Road Trip!

April 4-7 (yeah, I know its been a while) was the last group outing this spring. Things have been moving along at such a pace, that I am only now getting the picture here.

The View from St. Paul's

On a recent outing with the Culture by Design class, we visited St. Paul's Cathedral. Of course the inside of the church is wonderful to behold, but alas, photos are not allowed there. Outside is another matter.

The Big Event - London

Near the Kilburn Tube station is a small green space that is maintained by volunteers. On Friday, we joined the ranks of these volunteers and spend our Big Event helping to improve the park. Our students built "dead hedges" (a fence of dead limbs to guide the foot traffic), edged some walkways, policed rubbish, and pulled weeds. See photos of the even below the fold.

Glenrothes 1988

This is the oldest of the Glenrothes selections I bought in Scotland. I lacks the silkiness on the tongue but is easy to drink nonetheless. It has a nice flavor and along finish. Seems like there is caramel. If there is vanilla in there, it is subtle. The character of the whisky settles down after 12 years or so and takes on a kind of burnished patina in the flavor. Yeah, that sounds kinds weird, but you try to find language to describe a taste.

Lots of good whisky to be had in Scotland.

The Group Photo

Here are a collection of photos taken over the semester, one of which may be the "official" group photo.

Tomatin Legacy

Another very fine scotch. This one has a sweet after state and is silky smooth. There's a bit of caramel and vanilla in there too, I think.

The web site says it is aged in a combination of bourbon barrels and virgin oak. It sure works very nicely. Definitely one worth another try.

Observations on being FMIR

We've survived the last trip out of London with the students and last night we attended the last play of the semester. Things are winding down. I hope to have posts with photos for recent events soon. In the mean time, I thought I'd share a few observations about being the FMIR and what's been going on.

Auchentoshan 18 year

This is a very fine whisky. excellent after taste. A darker, perhaps woodier taste than the 3 wood. Their web site claims a tobacco flavor but I don't get it. Perhaps that the "woodier" flavor.

I think, however, I prefer the 3 wood a bit more. Both are nice, but for my money, I'll take the 3 wood.

Auchentoshan Three Wood

Now this is a very fine sipping whisky. Velvety and smoothen the tongue. Clear butterscotch mixed in there. A bit of toffee as well.

The distillery web site says "Moving from American Bourbon to Spanish Oloroso Sherry - and finally Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks" gives the drink its complexity. I can believe it. This is a very good scotch whisky and I'd buy it in a skinny minute.

Paris

Viewing the Louvre from across the Seine at the Musee d'Orsay.

Paris is a city best seen in black and white. There is a feeling here that is very different from London. First, it is much smaller. London is just shy of 8 million, Paris is a bit over 2 million. Paris wan't bombed in the 20th century like London was. There are very few new buildings and essentially no buildings taller than about 4 storeys. It is a museum of a city. As if preserved in amber, there is little here that was't here by the mid-ninteenth century.

Auchentoshan 12 years old

No I don't how to say it.

This one's a keeper. From the Auchentoshan Distillery comes a 12 year whisky that is smooth, with strong notes of vanilla and as the web site says a hint of creme brûlée. Nice drink. It does not have the silly fell on the tongue that some others have had, but is quite good.

Hard to find a bad drink in the lot I purchased.

The Glenrothes 1998

This selection is an older sample from the Glenrothes distillery. This one is very tasty. It is not as smooth as the Glengoyne of lest night. the Glebgoyne seemed to have, upon reflection, a creaminess to it. Kind of like having a spoonful of yummy yogurt.

This Glenrothes is sharper. The distillery web site calls it peppery. It certainly has a long finish and sits well in the mouth. This one is good but less good than the others. Not my preference. Quite drinkable, but not as good as the others.

Glengoyne 18 years old

A new sample to taste from Glengoyne. This 18 years old scotch is very nice.  There is hint of vanilla and a very full and pleasing aroma in the glass. There might be a little fruit in there as well. It leaves a smooth after taste.

Their website declares that the never peat their barley so that contributes to the flavor a greater variety of flavors mixing. It is aged in sherry casks. It sits on on the tongue like a syrup without being sweet. It seems to me that it would go very well with chocolate. A delightful drink.

You'l notice that so far I have not have anything bad to say about any of the samples. Some are better than others, but they are all good. This is certainly one I'd buy again. It appears that I can buy it online from their website, although this may be limited to only UK buyers.

A visit to the Desert

The drive through the Atlas Mountains was amazing. The views constantly changed. It was a 7 hour drive or so from Marrakech to Zakora where we then went a short distance into the edge of the desert.

Tea in the Atlas Mountains

On Tuesday, we visited a Berber family for tea. The grandfather, above, made fresh mint tea for us. This is made with a bit of black tea tossed in a pot of water on a propane burner. Once it is hot, 400 lbs of sugar and a handful of fresh mint are added. It is heater some more and the result poured from about 1-1.5 feet above the table into a small glass about the size of a double shot glass. These same glass are also used for coffee when the occasion arrises.

This mint tea was the best we had on the trip. I'm sure the much of the block of sugar the size of the palm of my hand was still in the pot when he poured it out.

The tea came with fresh bread, olive oil, butter and honey. A real feast.

Outside Marrakech

On Tuesday of our trip, we were taken by out guide to a market day in a small town outside of Marrakech. Aside from the mud left by the recent rains (yes, it rains here!), it was a much better experience that the tourist-filled markets in Marrakech. There the vendors are very aggressive and barely take no for an answer. Here, all was peaceful and filled with the color (and smells) of the real thing.

You can buy anything here. On one edge was an abattoir and fresh meat was hanging from hooks. There were spices, dates, flour, sugar, live chickens, inverted baskets to have a shower in, ...everything.

Dar Rocmarra

We stayed at the Dar Rocmarra road in the Medina of Marrakech. It was a truly beautiful and peaceful place to stay. We had dinner there several nights as well. The first night was because we were tired. The other nights because the food was so good. In the courtyard was a fountain tinkling all day, a fireplace light every night and fresh flower on the table for every meal. A real oasis from the hubbub outside.

Jamal El Fna

The Jamal El Fna in Marrakech is a full sensory experience. The sounds of drummers and snake charmers with their receptive cadences fill the air. The smell of the horses and donkeys competes with the aroma of food and fruit. The colors are primary. Fill this with mopeds and tourists and you begin to get a feel for what the square is like, at least in the day time. Navigation in the Medina (the old city) is complicated enough in daylight. I wasn't interested in trying it at night.

It is interesting to contemplate a tangled bank...

Saturday we made the trip to Downe. We took the Northern line to Euston and changed for the Victoria line to Victoria Station. Next, we switched to the train to go from Victoria to Bromley South. At Bromley South we walked outside and took the 146 bus to Downe. On the bus ride we transitioned from suburbs to open country. The green fields are still surrounded by mostly bare trees but there is evidence of spring on its way.

Once in Downe, it was a 10 minute walk just out of the village to Downe House, the home of Charles Darwin.

Edinburgh

On a gray Friday morning we boarded the train for Edinburgh at King's Cross. It took about 4.5 hours to get there, arriving about 1:30. It takes a little time to realize that we are now in a much smaller place than London. A check of the web shows that the population of Edinburgh is a bit under 500,000 while London is closer to 8.2 million; more than a factor of 16 difference.

The Glenrothes

While in Edinburgh, I purchases a sample package of three version of several whiskies, The Glenrothes among them (Tomatin is another). I'm starting from the youngest versions of each of these. Today's selection is from the Glenrothes distillery.

This sample is the "Select Reserve". A check of the web site tells me that it typifies the distillery house character - ripe fruits, citrus, vanilla and hints of spice. This "select" is a variety of years blended together so I don't know what year(s) are in it.

I find it to have a nice bouquet and a smooth after taste. I do find a little vanilla, but not so much the citrus. The ripe fruits are in there buy pretty subtile. There is a spicy finish but I can't tell if that is the alcohol or the flavor coming through. It is quite good, but I can't quite find the flavors listed on the web site. I guess it is just me. I could handle a bottle of this at home. I believe I liked the GlenDronach Parliament a bit better but this easy very good.

The ever-lenghening life list

A European robin, not the silly American thrush we call a robin.

Today, Elizabeth and I went to London Wetlands Centre out near Hammersmith. We found a delightful place. It isa wetland of ponds and march bits with nice paths, a cafe, hides, a shop, and some very nice people.

GlenDronach Parliament

From the web site...

In a secluded spot in Aberdeenshire, nestled in the rolling East Highland hills, you'll find The GlenDronach Distillery, one of Scotland's oldest distilleries; still producing the richly sherried style.

Tonight's tipple is a very smooth, ever so slightly peaty drink. It is, after all, aged 21 years. Again, from the web site

Matured in a combination of the finest Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for a minimum of 21 years, the 'Parliament' continues the great GlenDronach tradition of offering fruit-laden intensity in its single malts.

 The fruit is subtle but present. There is a strong hint of sherry in the smell and the taste. The dark color reminds me of sherry a bit.

It is a strong sipping drink and is quite satisfying. I'll definitely be getting some of this in larger portions than a sample bottle.

A new series for the blog

Last weekend, Elizabeth and I took all 28 students to Edinburgh for the weekend. Pictures will be forthcoming soon. However, those of you who know me, will understand when I tell that some time was spent in "The Whisky Experience" and various bars experimenting with the national drink. Some of it came home with me.

So, I've decided that a way to make the trouble of finding the good stuff, buying it, toting around town and, then on the train back to East Finchley worth something, I'm going to blog what I think bout each to the little sample (airplane sized) bottles I brought back. I'm no expert in scotch whisky but I know what I like. So let's start.

The first tasting is of Tomatin aged over 12 years in Spanish sherry casks. The name rhymes with 'satin' and is from the name of the town in Scottish Gaelic: Tom Aitinn. It is a small village on the River Findhorn in Strathdearn in the Scottish Highlands about 16 miles (26 km) south of the city of Inverness. This has a clean taste. The alcohol comes through but it is not a sharp bite nor is it overpowering. All in all, it is a smooth drink. I can't really tell that it was aged in a sherry cask, that addition to the taste is subtle. It is a pleasant drink but does not strike as special.Nevertheless, I'd certainly buy a bottle to have some more. I have a feeling that I'll be saying this a lot as I move through the samples.

Upcoming events

During the coming week, I will take my class to the Michael Faraday Museum at the Royal Institution. While this is not a huge museum in the basement of the Royal Institution building, it is a nice introduction to Faraday and his work.

Monday evening we go to see the play "One man, two Guvnors".

Friday through Sunday we head north to Edinburgh to explore the city a bit. We'll have a bus tour of the city on Friday afternoon to orient us and then on Saturday morning we'll have a tour of the Edinburgh Castle and on Sunday we tour Holyrood Palace.

A busy week coming. The following week we see the "Knight of the burning pestle" and Rigoletto at the English National Opera before we pause for spring break.

And for spring break we're off to Marrakech!

Portobello Road Market

The market at Portobello Road in Notting Hill is large, varied, and a fun place to shop and people-watch. On Saturday afternoon, we visited here, taking the bus from Kensal Green. We found, among many other things, a mushroom stand with all sorts of wild and exotic 'shrooms.

Kensal Green Cemetery

Another of the "seven sisters", the cemeteries built to ease the demand on existing cemeteries in London dying the 1830's, Kensal Green is a large facility filled with the great and ordinary. Like Highgate, there are amazing examples of cemetery art and the graves of interesting people.

Columbia Road Flower Market

Every Sunday, the flower vendors set up on Columbia Road, a narrow street near Shoreditch. It is a colorful and crowded event. This is where the flower vendors were moved when it was decided to move them out of Covent Garden (remember Elisa?)

Lots on people, lots of noise from the vendors hawking their supplies and musicians perfuming for donations.

Bunhill Fields Cemetery

The Bunhill Fields Cemetery is the final resting place for several notables, among them John Bunyan. I'm still looking for the grave site of his brother Paul.

Where the oxen ford the Thames

Friday was a long day. We were scheduled to take the train from Paddington Station to Oxford to have a guided tour of the city and university. Nature was not amused. The wind and rain made the direct route impossible. So we took the train from Paddington to Reading and changed for Oxford.

Some basic data

Just for grins, I've done a little checking on Google maps to get a feel for how far I am walking as I run around the city. Starting with the standard stuff, going to the office and back 4 days a week, I find that walking to and from the tube station at each end gets me 1.6 mi/day. This works out to just of 83 mi for the semester.

There there is the obligatory outing each day. Some require significant walking and some don't so let's say this is another 1.5 mi/day for those 4 days each week. This works out to be about 66 mi for the semester.

This gets me to a little shy of 150 miles. This is before I start doing the other things I want to do like Cambridge and Canterbury. Extra trips to Greenwich are not in there. The out-of-town trips to Oxford, Edinburgh, and Paris are omitted. Our spring break trip and our travel after the semester.

I'd say it is pretty easy that I'll top 300 miles this semester. Being the FMIR in London is certainly good exercise!

Tower Bridge and Friends

Today I went on an outing to the Design Museum. It is located on the south bank of the Thames not far from the Tower Bridge. Above is the view from outside the museum looking across the Thames. You can see the "Gerkin" (the pointy topped building). To its left is the "Cheese Grater" and behind the bridge is the 'Walkie-Talkie". Londoners like to give their tall buildings nicknames. There is also the "Shard", the "Beehive" (also called the "Motorcycle Helmet"). Kinda makes the Tower Bridge seem passé as a name.

Although a little cool, this afternoon was the first really nice weather we've had: blue sky that went to the horizon and lasted more than a few minutes.

Meanwhile: the Thames upstream is out of it banks.

Waterloo Station

Waterloo station, on the south bank of the Thames, is a large place with shopping and connection to the underground and the rail system. It has a beautiful victorian facade and ample space for buses and taxis outside. There is a vast array of two-level bicycle storage racks outside that filled to overflowing with bikes.

The National Maritime Museum

Today E and I visited the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich to see the Turner sea paintings exhibition. It was marvelous. Among the permanent exhibits is a section on Nelson, his life, death, and navy. Above is the uniform Nelson was wearing when he was fatally shot on the deck of the Victory at Trafalgar. Note the bullet hole on his left shoulder.

Highgate Cemetery (part II)

We made another visit to the Highgate Cemetery yesterday with Jeanne Solsberry, Elizabeth Niece, who was visiting. We had good weather for a change, although it was still a bit windy.

The Spitalfields Market

The Spitalfields Market is found in modern surroundings with a great glass roof overhead and modern shops and eateries all round. On the Friday we went, there were clothes and vinyl to be found. There were many folks in jeans and business suits rummaging bins of albums and 45's for just the right one(s).

Greenwich

On Saturday the 31st, we went to Greenwich. This outing was led by a guide who took about to get a taste of the important museums located there.  Above is the Old Royal Naval College designed by Sir Christopher Wren. It was built in two parts so that the Queen's house in the distance behind them, could retain a view of the Thames.

Westminster Abbey

As I mentioned in a earlier post, Westminster Abbey is overwhelming. A collection of so many famous people buried or commemorated in one place, so much history spread before you in banquet of intellectual canapés. Kind of like have history tweeted to you by the people who made it.

The Tower of London

 

On 31 January, we had a group outing to the Tower of London. Above you see the the students (with me hiding in the back) on the side of the Thames in front of  the Tower looking downstream to the Tower Bridge. The day quickly turned from cloudy to rainy (surprise?) and we dodged showers and generally got a little wet.

Status Update

Things have been busy and I haven't had time to download photos form the camera to give you a proper update. I home to do this over the weekend. For now, an overview of what's been happening.

Westminster Abbey

Today we visited the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. While the Tower was fascinating, the crown jewels are beautiful and the history is amazing, Westminster Abbey is awe inspiring. There are graves and plaques for every king, queen, poet, playwright, scientist, engineer, soldier and statesman you've ever hear of and then some.

It is huge and impressive beyond compare (well we visit Notre Dame in a couple months...we'll see), and it is simply wonderful.

In the section where scientists are found are Newton, Darwin, Lister, Wilberforce, Hershel, Green, Stokes, a plaque for Joule, Watt, and a dozen others. A walk through this building is literally a stroll through a thousand years of the British Empire carved in stone.

They're Here!

Leaving Heathrow

On Wednesday (22nd), the students began arriving. First the interns, then on Friday the rest of the students (shown above) arrived at Heathrow. Renee, Dietrich, and I went to the various terminals at Heathrow (there are 5, but most flights seems to come to 1, 3, 4, and 5) to greet the new arrivals and escort them to a meeting place. We then fetch the bus and we all head for Madison House.You'll not be very surprised to know that the 14 young women above filled the luggage area under this full size bus.

Highgate Cemetery

So are we all, eventually.

It's pronounced hi-gt, one syllable. It is one of the magnificent seven. One of the cemeteries created in the 1830s to deal with the burgeoning London population. We learned in our tour that at the peak, Londoners were dying at a rate of 17/day. The cemetery then was a very noisy place.

Bridge over the river Cam

Trinity College

On Saturday we visited Cambridge. An amazing town with hoards of bicycles everywhere and beautiful architecture abounding. The picture above shows the court yard at Trinity college. On the right is the Great Gate through which we entered the college. On the left is the Trinity Trinity Chapel. The section of the building in between, on the second floor (the British call it the 1st floor), in the middle is the room where Isaac Newton lived. He was admitted in June 1661 and he graduated in 1665. In 1665, he discovered the generalized binomial theorem and began to develop differential calculus. the university closed soon after he received his degree in August of that year.  In 1667, he returned to Cambridge as a fellow of Trinity.

Exploring London

The tube platform in East Finchley.

Since we went to Canterbury, we've been exploring and learning about London. Tuesday we were visited by the landlady while the heating systems was checked and certified and the lock in the front door was updated. It seems the mechanism in the front door dates from some time before 1982. In itself, this is no biggie. The problem was that the keys had narrow bits on them that were bent and this made operating the door hard in a poring rain.

A Canterbury Tale

Thomas Becket was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162 by King Henry II. In 1170, the conflict between Becket and the king reached a boiling point and the king had him murdered in the cathedral. This alter was installed in 1986 to mark the spot of his martyrdom. There is a plaque on a nearby will nothing that Pope John Paul and the then Archbishop knelt in prayer here.

Getting Oriented

Today we had an orientation meeting with Charlotte in the afternoon, so we decided to make a day of it and do some exploring. Above is a shot of the Great Blue Rooster (well, what would you call it?) in Trafalger Square.

We have arrived

This morning - middle of the night to all of you - we landed at Heathrow. Getting through immigration was a bit of a pill. We managed to find ourselves the one immigration officer that didn't really know what she was doing and we stood there for at least ½ an hour waiting while she talked first one person then another to figure out what visa to admit us with. Finally, she got us sorted out. By this time everyone on our flight was already through - not a full flight by any stretch. Our luggage was waiting on us. We loaded up a cart and waltzed through customs. The poor driver was wondering what happened to us. A delightful fellow. It was interesting to ride again on the left side of the road. Glad I'm not driving.

We've spend the day getting settled in. We walked down High street a bit and found something to eat, stopped at the grocery to pick up a few things for this evening and in the morning. After a bit we found the magic handbook with such vital information as the wireless password.

The picture above is of the back garden. We looked out the window and there was the fox. By the time I got there with the camera he was headed out the back. I tapped on the window and just as he turned his head, I got him.

I'd say we've arrived. We have a back garden (how British is that?), one that is visited by a fox (!), behind a house in East Finchley. Tomorrow we head into the city for a bit of exploring.

Hey, It doesn't look so cold

Back in the valley now sharing space with the "polar vortex". Vaguely reminiscent of a medical procedure, isn't it? Ever met a doctor or nurse with warm hands?

Having a cup of coffee in Staunton while E has an appointment. Looking out the window it could be summer or the year 2034 since there is no vegetation in the scene. However, do not be fooled. It was 3 degrees this morning when we finally emerged from our hotel room in Harrisonburg. It is not quite 18 degrees now. Single digits are again promised for tonight.

Hanging out in DC

So. Just in time for the snow storm, we go to DC. Caught the Metro on Friday to the national mall to visit the National Museum of the American Indian. Really great place to visit. Every other museum I've been to is about stuff: paintings, sculpture, artifacts, etc. This is the first museum I've visited that is all about people. Great stories. Great traditions. Beautiful artwork. Humanity. Also great food in the restaurant. Don't miss it.

And then there is the National Botanic Garden.

Pet sitting

Our house sitting gig involved a cat (Zoe) and a dog (Raven). Two handsome and very well-behaved critters.