The rain has stopped but it still is quite overcast. It looks like another gloomy day like yesterday. But in fact, it reminds me of some typical Melbourne days where the day starts very grey and slowly improves until the weather is at its best at sundown.
We are off early again and after going through a couple of Locks it is time for breakfast.
Julie starts the day with smoked salmon saladAnother Mexican omelet for me, enough chilli this time
Graham also had a Mexican omelet after we finished our sailing for the morning, not as much chilli as me but he did like it. We have settled into a mooring at Hampton Court.
There are a few “paddle wheelers” on the river
Julie goes out prancing again. One of her tasks is to select a restaurant for tonight but she also takes photos, here are some of them.
CastleInside the castle walls
Cook Bookand anotherQue? I thought the point was to drink wineAdditives
Love the guards
There had to be DuckAlthough we are supposed to be in Hampton Court, in fact most of the area around is MoleseyA Canadian Goose
Julie returns and says that the locals had recommended a local Lebanese for tonight. She also has write-ups for a couple of other restaurants, but we decide on the Lebanese. She then heads off again for more prancing.
The main bridge into Hampton Court er MoleseyIt is only 3:30 and the mooring is full. It is important to grab one early on the river
Julie returns and we get dressed to go out. It is a bit of a walk to the bridge and then down to the restaurant.
Waiting at the bridge for the rest to catch upOur restaurant. What does a Giraffe have to do with Lebanese?The girls in situThe BarThe Restaurant Name
We ordered Whitebait for a starter. It was quite overcooked and not really that nice. The mains then arrived.
Calimari salad – not that specialditto the “special” lamb filletsThe Lamb Shank was quite goodCucumber and Yoghurt
With three of the four courses not that good, if this is the best restaurant in town then ……. Off home and crash.
The weather is quite grey and the sky is threatening this morning. Plus I did not sleep much last night, too good a sleep the night before. But we soldier on. We depart from our mooring early, before 8:00 in order to miss a nasty Lock Keeper at the next Lock. Thus control of the Lock is under Wendy’s guidance.
Wendy in the distance controlling the Lock
After that Lock Wendy makes breakfast, a treat again.
Scrambled Eggs and Smoked Salmon for JulieMexican Omelet – from leftover potatoes from last night, which I cut up and “extra hot” chilli flakes
The chilies were not that hot and hence the omelet was not as spicy as I prefer, more chilies tomorrow. We go through a few Locks and moor at Weybridge at the intersection of the Rivers Thames and Wey.
The two white posts in the distance are commerating the signing of the Magna Carta at that locationThat is the River Wey which is about to join the ThamesThe boat at moor. Note the threatening sky
In spite of the weather, Julie went out prancing with rain coats, umbrellas etc. These are some of her photos.
Julie said I had to put this picture in because of the colours
We asked Julie later if she had got wet, because it really started raining, but she said no because she mostly spent time in shops. You may ask why I did not go out with her, I think that you just got the answer.
Selfie with a potential hand bag purchase (she did not buy it)
Julie comes back just before the serious rain starts
The rain is getting harder and we need to close up the boat so we don’t get wet inside i.e. “batten down the hatches”. Wendy makes dinner for us which features fillet steak.
with salad, vegies, potatoes and gravyOn my plate
Lovely as usual. The rain continues to increase, it rained all night, bucketed down. So we retire to bed early.
No, we are not on the Proud Mary but instead the “Down the Hatch” rollin’ down the Thames and not the Mississippi. We in fact sleep in, late for us, and when I get up we are ready to go down the river.
Looking down the Boat from the CockpitTons of birds and a single SwanMoving into my first ever LockWe fit 5 boats in that big LockAll the Water in the Lock has run outExiting the Lock
After that first Lock, Wendy makes breakfast for us.
Ham and Cheese Omelet for meScrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon for Julie
All delightful. Before long we go through a second Lock.
The Lock Keepers CottageWe berth for the day outside of Egham
Julie hops off the boat and goes wandering for the afternoon. Some of her photos follow:
A MapDucksand more DucksLots and Lots of DucksNice looking Pub
Another accidental selfieOur favourite RoseSalmon, of course
Julie eventually returns and Wendy puts on dinner.
The Table is setChicken Breast wrapped in Bacon with a mild bleu cheese sauce, potatoes and beans
We have a few more wines. I watch part of the 11:00 news with Graham and Wendy and then join Julie in bed.
I am doing something a little different here by lumping 5 days at Oxford into a single Post. The reason is that with Julie studying most of the time, there are not a lot of activities. So here we go:
Tuesday – weather cool and cloudy
We are off to breakfast but on the way we try to go to the laundry room as I am just about out of clean clothes. However, the entranced is blocked off by construction. We walk around to the other side of the building but it too is blocked off. A construction guy shows Julie a way around the blockade and down to the laundry room. Julie comes back and states that it is a total mess, an absolute disgrace.
Any way, we head upstairs for breakfast which is a typical small room.
There is also another long table perpendicular at the end of the roomAnother look, they don’t do things small at English collegesThey serve hot food (after 7:30) as well as a traditional cold buffet
Julie goes off to school, leaving me behind. I decide I will brave the laundry and take my stuff over. She is right, it is a hopeless mess. However, the washers are commercial grade and do a good job in 31 minutes. The dryers are also commercial grade but the one that I select does not dry. So I select another one which works fine but the total drying time becomes 98 minutes. Still it is great to have a bunch of clean clothes.
There is a daily service to the rooms so it is our turn. I have a map and decide to walk into a near part of Oxford. No photos today. I make the mistake of going to a Burger King, which can be alright in Australia (generally known as Hungry Jacks) but is terrible here. The burger I order is as dry as an old chip, the fries not much better and then I spill 99% of the drink everywhere. I go to a Sainsbury to pick up a couple of bottles of wine and return to Keble. Since the Internet is not working, I do a bit of reading and snoozing.
I am to meet Julie at the Kings Arms again for dinner. I walk up there and she was there already, apparently had been outside for a while but moved in when it was too cool. We order dinner:
Salmon (naturally) Salad for JulieBangers and Mash for me
It was supposedly Lamb and Leek snags but I could not taste the leek. Having said that I burped up leeks for the next day.
A pie on a nearby table – looks goodThe Kings Arms from the outside
Wednesday – weather improving
Today is Julie’s next major exam. After breakfast she “gowns up” to catch the bus to the exam place.
Gowned up and ready to exam
In the mean time, I get adventurous and take the big, for me any way, walk to the train station. The point is to pickup the train tickets I had pre-booked in Australia for our later departures around Britain. I went to the Kiosk and did very well getting 4 sets of tickets, including one expired pair that I had mis-booked. I also buy tickets to get from Oxford to Windsor on Sunday, although I got the wrong date (again) for the tickets. Julie eventually solves this problem the next day.
I go to the square where I had had the souv the first day and discover that there is a market going on which includes a number of food stalls of various cuisines. I select some Chinese chicken dumplings which are quite OK. Back to the room to fight the crap Net.
Julie believes that she did OK on the exam. They have a sumptuous lunch. The following are snacks after work.
Beef
It was agreed that we would go to Jericho Tavern this evening for the famous “horseshoe sausage”. Julie and Son Peter had been there on their last visit. We agree by email for Julie and I to meet at the Lamb and Flag pub nearby.
Front bar of the Lamb and FlagJulie in exam clobber outside the Lamb and Flag
We walk up another 15 minutes to the Jericho, after all the walking I did earlier today, but felt alright.
The Jericho
We order at the front bar. The salad that Julie wanted is finished for the day and there is only one horseshoe sausage left. We go out to the back patio and it is less than salubrious. One guy there has a black tattoo over his whole head except for part of his face.
The service is quite slow but eventually things start to happen.
Julie perusing the menu closelyThe CondimentsThe famed Horseshoe Sausages – the best part was the onion ringsJulie’s Bean SaladJulie’s Irish Coffee
There was a bit of a sad story in that an older couple came in and the Wife was clearly suffering from Parkinson’s or something similar. I guess she was not allowed to drink alcohol but every time her husband left the table she took a big slurp from his beer.
Thursday – Weather Improving
Another day of study for Julie with the difference being that she is to attend a special dinner tonight. The following is some of the food available at lunch.
In the mean time, I walk out to town again. I turn down an alley way called the Friars Walk and end up in the same square as yesterday. It has a different set-up but largely the same food vendors as yesterday.
The Food StallsI had a Hungarian Goulash which was spicy and very nice
Julie goes to her dinner that evening.
The Menu
Dessert
In the mean time I go out to a local place called the Parsonage which Julie had pointed out the night before.
The Entrance to the ParsonageThe Parsonage Courtyard – it eventually filled upI ordered a caraffe of Malbec (Argentinean)Rabbit Pie – pie was full of rabbit and the sauce was rabbit broth with chicory, nice
Back home, I managed to stay awake until Julie came back.
Friday, weather quite good
As per usual we have breakfast early and then Julie goes off to school.
Drinks available
I wait to go out until the knock from the cleaner at around 11:00. I go down the same Friars Walk but today there is no market. That is OK I grab some fried chicken from the shop that I had had the souv on the first day. We are having an early dinner tonight.
So I head out around 5:15 to walk past the Kings Arms and turn into the White Knight. Julie is already there talking with a group of Australians.
The White Knight Bar in the backgroundSalmon salad for JulieChicken Korma Curry for me – note the Argentinean Malbec we orderedIrish Coffee for Julie
The reason for the early dinner is that we are to see some live music, an Australian group we had never heard of before called the Spooky Men Chorale. It is to be held in the Sheldonian Theatre which is across the street. This theatre was built in the 1660s which is an amazing old building.
Julie went on ahead of me because we do not have reserved seats. I am able to find her straightforwardly, up the stairs to the mid level.
Down towards the stageThe crowds across our level
There are no photos of the acts, not permitted. The warm up band was called The River and basically did Swedish harmonies, probably about 12 in the group. The main band, the Spookies, are 17 men dressed in black with various kinds of weird hats. They sing with plenty of harmony. Lead by their leader, they do a number of comedy numbers and patter. I missed a lot of it due to my poor hearing. They do a set of Georgian music, which we have had experience in the past due to our tour of Georgia two years ago. A large group of men, called the Mens Choir joined in from the seats and then at the back of the stage. Among the other types of songs they were doing was a long tribute to Jim of Jim’s Mowing etc. Then the last two were a song about 3 brothers with the last surviving being Bharria Ghibb – a take off of the Bee Gees with their version of staying alive and then a tribute to David Bowie as an encore with all the Spookies spreading out amongst the audience. It definitely was an experience.
This is Julie’s last day of study at Oxford this trip. She is supposed to finish early today. After breakfast she goes off again and I make another sortie into the laundry room which seems even messier than earlier in the week. Still it is a relief to have almost no dirty clothes. I take a hike down the Friars Walk and the market is again there. Several other cuisines are represented today include Venezuelan, Ethiopian and Sri Lankan. I get a Sri Lankan chicken curry meal which was quite tasty.
Meanwhile, in Julie’s lecture, there is discussion of Richard Feynman and his involvement in the investigation of the Challenger disaster. I had indirectly studied under Feynman while at Caltech.
The Great Man
Julie does arrive back earlier around 5:00 because there had been shopping stops along the way. We had decided we would have a quiet night to enable suit case packing and early bed time ahead of our early departure tomorrow. So we go across the way to the Eagle and Child pub which had been recommended by a colleague at breakfast. It used to be known as the bird and baby. Apparently Tolkien and other famous authors had regularly drank there.
Although crowded, Julie managed to get a table in the back patio shared with a musicologist from Finland.
Settled in the Eagle and Child
The back patio was clearly an add-on with the wall behind us a more modern building which had the bricks painted. What’s more there was air conditioning.
ArtworkThe Pies looked impressive – see the next tableSalad with salmon for JulieBurger with bacon for meThe Long Narrow pubJulie about to exitOutside
So that is the end of the chronicles about our times in Oxford. Tomorrow we set off on a new adventure.
After breakfast, where of course smoked salmon featured again, we decide to go to the market along the river. We have been there before in our trips to Lyon. Each day is a different theme with crafts, clothing and today food. A number of my photos follow.
CheeseNote the suckling pigBreadWine – we bought a bottle of the e5 SyrahGreensBaconsSeafoodFast foodSweets, sweets and more sweetsPoultry – note the heads and the feetLooking back down the market
We depart the market, without buying anything but wine. In my view, Lyon is probably a better place for very small groups rather than a large group with lots of organised activities.
Shop window with Beatles photo and ooh la la
This afternoon the group is to have a picnic with food sourced from Les Halles de Lyon by Paul Bocuse market.
When we visited this market on one of our earlier trips to Lyon I wasn’t that impressed but it seems much better to me this time. There also lots of restaurants within. The group took a bus to get there but of course Julie walked and beats us all there.
Smoked salmonSweetsand more sweetsand more SalmonThe Wine shop – Julie liked the RosePate
Poultry, again with heads and feetSeafood
We gather outside with Capo who assigns each couple a product for the picnic to purchase. We are given bread and we go to a shop that has a long queue. Talking to a girl in the queue she said this is one of the two best bread shops in all of Lyon.
The Bread Shop
We bought more than our supposed limit and Julie bought a flan that was supposed to be world famous. We then meet up with Kate and decide to settle in the outdoor courtyard nearby where there is concrete furniture. The original plan had been down by the river but there is construction and rain is threatening.
Slowly the various groups show up. There is our bread, cheeses including a stinky that tastes great, smoked salmon with blinis, cold meats, terrines, wines by Jeremy and the highlight.
Three trays of shucked Oysters, 3 different kindsGlorious OystersDigging into the picnicOf course there were lots of sweets
Surprisingly, most of the food was eaten. Some of the sweets were taken home while we left the remaining bread behind for the homeless people. The rain had held out for most of the day but started up a bit on the way back. We took the bus again to get close to the Hotel, Julie walked with Eileen and Tony.
It was agreed to meet at 6:00 at the bar upstairs to “spend” our fines money that was collected by Toto yesterday. Because of the cost of the drinks, we all had to kick-in more including a second dip. When we arrived at 6:30, there was a good sized group of us with little room for others. Eventually a couple of tables left and we were able to combine into a decent area where all 21 of us could fit.
The Tables rearranged in the upstairs bar
One very pleasing aspect of this scene is that Rob’s Chris is able to attend. She is slowly getting better.
Some of the ordered drinks. I had the Bloody Mary and this time it was very spicy unlike at TurinThe guys developed and then sung a special song for Capo
We all are on our own for dinner tonight. Julie has talked to the Concierge to look for a Duck restaurant. He makes a reservation for us at a place about 6 blocks away.
Julie considering her orderChicken Salad for Julie – lots of salad stuffDuck fillets for me, slightly overdoneA nice chateauneuf du pape for our wine
The place was unusual in that there was only one staff. He was waiter, server and cook. He did a pretty good job of juggling the duties, especially when a couple of biggish groups arrived later.
