RS Best of London and Duxford Flying Legends air show - wow!
Aug 7th, 2009, 05:33 AM
#21
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<b>Thursday, 9 July: Day 5: Historic Windsor Castle</b>
This was our earliest start for the week, I think 8:45 a.m. The others were more leisurely, 9:30-ish. We walked to the Victoria shops and walked through them to go down the escalator to the trains area. A police dog was at the bottom of the escalator, greeting/sniffing everyone. Made a bit of impression on us Yanks, unfamiliar with this security level.
We took the train to Clapham Junction, using the travel cards to go through the barriers at Victoria. Tom gave us our tickets for Clapham Junction to Windsor and back.
We walked up the hill to the castle from the rail station. Tom told a few stories, pointed the way to some possible lunch places, and took us into the groups' entrance. The security was thorough, similar to an airport's, with x-ray for bags and metal detectors.
Everyone got an audio guide and after a few directions once inside we were let loose. The line was short so many of us did the Dolls House and then State Rooms. I went through the rooms fairly quickly. You know, grand, old buildings/castles start to look very similar, sigh. I took my time upon reaching St. George's Hall, remembering it as one of the rooms that burned (many more than just this one burned, of course) and the room I have seen on PBS specials for the very looong table. The little area just past there was where the fire started, back in '92.
It really was amazing that you cannot tell these rooms are less than 20 years old, not hundreds years old. Tom said it was because the restoration used old techniques, like when the castle was first built.
When I finished my touring I walked down the hill and across the river to Eton. The "not viewing today" sign was out by the Chapel so I wandered back to the Thames. I found lunch in a deli featuring organic foods. I had a bacon quiche (excellent! and again the "real" bacon), a sweet cranberry nut bar, a drink (not quite to my taste buds, but I drank most .. oh, something elderberry, a sparkling elderberry flower drink??) and a pint of plump blackberries that I kept to share with the group. One young man said he had never had a blackberry, so a good experience for him.
I ate my quiche, nut bar, and drink sitting on a park bench on the pedestrian bridge over the Thames connecting Windsor and Eton. Great location for a picnic, eh?
I walked back up the hill and visited the shops on the street across from the Castle entrance, finally meeting my group on the benches, shared the berries, and walked back down to the rail station, to go "home."
For supper I went down the street from the hotel to a fish/chip shop. The fish was good, perhaps only slightly less tasty than at the Seafresh. I could get mushy peas, but they were too salty, sigh. I ate my dinner in the garden at the hotel, did not want to smell up the room!
When I was finishing Nancy saw me and asked if I would like to go back to the St. Martin in the Fields for a baroque concert. I did and enjoyed it very much.
Windsor is where I bought a travel umbrella, paid £4, which I liked better than the £10-£14 prices I had seen earlier in the week at various shops. My rain jacket worked for most of the week, but wearing glasses, sigh, I decided I wanted an umbrella in case of showers at the air show! It's hard to peer around rain drops on glasses, lol.
This was our earliest start for the week, I think 8:45 a.m. The others were more leisurely, 9:30-ish. We walked to the Victoria shops and walked through them to go down the escalator to the trains area. A police dog was at the bottom of the escalator, greeting/sniffing everyone. Made a bit of impression on us Yanks, unfamiliar with this security level.
We took the train to Clapham Junction, using the travel cards to go through the barriers at Victoria. Tom gave us our tickets for Clapham Junction to Windsor and back.
We walked up the hill to the castle from the rail station. Tom told a few stories, pointed the way to some possible lunch places, and took us into the groups' entrance. The security was thorough, similar to an airport's, with x-ray for bags and metal detectors.
Everyone got an audio guide and after a few directions once inside we were let loose. The line was short so many of us did the Dolls House and then State Rooms. I went through the rooms fairly quickly. You know, grand, old buildings/castles start to look very similar, sigh. I took my time upon reaching St. George's Hall, remembering it as one of the rooms that burned (many more than just this one burned, of course) and the room I have seen on PBS specials for the very looong table. The little area just past there was where the fire started, back in '92.
It really was amazing that you cannot tell these rooms are less than 20 years old, not hundreds years old. Tom said it was because the restoration used old techniques, like when the castle was first built.
When I finished my touring I walked down the hill and across the river to Eton. The "not viewing today" sign was out by the Chapel so I wandered back to the Thames. I found lunch in a deli featuring organic foods. I had a bacon quiche (excellent! and again the "real" bacon), a sweet cranberry nut bar, a drink (not quite to my taste buds, but I drank most .. oh, something elderberry, a sparkling elderberry flower drink??) and a pint of plump blackberries that I kept to share with the group. One young man said he had never had a blackberry, so a good experience for him.
I ate my quiche, nut bar, and drink sitting on a park bench on the pedestrian bridge over the Thames connecting Windsor and Eton. Great location for a picnic, eh?
I walked back up the hill and visited the shops on the street across from the Castle entrance, finally meeting my group on the benches, shared the berries, and walked back down to the rail station, to go "home."
For supper I went down the street from the hotel to a fish/chip shop. The fish was good, perhaps only slightly less tasty than at the Seafresh. I could get mushy peas, but they were too salty, sigh. I ate my dinner in the garden at the hotel, did not want to smell up the room!
When I was finishing Nancy saw me and asked if I would like to go back to the St. Martin in the Fields for a baroque concert. I did and enjoyed it very much.
Windsor is where I bought a travel umbrella, paid £4, which I liked better than the £10-£14 prices I had seen earlier in the week at various shops. My rain jacket worked for most of the week, but wearing glasses, sigh, I decided I wanted an umbrella in case of showers at the air show! It's hard to peer around rain drops on glasses, lol.
Aug 7th, 2009, 05:44 AM
#22
I've done four RS tours (although I doubt I'll do more - I really do think they are getting overpriced, and I'm more into independent travel). My last tour (Sicily - click on my name for TR) I was the only single, and although I had a room to myself I would have preferred to have someone to share with. Although everyone was friendly, I felt a little isolated on a tour full of couples and groups, and singles always seem to get the worst rooms (including one absolutely awful room at the last hotel).
Aug 7th, 2009, 06:28 AM
#24
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thursdaysd, I think you have it nailed.
Yes, everyone was friendly, but they were many families and couples. Joining time with another single could happen but someone comfortable with traveling alone is not necessarily thinking of joining up either. I felt both a part of a group and apart.
I have done two short independent trips to the UK and I think all future ones there will now be independent, but for a place I do want a tour (I want to try Turkey some day, but not alone), I like RS, and I would probably really look for the dates that have a discount price.
Yes, everyone was friendly, but they were many families and couples. Joining time with another single could happen but someone comfortable with traveling alone is not necessarily thinking of joining up either. I felt both a part of a group and apart.
I have done two short independent trips to the UK and I think all future ones there will now be independent, but for a place I do want a tour (I want to try Turkey some day, but not alone), I like RS, and I would probably really look for the dates that have a discount price.
Aug 7th, 2009, 06:32 AM
#25
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<b>Friday, 10 July: Day 6: The British Museum and Library</b>
The week sure flew by. Today is our last morning for touring together!
We took the Tube from Victoria to Kings Cross and visited a certain platform before heading to the British Library
Platform 9 3/4 does not exist, of course, and it is even more funny that the sign and cart bit are in a different location because of building work, but it does not stop the people ahead of us or quite a few on the tour from taking a turn "pushing" the handle!
We headed over to the Library and enjoyed some time in the treasures room. Do not just silence your phones and cameras, they have to be Off! A copy of the adultery Bible had me chuckling. The printers forgot the "not" between "thou shalt" and "commit adultery." For that they were hit with a big fine and loss of printing license.
We rode a "bendy" bus to the British Museum. Tom gave us an escorted session around a few of the Egyptian exhibits, the Rosetta Stone, and the Elgin Marbles. He made a point, also, of showing us an exhibit of items from the present day Mosul, tying history with current day.
We were loose by noontime for free time the rest of the day, until dinner together at the Ebury Wine Bar, right next to the hotel. I had a drink and bit to eat at the Museum's cafe. I might look for a pizza place next time. It was okay, but for about £8, I had better meals earlier in the week.
I went and found the Holborn Tube stop and rode to Regent's Park. I walked some of the Outer Circle trying to imagine/fantasize which house could have been home to the Dearly family (101 Dalmatian's fame). I did see some that faced the Park, so they made better candidates than the ones that had front doors the other way. I think, now, that I would have had to walk across the Park to the Primrose Hill area for where the Twilight Barking took place in the story.
I finally headed back to the hotel to rest and start packing. Dinner was great. I am fairly sure that the wine was included with the meal, it was certainly poured a lot. I stuck to water, but that is just my preference.
The week sure flew by. Today is our last morning for touring together!
We took the Tube from Victoria to Kings Cross and visited a certain platform before heading to the British Library
Platform 9 3/4 does not exist, of course, and it is even more funny that the sign and cart bit are in a different location because of building work, but it does not stop the people ahead of us or quite a few on the tour from taking a turn "pushing" the handle!We headed over to the Library and enjoyed some time in the treasures room. Do not just silence your phones and cameras, they have to be Off! A copy of the adultery Bible had me chuckling. The printers forgot the "not" between "thou shalt" and "commit adultery." For that they were hit with a big fine and loss of printing license.
We rode a "bendy" bus to the British Museum. Tom gave us an escorted session around a few of the Egyptian exhibits, the Rosetta Stone, and the Elgin Marbles. He made a point, also, of showing us an exhibit of items from the present day Mosul, tying history with current day.
We were loose by noontime for free time the rest of the day, until dinner together at the Ebury Wine Bar, right next to the hotel. I had a drink and bit to eat at the Museum's cafe. I might look for a pizza place next time. It was okay, but for about £8, I had better meals earlier in the week.
I went and found the Holborn Tube stop and rode to Regent's Park. I walked some of the Outer Circle trying to imagine/fantasize which house could have been home to the Dearly family (101 Dalmatian's fame). I did see some that faced the Park, so they made better candidates than the ones that had front doors the other way. I think, now, that I would have had to walk across the Park to the Primrose Hill area for where the Twilight Barking took place in the story.
I finally headed back to the hotel to rest and start packing. Dinner was great. I am fairly sure that the wine was included with the meal, it was certainly poured a lot. I stuck to water, but that is just my preference.
Aug 7th, 2009, 06:40 AM
#26
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I'm curious about the single person on RS tours. So, if you're a single female and there isn't another single female to match up with you, you get a room to yourself without paying extra, right? But, do you get a double room or a single room?
And what happens if there are 3 single females on a tour? It seems unfair that 2 of them have to room with one another, while the 3rd gets a room to herself?
And what happens if there are 3 single females on a tour? It seems unfair that 2 of them have to room with one another, while the 3rd gets a room to herself?
Aug 7th, 2009, 07:01 AM
#27
Ebury Wine Bar! Yes, when I'm in London that's where I meet my niece for wine before dinner. BTW, I wanted to put in a plug for Pret a Manger rather than Subway for sandwiches in London. I can't visit without eating at least one of their crayfish and rocket. (Reminds me there are some in New York - I'll have to check for my next trip.)
Aug 7th, 2009, 07:22 AM
#28
yk - if there is an odd number of singles the single room rotates. In fact, if there are more than two singles, you rotate room mates as well. I've shared on a Smithsonian tour, and on RS and Intrepid tours, and I've only had one bad room mate.
Whether the room for the "single" is a single or a double varies with the hotel, but in my experience, if it has a single you get the single.
Whether the room for the "single" is a single or a double varies with the hotel, but in my experience, if it has a single you get the single.
Aug 7th, 2009, 07:50 AM
#29
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Yes, thursdaysd has a definite suggestion I should follow, look for a Pret a Manger next time and not just wander into a Subway 
My room this time was actually a triple, so we used the third bed as an extra place to put stuff. Being a city tour we never moved from the hotel, so it was the same room/roommate from day 1 to 7.
My room this time was actually a triple, so we used the third bed as an extra place to put stuff. Being a city tour we never moved from the hotel, so it was the same room/roommate from day 1 to 7.
Aug 7th, 2009, 12:21 PM
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<b>Saturday, 11 July: Day 7: Tour Over After Breakfast</b>
Breakfast was a bit later on Saturday, 8 instead of 7. Nancy and I ate and took a taxi to King's Cross.
The previous day, Friday morning, we took the Tube from Victoria to King's Cross, but construction had the Victoria Line closed for the weekend. I mentioned to the driver how different it was to be above ground instead of underground and he promptly started pointing out sights along the way. He sure zipped us right to the rail station! I think the cost was about £16.
Now, Tom had mentioned that we should have the hotel call a taxi to be available at departure time, that it would be cheaper. The desk clerk said her boss has told her to just grab a taxi from the street, that it would be cheaper. Who was right? Anyone have a tip for the future?
The line for tickets went fairly quickly (we did not try the machines). I got a ticket for returning the next day; Nancy had a return for Saturday. We waited a few minutes and boarded once the sign said what track to go to. It was a pleasant ride, less than an hour for the Express trip.
We split at the exit of the rail station. I was headed to the bus stop on the left side to get a shuttle to the air show and Nancy was headed for a taxi line on the right side and the TIC to try for a tour around Cambridge.
Though she could not go on the Victoria Line, it was nice that the tour included a 7-day card and Nancy could use the Tube once back in London. We used the taxi instead of the Tube because of the later start to breakfast and thought the taxi would be faster.
Tour, final thoughts
Yes, I would take another RS tour. You can add up the equivalent in prices of included meals, hotel, transportation, museums, etc., but you cannot add up a price on a great tour director. Tom was just priceless. A+ all the way. He had the information and stories to share, and people skills for keeping us all happy on the tour.
A breakfast conversation one day had a fellow comparing Tom with a previous RS guide. He appreciated the previous guide, but ... He couldn't bring himself to say the "but," but you could hear it unspoken, so still an A-/A for the previous guide, but all the ++ to Tom.
I liked receiving a guidebook/map before the tour. The itinerary was good for knowing when free time would occur to plan my own activities. A hotel that had great public transportation options was wonderful, so easy to get around.
Ah, a note about the hotel that has come back to me. I found the weather pleasant. The 2nd week of July was much nicer than what I read about the 1st week in London. The hotel does not have A/C, so the window was open all week (no screen) and a desktop fan gave my roommate and me a nice breeze while in the room.
Next posts about Duxford and then going home .. home, happy to get home, but sorry to leave UK.
Breakfast was a bit later on Saturday, 8 instead of 7. Nancy and I ate and took a taxi to King's Cross.
The previous day, Friday morning, we took the Tube from Victoria to King's Cross, but construction had the Victoria Line closed for the weekend. I mentioned to the driver how different it was to be above ground instead of underground and he promptly started pointing out sights along the way. He sure zipped us right to the rail station! I think the cost was about £16.
Now, Tom had mentioned that we should have the hotel call a taxi to be available at departure time, that it would be cheaper. The desk clerk said her boss has told her to just grab a taxi from the street, that it would be cheaper. Who was right? Anyone have a tip for the future?
The line for tickets went fairly quickly (we did not try the machines). I got a ticket for returning the next day; Nancy had a return for Saturday. We waited a few minutes and boarded once the sign said what track to go to. It was a pleasant ride, less than an hour for the Express trip.
We split at the exit of the rail station. I was headed to the bus stop on the left side to get a shuttle to the air show and Nancy was headed for a taxi line on the right side and the TIC to try for a tour around Cambridge.
Though she could not go on the Victoria Line, it was nice that the tour included a 7-day card and Nancy could use the Tube once back in London. We used the taxi instead of the Tube because of the later start to breakfast and thought the taxi would be faster.
Tour, final thoughts
Yes, I would take another RS tour. You can add up the equivalent in prices of included meals, hotel, transportation, museums, etc., but you cannot add up a price on a great tour director. Tom was just priceless. A+ all the way. He had the information and stories to share, and people skills for keeping us all happy on the tour.
A breakfast conversation one day had a fellow comparing Tom with a previous RS guide. He appreciated the previous guide, but ... He couldn't bring himself to say the "but," but you could hear it unspoken, so still an A-/A for the previous guide, but all the ++ to Tom.
I liked receiving a guidebook/map before the tour. The itinerary was good for knowing when free time would occur to plan my own activities. A hotel that had great public transportation options was wonderful, so easy to get around.
Ah, a note about the hotel that has come back to me. I found the weather pleasant. The 2nd week of July was much nicer than what I read about the 1st week in London. The hotel does not have A/C, so the window was open all week (no screen) and a desktop fan gave my roommate and me a nice breeze while in the room.
Next posts about Duxford and then going home .. home, happy to get home, but sorry to leave UK.
Aug 7th, 2009, 12:59 PM
#32
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Thanks for the posting. Can't wait to hear about the airshow.
I think one of the things Rick's tours do have over some of the "cheaper" ones is size of the group is smaller and hotels are more central. Some of those "too good to be true" price tours stick you in the boonies!
I think one of the things Rick's tours do have over some of the "cheaper" ones is size of the group is smaller and hotels are more central. Some of those "too good to be true" price tours stick you in the boonies!
Aug 7th, 2009, 02:33 PM
#33
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thursdaysd, thanks for the info!
CarolA, yes, a "cheaper" tour can put you in the boonies and also ask you to pay extra for the already included items in a RS tour, so your price could be going up anyway! Actually, I think one of RS's books mentions using a cheaper tour as a means to getting yourself around and then planning on your own time to do things cheaper (i.e., not paying the tour company extra for the extra). I think some tours don't always put you in the boonies, sometimes it's only 1/2 way out
I am glad I tried it. I would use a tour to meet a means to an end for myself, but anyplace my mental comfort zone covers, I will just go by myself, independently (on my own time, do my own thing).
The trips I have taken to Edinburgh, most people do not believe I went independently, lol. They still think I went by myself but it was as a solo person with a tour. Nope, really and truly by myself.
CarolA, yes, a "cheaper" tour can put you in the boonies and also ask you to pay extra for the already included items in a RS tour, so your price could be going up anyway! Actually, I think one of RS's books mentions using a cheaper tour as a means to getting yourself around and then planning on your own time to do things cheaper (i.e., not paying the tour company extra for the extra). I think some tours don't always put you in the boonies, sometimes it's only 1/2 way out
I am glad I tried it. I would use a tour to meet a means to an end for myself, but anyplace my mental comfort zone covers, I will just go by myself, independently (on my own time, do my own thing).
The trips I have taken to Edinburgh, most people do not believe I went independently, lol. They still think I went by myself but it was as a solo person with a tour. Nope, really and truly by myself.
Aug 7th, 2009, 03:12 PM
#34
"size of the group is smaller and hotels are more central" - the hotel part is true. It's also true that the groups are smaller than those with outfits like Globus or Trafalgar, but they're bigger than they used to be. Personally, I don't think 28 really counts as small. (When I travel with (cheaper) Intrepid the max is 12.)
Aug 7th, 2009, 06:24 PM
#36
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<b>Duxford air show</b>
Okay, where to start .. well, I will note that if you are near Duxford for this Sunday you can go to Spitfire Day http://duxford.iwm.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.24060
My brother bought several of a series of military biographies when he was in high school and I borrowed them. Two really stuck with me:
* Paul Brickhill's <i>Reach for the Sky</i> about Douglas Bader
* <i>Fly for Your Life: The Story of RR Stanford Tuck, DSO, DFC</i> by Larry Forrester
Tuck and Bader were both British WW2 aces. Bader flew with two prosthetic legs. He lost both--one above, the other below, the knee--in a plane crash. Still, he convinced the RAF to let him fly when the War started. They also both spent time at Duxford and when I learned from rogeruktm's trip reports that Duxford is accessible by public transportation it went on my April itinerary. Then I noticed the dates for the air show, featuring WW2 aircraft, and the dates for the RS tour, 2+2 = air show plans!
Saturday night:
As you can imagine, rooms around Duxford were in short supply for the 2nd weekend in July. Thanks to a post on Fodors I learned about http://www.universityrooms.co.uk/ I booked about the first of May and it had just a couple of rooms left for the Saturday night in Cambridge. I chose a double en-suite at St. Catherine's College for £85, including the VAT. There was one single available for a bit less but the description called it a modern dorm and I wanted something more interesting. I ended up in a fairly modern room, but it was a great location. That was actually the hardest part: knowing for sure where the rooms were while booking and then finding St. C's once I arrived in Cambridge.
Gold Pass:
I asked about buying tickets for the air show while I was at Duxford in April and advised to do it online. I should have done it once home when the exchange rate was under $1.50, but the $1.60 range was still so much nicer than the $2.00 rates of last year. I could have just purchased regular tickets, but I talked myself into the Gold Pass. Just like the advertising read, don't you want to make it a really special day
I ordered the passes in time for receiving them at home and bringing them along with me. Clipped on when I arrived I was able to enter and avoid the long line for people getting tickets. I assume anyone with pre-purchased tickets could do the same and I would recommend it; the line was long to get tickets.
The Gold Pass gave entry to a special tent with lovely loos, tables and chairs to relax, a place to order some drinks and refreshments in the tent, a special seating area outside, too, also a complimentary copy of the program book. Another benefit: direct access to the flight line. You could attend the air show for a lot less money, but the pass did make the visit a treat!
Flying Legends air show as an experience:
Two days of "wow!" The museum opens at 8, flight line is open 9-noon, then 2-5 is almost non-stop flying.
The program book had a great article about the design of the air show. It is a detailed, choreographed dance in the air. The first planes take off, entertain you, a bit before they are done more airplanes take off, so as first set lands, you are rubber necking to watch the next! Now, repeat for almost 3 hours. The designers want to avoid a more typical air show of watch a bit of time, wait, watch something, wait, repeat.
About the time I started to notice I was going a bit numb from the noise they sent up some of the WW1 aircraft, so a change of pacing is worked into the choreography, too.
I took short bits of video with my point-n-shoot. I will post that to YouTube soon. I think you can find other videos there to enjoy. I also paid for a copy of the official video. It is supposed to arrive by Thanksgiving. I made sure to order the version that works on this side of the pond, the not-PAL kind.
If you enjoy the rumble of horsepower in the sky, it is just a great experience. I was in one of the hangers on Sunday morning, looking around. Unlike April the big doors were open, but cording outlined the path one was supposed to follow through the hanger space. Suddenly you could hear the sound of something more modern, it had a jet sound, so possible a small private something or other. Two young men jumped the cording to race to the hanger door and try to see what was taking off My spirit was with them, wondering too, but the body did not race out, lol.
Okay, where to start .. well, I will note that if you are near Duxford for this Sunday you can go to Spitfire Day
http://duxford.iwm.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.24060My brother bought several of a series of military biographies when he was in high school and I borrowed them. Two really stuck with me:
* Paul Brickhill's <i>Reach for the Sky</i> about Douglas Bader
* <i>Fly for Your Life: The Story of RR Stanford Tuck, DSO, DFC</i> by Larry Forrester
Tuck and Bader were both British WW2 aces. Bader flew with two prosthetic legs. He lost both--one above, the other below, the knee--in a plane crash. Still, he convinced the RAF to let him fly when the War started. They also both spent time at Duxford and when I learned from rogeruktm's trip reports that Duxford is accessible by public transportation it went on my April itinerary. Then I noticed the dates for the air show, featuring WW2 aircraft, and the dates for the RS tour, 2+2 = air show plans!
Saturday night:
As you can imagine, rooms around Duxford were in short supply for the 2nd weekend in July. Thanks to a post on Fodors I learned about http://www.universityrooms.co.uk/ I booked about the first of May and it had just a couple of rooms left for the Saturday night in Cambridge. I chose a double en-suite at St. Catherine's College for £85, including the VAT. There was one single available for a bit less but the description called it a modern dorm and I wanted something more interesting. I ended up in a fairly modern room, but it was a great location. That was actually the hardest part: knowing for sure where the rooms were while booking and then finding St. C's once I arrived in Cambridge.
Gold Pass:
I asked about buying tickets for the air show while I was at Duxford in April and advised to do it online. I should have done it once home when the exchange rate was under $1.50, but the $1.60 range was still so much nicer than the $2.00 rates of last year. I could have just purchased regular tickets, but I talked myself into the Gold Pass. Just like the advertising read, don't you want to make it a really special day
I ordered the passes in time for receiving them at home and bringing them along with me. Clipped on when I arrived I was able to enter and avoid the long line for people getting tickets. I assume anyone with pre-purchased tickets could do the same and I would recommend it; the line was long to get tickets.
The Gold Pass gave entry to a special tent with lovely loos, tables and chairs to relax, a place to order some drinks and refreshments in the tent, a special seating area outside, too, also a complimentary copy of the program book. Another benefit: direct access to the flight line. You could attend the air show for a lot less money, but the pass did make the visit a treat!
Flying Legends air show as an experience:
Two days of "wow!" The museum opens at 8, flight line is open 9-noon, then 2-5 is almost non-stop flying.
The program book had a great article about the design of the air show. It is a detailed, choreographed dance in the air. The first planes take off, entertain you, a bit before they are done more airplanes take off, so as first set lands, you are rubber necking to watch the next! Now, repeat for almost 3 hours. The designers want to avoid a more typical air show of watch a bit of time, wait, watch something, wait, repeat.
About the time I started to notice I was going a bit numb from the noise they sent up some of the WW1 aircraft, so a change of pacing is worked into the choreography, too.
I took short bits of video with my point-n-shoot. I will post that to YouTube soon. I think you can find other videos there to enjoy. I also paid for a copy of the official video. It is supposed to arrive by Thanksgiving. I made sure to order the version that works on this side of the pond, the not-PAL kind.
If you enjoy the rumble of horsepower in the sky, it is just a great experience. I was in one of the hangers on Sunday morning, looking around. Unlike April the big doors were open, but cording outlined the path one was supposed to follow through the hanger space. Suddenly you could hear the sound of something more modern, it had a jet sound, so possible a small private something or other. Two young men jumped the cording to race to the hanger door and try to see what was taking off
My spirit was with them, wondering too, but the body did not race out, lol.
Aug 7th, 2009, 06:33 PM
#37
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<b>Grasshopper</b>
I almost forgot! The grasshopper. Once I finally found St. Catherine's (I had walked almost far enough, turned back thinking I had missed it, only to discover after finding someone to ask that I had not gone quite far enough) I checked in and then walked around Cambridge. Enjoyed watching the punters on the Cam and Cambridge has lots of decorative iron work if you enjoy seeing that. Not far from St. Catherine's I turned the corner to see this .. thing .. set in a glassed space .. a huge black creature above a gold disc, moving legs, flashing eyes, and flashing blue lights .. I finally realized it to be a clock.
Reading up on it on the Web I’ve learned that it has been on view only since 2008, so that’s why it hasn’t made the guidebooks, yet, because it surely will. It cost at least a million pounds (1.8 million pounds according to one source, so at least 2 to 3 million dollars). The disc part is over 4 feet across and made of 24 carat gold on stainless steel.
In the 18th century a John Harrison invented the “grasshopper” mechanism that turns pendulum motion into the round motion of a clock, so this is actually an inside-out clock, the grasshopper IS the grasshopper mechanism. It is a bit freaky to watch work (the legs move, the mouth opens/closes, the eyes sometimes flash), but certainly a show-stopper!
A couple of quick links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7625815.stm
http://www.visitcambridge.org/whatto...ils.php?id=244
I almost forgot! The grasshopper. Once I finally found St. Catherine's (I had walked almost far enough, turned back thinking I had missed it, only to discover after finding someone to ask that I had not gone quite far enough) I checked in and then walked around Cambridge. Enjoyed watching the punters on the Cam and Cambridge has lots of decorative iron work if you enjoy seeing that. Not far from St. Catherine's I turned the corner to see this .. thing .. set in a glassed space .. a huge black creature above a gold disc, moving legs, flashing eyes, and flashing blue lights .. I finally realized it to be a clock.
Reading up on it on the Web I’ve learned that it has been on view only since 2008, so that’s why it hasn’t made the guidebooks, yet, because it surely will. It cost at least a million pounds (1.8 million pounds according to one source, so at least 2 to 3 million dollars). The disc part is over 4 feet across and made of 24 carat gold on stainless steel.
In the 18th century a John Harrison invented the “grasshopper” mechanism that turns pendulum motion into the round motion of a clock, so this is actually an inside-out clock, the grasshopper IS the grasshopper mechanism. It is a bit freaky to watch work (the legs move, the mouth opens/closes, the eyes sometimes flash), but certainly a show-stopper!
A couple of quick links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7625815.stm
http://www.visitcambridge.org/whatto...ils.php?id=244
Aug 7th, 2009, 06:50 PM
#38
Sounds like the air show was really worthwhile. BTW, if you liked the Brickhill about Douglas Bader, have you read his "Dam Busters"? (I read both a long, long time ago....)
About Intrepid - I've done four trips in Asia with them and one in Morocco. They have great itineraries and prices, but their leaders are just that, not guides. Plus accommodation tends to the basic (especially on the Basix level, you might want to go for Comfort.) Besides the itineraries, I like it that they generally use local transport. I've done TRs for all the trips except the Basix level to Lombok - Morocco is here (http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...-medley.cfm?91 ) and the others are on my website (www.wilhelmswords.com - Asia2001 and Asia2002)
About Intrepid - I've done four trips in Asia with them and one in Morocco. They have great itineraries and prices, but their leaders are just that, not guides. Plus accommodation tends to the basic (especially on the Basix level, you might want to go for Comfort.) Besides the itineraries, I like it that they generally use local transport. I've done TRs for all the trips except the Basix level to Lombok - Morocco is here (http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...-medley.cfm?91 ) and the others are on my website (www.wilhelmswords.com - Asia2001 and Asia2002)
Aug 8th, 2009, 05:39 AM
#40
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I wish the airshow had been on when I went with my Dad to Duxford. He was stationed at Molesworth, an American airbase nearby, during WWII. When we were at Duxford, we went into the American Hangar and I got to see the kind of plane he flew and his position in the bomber. It brought tears to my eyes and made me wonder how any of those young men made it out alive.
