British Embassy Washington

After we left the Italian embassy we headed down Massachusetts Avenue to the United Kingdom.  I didn't realize until we visited that it is the largest embassy in the city.  The embassy has been located in its current position since 1930.

The Embassy was located previously on Connecticut Avenue. Between 1791, the year when the British first came to the Washington, and 1875, the location changed frequently.

The British Embassy acquired the land for the current Massachusetts Avenue location through a good financial move....  In 1939, the public park bordering the Embassy grounds on Massachusetts Ave was going to be turned into housing. Ambassador Lothian bought the public park and donated it to the British Embassy. Now, it is the current location of the Churchill statue and part of the gardens....  The British Embassy in Washington is the largest British Embassy in the world.
--from Forces War Records website


Before we got to the embassy itself we first came across this statue of Winston Churchill.

Thankfully the line wasn't that long outside the embassy grounds.

When we entered there was a helpful map showing what was happening on the grounds.

I wasn't interested in the cars, but there were many that were.

They certainly were prepared for many visitors with a row of port-a-potties.

We joined the line to enter the embassy building.

Turn left to enter the building.

The line snaked through part of the garden area.

The building is quite impressive.

Part of the reason for the line was to get some food samples.

When we got closer we saw that it was fish and chips.

They were quite tasty, though I wouldn't choose to have the pea puree again--I prefer ketchup, ;-).  It was a fairly bland sauce that didn't add much to the dish in my opinion, but others must really like it or it must be traditional .

The crenelations over the doorway were quite decorative.

Inside were decently high ceilings and multiple chandeliers.

I noticed that this video was being played via screen duplication from a laptop on the floor and found that hilarious.

The dining room was quite impressive.

Especially the table set for a full dinner.

Did you know that Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reigning British monarch in history?

The photographs around the staircase were fascinating to see.

As we headed towards the door we saw another group of people heading inside just as we had a few minutes before.

I don't remember what room this was, but again it was quite fancy.

Once outside we got to enjoy some flowers.

Close up these ones were quite beautiful.

More flowers were visible in many different areas as we walked.

It would have been nice to be able to wander the grounds for a while.

We headed down a flight of stairs towards the other side of the building.

This side is even more impressive than where we had entered.

Too bad we didn't have any letters to mail.

There were quite a few alcoholic beverage vendors.

Inside some tents were several different interpreters.

They looked like they were really into the subject and people were interested in learning more.

I had to pick up some free Churchill bookmarks before we left.

Check out more pictures from the embassy in this album.  And join us next time as I document our next embassy adventure.

~Matt

Divorced from the reality of math

Here is an article from Reuters on the rising use of British private eyes by those involved in divorce proceedings. Apparently marriage laws in the UK are much more lax than those in the US. As far as I can determine not only men and women are involved in these marriages. I don't know who or what the other parties are, but they must be there somewhere if the math is to be believed.

Of those who used a private investigator, 30 percent were women, while 19 percent were men, the survey shows.

If we take those numbers at face value only 49% of those involved were men OR women! I'd really like to know what the other 51% were!

~Matt

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Assuming the worst

Reading named worst for families

When I saw the preceding headline by the BBC I immediately assumed the worst, that they were claiming that reading was bad for families.  Then I reconsidered and wondered if it was something that families weren't doing enough of (I'm sure that is true) and that thus current conditions were bad for families.

Then I started to read the article and it all made sense.  I do enjoy reading Commonwealth (UK, Australia, New Zealand) news, but some things do trip me up because I'm not familiar with them.  Place names are one of those, especially on a local level.  I know Manchester, or London, or Canberra, but smaller locales aren't quite so familiar.

A Berkshire town has been named the worst place in Britain to bring up a family, according to a new survey.
The Reader's Digest poll asked 1,000 parents to list the things that make for a family-friendly environment.
The researchers then ranked places on how they scored against the criteria - which included crime rates, good local hospitals and affordable housing.
Reading was last in 408th place, while Oxford was 399th. The Scottish district of East Dunbartonshire came top.

~Matt


--
"A room without books is as a body without a soul." -Cicero

Hobbit House

This house is awesome! (I found the link as a "link of the day" on the site of the webcomic Spiky-Haired Dragon, Worthless Knight (a good site in its own right).



Disclaimer: The site is a bit left of center and I don't advocate everything the house builders do. I just think this is an awesome building. It is a bit small, but I'd love to have something like this (of course I would want to ruin their idea with electronics and such, but I at least really love the plans).

Check the site out. There are a few more pictures (but not nearly enough) and a couple of floor plan images that give you a better idea how the place is laid out. Yes, it is small, but it just looks so awesome. The two coolest houses I can imagine would be a tree house (a la Swiss Family Robinson's dwelling, especially as formerly seen at Disneyland) or a Hobbit house, but this place would do. :-)

~Matt

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Aunt Bee knows her movies

I just finished watching Tristan + Isolde, based on the note I read on Aunt Bee's blog. I checked the DVD out from the library a bit over a week ago, but I've been so busy that I didn't have time to watch the movies. Yesterday I watched The Brother's Grimm and was quite less than impressed. However, besides a few jarring notes in the historical setting (common to the Scott's historical productions) T&I was a fabulous story.

The setting and cast were both quite enjoyable. However, I had to force myself to not see the worst in Marke--I'm only used to seeing that actor play villains [A Knight's Tale, The Legend of Zorro, and Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet] , so it was strange to see him as good. I think someone else mentioned it first, but I enjoyed not recognizing any of the main actors (Marke excluded) [Though Tristan was in Spider Man he was different enough here in sight and role that I didn't recognize him; the same holds true for Isolde who appeared in both Underworld movies--so yes, they're not brand new actors, but they're not major very well known stars like Brad Pitt or Matt Damon]. It was easier to see them as the characters rather than as an actor playing a part.

I always enjoy historical or fantasy films, partly because I love that period so much. I do like science-fiction, but time and again I am drawn back to fantasy. Right now I am at the fantasy end of the pendulum and am somewhat ignoring science-fiction. Though, I have no doubt I will swing back--and the ultimate favourite may never be resolved.

But, back to the movie. Some parts were predictable--such as the curing of Tristan and the method, I spotted it right off when they went to put him in the boat for burial at sea. Despite this I could still enjoy the plot. The story is an ancient one and though this adaptation is modern, still the original story predated the modern romance, Romeo and Juliet, and even some of the Arthurian legends. I am more than willing to allow more leeway than I would when suspending disbelief for a more currently set piece.

Please do not read the preceding and see a spirit of complaint. The only caution I would give is that there are at least five love scenes, though they are short, don't reveal much, and may be quickly skipped if you so choose. The fighting was well done and greatly enhanced the picture. If you enjoy a good story, even a good love story, or just a historically set film, then go and rent Tristan + Isolde (or go the cheap route like me and check it out from the library).

~Matt