......sort of ! I am currently on a bus heading north from Logan on the next to last leg of our incredible journey. It has been a long day,,starting with the wake up call at 5:45 am GMT (12:45 am EST) to the cab ride to Heathrow through a still dark London to a boarding call for the emptiest 767 I have ever seen! It was fabulous. We each had a whole row to ourselves so I could stretch out and relax. There were so few people on the flight that everyone could have free wine and beer and newspapers. It was almost as good as flying first class!
Upon landing in Logan I hear this "Ms. Caterina, is that you?" as I waited for luggage . Along comes a former student, Zmira Zilkha, whom I taught at Waynflete a long time ago. She had been on the same flight heading home from grad school in England. She filled me in on fellow students then headed out to meet her parents. What a small world!
So...here it is 4:34 pm EST more than 12 hours after setting forth as we head for Portland and a ride home to beef stew made by my mother in law and my cat, Gingerbread, and bird, Pineapple. Caterina is very excited to have her animals and her own room for the next couple of weeks. It is great to be almost home!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Buried relatives in Westminster and seeing Cameron in Parliament
Last day in London today! Such a bummer to think we are almost done with our vacation. Had a fabulous ending to it all, though.
First, we walked to Westminster Abbey where a cousin of my great grandmother is buried. It was the strongest thing as there are many hundreds of people buried or memorialized there. It was fantastic to see Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. Then as I wandered in the Poet's Corner, I remembered my mother and other relatives telling us that we had a distant relative buried at the Abbey....a Henry Irving. As I wondered if I should ask a guide if they knew who he was, I looked down and saw that I was standing right on the name, "Sir Henry Irving- Actor and Manager" How weird is that! that was definitely one of those times that send chills down the spine! No pictures are allowed, but I snapped a pic with my camera. I definitely need to research him. He was a Shakespearean actor and somehow or other was friendly with Dickens. According to family story, he visited Portland in the late 1860's and visited my great grandmother's mother whose maiden name was Mary Irving. It was somehow in connection with a visit by Dickens to the US. Very cool!
We had a great lunch in the Methodist Centre across from the Abbey then wandered down to Parliament. We knew Cameron was meeting with the House of Commons at 3:30 and manged to get tickets to be admitted to the House Gallery. As it turned out, we were able to get into the Gallery and we saw Cameron arguing his position on stiffing the EU live and in person! This was definitely the best, best thing that has happened in the whole trip! Imagine being present for a critical argument in a period of history critical to the continuing existence of the European Union, critical to the state of the world's economy! It took my breath away. We sat and absorbed it all for an good hour and a half. We didn't leave until they were, long after 5 pm. I am still in heaven for being able to see Parliament in action. This is where modern democracy got its start. This is where so many important historic politicalevents happened. You have to be a political junky like me to get it!
So.....on that high note, I pack my bags and look forward to returning home to my Dad and my cat and my bird. Caterina is looking forward to being home and doing nothing for a couple of weeks. She misses Pineapple and Gingerbread.
So.......homeward bound we are!
First, we walked to Westminster Abbey where a cousin of my great grandmother is buried. It was the strongest thing as there are many hundreds of people buried or memorialized there. It was fantastic to see Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. Then as I wandered in the Poet's Corner, I remembered my mother and other relatives telling us that we had a distant relative buried at the Abbey....a Henry Irving. As I wondered if I should ask a guide if they knew who he was, I looked down and saw that I was standing right on the name, "Sir Henry Irving- Actor and Manager" How weird is that! that was definitely one of those times that send chills down the spine! No pictures are allowed, but I snapped a pic with my camera. I definitely need to research him. He was a Shakespearean actor and somehow or other was friendly with Dickens. According to family story, he visited Portland in the late 1860's and visited my great grandmother's mother whose maiden name was Mary Irving. It was somehow in connection with a visit by Dickens to the US. Very cool!
We had a great lunch in the Methodist Centre across from the Abbey then wandered down to Parliament. We knew Cameron was meeting with the House of Commons at 3:30 and manged to get tickets to be admitted to the House Gallery. As it turned out, we were able to get into the Gallery and we saw Cameron arguing his position on stiffing the EU live and in person! This was definitely the best, best thing that has happened in the whole trip! Imagine being present for a critical argument in a period of history critical to the continuing existence of the European Union, critical to the state of the world's economy! It took my breath away. We sat and absorbed it all for an good hour and a half. We didn't leave until they were, long after 5 pm. I am still in heaven for being able to see Parliament in action. This is where modern democracy got its start. This is where so many important historic politicalevents happened. You have to be a political junky like me to get it!
So.....on that high note, I pack my bags and look forward to returning home to my Dad and my cat and my bird. Caterina is looking forward to being home and doing nothing for a couple of weeks. She misses Pineapple and Gingerbread.
So.......homeward bound we are!
Sorry..delayed story!
Been off wifi for a couple of days due to weird connections. So I need to recap yesterday first. Started the day off by seeing the changing of the guards which was right next door to the hotel. While it is cool to see, I am not sure I would bother again to be honest. There is marching and bands playing and pageantry, but 15 minutes would have done me fine.
In the afternoon, Geoff went back down to the Thames and rode on one of the river boats. He managed to catch up to the captain, of course, and chatted him up about the boats and how they get licensed and whatnot. He also visited the Guard Museum and chatted with one of the guys there.
While he did that, Caterina and I walked across the city to the British Museum. It was a great hike through Green Park along Piccadilly to the Circle then up Regent and Oxford to the museum. It was fun as the streets were all closed through Regent and Oxford for a huge Christmas happening. We saw a huge Sebago shoe and learned that there is a Sebago shoe store on Regent Street. There were street acts and lots and lots of shoppers!
The British Museum was fabulous. We saw the Elgin Marbles and the Rosetta Stone and many Roman British artifacts. It was not very crowded and it was free! That was super given that every other museum we visited in Paris and Rome charged for visits. I was quite impressed.
After hiking back through Charing Cross and Trafalgar Square, we cut through St. James Park under the full moon and returned to the hotel very, very tired.
In the afternoon, Geoff went back down to the Thames and rode on one of the river boats. He managed to catch up to the captain, of course, and chatted him up about the boats and how they get licensed and whatnot. He also visited the Guard Museum and chatted with one of the guys there.
While he did that, Caterina and I walked across the city to the British Museum. It was a great hike through Green Park along Piccadilly to the Circle then up Regent and Oxford to the museum. It was fun as the streets were all closed through Regent and Oxford for a huge Christmas happening. We saw a huge Sebago shoe and learned that there is a Sebago shoe store on Regent Street. There were street acts and lots and lots of shoppers!
The British Museum was fabulous. We saw the Elgin Marbles and the Rosetta Stone and many Roman British artifacts. It was not very crowded and it was free! That was super given that every other museum we visited in Paris and Rome charged for visits. I was quite impressed.
After hiking back through Charing Cross and Trafalgar Square, we cut through St. James Park under the full moon and returned to the hotel very, very tired.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Top of the bus is COLD!
Fabulous day touring London today on the top of a double decker bus. Several people suggested, and we agreed, that it would make sense to get a hop on, hop off bus pass that would give us the layout of the town and then we would pop off. We rode around for about an hour and a half on the top, outside sort of, no heat until we reached the tower of London and hopped off with frozen feet and faces. We popped into a local pub and had a great lunch with mulled cider before setting off a tour of the Tower. This was great fun seeing the jewels and the rooms where many famous people were held, many of those being executed in the courtyard. It was fascinating. From there we hopped onto a barge on the Thames that delivered us back to Westminster just as Big Ben was hitting 4 pm. Of course, Geoff sought out the captain of the barge and learned a bit about the boat,of course.We walked back to the hotel from the Thames as the moon rose behind us, bright and orange over St. James Park.
Now, after a spot of tea, we plot our evening activity!
Now, after a spot of tea, we plot our evening activity!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Hail, Britannia!
We have landed in jolly, old England after a 2 hour 15 minute ride from Paris under the England Channel. We had a fabulous cabbie coming in who was so excited to have people who spoke English in his cab that he gave us a nice little tour along the route. Our hotel literally looks at Queen Elizabeth's backyard at Buckingham Palace. It is easy walking distance to many of the spots we want to see while here.
We took off looking for fish and chips at 5:30 and landed at a great little spot behind the hotel. The fish was excellent as were the chips. Geoff chatted up an elderly couple at the next tab,e and we had quite a laugh with them about France, and bees, and the Euro, and whatnot. The gentleman took Geoff's beekeeper card and told us that he, Larry, and Margaret would send along a Christmas card! I hope he does. They really were fabulous.
After dinner, Caterina and I strolled up to the palace and took a few pictures of the place lit up. It is really quite a bit smaller than I expected, but maybe it is because it was night. We didn't walk for long as it is FREEZING here! Temps below 32 degrees tonight. I miss Rome and its sun. The sun sets way too early here!
Tomorrow we are doing the bus around London tour then a river ride to the Tower. Check in and see what happens!
We took off looking for fish and chips at 5:30 and landed at a great little spot behind the hotel. The fish was excellent as were the chips. Geoff chatted up an elderly couple at the next tab,e and we had quite a laugh with them about France, and bees, and the Euro, and whatnot. The gentleman took Geoff's beekeeper card and told us that he, Larry, and Margaret would send along a Christmas card! I hope he does. They really were fabulous.
After dinner, Caterina and I strolled up to the palace and took a few pictures of the place lit up. It is really quite a bit smaller than I expected, but maybe it is because it was night. We didn't walk for long as it is FREEZING here! Temps below 32 degrees tonight. I miss Rome and its sun. The sun sets way too early here!
Tomorrow we are doing the bus around London tour then a river ride to the Tower. Check in and see what happens!
No dinner due to riot police!
It's 9:30 am here and we have finished packing again, about to head to Gare du Nord and the Chunnel Train. I really thought we would make it out of France without experiencing any protests or shut downs, but was I mistaken! We were hoping to have dinner at our fave, Grand Palais, which is immediately around the corner of our hotel, but the block around it was cordoned off by police in riot gear and traffic which normally goes up the Champs Élysées was being routed in front of our hotel. What a mess! We made it to the Champs élysées along the Rue Montaigne ( the TOP street for fashion in the world, by the way) and watched as the police smoked cigarettes and chatted up the crowd. What in the world? As it turns out, an avant garde play that slams Christianity and Catholics was opening at the Rond Pointe Theater around the corner and the militant Catholics (you read that right) were raising hell (sarcasm intended ) at the theater. This silliness went on for awhile, as when we returned from dinner at another establishment, the street was still cordoned off and police were standing by. Such excitement!
So.....off we go to London today. It will be interesting to read and hear their take on the Brussels meeting happening today to stabilize the Euro as they are not part of the currency, but have trade agreements with the Euro countries. I will write more later.
So.....off we go to London today. It will be interesting to read and hear their take on the Brussels meeting happening today to stabilize the Euro as they are not part of the currency, but have trade agreements with the Euro countries. I will write more later.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Last full day in Paris
It is hard to believe that we are ending our stay in Paris. It seems like just yesterday we arrived. I was telling Geoff that according to my history with this awesome city, we should be back in 6 years. I was first here as a starry eyed high school student in 1973. Because my name is Jean-Marie, a very common name for boys, I was assigned to a hotel room with the guys! I was all for it, but the chaperone was "Mais non!" :( I returned in 1997, 24 years later, as the chaperone of my very own crew of kids. We had fun and I have heard various stories since then of hijinks that went on in the wee hours without my knowledge. C'est la vie! Now, 12 years have passed and I have returned to show this place to my husband and daughter. 1/2 of 24 is 12..1/2 of that is 6.......hmm...
Spent the day reading newspapers and getting the drift of the world from the French journalists view. It is always good to see the world through something other than an American centric lens. As you may know, we are in the midst of crisi talks here in Europe regarding the fate of the Euro countries and their economies. Apparently,Geithner was here yesterday. As we walk around this city and in Rome previously, it is amazing how small the world has become. Where even 10 to 12 years ago, the cultures of Rome and Paris were more clearly different from one another and from the USA, today about the only difference is language. And there the gap is closing as more of us speak, or attempt to speak, each other's languages.
Caterina is off to Montmarte today to meet friends from UChicago who have been studying in Paris. Geoff and I wandered the Left Bank finding a Carrefours and bringing a late lunch of baguette, ham, cheese and Bordeaux wine back to the hotel. We also bought some French honey. I brought a Hannaford's bag with me which we used to carry the groceries. In Europe, you bring a bag or you pay for one. I think that is a brilliant idea! One more way in which Europeans are way ahead of us. I also noted that there are doctors offices everywhere and learned that the ratio of doctors to population is significantly higher here than the US with its tightly controlled access to medical school. That, alone, leads to better access to care let alone access to Universal Care. So much for the free markets, my dear country!
But, I digress......Geoff agrees that coming to Europe has been a great chance to experience America from the other side of the pond. Without such an experience, one cannot begin to appreciate our own lives, and appreciate how critical it is that we all recognize just how small the world really is!
' til later!
Spent the day reading newspapers and getting the drift of the world from the French journalists view. It is always good to see the world through something other than an American centric lens. As you may know, we are in the midst of crisi talks here in Europe regarding the fate of the Euro countries and their economies. Apparently,Geithner was here yesterday. As we walk around this city and in Rome previously, it is amazing how small the world has become. Where even 10 to 12 years ago, the cultures of Rome and Paris were more clearly different from one another and from the USA, today about the only difference is language. And there the gap is closing as more of us speak, or attempt to speak, each other's languages.
Caterina is off to Montmarte today to meet friends from UChicago who have been studying in Paris. Geoff and I wandered the Left Bank finding a Carrefours and bringing a late lunch of baguette, ham, cheese and Bordeaux wine back to the hotel. We also bought some French honey. I brought a Hannaford's bag with me which we used to carry the groceries. In Europe, you bring a bag or you pay for one. I think that is a brilliant idea! One more way in which Europeans are way ahead of us. I also noted that there are doctors offices everywhere and learned that the ratio of doctors to population is significantly higher here than the US with its tightly controlled access to medical school. That, alone, leads to better access to care let alone access to Universal Care. So much for the free markets, my dear country!
But, I digress......Geoff agrees that coming to Europe has been a great chance to experience America from the other side of the pond. Without such an experience, one cannot begin to appreciate our own lives, and appreciate how critical it is that we all recognize just how small the world really is!
' til later!
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