London-Edinburgh Trip September-October 2013

London and Edinburgh.  September 24-October 14, 2013.  I'm going to try to record some memories and some thoughts as they occur to me.

The Finchley Road Swiss Cottage edition of HIE does a superior job. I've been staying there for five years. — at Express by Holiday Inn.

 Finchley Road looks much the same today as it did when I lived here 55 years ago, except the shops have changed---Subway has replaced the green grocer, and McDonald's has replaced the fish monger. This part of London was never very pretty.

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I eat lunch, a traditional English breakfast, every day here, and have done so for five years, which should put me in the category of a regular. — at Rose Cafe, Finchley Road.

The inside of the cafe is far from fancy, but it's welcoming and comfortable.

The owner and chef, from Greece, and I have become friends. — at Finchley Road. 

It is so nice to find business owners who care take pride in what they do. I've been patronizing this internet cafe on Finchley Road, across the street from my hotel, for five years, and it is simply excellent. It is owned by two or three young Albanians, who actually know what they are doing and want to own and operate a superior product. — at Finchley Road. 

 The shop is always busy. — at Finchley Road.

The PCs and the programs are kept up-to-date and operating well. In an age when ever-increasing numbers have mobile devices and Internet access at home, this Internet cafe continues to thrive. The very few serious Internet cafes in Bangkok have all closed. In my neighborhood, public access to the Internet is at travel agencies, laundries, restaurants, and the like, which have deplorable equipment and an absence of owners and staff who either care or know what they are doing. 

Just saw Chimerica, which is regarded as this season's best dramatic play. I wouldn't disagree. The contemporary plot is engrossing, the acting superb, and the rotating set design is creative and effective. @Harold Pinter Theatre in London's West End theatre district.

 Piccadilly Circus is looking more and more like Times Square. — at Piccadilly Circus.

 It was a mild night and people were hanging out at Piccadilly Circus. Although late (the play lasted three hours), I walked from Piccadilly Circus to catch the underground at Green Park. — at Piccadilly Circus.

Lithuania pianist Jelena Makarova gave a lovely lunchtime recital of Schubert, Chopin and Prokofiev, at this historic church nearby. — at The Parish Church Of St.John - Hampstead.

 About 25 people attended the recital, almost all older than I. In fact, the only youngster to be seen was the pianist herself, Jelena Makarova. — at The Parish Church Of St.John - Hampstead.

I read a fascinating book about the life of John Harrison, who invented the chronometer to determine longitude, which made navigation possible. He died in 1777 and is buried here. — at The Parish Church Of St.John - Hampstead.

Saw my first ever performance of Richard Strauss' Elektra, at one of the world's great opera houses, the historic and gorgeous Royal Opera House Covent Garden. —

 Had dinner with the brilliant Thai pianist, Poom Prommachart, who now lives in London where he is making great strides in forging an international concert career. After dinner, we went next door to the John Lill piano recital at Cardogan Hall. — with Poom Prommachart at Sloane Square.

 The well-regarded English pianist, John Lill, began his eight-recital Beethoven sonata series with sonatas no. 7, 11, 22 and 23, which was received by the packed house with cheers and a prolonged standing ovation, with which I was pleased to join at Cardogan Hall. — at Cardogan Hall London.

 On my way to the Florence Nightingale Museum, I walked passed the London Eye, which, until 2006 was the largest in the world (the wheels in China and Singapore are now larger, and the one being built in Las Vegas will be larger still). The London Eye still looks big to me. — at The Official London Eye.

 22-year old Russian pianist and multiple medal winner, Daniil Trifonov, is quite the rage right now, and has collected enough rave reviews to suggest that he's a god in waiting. Although his recital tonight showed that he is indeed a major talent, based on what I heard, I, for one, am not ready to deify him. @Wigmore Hall.

 Today's (October 10) Edinburgh newspaper reported the simultaneous happenings last night of two events: the arrival in town of Howard N. Singer and a major cold front. Today's temperature was 3 degrees C. Singer was spotted in a cheapie shop on Cockburn buying a hat and gloves. Singer is expected to leave Edinburgh before the cold front moves on. — at Cockburn Street.

 Edinburgh Day 1. I started the day by taking a one-hour bus ride around the city, which was a great help in orienting me and showing me how beautiful Edinburgh is. By the end of the hour I knew that I would like it here and that four days was not enough time to see and experience all Edinburgh has to offer. — at Waverley Bridge.

 Edinburgh Castle rises above the city and dominates the skyline. Being the city's prime tourist site, I went there first and tried to learn something about Scottish history. — at Edinburgh Castle.

 I was vaguely aware that Scotland had a “devolved” parliament, which meant that since a referendum in 1997, the Scottish people decided to separate themselves from the English parliament in many matters involving internal affairs and taxation, and to elect their own parliament, in other words, a form of home rule. Of course a new parliament needs its own new building, so in 2004, what has to be one of the ugliest modern buildings, was opened by the Queen. In 2008, the building was voted by the readers of the Edinburgh News, as fourth on a list of buildings in the UK they would like demolished. — at The Scottish Parliament.

 Since parliament was in session, I was able to obtain a pass to watch and listen to the debate, which I thought would be a very good way to spend the afternoon. It was. — at The Scottish Parliament.

 Much to my surprise, the huge debating chamber was stunningly beautiful, although modern. — at The Scottish Parliament.

The debate was over a government bill to financially support a pilot project to capture and store carbon emitted from the burning of gas from power plants.  It was intelligent, relevant and without rancor and the silliness often associated with climate change, especially when money was involved.  I like to send the US Congress to observe their Scottish counterparts.

Edinburgh Day 2.  The Royal Yacht Britannica was decommissioned in 1997 and has been a major tourist attraction ever since.  It is permanently moored at a harbor about 15 miles from Edinburgh.  I got there by bus, which took me through many interesting residential parts of Edinburgh.

Before boarding the yacht, which is connected to a lovely new shopping center, I had lunch overlooking the yacht.

Being the tail end of the tourist season and having cold weather, have advantages:  there was virtually no one touring the yacht today.  During the season, several thousand a day go through it.  I felt like I was a guest.  Here, the state dining room is set for dinner.

The yacht was designed to be converted quickly into a hospital ship during war, but it was never used for anything other than a private yacht for the queen and the royal family. It takes a crew of about 300 to operate it with the family aboard. While it is very luxurious, of course, the interior is not as elaborate or ostentatious as one might think. It is way too simple to suit any of the super rich who are building these enormous yachts.

 On board the Royal Yacht Britannica, this is about as close as I’ll ever come to being in the navy. — at The Royal Yacht BRITANNIA.

 

The Georgian House. After returning in the afternoon to Edinburgh from RY Britannia, I had time to visit a house build in 1796 by a wealthy, but not aristocratic, landowner, who lived there with his wife, five children, and five or six servants. This is the large reception room which was used for dinners and entertainment. There was no running water, no sanitary facilities, and only rudimentary heating. Many accounts of the day complained about the putrid smell of Edinburgh from human waste dumped in the streets and the lack of bathing of its residents. It was clear to me that life was very hard for everyone, the availability of servants nothwithstanding. — at Charlotte Square Edinburgh.

 From the hotel that evening, I walked to the main tourist drag for dinner, and stumbled across a pub from which rousing Scottish music was emanating. I wasn’t sure about the food, but I couldn’t pass up the music. — at The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland.

The pub was warm and friendly and I basked in its authenticity. — at The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland.

 The music came from these three players, who produced an amazing variety of sounds and singing, of what I would call Scottish folk or traditional music. I tried to record it, but the loud ambient noise level prevented it. Ultimately, I stayed long after I finished eating (the food wasn’t very good, but the music kept me there). — at The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland.

  Edinburgh Day 3. St. Giles is a large Gothic cathedral located in the middle of the Royal Mile and a short walk from my hotel. The distinctive feature on the outside is the crown. I was not planning to visit it until I learned that at noon today, there was going to be a piano recital at the church. — at St Giles' Cathedral.

 

Rather than a formal recital, there was a 15-minute performance of some short and easy classics, played by a young college piano performance student, who played nicely, and to his credit, selected works that were appropriate to his current level of technical ability. I spoke afterwards to pianist William Hodges, a Scott from a near-by town, and gave him some avuncular encouragement to pursue his piano studies. The interior of the cathedral itself is huge and impressive. It will satisfy anyone who, like me, likes gothic art and grandeur. Glad I stopped by. — at St Giles' Cathedral.

Hollyrood Palace (above) is Edinburgh’s top tourist draw. Holyrood Palace has served as the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scots since the 16th century, and it is the official residence of the queen, who lives there for one week every year. Because it is a functioning royal residence, it is maintained in tip-top shape. With an audio guide, I was able to tour the 16th century Historic Apartments of Mary, Queen of Scots and the State Apartments, used for official and state entertaining. Because of cold weather and the tourist season having already just ended, there were few people there, which made it a great pleasure in visit. (Note photo: No one's there). — at Palace of Hollyroodhouse.

 At the entrance to Hollyrood Palace and all ready to go with my audio guide. — at Palace of Hollyroodhouse.

 This small museum (above) is housed in a 16th century building, a short walk from the palace. It explores the lives of Edinburgh’s ordinary people at work and play from the late 18th century to today. I particularly liked the displays of life from the 1920’s onward, because I could recognize some objects (e.g., a refrigerator, a sink) used in my house when I was very young, that are no longer used anywhere. These realistic displays more than adequately demonstrated that there was nothing quaint or glamorous of life then. Daily life is better now. — at The People's Story Museum.

 

 The Museum of Edinburgh, another small museum in an historic building, also on the Royal Mile, holds collections of objects which show the city’s history. It is somewhat similar to London’s Victoria and Albert Museum in its focus, although a fraction of the size. The Nicely done, informative, and worth a visit. — at Museum of Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Day 4. With my bags packed and in storage at the hotel, I walked to the National Museum of Scotland to spend as many hours there as I could prior to leaving for the Edinburgh Airport to begin my long trip back to Bangkok late in the afternoon. Although I had heard many good things about the museum (typically, I was told “Don’t miss the museum”), I was not prepared for how magnificent it is. The huge building is an amalgamation of two older buildings and a new building, and the interior is stunning, even if the architecture of the new part outside is less than inspiring. From the two former museums, there are now under one roof, collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and collections covering science and technology, natural history, and world cultures. There is nothing musty or “museum-like” about this modern vibrant museum. It is hard to describe the museum; it reminds me of a cross between the Victoria and Albert (London), Franklin Institute (Philadelphia), Deutsches Museum (Munich), with a little of the Smithsonian (Washington) and the Museum of Natural History (NY) thrown in. I like museums with objects and exhibits that move. After three hours of complete absorption, I had to leave for the airport, knowing that if I come again to Edinburgh, a return visit to the National Museum of Scotland for a day to a day and a half, is an absolute must.— at National Museums Scotland.