In the winter of 2023 we escaped the chill of our home town, and journeyed to London to visit the Queen,,, err... sorry... the King... actually, to visit our first born even. though we were there for the Moronation... err... Coronation,
A less than enthusiastic response from many of the Brits would be the inevitable conclusion. of any discerning mind... except for those who belong to the Royal tribe or those who have drunk the Monarchy Kool Aid.
In contrast to. the pomp. and regalia that was happening in the centre of London, we indulged ourselves in a bit o' jolly o' Blighty tradition and took a punt on a boat ride on the Cam River.
In contrast to. the pomp. and regalia that was happening in the centre of London, we indulged ourselves in a bit o' jolly o' Blighty tradition and took a punt on a boat ride on the Cam River.
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Londoners are sure to point out that Cambridge doesn't have a sinecure on water transport In London proper, just a short walk from. the most expensive title on the Monopoly board is where one encounters "Little Venice" ~ a title punching above its weight in reality... Canal Boats are NOT gondolas people. But it's kinda purty all the same.
Suffolk is. a beautiful part of Britain with rolling fields and farm lands in every direction. Spending time with friends who live amongst all that beauty, was such a gift. Surrounded by the fields of the family farm, the location was peaceful and so connected. to the. land (obviously).
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Less painful and less necessary than a. Prince Albert is s visit to the Royal Albert Hall. The experience. of listening to the RPO... yes, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra... was just...ummm...music to my ears. Astounding. ambience and music, over 100. elite musicians playing in harmony... magnificent.
It's been quite a hectic few days with a concert with Eric Bibb in a small but acoustically brilliant venue. at King's Place, an amazing musical theatre evening with Hamilton, (I'd go and see it again tomorrow) and the RPO doing movie tunes... topped off with a Guardians of the Galaxy 3... from. sublime. to the ridiculous. We were fortunate to snap up seats 13 rows from the front at the Royal Albert Hall. What a venue and what an orchestra. Huge.
It's been quite a hectic few days with a concert with Eric Bibb in a small but acoustically brilliant venue. at King's Place, an amazing musical theatre evening with Hamilton, (I'd go and see it again tomorrow) and the RPO doing movie tunes... topped off with a Guardians of the Galaxy 3... from. sublime. to the ridiculous. We were fortunate to snap up seats 13 rows from the front at the Royal Albert Hall. What a venue and what an orchestra. Huge.
Over in the area known as Brick Lane, there is a sense of community and some beautiful. gardens set amongst the preponderance of brick buildings. A clear message of a sense of community is found in this street sign...
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Buchheim museum
Bavaria gives new meaning to the colour green. There are shades of green everywhere one looks in the city parks or once out in the Alps and Lakes countryside. We are so fortunate to have Angela and Jan ( and Poppy the dachshund) to show us around. The Buchheim Museum is a splendid example of expressionism art work from the 20th century.
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Lother-Günter Buchheim was an adventure and first grade narcissist. He was not without painting talent and his writing can only be described as a blockbuster as he was (and still is) the author of Das Boat. The museum is nestled against a beautiful lake and contains an extensive collection of expressionism art work.
This long deck. takes one over the lake edge and the grounds contain some quirky sculptures. Some more life like than others.
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I did like this work by Max Kaus. Reminds of the painting of John Brack. The expressionist period emerged post WWI and. is the opposite of impressionism. It is a style that uses garish colours and flattened distorted angles.
Mad King Ludwig II
Mad King Ludwig drowned in this lake (above) on the other side to where I am standing to take this pic. The story is that people fed up with his excesses drowned him, a few suggest that he offed himself after drowning his medical advisor. Regardless, mad he indeed was if the scope, scale and sheer audacity of his building program is any indication. Many know of his fairy tale indulgence known as Neuschwanstein upon which Walt Disney modelled his Magic Kingdom castle... it's the castle that is always in the tourist brochures. We didn't go there, instead we visited one of his smaller edifi, a recocco-loco homage to the Sun King Louis XIV known as Schloss Lindehof. It put the nutso family of the best friend from college depicted in Crazy Rich Asians to shame. Not permitted to take photos inside, rest assured, the opulence was astounding.
Bavarian Alpine lakes |
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Kochel See and Walchen See (See = lake) are high level outdoor sports lovers paradise with biking, sail-boarding, sailing and fishing all the rage. Water is a tad chill for my liking, But the setting is rather beautiful.
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Gabriele MÜnter haus
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A Walk In Time
The chance to walk through time at the Glentleiten was such gift. The most interesting was awarded to the smithing area where. the use. of water powered technology was a pleasure to behold.
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Set in 60 hectares of land the houses through the ages give one a real sense. of shared living that was the norm... you . the family and the cattle all sharing spaces.(in winter time) The. tiled heaters that are common. from. earlier times can be found in Munter House, this living. museum and other places of recent history.
Munich CBD
The centre of Munich. is rich with stories of old and re-biult buildings after the extensive bombing during WW!!. The new town hall looks old but is in fact faux gothic built post. WWII. Nods to. Greek and. Roman styles pop up at various points and the photo bottom. right is not far from the location where some of Hitler (who was Austrian not German) speeches began to gain traction and enabled his rise to power.
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Forget the buildings, it's Poppy the Dachshund that is the star of the city centre.We came upon a royal wedding and the Oompa band that was waiting for the couple to emerge from the church...
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A former Gestapo Headquarters where the design was intended to inspire and intimidate.
Hitler's home. in Munich has been turned into a police station to prevent far right nutters from turning it into a shrine. Clever,
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Lenbach haus Gallery
A museum brimming wth Kandinsky and Munter art works, along with some other greats. Truly a pleasure to visit and contemplate.
Kandinsky's George & the Dragon (Killing Time)
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Kandinsky's Landscape
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Alexej von Jawlensky's The Dancer
Kandinsky before fully submerged in expressionism phase.
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Kikugawa Senchō: Courtesan with Pipe
The Blue Rider movement of which Kandinsky was a founding member, sought inspiration from other cultures. |
I really liked this: Albert Weisgerber (1879-1915) Parisian restaurant 1906
English Garden
A massive park in the centre of Munich, it comes equipped with a beaut beer garden,.. fish on a stick anyone?A Munich delicacy I am told.
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Nothing says Munich more than a stein of dark beer... unless it's a beer and a wurst.
V&A Museum
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I always spend time marvelling at the high quality stainglass work on display Works are from 1300s onwards. Remarkable,
TATE Modern
TATE Modern is a marvellous gallery. Taken with this piece (and many others) by French painter Marie Laurencin
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Plenty Ort work that decries social issues, Tate not afraid to have statements made... as it should.
King's Landing Flower Show...?
The Chelsea Flower Show is huge event and whilst gardens and flower displays dominate, the "accoutrement" of things gardening has a major presence. Why have a water feature when one can have a large dragon as a talking point in the garden. If not a dragon, then some leaves of the giant kind?
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Happy that we went early in the day, as by the time we left around midday, it was heaving with people.
Northern Ireland
The countryside is so beautiful. Different green to Bavaria but all very lush. The countryside up on the Antrim Coast is just as one might expect it to be.
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These snaps are en route to Carrrick-a- Rede, the highlights is perhaps the long walk to the rope swing bridge that the fisherfolk used to build each year to get to the larger island outcrop off the headland.
Giant's Causeway & Carrick-a-Rede above... Portrush below
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Black Cab Tour of Belfast
It took some time to process the information and our response to the stories and scenes from the Black Cab tour. The trauma that 700 years of oppression create reeverberates through the centuries and through the folk living in Belfast today.
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The titanic experience
What remains of the enormous slipway built to enable the Titanic and sister ship Olympic to be built. Around 200 ft high, the working conditions was very shoddy for those "on the tools". There is no sense that any blame for the sinking of the Titanic is placed on the construction process and resulting final product. The finger is squarely pointed at the Captain who refused to slow down through iceberg filled waters.
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The Titanic Experience building is spectacular in itself. Nomadic: one of the tender boats that tended the Titanic.
The Titanic Experience is quite a commentary on the shipyard of Harland and Wolff as it is a window into the famous boat, Belfast is not afraid of putting up a sculpture or two. I wonder where the idea for the figure above emerged...?
