EVENTS CALENDAR

CALENDAR OF SELECTED EVENTS

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012
Festivals, Holidays, Country Fairs, Sporting Events,
Theater, Cultural Gatherings, and Special Performances
Happening Near HOME AT FIRST Lodgings throughout
BRITAIN, IRELAND,

SCANDINAVIA,

NEW ZEALAND, & BERMUDA
Information about HOME AT FIRST’s travel program to:
LONDON ENGLAND SCOTLAND WALES IRELAND SCANDINAVIA NEW ZEALAND BERMUDA

NOTE: For many of the LONDON events listed, HOME AT FIRST guests at the
Apartments at St. Katharine’s Marina and at The Brewery Apartments
will take public transportation from the Tower Hill Underground Station,
8-10 minutes walk from St. Katharine’s Marina and 10-12 minutes
walk (or a 5-minute bus ride) from The Brewery.

– ONGOING EVENTS OF NOTE –

Ongoing daily
LONDON, ENGLAND - THE TOWER OF LONDON: “Prisoners of the Tower”
HOME AT FIRST’s London guests can’t miss visiting their famous neighbors who were incarcerated and may have met their violent and often gruesome ends at the Tower of London. This special exhibition focuses on the best-known prisoners, including explorer Sir Walter Raleigh, Queen Anne Boleyn, Queen Catherine Howard, Lady (& Queen for a few days) Jane Grey, Nazi leader Rudolph Hess, and terrorist traitor Guy Fawkes, among others.

THE TOWER OF LONDON AT THE TRAITOR'S GATE.
Photo © Home At First

LOCATION: The Tower of London is just west of the Tower Bridge between the River Thames and Tower Hill Underground Station north of the river.
ADMISSION: £20/adult, £17/seniors & students (16 & up), £10.45/child (5-15), £55/family (up to 2 adults & 3 kids).
OPEN JANUARY-FEBRUARY: Tu-Sa: 9AM-4:30PM; Su-Mo: 10AM-4:30PM. Last admission: 4PM. Closed January 1.
GETTING THERE: walk 10 minutes traffic-free from HOME AT FIRST’S LONDON apartments at St. Katharine’s Marina or 12 minutes (with minimal traffic) across the Tower Bridge from HOME AT FIRST’s apartments at The Brewery.
MORE INFO, see: TOWER OF LONDON

Ongoing, evenings from 9:30PM-10:05PM
LONDON, ENGLAND - THE TOWER OF LONDON
“The Ceremony of the Keys”
700-year-old ceremony of the locking of the main gate of the Tower of London carried out each evening by the Chief Yeoman Warder of the Tower accompanied by an escort of guards. Passes are essential and must be obtained
in advance upon written application. Tickets for this ancient ceremony are available to the public, free of charge.

Applications should be made in writing to:
Ceremony of the Keys Office
Tower of London
London EC3N 4AB Great Britain

Do so at least two months in advance (three months for June-August). List number and names of those wishing to attend, date requested & acceptable alternatives, and enclose a self-addressed envelope, together with a minimum of two (prepaid) International Reply Coupons (buy these at your post office). No phone, e-mail, or fax orders will be accepted.

Yeoman of the Guard at The Tower of London's Main Western Gate. Photo © Home At First.

YEOMAN OF THE GUARD at
THE TOWER OF LONDON'S
MAIN WESTERN GATE
Photo © Home At First

LOCATION: The Tower of London main (western) entrance.
ADMISSION: free!
GETTING THERE: walk 10 minutes traffic-free from HOME AT FIRST’S LONDON apartments at St. Katharine’s Marina or 12 minutes from HOME AT FIRST’s apartments at The Brewery.
MORE INFO, see: CEREMONY OF THE KEYS

Ongoing, daily from 10AM-6PM
LONDON, ENGLAND - THE MUSEUM OF LONDON
Nine Free Galleries Cover a Half-Million Years of London
London’s best museum offers nine galleries with permanent exhibitions covering the human history of London chronologically from about 450,000BC through Roman times, the medieval period through the Tudor Dynasty, the Civil War, Great Fire and Bubonic Plague of the 17th century, the expansion of London during the growth of the Empire, the twentieth century World War years, up to the modern age when London became a world city.

SPECIAL EXHIBITION: “Charles Dickens & London”, marking the 200^th birthday of the great Victorian novelist and Londoner. Exhibition extends through June 10.
LOCATION: Museum of London, 150 London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN.
ADMISSION: Free to the museum & its galleries. Special “Dickens” Exhibition entry: £8/adult, £6/child 6+/seniors.

GETTING THERE: From HOME AT FIRST’S LONDON apartments walk 5-12 minutes to the Tower Hill Underground Station. Take the Circle Line north 9 minutes to Barbican station, then walk 9 minutes to the museum.
Total transit & walking time: 23-28 minutes.
MORE INFO, see: MUSEUM OF LONDON

The Museum of London covers all aspects of London's long history including the City's rich architectural history. Shown is London's 13th century church of St. Helen's of Bishopsgate with its 21st century skyscraping neighbor, the Swiss Re "Gherkin". Photo © Home At First.

The Museum of London
covers all aspects of
London's long history
including the City's rich architectural history.
Shown is London's 13th
century church of St.
Helen's of Bishopsgate
with its 21st century skyscraping neighbor,
the Swiss Re "Gherkin".
Photo © Home At First

Ongoing daily from 10AM
NORTHERN COTSWOLDS - WARWICKSHIRE, WESTERN ENGLAND
“Events at Medieval Warwick Castle”
          England’s greatest show castle offers a variety of events:
• Kingmaker's Medieval Banquet: January 28 (reservations required).
• Attack & Defense Tour (daily): Explore the castle's defenses daily at 11AM & 4PM thru Feb. 11.
• The Castle Grounds (daily): Explore the conservatory & peacock garden, the original Norman
   castle mound, the Victorian rose garden, the River Avon and its island menagerie.
• The Trebuchet & Ballista, the Artillery Fort, and the Towers & Ramparts (daily): Warwick’s own
   massive catapult is modeled on the medieval siege machines that once flung rocks, manure,
   and dead pigs across castle walls. Warwick’s Artillery Fort shows how cannons were used to
   protect the castle at the end of the Middle Ages.
• Merlin - The Dragon Tower (daily): based on the popular show, the fictional adventures of
   Briton's greatest medieval magician include an encounter with a monstrous dragon.
• Warwick Dungeon (daily): Warwick’s newest attraction recreates the medieval dungeon from
   the time the Great Plague ravaged Warwick in 1345. The haunting, live-action experience is
   not for the faint hearted. An additional charge applies.
• The Pageant Playground (daily): great fun for the youngest members of the family.
• The Princess Tower (daily): up the spiral stairs to the chambers of medieval princesses.
• Ghost Tour: spooky tales about real former inhabitants of Warwick Castle. Meet at the Great
   Hall steps at 12:30PM & 3PM daily through February 11.
• Birds of Prey Show: eagles and vultures swooping from the castle ramparts at 12N & 2PM in the
   Central Courtyard daily through February 11.
• Shakespeare's Secret Tour: could The Bard have once been owner of Warwick Castle?
   Learn all the secrets about Shakespeare and Warwick Castle: meet at the Great Hall steps
   daily at 11:30AM and 2PM through February 11.

THE ORIGINAL 11TH CENTURY NORMAN CASTLE HILL: ETHELFLEDA'S MOUND VIEWED FROM A LATER TOWER AT WARWICK CASTLE.
Zach Elwell Photo © Home At First

LOCATION: in Warwick, about 45 minutes NE of HOME AT FIRST’s Northern Cotswolds cottages in an around Chipping Campden. (Hint: you may want to combine a visit to Warwick Castle with a visit to nearby Stratford-upon-Avon,
Shakespeare’s home town.)
GETTING THERE: From HOME AT FIRST’S NORTHERN COTSWOLDS cottages, drive north on the B4632 to Stratford, then follow the A439 north to the A46 and the A429 into Warwick. Watch for signs for the castle.
OPEN DAILY: 10AM-5PM. (Closed December 25.)
CASTLE ADMISSION: £21/adult, £16.20/seniors, £15/child 4-16, £72/family (2
   adults plus up to 2 kids).
CASTLE + DUNGEON ADMISSION: £26.40/adult, £22.20/seniors, £21/child,
   £94.80/family.
CASTLE + MERLIN & DRAGON TOWER ADMISSION: £24.60/adult,
   £19.80/seniors, £18.60/child, £86.40/family.
WHOLE KINGDOM ADMISSION: £29.40/adult, £25.80/seniors, £24.40/child,
   £108.00/family.
PARKING: Car lot parking from £5-£8.
MORE INFO, see: WARWICK CASTLE

Ongoing Daily
YORK CITY - NORTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND: “Yorkwalks”
Guided walks through interesting parts of the medieval walled city of York offer exercise, culture, and entertainment. Standard walks offered at 10:30AM and 2:15PM (only on weekends through January; daily starting in February) from
the menu of “Roman York”, “Secret York”, “Essential York”, and the

	popular “Snickleways” tours of York’s narrow back alleys. At evenings and other times Yorkwalks offer rare opportunities to see parts of York never open to the public, like their “Inaccessible & Hidden York: Graveyard, Coffin, & Crypt Tour”, “Historic Inns and Pubs Tour”, and “Choccy & Sweetie Tour”. Who wouldn’t want to wear sensible shoes on their next visit to Olde Yorke? LOCATION: Museum Garden Gates, Museum Street, York.
	GETTING THERE: HOME AT FIRST NORTH YORKSHIRE guests drive 30-6030-60 minutes to York. Park outside the city gates (MEDIEVAL CENTRAL YORK has very little parking) and walk or take a shuttle bus into the old city. ADMISSION: £5.50/adults, £5/students/kids 5-15. Supplement charged for any tours requiring entrance to York Minster. MORE INFO & COMPLETE SCHEDULE: YORKWALK

Daily to June 3, 2012 - 10AM-6PM
LONDON, ENGLAND – THE TATE BRITAIN
“The Romantics”
Special exhibition examining the revolution in painting that accompanied simultaneous revolutions in literature and music to redefine the ways artists interpret their worlds. These revolutions — usually combined as a common movement called "Romanticism" — essentially invented modernism by granting artists the permission to inject emotion into their work and to reject the hoary tradition of art as the

JMW Turner - "Sun Setting over a Lake" (1840) - Tate Britain Collection.

JMW TURNER'S "SUN SETTING OVER A LAKE" (1840)
From the Tate Britain Collection

pursuit of purely rational intellectual realism. Several painters will be represented by major works, including the classical romantic John Constable, the proto-impressionist romantic JMW Turner, and the proto-expressionist romantic William Blake.
LOCATION: Tate Britain Museum, Millbank, London, SW1P 4RG.

OPEN DAILY except December 24-26: 10AM-6PM Sa-Th; 10AM-10PM Fr.
ADMISSION: Free.
GETTING THERE: HOME AT FIRST’S LONDON guests walk 5-12 minutes to the Tower Hill Underground Station, then take the District or Circle Line west 10 stops to Victoria, then change to the southbound Victoria Line and go 1 stop to Pimlico station. Walk east 8 minutes to the Tate Britain Museum on Millbank Street along the Thames River. Total transit & walking time: 30-40 minutes.

Alternatively, walk to the Tower Pier (by Tower of London) and board a westbound Thames Clipper commuter service boat (operating frequency: every 20 minutes from 6AM-1AM) for the 9-minute river sailing to Bankside Pier. Change at Bankside for the Thames Clipper Tate-to-Tate service to Millbank Pier, a 20-minute sailing (operating every 40 minutes, 10AM-5PM). The Thames Clippers, like the Underground, London Transport buses, and Docklands Light Rail, is covered by your Oyster Card London transportation pass.
MORE INFO, see: TATE BRITAIN

Ongoing, daily at different times

LONDON, ENGLAND

THEATRE: “What’s On This Winter?”

• “Million Dollar Quartet”: Documenting (and expanding upon) the December 1956 uniting of four founding fathers of rock n’ roll: Mssrs. Presley, Cash, Perkins, and J. L. Lewis for a jam session at their mutual recording studio, the iconic Sun Records of Sam Phillips. Expect a lively evening of classic early rock music, spiced with charismatic, driven personalities, regional cultural fealty, and youthful exuberance, ambition, and jealousy. Performances through April 28, 2012 at the Noel Coward Theatre,

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE IN LONDON.

St. Martin's Lane northeast of Trafalgar Square, NW of St.-Martin-in-the-Fields church, and 7 minutes walk north of Charing Cross Station.

Embankment Tube. Rating: Family. Prices from £15.

• “Phantom of the Opera”: long running Gothic musical at Her Majesty’s
      Theatre, Haymarket near Piccadilly Circus tube. Rating: Family. Prices from £22.
• “The Mousetrap”: Agatha Christie’s record-running mystery at St. Martin’s Theatre,
     Covent Garden. Leicester Square tube. Rating: Family. Prices from £20.
• “The 39 Steps”: silly, enduring thriller at Criterion Theatre, Jermyn St., near Piccadilly
     Circus tube. Rating: Family. Prices from £10.
• “Wicked”: musical prequel about the witches of “The Wizard of Oz” at the Apollo Victoria
     Theatre, 17 Wilton Rd. Victoria tube. Rating: Family. Prices from £17.50.

• “The Pitman Painters”: Somehow in the 1930s northern Britain's bleak mines produced
     a group of miners/artists whose paintings captured the imagination of the art world. With a
     theme ("what constitutes Art?") that sounds like it will ensure a dull evening in the theatre,
     Lee Hall's play is "richly funny, deeply moving, and continuously entertaining." —Charles
     Spencer in The Telegraph. At the Duchess Theatre, Catherine St. by Covent Garden.
     Performances through January 21, 2012.

     Temple tube (closed Sundays) or Covent Garden tube. Rating: Not for kids. Prices from £26.
• “The Lion King”: Long-running blockbuster with spectacular staging at the Lyceum
     Theatre, 21 Wellington St. at the Strand.
       Temple tube (closed Sundays). Rating: Family. Prices from £20.50.
• “Les Miserables”: Victor Hugo’s story about the tragedies of life and indomitable human
     spirit continues its long run (since 1985) to continuous critical acclaim. Queen’s Theatre,
     Shaftesbury Ave., Soho, between Piccadilly Circus and Charing Cross Road. Leicester Square
       or Piccadilly Circus Tube. Musical. Rating: older teens & adults. Prices from £18.80.
• “Billy Elliot, the Musical”: Musical adaptation of the movie about a sensitive boy from
     a British mining town who wants to be a dancer. The story is something of a parable about
     post-industrial society, only sweeter and lighter. Elton John’s music is perfect. At the Victoria
     Palace Theatre, Victoria Street opposite Victoria Station. Victoria tube, then cross Victoria St.
     Rating: tweeners and up (due to swearing). Prices from £24.50.

• “Hay Fever”: The latest production of Sir Noel Coward’s 1924 drawing room drama about
     four guests expecting a weekend of escape at an English country home where the unconven-
     tional hosting upends all expectations. Appropriately staged at the Noel Coward Theatre, St.
     Martin's Lane northeast of Trafalgar Square, NW of St.-Martin-in-the-Fields church, and 7
     minutes walk north of Charing Cross Station.
     Runs February 25-June 2, 2012. Embankment Tube. Rating: Mature. Prices from £16.
• “She Stoops to Conquer”: Oliver Goldsmith’s 18th century romantic comedy about
     mistaken identity, love, class expectations, and dysfunctional families. Proof that there’s
     nothing new in the theatre, cinema, or on TV. National Theatre’s Olivier Theatre, South Bank
     WC2 Embankment Tube, then walk 5 minutes across the Jubilee pedestrian bridge to the
     South Bank. Walk along the river bank promenade NE from the bridge end (away from the
     London Eye), and cross below the Waterloo Bridge to the National Theatre. Performances
     from January 24 to March 28, 2012.
     Temple or Embankment Tube. Rating: Family. Prices from £12.
ADMISSION: Full-priced tickets from£5-£100 (not cheap, but often better than Broadway).
TICKETS: Order your tickets in advance on-line via LONDON TOWN. Pick them up at the theatre on the day of performance. Discount tickets available!
GETTING THERE: From HOME AT FIRST’S LONDON apartments walk 5-12 minutes to the Tower Hill or London Bridge Underground Station, then take the District, Circle, or Jubilee Line west.
• Covent Garden and South Bank Theatres: Within 10 minutes are most of the tube stops
   convenient for Covent Garden and South Bank theatres (Mansion House, Temple,
   Embankment, Southwark, Waterloo, Charing Cross, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus).
• For West End theatres in Soho: From Tower Hill tube take the District Line 6 stops & 10 minutes
   to Embankment station. From London Bridge tube take the Jubilee Line west to Waterloo. At
   Embankment or Waterloo, change to the Northern Line (direction Edgeware) and travel north to
   Leicester (“Lester”) Square or to Tottenham Court Road.
• For West End theatres near Piccadilly Circus or Oxford Circus: From Tower Hill tube take the
   District Line west 6 stops and 10 minutes to Embankment. From London Bridge tube take the
   Jubilee Line west to Waterloo. At Embankment or Waterloo change to the Bakerloo Line north
   to Piccadilly Circus or to Oxford Circus.
• For theatres near Waterloo station: From Tower Hill tube take the District Line 6 stops and 10
   minutes west to Embankment station, then change to the Northern Line south one stop to
   Waterloo. From London Bridge tube take the Jubilee Line west one stop to Southwark tube or
   two stops to Waterloo tube.
• Total transit & walking time from Tower Hill or London Bridge Underground Stations to almost
   any theatre in London’s six principal theatre regions (Barbican, South Bank, Covent Garden,
   Soho, Oxford Circus, Sloane Square): less than 30 minutes.

Ongoing – Weekdays only 10AM-5PM
LONDON – The Bank of England Museum
“The £ in Your Pocket”
One of the fun, free, funky museums of London. It doesn’t sound like it would be, but this museum is great fun for kids of all ages. Ongoing Monday-Friday (except holidays): special exhibition of “The Pound in Your Pocket” – the story of British money and, specifically, of monetary inflation. Doesn’t sound like a subject your kids would enjoy, right? The museum — using jigsaw puzzles, balloons, gold bars, old coins, and touch-screen computers —sees to it that they will!
LOCATION: Bank of England Museum, Threadneedle Street, London EC2R 8AH.
GETTING THERE: From HOME AT FIRST’S LONDON apartments walk 5-12 minutes to the Tower Hill Underground Station, then take the District or

the pound in your pocket image

LEAVE IT TO THE FINANCIAL CAPITAL OF
LONDON TO MAKE BANKING FUN FOR KIDS!
Courtesy The Bank of England Museum

Circle Line west 1 stop & 2 minutes to Monument station, then walk 5 minutes through the maze of tunnels following signs for Bank station. Emerge from Bank Underground, walk across the street to the Royal Exchange, with its colonnaded portico, and walk up Threadneedle Street one-half block. Cross Threadneedle Street at Bartholomew Lane. Walk up Bartholomew Lane on the left (west) side of the street. The Bank of England Museum entrance is mid-way up the block, and poorly marked on the left side. Total transit & walking time: less than 20 minutes.
ADMISSION: Free!
OPEN: Mo-Fr 10AM-5PM. Closed weekends and bank holidays.
MORE INFO, see: BANK OF ENGLAND MUSEUM

Ongoing through February 5 2012, 10AM-6PM daily

LONDON ENGLAND – The National Gallery

“Leonardo da Vinci — Painter at the Court of Milan”

A bold first by the National Gallery: an examination of Leonardo exclusively as a painter, and especially as the court painter of Milanese Duke Sforza during the 1480s & 1490s. For this exhibition the National Gallery has assembled a group of surviving Leonardo paintings from private galleries and public museums around the world. Included will be an examination of the production of da Vinci’s “Last Supper” from preparatory drawings and a full-size copy made by an assistant of Leonardo’s within about two decades after Leonardo’s painting was finished.

LOCATION: At the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, central London WC2N 5DN.

DA VINCI EXHIBITION POSTER
Courtesy The National Gallery

EXHIBITION TIMES: Sa-Th 10AM-6PM; Fr 10AM-9PM.

ADMISSION: free to the National Gallery, but for this special exhibition the admission is: £16/adult, £14/seniors, £8/students, Children under 12: free.

GETTING THERE: From HOME AT FIRST’S LONDON APARTMENTS AT ST. KATHARINE’S MARINA, walk 5-8 minutes to the Tower Hill Underground Station, then take the District or Circle Line west to Embankment Station, then walk five minutes north to Trafalgar Square. From THE BREWERY APARTMENTS south of the Tower Bridge, walk 10-12 minutes (or take a bus 2-4 minutes) to London Bridge Underground Station, then take the Jubilee Line west two stops to Waterloo Station. Change to the Northern Line. Go two stops north to Charing Cross Underground Station. Walk 3 minutes north to Trafalgar Square. Go west of the National Gallery’s main portico entrance to reach the entrance for the Sainsbury Wing.
MORE INFO, see: LEONARDO THE PAINTER.

Thursdays thru June 28, 2012, 12N-3PM
DUBLIN IRELAND – Christ Church Cathedral
“Lunchtime Open-Air Market”
Outdoor market on the grounds of Dublin’s historic Christ Church Cathedral – which traces its roots nearly 1,000 years – probably the most important church of the Church of Ireland. The market features more than 20 food stalls plus live jazz between noon and 3PM every Thursday thru June 28.
LOCATION: Christchurch Place, in central Dublin city.

Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral. Photo courtesy www.christchurchdublin.ie.

Dublin's Christ CHURCH CATHEDRAL.
Photo courtesy www.christchurchdublin.ie.

ADMISSION: to the market: free. To visit the cathedral: €6/adult, €4/senior, €3/students 16+, €2/Children under 15, €14/Family (2A+2C).
GETTING THERE: From Home At First’s nearest Dublin Apartments, walk two blocks east along Cook St, then one block south on Winetavern St.
MORE INFO, see CHRISTCHURCH OPEN-AIR MARKET.

Daily through March 31

OSLO, NORWAY
"Skating at Spikersuppa"

Open-air ice-skating at Oslo’s Spikersuppa open-air skating rink in the city center. The rink is formed around a large sculptural fountain not operating in winter. A refreshment stand offering hot and cold snacks and drinks is adjacent to the rink. Home At First’s Oslo lodgings are just a few walking minutes away.

LOCATION: Spikersuppa rink occupies the parkland between Karl Johan's Gate and

Oslo, Norway: Free open-air skating at Spikersuppa rink in the city center. Photo © Home At First.

Oslo, Norway: Free open-air skating at
Spikersuppa rink in the city center.
Photo © Home At First.

Stortingsgata just east of the National Theatre, west of Norway’s Parliament, and south of the University of Oslo.
OPEN: 11AM-9PM daily.

ADMISSION: Free!

SKATE RENTAL: NOK45/adult; NOK30/child; 10% reduction when you present your Oslo Pass (Home At First guests receive these for city transit and entry to attractions).

MORE INFO: OSLO SKATING, OSLO, NORWAY.

Daily through March 4

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
"Skating at Kungsträdgården"

Open-air ice-skating at Kungsträdgården park rink in STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN. Music and hot and cold snacks. Skate rental.

LOCATION: Kungsträdgården park rink is just north of Stockholm’s Old City (Gamla Stan) across the Strömbron bridge and within 10 walking minutes of Home At First’s Stockholm lodgings.

OPEN: 10:30AM-6:30PM, except Dec. 16 thru Jan. 8 11AM-8PM. Closed Dec. 24.

ADMISSION: Free!

Stockholm, Sweden - public skating on the Kungstradgarden park rink.

Stockholm, Sweden - public skating on
the Kungsträdgården park rink.

SKATE RENTAL: SEK50/adult; SEK20/child.

MORE INFO: STOCKHOLM SKATING.

NEAREST HOME AT FIRST LODGINGS: less than 5 minutes walking distance at our Gamla Stan Hotel, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN.

Every Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday
LONDON – Meet at Tower Hill Tube
“Guided Walking Tours of our London”
Two regularly-scheduled guided walks provide Home At First London guests looking for more insight into the history –recent and distant – of their London home region. Learn about life here during medieval times and its dramatic post-war redevelopment from bombed out ruins to the revitalized Docklands.

• Guided Walk through Ancient London: if knights, damsels, and castles are your cup of tea, this walk's teaser should push your happy buttons: “A guided walk through alleyways that tourists never find, including an urban enchanted forest, a place where 13 knights performed three deeds of bravery, a centuries-old peep hole to keep nuns safe from prying eyes, a place of a Maypole and 11,000 beheaded virgins, a fountain whose waters mimic the tail feathers of an ostrich, Bedlam, a prioress, Bluebell Girls, black magic, Geoffrey Chaucer, and traitors’ heads.”

• Guided Walk through London’s Revitalized Docklands: explore east from Tower Hill looking for evidence of the Docklands' importance to commerce and how it has undergone such a dramatic, successful renaissance over the past 30 years. The walk passes through St. Katharine’s Dock, home to several Home At First apartments, and eastward through Wapping, Shadwell, and Limehouse all the way to Canary Wharf, London’s second commercial center. Return to Tower Hill Gateway by Docklands Light Railway.

LOCATION: Walk begins at Tower Hill Underground Station.

ADMISSION: Payable to the guide. Advance reservations not needed.

• Ancient London: £8/adult; £6/seniors & students.

• Docklands: £8/adult.

GETTING THERE: Walk to Tower Hill Tube in 8 minutes from Home At First’s LONDON Apartments at St. Katharine’s Marina by the Tower of London and in 10 minutes from across the Thames at its Apartments at The Brewery.

MORE INFO, phone London: +44 (0)20 7222 1234.

Medieval London can still be found -- if you know where to look. Photo © Home At First.

Medieval London can
still be found -- if you
know where to look.
Photo © HOME AT FIRST

Some tall sailing ships
may still be found
moored in the
Docklands.
Photo © HOME AT FIRST

EVENTS IN JANUARY 2012

A&P SHOWS IN NEW ZEALAND

A&P (Agricultural and Pastoral) shows are the New Zealand equivalent of rural county fairs in the US and Canada. Most are small, local events held on one day. Some are larger, regional events held over a two to four days. A few are important events on the national calendar lasting as much as
a week. In all cases, expect agrarian themes: animals, crops, and machinery, as well as rides and other amusements, lots of food and drink, contests and competitions, baked and canned goods, flower arranging, and, often, music, dancing, and the crowning of a queen. A&P shows are not put on for tourists, which means foreign visitors have a chance to see New Zealanders at play, doing what they love to do, in as authentic a setting as you are likely to find. Cultural snooping? Probably. But FUN!

Sawyer in competition at an A&P show at Murchison, Nelson Region, South Island, New Zealand. Photo © Home At First.

Sawyer in competition at an A&P
show at Murchison, Nelson Region,
South Island, New Zealand.
Photo © Home At First.

NEW ZEALAND A&P SHOWS OCCURRING IN JANUARY

• Th-Su January 12-15, 2012 – HAWKES BAY: New Zealand National Horse & Pony Show at Hawkes Bay A&P Showgrounds, Kenilworth Road, Hastings. All things equestrian at this important show in one of the world’s great equestrian nations. Admission charged daily. MORE INFO.

• Sa, January 14, 2012 – QUEENSTOWN REGION: Lake Hayes Show, at the Lake Hayes Showgrounds near Arrowtown, about 25 minutes drive from Home At First’s QUEENSTOWN INN. MORE INFO.

• Sa-Su, January 21-22, 2012 – WELLINGTON/KAPITI COAST REGION: Horowhenua Agricultural, Pastoral, and Industrial Assn. presents the Levin API Show at Shogrounds Event Park, Victoria Street, Levin, about 20 minutes north of Home At First’s Kapiti Coast Suites. A classic A&P show plus lots of vintage farm equipment. From 9AM each day. Admission: NZ$10/adult. Parking: NZ$5. MORE INFO.

• Sa, January 21, 2012 – NELSON REGION: Golden Bay Show, at Golden Bay Recreation Park, Takaka Valley Highway, about 1 hour NW of Home At First’s NELSON INN. From 8AM-5PM.

• Sa, January 28, 2012 – WESTLAND REGION: Hokitika A&P Assn. Show, at Hokitika town, less than 10 minutes from Home At First’s WESTLAND HOMESTEAD.

• Sa-Su January 28-29, 2012 – ROTORUA A&P Association 103^rd Summer Show, Riverdale Park, Western Road, Ngongotaha, 5 minutes drive from Home At First’s Rotorua Lodge. Admission: NZ$10/adult. Free Parking. More info.

Daily through January 22

LONDON, ENGLAND
"Skating at Somerset House"
Skating at the former home of English Queens and the Royal Navy, now home to the prestigious Courtauld Gallery and the new Embankment Galleries. In the daytime, the ice rink will be especially attractive to children and families, with skating lessons and ice guides to accompany inexperienced skaters. As darkness falls, the rink will be illuminated with flaming torches, and special architectural lighting. The Skate Lounge & Tom’s Kitchen offer fare including warming drinks and gourmet meals. Late night skating

London, England: Ice skating at the elegant 18th century Somerset House on the Strand.

London, England: Ice skating at the elegant
18th century Somerset House on the Strand.

to DJ-presented pop music 10:30-11:30PMWe-Sa through 30DEC and Fr-Sa until 21JAN.
LOCATION: Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA
GETTING THERE: From Home At First’s LONDON Apartments at St. Katharine’s Marina and The Brewery, walk 5-8 minutes to the Tower Hill Underground Station, then take the District or Circle Line west 5 stops to Temple station, walk 5 minutes to Somerset House. Total transit & walking time: 17-25 minutes.
TIMES: Hourly sessions most days from 10AM-10PM with some late-skates from 10:30-11:30PM. Shortened hours December 24, 26, and 31 and January 1. Closed Dec. 25.
ADMISSION: £14.00/adult; £7.50/kids under 13. Add £1-£2 service fee if tickets purchased on-line in advance). Early afternoon £8.50 admission for some early-December and January dates.
MORE INFO, visit: SOMERSET HOUSE SKATING.

Ongoing through January, 2012
Dublin – National Gallery of Ireland
“A Light in the Darkness” – Turner’s Watercolors
Ireland’s National Gallery displays its superb collection of watercolors by England’s marvelous romantic landscape painter J. M. W. Turner, whose attempts to capture the fleeting illuminations of natural light presaged Impressionism.
LOCATION: Print Gallery, National Gallery
of Ireland, Clare St. at Merrion Square

J.M.W. Turner: "Fishing Boats on Folkestone Beach, Kent." c. 1828. Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.
J. M. W. Turner: "Fishing Boats
on Folkestone Beach, Kent." c. 1828.
Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

West, Central Dublin.
ADMISSION: free!
OPEN: Mo-Sa from 9:30AM-5:30PM (to 8:30PM Th); Su from 12N-5:30PM.
GETTING THERE from the nearest Home At First Dublin apartments, walk two blocks north on Lower Fitzwilliam St to Merrion Square South, then two blocks west on Merrion Square S to Merrion Square W. Walk north one block to Clare St. The National Gallery is at the corner of Merrion Square W and Clare St. The entrance to the gallery is on Clare Street.
MORE INFO, see: TURNER AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF IRELAND.

January 12-15, 2012 Various Times Daily

Sixmilebridge & Bunratty, Central Ireland

Shannonside Winter Music Weekend

Lots of related musical forms – folk, bluegrass, jazz, gospel, and trad (Irish) – will be performed together in a dozen small venues in the small Central Ireland communities of Sixmilebridge and Bunratty over this 4-day weekend. Of the 40-plus events (concerts, sessions, set-dancing, etc.) to be held over a 4-day-and-night program, all but a handful are free.

LOCATIONS: Sixmilebridge and Bunratty are

Late night stalwarts at the Shannonside Winter Music Weekend. Photo courtesy SWMW.
Late night SESSION stalwarts at the
Shannonside Winter Music Weekend.
Photo courtesy SWMW.

near one another in southern County Clare, CENTRAL IRELAND, near Shannon Airport.

ADMISSION: most events free.

GETTING THERE from Home At First’s nearest lodgings in Killaloe, SE County Clare, about 15 miles NE of the festival sites: take the R463 SW from Killaloe to the R471 at Knockbrack Lower near Clonlara. Take the R471 west to Sixmilebridge for some festival venues, then onward 1.5 miles to Bunratty for others.

MORE INFO, see: SHANNONSIDE WINTER MUSIC.

January 12-19, 2012

Hamilton, Bermuda

“25th Anniversary of the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art”

Featuring the best watercolors from the museum’s outstanding collection, including paintings by Winslow Homer and Georgia O’Keefe.

LOCATION: Bermuda Botanical Gardens, Hamilton.

ADMISSION: $5.

OPEN: Mo-Sa 10AM-4PM; Su 11AM-4:30PM.

GETTING THERE from Home At First lodgings across BERMUDA, bus routes 1, 2, and 7, or by scooter.

MORE INFO, see: BERMUDA’S MASTERWORKS MUSEUM.

One of many Georgia O'Keefe paintings in the Bermuda Museum of Art collection. Image courtesy Bermuda Museum of Art.
One of many Georgia O'Keefe
paintings in the Bermuda
Museum of Art collection.
Image courtesy Bermuda Museum of Art.

January 25, 2012 – Robert Burns Birthday

Locations throughout Scotland, Northern Ireland, & New Zealand

“Burns Suppers”

In America we have Independence Day as our national patriotic day, but we also have Thanksgiving, the holiday many Americans consider most representative culturally and spiritually to our society. Similarly, in Scotland, the national day, St. Andrews Day, November 30, has in recent years – since the formation of a Scottish Parliament and the establishment of a semi-autonomous state – taken on much greater patriotic importance there. However, there may be no more important day culturally and spiritually to those with Scottish roots and/or affinities than

Robert Burns, the Bard of Scotland.

Robert Burns Day, which marks the birthday – January 25 – of Scotland’s flawed, but favorite, son. Like Thanksgiving, Robert Burns Day is principally celebrated with a traditional meal – including at least haggis, neeps, tatties, and whiskey – coupled with a traditional set of activities: speeches, grace, toasts, recitations of Burns poetry, and singing, if possible in Scots language by practitioners who take great pleasure in knowing the vocabulary, accent, and music of Robert Burns’s native tongue and lingua poetica. Expect some attendees to Burns Suppers to be kitted in kilts, sporrans, and dirks. Many will doff tam o’ shanters upon entering the dining room. Accumulated toasts accompanied with the downing of wee drams of whisky may lead to the shedding of some tears of nostalgia for auld lang syne when the song of the same name, written by Bobby Burns himself, is sung at the evening’s close.

Noteworthy Burns Suppers open to the public this year:

• In Edinburgh, Scotland, at the HOTEL DU VIN & BISTRO, 11 Bristo Place EH1 1EZ. Starts at
   7PM January 25 with a dram of whisky, followed by a 3-course dinner with wine, and more
   whisky. Entertainment to include actors reciting Burns poetry and anecdotes from his life told
   between courses. Cost: £45/person. ON-LINE RESERVATIONS, or TEL: +44 (0)131 247 4900.
   Home At First Edinburgh guests at THE TERRACE APARTMENTS can taxi to the hotel (in the
   old city) in less than ten minutes.

• In Kilmahog, Central Scotland, the LADE INN celebrates Burns Night two nights later:
   Friday evening JANUARY 27, with traditional Scottish haggis supper, stories, bagpipes,
   poetry, stories, jokes, and Scottish folk music. Home At First CENTRAL SCOTLAND will find the
   Lade Inn at Kilmahog hamlet (no pun intended), just north of Callander and SW off (but in
   sight of) the A85 on the A821 toward Brig o’ Turk. MORE INFO: TEL: +44 (0)1877 330152 or
    email info@theladeinn.com.

January 25-29, 2012

Dublin, Ireland

“7^th Annual Temple Bar TradFest”

Billed as “Dublin’s biggest and best festival of Irish Music and Culture” the Temple Bar TradFest includes marquee concerts at 3 important, if unlikely, venues in the Temple Bar quarter of central Dublin: Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin City Hall and The Button Factory. There will be more than 200 free events, a music trail, a singers club, open sessions, two outdoor stages, the international Celtic Irish dance show, various master classes and showcases, gigs for kids, a children’s club, pipe bands, street performers, a rural Irish village in the city, and other activities and performances associated with the Irish

Temple Bar TradFest.
TEMPLE BAR TRADFEST

phenomenon called TRAD MUSIC.

LOCATION: throughout Temple Bar, south of the River Liffey in central Dublin city.

ADMISSION charged for some principal concerts and activities.

GETTING THERE: To reach the western edge of the Temple Bar quarter from Home At First’s nearest Dublin Apartments, walk two blocks east along Cook St.

MORE INFO, see TEMPLE BAR TRADFEST.

January 26-28, 2012 Various Times Daily

Queenstown Region, South Island, New Zealand

“Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration”

Gathering in the world’s southernmost wine region for its annual 3-day & 3-night festival celebrating the region’s principal wine varietal, Pinot Noir, are aficionados and casual sipper from around the world. Central Otago’s brief, meteoric rise to a position of note as a producer of quality Pinot Noir is

Wine casks at Gibbston Valley Winery,
a leading Central Otago vintner.
Photo © Home At First.

just the latest chapter in the evolution of New Zealand as a world-class wine producing nation. Queenstown – vibrant, youthful, sophisticated, and a little wild – make it an ideal host location for this festival, now in its 13^th year. See the web site for the program information, for which attendees must register in advance.

LOCATION: Queenstown, Arrowtown, and at many local wineries of Central Otago.

ADMISSION: NZ$1196, plus NZ$90 for the Thursday Masterclass.

GETTING THERE: The event is headquartered in central QUEENSTOWN, a short (walkable) distance from Home At First’s principal QUEENSTOWN INN lodgings. Coach transportation is provided by the organization to all other festival venues.

MORE INFO, see: CENTRAL OTAGO PINOT NOIR FESTIVAL.

January 29, 2012 11AM-6PM

Nelson Region, South Island, New Zealand

“Brightwater Wine & Food Festival”

The ninth installment of this increasingly popular summer festival takes place today in the vineyards at Brightwater, about 20 minutes SW of Home At First’s NELSON INN lodgings in Nelson city. Expect music, crafts, and fashion, but come for the fresh gourmet food and superb wines and craft beers for which the Nelson Region is becoming internationally known.

Sunshine and crowds are expected at the annual
Brightwater Wine and Food Festival, Nelson Region.
Brightwater Wine and Food Festival photo.

LOCATION: Grey’s Vineyard, Bryant Road (off Rt. 6 south), Brightwater.

ADMISSION: NZ$50/adult. Tickets at the Nelson i-SITE (tourist office) at Millers Acre Carpark.

GETTING THERE: you may want to drive so you can include the festival with other goals in the NELSON REGION. However, if you wish to enjoy the foods, wines, and experience of a genuine New Zealand summer party, take the festival bus from downtown Nelson for an additional NZ$10/adult (round-trip).

MORE INFO, see: BRIGHTWATER WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL.

EVENTS IN FEBRUARY 2012

February 10 – March 3, 2012

Wellington, North Island, New Zealand

“Wellington Fringe Festival 2012”

Wellington’s annual alternative festival has become an important foil to its stuffier, somewhat concurrent, biennial International Arts Festival (see below), with more than 100 productions of theatre, comedy, music, cabaret, street theatre, guerilla theatre and gorilla theatre planned at venues across New Zealand’s City by the Bay. See program for more info.

LOCATION: Throughout WELLINGTON city.

ADMISSION: many productions free.

GETTING THERE from Home At First’s nearest Wellington city lodging, ORIENTAL BAY INN, is easily achieved on foot, by car, or by city bus.

MORE INFO, see: WELLINGTON FRINGE FESTIVAL.

February 12 or 19, 2012

Uppsala to Stockholm, Sweden

Ice Skating: “The Viking Run”

Every mid-winter since 1999 when the ice is thick enough on Lake Mälaren up to 8,000 intrepid skaters attempt the 80km (nearly 50mi) Viking Run from Uppsala to Stockholm. This year, the race will occur February 12, if the ice is judged suitable, or a week later on February 19, if necessary. In 2011 an early winter

Action along the 50 mile course of the Uppsala to Stockholm ice skating race. Photo vikingarannet.com.
Action along the 50-mile-LONG course of
the Uppsala to Stockholm ice skating race.
Photo vikingarannet.com.

set the ice by Christmas, the race
was held on February 23, and the first of the 2,500 or so to complete the course arrived at Stockholm in less than 3 hours!

LOCATION: start and end points are determined by ice conditions, but, generally, at UPPSALA AND STOCKHOLM.

ADMISSION: there is an entry fee to skate, but no fee to watch.

GETTING THERE from Home At First’s nearby UPPSALA and STOCKHOLM inns depends on the ultimate course layout, and that is dependent on the formation of the ice.

MORE INFO, see: VIKINGARÄNNET.

A&P SHOWS IN NEW ZEALAND

A&P (Agricultural and Pastoral) shows are the New Zealand equivalent of rural county fairs in the US and Canada. Most are small, local events held on one day. Some are larger, regional events held over a two to four days. A few are important events on the national calendar lasting as much as a week. In all cases, expect agrarian themes: animals, crops, and machinery, as well as rides and other amusements, lots of food and drink, contests and competitions, baked and canned goods, flower arranging, and, often, music, dancing, and the crowning of a queen. A&P shows are not put on for tourists, which means foreign visitors have a chance to see New Zealanders at play, doing what they love to do, in as authentic a setting as you are likely to find. Cultural snooping? Probably. But FUN!

NEW ZEALAND A&P SHOWS OCCURRING IN FEBRUARY

• Sa, February 18, 2012 – NELSON REGION: Murchison A&P Show at Murchison Sport, Recreation & Cultural Center Reserve, Waller St., Rt. 6, Murchison, about 90 minutes drive south from Home At First’s NELSON INN en route to WESTLAND. A classic country fair where you will be the only foreigners in attendance.

• Sa, February 25, 2012 – WESTLAND REGION: South Westland A&P Show at Whataroa, about 90 minutes south of Home At First’s WESTCOAST HOMESTEAD. A classic A&P show plus lots of vintage farm equipment. From 9AM each day. Admission: NZ$10/adult. Parking: NZ$5. MORE INFO.

VIEW FROM MT. VICTORIA ABOVE DEVONPORT, ACROSS WAITEMATA HARBOUR WITH THE FERRY TO DOWNTOWN AUCKLAND.
Photo © Home At First

February 18-19, 2012 from 11AM-6PM each day

Auckland Region: Devonport village

"Devonport Food, Wine, & Music Festival"

A summer weekend festival at the Waitemata Harbour front in the picturesque village of Devonport. Expect lots of live music, food, cooking demonstrations, wine and wine tasting (from numerous vineyards across New Zealand).

LOCATION: The festival is along the Devonport waterfront.

ADMISSION: NZ$30/Sunday, NZ$35/Saturday at the gate.

GETTING THERE: Home At First AUCKLAND guests staying at our DEVONPORT INN need only walk 3 minutes to the waterfront park.

MORE INFO, see: DEVONPORT FOOD & WINE FEST.

February 23-26, 2012

Gothenburg, Sweden

“Gothenburg Horse Show”

One of the world’s most important indoor horse shows, the 4-day-long Gothenburg Horse Show has become an annual fixture on the calendar of major equestrian events, and is often the site of the World Cup Final.

LOCATION: The Scandinavium Arena, near Liseberg Amusement Park, Gothenburg.

GETTING THERE from Home At First’s

Show jumping -- one of many equestrian events --
at the annual Gothenburg Horse Show.
Photo courtesy goteborghorseshow.com

nearest Gothenburg lodgings: take the #42 or #52 bus to the Korsvägen transport center by Liseberg, then any tram north a short distance to the Scandinavium.

ADMISSION: A wide variety of ticket types available for days and partial days starting at SEK205/adult and SEK160/youth (4-17).

MORE INFO, see: GOTHENBURG HORSE SHOW.

February 24 – March 18, 2012

Wellington, North Island, New Zealand

“New Zealand International Arts Festival”

A major cultural event occurring every two years, the NZ International Arts Festival presents a formal program of classical music, drama, dance, literature, and visual art at many venues throughout Wellington city. Note that two of its 4-week run overlap with the less-serious Wellington Fringe Festival, to offer a wide variety of entertainment and culture from

Image illustrating "Beautiful Burnout", a play about
the realities of boxing, a co-production of Frantic
Assembly with the National Theatre of Scotland,
to be performed at the 2012 NZ International
Arts Festival, Wellington.
Photo by Ela Wlodarczyk, courtesy festival.co.nz

February 24 through March 3.

LOCATION: Throughout WELLINGTON city.

ADMISSION: many productions free.

GETTING THERE from Home At First’s nearest Wellington city lodging, ORIENTAL BAY INN, is easily achieved on foot, by car, or by city bus.

MORE INFO, see: NZ INTERNATIONAL ARTS FEST.