Random head shot... I think we all know what that means... I went somewhere with my camera today...
In lieu of making a third straight Saturday London run, I opted today to go to the Isle of Wight to go to Osbourne House, as it is only open through October (and then reopens in April, but that's not soon). Plus I wanted to see this elusive waterway that Southampton has been claiming to have but they manage to keep rather well hidden. So now I can confirm that there is indeed water out there. I believe part of it was called the Solent.
Getting to said isle entails an hour long ferry ride (or if you pay a lot more, a 20 minute ferry ride), and then the house is a little over a mile from the little city where that particular ferry lands. Now, it was kind of cold today and perhaps not ideal strolling weather, but there was like no one around in said town (East Cowes), and I didn't see anyone else walking on the street outside of the ferry terminal. It was kind of creepy. Luckily I found the house, where as usual, I was surrounded by really old people who, I'm sorry, walk unnaturally slowly and won't let you get around them in the hallways.
Oh, before I get too far ahead of myself, Osbourne House was Queen Victoria's family house. She lived there a good chunk of the time starting in the 1840s and died there in 1901. So if you are into Queen Victoria and her flock (like many of the old Brits seemed to be), it's probably much more interesting. But from my American viewpoint, it was simply a nice house with nice grounds and such. Unlike a lot of those big houses and castles around here, there aren't any uber-giant state rooms because it was a family house, so it's got of a more personal flow to it. And when it's not cloudy you can see the water.
So after a little over an hour at the house, I walked back onto the ferry and went to the city center to buy coffee. Which in many ways was just as exciting.
Now to confront another British stereotype: that of the warm beer. You've got your lager and your ales. Your lagers are chilled. From what I have seen, these tend to be relatively light beers, such as Stella Artois (this is the only one I've seen that I have known). The ales, on the other hand, "aren't warm, they're just not chilled". Whatever that means. And they come out of a different sort of tap so they are easily discernable, aka, easily avoided.
4 comments:
I like all of your self photos. I do that too--otherwise I'm not in any of my pictures.
Good insights into the beer situation. Although I'd heard of the un-chilled beer in London, I was taken aback when I had a pint.
I hear ya about the slow old folks. That is so annoying. It's like that at Pike Place Market too.
Everyone gets old one day. It sneaks up on us all. Margo--your grandmother looked in the mirror the other day, and said, "How did I get so old?" Have a little tolerance. You think they like being old and slow? They are probably in pain, too.
I'm not blaming them for being old or slow. That's fine if you want to be slow, but you can make room for people to pass you all the same. It's like those people who drive all the way from Seattle to Portland in the left lane going 5 miles under the speed limit. One of the slowest people I encountered was this 4-year-old boy who didn't want to go down this narrow staircase and his grandpa was like, come on, you're holding people up. So there, I'm not agist.
Well, then, maybe they are just jealous of the spry, and it's all a scheme. I should be getting the handbook on how to be old in a few years from now. I'll let you know what it says about not letting people pass. Wait--I'm still waiting for the handbook on how to parent. Maybe someone lost my address...
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