Open Day at the Holland Park Opera
3 Aug 2009
A little over a week ago I took a walk over to my local and possibly favourite London park, Holland Park for a little fresh air. I’ve posted about Holland Park before but had still, disappointingly, not made it to the Holland Park Opera, a covered open air theatre in the centre of the park. Yet not long after I had camped myself in the middle of a rose garden I heard the unmistakable sounds of an orchestra and a woman in a viking helmet – it was the Holland Park Opera open house and the doors had been thrown open to allow the likes of me, and the neighbourhood children, into the opera to see demonstrations of performances, old costumes, behind the scenes on the site and (this was more exciting for the children than for me) the in-costume star of Angelina Ballerina.
I had missed most of the singing but was quite impressed by the costumes on display as well as the theatre itself. As I write this, I’m reminded that I only have another day or two to see the last of this season’s performances so it seems a bit unlikely I’ll get the full Holland Park Opera experience but in comparison to what was to come on the open house day that may be ok.
After a tour of the opera house and grounds, I heard the distinct sound of an orchestra warming up. I took a seat right at the front of the theatre while the orchestra prepared, unsure of what to expect. It seemed they were a bit apprehensive themselves and the reason became clear when a line of two dozen children appeared out of the wings, led by a grinning conductor. It seemed that I had also missed out on a conducting lesson and now, the mini maestros were ready for their thirty seconds of fame while they picked one of three songs (Overture for William Tell, the Can Can or Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro) in which to conduct the rest of the orchestra.
A minor amount of chaos ensued. The highly trained orchestra, much to the delight of the children conducting and the spectators, followed along precisely with the amateur conductors – meaning that rarely did the piece actually stay on tempo or sound much like the familiar composition it was supposed to be. Everyone was having a fantastic time although none seemingly so much as the main conductor himself who looked positively thrilled.
It was a fantastic afternoon and although I didn’t get a chance to lead the orchestra myself, I’m so happy to have been a small part of the Holland Park Opera open house and see first hand the amazing arts facilities I have just beyond my front door.
London Eats: Betty Blythe
29 Jul 2009At the Top Floor Flat, we’re pretty good about cooking everything for ourselves. However there has always been a nearly irresistable temptation to visit a nearby restaurant called The Priory. The Priory has the most alluring outside tables, the most sparkling icicle fairy lights, the most tempting aromas – but only when we’re not there. In fact, the three times we’ve made a decided efforrt to go to the Priory for a meal, it was closed. It seems to be closed every Sunday, every Monday and, as we discovered last weekend, on Saturday lunches.
Having already left the flat, we decided to wander around in search of another local eatery where we could get some lunch and discuss the business model of The Priory (it would seem that more open hours would contribute to more, or at least, our, business). We were quite ready to forgive the Priory, however, when we stumbled upon Betty Blythe, a specialty food store turned cafe with the most pleasing decor imaginable (it looked a bit like a Laura Ashley store collided with a sweet sixteen birthday party).
Ann and I indulged in sandwiches, lattes and decadent carrot cake served on delicate china plates before we had to usher each other out – avoiding any misguided purchases such as dozens of cupcakes, bottles of fancy sodas or loaves of homemade bread.
Betty Blythe isn’t a full restaurant, the menu is limited and the sandwiches premade (although that works in your favour if you’re hungry). But it’s ambiance, quality homemade food and friendly staff made it the perfect place for a mid-day bite. Take that Priory.
73 Blythe Road
West Kensington, London, W14 0HP
020 7602 1177
Sandwiches, coffee and cake for two >£20
A Photo Tour through Kew Gardens – Part II
22 Jul 2009
The Rhizotron and Xstrata Treetop Walkway at Kew Gardens
Me... and the beautiful Pagoda in the south corner of the Gardens.
The Japanese Gateway and zen gardens, one of my favourite parts of the park.
Queen Charlotte's Cottage, used for family picnics in the park.
The picnic room in Queen Charlotte's cottage in Kew Gardens.
The Kew Palace on the Kew Gardens Grounds
The Desert Plantlife in the Princess of Wales Conservatory
View of the Palm House from Victoria Gate.
A Photo Tour through Kew Gardens – Part I
21 Jul 2009
The Waterlily House at Kew Gardens.
A view from the massive enclosed greenhouse, the Palm House.
View from the upper walkway in the Palm House
A view across the gardens towards the Temperate House.
Another happy visitor at the Gardens.
The Evolution House at Kew Gardens showed plant life from millions of years ago.
You might be surprised at how difficult it is to find non-city walks easily accessible from London.
Saturday morning I awoke with a irresistible desire to go on a long walk that didn’t involve cross walks and tourist-dodging and so spent the first few hours of my day Googling in the hopes that I would find something that didn’t requite and extended train ride, camping gear or a car. Meanwhile, I was getting progressively frustrated, sitting inside, on the computer, when all I really wanted was some outside time. Finally, after ruling out Kent, Oxfordshire and Wales as inaccessible without a bit more planning, I packed a backpack, laced up my trainers and left the flat heading southwest towards the river.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered a shaded, wooded dirt path along the south bank of the Thames that, despite my rapid pace, continued to stretch out before me into the sunny morning. Feeling increasingly better with each step, I decided to follow the path until I was too tired to go on or something interesting stopped me on my way.
At the time I had no idea I had found the Thames Path, a 184 mile route along the Thames. Of course I was familiar with London’s Southbank and the popular walk passing the London Eye, Houses of Parliament and famous Tower Bridge, but didn’t know that, once the path hits Putney in West London, it becomes a dirt and gravel pedestrian road that winds along the rive through the outskirts of the city towards Windsor, Oxford and beyond. The Thames Path website recommends fourteen days to complete the whole route, with suggested accommodation or camping sites along the way, and promises to send anyone who completes the trip a badge and certificate.
Of course at the time, I was just happy to be getting away from the busy city centre. It wasn’t quite a walk in the woods – the Thames Path wasn’t exactly crowded but pedestrians and bicyclists were also taking advantage of the nice weather – but it was a great deal better than trying to take a walk through the busy streets of Soho. At two points, near the Barnes Bridge and the Kew Bridge, the path merged with the main road and just past the Kew Bridge, the path passed alongside a very unpleasant-smelling waste management facility but aside from those minor inconveniences, it was a comfortable and direct route out of London.
Despite my intention to keep walking west for the rest of the day, I had barely made it six miles before discovering something interesting enough to distract me from the Thames Path – the world famous Kew Gardens. Although I decided to spend the remainder of my day walking around the Gardens, I was thrilled to have found a non-city walk accessible from London with no transport needed. I look forward to exploring more of the Thames path, hopefully doing a weekend walk into Oxfordshire while the weather is still nice.
For more information about the Thames Path, or to plan a trip yourself, visit the Thames Path website.
Meaghan Fitzgerald is a marketer and entrepreneur building and growing consumer and gaming products and experiences. A Silicon Valley native, she started her first company, DormWise, in 2006 which she later sold in 2009. Meaghan spent 7 years in London in early stage consumer startups, two years at Xbox as a product marketer for Minecraft, and is currently the head of product marketing for VR experiences at Facebook and Oculus. Meaghan writes here about business, technology, gaming, and marketing. She has been named a top