John Keats in Hampstead Heath

Coming out in just a few weeks is the movie "Bright Star," which is about the romance between the Romantic poet John Keats (1795-1821) and Fanny Brawne. Being considered as one of the best poets during the early part of the nineteenth century. Leaving his studies of becoming an apothecary surgeon when he was twenty-two years old in 1817 he turned his attention to poetry. As contemporary of Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, John wrote poems like the famous “Ode to Nightingale” (first published in1819). He wrote many of his poems, including “Ode to a Nightingale,” at his home in Hampstead Heath as well as where he fell in love with Fanny. He, unfortunately, passed away at the age of twenty-five from tuberculosis.

To explore the world of John Keats, I highly recommend taking a trip up to Hampstead Heath to visit his house where you can see the house and gardens itself as well as books, paintings and other everyday items that belonged to him. This also includes the engagement ring he had given to Fanny.

To get to the area of Hampstead, which is northeast of the London central area, just pop onto the Northern Line of the London Tube and get off at the Hampstead station or the Belsize Park station and walk . Or, if you could the above ground train to the station Hampstead Heath, which is closer walking distance to the John Keats' house.

If you take the Northern line to the Hampstead Tube station, walk the Hampstead High Street and take a left down Downshire Hill then a right onto Keats Grove which will lead you to the house. Or you can get off at Belsize Park and up Haverstock Hill, which will turn into Rosslyn Hil and eventually Hampstead High Street. Take a right onto Downshire Hill then a right onto Keats Grove. According to the website, the walk from the Hampstead station is mostly downhill and the walk from Belsize Park is up and downhill.

If you’re coming from the Hampstead Heath train station, walk down towards Heath Hurst Road and South End Road. If you continue one Heath Hurst Rd. it will take you around the back of the Keats House to its spot on Keats Grove.

The Keats House is opened to seasonal schedule:

Summer Season ( 24 July – 31 October)
Tuesday to Sunday 1:00pm – 5:00 pm Open to all visitors

Winter Season (1 November – Easter)
Friday to Sunday 1:00pm – 5:00pm Open to all visitors

*It is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but will reopen on News Years Day from 1:00pm – 5:00pm.*

Admissions to the house is relatively inexpensive, especially since they are valid for one year!:

Adults £5.00
Concessions (Pensioners, students and the unwaged) £3.oo
Children (16 and under) Free
Groups 10 or more adults (per person) £4.00
Groups 10 or more concessions (per person) £2.40

Note: if you are a group, you can book a visit during the hours prior to the times when the house is open to the public. Please visit the website to learn more!

To learn more about the house, which opened to the public in memoriam to the poet in 1925, please visit the website! I hope to visit the house in my future trip!

Keats House website: http://www.keatshouse.cityoflondon.gov.uk

New Statue At The Mall, Near Buckingham Palace

Back in February of this year Prince Charles unveiled the new addition to the statues that are currently standing in the Mall, near Buckingham Palace. The statues is of her late grandmother, the Queen Mother, who had passed away back in 2002 at the age of 101.

Sculpted by Philip Jackson, the Queen Mother's likeness is presented during her younger years and who is wearing the formal Garter robes. This was to match the existing statue of her late husband King George VI, which depicts him around the same age. Jackson said that he did this so that no one would mistaken her as King George's mother.

In addition to the bronze statue, there are also bronze relief panels, designed by Paul Day, that depict scenes from the Queen Mother's life. According to the BBC, these panels will include:

"... one of her with families in the East End of London after the Blitz, another with her congratulating a winning jockey at a race meeting and another of her sitting with her beloved corgis at the Castle of Mey in Scotland."

So, when you visit the Mall and Buckingham Palace, make sure that you visit the Queen Victoria Memorial that stands right outside of the palace gates. But also take a minute to visit the new memorial statue of the Queen Mother as well as the statue of King George the VI who stands above and behind her.



References:
Relph, Daniela. 2009. "A New View of the Queen Mother." BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7907871.stm

(NA). 2009. "Prince Hails Queen Mother Tribute." BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7906986.stm

Winter Hits London!

A blast of winter weather has hit London today. Snow has blanketed the city and has forced London Transport to suspend their bus services due to the road conditions. The Tube is also facing disruptions and suspensions. This includes a complete suspension of the Circle Line, which is, in my opinion, one of the most important lines within Zone 1 as it gets you around to all of the other lines. The airports are also facing delays and closures.

Due to the delays and closures of the transportation system what can one due? Well, there are two options to those traveling in London.

1. Stay inside. You can simply stay inside your hotel and stay warm. Watch some telly, read your guidebooks. Through, this is the warmest idea it can also be the dullest way to spend the day.

2. If you have you appropriate clothing – head out! London is a beautiful city and to see blanketed in snow is just an added plus! Take some pictures. Go to a public park, play in the snow. Build a snowman! Though transportation is dismal there are always the taxi cabs (remember, the black ones are the best and most reliable!) and you can always walk. If you get too cold, pop into a tea shop for some warm goodness. Go shopping for those souvenirs! Go roam the great museums and galleries. For other ideas go ahead and ask the front desk at your hotel or wherever you’re staying to learning about other great and unique things for you to do.

For those who are dreaming of London check out these great pictures that were submitted to the BBC by Londoners living in the snow (there are links to the right that have pictures from Saturday to Sunday and there are also links to Snow Sculptures and Animals in the Snow.)!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7876336.stm

Enjoy the weather as much as possible. Stay warm and have fun!

Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays everyone! If you are fortunate enough to be staying or traveling through London during the Christmas or New Year season, there are numerous things to do and see to get into the holiday spirit.

There are a lot of things to do and see in London during the holiday seasons. The ones that I mention here may be considered the simplest yet perhaps the most fun things to do, especially for families.

Possibly considered the equivalent to New York’s Rockefeller Center, London’s Trafalgar Square is the home of the city’s Christmas tree. The tree, which is a Norwegian Spruce and is 65 feet in height, marks the 60th anniversary the people of Norway giving the people of London the tree. The tradition began in 1947 when Norway presented the tree as a sign of gratitude for Britain’s support for Norway during the Second World War.

The tree was lit back on December 6 and will remain there until January 4, 2008, the Twelfth Night of Christmas. When it is taken down, the tree will be recycled into the mulch, very eco friendly decision.

Along with the Christmas tree, there is also Carol-singing at Trafalgar. From December 10-23 there is will be dozen of groups will sing on the stage, many of which raise charitable donations.

The second fun thing to do during the winter season is to ice skate. There are many ice skating rinks around the city and its famous landmarks to enjoy. There are rinks at the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Somerset House, Alexandra Palace, the Natural History Museum, and Canary Wharf to name a few. You will have to purchase tickets in order to skate; however, the fee is fairly reasonable and range from £7.50 (children) to £12.50 (adults) depending on the location. For a “complete” listing of the ice rinks in London you can visit the View London.co.uk website for overviews of the rinks, which also have links to Ticketmaster to purchase tickets. However, I also highly recommend visiting the official website of the landmark locations, such as Somerset House or the Tower of London for information and how to purchase to tickets.

Also throughout London there are fantastic Christmas lights. Along with dozens of shows to see, the famous West End is covered in lights. Other well-known locations, which include Oxford Street and the store Harrod’s are lit for the holiday season.

Now, onto New Year celebration. There is one fantastical event to ring in the year 2008: the firework show on the South Bank at the London Eye. The city is expecting to have over 350,000 people to celebrate the New Year here. Big Ben will chime at midnight and the fireworks will fill the night sky for ten minutes. You can view the show anywhere you can see the London Eye, but prime choice spots would be between Blackfiars and Westminster Bridges on the banks of the Thames. For more information, such as safety, transportation, and FAQs please check out the city’s website.

Of course, if you would prefer to celebrate in a smaller crowd there are many pubs, bars, and clubs, to go to.

I hope that I have inspired some to take advantage of some of the events and things to do while in London. If you do, please exercise caution while in large crowds, especially if you are traveling with children.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Explore Haunted London

London is considered one of the most haunted cities in the world. If one of your goals is to visit as many haunted sites as possible while in London, I recommend reading and bring Richard Jones' book Walking Haunted London: 25 Original Walks Exploring London's Ghostly Past with you.

Walking Haunted London offers twenty-five walking tours that will take you around London's haunted areas. There is the classic Jack the Ripper tour, the Tower of London, a tour through the famous areas like Westminster to Piccadilly, Covent Garden, Kensington to Notting Hill, Greenwich, as well as places a little farther off: Windsor and Eton and Pluckley: England's most haunted village. There are detailed maps that will show where to go. There is also well written instructions for each and every tour that will tell you were to go (especially which Tube station to take) but also give a background story of why the place is haunted and what are the ghostly occurrences to people report hearing and seeing.

Richard Jones also has a website that provides more information about these specific tours as well as other London walking tours such as tours of Charles Dicken's London, which takes you around to the various places where Dicken's lived and the places that he included in his works. There is also a tour of the beautiful, yet haunted, Hampstead, a tour of Haunted Hotels of London, and much more.

I unfortunately left my copy of Walking Haunted London at home in the States when I went to London last year. However, I discovered Jones' website, which proved to be handy when I retraced the steps of the Jack the Ripper walking tour I took within the first month of my stay. The information really great and if I had more time I would have done more of his walking tours, especially one dedicated to Charles Dicken's.

If you would prefer to not to take a walking tour on your (or at lease till you learn your way around the city) there area literally hundreds of guided walking tours at reasonably prices. The one that is most popular and well-known is London Walks. I highly recommend them. My walking tours, the Jack the Ripper and the Harry Potter tour, were guided by great tour guides. I did not to my self-created walking tour of the houses of famous poets and authors or my retraced steps of Jack the Ripper until near the end of my six weeks stay when I new the city almost as well as the back of my hand.

Celebrating the Fourth in London

Happy Independence Day Y'all!

If you happen to be in London on the Fourth of July there is one place that you can go to celebrate. The Texas Embassy Cantina is a Tex-Mex restaurant that is at the corner of Pall Mall and Cockspur (walking distance from Trafalgar Square) This is the place where you can celebrate American holidays, including Thanksgiving!

This place has quite a history. First of all, the cantina represents the actual Texas embassy during the 19th century when Texas won their independence from Mexico and became the country The Republic of Texas (actual embassy was located on St. James Street and is now a wine shop). The embassy closed when Texas joined the United States. The second and perhaps most interesting fact is that, the actually building once was the White Star shipping line home office. When the Titanic sank, friends and relatives of the passengers flocked to this building to see if their love ones had survived.

Now, back to the present. I have eaten there once several years ago, but from what I remember the food is pretty good. Plus, for the Americans who miss their regular size drinks and free refills (and their Dr. Peppers!) – this is the place to come! The overall restaurant is very nice and quite large. The décor is very nice and is reminiscent of Texas - to a point. Also, the restaurant is kid friendly, a plus for families!

So, if you want to celebrate Independence Day while abroad or simply have good Tex-Mex food, visit the Texas Embassy Cantina.