the national gallery

When we first arrived in London, we stumbled into an art gallery called Tate Modern. Housed in what used to be a coal factory, it sits on the south bank of the Thames, not too far from London Bridge. In its own right, it is quite a popular gallery and is often on lists of London’s prominent tourist attractions. The free general admission is quite a good attraction. It has a number of different levels and we happened to end up on the floor with the exhibit on surrealism. This visit led us to the conclusion that we don’t really get art.

More recently, we decided to give art another chance and paid a visit to the National Gallery, which is the dominant building at the north end of Trafalgar Square. Admission to the National Gallery is also free, although they kindly request voluntary donations to help with funding. Depending on which box you happen to walk past, they recommend either £1 or £2.

We must say, the gallery is very impressive. Of course, we haven`t been to the AGO that many times and aren’t too well-versed on the collection there. And, we have yet to visit the Louvre. But nevertheless, there are some fine paintings in the National Gallery; this is art we can appreciate. There are works by Degas, Cezanne, Manet, Monet. There are a few by Van Gogh*, Renoir and Rembrandt. We’re pretty ignorant as far as art is concerned, but even we’ve heard of these guys. There were lots of other paintings that we really liked, but by painters whose names elude us now (good thing admission is free so we can always go back to jot them down). Caspian found he likes paintings by Joseph Mallaire William Turner, whose works have a nautical theme. That the artist’s name contains the name for a prominent character in a certain Disney pirate franchise is purely coincidental.

*If you're a fan of Samurai Champloo, you may be interested in the fact that one of the Van Gogh works featured is one of his studies on sunflowers.

The interior of the gallery is beautiful as well. There are large walls decorated with a subtle and elegant tone-on-tone damask pattern. If you get tired walking through the endless rooms, there are very nice brown leather chairs, sofas and divans for you to rest your weary feet. One of the rooms in the centre of the gallery features marble tile and a wonderful dome that is naturally lit. Teresa mentioned that, if we were to get married again (or renew our vows or whatever), she’d like to do it at the National Gallery since it’s so breathtaking. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside so you’ll have to take our word for it.

What struck us as we went through, though, was how many paintings were based on religious themes. In fact, if you go to the visitor’s centre and hop onto one of the computer guides, there is a tour dedicated to paintings of Christ. We thought it was incredible that people dedicated so much time to painting stories from the Bible. Some were the size of one of our walls. And it wasn’t even necessarily crucifixion or nativity scenes (although there were quite a few of those). Some were of lesser-known biblical narratives, like when the Israelites were plagued by snakes or when Elijah was fed by ravens. It made us think about how in those times, many people weren’t able to read and these paintings helped them to learn about Scripture. It also led us to reflect on how lucky we are to be able to read and experience God’s Word in our own homes.

We guess art’s not that bad after all. // www.nationalgallery.org.uk

st.-martin-in-the-fields

Caspian’s parents are big fans of classical music. As a result, growing up, he was only allowed to listen to classical music until he reached junior high school. His parents have quite an extensive collection of classical music recordings, a combination of LPs, tapes (what are those? haha) and CDs. When we originally visited Trafalgar Square and noticed this really beautiful building so we decided to take a closer look. The building is a church called St.-Martin-In-The-Fields. Why did this name sound so familiar?

Classical music buffs will recognize the name because of the Academy at St.-Martin-In-The-Fields, one of the most recorded classical ensembles on the planet. Caspian’s parents’ collection contains many recordings from this very ensemble. In fact, the church was and still is used for many recordings. We picked up a programme schedule and saw that they run a fairly robust concert schedule, and at fairly reasonable prices. In fact, they have a free lunchtime concert series.

Well, we finally got around to attending a concert at St.-Martin-In-The-Fields and are very glad we did! The church is absolutely stunning inside and the pictures we took do not do it one ounce of justice. We opted for the cheapest block of tickets at £6. The ticket lady told us that these seats offer no view whatsoever of the performers. We weren’t sure how correct that was, but decided that we really didn’t need to see the performers to be able to enjoy the experience. So we tried it out. And found that (much to our chagrin) the lady was 100% correct – we couldn’t see anything as the seats were on the balcony and too far back to get any view. As a small bonus, though, because the balcony booths were not sold in our section, we were allowed to move up for the second half.

The performance we attended was the Baroque Festival by the Belmont Ensemble and included concertos by Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, and Marcello. We were very impressed because the violin soloist was pregnant (which pleased Teresa very much) and still performed wonderfully. The oboist was very young but talented and performed Bach’s oboe concerto in D minor without any music. The ensemble included a harpsichord which was also very nice because it’s not often that you get to hear a harpsichord live.

The rest of the summer concert line-up looks impressive as well, with features on Gershwin, Mozart and Purcell. In fact, one of the concerts in August will be by the Academy at St.-Martin-In-The-Fields themselves and we’ll be sure not to miss that!

the undomestic goddess

Since we found ourselves with a lot of time and limited internet access at one point, we have both done a little bit of reading. A book we have now both read, courtesy of the London public library system, is The Undomestic Goddess, by Sophie Kinsella (of Shopaholic fame).

The Coles Notes synopsis is that an ambitious, driven, and career-minded City (that’s City of London) lawyer, who is consumed by her work, finds herself suddenly sacked and out in the English countryside where she learns how to clean, cook and – most importantly – slow down. She rediscovers the joy of simple living, free of worries and the cares that so often burden us. She realizes that career success isn’t the be all and end all of life, and that you can be quite happy – perhaps even more so – doing a simple job with no bonuses, no share options, and no possibility of career advancement. Quite a timely message for us from an unexpected source.

The literary merit of 'chick-lit' is shaky at best, but that’s not to say that some valuable lessons can’t be learned. Here are a couple of other quick ones:
1) Kneading bread is excellent for relieving stress (haven’t tried this one ourselves, but it sounds reasonable)
2) Don’t be people who don’t take time to look out the window

random facts about london

1. Mugs are for hot beverages only
Caspian’s colleagues may remember him telling them about one of his (many) quirks, that being an inexplicable aversion towards drinking cold beverages out of a mug. It’s not that he can’t do it (since we only have mugs in our flat at the moment, he has no choice), it’s just that it feels weird and unnatural to him. He can’t explain why this is so, he only knows that it is. Well, now we have the beginnings of an answer, since apparently this sentiment of using mugs for hot beverages only is quite widespread in England. Our friend from Canada told us a story of how his colleagues snickered when he brought cold drinking water to a meeting in a mug, something clearly frowned upon.

2. Brake levers on bikes are reversed
The other random fact, for all the bicycle-lovers out there, is that it’s not just the side of the road thing that the English do backwards. You see, we recently got a bike second-hand. It’s a decent bike, a vintage Peugeot racer. Nothing to write home about (although I suppose we are writing home in a sense), but solid enough to get us from A to B. In North America, the left-hand brake lever typically controls the brake on the front wheel, while the brake lever on the right side of the bike controls the rear brake. Upon riding the bike we got, Caspian noticed that the cables were reversed – the left brake lever was linked to the rear brake and vice versa. He thought this was a mistake the mechanic had made when setting up the bike. But recently, he looked closer at our flatmates’ bikes and they’re set up the same way. This will likely take some getting used to, but luckily there haven’t been any endos* yet!

*endo, n. 1. a bicycling accident in which the rider is thrown forward over the handlebars (usually as a result of braking too hard on the front wheel)

crete, greece - part III

if you're not into beaches or history, then perhaps nature may be of more interest to you. crete definitely has a variety of different terrain, ranging from the aforementioned sandy beaches to respectable mountain ranges. there are numerous caves and gorges dotting the island, the most popular being samaria gorge. unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to visit the gorge, or drive along the mountain pass that runs through the lefka ori (white mountains), but that just means we'll have to return for another visit!

but if you are a hiking enthusiast, then you won't be disappointed by the myriad trails that are available for exploration. in fact, just behind our resort is a short trail that leads down to a venetian-era church. it was a nice little surprise tucked right in our backyard!



driving towards the western part of the island, we were greeted by the scenic hills leading up to the lefka ori. when we drove east, the terrain was more rocky and reminded us a little of malawi. but the vistas towards the west reminded us more of the sound of music.




the cities were all very nice, with picturesque harbours and streets. although we have no pictures for evidence (unfortunately), we were surprised at the number of fur shops in crete! the whole time we were there, the weather was absolutely gorgeous and sunny every day. temperatures were in the 30's and we couldn't ever imagine it ever getting cold enough to warrant fur.

finally, we couldn't complete our recap of greece without commenting on the large population of cats! everywhere we went, there were cats to greet us! in fact, we even found a postcard called "the cats of greece." our resort had a resident cat who was pregnant. she loved to sit underneath the tables on the terrace waiting for some kind guests to leave a morsel or two for her. or, as in our case, an entire helping of fish!

in the end, we were sad to leave, but glad to have been able to experience all that crete had to offer. we'd like to go back one day and see the rest of the isand, but that will have to wait for the time being as there are many more places left for us to explore!

crete, greece - part II

if history is more your cup of tea, then you'll enjoy yourself immensely. the island is steeped in mythology, legends, and actual history. crete is the mythical birthplace of the greek god zeus and is the setting for the legend of theseus and the minotaur. we were fortunate enough to get a chance to visit a place called knossos. we were told by the staff at our resort that you cannot visit crete without going to see knossos, so central is it to their history and culture. knossos is the site of an ancient minoan palace. the minoans were an ancient civilisation on crete that were very advanced, both technologically and culturally. the minoan kingdom is also linked with the fabled lost city of atlantis, and the cultures bear many similar characteristics.

we lucked out since the day we visited, admission was free of charge (it is usually about 6 euros per person). we spent almost two hours there, since there are so many nooks and crannies to explore. the site is known for its archaeological controversy, since the archaeologist who led the excavation chose to recreate many of the features of the palace (as opposed to preserving it in its discovered form, we assume). we won't jump into the debate, but we will say that, for the average tourist, his recreations helped to get a better sense of the characteristics of the palace. there's a lot to see, including giant stone pots, interesting frescoes, and a massive central stairwell.

the cynics among you may feel that once you've seen one set of ruins, you've seen them all. knossos may not be as spectacular as machu picchu, perhaps, but it is impressive nonetheless. taken together, you get the sense that the ancient civilisations were probably a lot more advanced than we give them credit for. and that's just the stuff they built. who knows, if they were still around today, maybe they'd be able to teach us a few things about proper societal living too.

aside from minoan palaces, crete also boasts remnants from byzantine, venetian and turkish rule. in rethymnon we walked around a venetian fortress that looms imposingly over the harbour it was built to protect (against pirates, most notably barbarossa). the scale of it was impressive, to say the least. it's difficult to convey a sense of how big the structure is, but it's pretty big!

we also visited a monastery that figured prominently in cretan history. it's called moni arkadi and it's tucked away atop a cliff deep into a gorge. again, the road to get there was quite narrow and took us fairly close to cliff edges. luckily for us, it's not a very busy road, since passing any cars along certain stretches would have been quite nervewracking. we did happen to pass a coach bus and can't imagine the stress of the driver in navigating that beast up the roads.

the monastery is very secluded and as soon as we stepped out of our car, we were struck by the absolute serenity and tranquility we found there. there was nary a sound, save for a couple of birds chirping. it was nearing dusk and there were only a handful of visitors left. everyone was respectfully quiet, as only felt proper in such a place. women may enter if they cover their shoulders and legs; wraps are provided for those who have nothing available with which to do so.

the layout, like the buildings themselves were very simple. the monastery is essentially a collection of rooms built into an outer wall, which has a couple of gates for entry. the wall surrounds a church, which is at the centre of the layout. it was very nice, since it was away from the crowds of tourists that haunt many of the other historial features of crete.

the place was beautiful, had so much history, and was definitely peaceful. it's probably a place where you could spend a bit of time, just resting and reflecting. beautiful no?

crete, greece - part I

it's not a location you often hear about in canada. over in europe, more people have been there. even so, we would rank it as a second-tier destination for vacation-seekers. when people talk about going to greece, they still usually mean athens, santorini, or corfu perhaps. this is perfect for us since we tend to like places that are on the low-key side.

we've actually met a few other people who have been to crete, including our polish flatmate. all of them have absolutely loved it and can't wait to go back. after being there, we definitely share the same sentiment. we really can't compare it to the rest of greece, but it really is a truly wonderful place.

we'll give you some basics, enough to give you a sense of what the island is like, but hopefully without robbing you of the mystique. crete is the largest of the greek islands and is longer (east-west) than it is wide (north-south). it is divided into four provinces, essentially as if the island was sliced vertically (north-south) in even segments along its length. the capital is iraklion (also spelt heraklion), which is located in the east-central part of the island. there are three other larger cities, chania (alt: hania), rethymnon and sitia, one for each of the other provinces.

we stayed in an area called prinos, which is located near rethymnon, on the west-central part of the island. our resort was located up on a hillside and away from the hustle and bustle of the city and all the other tourists, which was very nice. it was secluded, relaxed and very tranquil. the location gave an amazing vantage point to view the beautiful scenery.

as marketers, we're loathe to use the dreaded phrase, but crete really does have something for almost everyone, as far as vacations go.

if you're looking for sun and a chance to work on your tan and maybe a good book, then you'll find it on crete. the entire island is dotted with beaches of all sorts, from ones secluded in rock coves to others that extend in long stretches of soft sand. there are definitely more than is possible to cover in a one week stay. the three most famous are elafonisi, falasarna and the bay of balos, the latter since prince charles and princess diana spent a part of their honeymoon there. we were lucky enough to get a chance to visit falasarna, which is one of the nicest beaches in crete.


there are two beaches at falasarna, the 'big beach' and the other one which doesn't really have a name. to get there, you have to descend a cliff via a small road that takes you on a number of hairpin turns but also gives you a great view of the sea, the beaches, and the countryside below. on the advice from our guidebook, we avoided the big beach and went to the further one, which was much nicer.


to say it was beautiful feels like an understatement. falasarna is on the western coast of the island and you can look out into the sea knowing there's no more land until you hit sicily. the beach is enclosed in a crescent-shaped cove, with outcroppings of rock to the north and south. soft sand forms a beach that runs right into the sea, and continues out in the form of several sand bars that allow you to walk quite far from shore without the water going much higher than your waist. the water is super super clear. it's definitely the nicest beach we have been to in quite some time.


to be continued...

spitalfields

as you may have gathered from a previous post, we are quite enamoured with the markets here. there are so many and they usually have a great selection of foods from around the world. we've also noticed that, in london, food stands are typically run by people from the country whose food is featured. for example, thai food is sold by thai vendors. the people at the japanese stalls actually speak japanese. (this is in contrast to toronto, where there is at least a reasonable probability that the proprietor of any given establishment is chinese)

last week, we ventured over to the spitalfields market area, which also includes the ever-popular brick lane. although its name doesn't sound very appealing, spitalfields is really a very nice market. we're told from more seasoned londoners that the market was overhauled a few years back. in the old days, it was a proper market and the aisles were very narrow, which didn't help with the large crowds that packed in to visit. it has more recently been renovated and is now very upscale in feel, with a nice granite-tiled floor and posh shoppers and diners in the adjacent restaurants.

we approached via brick lane. our friend and remote tour guide jon (he's currently in toronto) alerted us to a couple of bagel shops that sell authentic jewish-style bagels. 90p buys you a fresh bagel with cream cheese. we were also told that there is sometimes a spirited match of bicycle polo in the area. unfortunately, they weren't playing when we checked it out, but hopefully we'll be able to catch it another time.

brick lane is a strip of shops and market stalls on the side. the main thing we were told about brick lane is that there are some excellent indian restaurants there. we walked by a few and made the mistake of perusing one of their menus. the owner came out and tried to sell us on a deal and convince us to go in. we politely declined, but his neighbours must have smelled blood, since we were subsequently accosted by the owners of the next few restaurants we walked by as well.

after brick lane and en route to spitalfields, we inadvertently stumbled upon yet another couple of markets. the market, called the sunday upmarket is only open on, as you may have guessed, sundays. upmarket is essentially a collection of food stands that congregate in what we can only imagine is a parking lot. it's just across the street from spitalfields and features a vintage london double-decker bus that has now been converted into a seating area for one of the vendors.


we decided to eat here since the selection was good and the prices were reasonable. caspian opted for the novelty of a hog roast sandwich, which is very popular among the markets here. essentially, the vendor very proudly displays a whole hog that has been (and in most cases, still is) roasting on a spit. the meat is then shaved and packed into a bun with some applesauce and 'rocket' (essentially some lettuce-ish greens). the sandwich is topped off with some crispy skin bits. it's kind of like eating chinese roast pork in a sandwich form. teresa chose some thai massaman beef curry, which was also quite tasty! we then washed it down with some guarana (the authentic antartica stuff) that we discovered at a brazilian stall.

after lunch, we wandered around a bit more and stumbled upon (you may begin to recognize this as a common theme) a paul smith warehouse sale. unfortunately, this was the last day of a 3-day sale and, unless you're an XXL, a deal was not to be had. not that we would have splurged on anything anyway, but it was a nice find - if not a bit random.

we took a slight detour to check out the offices for wieden+kennedy, which is the advertising agency for nike and honda (of 'cog' fame). we finally ended up at spitalfields. our ulterior motive to coming, other than just seeing another part of london, was to do a brownie comparison. steve, who was batting 1.000 after his 'best ice cream ever' recommendation, had also mentioned that the best brownies were sold in spitalfields. since we had established a good base for comparison at borough market, we were eager to validate his claim. as it turns out, the same vendor (flour power city bakery) trades at both borough and spitalfields, so our brownie challenge was a bit of a wash. (steve's record remains intact, though)

other than brownies, spitalfields sells all sorts of crafts and vintage clothes. there are stalls that sell jewellry, antiques, handbags, sleeves for your oyster card (transit pass), and even one that sold glasses made out of coke and corona bottles. all in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable trip made even better by the lovely sunny summer weather we've been getting!

adventures in gastronomy

previously, we had documented our (very) frequent visits to the supermarket. initially, we went mainly to get a better bearing on the prices of groceries in london. afterwards, it became a little bit of a habit - at one point, we were visiting a supermarket at least once a day.


we have commented to each other that we have never felt more inspired to cook than we have since arriving here. british food is much maligned and people generally don't think too highly of it. this can be quite true since the most typical british dishes include fish & chips, sausage & mash, and baked beans with your breakfast. however, the ingenious marketers behind the larger supermarket chains have done quite a good job trying to feed you with ideas for dishes, if not 'literally' (apparently the british are quite liberal with their use of the term 'literally' and use it in all sorts of occasions, not just its...er...literal sense).


initially, we tried to eat on a budget. this has since expanded to eating on a budget and trying different things. here's a quick sample of some of our concoctions - not very imaginative, we know, but we're working on it!

philly cheese steak

thai green curry chicken











even dessert! (okay, these were store-bought and pre-made, but they still look impressive!)

teresa keeps mentioning that it would be so good if cameras were able to capture smell as well, but for now, you'll have to use your imaginations. let's see what we cook up next!