Grace & Manners

Paradise Found

My last days in Paradise and it could not have been more perfect:

My favourite kind of weather with temperatures in the low to mid-twenties, a light breeze, a scattering of clouds in the sky...A day spent roaming the house and grounds of Blickling Hall...if ever I am so lucky as to marry, it would have to be here, it is so beautiful and peaceful...Browsing through the second hand bookstore and picking up some new treasures...tea and cake...sitting on a bench under a grand old oak tree soaking up the English country side...

Oh, a kingdom for being able to stay...

Home Is Where The Heart Is

If the old saying is true then my home is England - there is no place where I feel more at peace, freer or myself. Here, everything falls into place, every troubling thought becomes less evil; England is my cure.

The day before I came away, I was so tense with anger and frustration I thought I might explode. But the moment I stepped unto English soil, the load was lifted (rendered even more extraordinary by the fact that I was landing in the least relaxing place possible - Heathrow Airport!).

So, my first day home brought me monastic ruins, jacket potato with baked beans, a moated castle, walled gardens, spectacular views, proper English tea and something priceless which I haven't felt in a long time - complete and utter happiness!

 

Travel Report

I wish I could claim to be a fastidious travel diary writer but alas, my scribbles rarely amount to more than a rough jot-down of the things I did, saw, ate, smelled and bought. So, staying true to my jumbled style of travel reporting, I will recount as memories pop up in my head and keep things mostly visual. After all, New York has to be seen to be believed.

 

I covered a lot of ground during my seven days in the Big City. Besides the fact that I love walking, I have always found that on foot is the best way to discover, explore and forage through a city, or indeed any new, unfamiliar place (just make sure you check the off-limits areas first). At first, I thought "aimless wandering" would be just fine but I had underestimated the distances involved in covering all the areas and sights I wanted to see. So, after some extensive pouring over maps and subway plans (which I am partial to anyway), I devised a plan that saw me roaming through two to three different neighbourhoods a day.

 
 
My friend, whom I was staying with, has the most baffling knowledge of architecture in general and New York architecture in particular. He showed me the highlights of the Upper West and East Side and a whole lot of other fascinating nooks and crannies of New York…Side streets that looked like straight out of a film set, a small park that offered fantastic views of the East River, a tiny diner tucked away between posh boutiques… That day, wandering through New York with A. and K., seeing the city through the eyes of two people who actually lived there, was the favourite part of my stay, hands down. Even more so because I got to spend time with two of the best people on this planet.

Soaring Architecture

 
Everything goes up, up, up in this city…mind-boggling…My neck is more used to the comparatively "flat" buildings of Europe… But my, it is so worth looking up!

Retail Beauties

 
Needless to say, I spent, er, "some" money in New York but really, half of the fun was ogling all those fantastic shop windows. I like a good, witty window display - after all, it's often what temps you to go in. Sometimes, the shop buildings themselves were worth a little detour and, of course, nothing beats stumbling upon a hidden retail gem where you least excpect it. Evolution was one such treasure (see their store front above, bottom row, far left); it had the most amazing taxidermy, reproduction skulls, beetles, butterflies, fossils and a whole lot of other weird and amazing stuff. They had the most perfect and beautiful white taxidermy peacock - I have wanted one for a really long time but, alas, he cost an arm and a leg and would have made a great deal of trouble at customs...

Favourites

 
 
Henry Moore statue at Lincoln Centre; Grand Central Station at night - including the "Whispering Arches" in front of the Oyster Bar and the Oyster Bar itself; The Metropolitan Museum (despite the fact that the Costume Institute does not have a permanent collection on display. Bummer!) - the Temple of Dendur IS impressive (loved the "graffiti's" cheeky 18^th & 19^th century visitors left on the walls) and the collection of European Masters took my breath away; The West Village - so beautiful; the awe-inspiring apartment buildings on the Upper West Side: the Dakota (swoon!), the Majestic, San Remo, the Beresford, El Dorado (got to love the name), Ensonia; the curving beauty of the Guggenheim; Trinity Church; the The Frick Collection - amazing Vermeer's and the atrium is such a beautiful, tranquil place; pancakes at Clinton Street Bakery; The Strand bookstore - rare books heaven; Chelsea Market; the High Line; coffee and muffin at India Road Café; the translucent marble lamps at the Morgan Library and the annotated edition of Frankenstein, an original score of Bach and the diary exhibition on display there - love this place; finally seeing my friend on stage again; dinner/brunch at New Leaf in beautiful Fort Tyron Park near the Cloisters - a perfect beginning and end to my trip.

Well, this turned out more rambling than I intended...Stay tuned for a shorter post on my vintage purchases.

New York

 
New York Life. Lower West Side. New York. September 9. 1949, ® Richard Avendon

I am off to New York to meet up with my good pilgrim, to wander its streets, to gaze, to marvel, to gallivant, to drift, to devour, to feel, to live, to be...

Spring Impressions

Last week, I was picking up a lamp in a nearby furniture store and on a whim decided to drive the few miles to Greifensee. And a very worthwhile detour it was!

It was such a beautiful day, warm but with a slight breeze and a clear view to the Alps. I spent a happy hour ambling along the lake, sitting on the pier and enjoying the much needed sun - the clouds started to roll in just as I was leaving!

On my daily walks in the woods, signs of spring are also starting to pop up: The first primroses, buds in all shades of green, spawning frogs, creepy crawlies coming out of their hiding places, a plethora of birdsong and most of all that wonderful, inimitable smell of spring, a mixture of damp soil, moss, freshly cut trees, grass and...expectation.

Two Types of Weather

We had some crazy weather this weekend. On Saturday, blizzard-like conditions greeted us, with the streets paved in snow, cars crawling along and people fending their way through strong winds and snow drifts. I ventured outside in the afternoon, just as the sun was starting to peek through the clouds but the welcome rays were deceptive - it was still well below zero and the wind biting.

Snow carpets, ice flowers, abandoned toys and the best cold weather warmer - hot chocolate.

Sunshine, paper-cut shadows and the many spires of Zurich bathed in light.

On Sunday and today, the sun has been generously shining on Zurich and its Vitamin D deprived inhabitants. It is still cold and windy but just perfect for a brisk winter - or should that be spring? - walk.

England, my England

This post has taken me much longer to put up than I anticipated. Mostly because I felt very 'raw' when I first came back from Stratford; this short stay has stirred so many emotions and thoughts. It was, above all, a blessed opportunity to spend some time with my parents but it also very forcefully reminded me why I love England so much. There is something about its landscape, ancient and yet moulded by subsequent generations, its language, now coming more easily to me than my mother tongue, its people, eccentric yet so infinitely likeable, that speaks to me. We had a wonderful time (and the weather was kind to us, too), exploring historic houses, blooming gardens, and sleepy towns. And quite a few teas and cakes too...

I feel immensely priviledge to have spent most of my summer holidays in this beautiful country and to have lived here for the past three years. My heart will get a seismic shock when we will leave in the summer. Courage, my heart, I will be back...

A Day in the Garden of England

On the weekend, we spent a lovely, if blustery day at Hever Castle in Kent. It's nice to get out of London sometimes and be reminded why England is so dear to my heart.

 

Hever Castle is the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, the ill-fated second wife of Henry VIII. Henry later gave the house to Anne von Cleve, his fourth spouse, as part of their divorce settlement. In the early part of the 20th century, William Waldorf Astor put his time, money and imagination into restoring the Castle, building the ’Tudor Village’ and creating the gardens and lake.

 

A statue in the Italian Garden.

A cloud of pink rhododendron.

Weekend Pleasures

I had a lovely few days, pottering around London with my dear friend M. On Friday evening we headed out for a Ghost Walk in the City. It was suitably gloomy and rainy and our guide was brilliant. We walked down some enchanted alleys, passing old pubs, a ruined church and Leadenhall Market, a wrought iron and glass beauty. If you are in London, do go and walk through the City, either early in the morning or in the evening. It is magical.

Saturday saw us bright and early on Goldhawk Road for a spot of fabric shopping. We headed straight for my two favourites: A1 Fabrics and Classic Textiles. I did a bit of scouting for some suitable material for my sisters dress and M. bought these beauties.

Afterwards, we schlept all the way to Camden Market where we did some more pottering, browsing and, in M.'s case, buying. I kept my purse shut but was seriously tempted by this donought seller... The sight of his stall made us both hungry and off we went to fill our rumbling tummies with some Chinese deliciousness in Soho.

Since the weather was so nice, we decided to drop off our bags and go for a short walk in Brompton Cemetery, one of my favourite places in London. The sun was out, a breeze was teasing the bloom ladden trees and calm descented as we walked among the old monuments. Bliss.