Concours d'Elegance

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Although it continues to be cloudy and breezy the sun does peek out from time to time and we continue to try to get out and do some activities.  Today we decided to return to Greenwich and the Royal Naval College where the Aston Martin fans were hosting a Concours d"Elegance.

The light rail ride was easy and fast and when we arrived in Greenwich we alit and strolled through the open market along the way to the college grounds.  Don stopped to chat with a couple of photographers and an artist who were displaying their wares and as I waited I became quite taken with the interesting items--jewelry boxes and clocks and coasters--made of Thuya wood on display at a nearby stall.

http://www.astonmartin.com/en/heritage/company-history

Finally we passed on through the market and over to the college grounds.  Hundreds of beautiful, shiny Aston Martins were parked around the grassy field and we strolled along admiring many of them.  I picked out my favorite, a glossy convertible in British Racing Green with pristine white leather interior.  Hey!  Since it is just a dream I can go for the totally impractical, right.

After awhile I just sat on a park bench while Don chatted with the proud owners, and

then we moved on to the Lambretta motor scooters. Another long chat between Don and the Lambretta guys while Don fondly remembered his good ole Lambretta days.




These two black and white pictures are of my beloved 150 Lambretta two of the motorscooter. August 1959 I was a sophomore in high school. My family was living in Yokota Air Force Base just outside of Tokyo Japan.












Then we moved on to the next green field where the James Bond car was reputed to be on display.   There were some beautiful, shiny black cars surrounded by golden posts and red velvet ropes and maybe one of those was the Bond car--I don't know.  After three hours of looking at cars, they all look the same to  me.

The Oliver one the Lambretta guys recommended the Cutty Sark Pub for lunch, so we strolled along the riverbank planning on our traditional Sunday Roast.  When we walked into the pub Don spotted a fellow, beer in hand, with a skinny little black and white dog on his lap.  The fellow and his friend were sitting in the window booth and Don asked permission to take a photo.  They cheerfully agreed and after the shoot Don and I went up to the bar to place our order.  While we were at the bar one of the window seat guys came over and invited us to have their seats as they were getting ready to leave.  So I went over and sat down to hold the place and had a nice chat with the two fellows while we waited for Don to bring our ales over.

The guys, one Italian and one British, were saying that they wanted to relocate to the San Francisco area and they needed to find some American wives so they could.  I was just starting to mention that American women might be different than other cultures when they chuckled and explained that they were a married couple.  

We continued to chat and Don showed up and joined in while we talked about Italy, traveling, home exchanging and etc.  They were very nice, happy and interesting guys.

After they left we thought about ordering our meal, but Don a selected an appetizer while waiting at the bar and it came out--a sausage roll.  We sliced it in quartrers and gobbled it up.  The board listing the appetizers was right on the mantel just above my head and we decided to try a couple more so next we ordered another sausage roll and a Scotch egg.  It is hard to beat fried doughy stuff with sausage and beer!

By the time we had finished three appetizers we decided that was enough lunch for us, promised ourselves we would have a healthy salad for dinner and then we set off for home.  As we passed through the open market again I decided to buy some Thuya wood coasters.

There is a pedestrian tunnel that goes from Greenwich under the Thames to the north side of the river, so we decided to take a walk under the river just for fun. 

We entered at the south end of the tunnel and at the north end of the tunnel we found the Pit Stop, a mini bike shop-snack shop-bbq'd sausage in a baguette vendor-free advice and first aid dispensers, sellers of maps, helmets, gloves and Chapstick.  The regulars were there--Gallic looking Paul with long Bohemian hair sitting at a little Parisian cafe table sipping coffee, clean-cut Matt industriously tuning up a bike, and  Andre turning sausages at the barbeque.

We sat down for a chat  and they mentioned that there is a guy nearby who builds Pennyfarthings and who did a 'round the world bike tour.  We told them that we had met him along the Danube 10 years ago and said we would go visit him while we are in town.

www.pennyfarthingworldtour.com

Met Joff Summerfeild on his second attempt  around the world on the Danube River, Schlogen, Austria, 9/12/2003

Time to go, home for salad and a rest.  I think I am coming down with a cold.