The best and worst of Cyprus and Greek-Cypriot Style Wonderful Wine and Food, Imperfect Plumbing and Power cuts

 

The best of Cyprus, like Greece, great wines, museums and archaeology. 

Wonderful Wines

We had a wine tasting at the Wine Museum. The wine museum had a video of stunning slides, plus straight-forward, but illuminating, stories about wine through the ages. Originally wine was stored in clay pots underground, with pointed bottoms to collect the unwanted debris of skins called the lees. (Getting rid of the lees is one reason for decanting or taking wine out of the bottle and leaving in a flask, nowadays.) 

Cyprus has a wine trail, numerous wineries open to the public, offering tastings for a small fee. The famous wine of Cyprus, Kommanderia, is named after the military commanders.

From the forts which you see around the coast, are a series of archaeological areas. Near Paphos, the small seaside town where we flew in, are the so called tombs of the kings. These ancient, king-size rock cut tombs, a short flight of steep steps down to an arched and sometimes open to the air area surrounded by one two or three niches which once held bodies and bones. No kings were around at the dates of these tombs. So I think of them as king-size.

This was free. You just register for a ticket. At the entrance are a small number of gifts. Books. And jewellery in the local style, rings covered with cloth. Great idea. I have some old rings whose tops are no longer shiny or of interest. I could cover them with cloth to match an outfit or co-ordinate. Inexpensive, as jewellery goes. About ten Euros.

Coffee - Cypriot

Cypriot coffee you might know of as Greek coffee or Turkish coffee. If you have eaten and drunk coffee in Greek, Turkish or Cypriot restaurants in those countries or London, England, or elsewhere, you will be familiar with the heavy grounds and great flavour of the coffee which can come ready sugared or half sugared or with no sugar. 

You find the famous worldwide coffee brands everywhere. Starbucks. Caffe Nero. The local version is called Cafe Island, with ecological actions and ideas at the centre of their marketing.

If you are not into alcohol or coffee, you can try Pomegranate wine.

Chris N Tsolakis, owner of the family business, the Rose Factory, near Rodon Hotel, Agros Village, Cyprus.  The factory makes rose liqueur, rose tea, and rose cosmetics and more. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
 

Marvelous Mezze

If you can't decide what to eat, opt for mezze, a mixture, a mini buffet. On our first evening in the large city of Limassol, further south east along the coast, we had a mezze. After the first course of hummous, taramasalata, beetroot, bread, yogurt dip (tahini), olives, I was already full and thought, that was a good, tasty filling meal. But that was just starters! The main course was grilled meat, kebabs, sausages and British style thick chips.

In the tourist places everyone speaks English, as well as other languages. Cypriots in the tourist industry are polyglots. When it comes to the main Europeans languages, Greek, English, German, French, sometimes some Spanish.

What else, apart from speaking good English, is left over from the British days? An English enclave marked on the map. Lots of UK visitors and hence the locals speaking English. Also, they drive on the same side of the road. You see Marks & Spencer shops in Paphos.

Limassol in the centre and coastal promenade road is full of outlet stores. Big name brands. Also seconds and second hand stores, and even charity shops.

I've left to the last what's not to like. Only fair to warn you what to expect and how best to cope.

Mosquitos

More than the UK, more than Singapore, where the government organizes and enforces fogging around major public buildings and private condos once or twice a week according the number of cases of malaria and dengue fever.

We took spray-on Deet. And Stingoes (sting goes) which we had to order in bulk from Australia or New Zealand. 

In Limassol we had so many insects and I had so many bites that I got up in the middle of the night and put on my Mosiquard high neck shirt, my face covering Outdoor hat, and my hiking trousers and thick socks. What I need is a roomy onesie in mosquito-proof fabric, or pyjamas with tight elastic at the wrists and ankles, insect-proof socks, maybe an insect-proof sleeping bag. I am sure a camping shop somewhere has something suitable. I don't want to set up a tent or mosquito net inside a hotel bedroom. Though some people travel with mosquito nets.

Toilets and Plumbing

I vividly recall going up to the American representative of New York at the World Travel Market trade show in London, when I was a London based very active travel writer. I asked her, "What would you say to a tourist who said, I don't want to go to New York or the USA. It has no history. I'd rather go to Greece."

She glared at me and replied loudly and angrily, "Greece! Two thousand years of democracy - and they still can't get the plumbing right!" She meant, in New York, and America, the UK and Europe, and most of the world, you can flush the toilet paper down the toilets. 

In Cyprus, like Greece, the pipes are thin, narrow. They quickly clog up. Signs above toilets warn you that you must throw the toilet paper in the bin beside the toilet. 

Yuck. Where does that smelly stuff go? 

Could an American billionaire set up a business installing large pipes and sewage systems in all the modern buildings being built in Paphos and elsewhere? Or would that simply pollute the sea? Maybe there's a business opportunity for somebody.

So now you know. What is good about Greece and Cyprus? Wine, food and archaeology are good. Mosquitos and plumbing need some prevention or precautions.

After the plumbing and pee, another P, power cuts. However, the hotels have their own emergency generators. When the garage could not give us petrol because the power went off the pump, grandad called a younger man who went to start the generator and we were away again. Some of the garages (petrol stations) had assistants who put the petrol in your tank and wiped your vehicle's windscreen. Like stepping back in time, sometimes bad, sometimes good.

Recommended - tips 

5 star

Casa Mespilea, Paphos, Greece. Highly recommended.

Caffe Nero, great.

5 star

Agrovino Lofou Studios, Cyprus. 

The huge rustic bedroom contained a fully equipped kitchen and washing machine. In the restaurant, the jolly owner played the bazooki. Highly recommended. He knows the owner of the Wine Museum, who often dines here.

Wine Museum, Cyprus. Highly recommended. The owner is also a pianist, composer and singer, who you can see singing on YouTube.

One star/Not rated

Eins, Limassol. 

Advantages

1 Fully equipped kitchen. 

2 Newly decorated. Red grouting in shower room.

3 Others loved it. 

4 Padded hanging wall pillows to protect your head

5 We agreed the location was great., 

Disadvantages

We left after one night, although we had paid for two, because of 

1 mosquitos, probably some repellent somewhere  in the large number of kitchen items in the under sink drawer. The rooms needed insect netting on windows, instructions to the cleaner not to leave windows open letting in insects, and English language catalogue of sprays listed alphabetically and place in a numbered box grid so you could find a fly spray.

2 noise from people leaving local bars, all through the early hours of the morning, on Friday night. We reckoned Saturday would be worse.

3 Lack of parking and no pull in. We created a traffic jam in the narrow street with people honking when we stopped to unload and next day to put suitcases into our car.

4 Claustrophobic and depressing View of back alley wall. Either ask the alley owner to paint the wall, or install flower pots, or install blinds with a fake outside view

5  Building site and scaffolding alongside and opposite. Alarmed me. Felt unsafe.

Come back. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Useful Websites

Agrovino Lofou Studios, 

Sunny Cyprus and Perfect Paphos Hotel, Casa Mespilea, meaning the Japanese medlar or loquat

 

Paphos on the west coast of Cyrus is the airport where RyanAir planes go from Stansted in the UK to smaller airports. Paphos is a small seaside town, with palm trees and art deco buildings. The town which has received a lot of money which has redeveloped it attractively. 

Casa Mespilea was ready to greet us with smiles at 1.30 a.m. The heady, sweet smell of the trees in the back courtyard wafts over you. Our room was beautifully decorated with a huge artwork over the bed. 

Next morning the buffet breakfasts was laid out under the shade of the back of the hotel. We sat under the trees having breakfast. The views in all directions were idyllic. Breakfast was not included in the hotel price but I reckoned breakfast was the best meal of the day, offering lots of variety. Apart from cereals and boiled eggs and ham, and sweet buns, and orange juice, they had tiny brown bread rolls wrapped around white cream cheese.

The manager is planning to hold wine tastings and other events. If you are interested, get on the mailing list.

Across the road is a Caffe Nero overlooking the sea. On the clifftop in front of Caffe Nero a statue sits waiting for you to take a selfie. (The two f letters in Caffe Nero are not a mistake. That is the Italian spelling.)

From the top roof of the hotel, you can look across at Caffe Nero and the sea. Paphos has half a dozen branches of Caffe Nero.

We took a drive to the harbour. Down on the harbour are cafes overlooking the yachts. Souvenir shops sell clothes including hats and attractive ladies dresses at more than 25 euros. I thought that was dear, but other shops in the major cities sell the same dresses in those styles of the same brand at identical prices. (The cheapest pretty dresses were sleeveless dresses, made in India, ten Euros, inland in the mountains at Troodos. You can also shop for cut price dresses and accessory outlet and seconds shops with lots of tee-shirts and dresses in Limasol or Lemassos in Greek.)

We took some photos, then went for a coffee away from the harbour.

Before travelling, I had ordered two useful books, a Berlitz multi-language guide, a Greek language phrase book, and a Cyprus pocket guide.

Perhaps the best thing about the garden was the aroma. Unfortunately, two sets of diners, at different times, were smoking, which must have detracted from the perfume for them as well as for us. However, the garden was big enough for me to move away and immerse myself in taking photos of the colours and shadows cast by the bright sunlight.

Useful Websites

Ryanair

https://www.ryanair.com/flights/gb/en/flights-to-cyprus

Paphos

https://www.visitpafos.org.cy/

Cyprus

Please bookmark your favourite posts and share links to this blog.

Casa Mespilea (Mespilea House hotel, Paphos, Cyprus)

https://www.casamespilea.com/

Caffe Nero (clifftop branch opposite Casa Mespilea)

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g190384-d14796459-r663996151-Caffe_Nero_Kato_Paphos-Paphos_Paphos_District.html

.....

Photos of this idyllic location will be add later.

Cyprus, on a cheap Ryan Air flight from Stansted, super seats

Sunny Cyprus, is a popular holiday destination, an island on the Eastern end of the Mediterranean sea (the word Mediterranean means middle of the territory or land). 

From Stansted you can fly from the UK to Cyprus (and many other European cities) on 'budget' Ryan Air. Booking early means you can get those cheap flights. People who booked a day or two before the flight had to pay a premium.

Stansted was very busy in May 2022, with the world opening up to travellers, business, family reunions and holidays after Covid-19. Welcome signs greeted everybody on arrival. We had booked meet and greet valet services (which still require a bit of a trundle to their reception with your hand luggage on wheels).

Ukrainians Welcomed

 Inside the airport were welcome signs under the blue and yellow horizontal oblongs of the Ukraine flag. The kiosk for them offered help with accommodation, transport and more. I was glad for them.

Well-organized England. It made me feel glad to be British, because we were organized. But also, a relief to be on a holiday, a holiday maker, not a refugee. 

Fine Food

We had cautiously arrived early. Our early arrival left time for a delicious chicken sandwich from Marks & Spencer. 

On board we had pre-booked a hot meal which was surprisingly good. The Thai green curry did not look like the picture which showed the ingredients but was very tasty. I had a glass of Prosecco.

We had no films to watch. The seats did not recline. That is Ryan Air. Nothing like the luxury of Singapore Airlines which charges everybody a lot more.

Money Saving

We also saved money by not booking the priority booking - which was very popular, the larger hand luggage with overhead locker space, and choosing who to sit next to and where on the plane.

Wonders of the Window Seat

I got moved around and ended up in a window seat, although I find the aisles less claustrophobic. I thought, it's a cheap flight. Just go with the flow. I was rewarded with great window photos of the clouds and wings of the plane showing the airline name.

Our flight was slightly delayed, so we arrived at 1.30 pm UK time instead of 1 pm, which was 3 pm Cyprus time.

We took a taxi from the Paphos airport, although we had an Avis hire car the next day. Taking a taxi was costly, but saved us having to drive in the dark and find our small hotel. 

Stansted Spelling

Yes, the spelling of the airport is Stansted. Sted. Not Stead. If you don't have a flight ticket to check, you can easily check by typing it into Google, Chrome, and seeing what comes up.

In Cyprus, at Pahpos, the first night hotel was a delight. See my next post.

Elizabeth line open! Jubilee weekend ahead. Jubilee year worldwide!

 

ALSO See previous post MAY 17 2022.

The eagerly awaited Elizabeth line was opening. Disappointingly it would cost you as much as twenty five pounds to take the express line from Heathrow to central London. Probably less than a taxi. But other parts of the line - hurray! 

London looked different. More like modern Singapore. 

Terrific Trains

I rode on a trains with one long carriage. As you go around a bend the far end of the train swings this way and that. No risk of being isolated with a funny character. If you don't like the people staring at you, or coughing near you, you can take a long walk away from them.

Fun Flags Flying

Lots of rows or Union Jack flags were flying in shop windows celebrating the Jubilee year and the upcoming Jubilee long weekend. I saw them in the post office in Hatch End in North West London. 

Two big flags flew either side of the doorway outside the Wetherspoons pub. 

But we were departing and would miss the magic, the street parties. However, with the wonder of the internet we could watch everything from a distance.

Are you not in the UK? See my sister posts in dressofthedayAngela for How To Shit In the Woods, and extra detachable sequin collars for light packing.

A Buttonhole Napkin For Travelling

 

Angela Lansbury wearing a white dickey. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Photo taken at the Tanglin Club, Singapore.

To support a buttonhole napkin I am wearing a white dickey (a decorative collar without any shirt, just a shirt front). The dickey has buttons which enable me to pin on the napkin to the top button. An alternative would be a brooch or pendant with a chain so you can tuck in the napkin.

Whenever I dress for a dinner out, especially in summer and light evenings, I look for something light, a change from the funeral blacks of winter. But I then consider that I might stain my lovely outfit with food. 

I don't want to have clothes hung up and never worn. What a waste of money - and wardrobe space. (Americans say closet.)

Tanglin Club buttonhole napkin.

The pink napkin will not go with Trevor's shirt.

You can buy two white dinner napkins for just under 15 collars (plus postage) from Etsy from suppliers in the USA. Others on Etsy offer sets of six at proportional prices. From EmbroiderybyLinda and DapperDiner. The napkins can be supplied in cotton or polyester. 

Cotton or Polyester

Cotton, for a softer feel? To match your tablecloth. To wash on high heat to get rid of stains and bacteria. Or polyester to repulse stains. 

You can take one with you on holiday. Make sure to pack a blouse. Or make a tie with a button to hold the napkin. Just sew a small inconspicuous button which fits the button hole onto something which won't be pulled out of shape but is strong enough to support the napkin.

The dickey is perfect for adding to any top which does not have a button. I travel with two dickeys, one in white, the other in black.

Two in white cotton for ten pounds, plus about 14 pounds postage to the UK.

DIY buttonhole napkin

I could make a buttonhole napkin from an old white or coloured shirt whose collar and cuffs have frayed or stained, if the placket is still in good condition. Cut a diamond shape (square) with the east or right hand point over one buttonhole. Use an existing table napkin to test the right size when hanging from your neck. 

Harrow Statue In Gleaming Gilt - hygeinic statue on Hygeia house

 When you stand in the bus station in Harrow facing St Ann's Shopping Mall you see a gilded statue on the wall opposite. She is the Greek Goddess Hygeia, also a Roman Goddess. You can see from the sign underneath her in large letters across the top of the square columns that the building is named Hygeia house. From her we get the word hygiene. Health and hygiene.

Gilded statue of Greek Goddess Hygea in Harrow. On College Road, Harrow. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

She appears to be doing her morning exercises whilst waiting for the bus. If you want to see more statues of energetic females in Harrow, look for the skipping Katy.

If you travel to Poland, in Krakow you can see an art deco statue of Hygeia.

Elsewhere on the web, you can see Klimpt's painting of Hygeia.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_public_art_in_the_London_Borough_of_Harrow

Showing Stanmore sculpture

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sculptures_in_the_London_Borough_of_Harrow

About skipping statue called Katie and the underpass under the circle (roundabout)

https://harrowonline.org/2016/10/19/the-story-behind-the-skipping-girl-and-other-public-art-in-harrow/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygieia

When Flying, Prepare for Flies and First Aid, Mosquitos, Repellent

 I got bitten. In the garden. London, England. 

Do I need a nurse, doctor, ambulance, A and E appointment? Probably just trip to the chemis\s (Americans say pharmacy) (in the UK we say chemists). 

I looked up the home remedies. I could apply ice - but not for too long. In Singapore I could have used aloe vera which we have growing on our balcony.

London's Flags Flying Prepared For the Platinum Jubilee - flag colours and colourful clothes

 

Flags flying for the Platinum Jubilee of H M The Queen. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Walk around London or take a bus and you will see the jolly flags decorating the streets. My husband, Trevor, said, "They should be up all year. They are such fun."

Perhaps the flags will stay all year. The holiday is a four day break. This year is known as the Jubilee year.

This photo was taken in Regent Street from a bus. I was able to identify the location from the Kate Spade shop front. Seeing the Kate Spade name led me on a happy trail of discovery. 

Kate Spade Shops

First, I checked the Kate Spade locations. In London, Covent Garden, Regent Street, and Heathrow airport. Worldwide in the USA and Canada.

I love the colourful green and pink dresses with large jungly prints and matching handbags. A bit pricey for me. The website has a sale page. 

Platinum Pudding or Platinum Jubilee Pudding, British Summer Pudding, Rhubarb Crumble and Rice Pudding

 

The Union Jack flags are flying in Oxford Street and the streets of London, England, very jolly. To celebrate the Jubilee people all over the world will be making the Jubilee pudding. This follows the tradition of creating dishes for VIP occasions. Victoria sponge was invented for Queen Victoria. Coronation chicken was created for the coronation. Windsor soup is another great British recipe.

Platinum Pudding is shorter and neatly alliterative. The full name is Platinum Jubilee Pudding.

The ingredients include lemon Swiss roll and amaretti biscuits. (Amaretti biscuits are Italian biscuit, small, crunchy, with almonds.)

(More shortly. I'm saving this because some of yesterday's posts have disappeared.)

Summer Pudding

Another great British pudding to look for is summer pudding. It has a casing of white bread turned red by the ingredients. The stuffing is mixed red fruits .

Summer pudding ingredients from Wikipedia.

Apple crumble is an easy pudding. Crumble is so easy. You don't even need to roll out the pastry. Just spread tiny lumps all over the top of the fruit. You might need to stew the fruit first.

If you want to buy from supermarkets in the UK, popular summer puddings are apple crumble, rhubarb crumble, and rice pudding.

Rhubarb crumble from Tesco. Two pounds ninety.

Perfect Puddings

To sum up, for a celebratory meal you could have Windsor soup, coronation chicken, and Platinum pudding. Alternative British desserts are Summer pudding, rice pudding, bread and butter pudding, rhubarb crumble, apple and blackberry crumble, from supermarkets. A simple old favourite you can make is trifle. For something more unusual, my family's favourite, Queen of puddings, which has meringue on top. 

For tea time, the Australian and New Zealand favourite is Pavlova. Named after the dancer who visited Australasia, this dessert is a hard circular plate size white meringue with a raised edge and sunken centre making a base or bowl for summer fruit such as red strawberries. 

By the way, the Marks and Spencers strawberries in London, England are at their best already. Red, juicy, flavoursome. The traditional English way of serving strawberries is with cream. 

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platinum_Pudding

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:British_puddings

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/shop/fresh-food/chilled-desserts/puddings-crumbles-and-pies

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Queen_of_Puddings

May Movies on Singapore Airlines

Meryl Streep as an author on a ship from the USA to the UK. 

Emma

Jane Austen's book. Excellent acting. Superb period costumes. Silent servants. Heart-warming happy ending.

Changi Prison 

Singapore comes out of it relatively well. The prison staff do impressive work helping prisoners pass exams to increase their morale and ability to find work after release, and in helping released prisoners find accommodation. Shocking statistics on the number of prisoners who re-offend. Even more return to prison outside Singapore.

Save Yourself and Your Family and Friends, Around Wet Floors, Sea Water, Snow, Sand, and Seasides: precautions and where to find help

Wet floor sign.

Life is full of hazards. Small, common, everyday hazards. 

I recently (May 2022) slipped on a tiled floor in Singapore after rain, near a swimming pool, in Cashew Heights Condo, on the route to the shop. Two hazards, the wet tiled floor, no warning, since the water was not caused by the staff but by the rain.

Many places put up warning signs if the cleaners have made the floor wet. I have seen other signs warning that the Ladies toilet area can be slippery if the floor is made wet by users, such as by washing hands. I cannot understand why it is not mandatory to have non-slip floors/floor tiles in public and private bathrooms, and kitchens. In fact all public areas. 

You can take responsibility for the safety of others, and yourself.

 Secondly, I looked at my footwear and realized my favorite old Clogs had worn down soles not providing the proper grip of new shoes.

I was so shaken, and my knee hurt, so I could not go swimming that day. the next day I was careful to check the soles of my shoes. 

Unusual and serious beach hazards

Japanese tsunami warning.

USA tsunami warning, Santa Monica beach.

Many beaches have red flag signs. 

Some beaches tell you when there is a lifeguard on duty and warn you no to swim when there is not lifeguard.

 Before swimming or walking or digging, alert others and discuss safety precautions. Many swimming pools and beaches have safety lines, and resuscitation equipment and helplines.

When you ring the emergency number, you can be told where to find the nearest defibrilator, which sends a shock to re-start the heart.

Update

I thought that you should not dig above your neck height in case the sand fell in. However, I suppose the weight of sand or earth could knock you over. The advice I read today was don't dig below knee level. The other thing I noticed was that in season there are life guards or rangers, but we are not yet in the height of the season. 

Useful websites

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10827513/Double-tragedy-teenagers-18-13-die-separate-sand-collapses.html#reader-comments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emergency_telephone_numbers

https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/defibrillators

Secrets Of A Successful flight on Singapore Airlines, the price, the movies, the seat, the armrest, the toilet seat

 

Airline lounge toilets had heated seats.

Mushroom soup. Pasta. Buffet. Chocolate mini muffins.

Best Prices

Hunt for the best prices for flights. On Singapore Airlines we found that midweek flights and daytime flights were cheaper than night flights and weekends. 

Choose Seats

Pick your seat online as early as you can. Right now flights are full. 

Aisle Seat

I like aisle seats. I can jump out quickly.

I like an aisle seat. I used to like window seats in order to see the view when taking off and coming into land. But I was a nervous flyer and that made me feel worse. 

I discovered that I felt less claustrophobic in the aisle seat. Then I could see all the way down the plane. 

Second Chance to Choose A Seat

If you cannot get the seat you want, don't worry. You may get a second chance during check-in. For the first time ever, in May 2022, this did not work. They were full.

Last Chance - Or Swap Seats

After boarding, ask politely if somebody else wants to change seats. I am glad I did not fret about not having an aisle seat. As soon as the person with that aisle seat got on, he asked me, "Would you mind changing seats?" 

"Delighted to," I replied. I asked, "Why do you want a window seat?"

He said, "Because I work on the engineering of planes. I like to watch the wing flaps move."

 I was delighted to swap seats.

I changed to aisle seats by accident when I could not get a window seat. 

I could get out of my seat easily and quickly, with space alongside.

Window Seat Photos

I asked him to take a photo of the wings for me with my mobile phone.

Armrest Lever

Another trick in the aisle seat is to lift the armrest so you can get out more easily. There is usually a button or lever under the armrest.

Watch Great Movies

I watched four movies.

1 A film starring Meryl Streep as an author on the QE2 with two long lost friends and her nervous nephew.

2 Everything is Illuminated. Set in Ukraine. Fictional story of earnest young American searching for the village where his late grandfather came from. It has moments of black humour, (like Borat's film on Kazakhstan).

3 Emma. Jane Austen's humour survives the centuries. Bright humour and romance. Great acting. 

4 A film on Changi prison. The statistics were shocking. 

Useful Websites

https://www.singaporeair.com/

https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/travel-info/requests/meals/

https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/ppsclub-krisflyer/earn-miles/earn-on-the-ground/

Her Majesty's brooch from Singapore

Singapore flag

Did you see the circular brooch worn by the queen when she visited the Elizabeth line? The brooch is 18 carat gold with diamonds. The design is the South African bird of paradise plant.

I looked up the jeweller. They specialize in Peranakan style, which is a mixture of Malay and Chinese. Would you prefer something different or individual? You can commission bespoke designs.

Their website tells the story of the company.

Office: +65 6732 6141 / 6738 3151
Fax: +65 6732 9091

Email them

Email : enquire@foundationjewellers.com

Store information

11 Cavenagh Road #01-03/04/05
Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre
Singapore 229616

Useful Website

http://foundationjewellers.com/about-us/

The Elizabeth Line and the Jubilee Celebrations

 

The Elizabeth line will revolutionize the experience of travel on the London underground. It will connect Heathrow airport with Paddington station, and on to the exhibition centre in East London, where the World Travel market is held annually. The central sections will have trains running every 5 minutes, just as they do in central and suburban Singapore. 

The Queen was wearing a brooch she was given in Singapore. It does not show the orchid like most souvenirs, but is circular and represents a tree. The material is18 carat gold with diamonds, previously costing about 6,000 sing dollars if you fancy buying one the same or similar. (Depending on the exchange rate as well as increases in prices.)

Queen Elizabeth herself  was resplendent in the sunshine yellow colors of the circle line when she unveiled the plaque at Paddington. Her son Edward, who would have done the honours if she had felt unable to walk, was with her. He was delighted to ride in the cab (front carriage) of the driver's seat. I thought the trains were driverless, like the ones on the monorail in the East End. Oh, well. Not on this occasion. 

The public will start to be admitted in June. The three sections of the line will be running independently. They will finally connect up so you can go all the way to Reading in the West.

The line will be open on May 24th 2022 which is a Tuesday.

Another date for your diary is the Platinum Jubilee, celebrated with a long weekend,starting Friday June 3rd 2022.

Useful Websites

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_line

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2022/may/17/queen-opens-new-elizabeth-line-in-surprise-appearance-video

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-61465207

Statues of HM Queen Elizabeth, Boadicea and PM Thatcher in England, Canada and the USA

Bust of Queen Elizabeth II in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, commemorating her visit.

 

White statue of Margaret Thatcher in the Guildhall, London, England.

Another statue of Margaret Thatcher is in the lobby of the House of Commons, in London.

A statue of Margaret Thatcher is in the USA in Hillsdale College, Michigan. She visited the college and spoke there.

Pictures in Wikipedia under Boadiccea.

 Margaret Thatcher, British PM, in Grantham, England. 

The driver in our family, my husband, says Grantham is on the A1, the Roman road north from London.  A means one of the major roads. A1 to A6 radiate out of London clockwise. A7-9 are in Scotland. 

The A1 goes north. The A2 goes South East to Dover. The A3 goes to Southampton in the South. The A4 is SW to Bristol. The A5 was Watling Street NW.  

What about A6? He says, Type in A6 UK on Google maps to see the routes.

Boadicea, Celtic Queen, and her daughters.

You can photograph the Boadicea statue group silhouetted against the sky, or against Big Ben, or with the London Eye, which is a Ferris wheel.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boadicea_and_Her_Daughters

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=margaret+thatcher+statue&title=Special:MediaSearch&go=Go&type=image

Statues of Emmeline Pankhurst, The Statue of Liberty and other famous women

Photos from Wikipedia
 

The statue of Emmeline Pankhurst is in Manchester, England, UK. Here are some others:

EUROPE

London, England

Florence Nightingale (London)

Mary Seacole (London, England)

Edith Cavell (London, England)

Amy Winehouse (Camden, London, England)

Noor Inayat Khan (Gordon Square, London, England)

Manchester

Emmeline Pankhurst (Suffragette)

France

Paris

Statue of Liberty replica (8)

Colmar, Alsace (and other cities in France: Germany: Norway: La Rioja, Spain; and worldwide including mini versions in model villages)

Americas

USA

New York

Statue of Liberty, New York (and replicas in Virginia; Colorado; Indiana)

Statue of Liberty

Useful Websites

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty

https://www.invisiblewomen.org.uk/visible-women

Tanglin Birthday Lunch in the Churchill Room Restaurant: guéridon Caesar salad

Angela with freshly squeezed mixed fruit juice, and Prosecco, in the Churchill Room restaurant, Tanglin Club, Singapore. Photo by Trevor Sharot.
 

Excellent lunch.

I love the napkin with the buttonhole so you can attach it to a blouse. Glass of Prosecco. Freshly squeezed mixed fruit juice, orange, carrot and watermelon.

Caesar salad prepared by the table. The menu says the French word guéridon, meaning tableside cooking or serving from a trolley. A gueridon was originally a small static table.

Caesar salad, table-side service. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Chicken main course. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Dessert with small decorative leaves. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Birthday boy, Trevor. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

The Tanglin Club provided the candle on the dessert. I mad the badge, covering a large pin on badge with paper and drawing on it the word birthday.

Caesar Salad at the Churchill Room restaurant in the Tanglin club, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. copyright

Notice the freshly squeezed fruit juice, and the folded table napkin.

Angela Lansbury, wearing Tanglin Club napkin which has a buttonhole. Selfie photo by Angela Lansbury. 

The Churchill Room menu mentioning gueridon tableside service. Photo by Angela Lansbury

Birthday boy. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Chicken

Dessert.

Teeny real leaves.

Coffee. Wonderful white milk jug shaped like a flying bird. Brown sugar.

The dinner menu is different.

When I click onto Tripadvisor it shows me the last review I wrote of this place.

Useful Websites

https://www.tanglinclub.org.sg/dining/churchill-room.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowUserReviews-g294265-d3856497-r165614369-Tanglin_Club-Singapore.html

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