Catching Up

So it's been a while since I've blogged what's going on.
The past weekend kicked it off with the first long morning ride I’ve done since January last year (not counting the Cambridge ride). Nearly 60kms up to Hatfield and back. Okay, I wasn’t planning to go that far, but I was just enjoying the countryside as the sun rose and all the autumn browns, yellows and oranges came to light amongst the greenery of the countryside and forests. Including the spattering of several hundred year old houses. With the ipod giving me all the right tunes it wasn’t til I reached Hatfield that I remembered that I still had to travel all the way back home. Not to worry, that was just as enjoyable as the trip there. I could have done without it being only 3C but I was wearing all the right gear for it so it wasn’t a problem after the first couple of kilometres.
Naturally the afternoon was a little less active as it was just a bit of a domestic day and considering I’ve only recently had a bad flu, I wasn’t going to stay out in the cold when I didn’t really have to!
Sunday and it was a trip into Southbank (of the Thames for you Melbournites) to catch up with Lise for both lunch and to check out the Christmas markets that are now set up there. A good couple of hours as we strolled in the fickle London weather - blue skies n clouds, then howling wind n rain. Thankfully the later came through while we were inside having lunch!
The rest of the evening was spent in Gordon’s Wine Bar with a ‘new friend’ I met a few weeks back...

Now I guess I need to fill in the last few weeks with all that’s been going on, as things have been rather hectic to say the least. Plenty of nights out here or there, and other things on as well. The Silly Season leading up to Xmas has definitely begun!
I won’t go into a blow-by-blow list of each night, but just a bit of a highlights package...
We had Guy Fawkes with the customary fireworks going off everywhere for the two weeks surrounding it, and no doubt with countless missing eyebrows and fingers off the kiddies or other muppets. The night itself was pretty cool. I left work late and had what amounted to a fireworks show for the entire ride home with people letting them off everywhere! This was taken simply by sticking my head out the door with the camera...
Been to Manchester. Caught the train up there with Petter to meet a small group of fellas up there for what turned into a top night out. Seems a pairing of one Norwegian and one Aussie are adding up to some good fun when mixed with some English. No - what happens on the night stays on the night!
The next day was Man Citeh away, so it was off to the City of Manchester Stadium to watch Spurs beat citeh. The day itself began with breakfast in the pub where all the Spurs folks were meeting and the day continued on from there. Nice stadium too if you recall the commonwealth games from a few years back. 2 minutes silence for Armistice Day and you could hear a pin drop - impressive for about 40,000 football fans. Could have done without the 5 hour drive home in the rain storms, but you get that - all part of the adventure.
There’s been other football matches, like the win over Liverpool in the League Cup, which is the one Spurs won last season. Or watching the England v (someone) football match in a pub with Daniel, who is the brother of a friend living in Sydney - Hi Sheryl! A fun night.
Quite few nights out after work with mostly the work crew or Shar, who’ll be heading home soon thanks to redundancy, which means that the move is off for now unless we can find a third person for the place we are meant to move into this coming weekend.
Been for a few runs with the ARS (Axa Running Society - in case you’ve never noticed the English fascination with innuendoes ) as some sort of preparation for the upcoming Santa Run, which is a 5km run through Battersea Park with all runners being in a Santa suit. Should be a good laugh and fundraiser at the same time.
Other than most of these it’s been some fun juggling the calendar for December which is pretty full already with only two days left from all the weekends til the second weekend of Jan! And several of the weeknights are already gone too!!
Anyway, that’s about it for now. If more of what’s gone on in the last few weeks comes to mind that’s particularly notable I’ll be sure to pop it up here.

And while I think of it, Sime, Chels, hope all goes well with Wilfred’s impending arrival!! From memory he’s due this week.

PS. Can’t wait for you to get here Cuz! “We’re gonna have us some fun!”

Well, it’s been a bit of a busy time, and I’ll get to that later, but here’s...

Rome

After Shar n I met up at Liverpool St station it wasn’t long before we were on the express train to Stansted Airport for our flight to Rome. Ryannair did their best to delay us with all their check-in machines packing it in, but we still made it with good time to spare.
Upon arrival to the airport, we had some ‘fun’ with the cabbies and trying to get one that had some limited English and knew where we wanted to go. He did his best to get us there in the shortest possible time that he could. I was half expecting Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear to appear at one point during our cabbie’s attempt at breaking the sound barrier. If you think I’m being silly, this fella literally ‘flew’ us to the hotel - we did not go below 120mph and spent a good amount of time at 160mph! He didn’t exactly slow up for traffic either as he just took the emergency lane when cars did not move over when he flashed his headlights at them!
A good adrenaline rush, although that really only worked for one of us, but we did reach the hotel in one piece to catch up with the other two members of our weekend group - Michelle and Jules. Yep, it was a bit of a ‘Man about the House’ gig in our room (for those who remember or know of the show - the rest of you can google it if you're curious).
Michelle, Shar n I then headed out to find some dinner, and eventually found somewhere that was open. Quite good food, and I was very surprised that the decadent dessert made from nutella and a cheese was very good.
As Michelle was only with us for the Saturday, we had a big day ahead to try and see what she wanted before having to head off, so staying out wasn’t an option.

Saturday, and after a rather lavish buffet breakfast in the hotel, we hit the streets to try and get through all on Michelle’s list. It was 25C and sunny!! Finally a chance to actually use the sunnies since Germany back in June! We set out towards the Tridente area. A quick bus ride and we were a few blocks from a certain fountain, and one that was pretty impressive at that! A bit of milling around, some photos, some entertainment from the antics of other tourists, tossing our coins in the Fontana di Trevi, and we were back making our way through the narrow laneways. Past ancient walls, to modern shops, as well as the obligatory McDonalds, we went before eventually reaching the Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps.
Not passing up a chance to enjoy a mid morning coffee and some lounging around in the sun, we just had to spend some time on the Steps themselves, with yours truly getting told off for not sitting on the actual steps, but the balustrade to the side... it wasn’t like I was in anyone’s way while enjoying the sun and view.
Once at the bottom of the steps again, and with the underground market closed, it was time to make our way to the Vatican. The decision was made to take the Metro so as to make the most of our time there, and after getting lost in the tunnels, we did manage to get onto the train. Compared to the Tube these were luxury and we even had some impressive violin played for us by a busker. Pass the grapes please!!

Okay, lame references to Nero and Roman decadence aside, it was nice to be back outside in the sun again as we made our way to the Vatican. We soon passed a couple of streetside cafés and restaurants, so it was decided to at least enjoy a ‘vino’. A table in the open window it was before moving to a table in the street. So many varied folk walking past too, which made for an interesting bit of people watching. (above is Shar, Michelle n Julia with yours truly avoiding the lens)
Anyway, from there we headed further down the Via di Porta Angelica to emerge onto St Peter’s Square. Being a Saturday, things were in preparation for a mass of some sort as a good portion of the square in front of St Peter’s Basilica was cordoned off and full of chairs. It took nothing away from the place itself as we took it all in. It was then time to head through the security checks and into that aforementioned Basilica.
Talk about ‘Holy Monumental Church, Batman!’ as inside this building was very impressive. Considering how quickly bored I become in art galleries when there are lots of religious scenes, I was quite impressed with this building and the works and sculptures that it was comprised of. An amazing amount of work taking over 150 years to build what is basically a gigantic church that can hold more than most football stadiums: 60,000 people!
That’s the view from the front above on the right, and on the left is just one of the many archways you go through as you move about inside. Neither really does the size of the place any justice, but hopefully you can see what I’m getting at.
We spent a fair bit of time here to go through it, including some time in a very impressive little prayer room (quite eerie in there too) as well as finding another tunnel that was like a little museum to all the previous popes who had presided over the Vatican.

Once back outside, we made our way back out of St Peter’s Square and back up the street we entered it from. Stopping to grab gelati, we continued along the walls of the Vatican until we reached the entrance to the Vatican Museums. It is in here that you will find the Sistine Chapel (eventually). The signs pointing the way to the chapel itself will lead you through the museums themselves in one of several routes. These museums are huge and to give you an idea, there are six hour tours through them - and that won’t cover everything in them either! On the right is one of their hallways...
So after trekking through all sorts of works of art, tapestries and sculptures, we came into a ‘small’ room with some more paintings upon the walls and ceiling. It was full of people and included the “Camera Nazi” who was the poor sod trying to stop people taking pictures and videos. You weren’t supposed to speak in there either, but many did respect that. All a bit much really, but then it was time to take notice of Michelangelo’s work - it is impressive to say the least. Four years of painting to do the job, which can’t have been easy considering just how dim the light is in there. Something truly cool to just bask in its magnificence (below).

From there it was then a matter of finding our way over to the next place on Michelle’s list. A bus that took us past both the Castel Sant’ Angelo and the impressive Vittoriano, along the Tiber and also past other ruins, was the way we went. Unfortunately, it didn’t lead to our destination too well, so with the help of an Asian Father (as in priest) we were back on the metro for two stops to emerge at the Colosseum. Pretty amazing spot amongst the building itself and the surrounding ruins, that are over 2000 years old - and I thought dealing with a building from the 1300’s at work was old...
We arrived just in time to make the last group to go through, however Shar got grabbed by one of the Roman Warriors for a photo shoot. Basically, the deal is they pose with you for some photos and then charge you about €5. Unfortunately, once free of this fellow, we turned to see the gates closing. Talk about a ‘not happy Jan’ moment. Time to have a look around the area though and take a good look from the outside. You can actually see right through it in parts, however, for some reason when two of us attempted to take photos through the fencing, we were shooed away - go figure!

With the sky darkening we headed to a nearby restaurant to grab some dinner, which certainly could have been better, but it was more about just sitting for a bit really. Back outside and it was night-time around the now lit up Colosseum, which is a pretty good sight as well. Onto the metro again, and it was PACKED. That day had seen a mass rally for one of the political parties, and it had a huge turnout, which is why the metro and the rest of the streets were awash with thousands of people with banners and flags. By the time we made it back to the hotel, the plan of then heading out into the nightlife was replaced by a couple of bottles of wine in our room as some of us were rather tired. I did have to chuckle, as I doubt the girls would have survived the day had we travelled by foot as I prefer... No matter, there’s always next time.

Sunday morning came and while it was a late start, Michelle had already left on her early flight back to London. Only Shar, Julia and myself for breakfast, but when her cousin arrived shortly after it was just the two of us for the day and a much more relaxed pace.
We headed out into what was again 25C and sunshine to make our way to the Trastevere area and the Porta Portese Market. After some fun on the bus, we arrived to cross the Tiber and head into the market itself. Big? Yes. And I thought only big was in Texas, but so far everything is on a grand scale here in Rome. All sorts of things to find in this market, and it did seem to go on forever up the main street of the Trastevere area. After spending some time here we did make a rather impressive purchase. Shar was quite taken with a certain leather jacket in one of the larger leather seller’s stalls, and during sizing and trying on, another jacket caught my eye. Soon enough it was my turn to be trying on a jacket in front of the mirror and taking compliments. It was described by the guy as a ‘Cannavaro style’ and is a very good jacket (naturally). I can still picture the guy’s face when I asked “Fabio or Paulo Cannavaro?” He wasn’t expecting an Australian to know anything about Italian footballers. Naturally, it was Fabio - the better of the two brothers. After some haggling (and purse n wallet checking) we settled on a good price, and the fact that I’ve seen one of our jackets in a store for around the same price we got the two, we’re happy with them. With big grins, we continued to wander through the market in the sun.

Once done, we crossed the Tiber and had some fun trying work out which bus to take to get back to Via del Corso. It was almost a disappointment to have to get out of the sunshine by boarding the correct bus. I ‘correct’ as it was the one that got us the closest to where we were going. It actually dropped us off by the Vittoriano, which is massive and houses more than just Italy’s Unknown Soldier (left). A leisurely walk through a couple of Piazza’s (Venezia and di San Marco) and some dodging of traffic saw us at the bottom end of Via del Corso.
After a bit of window shopping along this main street (it was full of good clothing stores), we came across a laneway with a restaurant on the corner and in the lane. It was here when we discovered both the time and our hunger. A very late lunch it was, and with far better food than the place by the Colosseum! I’d use the word ‘proper’ as it was very close to the little place in Florence that I enjoyed with Anka and Katrina several years ago.

Feeling much better, we headed down the lane to discover that it led to the Fontana di Trevi, which explains the number of tourist groups passing by the restaurant. Having been here before, we knew the way back to the store that we were actually heading for - a shoe store by the Spanish Steps. Available sizing being an issue and Shar had to go without for now. It didn’t stop us heading back towards Via del Corso and the other shops though, which is where we both ended up with more to fit into our luggage! There’s something to be said for strolling through historic laneways with both street sellers and excellent stores inside...
With the sun now set, it was back to the hotel with our ‘stash’ and on the way we stopped past what turned out to be a very good patisserie to pick up some items for ‘dinner’. Once back, we unloaded and did a bit of sorting for the following morning before heading down to the hotel’s courtyard to sit, chat and partake of our recent purchases over a bottle of red. In the balmy weather of the evening it was a really nice way to finish off the weekend.

Monday morning and it was an early start to get to the airport in time for our 6.30am flight home to London. We arrived back at Stansted after a bit of a sleep on the plane to head to Liverpool St station before heading off to our respective works - not the best idea, but still, it’s all part of the adventure.

Well worth the visit, and while I’d have done Rome a bit differently, I’ll definitely return to spend more time on foot exploring and discovering what’s about.

A Special Message for A Special Little Lady

Frase, Tine, if you wouldn't mind showing and reading this to Klaer, that'd be great. Thanks guys - hope you're both well too!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KLAER

Hello Klaer.

I hope you had a wonderful birthday and a fun time at your party. I look forward to seeing some of the photos! I also hope you got some great presents, because there is still one more present that you are about to get!

I have a little friend here in London, and his name is Paddington. I've told him all about you, and he is looking forward to meeting you. He is a very friendly fellow and he would like to be your friend too.

At the moment, he is travelling to Sydney to meet and stay with you. When he gets to Sydney, he will need a friend, and I'm sure you will be good friends. I know you'll look after Paddington and take care of him. I hope you like him.

Happy Birthday Klaer!

Lots of Love and a BIG Hug,

Uncle Simon.

And now to relax...

PHEW!! Sunday night’s here at last and hopefully a quieter week to come. And now to catch up with things...

Backtracking a bit to Thursday week ago, which is near enough to where I left things here, and when the chaos of the last week and a half kicked off. Although, I say ‘chaos’ it’s been far from it - it has just been VERY full on...
Okay, so last Thursday week, it was finish work then head over to a pub just off Oxford St to catch up with Sue, Wil n Dave for the evening. After a pleasant night together, it was back home to pack for Friday.

Friday for me finished early so that I could meet Shar at Liverpool St station where we caught the Stansted express to Stansted airport. A two hour flight followed shortly thereafter and we were in Rome for the weekend. An evening and two fantastic days of sun and 25C weather! But, more on this later. Leaving Rome on a 6.30am flight Monday morning and it was straight back to work after touching down, customs and the train back to Liverpool St.

Tuesday night was the Monkey Shoulder Appreciation do with free cocktails all night and the guest speaker being the author of the Hedonist Travel Guides. Naturally, hedonism was his topic - the do’s, the don’ts and quite a few ‘how to’s as well. Tim, Belinda, John, Sam and myself then moved to the restaurant downstairs for what turned out to be a very nice (although late) dinner.

Wednesday, and after a very convincing win playing 5-a-side on a snow affected pitch, (did I mention that it was getting colder here now?) it was off to a pub near Angel to meet up with Husky n Kel. Husky had managed to score tickets to the Arsenal v Spurs game at arsenal’s home ground. Arsenal ‘away’ is one of the biggest games of the season regardless of where either side is in the league (the other being at ‘home’). The north London rivalry goes back almost a century now and it is still VERY fierce.
On my way to the pub, I got a text from Husky saying that Graham Roberts was at the pub waiting to meet me again (as you’ll recall from my meeting him up in Newcastle about a month ago). I thought Husky was pulling my leg on this one, only to walk into the pub and be greeted by Graham himself!!
A couple of beers later, and we all set off to the Emirates Stadium for the game. The atmosphere outside the ground was seriously buzzing, and it really felt like something was about to go off despite the massive presence of police. Inside the ground, and despite the highly likely prospect that Spurs would lose, the fans were in fine voice from the start. This was greatly assisted by Spurs scoring early on in the first half, as you can well imagine. Either side of the half time break and arsenal scored to make it 2-1. Not long after and it was 3-1, with the usual effect of the arsenal fans then “giving it the biggun”. 3-2 and things were looking better for Spurs as they still weren’t out of it, and our turn to make some noise. 4-2 and things weren’t looking good at all with the arsenal lot singing “one nil and you f*cked it up!”...
With 5 minutes to go and people starting to leave, it all happened. Within the space of 2 minutes, Tottenham scored twice to level the game at 4-4 - cue pandemonium in the stands amongst the small contingent of Spurs fans, chants of “4-2 and you f*cked it up!” and the end to an amazing night. Even if it actually ended several hours later after around 60,000 people all trying to go home at the same time!

Thursday night was the work Halloween party, and my plan of heading along for one or two pints before calling it for a much needed early night went out the window. After quite some time there, a few of us headed out for some more drinks as one of the guys was finishing up that day.
Halloween itself was actually on the Friday night, and it was time to join Karyn, Marty, Row, Mark, Suki n Troy for the RBS Halloween party. This one was more of a proper Halloween party being complete with costumes. I did Uncle Fester of the Addams Family. The pics are Karyn, Marty n Row (left - and yes, that is his moustache that has emigrated to his forehead!), and then on the right is Row, Mark, Suki, ‘gatecrasher’ n Troy. We kicked on through the night with many of the other RBS staff before ending up in another bar where we were the only ones in costume. This had a rather interesting effect, and one that certainly had its moments! A top night out all round, and another ‘new friend’ as well - don’t you just love it!!

A slow start to Saturday (as you can imagine) and upon reading a certain email to discover that I had a very important day marked in my calendar in the wrong month, it was off to Hamley’s in Regent St to find a special little fellow. The Hamley’s toy store is an amazing place extending through six floors, and well worth poking around for a few hours.
Upon leaving Hamley’s to discover that it was pouring outside, it was a quick trip round the corner into Carnaby Rd to find a pub to wait out the rain. Pub found, and it was time to settle in with a pint to watch the football with the rest that had gathered there. Good thing it was Tottenham v Liverpool too. Rather amazing the way something like this brings people together because in no time, I was practically best mates with a small group of about six people directly around me.
Part way through the second half and it was time to head off to Oxford Circus tube to meet Shar who’d just finished work. I met her and one of her workmates, Kiersten, then proceeded to a nearby pub for a few quiet drinks together. Quiet probably isn’t the right word as this pub was gearing up for its own Halloween do during our stay there.

Sunday also had a slow start, as keeping up with the current week was taking its toll. Still, it didn’t mean that the day was spent doing nothing. In the early afternoon, I met up with Karyn and we spent the afternoon at Camden Market. My purpose was to find a cheap overcoat that could be left in the office at work for use during the cold winter months, and at £20 for one that I’ve seen in the retail stores for well over £150, who was I to argue. We found several other bargains throughout the afternoon as we both managed to find some Xmas bits as well.
Marty joined us as evening closed in, and we proceeded to move through the area to find somewhere for a few drinks, then dinner to round out the day...