Category Archives: travel

Westminster, Kensington, Victoria & Albert

Posted on October 21, 2015 | 1 comment

Today Alberta left us to go back to Iceland, while Bonnie and I spent one more day in London together.

For me, this day was one of the least exciting days of my whole trip. I did like visiting Queen Elizabeth I’s tomb in Westminster Abbey, but otherwise, the Abbey largely left me feeling really underwhelmed.

I think part of it that I have such a love for stained glass – and you’d think I’d love the Abbey, because it has the largest collection of stained glass in England. But the thing is, the church is so huge, and the glass windows are so high up, that it’s not at all the same sort of glorious experience as I had at Salisbury Cathedral the last time I was in England. In Salisbury Cathedral, the glass windows surround you completely, and when the sun shines in through them, you feel like you’re inside a jewel box of pure heavenly light.  The Abbey just can’t compare to that experience.

I did like all the cool/weird/freaky carved faces. Which I can’t show you, because the Abbey doesn’t allow interior photography. The only pictures they allow are in the cloisters.

After the Abbey, we went to Kensington Palace. This, also, was a bit of a disappointment, because it used to have some of my very favorite historical fashion on display, but they had taken all of those away. What was up in its stead was lovely, but not what I really would have liked to see.

There was a very sparse collection of Queen Victoria items.  Some of her less-appealing clothing:

Some of her jewelry and items such as this mourning handkerchief:

And her paint box and some original artwork:

There were also some historical fashions made entirely out of paper. Cool enough, but as splendid as seeing Victoria’s wedding dress would have been!  Sigh.

Afterward, Bonnie and I said goodbye, as I was going on to the V&A museum, and then directly on to the train station for my sleeper train to Edinburgh, while she would be spending one more day in London, then traveling to Paris.

I don’t know…I was honestly expecting much more from the V&A as well. I didn’t see much in the costuming area that I really loved. I kept comparing it to the much more incredible British Museum and wishing I’d gone back there, instead.

My favorite part of the whole museum was a section I wandered into completely by accident – the plaster reproductions floor.

All the plaster casts were just so huge and impressive.  Like Trajan’s Column.  Wow.

And this. I don’t remember what it was, but it was beautiful.

I planned to stay at the V&A until they closed at 10pm, but after a couple of hours there, they brought in a DJ and he started playing the most horrible music. I couldn’t enjoy looking at any of the art while that racket was going on, so I just went early to the train station.  I was quite ready to leave London and travel to someplace new!

 

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Warner Bros. Studio Tour – Harry Potter!

Posted on October 18, 2015 | 2 comments

One of the most amazing things I did was visit the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. It’s a vast, incredible collection of about every costume and prop used in the Harry Potter films, as well as many of the actual film sets.  If you’re in the London area, it’s a must-see.

This was one of my top five best experiences, as well. Before I even got inside, they started playing the film music, and my friend Bonnie and I just instantly broke out in goosebumps!

As a costumer, there were a few of the costumes I was especially looking forward to seeing in person…this one, the Grey Lady, is one I’ll be attempting to reproduce, as close to screen accurate as possible.

The detail on it is so beautiful.

I also got extremely close to Jason Isaacs.  Well…his hair, anyway.

The full sets were amazing – especially when you consider that these are the real thing, not a reproduction like in Universal’s Wizarding World.

The detail was astounding.

Look! There’s the sorting hat!

Voldemort is alive!!!

Some of the effects where amazing. This is not real fire, although it looked exactly like real fire. Light and vapor. Incredible.

So many things had animations.

The most surreal experience was Diagon Alley. So perfect, down to the smallest detail.

(The pictures of me were taken by Bonnie.)

The filming model of Hogwarts was immense.

But when you got up close, every detail was finished.

It left me wanting so badly to just run through onto Platform 9 3/4.

And board the Express to Hogwarts.

I had to settle for some Butterbeer. It tastes like cream soda, with a very thick, sweet, and mustache-making topping. Seriously, it’s impossible to drink without getting a ‘stache.

And some shopping. Even the store was immense. If it had anything to do with Harry Potter, it was here.

And it was decorated with wonderful things!

I took over 500 pictures at the Studio; if you’re interested, you can find them here.

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Daytrip to Oxford

Posted on October 18, 2015 | Leave a comment

After we returned from Leeds Castle, Alberta and I met up with our other friend, Bonnie. We took the train to Oxford.

I just love the expressions these stones have.

 

The English Bridge of Sighs.

The Bodleian Library. It was closed, so we only saw the outside.

 

We got a late start, so we didn’t get as much time in Oxford as I would have liked. Ideally, I would have taken at least a couple of days. It’s a beautiful place, and all the colleges had gorgeous architecture.

There was only one college I was truly interested in, though: Magdalen College, where C.S. Lewis lived and worked. Lewis is on the very short list of people who I consider to be a personal hero. And he’s probably the person who has done the most toward forming my creativity and imagination.  I feel incredibly sorry for anyone who didn’t have the experience of reading the Narnia books as a child – and then again, as an adult.  I’ve long lost count of how many times I’ve read the series. It would total in the hundreds, I’m sure, and I still re-read them on regular basis. They are incredible works of genius.

 

The place did not disappoint. Besides the obvious beauty, I could almost feel the memory of Lewis’ presence there.

The highlight of the entire trip to Oxford – and indeed, almost of my entire month-long trip – was walking Addison’s Walk.

You leave the college through black iron gates, and follow a path alongside the canal.  This is where J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis walked and talked.  This is where, I have no doubt, Narnia was born.

There are seats to rest awhile and think. In wood,

and stone,

and if you’re a duck, there is a house for you upon the canal, safe from foxes.

Being here, walking here, was one of the five best moments of the whole trip.

The chapel at Magdalen was beautiful too, but I especially loved this stained glass window.

Afterwards, we had the best fish & chips I’ve eaten anywhere (the batter was super crispy!) at a place called The Four Candlesticks.

(Bonnie took this picture of Alberta and I, as well as the following color pictures. Alberta took the b&w picture of me on Addison’s Walk.)

 

Oxford is on my list of places I’d like to revisit someday. Only next time, I’ll stay over at least one night, so I can wake up early and go out walking. That’s the magical time to visit a city like this…early, when it’s just you and a few locals.

 

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Leeds Castle & Owls

Posted on October 16, 2015 | 1 comment

In the morning, I took a backstage tour of The Royal Opera House. I wasn’t allowed to take photos, but if you’re ever in London, I highly recommend it. Fascinating tour – they do absolutely everything on site, from creating the costumes from scratch, to making sets and props, to ballet class, to…well. Let’s just say that complex is HUGE. All these massive underground levels, each painted a different color so people won’t get lost quite so frequently. Here’s a video showing how the amazing stage works. It’s just so cool.

I wish we had been able to see more of the costume department, but I did get to see the dyeing/distressing room, with its massive vats of dye and their newest machine – one that can print any design on any fabric. It was cool.

Next, I met my friend Alberta at Victoria Station, and we traveled together to Leeds Castle. They have a B&B in the old stable, and it’s so beautiful. Quite luxurious!

The view out the window was so pretty.

The time I spent at Leeds Castle was really the only bad weather I had, during the entire trip. It rained pretty much the entire two days. Sometimes just a drizzle, other times a complete downpour. It was still lovely.

The gardens around the stables were spectacular, even though it was September, and a bit past the garden prime time. Lots of espaliered fruit trees, too…including pears.

There were acres of land to wander in, and I wish the weather had been finer so I would have.

There were also tons of birds, everywhere. Wild birds, like falcons and owls, and tame birds.

There were peahens there – although oddly, not a single peacock that we ever saw. And the peahens had chicks! So cute. I wish I’d been able to get a better pic.

Since we were “living” there, we had free access to all parts of the grounds, and also to the castle itself.

Though it had obviously been completely redone since her day, I loved that Queen Catherine of Aragon once lived here, and slept in this very room. It’s always fascinating to walk through the same places where these historical people I’ve read about all my life once walked, and touch the same stone walls that once they touched.

This room was my favorite, though. I think you can guess why!

It had the nicest little window seat nooks for reading in.

But what I really came to Leeds Castle for was their Owl Experiences. The night/morning before, it poured. Poured. I was very freaked out that they would have to cancel on me. But by ten o’clock, the weather had cleared to a sporadic drizzle, and we were good to go.

I met my falconer, Reece, and he introduced me to all 26 birds of prey Leeds has – not just the owls.

I love how the UK falconry laws work. The birds are not captured wild, like in the States. They are captive-bred, and the falconer gets the chicks when they are just a few days old. He brings them home, into his house with him, and bonds/imprints with them. Reece said that the first time he brought an Owl chick home, he was still living with his parents, and they were a little concerned about having an owl living with them. He left the chick in her cage while he went out to run an errand, and told them: “You can take her out if you want, or just leave her alone.”  He came home to find his dad asleep on the couch in front of the tv…with the owl cuddled into his neck, also asleep. After that, they had no problem with owls!

This is Coco. She’s still a baby herself, and the youngest owl they currently have.

Coco didn’t yet know how to fly to her handler’s glove, but she was perfectly happy to sit on my glove, and have her head scratched. She was so unbelievably soft and sweet! When I petted her, she would just close her eyes in complete happiness.

I flew about six different owls during the Experience. One was very tiny.

But the other owls ranged in size all the way up to an Eagle Owl. (My thanks to Alberta, for taking these next photographs!)

Even the largest of the owls, though, was super light when they landed on my glove. And they all liked to be petted and even snuggled.

This was one of those experiences that is so worth the money. And it’s one that’s impossible to do in the States. Our laws regarding birds of prey (and all birds, really) are draconian, and the reasons why are outdated.  Do you know that you cannot legally possess a single bird feather that you might find while walking down the street? No, that’s illegal, unless it’s a feather from a pigeon, a starling, or a couple other birds. I’ve heard of people who have rescued a baby crow, only to have the crow taken away from them and killed by the State.  People who abuse animals should be more harshly punished than they are, but people who care for animals properly shouldn’t be punished for keeping an “illegal” animal. And those who say owls don’t make good companions because they don’t like human contact, well, that’s just stupid. And proven wrong in the first five second of my owl experience. Keeping an owl shouldn’t be any different than keeping, say, a horse. Both are animals that require money, experience, specialized care, and could be dangerous if mishandled. Let’s just ban all the animals! And if you want to spend a couple of hours in an adorable time-suck, just go onto YouTube and search for pet owls.

Okay, ranting on the stupid US laws aside, this was one of the best days I’ve had, and will be a treasured memory. And if I ever go back to the UK, I’m totally doing it again.

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London: Highgate Cemetery & St. James Park

Posted on October 15, 2015 | 1 comment

The flight from Seattle to Iceland is only 7.5 hours, and from Iceland to London is 2.5. Breaking the flight up as I did (taking advantage of Icelandair’s free stopover program) made it MUCH more bearable than a non-stop flight straight to London. Plus, on both these legs, I was lucky enough to have the seat next to me vacant! I barely had any jet lag at all, because having the empty seat to spread out onto meant I was able to sleep really well.

I dropped off my bags at my hotel, and got my Oyster card for the Underground, and went immediately to Highgate Cemetery.  By the way, if you’re planning to visit London, whatever you do, don’t fall for those “tourist Oyster cards” you can buy ahead of time. They cost you so much more money. An regular Oyster card is completely free – you pay only the amount you load onto the card. It’s super easy to get from the automated machines, as well. That “tourist” version is totally a scam!

I’ve always loved old cemeteries. They are so beautiful.  And Highgate is one of the best.

It is unbelievably crammed with graves. And there are modern ones, as well. They still accept new burials – though it will cost you, if you plan on burying anything other than ashes.

You can only go into the really old side with a guided tour. There are apparently many dangerous areas, with holes and drop-offs, and toppling headstones.

It’s legal to be buried anywhere in England – our guide put his mother in her beloved backyard garden. And did not tell the new owners when he sold the house. And many people do put their ashes here, in Highgate. I can see why. There is a peace here.

These are the broad “main” paths we were allowed to walk on. There are tons and tons of smaller paths, many of those choked by vegetation and graves. They just pile the graves in, wherever they find any spare bit of room.

There are mausoleums as well. This one was built to resemble ancient Egypt, during the Victorian craze for all things Egyptian. It was not very popular, though, because while Victorians might have been fascinated with Egypt, they didn’t feel it was quite properly Christian to be buried there.

We were taken inside the one of the largest mausoleums, but weren’t allowed to take photographs. I was glad I had a little penlight with me, because I was able to study all the little details on the caskets. They were rotting apart, but you could still see how beautifully decorated they were.  On top of the mausoleum, are the Highgate beehives. Yes, they make their own honey here.  Life and death.

Some of the older stones leaned against each other. I imagined they had grown into a friendship, over the years.

Trees had grown up through others, draping them with roots.

There were so many beautiful little details.

After Highgate, I went to St. James Park.

I was hoping to see the flock of tame pelicans they have there, but the pelicans were sleeping across the lake.

There were lots of other waterbirds, though. More varieties of duck than I can put a name to, and Toulouse geese, and my favorite, the swans. They were friendly, and people were feeding them by hand.

Last of all, I took in a little of the Hammersmith Vintage Textile Fair. I found many, many things I couldn’t afford; I wanted everything I saw, really. I ended up with part of a Victorian beaded sleeve, in black, and a narrow yard of embroidered fabric.. Someday, it will be the perfect thing for a costume!

After all of that, I was so worn out that I curled up in my hotel room and ordered Takeaway.  I used just-eat.uk, and it was brilliant. Just put in your postcode, and it brings up a list of all the Takeaway places in your area that deliver, and their menus. You pick what you want, and either pay with a card or say you’ll pay in cash, and in about 40mins, it shows up at your door.  Lovely. I had the best wonton soup I’ve ever had!

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Iceland II

Posted on October 14, 2015 | 1 comment

I was beyond lucky when I visited Iceland. The weather was perfect, and out of all the various tour companies available, I somehow stumbled onto the perfect one: Iceland Horizons. Small, friendly, and intensely informative. If you’re going to Iceland, book with these guys.  Our guide, David, make sure we stopped frequently at interesting sites, and tailored each stop to our interests and the weather – putting off, for instance, a planned visit to a waterfall until later in the day when the rainbows would be visible.

While I was in Iceland, I rode Icelandic horses…a particular dream of mine.

My horse’s name was Bangsi, pronounced like ‘bouncy’. It means teddy bear in Icelandic, and that’s what he was. When we stopped for a break, instead of wandering away to graze like many of the horses, he leaned up against me and coaxed me into scratching his chin and face. Not that it took much coaxing!

Icelandic horses have more than three gaits – in addition to the trot, they can also tolt. A tolt is considerably faster than a walk, but smooth as butter. If I ever get a horse of my own, I’ll be very tempted to get an Icelandic!

After the horse ride, I took a bus tour of three major natural attractions.  The first, Geysir, was mildly interesting at best. I guess Geisers just aren’t my thing. I did like how the ground in the surrounding areas was so filled with hot steam, and it had a rather wonderful smell of sulfer.

The water in Iceland is just so plentiful. There’s zero reason to ever buy bottled water here. The water from the tap is completely pure, and if you’re used to the taste of chemically “purified” water in the States, the difference is astounding. Hot water flows almost instantly from the taps, too, and it (unlike the cold taps) carries a trace of sulfer. That only makes sense since it comes straight from the hot springs. I love the tap water in Iceland. I missed it so much when I went on to the UK, and the water temperature, quality, and pressure was highly variable and uncertain.

After Geysir, we went to Gullfoss waterfall, which I believe is the the largest waterfall in Europe? It definitely seemed to be. When you approach, there’s nothing but  a rainbow, arching out of a hole in the ground.

Then you get closer, and wowza.

There were stairs down to it, and a winding walkway, and every turn you made just brought you to a different, amazing view.

I took video, but it’s honestly impossible to film. There are so many levels, and you can’t see the entire waterfall from any one place.

After Gullfoss, it was on to Thingvellir National Park. Here is the only place in the world where you can actually see the shifting of the earth’s crust. It is part of fissure zone, situated on the teutonic plate boundaries of the mid-Atlantic ridge.

I’ve never been that much into geology, but there is something amazing about standing here.

Thingvellir is beautiful, too. The light is incredible.

You can see some pretty amazing former volcanic activity. These rock walls were formed by volcanoes, but I thought they looked like something from Game of Thrones.

My last day in Reykjavik, I treated myself to some local delicacies. I tried the Puffin and Whale menu. Puffin (in the below picture) is actually really, really good…if you like smoked salmon. That’s pretty much exactly what it tastes like. It has the look and texture of something closer to beef, though.

Whale…well, if I hadn’t known it was whale, I would have thought by the look and taste it was a beef steak! It did have a slightly different flavor, but if I hadn’t been looking for it, I’m not sure I’d have noticed.

The other thing I ate a lot of while I was in Iceland was Skyr. It’s sort of like yogurt, only thicker, with a slightly…sheepish…flavor. It was good, especially the blueberry! I had it every day for breakfast, and sometimes at dinner, too. And frozen Skyr? Delicious!

Would I ever go back to Iceland? Yes. But only if I had a big budget for food, and if I planned to travel outside of Reykjavik.  One more thing, if you’re ever in Iceland, buy a Lopapeysa – an Icelandic wool sweater. The wool from these very specialized sheep is very different from other wool, and completely amazing. Once I put mine on, I never wanted to take it off. Light, incredibly warm, and so cozy, they are the world’s most perfect sweater.  The shop I bought mine from does mail order, and I just know I’ll be collecting several more!

Also, whoever designed the Icelandair safety videos is a genius.

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Iceland, September 2015

Posted on October 11, 2015 | Leave a comment

I made it home from my month-long travels of Iceland, England, Scotland, Wales, and Venice. I took something like 5,000 photos, a small fraction of which I’ll be sharing with you over the next few weeks as I sort through them all and blog about my trip.

Iceland was not even on my radar as a place to visit when I began planning this trip, but after hearing about Icelandair’s free stopover program, I decided to take three days here.

Reykjavik is a very modern place. Up until the 1950s, most of Iceland’s very small population lived in primitive sod houses, and would definitely have qualified as a third world country. But when the technology boom hit the world, Iceland prospered, and became the third richest country in the world – ahead even of the USA.

Reykjavik was a puzzle to me. So friendly, and full of rainbows, trolls, and…graffiti?

The whole city is covered in graffiti. Literally, the whole city.  Not just the sketchy areas, but the nice upscale buildings and houses. It was very jarring. Add to that the modern nature of it, and how very expensive everything was – including food – and I was not really a fan. If I ever return to Iceland, I’m spending as little time as possible in Reykjavik.

But the history here is the land, itself.  And what a land.

It is literally a land of ice and fire. The whole country is a mass of active volcanoes, and they have so much natural power from water and air, that they run their heaters full blast all winter long, and just open a few windows to regulate the temperature. Hot showers here are HOT, and plentiful.  The land steams, continually, from breaks in the earth. Driving, you see all these puffs of white vapor rising from the ground.

 

There is only variety of horse, and only one variety of sheep in Iceland, and these animals have perfectly adapted to life here. The sheep wander the hills and fields at will, eating Icelandic blueberries and flavoring their flesh into the best-tasting lamb in the world. Seriously. I was never much a fan of lamb until I tasted Icelandic lamb. Yum.

The beaches are black sand and basalt columns, and beyond gorgeous.

It’s a wild land, an overpowering land, and I admire the type of person who is able to make their home here. It wouldn’t be me. Last winter they had gale force winds almost every day for months…wind so strong it would pick up stones and smash them through your car windows. One tourist, driving against advice, had all the windows in his vehicle broken out, and by the time he made it back to his B&B, he was sitting in snow up to his waist.

I couldn’t be happy under those conditions. But I did love the land.

And the wild, lonely black beaches.

And how amazing it is to drive past volcanoes that could erupt at any moment, to see waterfalls, and glaciers.

And rainbows. Everywhere, rainbows.

 

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Last blog before Europe!

Posted on September 14, 2015 | Leave a comment

Tomorrow I fly off to Iceland for three days, then onto the UK and Venice for just about three weeks!  It’s finally here – part of me won’t believe it until I’m actually on that plane. Say hello to travel mascot Oswin.  One must always travel with one’s octopus!

I’m all packed.  One carryon, and that’s it.

I’ll be taking lots of pictures, and blogging all about when I return.

In quick garden news, I did not get very many potatoes at all from growing them in trash cans. However, my summer was VERY unusually hot and dry, so I think that could have been a big factor in the failure. I intend to try again next year before I give it up as a bad idea.  I did get a couple of small baskets full.

And look at this this adorable little bean that seeded itself in my pavers!

You slave over your garden, improving your soil and watering, and fertilizing, and then stuff like this just happens. I wish it were a little earlier in the season – I’d like to know if would actually manage to grow any beans!

And one bit of sad news, I lost two of my chickens this month. Little Blue, my Grey Andalusian, died of egg peritonitis, I think, although I didn’t do an after-death examination to be sure.

And her sister, Isabelle went just this week. I’m not sure at all what her issue was, but she hadn’t laid any eggs in over a year, so maybe it was something amuck with her egg laying apparatus.  They were fairly young girls, only about two years.

It’s funny how that goes. I have four girls that are going on 6 years old now, and they are still laying and healthy.  It could be the breeds? Isabelle was a Cream Brabanter, and I don’t know if they are meant to be that hardy of birds.  She certainly seemed a bit fru-fru!

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Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes

Posted on August 16, 2015 | Leave a comment

Normally, with my climate, I struggle with anything other than cherry tomatoes. I just don’t get a hot and long enough summer for larger ones to ripen well.

This year, we’ve had nothing BUT heat. It’s been fantastic for the tomatoes…and the squash, too. I’ve given squash away, and even taken two boxes to the local food bank!

But look at what I picked out of the yard this morning – and this is mostly just larger toms. I still need to pick a ton of cherries!

There was a bunch of Black Krims, which I just finished canning.

I experiented with lots of different kinds this year. There were Yellow Pears.

These will part of my garden every year now. I love them.

Yellow Ruffles:

I love the look of these, but sadly, they were not winners flavor-wise with either my mother or myself, so I will not grow them again.

Garden Peach:

These are very interesting, because the outside skin has a completely different texture. Slightly fuzzy, like peaches! I liked these alot, but the vines are not very productive at all for me, so I doubt I’ll plant them again.

Fox Nose:

This one is interesting because I ordered the seeds from someone in Europe. I think it was Bulgaria? They are very solid tomatoes, and not that flavorful, I don’t think. The vines were also very wimpy and looked half-wilted all the time, even when the other plants were flourishing. I won’t grow this again either…cool as I think it looks.

My favorite larger toms were the Black Krim (I have a fondness for black tomatoes) and my trusty Silvery Fir Tree tomato.

In cherries, all were successful. Yellow Pears, Sweet 100, Sungold, Black Cherry, Currant, and Purple Bumblebee were all winners. Sungold will forever have a place in my yard, as will Currant. They others I’ll probably rotate through in different years.

I haven’t been posting pictures of the garden lately, because, quite frankly, it’s not picture worthy. I’m getting tons of food out of it, but it’s been SO dry and hot that I’ve just been letting most things go. I’ve been watering just enough to keep it alive, but not pretty…especially in the flower parts of the yard. If this new heat/no rain thing continues next summer, I’m going to have to start looking at different ways of maintenance. Ollas, perhaps? Has anyone used these successfully?

This week, I went to the local fair. It’s not much of an event, but I usually find at least one thing that made me glad I went. This year, it was the poults. I have a serious love-on for turkeys!

They are always so personable, interested, and friendly. I want some so badly. One day!

And finally, I updated my previous post (Travel Itinerary) because I made a major change. Instead of daytripping to the Cotswolds from Bath, I decided to go to Cardiff, instead. It was tough to choose between the two, but this trip is a constant struggle of: which thing will I regret the most not seeing? This time, Cardiff won, partly because I know I can see what I want in one day easily enough…while the Cotwolds really need a few days.

One thing I’ve already purchased my ticket for is the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff Bay. You all know I am a massive Doctor Who geek, and when I learned that they had re-done the interactive part to focus on Twelve (my second favorite Doctor ever) instead of Eleven (who I have never liked), I had to go.  Plus, the costume exhibit!

Four weeks and two days to go until I begin my adventure in Iceland!

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Travel Itinerary

Posted on July 26, 2015 | 10 comments

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Okay…after spending four+ years thinking about this trip, planning this trip, and changing my mind frequently on what to see and where to go, it’s now pretty much set in stone. So here it is:

September 15th: Board plane for Iceland. I don’t know guys. I may be more excited to be in Iceland than any other part of my trip. The more I look at pictures/read about it, the more it just calls to my soul.

<p><a href=”https://vimeo.com/75736121″>BEYOND NATURE Iceland Timelapse – 아이슬란드</a> from <a href=”https://vimeo.com/aprilgarden”>aprilgarden</a&gt; on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p> <p>BEYOND NATURE Iceland Timelapse<br /> <br /> 2013 July. 9 ~ 16 <br /> <br /> – Music : Rise by Tony Anderson<br /> – Samsung Galaxy NX / 12-24 / 30 / 50-200mm<br /> – http://www.aprilgarden.com<br /> – aprilgarden Film (4월의 정원 필름)<br /> – aprilgarden@gmail.com<br /> <br /> <br /> BEYOND NATURE II Bolivia & Chile Timelapse release a film : https://vimeo.com/aprilgarden/videos</p&gt;

September 16, 17, 18th: Iceland.  I have booked tours of the South Shore, as well as horse riding over a lava field, and a tour of geysers and waterfalls. I’m taking an extra bag so I can break my “only carryon luggage” on the return flight. I have discovered that wool yard is actually a lot cheaper in Iceland than in the states, and I am completely in love with Icelandic wool. So I may just have to fill that suitcase, and mail it home once I reach London.

September 19th: Flight to London. The one thing I have absolutely planned for this date is watching the premiere of season 9 of Doctor Who in London! In the theater, if they do a big screen airing…otherwise I made sure my hotel has a television.

September 20th: London. Tour of Highgate Cemetery, canal ride in Little Venice, and shopping the Camden Markets.

September 21 – 22nd: In the morning, I have a tour booked of the Royal Opera House. Then, I will meet up with my friend Alberta and take the train to Leeds Castle, where we have a room booked. I also have an Owl Experience booked at Leeds Castle!  We return to London on the 22nd, just in time to attend a theatre performance of The Woman in Black. I hear it’s terrifying. I hope so! My second friend, Bonnie, will be flying in on the 22nd to join us as well, but she’s not into being scared, so she is going to see Shakespeare at the Globe instead. Wuss. 😉

September 23rd: Oxford. All three of us are taking the train for the day to Oxford. I’m particularly interested in seeing the world of C.S. Lewis. He’s probably done more than any author in shaping my inner self.  Tolkien – and Harry Potter film sites – are also a big draw.  If the weather allows, we plan to go punting.

September 24th: Alberta leaves us to go to Iceland, so Bonnie and I (as the two Harry Potter fanatics) are going to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour.  When we get home, we’ll take in a Cabaret/Burlesque show.

September 25th: Bonnie and I will visit Kensington Palace, and the V&A museum. In the evening, I catch the sleeper train to Scotland, while Bonnie remains behind for another day in London, then Paris.  I’m excited about the sleeper train – it’s something I’ve always wanted to do!

September 26th: I wake up in Edinburgh! Today I will hit all the major sites of the Royal Mile.  Including, of course, The Elephant House Cafe, where Rowling worked on her writing. In the evening, I will take a ghost/history walking tour.

September 27th: Today is my chance to get outside of Edinburgh, and see a little bit of the rest of Scotland. I’ve booked with a small group that visits Loch Ness, Glencoe, and the Highlands.

September 28th: I return to England, via the coastal train. On the way, I’ll hop off at Alnwick Castle. Some of my ancestors lived here, scenes from Harry Potter were filmed here, and they have a fabulous poison garden. Afterward, I’ll continue to York, my next destination.

September 28 – 29th: York. I have nothing specifically booked here, but this is one of those beautiful cities with fantastic history. I’ve always wanted to visit.

September 30th: Leave York for Bath, and on the way, I’ll stop at Hardwick Hall. It was built by my favorite ancestor, Bess of Hardwick – the second most interesting and dominant English woman of her time. (The first being Elizabeth I.)

October 1st: Bath. I’ve been to Bath once before, all too briefly. I have a session at the Fashion Museum’s Study Facilities. They are going to pull some extant examples of beetlewing embroidery, 1830s dresses, and maybe an Edwardian evening dress or two, and I will get to have a couple of hours of hands-on playtime. Photographs are allowed!  In the evening, I want to visit Thermae Bath Spa, and have a soak in the rooftop pool.  Bliss….

October 2nd: Daytrip from Bath to the Cotswolds. I plan on visiting several small villages and just wandering around…  Change of plans – I’m going to Cardiff instead. I plan to visit the Doctor Who Experience, for sure! At some point, I’ll be taking a hot air balloon ride over Bath. Haven’t quite decided on a time yet.

October 3rd: Train back to London. I might stop off at Salisbury on the way for a couple of hours. I just have to get back to London by 3pm for my tour of the Angels Costumiers.

October 4 – 5th: Early flight from London, and one night, two days in Venice.

October 6th: One last day in London! In the evening, I have tickets to see Raven Girl, a ballet at the Royal Opera House based on Audrey Niffenberger’s book. In the day, I plan on doing some shopping.

October 7th: Flight home.

I’m quite pleased with this itinerary – it mingles all the history, geekery, and costuming I can fit in, plus a number of things I’ve always wanted to do, and never have. It’s also a bit of a research trip, since after I publish the time travel trilogy I’m currently working on, my next two series will be Victorian Steampunk, and Elizabethan Steampunk. It will be very helpful to be able to actually see/experience the same things as my heroines. And, I’ve spent all the time I wanted, enjoying the anticipation and planning stages. I’m ready to go!

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