”. The application listed the structures planned for the service on the north side of the Thames as an 87-metre (285 ft) north main tower at Clyde Wharf, a 66-metre (217 ft) north intermediate tower south of the Docklands Light Railway tracks roughly mid-way between Canning Town and West Silvertown stations, a two-storey gondola station and “boat impact protection” in Royal Victoria Dock. South of the river there is a 60-metre (200 ft) main support tower and a boarding station within the O2 Arena car park.
When the project was announced, TfL initially budgeted that it would cost £25 million and announced this would be entirely funded by private finance. This figure was revised to £45 million, and by September 2011 the budget had more than doubled to £60 million, reportedly because TfL had not taken account of the costs of legal advice, project management, land acquisition and other costs. TfL planned to make up the shortfall by paying for the project out of the London Rail budget, applying for funding from the European Regional Development Fund and seeking commercial sponsorship.
In January 2011, News International were planning to sponsor the project but subsequently withdrew its offer. In October 2011, it was announced that the Dubai-based airline Emirates would provide £36 million in a 10-year sponsorship deal which included branding of the cable car service with the airline’s name.
The Dangleway, Emirates Air Line London Greenwich end
Construction began in August 2011 with Mace as the lead contractor.[13] Mace built the cable car for £45 million and will operate it for the first three years for a further £5.5 million. TfL stated that the initial construction funding and Emirates sponsorship will cover £36 million of the cost; the rest will be funded from fares. The cable car will be the most expensive cable system ever built.
In May 2012, TfL said that the cable car would be ready for people to use by summer 2012, and that while there were originally no plans to have it open before the 2012 Olympics, there would be plans in place in case it was opened in time. The public opening took place at 12:00 BST on 28 June 2012. TfL reports that the total cost of the project was about £60 million of which £45 million went towards construction. TfL estimates that the service can carry 2,500 people per hour.
The queues were long and there was some confusion, first you needed to join a younger queue of which there were two, one for humans and one for the ticket machines, I did not realize at first and ended up in the human queue but soon transferred to the ticket machines queue when it became obvious it was shorter and quicker. In all it took me about 45 minute to get a ticket, then I was able to join the boarding queue!
The Dangleway, Emirates Air Line London in flight
Once there it was all over in a flash, we were ushered up the stairs and into a pod then at 8.6 miles per hour we were up and over the river and disembarked on the other side. The journey is really smooth apart from when you go over a pylon, and the view is great liking down on the Dome.
Next it was back on the docklands light railway to head back home. I quite enjoy the DLR as most of it is over ground, do you get to see where you are going a bit like when you take the bus in London. Anyway the journey home went well all train waits were about a minute or two and then when I got to Euston the next train was in five minutes so I was was back to see the end of the days stage of Le Tour.
