Photos from a trip to New York, London and Canyon Lake, Texas

August 2011 My trip to New York, London and Canyon Lake, Texas

From Antigua to New York City, dinner with David in Chinatown and Little Italy, then to meet up London with Sasha. After she flew off to Germany, I went to Austin, picked up Jenny at Marbridge and we went to Canyon Lake, between Austin and San Antonio, in the Texas "Hill Country".

On Fulton Street, around the corner from where we lived 20 years. Click for a larger image.	At the end of Fulton Street, there used to be the World Trade Center. Go to the page which shows this place on September 11, 2001. Now, the new World Trade Center 1 is rising up, a single tower overlooking the new 9/11 Memorial waterfalls. What you see in this photo is only the bottom half of the tower, which is now growing fast. Click for a larger image.

City Hall Park fountain. We lived for 20 years on the top floor of the red terracotta 145 Nassau Street building, just above the fountain, looking over City Hall and WTC. Barbara had a glass office on the roof. Now, right behind it, is the new Frank Gehry designed "Beekman Tower". Pace University is to the left. Click for a larger image.	Now known as "8 Spruce Street" it dwarfs everything in its neighbourhood, and with 76 floors claims to be one of the tallest residential buildings in the Western hemisphere. (They have taller ones in Dubai). The first 5 stories are a school for 600 kids, part of it is devoted to the New York Downtown Hospital and above it are over 900 luxury rental apartments. Click for a larger image.
After circumnavigating the "Ground Zero" complex, which 10 years later still is a construction mess with streets dug up everywhere, we met up with David for dinner in Chinatown and ice cream in Little Italy, just like in the old days. The next morning, I was off to London, to meet with Sasha, who arrived there ahead of me from Dusseldorf and took a taxi from Heathrow to Chelsea.
The first morning, we had breakfast at Peter Jones in Sloane Square and Sasha bought herself a nice new jacket. Click on any photo to see a large image.

The next day we drove to Chartwell, in Kent, the country house of Winston and Clementine Churchill for over 40 years. It was packed and we had to have lunch while waiting for our entry time. A very interesting house, full of Churchill's memories and beautiful gardens all around, all well maintained. Click for a larger image.	Chartwell has very interesting volunteer guides in each room. They do not have a set tour, but every one happily answers questions and is delighted to repeat, presumably after thousands of times, stories about Churchill and his family, his hobbies, painting, writing (the only British Prime Minister to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature), as well as his time as wartime Prime Minister who stood up to Hitler. Click for a larger image.
Sandwiches and drinks at Penshurst Place, also in Kent. The waitress was from Poland. Click for a larger image.
From a mediaeval village, to lunch at the top of the Tate Modern, looking over the Thames at St. Paul's Cathedral and the City of London. The waitress was from New Jersey. Click for a larger image.
In St. James' Park, a vegetable garden grows in the center of London. Click for a larger image.	Sasha with Brenda in St. James' Park. Behind them, David Cameron's house, No. 10 Downing Street and its private garden. Click for a larger image.
Another great lunch, this one in a fabulous open-air restaurant in St. James' Park, with my old colleague Paul and his mom Brenda. Reservations made months earlier. All had a good time. Another Polish waitress. Click to see an even larger image. After this, Sasha returned to Cologne and I went on to Texas.
With Jenny, in Gruene, Texas, south of Austin. Founded in 1845 by German immigrant Ernst Gruene and his bride Antoinette, now it has a bunch of antique shops. Click for a larger image.	We spent a while hopping from air-conditioned shop to another air-conditioned shop, under bright sun, in about 105F temperature. Click for a larger image.
Gruene, Texas. Any tree shade welcome. Click for a larger image.	Please take that photo quick! It is really hot! A supposedly "German" house, but with prickly pear cactus on the front porch. Click for a larger image.
The next day, we went boating on Canyon Lake. Hot, hot, hot, until we picked up some speed and the wind cooled us off. Click for a larger image.	When we got out of the harbour, beyond the speed limit and "no wake" signs, Jenny took over. Click for a larger image.
Captain Jenny on Canyon Lake. Click to see a large image.
Captain Jenny on Canyon Lake. Now, picking up speed, we are finally comfortable with the wind breezing past. Click to see a large image.	When we stopped the boat, we felt the heat again. Jenny went back to her new home at Marbridge the next day and I to Antigua. Click for a larger image.
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