Category: Uncategorized

Just to alert anyone who landed here for gossip, as in what the kids call “the tea,” please be advised this is about honest-to-god, hot-water-based beverages and delicious English snacks.

I had tea twice during my trip in England, and both times were excellent, though over filling.

The first was in Brighton at The Grand Hotel, where I was lucky enough to be staying. Though their spa was down for refurbishing, which was a bummer, the tea room was running and beautiful. The view from the table was the pebble beach, and you could see all the way down to the pier. It was a small veranda with only about eight or ten tables, and it wasn’t a particularly busy time, so it was quiet and perfect.

I selected a less caffeinated tea, which is not the standard for tea time. My sleep is more valuable than keeping to the English tradition/traditional blends, and I enjoy an herbal tea. But let’s face it, no one goes to tea for tea–they go for the scones.

Ignore my stupid expression and carry on like I can take a picture like a normal human.

So, with tea, usually you get little sandwiches, scones, and some tiny dessert selections. At the Grand, though, prepare yourself for a savory tier and a sweet tier.

The first round is with tea and sandwiches. Traditionally the sandwiches are coronation chicken, salmon, ham, and cucumber, and I’m pretty sure this was the case at the Grand. Here, warm quiches were also served.

I managed to find a pink tea!

After the first course, the scones arrived with the real star — the clotted cream.

As you can see, we got a full slice of cake in addition to the scones and pastries. Buckle up. Or unbuckle, actually, because you’re going to be full.

The cake was orange with a hint of spice, but I have to talk more about the clotted cream because it was perfection. Light and sweet and spreadable. It’s difficult for me to write this from my living room in America where currently there is no chance of clotted cream. Use strawberry jam. Use the apricot. It doesn’t matter really. It’s the cream.

Even before the desserts arrived I was filling up, but I could see an older gentleman a little ahead of me in his tea timeline ordering an ADDITIONAL slice of cheesecake and a cup of coffee. I could not believe it. I still can’t. you can see this man’s arm in the very upper right corner of the picture above. He exists, and he is legend.

The amount of food doesn’t look huge, but it’s rich and filling and you’re drinking all this tea as well– I’m a big eater and still I could not finish. I had to get a to go box for the top most tier leftovers.

I actually didn’t take many pictures of the tea experience–nothing of the view or closeups of the savory parts. I was way too interested in eating.

Oh my god I got his face in the picture above!

He’s the real deal. You didn’t see him carrying a to go bag/shame basket around. Hell no.

Overall Brighton’s tea was excellent, and breaking up the savory and sweet courses really increased my enjoyment as I didn’t have a towering tier of food staring me down while the man pictured above ordered a pizza or whatever to supplement his meal. Plus, ocean view, good service, beautiful table settings… overall just a really good tea. 10/10 would return.

The second tea I had was in London after visiting Buckingham Palace. I was pretty hungry, as it was an earlier tea and we had skipped lunch. I was ready to be a better competitor. The Palm Court at the Sheridan Grand is reasonably within walking distance of Buckingham Palace, and I came ready to roll.

Standard sandwiches on the bottom, warmed scones in the center in a bag, which I wanted to eat FIRST but was told that was barbaric, and tiny desserts on top. I had another herbal tea.

The clotted cream is on the left. Don’t be distracted by the lemon curd.

The little pastries are designed to look like little hats. Very cute!

I was definitely more hungry and there was less food at this tea–I’m not sure what the standard is, or perhaps everyone does their own interpretation, with the Grand separating the savory from the sweet and the Palm Courts designs tiny hat-shaped cakes.

The service was pretty good and the place settings were nice. There was a lady playing the harp whose repertoire included Guns ‘n Roses and the Game of Thrones theme. It was fun, but honestly a little too loud for me. Everyone’s conversation had to be louder to compete, and it was a little bit of sensory overload for a tea time.

Overall, considering cost, quality, service, and ambiance, the Grand’s tea time wins this battle. The Palm was fun and good and hit the spot, but you can’t compete with that ocean view and natural lighting of a veranda. Palm, 7/10. Grand, 10.

Thank you for coming to my TEAtalk.

After only one night in Brighton, I hauled everything back to the center of the world for a few more nights in London. Though I’ve visited London several times, I’ve never toured The inside of Buckingham Palace.

Here I am blocking the view of the gate.

I loved the unicorn gargoyle.

Here’s the Queen Victoria Memorial outside the front gates of BP.

Just like in the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, no pictures are allowed inside the Palace (I’m still unimpressed by this rule).

The palace is used for matters of state, and we toured the receiving hall where dignitaries enter, several sitting rooms (themed by color, not unlike my bookcase), and a portrait gallery. The Royal family has many, many pieces of art, as Kings and Queens have acquired collections since olden times. After studying several paintings of George IV, I could see that he was the partying type and would indeed need a pleasure palace like the Brighton Pavilion after all.

The state rooms were beautiful if a little ostentatious, though if they weren’t perfectly appointed we’d complain about that too. My favorite was the blue room, which is also the Queen’s favorite. With white and gold accents, it manages to be beautiful without reminding you too much of Versailles colors.

We also toured the mews/garage area, where we saw the carriage horses and many of the carriages.

I was very impressed with the horses. As a former horse owner myself, I was particularly charmed by how clean and healthy their coats were. I didn’t know the breed off the top of my head — these are far more sophisticated than the quarter horses I’ve had– but a quick google search says that the carriage horses are Windsor Greys or Cleveland Bays. I really really really wanted to pat them and brush them and feed them sugar cubes, but I understand why that’s not allowed. Unlike the no-pictures-inside-the-palace-rule, this one makes sense.

Here are some of the various everyday carriages used by the palace people.

Nemo me impune lacessit is Latin for No one harasses me with impunity. This is the Scottish motto. It reminds me of the Texas motto, but classy

But these are just your everyday carriages. For special occasions, there is the real thing.

I mean really.

In addition to touring the palace and the mews, the ticket included a special exhibit of da Vinci sketches.

The above is his fantasy about what a woman might look like.

He had a much better grasp of the male form.

These are just a few of all the sketches, many of which included math and that backwards handwriting he used. It was very interesting to see his mathematical approach to art and life. His interests were so varied I felt a little lost and very small. It’s hard to get me to read a book outside my usual genres, let alone endeavor a whole new area of study. So, even though his understanding of the feminine form was theoretical at best, I’ll give credit where it’s due.

Outside the rear facade of the palace, we could start taking pictures again.

Here’s the lawn in the backyard.

After the tour, you’re dumped Disney-style into a gift shop and gently encouraged to follow the wooded path to the outside.

We did so in time for tea, which will be detailed in a special edition tea time post.

Walking around London, we saw many sights, such as this pretty building.

It’s not a church, it’s the royal courts. Imagine going here to try to reason with the lawmen. Terrifying.

Also spotted was ye olde Cheshire cheese, a pub I’ve been wanting to visit.

Unfortunately the pub was packed and I was in no mood to stand around. We went to an old familiar pub in St. Katherine’s docks for Pimm’s.

And a small dinner after.

It was a fine large day with a lot of public transportation, walking, and a single terrifying taxi ride.

Maybe someday I’ll learn how to take a vacation without running a marathon.

Not today.

After the magic of Harry Potter, I went to the seaside town of Brighton per instruction from Salvatore. Compared with Portugal, the water is darker and a bit moody–definitely colder. The pebble beach made walking much easier, though.

The pier at Brighton is a little like a mini Santa Cruz/Santa Monica: some rides, carnival food, and kiosks selling improbably made items of shells.

That’s a donut sculpture.

A bit of that Santa Cruz vibe as well.

It’s all shops and restaurants and jewelry and some more industrial streets.

Then suddenly out of some other time and place is the Royal Pavilion.

Whaaaaat!

George IV used it as his pleasure dome, though during the Great War it was used as a military hospital. Aside from that, the pavilion seems to be dedicated to opulent luxury. No pictures are allowed inside, but I can say that the rooms are gilded with dragons, peacocks, and serpents, and no detail was spared in the eastern motif. The music room was particularly stunning, even overwhelming in its decor. I stayed in there a long while, and not only because it was one of the few rooms with benches.

I still love benches.

So I wasn’t able to take any pictures inside the pavilion (why is this a rule?!), but here is a picture of a postcard that has a picture of the lighting in the music room.

Why yes I am still in my pajamas. Such is my lifestyle.

Because I have already broken the fourth or maybe even fifth wall by posting a picture of a post card, here’s a few more of the exterior of the pavilion:

Just stunning and impressively large. For people who were significantly smaller than we are, George IV’s decorators sure measured out ample space.

I’ve been in many castles and palaces and museums by this time, but this pavilion was different and interesting. Unlike Kensington Palace, which sounds like it will be the secret Buckingham Palace but in reality is just a very nice mansion, the Pavilion is something you should not skip!

I’m not saying it’s George IV’s best legacy, but it’s the only one I know about.

There were other interesting sights in Brighton as well, not the least of which is where I stayed (Grand Hotel).

Tea here was exceptional and will be detailed in a separate post dedicated to tea time.

One night there was super fun. Two would have been great. Forever could be perfect. It’s that sort of place.

A few more pics from Brighton:

I had a lot of fun just looking at the rocks on the beach. For someone who is so easily amused, I sure go out of my way in the world.

I went to the studios where a little film series called Harry Potter was made. All the props, sets, and costumes seemed small and to some extent ordinary. But then also there was a dragon.

Some costumes in the Great Hall set, which was long and impressive but did not have the ceiling I have come to expect.

Yule ball costumes and ice sculpture.

Luna’s choicest items.

The fat lady!

Griff common room.

Going to see the headmaster!

Trio wizard cup, egg clues, and the goblet of Fire.

Potions class

Hagrid’s

Some excellent transport

Oh nothing just opening the chamber of secrets.

And my educational muse:

Heh-hem.

That’s all from the undesirable crowd.

On our last day in Portugal, we did a wine tour. We started by checking out some cork trees, which are both drought AND fire resistant. Let’s make cork trees more of a thing!

Oaks are similar cork. So get on it, NorCal!

(ignore the trash, the gypsies just left).

Then we headed to Silves where we explored the Moorish Castle. We learned that Portugal suffered a bit of a catastrophe on Nov 1, 1755. It was all saints day, so candles were lit across Lisbon. A 9.0 earthquake struck, leveling buildings and starting many fires. I’m a panic, thousands of people ran to the sea to put out the fires. That’s when the tsunami hit. The only districts that survived where those that didn’t light candles on the holy day– the red light districts.

No trip to Europe is complete without a trip to a castle and a horrifying story from history.

After we explored the castle, we were ready for wine tasting 🙂

We chatted with our fellow tourists, a couple from Ireland. We pretty much convinced them to come to Napa to continue their wine tasting adventures.

After the tour, Kat and I were dropped off in Albufeira for lunch.

We enjoyed a warm and gorgeous view before heading to the airport to return to London. Quite a trip!

We spent a good part of a day exploring old town Faro, which was about an hour from Gaia, where our Airbnb was. Faro is where we had originally thought to stay. It’s a small beach town far down the southern tip of Portugal.

We found a cafe the waiter mentioned is older than our country and had a leisurely lunch of cataplama. Editor’s note, changing font is difficult on mobile, so this is my life now.

After wine and cappuccinos we wandered around old town Faro.

We visited the cathedral as well, which has a bone alter with human skulls.

Human. Skulls.

Those are human skulls you guys.

We walked around the marina and shopping district before getting a drink at the Columbus bar.

It was very hot in Faro, so we decided against exploring the nearby islands and opted for a siesta at our Airbnb.

It’s hard to say no to this sunset view! The ocean is just out of sight here, but was visible from some vantages. Also, there was a pool 🙂

Next Kat and I had a beach day at a beach near our Airbnb cottage in Gaia. We rented some lounge chairs with an umbrella and were one cabana-boy-delivery-drinks away from perfection. I read The 57 Bus and Kat read Becoming and a magazine. We splashed a bit in the ocean, which was cold but not shocking, and enjoyed the time in the sun.

We then had a casual lunch of chicken Piri Piri, which is a spice sauce copied from traditions in Mozambique.

After a siesta, we went to a fabulous restaurant with an exceptional wine selection. We had quite the spread — secret Iberian pork, duck, prawns, olives, and sundry, but the best part was the wine!

We tried several varieties, including a port, which is new to me. Kat told me about a wine app where I can track what I like —Vivino. So now I have recorded my favorite Portuguese wines!

Kat and I spent five days in Algarve, which is southern Portugal. We stayed in Gaia, the Piri Piri Chicken capital, and explored Faro, Albufeira, and Silves. The weather was warm, but not punishingly hot most of the time. Highlights include the following:

Boat tour of Benagil Caves:

Do you see a profile?

The colors of the water–green up close and blue far away– and the different colors of the rocks were hard to capture. The layers closest to the water were grey and purple, gradually changing to beige and a warm tan. There were many, many caves and algarves, and most were being visited by other boaters, kayakers, and paddle boarders. Some swimmers as well. How we didn’t bump into anyone is a mystery to me. Overall excellent outing and a very convenient way to see a lot of the coastline beauty in Algarve!

That’s right, I saw a castle. This one is quite old even by my new standards—Arundel dates back to the 11^th century!

When I first asked Dr. Google about it, the top results included the city from Disney’s Frozen, so don’t feel too bad if you made that same mistake. I can tell you for certain that Arundel is NOT in a permanent winter at present.

Here we are at the entrance.

This is from the top of the keep, which of course is crenelated.

Lots of lookouts and nooks and crannies between the castle and the keep, and what a view!

Just take in that gorgeous English countryside.

Inside the castle, there were many portraits, beautiful pieces of furniture, and also, somehow, a sleigh.

I don’t remember what the sign said about this beauty, but I think she and I would have gotten along:

In the castle there was a display room full of weaponry, though I think this was separate from the actual armory. This place is ready to see some game of thrones type action.

My favorite room by far was the library–a two-story affair with fireplaces big enough to relax in and plenty of couches to satisfy your body’s every whimsical reading position.

Though it was quite a warm day, we had a great time exploring the castle and noting how the original facilities separated bathing from the other intimacies performed in what we Americans refer to as bathrooms. I didn’t take a picture, so forget it.

I did however get this gem:

I call it a success!

 

 

On Friday, Viv took Kat and me to the wine cellar of Henry VIII. This cellar was the only room of the Palace of Whitehall that survived the fire of 1698. (The fire was started by an accident in the laundry room.)

Whitehall was originally constructed for Cardinal Wolsey, but somehow Henry VIII charmed his way into possession.

The room is dark and warm and perfect for a party.

Not many tourists get to see this historical alcohol storage unit, so I am very lucky and grateful for the opportunity to stare at architecture that people designed and constructed without graphing calculators or computers. Amazing!

After the cellar, Kat and I found a table at Gordon’s for some wine and then caught a river taxi.

We benefited by the color commentary of a fellow passenger, who pointed out both points of interest and disinterest with the same enthusiasm. Just look at Tower Bridge!

The back two rows do get wet, so watch yourself!

An excellent day in this city indeed.