So, further to my earlier post: well, I did make my later flight - the cheapest option that would get me back in time for this evening's Funzing talk: Are We Living In the Matrix? Courtesy of London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @Night. The nice lady at the BA desk suggested that, for a new flight, I'd do better online, and sure enough, Skyscanner came to my rescue with a FlyBe flight at 4.40pm. I booked that on my phone, but was unable to print out the boarding pass, of course - the "helpful" site said I could print it at the self-service kiosks: but none of them gave that airline as an option! So, as previously described, I hunkered down in Starbucks for half the day, writing my blog for last night and charging my phone, while I waited for check-in to open for my flight, so I could get a human to print it for me.
Finished the blog, went to the loo, got the boarding pass, went through security. I'm not surprised the BA lady wouldn't let me check in late, it's so far to the gates.. No wonder people hate airports. Found the gate - nothing happening. Trekked back to the last place I saw food - I was hungry. This turned out to be a vending machine, from which I got a packet of Maltesers. Came back to the gate, found a seat that was too hot - from the sun pouring in the windows. Ate Maltesers - yum. Plane was too small for the airbridge:
I'd been worried about getting an exit row on my BA flight - no such worries here, none were exits! (bar first and last rows of the plane). The twin props made for a very noisy flight - but we also flew quite low (thank goodness the weather was good!), and it was interesting, flying so low that we could see ships on the sea below. With that and the propellers, it was quite reminiscent of Dunkirk! Less bombing today, thankfully. Lovely staff - this was my first time flying with them. I ordered a wine and some more Maltesers - with plenty of Euro cash, I would've used that, until I saw what they were using as the exchange rate! Bloody hell, there's no way £4.70 is currently worth €7! I paid in Sterling - be warned.
I had to be impressed with the exit from London City Airport.. as I entered security, I'd seen a board advertising a DLR leaving in six minutes, thought "I'll never make that". By the time I exited security and headed up to the platform, it was due in two minutes! Now, that's definitely the fastest I've ever exited an airport. Pity I'd forgotten to touch in, and had to head down again to do that.. still made it, though!
A breezy trip on the DLR gave way to a stifling trip on the Tube - and that was just on the platform, even the crowded carriage was airier. I have to say, though, heading through Bank in this direction is a lot faster. Made it home just as my mother decided I'd left it too long before ringing her, and she rang me instead.. Just had time to change (phew!) before heading out again. I decided that the Northern Line was wisest, since it was apparently the fastest. Got out at Old Street for the revised venue of the Lighthouse Bar.
Amazingly, the exit map hadn't been vandalised, and I could easily tell which exit I needed. I have to say though, it was a culture shock, coming straight from Amsterdam to this. Scruffier buildings, rubbish all over the place - and in the brief walk from station to bar, I was hit on (unsuccessfully) for money. And had abuse shouted at me when I walked away. I did notice that about Amsterdam - despite me walking back late at night on multiple occasions, there were no homeless, no beggars. Hmm.
The Lighthouse bar is easy to spot, with its garish blue, adorned with coloured lights. The lady at the door had loyalty cards - gosh, I thought they'd been done away with! I got one of mine signed, for all the good it'll do.. got a drink at the bar, and made my way upstairs, where I was the first to arrive. Apart from the speaker.
The place filled up reasonably, and - typically, half an hour after the advertised time - he began. Oh dear. So, it seems he's a lecturer. In computer science. This wasn't so much of a talk as a philosophy class. Not five minutes in, I was wanting to leave - some did, but I wasn't close enough to the door! You know, back in the day, when I was studying a form of maths, there were two things that were fashionable for maths students to do; one was to play chess (which I did, and still happily do), the other was to join the philosophy society, which I never did. Tonight was a perfect illustration of why.
Philosophy as a concept is just fantastic. The examination of the human condition, why we think the way we do, examining our prejudices and preconceptions - wonderful. However, I've never found it to work that way. Tonight, what we got was a rather smug academic, encouraging a rambling, unfocused discussion rather than giving any direction, and eventually chiming in, when he felt things were going a bit pear-shaped. His "arguments" were illogical and inconsistent (perhaps, to some extent, because he didn't want to use technical terminology), and I knew I'd better leave when I found myself disagreeing with literally every pronouncement that came out of his mouth. These weren't suggestions, you understand, but dictats. Reminded me of religion, with the Principles of Philosophy as the Creed, and him as the high priest. Thou mayst disagree, but thou shalt be wrong!! Yeah. I left at the break, and was grateful. I practically ran.
At least leaving early gave me time to shop, eat, blog, and it's still not quite bedtime! Tomorrow, another Funzing talk (same groups) - I finally get to see Jennifer Rees again, when she's giving a talk on The Psychology of Criminals. With dim sum, great! (Had to stick with a 10% discount for this one - Fun_Day10 or Fun_Week10 are the ones you want for that.) And it's walking distance from me for once, in Covent Garden. She's a fantastic and engaging speaker. Excellent.. and Helen has sensibly decided to come too. On which occasion she'll deliver all the stuff I couldn't fit in my bag, coming back from Twickenham!
I was just looking up what to do on Wednesday - and wouldn't you know it, at that moment the Pop-Up Opera sent me a mail with upcoming events. Une Éducation Manquée is a short, French comic opera, whose run finishes that day. All right then!
On Thursday, my first Meetup with Up in the Cheap Seats, one of several new groups I've joined to fill the great void left by the sad departure of the Man with the Hat. We're off to see The Tempest, with Simon Russell Beale, at the Barbican - who, unusually, posted my ticket to me. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.
And next Monday, back with Let's Do This for a vintage swing jazz evening at Wilton's.
With spending half of yesterday blogging, it was indeed a bit late for breakfast - or even brunch - by the time I surfaced. So, dinner ("brinner ?") it was. And a good location for that seemed to be Rembrantplein, just up the street.
More photos here. Too much choice, really. I finally decided to go with the Argentinian Steakhouse De Maria.. you will not find a better steak than at an Argentinian Steakhouse, and for me it's one of the highlights of coming to Amsterdam. They were pretty empty, so early, and I took a table inside.
..where I had a cow staring at me!
Fair enough, I suppose. So, I had a sirloin.. cheapest on the menu after rump. Smallest cut - really, I find them too filling to have anything bigger. I ordered pepper sauce too, and a carafe of house white. Ordering wasn't difficult - she literally had nothing to do but wait for me, and was stood just behind my shoulder!
The wine was indifferent. The steak, however, was spectacular! As expected really, and the best I've had since the last time I was in Amsterdam. The sauce was pretty redundant - although it proved useful for the indifferent chips I'd ordered as a side. Another tartufo for dessert - and while it didn't reach the dizzying heights of Saturday, it is always a delicious choice.
Out into brilliant sunshine, and my next mission was to source €7.50 worth of change, so I could buy a 24-hour ticket. Ahah, a Starbucks.. so I bought a bar of chocolate there with a €20 note. Unfortunately, although she apologised for all the change, it was of the nature of small change - not replacing any notes. So I had to pop into the supermarket as well, where I bought more chocolate, small enough to pass ArenA security, and finally got enough change.
At the Metro station, another queue to buy the ticket.. and would you believe, the machine was taking notes! Must only be the machines for train tickets that don't - which makes no sense. The GVB (city transport) machines seem much more reasonable.
Anyway, my journey yesterday was much easier. Less of a wait, got on the first train, even got a seat! My stadium entrance was the same as on Saturday, so I knew where l was going. Ticket worked again, yay! And despite the unisex pat-down, the cute guy I got seemed shy about doing it, so I got in without it. Wheezed my way up the stairs again - I was sitting close to where I'd been on Saturday, but more to the back.
I didn't care - direct view, and as I say, this is a small venue. This ticket's face value was less than Saturday's, and I did wonder about the finer points of pricing. And, despite the sunny weather, the roof was closed again.. oh, joy!
The crowd's Mexican wave only (!) went around six times on this occasion. And I wondered where everyone was - my section stayed pretty empty for ages. In due course, they arrived, and we started.. Great thing was though, the outside of my row stayed almost empty, so I had plenty of room to jiggle..
Now, a U2 show is always a great show - but it is really Bono that carries it, and sometimes he makes an extra effort. Straight from the start last night, something was different.. later in the show, he thanked the Netherlands, saying they've always been so generous to the band. "Wouldn't be the same without you!" as he said. He also expressed surprise at this level of enthusiasm on a Sunday night!
SET LIST
ENCORE
I was a bit far back to see until they broadcast it on the screen, but you could see it in him, how he was feeding off the incredible energy in the crowd. The first change came when, instead of Bad in the first section, they played A Sort of Homecoming - him remarking that that was what it was like for them, coming to Amsterdam. Oh my God, they hardly ever play it.. I always dissolve when I hear it. This was a good start!
He pulled a guy with a Polish flag onto the stage during New Year's Day - a sign of Solidarity. Again, the crowd was in fine voice, and he left the singing to them both for Pride and for I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. And I absorbed every moment of the awesome display during the Joshua Tree section, conscious that this would be my last time to see it live.
Again, the flag during Miss Sarajevo started left of stage, and only got halfway round - but from where I was sitting last night, I could see better that maybe at that point, the gap between sections was too great to pass it across. Sadly, no balloons during Beautiful Day this time, and no Mysterious Ways. The screen was turned off again during One.
And we should have been finished. But he had one more surprise.. he sent us screaming into the night with an amazing performance of I Will Follow, their first single and a pure rush of adrenaline. Nobody left singing 40, as one tuneless guy did last night - but hands down, this was THE concert of the tour. And despite having to pay over twice face value on Viagogo for Saturday, and over three times for last night, it was so worth it. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Write it on my grave, that I was a U2 fan.
Coming back, no delay to get into the station, or on the train, and I got a seat again! Despite the concert finishing 10 mins later than Saturday, I got back 15 mins earlier. And it would have been straight to bed, except for my mother's online grocery order, that had to be put in..
So, this morning, I overslept. And what with a delayed tram into town, a queue for the ticket machine to buy a ticket to the airport, and a delay till I found a train going to the airport.. well, I missed checkin by 10 mins. That'll teach me to book a morning flight, the day after a concert! So I went online, where Skyscanner gave me the cheapest fare that would get me back in time for my talk this evening. And then I needed to charge my phone.. a dreadful lack of charging points in the airport, the first I found were in Starbucks. Where I also had breakfast, and blogged. Unfortunately, poor internet reception there, so it was a bit of a palaver.. but look, done!! And in time to get my boarding pass for the next one. :-/
And I'll be glad to get home and change out of these concert clothes, which are getting a bit.. ripe. I saw an interesting Funzing talk advertised for tonight - "Are We Living in the Matrix?" Well, I'm well overdue a free talk, with all of them that I've booked (every fourth free), so I contacted them to get a code to get this for free. Still waiting..! Despairing of them, I finally booked it on one of their limited 50% deals. It had been advertised with London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @Night - funnily enough, they both cancelled, then re-advertised. It still seems to be running, although at a different location. No loyalty points for this one, I guess! I should still be back in time to make it.
Tomorrow, another Funzing talk - I finally get to see Jennifer Rees again, when she's giving a talk on The Psychology of Criminals. With dim sum, great! (Had to stick with a 10% discount for this one - Fun_Day10 or Fun_Week10 are the ones you want for that.) And it's walking distance from me for once, in Covent Garden. She's a fantastic and engaging speaker. Excellent.. and Helen has sensibly decided to come too. On which occasion she'll deliver all the stuff I couldn't fit in my bag, coming back from Twickenham!
I was just looking up what to do on Wednesday - and wouldn't you know it, at that moment the Pop-Up Opera sent me a mail with upcoming events. Une Éducation Manquée is a short, French comic opera, whose run finishes that day. All right then!
On Thursday, my first Meetup with Up in the Cheap Seats, one of several new groups I've joined to fill the great void left by the sad departure of the Man with the Hat. We're off to see The Tempest, with Simon Russell Beale, at the Barbican - who, unusually, posted my ticket to me. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.
And next Monday, back with Let's Do This for a vintage swing jazz evening at Wilton's.
Hello, I'm in Amsterdam! And lugged a heavy laptop all the way here, specifically so I could blog - awkward to type on the phone, and I can't put links in using it. So. Aren't I good? Yes, I are.
The trip started on Friday, making my way to City Airport again. Seeing that any route involving a bus would take over an hour, I opted for the fastest: Central Line to Bank, DLR from there. It was supposed to take about 40 minutes. And with the lack of food in the office over summer (they've cut down on deliveries because so many are away), I didn't have much to detain me, and set off in good time - already checked in online, but they were making me print my boarding pass at the airport.
This flight was about an hour and a half earlier than the last I took from City - and what a difference that makes! The streets were crammed, predictably; the Tube was crammed, and airless. With relief, I got off at Bank - only to discover signs all over the place, directing people to take a roundabout route to the DLR. So much for my nice, quick journey - by the time we'd wended our way all over Bank Station, I must have added 20 minutes to my journey. (Congestion was the cause.) At least I got some air on the DLR, if not a seat - I was pretty woozy by the time I got off at the airport, considering I hadn't eaten either. Hey, I do believe it worked out cheaper overall than the Tube and bus option, though..
I was entering from the opposite side to last time; hey, they have checkin machines all along the corridor! Bit of a palaver to print my boarding pass - as well as the booking reference number, they required a scan of my passport. That done, I made my way to Departures - Oh Lordy, what chaos! A small airport with a big crowd in it - security was a nightmare, and small as it is, it took another 20 minutes to get through, with only one metal detector. And having to have the laptop scanned separately was no fun. They were a bit snappy, too. No, I'm not flying out of here again at busy times.
Barely time to get to my gate, never mind eat - and we would be right at the end of the corridor. Heaving the laptop around was killing my shoulder. At least I didn't have long to wait until they boarded us (had to ask twice whether I boarded front or rear, after the incomprehensible public announcement from one of the staff) - and funnily enough, another flight to Amsterdam, with KLM, was leaving from the adjacent gate, ten minutes before ours. I was sat slightly to the rear - unfortunately, given that our takeoff and landing were a bit bumpy: but the free wine and shortbread biscuits were very welcome. That, and a packet of crisps left in my bag from a previous trip, constituted dinner.
At Schipol, we had the conventional five-mile-hike to Arrivals, then I headed to the train station. Long queues at the ticket machines - oh, and be warned; I'd forgotten, but was soon reminded that ticket machines in Amsterdam only take coins, or special Dutch travel cards - no notes, no credit or debit cards. People all around were looking for change - at least I had plenty of that, and it's proved a great way of getting rid of my change since I arrived. (If you don't have it, head for the ticket desks that have people behind them.)
A nice, easy, nonstop ride then, to Amsterdam Centraal. Only 15 minutes - what a luxury! Light rain greeted me - and I decided to walk to the hotel; most of the city centre is walkable. I'd forgotten what a pretty city it is, actually!
More photos here. And the Zeedijk, which I walked down on my way, and is packed with restaurants and tourists, on cobbled streets between pretty buildings, would put the West End to shame!
I was half dead by the time I got the laptop to ITC Hotel - I'd decided to go for something a bit further along the Metro line, you see, since my sightseeing in Amsterdam was pretty much done, and I fancied being a bit closer to the Amsterdam ArenA, where this weekend's concerts are being held. Steep steps, typical of Amsterdam, lead to reception - where I immediately saw a sign saying that the advertised free WiFi is only available in reception. Just as well Three increased my EU data allowance! I checked in, paid the city tax that's always payable on arrival, and got my key card.. for a building across the road! Apparently, they run across three buildings altogether.
Immediately on entering, I saw the stairs. No lift, of course. Hell. Ah well, up I went. Phew! Checked the rooms on the first floor.. oh no, mine wasn't there.. and the next set of stairs..! Seriously, upon climbing that, I felt like I needed a ladder. Or a grappling hook. I had to take the bags up one at a time, and throw them onto the upper landing (hence the name, I guess) from a few steps down. Murderous. If you've ever been in the Anne Frank House, you'll know what I mean - they're famous for their extremely steep stairs. They never mentioned this in the hotel description - and you'd never manage it with heavy luggage!
Massive shout-out to the cleaners, who brave these steps every day with a vacuum cleaner! Also, beware of the raised lips at the base of the doorframes - could cause a nasty fall. As for my room, teeny isn't in it - it is fascinating though, to see how much they squeeze into a small space. The tv, hairdryer, and soap and tissue dispensers are all fastened to the wall, and interesting, slatted doors hide the shower and toilet. All I'd want, really, and the bed is comfy. I don't feel the lack of the phone, which they advertise on the website, but which isn't present. Expedia, with whom I booked the trip, asked me how my check-in went, and what I thought of the place - well, I marked it well enough, although I did add a warning about the stairs, for potential travellers. I wouldn't stay here again - it's too much like mountaineering.
By the time I'd rung my mother, it was after 11 - remember, they're an hour ahead of London - and too late to be hunting for food. So I headed to bed - watching the crackly tv for a while. Yesterday morning - well, there was no way I was paying for the hotel breakfast. Indeed, the receptionist had anticipated as much when he told me about it - maybe it was the U2 t-shirt that formed his opinion. Anyhoo, I didn't have to go far to find an alternative; Café Onder de Ooievaar, right across the bridge, fed me a (round!) toasted sandwich (choice of fillings), a croissant, and an apple juice, for less than I'd have paid at the hotel. Actually, the hotel breakfast is a buffet, but I'm not one of those that can eat twice the value of what they pay.
It was a gorgeous, hot, sunny day, so I meandered into town - found a street market on the way, and nearly bought there: but didn't, thankfully, since I'd just have had to carry it afterwards. A few U2 t-shirts were wandering about. I wasn't hungry yet, so mooched around for a while.. and where did I end up but the conveniently placed Sex Museum. (Ah well, when in Rome..) The price is a reasonable €5 (not the €4 advertised on the above website). I did take photos, and had them on Facebook.. but got rather sick of Facebook removing them, so I've now deleted the whole thing. Anyhoo, I spent a very amusing time here (apart from more steep stairs, which are killing me now!). Paintings and photographs - old and (fairly) new - feature heavily, and rooms have themes, such as the Red Light District, or the "Marquis de Sade" room - for S&M. It's an odd experience, going around, slightly embarrassed to be seen taking too much of an interest in anything - but it is full of interesting stuff. And the animatronic models on the ground floor, which come to life as you pass (a few of which are included at the above link) are just hilarious! Recommended, for the broad-minded.
I meandered back to the hotel after that - my phone needed charging. And after a much-needed rest, when both my phone and I were recharged, I went out in search of food before the concert. Google Maps recommended a place called Bar Moustache, just down from the hotel - but do you know, when I went there, I just thought it smacked a little of.. pretension. Just a few doors up, I'd passed a friendlier-looking Italian place called Il Boccalino, which, it turned out, had just opened for the evening. I was their first customer of the day - and was fed heartily, and without fuss, for a reasonable price. The bread I had as a starter was piping hot, the veal in cream and mushroom sauce was yummy, and as a side I chose pasta, and got a small spaghetti Bolognese! The white wine was nice, and the tartufo (home-made?) was the best I've ever had! Friendly service too.. although I had to go and chase my bill; he'd completely forgotten he had a customer (I guess it was a bit early) and was having his dinner, in the kitchen.
A short walk took me to Weesperplein, the nearest stop to me on the Metro to the ArenA. Where the trains heading in that direction were all delayed (doubtless owing to the volume of passengers). And the first to arrive, finally, was so packed that most of us couldn't squeeze on! Happily, we got on the next one, and in due course arrived at the venue. In pouring rain. There are two stops for the stadium - Strandvliet and Bijlmer ArenA; I took the latter, which handily is around the side where I was seated. Just as well, with the deluge that we had to walk through, then stand in - people around me in the several queues had sourced plastic sheeting, which they were sharing with crowds of people around them. These were abandoned at the entrance - along with several umbrellas: but then, rock concerts don't generally allow you to bring in umbrellas.
Finally I was through the turnstile, and my Viagogo ticket scanned successfully - lovely. These Amsterdam tickets were the only ones I couldn't get officially - they sold out phenomenally fast. And yes, I paid over the odds - but it's worth it, to come to Amsterdam. A unisex body pat-down (ah yes, we're in Amsterdam) and we were in. And gee, a huge flight of stairs! Ahem. It's been a while since I was here, and I obviously blanked that out. When I finally wheezed my way to the top, passing the bars (full, thanks) and merchandising stalls (got enough, thanks), was I ever delighted to see handrails! Ah, I'd forgotten that too, and what a difference it makes, when you're afraid of steps. And another lovely surprise - they'd closed the roof, because of the rain! (I'd forgotten they can, here.) It's always better with a closed roof. And, despite my seat at the opposite end, I had a good view, I think - and it's a smaller stadium than many:
The crowd was alive - a full nine times a Mexican Wave went around, even carrying onto the pitch, despite the strangely immobile couple of sections in the lower stands to my left. Until the crew decided we were peaking too early, and played Dirty Old Town a bit loud to quiet us. It was just after nine when U2 came on.
Setlist:
ENCORE
The crowd were loud enough for Bono to abdicate some of his singing duties again. And it was quite special to have a closed-roof concert - more intimate, and the lighting works better. For me, that made it the concert of the tour - very glad I paid the extra.
For the first time I've seen it, the flag for Miss Sarajevo came out to left of stage - and aww, the staff didn't let it go all the way around this time! I guess they didn't want it stretching on into the next song, which it would've - still, I think it spoiled the atmosphere a little. I would've been in line to pass it on, this time, boo hiss! A better decision in the next song, Beautiful Day, when they released balloons for the crowd on the pitch to play with. Lovely! And I was delighted to see Mysterious Ways on the setlist - I think it always works well. The hyperactive dancer he pulled from the crowd, as someone remarked on the way back afterwards, really didn't want to leave - well, who would? "One" looked spectacular, as they turned off the lights, even the screen, and the crowd glittered with the glow of mobile phones. But aww, no play last night for that song from their new album, bummer.
Outside, it was pouring even worse than before - and organisation wasn't as good as I'd remembered, with a terrible queue to get into the station, priority being given to mainline rail passengers. When they finally let us in, I made my way to the human-staffed ticket desk, where the queue was shorter than for the machines. Tickets issued there are paper, but still seem to be chip-enabled, and work as well on the automatic barriers. Another wait for a train we could squeeze onto - and a bad slip for me, when I completely lost traction on the wet carriage floor! I was lucky to grab a rail, and be able to swing myself into a seat before I ended up on said floor. And despite the departure board saying it was nonstop, fortunately it wasn't, so I could disembark at that station near the hotel. Sadly, by this time it was past midnight, and all but the bars were closed - I could have done with bringing a cold drink back to the hotel with me. Never mind, I'm getting used to the stairs now. A bit.
Last night, I uploaded the photos, but blogging would've taken so long.. and I was so tired.. besides, I wanted to be up in time today to get dressed, lest housekeeping swing by (which they did, a while ago). So, I'm now looking at brunch rather than breakfast - I'll swing up to Rembrandtplein for that; it's just up the road, and has a great selection. And then out to the concert venue - maybe a bit early, if my time works right: avoid the worst of the crowds, and ensconce myself in a nearby bar. I do hope they close the roof again tonight - although the rain is supposed to clear by then. I plan to buy a 1-day ticket this time - it's valid for 24 hours, which means I can use it to travel to town tomorrow for the airport, which will be a consideration, with a morning flight. Which will make it worth my while. I could check in for my flight again, but saw they wanted to put me in an exit seat, which I don't fancy - and it would cost to change it, so I'll check in at the airport instead.
And I'll be glad to get home and change out of these concert clothes, which are getting a bit.. ripe. I saw an interesting Funzing talk advertised for that night - "Are We Living in the Matrix?" Well, I'm well overdue a free talk, with all of them that I've booked (every fourth free), so I contacted them to get a code to get this for free. Still waiting..! Despairing of them, I finally booked it on one of their limited 50% deals. It had been advertised with London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @Night - funnily enough, they both cancelled, then re-advertised. It still seems to be running, although at a different location. No loyalty points for this one, I guess!
On Tuesday, another Funzing talk - I finally get to see Jennifer Rees again, when she's giving a talk on The Psychology of Criminals. With dim sum, great! (Had to stick with a 10% discount for this one - Fun_Day10 or Fun_Week10 are the ones you want for that.) And it's walking distance from me for once, in Covent Garden. She's a fantastic and engaging speaker. Excellent.. and Helen has sensibly decided to come too. On which occasion she'll deliver all the stuff I couldn't fit in my bag, coming back from Twickenham!
I was just looking up what to do on Wednesday - and wouldn't you know it, at that moment the Pop-Up Opera sent me a mail with upcoming events. Une Éducation Manquée is a short, French comic opera, whose run finishes that day. All right then!
On Thursday, my first Meetup with Up in the Cheap Seats, one of several new groups I've joined to fill the great void left by the sad departure of the Man with the Hat. We're off to see The Tempest, with Simon Russell Beale, at the Barbican - who, unusually, posted my ticket to me. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.
And on the 7th, back with Let's Do This for a vintage swing jazz evening at Wilton's.
Tonight was free comedy in Hammersmith again. With London Live Comedy, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, Random London, and DiscoverLDN.UK. And would you believe it - before I had the chance to cancel, they did! Well, Hammersmith & Fulham Friends did - which I'm taking it applies to all. Maybe not -anyway, it gave me the excuse. So I decided to go to a film, as I was already thinking of doing; predictably, top of the list was Dunkirk. Showing at multiple times, nice and close to me. So I chose the nearest to me - the Odeon Tottenham Court Road. And a nice, early showing.
No bother to get to - it's on my way home! Plus, of course, this being a mainstream film, I didn't have to hurry - I knew there'd be loads of time for ads beforehand. Just as well, considering the crowds I had to navigate on the way - I usually only walk this way late at night, and this was more crowded than I was used to. What I forgot was that it's cheaper to buy on the website - nuts! It's just so rarely I go to anything at an Odeon. Ah well, next time.. Seating was unreserved, but the place was quite crowded (not completely full, but I wouldn't vouch for availability late nights or at weekends). No problem - I actually wanted to sit quite close; I'd heard this is quite the visual spectacle.
Dunkirk. Famous for the rescue of nearly 400,000 trapped Allied forces from the beaches, in the face of the encroaching Wehrmacht, in 1944. Rescue effected in large part by small, civilian craft, drafted in from England - that's what makes it special. Christopher Nolan decided to make a film about it. Stars Kenneth Branagh as a naval commander, frustrated at the lack of boats for all the men that need rescuing: Tom Hardy as an embattled Spitfire pilot, keeping the Luftwaffe away from the poor men on the beach: Mark Rylance as the plucky captain of a small boat, determined to do his bit: Cillian Murphy, as a shell-shocked soldier that gets in the way more than anything: and, of all people, Harry Styles as a soldier, just trying to get out.
It's phenomenal. Christopher Nolan has the Midas touch anyway - anything he makes is worth seeing. In this, he takes three distinct strands: the Mole (on the beach), the sea, and the air. It's been described as "a silent film punctuated by dialogue". Yes, I see what they mean - little dialogue in this (what a saving on translations!). Well I mean, what with all the action going on around them - a) what need they say? and b) you wouldn't hear them anyway.
Instead, we have the most wonderfully impressive score; Hans Zimmer does it again. No gore whatsoever in this film - it's all about tension, as people wait for bad things to happen. Part of the score, in fact, is a ticking clock. Start to finish, it's relentlessly tense - not a film for those of nervous disposition. The soldiers on the beach, sitting ducks for the Luftwaffe. The Navy, doing all they can but feeling helpless. The crew of the small boats, sailing into something they're patently unprepared for. The RAF pilots - fantastic cinematography for these sequences: and how fascinated my late father would have been at the detail of the machinery! A real sense of the clunkiness of the technology of the time, too - no sleek modern technology here. Throughout, the camera is right up-close to the characters, and gives a real sense of place.
Christopher Nolan has been criticised for his lack of characterisation: rubbish. The film manages to give a very broad sweep of what was happening at Dunkirk during the evacuations, and - I'm no expert, mind, but I do think he succeeds in doing it justice. It's hugely moving, hugely shocking, and - as you might expect - I left shell-shocked. Stunning. Recommended.
And what a treat to finish early! Tomorrow, I'm off to Amsterdam, for my final two U2 concerts of the year (sniff). On Saturday and Sunday. Really, you have no idea of the organisation that went into all of this, back in January..! These were the only ones I couldn't get tickets for officially - bought them on Viagogo. And I see I booked from City Airport again - lovely!
I fly back on Monday, and saw an interesting Funzing talk advertised for that night - "Are We Living in the Matrix?" Well, I'm well overdue a free talk, with all of them that I've booked (every fourth free), so I contacted them to get a code to get this for free. Still waiting..! Despairing of them, I finally booked it on one of their limited 50% deals. It had been advertised with London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @Night - funnily enough, they've now both cancelled. It still seems to be running, though. No loyalty points for this one, I guess!
On Tuesday, another Funzing talk - I finally get to see Jennifer Rees again, when she's giving a talk on The Psychology of Criminals. With dim sum, great! (Had to stick with a 10% discount for this one - Fun_Day10 or Fun_Week10 are the ones you want for that.) And it's walking distance from me for once, in Covent Garden. She's a fantastic and engaging speaker. Excellent.. and Helen has sensibly decided to come too. On which occasion she'll deliver all the stuff I couldn't fit in my bag, coming back from Twickenham!
I was just looking up what to do on Wednesday - and wouldn't you know it, at that moment the Pop-Up Opera sent me a mail with upcoming events. Une Éducation Manquée is a short, French comic opera, whose run finishes that day. All right then!
Next Thursday, my first Meetup with Up in the Cheap Seats, one of several new groups I've joined to fill the great void left by the sad departure of the Man with the Hat. We're off to see The Tempest, with Simon Russell Beale, at the Barbican. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.
And on the 7th, back with Let's Do This for a vintage swing jazz evening at Wilton's.
Last night, I had booked free comedy in Greenwich - London Live Comedy, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, Random London, and London Art, Comedy & Culture Lovers. Then Funzing rode to the rescue, and I booked a Funzing talk entitled "Politics - WTF!" Appropriate, no? Anyway, I booked on a once-only code "iwantfunzingagain". Or you could try "Funzing30" - both give 30% off, but are time-limited. But last week, I checked.. and whoopee, London Literary Walks is back at last, with a Sculpture in the City walk. Thank goodness I can cancel Funzing up to 48 hours beforehand without penalty. So I did.
Yesterday was gloomy.. rain, clouds. Gee, the perfect day for a walk! What the hey, the rain was supposed to clear by evening, and it did - a bit cool, a strong breeze and still overcast, but it was fine. I took a bus to the City, and consulted Google Maps about how to get to the Crutched Friar, where we were meeting. Well now, I do love the City - and one reason has to be all of the weird little passageways, nooks and crannies that come as a consequence of wending your way through, under, and between this hotchpotch of buildings. Google Map did not disappoint, sending me on various odysseys through passageways that I nearly missed, only for the little blue dot showing me I'd passed them!
More pictures here. Arriving at the Crutched Friar, I found myself lost again - yes, that corridor that looks like a passageway is actually part of the pub! Went in, and spied someone from our group, on the left. We wondered where the others were.. and after a while, I went to look for them. Sure enough, they were over the right hand side.. We waited for latecomers, and finally started off a bit later than advertised.
The walk was an interesting mixture of historical buildings - and weird, modern art. Modern sculpture it wasn't, but one of the most fascinating bits for me was St. Olave's Church, with many interesting features:
There was some interesting modern architecture:
..and some interesting modern art:
But I think this was my favourite:
Most of us repaired thereafter to The Astronomer, where - it being a bastion of pies - I had a very tasty steak and ale pie. Struggled to finish it. Not mad about the chips, mind - but the pie is recommended. And got home rather late. Great evening, lovely to see familiar faces - some of which I hadn't seen in an age! Roll on the next one.
Tonight was free comedy in Hammersmith again. With the first three of the above groups, plus DiscoverLDN.UK. And would you believe it - before I had the chance to cancel, they did! Well, Hammersmith & Fulham Friends did - which I'm taking it applies to all. Maybe not -anyway, it gave me the excuse. So I'll go to a film, as I was already thinking of doing; predictably, top of the list is Dunkirk. Showing at multiple times, nice and close to me.
Tomorrow, I'm off to Amsterdam, for my final two U2 concerts of the year (sniff). On Saturday and Sunday. Really, you have no idea of the organisation that went into all of this, back in January..! These were the only ones I couldn't get tickets for officially - bought them on Viagogo. And I see I booked from City Airport again - lovely!
I fly back on Monday, and saw an interesting Funzing talk advertised for that night - "Are We Living in the Matrix?" Well, I'm well overdue a free talk, with all of them that I've booked (every fourth free), so I contacted them to get a code to get this for free. Still waiting..! Despairing of them, I finally booked it on one of their limited 50% deals. It had been advertised with London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @Night - funnily enough, they've now both cancelled. It still seems to be running, though. No loyalty points for this one, I guess!
On Tuesday, another Funzing talk - I finally get to see Jennifer Rees again, when she's giving a talk on The Psychology of Criminals. With dim sum, great! (Had to stick with a 10% discount for this one - Fun_Day10 or Fun_Week10 are the ones you want for that.) And it's walking distance from me for once, in Covent Garden. She's a fantastic and engaging speaker. Excellent.. and Helen has sensibly decided to come too. On which occasion she'll deliver all the stuff I couldn't fit in my bag, coming back from Twickenham!
I was just looking up what to do on Wednesday - and wouldn't you know it, at that moment the Pop-Up Opera sent me a mail with upcoming events. Une Éducation Manquée is a short, French comic opera, whose run finishes that day. All right then!
Next Thursday, my first Meetup with Up in the Cheap Seats, one of several new groups I've joined to fill the great void left by the sad departure of the Man with the Hat. We're off to see The Tempest, with Simon Russell Beale, at the Barbican. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.
And on the 7th, back with Let's Do This for a vintage swing jazz evening at Wilton's.
