Saltram House, Plymouth

This is a magnificent Georgian house, not too far from Plymouth harbour. Inside, treasures abound.

Saltram House, seen from grounds at the back of the mansion
The front is covered by scaffolding

Chinese wall paper

Room after room on the upper floor, the walls are covered by Chinese wall paper. This is something I have not seen ever in my life, not in Hong Kong, nor in any of the cities that I have visited in China. Imagine walls and walls of Chinese paintings depicting everyday life - it was simply delightful. However, the Chinese objects d'art were disappointing - most of them rather coarse and unrefined. But for me, the Chinese wall paper alone is well worth the visit. 

The Saloon designed by Robert Adams

Another grand gesture comes in the form of the Saloon designed by Robert Adams. From the ceiling to the carpets, from the chairs to the chandelier, every detail oozes elegance and sophistication. One can imagine the opulence when the room is flooded with a shade more sunlight in the summer.

The ceiling in the Music Room

And then there is this magnificent brass writing desk with exquisite inlays. As a piece of antique, it is priceless. I stood in front of this piece of art, in awe for some time. 

The magnificent brass desk

Outside, cyclamens were in bloom; they lined the path leading to the park lands at the back of the house. I always thought cyclamens were house plants, how ignorant of me, and here in the wild, they look  delicate and fragile.

Cyclamens carpeting the parklands, Saltram House.

Gidleigh Park, North Devon

October, and it was wet and windy. The single lane track from Chagford to Gidleigh Park has the occasional passing places for cars. It sounds romantic but unless you have a 4x4, it can't be in the depth of winter when Dartmoor is covered by snow. But that's the pessimistic view. The heart-thumping journey was worth it.

Gidleigh Park is the home of 2-Michelin star chef Michael Caines. Here, he has carefully crafted an institution that pampers his guests with exquisite food as well as indulgent service. Nothing is any trouble and the guests preferences are carefully noted and taken care of. For someone like me who does not like butter in my food (except cakes and desserts), the restaurant has gone to great lengths to remove any traces of butter from the dishes. The result was nothing short of spectacular. Every course was a picture on a plate, a feast for the eyes, and a gluttony for the stomach. The hotel combines luxury with a relaxed atmosphere, quite an achievement. We are definitely coming back.

Gidleigh Park, North Devon
A truly five star experience

One of the lounges at Gidleigh Park

The Dartmoor landscape
View from Gidleigh Park

Perhaps the only fly in the ointment was the hotel wifi. But one is not supposed to work during a luxury weekend break, especially when a storm was brewing. At the end, I gave up work and tried to relax. Still, we had to cut short the weekend to make another trip to Amsterdam, where more work beckoned.

Chagford, North Devon

Chagford is a market town before one travels to Gidleigh Park. Someone or some committee has taken great pains to produce a brochure on shopping at Chagford. It took me less than 30 minutes to visit all the shops. The clothes shops in this part of the world seem to stock a lot of "new age" apparel, and since it was autumn, the colours were drab, sombre, and uninviting. I could not imagine wearing any of the clothes to the farmers' market, let alone to work. But I did come away with a waterproof hat, which was incredibly good value at less than £25.

Arlington Court, near Barnstaple, North Devon

It was late summer and the weather was holding up. A perfect day for exploring the beautiful grounds at Arlington Court.

Arlington House, North Devon

A rather grand staircase, Arlington House

The boxy exterior of the house belies the interesting objects inside the house. The Chichester family were hoarders: from model ships to seashells to pewter, and what an eclectic collection it is. Was it a hobby or was it an obsession? Was the collection habit in the genes?

An example of a very extensive sea shell collection,
beautifully arranged

They family travelled extensively and they brought home treasures that would once considered as exotic. The place is almost like a museum, although the objects on display were not of museum grade. Modern day travels for many people are about sun, sea, sand and sangria. How times have changed.

A well used trunk. What a difference half a century makes.
Now we have wheeled cases and bar codes on luggage tags.

One of the carriages on display at the National Trust Carriage Museum,
Arlington Court

Arlington Court boasts an interesting collection of carriages. The most valuable item is the gloriously golden Speaker's Coach, on loan from the Houses of Parliament. It is a magnificent object, elaborately carved and gilded, with allegorical paintings on the doors and side panels. Alas, photography is forbidden.

The Victorian garden at Arlington Court

The Victorian garden within the grounds of Arlington House was recently restored, and what a success it is. It was a tranquil place to visit and to take a rest. There was even a resident peacock. A perfect place to end a summer day out.

Exmoor and its surrounds, North Devon

It's been such a long time. I still travel with the camera, but haven't used it for a while. As the day shortens and the light quality worsens, the conditions for photography are not right. And when I was at Stockholm last time, commuting on the metro during rush hours, it became clear that there was no time to compose pictures, no time to stand and stare, let alone time to check out the naive art at the underground stations along the track.

Back on home soil and catching up on the last of the summer sunlight, the trip to Exmoor, North Devon took me to a part of England that I hardly ever see. 

One of the enduring sights at Exmoor is the Exmoor pony, roaming on Exmoor as some kind of semi-feral livestock. These creatures must be pretty hardy to withstand the wind and cold in the winter months, but at this time of the year, they have not yet grown their winter coat. You can go up to them and stroke them, a sign that they are habituated to human beings.

An Exmoor pony mare with her foal

Exmoor National Park

Exmoor is a beautiful landscape of moorland, woodland, valleys and farmland. From this vantage point, one can see the high cliffs plunging into the Bristol Channel, and en route there are old fashioned tearooms offering cream teas (scones with clotted cream) that are so popular in the south west. 

A cosy pub lined with bookcases,
offering a quiet spot for food and relaxation

A unique place to visit is the Broomhill Sculpture Garden near Barnstaple. Established in 1997 by a Dutch couple, it has grown into one of the largest permanent collections of contemporary sculpture in the south west of England. There is something for every taste, and there is a surprise at every corner. Some of the pieces are really abstract, but that's modern art for you. 

Dreams

Connected

Broomhill Sculpture Garden is located at the Broomhill Art Hotel "where art and culture meet in magical surroundings". Setting aside all the noble intentions of using fresh, organic, fair trade produce from the neighbourhood, the Terra Madre restaurant did serve up some delicious and pretty looking food. There are lots of raving reviews about this restaurant at TripAdvisor, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the eating is entirely satisfactory.

Home cured meats at the Broomhill Art Hotel
A picture on a plate

Ilfracombe Harbour

All along the coast, there are charming towns and Ilfracombe is one of them. The pier is dominated by the Verity statue, a bronze sculpture of a pregnant woman holding a sword by an artist no less than Damien Hirst. It is a powerful image of "truth" and "justice", once seen, never forgotten.

 Lynmouth Harbour, where Exmoor meets the sea

Further along the coast are the pretty villages of Lynton and Lynmouth, connected by a funicular cliff lift. Lynton sits 600 ft above the small harbour of Lynmouth, and the view from the cliff railway was breathtaking.

Having travelled to this part of England, I can now understand why so many people from the city have chosen to move here, for the countryside and a less hectic life style.

From a dear friend, who reminds me of the time that I should give myself - a poem by William Henry Davies:

"What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare."

Snack time, Stockholm

 

Eating out is expensive in Stockholm. Considering that the average monthly salary of the Swedes is SEK 25,200 or €2800, I wonder if the prices are pitched at tourists rather than the locals. A bottle of Fanta and a bottle of still water in the Old Town (Gamla Stan) came to SEK50 or €5.70. In this cafe at the periphery of the Old Town, the walls are scribbled in random thoughts of many languages, but none can beat the declaration from a foodie that "The road to love is through your stomach".

The City Hall, Stockholm, Sweden

The City Hall Stockholm is unremarkable from the outside: it looks industrial with its red bricks and a towering chimney stack. How wrong I was.

 

The City Hall, Stockholm, seen from the Old Town

Visits to the inside is on guided tours only, and the municipality is doing a roaring trade. There is a constant stream of coaches disgorging yet more tourists. Oh what a circus.

 

On entry, one is immediately captivated by the spaciousness of the internal courtyard, built like a grand Italian piazza. It was called Blue Hall until the architect changed his mind but the name stuck. Here the guide told us of the handmade bricks that are used in the interiors and the mass-produced bricks that are used in the exterior. For the Swedes who are used to open spaces, such a vast area apparently is too small for the purpose. But it is big enough to host the Nobel Prize dinner. And the guide told us about the lottery to win a ticket to the dinner, with the winner having to pay for the tickets after winning the "lottery". Only in an egalitarian society like Sweden are such occasions open to the public, lottery or no lottery.

The enormous Blue Hall where the Nobel Prize banquets take place
No longer blue by order of the architect who liked the brick work so much!

The grand organ inside City Hall, a unique shape not seen elsewhere in Europe

The Council Chamber, City Hall, Stockholm

The most sumptuous room is the Golden Hall where the dancing takes place after the Nobel Prize dinner. Enough said about the 18 million pieces of mosaic tiles that were made in Italy and then assembled in Germany. The finished work is truly magnificent. It beats all the mosaics that I saw in Rome and elsewhere. Imagine gliding on a marble floor in a pool of golden light, dancing the night away.

 

A small part of the mosaics in the Golden Hall, City Hall, Stockholm

 

From the outside, City Hall, Stockholm
Note the arched columns, with view to the waters.
Building, waters - that's Stockholm

The beautiful city that is Stockholm

 

The Royal Palace, Stockholm, Sweden

Billed as one of the largest palaces in Europe, the Royal Palace Stockholm is a complex offering visitors a breathtaking insight into the wealth and opulence of the Swedish royal family. What is so amazing is that it is the official residence of the Swedish monarchy, their daily place of work as well as the setting of the King's official receptions. This blend of history and openness (to the public) is unique in Europe.

The Royal Apartments contain magnificent state rooms, a beautiful banquet hall used for state dinners, a suite of guest rooms for the visiting dignitaries, and the Bernadotte room used for medal presentations. Every room is a treasure to behold, every corner reveals another glorious spectre. Since photography is banned from inside the Palace, go to the official website Swedish Royal Court to see for yourself. By the way, the web site is understated and contains virtually no superlatives favoured by over zealous public relations or marketing people.

Inside the Palace, I observed that no one had attempted to break the no photography rule, which is unusual in Europe where historical places are literally crawling with rule enforcers and little tyrants all too eager to reprimand visitors for stepping too near a line or getting too close to a precious object. I admire the Swedes for their tolerance and their respect for other people to respect their rules.

The Royal Palace, Stockholm

The magnificent Royal Palace, approached from one of the many bridges
in Stockholm

Changing of the Guard at the Royal Palace, Stockholm