Things I remember from Nice - November 1st to 5th

Point-form summary first and then more detailed descriptions at end. If I remember anything else I will add it to this blog and put a "Revised" somewhere at the beginning.

..... And having said all that, you may have noticed that the Paris blog that I posted the other night ended up several postings back. It seems they go by when I started the entry and I opened files for Paris, Nice and Barcelona all at the same time. I'll try to remember to do a cut and paste on these next ones so they'll show up by actual dated posted but beware!

Wednesday
- 5.5 hour train ride from Paris
- checked into hotel and had dinner

Thursday
- school visit
- train tour of old Nice
- toured around castle hill

Friday
- Parc Phenix in morning
- switched hotels to downtown
- bus tour of Nice
- walk around old town

Saturday
- bus tour of Cannes, Antibe, Eres and Montecarlo, Monaco
- dinner and walk around old town in evening

Sunday
- 12.5 hour train ride from Nice to Barcelona (more on that in the Barcelona section)

The train ride from Paris to Nice was really nice. It was 5 and a half hours but it went by very quickly and smoothly. I did a lot of writing for my blog and sorted pictures but still found lots of time to enjoy the country side. It was always beautiful but once we got to the coast it was incredibly breathtaking when we caught fantastic glimpses of the sea. Unfortunately it got dark shortly after we hit the coast so we didn't get to enjoy the views for long.

The school I was visiting was near the airport, which was just across the street, so I had hotel out there as well. Beyond the airport you had the Mediterranean Sea and I actually had to be told that it was there because I just hadn't notice it when I looked out the hotel or university windows. The sea and sky just seemed to blend together over the airport runways.

I do have to tell one story about the restaurant at the hotel. Breakfast came with the room and I ate their twice for dinner as well because there just wasn't anything else nearby. Anyway, the one night I just could not figure out what they were having for specials. Most of the time I could guess but I just didn't have a clue this time. The waiter was trying to explain them to me but his English wasn't very good. We worked on the one for a long time and finally he had to go ask one of the other guys who did speak English. He came back and said "shark" and I laughed and said something like "well, no wonder I couldn't sort it out". We then went back to the second item and worked on it a bit more but still I couldn't get it. I have to say that he was very nice and we were having a good time trying to make the translation. The people at the surrounding tables were all chuckling with us, or perhaps at us, while we carried on the conversation that probably lasted for at least 5 minutes. Anyway, he eventually went to ask the other guy about the second item. He came back and said, "ostrich" and I burst out laughing saying something like, "shark and ostrich, yep, those two items were right up there on the list of French words one had to know when ordering in a restaurant." Everyone burst out laughing and I decided to have something else for dinner. You probably don't even think that was funny and it probably really is one of those "you had to be there" moments but I thought it was quite cute.

I took the tourist train for a ride through the old city and it was quite interesting. The one benefit of this ride was that the narrow train could go to the top of Castle Hill while the buses could not. It's a long walk to the top so I appreciated the train ride. I wandered around the hill for a while before continuing my train ride. There is no castle any more, just some ruins in some areas; however, the views are fantastic. It is now a public park and play area and it was very busy. There is also a beautiful waterfall at the top of the hill that is visible from the city centre.

The old town of Nice has the usual narrow, winding streets lined with lots of shops, cafes and restaurants. It's easy to get lost as there are lots of dead ends after you've done the twisting and turning. Luckily they are mainly pedestrian streets so you don't have to argue with a lot of traffic when you are lost! The main buildings like City Hall are bigger that the rest but they are not huge.

The seaside is beautiful. There is a long wide promenade all along the length of the beach and it was very busy. I can only imagine what it is like in the summer time! There were lots of pedestrians, cyclists, roller bladers and even a train using the promenade. The beach is pebble and small stone as opposed to sand but people didn't seem to mind that. The weather was nice so there were lots of people on the beach and several in swimming. That's not usual for November I was told. Regardless, it was a beautiful setting with the sea on one side and the hills on the other and the town in between. And the water is a beautiful shade of blue.

I took the bus from the hotel at the airport down to the city centre the first day. It was an incredibly long ride and it was also very hot and crowded. The situation was the same when I returned that night. As a result I decided to switch my hotel the next day and move closer to the old city. The new hotel was right at the start (or end) of the old town so great for wandering the streets. Quite literally on the other side of the street you had the new town with the Acropolis (convention centre I think) and Theatre/Museum buildings right outside my window. It was a nice mix of new and old.

Before I checked out of my first hotel I took the opportunity to go to Parc Phenix, which was just next door to the hotel. it was a wonderful oasis from the bustle of the city life. It was green and lush and the sounds of birds filled the air the morning I was there. That of course was until the bus loads of little kids arrived and then other sounds quickly drowned out the birds. There is a beautiful pond in the center of the park and all kinds of ducks and geese and other water birds around it. I remember finding the black swans and white pelicans quite peculiar because I am more used to white swans and black pelicans. However, the shape was the same so I'm sure that's what they were. There were also parrots and ostriches and fish and snakes and spiders and turtles and other neat things. Why is it that girls always scream when they see spiders and snakes and boys just say "oh, cool!" With each school group, the reaction was always the same. I can't think of the proper name but they had what I'll call a biosphere. Part of it was for a desert climate and part rain forest and other areas as well. The plants in each case were really beautiful. They even had a whole section on day lilies, Margery. You would have loved it! Overall it was a very pleasant morning and I'm glad I went. It was also a good deal at only 2 euros.

The city bus tour was good but again it was very long and boring in parts. There were many art galleries and museums to be pointed out but sometimes we were never near them. They were just off to the right or the left. The views back toward the water were the main features of the bus tour. I should also say that I didn't go to any museums or galleries because I had already had my fill in London and Paris and needed a break for a while. They have many lovely old churches and I went into some of them - generally just as I wandered past on one of my treks, as opposed to going specifically to see a certain church. I wandered around a lot but really didn't see anything specific that I can now remember.

Some general impressions of Nice would include:
- there are some wonderful old hotels along the water front
- there are a lot of rich and famous people with houses here
- some female dancer lived and died here, strangled by her scarf, but I don't remember who!
- it's a beautiful and clean city, one of the nicest I've seen from that respect
- it's expensive for everything
- they try hard to pretend it's warm all the time and eat outside under heaters at restaurants
- internet cafes don't stay open later than 8 or 9 p.m. so it's impossible to get anything done

Bus Tour of the French Riviera and Monaco

This was an all day tour that went from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and it was well worth it. There were only four of us including the guide in the morning and then one more person joined us in the afternoon. We were very comfortable in our little van and saw lots of sights. The only scary part was the driving at times, but everyone seems to drive like a maniac over there.

Cannes

We saw the film festival sight and all the great hotels and restaurants around it. We walked along the promenade, which is nice but not as wide as in Nice. The marina is big and had a lot of big, expensive yachts in it. I think the beach was sandy in places but some stony areas as well. The city is very new by European standards. The area was once under water and full of rushes or canes - hence its name. The area was reclaimed and built up in the 20th century so it's all relatively modern and there is no old town to meander through, just the fancy new town for the rich and famous and those who serve their needs.

Antibes

Antibes is a beautiful old city with lots of markets open in the town squares when we were there on a Saturday morning. They were selling everything imaginable: food, crafts, clothes, antiques, etc. We walked around the old town area and then up on to the old city wall, at least a portion of which still exists but I don't know that it is all intact. I don't remember seeing any beaches as the area is steeper and rockier at the shore line. However, there was a huge marina at the one end and it seemed to have yachts that were even bigger and more expensive than in Cannes. Most of the streets are pedestrian streets in the old city just because they are too narrow for most vehicles. It really is a charming old city with lots of old buildings.

St. Paul de Vence

I had never heard of this place but St. Paul de Vence is an old town up on the top of a high hill. The road is really winding and narrow to get up there and once you reach the city walls, no vehicles are allowed in. I imagine that emergency vehicles and delivery vehicles are allowed in some areas but the average person can't drive through. And again there is a very good reason for this. The streets are very narrow and winding and very steep up and down the side of the hill. The town is very arts oriented so there are galleries everywhere. And many famous artists lived here at one point in their lives so there is a lot of art history. I wandered through the cemetery and found someone's grave but now I'm not sure whose. It was definitely a famous artist and he lived there for many years so his tombstone is quite a tourist attraction. Gaudin maybe? It was fun to walk around the old streets and check out the shops and galleries but it was definitely a lot of work as you were either going up or down the whole time. The views over the entire countryside and coastline were incredible. I'm sure I got some wonderful pictures but alas, those are gone now so we won't be enjoying them.

Eze

Eze is another old town built on a hill but it is much smaller and much steeper to climb. It's also more confusing and not one of us actually made it to the top for the scenic lookout. We just kept going in circles through the old streets - and there weren't that many of them. There were some incredible coastal views from the lookouts we did reach though. The shops on the streets were small and just sandwiched into any available place. They weren't very busy when we were there so I'm not sure how they survived.

At the bottom of the hill in Eze, we toured a perfume factory. I was not interested in it at all but it proved to be interesting none the less. We learned where all their plants come from and at least one of them was from Canada but I don't remember which one. It was interesting to learn how they mix and process the product, and how they differentiate between perfume and toilet water and other such labels. The packaging and design and branding are certainly a big part of the overall product and its cost. It was definitely cheaper to buy at the factory but as you might imagine, I didn't buy anything.

We also learned about "The Nose" who is the person really in charge of making the perfumes. There are only 4 training places in the world for this job and only about 100 graduates in total out in the market. The training is very specialized and expensive and you have to prove your "nose" talents to be accepted. The Nose can only work 3-4 hours per day and they can't drink alcohol, eat spicy foods or smoke at any time. However, in exchange they get paid a lot of money.

Monte Carlo and Monaco

We went to Monte Carlo and thus also to Monaco. I don't think there is any part of Monaco that isn't Monte Carlo. The size of Monaco is very small - something like two square kilometers if I remember correctly. The population is about 30,000 and most people who are counted in the population don't live there year round. It costs big money to become a citizen in Monaco. I think it was a half million due and payable in advance. Lots of people and companies have addresses and head offices here but most are just for tax purposes. Our tour guide certainly had a lot to say about the country and the Grimaldi Royal Family and their "business affairs." He was so vocal I thought we might be arrested at one point. There are police everywhere and there are rules everywhere. It's definitely an interesting place.

We went to see the casino and the huge hotels around it as well as the opera house and Casino Cafe. The casino is in a fantastic location overlooking the Sea and there is a beautiful landscaped garden between the building and the Sea. It is definitely a place for the rich. The cars out front give that detail away. I had the actual makes written down but now I am just guessing. There were about six cars parked on each side of the entrance steps, types such as Porsche, Lamburgini, Rolls and Mercedes and all sportscars. That part was quite amazing on its own. There were big yachts in the harbour and there were big houses on the hillsides. Rich could definitely be used to describe the overall scene.

We also went up the hill to the palace. It was pretty plain from the outside, compared to others I've seen, but it was big. We also went by the Princesses' homes. We saw the Church where Princess Grace and Prince Ranier were married and are now buried. All of this is in a nice location at the top of a hill at the seaside so some great views of the entire country! And no, I did not see that eligible Prince Albert anywhere around town.

Everything along the coast is beautiful and the views are spectacular. The water is a beautiful shade of blue and the sun was shining brightly on it. It is no wonder that many rich and famous people live along this coast because you really can't beat the views or the weather. And it's no wonder that our students like to take exchanges in Nice. It is a fantastic location itself and provides a great opportunity for touring other beautiful sights.

That's all for now.

Jayne

PS - I said Buon Journo from Italy in an earlier blog and it should have been Buon Giorno. I'm just getting so confused with all my different languages. It must be the curse of the world traveller!

Buon Journo from Florence

I can't believe that it was ten days when I last wrote to you. This one will just be an update with no specific agenda so it will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Let's start with a follow up from the theft of my backpack. Several aspects of that have changed the direction of my travels. My credit cards are being replaced and sent to my address in Canada and will then have to be couriered to me so I have funds to continue. My immunization card is being replaced and will also be couriered later. I can't enter certain parts of Africa until that is received.

And then there is the matter of my airline tickets. When I contacted Air Canada to get my tickets replaced the guy laughed at me and said I actually had bigger problems than just getting a replacement. Apparently the airline I was flying on in South America next March has gone bankrupt and Air Canada doesn't have another partner in that area. That meant that I couldn't go to South America on that ticket. I could either go back to Canada from South Africa or back to Europe. In the end, we changed literally everything. Since I knew my entry into Africa was going to be later than originally anticipated I delayed the departure from South Africa and then I also delayed the departure from Europe so I could do some of the things that I didn't get done this summer because of my foot injuries. I now have a flight from Capetown, South Africa to London, England on April 22nd and a flight from London, England to home on June 20th, which means I will have been gone just two days short of a year. Of course anything could change between now and then!

Yes, I know that I will have to some how get my taxes done by April 30th. And I can't ignore that because CRA decided to audit me this year and since I'm not there to get them the proof that they wanted and no one else could possibly find it in the storage unit, I'm already in their bad graces and have been reassessed with the interest mounting daily. Don't you just love it?

I hope I didn't promise anyone else that I'd be there for anything in May or June because I definitely won't be there. I couldn't think of any commitments I'd made so this seemed like a great opportunity to extend my holiday - and basically as a result of an Air Canada problem. Can you imagine how I would have felt if I'd found out about the changes the day before I was to fly from Johannesburg to South America? What would I have done then? Flown back to Europe in the middle of winter I guess. This advance notice, compliments of the thief who took my backpack, allowed a bit more planning and opportunity. And the flights are great: non-stop from Capetown to London and then non-stop London to Vancouver or Calgary (can't remember which) with a same-day connection into Kelowna.

Okay, enough about that. It just means that I'm a bit more flexible with my travel plans for the next month or so. However, it's getting too cold for me in most of Europe so I figure I'll definitely have to head south soon. I'm also contemplating a Mediterranean Cruise just for a change of pace and scenery. And I'm even trying to book Egypt at the same time as Ed and Rita (my brother and sister-in-law) will be there in January. That would be really neat too.

On another topic, I have been trying to reconstruct what Maxine (my sister) referred to as "the lost cities of France and Spain". Hopefully once I get this blog done I will be able to post what I remember from my Paris visit. It's pretty scattered but then some of you probably think most of my writing is pretty scattered so you won't see much of a difference. Nice should be up before long, assuming I can manage to stay awake long enough at night to type more entries. Barcelona hasn't been started yet and Rome hasn't been either so it's a slow process. Oh well, it's good exercise for the brain.

I will just say one general thing now. I apologize for my comments about the Science Museum in London and all my nasty comments about how non exciting the history of Math section would be. Ever since I said that, I have been flooded by wonderful examples of how Math can and has been applied in exciting ways. Today I got hit yet again so I thought I should make a formal apology. Barcelona is probably world-renowned for all its Gaudi structures and all of them are based on Math principles. He didn't build square or rectangular buildings. No, he used parabolic arches and hyperboloids and all kinds of Math and Physics formulae in his construction - and it was wonderful. Every building I went into gave me another Math lesson as applied to architecture. And then in a Military Museum that must also have been in Barcelona there was an entire section dedicated to the Military Engineers and their training in Math and Physics principles so they could build all these great bridges, dams, highways, aqueducts and other things. I probably hadn't posted the London portion more than a day before Math was everywhere!

In Rome there were examples too but I can't exactly remember what at the moment. I remember it was something big so perhaps the construction of the Coliseum or something in Castel Sant Angelo or St. Peter's Basilica. Who knows? These Math applications are everywhere! Today at the Galleria del Accademia where Michelangelo's statue of David is supposed to be the most memorable thing of all, I get hit with more examples of Math applications in the Music Museum. Math is the basis of music - time, notes and fractions, sound waves, modulations, intonation, scales, intervals, harmonic cycles, and even the designs of the instruments themselves - all were based on Math. So after that visit I decided an apology was in order. The history of Math and its applications can indeed be truly exciting. And given that the professions of my siblings were a high school math teacher, an engineer and an accountant, I guess I probably shouldn't be picking on Math too much!

The only other travel thing I wanted to say was that I don't seem to be enjoying this section of my travels as much as my earlier travels and I'm just finding it more of a struggle. I have to wonder if I'm just getting tired or if the weather has something to do with it or the shorter hours of daylight, or if it's because it's no longer tourist season and things are closed for repairs or limited hours or whatever. Somehow it just doesn't seem the same and sometimes I don't think I'm accomplishing enough each day. How bad is that for someone who is supposed to be on holidays? Anyway, I definitely think I need a break which is why I'm considering the cruise, which would be a very different pace. I guess you'll just have to wait and see what happens as the saga continues.

Okay, enough trivia for now. I will go work on Paris and Nice and try to get them finished up as much as I can at this stage. If I think of something else for these cities later, I will add it to the same posting and mark it as revised.

Cheers all!

Jayne

Things I remember from Paris - October 25th to November 1st

This is the original posting of this item. If I remember anything else about Paris I will add it to this posting and put the word "Revision" at the top.

The first part is just a summary to help me remember what I did each day. The rest is a bit more description of the places I visited. (I have to say that spell check works slightly here. I could see what words it said were spelled wrong but it didn't tell me where they were in the blog so I had to guess what it was I was really trying to say. For example an "lof" was questioned so I guessed it might have been an "of" and an "aleady" might have been an "already". However, some of them were so strange that I have no idea if I picked the right choice. If you get some strange word in the middle of a sentence just pick whatever makes the most sense to you.)

Tuesday
- great train ride from Nice
- checked in and then walked down Champs Elysees to Tuileries Garden to Louvre
- later walked to Trocadero and Eiffel Tower

Wednesday
- bus tour
- Notre Dame Cathedral
- Eiffel Tower later

Thursday
- tourist office to buy museum pass
- Palais Garnier, the opera house (outside only)
- Palais Royale (through courtyard only)
- Louvre
- Orsay
- Eiffel Tower later

Friday
- visit to university
- Arc de Triomphe - to the top for an incredible view
- Eiffel Tower later

Saturday
- Grande Arch or Arche de la Defense - to the top for another incredible view
- Viscennes
- bed early - cold

Sunday
- up late but time had changed so not as late as I thought
- Conciergerie
- Sant Chapelle
- Crypt at Notre Dame
- organ concert at Notre Dame

Monday
- Louvre
- Grande Palais
- Petite Palais
- boat tour
- Eiffel Tower at end

Tuesday
- Orsay Gallery
- Rodin Gallery
- Pantheon
- Petite Palais
- Eiffel Tower at end

Wednesday
- top of Eiffel Tower
- leave for Nice

No time for Versailles, Orangerie and a lot of other great places.

Notre Dame
Notre Dame is huge. It is another high vaulted cathedral and it has a central nave with aisles on both sides and chapels off each side. I can't be sure of all the details so I shouldn't even try to describe things to you. Here is what I do know:
- I didn't go to the top as the lineups were too long.
- It was crowded and loud and there were cameras flashing everywhere and I remember writing that I didn't find it a spiritual place at all. - I later went back to an organ concert and had the same sensation as I waited for the concert to start. Then, once the organ did start playing, I totally changed my mind. The sounds of the organ filled the whole place and drowned out all other noise and suddenly it felt more like a Church. It was simply missing music before and once the music was in place all was well. Since music is so much a part of my worship experience that certainly made sense. I was just surprised that it took me so long to figure it out.
- I remember we couldn't get really close to the altar but the central statue on it was beautiful. It was Mary holding the body of Jesus after the crucifixion and the look on her face as she looked up to Heaven was one of pain and sorrow and yet faith and expectation. It was really a beautiful piece.
- The outer doors and facade of the church are ornately designed and the detail is quite incredible. Various people and stories are included so again the audio guide came in handy.
- There were frescoes all around the main altar area. Supposedly they were there because most people couldn't read and they needed to see the Bible stories in picture format.
- I think I bought a small book and sent it home with one of the mailings of school stuff so that will give me more details later.

Conciergerie
This was once a royal castle and then a prison. I had lots of details on this but all I can remember now is that Marie Antoinette was one of the prisoners and her rooms were on display. There was a large hall for the Men at Arms and it was huge. It was not fancy but then it was a very old building and room. The tour was mainly through the prison area and I remember the people revolted because they didn't like the rulers and thought they were too mean and imprisoning and killing too many people. Then the new group that got in killed thousands in their first few years so I wondered if the people really thought they were any better off.

Sant Chapelle
Sant Chapelle is the church in the same compound as the Conciergerie. There really was some name for the whole compound like Isle de Paris or Isle de City or something like that but I no longer remember what it was. Now the compound is partly used by the justice department but the church and the conciergerie are open to the public. Anyway, the chapel had two levels. The bottom was pretty plain but the top one had incredible stain-glassed windows. They were long and narrow and supposedly told the entire Bible story in pictures. Again the audio guide was very important as it was often hard to pick out specific scenes without a little assistance.

Crypt of Notre Dame
The crypt might have had some tombs in it but mainly it was the old Roman ruins under ground around Notre Dame Cathedral. It was very interesting to see and well displayed and explained.

Viscennes
- This was the home of the Royal families for years. It was at the very end of the one metro line and I went there directly from the other end of the line at the Arche de la Defense. I thought that was kind of neat because I don't think I've ever gone from one end of a line to the other end. As you can tell it doesn't take much to impress me! Anyway, the castle was very nice. It had the usual rings of outer walls and a draw bridge over the moat (now grass). It also had a beautiful keep. It was technically closed but our tour guide let us go into part of it. And speaking of tour guide I should say that I waited for 45 minutes to get the next tour only to find out that it was only delivered in French, which meant I really didn't learn much at all. The Sant Chapel within the grounds was very small but nice. We didn't get to see any of the living areas so I can't say much about those. However, there was a beautiful lawn area and it looked like it would have been a great place to live or hide out in if under attack.

Pantheon
- The Pantheon is very old and it is the burial place for many famous people. The crypt is only about half full so more prominent French citizens will eventually be buried there. The ones who are already buried there include Victor Hugo, Jean Jaques Rousseau, Pierre and Madame Curie to name a few (the very few that I can remember right now!) The crypt is just grey brick and stone so nothing fancy but the upper floor is quite amazing. It is totally open with a round dome area in the centre of two high cross pieces. The pictures on the walls are beautiful and huge. The statues located in various spots are lovely. And in the centre you have Falcault's Pendulum. I have no idea if that name is spelled correctly. I'm just impressed that I even remembered the pendulum.
- The hard thing to explain about the Pantheon is the contemporary artwork that was being displayed in it while I was there. This piece actually filled the whole Pantheon. It was like a lot of white blobs of various sizes and heights hung from the ceiling. I remember the blobs were latex and they were filled with scented sand, but other than that I don't remember how it all worked. I do know that it definitely made taking pictures tough since it was everywhere.

Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is truly just a skeleton framework of iron and steel and I can understand why people weren't really impressed with it when it was built. However, there is also something very mesmerizing about it. I think I ended up there almost every night and I was even there some days. At night it is lit up in white lights and every hour on the hour it twinkles for about 5 minutes. People just stand there staring at it and I was one of them. Well, I probably sat there staring at it as opposed to standing. And from the Trocadero it is a beautiful setting looking across the gardens and fountains (all of which are under construction right now) and across the Seine to the Eiffel Tower, which seems huge even from a distance. Some nights I probably just sat there for an hour.

Rue Victor Hugo
I guess I should also say that I rented an apartment on Rue Victor Hugo. I had no idea where that was when I arrived but it proved to be quite close to everything. A walk to the Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower probably took about 20 minutes and to the metro station probably took about 10 minutes. If I wasn't going to the Eiffel Tower, everything else was reached by metro so it worked just fine. And the walk was down very safe streets with interesting shops and stores. There was a great bakery across the street and their baguettes were fantastic. I don't think I ever got one of the long ones home before having eaten half of it.

Comments from Rodin Museum
- Rodin was definitely a sculptor although he did sketch and paint regularly.
- His work is magnificent and I shall never again forget that he is a sculptor.
- "The Thinker" sits in the garden and is the first thing you see. I had certainly heard of it but didn't know it was by Rodin.
- "The Kiss" is really not a kiss and he always hated that everyone saw it as this great romantic piece. It is two larger-than-life figures (male and female) who appear to be in a romantic embrace and kiss. It was supposed to be much deeper with the two people condemned to eternal hell and he felt he failed to capture the moment. I guess I'd have to agree that he failed but when you hear the real description of it you realize it really isn't what it seems at first glance so it may be us, the audience, who failed. When it's explained to you and you look closely at the models it is easy to see that the man's hand is just resting gently on her leg but his arm is stiff. In his left hand he is holding a book, which he is/was reading, one of Dante's that the sculpture imitated a scene from. And the two faces really aren't touching so they are definitely not kissing. Who knew?
- My favourite sculpture was called something like the cathedral or the chapel and it was two right hands slightly apart with palms turned inward and finger tips just touching. He said it reminded him of the structure of the great cathedral ceilings and it was indeed very similar. It was also a very beautiful sculpture.
- I also remember learning that he never actually carved in marble or any material. He conceived of ideas and sculpted (molded) and did assemblage (put different things together in a sculpture like marble, paper, twigs, etc.) but he did not carve. His assistants did that work.
- He also used the same parts over and over and that surprised me. In one room there were four different sculptures that had the same basic body in them and you really didn't notice until the audio guide explained it to you. Outside you see "The Three Fates" (I hope that was the name) which is a figure with three male statues in it. In actuality it is the same statue "The Fate" with one facing forward and one on each side looking in but you really wouldn't know they were the same. It took a lot of staring to convince me it was the same statue each time (but then I didn't know Rodin was a sculptor either so that may say something for my point of view). I also wondered if such a work would have been considered self-plagiarism in the academic world and whether we would have accepted it as an allowable project!

Observations from other Museums and Galleries
- No wonder it is confusing for us amateurs to keep the names of these artists straight. There are too many similar names in the art world. I had lots of great examples but now I can't think of them. Names like Rodin versus Redon and Monet versus Manet and Vigi-Les Brun versus Charles Les Brun (or something like that). After visiting all these art galleries I felt less stupid and just more confused!
- Being an artist's friend or relative would not have been fun. Some of these guys painted family members continually and in various different settings and poses.
- I'm not in love with paintings of flowers or fruit or other such things. I like portraits and indoor and outdoor scenes with more variety. And I really like the big pictures, as opposed to small pictures.
- Monet used some beautiful shades of green in his paintings. I really liked his big garden pictures that I think were in one room at the Orsay.
- Camille Pissaro seemed to be the only female painter in the group and I really liked her work. However, I have since found out that Joan Miro is really a male so now I don't know if Camille was really a female or if all the names I took to be male were really male. I guess it's one of those confusing artists' things again.
- I had originally listed some other names for works that I liked but I can't remember all of them here. I know David, van Dyke and Renoir were on the list but I no longer remember why. I know I liked someone's paintings of ruins and someone else's portraits.
- I did see the Mona Lisa and it was small, as everyone says. It was certainly a great painting but there were others I liked just as much or more.
- I really liked the sculptures at the Louvre, Orsay, Rodin and other places, and I loved how they were displayed in open, almost outdoor areas.
- I didn't see near all of the Louvre. I did the sculptures and the paintings but didn't see any of the antiquities. I saw all of the Orsay and the Rodin and exhibits in other smaller places.
- The Opera section at the Orsay was great. In one piece it was a huge glass floor and you were looking down at a street model around the Palais Garnier, opera house. I kind of felt like Mary Poppins flying over the rooftops. In the other part they had 3D theatre models for the stage and I enjoyed seeing the sets and drops for shows like La Traviata. I could just about imagine the stage crews raising and lowering drops and rearranging the set. The models were just a bit more complicated and detailed than our old Theatre Kelowna shoe box and balsa wood models but they sure brought back some fond memories.
- The audio guide at the Louvre has 40 hours worth of commentary on it and certainly doesn't include everything in the museum so that will give you an idea of the size. The building itself is U shaped and several stories high. The bottom of the U is several city blocks across and the two side wings are at least 6 city blocks. I remember writing that 3 bridges crossed the Seine in the length of the wings so that will give you another idea of the size.
- I think the Orsay was the old train station from the 1900 World's Fair and it now makes a great gallery space.
- I really liked some pictures of young girls sitting at a piano practicing and of a couple dancing in formal attire. I think they were by the same artist but I don't remember exactly who. Renoir maybe?
- The Grande Palais and Petite Palais were also built for the World's Fair and they are both huge, despite one of them being called small. I toured the Petite Palais and looked at the artwork in it. However, it cost 30 euros to get into the Grange Palais and even one of the exhibitors told me not to bother. He said it was more for galleries than individuals so who was I to argue.
- Maxine, there was a painting at the Louvre that made me think of you and Ed and the cousins down on the farm. I may have this wrong but I think it was "Noble's Enfants" or "Les Enfants Noble" or something like that and when I typed the original blog I remember being surprised that I hadn't noticed that the painting title was the same as the artist so I assume it was a Mr. Noble who painted it. I think you have a photograph of a pony and cart with all the cousins around and this painting, although not quite the same, did remind me of that photograph.
- I also remember noting that most painting had their basis in religion or mythology so you saw a lot of the same themes over and over again. The Annunciation, the Visitation, the Birth of Christ, etc. were done by hundreds of people and each version was a slightly different interpretation.
- The Louvre's largest picture is "The Wedding at Canaan" and I had seen another version somewhere on my travels that I liked better. The Louvre version (sorry but I no longer remember the artist but it was someone famous!) had Mary and Jesus at the centre of the painting and in the centre of the banquet table. The other painting had them off to the left side of the painting and at the end of the banquet table. That version worked much better for me because I really didn't think they were the centre of attention.
- I was also amazed at all the variations of The Madonna and Child and the different ways Jesus was portrayed. Many of them had him very serious or even expressionless, which I guess is what I was used to, but in some of the paintings he was smiling and laughing. In some he was skinny and in some he was chubby. And what he was doing changed too: peeking out from under his Mother's veil, playing with her finger, sucking his thumb, twirling his fingers in his hair or in one really cute one, playing with his toes. I loved the variations as they brought a whole new dimension to the baby Jesus and really made him a true baby.

General observations
- baguettes are delicious
- metro system is great
- museum and metro passes are fantastic
- they eat at strange times or perhaps I eat at strange times
- they drive motorcycles on sidewalk - just to park but still a bit disconcerting when one comes roaring at you
- nothing opens early in Paris and everything is open late
- although everyone closed on the 31st or 1st for Halloween, I saw nothing that looked like our version of Halloween
- the river tour gave great views of the wonderful bridges over the Seine and the decorations on them - also showed a lot of homes of the homeless and some of the not-so-nice sides of the city

Okay, I think that's all for Paris for now. If I remember anything else I'll add it to this blog and put a "Revision" and date at the top. Aren't you impressed that I remembered any of this?

Jayne

Hello from Rome

This is going to be a bit of a confusing blog so please just bear with me.

I arrived in Rome last night and so far haven't seen a lot of it. I am right below St. Peter's Basilica and it looks huge from my lower vantage point. I will hopefully start some touring tomorrow. Today is a ..... well, it's a problem solving day.

I apologize for not getting the Paris and Nice postings up yet. I actually had 22 of the 24 scribbled pages all typed up by Sunday evening and was going to finish them and post them then but the internet cafe was off line. I went home and packed instead and thought I would finish it up on Monday morning. However, that's where things went a little off track.

I had not been at the internet cafe for more than 10 minutes most when I went to get a pen out of my little backpack and it was gone. At first I just didn't believe it and assumed I had put it somewhere else but eventually I had to accept the fact that it had walked out the door and I wasn't wearing it. I've heard other people say it before and I agree, I have no idea how anyone could have taken that bag without me knowing it. It was down beside my chair between the chair and the computer CPU and the computers are very close so there wasn't a lot of room - at most 8 inches. This internet cafe is in the front of a business so there are always people around. The computer area is bright and open and yet none of us saw anyone enter or leave the area. It was bizarre - almost like a magical illusion or disappearing act. However, disappear it did.

About one day a week I have too many valuable things in one area and that is on a travel day when I keep everything with me as opposed to leaving it in storage at the hotel or train station while I do my last minute touring. Well, this was one of those days so I lost a lot of valuable items. Losing my camera and pictures of Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo and Barcelona really ticks me off. Losing the pictures bothers me a whole lot more than losing the camera! Having to replace yet another pair of glasses really ticks me off. I hate being blind but I just can't wear my contacts all the time so my next chore is to find a place to get a new pair of glasses.

But strangely enough it's the smaller things that really bug me. For example, I can't believe after all my writing and typing that I no longer have any notes from my visit to Paris or Nice or Barcelona. Every paper and brochure is gone. I had been typing the Paris notes in Word and storing it on my memory stick. My first thought when I realized I'd lost my notes was thank goodness I had most of Paris typed. Then I remembered that the typed version was on the memory stick and that was in the back pack too. Argh! The result of that is that you will likely not read anything about Paris or Nice or Barcelona because I'm not likely to start the whole process over again at this stage.

Yes, I cancelled my credit cards. No, I'm not totally desolate. I always carry my bank card and one credit card around with me in my zippered Tilley pants pocket. My money is always in another pocket and my passport in another one. Thus I can still continue my trip quite comfortably thanks to Tilley.

Well, I can continue the trip to a certain extent. My airline tickets, which were hard copy not electronic because they were redeemed air miles and a year out so they had to be issued that way and supposedly can't be replaced, may prove to be a bit of an obstacle as I no longer have the flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to Lima, Peru or from Lima, Peru to Kelowna, BC. That may mean that I just can't return home!!! Only joking of course because of course I can always buy another ticket. What's a bit more cash outflow to a world traveller? However, can I buy another immunization card so I can prove to the African countries that it's okay to let me in? I'm working on that one and will hopefully know the answer soon.

I also lost a lot of other cards - insurance, medical, BCAA, driver’s license, air miles, etc. - but at least I have those numbers. They have or will be contacted and they can decide what they want to do about replacements. And yes, I did lose a little US cash, probably less than $50, but I might have totally forgotten about it anyway as it was just tucked away in case needed.

Of course I lost my little back pack which definitely ticks me off. It zipped on to my big back pack so the two could be carried on your back together. I'll never get another one over here that will zip on to the big one and I'll never be able to wear two backpacks at one so I can't even go buy another one. Today I'm walking around with a little flowered plastic bag to carry my water and papers. It is so cute (not!) and very impractical. However, it's serving the purpose today.

At some point I will have to go shopping. Not only do I have to buy a backpack but I also need other important things. The thought of not having a finger nail clip and file handy is enough to drive me crazy. Having no contact lens case with me seemed like a real problem in case I had to take my contacts out. Then I remembered that I didn't have any glasses to put on anyway so I wasn't likely to be taking my contacts out other than at night and I still had that case.

And my air pump for my boot is gone so I'm not sure how long I'll be able to wear the boot. Therefore, I may be buying some new high top boots before long. I actually thought that was going to be an immediate expense because at one point I had my left shoe in my little back pack. However, at the last minute I did move that to my big pack so I do indeed have both a left and right shoe, which I guess is something to be thankful for.

I am also very thankful that there was a very friendly Spanish lady around to help me out at the time. The response from the guy in the store when we asked him to call the police was simply, "it's not our problem as we are not responsible for bags." I'm sure that is very true and I'm sure he was struggling for the right English words to say anything but I have to tell you, that was definitely not what I wanted to hear. I was not at all impressed. However, Frederica was wonderful. She called the police on her cell phone and found out what had to be done. She then walked me down to the police station, which was only about three blocks away and then she explained to them in Spanish what had happened. The police had an English translator there and he was also very helpful. While I waited to talk to someone about the details they gave me all the credit card and important contact numbers so all of that was done within half an hour, an hour at most, of the theft. It was a long wait in the police station but very pleasant none the less and they were very friendly and helpful. They were also very busy with similar incidents so it was a different side of Barcelona. I had always felt very safe and comfortable on the streets but obviously thefts like this are very common, as I'm sure they are anywhere.

This had to happen at some point so now it's over. I think it's kind of funny that it happened on the day I was flying into Italy because Italy is the one country that I heard a hundred warnings about re pickpockets and thieves. They sure wouldn't get much from me right now! I took a cab from the airport in Rome, which I have since learned is something you never do because cabs here are so expensive. With the rush from the police station to the internet cafe to reprint my flight and hotel details and then to the airport, I didn't have the chance to get any extra money. After paying the taxi driver in Rome, I had exactly 36 cents left in my pocket. Thus my first chore this morning was to find a bank machine. I now feel much richer, at least in the cash department.

Okay, that's enough for now. All is well, or as well as it can be, and the journey continues. I'll write again once I'm through with the other details that I have to deal with.

Cheers!

Jayne

PS - I'm not sure I'm going to like Rome or Italy all that much. Everyone seems to be yelling all the time. I'm sure they aren't really yelling but boy are they loud. I like quiet and peaceful and that's what I'd really like right now. All this yelling and arm waving just isn't doing it for me! I guess it's time to head to St. Peter's Basilica and relax for a while!

London – Part Two

Okay, back to London. On Wednesday I went to the British Museum and spent almost the whole day there. It is supposedly the world’s oldest museum and it is in a huge beautiful building that you could get lost in if you’re not careful. The museum displays international cultural history from all over the world so the subject matter is varied. I did the audio highlights tour and covered almost the whole museum but I was definitely dragging by the end. Highlights of course were the mummies and some of the artifacts that were oldest from Egypt. The Rosetta Stone resulted in the deciphering of hieroglyphics, which was certainly an important discovery and one I’m glad they didn’t leave to me because I couldn’t even follow the parts they were explaining to me in detail. The Nereid Monument from 200 BC Turkey took me back to my visit to Turkey and the number of times the guide said, “…, which is now in the British Museum.” I liked some huge gates but I can’t remember what they were or where they were from. I just remember that they had large horses on them and the horses had 5 legs if you viewed them from all sides. You never saw more than four at a glance but in fact there were five. Everyone raved about the Enlightenment Gallery but I confess that I was going too fast to be enlightened very much. It was a huge room with many smaller exhibits and would require way more time than I had allowed. Overall the British Museum is a pretty awesome place and it really makes me look forward to future visits to places like Egypt and Italy and Greece to see more ancient historical sights.

That night I went to see Guys & Dolls, not because I really like the show or haven’t seen it before, because I have many times, but because Patrick Swayze was starring in it and I thought it would be fun to see him on stage. Well, I’ll still have to wait for that experience because he went to the gala opening of the London Film Festival that night and left his understudy in charge of the roll. The show was fine but I would have chosen something else had I known he wasn’t going to be there. You’ll be pleased (perhaps) to know that this is the last of the shows so you won’t have to read about any more. I’ll just say that it was great to be in London where theatre is strong and the language is English. It made for a fun week.

On Thursday I went to the National History Museum and, among other things, brushed up on my knowledge of dinosaurs. You will be pleased to know that both the Albertosaurus and the Edmontosaurus were both prominently featured. The exhibits in all areas were really good. In the Red Zone they had fossils that were 570 million years old and a rock that was supposedly 3,850 million years old, which seems absolutely amazing and unbelievable to me. Some of their displays were really excellent. The earthquake was very realistic with the whole grocery store and everything in it, including us visitors, rolling with the quake. The volcano and tsunami sections were almost as good.

In the Blue Zone, where the dinosaurs were found, there were other displays on mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates, as well as my favourite - human biology. Now I’m not really into human biology as studied in class but I did like some of these exhibits – especially the hands-on ones. The only problem was how to get rid of all the kids who were equally thrilled by the exhibits. Memory games, scene recalls, visual exercises, reflex games, etc. were all great fun – if I could get to a machine without 10 kids fighting for the spot and whining beside me. Now of course I am just kidding and I never really beat off any children. I just tried to work around all the school tours and get to the exhibits when they weren’t around. I had no set agenda so there was really no rush in my day. I guess the only other thing in the Blue Zone that was truly amazing to me was the size of the blue whale. I knew they were big but not that big. They make the elephants look small and I thought the elephants were big. Again it was a really good exhibit and allowed for comparisons, which I guess I’d never done before.

In the Green Zone they had plants, minerals, ecology, evolution, etc. The creepy crawlies exhibit was fun to see. Why is that girls always scream at the spiders and snakes while the boys just say, “oh, cool!”? I loved their ant display and it was amazing to watch those guys work. They, that is the museum not the ants, have it set up so the leaves and food are on one side of the water in the tank and the ant hill is on the other side. There is one thin branch placed up high between the two sides so the ants must scurry back and forth on this stick and climb up and down the branches on either side. The way they work and the amount they carry is remarkable. And you readers can supposedly share this experience because they are live on webcam at www.nhm.ac.uk/antcast. I didn’t get through the place the first day so had to go back again later. It’s a great museum and a great way to learn while having fun. It brings out the kid in you!

I’m going to tell you about the Science Museum next even though I didn’t actually go there next. However, the two museums (Museum of National History and Science Museum) are next door to each other and one might think they’d go hand in hand. Hands-on science exhibits had appeal for me so I was excited about going, but in fact this museum was very different. Aside from the IMAX Theatre, some simulator rides and a few hands-on exhibits outside the IMAX, this museum was basically just the history of science. If you were into aviations you could have followed its history through from beginning to end. Same with agriculture, medicine, shipping, computers, telecommunications, etc.

My favourite area was the history of medicine where they had some great displays that would make anyone very grateful for all the advances in medicine and dentistry over the years. I could identify with that display. But the history of Math? Personally I really like Math but an exhibit on the history of Math just really doesn’t do anything for me. In fact, it makes the ant farm seem absolutely enthralling. I mean picture it – “here’s X and he developed this theory and here’s how he proved it. It then led to this theory, which allowed this to happen.” I’m sure it is interesting and exciting stuff but it just wasn’t what I was expecting.

I did manage to sort out how to use the abacus though and I even showed it to several groups of kids who were trying to figure it out. I’m sure they thought I was amazing – probably ready to go in the history of Math or Computing section. I’m not sure if the abacus counts in Math or Computing or both, which probably proves that I don’t belong in either group! Anyway, I wasn’t really impressed with the Science Museum or perhaps I should put it another way. I just wasn’t in the mood for the Science Museum. The only interesting facts I can pass on from it come from the medical area. Did you know that it was 5 BC when Hippocrates wrote what became the basis of the Hippocratic oath that doctors still go by? And back in 1602, guess what there were serious health warnings and ads about. You win the prize if you guessed cigarette smoking.

The rest of my time on Thursday, Friday and Saturday *what little time I had before my train), I spent at the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, both down near Trafalgar Square. I am writing this two weeks after the visit so I’m not sure I’m going to be able to remember much about either of them. In a strange way, that may mean that the Science Museum made more of an impression on me than either of these two fantastic galleries. That’s a scary thought!

The National Portrait Gallery is, needless to say, mainly portraits. They have over 1000 portraits of the men and women who played a part in Britain’s history from the Middle Ages to present day. They are arranged chronologically and the exhibit is actually quite interesting when followed in order and with the audio guide. Thomas Wharton (1648-1716), the Earl of Wharton, was pictured, as was the 1st Marguess of Wharton. I shall have to check with my friend in Wales who has the same name and see if he’s related. Another picture featured General Lord Byng (1862-1935) who I believe was once Canada’s Governor General. His name has come up several times in my travels and I think it’s a sign. We partner with a university in the town where Byng’s estate is and I think with Byng there and all the Canadian family connections, a scholarship or two for students doing exchanges between Canada and the UK might be in order – something to work on later I guess. The last little note from the National Portrait Gallery is that their special exhibit was of the Beatles and it was nice to see all the old record covers and photographs. Just a little nostalgia there.

I guess I did have a few scribbled notes from the National Portrait Gallery. Let’s see if I can come up with anything from the National Gallery. The National Gallery exhibits Western European paintings from the 13th century to the 20th century. I saw most of these paintings but not the more recent 20th century. On my way down to the Museum on the one day, I went to the Banqueting House for the second time but again it was closed for a private function. It is part of the old Whitehall Palace and still used for official functions and supposedly it’s very beautiful. However, I did not get to see it. While wandering around the National Gallery I came across (with the help of my audio guide) Ruben’s sketch for the ceiling painting for the Banqueting Hall as originally designed. I thought that was a nice twist to the story. Something else I noticed was a painting of Tobias and The Angel. I had never heard of Tobias and the Angel but the play was on at the New Vic and I was thinking about going. Had I had just one more day I would have had time to see it but alas, I was on my way out of town. That’s all I can specifically remember from the National Gallery except that there were a lot of great paintings and artists such as Michelangelo, da Vinci and Raphael. The 19th and 20th century section that I missed, “Monet to Picasso”, would probably have been very interesting too but alas, time interfered again.

So what else can I say about London? It’s expensive, especially for eating out. Oh, speaking of that, I did have dinner one night at the Café in the Crypt at St. Martins in the Fields Church at Trafalgar Square. The Café is a very popular place to eat and you really are down in the crypt where memorial stones are on the wall beside you or under your feet. It was quite a good meal and very quick as it was buffet style; and the setting was definitely unique.

There were lots of things in and around London that I would have loved to have seen but there was just no time on this trip – places like Windsor Castle, Tate Britain, Hampton Court and many more. I guess I’ll need a return trip to London some time soon.

I saw what I could in London and I had a great time. It was probably my busiest time so far on this trip, mainly because I kept trying to go to the theatre every evening on top of my usual touring. And of course, I had to work in some medical appointments as well.

I guess I didn’t divide London very evenly between the two parts but I’m sure you don’t really mind. There was probably way more I should have told you but my mind fails me and I just can’t think of anything else right now.

I’ll see how fast I can get Paris and Nice out to you. They actually are all written out in long hand thanks to a 12-hour train trip from Nice to Barcelona so it’s just a matter of finding computer time to type and post them. Paris and Nice just didn’t have internet cafes that stayed open after 8 or 9 p.m. and I was always out touring until after that time so couldn’t get anything done. This one in Barcelona actually stays open 24 hours a day so I should be a bit faster with the next postings. However, don’t hold your breath just in case I tire of typing and can’t get any further.

Cheers!

Jayne

PS - My apologies for any errors in this. It's now after midnight and I've been sitting here on a stool typing for a long time. I ran a spell check but I didn't reread this to see if it was okay. Sorry!

London – Part One

I left Cowbridge by train from Bridgend and arrived in London around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, I left my luggage at Paddington Station and grabbed a taxi for a rushed ride to the Old Vic Theatre. I had time to get a 20-pound ticket for the show and then went out at intermission and grabbed half a sandwich for lunch. A Moon for the Misbegotten was fantastic. I’m not a Eugene O’Neil fan but figured it was worth the risk as Kevin Spacey was starring in it. The entire cast was great and the show was riveting. I recommend it for anyone who is into a serious play.

After the show I went hotel hunting. My taxi driver had suggested a couple of places nearby so I started there. I had the number for the place I was originally expecting to go to and knew it was available. However, it was an apartment and it was after 5:30 when I got out of the show and called them, and by then it was just an answering service. Anyway, after much walking and phoning I did find a place to stay for the night. After going back to Paddington for my bags and then going to the hotel there wasn’t much time for anything but dinner. The next day I phoned the apartment and moved in there (Bayswater / Notting Hill area) for the rest of my stay. Neither place was fancy but the price was right and both were near subway stations, which is imperative in London.

Thursday morning I didn’t see much. I switched hotels and did minor things like mailed a package back to OC and crutches back to Copenhagen, checked e-mails, had CDs made for pictures, etc. However, Thursday afternoon and evening made up for it.

D, of D, C and L fame from earlier write-ups, came into town and met me at the Tate Modern where we toured around for a couple of hours. The exhibits were all very interesting but we did ask a few times, “but is it really art?” I realize my art education is very limited but my one observation from the whole visit was that you had to have a lot of self-confidence to be an artist. Anyone with low self-confidence might look at their completed work and scrap it. Not these folks. They are all reproducing similar works and having exhibits. Now I do realize there are some works of Monet and Picasso and Warhol and Liechtenstein and other famous artists in the exhibits. I’m certainly not saying it was all questionable. I’m just saying I found parts of it “interesting.” And isn’t that an awful thing for the Past President of the Rotary Centre for the Arts and the winner of the Honour in the Arts Award to be saying??? Oh well, at least I still support the arts.

I was then treated to a walking tour through parts of London around St. Paul’s Cathedral and Leicester Square and Chinatown; the first just because it is directly across the river from the Tate Modern, the second because we wanted to get cheap theatre tickets, and the third because we had to eat dinner. I’m still not sure how we did the walking, got the tickets, had dinner and made it to the theatre on time for 7:30. I thought it was almost 6 when we left the Tate. It might have something to do with actually knowing where you are going. My routes around London are generally quite convoluted and time consuming.

Dancing In the Streets was really fun and brought back lots of memories. The show is a Motown musical with performers playing the singing groups and individuals (Supremes, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, …) and singing all the greatest hits. You just had to sing along with every song and clap or tap your feet or something. Well, at least we thought so and so did most other people. The lady beside us never even twitched in time to the music. I’m not sure why she bothered seeing the show. Oh well, we just ignored her and all was well.

And on the way back to the tube station where we took the same tube but in opposite directions, my talented tour guide actually managed to hit the Maple Leaf Pub for last call at 11 p.m. Imagine how at home I felt in the log cabin environment with a stuffed bear, a Mountie, shirts from the Canadian teams (Team Canada, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, etc.). It was quite cute but I think I was the only Canadian in the place and they didn’t even serve Canadian beer.

As expected, the London theatre scene is great. I finally saw Chicago and it wasn’t at all what I expected. For some reason I had a totally different type of show in mind – something much darker and more “murderous”. It was fantastic and the cast was incredibly talented and gorgeous. I really enjoyed it. The lead was American, Ashlee Simpson as Roxie Hart, and used to be on 7th Heaven but I sure couldn’t place her.

Avenue Q was a total surprise. I really didn’t know anything about it except that it had won some Tony’s on Broadway. It was hilarious and there wasn’t a lull in the action at any point. There are only 7 actors and they all play characters who live on Avenue Q in New York. Three of them play people or act as people or … how does one say that? The other four operate puppets and it’s amazing to watch the puppet movements mirror the actor’s movements and vice versa. The topics ranged from racism to relationships, from the purpose of life to porn on the Internet and the worth of a BA. I particularly like the BA part at the beginning. It was great!

I saw Chicago and Avenue Q on Friday. The only other thing I accomplished that day was a long bus tour of all the sights from the top of a double-decker, open-air tour bus. It did present a great view but it took hours to get between the major landmarks so it seemed a bit tedious. It was also a bit cool at times when the sun disappeared behind a clout or building but I must admit that I’m doing very well weather wise. Most days I’m touring around in a T-shirt and then just throw on a sweater or jacket at night.

Saturday was a religious day. I toured both Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral, and attended Even Song at St. Paul’s and then went to see Wicked. Well I guess that last part wasn’t all that religious but it was magnificent! Wicked was the one show I really wanted to see. I knew it was a prelude to The Wizard of Oz and told the story of how and why the Wicked Witch of the West became so wicked. The production is huge and it is spectacular. The colours of the lights and sets and costumes and the overall staging are fantastic and I’d love to see it again. The story has several twists and turns but it is good and it explains just about everything. I won’t say more except that it is quite amazing how they wove so many aspects of The Wizard of Oz into the show. And the ending is great too!

But I digress and I guess I really should get back to the churches before I forget. Westminster Abbey is huge and so packed with history that it is going to be hard to describe. It was built in the 10th century and has since been rebuilt and remodeled several times, and it has been the scene for many important events since then. William the Conqueror was crowned here in 1066, and since then it has been the Coronation Church. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned here in 1953. It is also the burial and memorial place for many royals and famous people. I won’t begin to name them all but they run the gamut from Henry VIII to Mary Queen of Scots, from Chaucer to the Unknown Warrior. There are also memorials to important figures from Churchill to Roosevelt and from Darwin and Newton. The funeral of Diana Princess of Wales and of the Queen Mother both took place here. There are plaques and memorials everywhere. At times it is hard to think of it as a church as it appears so busy with memorials. However, it is huge and impressive and plays an important role in British history.

St. Paul’s Cathedral is also huge and impressive. The church on this site was started in the 7th century and it has been rebuilt and expanded many times in the past centuries. Christopher Wren did the last remodeling of the building in the 17th century and it is considered his masterpiece. The dome is one of the largest in the world and the paintings on it are fantastic. Some of the prophets and apostles are shown around the first part of the nave. You can see these from ground floor but get a better view from the Whispering Gallery (259 steps up), which encircles the lower part of the dome so I climbed up and enjoyed the view inside the cathedral. From there I climbed up to the Stone Gallery (378 steps) and the golden Gallery (530 steps), which are on the outside of the dome and offer incredible views of the city. It was quite overcast when I was up there but the view was still good. It gave me a great idea of where I’d been and how all the sights fit together.

I did the audio tour of the cathedral and enjoyed the history it presented. The cathedral has a central nave and then an aisle on either side with smaller ornate chapels off of it. There are various statues and memorials such as the Wellington Monument for Arthur Wellington who was the Duke of Wellington. There is also important artwork but I ran out of time before I saw Holman Hunt’s The Light of the World or Henry Moore’s Mother and Child – probably a bad move on my part but when I got the audio guide they told me to do the crypt and the galleries first as they closed early. Who knew I’d take so long that I’d miss out on other things?

The crypt was interesting and had some nice memorials. Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of St. Paul’s and many other great buildings, has a rather plain tomb that simply says, “Reader, if you seek a monument, look around you.” I thought that was quite appropriate. There are also tombs and/or monuments to William Blake, Henry Moore, Sir Alexander Fleming, Lord Nelson and Florence Nightingale to name a few.

St. Paul’s is a beautiful cathedral and part of British history. For centuries it has been used for weddings such as Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s, funerals for people such as Nelson, Wellington and Churchill; and special events such as Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. I guess it’s no wonder, especially given the size and history of the place and all the climbing I was doing on my “great” feet, that I ran out of time (well actually walked out of time) before seeing everything. However, I did stay to hear Even Song that evening so that was the good part about being so slow. It was very nice and the boys sang beautifully. Still, I have to say that the Even Song in Wales was better. It was a more intimate setting and you could actually see the choir and hear every word. In St. Paul’s the choir was too far away to really be seen and the sound wasn’t as good.

On Sunday I tried to have a royal day. Buckingham palace wasn’t all that exciting. I’d already driven past it so had seen the outside. Now I was expecting to see at least some of the rooms on the inside, as the tour books said I would. However, I couldn’t go in because, as the guy at the gate said, “the Queen lives there!” Didn’t she live there when the tour books were printed? He was so emphatic about his answer that I didn’t think I should say what I was quickly thinking, which was, “Well, ask her to leave for a while.” I just didn’t think he’d see any humour in that. Later as I toured the queen’s Gallery I was told the rooms in the Palace were only open in the summer when the Queen was not in residence. That made more sense.

The Queen’s Gallery was interesting. It was an exhibit of watercolours and drawings owned by the Queen Mother. Some of it was the royal family portraits and that part was very informative. The audio guide was packed with lots of stories, especially about how the Queen Mother kept promoting the arts during WWII when art wasn’t exactly top of mind for most people. There was also a section on the royal castles and palaces, a general section with art from some of her favourite artists. Other parts of the gallery house more permanent exhibits such as royal dishes, jewels of various types (crowns, swords, jewelry, …) and artwork from various artists. I remember a Rembrandt that I liked but I don’t remember many other names right now.

The Royal Mews were also interesting. The horses, stable harness rooms, etc. were nice to see but the royal carriages were the best part. The stories behind them and the decorations were amazing. Our tour guide was great and that always helps enhance the experience.

I then headed to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge but was told that I wouldn’t have time to see all of the Tower of London and I should come back the next day. That left Tower Bridge. I like the bridge and had taken several pictures of it but I really wasn’t too fussy about seeing the “inside” of it. However, the tour was quite enjoyable. The exhibits included short films on how the design for the bridge was chosen and how many times it was turned down, as well as the construction of the bridge and how the lift span works. More importantly it provides access to the upper walkways on the bridge and that means great views and hopefully great pictures!

As I was leaving Tower Bridge I stepped on the first step of the stairs to the bridge and had pain shooting through my foot and up my leg. I managed to hobble back to the tube station and on to my hotel but my touring speed was reduced drastically and I started popping pain pills. I finally broke down and decided to make an appointment with a specialist. I’ll report on those results later.

On Monday, after finally arranging the doctor’s appointment, I managed to make it to the Tower of London. The guy from the previous day was definitely right. You need a lot of time to tour that place. The name may imply it is a tower but in fact it is a whole town complete with exterior and interior walls, grass space now where the moat used to be, homes, towers, palaces and crown jewels. I joined the guided tour and we had a fantastic guide who made the visit very enjoyable and informative.

The complex was built as a fortified city in the 11th century. The White Tower or castle was built by William the Conqueror after he conquered the British army in 1066. He wanted a place in London to show the people that he belonged. It is now an armoury museum and all five floors have exhibits of guns, swords, cannons, armour, etc. One exhibit shows horse and rider in full armour - Henry VIII perhaps? I’m sure it was one of the Henrys and it was definitely impressive.

The Beauchamp Tower is where prisoners were held. Sir Walter Ralegh spent 13 years there. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were held for shorter times. Most prisoners were later led out fur public execution although I believe some, like Anne and Catherine, were beheaded within the privacy of the Tower. Many of the prisoners carved their names and sayings in the walls and their writing is quite amazing to read. The torture chamber is also available for those who want to check out medieval methods of torture. I always wonder what kind of devious mind dreams up such strange and cruel devices. I’d probably dream up death by chocolate if someone asked me.

Okay, on to some of the more pleasant parts of the Tower. The Chapel Royal of St. Peter of Vinsula is small and quaint and apparently still operational. The medieval palace was a residence for the Kings and Queens of England. The rooms have been restored to the era of Edward I (1272-1307). The rooms looked quite comfortable and livable but castle walls always have a cold feeling in my opinion. I guess that’s why they needed all the fireplaces and the servants to keep them going. Some of the rooms were decorated very nicely and would have been great areas for entertaining. The Great Hall is where the real entertaining was done and it was very large and would definitely hold quite a celebration.

Traitors Gate was at the entrance where the river and moat came under an arch in the castle wall. Originally it was to enable deliveries in and out of the castle by water. Later it was used for transporting prisoners in and out during the night so they weren’t seen. Henry III also had a Watergate (no, not the US kind) where he could secretly get in and out when needed.

The main reason for going to the Tower of London was to see the Crown Jewels. All the other sights were an added bonus. The crown jewels are kept in the Waterloo Block, another huge building within the complex. The jewels are indeed impressive and very well displayed – even if you do have to ride around the moving pathway a couple times to see everything you’re looking for. And some of the diamonds in them are very huge and impressive. Some of the crowns and jewels date back to the 14th century and many of them are still in use today for special occasions.

I did not go to the Fusiliers’ Museum or on all of the Wall Walk as my feet (or at least my foot) was getting tired. If you wanted to do and see everything in the Tower of London you would definitely need the better part of a whole day.

That night I went to see Billy Elliott, mainly because it was on the yellow tube line and easy for me to get to and from. I bought a ticket at the last minute. The girl told me the price, full price of about 50 pounds so over $100, and said there was some restricted vision. I said I didn’t think I should have to pay full price for a restricted vision ticket, which I think ticked her off. She then said she had one ticket in the front row of the balcony that only cost about 20 pounds so I said great. Well, I’m sure she laughed me all the way out the door. I was in the first seat in the front row of the balcony. The balcony was a “U” shape so when I sat squarely in my seat (more on that in a minute) I was looking between rows 3 and 4 of the ground level seats. I had to turn my head at least 80 degrees to even see the stage, and what I did see was only about one third of the total stage area. Now wait, it gets even better. Because I’m the end seat in the front row of the balcony I actually can’t even sit straight. I have to turn my body away from the stage because the front railing is curving around and it’s right up against the left edge of my seat. There is no room for my legs, other than in my neighhbour’s spot. Luckily she was a tiny little thing and wanted to be closer to her friend on her right anyway so we did manage.

So there I sat with my body facing one way and my head turned around the other way so I could see a third of what was happening on stage. Aside from the fact that the young boy wanted to dance ballet and the family didn’t want him to, I knew nothing about the story. I couldn’t understand the accent, which I thought at first was a heavy British accent but it turned out to be Welsh, so the first half of the story was totally lost on me. I thought it was wartime but later found out it was the coal miner’s strike. Anyway, at intermission I packed up and moved to a much better seat dead center about four rows back on the grand circle or second level. I had noticed the seats were empty throughout the first half so I decided to make use of them.

What a difference location makes! I finally understood what was going on. Regardless of the problems, the show was really well done. The male Welsh miner’s chorus was great and so was the dancing. The kid that played Billy Elliott was amazing. It’s so awesome to see such talent in one so young. Acting, singing, dancing – he was fantastic. And I’m sure every ballet school in the world uses his speech about ballet and how he feels when he is dancing. That answer was absolutely brilliant – well written and well delivered. I would go to see the show again any time.

On Tuesday I walked through Kensington Park, which is very green and relaxing, to Kensington Palace. This is an old palace going back to the 17th century in what once was the outskirts of London but what is now right in the middle of the city. Queen Victoria was born here. Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon lived here, and after her separation from Prince Charles, Princess Diana lived here right up to the time of her death. It was the whole garden area of Kensington Park in front of the palace that was covered in flowers and tributes after her death. There was an exhibit of photographs of Diana and it was fascinating. Mario Testino took the photos and they were some of the last official photos of her. Some of them were published in a magazine just before she died but this exhibit showed more of them. She was in formal gowns, some of which were also on display, and the photos were very casual. It was a great exhibit and I’m glad it was on while I was there.

The Palace itself was nice but I don’t remember the details. There was a ceremonial dress section where they showed not only the clothes but also how some of them were made and what had to be worn on what occasion and how it had to be worn – or not worn as in the case of the flat hat, which the men just carried under their arm. The room Queen Victoria was born in was shown as it would have been, and there were pictures of her as a young girl in the Palace. The dining room and other rooms for after dinner entertaining and dancing were on display. Boy I hope this is all true. I’m trying to recall and picture it in my mind but it’s now two weeks later and I’ve seen so many things in the last months! I know the clothing part was there and I know Queen Victoria’s room was there. It’s just some of the other rooms I’m unsure of. I also know Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon’s apartments were on display because many of his photographs were exhibited. After the Palace visit I walked back through the park and out down by the lake.

That night I saw Bent. It was really well done and the actors did an incredible job. Given the subject matter of Nazi Germany, the Holocaust and homosexuals, it was really heavy material and sometimes difficult to watch. However, I really enjoyed it and give the playwright, Martin Sherman, and the actors big kudos for tackling the topic and producing such a moving show. I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone though.

My gosh, London just seems to go on and on and on. Maybe I should break this into two parts. Well before I do that I guess I’d better finish off the foot story or some of you will be wondering what happened. I hurt my foot on the Sunday, or should I say my foot started hurting again on Sunday. Monday morning I had to spend some time trying to find the right doctor and making an appointment. On Tuesday I had my appointment and on Wednesday I had to go back just to pick up receipts that normally get mailed out.

The doctor was an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in foot problems. He did a thorough examination and decided I had a stress fracture across my left foot. Sometimes it was fine but occasionally I step on it wrong and re-injure the fracture so it hurts again. His recommendation was four weeks in a boot and I agreed. The boot doesn’t exactly make a fashion statement but then I don’t do that often myself so that’s not a big problem. At least now I don’t have to worry about bending my foot the wrong way. The x-rays from Copenhagen and Wales have been sent to the specialist and he has confirmed by e-mail that I fractured a bone on the outside of my right ankle, which I knew and which appears to have healed well. He has also confirmed that I had ligament damage and a small fracture across the middle of my left foot. The swelling in the original x-rays would have made its detection almost impossible so that’s why I’ve been hobbling around for the last four months looking like the hunchback of Notre Dame. With leaning on crutches or slouching over for balance, and wearing my backpack and limping unevenly and even swaying at times for balance, I actually looked and acted like a drunken hunchback. So now I’m in a boot. The foot will heal and hopefully all will be well. Four weeks seemed like a long time when he said it but what’s another four weeks when I’ve already been limping around for four months? At least now I know it wasn’t all in my head and there really was something wrong with my left foot. Right from the start it has been the only one that really hurt so I feel better just knowing I wasn’t imagining it.

Okay, enough of that. The trip continues. The crutches have been sent back to Copenhagen. The boot is mine because I had to buy it and I’ll just wear it until everything feels better. And in the meantime, I’ll just keep walking and enjoying the sights.

That’s all from the hunchback for this time. Part two of London will follow shortly.

Jayne
- currently in Barcelona in case you’re interested