Where in the world is Hockey Ga in January 2020?

We had a super holiday in UK during January 2020. Photo taken in the Tate Modern.

I've decided that in my old age, the travel should be as good as the destination so we flew over Norwegian style, like we did with the Dessau's. But my theme was "Where in the World is Hockey Ga." I texted photos to friends and they sent back their guesses (answers in parentheses).

(CLT airport)

(The Big Apple)

(Norwegian Luxury Lounge in NYC)

(Crossing the Atlantic and very comfy on the Norwegian Dreamliner, a Boeing 787)


(Gatwick) Waiting on our driver to take us to Penn Club


(The Penn Club with Helen Bredin)

Oh, it is so nice to be back in the Penn Club--it has recently been refurbished but remains the same comfortable, cordial, and quiet place. Big rooms and this time we had a private bath. Still, a lot of fire doors to go through but when I opened onto a woman coming through and said, "Sorry." She replied, "A pleasure." Later I had a similar  experience when I grabbed a man in a museum thinking it was Kevin and embarrassed by my mistake said, "Oh, I am so sorry I thought you were my husband. He answered smiling gently, "Regret that privilege." How gracious the English are and one of my favorite reasons for loving England so very much.

The dining room in the Penn Club is the same with fresh flowers on tables, the same lavish breakfast menu (a little bit of everything, both cooked and continental breakfast), and, best of all, stimulating conversation as you sit with the other residents. We have learned so much over the years at this wonderful Quaker hostel.

This beautiful arcade is a block away and we walk through it often. We sometimes  eat at the Sicilian restaurant on the other end.

And, close by is the London tube which I love. I once gave a paper to the Nineteenth Studies Group on the tube in the 19th Century. It was fun to write and to deliver with slides.

The latest travel schedule. I have a collection of these which I intend to frame one day--Great Memories!

Tate Britain. I love the graceful pollarded plane trees without their leaves.

At the Tate we saw rooms and rooms and rooms of Blake Art and Text. Some of his books and text were so small, they gave out magnifying glasses to view. Kevin enjoyed it immensely.

Interesting, as it is not often that this war is referred to in Britain--it was their best colony and a huge loss. Interesting that it influenced Blake and his ideas.

I liked this artist's representation of the Blakes in old age looking toward the Thames. Catherine was a powerful partner in his art and thought. She was the only one with whom he didn't seem to have an altercation. However, maybe he did and he just couldn't leave!

Crossing the Millennium Bridge with the luminous clouds and Shard behind midday on our way to Tate Modern.

Tate Cafe for a late lunch

Overlooking Millenian Bridge with St Pauls in the background.

At Tate Modern we saw a show of Dora Marr's work, mainly photographs. She was an interesting woman, known as one of Picasso's wives, and in the painting below she may have been documenting a "Conversation" she had with a former mistress of Picasso's. I really liked her  photographs of the disadvantaged during the depression years 1930s in Europe--Northeastern Spain and Catalonia,  London, Paris. She is well known for documenting Picasso's progress in "Guernica" (and the light in the painting below is similar to the light in Guernica). Marr is supposed to have posed for the "weeping woman" in Guernica.

(Oxford Street) Veganism has been recently recognized in UK as an official philosophy. The Penn Club even had a full English Vegan Breakfast which was delicious!

A romantic dinner at Andrew Edmunds Restaurant, always our favorite London restaurant.

The old Albury theatre, now the Noel Coward, to see Evan Haney

And next door to the theatre is the Salisbury, an old Victorian Pub where we have enjoyed many suppers over the years. In the past, it had the best pub curry ever; however, they never seem to have it these days.

Walking back to Penn Club via Martins Lane

We had dinner with the Drury family--so much fun to be with them, especially Lucy, the best girl in London!

Followed by a rollicking version of Dickens' Christmas Carol at the Old Vic!

We saw a great show of forgotten Indian artists before and during the colonial period at the elegant Wallace Collection, a fabulous house museum.



Followed by a tasty lunch in the covered courtyard.



I went shopping one day,  strolling Oxford and Regent Streets

Ending up here at Libertys, the prettiest department store,

And enjoyed lunch there. Kevin was back at the Penn Club, doing his favorite thing--reading news papers in the common room.


I saw a fabulous show at the British Museum on Troy. It was packed with people but fascinating. It took me a long time to get through. Kevin still at the Penn Club reading.

I recently read Pat Parker's book about the Trojan War The Silence of the Girls told through the eyes of the Trojan woman Briseis given to Achilles for his bravery; so I hoped to see her but not much about the women except for the more prominent ones.

Nice update of Ruben's painting.





My favorite show was in the Portrait Gallery where there was room after room after room of art by and of the women that were part of the PreRaphaelite Circle.



I had never heard of Joanna Wells. I believe that it is because her family kept all her work and has only been releasing it.

Women's issues were important and discussed openly in 19th Century and one of the reasons I loved working in this era so much. Much progress was made, especially the right to vote which didn't happen until twentieth century but would not have happened except for the 19th century suffragists.


I loved this sensitive portrait of her first born son Sidney.

A lovely collection of her tools.

Loved seeing this portrait of the older Jane Morris

     One night we went out to Elephant and Castle Street where on Larcom Road, we had a terrific dinner under The Chandelier

with Matthew, Jonathan, and JoJo

And Sophie, who did the cooking and it was a delicious dinner--so much fun to be with old friends.


And around midnight a beautiful bus ride--I managed to grab the top front seats-- back through the city to the Penn Club.

We traveled by train to Cambridge where we had a room in Wolfson. We had such fun walking, seeing friends, going to our old haunts, even this popular tourist site in Cambridge!

 We saw "Rachel" at the Cambridge Arts theatre, a favorite story of mine and this production stared Helen George who is Nurse Franklyn on Call the Midwife. She was excellent.

We had pizza and sticky toffee pudding at our neighborhood pub.

And a good lunch in Wolfson with dear friends Susie, Antony, Gemma, Sylvia, Robert!


A lovely dinner with Jane and Mark in the Blue Ball in Grantchester. They were visiting daughter nearby.


At Heathrow, we enjoyed our wait time in a really luxurious lounge

The flight on Norwegian was really comfortable.

At the end of which, we treated ourselves to a night in the TWA hotel. I think we were on the SAARINEN wing this time,

With a nice view of airport.

We enjoyed a delicious breakfast in the Paris Cafe.


And home again, in time for lovely camellias blooming at 1432 Medway!