Barth's Basel

Monday. 

 With my Basel pass I can use the trams freely, so after breakfast it was onto tram 15 to ‘Kleiner’
Basel and then the 34 to the Friedhof am Hörnli, I knew which division, section, and grave number he was residing at, but it didn’t help as there very few numbers on the first few divisions….I had a map but it didn’t really help either, I found the right division but the section wasn’t listed, having checked several grave 14’s, I Googled the exact location co-ordinated and found it. Interestingly his assistant Charlotte von Kirschbaum Is buried in the same plot, alongside his wife Nelly. I was nearly run over by deer running through the cemetery. I then caught the tram back to the old town and had a wander around. 

I visited the university rooms he used to lecture from and then stopped for coffee. It is snowing today but I had another look round the market. I wandered back to the hotel and then did some work and read. 

 

Tuesday 

Today was the day, I was visiting the Barth archives, the house he lived in with Nelly and
Charlotte from 1955 to his death in 1968. I saw the room (now a study) where he took his last breath! More interesting was his study, where he has bookcase full of books, mainly German and French, although I did spot a couple of English ones. The famous Isenheim painting was there , mentioned in CD1.1 It was quite a simple study, which reflected the era he lived in. The Archive Manager Dr. Peter Zocher showed me around, he lives there and is editorial works etc. he was very helpful and formative, and offered me ‘proper’ coffee! Barth used the same Bible since 1912, which was on the bookshelf. 

 

Whilst in the area, I saw the Stucki restaurant (or Bruderholz Restaurant) as it was in Barth’s time), a few hundred yards down the road, where he used to have dialogue with his students, and then the Titus Church, he helped to design, in my view he was better suited to theology than church design! They were going to call the church Bartholomew but he was concerned it would be shortened to Barthli church and so wanted a different name.

 

Near my hotel is The ‘Odd Fellow Haus’ according to Google ‘The Odd Fellows are an
international politically and denominationally unbound association, their basic attitude is based on the Enlightenment, with progressive thinking and acting.’ I had a wander around the town again and then it started to rain so returned to the hotel, where there is free coffee. Then to pack my bag for the flight home tomorrow.

AI Conference - Germany Here I come.....

 

The ‘Corpo:reality – Body and Embodiment in AI and Robotics’ conference was being held in Würzburg which meant my first flight since 2020, fortunately I still had frequent flier miles to use. Our roles were reversed and Linda was my chauffeur to London City airport on Thursday morning, after I had de-iced the car.  I only had hand luggage, so quickly through security, although my shower gel was selected for a test, and then a quick coffee while waiting to board. I was flying with BA and it left just after 7am and we were in Frankfurt about 75minutes later. Due to Brexit you need your passport stamped at the border, although I was at the front of the queue.  Having negotiated the trip to another terminal for the train station I bought my ticket and waited. The trains are all running late, so I got the 10am train at 11am, which was fine for me as I didn’t get to the platform till 10.30. It was very busy, although I got a seat in the buffet car, so had a nice cappuccino while travelling and looking out the window, we went through some snow, but it was just cold when we arrived in Würzburg. The journey took about 75 minutes. 

 

I had walk around the town, there was a C & A and a Woolworths as well as other more modern brands. Trams are running in all directions, but I preferred to walk, even though I didn’t really know where I was going, but that is part of the adventure! Having (finally) located the City Hotel,  I just wanted to leave my bag, but they said the room was ready, which was even better. It was a basic room, with a shower, and the heating was on, it was so warm I had to open the window (and turn the heating off).

 

I then went for a little walk around the town, found the  Marktplatz where they were getting ready for the ‘der Weihnachtsmarkt,’ saw various churche and  located the conference centre for Friday. It was then time to  stop  for coffee Apfelstrudel and some Internet access. The weather was cold but pleasant and after calling at Aldi for some supplies I  went back to the hotel room and rested.

 

Friday

 

It had been snowing gently during the night, so there was a scattering of snow on the pavements and rooftops. Breakfast was bread, cheese and meat and of course coffee. I then went out for a walk to visit the castle at the top of the hill, it was quite icy which was not too bad going up, but more difficult coming  down.  It cost money to go in, so I stayed outside, took some photos and admired the view!

 

The conference started at 2pm, so I had time to wander around the Christmas market, which wasn’t dissimilar from those I had been to in Berlin, Nuremberg etc, food, glühwein, cakes and gifts, seen one seen them all!

 

The conference started at 2pm and we had a presentation on ‘Robots, Body and Religion’ before coffee.  Next was parallel  sessions and it was difficult to choose two out of the six offered. My first one was  on brains, and a talk about preserving the brain now for possible downloads in the future, and explaining about the brain archive.  The official title was ‘Life, Death and Reinstantiation. Brain Preservation from Neurobiological, Anthropological and Theological Perspectives’. Linda strangely wasn’t that interested when I tried to explain it to her later, the dogs will be when I get home. The second session was on ‘AI, Emotions and Ethics’ and a key part of this is about will AI ever show ‘true’ emotion (or can it!).

 

Dinner was provided and then we went out for the evening to a local Bier Haus, although I was drinking coke! Most delegates are from Germany or German speaking counties so the conversation was difficult to follow, sometimes they spoke English, but I was just happy to sit there and relax, I prefer the limited conversation.

 

Saturday

 

The conference started at 9 so it was an early breakfast, my hotel is about 15 mins walk from the building. The first paper was about what type of skins does a robot need to have an authentic relationship titled ‘ Robotics and Emotion’ and was based upon Karl Barth’s criteria for humanity (discussed in great detail in Church Dogmatics 3.2)? After, this the conference moved away from authentic relationships to thinking about friendship, love and sex robots……

 

In the afternoon we had the opportunity to design our own robot and my group had the religious robot to design, the group struggled with a single concept so we had an all singing (and dancing) machine which gave you advice, prayers, tattoos and even drawing - an interesting concept, but not sure of the practicalities.

 

It was a great conference, one of my colleagues from my previous Digital Theology course was there and we caught up, learnt lots and have a long list of areas to research and papers to read.

 

In the evening I visited the Christmas Market, and it was packed so I didn’t stay long, then back to the hotel to pack for the next stage of the journey.

 

Sunday

 

It was an early start and a quick breakfast before heading to the Hauptbahnhof as I was travelling by train to Basel. There has been considerable snow in Munich, which has closed the airport and affected the train system, so it was difficult to find the correct connections, I decided to go to Frankfurt on 08.24 and then get the next train from there, as all trains to Basel go through Frankfurt. The train was late, but I still had 20 minutes (time to get a coffee) before a train left for Basel, it didn’t go to the main station, but the one before and I could either get a tram or walk to the main station, it is only about 3km. The other option was to wait for a later train, which might or might not arrive, and would be busy. I decided to get the train, as I could worry about the last 3km when I got there, it was quite busy on the train, but I got a seat with a table!  I did some work, some service planning and reading. The journey is about 3 hours so I did visit the buffet car for a drink and cake, need to be ready for the walk!

 

The train arrived, about 15 mins late, so I followed the ‘sheep’ and they all went to another train which took everyone to the main station. I then had a 10 minute  walk to the hotel an Ibis Styles and my room is on the 6th floor.  After, a short rest I went into the city and had a wander around the Christmas markets, it was very crowded and not as good as Würzburg.
I visited Karl Barth Platz and the house he was born in (although it has changed since!) before returning to the hotel.

 

It was tiring all this travelling and walking so I stayed in for the evening and just read.

Coffee and Nails in Coventry

I told Linda we were leaving at 6am so we could avoid the traffic. After nearly 30 years of marriage, she is improving and we left at 6.03am. The traffic was light, until we got past Brentwood and then it took 20 minutes to get on the M25. The traffic was fine and we easily joined the M1, someone wanted to stop at a service station so that was the next stop, a very rundown Moto services. It was then back on the road for 30 minutes before our scheduled stop to walk the dogs, have a coffee and a break. We had made really good time, better than expected.

 

It was back in the car and onto Coventry and we arrived there just after 9am, I got slightly confused by their ring road system, so we went round a couple of times and then found exit I wanted was shut anyway! Linda said ‘follow the bus’, which I did – shame it was going the wrong way!

 

We finally parked the car and it was nice and cool so the dogs were happy to go for a walk. Our first stop was for Linda and then Coventry Cathedral. We are part of a Facebook group Coffee Shop Sunday which was initially based in Coventry but since lockdown has followers worldwide. The other week there was a presentation on the ‘Cross of Nails’ in Coventry Cathedral which has an interesting history so we went to have a look.

 

Coventry has had three Cathedrals in the past 1000 years: the 12th century Priory Church of St Mary, the medieval Parish Church Cathedral of St Michael and the modern Coventry Cathedral, also named for St Michael. Coventry’s fortunes and story are closely associated to the story of its Cathedrals – a story of death and rebirth.

 

Coventry’s earliest cathedral, dedicated to St Mary, was founded as a Benedictine community by Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and his wife Godiva in 1043. Built on the site of a former religious house for nuns, its sheer size is some indication of the wealth which Coventry acquired in the middle ages. It subsequently fell into decay. Only in 1918 was the modern diocese of Coventry created, and the church of St Michael designated as its cathedral.

 

Coventry Cathedral was severely damaged during the Coventry Blitz, and its roof was destroyed on 14 November 1940. The idea for the cross came from Rev Arthur Philip Wales, who was then rector of St Mark's church in Coventry. He found several large hand-forged medieval carpenters nails as he walked through the ruins of the cathedral on the morning after the bombing. He used some wire to bind together three nails into the shape of a Latin cross, with one nail vertical and two head-to-tail as a cross-piece. 

 

The Cathedral's Provost Richard Howard had the words "Father Forgive" carved into the wall behind the altar of the ruined building, and two charred beams fallen together into the shape of a cross were erected among the rubble.

 

The decision to rebuild the cathedral was taken the morning after its destruction, although it didn’t start till 1956.

 

We had a wander around the ruins, as the new cathedral did not open until 10am. Linda took some photos and started chatting to a man about the history of the ruins and why they had stopped renovating, it was due to a pair of falcons nesting in the tower.   I then went into the new cathedral and had a wander around, of course taking in the great architecture, design and artwork. I had to ask someone about the location of the cross of nails, as the cross I had been looking at was the wrong one! I found the right one, took a couple of photos and then came back outside. 

 

I had only been gone about 30 minutes and when I returned Linda is already chatting to another man, Zena was loyal as she was still sitting looking the way I had gone and waiting for me, she hadn’t moved. Linda’s excuse was that the man had been telling her all about Coventry…..  It was Linda’s turn to go and have a look around as she was interested in the tapestry. I stayed with the dogs and was loyal – I  didn’t speak to anyone.

 

We then had a wander around the city, saw the statue of Lady Godiva and several shops. We stopped for a coffee at Starbucks.  We then did a few more shops but it was now getting too  warm for the dogs. 

 

At midday they read the Litany of Nails in the Cathedral and so I wanted to listen to it, we had to move at warp speed to get back in time and I just made it.

After that it was back to the car, if only we could remember where we parked it. I thought I was going in the right direction (and I was), Linda said I wasn’t and we had to go this way (which was the wrong way)!  I then used Google and found the location and we made it back to the car just before the ticket ran out.

 

We then went back onto the ring road system and had a few laps of the city before I found the exit I wanted, and we went to have lunch on the canal. It was a lovely setting, the. Sun was shining, cappuccino on the table and the food was good.

 

We had booked a room at the Windmill Hotel just outside Coventry towards Birmingham, it has a spa and golf course. We checked in and unpacked the car and had a rest as the dogs were tired. There was a grassy area outside with benches so we sat there and read our books, before having a walk around the outside of the golf course.

 

On Wednesday we got up fairly early and had our porridge pots and coffee, before packing the car and leaving. We went to Royal Leamington Spa for a look round. It was starting to warm up and we had a walk around, Linda went into a couple of shops and we walked around the green by the Pump Room (now a museum). We stopped for a Nero’s – not for us of course but so the dogs could have a drink.

 

It was then back to northern Coventry to meet up with some new friends at the Coffee Shop Sunday outside Costa. It was great to meet people we had seen online and share fellowship (and coffee) with them.
The dogs thought it was boring and went to sleep. Although warm there was a nice breeze, and it was a few degrees cooler than down south. 

 

We stayed a couple of hours and then it was the drive home. It was fine, till we got to Essex and then the traffic hold ups began!

There are some photos here.

Christmas in the City

Linda’s birthday present was a trip up ‘the smoke’ to the see the lights. On  Wednesday we left home around 12.15 and caught the bus to the railway station and then the train to Londinium.  On arrival at Liverpool Street we caught the tube to Warwick Avenue  although Duffy sang ‘when I get to Warwick Avenue, we'll spend an hour but no more than two.....’ we were going to spend a couple of nights at the Colonnade Hotel. 

It  started life as two private Victorian houses in 1865 which were then converted into an all girls’ boarding school in 1880. Here, on the 23rd June 1912, Alan Turing was born, as recorded by a blue plaque on the outside of the hotel. In 1935, it was converted into a hotel and named The Esplanade Hotel. In 1938, was pleased to house Sigmund Freud, his wife and his youngest daughter Anna for the summer whilst their house in Hampstead was renovated. The Esplanade Hotel was then renamed The Colonnade Hotel in 1944.

The hotel lift is believed to one of the oldest operating, we wouldn’t know because we took the stairs every time to our room on the third floor. It was a nice room plenty of space and a couple of arm chairs to sit and talk, or watch the Downing Street briefing, its not the same now Sky’s Beth Rigby is not there to ask what I deem as silly questions!

After settling in, we decided to go for a walk, although Linda didn’t know where she was, so she just had to follow me. We wandered down to Paddington and had a look at the barges and shops in Paddington Basin before joining the Edgware Road and  walking down to Marble Arch. It was getting dark now so the Christmas lights were on  as we walked down Oxford Street, then disaster struck Linda saw Marks and Spencers and wanted to go in, I said it was very dangerous as it was obviously a Covid-19 hotspot - but she was prepared to in, so we masked up and ventured in. She  saw several things that she liked but didn’t like the price tag so we left empty handed. Selfridges had their Christmas windows displays all lit up and a queue to go in, so we just took some pictures and moved along. The Nike store was open and we had a wandered around, but I couldn’t afford anything.....

We then stopped for a coffee, which sounded easier than it was. You have to QR the menu and then add the order, but it doesn’t go anywhere as the waitress comes and reads your phone and does the order. You can’t pay online but have to go into the cafe, which defeats the object of sitting outside. The end result was good.

It was selfie time at All Souls Christmas tree and then a wander past the Kenyan embassy back to the main road and Baker Street tube station  -‘elementary my dear Watson!)

Although we had half board the restaurant in the hotel was closed and so it was delivered from another hotel. It was a Persian menu which didn’t please Linda. She has the vegetarian option which was Okra curry and was  actually nice. I had the lamb curry and it was good.

Breakfast is delivered to the room on Thursday morning and it was fine. We left the hotel just after 10 and went for a walk. LInda is still confused where she is, but improving. We were discovering parts of London we never had been to before. Our first stop was Abbey Road Studio made famous by the Beatles in 1969 and we saw the Zebra  crossing and walked across it several times, much to the annoyance of the traffic. We had to take a photograph of course (Linda took several!) 

Our next stop was the Home of Cricket, I can’t say much more as Linda made some comments which have given me the basis for the Christmas Day sermon - so if you want to know more join us then!

We walked along Prince Albert Road and Regents Park was on the right hand side. As Madness sang 

‘From the top of the hill

 There's a hell of a view 

Houses of Parliament and London Zoo

Those politicians all chatter

They trumpet and roar

That must be what those hyenas all

Are laughing for’

What hill? Primrose Hill of course and I walked Linda all the way to the top. It was a great view of London although slightly cloudy. However you could see all the landmarks. If you are the top you have to come down again and we did. William Blake wrote ‘I have conversed with the spiritual Sun. I saw him on Primrose Hill.’ - well there was no sun today!

The Regents Canal towpath led us to Camden Lock market. It is located in the historic former Pickford  stables built in the 18th century.  It is the fourth-most popular visitor attraction in London but not today. It is quite large and sold everything from old clothes to masks, to ornaments to rubbish. It had several food outlets who kept giving away their food for you to try, well it saved buying dinner. We did stop for a coffee and sat outside watching the world go by, or would have done but it was very quiet.

After our coffee and visiting a few shops we wandered back through the main streets to Regents Park and then strolled through the park and the main road. We dropped in to see Sherlock Holmes at 221B but he was closed. 

Linda was very excited to see the hospital where several royal babies were born, so excited that the picture she took (of the hospital not the baby) didn’t come out, so we had to go back again for a second visit.

Our hotel is in the area named by the poet Robert Browning as Little Venice, just hope it doesn’t flood here like it does in Big Venice. I have found a nice coffee shop opposite the hotel so there was time for a coffee before we returned to our room. 

There was more choice of food tonight, Linda had a pizza and I had lamb shank stew. Both were very nice, although its not so much fun eating in the room and the food isn’t always that hot. We have done just under 11 miles on my guided tour today.

On Friday we had different plans I was being super spiritual and visiting Westminster Abbey and Linda was going to see her brother for a walk round Clapham Common.  We both started on the same train, but I changed at Victoria and Linda continued towards the common.  She met her brother Rodney chatted for ages, had a hot drink and then walked.

Westminster Abbey has been the Coronation Chapel since 1066 and  the settings for 16 Royal weddings, plus a lot of people are buried there! These included several kings and queens (although the doors were locked to their area - perhaps to stop them getting out - don’t want them getting Covid-19 especially at their age....

I had a wander around saw the tomb of William Wilberforce, Sir Issac Newton, and the Unknown Soldier.  In the Nave I stopped for some private prayer. Then I wandered through the Quire to the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor and Henry VII’s lady chapel. There were loads of tomb stones - including Oliver Cromwell and various poets. 

Following the one way system I visited the Cloister area and had a seat to reflect. It was then back to look at the Coronation Chair used for every Coronation since 1306. - it did look a bit old. 

The weather was overcast but had stopped raining. I walked up Whitehall and loitered outside Downing Street, but PM didn’t invite me in for tea - probably too busy sorting out Brexit.  The National  Gallery was free so I went online  and got a ticket, Linda was still with her brother. I am not sure why I wanted to go in I don’t particularly like art, but perhaps because it was free! I had a wander around there were paintings by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, (I did recognise one of his), Reubens, Monet and a few others. The only one I liked was Belshazzar Feast by Rembrandt. It took me about half an hour to complete the tour, including the exhibition on sin.

Fortunately I had finished when Linda phoned to say she was at the Embankment station so we met up and went for a spot of lunch in St Martin in the Fields - we are being very religious today! 

We then had a walk along the Strand towards St Pauls. Linda had never been in the Temple area and didnt know about the barristers chambers so I showed her all around. At St Pauls we went in for private prayer and then I decided to have a look around.  It cost £20 to get in, I must be undercharging on a Sunday.

Plenty more tombs to see, Sir Christopher Wren, Nelson, Wellington and a few others in the crypt. Nelson it appeared issued a call for the nation to come to prayer. I went up to the Stone Gallery - not sure why as I don’t like heights. There were over 376 steps up and a similar number down. There was a one way system so you went up the old steps with narrow corridors and staircases till you got the top. Coming down was fine as it was the new steps which felt much safer.

Linda had been reading a book waiting for me. We caught a bus to Covent Garden to see the Christmas Tree but didn’t stay long as there were too many people. We walked to Piccadilly Circus where we caught the tube back to the hotel - just over 11 miles today.

On Saturday we caught the tube from Warwick Avenue to Waterloo and then had a walk along the South Bank towards Tower Bridge. It was quite cold and overcast.  However, the views were good and we got some good pictures.  Our first stop was Southwark Cathedral for a coffee and mince pie before we decided to have a look around. It was free but you had to pay £2 for a photo permit. I could introduce that at our church if people want to take photos during the service (when we  restart) it’s £2! 

The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie stands at the oldest crossing-point of the River Thames at what was for many centuries the only entrance to the City of London situated across the river. 

The lady started to tell me about the cathedral which had Gothic parts and Victorian architecture but she was talking to a Philistine - hopefully I nodded in the right places.  There was a plaque outside which said that people like Gower (the court poet not the cricketer) Chaucer, Shakespeare and a few other were associated with the cathedral, now they would be able to add Werrett to the list 😂😂

There were some different tombs and stained glass windows. The problem with having all these people buried in the church is that at the rapture, when the dead in Christ rise, it will mess up the architecture and there will be holes everywhere!

The cathedral had been there since around 606AD.  Lancelot Andrewes,  Bishop of Winchester was buried in the Cathedral in 1626. He was involved with overseeing the translation of the King James Bible and his tomb can be found by the High Altar.

After leaving the cathedral we walked to Tower Bridge and crossed over. It was quite windy on the bridge. Then we had a coffee outside The Tower of London before walking back to Liverpool Street and getting the train home - just over 6 miles today - slacking😎 

You can see some photos here

If you have seen one tree you have seen…..

 Kew Gardens social distanced 10k was the highlight of the weekend,

I was running and Linda was volunteering as a marshal and as a bonus you got a free entry to look round the gardens (in case you missed the tree) once the race had ended. The would save you £35 on the entry fee, but then I personally wouldn’t have spent that to go in, I feel in the need of seeing a tree I can go to Belfairs or Gusted Hall.

Linda wanted a weekend away, so we had decided to combine the two. The dogs went off on their holiday and we drove up to London and Kew. We had a hotel booked just over the road from Kew Gardens, which was fortunate as you had to be at the race to check in for just after 7am.

We were staying at the Coach and Horses in Kew and they had free car parking, so in this new covid-19 world we decided it was better to drive and leave the car there, then take a long train ride across London.

On Friday It took just under two hours to get there, pretty straightforward, A127, M25, M4 and then you were virtually there. We arrived just after two, plenty of parking spaces left and we checked in. It’s quite strange as you have to wear a mask when moving around the building. 

We have a nice ensuite room, with a view of the back car park! We decided to go for a walk and find out where we have to be on Saturday morning. It was a 10 minute walk to the Brentford Gate and we saw people getting the tents and toilets ready for the following morning. It is right on the Thames Path and you have beautiful views along the Thames.

We walked along the path in Kew, did some shopping and then stopped for a Costa. Quite a few shops are shut which is a shame. Kew Green is by our hotel and it has a cricket pitch, so we were able to sit in the sun and watch the cricket. Kew Cricket Club play here and were having a match, I did some commentary for Linda, they were either bowling from the Cricketers Pub end or the Graveyard end.

The Alarm went just after 6am on Saturday, and we had to get up. Linda had ordered her breakfast for 6.30am and was expecting it to be delivered to her room, but it was downstairs. This was soon sorted out and we we left.

It was slightly chilly and so we had a brisk walk to Kew Gardens, everyone was social distancing, sanitising their hands and being sensible. We were early but Linda had to go off to her Marshall post. I was left hanging around as my start time wasn’t till 8.15am. It was strange with no stalls to look around, no-one to talk to and everyone keeping their distance. We had to join a social distanced queue to the start line and then we were off. 

I ran at a steady space, with a finishing time of 54.29 and came 785 out of over 1900 people. Not my best time, but not my worst either! I was so focused that I didn’t actually see Linda when I was running round, even though she had waved at me, I ran straight past her.

I was finished by about 9.20am so went back to the hotel as breakfast was being served till 10am. I had a quick change and was back downstairs by 9.40. They were very busy and didn’t have enough staff. It took 15 minutes to take my order and then put it this way, I had run the 10k quicker than they delivered my breakfast!

  Fortunately I wasn’t in a hurry and Linda joined me for a cup of tea.

As we had free tickets for Kew Gardens we went back in, it is just a load of trees, very boring, but Linda seemed to enjoy it. We did go to the Royal Garden and Her Majesty has obviously been neglecting it. The plants were overgrown and the beds needed weeding, she needs to get back from Balmoral and get on with the weeding!

After this, we decided to go for a walk and walked along the Thames Path towards Putney, had a look at the National Archives (you can’t go in unless you have an appointment) and then found the local shopping area. I had a coffee in Costa while Linda wandered around the shops. We then walked back to the hotel area. They were playing cricket again and I later found out Jack Russell had been there to paint the scene.

In the evening we went for a walk to Kew Village where the tube station is, its about 10 minutes away. There is a Starbucks there and several restaurants where you could eat on the pavement. We stopped at one and I had a butternut curry and Linda a chicken burger. It was very nice.

Sunday morning we were up early for breakfast. They had more staff on duty today but weren’t much faster! As all the churches were closed or had services by appointment only we took the bus to Richmond Park to have a look around. It is a Royal Park and has been since the 17th century. Ian Drury used to walk there, and there is a bench with words from one of his hits ‘reasons to be cheerful.’ The views were great from the park and you could see St Pauls Cathedral in the distance - about 12 miles away.

King Henry’s mound is located in Pembroke Lodge Gardens, was traditionally the spot thought to be where King Henry VIII stood on 19 May 1536 to watch a rocket fired from the Tower of London.

This was the signal that his wife Anne Boleyn had been executed for treason and he would be able to marry Lady Jane Seymour. The story is unlikely to be true because Henry spent that evening in Wiltshire and its more likely it was a prehistoric burial chamber from the Bronze Age and later used as a viewpoint for hunting and falconry.  It now offers fabulous panoramic views of the Thames Valley to the west and distant view of St. Paul's Cathedral to the east. The St. Paul's view has been faithfully preserved by generations of landscapers who have created a tree-framed sightline from the mound to the dome. The view is now protected and no new building is allowed to impede it.

There are deer in the park and you have to social distance from them at 50m - we didn’t see any, so they were obviously being careful.

We then walked back up the hill to Richmond, had a look round and followed the Thames Path back to Kew. This was about 3-4 miles, we did see a Paddle Steamer go through Richmond Lock.

On arrival back at Kew, there was another game of cricket going on, so we got a coffee and sat in the sun watching the cricket, batsman number 3 got to 99 and would have got a century but he ran out of overs. 

In the evening we had a meal at the hotel, the food is really nice here and then watched England on TV beat Australia and Tottenham lose - as Ian Drury said ‘reasons to be cheerful!’

Monday, the sun was shining and after a big breakfast it was a walk to the tube station.  Kew is on the district line so it was about a half hour ride to Embankment. The trains were virtually empty and  everyone had their mask on.

We walked from Embankment to Trafalgar Square and was surprised how empty it was, very few people around, probably not even six!  We had a wander down Whitehall, stopped outside the gates to number 10, but didn’t get invited in for tea - rather rude I think as if Boris had stopped outside my house, I would have offered him coffee. We also had no luck at Buck House, but then as the flag wasn’t flying HM was probably out.

Parliament Square was very quiet, not much traffic. We did think about going in Westminster Abbey but for £18, decided we would just stay outside for free.  We then had a wander along St James Park and Linda was in her element with all the birds. Seen one bird seen them all…. It was really quiet outside Buckingham Palace, we saw a downsized  changing of the guard, just two guards. 

The we had a walk to the Girl Guiding Shop just round the corner but it was shut. We went in the HM Queens shop at Buckingham Palace, but it was very tacky, I had hoped to get some discounted Harry and Meghan goods - but there weren’t any. We went into another Royal shop and there was nothing worth buying so I was in and out very quickly. Linda did have a look and the sales lady said they had never had anyone come in and out as quick as me - so I now hold the record!

We stopped for coffee and sat looking at Buck House. After this we went for a walk to Sloane Square and Linda had a look around Peter Jones. It was then a slow amble along the Kings Road, looking in a couple of shops (well Linda did) and then we walked up the Fulham Road and popped into Stamford Bridge. It was empty so I treated Linda to a lunch in the cafe there, so she has sat and eaten where Super Frank has - what a claim to fame!

After lunch we wandered down to the Chelsea Harbour and there were some nice flats for sale overlooking The Thames and the Harbour - well if you have a £7 million spare.

We caught the train to Westfields, White City as Linda wanted to go to M & S and she managed to find something in there to buy she didn’t need! I just sat in the cafe and waited, and waited and waited…..

The BBC Television Centre, now apartments was on our way back to the tube station and our transport back to Kew.

An interesting day, it was surprising how empty London was and it meant we could enjoy the attractions without the crowds, get some good photos and perhaps go in shops that normally had queues.

Reasons to be cheerful - Chelsea’s victory over Brighton.

The photos are here……

‘……..as one small candle may light a thousand….’

Family Trees are always interesting, some of my distant relatives were deported on the Ship America  to Australia in April 1829 possibly for murder. The Pilgrim Fathers set sail for America in 1620 and had William  Mullins onboard. WIlliam Mullins came from Dorking, his house now a nice cafe and according to various searches American Presidents (Adams, Coolidge) were descended from his daughter Pricilla, also Marilyn Monroe.  Although William and his wife died a few months after landing in Plymouth, his legacy lived on. 

Dorking was also the place where John Wesley opened the Methodist Chapel in 1772 and preached there.  Both people sought to challenge the established church of the time and encourage freedom of worship, although by the 21st century true churches they started are not constrained by the same rules they sought to free them for - progress?

We hadn’t intended to have a weekend in Dorking, but we had a free weekend and I found a good offer on the internet so we left on Saturday morning. The dogs had gone to stay with our sitter. The M23 was closed for roadworks, which we didn’t need to use, but it had a knock on effect on the roads around the area.

We hadn’t planned to go to Dorking, but ended up there and it was a great place. Lovely little coffee shops, normal shops and some history to see. It also had an antique centre. We spend the afternoon wandering around the shops, Linda found a Marks and Spencer’s and used up her Christmas vouchers in the sales, I just sat by the door.

Our hotel was the Mercure at Box Hill frequented by Lord and Lady Nelson in their day, although it has changed slightly, I am not sure they had internet. We had a nice room with a balcony to sit on. 

There was a hill behind the hotel, so after unpacking, I decided it needed climbing, it was steep and muddy, it was ok going up, but coming down.... I survived. I needed to make room for our dinner at the hotel as it was part of the deal, and I did enjoy the steak.

On Sunday we had breakfast and then went to Polesden Lacey. As we are getting old we have joined the National Trust and started visiting a few properties. This was the home of the Greville families during the Edwardian era.

We had a walk around the grounds and the house. Linda was more interested in it than me, it was just a load of old fashioned furniture and paintings in my view - but the Queen Mother must have liked it as she said ‘this is a delicious house..’ It kept raining off and on, we did get wet a couple of times.

Next stop was Box Hill, but this time driving to the top. It was another National Trust place so we could park for free, need to get value for my subscription. There was a nice trail walk, which was meant to be circular, but Linda didn’t like the mud, so we had to come back another route she had identified (which turned out to be even muddier!). 

We saw Broadwood Tower and then the heavens opened and we had to wait under a tree until the rain ceased. It was wet!  However, we had brought our hiking boots so although it was muddy, it wasn’t too bad (well I didn’t think it was).

Late afternoon we went to the Hilton at Gatwick Airport as we were flying to Tenerife on the Monday. Traffic was very slow around Reigate but improved the nearer you got.  We parked the car in the car park and then caught the bus to the terminal, where the hotel is.

Having arrived at the hotel, Linda realised she had left her phone in the car. Fortunately, the car park is only a 10 minute walk away, so we had to walk back to the car and collect her phone, catch the bus back and then settled in the room. 

Linda watched her film Downton Abbey, while I went for a gentle workout in the gym.

Tenerife here we come

The alarm went off at 6am and we had to get ready, I had set a schedule for Linda so she knew where we had to be at certain times. I had to walk back to the car to put the overnight bag in. As I walk fast I was there and back before Linda was ready. 

It was then a short walk to check in, quickly through security and into the lounge for breakfast.

We have never been to Tenerife, Canary Islands before, so it will be a new experience. It is part of Spain and in the same time zone as the UK. The flight is 4 hours.  Hopefully it will be warm and dry - that will do for me.

It was mid 20’s when we arrived and we certainly didn’t need our jumpers. We collected our hire car and it was a 30 minute drive to the hotel. We are staying at the Hard Rock Hotel and we have Rock Royalty status, which means we get VIP treatment. We have to check in on the 13th floor and then are shown to our rooms. It is a studio not a room, with a jacuzzi, sofa, balcony and a nice work area. There is a lounge on the next floor where we can get drinks and snacks during the day. We had a walk around the hotel, there is a spa, several swimming pools and lots of restaurants. Our room is on the 14th floor and we have a great view out to sea.

On Tuesday I was up at 7.30am to go for a run, its a lovely location here  at Para Paraiso but as it is at the bottom of the hill, the only way is up! I ran on the pavement and it was a mile up the hill to the top, but the good news it was also a mile down the hill, I then added a bit on to complete 5k. The only challenge is being on the 14th floor - its a long way to run up. It was starting to get warm, Linda was still asleep when I got back, obviously needed her beauty sleep.

After a shower, as I was slightly sweaty we went to the Lounge for our breakfast. We have a personal chef who cooks the egg for you. It was a lovely breakfast and then we came back to the room to sit on the balcony.

We have free entrance to the Spa as Rock Royalty. The Spa has a sauna, snow room, jacuzzi and a big pool with beds that spurt water out when you use the button. I tried the sauna and then the snow room - but Linda turned her nose up at the snow room. We sat on the sun beds and relaxed, it was warm today. I got a little burnt as I didn’t realise how hot it was.

We returned to our lounge for afternoon snacks and then went to the adult pool. Linda went for a swim and I just relaxed.  Later on Linda relaxed and I went for a work out in the gym and again tried running up 14 flights of stairs. I need to work off all this great food we are eating.

In the evening we had tapas in the lounge. So far I have read about six books including an interesting one by Danielle Strickland on women in leadership. I also have the required reading set by the Prime Minister for the cabinet on High Output Management by Andrew Grove, it does  provide some good ideas on leadership.

On Wednesday we went for a walk along the cliff path to the next village where we had a coffee. It is still warm here. We then walked back and Linda saw a Gecko and was very excited, she would have taken a picture of it, but was too slow. However, I found several more for her to look at. In the afternoon we went to the pool, this time making sure we had plenty of sun cream on and didn’t get burnt. The Tapas was nice tonight and I had plenty of it, I needed it after a session in the gym, I would like to say Linda joined me - but she didn’t.

Friday was an interesting day and our plans didn’t work out. Our friends were on a cruise and they were calling into the port at Santa Cruz and we had planned to meet them for coffee and a local tour. We were up early and had a nice breakfast, just got in the car where we received a text, they weren’t being allowed off the boat - not good news.

However, there was nothing we could do about it, we decided that we might as well still go out for the day. Vilaflor is about 5000 feet above sea level and near the national park and Mount Teide. It seemed a good idea to go there, until we got about 2/3 of the way and the road started to get challenging, several hairpin bends, climbing steeply, not great for someone who doesn’t like heights in a car where everything is on the wrong side! However, we made it to the top and the village. It has been there since the 16th century and we had a look around at the Church of Santo Hermano Pedro and next door was a Covent where the Bethlehem order used to reside. 

We also found the Peckham Springs of Tenerife, the Fuente Alta as Vilaflor is known for its water richness since 16th century.  There is a water fountain there where the animals used to drink, the women would wash their clothes and also their children.  Having travelled all this way we did stop for a coffee and fortunately the toilet facilities were 21st century and not 16th :)

The trip down hill wasn’t so bad, although Linda wanted me to stop for some photos, although there were no good stopping places. We finally made it back to the motorway and then went to Santa Cruz, about 60km away. We found an underground car park and then had a walk around. We saw the Mercado Nuestra Señora de Africa, which seemed to be a fish market (or smelt like it). We had a wander down to the port and gave our friends a wave on their ship and then went for a coffee before driving back. We stopped at Siam Mall on the way back, it is a shopping mall with Thai-influenced architecture and a Zen like vibe, basically a load of shops (think Lakeside but a lot warmer!). We had a look around but didn’t buy anything.

We were going to have coffee in Starbucks, but as we were only 20 mins away from our hotel we decided to come back as we could have free coffee and cake here! It has been slightly overcast today but still warm.

Saturday was overcast, both for the weather and ourselves. We have been watching the news and Spain was going into a state of emergency, Jet2 had turned back its planes and BA had cancelled some flights. We were concerned whether we would be flying back on Sunday. However, we did the online check in, but won’t really know till Sunday morning when we go to the airport.

I was up reasonably early and went for a run, in the other direction this time. It was still really hilly, the downside of being on the beach. Linda was just wakening when I returned and we went for breakfast (after I had a shower). Linda then wanted to go for a walk, so we went for a walk, then she complained it was all up hill, I did say ‘I told you so…..and we are only walking, I ran up these hills).  We stopped for a coffee before walking back, she was happy now it was down hill!

In the afternoon we went to the pool and Linda had a swim while I read my book. We had one last visit to the Spa, swimming in the whirlpool, and I did use the Sauna and Snow room - Linda sat on her chair and enjoyed the sunshine.

In the evening I managed to fit a session in at the gym.

I did try some of the hand cream, very disappointing, it said anti-aging, but obviously hasn’t worked as I am a week older than when I got here :) 

On Sunday  we were up early and had breakfast at 8am. We then finished the packing and decided to go to the airport. If we are there then we can just wait. It appears that Spain is going not lockdown from Monday, so we are escaping just in time. Linda wants to go home - I would have been happy to stay in the sun! As I can work remotely.

We dropped the car back off and the bus was ready to take us to the airport. On arrival at check-in we found our flight was delayed by at least two hours, but we checked in and then just sat in the lounge.

What I don’t understand, there are less planes flying, less people travelling so surely it should be easier to keep to schedules and be on time.

You can see some photos here

Numerous Weihnachtsmärkte in Berlin

There are about  70 Christmas markets in Berlin, some are on specific days, others are too far to travel to but the rest I think we have visited (or it feels like I have). There were a couple that charged to go in, so we didnt. 

They weren’t as good as Nuremberg last year, as most of them I just had a few crafts huts and the rest was food, which they didn’t even let you taste first.

We did find one good market at Schloss Charlottenburg, the palace is from 17th Century, we didn’t actually go in, as that would cost money, but we did walk round the grounds and the garden, in the rain. However, the Christmas market was in the front courtyard. It has lots of stalls and they even gave away a few tasters, the schnapps was rather strong, the cake enjoyable and the cheese - well Linda had several bits! Linda liked the craft stalls there and even bought a few items.

We had landed on Thursday having caught the 7am flight and it was pretty smooth but as the plane was full we had to wait a while for the luggage.  This time we were staying in East Berlin at the Hampton Inn Alexanderplatz and so we dropped our bags off and went for a wander. 

There were a few Christmas markets near the hotel so I quickly walked round them and ticked them off the list. We then had a wander into Berlin Mitte past the Humbolt University and onto Unter den Linten.  Bebelplatz is where the books were burned in 1933, and there is a display, the empty library. It is empty book shelves reminding us of the books lost, although it would be more difficult to do today with Kindles and the Cloud. We saw a Digital Eastery, which was a Microsoft Cafe, so we stopped for a coffee. It was then down to the Brandenburg Tor for a few pictures.  There is a Starbucks opposite but no time for coffee - Christmas markets to visit.

From there we dropped down to Potsdam Platz where there was another Christmas market, so we had a look around that one and then popped along to Checkpoint Charlie, via a market. There is not much of the Berlin Wall left, not surprising as you can buy it on postcards, letter racks, decorations and even on its own - no wonder they have had to knock it down.

We then found another Christmas market - but shock, horror, it cost one Euro to get in, they should be paying me to come in. We walked past that one! However, as Linda was disappointed I did find another one on the way back to the hotel. In the evening we had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant, I had a lovely mango chicken stir fry with rice, Linda had burger and chips! I did offer to take Linda to some more markets, but she was tired. We managed to walk over 13 miles on Thursday!

On Friday we decided to buy a day travel card for the transport system, if Linda thought that meant less walking she was going to be disappointed. The weather was wet and dreary but we caught the train to Spandau and  ‘to cut a long story short’ we came saw the market and left. ‘True’, Spandau was where Rudolph Hess was kept in prison until he died, although the prison was then destroyed. The streets were not painted with ‘gold’ but water and slightly slippery. There was some Christmas music, but not that which you would here at a ballet!

We caught the train to Chatlottenburg and visited the aforementioned Christmas market. We then had a race again the bus to the train station, which we won, although Linda would have preferred just waiting for the bus. We caught the train to the Zoologischer Gardens and what’s there - well a sports shop, but also another two Christmas markets. There was one by the Kaiser Wilhelm church and we looked round it and as we were hungry had a bratwurst.

It was then a walk around the shopping district and as we were slightly wet we did stop for a coffee. They we walked back towards the Tiergarten through another Christmas market before catching the bus to the Reichstag. It was still raining, disappointing as the forecast had been for just clouds, but we walked along the road till we reached Friedrichstraße and yet another Christmas market, Linda is so lucky!

Fortunately it was by the train station so we could catch a train back to Alexanderplatz and our hotel. Fortunately for Linda there is a Christmas market by the train station, so in case she got withdrawal symptoms we walked round that one too.

The good news is the day travel card was great and it saved us one mile, as we only walked 12 today! 

On Saturday we had a leisurely morning and read the paper over breakfast. It is a very good feast here, cooked breakfast, yuppie breakfast (Museli Bircher), waffles, pancakes, cake and even fruit. There is plenty of coffee, although Linda has to bring her own tea bags as she is not partial to Earl Grey or Darjeeling.

We left the hotel around midday and decided to catch the tram which stops outside the hotel. The trams took us to the Hauptbanhoff, not that we particularly wanted to go there, but its where the tram stopped. We had a look around, Linda took some photos of the Christmas tree and there was even a small Christmas market for her to look at. Having left there we walked down to the Reichstag and had a look round the outside. 

Although we had a day ticket, I had set a target of a minimum of 10 miles as well, so we decided (or I did) to walk through the Tiergarten to West Berlin. It was once a royal hunting ground for wild animals, but we didn’t see any. It has 15 miles of footpaths, but we only managed a couple. We walked past the Siegessaule (Victory Column)  towards the Zoo. Once we had walked through the forest paths we end up at an antique market near the Charlotten Gates. Linda had a look around before we walked south towards the Kurfürstendamm boulevard and some shops, we did stop for a coffee on the way. We popped in a couple of shops but didn’t buy anything.

We then caught the U Bahn to Neukolln where there was another Christmas market. This was one run by  non-profit organisations. We had a walk round but it was very busy and you couldn’t really see much. There was nothing we really wanted to buy. We then walked back via Woolworths to the U Bahn station.

The train took us back to Alexanderplatz and we had a look round the shops. There is a C&A here (remember them!) and Primark. It was very busy so we didn’t stay long and went for another walk (our miles were down), we walked around to the Berliner Dom, it look very picturesque in the dark. 

The market was lit up and very busy so we avoided that on our walk back to the hotel, we got back around 8pm, and fortunately for Linda we had covered 11 miles, so we don’t need to go out again!

Not bad 36 miles in 3 days.....

On Sunday we had breakfast, a little walk and then it was time to get the tram and bus to the airport.

You can see some photos here (hopefully the link works :) )