Problem
1 What to do in Reading, which has been rebuilding the station and everything for months, years?
2 Does anybody actually speak Esperanto? In the UK, where most people speak or learn English, as opposed to some remote island where nobody speaks their language and the lighthouse keeper wants a penpal?
Answers
I was delighted to be sent an email telling me that Esperanto events are being held in Reading Library and Museum. The library is inside the museum, alongside, however you like to look at it.
That's such a great idea, combining a museum and a public library. Many museums have a library attached to the museum, with books about the museum collection or the museum subject. If you have a free library, and a free museum, this works well. If the museum charges, this could be awkward, but it's easy enough to stick up a sign on the library reception desk saying, Buy Tickets here.
If the occasional person slips past deliberately or accidentally, you might just shrug. Alternatively you install a gate, a camera, threatening signs, welcoming signs, PAY HERE signs, and a person with eagle eyes, a suspicious mind, and a loud, stern voice. You know the sort. A retired NHS doctor's receptionist.
Memories of Reading
I've driven through Reading many times. I've been to the station. Never forgotten, when my car was written off on the nearby M4 as I drove to my writer's holiday in Wales, the huge, high, wide, long recovery vehicle with my car on the back, me perched, still shaking, in the cabin beside the driver, drove around the city's one way systems, to find where the large vehicle could top and let me off, with suitcases for my holiday in Wales into the station entrance or side entrance or back entrance. With a return ticket from that station, and no car, mine being in the local breaker's yard, with half my possessions still inside, I arrived in Reading again at the end of the course, to be collected by my husband who drove from London along the M4 to collect me, and home again.
If you are driving from London, you pass Windsor on the motorway on your left, the distant Windsor Castle just glimpsed, and then reach the turn off for Reading. If you are driving to Reading and passing at Xmas, or any season, you might make two centre stops, stopping at Windsor on the way to Reading or on the way back.
I've asked to stop and drive through Reading to break the drive from London to Wales. Hard to find somewhere to park.
But if you are in the area, such as a student or teacher at Reading university campus, you will live nearby or stay nearby, and know the parking places or bus routes or walking routes into the city centre.
The email told me that the library and museum were worth seeing, so do take a look. Type in Reading Museum and you get photos and I had this heading:
https://www.google.com/maps/uv
Esperanto
The Esperanto meetings at the library include one in summer 2018 and one later in 2018 just before Christmas, on or near the date of the birth of Zamenhof, who invented the universal language Esperanto.
Esperanto In Vienna, Austria
By the way, if you are holidaying or working in Vienna, Austria, see the museum with exhibitions on Esperanto and other made up languages. Esperanto is the most successful
Esperanto in England
In the north of England there's a museum on Esperanto and a college teaching Esperanto. See my other posts on Esperanto.
I have given several speeches on Esperanto, the world's easiest language, with consistent spelling and grammar and 16 basic rules. My talk with photos of Zamenhof and the museum about him in Poland and his grave with the Esperanto inscription encouraged members of the audience to say they wanted to learn Esperanto.
Reading Town Hall
Wonderful old building. Designed in the late 1700s!
Inside, the museum contains a copy of the Bayeux Tapestry. See it for free! William the Conqueror and unlucky Harold, shot in the eye by an arrow. Or was that merely William's wishful thinking, propaganda, a threat to others, don't mess with me.
William's legacy to us was the Domesday book, and all those French words, such as beef from boeuf, French for cow. Go to Hastings, in England, or Bayeux in France, for different views of history. Or simply ask any two visitors! The same simple question, to curators, 'Was William good for England?' will provoke two differnt answers.
You could discuss this in Esperanto. Start looking up the words now in preparation for your next visit.
The revamped interior also contains the modern museum, library and café.
Esperanto, Desperanto
If you can't do languages, Esperanto is for you. If you are good at languages, add it on, an easy extra.
Monthly events for Esperanto speakers and total novices in the cafe, run under the auspices of Duolingo.
The website said the Xmas event starts at noon, but the email said they meet at 11, so if I were you I'd arrive at 10.30, look around the museum or library and keep an eye open for when people arrive.
Esperanto Events in Reading
August ?
September 15, 2018.
Saturday Oct 13, 2018.
Saturday November 17, 2018.
Xmas Event, Dec 15 11-3 pm. (Not an evening event. Lunchtime.)
Reading Museum,
Reading Town Hall,
Blagrave Street,
Reading,
Berkshire, RG1 1OH
readingmuseum.org.uk
http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk
Learn Esperanto:
duolingo.com (Lots of Languages.)
Lernu.net (Devoted to Esperanto. Looks like lernu is an Esperanto word, simple spelling. Read more on the lernu.net website.)
Travel Information
Trains run from Paddington, London, to Reading.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Town_Hall
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Museum
visitbritain.com
visitengland.com
visitlondon.com
https://www.gwr.com/plan-journey/stations-and-routes/london-to-reading
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2018/05/frank-talk-about-learning-esperanto-if.html
https://events.duolingo.com/u/mw3qbu/ Contact Rico, the ambassador.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, speaker, teacher of English and other languages. If you would like a talk or workshop on Esperanto and learning languages, why you should be bilingual, or any other travel subject, for entertainment, after dinner, or business, please contact me.
1 What to do in Reading, which has been rebuilding the station and everything for months, years?
2 Does anybody actually speak Esperanto? In the UK, where most people speak or learn English, as opposed to some remote island where nobody speaks their language and the lighthouse keeper wants a penpal?
I was delighted to be sent an email telling me that Esperanto events are being held in Reading Library and Museum. The library is inside the museum, alongside, however you like to look at it.
That's such a great idea, combining a museum and a public library. Many museums have a library attached to the museum, with books about the museum collection or the museum subject. If you have a free library, and a free museum, this works well. If the museum charges, this could be awkward, but it's easy enough to stick up a sign on the library reception desk saying, Buy Tickets here.
If the occasional person slips past deliberately or accidentally, you might just shrug. Alternatively you install a gate, a camera, threatening signs, welcoming signs, PAY HERE signs, and a person with eagle eyes, a suspicious mind, and a loud, stern voice. You know the sort. A retired NHS doctor's receptionist.
Memories of Reading
I've driven through Reading many times. I've been to the station. Never forgotten, when my car was written off on the nearby M4 as I drove to my writer's holiday in Wales, the huge, high, wide, long recovery vehicle with my car on the back, me perched, still shaking, in the cabin beside the driver, drove around the city's one way systems, to find where the large vehicle could top and let me off, with suitcases for my holiday in Wales into the station entrance or side entrance or back entrance. With a return ticket from that station, and no car, mine being in the local breaker's yard, with half my possessions still inside, I arrived in Reading again at the end of the course, to be collected by my husband who drove from London along the M4 to collect me, and home again.
Windsor, pedestrian area, previous Xmas. Notice the decoration of a royal crown in foreground. More decorations are handing across the street, mid-distance. Windsor Castle is peeping over the top in the background. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
If you are driving from London, you pass Windsor on the motorway on your left, the distant Windsor Castle just glimpsed, and then reach the turn off for Reading. If you are driving to Reading and passing at Xmas, or any season, you might make two centre stops, stopping at Windsor on the way to Reading or on the way back.
I've asked to stop and drive through Reading to break the drive from London to Wales. Hard to find somewhere to park.
But if you are in the area, such as a student or teacher at Reading university campus, you will live nearby or stay nearby, and know the parking places or bus routes or walking routes into the city centre.
The email told me that the library and museum were worth seeing, so do take a look. Type in Reading Museum and you get photos and I had this heading:
https://www.google.com/maps/uv
Esperanto
The Esperanto meetings at the library include one in summer 2018 and one later in 2018 just before Christmas, on or near the date of the birth of Zamenhof, who invented the universal language Esperanto.
Esperanto In Vienna, Austria
By the way, if you are holidaying or working in Vienna, Austria, see the museum with exhibitions on Esperanto and other made up languages. Esperanto is the most successful
Esperanto in England
In the north of England there's a museum on Esperanto and a college teaching Esperanto. See my other posts on Esperanto.
I have given several speeches on Esperanto, the world's easiest language, with consistent spelling and grammar and 16 basic rules. My talk with photos of Zamenhof and the museum about him in Poland and his grave with the Esperanto inscription encouraged members of the audience to say they wanted to learn Esperanto.
Reading Town Hall
Wonderful old building. Designed in the late 1700s!
Inside, the museum contains a copy of the Bayeux Tapestry. See it for free! William the Conqueror and unlucky Harold, shot in the eye by an arrow. Or was that merely William's wishful thinking, propaganda, a threat to others, don't mess with me.
William's legacy to us was the Domesday book, and all those French words, such as beef from boeuf, French for cow. Go to Hastings, in England, or Bayeux in France, for different views of history. Or simply ask any two visitors! The same simple question, to curators, 'Was William good for England?' will provoke two differnt answers.
You could discuss this in Esperanto. Start looking up the words now in preparation for your next visit.
Esperanto, Desperanto
If you can't do languages, Esperanto is for you. If you are good at languages, add it on, an easy extra.
Monthly events for Esperanto speakers and total novices in the cafe, run under the auspices of Duolingo.
The website said the Xmas event starts at noon, but the email said they meet at 11, so if I were you I'd arrive at 10.30, look around the museum or library and keep an eye open for when people arrive.
Esperanto Events in Reading
August ?
September 15, 2018.
Saturday Oct 13, 2018.
Saturday November 17, 2018.
Xmas Event, Dec 15 11-3 pm. (Not an evening event. Lunchtime.)
Reading Museum,
Reading Town Hall,
Blagrave Street,
Reading,
Berkshire, RG1 1OH
readingmuseum.org.uk
http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk
Learn Esperanto:
duolingo.com (Lots of Languages.)
Lernu.net (Devoted to Esperanto. Looks like lernu is an Esperanto word, simple spelling. Read more on the lernu.net website.)
Travel Information
Trains run from Paddington, London, to Reading.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Town_Hall
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Museum
visitbritain.com
visitengland.com
visitlondon.com
https://www.gwr.com/plan-journey/stations-and-routes/london-to-reading
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2018/05/frank-talk-about-learning-esperanto-if.html
https://events.duolingo.com/u/mw3qbu/ Contact Rico, the ambassador.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, speaker, teacher of English and other languages. If you would like a talk or workshop on Esperanto and learning languages, why you should be bilingual, or any other travel subject, for entertainment, after dinner, or business, please contact me.
