RafflesTravels

After a referral to get my wisdom teeth checked, I was sent to Kings College Hostpital for expert advise that may “save me hassle in the future”. After an enjoyable bike ride, I made it to here with 10mins to spare. As I was whisked straight in, my hopes were high that this would be a short check up and that I would be in an out in 15 or 20mins. It ended up taking a couple of hours, after waiting for a couple of dentists making their way around a packed room full of dentist chairs and asking each person their full medical history, with the person before me having possibly the most medical conditions you could imagine, from a double heart attack, asthma, a liver condition and a stroke! All this, plus a couple of X-rays later I was done! The fate of my wisdom was back in the hands of the experts. As I left, I felt I needed some outdoor space to recuperate. Where better than the nearby Ruskin Park. A lovely little oasis next to the sprawling Victorian hospital that has been extended m...

Having had an intense morning at work handling cutting edge first world “issues”, it was time for a Friday afternoon break in the past…. A short bike ride away was the oddity of Vauxhall, with the ever present oasis that is Brunswick House.  Chaining up my bike, I am greeted with the ugly site of the main bus station - a horrible design for this giant glorified bus stop. According to RC, who regularly adds esoteric facts to conversations, the reason why they make buses go around it for no apparent reason is because it helps MI5 to increase their spiritual power due to the airflow generated (based on an Aleister Crowley-esk spiritual theory related to lay lines). Who knew?  Rolfe Judd was originally commissioned by Lambeth council to sort this area out. However, the original £16M “Pod” design proved too costly and was scaled back to the “Ribbon” design we have today. This Vauxhall area is still being developed rapidly but it still appears odd, like some sort of no man’s...

Another year, another Opera that my son T was acting / singing in. From Rossini (La Boheme) at Christmas to Pucinni. Today was the dress rehearsal for an opera that has one of the most famous opera songs of all time, Turandot. I am sure you all know what it is (revealed later). On the morning of the performance, I hopped on the bus, hoping for a smooth journey in. As always, the bus took longer than expected, even waiting at one stop while the gap between buses was corrected! All this meant a manic run / walk from Trafalgar Square to ROH, just about making the final call! The amazing grandeur and resplendence of the entrance greeted me as I hurried in.  Originally opened in 1732. The current version is the third iteration after disastrous fires in 1808 and 1856. The facade, foyer and auditorium is from 1858 and the rest is from the 1990 reconstruction. The main auditorium seats 2,256 and is Grade I listed. Relieved that I had made it, I took my seat and absorbed the calming a...