Art and Nature...

Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci

Against my better judgment, we got in line to visit The National Gallery and by some miracle we didn’t have to wait too long. It was my first time in this beautiful art museum since moving to London. 

A Scene on the Ice Near a Town by Hendrik Averkamp

Unknown Flemish Painter

Whistlejacket by George Stubbs

It was a beautiful building with a huge permanent collection, of which we only made it through about half. 

Later we walked through the sweet Phoenix Garden, a private ornamental garden run by volunteers and the last of the Covent Garden community gardens. 

 

Final Afternoon in Canterbury...

After the circle, Jimmy and I grabbed our bags and headed back to The Foundry, where we’d eaten on Friday, for a delicious Sunday roast. 

We then had a bit of time before our train, so we wandered around town a bit more.

Shortly after we arrived home, Tim and Angel arrived for a three-night stay. Jimmy had only that evening with them as he headed to Luxembourg and Belgium the next morning. 
 

Hangover Trail in Canterbury...

On Sunday morning after breakfast, Opee set off to live lay the Hangover Hash with only a quick glance at a map to guide him. I know that I shouldn’t have been surprised that he set an excellent trail, but even after all these years I am still in awe that he can pull together interesting trails with zero advance planning.   

It was a great mix of the historical city center...

…and parks.

At 4.6 miles (7.5K), it was longer than most of us were expecting, but it was so scenic that there was no whining. 

Although we weren’t supposed to, we circled up in the hostel’s backyard and I co-RAed with Three Ways.

Clearly this wasn’t a traditional down-down for the hare. 
 

Hashing in the Wilds of Canterbury with City H3...

After breakfast at the hostel, it was time to hash. Our hostel was on the edge of Canterbury, so in an excellent position to get us quickly out into the countryside. The scenery was mostly stunning...

…with this exception...

…and this. Quick Turdaround took on the burden of laying three separate legs of the trail all by himself. The first leg was to get the pack to this drink stop location along a creek...

…located in Britain’s smallest town. 

The second leg was the best section as we ran around Westbere Reserve. 

When we got back to the drink stop, we had a lunch of sandwiches. Quick Turnaround’s original idea was that we’d run the third leg and then take public transport back to the hostel, but no one opted to follow that plan. Instead a few took Ubers and the rest of us ran.

Along the way we passed pretty flowers...

…and a cemetery.

That evening we had dinner at the hostel and then hit some bars. 

 

City H3 Away Weekend in Canterbury...

Immediately following our hash weekend in Belgium, we were off for another hash weekend, this time with City H3 in Canterbury. I had only had a few hours in this charming city back in 2011 with Camilla and Jimmy had never been. 

We spent two nights at a youth hostel, sharing a room with Lex (shown here), Dan, Carla and John. The event kicked off with a cocktail party at one of the hasher’s AirBnB with Jimmy as the mixologist. Afterwards we were on our own for dinner, so Lex and Dan joined us in search for a decent place still serving vegetarian food and with space available after 8 p.m. on a Friday night. Luckily we found The Foundry Brewpub, which was excellent. 

Then we wandered around the beautiful historic city center. 

This building shows that it’s from 1573.

The Christ Church Gate dates back to approximately 1520 with its most recent renovation being completed in 2022. 

We failed to check if this site is still a public toilet. 
 

Young V & A Museum...

This historical building has housed a variety of museums since 1872 becoming the Museum of Childhood in 1974 as an offshoot of the Victoria and Albert Museum. It has undergone several remodels since with the latest renovations being completed in 2023. It now houses the largest collection of childhood-related objects in the UK. 

In October 2011, we visited London from Holland and saw the incredible play War Horse about the role horses contributed during World War I. This was the massive puppet that depicted Joey, the star of the show, in 1,600 shows. 

There was a special exhibit about Japan which I skipped, but I did enjoy the funny exhibit in the upper hallway made out of umbrellas. 

It didn’t take me long to zoom through the permanent collection, but I took my time admiring the building. 

 

Urban Art Along the Hertford Union Canal...

These first two photos weren’t taken along the canal, but on the way to the canal. This top mural was especially powerful and a great reminder on why to keep trying to avoid palm oil. 

I assumed this was a take on Vincent van Gogh’s quote: I’d rather die of passion than of boredom, which emphasizes the importance of living a life with passion and purpose. 

These ladies looked like they’re living a life full of passion and purpose.

Not all of the artwork was solely painted walls.

While these paintings weren’t particularly special, I thought it was cool when combined with the reflection of the underneath of the overpass.