Mom's last day.

Today, we tried to pack in as much as possible. First stop, Buckingham Palace. We arrived in time to get a great spot on the Victoria Memorial.

Victoria Memorial up close.

From here, we watched the new guards march in from down the Mall, while the tired guards prepared to leave.

the new guards processing in.

Buckingham Palace.

After spending the dreary morning outside watching this old tradition, we headed to a nearby pub for a classic British lunch. I had a steak and ale pie with mashed potatoes and carrots; Mom had chicken wrapped in bacon with a creamy delicious white sauce and cauliflower. And of course, we both had a half-pint of ale. This warmed us up quite well.

Feeling revitalized, we toured the National Gallery and saw work by Jan van Eyck, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt, Monet, Seurat and Van Gogh. We took a guided tour that was very informative. While she only focused on four pieces, it was great to learn about the art work from an art historian/teacher's point of view. While obviously not nearly as large as the Louvre, this is another museum where one could spend hours. Plus, it was nice to stay warm inside.

By the time we left the National Gallery, the sun had peeked around the clouds! We spent the rest of the afternoon walking up and down Regent Street between Piccadilly and Oxford Circuses, stopping now and then for a snack, such as soft serve ice cream. :)

We arrived back at the hotel earlier than normal to get Mom packed and try to figure out my next few days. While I don't have a plan yet for tomorrow or Saturday, I am heading to Bristol on Sunday to visit my host family from summer 2006. I am very excited to see my girls! Any ideas for the next couple of days in London?

"What is done, is done."

Mom and I attended Shakespeare's Globe for a matinee showing of Macbeth. Redesigned and built in the nineties, the new Globe was built as Shakespeare wanted it: an open air, round building with good acoustics.

the exterior of the Globe.

No microphones or audio system was used; instruments such as a flute and bagpipes played music and sound effects. A large group of "groundlings" stood at the base of the stage to watch the performance, and others, such as Mom and me, watched from benches on balconies surrounding the stage.

inside the Globe.

Typically, the area surrounding the stage is open for standing room; however, for the Macbeth production, the director decided to engage the audience a bit more. A black canvas was spread from the stage out with slits cut in for people's heads. In this way, the people standing in the crowd were a bit like the heads floating around hell in Dante's Divine Comedy. Throughout the play, a few of the  characters would pop out of the canvas to speak their lines, etc.

For us higher class people on the balcony, the "groundlings" were quite entertaining before the show, including this man shown below, who took a few minutes trying to work out how to fit his book and head in the same hole.

Although very bloody, the cast brought Shakespeare's work to life. It was very believable and compared well to what we think modern entertainment should be - granted without the special effects and elaborate stage changes. There were many, many differences between this show and the one we saw last night, but we enjoyed both very much.

Three hours after the show began, we stretched our stiff legs by walking to St. Paul's for the choral evensong. The beautiful choir enchanted us by singing hymns and psalms, while we viewed the interior of the church for free. Sorry I didn't get any photos; I didn't want to be disrespectful of the service. It is a beautiful church with huge mosaic ceilings and stained glass behind the altar.

front of St. Paul's Cathedral - fourth largest church in Europe.

From the evensong devotion, we headed for our afternoon tea and coffee - this is becoming a habit - and later headed toward Harrod's, London's huge department store. We browsed for awhile, but must be too tight on our money, as nothing caught our eyes. From there, we took the Tube to Piccadilly Circus and walked up Regent Street to Oxford Circus. This is also a major shopping district, but the shops were closed. We began wandering through east of Regent Street into Soho. Here we found many small streets lined with pubs and restaurants. The patrons, ranging from ages 20 to 65, gathered around the doors of the bars with beers in hand. I am sure most of the Londoners are happy to finally be outside now that the temperatures have been in the fifties and sixties.

We stopped at a Rick Steve's recommended restaurant that served French cuisine. The restaurant was on a tiny side street...

see the people outside of the pubs?

I had a small plate consisting of a poached egg, Italian ham, and avocado on toasted sourdough bread, while Mom had pasta stuffed with goat cheese, dressed with olive oil and asparagus and green peas. For desert we split an orange and almond cake with a delicious cream. Yum. (You know I had to take a photo of it.)

Tomorrow is Mom's last day! She is flying back home on Friday, so we are going to make the most of it! We hope to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, tour the National Gallery, and visit Westminster Abby. It will be a busy day!

oh, English Accents.

Today turned out to be much better than yesterday. Whew. And I bet that is most likely because Mom and I slept to our hearts' content this morning. We got up in time for lunch and then rode a boat cruise down the Thames. It was beautiful weather for cruising, and our tour guide was very entertaining - can't beat that.

view of Tower from the river.

We cruised to the Tower of London, site of many tortures and executions. Let's just say that viewing the outside was enough for us.

closer view of the Tower.

On our way to the next stop, the Tate Modern, we crossed Tower Bridge and found a great view of St. Paul's cathedral.

St. Paul's from a walking bridge.

But something else notable got caught in front of my lens.

How funny. Throughout today and yesterday I have noticed many men with their shirts off - it was unusually hot yesterday - but this is a little much.

On to Tate Modern. The museum/gallery holds works of international modern and contemporary art from 1900, including post-war work by Claude Monet, a few pieces by Pablo Picasso, and a room devoted to Andy Warhol. All of this was interesting, but I am hoping to see some impressionist work before leaving London.

Tower Bridge.

After walking around the Tate, we went in search of a spot to have afternoon tea! We have to act at least a little British while being here. On our way back across the Tower Bridge, we got tickled thinking about the shirtless man from earlier- not uncommon for the two of us. Here is a pic to demonstrate.

we laugh.

We finally had tea and scones (basically biscuits) with clotted cream (butter) and jam. It was a nice refresher for the middle of the afternoon.


From there we went to Leicester Square to check out the cheap tickets booth for available shows. We lucked out and got tickets to see Avenue Q. Next, we decided to rest in Leicester park for a bit. And I got shat on. By a pigeon. Hahahahah. It only got me on my pants leg, thank goodness. And thus began more laughing.

Once recovered from this little episode, we noticed a big group standing around the northern part of the square. A movie called 4.3.2.1. had its world premier tonight on the square. I got a small (and crooked) shot of the red carpet.

After pizza and beer, we headed to Avenue Q. Funny to watch a show about New York in London, but that's okay. It was still a very funny show. The characters are muppets controlled by actors. It may seem silly, but the little people's personalities developed quite well. We laughed very hard. Maybe not as hard as earlier on the Tower Bridge, though.

Now, back at the hotel, we are finishing the plans for our day tomorrow. We are going to see Macbeth at Shakespeare's Globe Theater, St. Paul's Cathedral up close and possibly another museum.

France wanted to keep me…

This morning seemed to begin well enough. Mom and I woke up early, packed and grabbed a snack on the way to the train station. And that is when the trouble began. I noticed the other day that Mom’s Eurostar ticket looked different from what I printed out, but I thought nothing of it. Turns out, that my transaction did not go through – I didn’t have a ticket or reservation.  Instead of paying $62 months ago, I paid €180 today. Ouch. I had to pay to get to London; there went that money.

Immediately following that credit card swipe, we went through border patrol. Once again, thinking nothing of it, Mom and I fill in the forms and hand them over along with our passports to the officer. He began questioning us, completely routine. Then he asked why we were staying different lengths of time.

Why was I traveling longer? I have been traveling for a bit, and she is joining me for part of it. Where had I been? Italy, Spain, France. Where was I going? London. How long are you staying in London? Six nights. But you leave in eight? I’m going to Bristol for a night. Why Bristol? I studied there a few years ago. What’s your flight number? I don’t know. It’s from Gatwick to Atlanta on June 1 in the morning. What airline? Delta. Let me see your ticket. I dig through my stuff thinking how terrible this is. I can’t find it.

What a terrible experience. He sternly told me that he would let me through, but I should always have a copy of my ticket or expect to be turned away. Ugh. Thanks, God, for helping me on to the train.

Since this morning, I have scratched the face of my watch, tripped about ten times, paid way too much money for a ticket that should have been paid for, and dealt with a mean British guy. Maybe I should have stayed in Paris.

BUT after all of that, our day turned out pretty well. As soon as we arrived into London, we took the Underground to our hotel, unpacked, and headed for a pub. With tummies full of good food and hearty ale, we boarded a double decker bus for a city tour. We were able to see most of the highlights while sitting and resting.

the Thames with London Eye and County Hall on right.

Big Ben and Parliament.

St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Paternoster Column.

Tower Bridge.

Wellington Arch

men preparing for England’s football match against Mexico tonight.

by the way, I’m having trouble concentrating on writing, because I am watching the match right now!!! 

City Hall and London skyline.

ship in a glass bottle in front of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.

fountain at Trafalgar Square.

We made a full revolution on the Highlights circuit, and reluctantly climbed out of our seats to join real people walking the streets. For some reason, we are both quite tired, and thus decided to continue being lazy tourists – we rode the London Eye.

As the highest observational wheel in the world, the London Eye was built to celebrate the millennium and sit on the Thames for two years. Ten years later, it is still going strong. A full revolution in the Eye takes thirty minutes, and the best view is from the top at 443 feet. Today was a perfect day for viewing as the sky in the pictures show.

view north of Hungerford Foot bridge.

west across the river.

southwest – view of Big Ben and one of the compartments

me and mom!

County Hall.

Big Ben and Parliament.

Today was quite warm, probably high seventies, but tomorrow is forecasted to be much cooler. We could feel the cold wind blowing in tonight. In addition to the much anticipated football game, excitement continues in London tomorrow. The Queen will travel from Buckingham Palace to Parliament tomorrow as the new Houses convene.

We haven’t quite planned our day tomorrow, but the list of activities keeps growing! Tomorrow will surely be better than the first half of today!

My last night in "The City of Lights"

Today Mom and I packed as much as possible in our last day. By now we are tired with sore feet, but we trudged through as well as we could. We started with mass at Notre Dame, always full of people, incense and crazy organ music. Next we grabbed a sandwich on the go - not a big deal to most, but you have to remember how wonderful the bread is here! Definitely one of my favorites. Next we went in search of a chocolate shop. Mom bought a sample package.. Maybe we will break into the bag tomorrow.

After this bit of running around the Marais and Ile de Cité, we ran back to the apartment. While I began to pack (a hour ritual), Mom caught a cat's nap on the couch. Yesterday our perfume salesman told us about a special fair on the Champs Elysées. The entire street is closed to cars and filled with all sorts of plants. Thinking it would be interesting to see lots of flowers and such, we decided to check it out. Bad idea. The crowd was insane! Since I grew up in the country, most plants are minimally interesting to me; add thousands of people, and that interest dissipates. We nearly ran away from there, just to get out of the crowds.

shot southeast down the Champs Elysées.

shot northwest toward the Arc de Triomphe.

We have been talking about taking a cruise on the Seine all week, and we checked it out multiple times today. As we went down to the river front, we saw the long lines and lost our desire. BUT we stumbled upon an artist and bought my first bit of artwork for this trip! Sorry, didn't take any pictures before rolling it up..

Next, dinner time! Our favorite part of the day. We dined at a small but popular restaurant on Rue Cler. I had to take a picture it was so pretty. We had a camembert cheese with a truffle sauce. SO good.

From dinner, we finally made it to the Eiffel Tower!

northeast. Sacré Cœur is in the center.

southeast. Parc du Champs de Mars.

east-southeast. Notre Dame is in the center; Hôtel des Invalides is at 3:00.

southwest along the Seine.

Me and Mom at sunset on the Eiffel Tower.

As the sun set over the Trocadéro:

northeast after sunset.

from the second deck.

beautiful.

I also have a video of the light show, but I need to edit it before posting. Promise it will appear soon.

Tomorrow we leave Paris and are going to London! Native English speakers, here we come!

France Smells - in a great way!

Today Mom and I walked to Cité for the Marché aux Fleurs (Flower Market). Although not the cut-flower market Mom was hoping for, it was full of potted plants and trinkets. From there, we stopped in Sainte Chapelle, home of some of the most note-worthy stained glass around. And it was beautiful. Unfortunately, they are restoring the main part of the glass, but we were still impressed by what was available.

church is building on the left.

Next, we walked down the Seine to the Louvre - time for some museum touring!

first, a peek at the Royal Palace.

mom and me in front of one of the pyramids!

While wandering around the Louvre, we decided a guided tour would be a smart way to spend €5. A small French woman guided us around the museum, picking out the masterpieces, for about two hours. Money well spent.

Marly courtyard.

the Code of Hammurabi. dated to 12th century BC. wow, it's OLD.

the top relief depicts King Hammurabi receiving laws from the god Shamash.

ancient Egyptian statues with a man's head, horse's body, and eagle's wings.

the Exchange of the Princesses of France to Spain.

dated early 1600s, sponsored by Marie de Medici.

The Lacemaker by Johannes Vermeer, dated 1670.

The Ceiling at the Louvre - painted this year by American modern artist Cy Twombly.

The Winged Victory of Samothrace. 2nd century BC

and from afar.

Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun, self-portrait with daughter - 1789.

The Coronation of Napoleon. 1807 by Jacques-Louis David.

The Wedding Feast at Cana by Paolo Véronèse in 1563.

Venus de Milo again.

Learned a new fact from our French guide - Venus's arms most likely once held gold bracelets.. When she was abandoned in Greek times, her right arm was most likely cut off to remove the bracelets, hence the two small holes above the severance. Who knew?

After this touring, we moved on to the second necessary item on the list - shopping! We had a great time smelling perfumes.. Our noses were very confused. But we were helped by a great French salesman, who gave us coffee beans to clear our sense of smell and recommended things unique to Paris or France. What a great way to find exactly how France smells!

Next, the much anticipated Sacré Cœur! We went as the sun was setting to the west. It made the city views even more picturesque. Didn't mean to rhyme, but I guess it was about time! bahahah.

so many people to be out past 8:30!

We made it back to the Marias in time for a pizza and beer; now it is off to bed. After being tired all day today, we are sleeping a little bit later tomorrow.. Then it is mass at Notre Dame, a cruise down the Seine, and a trip up the Eiffel Tower. We learned today (from our French perfume guy), that a special gardening exhibit it being held down the Champs Elysées. Obviously, they close down the road for this special event. Should be worth a trip down the grand avenue.

Also, had a comment recently that my blog themed around sleeping and eating.. Hmm. Just wanted to be clear: those are two of the most important things in my life. Hah. Thought I should set the record straight! :)