Is there a more wonderful city in the world than London? You know I’m not a city girl, at least I’d never want to live in one, but I love visiting vibrant cities, and surely London is one of the best. The only city I can think of that could compete with London is Sydney, Australia. Sydney has the best views, but London has the best architecture by far. What fun; I wish I could come back somehow without leaving the dogs. (Let me know if you figure that one out–but no, I’d never ship them. I’d be a wreck worrying about them.)
We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast in Chelsea that defines “English charm” in the best of all possible ways, visited with my English cousins, and spent the day Monday traipsing around the city. Actually, that’s not quite accurate. We spent most of the day at the Museum of Natural History in the dinosaur exhibit. If you get to London, and you are at all interested in animals and zoology, this is a Must See. I give the curators my highest regards for creating such an interesting, relevant and biologically sound exhibit. Beyond the crazy impressive collection of standing dinosaur skeletons, and beyond the dramatic and realistic re-creations of full-fleshed, moving members of several different species (the T. Rex exhibit is the gold standard of same), what I liked best was the exhibit’s comparison of the vast diversity of dinosaurs with that of today’s mammals. From herbivores (food easy to get, hard to digest) to carnivores (food difficult and dangerous to get, but easy to digest), from solitary species to pack hunting wolf-like dinosaurs, the entire exhibit is a biology lesson in adaptation and the interplay of environment and behavior. Brilliant. The exhibit makes it clear that dinosaurs were the equivalent of today’s mammals 65+ million years ago. (My university major professor Jeffrey Baylis used to joke: Don’t worry too much about things–the age of mammals is almost over anyway.)
Here’s a re-creation of a nest of dinosaur eggs, complete with hatchlings emerging from the shell. You can almost hear them start to squeak. (Did they squeak? Who knows? One exhibit showed a species with an elaborate air filled structure on its head that looks as though it was used as a resonating chamber. How cool.)
And here’s me in front of a giant sloth skeleton (an extinct North American mammal). No comment about the choice of animals that I paired up with.
Later in the day we hopped the quintessential British double-decker bus and found our way to Neal’s Yard, a tiny shopping area my friends had suggested as a “must see” that most Londoners had never heard of. We finally figured out it was in Covent Garden, wended our way through a massive flea market, lines of street performers and throngs of other tourists and found ourselves in a tiny triangular courtyard surrounded by shops called things like Hair by Fairy. Our raison d’etre was The Neal’s Yard Dairy, a shop selling some of the best cheese in the world. Either heaven on earth, or a lactose-intolerant nightmare, this tiny shop made me want to try a sample of every single cheese they displayed. We “oooo’ed” and “aaaah’ed” our way through samples from all over the world, and finally selected a lovely Irish Collea cheese and a creamy chevre for relatives and hosts.
Yesterday we took the train to Milton Keynes and I gave my first talk last night for the Association of Pet Behavior Counsellors. True confessions: I was quite nervous (“quite”? Do I sound British already?). I’ve had a ridiculous amount of technical difficulties in the past week, including none of my talks playing at all, my Kindle breaking (it’s officially dead) and raft of computer problems too endless and boring to mention. What a relief to have the talk go well! Best of all was the audience and some of the APBC members. The audience could not have been more delightful, they made it great fun. I was speaking about “The Internal Life of Animals,” a subject I dearly love, and they seemed to share my enthusiasm. Thanks especially for APBC Board member Karen Wild for her warm welcome.
Today it’s on to Newcastle for another talk tonight, then a tour of the Waltham Foundation on Thursday where I’ll give a short lunch-time talk, and then the final English speech on Friday night in Bristol. English blog readers be sure and come up and say hello, I’d love it. Then it’s four nights in a tiny cabin in Wales, just me and Jim. Ummmm. Lots of hiking and eating and hiking and more eating. They will have to ship me home on a cargo plane, because I suspect that eating will trump hiking every time. (Best kept secret: The food in England is fantastic.) I’ll keep you posted when I can on all our adventures, the next blogs will continue to be travelogues from the UK and then Germany.
Jeannie says
Germany? Where? When? I’m in Bavaria (between Munich and Innsbruck, Austria) and would love to see you!
Minna says
Regarding transatlantic travel with dogs, you can bring your dogs along on the cruise ship Queen Mary 2 (going between New York and Southampton). There’s a blog post about the experience here: http://theroadunleashed.com/posts/qm2_kennels_embarkation
KathyF says
Patricia, I moved here nine years ago and yes, I shipped my dog. There was no choice. She weathered the trip beautifully. And the life she had here more than made up for those 10 hours in an airplane–and yes, I worried every minute.
Now we have another dog, and he’s not nearly as “bomb-proof” as that dog was, but he’ll be going with us when we move back. There is simply no other choice. Again, ten hours on a plane will be worth his getting to live the rest of his life with us, where ever that is.
And yes, there is no better city than London. I’m not a city girl either, which is why I’m glad I live in the countryside, a 20 minute train ride into Marylebone. Best of both worlds right here!
Sorry I missed the talk. I actually thought it was later in the month, and I meant to book tickets later on. Drats.
Jo says
Many thanks for making the trek to the UK! I attended your talk in Milton Keynes last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Here’s hoping for some dry weather for your trip to Wales (although the Magic 8 Ball says “outlook not good”).
Frances says
I had really hoped to see you in Newcastle, but it was just a bit too far to drive back on a November night, and the trains were decidedly uncooperative! No need to hope it will go well, as I know it will – enjoy your time in Wales. The weather forecast definitely indicates log fires and comfort food rather than hiking!
Claudia says
cool. that’s a megatherium, a giant ground sloth. Up here in Alaska we missed them by only about 15,000 years or so. One of the greatest regrets of my life is that I arrived here too late to ever see a live one.
The closest I ever came to the Pleistocene was finding a big mammoth tusk on a float trip. Now that was cool….
Karen Mielke says
So wonderful to read about your trip. Before I moved to North Carolina, my home was about 30 miles from Milton Keynes, a great place to Christmas Shop back then.
Where are you lecturing in Germsny? I leave for a cruise from Amsterdam to Basel on Friday. We will be traveling through and stopping in Germany. I don’t imagine that I’d be fortunate enough to add listening to you to my wonderful break, but no harm asking.
Have a wonderful time, wonderful lady.
Beth with the Corgis says
Oh, lovely. I adore London. My husband (before he moved here) worked for the railway there and so I must admit he moved me from train to train so fast I never knew where I was. Last year we were in Oxford and it is so beautiful. Salisbury is also quite nice.
I can’t say I share your love of English cuisine, though the desserts are delicious. However, in London you can get just about any food under the sun, and so I’ve never found food a problem. Fish and chips is quite nice, but most of the other traditional dishes don’t suit my taste.
Last time we were there I was surprised to see that coffee houses had taken over from tea rooms.
Beth with the Corgis says
Oh, and if I could send anyone to just one museum in England, it would be the Pitt Rivers in Oxford. We went back a second day, we loved it so much.
http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/
Trisha says
The talks in Germany are in Aschau, during a symposium sponsored by Animal Learn. (So they are very close to Bavaria Jeannie, yes? Go to my website, http://www.patriciamcconnell.com for more information. Hope to see you there.
Re shipping dogs. If I was moving here I too would bring my dog in a heartbeat. But not for 2.5 weeks! Glad it worked out well for those of you who did it, and good to know about taking Queen Mary 2. Me mum took the Queen Mary 1 once, we love hearing stories about it.
Carolyn DeFiore says
Sounds like you are having a wonderful time! I had my first ever trip to the UK last March. What a fabulous country for architecture as you said. Lovely English countryside, great Bed and Breakfast places to stay!! Also got to take in Crufts Dog show…of course.. 😉
I plan on returning soon and spending time with some terrific dogs on the Moors, hunting with hawks, on my next trip. 🙂
Enjoy the rest of your visit!
Sean says
Sounds like a great time. It’s been quite a while since I went to London for my travel abroad program, and I do miss it quite a bit. If you head back by Neal st. check out Hawksmoor Seven Dials. Have fun!
Jane says
I love Neal’s Yard myself–hard to find, but worth it. My husband happened to be visiting London right at the moment when the Icelandic volcano decided to blow in 2010, shutting down all air traffic. He said that Neal’s Yard cheese carried him through the stress of not knowing when he could get back to the States again. He had no refrigerator in his hotel room, but kept the cheese in the cool space between the double panes of glass of his window. I’m sure the hotel cleaning staff were a little dismayed, but they left it alone!
Debbie S. says
As far as big cities go, Trisha, I’m with you….don’t like them. But I loved London and was fortunate to spend part of my college years there exploring many of its enticingly crooked streets. Such a fascinating city with so much history! Where will you be visiting in Wales? Altho I can find no confirmation of this, someone once told me that Katharine Hepburn had this to say about Wales: “God created the earth in six days and on the seventh, he created Wales”. While it might not be accurate to attribute the quote to Miss Hepburn, I can’t argue with the sentiment….this little country has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Enjoy!
Karen Wild says
It was an absolute delight to meet you, thank you on behalf of the APBC and of course, myself, for coming and for such an informative evening. Hope to catch up with you again soon and enjoy the rest of the time here in England.
Regards
Karen
Sally Jones says
Looking forward to seeing you in Bristol on Friday and glad you are enjoying England and our great food. Just a little tip for Wales. It isn’t part of England, it’s a separate country and like most close neighbours they get more than a little touchy if you call it part of England. I should know, I’ve been married to a Welshman for 33 years! Enjoy your trip.
Sally Full member APBC
Nic1 says
Trisha – such a pleasure to meet you last night and your talk was absolutely fascinating. A few books have now been added to my wish list on Amazon! 🙂 Panksepp and Horowitzs’ research I am particularly excited about. The dopamine energised SEEKING circuit is intriguing in both dogs and humans. It has been said that humans have a genetic ‘set point’ for happiness based on how many dopamine receptors they possess. Same for dogs? Leads me to ponder on stereotypies in dogs and addictive personalities in humans etc. Fascinating! Also explains my shoe fetish retail therapy and instant buyer’s remorse!
Thanks so much Trisha – you are truly an inspirational lady and your students are so fortunate to have you.
I hope the rest of your tour goes well. Enjoy Wale too.. The Gower is beautiful – Rossilli beach will wish you’d packed Willie and Tootsie! 🙂
Kindest,
Nic1
Bianca Schmid says
I will be attending your talk in Bristol tomorrow afternoon, travelling over from London, and am looking very much forward to it. Although I am not a dog trainer, just a very fascinated and interested dog owner, I am sure it will be a fascinating learning experience.
Sally says
So glad you are enjoying your time here in England, Trisha- your photos are great and even though I’m not a city girl either, the Natural History Museum has just gone even further up my list of ‘Must See’ places to visit!
I was lucky enough to come to your talk in Milton Keynes on Tuesday and I loved every minute of it! Thankyou for such a fascinating and fun evening….I just wish I lived closer to the other venues so I could come and enjoy it all over again! Ever since then, my mind has been buzzing with a million new questions and it was both a joy and a privilege to meet you in person. ( True confession of my own: I was so thrilled I was like a starstruck teenager….shaky hands and racing heart…. because my two dogs are my world and your website, books and dvds have been such a massive help to the three of us in so many ways ).
I hope you have a fabulous time during the rest of your trip and I hope you get lots of sunshine in Wales, it’s such a beautiful country! Thanks again ( big smile! )
Trisha says
Love hearing about other’s experiences in London! And thank you again Karen W for such a gracious and warm welcome. And how lucky I was to meet Nic1, a dedicated and thoughtful commenter. I love meeting people who join the conversation…. off to Bristol now, then to Wales tomorrow. I’ll channel Katherine Hepburn to the best my ability!
Nic1 says
@Beth – Coffee rooms haven’t taken over in Yorkshire yet. Yorkshire folk wouldn’t here of it! 🙂
http://www.bettys.co.uk/bettys_harrogate.aspx
Check out Betty’s if ever you are in North/West Yorkshire and need a nice cup of tea and a Fat Rascal.
minkee says
I promised Nic1 that I would show my face here – I’m an avid reader but rarely if ever post! – so here I am.
The talk in Newcastle was absolutely brilliant. Before hand I had a heck of a time explaining to my friends why I was there (Nic1- I tried your “Jane Goodall of dogs” line and they said Jane who?? Oh dear!) but afterwards I could regale them with stories of chimps instant messaging each other and scientists for whom ‘tickling rats’ is in their job description. Wonderful!
I think the story that will stick with me most, though, is the “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I love you, I love you.” You’re a heartbreaker, Trisha, there’s no denying it.
To everyone in Bristol tonight; you are in for a treat 😀
Trisha says
Thanks so much minkee, and Sally, what a wonderful thing for you to say. Bristol was incredibly fun, truly a fantastic crowd with lots of good energy, I had a wonderful time with you all. Thanks to Pauline of the APBC for all her hard work, and thanks to member Trudy, who stunned me by handing me an Kindle. She had read that mine died (what, water isn’t good for it?) and brought her old one for me, full of lots of fun books to read. What hospitality you have all shown here! Tomorrow it’s off to Wales, for either hiking in the rain or cozying up in pubs outside of the rain. Can’t wait to visit Wales, everyone says it is gorgeous.
Chris Morgan says
Have just come home from your talk in Bristol and must say what a great time I had. I’ve been to lots of talks and lectures in my time and although good speakers are out there it is rare to find one so enthusiastic and, above all, fun! I loved all your asides and little stories. It was more like a cosy conversation than a lecture.
Thanks so much. Hope you have a great time in Wales, I’m in Pontypridd so I doubt you’re coming here! I don’t think you’re going to be blessed with great weather unfortunately.. Just ask if you want any advice on what to see & where to go. Finally…Happy Birthday to you & Jim.
Trisha says
Thanks Chris! Your words are music to my ears, very very kind of you. We’ll be staying to the west of Swansea in Wales, just north of the Mumbles a bit. Any advice about hiking in the area (we have raincoats and boot covers!) or good restaurants/pubs would be greatly appreciated! And I suspect we might need help translating… I remember 50 years ago when I was first in the UK I met a young man from Wales and I couldn’t understand a word he said! (Someone finally translated: He said “Can I knock you up a bit?” Which apparently meant “Can I come to call?” In the states it means: “Can I get you pregnant?” Needless to say I was dumbstruck for a moment.
Bryony Francis says
Patricia, I’d echo Chris’s sentiments on a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting talk in Bristol today. Thanks for coming over! It’s great to see you in person.
I’ve some experience of walking in Wales and would like to recommend a couple of outings. Warning – neither of these will help your pining for you dogs! Try heading for Southgate, a little further west from the mumbles, and walk along the cliffs out to three cliffs bay. Try to pick a time when the tide is out but it’s stunning at all times.
Further west, the Wormhead peninsula is equally beautiful and a walk around the cliffs and down steep steps to the wide, flat beach at Rhossili Bay below the imposing Rhossili Down (ironically, as it towers over you at sea level!) will blow away any cobwebs. Take a look at the lovely national trust farmhouse on the plain, which was used in a relatively recent series of Dr Who. If you need sustenance then there’s a pub at the top of the steps – no personal experience of quality but no reason to doubt in such a popular location.
Thanks again for the talk. Safe travels, and enjoy your time in Wales. It’s a great place for lovers of the outdoors!
Claudia says
maybe you can come home with a nice Welsh sheepdog puppy? They must have awesome herding dogs in Wales. I just discovered the Welsh Hillman on Wikipedia – what a gorgeous dog that was. Unfortunately, they are considered extinct. But their genes may still be around in existing Welsh herding dogs.
Have fun in Wales anp please don’t get “knocked up”, haha!
Beth with the Corgis says
Nic1, that place looks FABULOUS! I must say that a pot of tea and some little sandwiches, followed by dessert, is one of my favorite things and I wish it were easier to find here in the States.
Several years ago we stayed outside of Leeds tea was everywhere. Last year we stayed in Oxford and it was all coffee houses. However, that could have a lot to do with the fact that there are so many students.
I hope our next trip will be to the Dales area (we have some family there, and it’s one area we only passed through briefly.. Beautiful!!). I will have to remember Betty’s. 🙂
Mireille says
Funny to hear that most ‘non city people’ do love London. Same here ! Just reading about is makes me want to hop on a plane. Although our last London trip was a bit sad; one of our dogs died while we were there. the day after we got the news, we went to dinner in a lovely restaurant where we alternately enjoyed the food, dug op memories of Janouk and cried together….
Anyway, next time, visit the Ottolenghi restaurant and shop; awesome food (duck with liquorice crumble) and fun atmosphere. http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/
Ennoy your stay in Wales and Germany. Hope the weather will clear up a bit…..
Chris Morgan says
Bryony has already suggested the best places in the Gower. Rhossili is a must. Wales now has a footpath around the whole of the coast. It’s 870 miles long though I don’t suggest you do it all! Check out http://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk for suggested long and short walks, Gower and Swansea Bay is listed in the info under the tab ‘By Area’.
If you have a car and want to explore further the Brecon Beacons are to the north of you. I wouldn’t do any high level walks without proper mountain equipment but there are plenty of low level walks you can find via google. Further west is Laughne where Dylan Thomas lived and wrote much of his work. His home is a museum. It’s a nice little village with several pubs/cafés. Nearby is Kidwelly Castle. Wales is famous for its mediaeval castles. Kidwelly is one of the smaller ones but has a very informative audio guide and is the nearest to the Gower.
Have fun, you’ll have to come back sometime as you’ll not do all you want in a couple of days !
Bryony Francis says
Trisha briefly referenced emotion in Lizards. Have a look at YouTube, search “mali uromastyx wanting a belly rub” and select the first clip on the list. Compare that with Jaak Panskep’s laughing rats video. Brilliant!
Nic1 says
@Beth – you will LOVE the Dales. I live in North Yorkshire so let me know if you ever make it over and I’ll join you for some afternoons tea at a Betty’s tea room 🙂
@Trisha – there’s a nice pub called The Bear Hotel if you visit Cowbridge, which is a nice little town for a little potter about.
@Minkee – yaaaay! You posted! 🙂 Just checked out your Facebook page. Your pics are awesome! Love the picture of Lily! I get over to Scarborough every now and again, will drop you a line.
Mary says
Are you gonna give any lectures when in Germany? Would you mind listing the date and place here?
Mary
Bianca Schmid says
I thoroughly enjoyed your talk in Bristol and have already added various new books to my Kindle collection. I will most likely talk the ear off anyone in my puppy gang and me and my partner already scoured the internet for footage and information about Alex the parrot.
I will definitely try to get some literature by Jaak Panskepp as well.
I hope you enjoy your stay in Wales. I have only been there once – to pick up our first puppy – but what I saw was breathtakingly beautiful.
EmilyS says
luckily, most hard cheeses are made WITHOUT the whey, which is the component that is troublesome for the lactose intolerant. Just FYI
irrational John says
You travel roughly a quarter of the way around the globe to London and what is it you take great pains to track down and visit? A cheese shop.
You definitely are from Wisconsin, Dr. McConnell. 😉
Vicky in Boise says
Lived in London for three months when I was in college. I would go back in a heartbeat! The Natural History Museum was a favorite and it took me three days to see it all. As an avid birder, I loved the bird hall. Have a great time!
Claudia says
Bryony – watched the Uromastyx video. It’s darn cute – but I’m not convinced that lizard really “wants a belly rub”. Not sure social touch has any special meaning to lizards, unless maybe during courtship or mating? That said, I have no idea what he’s doing in that video!
Beth with the Corgis says
I had been told that the reason aged cheeses are ok is because the critters that turn it into cheese digest all the lactose? Regardless, I am lactose intolerant and can eat aged cheese or yogurt with no problem, thank goodness.
Bryony Francis says
Claudia, thanks for replying! Me neither, on all counts. Maybe it’s not about social contact. Perhaps he (?) just has an itchy tummy and is *enjoying* the relief. Either way, could it, might it possibly, be an indication of emotion? Wouldn’t it be great to know!