Two little gems in Surrey

Often I've come across little gems that totally blow me away. Loseley Park and the Watts Gallery, both in Surrey, are two such places.

Loseley Park, Surrey

Loseley Park was built in the reign of Elizabeth I, in a bid by the then owner to entice the monarch to visit. According to the meticulous records that remain, the entire build price came to just under £2000, a princely sum at the time. Inside, there are priceless antiques, including the intricate wood panelling in the Great Hall that once graced Henry VIII's Nonsuch Palace, George IV's coronation chair, and work by Grindling Gibbons, England's finest ever woodcarver. The fireplace in the Drawing Room, carved from a single block of chalk is truly magnificent. Unfortunately, photography is forbidden inside Loseley Hall, since it is still inhabited by the More-Molyneaux family.

The water feature at the White Garden, Loseley Park

Part of the attraction of Loseley House is Loseley Gardens, a beautiful garden divided into a number of themed sections: the Rose Garden, the White Garden, the Herb Garden, the Vegetable (organic of course) Garden. The White Garden is a serene and tranquil oasis of white and cream surrounding a central water feature. Dotted around the gardens are benches, some in the shade, some in the sun, where visitors can relax and reflect. It is a magical place, on a perfect late summer afternoon.

End of summer, but the bees were busy at work

Not too far from Loseley Park in the village of Compton is the Watts Gallery, containing the work of the Victorian painter G F Watts. Until I visited the Watts Gallery, I must confess my ignorance of this artist. The paintings on exhibit range from History Painting, Social Realism, Aestheticism, Symbolism to Abstraction. Such vistuosity! But the paintings that really grabbed my attention were from another Victorian artisit: Frank Holl. His portrayals of the impact of loss, departure and death were utterly moving.

Frank Holl's Burial of the First Born
A touching portrait of a family in grief

Watts Gallery, Compton, Surrey

In the village is the local cemetery, dominated by the Watts Cemetey Chapel, designed by G F Watts' wife Mary Watts. The Chapel is a wonderful infusion of Art Noveau, Celtic and Romanesque influences. It is built on a grassy mound and the deep red terracotta brickwork contrasts strikingly with the grey cemetary landscape. The truly impressive aspect of this building is that it was built by the villagers and craftsmen from the local areas.

The Watts Cemetery Chapel, Compton

The Eternal Circle in the Dome, Watts Cemetery Chapel, Compton

 

Food experience at the Netherlands

All space and little substance
A canteen serving industrial food at The Hague

It's true to say that I did not much enjoy the industrial food at the Netherlands. I call it industrial because I saw little art in the food that was served up at numerous establishments.

The canteen offers an extremely limited range of fast food, including the nation's favourite food - the frinkandel, a sort of Dutch minced meat hot dog, without the skin. There were a good choice of bread - if you like bread - and slices of various kinds of cooked meat all neatly packaged in cellophane bags. One quickly gets the impression that the Dutch consider lunch as snack time only.

Even at the spacious canteen at one of the mobile operator's HQ, the food choice was limited. It occurred to me that the Dutch do not care for ready made sandwiches like the British do. I was often reduced to grapping two slices of brown bread and a few slices of cooked meat - these were so thin that you could see daylight if you held them up to the light. Granted, the canteen was spacious and modern, but one cannot eat decor! The Dutch are anaethesized to such meagre offerings, and it made me think that the prosperity of a nation does not necessarily result in good food.

Mexican meal at Breda, the Netherlands

In the eveving, although there is a wide range of restaurants to choose from, I cannot say that I had a memorable meal. One of the visits was to a Mexican restaurant at Breda. Not a fan of Mexican food, I was struck by the hardness of the chicken and the adornment of chips with every dish. The rest had nachos and tortillas, an artless type of food, filling perhaps, but utterly unsatisfying. One saving grace though, the restaurant offered one of the best wild mint teas I have tasted outside of Marrakesh.

On the occasion that I travlled to Delft and decided to dine al fresco at a pavement cafe in the main square, I realised to my dismay that there was only one dish that I would eat: hamburger. For a fish eater, that was a novelty! In the event, the hamburger came, and it was greasy and tasteless. The price for that humble hamburger and a bottle of fizzy water came to €18.00. I dare say a hamburger at Macdonald's would taste better. Harsh words perhaps, but it is a rip off to charge €16 for a greasy hamburger and some chips.

A cafe / restaurant in the centre of Delft

Eventually I decided to give a Japanese restaurant a try. The Sumo restaurant at Breda does a busy trade, serving "all you can eat" sushi and sashimi for €32. On closer inspection, the items on  the menu resembled Japanese food only in the chef's imagination. In all my travels around Japan, I had not seen such kind of Japanese food. In the end, I chose a la carte and had the beef udon noodles. Even that came with a piece of carrot and sweetcorn, vegetables that are local but not necessarily true to the concept of udon noodles. However, such pseudo food clearly appeals to the local population. The waiters and waitresses were nearly all second generation Chinese working part time to support their studies - not a Japanese in sight.

On the subject of udon noodles, the worst I had was at Schiphol airport where the beef was wafer thin, overdone, full of gristle and worse still, tasteless. And for that, the stall charge €16. I wonder how many punters would return to eat such bad food!



Udon noodles at Breda, the Netherlands

There was one exception though. We dined at the Chocolat restaurant at Breda. It was recommended by a colleague and it served modern European food - fixed menu only. In comparison to other experiences, the food did taste good and was artfully presented. The waitress who served us was a cheery Dutch girl who spoke English with an American accent, and spotting a British crowd who liked their drinks, plied the group non stop with beer and wine. I remembered having a chocolate trio for dessert, and that was probably the best dish I had at Netherlands.

What more can I say about Dutch cuisine? I did not sample the food at any of the Michelin star restaurants at the Netherlands, so I remain skeptical about the kind of food served to the masses. Cheese, pancakes, sweets, not to mention herring, well they don't sound that appetising to a Chinese .

Hyde Park, London

 It was a beautiful summer day at Hyde Park. There was a slight breeze, perfect for strolling and taking photographs. A lot of families found themselves a patch on the lawn or under the trees, having a picnic, a conversation, or simply a snooze. It was almost idyllic, as if a village green has been carved out right in the heart of London.

The Italian Lakes, Hyde Park, London

We came across the Italian Gardens, an ornamental garden located on the north side of Kensington Gardens near Lancaster Gate. According to the blurb at the gate, it was created as a gift from Prince Albert to his beloved Queen Victoria. I would have thought that the Prince had used the public coffers to create such a garden, rather than dipping into his own pocket. The Gardens have large raised terraces, four main basins each with a fountain, and beautifully tended geometric flower beds. At the southern end of the garden where it meets the Long Water, there is the beautiful Portland stone and white marble Tazza Fountain.

The Tazza Fountain, the Italian Gardens, Hyde Park

Among the reeds in one of the basins, the Italian Gardens

The Long Water is designated as a bird sanctuary. On the day, there were many types of waterfowls, busy preening themselves or feeding. There was even a twitcher who peered into his binoculars, oblivious of his surroundings.
 

Waterfowls perched on stalks along the Long Water, Hyde Park

On this trip, perhaps the biggest surprise is to come across the Serpentine Pavilion, a piece of architecture that has been turned into a cafe by the upmarket foodstore Fortnum & Mason. Modern architecture and food / picnic - what a novel combination!

Serpentine Pavilian, a piece of pop architecture used as a cafe

From London Waterloo to Bankside, London

London Waterloo has been changed out of recognition. In a space of two years, the train station has added a mezzanine floor now lined with restaurants and bars, and the concourse has been completely modernised. The bars and restaurants will sure come in handy when trains are delayed. Trains were disrupted on 9th July when temperatures on the tracks reached 43C, affecting signalling equipment.

In the name of progress, London Waterloo is now part station, part retail site. At the entrance to the platforms, now separated from the concourse with ticket barriers and ticket inspectors, there was a huge space announcing the advent of Waterloo Motion - no doubt some gigantic advertising site. Not sure if this is progress.

The modernised London Waterloo station

It was a noisy trip into London Waterloo. The trains were full, with standing room only. The passengers were loud, noisy, inconsiderate (blocking the aisles), even in the "Quiet Zone". Having just returned from the Netherlands where train journeys were relatively quiet and composed, the noise-induced frustration was palpable. On arrival at London Waterloo, there were about 6 young men, all inebriated, loudly chanting songs from the football terraces. They had probably been drinking solidly since Friday evening. What a culture shock to come face-to-face with such behaviours on a Saturday morning.

London Eye and the amusement park nearby

The South Bank has also seen some additions. There is now an amusement park right beside the London Eye. On the day, near the amusement park, some beefy young men were putting on brakedances and were attracting a sizeable crowd. It was an eye opening exhibition of strength and speed, adding a great vibe to the street theatre.

Brakedance at Southbank, London

Food stall at South Bank, London

Along the Southbank, on the other side of the riverside walk, was a food market selling different types of street food. Pictured above are some gigantic muffins, big enough to feed a family of four. It all added to the hustle and bustle on a Saturday afternoon.

Children playing at the water feature, South Bank, London

On the top floor of the South Bank Centre is a water feature that was pulling in the crowds. I noticed that a lot of children were rather overweight, and this is confirmed by the latest news that a third of children in the UK are overweight.

I've always wanted to see the Millenium Bridge that links the Tate Modern Gallery at Bankside with St Paul's Cathedral in the City. And it did not disappoint. The bridge is a visually stunning piece of architecture from all angles. As it is a pedestrian bridge only, the stroll along the 325m of the steel bridge is a breeze, without having to worry about oncoming cars and bikes.

The Millenium Bridge, Londo. St Paul's Cathedral in the background.

The towering spire of The Shard from the Millenium Bridge, London

Perhaps one of the most exciting views is The Shard from the Millenium Bridge. I've seen it a few times from the plane when descending into London Heathrow, but from ground level, the building is even more impressive.
 

High Summer at Egham, near Windsor, England

Time and time again we return to Egham, to have lunch at the Runnymede Hotel and to walk along the Thames Path, the riverside walk along River Thames.
 
It was high summer and there was a hive of activities near the Bell Weir lock.

Bell Weir Lock at Runnymede, River Thames

Boats approaching Bell Weir Lock at Runnymede, River Thames

Boat advertised for sale along River Thames
It was mind numbingly ugly

From Runnymede the Thames Path runs east to Windsor. Here, at the Windsor Great Park, families gathered to have a picnic and generally relax in the sun.

Family day out at Windsor Great Park on a Sunday