Current affairs

For those of you who followed out time in London in the spring of 2014, I wish to point you to a new blog about our life after retirement. Head over to No Better Life to follow our travels as we explore the world.

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.