St. James's Park in London

Looking at the tourists feeding the greedy geese, quacking ducks and bossy pigeons in St. James’s Park it is hard to imagine a time when a burgundy-drinking elephant was kept there.  True. King James I had a menagerie in the park which housed the animals too large to be kept at the Tower of London (then a zoo). The elephant was given a gallon of burgundy a day to keep its spirits high. An alcoholic pachyderm?

As visitors to London know, most of the wonderful green spaces are the Royal Parks: St. James’s, Regents, Green, Hyde and Kensington Gardens. What many don’t know is that the land was originally owned by the church - in one form or another. St. James’s belonged to the Abbey of Westminster and was a leper colony. Hyde Park, originally known as the Manor of Hyde, also belonged to the Abbey of Westminster. Regents Park was owned by the Abbey of Barking. 

Then along came Henry VIII and the Dissolution. Henry enclosed the areas and had some of them made into hunting grounds. It was King Charles II who opened the parks to the public. He loved flora and fauna and had Andre le Notre advise with the redesigning of the layout of St. James’s Park. This is when The Mall made its appearance. Not as an approach road to Buckingham Palace which didn’t then exist. Pall-mall was a game similar to croquet which the King enjoyed playing and had the ground laid out here. 

It wasn’t unusual to see the King in the park – walking his dogs and feeding the ducks. It was he who stocked the lake with the more exotic species. I don’t know if the pelicans are direct descendants, but in 1666 the Russian Ambassador gave the King a pair. 

And Samuel Pepys is reputed to have done what many of us do today. He would lie on the grass by the lake and have a snooze. One thing which I am sure the King didn’t do when the general public was around is to swim in the nude. Oh yes, he did! 

As St. James’s Park was open to the public Charles II enclosed Green Park so that it could be used for royal picnics.  And Green Park is the place where Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks was first played. In 1749 the Temple of Peace was constructed to celebrate the end of the War of Succession. It was destroyed by the fireworks as Handel’s music was playing. A celebratory night that went with a bang. [Sorry!!!]

Jurong Bird Park, Singapore

Cockatoos greet you on arrival.

Penguins in Singapore!  My friends didn't believe it either.  But at the park there they are - in a specially built cold house.  Safely behind thick glass they are happy to be in snow and water.  The great thing was that I could see them swimming under water - exactly as in television wild life programmes.

The monorail is a good way to get an idea of the layout of the park and whilst waiting for the train we were royally entertained by the brilliantly coloured macaws in a nearby enclosure.  I was particularly taken with one who was showing off by sliding down a slope (the roof of a feeding tray).  He went feet first, then tail first, on his back – yes, really – and finally fell off in a great flutter of wings and noise.  Teach him to show off!

The great joys for me were the walk-through aviaries with their bird-feeding points.  By being very patient and standing still, birds eventually arrive and are almost within touching distance.  I couldn't begin to name them all, but in the African Waterfall Aviary they included parrots of every colour and size: bright greens and reds, yellows and blues.  There are also other birds of every combination of colours.  These included Turacos, Carmine Bee Eaters, Red and Yellow Barbets and Weavers.

The man-made waterfall (over 30 metres,) is set among the tropical vegetation.  Apparently there are over 1,300 birds flying free in here.

In the South-East Asian Birds Aviary there are some stupendous birds in royal blue and black which I discovered are called the Asian Fairy Blue.  There was also a very dull looking brown kingfisher - until he turned around.  He has a beautiful turquoise back.  There are also some Bali Mynahs.

 

A keeper told me that these Mynahs, which are white with black tips and patches of blue round the eyes, are very shy.  He said that I would have to look very carefully for them.  Would you believe that they came close enough to photograph?  You do have to look very carefully for some of the birds as they are very tiny and their colours blend well with the flowers and foliage.

The Jungle Jewels Aviary – named for the Hummingbirds in their jewel-like colours.  As they dart about from flower to flower and their wings flap at an incredible rate of knots it is difficult sometimes to see them but I did see a few, particularly the rubies and one called a Sparkling Violet.  To add colour to the streams in the aviary there were colourful Teals and Pintail ducks.

Strolling around the grounds I heard myself being accosted and looked around.  No one in sight.  Another whistle.  I looked up into the trees.  A pair of Toucans.

In an enclosure was a very proud looking mama, showing off her baby.  Ever seen a baby ostrich?  Fluffy, grey, gorgeous eyes, long curly lashes - and larger than mum.

Safely caged are the magnificent and haughty birds of prey.  Then there are corners where I found Birds of Paradise, kingfishers, owls and more parrots.  The water birds are, predictably, on Swan and Flamingo Lakes.

Jurong has over 7,000 birds representing 600 different species from around the world and specialises in breeding programmes and conservation, for which I salute them.

Queen Victoria's Christmas Decorations

As pictures are worth more than words, here are some of the decorations on Cunard's Queen Victoria. 

 

I particularly like the Gingerbread Village.....

Do you like Liquorice Allsorts?

Staten Island, New York

To get a good look at the Statue of Liberty without actually visiting it, some tourists take a round trip on the Staten Island Ferry, which is a mistake.  Staten Island has some wonderful places to see and people to meet.

For example, Historic Richmond Town is fascinating and you meet people in ‘olde worlde’ costumes, visit their homes, the general store and America’s oldest Elementary School.

The Snug Harbor Cultural Center is a collection of Greek Revival Buildings.  At one time it was a refuge for retired merchant seamen and now houses art galleries and museums surrounded by woods and gardens.

A favourite corner of Staten Island is the Botanical Garden, which is beautiful and peaceful.  It is a must for fans of the children’s book, “The Secret Garden” (by Frances Hodgson Bennett) because in here is a Secret Garden based on that story.  It is a maze made up of intricate pathways lined with evergreens, which leads to a walled secret garden.  Overlooking the one-acre site is a 38ft castle – complete with drawbridge and a moat.  Although designed for children, everyone enjoys strolling through the maze to find the secret garden.

The Alice Austen House Museum is a must for photographers.  Alice was a photographer who lived in a Victorian Cottage at the turn of the 20^th century and the rooms are filled with samples of her work.

The Sandy Ground Historical Society celebrates the first community established by freed slaves in North America.  The museum and library document the life and history of the people who settled here before the Civil War.

Film fans may recognise parts of Staten Island.  Films in which it has been featured include “Working Girl” and “The Godfather”.  “Casa Corleone” was, in fact, a pair of Tudoresque homes in the Hamilton Park neighbourhood – look for Longfellow Street, but don’t expect to meet members of the Corleone Family!

Flagstaff Houses Tea Ware Museum in Hong Kong

It is amazing the number of people who automatically connect tea with the English.  Presumably because they introduced Afternoon Tea to the West.  Of course, a little thought tells us that tea comes mostly either from India or China.

The Museum of Tea Ware in the Victorian Flagstaff House - a World Heritage Site - has a fine collection of Chinese tea ware.  It is a FREE museum in Hong Kong Park and has exhibits ranging from the Yongle (early 15^th century), the Qing Dynasty (17^th century) and, the museum’s speciality, Yixing (post Qing). 

Built in the mid-nineteenth century, Flagstaff House was the home of the Commander of the British Forces.  One of the oldest surviving Colonial-style buildings in Hong Kong, it is a large white two-storey four-square edifice surrounded by pillars supporting a balcony around the upper storey.  A grand piece of Victoriana.

The museum’s historic collection of tea utensils are in porcelain, earthenware and even gold, including a “monk’s cap” ewer of the Yongle period.  The name is derived from its shape – that of the caps worn by Tibetan monks. 

Yongle began as white ceramic – nicknamed “sweet white ware” (thought to be because of a resemblance to sugar) – with a tracing, usually of floral scrolls.  Sometimes they were also gilded. 

Later Yongle was produced in red and blue.  For example, a white dragon on a red background or red sea monsters on an underglaze of blue waves.

Other items on display include a pewter tea set with a decoration of dragons, flowers and shou characters; a set of 12 plates in the famille-vert style representing Flowers of the Month; and a beautiful large red clay teapot with a pierced bamboo motif.

During the Qing Dynasty the earlier blue and white pottery evolved into several shades of blue, through the famille-vert and eventually broke into multi-colours.  The designs became far more elaborate, using landscapes and illustrating stories such as the “Romance of Three Kingdoms” and “The West Chamber”.

Amid all the beautifully elaborate pottery in the display cases is a Persimmon teapot.  This was made in the 8^th  to 10^th centuries and is shaped like a persimmon – brownish, round, with a lid, small handle and a spout.  The original of the Brown Betty teapot.

I only went into Flagstaff House to get out of the heat and ended up spending a fascinating time tracing the history of the teapot!

The Parque Maria Luisa in Seville

Having done the tourist walking around this wonderful Spanish city, my senses were screaming for something more restful such as a stroll through the gardens behind the Palacio de San Telmo. The Parque Maria Luisa.  The palace once belonged to this princess who, in 1893, donated the land for the park.

Most of the buildings were a part of The Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 which was held here and some of the extraordinary buildings represented various Latin American countries.

Nowadays they are put to other uses.  For example, the tourist office is in a tan and cream striped fort called the Queen's Sewing Box. It was once the Princess's garden lodge where she spent a lot of time. Sewing, one presumes.

The Peruvian Pavilion is modelled on the Archbishop's Palace in Lima. The Seville pavilion is now a theatre and casino with wonderful apple green, gold and cream interior decor and a gorgeous mosaic roof. Then there are the buildings of Uruguay, Chile and Argentina, which together form the Seville School of Dance.

There is a wonderful museum in Plaza de America. The Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares.  For anyone who is interested in Andalucia this is a must housing as it does an exhibition of the arts and traditions of the area.  There is the history of azulejos (ceramic tiles), and displays of costumes and musical instruments. The building is a glorious creamy structure called the Mudejar (Mohammedan) Pavilion. Green tiled roofs, tiled arches, towers and balconies.  Very picture postcard.

Opposite is the Archaeological Museum in all its neo-Renaissance splendour.

The gardens themselves are a variety of formal and natural with statues, fountains, pools and even a waterfall.  I fell in love with some of the wonderful ceramics which include everything from benches on which to relax to the playful – and colourful - ducks and frogs in the pool around the base of a fountain.

The piece de resistance in the park has to be Plaza de Espana.  As you would expect from the host country, the grandest building of the lot.

The square is, in places, like a huge chess board with a fabulous fountain in the centre. The building is crescent-shaped, curving round as if to protect the square. And all around is a stream edged with the most fantastic balustrade you have ever seen - blue, yellow and white azulejos. You can either stroll across the square to the main entrance or take a rowing boat round to it.

 

The entrance is fabulous. Across an arched bridge over the stream and into a colonnade of white pillars. And, of course, more azulejos to admire.  All around the building are arches and at either end towers that reach into the sky with tiled domes, looking like elaborate minarets. 

Totally breathtaking.

I've been up Mount Etna!

At long last another wish crossed off the list. I've been up a volcano. No, not climbing it but in a coach. The cruise ship anchored offshore at Messina and I was out on deck to take photos of Mount Etna.

The view is magnificent. The town hugs the shoreline, the hills and lower slopes are clothed in bottle green trees and above towers Etna with patches of snow and black lava fields.

Taken from the coach. 

As the coach ascended we drove through small colourful towns and farmland, past home and gardens. Not sure I would like to live there but the guide assured us that Mount Etna is 'kind' inasmuch as it gives fair warning of an eruption. Must be worrying to leave your home and wonder whether - when the eruption has finished - you still have a home.

We also drove through woods of oak, beech, birch, eucalyptus and chestnut trees. And the vineyards. I am told they produce great wine.

Eventually we reached as far as the motor road goes and parked. Time to do our own 'thing'. I don't know if anyone in our group climbed up to one of the two cones that they could look down into the crater. Not for me. I was content to wander, take photos and sit until it was time to return to the coach.

The sticks at the top are the brave checking out a crater!

I did make one purchase - a jar of eucalyptus honey. And very nice it is too - a bit more 'bite' than the over-sweet honey we buy in the supermarket.

Some of the cars from a French Porsche Club.