We went to Cambridge on Tuesday to see the 'Vermeer's Women' exhibition at the Fitzwilliam museum, stayed the night with old friends there and came back on Wednesday. As always the M25 served us well, although going up the East half of it was quite confusing as there seemed to be immense amounts of roadbuilding going on. We thought we had got lost several times and the actual passage from the M25 to the M11 wasn't clear. Once or twice we did dodgy last-minute swerves after almost taking a wrong turn. But 130 miles or a bit over each way was only 2.5 hours and could have been a bit less if I wasn't such a mimser these days.
Parking charges in the middle of Cambridge are utterly outrageous. Who do these provincial toilets think they are for God's sake?
The exhibition was almost worth the hassle by itself though. I'm determinedly uncultured but herself was the moving spirit and I am grateful to her for it. The utter charm of the spud-faced nippers, dogs, cats and po-faced ladies, and the fabulous rendering of windows, tiled floors, silverware and other interior details cheered me up no end. Fantastic, really, if you like a nice old oil painting. Only three or four actual Vermeers but others just as good. A couple by someone called van Hoogstraten. No relation to the Brighton sweetie-pie though I would think. Closes on Sunday though so if you fancy it you need to be fairly nearby. I reckon Dutchie lives too far North but he's probably seen them all already.
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I too enjoyed the Vermeer exhibition and I agree that the parking is pricey and in short supply. Indeed I am only aware of one multi-storey, in the city centre. However, Cambridge has one of the best Park and Ride schemes in the country. Three sites work 6 days a week and two more work 7 days a week, parking is free and the bus fare is £2 return and free if you have a bus pass.
If one is coming from the North (A1) there is a park and ride car park outside St Ives and a 16 mile bus journey to the City Centre
www.camplus.co.uk/cambridge_information/cambridge_park_and_ride.htm
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I wonder why Park and Ride schemes are not used by people "off their patch". They are easy to research during travel planning. We have a P&R at the north end of the Forth road Bridge with free parking, all buses crossing the bridge stop there where there is a dedicated bus station, and you would have to have a very good reason to take a car into central Edinburgh. Although I prefer to park my car at the airport some people leave their cars at the P&R and use the direct bus route to the airport for holiday travel.
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"Cambridge has one of the best Park and Ride schemes in the country. "
God save me from the worst then. Last time I used it I waited 40 minutes for a bus then the thing broke down.
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>> "Cambridge has one of the best Park and Ride schemes in the country. "
>>
This one takes some beating.
www.ferrytoll.org/htmlpages/index.html
The only real problem is the bridge being shut to buses due to high winds, (not very often).
Last edited by: Old Navy on Fri 13 Jan 12 at 14:50
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. >>>We thought we had got lost several times and the actual passage from the M25 to the M11 wasn't clear<<<
Unless things have changed in the last couple of weeks what scope is there for confusion on that exit? Were you coming from the East or the West?
Has mimsing finally overtaken you? :) As a practised ex-central London driver (you), I would have expected you to float through the roadworks and junctions. Had you been inhaling the Essex air - probably contaminated by a different a species from that grown in Notting Hill.
Last edited by: pmh on Fri 13 Jan 12 at 09:00
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Clearly you eyes are going AC. Cant find your way round the M25, cant find possibly the most heavily and clearly signed park and ride systems I know and now you profess a liking for dark gloomy pictures.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 13 Jan 12 at 09:23
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Durham City's park and ride has caught on well.
One of the three sites is being extended.
I use it sometimes and the passengers are mostly local artisans like me, but they do get a significant number of visitors using it later in the day.
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Johannes Vermeer born in Delft.Nice little town.His best painting in my opinion the Servant Girl.
Nice day out A.C scenic tour on the M25.>:) My uncle is a good painter watercoulours I have a few of his paintings.
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>> wasn't clear. Once or twice we did dodgy last-minute swerves after almost taking a wrong
>> turn.
Ah, so it's you then?
Right way: Swear, carry on, turn around at the next junction and come back. Vow to proceed more slowly on unfamiliar roads so you get sufficient time to react in future.
Wrong way: Hank the wheel over, ignoring the poor SOBs in any lanes on the inside, in a misguided and suicidal attempt to make the exit you want at all costs.
There are way too many idiots out there who take the second approach already, do try not to add to their number in future.
/Rant over.
Last edited by: TeeCee on Fri 13 Jan 12 at 10:56
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AC's travel planning doesn't seem to extend far beyond his front bumper let alone as far as a P&R. :-)
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These dating uk adverts. Are they Vermeers? They look as though they have been around all that time! ;-)
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Best thing to learn to ride on a old bike.I could be wrong.>:)
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What a bunch of tiresome curmudgeons. Just as I expected. Of course being old and stingy for the most part you probably have all the time in the world to sit in park and ride buses and then waddle half a mile to where you are going at the other end. We were staying with people whose driveway just had room for our car, were pushed for time as always and found a parker just across the road from the Fitzwilliam Museum. Even so £4.50 for an hour and a half or a bit less seemed to be extracting it... one might have been in St James's Square.
Cultured Meldrew, compassionate Pat (but was that a wink? Were you just egging them on really?) and decent Dutchie apart though... tchah! And as for TeeCee... tee-hee! I will keep an eye open for you on the road and try to test your reaction times. Stay tense! (Note to self: must practise dangerous random swerves and lane-changes).
Is the Servant Girl the same as Girl with a Pearl Earring, Dutchie? We have a good framed 1930s print of that one. Must hang some pictures soon...
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Re your Para 3 they are two different paintings I think. Earring lady is a portrait and servant girl is a lady doing domestic chores
Earring tinyurl.com/6qe5prt
Servant tinyurl.com/6rm436w
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Thank you Mellers. Herself said they were different too. But the earring girl was also a servant apparently, perhaps dressed up for the sittings...
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Not keen on your first one.
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>> Not keen on your first one.
Of course not Zeddo. Stands to reason you wd prefer a bit of rough. But would she, one can't help wondering?
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you need to check meldrews link....
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Perhaps I have misjudged you Zero. I often do. It's more fun that way. But Meldrew's first link is the pearl earring, so I assumed you preferred the burly servant girl one.
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have you actually clicked on the link!!!!!!!
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looks as though tinyurl has let me down! I'll try again! How is this?
tinyurl.com/8a5ucjg
That looks like Pearl the Girl!
Last edited by: Meldrew on Fri 13 Jan 12 at 15:37
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>> have you actually clicked on the link!!!!!!!
Of course. Both of them. How gaga do you think I actually am Zeddo?
Tsk.
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I think not, AC the first one did not work.
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It certainly worked for me, although the image was quite small. The new link is a decent size.
Something wrong with your computer perhaps? It may be sulking because you think you understand it (raspberry).
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well I am blowed. Further investigations revealed Does not work on Chrome or IE 9, but does on Safari. (and I assume firefox)
Lord knows how but Meldrew managed to provide a page of UUcoded data, (not come across that since the days of usenet) that needed to be uuencoded, and Chrome and IE9 dont do that by default.
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All right, all right! You really do understand it. No need to blind us with science.
Mac and firefox work well for me.
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It was the 2000+ symbol URLO for the picture, from Google images. My gob was a bit smacked too when I saw what I had posted!
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Sorry A.C that is the one the pearl earring.Vermeers wife wasn't pleased do.jalous.
I should clear our loft some paintings old Dutch clock.Collected over the years,no room left on the wall.
I have been down to day.Not good news about my brother.They can't operate,one year left for him according to the surgeons.
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Sorry to hear that Dutchie, However, a PMA approach and the idea that the medical profession are damned clever but they aren't that good and predicting outcomes will see your brother through more than 12 months.
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>> Not good news
So sorry Dutchie. Of course they can be wrong (but in either direction). Very tough, that sort of thing.
All you can do really is be nice to him.
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Yeah, me too Nederlander. Hope all goes well for him and hegets longer than they say.
I would love to see the Vermeers but a little too far. maybe they'll come up here.
Meanwhile we can console ourselves with another visit on Tuesday to the Manchester Art Gallery next week where there is an exhibition of Ford Madox Brown until Jan 29th.
tinyurl.com/7ewr7uf
We'll avoid the restaurant at lunchtime, though......cost a fortune last time and there are loads of places around.
Ted
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Got tickets to the Hockney at the RA in Feb.
www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/hockney/
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>>Not good news about my brother.
My bruv was diagnosed with Mesothelioma due to asbestos fifteen years ago. I swear he's fitter than me.
Best wishes Dutchie.
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Thanks Bathtub.
He has got to have more test on monday.The problem is that his tumor is high near his airpipe.
There is a small change that he can have radiation.Is is a shame we got close over the last ten years and we see each other regulary.Eshophegeal (spelling) is a cancer what spreads very quickly.Jan has two daughters and four lovely grandchildren.Sorry if I come out with this I feel not myself at the moment.Live is a bitch.
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So sorry to hear that Dutchie, life is a bitch but we'll do our best to keep your sprits up.
Pat
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Listen to this Dutchie, in a quiet room www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AP_desQX68
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>> Sorry if I come out with this I feel not myself at the moment.Live is a bitch.
>>
Life is a bitch, that is so true.
But, I'm sure we (on this forum) are all thinking of you and Jan at this time and I for one, hope that can be of some comfort to you.
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The Hockney show looks like a gud 'un, Z. Seen some of it in the media and I wouldn;t mind a trip.
I met Hockney's brother in 1977, he was the Lord Mayor of Bradford and attended the Jowett National Rally in Manningham Park........Flares, stacked shoes and kipper tie, with chain of office.
Shameless namedropping ?
Ted
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David Hockney lived in the Gate around 1960, top end of Ledbury Road I think, and would be seen from time to time there, across the road from the Fiesta One restaurant where the Profumo scandal started, and where I often went. Hockney was already a name having been recognized as a very good painter. I don't remember him going to the Fiesta and never met him. Met a few other people though.
(Shameless non-name dropping Ted).
:o}
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Sorry to hear about your brother, Dutchie. 18 or so months ago SWMBO's father was diagnosed with various serious and vicious cancers - he has experienced an astonishing remission/recovery, by rights he shouldn't still be with us, but he very much is.
For your brothers sake, be positive, and have our support and best wishes
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We went a few weeks ago. Used the Madingley park and ride.
You didn't go to Kettle's Yard as well AC? If not you'll have to go back.
www.kettlesyard.co.uk/house/
The house is good and has lots of pictures. The adjacent gallery had an exhibition of John Cage when I was last there - his paintings were about as interesting to me as his best known composition and 4'33" was about the time I spent in there!
Cambridge has been anti-car in the centre for a long time.
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I like to thank evrybody for their support and I feel i am amongst friends.We might not always agree with each other but that makes us all special.
My brother can always rely on me and he knows that.Thanks again.
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M25. 17th century Dutch masters. - Meldrew
