London Town, Part 1

             London

We are currently in London, enjoying our flat in Notting Hill. I think we're done with the retrospective, with catching up on where we were. Now we're in real time... more or less.

It's raining today, so we have a chance to catch up a bit. (And this rain is a relief from the heat we've been having!)

After two months of being on the road we are quite happy to just set for a spell. Plus the weather has been very hot! Not encouraging for trips into the Big City. Instead, we have been content to stay closer to home, which is in the western part of London known as Notting Hill. (There’s a movie with that name, set in this neighborhood. The first five minutes are good…)

"Our" house, the one on the right; that's our garrett window 'way up high

Our street

We’re a few blocks from Portobello Road, along which a market is held daily selling all manner of things, useful and… esthetic. It’s an interesting and dynamic neighborhood, with quiet, stately residential streets lined with Victorian houses, and more active streets with cafes, restaurants, community centers, and shops selling groceries, high fashion, objects d’art, plumbing supplies, and tourist knickknacks.

A part of the Portobello Market, which extends for many blocks along Portobello Road

I like the views out our windows. There is a green strip between the row of buildings on our street and the one behind us; it gives the ground-floor residents garden space, and us something to look at. I find myself hanging out the window in the evening, looking down and around at the plants and trees. It’s quiet and peaceful, yet there’s a lot going on energetically.

Pleasant view out our rear window

Our solitary front window looks down a short street, proud three-storey [sic] Victorians on either side. And in the distance, right in the middle, is a modern high-rise under construction with a huge green heart on it. Wandering the neighborhood near the base of this tower we found posters and hand-lettered signs indicating neighborhood solidarity and support, as well as outrage. Ah, something must have happened here! Once back at our flat, a quick Google check turned up information on the Grenfell fire: that building burned in a real towering inferno just a year ago. Seventy-two people died; 70 more were injured. Several hundred lost their homes. Residents blame the landlord, the city council, for not taking more care on the remodeling done a few years earlier.

Now, every time we look out the window and see the green heart on that building, we feel a sort of intimacy with the area; a knowledge of its history that is not obvious. It’s a tendril of a root; we’re not just passersby; we’re getting to know the neighborhood.

The front window, looking down McGregor Street towards the Grenfell building

A year after the fire the Grenfell building is still being repaired; caption next to the green heart reads: "Grenfell    Forever in our hearts"

One day we walked to the Kensington Gardens, a major park on the west side contiguous with Hyde Park. It was hot, the grass was sere and yellowing. I didn’t find it very pleasant. Since it was a Saturday, Londoners out to escape the heat were seeking shade under the trees. The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain was jammed with kids. The park is quite large, but eventually we made it out the south end, wandered around the Royal Albert Hall, and ended up at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Oh my, what a find!

The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain on a very hot Saturday

The Albert Memorial -- he must have been quite a guy, to get a memorial like that!

            V and A Museum

Initially established in 1857 to promote applied art and science (as opposed to the “high art” of the National Gallery and the British Museum) to help boost productive industry, the Victoria and Albert Museum has a mind boggling array of manufactured items. We were particularly interested in clothing and housewares from the Tudor era (16^th Century, mostly). The museum seems to be endless, with every room opening up different objects from a different era. Like every museum we’ve been to here (six or eight, so far) it’s collections are totally mind boggling. I’m just gonna have to leave it there…

The Bed of Ware, a massive bed that drew tourists back in the 16th Century

Quirky standard bearers carved from wood, also from the 16th Century

             Battersea

On another walking day we headed south towards the river and stumbled upon the Battersea Power Station. This iconic, massive brick building, done in Art Deco style, really speaks to me for some reason. I’d only seen photos of it, and it seemed like science fiction out of the 1950s.  (It is visually remarkable enough, in fact, that it was used on the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album Animals). This huge building seemed the very image of power and progress in that booming era between the wars (and that would be WWI & WWII). I had no idea where it actually was, and coming across it unexpectedly was a real blast. The plant hasn’t generated a kilowatt since 1983 and was falling apart. Fortunately, its status as an icon has some economic value, and it is now the center piece of a large residential-office-shopping complex (about all an outworn power plant can hope for these days, I suppose). It is, however, surrounded by high-rise glass buildings, which shifts the iconography a bit.

The album cover photo for Pink Floyd's Animals  (Wikipedia, from  http://www.pinkfloyd.com/)

Battersea Park today

             Abbey Road and Little Venice

Then, the other day, I was studying the map and noticed the Abbey Road Studios were a comfortable walk away. So, of course we went there! On our way we crossed a canal, complete with traditional narrow boats (the style of canal boat seen all over England). We followed it and came to Little Venice, a turning basin at the confluence of two canals. (Many canals were built through the UK – and Europe – during the 19^th Century for transportation; barges and boats carried enormous amounts of goods on these artificial waterways, which today are maintained for recreation. One of these canals continues into London past Paddington Station.)

Traditional English Narrowboats tied up along a canal in west London

It seems the British poet Robert Browning spent some years here and gave it the name Little Venice. It’s quite pleasant, with a small island supporting a fine willow tree.  And of course, a café or two for those who wish to linger. Plus canal boat tours, 45 minutes up the canal to Camden (wherever THAT is).

Little Venice, a turning basin at the confluence of two canals in London

We’ll be back, but this was not our final destination on this excursion. Continuing along, we found the Abbey Road Studios on a lovely tree-lined street in St. John’s Wood, built in the 1930’s and made famous by the Beatles (and the many other bands that recorded there, including Pink Floyd and The Hollies). I noticed the whitewashed walls around the building were covered with hand-written inscriptions; well-wishes from fans, no doubt! But the real focus of attention was the crosswalk just up the street, the one used for the iconic album cover for the Beatles' Abbey Road album.

Abbey Road Studios, inscribed walls, and onlookers

Another iconic album cover (Iain Macmillan via Wikipedia)

A great place to people watch! It’s remarkable that nearly 50 years later, this nondescript road crossing is still a tourist attraction. Photographers set up in the middle of the road while their friends walk the zebra stripes swinging their arms in an exaggerated fashion, as they imagine the Beatles must have done. Meanwhile, local drivers wait patiently until everyone clears out of their way. Weird…

Just another zebra crossing in suburban London...

...at the intersection of Abbey Road and Grove End Road.

             The British Museum

It’s really a bit too much, this compendium of curiosities from around the world. Egyptian statues (and bits of statues) 5,000 years old; Assyrian palace gates from 350 B.C.E.; a board game from the same era. Beaten copper artwork that lay buried for 3,000 years; tea cups, earrings, neck toques, coin hordes. Endless rooms of endless cases of endless artifacts, all surrounded by endless hordes of visitors. It’s pretty overwhelming!

             We started with a very nice lunch in the ups-scale café. The whole inner courtyard where the café is located is outside, but now covered by a transparent dome. Since it was raining today (a relief! I keep thinking about that sere grass in the parks), this was a fine arrangement. Lunch was pricey, but hey it’s my birthday! So we toasted with a mid-day carafe of wine. It was a moment…

             We may go back to the Museum to see some of what we missed (seeing all is hopeless); on the other hand, there are so many other places to go! The Natural History Museum covers a few square blocks, there’s the Houses of Parliament, and other historical buildings (where’s that palace that Henry VIII build for Anne Boleyn?) 

So we’ll see!

Germany

             (June 24)

I wasn’t particularly interested in visiting Germany. I’ve got nothing against it; I’m just not drawn there. But the path of our travels through Scandinavia to Amsterdam led right through Hamburg, Germany. Plus, as we were planning all this months ago we heard Hamburg was a happening place. So, we allocated a couple of days. Besides, lodging is not expensive there…

We were blown away by Hamburg! It’s an amazing city. Even though we arrived in a drizzle and never saw the sun for three days, we found it engaging, and interesting in surprising ways.

The city has a long history. The official name – The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg – clues us that it was part of the Hanseatic League (we ran into them in Bergen), signs of which are still all over the city. The Romans were here (of course!), but the first real building was erected by Charlemagne, in 808. The city was sacked by Vikings (what self-respecting European city wasn’t?!), then by the Poles, then by the Black Death. But it’s location on a river, the Elbe, with access to the Baltic meant it was destined to be a trading center.

Hamburg City Hall, or Rathaus

And trade, in the late 1100s, meant the Hanseatic League. The League was created to protect and enhance economic and diplomatic interests, and eventually controlled trade all over Northern and Eastern Europe. It made the traders – and the city of Hamburg – very rich. Hamburg today is still rich. There are fine, beautiful houses and public buildings from centuries ago; thought-provoking ruins (World War II was not kind to German cities); canals lined with merchant homes and storehouses from the Middle Ages; huge brick warehouses; a fabulous Opera House (why does every city build a fancy opera house?); a major shipping port. And, there were the Beatles.

Buildings lining one of the many canals in Hamburg

Hamburg's opera house; performance halls are set on large springs. The windows open to luxury apartments, offices, and a hotel.

Classy rest room sign in the opera house

We arrived in Hamburg on a wet Saturday afternoon. This was the first real rain since we’d arrived in Europe. It was just drizzling, really, and not cold, but not encouraging, either! Off the train and over to the city bus stop (Paula is really good at city navigation), then dig out some money for the ticket. Norway, and Scandinavia in general, is transitioning to a cash-less economy, so we hadn’t used coins and bills for weeks. Now we had to find our Euros!  A bit short on coins, Paula offered a 50-Euro note. The driver refused the bill, saying it was too old or something* (he enlisted the language skills of another passenger who spoke some English). We felt like real duffuses, standing there all wet with our suitcase and backpacks and laptops slung around us, just off the boat, as it were. Eventually the driver – bless his heart – accepted our few coins, about half a Euro short of the required fare, and we rode to our Airbnb accommodations. (Seriously, thank you Mr. Driver for your generosity to clueless strangers!)

* After some cogitation Paula remembered the bill was our deposit return from our place in Alicante, the same bill Paula had given the manager some months ago, one that we’d gotten on our last trip in 2016. Perhaps the EU had updated the currency? In any event, the next morning a coffee shop accepted the bill without question. Sorted! (As they say in England…)

I really liked this Airbnb. The hosts were most thoughtful; and our room was set up to meet the needs of travelers such as us. In a modern apartment building overlooking a green space, we had a distant view of the Heinrich Hertz Tower, an ugly concrete communications tower that’s become a modern landmark. Despite the lack of esthetics, I like that it recognizes a pioneering physicist (and Son of Hamburg), for whom the unit of electrical frequency -- the Hertz --  is named (and what higher accolade could you get then having an electrical unit named after you?).

View of the Heinrich Hertz Tower out our window

Actually, what made this modern tower noteworthy was the view from the other side of the apartment: the bell tower of St. Michael’s Church, an earlier Hamburg landmark, the first sign of the city seen by approaching ships. Of course, that was the view from our host’s bedroom, not ours, but I thought it was a nice balance: the new out one window, the old out the other.

St. Michael's Church tower, a long-time Hamburg landmark

These two towers symbolize for me the layers of history, of ongoing change, that Hamburg carries. The Hanseatic League gave way to individual merchants building large homes and storehouses on canals to deliver the goods. Improved transport technologies (steamships) expanded the shipping industry. Trading corporations formed and build more large impressive buildings, in a different style. Huge warehouses were needed to facilitate increased trade. Then the shipping container was invented, and huge facilities were built across the river to accommodate this new technology. Older builders were torn down, or repurposed. It’s the story of every old city, but somehow these layers seem more accessible in Hamburg.

We did get a good chance to examine that bell tower, however. The World’s Cup was on, semi-final match between Sweden and Germany. Now, we’re not given to sports; not soccer, not American football, not baseball. But the World Cup is a Big Deal in Europe. Plus, the Germans were playing! Our hosts were off to watch it at a friend’s house, and offered us their bedroom. Lounging on the broad bed and watching the wide-screen TV! Our loyalties were a bit divided, having just been in Sweden, but we were glad Germany won. (They clearly had better control of the ball throughout the game, but the Swedish spectators were having a lot more fun.)

 

This was taken only hours before (the Germans won) the game

As always in a new city we took the “free” walking tour (guides collect tips at the end). As always, it was fantastic. There is much to see in Hamburg (all those layers), and our guide brought them out well. In addition to he usual up-town public buildings, our guide took us on a brief ferry ride, saving some walking, to a more modern and less reputable part of Hamburg, known for its sex shops, night clubs, Red Light District, and Beatles history.

Beatles-Platz, monument to the "Fab Four" -- Pete Best stands apart (he stayed in Hamburg)

Fifty years ago the Beatles played in Hamburg for a year or so. They are still remembered: there is a sort of shrine to them on the Beatles-Platz. There’s still night clubs there with loose (and often lewd) acts, some with plaques commemorating past artists (like the Beatles!). Our tour guide, keen on Beatles lore, filled us in on the antics of Lennon and company in their year in the area. He also cautioned us to be careful, as it is (still) renowned as a place to get really ripped off. He pointed out a price list, for example, posted in public in conformance to local law. Can you imagine paying that much for a drink! Everyone looked, and shook their heads at the outrage. (Until Paula commented, “Hey, this is cheaper than in Oslo!”)

Our tour guide shows us the street where the Beatles played, still home to clubs and bars today

Where the Beatles got their funky haircuts

There are endless interesting vistas in Hamburg, thanks to the canals and the layering of old and new. A church bombed in World War II, now a peace shrine; tidal canals that fill and empty twice a day, many lined with expensive apartments and interesting cafes; monuments, statues, and public art both old and new. Crowded ferries offering low-cost river rides; extensive ship facilities right across the river from expensive offices and residences. 

St. Nikolai Memorial: a church bombed in WWII, now a peace monument.

Angel on Earth by Edith Breckwoldt, part of the peace monument; plaques read, in multiple languages: "Take my hand and let me lead you / back to yourself"

Tide's out! The level of the canals fluctuates widely due to tidal action

Bridge spans a canal

Massive warehouses from the 19th Century, now housing offices, studios, and the Miniatur Wunderland

Buildings in the lower right housed a major magazine publisher; with the decline in publishing, they are now "repurposed" (to gov't offices); that's the opera house in the upper left

Oh, yes, and then there’s Miniatur Wunderland, what must be the world’s largest and most detailed model train layout. It’s an absolutely jaw-dropping installation of miniature models of… well, much of the world, done both accurately and with subtle and extensive humor. Hamburg itself is presented in miniature, including the airport with planes, about a foot long, landing and taking off. We see Las Vegas; the red rocks of Southern Utah; idyllic European pastoral scenes; a lagoon in Venice that drains and refills as a building collapses; snow-covered Alpine passes. It goes on and on through multiple rooms and various floors of an old warehouse.  Oh, and five or six times an hour night falls, everything gets dark, lights come on in the miniature cities; then, the sun rises and things brighten as the city lights are extinguished. Just like real life!

I’d better stop now. I could go on for pages, though! There's a brief video of what we saw below.

A scene from the Red Rocks of Utah at the Miniateur Wunderland

Las Vegas!

St. Michael's Church in Hamburg, as seen at the Wunderland

And lastly, note the license shows a double H, for Hasiatic Hamburg. (Innovative trailer hitch ball protector, too!)

Here's the Miniatur Wunderland video!

OK, I think the next blog will be about our adventures in London. About time!

Sweden

             Sweden   (June 12)

We are currently – August 10 – in London, enjoying our flat in Notting Hill, continuing our attempts to catch up on where we’ve been since leaving Alicante in early April. Then we can start catching up on what we’ve done in London!

Another first-class train ride took us to Stockholm (no hot chocolate on this one, though). I must admit I really liked the public transport in Norway, both the long-distance trains and the city trams; all very well done with plenty of information for passengers. Sweden and Denmark also have great public transport, but I expect Norway’s is newer.

New and old: dome of Hedvig Eleonora Church, from 1737

Stockholm is a fantastic city. The harbor area is full of gorgeously-decorated buildings of a decent, human size (like the iconic Haussmann buildings in Paris, it was built in the mid-1800s, before elevators, when six floors were as high as anyone wanted to climb). Sweden has long been a rich country due to trade. It’s open to the Baltic Sea, with access to Poland, St. Petersburg, and all of western Russia. Rich merchants built rich buildings, and the results are still with us in Stockholm.

Buildings along the waterfront in Stockholm

An impressive building in downtown Stockholm, now a major hotel

Stortorget, Stockholm's oldest square. 

There is an incredible array of islands east of Stockholm, called the archipelago (which, after all, means a group of islands). Some are tiny islets; but there are many that host homes, and even towns. We took a ferry (always ready to get out on the water!) to Vaxholm, about 30 minutes away. Along the way the boat made at least half-a-dozen stops to let off and take on passengers (many with bicycles). Some of the houses we saw from the water appeared to be summer cottages, but we were told this ferry is a commuter boat, carrying people from the islands to jobs in Stockholm year-round.

One of a half-dozen ferry stops 

Vaxholm was a cute town, worth a half-hour of wandering (and another half-hour having an excellent lunch at a water-front café!). Just as we were preparing to leave, four old-time steamer ferries arrived from Stockholm for a yearly celebration. They were welcomed by Vaxholm’s Marine Band and dozens of excited spectators. (We had originally planned to ride one of these boats, which are in regular ferry service, but they were all booked for this special occasion.) Our modern ferry left soon after the vintage ones arrived, so we got to see them arrive and dock from both the land and the water. And 30 minutes later, we were back walking the waterfront in Stockholm.

An appreciative crowd listens as the Marine Band welcomes the classic ferries to Vaxholm

We take our leave from Vaxholm on the ferry as the classic steamers arrive

Our Airbnb room was in one of the more prosperous areas of the city, in an older but well-appointed building. Our room had a floor-to-ceiling Swedish stove, covered in plain white glazed tiles. While it has been replaced by more modern heating (hot water, I think), it is impressive. It spoke strongly of blowing snow and long, very cold nights. Next to our room was the dining room with a similar but more elaborate stove. The next room over was the living room, with a truly remarkable fireplace, covered with intricately worked glazed tiles.

Well-furnished living room

Detail of the amazing ceramic fireplace

Paula in the dining room/office. Note the Swedish stove behind her!

Both the living and dining rooms were fully furnished in period furniture, probably from the 1920s. As I said, this was an up-scale part of the city, and everything was very well done. Our host left shortly after we arrived, so we never heard any stories about who lived here or what they did, but the room looked ready to host a soiree for a dozen or so guests. It was pretty fantastic, like living in one of those cultural museums showing what life was like back when. Except, we got to sit in the chairs!

Why barns are red

In 1674 the Swedish nobility erected a building for their use, called Riddarhuset or the House of Nobility, in Stockholm. It was used for meetings and concerts. Made of red brick, it was greatly admired, and many of the noble families copied it for their country estates. But bricks were very expensive outside of the city, so the country houses were made of wood, painted red. The popularity of this style spread, and all the farmers wanted red houses as well.

The Riddarhauset today

It so happened that at this time copper mining was a significant industry in Sweden, and a by-product of the production was a bright red pigment that made fine paint, and, more importantly, was quite cheap (being a by-product and all). So, the countryside became dotted with bright red buildings, called Falu red after the town of Falun, where the copper mines were located. (As a side note, the copper in the paint made it a good wood preservative, but it was the low cost that made it popular). Later the nobility started painting their homes white and yellow, colors that were much more expensive. The farmers stuck with red.

Farm house in rural Sweden. Falu red.

Flash forward to the 19th century and a decline in infant mortality in Sweden (thanks to advances in health and science and all). Families got bigger, since more of the babies survived to become children. And heirs. Since only the oldest son inherited, there were more and more landless farmers. With improved transportation to the New World, many rural Swedes emigrated to North America. They prospered, and painted their buildings in the New World the traditional color from back home.

So barns in North America are red because Swedish nobility build a pretty building in the 17th Century.

As I’ve said before, we are not always keen on public buildings and monuments. But we did tour the Stadshus, Stockholm’s town hall. Among other functions it hosts the Nobel Prize banquet, honoring the recipients of that prestigious award. It’s a large, relatively new building finished in the early part of the 20^th Century. Throughout our tour I was impressed by the commitment to equality of the people. The layout of the council chambers assures access by the public and puts all the officials on the same level. Displayed inside are numerous busts, not of famous rulers or legislators but of construction workers, the people who nailed the beams and placed the bricks. For the Swedes and Scandinavians in general, “equality” is not merely a concept, but an on-going reality.

Heroic statue in front of Stockholm's stadshus, the Town Hall, where the Nobel Prize ceremony is held

Inside the Stadhaus where the Nobel Prize dinner is held, all done in gold tile (eat your heart out, Donald Trump!)

We took another, short, train ride to Gothenburg, on Sweden’s west coast. Neither of us is sure why we chose this unremarkable town, although we did find the Volvo Ocean Race fleet, and we spent most of our short stop in Gothenburg at the race village. We have a previous blog about our time there.

Aside from that, Gothenburg didn’t leave much of an impression. The Volvo race, a couple of fabulous rain squalls (one with thunder and hail), and that was about it. We probably missed a lot.

And how can we leave Sweden without seeing a classic Volvo!

And, finally, what is this? I saw these wires coming out of downspouts in Sweden and Norway. Finally, I got it: a heat wire to keep the downspout from damning up with ice. Hard to imagine in the summer!