While we were in Zagreb, we went to a hockey game. Now, you might think that Zagreb is not a hockey town, and you might be right, however, as long as I remember, Zagreb had two big hockey teams. When I say big, I mean teams that could sell tickets so someone other than their immediate family.

In the 80’s, Zagreb had two skating rinks, an indoor one inside an early 70’s sports/entertainment complex, Dom Sportova, and an outdoor one in Salata, part of an outdoor sports/entertainment complex of a somewhat earlier vintage. In last few years, a new skating rink has opened in a fancy-shmancy handball arena.

While we were in Zagreb, Croatia was playing in the IIHF World Championships final. My sister got us some tickets and we were off to the spectacle.

The finals were at the old indoor arena, for which I was glad, and not just because it was much easier to get to by tram. As a kid, I’ve been to Dom Sportova on few occasions; Stars on Ice, figure skating championship, a brief attempt at public skating, but mostly I was there for the yearly winter sporting goods exchange where my dad would sell my old skis and boots and buy bigger ones for the upcoming season. Chris and I have been to Dom Sportova for a concert a few years ago, but never for a hockey game. For a hockey game, Dom Sportova shines in its well loved socialist splendour, including, but not limited to, an unmarked three wheeled ice resurfacing machine.

According to Chris, the hockey was at about AHL level. This was the last game of the tournament so both teams played well but were quite exhausted. Romanians, however, managed to shore up more energy and won the title.

Apart from the usual BMW, though in London it would really be BUW (bus-underground-walk), we sampled tow new options of public transit. We went on the Overground, which is a light rail ring around London, and we used London’s bixi bike rental system.

Overground

I had hoped to use the “Boris bikes” a bit more, but the thought of riding in traffic that is flowing in the opposite way of what I expect, did not appeal to me. Our original plan was to get the bikes and ride through Regent and Hyde parks but we soon discovered that bikes are prohibited from most park paths. If our stay was longer I am pretty sure that we would eventually get used to the traffic direction and find less busy roads to bike on, but as is, we had other activities planned.

London version of bixi bikes

The bike stations are not on the main roads as I expected, but tucked in the little nooks and crannies. This is probably because they require space and the trailer that moves the bikes from full to empty slots needs constant access. I saw a decent number of people using these bikes, and the trailers transporting them back and forth were not an unusual sight on the road.

Most people biked personal bikes and I found there were a lot more cyclists than I would expect given the road conditions. However, considering the rising price or owning and operating a car in London and given congestion, distances and density, I suppose it is only natural.

Random view from the double decker

Taking the bus was fun for most part. Rxcept in one instant, there was always a seat or two on any bus and they arrived in decent intervals. When we booked our hotel, we expected to do more trips outward so we got a hotel in zone 2. What actually ended up happening is that we gravitated towards zone 1 so our hotel ended up being quite far from where we went for walks. If we were to do it again, we would get a hotel in zone 1 and shorten the time we’ve spent on the bus.

At the transport museum

We did not intend to go to the Transport museum, but as we arrived at the Convent Garden a little too early for the opera, we decided to peek in and check it out. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in engineering history and public transit.

We had planned to meet up with couple of people while in London, but because our visit coincided with some wedding or something people either escaped the general area for their sanity or were not able to book rooms in London. Fortunately, we managed to meet up with one of our friends, Spencer, before he made his escape to the north. I am very glad we did because he took us on an absolutely wonderful walk. Kenwood House in Hampstead Heath is a place we never would have gone if we did not get the local inside scoop. The grounds of the house were gorgeous (though, I suppose English gentry would not go around making themselves a house on ugly grounds, would they?) and filled with locals enjoying the record spring warmth. There were lakes (separate ones for men and women) and people were actually swimming in them. The house is likewise grand, but what surprised me the most was the painting collection. I expected the usual gamut of ancestors and landscapes, which the house indeed had. However, these were not just any portraits and landscapes. The first surprise was Vermeer. Then there was the famous Rembrandt self portrait as well as a good number of other interesting paintings. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a pleasant walk in London.

One of the things I was looking forward to the most about going to London is going to the theatre. There are so many things going on in London. We booked the opera and Shakespeare weeks ahead to make sure we had seats. Little Eagles we decided to see at the same time, but delayed getting tickets until we got to London as there were still plenty left. This turned out to be a good plan as we ended up going to see it on a different day than we had originally planned. Blithe Spirit we decided to see on the spur of the moment and bought the tickets on the day of the show.

Little Eagles
This is the kind of play you can see at Ottawa theatres like GCTC. A medium sized venue with intelligent, single set, play about the human condition. An engineer is brought back from the Gulag and set to be the Chief Designer of the Russian space program. I am not sure how much of the story was romanticized and overly summarized, but it was compelling.

The Tsar’s Bride
Unlike the minimalist set of the Hampstead Theatre where we saw the previous show, the Royal Opera House sets were extensive but still breath taking. The singing was fantastic and I was happy to find that even the cheapo seats in the furthest section of the balcony allowed us to feel as though we were immersed in the stage. Hats off to computer aided acoustics design. We had similarly remote seats at the Met and I could barely hear the singers there. Though the original story occurs in the 16th century, this production is set in modern times. The translation worked well for me and, together with the brilliant sets, made the story really come alive. Even Chris, who is not a great fan of the opera, though the performance was fantastic.

Blithe Spirit
I am not a big connoisseur of Noel Coward, but Chris is a fan. He could not quite place the play as to whether he has seen it before. It turned out that he had only read the script. The cast was quite good and had the perfect comic timing.

Hamlet
The production of Hamlet was made by a travelling troupe based on one of the original travelling copies of the play. This troupe did an excellent job of not glossing over the funny parts while still allowing for drama and tragedy. While there were swaths of speeches that went over my head, as is customary with Shakespeare, I was able to follow enough to truly enjoy myself. Seeing the play at the Globe added a little something extra to the experience. After having had been to a number of Shakespeare in the park performances I conclude that while roof is unnecessary, the enclosing walls really help.

What I did not get to see
I had found out about the King’s Head Theatre opera house too late and the tickets to the shows I wanted to see were already sold out. If I go to London again, I will try to see an opera there.

I have been a bit low on energy so my free time has shrunk to pretty much nothing. I am managing to get out on the bike for short runs, usually getting Trev from school. Speaking of Trev, he is a proud owner of a new bike complete with the honey bee bell. I would love to post picutres, but alas, we are too busy biking to pose.

Unfortunately, we will be away this year and miss the annual kick off to biking season – the CHEO Bike ride. However, Team Awesome is still riding, so please pledge here. I am not offering any goodies this year because I am literally out of breath just doing my regular chores, but if you really want to, let me know and I can knit you something small for next winter.