Day 21: Please Take Care Of This Bear

  At Paddington Station there is a bronze statue in honor of the area's most famous resident. Paddinton Bear has barely a moment's rest from all of the children climbing on him, and posing for pictures with him. His nose has been rubbed by their little hands so often it shines like a well used door knob. Sylvia says it gives him the appearance of a pig. Greg thinks it's more like a weasel. Whatever the case I took a moment to snap a picture of him on his suitcase as we sat beside him with ours on the last morning in London.

  The day was a grueling one. Even in business class I found it impossible to sleep on an airplane. After a nine hour flight we had a six hour lay-over in Seattle. It was bad planning on our part, but I was too tired to hear Greg repeat it ad nauseam. I hadn't traveled from Darkest Peru like Paddington, but I was starting to feel very bear-ish. I trudged around Sea-Tac swilling coffee and browsing at weird airport stores until our flight finally departed. We had been awake for 24 hours by the time we finally crawled between the sheets of our very own bed. It was 12:30 a.m., and even though our bodies felt like it was 7 a.m. we fell to sleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.

Day 20: Wicked

  This morning was dedicated mostly to running about town and grabbing a few souvenirs that had caught my eye. I haven't had as much of a shopping bug as I thought I would this trip, but I had decided there were a number of things that I actually did need after all. After nearly a month here I really feel like I know how to get around. Criss-crossing the city to patronize museum gift shops barely took a morning. Unexpectedly ending up with some time to spare I spent a couple of hours wandering around Notting Hill, and poking around antique shops on Portobello Road. Too soon I realized I couldn't postpone the inevitable, and headed back to Paddington to do laundry and begin packing.

 The anticlimactic mood was threatening to take over the rest of my vacation, but luckily we had planned dinner and a show for our final evening. So, after a afternoon nap and quick shower I joined the rest of the party in an early meal of Dim Sum. Full of delicious Chinese dumplings and tea we leisurely made our way to the theater where tonight we would be taking in the London production of Wicked. This musical retelling of L. Frank Baum's classic American fairy tale The Wizard of Oz features the Wicked Witch of the West as the protagonist. This musical clearly had the biggest budget of any performance I have seen here, and the incredible sets and costuming beautifully enhanced a wonderful score and book.
  The most astounding event of the evening, however, was a conversation with an older couple seated next to Sylvia and Steve. The gentleman on hearing our American accents inquired where we were from. We all smiled at the coincidence when we realised they were fellow Washingtonians, and they would be returning on the same flight as us the next day. But wait, here's where it gets really weird. They had also been on the very same flight to London three weeks earlier. We traded horror stories about the delayed flight, and marveled at the fluke that we would all happen to choose seats side by side at Wicked on our last evening in London. 'What were the odds?' we all wondered.

  The chance meeting with the husband and wife ran through my head as I lay in bed that night. The familiar accent and cadence of their speech had resonated in my mind. Tomorrow we would be winging our way back over the pond. Waiting for us was all our family,  friends, two dogs, a cat, and a little bungalow on Franklin Street.  As I fell asleep I saw ruby slippers clicking and heard a voice repeating 'There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like........'



Day 19: Tea At Buckingham Palace

Today I had tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace. True, the tea was from paper cups and the queen was Greg, but it was marvelous none the less. As we sat on the terrace sipping our hot tea and nibbling scones with berries and clotted cream we discussed the grandeur of the Palace's State Rooms which we had just toured. The enormous scale actually tempered the baroque opulence the palace was adorned with. The resulting effect was one of exquisite taste as opposed to tacky excess. I suspect the rooms were not only meant to impress, but also intimidate visitors. After all, as the audio guide had said, this is where Queen Elizabeth lives and works. It made me smile to think I had just spent the morning poking around her Majesty's home office. 

  After finishing our snack we left the cafe, and made our way past the restrooms and gift shop to the southern garden path. All three of the structures are completely portable, and once the queen returns from her annual holiday they will stowed away. We followed the path as it snaked through autumn-kissed trees and around ponds that reflected the palace on their dark surface. Eventually we found our feet once more on the city streets outside the palace grounds, and we returned to the east front.

  The area had been too packed with tourists waiting for the changing of the guard to get a good look at the palace on our last stop there. We had walked right past the throngs to stand in an almost nonexistent queue that morning. Now we could properly admire the building's main entrance. The beautiful fountain that sits in the mall provided fertile ground for my camera lens. The best of the shots are available on my Flickr page.

Day 18: Off With Their Heads!

  Today the four of us piled into a black taxi to visit the Tower of London, or Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress as it is officially named. The Tower was originally a royal residence, but has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and is currently the Queen's private safety deposit box containing the Crown Jewels. The famous Crown Jewels seem to be what everyone talks about, and they are amazing. What fascinated me though was it's history as a prison and execution site.

  Not as many prisoners as you might think were executed within the Tower's walls. Most were marched up to Tower Hill to meet their fate before the masses. A lucky few were afforded the privilege of having their sentence carried out with an audience of peers. Noble and aristocratic audiences were much less likely to jeer or throw rotten food at someone of similar standing, even if the culprit was disgraced. If you were especially lucky the executioner had a good eye and a sharp axe, or better yet a sword as in the case of Anne Boleyn. Some not as fortunate required more than one try before finally being dispatched. Margaret Pole holds the record at twelve. All in all, ten people met their ends on the Tower Green.

  Near the Chapel Royal where the unfortunate souls were laid to rest with the commoners who had worked, lived, and died in this keep lies a memorial for them. Comprised of two engraved circles with a glass-sculpted pillow at its centre, the larger circle of dark stone bears a poem - written by the artist - around its rim,  'Gentle visitor pause awhile : where you stand death cut away the light of many days : here jewelled names were broken from the vivid thread of life : may they rest in peace while we walk the generations around their strife and courage : under there restless skies.' The upper glass circle bears the engraved names of the ten famous and not so famous individuals executed there: William, Lord Hastings 1483, Queen Anne Boleyn 1536, Margaret, Countess of Salisbury 1541, Jane Viscountess Rochford 1542, Queen Katherine Howard 1542, Lady Jane Grey 1554, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex 1601, Highlander Farquhar Shaw 19 July 1743, Highlander Samuel Macpherson 19 July 1743, Highlander Malcolm Macpherson 19 July 1743.

Day 18 Photostream

Day 17: Queen of the Desert

  For almost one hundred years the sun never set on the British empire. Despite the loss of the thirteen colonies that became the United States, England's territories on virtually every continent kept some part of the kingdom in daylight for most of the nineteenth century. At it's height this small island country ruled the largest empire in history, and the spoils of it's dominion fill the halls of the British Museum. Sarcophagi and their mummified contents once stowed safely away in Egyptian tombs now lie encased in glass for all to see. The marble remains of the Parthenon which once lay upon a hillside overlooking Athens are now carefully reconstructed in an enormous gallery. These and many more magnificent and wondrous treasures are available for consideration to anyone who enters one of the worlds most amazing museums.

  Today I steeped myself in it's beautiful antiquity: ancient pottery and armor, sculpture carved in every manner of stone, drawings straight from the hands of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Degas, and the Rosetta Stone were all examined in turn. So it was a little surprising that, despite all the amazing things I saw, I left feeling a little small and sad. All those objects seemed to be desperate attempts to escape mortality, and the sheer age of them was a reminder of how fleeting life is. I needed something to lift my mood. Luckily Greg had procured two tickets to tonight's production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

  The theater where Priscilla is performed is smaller than my old high school auditorium. Two levels of box seat form concentric circles above the main floor stalls. The fronts of the boxes are elaborately carved wood panels complete with cherubs whose arms stretch out over the audience. For the current show little mirror balls have been hung from their chubby fists. Looking up from our seats the effect was a host of angels welcoming you to disco heaven. There's nothing like watching a bunch of men dressed in women's clothing lip syncing Gloria Gaynor and Donna Summer songs for two hours to give your spirits a boost. The show was a campy, over the top production complete with a neon pink bus, showstopping musical numbers, and confetti explosions. We give it two snaps up.

Day 17 Photostream

Day 16: Au Revoire

Today was spent lazily wandering the Marais and shopping. Clouds moved back in, and merchants returned to their posts smoking cigarettes in the doorways of their shops. We collected a few souvenirs for friends, and a few articles of clothing for ourselves. Greg tried on a handsome grey cowl necked sweater and a pair of slate colored pants that fit like a glove. "We'll think about it." We said as we left. "Don't think too long." the couturier replied with a knowing smile "When it's right, it's right." Boy, has he got Greg pegged I thought to myself. Sure enough half a block away Greg doubled back to purchase the whole ensemble. A bag containing a beautiful purple paisley scarf  that caught my eye soon dangled next to Greg's.

   Suddenly, a flash of lightning lit up the afternoon sky interrupting our shopping reverie. As thunder rolled through the humid air and large raindrops began to fall we dashed into a little cafe for lunch. Sitting under the awning and watching the rain fall we amused ourselves with fantasies of selling all our worldly belongings and moving to Paris. By the time we had worked out most of the totally unrealistic details the sun had returned, and lunch was finished.

   With heavy hearts we finally began walking back to the hotel to retrieve our bag and return to the bus station. A depressing silence descended, and in an effort to lighten the mood I turned to Greg and quipped, "Well at least now whenever things get really bad we can tell each other 'We'll always have Paris.'"

Day 15: C'est Si Bon

  Today, the twenty-second day of September 2010, the planets aligned, and the  heavens conspired to create a singularly perfect day in Paris. Climbing the 300 steps to the top of Sacre Coeur this morning I was already beginning to feel the heat that would eventually reach a record breaking 77 F. On reaching the pinnacle of the church that sits atop Montmartre a sweeping view of  Paris spread out before me under a cloudless blue sky. I felt a little thrill just like the kind that sometimes accompanies a first kiss, and I realised I had crossed a line. This was no mere crush. I was falling hard for a city I barely knew and like a suitor with plenty of practice, Paris laid on the charm.

   We strolled in the shade of the elm-lined boulevards, and observed a city teaming with residents enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. The breeze that would occasionally cool us, and make the gold-tinged leaves dance held no scent of autumn. More than one shop we passed was dark without any sign or scribbled note left as explanation. Do they ever work? I wondered. I could hardly blame them, though. On such a lovely day who wouldn't steal away for an extra long lunch? In fact, the cafes and bistros seemed to be the only places you could reliably expect to find open for business. I spent time myself that afternoon eating a croque monsieur and sipping coke from a cold glass bottle at a little cafe in the shadow of Notre Dame before joining Greg at the hotel to freshen up for evening on the town.

  We arrived at the Eiffel Tower just as the sun was setting, and stayed long enough to watch the lights appear. Then we were off to the nearby boat launch for a nighttime cruise on the Seine. The first harvest moon to rise on the autumnal equinox in almost twenty years glowed brightly in the sky. It's silvery light revealed river banks filled with groups of people drinking wine and couples walking hand in hand. No sappy sentimental movie could even come close to the romantic perfection we had experienced that day. But the evening wasn't quite over.

  On disembarking the riverboat we realized we hadn't really figured out how we were going to get back to our hotel. The tour bus we had been using as transportation about the city had long since quit its rounds, and the thought of trying to communicate with a French taxi driver was intimidating. After a brief discussion we decided to walk back, and stop for dinner near our hotel. So we walked, and walked, and walked. Realising we had severely misjudged the distance to the Marais we were still a little surprised to find when we arrived all of the restaurants had stopped serving food. In desperation we forced our rubbery legs on to a street were I was sure I had seen a McDonald's.

  Luckily, or so we thought, we passed an Alsatian restaurant that was still open. "Order quickly." the waiter advised, "The kitchen is about to close." We both ordered the house specialty figuring that was a safe bet. Our stomachs growled as we waited impatiently for our meal. When the steaming platter arrived our eyes widened in surprise. The huge mound of sauerkraut was topped by various sausages including a hot dog, ham, what looked like a chunk of boiled bacon, and two pig knuckles.

  Greg's eyes rose from the plate to meet mine. "Dibs on the ham." he said.

 Day 15 Photostream

Day 14: Bon Jour Paris

It was still so dark when we departed that the popping of my ears was the only sign we had entered the Chunnel. Only after emerging and racing across the French countryside for a bit did a rolling pastoral patchwork of fields slowly appear in the morning light. Thin wefts of mist lay in the hollows, and occasionally a farm or church would flash past. Then suddenly the bucolic landscape became city, and we were pulling in to Gare du Nord station. We had arrived in Paris.


  As we shouldered our bags and headed toward our hotel Greg started quizzing me about the Marais district where it was situated. He gave me a dubious look when I told him that the Marais was home to the Parisian gay neighborhood. I had to admit the street we were trudging down looked a little run down and sad, but I was reserving judgement until we were able to see a bit more of the city. We almost missed our hotel the Hotel Jardin du Marais which was actually a collection of buildings situated around a narrow courtyard. The room was tiny (of course) but nicely decorated. We quickly stashed our bag, and grabbed breakfast, or petit déjeuner, and began our Parisian adventure in earnest.


 Wandering through narrow streets toward Notre Dame we had the happy realization that our hotel was indeed located on the northern edge of the city's gayborhood. We made our way down it's narrow streets filled with men's clothing stores, grooming boutiques, and sidewalk cafes filled with handsome and stylish men; eventually finding ourselves on the bank of  the Seine. A bridge took us to the small island, Île Saint-Louis, and then another bridge led us to the larger Île de la Cité where Notre Dame sits. We slowly walked around the gothic wonder joining the other tourists in the plaza situated in front of the cathedral.

  Greg noticed that a tour bus company had it's main hub at the end of the plaza, and proposed that we get a two day pass to use as our transportation around the city. This turned out to be a brilliant idea. As the temperature steadily climbed to the high 70's we rode comfortably around the city enjoying the sights, and hopping off occasionally to get a closer look.  We made our way by the Louvre and Tulleries, and then up Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. After circling around the Arc we headed back toward the Seine past the Tracadero and finally the Eiffel tower where we lingered to take in the massive structure.

  For a beautiful afternoon the lines to Tour Eiffel were unexpectedly short, and we took advantage of this opportunity. As I waited on the second platform for Greg to return from the top I amused myself by imagining an allegorical painting like those I had recently seen in British museums. In this painting London and Paris are depicted in human form having a mid-day meal. London is a prim and stately beauty sipping tea with a outstretched finger. Her head is cocked and eyebrow slightly raised in disapproval of her dining companion. Paris is a swarthy lothario slouching in his chair. He stares seductively over his glass of wine not at London, but at the painting's observer.



Day 14 Photostream

Day 13: A&C at the V&A

 Today we whiled away the hours wandering the galleries of the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, The Victoria and Albert Museum . The V&A houses a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects contained in 145 galleries covering 12.5 acres. 5,000 years of art from the cultures of Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa are represented in virtually every medium. For a person who loves design this cornucopia is a font of inspiration. We passed droves of students intently working on large sketch pads. The sheer volume of art made it impossible to take in everything, so I focused on what I love the most.

 After browsing the galleries of fashion, and sculpture I lingered in the European galleries from ancient Rome to modern day. Taking my time through the areas devoted to the Arts and Crafts movement. Who knows why particular people are drawn to certain design aesthetics, but for some reason this form has always appealed to me. I especially like the work of William Morris, one of the pioneers of the movement, who is credited with the quote  "If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." His wallpaper and textile designs have an wonderful sense of movement and balance, and I purchased a slim volume of his patterns from the museum store before leaving.

  I would be remiss if I did not also make a special mention on The Cast Courts, two enormous halls that house the Museum's most important plaster cast and electrotype reproductions. These faithful copies were taken from works of art or architectural
details throughout Europe during the nineteenth century, when the collecting of such casts was at its most popular. Commissioned or purchased by the museum these reproductions allowed people who could not travel abroad to admire some of the major European monuments and works of art. To see my photos of these visit my Day 13 Photostream.