Midland Air Museum

The Midland Air Museum is one place that despite having known about for many moons, I have never really had the inclination to go and visit. Partly because it was damned expensive for what there was, and partly because there was usually something / somewhere else that I was more interested in visiting.


However, that has now changed, and I can quite happily say that this is one museum that is well worth visiting. It doesn’t look very imposing from the outside, I will admit, but appearances can be very deceiving.


So, when my best friend made the suggestion that we visited the museum, I thought “what the hell” and agreed to go… And I am glad that I did, because I would have missed out on this little gem of a museum.


The entrance fee for an adult is £6.00, and to be honest, having paid a damned sight more for other museums (and not enjoyed myself as much) this is really good value. It starts off with the story of the jet engine, which was developed by Sir Frank Whittle and tells of the trials that he had to endure develop his idea. 


Whittle's first experimental jet engine (WU)

Painting by Rod Lovesey



The display also had a model of the engine that really made Sir Frank Whittle famous – his W.2/700 engine:

The theory behind this engine is shown in this diagram that comes straight from the museum's website:

Then it was into the main hangar area.  I have to admit, I wasn’t too impressed, as I thought it was a tad cramped, meaning that you couldn’t get to see the exhibits in their true glory:

But there was a plus side – there were a couple of cockpits that were open – and that meant that you could not only take decent pictures, but sit inside them!  This struck me as being something quite different from the “normal” museums, where you would be luck to get close to the aircraft, let alone be allowed to set foot (or otherwise) in the cockpit…

Then it was off outside – which was where the *real* surprise lay.  I knew that the museum had a Vulcan (I’d seen it often enough poking its nose, and tail over the hedge), but what I didn’t realise was that you could go up into the cockpit. 



Avro Vulcan B.2 XL360, with a single seater Folland Gnat underneath (minus wings)

Foreground has Armstrong Whitworth Argosy engines / undercarriage



Unfortunately, I am the world’s biggest coward, and could not face going anywhere near the cockpit, so satisfied myself with taking pictures of the insignia:

As there was quite a variety of aircraft, I was quite happy walking around with my camera snapping pictures of things that caught my eye – including the Fairey Gannet T.2 (I just adore the way that the engine has two sets of propellers!)

Fairey Gannet T.2 - facing the engine

Fairey Gannet T.2 - side on.

Other things that caught my eye (and camera lens) was the nose art on the PLZ TS-11 Iskra 408:

The other bit of nose art that I fell for was on the English Electric Canberra PR.3: (I think!)

There was a real variety of aircraft, and the full list (and better images) can be found by going to the actual website, and clicking on the interactive map showing the various aircraft outlines:

The one thing that I was impressed with, was the fact that the volunteers at the museum were willing to show people the various cockpits – including the Vulcan.

Now as I have already said, I am not good when it comes to enclosed spaces, so the thanks for these next pictures from the Vulcan’s cockpit go to my best friend, who was an absolute sweetheart, and took my camera into the cockpit with him:

After I’d gotten my camera back from my friend, we then went to the huge Armstrong-Whitworth Argosy (and if I remember correctly, this is one of only seven complete examples left!)  What struck me most about this aircraft was the fact that the nose section was hinged (as is the tail section apparently) meaning that it was possible to load large / awkward cargo – a bit like the Airbus Super Guppy:

 

Armstrong Whitly Argosy nose section - it's slightly open, hence the strange appearance!)



Argosy nose section



Airbus Super Guppy



What I do remember about this aircraft was the actual cockpit.  There are no photos, as I was still somewhat shaky after climbing the ladder up to the cockpit (as well as banging my head as I got into the 1^st officer’s seat!)  But it was well worth it, as the view was spectacular, and the gentleman who was acting as the guide for the aircraft was very informative about the various exhibits.

On the whole, this was a really good day out (and the weather was ok – a bit cold, but at least it wasn’t raining, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the open cockpits (or take as many photos!)

Back when I get the chance…

Karen

What I've felt, what I've known
Sick and tired, I stand alone
Could you be there?
'Cause I'm the one who waits for you
Or are you unforgiven, too?

Monté Tropical Palace Gardens

Having seen the damage that was done in Monté, I will admit to being slightly apprehensive about what I would see in the gardens. So, Mum and I decided to go and visit the gardens and the museums.

As we entered the gardens, and walked across to the massive 1,000 year old olive trees, there didn’t seem to be any visible signs of damage, and the trees looked as robust as ever:

1000 year old Olive trees.



Then it was down to the museums. As normal, Mum and I went our separate ways, as she’s not a fan of the African sculptures. I am, and am quite content to take photos of these extraordinary figures.

After I’d been in the African gallery (and changed the batteries in the camera), I walked down the path to Mum and head into the other museum – the one that holds all the beautiful geodes. Admittedly, most of them are Amethysts of varying quality, but the way that they have been displayed is quite spectacular.

After we’d taken the photos, it was then time to head down into the gardens themselves. Again, we were wondering if there would be any damage visible, as we’d both seem the damage that had been done in Monte. But at first, the only thing that I was really interested in was the tree fern:

But just after I took this photo, I was stopped in my tracks by damage that had obviously occurred in the February storms:

This then lead me to move lower down, to where Monte’s version of the terracotta warriors had been…

At first glance, aside from the red and white tape, there didn’t seem too much damage done.  But a little further down, past the tape, the damage was quite obvious:

But what really made me smile was the damage hadn’t affected the Buddha statue.  Divine protection perhaps?

But this seemed to be the only area that was damaged, and as per normal. Mum and I separated, as there were bits that I wanted to see – including more cycads.  But what I didn’t expect to see was a robin perched in the cycad.

It stayed long enough for me to take the picture, and when I tried for a close up, it flew off. Ok – no worries, as it made me stop long enough to have a look around…I spotted a sort of hidden walkthrough…

I entered, and got the fright of my life when the lights came on, and something growled at me! When I had recovered my scattered wits, I saw what had scared me so badly. There was a motion sensor hidden in a sculpture:

There were three sculptures in all, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get them all in one shot, so I had to make do with individual photos:

As I went to re-join Mum, I stopped on the top of the waterfall that overlooked the main lake:

Once I had joined Mum by the lake, there was something that really made me giggle.  It was a seagull perched on the top of a statue in the lake.

The other thing that always stands out in my mind about the lake is the largest pot in the world.  No, I’m not joking, this is listed in the Guinness Book of Records:

It was then time to head to the coffee shop for a drink, as both Mum and I were in need of a sit down and a drink.

As we walked along, there was more evidence of the damage that had been done to the garden:

Once at the coffee shop, we chose a seat in the shade, and I started looking through the photos on my camera (deleting the ones that were obviously no good) when this sparrow hopped onto the railing beside me:

Then it hopped onto the table, with a determined glint in its eyes, as the previous people who had sta at the table had left crumbs from their cake…

Ah well, guess I should call this quits - I've got bits and pieces to sort out. Back later is I get the chance.

Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most

Old Blandy's Wine Lodge & The Sacred Art Museum

Again, I know that I have been to both places on previous trips to Madeira, but they are two places that really make me smile. Blandys’ because every time I think of it, I always remember the group of Scandinavian tourists, sitting in the Max Romer Try & Buy bar, slowly getting more and more plastered.

On the way into the Blandy’s Wine lodge – more correctly known as Adega Sao Francisco (I think) there are a series of wooden plaques with descriptions of the various wines on it.

(Apologies for the slight blurring in the subsequent photos – my arm was starting to ache!) This is then followed by:

This is then followed by:

Followed by:

And finally:

The main wine lodge is up some steps, and as you approach, there is a large banner proclaiming that this building is the Blandy’s Wine lodge.

Then, it’s into the main building. There are several tours that run, depending on the time of year, as they run a harvest tour the end of August to the beginning of September. (Ok – when I was there, it was the Vintage tour for which you paid €25 to try old wine, or the normal wine lodge tour that told you about the production of Madeira wine, and that was €5. I opted for the standard tour, as I am not a wine enthusiast by any stretch of the imagination, so it would have been a waste of money for me.

Whilst I was waiting for the tour to start, I made the most of the peace and quiet to get some photographs of the vintage room.

This room is incredible. The wines are stored in cabinets that seem to be fronted by chicken wire, and the atmosphere is something else.

Storage in the Vintage room

Vintage wines (without the chicken wire in the way!)

Vintage Sercial in the Vintage room

The Vintage room

Then it was on to the main tour itself. The guide as per normal, was really enthusiastic, and made sure that the tour party was aware of the heritage of the building – it had been used as a hospital and a jail, as well as being a monastery.

The first room that we entered was the canteiro room. This is where the wines are kept in American Oak barrels for a number of years and are heated by the sun shining on the building. Some of the wines in the room had been in there longer than I am old!

Casks in the Canteiro room

The next room was the Vat room – where the previous year’s juice (or very young wine) was stored prior to going into the canteiro room. The vats were made from Brazilian Satinwood, as this didn’t impart any flavour to the juice / wine before it made its migration to the American Oak casks.

Brazilian Satinwood vats - the grape variety is stencilled onto the vat

If a wine is to be declared a vintage, it must remain in the barrel for a minimum of 20 years, and the master vintner must have agreed that it is a good year for the particular grape variety. Then, four bottles are sent to the Madeira wine institute, who give it the final say so (apparently one bottle is tested to ensure the quality of the wine, two bottles are put into the archives and the fourth bottle? The guide always jokes that it is drunk!)

The tour always ends in the Max Romer try and buy bar, where I was able to try a 5 year old Bual and 10 year old Malmsey. I have to admit, neither is to my taste, but it is interesting to see if my pallet has changed from the previous year (it never seems to!)

The sales area of the Max Romer Try & Buy bar

The other place that I adore is the Sacred Art Museum. Again, I know I’ve mentioned this when I’ve been posting about my trip last year, but it’s one of those museums that really makes an impact on you.

Unfortunately, I only managed one photograph this time (and that was because I was standing in the street to take it!)

But, despite this, the museum remains one of my favourite places to visit, as the collection of Flemish and Portuguese art is some of the best that I have seen, and I really wish that I could get a proper guide book that gave all the information about this fascinating museum.

Ah well, guess I should call this quits for now – I’m starting to fall asleep at my computer!

Back tomorrow, if I get the chance.

Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most