WALKING TOURS

A new departure for me, walking tours. I do them in York and Chester on tour but these are short, rather superficial affairs because we are usually lacking in time. I did one along Whitehall a couple of years ago but it was just a one off. It is quite a common way for London guides to make a living these days, but not an area I consider myself expert in.
However, the best way to learn something is to do it, so I have taken on two walks which are unpaid (so people can hardly complain if they are not up to snuff). One was last weekend for the blue badge guide walking weekend - free tours promoting the profession. A good number, 20-25, and we went from Victoria to Waterloo (God and Government the theme) in about one hour forty minutes, so that the gluttons for punishment could start the three o'clock from there.
Brixton is in a couple of days, which is for the guides - far more daunting prospect altogether. Hopefully my preparation has been enough and there will be enough material and stories to keep people amused. I have good quote from Pevsner, some up to date info and a bit of history. Planning to take people to Unitarian Chapel and give them an intro to Unitarianism, whether they want it or not...

DA VINCI WALK

Kevin Molloy took us on an interesting walk based on the Da Vinci code which he has developed while and since qualifying. We went into the Temple Church which I had been meaning to visit for ages - but it took an APTG event to get me there. The church was a bit of red herring in the story because 'a knight buried by a pope' was not a Templar knight but Isaac Newton at Westminster Abbey (which disapproves of the book) - he was a knight (Sir Isaac) whose funeral was arranged by Alexander Pope. Brown got most of his information from his wife who does his research and his geography of London was a bit of suspect. He had probably never been here but had to come to the Royal Courts of Justice to protect himself from accusations of plagiarism by fellow Random House authors.
Kevin covered the main bases but did not really deal with the phoney Brotherhood of Sion which is supposed to have kept the secret of Jesus and Mary Magdalene's marriage and child for centuries. I don't believe in long kept secrets - people are too keen to spill the beans - and Tony Robinson proved that the whole thing had been a surrealist practical joke which had been taken seriously by the auhtors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail, who ideas Dan Brown borrowed/ripped off to make a book which has sold over forty million copies. Guides can only dream of that sort of reach...

A GOOD TIP?

Just returned from seeing the film Babel in which Cate Blanchett's character is shot by a random bullet while on a coach tour in Morocco. her husband, played by Brad Pitt, manages to get her to safety eventually and, as the helicopter is about to take her away, he puts his hand into his wallet and offers a pile of notes to the guide who has been a tower of strength in helping them. He refuses and the two men embrace.
Big mistake. In an earlier scene the two men had talked about their children andthe guide had said he could only afford one wife (he was a Moslem) so he obviously was not at the top of his profession. he would have taken the money, while maybe making embarassing gestures. Guides rely on tips and they get used to accepting them. I earned a forty pound tip the other day which was twenty per cent of my earnings for the day and I regularly declare several thousand pounds a year in my tax return for tips. So the poor guide would have accepted a gift from the rich American especially as the restof the group had scarpered afraid that the bullet was a terrorist attack rather than a random shot. I also thought that was not quite right - a lot of well known British luvvies in the coach party, including Harriet Walter who isplaying Cleopatra at the moment, and Michael Maloney, who were underused in the final cut. I think they would have rallied around rather than walking out, but maybe I am being unrealistic.
Most guides have probably speculated on how they would react in this sort of situation. I like to think I would have done as well as the Moroccan in the film but I would probably have called the company and left it to them.
Eight our of ten for the film (made by AMores Perros/21 Grams team) but only five for its depiction of tourism...

SIX MINUTE SESSION

Only six minutes on the Littelhmpton library site left so must do a quick blog - must also do a blog on this town, LA as we call it here.
Just back from Italy - arrrived at Brixton around midnight and to be an hour or so later and then up at seven to do Stonehenge and Bath - not my favourite day trip and not ideal immediately after holdiay but never turn down work, in the winter at least. We had a good day in the end and a forty pound tip which I was v pleased with - do the Inland Revenue read these sites I wonder?
Italy was clean, uncrowded and relaxing. We had a few days in Brescia visiting Verona (crowded around Juliet's balcony which I am sure is usual) Lake Garda - palm trees and snow int he same photo (snow on distant mountains) but not Milan so did not see Da Vinci Last Supper which would have been unremarkable having seen it so much in reproduction. (I agree with Dan Brown that the figure next to Christ looks very female but with little else int he book.) Enjoyed watching couples strolling along inthe evening in their smart clothes, the women as often as not in fur coats (wouldn't happen here).
Then to Venice to finish off and back to Bath/Stomnes.
Minutes up so must log off...