Archive | November 2008

Our Greek Odyssey Begins

Nov12

Monday, November 3, 2008
London-Athens

To read this text with accompanying pictures, please click on this link:
http://rochellesroost.googlepages.com/europe_greece

and

http://rochellesroost.googlepages.com/greece_athens

Every time I awake in the middle of the night to take a flight, I realize why such flights are so cheaply priced! Llew and I set our alarms for 2. 00 am to catch a night bus at 2. 30 am to Victoria Coach Station from where we caught the 3. 30 am bus to Gatwick Airport. We arrived there at 4. 30 am in time for our 6. 30 am departure to Athens through Easyjet. I have no recollection at all of this tedious journey in the middle of the night as I was dazed from the sleeping pill I had taken to get myself some zzzzs at the unearthly hour of 8 pm when we had taken to our bed.

The flight was uneventful as most flights are on budget airlines. A good book kept me occupied (The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards) and at 12 noon, we touched down in Athens rather refreshed from the snoozes we’d managed on the flight. An hour long bus ride took us from the airport to Syntagma Square in the heart of Athens which was only a short stroll away to the Acropolis House Hotel where I had made accommodation arrangements. The place is old-fashioned and suitably gracious and we had excellent service from the personnel–Jasmine and Andreas–who went out of their way to be kind and helpful and informative.

After a short nap, we set out to see the Highlights of the National Archaeological Museum. But we were waylaid en route by a travel agent who sought to sell us an expensive package tour and, in the process, informed us that our intended itinerary would not work as the ferry schedule is altered completely after November 1 when the official tourist season ends in Greece.

Grateful for the information, we set about altering our travel plans in keeping with ferry routes and schedules, then booked our ferry tickets, called the hotels to modify our dates of arrival and departure and then finally boarded a trolley to get to the museum. The ride was novel and exciting and by the time we arrived there, we were all reved up and ready to go. The sheer size of the museum and its collection is overwhelming and we were grateful for Lonely Planet that pointed out the most important items. We saw the Mask of Agamemnon, the Bronze of Zeus (that some say is Poseidon), the gigantic Kouri–so similar to the one at the Metropolitan Museum in New York that I show on my own Highlights tour–the Cycladic figures that so influenced Picasso and the Modernists, the frescoes excavated from Akroriti on Santorini and several other significant classical works.

Riding on the trolley back to our hotel, we were charmed by the energy and vitality of contemporary Athens. We sought out a taverna called Paradisio where local Greek patrons were tucking into plates of roasted sardines. We chose to eat a Greek Salad (so good we ordered a Greek salad with every meal from then on) and a moussaka that was superb. The best part of this rather unpretentious place was that it was only steps away from our hotel and it was a joy to be able to get back into our comfortable bed in just a hop, a skip and a jump.

First impressions of Athens? Admirable indeed.

Afternoon Tea at the Ritz

Nov2

Sunday, November 2. 2008
London

Our day began early even before the rest of Holborn was stirring. Llew and I decided to attend the 9 am Mass at St. Etheldreda’s Parish at Ely Place as I could not wait to introduce him to this gem of a medieval church in the heart of the city of London. The mass was said by Fr. Simon Giles, a visiting priest from Radcliff College, Leicestershire. Barbara was in church too and we said a quick hullo to her before she walked briskly off to pick up the Sunday paper.

Llew and I got back home for a swift cup of coffee before showering and getting all decked up for our big date with our friend Bande Hassan, CEO of Habib Bank who invited us to Afternoon Tea at the Ritz–one of London’s most celebrated traditions. It was, in fact, nine years ago, that we had all entered the Ritz together to take tea, only to be stopped by a maitre d’ who politely informed us that we were inappropriately dressed for the occasion in our sneakers. In all the years that we have kept visiting London, we could never get reservations the week we were in town. Finally, Mr. Hasan made this appointment nearly three months ago in preparation for Llew’s November return to the city.

On a day that was far milder than yesterday and with sunlight gilding the streets, we arrived at the lobby of the hotel–one of the world’s most famous. Within the superbly decorated space with its Aubusson carpet, marble columns and gilded plasterwork, we awaited our host’s arrival. I was struck by a charming arrangement of vivid pink roses in a tall mercury glass coupe that dominated the center table. The softness of pinks, greens and beige kept the space classy without becoming opulent.

Soon, Mr. Hasan arrived and we checked in our coats before proceeding to the Palm Court where tables were artfully arranged in classic style to allow us to partake of one of the country’s most beloved meals–Afternoon Tea. After we were seated politely and carefully–Llew and me on an intimate bench, our host opposite us–menus were presented to inform us about the variety of items we’d be served. A three tier cake stand arrived piled with finger sandwiches–ham, chicken, cucumber, smoked salmon, cheese, tomato and Egg Mayonnaise in small brioche rolls. The waiter then took our order for tea–I chose Earl Grey which I always enjoy with a squeeze of lemon while Llew and Mr. Hasan chose the Traditional Blend. In beautiful silver tea pots, the liquid was perfectly brewed. More sets of sandwiches were available if we wished for seconds. People around whispered quietly and I tried to, discreetly, spot any celebrities, but there was no one I could recognize among the beautiful people that filled the space.

Ten minutes later, the waiter returned with our scones–Apple and Raisin Scones with large pots filled with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Though the scones were nowhere as soft, crumbly and melt-in-the-mouth delicious as the ones we had eaten at the Willow Tea Rooms on Sauchihall Street in Glasgow, Scotland, only a few weeks ago, the strawberry jam was particularly flavorful and make each morsel memorable.

When we eventually turned our attention to the sweets, pastries and mini cakes on the top most platter, we were already stuffed. But they looked far too appetizing to be ignored and no arms needed to be twisted to reach an indulgent hand forward to move the macaroons, chocolate truffle cake, raspberry cream tarts and Mille Feuilles to our plates. Every little temptation was so beautifully made and so exquisitely presented. We were truly enchanted by the efforts made by the management to charm and delight during a two hour meal whose service was unhurried, polite and very polished.

We thanked Mr. Hasan profusely for his generosity in treating us to so fine a privilege and since he had some shopping to do on Oxford Street, we walked along with him along Old Bond and New Bond Streets with their million dollar merchandise throughout the length of the two streets until we arrived at Oxford Street. Once again, I sat down to rest my feet while the two friends whose friendship goes back several decades spent some quality time together.

After we said goodbye to Mr. Hasan, Llew and I went to Marks and Sparks on Oxford Street as I badly needed an undergarment fitting scheduled. This was done very well by a young assistant called Kimberly who did an excellent and very patient job fitting me and recommending the right style and size for my figure type. I was so glad of her expert advice and left the store with a few packets in my bags and the decision to order a few more upon my return from Greece.

By this time, my feet had started to feel tired and we hopped into a bus and arrived at Holborn before night blanketed all vestiges of light. We had so much to do as both of us have to pack for our early morning departure tomorrow for Gatwick airport and our flight to Athens, Greece. We’re looking forward to exploring ancient cultures and to cruising upon the Aegean Sea.

I will not be able to contribute to this blog for the next 10 days. So I should sign this installment off by saying, Au Revoir…

Entertaining At Home in Holborn

Nov2

Saturday, November 1, 2008
London

Since Llew had left London before I started to make my own friends, I thought it might be a good idea to introduce him to the English friends I’ve made by inviting them over to our place for a meal. It was also a small way of thanking them for being such good friends to me at a time when I felt lonely and anxious in a foreign country.

Being a gourmet chef, Llew wanted to make them his signature dish–Sindhi Biryani–but I had to remind him that I do not have the pots and pans and other specialist equipment necessary to concoct such an elaborate dish. We decided to settle for Indian take out since most of the English love a good “curry” and since Chicken Tikka Masala has taken over from Fish and Chips as the country’s favorite Take Away meal.

So I placed a call with Gandhi’s, an Indian Restaurant on Gray’s Inn Lane–this is a branch of the other Gandhi’s at Kensington whose owner has been boasting to the press about the fact that Gordon Brown and Britain’s other bigwigs sat at the tables in his restaurant over Lamb Bhuna and Paneer Mattar plotting and planning ways and means by which to save the flagging British economy from collapsing completely. We settled for Chicken Korma, Navratan Vegetable Curry, Saag Aloo, Pilau Rice and Naans with Onion Bhaji for starters. We picked up our meal at 12. 30 which left us with a half hour before our next-door neighbors Tim Freeman and Barbara Cookson rang our doorbell, just a little after Cynthia Colcluff arrived from around St. Paul’s Cathedral. Both Llew and I had no idea how large take-away portions are in the UK and we were a little worried when we found that they were much smaller than we had expected. Certainly, portions are much larger in the US and though we had doubled each order, we wondered if there would be enough to go around.

We all hit it off immediately and, before long, we were deep in animated conversation which flowed so easily. Tim kept us all in splits with his fascinating anecdotes and comedic impersonations. Llew helped me organize our repast and served the wine and from start to finish (I served coffee with coffee-walnut cake for dessert), he was a huge support and help. I felt as if we were back in Southport entertaining guests at one of our many sit-down dinners–except that we were in a far smaller space and making do with the few things our kitchen cupboards contain. In fact, since I have only 5 chairs around my dining table, Tim nipped over to his flat and brought in a chair and a little later, a porcelain sugar and creamer as I had neither in which to serve the cream and sugar–in fact, I did not even have any sugar as I use a sweetener. At the end of the meal, they suggested a walk around our neighborhood. I begged off and decided to start on the washing-up while Llew went off with them to discover some of the architectural gems around our building.

Later that evening, Llew and I, went next door to return Tim and Barbara’s things and spent a good hour with them over tea and tea cakes in their fabulous apartment. It truly is a spacious welcoming place. Thanks to some ingenious planning and decorating, it is warm and cozy and it was hard to tear ourselves away from Tim’s video photography as projected on the flat screen TV in their living room. I find them such an engaging couple and whether it is food we talked about or travel, they are so informative and so entertaining.

Later in the evening, back in our own flat, we decided to take it easy and catch up with our own exchange of news. We realize how much we’ve missed one another and truly are looking forward to the next two weeks when we shall do all the things we so enjoy doing together.

The Best Halloween Treat Of All!

Nov1

Friday, October 31, 2008
London

When Llew rang my doorbell on 9.30 this morning, he brought me the best Halloween treat of all time–Himself! Plus, a big bouquet of autumnal blooms in the color of the holiday–yellow and orange chrysanthemums all gathered together in red tissue! It was an entrance to remember!

After we’d brought each other up to speed on our six weeks apart, we had a bit of breakfast, then set off by bus for Leicester Square to meet Ian who had arrived there earlier to grab half-price tickets for Billy Elliott-The Musical. Alas, that was not to be and between the three of us, we’d seen most of the others. Since the day was so sunnily uplifting, we decided to get away from the bustle of the city and to return to it at sundown. So, we leaped on the Tube and got to Angel with the idea of checking out the Regent’s Canal of which I had heard so much.

A few minutes later, we found the stairs that led down to a quiet, serene strip of water that reflected the blazing leaves of yellowing maples that lay strewn like a carpet bordering both sides. We found a quiet bench and sat chatting as we watched people walk their dogs or jog by. House boats lay moored silently on the far side, their bright colors–navy blue and fire engine red–bringing visual exuberance to the scene. Ian and Llew left me in quiet contemplation of the season’s bounty to the fat squirrels who kept me company as they embarked on a walk along the Canal’s Tow Path.

But because the spot was far too quiet for Ian who wanted to be part of the London action, we took a bus to Euston Square passing by many interesting landmarks such as St. Pancras Station at King’s Cross and the new British Library building. Hopping off in search of Little India hidden behind on Drummond Street, we had a meal–” A Set Indian Lunch for 6.50″–at Masala Hut. There, over Lamb Bhuna and Chicken Tikka, Saag Aloo and Sabzi, Saffron Rice and Naans, we felt as if we were back home in the States at one of our many parties! But soon Ian wanted to get back into the thick of things, and we hopped on to a bus once more to alight at Marylebon High Street so that I could introduce them to one of my favorite shopping venues in London.

Far from the craziness of high street shopping chains such as TopShop and Russel and Bromley on Oxford and Regent’s Streets are the more exclusive “boutique” stores and restaurants of Marylebon High Street. Here, famous English designers such as Cath Kidson and Emma Bridgewater have set up their own retails stores selling everything delightful–vintage reproductions of flowery aprons and neat sewing sets at the former and striped and polka dotted dog bowls and pasta platters at the latter. There is Roccocco Chocolates, one of my favorite chocolatiers who do unusual flavor combinations, tucking chilli and powdered dried orange rind into their truffles. At Patiserie Valerie, the cakes and pastries that adorn the display window are so irresistible that I rarely walk by without selecting one of their goodies to carry home. I love The White Company with its luxurious cashmere throws and crisp bed linen and Daunt Books with its announcements of forthcoming author readings–on November 26, for instance, actor Julian Fellows whose novel Snobs I had enjoyed and whose performance as Killwillie was fun to watch in Monarch of the Glen, will be reading from his new novel Past Imperfect. He has the wacky sense of humor and ironic eye that in poking fun of his countrymen’s own eccentricities makes reading his work a lot of fun.

Then, we were out on Oxford Street where I chose to do something I rarely do but which my foot condition now forces me to indulge in–people-watching–as I made myself comfortable on a bench. Despite the fact that it was a freezing evening, armies of shoppers were raiding the stores or so it seemed if one went by the colorful bags hanging from their arms and proclaiming, “Selfridges”, “M&S” “Waterstones”, “Dorothy Perkins”, etc. Now whether these were tourists or local Londoners it was hard to say–but they seem none the worse for the credit crunch. As for us, Yankees, we couldn’t be more pleased that the pound has (finally!) taken a plummeting and the dollar is actually fetching us enough in exchange currency to not make us feel as if we are a Third World Country too! It is a great time for Llew to return to Old Blighty!

Not too long after that, we were in the cafe at Debenham’s, far from the madding Christmas crowd–yes, it would seem that it is Christmas already if one goes by the the display windows of the big department stores–and sank down into the roomy sofas with comforting pots of English tea. By the time we emerged on to the street again, night had fallen–yes at 5 pm. and it was time to go out in search of the city lights!

That’s when we had something of a memorable adventure. Having decided to take Bus 139 to Waterloo Bridge so Llew and Ian could sample the hi-jinks of the South Bank, we saw a bus cruise right by us. When the middle doors opened to disgorge a few passengers, I hopped right on assuming that Llew and Ian who were right behind me would hop on too. Well, it turned out that the stop wasn’t a scheduled one and as soon as I hopped on, the driver closed the doors leaving the two guys out on the road running madly after the bus and hoping to get on at the next bus-stop, leaving me trapped inside waving frantically to them! It was a bit like the climax scene of Doctor Zhivago with Yuri waving madly to an oblivious Lara on the snowy streets of Moscow! Except that the guys outside were not oblivious to me! Though the bus merely crawled through the traffic, at the intersection, it made a sudden right turn into Regent’s Street leaving me crestfallen. Soon enough, it came to a halt. I jumped off and set out in search of the two guys. They had abandoned the attempt to race after the bus and had chosen a spot on the corner to wait for me, where, despite the enveloping darkness, I spotted them and we had a hysterical reunion!

When the next 139 arrived, knowing where the bus stop actually was, we caught it, found seats upstairs and continued laughing at our little adventure. The route was wonderful. taking us through the bright neon lights of Piccadilly Circus which has developed into an imitation of New York’s Times Square what with its gigantic bill boards and entertainment hoardings. Waterloo Bridge was rather dead until we took the stairs that led to the Thames Embankment where all the cyclists in London seemed to have assembled for what appeared to be a rally. Werewolves on bicycles reminded me that it was,in fact, Halloween, a holiday that is so huge in America but passes by almost unnoticed here in London. I did not see any little trick or treaters raiding the shops of all their candy nor did I see anyone in costume. In the restaurants that line the Thames’ Banks, the waiters were wearing horns and had blood streaming down their mouths, but that was their only concession to Halloween! We did, however, receive free candy bars from one vendor on Oxford Street, but whether that was a promotion or a Halloween giveaway was unclear.

I left Llew and Ian to explore the South Bank and its cultural offerings while I saw down on a bench and started a conversation with a cyclist. It seems that on the last Friday 0f every month, a bunch of London cyclists gather at the South Bank to embark on a free style pedal all over the city. Because it was Halloween, a few of them had carried along boom boxes and put on costumes and were partying! It was fun to be a part of this mad melee and I absorbed the atmosphere as best I could thinking of the trick or treaters who’d be at our Connecticut front door begging for goodies in their scary costumes and of the many years during which we devised costumes for Chriselle who went candy-hunting with her own pals.

The cold prevented us from spending more time outdoors–it had turned rather vicious by night–and as we awaited a bus to take us back to High Holborn, it felt as if winter had arrived with a vengeance. At Holborn, Ian and Llew hopped off near Sainsburys, so Ian could buy his stock of English chocolates to take home to New Jersey (his flight leaves early tomorrow) and to pick up some dinner–they returned with a Thai boxed meal contained spring rolls and steamed rice with red and green chicken curries! I have to wonder who has planned these boxed meals–why two curries and why both chicken? Why not one chicken curry and one salad or (as in the case of the Indian dinner), one lamb and one sabzi? Still, you can’t beat the convenience of the boxed meal. Over wine and stout and diet Coke, we made ourselves comfortable back home and had a very nice dinner, thank-you.

We called Chrissie a little later–Ian congratulated her on her engagement while she told him excitedly about her shooting stint last week with Keira Knightley in the film Last Night. I also described our day to her and she ended up sighing and saying to me, “And Mum, I suppose this was you trying to take it easy, right?”

Ian spent a while checking email on my laptop and then it was time to say goodbye to him and clear up the kitchen. Llew did a bit of unpacking–his suitcase was full of the things I had asked him to bring for me–and then we were too pooped to do anything else.

It promised to be a boooooo-ti-ful Halloween night!