Our UK/Ireland Trip, Part II - England (The first two days)

On the morning of Saturday, October 5, our Tour began in earnest when our coach left London and headed for Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, an English playwright of some prominence.  Over the next two days, we visited York, Harrowgate, the Yorkshire Dales, and the English Lake District before we left England and crossed into Scotland.

Not going to be very wordy here.  Just a lot of photos with some commentary.

John Barleyman, a New Zealander now living in Devon, England 

was our Trafalgar Tour Director.  Friendly, knowledgeable, and entertaining.

 The home of Ann Hathaway, 

Shakespeare's wife, not the Hollywood actress.

Stratford Street Scene

 Would Shakespeare approve of a touristy gift 

shop named after him?  Probably.

In the home of William Shakespeare, this guy was singing 

Bob Dylan songs.  It seemed appropriate.  And, yes, 

I did put some bread in his jar, or, in this instance, his guitar case.

Marilyn and I couldn't seem to shake our working career roots. 

Me selling Blue Cross, and her, using an ATM machine.

Yes, this is me coming out of a, ahem, public facility in Stratford, and that leads to a funny story.

Many of the public restrooms in England are pay facilities.  That is, you had to insert coins into the outer door to unlock the door and gain entrance to the room, which were single toilet/sink rooms that were open to either sex.  Before we left Stratford, Susan, Marilyn, and I each had to go.  I put in the coins and went in first. When I was done, I held the door open and let Marilyn in, and when she was done, she held the door and let Susan in.  Three people whizzed for the price of one.  How I wish my Dad was still around so I could have told him that story.  It is one that he would have absolutely loved!

We had a delightful visit in York.  Once a walled city, and the center of commerce, it is now home to many shops and boutiques. And chocolate.  Lots and lots of chocolate shops.  It is also the spot where the Emperor Constantine declared Christianity in Britain and established the Holy Roman Empire, so it's a pretty historic spot.  That's Constantine in the background below.

We ended up on Saturday night in the town of Harrowgate, where we had a great dinner, enjoyed the company of  our fellow travelers, and stayed before heading out on Sunday morning and leaving for Scotland.

We rode through the Yorkshire Dales, where 

we saw sheep.  Lots and lots of sheep.

Then it was on to the English Lake District, where William Wordsworth did his thing so many years ago. 

We then took a brief steam train ride....

Followed by a boat ride on beautiful, and on this day, very cold, Lake Windermere.

At the end of the boat ride, it was back on to the Trafalgar bus, and on into Scotland, and that part of the trip will be covered in the next installment of this little adventure narrative.

Movie Review: "Judy"

We spent this rainy, dreary day by taking in the new Judy Garland biopic, "Judy", directed by Rupert Goold and starring Renee Zellweger.  My opinion pretty much agrees with most of the professional reviews that are out there - a so-so movie, but an absolute tour de force performance by Zellweger.   She masters Garland right down to the gestures, wardrobe, and facial tics.  She also does her own singing in the movie, and she's quite good.  Her "Over the Rainbow" had me in tears, but, then again, that song almost always brings tears to my eyes.  Zellweger is a cinch to receive an Oscar nomination for this performance.

The movie essentially chronicles the last year of Garland's life.  She was "unemployable and uninsurable", virtually homeless, was in deep debt, and was struggling to maintain custody of her children.  A life preserver of sorts was thrown to her with the offer to perform for six weeks in a London nightclub.  Her shows were successful as she continued to battle her booze and pill addictions.  

Six months after her London engagement, she would be dead from a barbiturate overdose.  She was 47 years old.

Seeing the movie prompted us to make a dive into that ultimate source of probably reliable information, Wikipedia, to learn a little more about Judy Garland.  Like this movie, Garland's life was not a happy one.  Victimized and exploited by the ultimate stage mother and the Hollywood studio system, Garland's life was nothing short of tragic.....drug addiction that began in her youth with diet pills ad amphetamines and continued for all of her life, five marriages, numerous affairs, a studio-decreed abortion (even though she was married at the time), and the numerous financial difficulties alluded to in the film.  Despite her undeniable talent, she had a very, very unhappy life.  So if you're looking for a barrel of laughs, the movie "Judy" ain't for you.

(Speaking of Garland's talent, I will point you to three films.  The first, of course, is "The Wizard of Oz."  Everyone knows THAT movie, and it needs no further amplification from me.  The second is "Meet Me In St. Louis", wherein Garland sings the iconic "Trolley Song" and the great "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and displays a terrific comic acting talent.  The third one might surprise you, "Judgment at Nuremberg." Garland briefly appears to testify as a victim of Nazi atrocities and her performance is so pained and just so brilliant.  She received an Academy Award nomination for the role.)

Like I said, The Grandstander stands in agreement with most critics on "Judy".  The movie gets two and one-half stars, but Renee Zellweger gets the full four stars for her performance.

Zellweger as Garland and Garland herself

World Series CXV Coming Up

CXV?

Well, if you haven't figured it out, that is the Roman numeral for 115, and I just thought that it would be fun if I gave the upcoming Astros-Nationals World Series a bit of NFL-style pretentiousness.

Actually, I cannot recall an MLB post-season that I took less interest in than this current 2019 edition.  I attribute that to two factors.  One, I was out of the country during the Wild Card and Division Series rounds, and even through some early LCS games.  That made it hard to follow what was going on, much less watch and closely follow the games.  And, two, the total buzz-kill that was the performance of the Pittsburgh Pirates throughout the second half of the baseball season, followed by the clown show firing of Clint Hurdle and the retention of Chief Clown GM Neal Huntington killed a lot of the interest that I have always had for the sport, so, thank you for that, Bob Nutting and the Best Management Team in Baseball.

Even last night, with an elimination game being played in the ALCS, I opted instead to watch the Penn State-Michigan football game in spite of the presence of two extremely unlikeable coaches on each sideline.  When that game was over, I switched to the baseball game, saw that the Astros were up 4-2 after seven and opted to go to bed.  Of course, I know now that I missed a very dramatic ninth inning wherein the Yanks tied it in the top half, and Jose Altuve went "Bobby Thomson" and won it in the bottom half to secure the pennant for the Astros.  That, of course, was my loss, but I did take great satisfaction in seeing that Aroldis Chapman got to play the role of Ralph Branca in this little drama.  Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Still, the World Series is, after all, the WORLD SERIES, and I will look forward to watching this one.  The fact that both teams boast three-deep strong starting pitchers (Scherzer-Strasburg-Corbin vs Verlander-Cole-Grienke) make this an intriguing match up, so I am looking forward to watching this 115th edition of the Fall Classic.

You want a prediction?  I'll go with the Astros in six games, and a Series MVP Award for Gerrit Cole.  

I'll be rooting hard for Cole to shine in this Series (as he has all season long), if only to make GMNH look even more the fool when he tells us how great Joe Musgrove and Michael Feliz are and what value their metrics add to the Pirates.  Even Mrs. Grandstander, who wasn't a fan of Cole's when he was a Pirate, is rooting hard for him in the Series so as to make the Pirates look like chumps (as if THAT notion needs further reinforcement).

So there you have it.  As always, watch, but don't bet.

Our UK/Ireland Trip, Part I - London

The Union Jack flew over Buckingham Palace,

which signified that the Queen was not in residence that day

Our recent vacation, a bus tour of Great Britain and Ireland, began for Susan, Dan, Marilyn and I when we arrived two days early to spend some time on our own in London.  We were sort of overwhelmed by the city - its size, the volume of people, and the traffic.  Good God, but the traffic was overwhelming.  We were told that taking a Hop On/Hop Off bus was a good way to see the sights, because "they go past everywhere."  That may well be true, but the volume of traffic is such that it took forever to get from Point A to Point B, so you couldn't really see all that many of the places that you wanted to see.

Still, while walking around on our own that first day, we were able to see some impressive and historic sights nonetheless.

Westminster Abbey....

Yep, Westminster Abbey has a gift shop!

Parliament and Big Ben....

That's Big Ben on the right, covered in scaffolding. 

Like Pittsburgh's Big Ben, the one in London is also 

undergoing some reconstructive repairs this year.

A statue of an historical figure of some note...

The London Eye.....

Unfortunately, by the time we got to the London Eye,

it was too late to take the ride that night.

On our second day, we were able to visit Buckingham Palace, and we got to witness the Changing of the Guard.

The Changing of the Guard ceremony is done three days a week.  There were thousands of people on hand to watch, and I am sure that there are that many people there everyday to witness it.  It was very cool to see.  It is interesting that while the red-coated and bearskin-hatted guards are impressive to see, they were led in on all occasions by London mounted police.  While the ceremonial guards are no doubt well trained soldiers, it seemed to me that these were the people that you didn't want to mess with at any time....

Fun fact about the ceremony.  While inside the Palace gates, two the songs played by the Guards' Band were The Beatles "Michelle", and the "Theme from 'Fame'".  I'd have preferred them play "God Save the Queen", but we took what we could get that day.

We then found a great pub to have lunch....

The Rose and Crown has been operation since 1704!

Took a stroll through Hyde Park where we walked this particular path....

And then visited this place....

Really, you might ask, you went to London and went to a department store?  I had the same thoughts, but trust me, Harrods is a store unlike any you have ever seen.  It really is a tourist destination in itself.  They even had a high end, full scale butcher shop on the first floor.  You don't think of going to a department store to order a prime standing rib roast, but at Harrods, you can.

Back on the Big Bus.....

...which took us past places like Notting Hill and Trafalgar Square, places where would have loved to have stopped and lingered, but we simply ran out of time.

London was the embarkation point of our tour, but it was not a part of the Tour itself.  There are so many things that we would have liked to have done while there (the Tower of London, Downing Street, various museums, see a show, Abbey Road), but we quickly came to the conclusion that to do that, you really have to camp in the city itself for several days and make these places destinations in and of themselves.  There is just too much to see in just two days. So there are still some things remaining on our London Bucket List.  Maybe some other day.

On Saturday morning, we met up with our tour group, boarded our Trafalgar touring coach and began the  eight day journey that took us through England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Wales.  Future Grandstander posts will chronicle those visits.

When our eight day tour ended, we disembarked in London once again for one more night.  The four of us found a great Italian restaurant within walking distance of our hotel, where we ended our stay with a terrific meal and then walked back to the hotel in a London drizzle, where I was able to capture this nighttime shot on my phone.  It seemed a fitting way to end our trip.

Stay tuned for future installments.

Week 6 NFL Power Rankings

Back on September 16 I announced an exciting joint venture that would take place between The Grandstander and Frissora Gaming enterprises (FGE), headed by long time pal John Frissora.

https://grandstander.blogspot.com/2019/09/announcing-exciting-new-joint-venture.html

Now, after the conclusion of Week 6 of the NFL season, I announce the first Grandstander Power Rankings (GPR) of 2019:

1. Patriots
2. Saints
3. 49'ers
4. Seahawks

Teams Knocking at the door - Chiefs, Packers, Vikings.

I expect that the GPR will be somewhat fluid over the next several weeks.

Now, I will give you John's FGE Power Rankings as he sent them on to me, including his cutting edge and always amusing commentary:

Week #6 Power Rankings

As many of you know, FGE has mastered the analytics behind horse race handicapping.  There are 27 metrics that determine the winner of a horse race.  FGE has also developed analytics regarding the outcome of basketball games (14 measures) and Football games (8 measures).  The differing number of metrics needed to determine each of these three sports, as you note, declines as the number of participants increase.  Meaning, the variability of trying to predict how one horse will perform is considerably higher than 11 men working together on the football field.  Hence the 27 vs 8 measures.

 FGE has yet to find the "secret sauce" needed for hockey and baseball analytics.  Funny, that a sport so rich in the history of statistics (Baseball) apparently produces data that cannot consistently determine the winner of a given game.  But, FGE will keep trying and possibly put this off until the lights are turned off at F&A, the fastest growing health care consulting firm on God's green earth,  for the last time.

But that's enough introduction. Let's get to the NFL - CFP Rankings based on the Malcom Baldridge Award winning Analytics of FGE:

4. Kansas City Chiefs - Have dropped two straight, but still hold onto the final spot.  Too much talent in all three aspects of the game to not be here in the long run.

3. Seattle Seahawks - Only surprise team in the Top 4 so far.  One loss this year as their ability to close out a game is exceptional.

2. New England Patriots - Pope Prays for Peace in the Middle East, Pirates Sign 32 Year Old Journeyman, Teamster Boss Faces Renewed Federal Charges, Patriots Favored to Win the AFC.  Headlines of....Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

1. New Orleans - I thought that a team that lost their franchise starting QB was done for the year?? Oh wait, this team isn't coached by Mike Tomlin.  No Brees...No Problem.  Winning by scores of 12-10 and 13-6 in two of the past three weeks.  


Team waiting to break into the Top 4 ....... Houston Texans

Thank you, John, and I am sure that all Loyal Readers will look forward to this weekly feature as the season progresses.

The Grandstander Is Back, and Where Exactly Has He Been Anyway?

After a fifteen day absence from the keyboard, The Grandstander is back at his post.   The reason for the absence can be explained by the two pictures below.

 Group photo taken in the village of Shottery

on the first day of our trip, right before we arrived 

in Stratford-on-Avon

Our luxury coach where we logged 

a lot of miles - and naps!

On Wednesday, October 2, Marilyn and I along with our friends and A-1 travel companions Susan and Dan Bonk left Pittsburgh and flew to London, England to take part in an eleven day adventure that would include an eight day bus tour via Trafalgar Travel, that would take us to eight countries, cover 1,556 land miles, and two crossings of the Irish Sea.  We would visit historic sites, eat in many local pubs, see castles (LOTS of castles!), spend lots of pounds and euros on must-have souvenirs, take lots and lots of pictures (over 700 of them, both the blessing and the curse of digital photography), and make a whole lot of memories for ourselves.

I have lots of stories and photos to share with all of you Loyal Readers, and I will certainly do so in the days and weeks ahead, but before I do that, I just want to comment on what may have been the most enjoyable part of the trip, and that is getting to meet so many nice, friendly, and interesting people who shared our journey aboard that Trafalgar coach.  They included, but are certainly not limited to....

• Laura and Alijandra, a mother and daughter from Florida
• Craig and Tracey from Australia
• David and Mia from Australia
• Sandy and Lucas, a mom and teen-aged son from Toronto
• Les and Debbie from Calgary
• Susan from Michigan
• Lynn and Mikki from Maine
• Maryelise and her adult daughters Jen, Tracy, and Amanda from St. Louis
• Erin and her parents Dennis and his wife (whose name I have already inexcusably forgotten) from Oregon and Nashville
• Colin and Emily, a young couple from Atlanta who were celebrating their second anniversary
• Dominic and Keva from Edmonton who were on their honeymoon
• Pat and Kathy and Tom and Gail, two couples from Massachusetts traveling together as we were with Susan and Dan

And last but certainly not least, our expert tour guide, John Barleyman, and New Zealander now living in Devon, England, and our coach driver Brian from Scotland.  How he could maneuver that giant bus through the tiny and crowded streets of the UK and Ireland defied belief!

Over the course of our eight day adventure, we had occasion to get to know and talk with many of these folks while riding the bus, over many meals, on the two ferry boat crossings, and while on the various tours that we took.  These people made the trip more interesting, and I can only hope that many of them are saying the same things about us as they return home and share their stories with their families and friends.  It is unlikely that we will ever see any of these folks again, but in an age of social media, it is possible that we may remain in touch with several of them.  

As I said, we made lots of great memories, and I shall be sharing them with you over the next several days, but I will try not to beat you over the head with them. 

An no matter how great a vacation can be, it is always great to be back home. 

Steelers 27 - Bengals 3

The Grandstander is about to take a brief hiatus and will be off the grid for a couple of weeks, but before I take this leave of absence, a couple of comments, mainly about the Steelers 27-3 trouncing of the Cincinnati Bengals last night.

1. After the bad taste in the mouths of the Steelers and their fans, nothing, and I mean nothing, can serve to cure all ills than having the Bengals pop up on your schedule.   Death, taxes, and unbelievably bad performances by the Cincy Bengals - the three certainties in life.
2. We still can't be sure of what kind of team the Steelers are in 2019, but we know for sure that the Bengals stink to high heaven.  It got to the point where I almost - almost! - felt sorry from Andy Dalton last night.
3. Marvin Lewis, Pacman Jones, and Vontaze Burfict (and are you surprised to see how HE made the news this weekend?) may be gone, but the Bungles still managed to commit two personal fouls in one of the late drives that  the Steelers were having late in the game.  
4. The Steelers designed a very conservative offensive attack last night, short passes to running backs and frequent use of a wildcat formation.  It was very effective against the Bengals, but I'd like to see the coaching staff have a little more confidence in Mason Rudolph and his ability to throw down field.  However, I concede that Mike Tomlin and his staff are far smarter than I am in such matters.

Now to the Pirates.  Jason Mackey had an interesting story in the Post-Gazette this morning about why the Pirates job just may not be one that will attract the best and brightest of either new or old managerial talent.  If you missed it, here it is:

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2019/09/30/Pirates-manager-search-Neal-Huntington-Clint-Hurdle-firing-new-guy/stories/201909300128

It's kind of depressing to read, actually.  It leads me to believe that the job will end up going to either Jeff Bannister or Tom Prince, two life long Pirate "organization men" who are already on the payroll, will come cheap, and will probably agree to cut Neal Huntington's lawn and wash Bob Nutting's car if they could get the job.  (Come to think of it, GMNH is probably already washing Nutting's car, which is probably how he was able to keep his job.)  

In a story published online later this afternoon, Mackey had another story where he interviewed an ex-Pirate who expressed an interest in the job: former catcher Jason Kendall.  

Kendall was a good and sometimes excellent  player for the Bucs in the nine year era that spanned Three Rivers Stadium and PNC Park.  He was also reported to be a clubhouse malcontent and a bully to younger players on the team, and he was known to greet newcomers to the team in the clubhouse by saying "Welcome to Hell."  Yeah, hiring him would present a PR "challenge" to the team, but it would be in keeping with the Pirates ability to continue to screw up a one car funeral.

Still, my money is on one of the two current in house guys, Bannister or Prince.  As always, watch, but don't bet.

Okay, that will do it for the immediate future.  I shall catch up with you all once again in another ten or twelve days or so.  Perhaps my next missive to you will involve a revitalized Pittsburgh Steelers team and a new manager for the Pirates. Or maybe an Absent Friend.  It's been awhile since we've honored one of those.

Later.....