You'll recall my earlier post on our bed moving drama. In the end we had to abandon our old bed as it didn't fit up the stairwell at Swiss Cottage. I'm pleased to report that our cosy new bed arrived this morning - and made it safely up the stairwell.
We're quickly learning a few Londoner secrets. If you want a large bed in your flat, buy a base that you either assemble on site, or one that's made from two smaller divans. We've opted for the two-divan solution, buying a version that includes handy drawers. You can never have too much storage in a tiny London flat.
The bed is very comfortable but sits higher off the ground than our old one. In fact you'd think it were an operating table. However, once you've conquered the bed's dizzying heights, it's just perfect for hiding from bitter winter days. We've had a few of those this week, with day time temperatures close to zero. Poor Garry's also caught a nasty winter cold, complete with temperature and nagging cough, so I suspect he'll be making good use of for the next few days.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Return of the prodigal SAAB
£500 face lift
First up, Garry has taken the car to the VOSA testing station (the RTA or MOT equivalent) for an initial British Standards compliance check. As expected, the car failed, but only on one item. The speedometer needs to be converted to read mph rather km/ph. This is a relatively simple exercise as we only have to get the faceplate changed on the dashboard. The odometer can continue registering kilometres. SAAB wants to charge us £500 for the faceplate. Garry's taken up the challenge of shopping around for a far cheaper supplier!
Once the dashboard has been modified, the car goes back for another test. If it passes we can then apply for registration. Incredibly, registration has to be conducted by post and takes up to six weeks to complete. Once the car is registered, we can then arrange the manufacturing of our licence plates. That right, we have to get the plates made ourselves, they're not supplied by the Government. Once these plates are installed, the SAAB is finally ready to transport groceries between the supermarket and Swiss Cottage.
How to make a fast £50
Of course, there's more to this tale. We have no off-road parking. To park the car on the street we need a resident's permit from the local council. Parking wardens seem to permanently camp outside our flat, waiting to issue a whopping £50 fine. Our removalists were hit with a fine the day they unloaded our furniture.
You've guessed it. We can't apply for a parking permit until the car is registered. All in all, it's going to take at up to eight weeks before the car is on the road, and free from the wrath of overzealous parking Nazis. For now, Garry's rented a garage about two blocks away. The SAAB will live here until it's safe to leave permanently on the street.
The irony of this saga is that we could avoided all of this drama by simply importing the car with a valid Australian registration. The UK authorities would have given us 12 months to convert the registration and make the dashboard change.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Picasso, tapas and a wall of aging groceries
Garry and I have just returned from a relaxing-four day trip to Madrid. I was in town for two days of work, which we extended to include a weekend of tourist highlights. It was the first time in Madrid for both of us.
We arrived on Thursday morning, parking at the new Teminal Four in Barajas airport. This incredible work of art opened for business on February 5. It's a stunning building of red and yellow steel lattice, capped by an long, flowing roof of undulating 'seagull wing' waves. The complex was designed by Richard Rogers, a prominent UK architect.
We arrived on Thursday morning, parking at the new Teminal Four in Barajas airport. This incredible work of art opened for business on February 5. It's a stunning building of red and yellow steel lattice, capped by an long, flowing roof of undulating 'seagull wing' waves. The complex was designed by Richard Rogers, a prominent UK architect.
Food, glorious food
We ate at some wonderful restaurants. Our first night was spent in the narrow, exposed brick basement of a tiny local establishment called, Arte Divino, located on edge of Plaza de le Provincia. The owner was delightful and keen to meet our every whim and the wine cellar was stocked with some fine products.
Our second night in town was spent in the basement of Bazaar, a local dining institution that even Lonely Planet raves about. Here we found ourselves seated at a table, surrounded by an eclectic collection of stark white shelves, piled high with grocery items from the turn of the century. Despite the rather stylistic surrounding, the menu was surprisingly cheap and filled with tasty dishes.
Our final night was spent at the ultra-funky establishment of Calle 54 in Northern Madrid. It's a bar come restuarant. Here the walls to the kitchen were made of solid glass, connected to the main dining area by an impressive automated glass door. This fixture had an efficient swishing noise each time it opened, akin to something you'd find on the Starship Enterprise.
Shoe leather shuffle
We spent most of Saturday wandering the streets of Old Madrid, visiting such well-worn tourist sights as the Plaza Mayor, the recently completed cathedral (it's only taken 112 years to build) and the Royal Palace. We also stopped for tapas in the late afternoon near Plaza Sol, considered the traditional heart of the city. It was here we also stumbled across call girls doing a roaring afternoon's trade.
Perhaps the most perplexing highlight was a statue of the city's emblem; a bear climbing a strawberry tree. I'm sure there's a story here, but we were at a loss to explain it.
The Royal Palace was particularly memorable. Here we saw multi-million dollar Antonio Stradivari violins from the early 1770s, stunning gilded thrones in a red velvet lined room and a spectacular array of Victorian pharmaceutical equipment on display in the royal dispensary.
Sunday was spent at the Sophia Museum viewing the works of Picasso, Dali and other modern masters. Most note-worthy was Picasso’s famous Guernica, a dark and foreboding protest on the horror of war. The canvas itself is almost eight metres long.
UPDATE:
I returned to Madrid for another visit in September 2007. Click here to read this post.
Ello, 'ello, ello
I've mentioned our neighbour's description of Swiss Cottage's previous tenants in earlier posts. We're starting to build quite an interesting picture of these occupants. A few weeks ago, Garry had a couple of policemen pay a visit, looking for a old tenant. Then, this morning at the ungodly hour of 6:30am, a local court official buzzed the flat, seeking another former tenant.
Garry also tells me that the Gas Company was about to cut off supply when he first called to register our details. It seems that our party-going friends have left behind quite a trail of unpaid bills and court summons in their wake. I can't help wondering what impact our flat's checkered history will have on future credit applications we make.
Garry also tells me that the Gas Company was about to cut off supply when he first called to register our details. It seems that our party-going friends have left behind quite a trail of unpaid bills and court summons in their wake. I can't help wondering what impact our flat's checkered history will have on future credit applications we make.
Monday, February 13, 2006
A day in the office
I'm pleased to report that the final room in our flat was transformed into a permenant home office this week. The furniture arrived on Thursday, flat-packed, as usual, Poor Garry spent his fourth day in as many weeks assembling furniture, including our new desk, drawers and cupboards. He'll be keen not to pick up another screwdriver for quite some time.
The furniture looks great and fits our smallest bedroom-come-home office perfectly. Our next mission will be to install a custom shelf we've also purchased. The new home office looks out across Primrose Hill and the London skyline. However, we'll lose this view in a few months when the trees along our street start to send out spring growth. We'll keep some of the view from our main bedroom located on the floor above. Its windows just peek over the tree tops directly outside our home.
Perhaps the most noticable icon on the skyline is the BT Tower. Learn more here:
http://www.lightstraw.co.uk/ate/main/postofficetower/
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Talk of War
In my last post, I shared a little history behind our flat. Let me share two further tales from the past.
Don't mention The War
On the south side of our street, stretching for several blocks, is a series of four drab, grey, concrete high-rise apartment buildings. In between each tower is a series of equally drab, low-rise apartment complexes. Picture this. Elegant red brick buildings on one side of the street, drab grey monoliths on the other. These buildings are so drab it actually made us think twice about moving into the neighbourhood.
We naturally assumed that these soul-destroying buildings were the misguided vision of a 1960s architect, or the result of some profit-seeking developer hell-bent on demolishing beautiful streetscapes. The truth is some what more sinister. It appears that our area was heavily bombed during the Second World War. Entire sections of our street were literally razed to the ground by German bombers. Effectively, the mismatch of housing on our street is long-forgotten scar of war. Not something you really encounter in Australia.
This photo shows you how it looked in 1906 before a century of death and destruction took hold.
From: www.images-of-london.co.uk.
A limo of ladies
Garry and I ran into our neighbour this morning. The same man that we locked out the day we moved in. He was pruning the roses in our front yard which, to our surprise, are already starting to send out early leaf shoots. Winter is almost over.
"I never hear you," he commented. "You're much quieter than the previous tenants. They were always partying and making noise. Up all hours, day and night. People were always coming and going. We'd watch limousines filled with beautiful women pulling up at 5:00 or 6:00am during the week, dressed in the smallest outfits. They'd disappear inside. Lots of noise. Later we'd find old joints lying around."
Garry and I feel quite dull when compared to endless limos of legless ladies.
An airless excrescence
While researching the age of our flat, I came across a detailed history of housing construction in the immediate area. Until the 19th Century, our neighbourhood was part of a rural estate known as Chalcots. As late as 1811 there were only six houses on the whole estate. How times have changed. According to the most recent census (2001) the same area now has more 95,600 households, home for more than 198,000 people.
My research reveals that the bulk of our neighbourhood was built over a period of 80 years. Our house was constructed in the later half of the 1800s. In 1881, a gentleman called William Willett the elder undertook to erect 200 houses in north-western 15 acres of the estate. He agreed to complete this assignment by 1900. Although he didn't erect as many buildings as planned, he was responsible for 37 red-brick houses built in our street between 1882-5, including our own.
Willett's red-brick houses were popular at the time, although later described as 'airless excrescences'. The dictionary describes 'excrescences' as "an outgrowth or enlargement, especially an abnormal one, such as a wart." Here's the airless wart we live in. Judge for yourself.
My research reveals that the bulk of our neighbourhood was built over a period of 80 years. Our house was constructed in the later half of the 1800s. In 1881, a gentleman called William Willett the elder undertook to erect 200 houses in north-western 15 acres of the estate. He agreed to complete this assignment by 1900. Although he didn't erect as many buildings as planned, he was responsible for 37 red-brick houses built in our street between 1882-5, including our own.
Willett's red-brick houses were popular at the time, although later described as 'airless excrescences'. The dictionary describes 'excrescences' as "an outgrowth or enlargement, especially an abnormal one, such as a wart." Here's the airless wart we live in. Judge for yourself.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Who you gonna call?
It’s been very handy having Garry at home these last few weeks. He’s been able to sort out all kinds of household challenges as we continue establishing our own Swiss Cottage. Every day we find the most simple of tasks taking on a life of their own. Take for example, organising home contents insurance. What started as a ten minute task, has taken a week to finally sort out.
We can’t just call the insurance company and make it happen. The first problem we encounter is simply, “who’s the best company to use?” Being new to the UK, we don’t know who the local players are, or which have a good reputation. As a result, we end up doing a lot of research and asking work colleagues a lot of questions.
The research all takes time and drags out the entire process. Then, as you start preparing an application, you encounter interesting questions like, “what’s the age of your building?” or “are your door locks compliant to British Standard XYZ?” All of which requires more research.
If you’re curious, the age of our building is somewhere between 1881 and 1884.
We can’t just call the insurance company and make it happen. The first problem we encounter is simply, “who’s the best company to use?” Being new to the UK, we don’t know who the local players are, or which have a good reputation. As a result, we end up doing a lot of research and asking work colleagues a lot of questions.
The research all takes time and drags out the entire process. Then, as you start preparing an application, you encounter interesting questions like, “what’s the age of your building?” or “are your door locks compliant to British Standard XYZ?” All of which requires more research.
If you’re curious, the age of our building is somewhere between 1881 and 1884.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Last box standing
Last weekend saw us pass a major milestone at Swiss Cottage. The last box of our belongings was finally given a permenant home in our new flat. This event was made possible thanks (yet again) to the miracle of IKEA and it's storage solutions. We still have a couple of boxes filled with CDs and DVDs, but all of the large items shipped from Australia actually have a real home in London.
This link gives you an idea of the storage units we've assembled in the main living room:
IKEA link 1
The last of our new home furnishing purchases are also due over the next week or so. With luck our suite of home office furniture will arrive this Thursday and our new bed some time next week. The story of our new bed is rather amusing. Some of you will recall that Garry and I bought two bulky leather sofas last year. To refresh your memory, here's a picture:
This link gives you an idea of the storage units we've assembled in the main living room:
The last of our new home furnishing purchases are also due over the next week or so. With luck our suite of home office furniture will arrive this Thursday and our new bed some time next week. The story of our new bed is rather amusing. Some of you will recall that Garry and I bought two bulky leather sofas last year. To refresh your memory, here's a picture:
Given this bulk, we used their measurements to help short list flats we could to lease. Basically, if we couldn't fit our sofas into a flat it was immediately struck from the list. All sorts of dimensions were considered, including access points to each house. Garry even measured up the stairwell in our Swiss Cottage building before we finally signed the lease. However, neither of us thought to measure the rigid, Queen-size, bed-base before moving in.
Needless to say, when moving day came, the base wouldn't fit up the stairwell and we were forced to abandon it. It was one of several items we discarded that day. Nobody lifted an eyebrow as it seems the removalists have this happen all the time in London. On the flip side, our move to London has proven well timed as we've managed to secure terrific deals on replacement furniture items thanks to the post-Christmas sales. Our home office was at least 40% cheaper than normal and the new bed, close to half price.
Now, I need to be careful here, as I'd hate people to get the impression that our sofas fitted into our new home with ease. They didn't. It took almost 20 minutes to work out how to get the first sofa up two flights of narrow, twisting stairway. In the end we asked our neighbours to open their front door before we successfully angled the sofas around a particularly tight corner.
In the midst of all this drama we managed to lock our neighbour out of his apartment whilst he was standing in his pyjamas, suffering a dose of winter flu. The situation was further complicated by the fact that his wife was out, he wasn't carrying a mobile phone and didn't have his key to hand. Even worse, a small child was locked inside. Imagine this scene; within minutes we're standing on the landing with a sofa wedged in the stairway, with a sick and bewildered man beside us listening to the sounds of his distraught toddler locked inside. Fortunately, we share the same landlord so I was able to make a call and relay a message to his wife, who promptly returned home.
It's great to have a real home again.
Now there's just the insurance to sort out, the broadband access to arrange, the off-street parking to find, the cleaner to hire, the UK credit cards to apply for, the driving licences to transfer and on it goes. How much further could modern life be from cavemen days?
Sunday, February 05, 2006
What's in a name?
I came across this handy summary of the local neighbourhood recently. It gives a quick and simple explanation for the name of our suburb.
Swiss Cottage is located in North-west London in the Borough of Camden. The area is named after a Public House built between 1803 and 1804. This opened as "The Swiss Tavern" and is now called "Ye Olde Swiss Cottage". The building, reconstructed in 1965, is loosely modeled on a classic Swiss chalet and remains in active use today.
We've yet to trial the delights of this local icon. No doubt we have quite an experience in store for us!
Swiss Cottage is located in North-west London in the Borough of Camden. The area is named after a Public House built between 1803 and 1804. This opened as "The Swiss Tavern" and is now called "Ye Olde Swiss Cottage". The building, reconstructed in 1965, is loosely modeled on a classic Swiss chalet and remains in active use today.
We've yet to trial the delights of this local icon. No doubt we have quite an experience in store for us!
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Around the Pacific Islands
Around North Asia
Around the Middle East
Around Central & South America
- Panama
- Mexico
- Lima
- Arequipa
- Lake Titicaca
- Cusco
- Machu Picchu
- Amazon Jungle
- Rio
- Paraty
- Curitiba
- San Paulo
- Iguazu Falls
- Buenos Aires
- Easter Island
- Atacama Desert
- Punta Arenas
- Santiago
Around Southeast Asia
I've included a placeholder for a Kodak-era post about Delhi that I've yet to publish. In the years ahead, I hope to add Kampuchea, Vietnam and Burma to this growing list.
Around Africa
- Cairo
- Luxor
- Cruising the Nile
- Aswan
- Alexandria
- Cape Town
- The Cape of Good Hope
- Joburg
- Soweto
- Pretoria
- The Garden Route
- Franschhoek
- Phinda
- Sodwana Bay
- Victoria Falls
- Hwange
- Marrakesh
- Fez
- Meknes
The final two destinations listed above are retrospective posts, as is the post about Hwange. These were vacations I've enjoyed during the Kodak era, i.e. before the introduction of digital cameras. I visited northern Morocco while backpacking in Europe in 1990, and Hwange on my first-ever round-the-world trip in 1996.
Around the UK
This collection of links takes you directly to posts on our many trips around the UK.
- Bath
- Stonehenge
- Salisbury
- Brighton
- Arundel
- Windsor
- The Cotswold 2006
- The Cotswold 2007
- Bladon and Oxford
- Scotland
- Canterbury
- Dover
- Cornwall and Devon
- Bristol
- Llangollen
- Coventry
- York
- Rye & Battle
- Portsmouth
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Around Australia
This collection of links takes you directly to posts on our many trips around Australia.
- Canberra
- Adelaide
- Melbourne
- Dubbo
- Kamay Botany Bay National Park
- The Top End
- Port Douglas
- Tasmania
- Cradle Mountain
- Longreach & Winton
- Pebbly Beach
- Kangaroo Island
- Lake Eyre
- Cooper Pedy
- Uluru
- Lightning Ridge
- Bourke
- Lord Howe Island
- The Murray River
- The South Coast
- White Cliffs
- Broken Hill
- Perth
USA and Canada
A series of posts on our road trips through the USA and Canada. You'll find additional posts covering visits to individual cities, such as Memphis or Orlando, listed under their respective names.
- Washington DC and Canada in the Fall
- Boston
- The Rocky Mountains and Ontario
- New Orleans
- Florida
- San Diego
- The US West Coast
- Vancouver and Alaska
- Canyonland & Arches National Park
- Humbolt Redwood State Park
- New Mexico & Arizona
- South Dakota, Wyoming & Yellowstone
- Hawaii
- Chicago
- Dallas & Houston
- Syracuse, New York
Around New Zealand
Thursday, January 26, 2006
The adventure begins at Swiss Cottage
Heathrow marks the halfway point
Garry and I finally reached the damp and chilly shores of England on December 13, 2005. More than two months earlier, we'd flown out of Sydney, Australia on October 8, ready to start a new life in London. I'm relocating with my company, while Garry has bravely agreed to come along for the adventure. Our arrival marked the end of an incredible 2.5-month sabbatical, traveling through New Zealand, North and South America, and the Middle East.
Our trip was made using a really handy OneWorld Global Explorer round-the-world ticket. We'll complete the journey in April when we plan to fly back to Sydney via Japan and Hong Kong. With luck, Japan will be in the midst of cherry blossom season, making for some truly postcard moments.
The first half of our sojourn took us to the USA, Canada, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, and Jordan. So many sights, so many memories. After a while, it all became too much to absorb. I'm sure we'll spend months indexing more than 5000 photos captured on the road.
I've shared more about our adventures in the first couple of dozen posts of this blog. If you start from the post titled Two decades of American Memories and read it down you'll get the full story on our world tour so far. The photo below gives you a taste of the many sights we experienced. This image was shot in Toronto.
Storage salvation courtesy of IKEA
I can't believe how time is flying by. It's hard to believe that we've already been in England for almost two months. I'm sure it was only a week since we were floating in the salty brine of the Dead Sea. Life has truly been a blur since we touched down at Heathrow. I've started work, we've opened UK bank accounts and permanent living arrangements have rapidly fallen into place.
Last week Garry and I finally moved into a three-bedroom flat located in the leafy suburb of Swiss Cottage. This literally involved packing the contents of a 40-foot moving container into a small three-bedroom English flat. English homes really are smaller on average than most in Europe (or at least that's what the Economist magazine tells me).
Needless to say, additional storage was required. Thank goodness for IKEA. We've emptied our wallets into its hallowed Swedish halls, bringing home shelves, cupboards, sideboards and all manner of items. These now hide a lifetime of accumulated junk.
On the ground, elsewhere
If all of this wasn't enough to stress me out, I had to fly to New York the day after we moved house. I was asked at short notice to help our US leadership team with a series of planning workshops. In the meantime, Garry had transformed the flat into a real home. Everything finally seems to have its place and our Australian furnishing looks like they were made for the flat. I arrived back in London last Saturday but then had to fly to Milan on Sunday to meet with my Italian team for the first time. I finally got back to London on Feb 1.
Since arriving I've also made trips to our offices in Munich and Paris. Five countries in as many weeks - this must be Europe! I have no more business travel now until Feb 16. I'll be off to Madrid for the first time. Garry is coming with me. We'll be staying the weekend as a belated Valentine's Day treat.
Jude Law's kinda place
Our flat covers the top two floors of a lovely red-brick mansionette. Swiss Cottage is relatively central, just north of Paddington Station (easy access to Heathrow for me thanks to the 15-minute Paddington Express), with good tube access to my office or the finance district for Garry. We have two movie theatres, three Live Theatres, and a gym within ten minute's walk of the flat. There are also plenty of great restaurants and exotic shops in the immediate area, plus Primrose Hill and Regents Park are only ten minute's walk south. All in all a great find in a great location.
I've been told Jude Law lives in the area. I've yet to see any sign of him, other than perhaps the turds his dog has left behind. Unlike Sydney, dog owners in London appear disinclined to clean up after their pets. Garry now spends his time feverishly scanning the pavement for wayward piles.
Exploring the neighbourhood
Aside from house hunting, we've also been busy catching up with UK friends and taking in plenty of live theatre. We've seen a witty comedy, a rock musical, and a traditional pantomime in our first month. As part of our RTW ticket, we fitted in a five-day trip to my brother's house in the Austrian alps at Christmas.
I stuffed up my knee the day before we flew to Austria. As a result, I never got a chance to test my ski legs. Garry did get in one afternoon of skiing and we all managed a session of night-time tobogganing on the last day in Austria. All in all the time with family was heaps of fun for all and a wonderful white Christmas (we had two feet of snow on the ground).
Garry and I finally reached the damp and chilly shores of England on December 13, 2005. More than two months earlier, we'd flown out of Sydney, Australia on October 8, ready to start a new life in London. I'm relocating with my company, while Garry has bravely agreed to come along for the adventure. Our arrival marked the end of an incredible 2.5-month sabbatical, traveling through New Zealand, North and South America, and the Middle East.
Our trip was made using a really handy OneWorld Global Explorer round-the-world ticket. We'll complete the journey in April when we plan to fly back to Sydney via Japan and Hong Kong. With luck, Japan will be in the midst of cherry blossom season, making for some truly postcard moments.
The first half of our sojourn took us to the USA, Canada, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, and Jordan. So many sights, so many memories. After a while, it all became too much to absorb. I'm sure we'll spend months indexing more than 5000 photos captured on the road.
I've shared more about our adventures in the first couple of dozen posts of this blog. If you start from the post titled Two decades of American Memories and read it down you'll get the full story on our world tour so far. The photo below gives you a taste of the many sights we experienced. This image was shot in Toronto.
Storage salvation courtesy of IKEA
I can't believe how time is flying by. It's hard to believe that we've already been in England for almost two months. I'm sure it was only a week since we were floating in the salty brine of the Dead Sea. Life has truly been a blur since we touched down at Heathrow. I've started work, we've opened UK bank accounts and permanent living arrangements have rapidly fallen into place.
Last week Garry and I finally moved into a three-bedroom flat located in the leafy suburb of Swiss Cottage. This literally involved packing the contents of a 40-foot moving container into a small three-bedroom English flat. English homes really are smaller on average than most in Europe (or at least that's what the Economist magazine tells me).
Needless to say, additional storage was required. Thank goodness for IKEA. We've emptied our wallets into its hallowed Swedish halls, bringing home shelves, cupboards, sideboards and all manner of items. These now hide a lifetime of accumulated junk.
On the ground, elsewhere
If all of this wasn't enough to stress me out, I had to fly to New York the day after we moved house. I was asked at short notice to help our US leadership team with a series of planning workshops. In the meantime, Garry had transformed the flat into a real home. Everything finally seems to have its place and our Australian furnishing looks like they were made for the flat. I arrived back in London last Saturday but then had to fly to Milan on Sunday to meet with my Italian team for the first time. I finally got back to London on Feb 1.
Since arriving I've also made trips to our offices in Munich and Paris. Five countries in as many weeks - this must be Europe! I have no more business travel now until Feb 16. I'll be off to Madrid for the first time. Garry is coming with me. We'll be staying the weekend as a belated Valentine's Day treat.
Jude Law's kinda place
Our flat covers the top two floors of a lovely red-brick mansionette. Swiss Cottage is relatively central, just north of Paddington Station (easy access to Heathrow for me thanks to the 15-minute Paddington Express), with good tube access to my office or the finance district for Garry. We have two movie theatres, three Live Theatres, and a gym within ten minute's walk of the flat. There are also plenty of great restaurants and exotic shops in the immediate area, plus Primrose Hill and Regents Park are only ten minute's walk south. All in all a great find in a great location.
I've been told Jude Law lives in the area. I've yet to see any sign of him, other than perhaps the turds his dog has left behind. Unlike Sydney, dog owners in London appear disinclined to clean up after their pets. Garry now spends his time feverishly scanning the pavement for wayward piles.
Aside from house hunting, we've also been busy catching up with UK friends and taking in plenty of live theatre. We've seen a witty comedy, a rock musical, and a traditional pantomime in our first month. As part of our RTW ticket, we fitted in a five-day trip to my brother's house in the Austrian alps at Christmas.
I stuffed up my knee the day before we flew to Austria. As a result, I never got a chance to test my ski legs. Garry did get in one afternoon of skiing and we all managed a session of night-time tobogganing on the last day in Austria. All in all the time with family was heaps of fun for all and a wonderful white Christmas (we had two feet of snow on the ground).
Monday, December 19, 2005
Life in the Dead Sea
During its prime, historians estimate that Jerash had a population of 20,000. However, the city fell into decline during the 3rd century. It suffered several brutal invasions, first by the Persians and then by the Muslims. It was also devastated by multiple earthquakes, including a major quake in AD749 and a second two years later. The city was eventually abandoned.
The salt crystals that precipitate on the shore are just as unreal. They form enormous rocks with deadly sharp edges that are surprisingly heavy. You can see me examining a relatively small crystal rock below. Trust me, it's not something you'd want to tread on while swimming.
Our last day in Jordan was spent wandering the city of Amman. The city is home to more than two million people and spreads itself across a series of ravines, or wadis, and hills referred to locally as citadels. We spent time exploring some of its Roman ruins. This included the Roman Theatre, a restored 6,000-seat amphitheatre; the forlorn Temple of Hercules standing guard on a nearby hilltop; and the temple's neighbour, the dome-capped Umayyad Palace, a largely ruined Islamic complex.
I was surprised to learn that despite these ruins, Amman is a relatively modern city. Over the centuries it has been abandoned and resettled several times. In more recent times, it was a relatively modest village until the Ottoman Empire began construction of the Hejaz Railway linking Damascus to Medina. The railway transformed the city almost overnight from a sleepy town of less than ten thousand to the sprawling metropolis it is today.
As we sat in the Roman Theatre, on our final evening in the Middle East, we reflected on two months of non-stop travel across three continents. We'd ticked so many things off our bucket list and experienced so much more than we could have imagined. I doubt we’ll ever do anything quite like it again. On December 13, Garry and I flew out of Amman ready to begin our new life in London.
UPDATE
Here's a little more about our time in the Middle East. One of our tour friends sent me some of her favourite photos.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
The promised land
After visiting Petra we travelled up the King's Way, visiting Kerak Castle and the incredible floor mosaics of Madaba. Kerak Castle was our first stop of the day. As you approach Kerak, you're greeted by the striking silhouette of its Crusader castle towering over the surrounding Wadi Mujib Valley.
The castle was first built during the Crusader era in 1142 by Pagan the Butler, a Crusader lord from France. It was initially constructed as a small fortification to protect the area from Muslim forces. Over time, it grew into a much larger structure with multiple towers and walls designed to protect the city from attack.
The castle was first built during the Crusader era in 1142 by Pagan the Butler, a Crusader lord from France. It was initially constructed as a small fortification to protect the area from Muslim forces. Over time, it grew into a much larger structure with multiple towers and walls designed to protect the city from attack.
The chapel floor includes a mosaic map of the Holy Lands, with a particular focus on Jerusalem. The Madaba Map as it's known, is the world's oldest known geographic floor mosaic. The first image below shows the Nile River delta. In the middle image, Jerusalem is represented by the oval section in the lower right, while the Dead Sea sits in the top right with the River Jordan flowing into it (Unfortunately, the sea is out of focus.).
The museum displays mosaics from a 6th-Century Byzantine villa that once stood in the same location, along with mosaics recovered from other sites around town. There was hardly anyone there when I walked in the door. A departing visitor recommended tipping the curator for an extra excursion. I followed their advice. After a little baksheesh exchanged hands, the friendly man took me on a personal tour of the site, including a close-up view of several impressive mosaics behind locked gates.
Mount Nebo is the place where Moses was granted a view of the Promised Land by the Lord before his death. Hence, as you'd expect, the ridge is crowned by an old chapel and a rather sculptural metallic cross. The chapel, while relatively modest, contained another series of impressive floor mosaics.
I was surprised to see how many African animals were depicted. The menagerie included ostriches, antelopes, zebras, and other exotic creatures. It was another reminder of how Palestine has long been at the crossroads of human history
Follow this link as we take a dip in the Dead Sea.
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