December 2024

We are really looking forward to our trip to London, next week, I have booked to see the Van Gogh Exhibition at the National Gallery, which I am really looking forward to. We are also going to Southwark Playhouse to see 'A Very Naughty Christmas,' which sounds great fun. We are staying at Blackfriars, so will definitely have a long stroll along the river.

Last week we went to Nostell Priory and met the most authentic looking Father Christmas I think I have ever seen. He also loves to tell tales, so when the children queueing quietens make the most of a chat with him, while he rests next to the roaring fire. They have a huge, memorable painting at Nostell which is a Hans Holbein copy of Thomas More and his family, it is similar to The Ambassador's at the National Gallery, and is full of symbolism and intrigue.

Paris is booked for February, we are going Monday to Friday, and travelling there by Eurostar. I have used Booking.Com to book the Hotel Claude Bernard - it looks good value, has great reviews and is in a great location. We are definitely aiming to see Notre Dame, mow that it has re-opened, to admire the work completed after the fire. The Louvre and Musee D'Orsay are also top of our list.

I am currently looking at planning a Summer Holiday in Normandy, going over by ferry. We want to drive more in France and Spain and this will give us an insight into the practicalities of this.

Books - December 2024

The Old Curiosity Shop - Charles Dickens

A complex story with a broad range of characters, it is quite wordy, but it was initially written as a weekly newsletter. It's a tale of resilience and tragedy, following the journey of young Nell and her grandfather as they navigate hardship, greed, and the search for peace in 19th-century England. They are very vulnerable, and have to wind their way warily through good people and bad people, working out their intentions.

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ - Philip Pullman

From the myths series, talented writers have rewritten their choice of myth, also see Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad. A thought-provoking reimagining of the life of Jesus, exploring themes of faith, truth, and storytelling through the contrasting perspectives of twin brothers, Jesus and Christ. This re-telling is considered very controversial by many religions.

The Secret Hours by Santa Montefiore

A captivating tale of love, secrets, and family set within the enchanting world of the Anglo-Irish aristocratic Deverill family. I have been looking at my own Irish heritage so this is particularly interesting, although my background is significantly poorer.

Travel Plans - November 2024

I am currently planning a trip to London at the beginning of January, when I intend to visit the Silk Roads Exhibition at the British Museum. We will go by train, with LNER from York to London. I have booked our  accommodation at the Premier Inn at Blackfriars, this is close to St Paul's Cathedral, the River Thames, The Strand and the very quaint Blackfriars Pub. The tube station is close by and we love to wander along the Thames.

Inspired by the Olympics, we have decided to go to Paris in February, I think we will go by train, using Eurostar. I am currently weighing up the hotels in Paris, it's likely to be either an Ibis or a Mercure, they are part of the Accor Hotels group.

Current Reading Books - November 2024

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

A fanciful retelling of Penelope's story from the Greek Myths, only a short book but an enjoyable read. A reminder of Penelope's story and place in the saga, as the wife of Odysseus, she waited 20 years for him to return from the Trojan War.

Shakespeare  by Judi Dench

A delightful book where Judi Dench is discussing her experience of playing different parts in Shakespeare plays. With a blend of personal anecdotes, she brings new perspectives on Shakespeare's relevance, making the book an enriching read for both newcomers and seasoned Shakespeare enthusiasts alike. At times it will simply make you laugh out loud.

Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa

Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa is a fun novel that blends elements of romance, comedy, and satire. Set in 1950s Lima, Peru, it tells the story of an 18 year old , aspiring writer who becomes entangled in a passionate and unconventional relationship with his 32 year old older aunt, Julia. Meanwhile, he is drawn into the world of Pedro, an eccentric radio scriptwriter, whose absurdly melodramatic soap operas serve as a parallel narrative to Mario’s own life.

Current Reading Books - October 2024: 

I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons, is the lady herself narrating her life, from Leonardo to the Louvre, a novel concept that kept me interested. 

The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain, funny account of his 5 month cruise around the Mediterranean in 1867. Be warned it includes stereotypes and generalisations that we wouldn’t find acceptable nowadays. 

Finally, Rory Stewart’s book is a great insight into British politics and its flaws. I’m not sure it’ll encourage any idealists to go into politics.

Travel Blog

October 26th to November 2nd - Malaga, Spain

We have been to Malaga before, and travelled by train from here to Seville and Cordoba, and visited The Alhambra and Granada by tour bus. This time we are going to spend time in Malaga, and visit Ronda by train. We are flying to Malaga from Leeds and Bradford Airport with Jet2.

August 31st to September 1st - Durham, UK

On a visit to York Minster, we happened upon a temporary exhibition about their St Cuthbert Window. This was an introduction for us to St Cuthbert, which was fascinating, with lots of interesting, funny and ridiculous stories about St Cuthbert, all recreated in the stained glass window. From this I then read the book Cuddy by Benjamin Myers, all about St Cuthbert, Lindisfarne and Durham Cathedral. Therefore, this weekend we are heading up to Durham. We are travelling by train from York and staying at Durham Castle, booked through Booking.com.



Entry 28th August 2024

Yesterday a fabulous trip to Harewood Housein Leeds, the house is spectacular, and currently has a modern art exhibition through the State Rooms. This includes some detailed embroidered textiles and large clay pottery.



Entry: 17th August 2024

A summer's day of Art in London

The Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy is an opportunity to explore over 1,700 fabulous works of art by both famous artists and members of the public. These are selected from over 16500 entries. It has finished for this year but make sure you book a visit to London next year and enjoy the experience. Anyone can go, yet it has a feel of somewhere to be seen, a nice buzz. The Royal Academy has a very nice cafe, and a more formal Spanish restaurant called José Pizarro, it looks very classy, and is my plan for next year, if not before. 

After the Royal Academy I took a short walk, about half a mile, to the National Gallery, which is always fabulous. I did not have a lot of time, but I was able to see a couple of free small exhibitions, Degas’ 'Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando' and ‘Hockney and Piero.’ Both are very small exhibitions; the Degas exhibition discusses how the painting was made and more significantly about the sitter and her ethnicity. I was able to connect this and some paintings by Degas on our Boston Trip that discussed Degas' visit to Louisiana to his family who owned a cotton plantation. 

The Hockney exhibition only has three paintings, Piero della Francesca’s ‘The Baptism of Christ,’ one showing his mother and father and the other depicting his friend, curator Henry Geldzahler. There is discussion about how paintings in the National Gallery influenced David Hockney and his work. 

The cafe and restaurant at the National Gallery are always very pleasant for a rest, not cheap, but very good quality food in an upmarket setting. 

Entry: 13th August 2024

Travel from York, England to Boston, Massachusetts

The details here are about the travel we experienced, for further details about the locations, please see the dedicated page.

We travelled with British Airways London to Boston. We travelled to London by LNER. We stayed at the Premier Inn, Paddington Basin, which was very good. It is a 10 minute walk  to Paddington Station and it meant we had the opportunity to travel to Heathrow Airport either by the Elizabeth Line or Heathrow Express. We chose the Elizabeth Line, at half the price, and it was very fast and efficient, taking you right into the terminals of the airport.

We now aim to give ourselves 3 hours at the airport for checking-in etc, in the past we were known for cutting things a bit fine.

The British Airways flight to Boston was very good. At Boston Airport, we had already completed our Esta Visa. Unfortunately, the return British Airways flight was cancelled on the morning we were returning home, they did book us onto a Virgin flight the next day, and we can claim for expenses. But, it was an annoyance, lack of clean clothes being my main issue.

At Boston we were staying at The Seaport Hotel, the bus from Boston Logan airport to Seaport is the Silver Line SL, this happened to be right outside the building, immediately to our right, when we exited Terminal E, this took us to the World Trade Centre stop, with a 5 minute walk to the hotel. The bus was clean and efficient.  

When we returned to Boston Airport we were coming from Porter Square, Cambridge, again a really easy Red Line train from Porter (Inbound), we got off at South Station and it is a very easy, very short walk to the Silver Line bus area to catch the SL1 Bus to the airport. All very efficient, and cheap. This part of Boston has only recently been developed and they have a system of underground tunnels for the buses, and the bus in the tunnel goes under the harbour.

We only stayed at The Seaport Hotel in Boston South for one night, so we could travel the next day on the Amtrak down to New Haven. The room was excellent and in the evening we managed a short walk along the seafront past the fish dock pier to a large sports bar for a great burger and Samuel Adams beer. 

Then next day we went back to South Station, catching the bus from the World Trade Centre, we needed to walk into the underground area to catch this bus. The Silver Line bus dropped us inside South Station and then we found the track for Amtrak. All very easy, and we caught the Amtrak train to New Haven.

The public transport in the US was on the whole, very good.

Entry: 22nd July 2024

Summer - August 2024 - 14 nights.

We are flying with British Airways from London Heathrow to Boston, Massachusetts.

We have 1 night in Boston at the Seaport Hotel.

We will visit the Boston Tea Party, and then catch the Amtrak Train from South Station to New Haven, Connecticut.

7 nights in New Haven, Connecticut. 

We will visit the Yale Museums, New Haven Museum, and Hartford, including a visit to Mark Twain’s house.

We will then return to Boston on the Amtrak for 6 Nights in Cambridge, Boston

While here we will go to a rock concert at Fenway Park, visit Harvard and MIT museums, and go by train  to Salem, to find out more about the witch trials.

I will let you know how it all went when we get back!

Sarah