Picnic spots - Christina

Question of the week: At the risk of jinxing the weather, where would you recommend for a good picnic spot?

"Primrose Hill at Regent’s Park is a haven for anyone willing to embrace relaxation without limitations! As you ascend the smooth hill of Primrose, your breath is shortened while you endure the steep climb only to remain breathless once you reach the top. The view of London from the green, hilly corner of Primrose Hill is a spectacle; a visual feast.

The trees spotted across the hill offer sweet relief from the hot sunshine, while their leaves engage in a synchronized dance to the gentle sway of the breeze. The bustling city, as viewed from the top, appears like a painting, suspended there for observation as you bathe in pure relaxation! Primrose Hill is the ultimate picnic spot!"- Christina

* Photo by Butterfly1172, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Looking forward to in London - Christina

Question of the week: What London thing or things are you looking forward to most over the next few weeks?

"I am mostly looking forward to taking advantage of the London weather at this time of year! It seems as though all gardens and parks are filled with people who have an extra bounce in their step, a wider smile on their face, and a lighter load of clothing to wear!"- Christina

* Photo by mnadi, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Looking forward to in London - Miss Alice

Question of the week: What London thing or things are you looking forward to most over the next few weeks?

"I'm a dance fan, as well as a London-lover, so there are two summer events I'm really looking forward to at the end of June: Greenwich and Docklands International Festival (24 June – 2 July 2011 ) and the City of London festival (26 June - 12 August)". Both give me the chance to see a wide range of world-class dancers and performers, for free, against a backdrop of London's streets and sky scrapers - highly recommended.

I'm also looking forwards to trying out the London Green Fair (June 4th and 5th), which looks like it will be a lot of fun. Also, Walk London's 'Spring into Summer' this weekend: the guided walks I've done with them before have always been really interesting, so I'm hoping to catch a couple more.

And then there's the Sci Fi exhibition at the British Library, and I need to squeeze in a trip to the British Museum's Afghanistan exhibition before it closes, and ... so many things!" - Miss Alice

* Photo by me, showing Avent Garde Dance Co performing 'The Silver Tree' at last year's Greenwich and Docklands International Festival

Welcome 2011 Summer Program students!

The blog proper will be back on Monday, but we just wanted to say hi to the students arriving in London today!

spring break

Between the Easter weekend and the upcoming Royal Wedding, not to mention the impending end of semester, this is a short, and busy week for all of us here in London. As a result, this blog is going on break for a couple of weeks - we'll be back in May with the London Summer Program.



Until then, take care, have fun, and stay in touch.

(If you have any questions you'd like us to answer when we return, please drop us a comment!)

* Photo by Mexicanwave, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London-y things this week - Dr Holt

Question of the week: What's the most London-y thing you've done in the last week?

"Several London-only things this weekend:

- On Saturday morning I was greeted by all my usuals at Borough Market
- Waving down and then riding buses in my powered chair
- Because the lift was out of order, I got to see a bit of backstage when staff escorted me out of Westminster Tube Station via the emergency exit
- Attended Evensong at Westminster Abbey
- Bought my tea at Fortnum’s"

- Dr Holt

* Photo by jypsyjen, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London-y things this week - Miss Alice

Question of the week: What's the most London-y thing you've done in the last week

"I took advantage of an unavoidable early start this morning and the glorious weather to take a different route into work. Rather than taking the tube, I took the train to Fenchurch Street, on the east edge of the City, and walked the rest, leaving my usual river-side route in favour of exploring some different City roads and lanes. I stopped off at London's Mithraeum (currently surrounded on three sides by building site), nodded to the London Stone, grabbed a coffee inside the and appreciated the view of St Paul's, framed by the buildings of Watling Street instead of the soaring bridge struts of my more usual approach, and picked up a coffee at One New Change, although I didn't have time to go up to the roof terrace to enjoy the views from there.

A tiny bit 'touristy', maybe, but changing the angle, even if just by a few streets, is a wonderful thing to refresh how you see somewhere. Even though my phone was low on battery so I don't have photos, I spotted dozens of details and angles and people and moments during my morning's walk, and reminded myself how much I love this place and why."- Miss Alice

* Photo by RachelH, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London-y things this week - Kris

Question of the week: What's the most London-y thing you've done in the last week

"Last Friday evening James (my husband) and I went to our first-ever Rugby League match. I had won two tickets to see Harlequins play Castleford, and we decided that free was the best reason to try something new, and given that it was a nice evening, we headed out.

Even after reading the rules synopsis we found online, we sometimes didn't know exactly what was going on. But that didn't stop it from being a lot of fun to watch, and we got into the swing of things after a few minutes, and cheered with the best of them. It's a faster game than Rugby Union, and seems to have elements of both soccer and US Football, but that is simply from observation, not from a real knowledge of the game.

It was a really fun evening out, and the other fans were great. If you're looking for something new to try before you head home - get out into the nice weather and head to a Rugby League match. You won't be disappointed."- Kris

* Photo by David Howlett, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Favourite London possession - Kris

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite London possession?

"Strangely, my favourite London possessions did not come from London. There is no proof that they had ever come to London or been seen by a Londoner before I brought them here when I moved from the US.

I have two Baedecker guidebooks for London (one from 1905, the other from 1908) that I bought from the $1 discard table at Hesburg Library. For $1 each (not total - that would be undervaluing them!) I have an insight into a lost London. I know what steamers were running from New York to Plymouth, and how long I should plan to be on board (at least 5 days, 17 hours and 13 minutes). I can plan to have dinner in the 'Ladies' Room' at Simpson's Dining Rooms, which serves 'in the English style'. (Simpson's is still on the Strand, serving meat off the joint, little changed... Though ladies are allowed in all the dining rooms now.) I know how much a taxi will cost, or what bus to take to get me around the city, and I can plan which rooms in which museums I can't miss.

All of these things have gone now. And there is very little way to see this lost London without things like guide books. Normal Londoners wouldn't keep records like these - like you and I, they would just know where to go, what bus to take and how much things cost. But it's a goldmine for anyone with an interest in history, especially the history of 'small things', the way people lived.

Time changes everything, social revolutions and bombs speed things up, but in my two little books I have a window into a little-thought-about London that had disappeared forever."- Kris

London posession - Dr Holt

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite London possession

"London's possession, as in it is here in London and nowhere else? Westminster Abbey

My London possession, as in something I acquired in London and nowhere else? My room-sized, walled garden."- Dr Holt

* Photo by Lawrence OP, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London possession - Ric

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite London posession

"My favourite, and most useful, London possession is my bicycle.

I am prepared to concede accusations of madness resulting from my love of cycling in London, however it remains the fastest way for me to get from A to B. I realise such a possession is not at all useful for LUP students who do not have access to bikes whilst in London, but I cannot imagine life in London without my bike, a chain free (therefore oil free) Trek District." - RPW

* Photo by Phil Gyford, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London objects - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite London possession?

"If you mean something that might be classes as a souvenir, if you squint, then - I have a pair of earrings that just mean London to me. They're by Amelia Parker, and are made from fragments of 16th/17th century pipe stems, which have survived being buried in the mud alongside the Thames. The pair I have are a fantastic smoky grey-blue, which reminds me of the river and the grey city streets, as well as being a little bit of wearable history. I got them at a crafts fair at the Museum of London Docklands, for an extra dash of London."- Miss Alice

* Photo of a mudlarking squid with some pipe stems by articulatematter, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Libraries in London - Dr Holt

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite library in London

"I thoroughly enjoy my visits to the Heythrop Library, not least because of the beautiful square one traverses en route to Heythrop College, not least because of the flowers blooming abundantly in the garden one must cross to get to the building that houses the library, not least because of the laughter of children playing out of sight. No, the library itself is quiet and it has everything I could possibly need for my research. So -- it is my favourite both for the destination itself and the very pleasant journey getting there."- Dr Holt

(LUP students who want to visit the Heythrop Library should see this factsheet for details)

* Photo by Dimitri B, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Libraries in London - Kris

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite library in London

"Okay, yes, there are bigger libraries in London. And possibly even prettier ones. But my choice for *my* favourite library is Lambeth Palace Library. It is, in origin, the personal library of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and is one of the first public libraries in England (open to the public since 1610), and has books and manuscripts dating from the 9th century to the present. You'll need a letter of introduction to get in, and, if you want to see anything old, delicate or important, another letter detailing why you want to see it. (They don't just hand the Gutenberg Bible out to anyone who asks.) But other than that, the Library is a free resource open to the public.

It is not a lending library, so anything you see will have to be left there (including the Gutenberg Bible), but if you are interested in English history, Church History, or family history, it is a great resource. The librarians are very helpful and can suggest things to help you in your research, as well as help you read tricky hand-written documents.

Or, just take a look at the pretty pictures on the website. Hopefully they'll inspire you to head south of the river and delve into England's past."- Kris

* Photo by plentyofants, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

favourite guide books - Prof Kucich

Question of the week (wrapping around from our late start last week): Do you have a favourite type or line of guidebooks?

"My favourite guide book line, by far, is the Rough Guide series, which provides books on individual cities as well as regions and countries. It began years ago as a student generated production, designed to identify lower cost and off the beaten tourist track establishments. It has morphed into a somewhat more middle-class range of expenditure, as its popularity has soared, but it is still superb at warning readers away from uninteresting tourist traps and highlighting compelling places to eat, sleep, and visit. It is not as strong on cultural backgrounds as Michelin Guides, but it's absolutely first rate at locating authentic, local restaurants, hotels, cafes, and sites to visit."- Prof Kucich

* Photo by , used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Favourite guidebooks - Ric

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite type or line of guidebooks?

"In the past, especially when visiting university towns and cities, I found some recommendations on student websites run by student unions and universities in those places. This can be a useful way of acquiring local knowledge, especially if you can also read the language."- Ric

And now it's your turn, any and all of our students who are reading this. The LUP Library's travel collection is for you to use, so I'd love to know- what sort of guidebooks do you like best? - Miss Alice

Favourite guidebooks - Dr Holt

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite type or line of guidebooks?

"Not only do I admire the authors' skill at saying a lot with a few words, I especially like the illustrations in the Knopf Guides (I have both Florence and Venice to hand, kept long after long-ago visits for that very reason), but think they are too heavy to carry about. No, these are the books to read en route, or in the morning before setting out, or later, after you've seen to figure out what you've seen."- Dr Holt

Favourite guide books? - Kris

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite type or line of guidebooks?

"My favourite series of guide books is the ‘Secret’ series. James and I have a number of titles: Secret Paris, Secret London, and our newest find, Secret Venice.

While they’re not best as a primary guide book – they won’t tell you where to stay or how to get to the train station – they’re wonderful as a supplement to see little things that you wouldn’t have noticed, and make your understanding of a place richer and more complete. Each book is divided into area-based sections, and all of the sites discussed are placed on a map in the beginning of the section. So, if you’ve stopped for a coffee or a bathroom break, you can easily flip to the section covering where you are, find something interesting, and impress your friends once you pass some small, but fascinating, piece of history. (I was able to point out the house of a 17th century Venetian executioner as we passed, which made me feel pretty good.)

There are other titles in the series, and more coming all the time. So, the next time you’re looking for something to keep in your pocket while you walk around a new place, try one of these guides. You won’t be sorry."- Kris

Favourite guide books? - Miss Alice

We're back from break, a little late back to the blog, and as travel is on everybody's mind, the question of the week is: Do you have a favourite type or line of guidebooks?

"When I'm planning a trip - or just dreaming of a destination - paging through one of the DK Eyewitness guides is always a visual treat, but to take with me when I travel? I'm a big fan of the Knopp/Everyman Mapguides, which are small enough to keep with you, and which give you just the key information area by area, with good clear maps, which is never a bad thing when you're as geographically challenged as I am!

I also like to try and find a couple of novels set in my destination, preferably by authors who live there, which often leads me to out of the way corners, or a particular local delicacy I might have missed otherwise. bibliotravel.com can be a great source for finding those."- Miss Alice

British Pie week - Ric

Question of the week: Apparently this week is British Pie Week, which is as good a reason as any to ask about pie recommendations - pies to make, places to buy pie, places to eat pie ...

"One local to the flats, and a good 'un: Clarke's Pie and Mash Shop, Exmouth Market

Weekday opening times: 10:30am to 5:30pm
Weekend opening times: Sat: 10:30am to 5pm

This place is something of a locals haunt. One tip: when they ask if you want 'liquor' on your pie and mash they mean 'parsley sauce' or 'parsley gravy'.

It is not the kind of place you go to as a tourist and take lots of photos, but you've all been here long enough to not feel like tourists any more, right? The brave amongst you may even try some of their other speciality: jellied eels."- Ric

* Photo by secretlondon123, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

British Pie week - Kris

Question of the week: Apparently this week is British Pie Week, which is as good a reason as any to ask about pie recommendations - pies to make, places to buy pie, places to eat pie ...

"First, I would like to say that this topic inspired my husband and me to go out and get pies for dinner last night. (We went to Waitrose, if anyone cares, and the pies were very, very nice.)

Now, on to the topic: Where to buy and eat pies: football matches.

Believe it or not, I would not have put myself in the 'pie fan' camp before I moved to Britain. They were okay, I liked apple and pumpkin, but that was pretty much the end of my pie vocabulary. Then, one bitterly cold afternoon, James convinced me to go to a football match. And a great love was born.

If you haven't been to a football match in Britain yet, I highly recommend it. It is a lot of fun, especially if you understand the rules (or sit near people who do). But one word of warning: no matter how nice a day it is outside of the football ground, it will be freezing inside. This goes double for lower division stadiums. I don't know why this is, but it is a generally accepted fact.

The match we were at was Coventry vs. Plymouth Argyle (not a match for the ages, but fun nevertheless). About ten minutes after half-time, James could see that he was losing me - I was cold and very confused about the off-sides rule (again). Coffee at the half had helped, but not enough. He knew that if he wanted to stay until the end of the game he would have to do something. (Pubs around football grounds are not a nice place for a lone American woman on game day. Not necessarily dangerous, but no one would understand why I was there, including me.)

Thinking on his feet, he hurried away, and returned with, you guessed it, a hot chicken and mushroom pie. It warmed me up, made me feel better about my total lack of understanding about the finer points of football, and we stayed until the end. Everyone was happy.

(I can't tell you who won, I was too wrapped up in eating my pie to care...)"- Kris

* Photo by Sifter, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

British Pie week - Cathering

Question of the week: Apparently this week is British Pie Week, which is as good a reason as any to ask about pie recommendations - pies to make, places to buy pie, places to eat pie ...

"I have a weekly date with The Ginger Pig to stock up on their amazing pies. They have a few locations across town, but I love the selection at their Marylebone store, where they have a number of different pies as well as desserts."- Catherine

* Photo by gusset, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

British Pie week - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Apparently this week is British Pie Week, which is as good a reason as any to ask about pie recommendations - pies to make, places to buy pie, places to eat pie ...

"I know at least some of our students have already discovered Borough Market, down by London Bridge, and that's my recommendation for somewhere to buy a pie, as well as the veg to go along side and something delicious for desert.

Specifically, I like Pieminister and their delicious individual pies and punny names - they even have a couple of limited edition Royal Wedding pies - a Kate & Wills pie, and The Royal Pear for desert. My favourite? Their award winning Heidi Pie."- Miss Alice

* Photo by Gary Mccafferty, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Desired European destinations - Catherine

Question of the week: Is there a trip somewhere in Europe that you'd love to take but haven't yet?

"A Scandinavian destination for a "Northern Lights Tour" would be amazing - but tricky to get the timing right."- Catherine

* Photo by nb_harstadt, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

European desired destinations - Kris

Question of the week: Is there a trip somewhere in Europe that you'd love to take but haven't yet?

"When my husband and I wonder where we should go on our next trip, one of the best ways we've found to choose somewhere is to head to one of the places where my great-grandparents left to head to the US. This has led us to places as diverse as Hungary and Much Wenlock in Shropshire. One place we haven't gotten to yet is Sweden - we don't know where in Sweden my great-grandmother Christina came from, so it's kind of an open book.

We've looked at Stockholm, Gothenburg, and my husband would like to see the Northern Lights. Me, I would like to see some of the Viking sites like Birka or the artifacts in the Stockholm museum.

So, try looking into your family history - you may find some interesting places you might want to visit."- Kris

* Photo by karstenkneese's buddy icon
karstenkneese, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.