Norway - Sunday 29 November & Monday 30 November 2015
It was a dark and stormy night - and six friends huddled together in deepest Manchester to start their next adventure - but this time they really surpassed themselves - it was to be the adventure of a lifetime . . .
and it all started on my birthday when we trained it over to Manchester Airport ready for our flight to Tromsø the following morning. So on Monday morning we finally left behind a misty and wet Manchester, rose above the clouds into the sun and in no time at all were gliding over the fjords above Bergen, sun glinting on the snowy mountains. But almost as suddenly, around Trondheim, the light levels turned to dusk and we were soon plunged into darkness and it was only 2.45pm. We'd arrived in the Polar Night - where the sun doesn't rise above the horizon for two months, from 21 November to 21 January. Found a lovely article here describing this, take a read: Polar Night - a time of colour.
We landed at Tromsø and onto coaches to take us through the network of underground roads (and roundabouts!!) to the quay and our mighty MS Finnmarken, one of the Hurtigruten fleet - the working mail boats that ply up and down the Norwegian coast daily from Bergen to Kirkenes, almost on the Russian border, delivering and collecting the mail.
so up the gangplank we trudge on this dark afternoon and the adventure begins . . .
And pulling out of Tromsø we see the Arctic Cathedral all illuminated.
After unpacking in our amazing little cabins, we await dinner at 7.30pm in the palatial restaurant on level 4 of the ship (there are 8 floors!).
Then just as we are finishing up around 9pm, the tannoy announces that the Northern LIghts are visible from the stern and we all dash as a one for coats, hats and cameras and hurry to deck 5, which has a wrap-around outside deck. The air is cold and dry, the stars are bright, and we witness the most entrancing sight we have ever seen. Neither my photos nor my words will possibly do justice to the dancing curtains of light, delicately changing shape, colour, intensity and position with every second. We were entranced for a good hour and a half as the skies danced around and above us from the south, right around the port side of the ship and towards the west. Meanwhile the Finnmarken ploughed on doggedly through the icy cold dark water, with the snow covered mountains on either side looming as beacons in the dark. My not-so-amazing photos are below for the record - but nothing could capture the real magic. But before you look - maybe play Joni Mitchell's wonderful 'Little Green' which has the beautiful line that came to mind for me 'Just a little green, like the night when the Northern Lights perform'. I know the song is about the baby she gave up for adoption - but I love that seeing the Northern Lights is a given in some parts of the world (Canada for her). Anyway, it's one of my favourite tracks and it's such a gentle lyrical song it sort of fits the gentle, delicate wonder of what we were watching:
The light show finally died down and the travellers returned indoors to warm up - taking to observation deck(8) with it's panoramic windows. Moving along the coast with the snowy mountains on either side, weaving between islands in the dark was totally mesmerising. At 10.30pm we crept into the lovely little port of Skjervoy, with it's silent snowy streets, Christmas tree and cheerfully lit houses, and docked long enough for the parcels to be loaded and unloaded on the busy little port side.
And finally, at around midnight, we turned in for the night as a near perfect moonlight filled the windows
and we were rocked to sleep with the swell of the tide. If you want to see how day two panned out, click here for Tuesday on board the Finnmarken . . .
well it can only be Joni to listen to with this one - click below and chill out
these shots were taken last week in West Kirby walking around the marine lake. Feels like walking on water along the little path with the lake on one side and the River Dee on the other. Hilbre Island and Little Eye in the estuary. The Welsh hills and the Irish Sea in the distance. You can see Great Orme if you squint. The tide was out.
and suddenly the sun started to sink and these amazing clouds appeared from nowhere
and as we walked further round the path they started to look like a child's painting folded in half to make a butterfly's wing - so stunning
I know - too many came the cry - but it was just so incredible standing there with the light and patterns changing so quickly.
These are the very railings I've taken sunset pictures from for all of my life - trying to catch that certain rosy glow over Hilbre.
Bows and flows of angel hair And ice cream castles in the air And feather canyons everywhere I've looked at clouds that way
from Both Sides Now by Joni Michell, from Clouds, 1969
Sit down with a nice hot cuppa - this is going to be a long one! As usual we crammed in loads of brilliant stuff on our 2 day trip to, as our 'train manager' on the 09:27 from Sheffield declared as we rolled into St Pancras, "one of the greatest cities of the world".
FRIDAY
I totally agree with this lone reviewer on Albertini's in Chalton Street - the best welcome into the capital you would wish to have and our frequent first port of call after landing in St Pancras. Never fail to be greeted with a warm welcome, amazing fresh food and brill Italian coffee.
This time though, my main diet had to be soup - avid readers of this blog will remember I have a tooth about to drop out and am trying to hang on in there til my appointment next week. Thankfully Albertini's carrot soup was amazing and, fortified, we ventured back towards the tube to get over to the Hoxton to check in (Click here for my Hox review).
Freezing temperatures (daytime barely got above zero) but bright winter sunshine and a great walk back to King Cross - marvelling at the snow still outside the British Library!
Loved this quote outside the British Libray so, nice tune for you below . . . . .
Probably need a bit of an explantion here - I always loved this song and I always thought it was about London. It's so cheerful and uplifting and conjures up bright city mornings. I since learned that it was about her time in the Chelsea Hotel, New York. But never mind!!! It will always be one of my joyful London anthems!!! And I was walking round humming this under my double wrapped scarf.
Back on the streets after dumping out cases, we headed to Angel and the streets around City University
amazing old butchers
interesting housing in Rawstorne Street, turns out to be old brewers' buildings
The famous theatre pub
It being the 200th anniversary of Dicken's birth we just had to hunt down the recently discovered house where Dickens lived between the ages of 17 and 20, so we headed over to Fitzrovia.
Armed with a curled up copy of this article (click here to read) cut from last week's paper - we located Cleveland Street - sheltering right below the Post Office Tower.
No - this wasn't where Charlie resided, but loved the idea of sunning on this roof garden with that amazing garden sculpture!!
but this was! No 22 Cleveland Street, formally known as 10 Norfolk Street, where Dickens had his modest lodgings, just a few doors away from .......
The workhouse that inspired the writing of Oliver Twist
The Cleveland Street workhouse, most recently the Middlesex Hospital, is now under threat of demolition. This is most certainly the workhouse that inspired Dickens to write Oliver Twist, if you read the article above. There's also more of our anniversary homage to Dickens in Kent last June - read here
Dicken's lodgings again, 2nd in the row
Leaving here, we availed ourselves of some delicious Portugese custard tarts - just THE most delicious things to have with a coffee and yet we don't get them up in Sheffield. This was the first little deli we first tasted them at several years ago, and we managed to snaffle the last two on Friday!! So get yourselves down to Salumeria Dino in Charlotte Place, a little gennel just off Goodge Street.
outside Dino's
further down Charlotte Place, Dino's up on the right and another lovely looking cafe too, closer to this photo on the right.
onwards to Soho and a saunter down Mearde Street, after reading about it in a great little London blog I've been following. Some pics taken around Soho:
and this place looked even more amazing inside, like an Aladdin's cave
then, it being so very cold, we didn't need an excuse for a coffee and another Portugese tart in Bar Italia - imortalised by Jarvis Cocker, listen to Bar Italia on the Different Class album
Bar Italia
Next we got on the number 24 bus at Cambridge Circus:
This has got to be one of the best cheap rides in London. It was just getting dark by this time and we came round the corner of the National Galleries to a floodlit Trafalgar Square, the Strand to the left and Admiralty Arch to the right (glimpse up the Mall in this the Queen's diamond jubilee year). Then onwards up Whitehall past Horseguards's Parade, the Cenotaph, Downing Street, Big Ben, Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament then rounded the corner and alighted at Westminster Abbey for a cold brisk walk through the Georgian terraces to our Mozart concert at St John's Smith Square by the Morley Chamber Orchestra.
SATURDAY
I have been reading this book below, written in 1917, and chapter one is about William Blake. Brilliantly written and just fastinating to realise Blake wandered London on foot studiously and barely left the city. I think I'll have an 'in Blake's footsteps' trip one day and check out all the addresses he lived at mentioned in the book:
and (wow!) I've found the book to read free online here - try Chapter One on Blake - it's brilliant.
Our Saturday was very much an East London day. And lo and behind I just found this on Youtube, by Paul Howard and Jo Clack. It follows some of our route later in the day round the back of Whitechapel:
The day dawned sunny and again freezing, but the blue skies were fantastic against the London skyline. First stop was a stroll down Bethnal Green Road and past this little gem of a Szechuan restuarant which we must visit next time - review here.
amazing Szechuan restaurant
blue skies at Bethnal Green
aim of the walk to reach the legendery Pellici's for brunch - just read this web page on Classic Cafes and you'll end up with a lifetime quest to eat in brilliant old joints like this.
Happy after the brunch and a half!
passed the famous pie and mash shop
and onwards up to the wonderful Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood for a nostalgic dabble with Fisher Price and Dinky. I even found an Emergency Ward 10 nurses outfit - oh happy days!!!
we've run out of cakes!!!!
Next we walked over to Whitechapel through Tower Hamlets and found the tiny hidden Jewish Cemetry on Brady Street - just tucked behind the high rise flats. Unfortunately we could only peep through the railings as it's only open to the public by prior request.
Turns out Nathan Mayer Rothschild is buried here. Interesting article about the history of the cemetery to read here. To save the cemetery from compulsory development, an heir of Rothschild was buried here in 1990, thus securing the cemetery in tact until at least 2090.
New and Old - the old London Hospital with the clock and the new mega building at the back - and what is this Dallas???
And finally, before our 9 o'clock train back to Sheffield, we went in search of Little Venice. It was so very very cold as night fell but we ventured behind Paddington Station and down wooden boardwalks towards the canal. Sadly we'd walked along the wrong side of the station so didn't get to Little Venice but were thrilled to find this lovely area of the Regent's Canal and, guess what, the canal was FROZEN!! Just as impressive as the pics in the paper this weekend from Amsterdam!! The tunnel of modern buildings in the second pic reminded me of our architecture boat tour in Chicago. Also below is the Rolling Bridge I've just heard about which we didn't see but will try to return to.
looking to the left
and to the right
Back to Old Street to pick up the cases and a final delicious (butternut squash) soup at the Hoxton Grill before heading over to St Pancras.
And we can't wait to return for, as the great Dr Samuel Johnson famously said to Boswell, "Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford". Blake's sentiments entirely!!
