We've been to Manchester and Leeds this past year, and been very impressed by the food/pub/bar/cocktail scene in both places. But what's going in in our home city of Cambridge?
In May there's the main event of Eat Cambridge. We've missed out a bit the last couple of years, as it's been too close to the Cambridge Beer Festival. It looks like the calendar for 2016 is more favourable, so we're already licking our lips.
There's also a thriving Street Food scene. There are a whole host of independent traders who participate, and also some organised events such as foodPark and the Mill Road Feast.
There's a wide range of cuisine to satisfy any taste. I'm very boring, give me a Steak and Honour burger every time. I notice that they've branched out a bit and now have a residency at Novi.
Other burgers exist, of course, The other night I popped into Butch Annie's, and had an excellent burger washed down with a bottle of porter. It's downstairs where Cafe Carrington used to be, and I suspect it doesn't get the trade it deserves because of the location (all you can see is the stairs descending into the depths).
Fancy a tea or coffee and a cake? We have great places like Stickybeaks and Afternoon Tease, or the refurbished Fitzbillies. Walk along Green Street and you can have a proper afternoon tea at Harrietts or Bill's (which is a larger chain that also does much more). Last time I was along there I noticed that Catesby's have an upstairs cafe as well.
The area around the Guildhall and the Corn Exchange has seen some changes. Lot's of big chains have a presence, of course. I still mean to visit the Pint Shop, but it's been full every time I've gone past. What used to be The Cow is now Reys, which I've not tried (it was very empty, and moderately expensive). There's usually a queue at Aromi, I need to get in earlier to try out Bread and Meat, and Smokeworks is hidden away just down Free School Lane.
Mind you, if you're wandering around the centre of Cambridge at the moment the most visible sign if that itsu and Wasabi are following hard on the heels of Yo! Sushi. I understand one being interesting, but a surge to three seems odd.
Mind you, Cambridge is still a little light on decent wine and cocktail bars serving light meals. Oh well, can't have everything.
Friday, November 20, 2015
Saturday, November 07, 2015
The curse of the car
Like it or not, the private car is an essential part of life for many. I've owned a few myself.
The downside is that it's expensive, it causes pollution, our roads and cities are congested, our housing is dominated by the need to store a vehicle (or more than one).
Realistically, though, there isn't much of an alternative.
If it were a reasonable option, I would cycle for many shorter journeys, and I suspect many people would do the same. Unfortunately, our current transport infrastructure is incredibly hostile to cyclists. Even in Cambridge, cycling provision is appalling. There are a few token on-road cycle lanes that you are forced to share with metal monsters, many off-road paths are unmaintained, shared with pedestrians, narrow, and unlit. Many regular roads are simply too narrow for cyclists and motor vehicles to share safely, and junctions often seem to be designed to maximize the inconvenience and danger to cyclists.
And that's just the start. Woefully inadequate cycle parking and storage provision means that there's unlikely to be anywhere to put your bike when you're not on it, leading to a high likelihood of damage if it doesn't get stolen. Don't even get me started on the all too often farcical nature of cycle infrastructure. Overall, the people planning our infrastructure seem to be either plain ignorant or blatantly anti-cycling, even while paying it plenty of lip service.
So, cycling isn't going to be allowed to have much of an impact. What about public transport.
Now, I have visited places where there's a decent bus service. Cambridge is not one of those places. There's a very limited range of services, so many places aren't on a bus route at all. And you need both ends of the journey to be accessible, so that's even more difficult. Even when there is a possible route, it can take so long as to be simply implausible.
It turns out that where I live is pretty well served by bus routes. We're on 2 separate routes that go into the City Centre, so we even have a choice. It's fine in theory, and there are some days when it works out.
But much of the time, it's a complete disaster. The timetable gives a bus on each route at 10-minute intervals. So, 30 minute waits are not uncommon, over an hour isn't unheard of. The failure to actually provide buses to any meaningful timetable is a joke. Even when a bus does arrive, traffic can mean it takes much longer than the timetable says to make a journey - I've missed several trains, even allowing an hour for what's supposed to be a 20 minute journey to the railway station.
One possible response by the council is to introduce bus lanes, which turn out to do more harm than good. A prerequisite for a separate bus lane is that you have to have a spare lane so that the other traffic still has somewhere to go. So the bus lanes are added on wide, open roads where they don't give much benefit, and can't be added on the congested narrow roads that are actually causing the problem. Worse, on some of the roads (the Newmarket Road is an example here) the bus lane has to be skipped at narrow pinch points; the regular traffic queues are lengthened by the empty bus lanes (which reduce the overall capacity of the road) to the point that they block the pinch points and delay the buses.
So if not the bus, what about the train? We do use the train, on occasion - going into London, for example, or to Beer Festivals where driving isn't an option, or city breaks to avoid the effort of driving and the cost and trouble of parking.
The first snag here is that you have to get to the station. In Cambridge, like many smaller towns, it's been stuck out in the middle of nowhere (one advantage to visiting somewhere like Leeds or Manchester is that the station is conveniently located), so isn't convenient for visitors. Or locals, where you need to use the bus to get to the station - see above for why this is a problem. In fact, it's the difficulty of getting to the station in the first place that has made be reject the idea of commuting into London - the train trip itself would be fine.
Overall, the mesh of railway lines simply isn't dense enough outside some of our major cities. Part of this was Beeching - who essentially destroyed the rail network. (And on false grounds - by considering viability based on what was being achieved with Victorian equipment and working practices, not what could be achieved if run properly.) Decisions such as the misguided busway (that would have been more valuable as a rail line, which would have enlarged the rail mesh and integrated with the larger rail system) mean that the problems with the rail system in the large will persist.
Basically, then, we're cursed with the car not because it's any good but because the alternatives are so crippled by the powers that be that they're made even worse.
The downside is that it's expensive, it causes pollution, our roads and cities are congested, our housing is dominated by the need to store a vehicle (or more than one).
Realistically, though, there isn't much of an alternative.
If it were a reasonable option, I would cycle for many shorter journeys, and I suspect many people would do the same. Unfortunately, our current transport infrastructure is incredibly hostile to cyclists. Even in Cambridge, cycling provision is appalling. There are a few token on-road cycle lanes that you are forced to share with metal monsters, many off-road paths are unmaintained, shared with pedestrians, narrow, and unlit. Many regular roads are simply too narrow for cyclists and motor vehicles to share safely, and junctions often seem to be designed to maximize the inconvenience and danger to cyclists.
And that's just the start. Woefully inadequate cycle parking and storage provision means that there's unlikely to be anywhere to put your bike when you're not on it, leading to a high likelihood of damage if it doesn't get stolen. Don't even get me started on the all too often farcical nature of cycle infrastructure. Overall, the people planning our infrastructure seem to be either plain ignorant or blatantly anti-cycling, even while paying it plenty of lip service.
So, cycling isn't going to be allowed to have much of an impact. What about public transport.
Now, I have visited places where there's a decent bus service. Cambridge is not one of those places. There's a very limited range of services, so many places aren't on a bus route at all. And you need both ends of the journey to be accessible, so that's even more difficult. Even when there is a possible route, it can take so long as to be simply implausible.
It turns out that where I live is pretty well served by bus routes. We're on 2 separate routes that go into the City Centre, so we even have a choice. It's fine in theory, and there are some days when it works out.
But much of the time, it's a complete disaster. The timetable gives a bus on each route at 10-minute intervals. So, 30 minute waits are not uncommon, over an hour isn't unheard of. The failure to actually provide buses to any meaningful timetable is a joke. Even when a bus does arrive, traffic can mean it takes much longer than the timetable says to make a journey - I've missed several trains, even allowing an hour for what's supposed to be a 20 minute journey to the railway station.
One possible response by the council is to introduce bus lanes, which turn out to do more harm than good. A prerequisite for a separate bus lane is that you have to have a spare lane so that the other traffic still has somewhere to go. So the bus lanes are added on wide, open roads where they don't give much benefit, and can't be added on the congested narrow roads that are actually causing the problem. Worse, on some of the roads (the Newmarket Road is an example here) the bus lane has to be skipped at narrow pinch points; the regular traffic queues are lengthened by the empty bus lanes (which reduce the overall capacity of the road) to the point that they block the pinch points and delay the buses.
So if not the bus, what about the train? We do use the train, on occasion - going into London, for example, or to Beer Festivals where driving isn't an option, or city breaks to avoid the effort of driving and the cost and trouble of parking.
The first snag here is that you have to get to the station. In Cambridge, like many smaller towns, it's been stuck out in the middle of nowhere (one advantage to visiting somewhere like Leeds or Manchester is that the station is conveniently located), so isn't convenient for visitors. Or locals, where you need to use the bus to get to the station - see above for why this is a problem. In fact, it's the difficulty of getting to the station in the first place that has made be reject the idea of commuting into London - the train trip itself would be fine.
Overall, the mesh of railway lines simply isn't dense enough outside some of our major cities. Part of this was Beeching - who essentially destroyed the rail network. (And on false grounds - by considering viability based on what was being achieved with Victorian equipment and working practices, not what could be achieved if run properly.) Decisions such as the misguided busway (that would have been more valuable as a rail line, which would have enlarged the rail mesh and integrated with the larger rail system) mean that the problems with the rail system in the large will persist.
Basically, then, we're cursed with the car not because it's any good but because the alternatives are so crippled by the powers that be that they're made even worse.
Sunday, November 01, 2015
Long weekend in Leeds
It was our anniversary recently, so we decided to have a few days away. Having been to Manchester earlier in the year, this time we plumped for Leeds. I had been there at a conference a few years ago, and quite liked the look of the place, and noted that it - like Manchester - had a fairly compact centre that is easy to walk around.
We went up on the train, oddly via Stevenage. After dropping our bags off at the Quebecs Hotel, which was nice and central and close to the station, we set off for a little explore.
It wasn't long before we were sipping our first cocktail at Epernay. It's in the Electric Press building, so you can sit outside the bar, but inside, if you know what I mean.
We then wandered across to the Merrion Centre. Apart from the general look around, we were searching for LAB. Despite there being adverts on the hoardings, we wandered round the whole shopping centre twice and completely failed to find it. Upon checking later, we found it had closed down and had turned into Homage 2 Fromage. Why nobody bothered to put notices up is beyond me.
Continuing our stroll, we had a wonderful afternoon tea at Just Grand, one of those classic old places where none of the crockery matches.
After checking in at the hotel and freshening up, we hit the town. We had done some research, and the list of interesting pubs, restaurants, and cocktail bars was far longer than we were likely to be able to fit in. But we managed distrikt, where the staff were incredibly helpful, and I had a tasty plate of whitebait (after the afternoon tea, we really didn't want a full blown meal). And also visited Mook, which is highly recommended - a little hidden away, reasonably priced, and very friendly.
Saturday morning started a little damp. The hotel doesn't have a restaurant or even breakfast room, which is great because we intended having breakfast out anyway. So we went to Le Chalet, where I stuffed myself with the croque monsieur.
First tourist stop was the Leeds Art Gallery, which I found hugely disappointing. OK, so I'm not a pure art afficionado, but the permanent paintings were pretty poor quality, and the travelling exhibition was, well, odd and uninteresting. Fortunately, admission is free.
Then to the Leeds City Museum, also free, and also nicely located right in the centre. This was far more interesting, with a little bit of local history, the traditional stuff like an Egyptian mummy, and the 'Tailored' fashion exhibition was very good.
We headed off through the shopping center next, through the arcades and the Victoria Quarter, to the Kirkgate Market and the Corn Exchange, full of small independent vendors.
In the evening, a quick cocktail at Las Iguanas before dinner at Hotel Chocolat. Yes, dinner at Hotel Chocolat. Mussels in cacao beer, burger with chocolate flavoured accompaniments. Not something you find manay places, although the Cambridge Hotel Chocolat is just moving to new premises with a Cafe, so they're clearly pushing into markets beyond just selling boxes of posh chocolates. To finish, we went to The Alchemist - heaving, noisy, crowded, but with a good vibe, and just watching the cocktails being mixed is entertainment in itself.
Breakfast on Sunday was a sausage butty at Riveresque. We then wandered up to the bus station and took the bus out to Kirkstall Abbey. It's very impressive, but I would recommend a warmer day when you could wander along the river or sit in the park and do some sunbathing.
In the afternoon I put together a little pub crawl. Tapped, Friends of Ham, The Brewery Tap, and The Head of Steam, all very close to the hotel, and all excellent establishments well worth a visit.
Smartened up for the evening, stopped off for a coffee at Bilbao before the main meal of Fazenda. For those unfamiliar with the idea, they bring skewer after skewer of steak to your table, and cut you a piece. You have a little card which is red or green to let them know whether you want more, or whether you want a break to let some go down. Stuffed, we took in the Sky Lounge at the Hilton before heading back to the hotel.
Monday breakfast was at a wonderful little place called Burgundy. They have an all you can eat buffet, the quality was superb. Then a long walk over to the Royal Armouries, where we spent a few hours browsing armour.
Walking back into Leeds we had got a couple more cocktail bars lined up to try, but they were closed on Mondays. So when we went past Ambiente and saw the sign up about sherry tasting, we had to go in - someone round here is rather partial to a tasting flight of Pedro Ximenez.
After a bit of wandering round the shops, we ended up at Decanter to have a taster platter - they have a good range of meats and cheeses on platters, we were just looking for a little top-up before heading for the train.
Arriving at the railway station, we were greeted by a large "cancelled" sign on our train. Drinking time wasted! On the next train, which should have got us back into Cambridge only shortly after the original, due to changing at Peterborough instead of Stevenage. It didn't, of course, delays due to cattle on the line delayed that train as well.
Would I recommend Leeds? Yes, absolutely. If you're into food and drink and shopping, the centre will be fine all year round. If that's not your scene, then there are plenty of houses and museums in the area but, like Kirkstall Abbey, those would probably be better when the weather is a bit warmer.
We went up on the train, oddly via Stevenage. After dropping our bags off at the Quebecs Hotel, which was nice and central and close to the station, we set off for a little explore.
It wasn't long before we were sipping our first cocktail at Epernay. It's in the Electric Press building, so you can sit outside the bar, but inside, if you know what I mean.
We then wandered across to the Merrion Centre. Apart from the general look around, we were searching for LAB. Despite there being adverts on the hoardings, we wandered round the whole shopping centre twice and completely failed to find it. Upon checking later, we found it had closed down and had turned into Homage 2 Fromage. Why nobody bothered to put notices up is beyond me.
Continuing our stroll, we had a wonderful afternoon tea at Just Grand, one of those classic old places where none of the crockery matches.
After checking in at the hotel and freshening up, we hit the town. We had done some research, and the list of interesting pubs, restaurants, and cocktail bars was far longer than we were likely to be able to fit in. But we managed distrikt, where the staff were incredibly helpful, and I had a tasty plate of whitebait (after the afternoon tea, we really didn't want a full blown meal). And also visited Mook, which is highly recommended - a little hidden away, reasonably priced, and very friendly.
Saturday morning started a little damp. The hotel doesn't have a restaurant or even breakfast room, which is great because we intended having breakfast out anyway. So we went to Le Chalet, where I stuffed myself with the croque monsieur.
First tourist stop was the Leeds Art Gallery, which I found hugely disappointing. OK, so I'm not a pure art afficionado, but the permanent paintings were pretty poor quality, and the travelling exhibition was, well, odd and uninteresting. Fortunately, admission is free.
Then to the Leeds City Museum, also free, and also nicely located right in the centre. This was far more interesting, with a little bit of local history, the traditional stuff like an Egyptian mummy, and the 'Tailored' fashion exhibition was very good.
We headed off through the shopping center next, through the arcades and the Victoria Quarter, to the Kirkgate Market and the Corn Exchange, full of small independent vendors.
In the evening, a quick cocktail at Las Iguanas before dinner at Hotel Chocolat. Yes, dinner at Hotel Chocolat. Mussels in cacao beer, burger with chocolate flavoured accompaniments. Not something you find manay places, although the Cambridge Hotel Chocolat is just moving to new premises with a Cafe, so they're clearly pushing into markets beyond just selling boxes of posh chocolates. To finish, we went to The Alchemist - heaving, noisy, crowded, but with a good vibe, and just watching the cocktails being mixed is entertainment in itself.
Breakfast on Sunday was a sausage butty at Riveresque. We then wandered up to the bus station and took the bus out to Kirkstall Abbey. It's very impressive, but I would recommend a warmer day when you could wander along the river or sit in the park and do some sunbathing.
In the afternoon I put together a little pub crawl. Tapped, Friends of Ham, The Brewery Tap, and The Head of Steam, all very close to the hotel, and all excellent establishments well worth a visit.
Smartened up for the evening, stopped off for a coffee at Bilbao before the main meal of Fazenda. For those unfamiliar with the idea, they bring skewer after skewer of steak to your table, and cut you a piece. You have a little card which is red or green to let them know whether you want more, or whether you want a break to let some go down. Stuffed, we took in the Sky Lounge at the Hilton before heading back to the hotel.
Monday breakfast was at a wonderful little place called Burgundy. They have an all you can eat buffet, the quality was superb. Then a long walk over to the Royal Armouries, where we spent a few hours browsing armour.
Walking back into Leeds we had got a couple more cocktail bars lined up to try, but they were closed on Mondays. So when we went past Ambiente and saw the sign up about sherry tasting, we had to go in - someone round here is rather partial to a tasting flight of Pedro Ximenez.
After a bit of wandering round the shops, we ended up at Decanter to have a taster platter - they have a good range of meats and cheeses on platters, we were just looking for a little top-up before heading for the train.
Arriving at the railway station, we were greeted by a large "cancelled" sign on our train. Drinking time wasted! On the next train, which should have got us back into Cambridge only shortly after the original, due to changing at Peterborough instead of Stevenage. It didn't, of course, delays due to cattle on the line delayed that train as well.
Would I recommend Leeds? Yes, absolutely. If you're into food and drink and shopping, the centre will be fine all year round. If that's not your scene, then there are plenty of houses and museums in the area but, like Kirkstall Abbey, those would probably be better when the weather is a bit warmer.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
The cars I've owned
Now that Amanda's starting to learn to drive, we looked at things like insuring her for one of our cars. It turns out we can't do that, because our insurance policies don't allow learners, so we would have to change insurer. How we get round this remains to be seen, but it's going to be expensive.
We would then have to decide which car to insure her for. Which made me think back to the cars I learnt in, and all the cars I've owned since.
My instructors car was an old Ford Escort Mark II, but the family car was a Triumph Toledo. These were all fairly simple cars, basic, but relatively easy to drive.
The first car I owned was a Renault 5, a blue one as I recall. It had a fault with the driver's window - if you opened it you couldn't close it again without taking the door apart. This car met an untimely demise in Godalming, when a local boy racer lost control on a bend and skidded across the road straight into us.
We had to replace that one. There wasn't a great deal of choice available to us as poor students. There was this metallic green Morris Marina with a leather covered roof that I quite liked, but we ended up with a maroon Talbot Solara. This was dull but worthy, although we did need to replace the gearbox when it got completely jammed in reverse (I suspect someone who had been learning to drive in it).
We left that one behind in the UK when we moved to Toronto. Although on its penultimate trip the front driver's side wheel blew out on the motorway at 70, which was fun. And it had only just been into the garage to have the tire checked (they claimed nothing was wrong, so hadn't done that good a job). Unfortunately they had put the wheel back on with air hammers, and I couldn't shift it (although I managed to bend the tire brace, which was quite impressive).
On our return to the UK, we ended up with a Rover 213 saloon. It was nice, not too expensive, and I liked the drive. It's the only thing (other than the mortgage) we've ever taken out a loan for. When it came to replace it we went for the 214 hatchback, but actually went for a slightly older Honda-derived one, they drifted away from Honda and the replacements (I think the later ones had Citroen gearboxes) were never as good. Later, the Rover range got shuffled and we couldn't find one that really suited us.
So the next one was pretty much run of the mill. With the Rover 214 and its replacement, we were having to compromise - making a single car do for everything, so it had to be big enough for children and holidays, while small enough for Melanie to be happy driving around town. So it ended up as a Ford Escort. I think it was a Mark VI, but it had a new engine model that had an entertaining fault. As it warmed up, differential expansion caused air leaks in the head gasket, so about 2 minutes after start it had a propensity to stall. This didn't affect me too much - 2 minutes into my commute it was running hard on a main road, but Melanie's trip home had a stop 2 minutes into the journey and it would cut out every time.
As time went one, managing with one car was starting to become inconvenient, so Melanie got a Nissan Micra. In fact, all she's ever had are Nissan Micras. This meant we could cut the compromises, and have a small car around town and a larger car for the meatier journeys.
Along came the Toyota Avensis. This was a nearly new ex-hire vehicle, but had things like a satnav and air conditioning. It was the facelifted first edition, and for most things I really liked it.
The Avensis was involved in a lot of pain, though. Back in 2002 we went on holiday to France and I broke my arm. Cue Melanie having to drive the Avensis (which she hated driving) in France, following an ambulance that had carted me off to hospital. Then having to drive it home, including navigating the channel crossing. Later, in 2005, I got rear-ended at speed on the A1 - I slowed for queueing traffic, the car behind didn't. That was a big hit, but because it was dead straight, they just had to pull the rear bumper back. The satnav never worked again, though.
In 2006 we were again in France when the gearbox blew on the autoroute. It turns out we were about as close to the broken arm incident as you can get without leaving the autoroute (I've been reluctant to go back to France since). We managed (after a lot of back and forward) to borrow another car to continue the holiday. Then the car was recovered back to the channel tunnel, but the recovery vehicles aren't allowed though, so we had to drive the car (which sounded like it was dragging half the tin cans in europe behind us) onto the train and off again. There was no way I was going to stop, even when I was supposed to to let a first-class passenger in ahead of us. On arrival in England it seized completely at the top of the exit ramp, about 200 yards short of the waiting tow truck.
We replaced the gearbox (relatively cheaply) and it ran for a couple more years. It was a good car, but was carrying a lot of emotional baggage, so again we looked for a replacement.
The current car is a Ford Focus. We didn't need quite as much space as the kids grew older (although getting them and all their junk to and from University isn't quite so easy). It handles well, is easy to drive, and is basically trustworthy. Performance isn't great, fuel economy is awful, and the sound system isn't fantastic. We've had this one a while, and while I don't have any great attachment to it, we don't need anything in the way of a replacement, mileage is low, and the market at the moment really doesn't have any inspirational alternatives.
I've occasionally wondered if we actually need 2 cars at this point. I think that if we just had the one, we couldn't justify getting a second - we could hire one temporarily if needed, or use public transport. But as we've essentially paid down all the depreciation on the Focus, we may as well hold on to it.
We would then have to decide which car to insure her for. Which made me think back to the cars I learnt in, and all the cars I've owned since.
My instructors car was an old Ford Escort Mark II, but the family car was a Triumph Toledo. These were all fairly simple cars, basic, but relatively easy to drive.
The first car I owned was a Renault 5, a blue one as I recall. It had a fault with the driver's window - if you opened it you couldn't close it again without taking the door apart. This car met an untimely demise in Godalming, when a local boy racer lost control on a bend and skidded across the road straight into us.
We had to replace that one. There wasn't a great deal of choice available to us as poor students. There was this metallic green Morris Marina with a leather covered roof that I quite liked, but we ended up with a maroon Talbot Solara. This was dull but worthy, although we did need to replace the gearbox when it got completely jammed in reverse (I suspect someone who had been learning to drive in it).
We left that one behind in the UK when we moved to Toronto. Although on its penultimate trip the front driver's side wheel blew out on the motorway at 70, which was fun. And it had only just been into the garage to have the tire checked (they claimed nothing was wrong, so hadn't done that good a job). Unfortunately they had put the wheel back on with air hammers, and I couldn't shift it (although I managed to bend the tire brace, which was quite impressive).
On our return to the UK, we ended up with a Rover 213 saloon. It was nice, not too expensive, and I liked the drive. It's the only thing (other than the mortgage) we've ever taken out a loan for. When it came to replace it we went for the 214 hatchback, but actually went for a slightly older Honda-derived one, they drifted away from Honda and the replacements (I think the later ones had Citroen gearboxes) were never as good. Later, the Rover range got shuffled and we couldn't find one that really suited us.
So the next one was pretty much run of the mill. With the Rover 214 and its replacement, we were having to compromise - making a single car do for everything, so it had to be big enough for children and holidays, while small enough for Melanie to be happy driving around town. So it ended up as a Ford Escort. I think it was a Mark VI, but it had a new engine model that had an entertaining fault. As it warmed up, differential expansion caused air leaks in the head gasket, so about 2 minutes after start it had a propensity to stall. This didn't affect me too much - 2 minutes into my commute it was running hard on a main road, but Melanie's trip home had a stop 2 minutes into the journey and it would cut out every time.
As time went one, managing with one car was starting to become inconvenient, so Melanie got a Nissan Micra. In fact, all she's ever had are Nissan Micras. This meant we could cut the compromises, and have a small car around town and a larger car for the meatier journeys.
Along came the Toyota Avensis. This was a nearly new ex-hire vehicle, but had things like a satnav and air conditioning. It was the facelifted first edition, and for most things I really liked it.
The Avensis was involved in a lot of pain, though. Back in 2002 we went on holiday to France and I broke my arm. Cue Melanie having to drive the Avensis (which she hated driving) in France, following an ambulance that had carted me off to hospital. Then having to drive it home, including navigating the channel crossing. Later, in 2005, I got rear-ended at speed on the A1 - I slowed for queueing traffic, the car behind didn't. That was a big hit, but because it was dead straight, they just had to pull the rear bumper back. The satnav never worked again, though.
In 2006 we were again in France when the gearbox blew on the autoroute. It turns out we were about as close to the broken arm incident as you can get without leaving the autoroute (I've been reluctant to go back to France since). We managed (after a lot of back and forward) to borrow another car to continue the holiday. Then the car was recovered back to the channel tunnel, but the recovery vehicles aren't allowed though, so we had to drive the car (which sounded like it was dragging half the tin cans in europe behind us) onto the train and off again. There was no way I was going to stop, even when I was supposed to to let a first-class passenger in ahead of us. On arrival in England it seized completely at the top of the exit ramp, about 200 yards short of the waiting tow truck.
We replaced the gearbox (relatively cheaply) and it ran for a couple more years. It was a good car, but was carrying a lot of emotional baggage, so again we looked for a replacement.
The current car is a Ford Focus. We didn't need quite as much space as the kids grew older (although getting them and all their junk to and from University isn't quite so easy). It handles well, is easy to drive, and is basically trustworthy. Performance isn't great, fuel economy is awful, and the sound system isn't fantastic. We've had this one a while, and while I don't have any great attachment to it, we don't need anything in the way of a replacement, mileage is low, and the market at the moment really doesn't have any inspirational alternatives.
I've occasionally wondered if we actually need 2 cars at this point. I think that if we just had the one, we couldn't justify getting a second - we could hire one temporarily if needed, or use public transport. But as we've essentially paid down all the depreciation on the Focus, we may as well hold on to it.
Tuesday, May 05, 2015
Manchester May Trip
We went to Manchester, and it was being rebuilt.
Seriously, though, Manchester is going places, and is undergoing extensive redevelopment in order to get there.
Why Manchester? I went there a few years ago for business, and was very impressed with the city. Plenty of things to see and do, plenty of places to eat and relax. So when we were looking for places to go visit on the May Day Bank Holiday weekend, it was high on the list.
We went up by train. I didn't particularly want to tire myself out driving, we would have had to pay for parking, and we weren't planning on using the car to get around. We have this Two Together Railcard, which helps keep the cost down, and going up the West Coast main line is pretty quick.
Leaving Manchester Piccadilly, the first thing we see is that there's a free bus service. This is a very progressive city, so it gets extra points for that. The slightly worrying thing was that all that development and associated road works means that the route was nothing like the one printed on the map, but we got a free bus tour of the city thrown in.
We stayed at the Hotel Gotham. It's fairly new, it's only been open a few months, so everything still feels pretty new. It's pretty up-market, stylish, boutique, think American Prohibition (or the Disney Tower of Terror also came to mind). While the address is on King Street, the front of the building is actually a Jamie's Italian, the hotel entrance is just a side door that gets you to the elevator which will whisk you up to reception on the 6th floor.
First afternoon we walked over to the Museum of Science and Industry. After a quick cake in the cafe, we had a gentle browse round all 5 halls. Free entry, a sunny sunday, and the place was pretty busy, without being overcrowded. I especially liked the computer history and the planes in the aviation hall.
Back to the hotel, and we went up to Club Brass which has a small open rooftop area. Given Manchester's reputation for weather, having a look around while it was a beautiful sunny afternoon seemed like a good opportunity.
Dinner was booked at Veeno. I stumbled across the company while in York, just had some meat and wine there and got talking to the staff. So for Manchester we went for the tasting menu, which was excellent.
On the way back we stopped off for a cocktail (or two...) at The Alchemist. In this case, the New York Street location, which was nice and close to the hotel. Highlight here was the Passion Fruit Meringue Martini. Then back for a nightcap on the roof at Club Brass - fortunately the hotel supplies blankets for those who want to sit outside.
Monday morning and we joined a walking tour. The Discover Manchester tour runs every day, and gives you a good grounding on what's in the city. From the imposing Central Library, to the Manchester Central Convention Centre and the Bridgewater Hall, up to the Town Hall and Albert Square, into the John Rylands Library, past the Exchange building, through the modern shopping area, finishing by the National Football Museum. As we were up by the Football Museum, we went in (free entry again - spot the trend here?) to have a look around. If you're a football fan, definitely worth a visit.
It was past lunchtime, and we were feeling a bit peckish. We went along to the Richmond Tea Rooms - very quirky, definitely Alice in Wonderland. Unfortunately we were looking at an hour wait, so nipped down the street for a delicious cake at The Molly House.
In the evening we had tickets for Return to the Forbidden Planet at the Palace Theatre. So time to get ready and take in the pre-theatre menu at the hotel before walking down to the show. The performance was excellent, although the audience wasn't that large (maybe half full). Popped into Gorilla after the show, then round to Cloud 23 for a nightcap. Walking back to the hotel, we got the more expected weather - just a bit of light rain.
On the final morning there was quite heavy rain, and very blustery at times. Fortunately the hotel has umbrellas to borrow for just such an occasion. We wanted to go back to some of the places we had passed on the walking tour, starting with the spectacular John Rylands Library. The tour had taken us in, so we had had a brief look around but, as a lover of old books, I wanted to go back to look at the exhibits.
Then out the back to the People's History Museum - very topical with the general election only a couple of days away.
A quick lunch at Dutton's on Albert Square, and we had a quick look inside Manchester Town Hall and the Royal Exchange Theatre before having to head back to get the train home.
We feel we've hardly scratched the surface of Manchester. The place is chock full of interesting bars and restaurants, so we'll be back for another visit.
Seriously, though, Manchester is going places, and is undergoing extensive redevelopment in order to get there.
Why Manchester? I went there a few years ago for business, and was very impressed with the city. Plenty of things to see and do, plenty of places to eat and relax. So when we were looking for places to go visit on the May Day Bank Holiday weekend, it was high on the list.
We went up by train. I didn't particularly want to tire myself out driving, we would have had to pay for parking, and we weren't planning on using the car to get around. We have this Two Together Railcard, which helps keep the cost down, and going up the West Coast main line is pretty quick.
Leaving Manchester Piccadilly, the first thing we see is that there's a free bus service. This is a very progressive city, so it gets extra points for that. The slightly worrying thing was that all that development and associated road works means that the route was nothing like the one printed on the map, but we got a free bus tour of the city thrown in.
We stayed at the Hotel Gotham. It's fairly new, it's only been open a few months, so everything still feels pretty new. It's pretty up-market, stylish, boutique, think American Prohibition (or the Disney Tower of Terror also came to mind). While the address is on King Street, the front of the building is actually a Jamie's Italian, the hotel entrance is just a side door that gets you to the elevator which will whisk you up to reception on the 6th floor.
First afternoon we walked over to the Museum of Science and Industry. After a quick cake in the cafe, we had a gentle browse round all 5 halls. Free entry, a sunny sunday, and the place was pretty busy, without being overcrowded. I especially liked the computer history and the planes in the aviation hall.
Back to the hotel, and we went up to Club Brass which has a small open rooftop area. Given Manchester's reputation for weather, having a look around while it was a beautiful sunny afternoon seemed like a good opportunity.
Dinner was booked at Veeno. I stumbled across the company while in York, just had some meat and wine there and got talking to the staff. So for Manchester we went for the tasting menu, which was excellent.
On the way back we stopped off for a cocktail (or two...) at The Alchemist. In this case, the New York Street location, which was nice and close to the hotel. Highlight here was the Passion Fruit Meringue Martini. Then back for a nightcap on the roof at Club Brass - fortunately the hotel supplies blankets for those who want to sit outside.
Monday morning and we joined a walking tour. The Discover Manchester tour runs every day, and gives you a good grounding on what's in the city. From the imposing Central Library, to the Manchester Central Convention Centre and the Bridgewater Hall, up to the Town Hall and Albert Square, into the John Rylands Library, past the Exchange building, through the modern shopping area, finishing by the National Football Museum. As we were up by the Football Museum, we went in (free entry again - spot the trend here?) to have a look around. If you're a football fan, definitely worth a visit.
It was past lunchtime, and we were feeling a bit peckish. We went along to the Richmond Tea Rooms - very quirky, definitely Alice in Wonderland. Unfortunately we were looking at an hour wait, so nipped down the street for a delicious cake at The Molly House.
In the evening we had tickets for Return to the Forbidden Planet at the Palace Theatre. So time to get ready and take in the pre-theatre menu at the hotel before walking down to the show. The performance was excellent, although the audience wasn't that large (maybe half full). Popped into Gorilla after the show, then round to Cloud 23 for a nightcap. Walking back to the hotel, we got the more expected weather - just a bit of light rain.
On the final morning there was quite heavy rain, and very blustery at times. Fortunately the hotel has umbrellas to borrow for just such an occasion. We wanted to go back to some of the places we had passed on the walking tour, starting with the spectacular John Rylands Library. The tour had taken us in, so we had had a brief look around but, as a lover of old books, I wanted to go back to look at the exhibits.
Then out the back to the People's History Museum - very topical with the general election only a couple of days away.
A quick lunch at Dutton's on Albert Square, and we had a quick look inside Manchester Town Hall and the Royal Exchange Theatre before having to head back to get the train home.
We feel we've hardly scratched the surface of Manchester. The place is chock full of interesting bars and restaurants, so we'll be back for another visit.
Friday, March 06, 2015
Movie night in
Been watching some movies recently.
So, I was finding I had some free time, and watched Toy Story. And the craziest thing was that I've watched this before (at least, I'm pretty sure I've watched the movie at least once), and while the odd scene was familiar the whole movie seemed rather new to me. My mind has obviously forgotten a lot.
I then watched Toy Story 2. And that was even worse. Again, there's the odd scene I remember, but pretty much the whole movie was like something I had never seen before. This is sort of crazy.
As an aside, one thing I did notice was that there's a clear technological shift going on. The original Toy Story seems graphically flat compared to the second film.
Melanie often gets a few pages into a book or movie before she gets this feeling of deja vu creeping up on her. The other night, she couldn't remember whether she had watched World War Z (by the way, I know I haven't), so I found the trailer. It was a long series of yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, finally concluding that in reality, yes she had watched this one before.
Back to the films. There was an absolute classic - The Italian Job. Not that modern remake (which, to be fair, has Minis in it, but that's about all), but the Michael Caine original. It's still pretty good. Again, I had forgotten some of the plot, but it's very much of its time, and there's this British sense of humour that shines through.
White House Down was one of those classic action movies. You know, the sort where hundreds of fully armed professional soldiers are wiped out by single shots from pathetic handguns wielded by the bad guys, whereas our rebellious hero is a total amateur waltzing carelessly around and hardly takes a scratch from literally thousands of rounds aimed straight at him. It's fun, it's silly, it's entertaining, it's the sort of forgettable escapism that makes movies.
Spy Game was a pretty standard for the genre. It's all just an excuse to show someone on the inside beating the corrupt system.
The Grand Budapest Hotel could best be described as peculiar. Dark in places, cartoon-like in others, arty and edgy cinematography. Sort of interesting, and you can see why it won awards, but ultimately unsatisfying.
Art of the Steal continued the peculiarity. It seemed excessively contrived and artificial.
Then there was The Big Bang, which wasn't too bad. There was a theme in several of the movies here in telling the story through a series of flashbacks, which was continued in this one. It sort of flips oddly between between plain and gritty and being very stylish, which is a bit distracting.
We actually enjoyed The World's End. The plot is completely stupid, the characters little better, the idea that the world has been taken over by robots with blue paint for blood is laughable, but the overall effect is surprisingly plausible. The one thing you simply can't believe, though, is that after 20 years all the pubs in the Golden Mile are still in business. No, that's totally out of order.
So, I was finding I had some free time, and watched Toy Story. And the craziest thing was that I've watched this before (at least, I'm pretty sure I've watched the movie at least once), and while the odd scene was familiar the whole movie seemed rather new to me. My mind has obviously forgotten a lot.
I then watched Toy Story 2. And that was even worse. Again, there's the odd scene I remember, but pretty much the whole movie was like something I had never seen before. This is sort of crazy.
As an aside, one thing I did notice was that there's a clear technological shift going on. The original Toy Story seems graphically flat compared to the second film.
Melanie often gets a few pages into a book or movie before she gets this feeling of deja vu creeping up on her. The other night, she couldn't remember whether she had watched World War Z (by the way, I know I haven't), so I found the trailer. It was a long series of yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, finally concluding that in reality, yes she had watched this one before.
Back to the films. There was an absolute classic - The Italian Job. Not that modern remake (which, to be fair, has Minis in it, but that's about all), but the Michael Caine original. It's still pretty good. Again, I had forgotten some of the plot, but it's very much of its time, and there's this British sense of humour that shines through.
White House Down was one of those classic action movies. You know, the sort where hundreds of fully armed professional soldiers are wiped out by single shots from pathetic handguns wielded by the bad guys, whereas our rebellious hero is a total amateur waltzing carelessly around and hardly takes a scratch from literally thousands of rounds aimed straight at him. It's fun, it's silly, it's entertaining, it's the sort of forgettable escapism that makes movies.
Spy Game was a pretty standard for the genre. It's all just an excuse to show someone on the inside beating the corrupt system.
The Grand Budapest Hotel could best be described as peculiar. Dark in places, cartoon-like in others, arty and edgy cinematography. Sort of interesting, and you can see why it won awards, but ultimately unsatisfying.
Art of the Steal continued the peculiarity. It seemed excessively contrived and artificial.
Then there was The Big Bang, which wasn't too bad. There was a theme in several of the movies here in telling the story through a series of flashbacks, which was continued in this one. It sort of flips oddly between between plain and gritty and being very stylish, which is a bit distracting.
We actually enjoyed The World's End. The plot is completely stupid, the characters little better, the idea that the world has been taken over by robots with blue paint for blood is laughable, but the overall effect is surprisingly plausible. The one thing you simply can't believe, though, is that after 20 years all the pubs in the Golden Mile are still in business. No, that's totally out of order.
Monday, May 06, 2013
Birthday Weekend
Another year older, another year wider. Actually, that's not true - a few minutes in the pool at the gym every morning are improving my health and keeping that middle-aged spread under control.
Saturday we went to Rockers Steak House, on Mill Road in Cambridge. We noticed it at about the time it opened, wandering along at the Mill Road Winter Fair, and had a meal there earlier this year. That was pretty good, so we went back for more. And the food and service were again excellent - we had the sharing platter, the sirloin and rib-eye, and I broke with my normal tradition by having the chocolate brownie. There are a number of new steak restaurants in Cambridge; Rockers gets my vote.
It's a long bank holiday weekend. We went out Norwich way and stayed Sunday night at Dunston Hall. We keep getting these offers mailed to us by Secret Escapes, and this was about the first time we could use one. The weather was fine, we just wanted to relax and chill. In the afternoon we simply had a drink on the terrace, and I had a basic cream tea - one of the best scones I've had in years. The only real criticism there was they seemed very short on staff, so it took a while to get served. In the evening we skipped the main restaurant for the bar - I went for a different arrangement and had the cheese board (in the dessert section) followed by a lemon tart, both were excellent. And the included breakfast in the morning was pretty good too - sausage, egg, and bacon were just right which makes a change for a hotel - although again they seemed a little short and were struggling to keep everything stocked. But overall, a relaxing and enjoyable day away.
We had a couple of sessions in the pool, which is a decent size. Once we had found it - the hotel is a bit of a rabbit warren.
We asked about spa treatments as well, but they were full. So we went to Imagine at Blofield Heath, just down the road. We had the Luxury half-day for two, which basically means chilling out in their facilities for half a day and having an hour's worth of treatments. We both went for massages - speaking for myself I'm not overly fussed about skin texture, but anything to soothe tired and aching muscles is good. This time, I had the hot stone massage, which was a new one - and worked really well with the heat working on those tense muscles. I found the little stone between the toes a litle odd at first. As well as the usual spa facilities, there's a relaxation room, and a couple of pods in the garden for chilling out in as well, which are really nice. To finish, we had afternoon tea in the garden, sitting by the ponds with a family of newly hatched ducklings for company.
Saturday we went to Rockers Steak House, on Mill Road in Cambridge. We noticed it at about the time it opened, wandering along at the Mill Road Winter Fair, and had a meal there earlier this year. That was pretty good, so we went back for more. And the food and service were again excellent - we had the sharing platter, the sirloin and rib-eye, and I broke with my normal tradition by having the chocolate brownie. There are a number of new steak restaurants in Cambridge; Rockers gets my vote.
It's a long bank holiday weekend. We went out Norwich way and stayed Sunday night at Dunston Hall. We keep getting these offers mailed to us by Secret Escapes, and this was about the first time we could use one. The weather was fine, we just wanted to relax and chill. In the afternoon we simply had a drink on the terrace, and I had a basic cream tea - one of the best scones I've had in years. The only real criticism there was they seemed very short on staff, so it took a while to get served. In the evening we skipped the main restaurant for the bar - I went for a different arrangement and had the cheese board (in the dessert section) followed by a lemon tart, both were excellent. And the included breakfast in the morning was pretty good too - sausage, egg, and bacon were just right which makes a change for a hotel - although again they seemed a little short and were struggling to keep everything stocked. But overall, a relaxing and enjoyable day away.
We had a couple of sessions in the pool, which is a decent size. Once we had found it - the hotel is a bit of a rabbit warren.
We asked about spa treatments as well, but they were full. So we went to Imagine at Blofield Heath, just down the road. We had the Luxury half-day for two, which basically means chilling out in their facilities for half a day and having an hour's worth of treatments. We both went for massages - speaking for myself I'm not overly fussed about skin texture, but anything to soothe tired and aching muscles is good. This time, I had the hot stone massage, which was a new one - and worked really well with the heat working on those tense muscles. I found the little stone between the toes a litle odd at first. As well as the usual spa facilities, there's a relaxation room, and a couple of pods in the garden for chilling out in as well, which are really nice. To finish, we had afternoon tea in the garden, sitting by the ponds with a family of newly hatched ducklings for company.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Trying to do too much
We're looking around for a new TV. The old one is a bit long in the tooth, although it's actually a staggeringly good TV - but it's a CRT and not HD (although it is a high-resolution TV that does upscaling), so eventually it'll become obsolete, we'll lose compatibility with everything providing inputs, and it does take up rather a lot of space in the lounge.
One rather strange trend I notice is that almost every electronic device attempts to include everything but the kitchen sink. All the Smart TV stuff is, frankly, gunk.
And it's broken at so many levels. Let's cover a couple.
So, in a decent home cinema system, you connect all the inputs to an A/V receiver or some other master device. So why on earth would the TV have a gazillion inputs on the back as well?
Any decent TV seems to come with a million ancillary functions - all this Smart stuff. As do many Blu-Ray players. As do games consoles. As does your phone, computer, and tablet. There's massive duplication going on here. And why on earth, given that you are likely to have all these other devices already offering this functionality, would you want to cripple all your other devices with substandard clones of the same functionality.
I want my TV to display the best possible picture, and to concentrate purely on doing that. I want my Blu-Ray player to play disks, and to concentrate purely on doing that. I want my games console (if I could ever find any decent games, that is) just to be really good at gaming. Adding the extra functionality adds cost, leads to compromises in core function, and will soon become obsolete. Not only that, but the TV offers a much poorer interface that a dedicated device.
The crazy thing is that, in a fully connected home, integrating this level of functionality into every device is unnecessary. Want to browse the web on the big screen? Simply use AirPlay or the like to teleport the display from your laptop or tablet.
I guess my Unix background shows through here, but I want each device to do one thing and do it well, and then I can join them together to provide a complete solution.
One rather strange trend I notice is that almost every electronic device attempts to include everything but the kitchen sink. All the Smart TV stuff is, frankly, gunk.
And it's broken at so many levels. Let's cover a couple.
So, in a decent home cinema system, you connect all the inputs to an A/V receiver or some other master device. So why on earth would the TV have a gazillion inputs on the back as well?
Any decent TV seems to come with a million ancillary functions - all this Smart stuff. As do many Blu-Ray players. As do games consoles. As does your phone, computer, and tablet. There's massive duplication going on here. And why on earth, given that you are likely to have all these other devices already offering this functionality, would you want to cripple all your other devices with substandard clones of the same functionality.
I want my TV to display the best possible picture, and to concentrate purely on doing that. I want my Blu-Ray player to play disks, and to concentrate purely on doing that. I want my games console (if I could ever find any decent games, that is) just to be really good at gaming. Adding the extra functionality adds cost, leads to compromises in core function, and will soon become obsolete. Not only that, but the TV offers a much poorer interface that a dedicated device.
The crazy thing is that, in a fully connected home, integrating this level of functionality into every device is unnecessary. Want to browse the web on the big screen? Simply use AirPlay or the like to teleport the display from your laptop or tablet.
I guess my Unix background shows through here, but I want each device to do one thing and do it well, and then I can join them together to provide a complete solution.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Where have all the good games gone?
Years ago, we bought a Sega Mega Drive. It cost us what seemed like a small fortune at the time, and games were pretty expensive. We played maybe a small handful of games extensively - Sonic and variations, and Desert Strike was fantastic. Yes, we still have it, although it doesn't come out all that often.
My brother had a SNES. We borrowed it for a while, just to play one game - Zelda. This was in a completely different league. Not too long ago, I actually went out and bought myself a Game Boy with the rereleased Zelda, and considered it money well spent.
The next console was a PSone. This has been heavily used, but largely for one particular game. Spyro: Year of the Dragon is just superb. You just can't get better. The predecessors were OK, too, but Year of the Dragon was clearly the pinnacle.
We have a PS2 as well. Looking around, there's not much available. The Spyro game for it is dreadful, and there's little else. The kids liked the Eye Toy games, but they've outgrown it and it hasn't been turned on for ages.
The Wii was - and still is - tremendous fun. But largely for Wii Fit and the odd sports game, where the board and the controller work really well. I haven't seen a more conventional game that's generated even a flicker of interest.
To be honest, I don't see myself buying a new console. I simply haven't seen one game that I can see myself enjoying, so what's the point?
I've also dropped out completely from PC games. Years ago, there were wonderful games available - I found Pod addictive, lost too many evenings to Caesar III, Age of Empires 2, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Rise of Nations, and Zoo Tycoon. Some of the updated versions were pretty dismal - Age of Empires III and Zoo Tycoon 2 were shockingly inferior to their predecessors, and there's a whole genre of games that's largely disappeared. Not only that, getting them to work on a current system is at best frustrating, if possible at all.
(And that's without Flight Simulator, a franchise that has largely vanished without trace - it once had a vibrant community and lots of community add-ons, I even built some scenery myself.)
The console and PC games industry has largely got itself to blame; potential customers with considerable disposable income won't bother getting their wallets out for any of the current garbage that's on offer.
Nowadays, I tend to play lightweight games on my iPad. In many ways, the game ecosystem provided by small mobile devices and tablets brings you back to the earlier games - simple, addictive, and fun. (One thing I didn't mention above is that we've collected a fair number of original Game Boy games, some have aged extremely well.)
One of my favourites right now is Harbour Master HD. It's a very simple premise, as with all good games - send the boats into harbour and out again, without any crashes. Addictive as anything.
There are a lot of games on the iPad and mobile devices that are ideal for killing short amounts of time. Puzzles, various logo games, pattern matching, brain training, and the like. The ones that work well are ideally suited to the platform, and fit around a busy lifestyle.
Maybe I am looked at the past through rose tinted spectacles, but I still want to know where all the good games have gone.
My brother had a SNES. We borrowed it for a while, just to play one game - Zelda. This was in a completely different league. Not too long ago, I actually went out and bought myself a Game Boy with the rereleased Zelda, and considered it money well spent.
The next console was a PSone. This has been heavily used, but largely for one particular game. Spyro: Year of the Dragon is just superb. You just can't get better. The predecessors were OK, too, but Year of the Dragon was clearly the pinnacle.
We have a PS2 as well. Looking around, there's not much available. The Spyro game for it is dreadful, and there's little else. The kids liked the Eye Toy games, but they've outgrown it and it hasn't been turned on for ages.
The Wii was - and still is - tremendous fun. But largely for Wii Fit and the odd sports game, where the board and the controller work really well. I haven't seen a more conventional game that's generated even a flicker of interest.
To be honest, I don't see myself buying a new console. I simply haven't seen one game that I can see myself enjoying, so what's the point?
I've also dropped out completely from PC games. Years ago, there were wonderful games available - I found Pod addictive, lost too many evenings to Caesar III, Age of Empires 2, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Rise of Nations, and Zoo Tycoon. Some of the updated versions were pretty dismal - Age of Empires III and Zoo Tycoon 2 were shockingly inferior to their predecessors, and there's a whole genre of games that's largely disappeared. Not only that, getting them to work on a current system is at best frustrating, if possible at all.
(And that's without Flight Simulator, a franchise that has largely vanished without trace - it once had a vibrant community and lots of community add-ons, I even built some scenery myself.)
The console and PC games industry has largely got itself to blame; potential customers with considerable disposable income won't bother getting their wallets out for any of the current garbage that's on offer.
Nowadays, I tend to play lightweight games on my iPad. In many ways, the game ecosystem provided by small mobile devices and tablets brings you back to the earlier games - simple, addictive, and fun. (One thing I didn't mention above is that we've collected a fair number of original Game Boy games, some have aged extremely well.)
One of my favourites right now is Harbour Master HD. It's a very simple premise, as with all good games - send the boats into harbour and out again, without any crashes. Addictive as anything.
There are a lot of games on the iPad and mobile devices that are ideal for killing short amounts of time. Puzzles, various logo games, pattern matching, brain training, and the like. The ones that work well are ideally suited to the platform, and fit around a busy lifestyle.
Maybe I am looked at the past through rose tinted spectacles, but I still want to know where all the good games have gone.
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Around the Inland Sea
Just over from the Azure Window is the Inland Sea:
Calling it a sea is a little bit of a stretch; it's really more of a puddle.
The hole in the cliff on the left is a channel to the sea. This is what lets the water flow in; it also allows small boats to go out.
It cost us 3.50 euros each, which is pretty good value compared to some of the other trips we saw.
Once through the tunnel, you're taken to see the Azure Window, and into some smaller caves along the cliff. Depending on the way the light catches the water, and what's at the sea bed, you can get considerable variation in the colour of the sea.
Above, you can see that it really is blue.
The boatmen also point out various features - what look like faces or animals in the cliff face. The following makes for quite a convincing crocodile:
Calling it a sea is a little bit of a stretch; it's really more of a puddle.
The hole in the cliff on the left is a channel to the sea. This is what lets the water flow in; it also allows small boats to go out.
It cost us 3.50 euros each, which is pretty good value compared to some of the other trips we saw.
Once through the tunnel, you're taken to see the Azure Window, and into some smaller caves along the cliff. Depending on the way the light catches the water, and what's at the sea bed, you can get considerable variation in the colour of the sea.
Above, you can see that it really is blue.
The boatmen also point out various features - what look like faces or animals in the cliff face. The following makes for quite a convincing crocodile:
Saturday, September 01, 2012
Windows on Gozo
We went over to Gozo for our summer holidays, staying just over a week.
One of the main attractions is the Azure Window, in Dwejra bay. Given a rock collapse earlier this year, it might not be around for much longer.
We were staying in Gharb, which is just a few minutes from Dwejra, so we went down several times.
You can also take boat trips from the Inland Sea (you can see one of the boats in the picture above), so this is the Azure Window from the other side:
You can just see Fungus Rock in the middle there.
One afternoon, I took a little walk out from Gharb, to the promontory on the other side of the bay. So you can look back and see the window in context.
On the other side of Gozo, there's another window at Wied il-Mielah:
This one is rather more difficult to get to. We visited the San Dimitri chapel, and then drove across country, along some absolutely terrible tracks. We came across some locals in the middle of nowhere who didn't know where it was and who tried to send us off to Dwejra, as we obviously looked lost. But there is actually a good modern road from Ghammar if you can find it, and a path and steps have been put down the side of the valley so you can get to the window.
One of the main attractions is the Azure Window, in Dwejra bay. Given a rock collapse earlier this year, it might not be around for much longer.
We were staying in Gharb, which is just a few minutes from Dwejra, so we went down several times.
You can also take boat trips from the Inland Sea (you can see one of the boats in the picture above), so this is the Azure Window from the other side:
You can just see Fungus Rock in the middle there.
One afternoon, I took a little walk out from Gharb, to the promontory on the other side of the bay. So you can look back and see the window in context.
On the other side of Gozo, there's another window at Wied il-Mielah:
This one is rather more difficult to get to. We visited the San Dimitri chapel, and then drove across country, along some absolutely terrible tracks. We came across some locals in the middle of nowhere who didn't know where it was and who tried to send us off to Dwejra, as we obviously looked lost. But there is actually a good modern road from Ghammar if you can find it, and a path and steps have been put down the side of the valley so you can get to the window.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Retro Play
I've collected all sorts of thing over the years - Meccano, Stamps, Avalon Hill games, Books, Jigsaws, and Toy Trains.
Most of this stuff is moderately old, and that's the attraction - there's a wonderful tactile feel to old things. But I'm not just interested in these things to collect, I'm interested in using them. Jigsaw puzzles are to be solved, books are to be read, Meccano is for actually building things.
The toy trains is a bit more of a problem. It takes a little more time and space. But earlier this year I was asked if I would set up some stuff for the Cavendish Laboratory's summer party - there were outdoor activities aplenty, but if the weather was poor people would be forced inside.
I jumped at the chance. There's so much more space in on of the labs than I could ever have at home, so I could put together a proper layout and give the engines a proper run.
You can see the scale. I would love to have this much space at home.
This is almost all post-war, early 1950s. There's a BR goods on the left, which is part of a complete set. And An LMS engine with a passenger train.
This is a train from my other full set, a tank engine and passenger train. We've also managed to collect some buildings, including a station.
I had a lot of people stop and look. The kids were fascinated, of course. But also the older generation were taken back down memory lane, as this is the sort of thing they would have had as children, so I had plenty of "I remember having one of those.."
Most of this stuff is moderately old, and that's the attraction - there's a wonderful tactile feel to old things. But I'm not just interested in these things to collect, I'm interested in using them. Jigsaw puzzles are to be solved, books are to be read, Meccano is for actually building things.
The toy trains is a bit more of a problem. It takes a little more time and space. But earlier this year I was asked if I would set up some stuff for the Cavendish Laboratory's summer party - there were outdoor activities aplenty, but if the weather was poor people would be forced inside.
I jumped at the chance. There's so much more space in on of the labs than I could ever have at home, so I could put together a proper layout and give the engines a proper run.
You can see the scale. I would love to have this much space at home.
This is almost all post-war, early 1950s. There's a BR goods on the left, which is part of a complete set. And An LMS engine with a passenger train.
This is a train from my other full set, a tank engine and passenger train. We've also managed to collect some buildings, including a station.
I had a lot of people stop and look. The kids were fascinated, of course. But also the older generation were taken back down memory lane, as this is the sort of thing they would have had as children, so I had plenty of "I remember having one of those.."
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Cambridge Pub Crawl
We weren't able to get to this years Ely Beer Festival so decided we would go and visit a few of the Cambridge Pubs we haven't been to before.
We started at the Tram Depot, just off East Road. A pleasant half for me, and Mel had the special offer cocktail. The menu looks pretty decent, and we enjoyed relaxing in the comfortable sofas.
Then on to the Free Press, small and cosy with interesting memorabilia on the walls.
Just along the street to the Elm Tree. An excellent half of mild (of which they had two), while Mel tried the mead. The website says food, but that doesn't seem accurate.
So across to the First and Last for lunch. We weren't planning anything heavy, so shared scallops and mussels. The menu is really rather good, and I highly recommend it.
Over to King Street and a brief stay in the Champion of the Thames. Nice and quiet with a warm open fire.
The King Street Run is somewhat different. Sky TV, intriguing decor, and quite loud music playing. We're probably getting too old for this sort of thing.
The to the St Radegund just as it opened, so we had plenty of choice of where to sit. Known as the smallest pub in Cambridge, it's not really all that much smaller than, say, the Free Press of the Champion of the Thames. By the time we left it was getting fairly full.
Then along to the Hopbine, where we had an excellent dinner on the hot rocks (something it shares with the Portland Arms and the Geldart).
In all the places we visited we were warmly welcomed and were given excellent service. By and large, most being visited Friday lunchtime and afternoon, most places were fairly quiet. The two meals we had were pretty top notch, and I couldn't fault any of the beer.
There's clearly diversity here - from the small and simple pubs to the larger and more modern places where food plays a larger role.
One interesting trend was that books and games were fairly commonplace.
Off to start planning the next event!
We started at the Tram Depot, just off East Road. A pleasant half for me, and Mel had the special offer cocktail. The menu looks pretty decent, and we enjoyed relaxing in the comfortable sofas.
Then on to the Free Press, small and cosy with interesting memorabilia on the walls.
Just along the street to the Elm Tree. An excellent half of mild (of which they had two), while Mel tried the mead. The website says food, but that doesn't seem accurate.
So across to the First and Last for lunch. We weren't planning anything heavy, so shared scallops and mussels. The menu is really rather good, and I highly recommend it.
Over to King Street and a brief stay in the Champion of the Thames. Nice and quiet with a warm open fire.
The King Street Run is somewhat different. Sky TV, intriguing decor, and quite loud music playing. We're probably getting too old for this sort of thing.
The to the St Radegund just as it opened, so we had plenty of choice of where to sit. Known as the smallest pub in Cambridge, it's not really all that much smaller than, say, the Free Press of the Champion of the Thames. By the time we left it was getting fairly full.
Then along to the Hopbine, where we had an excellent dinner on the hot rocks (something it shares with the Portland Arms and the Geldart).
In all the places we visited we were warmly welcomed and were given excellent service. By and large, most being visited Friday lunchtime and afternoon, most places were fairly quiet. The two meals we had were pretty top notch, and I couldn't fault any of the beer.
There's clearly diversity here - from the small and simple pubs to the larger and more modern places where food plays a larger role.
One interesting trend was that books and games were fairly commonplace.
Off to start planning the next event!
Monday, January 09, 2012
The Jolly Scholar
Following on from Tea at Bill's we stayed in Cambridge for our evening meal.
Originally we had planned to use our Tesco vouchers at Brasserie Gerard, but it appears they've gone bust. So back to our list of new places we haven't tried yet.
The Jolly Scholar (the web site is somewhat incomplete at the moment) is where the Bun Shop used to be. We've heard good things in the press, and the one friend who's actually been there was very positive.
The good things we had heard are thoroughly deserved. We decided to book a table for 6:30 but actually got there only a few minutes after 6, as all the shops in Cambridge closed very promptly and it wasn't really the weather to wander. They were just starting to serve food, so we sat down and had a good study of the menu.
The food is exceptional. We both started with the wood pigeon. It was rather more generous than I expected, was very tasty, and the beetroot and chorizo complemented it well. (And there was the added bonus of a small lead shot.) Melanie had the chicken off the special board. My rack of lamb was supremely tender, simply matched to a selection of roast vegetables.
We decided to skip pudding - we were reasonably full in any case, and still had plenty of cakes at home from Christmas, but I would unreservedly recommend the food at the Jolly Scholar.
Originally we had planned to use our Tesco vouchers at Brasserie Gerard, but it appears they've gone bust. So back to our list of new places we haven't tried yet.
The Jolly Scholar (the web site is somewhat incomplete at the moment) is where the Bun Shop used to be. We've heard good things in the press, and the one friend who's actually been there was very positive.
The good things we had heard are thoroughly deserved. We decided to book a table for 6:30 but actually got there only a few minutes after 6, as all the shops in Cambridge closed very promptly and it wasn't really the weather to wander. They were just starting to serve food, so we sat down and had a good study of the menu.
The food is exceptional. We both started with the wood pigeon. It was rather more generous than I expected, was very tasty, and the beetroot and chorizo complemented it well. (And there was the added bonus of a small lead shot.) Melanie had the chicken off the special board. My rack of lamb was supremely tender, simply matched to a selection of roast vegetables.
We decided to skip pudding - we were reasonably full in any case, and still had plenty of cakes at home from Christmas, but I would unreservedly recommend the food at the Jolly Scholar.
Tea at Bill's
I was wandering around Cambridge just before Christmas (a bit of last-minute shopping) when I walked past a new restaurant, but had to file it away for future reference.
Over new year we were in conversation on our Seckford Hall break and the couple we were talking to mentioned that they had stopped to have tea at this great place in Cambridge. It took a little while to connect the two places.
So, last weekend we had Saturday out and decided to have afternoon tea and an evening meal. And the afternoon tea location was set: Bill's.
It's quite out of the way, being neither in the shopping centre nor on top of any of the tourist traps. But it was absolutely packed, so word must get around (and I've never seen any advertising either).
There's a large table near the door, and we perched on a corner, with several other groups sharing the table.
We both had the standard cream tea. I actually drank tea (Earl Grey), while Melanie went for hot chocolate. The scones were delicious. If there was a criticism it's that the jam was a little runny (so you can't pile it high, and it runs off your scone), but that's nit-picking.
Overall, it's a little gem, and we hope to go back. (The burger on a board looked very tempting.)
Over new year we were in conversation on our Seckford Hall break and the couple we were talking to mentioned that they had stopped to have tea at this great place in Cambridge. It took a little while to connect the two places.
So, last weekend we had Saturday out and decided to have afternoon tea and an evening meal. And the afternoon tea location was set: Bill's.
It's quite out of the way, being neither in the shopping centre nor on top of any of the tourist traps. But it was absolutely packed, so word must get around (and I've never seen any advertising either).
There's a large table near the door, and we perched on a corner, with several other groups sharing the table.
We both had the standard cream tea. I actually drank tea (Earl Grey), while Melanie went for hot chocolate. The scones were delicious. If there was a criticism it's that the jam was a little runny (so you can't pile it high, and it runs off your scone), but that's nit-picking.
Overall, it's a little gem, and we hope to go back. (The burger on a board looked very tempting.)
New Year at Seckford Hall
We decided to try and get away for New Year. The girls are old enough to look after themselves for a night or two, so we can spread our wings a little.
It's also Melanie's birthday just before the new year, so that gives the opportunity of a double celebration.
We had a look around, and there are lots of places doing new year breaks. We wanted something not too far from home (which ruled out places like Scotland or the South West) but not in Cambridge itself. We wanted the night before new year, whereas a lot of places offered new year and the day after. And I definitely didn't want somewhere that was a formal black tie dinner.
We went to Seckford Hall, near Woodbridge in Suffolk. The distance was about right, the facilities looked good, and it met all our requirements.
They have old rooms in the main house and some more modern rooms. We went for one of the older rooms, with a 4-poster. It's a little more quirky, and has more character, although the floor isn't exactly very level!
The package included cream tea. It's more like stuff-yourself-until-you-burst tea. Lots of scones, jam, clotted cream, cakes, and of course tea. Delicious and very filling.
We had a good meal in the restaurant. We decided to sit in the bar and have a small drink beforehand, and they brought canapes out, let us peruse the menu, and took our order while we were still in the bar. Then, only when they were almost ready with the starter did they take us through to the restaurant. This is definitely more pleasant than occupying time at the table reading the menu, taking your order and then waiting for the food to arrive.
The food was excellent both in quality and quantity. I had smoked salmon cannelloni to start, with pork medallions for the main. Now, I'm rather partial to a cheese board for dessert, but decided against it as I would almost certainly have exploded if the quantity had matched all the other items we had. And coffee was again back in the more relaxed seating of the bar.
We took advantage of the small leisure facilities at the hotel. We swam several times and treated ourselves to a massage with Mary Scott.
On new years eve, we drove up the coast to Southwold. OK, so we did have a little walk along the beach and the pier, lost a few coins on the penny falls. But the primary reason for the trip was to do the brewery tour. This was really interesting. The last time I went on a brewery tour was (I think) about 25 years ago in Oxford. The Adnams brewery is somewhat more modern. The time of year meant it wasn't in operation during our tour, but this did have the advantage that we could get around more freely and study the equipment more closely. And of course, there's the obligatory tasting session and the free beers from the shop!
On to the New Year Dinner Dance. I have to confess that this sort of thing has never really been my cup of tea, and a gammy knee and broken elbow don't make it any easier. Of the dancing I'll just say that there was some, and I was occasionally seen to stand on the dance floor shuffling from one foot to the other. Any photographic evidence has been systematically destroyed. We were put onto tables of 8 (or so) for the meal. The hotel had clearly given a little competent thought to the groupings, so we were put with some very nice people and had a very enjoyable evening.
So, I would recommend both the general idea and Seckford Hall itself. Despite my general bah humbug attitude, I haven't ruled out doing something similar in a year's time.
It's also Melanie's birthday just before the new year, so that gives the opportunity of a double celebration.
We had a look around, and there are lots of places doing new year breaks. We wanted something not too far from home (which ruled out places like Scotland or the South West) but not in Cambridge itself. We wanted the night before new year, whereas a lot of places offered new year and the day after. And I definitely didn't want somewhere that was a formal black tie dinner.
We went to Seckford Hall, near Woodbridge in Suffolk. The distance was about right, the facilities looked good, and it met all our requirements.
They have old rooms in the main house and some more modern rooms. We went for one of the older rooms, with a 4-poster. It's a little more quirky, and has more character, although the floor isn't exactly very level!
The package included cream tea. It's more like stuff-yourself-until-you-burst tea. Lots of scones, jam, clotted cream, cakes, and of course tea. Delicious and very filling.
We had a good meal in the restaurant. We decided to sit in the bar and have a small drink beforehand, and they brought canapes out, let us peruse the menu, and took our order while we were still in the bar. Then, only when they were almost ready with the starter did they take us through to the restaurant. This is definitely more pleasant than occupying time at the table reading the menu, taking your order and then waiting for the food to arrive.
The food was excellent both in quality and quantity. I had smoked salmon cannelloni to start, with pork medallions for the main. Now, I'm rather partial to a cheese board for dessert, but decided against it as I would almost certainly have exploded if the quantity had matched all the other items we had. And coffee was again back in the more relaxed seating of the bar.
We took advantage of the small leisure facilities at the hotel. We swam several times and treated ourselves to a massage with Mary Scott.
On new years eve, we drove up the coast to Southwold. OK, so we did have a little walk along the beach and the pier, lost a few coins on the penny falls. But the primary reason for the trip was to do the brewery tour. This was really interesting. The last time I went on a brewery tour was (I think) about 25 years ago in Oxford. The Adnams brewery is somewhat more modern. The time of year meant it wasn't in operation during our tour, but this did have the advantage that we could get around more freely and study the equipment more closely. And of course, there's the obligatory tasting session and the free beers from the shop!
On to the New Year Dinner Dance. I have to confess that this sort of thing has never really been my cup of tea, and a gammy knee and broken elbow don't make it any easier. Of the dancing I'll just say that there was some, and I was occasionally seen to stand on the dance floor shuffling from one foot to the other. Any photographic evidence has been systematically destroyed. We were put onto tables of 8 (or so) for the meal. The hotel had clearly given a little competent thought to the groupings, so we were put with some very nice people and had a very enjoyable evening.
So, I would recommend both the general idea and Seckford Hall itself. Despite my general bah humbug attitude, I haven't ruled out doing something similar in a year's time.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Quarter Century
Twenty five years ago today, I married Melanie at St Aldates in Oxford.
So, recently we've been celebrating.
We had a party just over a week ago for family and friends. Having had a look at several places, we selected The Gonville Hotel here in Cambridge, and were very pleased. They gave us a superb lunch (the beef was rare, just as we like it, and they did salad without tomato, just as asked). We had a good buffet in the evening as well, although I have to confess to being rather full and not having much room to do more than sample it. We had a regular cake at lunchtime, and then a pile of cupcakes from Dorringtons in the evening. (They do a cardboard stand, but we bought a rather posh perspex arrangement and it looked stunning.)
This last weekend we went down to Ipswich and stayed for a night at the Salthouse Harbour Hotel, on the waterfront. We've never been to Ipswich (except to change at the railway station) so thought this was a good excuse to go to a decent hotel somewhere different. We stayed in one of the penthouse suites (after 25 years you get to treat yourselves) and, yes, it does come with a telescope. The room was spacious and comfortable, the bed luxurious, although the bath and shower were slightly compact and some of the bathroom fittings a bit the worse for wear. We treated ourselves to a joint massage at Flawless Image as well, the Vespers Drift Away, which was really superb.
Just to be silly we walked along to the cinema to see Johnny English Reborn. An OK film, with some really funny bits mixed in with some quite average scenes. In Cambridge, we prefer Cineworld (over the alternative Vue) because the seats are better and there's a better angle to the seating so you can see over the people in front; the one in Ipswich felt a bit tired and tatty.
Before eating, we had a swift drink at Isaacs, the pub on the waterfront next to the Hotel. A decent pint, although clearly it must get a bit rough - plastic glasses and bouncers at the door.
Dinner at the Hotel was good, but slightly disappointing in that our first two menu choices weren't available (we fancied sharing the Chateaubriand), and they had run out of our first choice wine as well. The scallops for the starter were really good, but slight disappointment with dessert as well - no blue on the cheeseboard. The quality of the evening meal we had was good, no doubt about it, but we were just put out a bit by not getting what we were looking forward to three times.
Here's to the next 25 years!
So, recently we've been celebrating.
We had a party just over a week ago for family and friends. Having had a look at several places, we selected The Gonville Hotel here in Cambridge, and were very pleased. They gave us a superb lunch (the beef was rare, just as we like it, and they did salad without tomato, just as asked). We had a good buffet in the evening as well, although I have to confess to being rather full and not having much room to do more than sample it. We had a regular cake at lunchtime, and then a pile of cupcakes from Dorringtons in the evening. (They do a cardboard stand, but we bought a rather posh perspex arrangement and it looked stunning.)
This last weekend we went down to Ipswich and stayed for a night at the Salthouse Harbour Hotel, on the waterfront. We've never been to Ipswich (except to change at the railway station) so thought this was a good excuse to go to a decent hotel somewhere different. We stayed in one of the penthouse suites (after 25 years you get to treat yourselves) and, yes, it does come with a telescope. The room was spacious and comfortable, the bed luxurious, although the bath and shower were slightly compact and some of the bathroom fittings a bit the worse for wear. We treated ourselves to a joint massage at Flawless Image as well, the Vespers Drift Away, which was really superb.
Just to be silly we walked along to the cinema to see Johnny English Reborn. An OK film, with some really funny bits mixed in with some quite average scenes. In Cambridge, we prefer Cineworld (over the alternative Vue) because the seats are better and there's a better angle to the seating so you can see over the people in front; the one in Ipswich felt a bit tired and tatty.
Before eating, we had a swift drink at Isaacs, the pub on the waterfront next to the Hotel. A decent pint, although clearly it must get a bit rough - plastic glasses and bouncers at the door.
Dinner at the Hotel was good, but slightly disappointing in that our first two menu choices weren't available (we fancied sharing the Chateaubriand), and they had run out of our first choice wine as well. The scallops for the starter were really good, but slight disappointment with dessert as well - no blue on the cheeseboard. The quality of the evening meal we had was good, no doubt about it, but we were just put out a bit by not getting what we were looking forward to three times.
Here's to the next 25 years!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Trying the Guided Busway
The Cambridge Busway opened recently - two years late, and millions of pounds over budget. So, many of us have taken to calling it the misguided busway instead.
A couple of weeks ago we went to St. Ives (to the beer festival, which meant that public transport is an ideal choice). As that's directly served by the busway, it seemed an ideal opportunity to try it out and see what all the fuss is about.
Compared to the old bus service, not much has changed. We got on and off the same vehicles at the same places, and the cost was the same. By and large, I would have said that journey times were pretty similar too. The bus is definitely comfortable, but the ride is anything but. On the regular road it's very smooth, but the guided sections aren't that great. The track is made up in sections, about a bus length each, and as the bus goes across these you get a regular pitching movement that can start to make you feel seasick. I can't imagine this getting better over time - settling is likely to make the joints worse and the track less even.
OK, so the bus is great for getting from a few places in Cambridge to a few locations along the busway. But that's all. It's very much a one-trick pony. It doesn't fit into a larger scheme, or address any of the area's other transport problems, or have any flexibility to evolve to meet changing needs. And that, to my mind, is a fundamental weakness to the whole project. It doesn't do anything to address issues of freight transportation or long-distance traffic, or even local traffic between villages, and isn't going to take any significant traffic away from the A14.
That's over a hundred million pounds of investment, with minimal impact in a very restricted area. Meanwhile, public transport in Cambridge itself remains extremely poor - overpriced, limited choice, and unreliable.
A couple of weeks ago we went to St. Ives (to the beer festival, which meant that public transport is an ideal choice). As that's directly served by the busway, it seemed an ideal opportunity to try it out and see what all the fuss is about.
Compared to the old bus service, not much has changed. We got on and off the same vehicles at the same places, and the cost was the same. By and large, I would have said that journey times were pretty similar too. The bus is definitely comfortable, but the ride is anything but. On the regular road it's very smooth, but the guided sections aren't that great. The track is made up in sections, about a bus length each, and as the bus goes across these you get a regular pitching movement that can start to make you feel seasick. I can't imagine this getting better over time - settling is likely to make the joints worse and the track less even.
OK, so the bus is great for getting from a few places in Cambridge to a few locations along the busway. But that's all. It's very much a one-trick pony. It doesn't fit into a larger scheme, or address any of the area's other transport problems, or have any flexibility to evolve to meet changing needs. And that, to my mind, is a fundamental weakness to the whole project. It doesn't do anything to address issues of freight transportation or long-distance traffic, or even local traffic between villages, and isn't going to take any significant traffic away from the A14.
That's over a hundred million pounds of investment, with minimal impact in a very restricted area. Meanwhile, public transport in Cambridge itself remains extremely poor - overpriced, limited choice, and unreliable.
Sunday, August 07, 2011
Variations in Travel
Just back from a short week in Munich.
We flew easyJet from Stansted. I'm not personally a fan of budget airlines, because they go to a great deal of trouble to give pretty shoddy service. (I can't believe that not having assigned seating makes any difference at all to their costs, and would make loading the plain much easier and quicker - not to mention being able to track which passengers are on board - I remember on one flight waiting for almost an hour on the tarmac because the number of passengers on the plane didn't match the number who had checked in.)
Why Munich? It was a short trip, so we wanted to fly from Stansted to make it easier. And just looked down the list of destinations. Munich is a fantastic place anyway, and has the advantage that you actually fly there (and not to some random tertiary airport miles away from it).
We've tried a number of different ways to get to the airport. In this particular case, we chose Stansted because it's pretty close to Cambridge. If we get an early flight out of Gatwick then we normally go down the night before and stay locally: then the hotel look after the car and offer a shuttle to and from the terminal, which works out pretty well. (And avoids the not insignificant risk of missing your flight due to being stuck on the M25 for half a day.) But for Stansted we have tried an airport Limo, which works quite well, and in this case just booked a taxi from Panther which is a similar price and just as good.
Going by coach or train would be a reasonable option, but for one thing - actually getting from our house to the bus or train station is a significant issue. It's not particularly cheap and, while it's close it can actually take quite a while. We're on the right side of Cambridge that we can just head straight for Stansted without having to fight into or through Cambridge itself.
Using the total shambles of a bus service to get to the railway station isn't really an option. You're often needing to travel early or late when the bus service doesn't operate, and even when it's supposed to be operating it's a total lottery as to when it might turn up - for our local service that's supposed to run every 10 minutes that mean allowing an extra 45 minutes to be sure you get their on time.
I hate parking at airports. If I drive down myself then I'll normally use valet parking. This isn't really any more expensive and is so much more convenient. It saves typically an hour and is much less hassle.
Having got to Munich we entered a different world. One of fast, cheap, reliable public transport. Well, almost (I'll come to that bit later).
The best way from the airport into Munich is the S-Bahn. And they have this "partner" ticket that allows up to 5 people to travel on the one ticket. From the airport which is a fair way out, that's under 20 euros for unlimited travel around Munich for the whole day. (Just within the centre itself the ticket is about half that price.)
Within Munich there's the S-Bahn itself, which spreads out to a number of suburbs, the underground, trams, and busses. This time we stayed near the main railway station, so just had to choose the right service depending on our destination.
We fell foul of a couple of failures of german efficiency on this trip. The first was that one of the tram lines (the 19) has a huge chunk taken out of the middle of it, while they do maintenance. This doesn't actually cause much of a problem once you've worked it out, but it wasn't obvious - the notice plastered on the stop was in german, and the announcements on the trams were also in german, so we spent a couple of minutes scratching our heads working out what it all meant. And then got back on the tram we had just jumped off which went a slightly longer way round.
The second problem was on one of our day trips. We went out to Herrenchiemsee, which should have involved a simple train ride. Again, more maintenance work, so a simple train ride turned into one train which departed half an hour later than normal, then an unmarked bus through the countryside, then another train (just the random next train, not an actual connection to the bus). We then had a little tourist train at the end, and 3 boat rides to get round the islands. Fortunately the return trip was direct, but I'm not sure we would have liked to have tried the trip out without a tour guide.
Some bus drivers are the same everywhere. We had one occasion when we were waiting at a stop, the bus drove past ignoring us, then decided to stop 20 yards down the road. We run after it, just get to it and he pulls off again.
The flight back was delayed a little, but waiting was a right pain. Some pillock decided to start queueing about 45 minutes before boarding, and of course everyone else then has to queue - because if you don't then you won't get a decent seat or be able to sit together. So you end up standing in a queue that snakes all across the departure lounge, cutting it in two, and blocking access to the shops, for an hour before anybody shows up. (Even worse, the people who started the queue all had speedy boarding and therefore didn't need to queue at all.)
We flew easyJet from Stansted. I'm not personally a fan of budget airlines, because they go to a great deal of trouble to give pretty shoddy service. (I can't believe that not having assigned seating makes any difference at all to their costs, and would make loading the plain much easier and quicker - not to mention being able to track which passengers are on board - I remember on one flight waiting for almost an hour on the tarmac because the number of passengers on the plane didn't match the number who had checked in.)
Why Munich? It was a short trip, so we wanted to fly from Stansted to make it easier. And just looked down the list of destinations. Munich is a fantastic place anyway, and has the advantage that you actually fly there (and not to some random tertiary airport miles away from it).
We've tried a number of different ways to get to the airport. In this particular case, we chose Stansted because it's pretty close to Cambridge. If we get an early flight out of Gatwick then we normally go down the night before and stay locally: then the hotel look after the car and offer a shuttle to and from the terminal, which works out pretty well. (And avoids the not insignificant risk of missing your flight due to being stuck on the M25 for half a day.) But for Stansted we have tried an airport Limo, which works quite well, and in this case just booked a taxi from Panther which is a similar price and just as good.
Going by coach or train would be a reasonable option, but for one thing - actually getting from our house to the bus or train station is a significant issue. It's not particularly cheap and, while it's close it can actually take quite a while. We're on the right side of Cambridge that we can just head straight for Stansted without having to fight into or through Cambridge itself.
Using the total shambles of a bus service to get to the railway station isn't really an option. You're often needing to travel early or late when the bus service doesn't operate, and even when it's supposed to be operating it's a total lottery as to when it might turn up - for our local service that's supposed to run every 10 minutes that mean allowing an extra 45 minutes to be sure you get their on time.
I hate parking at airports. If I drive down myself then I'll normally use valet parking. This isn't really any more expensive and is so much more convenient. It saves typically an hour and is much less hassle.
Having got to Munich we entered a different world. One of fast, cheap, reliable public transport. Well, almost (I'll come to that bit later).
The best way from the airport into Munich is the S-Bahn. And they have this "partner" ticket that allows up to 5 people to travel on the one ticket. From the airport which is a fair way out, that's under 20 euros for unlimited travel around Munich for the whole day. (Just within the centre itself the ticket is about half that price.)
Within Munich there's the S-Bahn itself, which spreads out to a number of suburbs, the underground, trams, and busses. This time we stayed near the main railway station, so just had to choose the right service depending on our destination.
We fell foul of a couple of failures of german efficiency on this trip. The first was that one of the tram lines (the 19) has a huge chunk taken out of the middle of it, while they do maintenance. This doesn't actually cause much of a problem once you've worked it out, but it wasn't obvious - the notice plastered on the stop was in german, and the announcements on the trams were also in german, so we spent a couple of minutes scratching our heads working out what it all meant. And then got back on the tram we had just jumped off which went a slightly longer way round.
The second problem was on one of our day trips. We went out to Herrenchiemsee, which should have involved a simple train ride. Again, more maintenance work, so a simple train ride turned into one train which departed half an hour later than normal, then an unmarked bus through the countryside, then another train (just the random next train, not an actual connection to the bus). We then had a little tourist train at the end, and 3 boat rides to get round the islands. Fortunately the return trip was direct, but I'm not sure we would have liked to have tried the trip out without a tour guide.
Some bus drivers are the same everywhere. We had one occasion when we were waiting at a stop, the bus drove past ignoring us, then decided to stop 20 yards down the road. We run after it, just get to it and he pulls off again.
The flight back was delayed a little, but waiting was a right pain. Some pillock decided to start queueing about 45 minutes before boarding, and of course everyone else then has to queue - because if you don't then you won't get a decent seat or be able to sit together. So you end up standing in a queue that snakes all across the departure lounge, cutting it in two, and blocking access to the shops, for an hour before anybody shows up. (Even worse, the people who started the queue all had speedy boarding and therefore didn't need to queue at all.)
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Brasserie Gérard, Cambridge
We went out to Brasserie Gérard in Cambridge last night, as a meal for Hannah's Birhday.
Now, Brasserie Gérard is one of our favourite restaurants. The service and food are always excellent, and the menu is a good match for our likes.
I started with the tiger prawns. Firm flesh and very tasty, although I think I would have added some more garlic for an extra bit of zing (which is probably one of the reasons you don't want me running a restaurant!). Main course was my usual steak frites - in this case the filet, and it was delicious. I'm not a great fan of the faux filet (aka sirloin) - I prefer either the onglet or the full fillet myself. Then the cheeseboard to finish.
Of course, the really good thing about Brasserie Gérard is that you can use your Tesco vouchers, which makes it extremely affordable!
Now, Brasserie Gérard is one of our favourite restaurants. The service and food are always excellent, and the menu is a good match for our likes.
I started with the tiger prawns. Firm flesh and very tasty, although I think I would have added some more garlic for an extra bit of zing (which is probably one of the reasons you don't want me running a restaurant!). Main course was my usual steak frites - in this case the filet, and it was delicious. I'm not a great fan of the faux filet (aka sirloin) - I prefer either the onglet or the full fillet myself. Then the cheeseboard to finish.
Of course, the really good thing about Brasserie Gérard is that you can use your Tesco vouchers, which makes it extremely affordable!
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