by Ron Largent | Dec 20, 2017 | European Travel, International Travel, Special Events Travel Deals, Special travel deals, Travel, Travel the World, Uncategorized
Thanks to Audy, and her friend, Dawn….we spent Tuesday at Hampton Court Palace, which is about a 40 minute train ride south into Surrey from Waterloo Station….and a wonderful day, especially if you like Henry VIII….the King with the wives…..as Hampton Court was “his palace”.
We took a Taxi over to Waterloo station, which is one of 4 big train stations that serve all of England from LONDON. As with all mass transit here, these stations are the epitomy of organization and efficiency, as they move thousands of people every day…and the system works perfectly, barring any unforeseen events.
We met Carrie and William at the station, as they had gone to the Globe Theater to see the theater where Shakespear did his work….and off we went to Hampton Court.
From the entrance, the palace does not compare with Windsor Palace….but as you get into the palace itself, it is very different than Windsor, it that it is spread out over a huge area with many connecting buildings….and they give you a map when you enter…which you need as you go from room to room and period to period.
It is impossible to explain the Palace in a blog like this…detail is all on the internet, but suffice it to say that if you want to see the Palaces-Castles where history was made, Hampton Court is right up there along with Windsor Castle….- Castles that have shaped Europe and the Western World for centuries.
We spent about 4 hours in the palace….then visited the shops, watched the rehearsal for their Christmas program with the musicians dressed in period clothes and playing period instruments and music….just a fun and very enlightening time.
We then went over to the little town of Hampton Court to an Emporium…which is a gigantic antique and collectibles store….thousands of these in the country, but this one is famous as they have it on TV from time to time.
Then on to a very nice restaurant nearby that Dawn knew of…and on to the Christmas musical back at the Palace…..and it was a beautiful 45 minute program with both the boys choir and the adult mens choir….very typical and very good….a great concert in the Chapel of the Castle setting….as good as it can get…enjoyed by all.
Took the train back to: Waterloo…back to the hotel…a full day. Wednesday will be a quiet morning…then Royal Albert Hall at 2: 30 then Dickens Christmas Carol at 5…..should be fun….
More to come…
by Ron Largent | Dec 20, 2017 | Britain, England, European Travel, Germany, Great Britain, International Travel, London, Special Events Travel Deals, Special travel deals, Travel, Travel the World, Uncategorized, Viking Cruises
I am often asked, Why London at Christmas? This being my 5th year here in the last 6….I guess I know it is safe to say…”the most Christmas music of any city in the World at Christmas”…..and this includes the full spectrum of music, from the broadway musicals in the West End, to the most professional classic music at St Martin’s……to the unbelievable production programs at Royal Albert Hall….London has it all.
In addition to the music, and more on this to come….the lights decorating the City are the most dazzling, extensive, and creative of any city in the world. From the exotic street lighting decorations to the fabulous window decorations….nothing in the world compares. Having been in NYC a few years ago …. no comparison with London. And, along with the decorations, come the crowds….and they come from all over LONDON and England, but from all over the world….so you have big crowds everywhere. It is one of the busiest times in the year for LONDON.
The music is the big draw for me….and it has to do with the churches and Royal Albert Hall, which is the main music center for the country. It is our Kennedy Center in NYC, etc….or the Staples Center in LA….RAH has it all, and it has it all year round. Starting, though, in early December, RAH becomes the center for Christmas musicals, and music activing. It is a huge circular hall, so probably seats 10,000 visitors, and has been remodeled several times to make it acoustically near perfect. Even though you can sit in the “cheap seats”, which I do and like, every seat in the hall is a good seat. I sit up high in the back, as you can get a good perspective of the entire Hall and the music is clear and loud, when needed…and when the audience is singing, it is a sight to behold and to hear. Really, nothing like it in the world, in my opinion.
Then, there are the churches. From Westminster Abbey to St Paul’s Cathedral….there is some kind of church service or Christmas music service every day…and at some of the churches, twice a day. It is tradition….and for hundreds of years, the churches have been the foundation for music at Christmas. At some of the churches, like the Piccadilly Church a block from Piccadilly Circus….they have a daily hour long music offering at noon…for all of those that are in the area at the time. Each day at St PAUL’S, there is a music and prayer hour….and so it goes. This year we have 7 musicals scheduled in 6 days…a couple of years ago, 8 programs in 8 days…..and these will range from an organ concert at Westminster to a full blown musical production at RAH.
Then, there is West End, or the Broadway of LONDON. All of the major productions are running, so all of the attractions connected with the Theater are in full operation, which includes the Jazz Clubs, Rock music clubs, etc. it is just a vibrant time in the entire Covent Garden – Leicester Square area….literally the “Times Square” of London….but full of music.
So, London at Christmas…means Music at Christmas for me….and there is nothing better in the World if you like classical and concert music….in a marvelous Christmas celebration environment.
More to come…
by Ron Largent | Dec 20, 2017 | European Travel, Germany, International Travel, Special Events Travel Deals, Special travel deals, Travel, Travel the World, Uncategorized
In that we have been to London many times after living in England for 3 years…..London is almost a 2nd home. This year we are staying at the Marble Arch Marriott….it is convenient to both bus and tube (metro) travel…and pretty close to most of the activity we are interested in.
We connected with Carrie and William in the morning and headed to Westminster Abbey for their ticketed tour. Over the years we have visited the Abbey several times, but usually only for the services, the music, and the organ. This year we took the Abbey tour and I will highly recommend it. It is a self guided tour with explanations on all that you can see…and that it a lot. The descriptions are in good detail, but then allows you to go into more background, add the organ music, etc….very well done. The Abbey itself is a history museum in its own way…..with hundreds of years of history both buried here and re-counted here. Just very well done, but takes a minimum of 2 hours…and then some if you want to visit the guest shop, etc….well worth the time.
We took a break and back to the hotel…with plans to join up at St Martins in the Field Church at Trafalgar Square at 6 PM for dinner in the Crypt, which is the restaurant under the main church, where they have set up a buffet restaurant….a rest area…a shop, and just a good spot to wait for the program or take a break after the program….and they have music programs all year round. We had tickets for their Christmas Carols program….and after a soup and sandwich dinner we went up to the concert at 7:30 PM. We had seats in the Nave, towards the back of the church, and although this is a good place to hear all…I prefer being upstairs, as you can look down on the orchestra, singers, etc. It was an excellent classical Christmas program…with a small chamber orchestra and then a violin soloist that was extremely good. A great 90 minute concert and both Carrie and William really enjoyed it.
We then caught the bus from Trafalgar back to the hotel…getting off a block away….a fun and full first day back in London.
More to come….
by Ron Largent | Dec 19, 2017 | England, London, London Marriott Hotel, Travel
Transfer from the Viking River Cruise ship to the airport was with a local taxi…Nuremberg airport is an old one with a lot of new buildings….the baggage issue came up…flights were fine…no extra time in Amsterdam….a massive airport….and on to Heathrow….
Arrival through customs at Heathrow was slow, but moving….and got out luggage and headed towards Heathrow Express….then found that the train schedule was changed and had to take a bus to terminal 5…which we did, and a hassle due to full bus, luggage, etc….
Then got to the Express train..and doors shut before I could get on…Audy was on and I wasn’t…I took the next train, but a story as I tried to get ‘CAUGHT’ in the door…but did not work….but another story.
Made it to Paddington…taxi to Marble Arch Marriott….very good check in…and a great room….we were in LONDON.
Day 1 in London to come…
by Ron Largent | Dec 19, 2017 | Austria, Bavaria, Budapest. Hungary, Cruise Line Deals, Danube Canal at Nuremberg, Danube River, Danube River and Viking River, Eastern Europe, Eastern Germany, European Travel, Germany, Nuremberg, Travel, Travel the World, Vienna, Viking Cruises, Viking River, Viking River Cruises, Vikings
Nuremberg is much larger than what I expected, and a center of commerce and industry for this area of Bavaria. It is right on the Danube Canal, which is a major transportation resource…..and then the city itself historically has been a major rail city.
We took the included tour of the City….as well as the walking…but suffice it to say that the city has put the Nazi movement in perspective, clearly indicating the size and power of Hitler and the party. The huge Nazi HQ building is still in place, as is the Congress Hall area, which is only 2/3rds completed…then we saw the area where Hitler would hold the rallies, which were attended by upwards of 300,000 party faithful.
The Old Town, for the most part, survived the bombings in WW II…and the Castle is a Medieval marvel. We had a great tour of the area, with a very knowledgeable tour guide that did college work in Oregon. It was an afternoon tour, so our final couple of hours was at the Christmas Market, which is the largest in Germany, and may be in Europe. There are a total of 4 large Christmas markets, but we were at the largest at the Old Town town hall,,,right in the square in front of the Catholic Cathedral, which was not very impressive, and near to the Lutheran Church, which was very impressive. The market itself was jammed with probably 10,000 folks doing their shopping, and this was a big day, as the last Saturday before Christmas.
The day ended with the Captains Dinner…..a full and fun day…Nuremberg is a must to see to fully understand the nature of the Nazi Party, and Hitler, and how Germany was learned and rebuilt from the War.
More to come…
by Ron Largent | Dec 15, 2017 | Travel
Passau on the Danube is one of those “best kept secrets” when it comes to travel in Germany. However, not so when it comes to the River Cruise ships…it is a major player.
A great smaller city than Munich, etc….it is right at the point where three rivers come together….and is the location of St Stephens Cathedral….the home of the largest organ in Europe.
We had a great day on the walking tour….then went back into the town after lunch and had 3 hours of Christmas Market shopping and looking…. Ending up with a sweet at Simons….the famous gingerbread factory and store.
The highlight of course is the Cathedral…and not only is the organ magnificent, although we did not get to hear it, but the church building itself is among the most impressive we have ever seen.
Well, suffice it to say now…just a great day , and on to Regenburg……
