Today was the last full day of my European adventure. We slept in and then the three of us went to brunch at La Sardine, which was a short and fresh (read: cold) walk from the apartment. We got there around 11:30am and ordered coffee first. When we asked the one waiter/barista about brunch, he said that we had to wait until noon. So we watched him update the chalkboard menus and prepare. He then put his jacket and motorcycle helmet on. A bit confused but not too fazed by this, he walked outside and then quickly back in to tell us that he was going to go pick up the bread and that when he gets back we could order. I loved this, and even more so watching him roll up with a huge bag of baguettes on his motorcycle. He was nice to look at too.
We then had a really good brunch with œufs, potatoes, coleslaw, and a salad. Unlike brunch in the US, the brunch menu was that, no options. The other ladies had meat that I was able to substitute with roasted peppers. The motorcycle bread was really good as well. We were pleasantly surprised when he brought us pancakes with Canadian maple syrup, supposedly for brunch dessert. I loved the little Duralex water glasses we drank out of, which are apparently very typical French.
Jenna and I said bye to Sophie for the day and headed to Montmartre. We took the funiculaire up to La Basilique du Sacré Cœur, walked around inside, and then soaked in the views of the city from the steps. We walked down the steps and only once we were at the bottom realized that the artists square (Place du Tertre) we wanted to go to was at the same level as the basilica, so we walked back up and got our exercise. Along all the side streets there were lots of tourist shops as well as nicer stores. We hopped in a few on our way back up the hill. At the top we found the square with all of the artists and portraitists. I bought a little painting and Jenna posed for a portrait.
Near the square we rested inside a cafe for a bit - I sipped on champagne and Jenna on hot wine. We then headed back down the hill and picked up some last minute souvenirs. I think we're both pretty happy with our purchases overall.
Our dinner spot was recommended by Darcy and Jeani who liked going there when they studied abroad here in college. Le Refuges de Fondues is known for serving wine in baby bottles. What I didn't expect was having to step over the table to sit down. It's two long lines of tables with no spaces in between, so the person sitting on the bench by the wall literally has to step over boiling pots of fondue and neighbors inches away. At first I thought the waiter was kidding. Sure enough he was not. I made it safely over both times. The food was really good as was the wine. We both bought a baby bottle as a memento. I loved that when you walk in you're told to hang your coat, step over the table (with the waiters helping you), and are asked two questions - red or white? and cheese or meat? We shared a cheese fondue and both had red wine in our baby bottles. It was a really good meal, and we both agreed it best to walk most of the way home afterwards.
We're now packing our things and getting ready for a very early wake-up call. My first flight is at 7:50am to London and I have quite a long layover there before heading back to San Francisco.
Au revoir!
Sunday, November 24, 2013
It's not possible
Jenna and I watched 'Broken English' last night and had a relaxing evening. The movie has a French connection which is partially why we watched it while here. Sophie partied hard with her friends and came home pretty late, so we tried to be quiet when we got up early to hit the city.
We spent most of our day in Musée d'Orsay which is a beautiful space with amazing art. As soon as we walked in I noticed it looked like a train station. Sure enough it used to be one. It reminded me of Union Station in Chicago. So pretty. The impressionist exhibit was exquisite. Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Caillebotte & Cezanne all on one floor. They were represented on other floors too. Lots of Van Gogh, Seurat, and Gauguin throughout as well. There was a Monet that looked like the one Pierce Brosnan steals in 'The Thomas Crowne Affair' which was cool to see. I also loved his women with umbrellas and Les Dindons - a painting of turkeys which seemed like unique subject matter for Monet. There were two artists copying different paintings of Gustave Caillebotte which I enjoyed seeing. The fifth floor of the museum had great views of the city, and at the end of the impressionist exhibit were bean-bag couches to sit on. I sat there for quite a while because my hip has been hurting for the last two days. To the point where I would rush through some of the exhibits and then sit down and rest. I read, people watched, and sketched on a blank page of my novel while Jenna took her time enjoying the art and her audio-guide. One artist who I had never heard of but loved his work was Odilon Redon. I'll keep an eye out for him in the future.
We had our morning coffee in a cafe in the museum, and then lunch at the restaurant - which was fancy and delicious. After enjoying vin blanc, caesar salad, mushroom risotto, and finally the cafe gourmand (the espresso with tiny desserts), we continued our journey through the museum.
After the museum we wandered south to the Montparnasse neighborhood. We had dinner at a brasserie. I had a pesto pasta and we shared a cheese plate. Yum. We then met up with Sophie on the 56th floor of the Tour Montparnasse which is a high-rise with amazing views. We had to wait 40 minutes but eventually had champagne cocktails overlooking the city with the Eiffel tower in the distance. It was amazing.
Craving something sweet I bought some peanut m&ms and madeleines from the metro vending machine and we're currently enjoying some more champagne in Sophie's apartment. À ta santé!
P.S. 'It's not possible' is a direct translation used often here. Warren shared a story that he was on the train using his cell phone at his seat (which is a no-no) and a woman came up and said "it's not possible" to mean you can't do that. Too funny. So Jenna and I often have been joking that things are "not possible".
We spent most of our day in Musée d'Orsay which is a beautiful space with amazing art. As soon as we walked in I noticed it looked like a train station. Sure enough it used to be one. It reminded me of Union Station in Chicago. So pretty. The impressionist exhibit was exquisite. Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Caillebotte & Cezanne all on one floor. They were represented on other floors too. Lots of Van Gogh, Seurat, and Gauguin throughout as well. There was a Monet that looked like the one Pierce Brosnan steals in 'The Thomas Crowne Affair' which was cool to see. I also loved his women with umbrellas and Les Dindons - a painting of turkeys which seemed like unique subject matter for Monet. There were two artists copying different paintings of Gustave Caillebotte which I enjoyed seeing. The fifth floor of the museum had great views of the city, and at the end of the impressionist exhibit were bean-bag couches to sit on. I sat there for quite a while because my hip has been hurting for the last two days. To the point where I would rush through some of the exhibits and then sit down and rest. I read, people watched, and sketched on a blank page of my novel while Jenna took her time enjoying the art and her audio-guide. One artist who I had never heard of but loved his work was Odilon Redon. I'll keep an eye out for him in the future.
We had our morning coffee in a cafe in the museum, and then lunch at the restaurant - which was fancy and delicious. After enjoying vin blanc, caesar salad, mushroom risotto, and finally the cafe gourmand (the espresso with tiny desserts), we continued our journey through the museum.
After the museum we wandered south to the Montparnasse neighborhood. We had dinner at a brasserie. I had a pesto pasta and we shared a cheese plate. Yum. We then met up with Sophie on the 56th floor of the Tour Montparnasse which is a high-rise with amazing views. We had to wait 40 minutes but eventually had champagne cocktails overlooking the city with the Eiffel tower in the distance. It was amazing.
Craving something sweet I bought some peanut m&ms and madeleines from the metro vending machine and we're currently enjoying some more champagne in Sophie's apartment. À ta santé!
P.S. 'It's not possible' is a direct translation used often here. Warren shared a story that he was on the train using his cell phone at his seat (which is a no-no) and a woman came up and said "it's not possible" to mean you can't do that. Too funny. So Jenna and I often have been joking that things are "not possible".
Friday, November 22, 2013
Skulls, boobies, & lights
This morning Jenna and I got up early and went straight to the Catacombs. On the way we grabbed croissants and 'take away' coffees which they put in little tiny plastic cups. They did give us each an extra cup to line them a bit, but still, it was strange. This is when it's actually nice to see a Starbucks in a foreign country. Although I do appreciate that the French don't eat while walking, driving, or standing around. No go-gurts here.
We learned a lot about the geology and limestone underground before getting to all the bones. I thought the sign at the ticket entrance 'warning: the ossuary tour could make a strong impression on children and people of a nervous disposition' was funny. And it's true, I'm sure it terrifies some people. The old writings above the entrance door to the ossuary reads 'stop! this is the empire of death'.
The skulls and bones were moved starting in 1786 to this location because of unsanitary conditions of the cemeteries. I was impressed by the meticulous and neat stacking of the bones. There were large stone plaques in sections listing which cemetery the bones were from. The skulls (among the other bones) were displayed in lines, hearts, or crosses along the bone-walls. I was kind of surprised that you could just touch them, and run into them (which Jenna almost did). I was saddened to see that jerks wrote 'A+T' on one and someone had the nerve to draw a picture of a penis on someone's skull forehead. Not cool.
The underground walking tour was about 45 minutes. Once we resurfaced from the stairs full of sludge we took the metro to meet up with Sophie and see a cabaret! The one we went to (Le Caroussel de Paris) was right down the street from the Moulin Rouge. We had Sophie look the options up for us and this one was the most French, and the least touristy. It was fun. It was us, another small table, and a group of about 60 retired Parisians. Along with the dancing you would expect at a cabaret, there was also a comedian, the host did an Elvis impersonation (dad, you would have liked it), and then there was a very talented man who did shadow puppets on a screen. My favorite was when he was a swan, his head the body, and he (the swan) was cleaning himself and pulling up tufts of his head hair (feathers). Not sure if that makes sense, but it was all very entertaining. Sophie did a great job translating for us during the talk-heavy parts, although some of the humor made her uncomfortable; some of it was apparently pretty racist, macho, and homophobic. The dancing included a French can-can, a rendition of the Chicago movie's 'all that jazz', and a Brazilian samba. We had a four-course lunch (included in the ticket price) before it started. All of the menu options that you select beforehand were meat-heavy, and they were very nice and accommodating for my vegetarian self. We even bought the photo they took at our table with one of the cabaret ladies.
After two bottles of wine and an on-the-house champagne toast we parted ways with Sophie, and Jenna and I headed to La Tour Eiffel. Our goal was to see it during the day and at night, which we were able to do. We watched the lights sparkle at 5pm and at 6pm. We ducked into a cafe to have a coffee and treat during part of the time, as it was really cold out. I must say the lights are a bit too fast, rave-like, and seizure inducing for me. I did love how it looked lit up at night without the sparkling lights, which last about 5 minutes at the top of each hour.
A few tidbits:
1. Before we got to the cabaret Jenna was making fun of me and my goofy self mimicking the automated metro announcements for each stop. I was trying to practice my French pronunciations! Well, post cabaret and a bit tipsy, I apparently embarrassed her and my seatmate who I thought was a woman but it was a man (my peripheral vision deceived me), by singing to her 'voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?' as that's all I remember from the movie Moulin Rouge. I confirmed what I thought it meant. No wonder I embarrassed the metro buddy to my left, and Jenna. I then told Jenna that we should have a contest of who could make more of a fool of themselves. She didn't even entertain the idea and said 'oh, I would not win'. Ha! I'm proud, I guess?
2. Sophie had dinner plans with friends of friends tonight. Since she only has one apartment key we headed back before she left and are getting takeout from the Vietnamese restaurant across the street, which is apparently the best in this Asian-heavy neighborhood. I 'called it' that Jenna would go downstairs to get the food and I would stay up here, so I could buzz her back in (since we don't have a key). She immediately responded, 'oh I knew that I was already doing that when we made our dinner plan'. Apparently I am a goofball and a princess, all in one. In my defense, I have been responsible for the metro and map navigation, so I consider it my reward. Although I like being in charge of that. :)
We learned a lot about the geology and limestone underground before getting to all the bones. I thought the sign at the ticket entrance 'warning: the ossuary tour could make a strong impression on children and people of a nervous disposition' was funny. And it's true, I'm sure it terrifies some people. The old writings above the entrance door to the ossuary reads 'stop! this is the empire of death'.
The skulls and bones were moved starting in 1786 to this location because of unsanitary conditions of the cemeteries. I was impressed by the meticulous and neat stacking of the bones. There were large stone plaques in sections listing which cemetery the bones were from. The skulls (among the other bones) were displayed in lines, hearts, or crosses along the bone-walls. I was kind of surprised that you could just touch them, and run into them (which Jenna almost did). I was saddened to see that jerks wrote 'A+T' on one and someone had the nerve to draw a picture of a penis on someone's skull forehead. Not cool.
The underground walking tour was about 45 minutes. Once we resurfaced from the stairs full of sludge we took the metro to meet up with Sophie and see a cabaret! The one we went to (Le Caroussel de Paris) was right down the street from the Moulin Rouge. We had Sophie look the options up for us and this one was the most French, and the least touristy. It was fun. It was us, another small table, and a group of about 60 retired Parisians. Along with the dancing you would expect at a cabaret, there was also a comedian, the host did an Elvis impersonation (dad, you would have liked it), and then there was a very talented man who did shadow puppets on a screen. My favorite was when he was a swan, his head the body, and he (the swan) was cleaning himself and pulling up tufts of his head hair (feathers). Not sure if that makes sense, but it was all very entertaining. Sophie did a great job translating for us during the talk-heavy parts, although some of the humor made her uncomfortable; some of it was apparently pretty racist, macho, and homophobic. The dancing included a French can-can, a rendition of the Chicago movie's 'all that jazz', and a Brazilian samba. We had a four-course lunch (included in the ticket price) before it started. All of the menu options that you select beforehand were meat-heavy, and they were very nice and accommodating for my vegetarian self. We even bought the photo they took at our table with one of the cabaret ladies.
After two bottles of wine and an on-the-house champagne toast we parted ways with Sophie, and Jenna and I headed to La Tour Eiffel. Our goal was to see it during the day and at night, which we were able to do. We watched the lights sparkle at 5pm and at 6pm. We ducked into a cafe to have a coffee and treat during part of the time, as it was really cold out. I must say the lights are a bit too fast, rave-like, and seizure inducing for me. I did love how it looked lit up at night without the sparkling lights, which last about 5 minutes at the top of each hour.
A few tidbits:
1. Before we got to the cabaret Jenna was making fun of me and my goofy self mimicking the automated metro announcements for each stop. I was trying to practice my French pronunciations! Well, post cabaret and a bit tipsy, I apparently embarrassed her and my seatmate who I thought was a woman but it was a man (my peripheral vision deceived me), by singing to her 'voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?' as that's all I remember from the movie Moulin Rouge. I confirmed what I thought it meant. No wonder I embarrassed the metro buddy to my left, and Jenna. I then told Jenna that we should have a contest of who could make more of a fool of themselves. She didn't even entertain the idea and said 'oh, I would not win'. Ha! I'm proud, I guess?
2. Sophie had dinner plans with friends of friends tonight. Since she only has one apartment key we headed back before she left and are getting takeout from the Vietnamese restaurant across the street, which is apparently the best in this Asian-heavy neighborhood. I 'called it' that Jenna would go downstairs to get the food and I would stay up here, so I could buzz her back in (since we don't have a key). She immediately responded, 'oh I knew that I was already doing that when we made our dinner plan'. Apparently I am a goofball and a princess, all in one. In my defense, I have been responsible for the metro and map navigation, so I consider it my reward. Although I like being in charge of that. :)
Snow = train delay
We had a restful morning on Thursday, packed up our stuff, and headed to the train station for what should have been a 1:20pm train to Paris. When we got there our train wasn't on the departures board. We waited a bit and then got in line to ask about it. No train to Paris. It was cancelled, which seems silly because it must snow all the time. We were put on a local train to Chambery Challes, had a 3 hour layover, and then a fast train (which was 3 more hours) to Paris. The train problem was apparently in between Grenoble and Lyon. So instead of arriving at 4:30pm we arrived at 9:30pm. Knowing we had a long day ahead of us, Jenna went to find some wine near the Grenoble station. She came back with four 37.5cl bottles. We drank two of them. The train stations were super cold, and luckily Jenna noticed the hotel across the street when we got to Chambery Challes, so we hung out in their lobby/bar to wait for our connection.
Once we finally got to Paris we went to Sophie's. She's kindly letting us crash with her in the apartment she is renting for the rest of our stay. Sophie had snacks for us when we arrived and French beer! We had the IPA from Brasserie de la Goutte d'Or (the golden drop) which was great. Sophie (the Parisian) liked it too. Am glad that I've started sort of a trend to try (and enjoy) the local beer here, and stop laughing at it.
Something humorous I forgot to mention in the last post - Warren shared lots of funny stories about living in France, both social and workplace cultural differences. He talked about the complete lack of personal space. I got to experience it firsthand in the art museum in Grenoble. We were in a large room and there was no one around, but the security guard felt the need to get right up in my face. Jenna watched the whole thing. I held my ground but apparently moved my head back slightly. It was intense. He wanted me to put the umbrella in my bag. Oui, sir.
Once we finally got to Paris we went to Sophie's. She's kindly letting us crash with her in the apartment she is renting for the rest of our stay. Sophie had snacks for us when we arrived and French beer! We had the IPA from Brasserie de la Goutte d'Or (the golden drop) which was great. Sophie (the Parisian) liked it too. Am glad that I've started sort of a trend to try (and enjoy) the local beer here, and stop laughing at it.
Something humorous I forgot to mention in the last post - Warren shared lots of funny stories about living in France, both social and workplace cultural differences. He talked about the complete lack of personal space. I got to experience it firsthand in the art museum in Grenoble. We were in a large room and there was no one around, but the security guard felt the need to get right up in my face. Jenna watched the whole thing. I held my ground but apparently moved my head back slightly. It was intense. He wanted me to put the umbrella in my bag. Oui, sir.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
A lack of fireplaces
Yesterday we woke up to snow and sleeting rain. We could see the snow sticking to the trees at the top of La Bastille. Cold but kind of exciting. I imagine it's their first snow of the season. Jenna and I went to a crêperie for brunch and then walked through the Jardin de Ville on the way to the Musée de Grenoble which had lots of nice art to admire. We could also see the snow accumulating on La Bastille when we were in there.
After that museum we crossed the river and went up to the Musée archéologique Grenoble - Saint-Laurent. It was really interesting and had an amazing audio-tour with video projecting on the walls that synced up to the audio. The former St. Laurent church was built on the ruins of a Gallo-Roman necropolis that became an archaeological site in 1983 and a museum in 1986. Definitely worth a visit. And it was free.
On the way back towards the center of town we stopped in another crêperie for dessert. I got a nutella crêpe. Yum.
We then went back to the apartment because we were going to go out to dinner with Jamie and Warren. When we got there Jamie announced that she bought some French beer for me to try. They have been so sweet and very hospitable. And verdict from all was that - it was good! Definitely had a Belgian flavor to it, but the French beer was really tasty. At least that one was (La Goudale). We all shared a big bottle of beer, finished the good chardonnay from the night before, and then headed to a fondue restaurant, A Confesse, where you walk into the restaurant through an old confessional. They had baskets hanging above the tables on a pulley system, where they put the bread to dip into the fondue. We enjoyed two types of cheese fondue and two different bottles of vin rouge. We then wandered back home to find a typical dessert with coffee (cafe gourmand) which is the ends of other desserts. Or at least it used to be, and now I think they actually make it for that reason. Reminds me of the concept of the donut hole. We were too late though, all the places near their apartment that sell them were closed. So we had some ice cream and frozen Reese's peanut butter cups at home and watched Django Unchained. I fell asleep in the middle of it and woke up for the end (we did start it at 11:30pm!). I'll have to watch it again.
Since this is my last post about Grenoble I must say, it is such a nice town and great to be here. Everyone in Paris made fun of the fact that we were coming here, or even asked why we were. I get that it's not a typical tourist destination (unless you ski), but it's been so nice. People need to stop knocking it before they visit.
One thing I've been looking for in every country is a nice big fireplace to sit at with a coffee or glass of wine, and my book. Still haven't found it. When we arrived in Grenoble Jamie and Warren asked us if there is anything we'd like to see or do, and I told them about my quest to find a fireplace. Jamie put the question on her local forum of other expats, and it's apparently become quite the conversation, and they all now want to sit by a fireplace with me. They did find one in a restaurant, but no fire. Maybe the locals don't think it's cold enough yet. Or maybe it's just not common in the places I've been to. I think it should be.
We're heading back to Paris this afternoon.
After that museum we crossed the river and went up to the Musée archéologique Grenoble - Saint-Laurent. It was really interesting and had an amazing audio-tour with video projecting on the walls that synced up to the audio. The former St. Laurent church was built on the ruins of a Gallo-Roman necropolis that became an archaeological site in 1983 and a museum in 1986. Definitely worth a visit. And it was free.
On the way back towards the center of town we stopped in another crêperie for dessert. I got a nutella crêpe. Yum.
We then went back to the apartment because we were going to go out to dinner with Jamie and Warren. When we got there Jamie announced that she bought some French beer for me to try. They have been so sweet and very hospitable. And verdict from all was that - it was good! Definitely had a Belgian flavor to it, but the French beer was really tasty. At least that one was (La Goudale). We all shared a big bottle of beer, finished the good chardonnay from the night before, and then headed to a fondue restaurant, A Confesse, where you walk into the restaurant through an old confessional. They had baskets hanging above the tables on a pulley system, where they put the bread to dip into the fondue. We enjoyed two types of cheese fondue and two different bottles of vin rouge. We then wandered back home to find a typical dessert with coffee (cafe gourmand) which is the ends of other desserts. Or at least it used to be, and now I think they actually make it for that reason. Reminds me of the concept of the donut hole. We were too late though, all the places near their apartment that sell them were closed. So we had some ice cream and frozen Reese's peanut butter cups at home and watched Django Unchained. I fell asleep in the middle of it and woke up for the end (we did start it at 11:30pm!). I'll have to watch it again.
Since this is my last post about Grenoble I must say, it is such a nice town and great to be here. Everyone in Paris made fun of the fact that we were coming here, or even asked why we were. I get that it's not a typical tourist destination (unless you ski), but it's been so nice. People need to stop knocking it before they visit.
One thing I've been looking for in every country is a nice big fireplace to sit at with a coffee or glass of wine, and my book. Still haven't found it. When we arrived in Grenoble Jamie and Warren asked us if there is anything we'd like to see or do, and I told them about my quest to find a fireplace. Jamie put the question on her local forum of other expats, and it's apparently become quite the conversation, and they all now want to sit by a fireplace with me. They did find one in a restaurant, but no fire. Maybe the locals don't think it's cold enough yet. Or maybe it's just not common in the places I've been to. I think it should be.
We're heading back to Paris this afternoon.
Grenoble
Tuesday we had a leisurely morning, slept in, and then had a walking tour of the old and central part of town by Jamie, Jenna's cousin. We picked up tickets at the tourist office for a few things we wanted to do, and then had a delicious coffee (la russe) in a bowl.
Jenna and I then took the funicular (or téléphérique in French) to the top of La Bastille, a fortress on a hill at the south end of the Chartreuse mountain range. It was so cold and rainy that we didn't enjoy the outdoors much, and went directly into the restaurant to sip on some vin rouge. We could see the city of Grenoble and were purposefully there from daytime to nighttime to enjoy both views. Unfortunately because of the weather we couldn't see any of the mountains in the distance. It's kind of sad being at the foot of the Alps and not being able to see them. Apparently you can even seen Mont Blanc from their balcony on a clear day. Warren (Jamie's husband) showed us some photos they took just a week ago. Breathtaking views that the weather is not allowing us to enjoy.
On the way back down we decided to try a pizza place along the river. Apparently there are a ton, and some of them are just fronts for mafioso activity. Or at least they used to be. We found a legit restaurant and had tasty pizza. But first we stopped in a Cuban bar that was playing Brazilian music. I asked if they had any French beer and the bartender laughed at me. A similar reaction Sophie gave me when I asked her the same question. I know the French aren't known for their beer but I still want to try it! We had a Belgian beer at the bar, and then amazing pizza at a restaurant nearby.
I had been looking for a chardonnay to toast to my mom all day, with no luck. So Jenna messaged Jamie to ask where we could find some, and she put a bottle in the fridge for us. So when Jenna and I got home we all toasted to my mom and her birthday. It was nice, and the wine was really good. My mom would have loved it.
A little while later Jamie gave us options of what we could do (watch a movie, play Just Dance). Just Dance? What's that? I soon found out. So fun. Jenna and I worked up a sweat and off our pizza. Then Jamie and one of her four daughters came and joined in.
Around 10pm we heard a lot of noise from the street, and found out later from Warren that they were celebrating France's qualification into the World Cup.
Jenna and I then took the funicular (or téléphérique in French) to the top of La Bastille, a fortress on a hill at the south end of the Chartreuse mountain range. It was so cold and rainy that we didn't enjoy the outdoors much, and went directly into the restaurant to sip on some vin rouge. We could see the city of Grenoble and were purposefully there from daytime to nighttime to enjoy both views. Unfortunately because of the weather we couldn't see any of the mountains in the distance. It's kind of sad being at the foot of the Alps and not being able to see them. Apparently you can even seen Mont Blanc from their balcony on a clear day. Warren (Jamie's husband) showed us some photos they took just a week ago. Breathtaking views that the weather is not allowing us to enjoy.
On the way back down we decided to try a pizza place along the river. Apparently there are a ton, and some of them are just fronts for mafioso activity. Or at least they used to be. We found a legit restaurant and had tasty pizza. But first we stopped in a Cuban bar that was playing Brazilian music. I asked if they had any French beer and the bartender laughed at me. A similar reaction Sophie gave me when I asked her the same question. I know the French aren't known for their beer but I still want to try it! We had a Belgian beer at the bar, and then amazing pizza at a restaurant nearby.
I had been looking for a chardonnay to toast to my mom all day, with no luck. So Jenna messaged Jamie to ask where we could find some, and she put a bottle in the fridge for us. So when Jenna and I got home we all toasted to my mom and her birthday. It was nice, and the wine was really good. My mom would have loved it.
A little while later Jamie gave us options of what we could do (watch a movie, play Just Dance). Just Dance? What's that? I soon found out. So fun. Jenna and I worked up a sweat and off our pizza. Then Jamie and one of her four daughters came and joined in.
Around 10pm we heard a lot of noise from the street, and found out later from Warren that they were celebrating France's qualification into the World Cup.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Vente en gros
On Monday we walked from our hotel down the Rue de Temple on our way to see St. Chapelle in the daylight to admire the stained glass. We got sidetracked by a store that mainly sold scarves and hats. It was so fun wandering through and picking some out to buy. I did notice the women with huge baskets full of scarves and did think that it looked like they were buying in bulk, and then once I tried to pay I had a sneaking suspicion that it's not a retail store. So I went to the door and sure enough it had a sign on it that said "wholesale only, no retail". Saddened we put our scarves down and walked out, after I briefly confirmed with someone who worked there that we couldn't buy our scarves. Walking down the rest of the street we noticed that every single store had "vente en gros" signs - wholesale only. It was painful since so many of the stores had great things in them, for super cheap.
We then got to St. Chapelle and I noticed the sign that said that certain items would be confiscated and not returned, including my knife. I need to remember to put it in my luggage and not carry it around with me. I think it would be fine in the chapel, but it's next to the hall of justice and other important buildings, which is why there are metal detectors and security to get inside. My dad brought me back the Swiss Army knife during one of his business trips when I was in middle school, so I wasn't about to let them take it from me. So I encouraged Jenna to go in and take some photos for me to see it. I went outside and parked myself on a bench. A few minutes later she showed up, and said she didn't want to go in without me, especially since I'm the stained glass person. Cute. So we'll try to go back there another day.
We then wandered towards Notre Dame, went inside, and then paid to go up to the towers and take some panoramic photos of Paris and the gargoyles.
After an enjoyable lunch across the street from Notre Dame we went to go get some Berthillon ice cream on the Île Saint-Louis, which several people recommended. I got the flavor of the day - tiramisu. It was delicious. On the way there I also found a scarf similar to one I wanted in the wholesale store.
Once we picked up our luggage at the hotel we took the ~3 hour train to Grenoble, where the 1968 Olympics were held, and where Jenna's cousins live.
We then got to St. Chapelle and I noticed the sign that said that certain items would be confiscated and not returned, including my knife. I need to remember to put it in my luggage and not carry it around with me. I think it would be fine in the chapel, but it's next to the hall of justice and other important buildings, which is why there are metal detectors and security to get inside. My dad brought me back the Swiss Army knife during one of his business trips when I was in middle school, so I wasn't about to let them take it from me. So I encouraged Jenna to go in and take some photos for me to see it. I went outside and parked myself on a bench. A few minutes later she showed up, and said she didn't want to go in without me, especially since I'm the stained glass person. Cute. So we'll try to go back there another day.
We then wandered towards Notre Dame, went inside, and then paid to go up to the towers and take some panoramic photos of Paris and the gargoyles.
After an enjoyable lunch across the street from Notre Dame we went to go get some Berthillon ice cream on the Île Saint-Louis, which several people recommended. I got the flavor of the day - tiramisu. It was delicious. On the way there I also found a scarf similar to one I wanted in the wholesale store.
Once we picked up our luggage at the hotel we took the ~3 hour train to Grenoble, where the 1968 Olympics were held, and where Jenna's cousins live.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Lost in the Louvre
Yesterday Jenna and I had breakfast in the hotel and then headed to the Louvre. We were there early so the line wasn't bad. They confiscated my swiss army knife, but gave me a little ticket, like checking a coat, so I could get it back once our visit was over. We then headed straight to see the Mona Lisa. A few minutes after admiring it we made our plan of what else we wanted to see, since the museum is massive. We decided on French paintings and sculptures, since we're in France and all. A little while later I watched Jenna take a photo of a painting, wandered into the next room, and BAM, Jenna was nowhere in sight. I walked back to the painting she took a photo of, and into the next three rooms. Couldn't see her anywhere. Trying to channel what she might do in this situation, I sat and waited, cause I didn't think it would be good if we were both walking around looking for each other. Well 30 minutes later I gave up, and thought maybe she went to the French paintings section. Which took me forever to find, even though I had the map. I had to ask two security guards and finally found the secret elevator up to the second floor. No sign of Jenna. I tried to admire the paintings and sculptures as I was looking for her, but mainly I was trying to think what I should do next. I then made my way to the museum store cause we had talked about going there afterwards. If she wasn't there I was hopeful she'd be where they confiscated my knife. As I wandered into the main entrance area, underneath the glass triangle, there she was! Phew. We had a long embrace. I was imagining asking a stranger to borrow their phone so I could message her, or finding an internet cafe nearby. Her plan was to go back to the hotel for about an hour. Luckily we didn't have to take those measures. After that we spent the rest of the day hip-to-hip.
As we were leaving the Louvre I spotted an eccentric looking man, and Jenna goes "do you know who that was? It was Richard Simmons!". I wouldn't have recognized him, glad Jenna did. When I picked up my little knife I was shocked at how many others were in the drawer. There was one with the blade 3x the size of a kitchen knife. Not sure why that was being carried around.
Leaving the Louvre we spotted a sweet old man painting and selling his watercolors. I bought two and Jenna bought one. I then asked him if I could take his photo. He seemed shy at first but said ok. Then he picked up his brush and posed for me. So cute.
Satisfied that I bought some original artwork here (from a painter in action, which is one of my favorite souvenirs and experiences), we then wandered across the Pont des Arts which has lots of love locks on it. There were even vendors selling locks to put on there. We had lunch near the Musée d'Orsay as that was our next stop. But the line for the museum was too long (and it was too cold outside to wait) so we'll go back there another day in the morning when it first opens.
Next we walked across another bridge to go through the Tuileries gardens, which were pretty. Trying to find a bathroom we finally stopped for tea to use their facilities. Then we walked along the Champs-Élysées which had lots of vendors out for the holidays. It was kind of overwhelming and not a very peaceful walk. During the stroll I almost smacked right into Richard Simmons. I then noticed his bright green hair which matched his green corduroys. Oh my.
As we got to the Arc de Triomphe we took a right to go take a photo outside of an apartment where Jenna's friends used to live. Tired and cold we then hopped into a cute hotel bar for a glass of wine and little snacks.
We ended the night at the apartment Sophie is staying in. She made a delicious meal for us and shared scrumptious cheeses that she got from the countryside. Ah-may-zing.
A few notes: 1. I'm so glad we don't have to pay for restrooms in San Francisco. I can't imagine shopping and having to pay a few dollars to use the bathroom. I've been able to avoid it for the most part on this trip by going to restaurants instead. But then again we bought two teas for 8 euros to use a bathroom today. Hmm. 2. The French bitterness and rudeness is not specific to tourists. I thought it was, but Sophie has shared that they are just as rude and angry towards her as well. It's part of why she wanted to get out of France and move to the US. Interesting. For the most part people have been fairly nice. But customer service is definitely not great here.
As we were leaving the Louvre I spotted an eccentric looking man, and Jenna goes "do you know who that was? It was Richard Simmons!". I wouldn't have recognized him, glad Jenna did. When I picked up my little knife I was shocked at how many others were in the drawer. There was one with the blade 3x the size of a kitchen knife. Not sure why that was being carried around.
Leaving the Louvre we spotted a sweet old man painting and selling his watercolors. I bought two and Jenna bought one. I then asked him if I could take his photo. He seemed shy at first but said ok. Then he picked up his brush and posed for me. So cute.
Satisfied that I bought some original artwork here (from a painter in action, which is one of my favorite souvenirs and experiences), we then wandered across the Pont des Arts which has lots of love locks on it. There were even vendors selling locks to put on there. We had lunch near the Musée d'Orsay as that was our next stop. But the line for the museum was too long (and it was too cold outside to wait) so we'll go back there another day in the morning when it first opens.
Next we walked across another bridge to go through the Tuileries gardens, which were pretty. Trying to find a bathroom we finally stopped for tea to use their facilities. Then we walked along the Champs-Élysées which had lots of vendors out for the holidays. It was kind of overwhelming and not a very peaceful walk. During the stroll I almost smacked right into Richard Simmons. I then noticed his bright green hair which matched his green corduroys. Oh my.
As we got to the Arc de Triomphe we took a right to go take a photo outside of an apartment where Jenna's friends used to live. Tired and cold we then hopped into a cute hotel bar for a glass of wine and little snacks.
We ended the night at the apartment Sophie is staying in. She made a delicious meal for us and shared scrumptious cheeses that she got from the countryside. Ah-may-zing.
A few notes: 1. I'm so glad we don't have to pay for restrooms in San Francisco. I can't imagine shopping and having to pay a few dollars to use the bathroom. I've been able to avoid it for the most part on this trip by going to restaurants instead. But then again we bought two teas for 8 euros to use a bathroom today. Hmm. 2. The French bitterness and rudeness is not specific to tourists. I thought it was, but Sophie has shared that they are just as rude and angry towards her as well. It's part of why she wanted to get out of France and move to the US. Interesting. For the most part people have been fairly nice. But customer service is definitely not great here.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Paris
I had breakfast at the station in Brussels and was chatted up by a 58-year-old single mother who told me her life story. And her son's life story who is 19 and a somewhat pro-basketball player. She barely took a breath and ignored her coffee and soup until they were cold, and then missed her train. Apparently she had a lot to share. She also had a lot of unsolicited advice for me after asking how old I was. She was surprised (that I'm 32) and then lectured me on how great it was that I was enjoying life and that I had plenty of time to settle down. A striking contrast from the conversation the night before with a 20-something roommate who told me she was traveling the world now because once she's 30 she won't be able to go on any more adventures. I didn't have the energy or care to tell her that turning 30 didn't have to be an adventure death sentence.
The train ride from Brussels to Paris was only about an hour, a very smooth ride. Once arriving in Paris' Gare du Nord station I got slightly confused on my ~20 minute walk to the hotel, but made it pretty easily. I hung out for a bit, people-watched and read more about Paris from my guidebook. Once Jenna and Sophie came back from lunch we hit the town together. We tried to go to the Catacombs first since it's a sight that Sophie has never been to and, well, she didn't want to go to the Eiffel Tower or other typical sights. The line was too long around the time of the last admission so we walked around the Bastille neighborhood instead. After that we walked through the Luxembourg gardens on our way to Blvd St. Michel for some window shopping. Jenna got some fancy boots. Next we had delicious savory & sweet crepes at Creperie des Arts before heading to a Bach concert at Sainte Chapelle, which was very special and intimate.
We ended the night at Sophie's friend's apartment in Montparnasse where she had a few people over for champagne, including the artist of a print she just bought along with the gallery owner. It was fun. Heading to bed reeking of an ashtray. I'm in Paris!
The train ride from Brussels to Paris was only about an hour, a very smooth ride. Once arriving in Paris' Gare du Nord station I got slightly confused on my ~20 minute walk to the hotel, but made it pretty easily. I hung out for a bit, people-watched and read more about Paris from my guidebook. Once Jenna and Sophie came back from lunch we hit the town together. We tried to go to the Catacombs first since it's a sight that Sophie has never been to and, well, she didn't want to go to the Eiffel Tower or other typical sights. The line was too long around the time of the last admission so we walked around the Bastille neighborhood instead. After that we walked through the Luxembourg gardens on our way to Blvd St. Michel for some window shopping. Jenna got some fancy boots. Next we had delicious savory & sweet crepes at Creperie des Arts before heading to a Bach concert at Sainte Chapelle, which was very special and intimate.
We ended the night at Sophie's friend's apartment in Montparnasse where she had a few people over for champagne, including the artist of a print she just bought along with the gallery owner. It was fun. Heading to bed reeking of an ashtray. I'm in Paris!
Friday, November 15, 2013
Atomium
This morning I headed straight to Atomium, which was built for the 1958 World's Fair. It's actually the cover image of my World's Fair coffee table book. It was cool to see. You can go into 5 of the 9 balls or 'atoms' via stairs and escalators, one being the top and a panoramic view (which kindly has an elevator). I followed the audio guide tour, which was pretty informative.
Afterwards I took the metro back to the center of town and went into the Cathedral. I got lost and turned around trying to find the Comic Strip Museum. I had no idea that the Smurfs were from here, or several others for that matter. I think Tintin is the most famous. Speaking of which, I also didn't know that Belgium was known for lace. Love how much I learn when traveling. Anyways, once I found the museum, it was approaching the closing of lunch hours (usually around 2:30pm), so I decided to skip the museum and head towards TheePot, which is supposedly the best vegetarian meal in town. The map does say that it's not very inviting and it's hard to find. I found both to be true, but the meal was delicious. It was buffet only, but so so good. It was by far the healthiest meal I've had since I've been in Europe, which made me happy. It was probably the most local meal I've had as well, no other tourists were in there, which was nice.
Afterwards I strolled back through Grand Place and bought some chocolates at Godiva and Neuhaus. This evening I plan on staying near my hostel and recharging my batteries, both literally and figuratively. Heading to meet up with Jenna and Sophie in Paris tomorrow!
Afterwards I took the metro back to the center of town and went into the Cathedral. I got lost and turned around trying to find the Comic Strip Museum. I had no idea that the Smurfs were from here, or several others for that matter. I think Tintin is the most famous. Speaking of which, I also didn't know that Belgium was known for lace. Love how much I learn when traveling. Anyways, once I found the museum, it was approaching the closing of lunch hours (usually around 2:30pm), so I decided to skip the museum and head towards TheePot, which is supposedly the best vegetarian meal in town. The map does say that it's not very inviting and it's hard to find. I found both to be true, but the meal was delicious. It was buffet only, but so so good. It was by far the healthiest meal I've had since I've been in Europe, which made me happy. It was probably the most local meal I've had as well, no other tourists were in there, which was nice.
Afterwards I strolled back through Grand Place and bought some chocolates at Godiva and Neuhaus. This evening I plan on staying near my hostel and recharging my batteries, both literally and figuratively. Heading to meet up with Jenna and Sophie in Paris tomorrow!
Bruges to Ghent to Brussels
I got up around 7am to use the bathroom downstairs. This is the first time, this trip, that the bathroom isn't in my room. Well, since I'm not a fair-weather blogger, I will share that I unexpectedly got sick in the bathroom. That's right. I threw up in Bruges. I knew my head hurt but didn't realize it was that bad. Oye. I went back to bed and listened to the rain.
I then got up a few hours later, checked out, but left my bag there to take in a bit more of Bruges. It had kindly stopped raining. I had breakfast at a local favorite, Li O Lait. I then went to the Basilica of the Holy Blood, and saw the dried up holy blood vial. My stomach turned a bit.
I then walked back to the hostel, picked up my bag, and asked a local "where are the swans!?" He replied - they're everywhere, they are hard to miss. I hadn't seen any and was quite disappointed. I was then told that they often hang out by Minnewater, a peaceful lake-filled park with lots of canals, which is on the way (kind of) to the train station. Sure enough I found the swans! I then couldn't figure out how to get to the train station, ended up walking through the Begijnhof (where Benedictine nuns live) which has lots of "shhh" signs as you're supposed to be quiet. No singing for me in there. After walking around in several circles I found the station and headed to Ghent.
I threw my bag in a locker (#12) at the station and took the tram to the center of town. I then followed the walking tour in my guidebook. Fun fact: the local vegetarian organization has succeeded in making schools and city services meat-free on Thursdays, which was the day I was there! Ghent has the most veggie restaurants per inhabitant in Europe.
I navigated through several squares, enjoyed the Cathedral of St. Bavo, passed the giant City Hall, walked through the little lane Werregaren Straat, which many call Graffitistraat. It's full of artwork and graffiti by the locals. The wall is always wet with new paint, and it smelled like it. Pretty smart, instead of outlawing graffiti entirely, the police designated this the place where people can express themselves and not get in trouble. I tried to eat at a guidebook recommended vegetarian restaurant, situated across the street from the Castle of the Counts, but I had just missed the lunch window. Most restaurants close in between lunch and dinner. So I got a lentil salad at a cafe instead.
Once I got back to Brussels and checked in (to a different and much nicer hostel), I made my bed and took a nap. A much longer one than I expected. I basically got up, washed up, and then went back to bed for the night.
I then got up a few hours later, checked out, but left my bag there to take in a bit more of Bruges. It had kindly stopped raining. I had breakfast at a local favorite, Li O Lait. I then went to the Basilica of the Holy Blood, and saw the dried up holy blood vial. My stomach turned a bit.
I then walked back to the hostel, picked up my bag, and asked a local "where are the swans!?" He replied - they're everywhere, they are hard to miss. I hadn't seen any and was quite disappointed. I was then told that they often hang out by Minnewater, a peaceful lake-filled park with lots of canals, which is on the way (kind of) to the train station. Sure enough I found the swans! I then couldn't figure out how to get to the train station, ended up walking through the Begijnhof (where Benedictine nuns live) which has lots of "shhh" signs as you're supposed to be quiet. No singing for me in there. After walking around in several circles I found the station and headed to Ghent.
I threw my bag in a locker (#12) at the station and took the tram to the center of town. I then followed the walking tour in my guidebook. Fun fact: the local vegetarian organization has succeeded in making schools and city services meat-free on Thursdays, which was the day I was there! Ghent has the most veggie restaurants per inhabitant in Europe.
I navigated through several squares, enjoyed the Cathedral of St. Bavo, passed the giant City Hall, walked through the little lane Werregaren Straat, which many call Graffitistraat. It's full of artwork and graffiti by the locals. The wall is always wet with new paint, and it smelled like it. Pretty smart, instead of outlawing graffiti entirely, the police designated this the place where people can express themselves and not get in trouble. I tried to eat at a guidebook recommended vegetarian restaurant, situated across the street from the Castle of the Counts, but I had just missed the lunch window. Most restaurants close in between lunch and dinner. So I got a lentil salad at a cafe instead.
Once I got back to Brussels and checked in (to a different and much nicer hostel), I made my bed and took a nap. A much longer one than I expected. I basically got up, washed up, and then went back to bed for the night.
Bruges
On Wednesday, after a delightful and full breakfast I filled up my water bottle, snagged an apple for later, checked out, and headed to Bruges. I had a hard time finding the central station in Brussels, so started following the commuter-looking crowd coming from a narrow street. I walked through what looked like a mall, again with commuters streaming past me walking the other way. Sure enough the stream of people led me to the station. The ticket machines only take coins or credit cards, but after several attempts I realized that credit cards need to have a pin to work. So I found a ticket vendor. I must look super nice or like I know what I'm doing because at the train platform I had three different couples ask me if this was the right train for Bruges. Actually people often ask me for directions, in all sorts of languages. Maybe I'm more approachable because I'm alone.
The train ride was about an hour, with lots of pretty countryside to look at, little farms with pet-worthy farm animals chilling outside in the sun. Yes, sun!
There were a few delays on the train which gave me time to read the map, my guidebook, and plan my visit. The map had a bit of history included - in 1892 the book 'Bruges la Morte' described the city as a dark, poor, and ugly place. Which seemed to boom tourism in the town. Same thing happened after the 2009 movie 'In Bruges' where Colin Farrell calls Bruges a 'shithole', and that 'if i grew up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me. But I didn't, so it doesn't'. Again, tourism boomed. I was told to visit Bruges and Ghent by a friend who knew I was going to Brussels. I then watched the movie. Walking around the town makes me want to watch it again. The hostel I stayed at even had official 'In Bruges' walking tours. I thought about it but instead did my own navigating around town. Another fun fact: Gotye was born in Bruges.
My first stop was to the Belfort/Belfry, or bell tower. I climbed up to the top and took in the panoramic views of the town. The stairs were quite narrow at the top, and at times you had to duck into a corner to let people pass coming the other way.
I then headed back down, picked up some fruit from the Wednesday market, had a waffle with chocolate sauce, and then went to the Church of Our Lady. It houses Madonna and Child, a small marble sculpture by Michelangelo. It's Bruges' Mona Lisa. Unfortunately there were renovations being done in the church and that section was closed.
I then wandered to find the most photographed dog in Bruges, who also makes an appearance in the movie. Fidel usually sits with his head out the window over a canal watching the boats go by. He sadly wasn't there, but a neighbor across the street had a cardboard dog in their window. I assume a mock to the tourists. There are only 20,000 people living in Bruges, so on busy days there are more tourists than locals. I imagine that gets annoying.
After a quick photo of the cardboard dog (take that!) I continued east towards the edge of town to go to a cafe that has vegetarian frites, since the traditional ones are cooked in animal fat. The place was closed as I got there in between lunch and dinner. I decided to wait until it opened, so I headed to the canal, walked up to a windmill which gives views of Bruges, and read my book on a bench. A cute little girl and her opa (Dutch for grandpa) sat next to me and drank chocolate milk. Once my hands were icicles I found a bar nearby and had two beers - Straffe Hendricks (which is brewed locally in Bruges) and a Brugge Tripel (which is a local favorite but not brewed locally).
Two British gents next to me were complaining about everyone on their ipads and phones; "pubs aren't what they used to be". Amen. A couple probably in their 50s sitting at the bar were drinking very very fast. They drank three beers while I had one. The guy was sleazy and hitting on the young bartender. They moved to a table near me and had another one. I was surprised she was still serving them. Sure enough I watched the guy lay down on the bench and pass out. His wife was mortified but equally drunk. These beers are delicious, and very strong.
After about two hours of people watching and reading at the bar I headed to the now open cafe. I got fries with mayonnaise (have to be legit and do what the locals do), and a cheese and asparagus croquette. While everything was vegetarian, everything was also fried. It wasn't worth the wait. The cafe owner and another patron talked the whole time in Flemish. All I understood was she kept saying the word 'Facebook'.
I then wandered back towards the center of town. They had just dropped off a Christmas tree in the middle of the main square for decorating. An ice rink also opens up in about a week, with lots of little wooden vendor shacks getting set up for the holidays.
On my tourist map there was a bar that said it had a fireplace. I couldn't find it, gave up, and went into a new cellar bar called Le Trappiste. There weren't many people in there and the bartender was super friendly and chatted with me the whole time. He gave me the run down of the beers on tap and I ordered a Troubadour Magma Galaxy, which he described as an IPA with Belgian flavor. It was delicious. And strong. The bartender has been a beer aficionado for over 30 years and we talked shop - he loves Lagunitas and Sierra Nevada as well. I was about to leave as I had enough boozing, but I think he wanted me to stay and chat more and told me I should try the house beer - Abbot triple. Twist my arm. After that I managed to find my way home and sleep rather well, if you will.
The train ride was about an hour, with lots of pretty countryside to look at, little farms with pet-worthy farm animals chilling outside in the sun. Yes, sun!
There were a few delays on the train which gave me time to read the map, my guidebook, and plan my visit. The map had a bit of history included - in 1892 the book 'Bruges la Morte' described the city as a dark, poor, and ugly place. Which seemed to boom tourism in the town. Same thing happened after the 2009 movie 'In Bruges' where Colin Farrell calls Bruges a 'shithole', and that 'if i grew up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me. But I didn't, so it doesn't'. Again, tourism boomed. I was told to visit Bruges and Ghent by a friend who knew I was going to Brussels. I then watched the movie. Walking around the town makes me want to watch it again. The hostel I stayed at even had official 'In Bruges' walking tours. I thought about it but instead did my own navigating around town. Another fun fact: Gotye was born in Bruges.
My first stop was to the Belfort/Belfry, or bell tower. I climbed up to the top and took in the panoramic views of the town. The stairs were quite narrow at the top, and at times you had to duck into a corner to let people pass coming the other way.
I then headed back down, picked up some fruit from the Wednesday market, had a waffle with chocolate sauce, and then went to the Church of Our Lady. It houses Madonna and Child, a small marble sculpture by Michelangelo. It's Bruges' Mona Lisa. Unfortunately there were renovations being done in the church and that section was closed.
I then wandered to find the most photographed dog in Bruges, who also makes an appearance in the movie. Fidel usually sits with his head out the window over a canal watching the boats go by. He sadly wasn't there, but a neighbor across the street had a cardboard dog in their window. I assume a mock to the tourists. There are only 20,000 people living in Bruges, so on busy days there are more tourists than locals. I imagine that gets annoying.
After a quick photo of the cardboard dog (take that!) I continued east towards the edge of town to go to a cafe that has vegetarian frites, since the traditional ones are cooked in animal fat. The place was closed as I got there in between lunch and dinner. I decided to wait until it opened, so I headed to the canal, walked up to a windmill which gives views of Bruges, and read my book on a bench. A cute little girl and her opa (Dutch for grandpa) sat next to me and drank chocolate milk. Once my hands were icicles I found a bar nearby and had two beers - Straffe Hendricks (which is brewed locally in Bruges) and a Brugge Tripel (which is a local favorite but not brewed locally).
Two British gents next to me were complaining about everyone on their ipads and phones; "pubs aren't what they used to be". Amen. A couple probably in their 50s sitting at the bar were drinking very very fast. They drank three beers while I had one. The guy was sleazy and hitting on the young bartender. They moved to a table near me and had another one. I was surprised she was still serving them. Sure enough I watched the guy lay down on the bench and pass out. His wife was mortified but equally drunk. These beers are delicious, and very strong.
After about two hours of people watching and reading at the bar I headed to the now open cafe. I got fries with mayonnaise (have to be legit and do what the locals do), and a cheese and asparagus croquette. While everything was vegetarian, everything was also fried. It wasn't worth the wait. The cafe owner and another patron talked the whole time in Flemish. All I understood was she kept saying the word 'Facebook'.
I then wandered back towards the center of town. They had just dropped off a Christmas tree in the middle of the main square for decorating. An ice rink also opens up in about a week, with lots of little wooden vendor shacks getting set up for the holidays.
On my tourist map there was a bar that said it had a fireplace. I couldn't find it, gave up, and went into a new cellar bar called Le Trappiste. There weren't many people in there and the bartender was super friendly and chatted with me the whole time. He gave me the run down of the beers on tap and I ordered a Troubadour Magma Galaxy, which he described as an IPA with Belgian flavor. It was delicious. And strong. The bartender has been a beer aficionado for over 30 years and we talked shop - he loves Lagunitas and Sierra Nevada as well. I was about to leave as I had enough boozing, but I think he wanted me to stay and chat more and told me I should try the house beer - Abbot triple. Twist my arm. After that I managed to find my way home and sleep rather well, if you will.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Bruxelles
The train ride from London to Brussels was quite fast. Especially since I didn't realize there was a time change. Weather thus far has been similar to that in England. I've had a few daydreams of sitting on a couch by a roaring fireplace. Am still looking for that to become a reality.
Arrviving at Brussels Midi I was immediately confused, which was fun. London was very easy to get around, which was great, but there is something exciting about not knowing the language and getting turned around. A Brit stood next to me by the metro ticket machine and we figured out how to get those tickets together. I then took a tram to the Rogier stop and walked to my hostel. I am fabulously the only person in my room.
I then walked towards the Grand Place, a beautiful cobblestone square which seems to be the heart of the city. The buildings around the square, including the impressive town hall, are pretty amazing. A few hours in Belgium and my stomach already hates me. So be it. I must eat and drink everything typical Belgian while I'm here. Today I had a liege-style waffle (sugar on the inside) and a few truffles. I followed the Grand Place walk of my guidebook that circled around the main square to several spots, including the famous little boy pissing, or Manneken-Pis. The small statue was made in 1619 and there are several legends behind the little boy, but the truth is that the city commissioned the statue to show the freedom and joie de vivre of living in Brussels, where happy people eat, drink...and drink...and then pee. Which is what I did at Le Cirio (est. 1886). I enjoyed a couple of beers (Leffe and Ciney blondes) and enjoyed the company of a very nice older man who started talking to me in French. Already the Belgians have been super friendly and interested to talk to me. Perhaps I blended in too much in England, I don't know.
After my friend gave me a few stickers and pamphlets on what to see in Brussels (random) he left and I went back to my book and beer. While it's sad for me to not be able to read outside in the squares and parks this time of year, it's still fun to sit inside and take in my surroundings.
Arrviving at Brussels Midi I was immediately confused, which was fun. London was very easy to get around, which was great, but there is something exciting about not knowing the language and getting turned around. A Brit stood next to me by the metro ticket machine and we figured out how to get those tickets together. I then took a tram to the Rogier stop and walked to my hostel. I am fabulously the only person in my room.
I then walked towards the Grand Place, a beautiful cobblestone square which seems to be the heart of the city. The buildings around the square, including the impressive town hall, are pretty amazing. A few hours in Belgium and my stomach already hates me. So be it. I must eat and drink everything typical Belgian while I'm here. Today I had a liege-style waffle (sugar on the inside) and a few truffles. I followed the Grand Place walk of my guidebook that circled around the main square to several spots, including the famous little boy pissing, or Manneken-Pis. The small statue was made in 1619 and there are several legends behind the little boy, but the truth is that the city commissioned the statue to show the freedom and joie de vivre of living in Brussels, where happy people eat, drink...and drink...and then pee. Which is what I did at Le Cirio (est. 1886). I enjoyed a couple of beers (Leffe and Ciney blondes) and enjoyed the company of a very nice older man who started talking to me in French. Already the Belgians have been super friendly and interested to talk to me. Perhaps I blended in too much in England, I don't know.
After my friend gave me a few stickers and pamphlets on what to see in Brussels (random) he left and I went back to my book and beer. While it's sad for me to not be able to read outside in the squares and parks this time of year, it's still fun to sit inside and take in my surroundings.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Mind the gap
I had breakfast with my cute roommate from Kentucky currently serving in Germany for the Army. I then headed straight to Westminster Abbey and stood in line, in the rain, for about 30 minutes. By far the longest line so far. There were little wooden crosses with red poppys all over the lawn with peoples names and general tributes. Once I got inside I walked around soaking in the beauty of the stained glass and ornateness of the shrines. The tombs were impressive and honestly the whole place was a lot to take in. After lighting a candle and saying a little prayer I sat down for a bit looking around at all I could see trying to capture it with my non-camera lenses. I thought of all the momentous occasions that have gone on here. Of my lifetime the most notable being Princess Diana's funeral and Will & Kate's wedding. About five minutes before 11am I was walking through the tombs when someone official got on the microphone and started talking about the upcoming two minutes of silence and the reasons behind it. He talked about the significance of the time (11am) on 11/11 with the end of the war in 1918, and also that the unknown warrior was buried in the abbey on 11/11 in 1920. I went and stood still with several others by the tomb of the unknown warrior for the two minutes which felt quite special. I also really enjoyed the poets' corner and literary section of the abbey with tributes to several of the greats (Thomas, Chaucer, Lawrence, Byron, James, Austen, Shakespeare, Kipling etc), which of course made me want to read. I then took a quick look through the abbey museum and then the shop, where I bought two little souvenirs - a Christmas ornament of Big Ben (or the tower really, if I want to be legit), and a little gargoyle for my sandplay collection.
Nearby is the Churchill War Rooms that my roommate told me I must see. So I did. It has an audio guide with admission which was helpful. It was very interesting walking through there, trying to imagine what being underground during wartime must have been like. Mid-tour I took a break and had lunch in the Switch Room cafe.
Afterwards I walked through St. James Park on my way to Buckingham Palace. The park was lovely and had lots of types of birds, which if you know me well makes me happy. As I walked I was staring at the birds, when I think my mouth actually dropped open. I was definitely not expecting to see a flock of pelicans gliding through the pond. What? A little while I stopped at a sign which talked about the bird species, and that pelicans were first introduced in 1664 as a gift from the Russian ambassador. Apparently earlier this year the city of Prague gave the park three more pelicans. I love pelicans, but it was strange to see them here.
I read in my handy little guidebook that Chihuly made a chandelier for the foyer of the Victoria & Albert museum. So that was my next stop since I'm a big Chihuly fan. Getting there my eyebrows raised at the 'free admission' sign, so after admiring the glass I took a quick walk through a section of the museum, and a wander through their store since it's "the best museum store" per Frommer's. Since it's my last day here I didn't want to spend it inside. But the Natural History museum's 'free admission' sign across the street caught my attention as well, so I took a quick gander, had millionaire shortbread goodness and a coffee in their cafe, and moved on. But before I did I checked out their museum store too, to be fair. And that's when I decided to get up the courage to ask a woman that worked there the stupid question of what the purpose of a tea towel is. She laughed and said that confused her too when she first moved there, and that it's just a kitchen towel. Has nothing to do with tea. In my head I thought it should be a little towel involved in the afternoon tea setup, but they don't really look like they'd be good for that. Glad I asked a human and not the googles. As much as I like the internet, it's fun to ask a person once in a while. That also marked my second and last mini-conversation of the day (after breakfast). Back to singing to myself.
My trusty friend at the front desk of the hostel told me when I first got here that I must check out Camden Town. So that was the next stop. On my way there after I walked through the tube turnstile I heard a loud "excuse me". It was so alarming I thought I was in trouble. But the man was simply handing me a glove that I dropped. My left hand said thank you. That was nice. Overall though I wouldn't say the Brits have been very friendly. They haven't been rude though either. I'm waiting for France for that treatment. Gotta love stereotypes.
Camden was very cool. It's the alternative part of London, apparently. It has a huge market, I think there were several actually. It stretches beside a river with locks. There were many food vendors, mostly ethnic foods so I got a good and cheap dinner. The stores and vendors had everything - antiques, jewlery, rave/club attire, vintage clothing, glowing shirts etc. After I bought a scarf I walked to a pub called The Elephant's Head and had a glass of malbec. Even though some of their beers said 'extra cold' on them, I didn't want to chance it. I'm sure if I lived here I would get used to it, but the wine was delicious. I finished my Bryson book at the bar and will leave it in the hostel for someone else to enjoy his British travel experiences and wit.
As I had hoped, I'm enjoying a room to myself tonight. Off to Belgium in the morning!
Nearby is the Churchill War Rooms that my roommate told me I must see. So I did. It has an audio guide with admission which was helpful. It was very interesting walking through there, trying to imagine what being underground during wartime must have been like. Mid-tour I took a break and had lunch in the Switch Room cafe.
Afterwards I walked through St. James Park on my way to Buckingham Palace. The park was lovely and had lots of types of birds, which if you know me well makes me happy. As I walked I was staring at the birds, when I think my mouth actually dropped open. I was definitely not expecting to see a flock of pelicans gliding through the pond. What? A little while I stopped at a sign which talked about the bird species, and that pelicans were first introduced in 1664 as a gift from the Russian ambassador. Apparently earlier this year the city of Prague gave the park three more pelicans. I love pelicans, but it was strange to see them here.
I read in my handy little guidebook that Chihuly made a chandelier for the foyer of the Victoria & Albert museum. So that was my next stop since I'm a big Chihuly fan. Getting there my eyebrows raised at the 'free admission' sign, so after admiring the glass I took a quick walk through a section of the museum, and a wander through their store since it's "the best museum store" per Frommer's. Since it's my last day here I didn't want to spend it inside. But the Natural History museum's 'free admission' sign across the street caught my attention as well, so I took a quick gander, had millionaire shortbread goodness and a coffee in their cafe, and moved on. But before I did I checked out their museum store too, to be fair. And that's when I decided to get up the courage to ask a woman that worked there the stupid question of what the purpose of a tea towel is. She laughed and said that confused her too when she first moved there, and that it's just a kitchen towel. Has nothing to do with tea. In my head I thought it should be a little towel involved in the afternoon tea setup, but they don't really look like they'd be good for that. Glad I asked a human and not the googles. As much as I like the internet, it's fun to ask a person once in a while. That also marked my second and last mini-conversation of the day (after breakfast). Back to singing to myself.
My trusty friend at the front desk of the hostel told me when I first got here that I must check out Camden Town. So that was the next stop. On my way there after I walked through the tube turnstile I heard a loud "excuse me". It was so alarming I thought I was in trouble. But the man was simply handing me a glove that I dropped. My left hand said thank you. That was nice. Overall though I wouldn't say the Brits have been very friendly. They haven't been rude though either. I'm waiting for France for that treatment. Gotta love stereotypes.
Camden was very cool. It's the alternative part of London, apparently. It has a huge market, I think there were several actually. It stretches beside a river with locks. There were many food vendors, mostly ethnic foods so I got a good and cheap dinner. The stores and vendors had everything - antiques, jewlery, rave/club attire, vintage clothing, glowing shirts etc. After I bought a scarf I walked to a pub called The Elephant's Head and had a glass of malbec. Even though some of their beers said 'extra cold' on them, I didn't want to chance it. I'm sure if I lived here I would get used to it, but the wine was delicious. I finished my Bryson book at the bar and will leave it in the hostel for someone else to enjoy his British travel experiences and wit.
As I had hoped, I'm enjoying a room to myself tonight. Off to Belgium in the morning!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Oh sunny day
My fellow five roommates came home last night between midnight and 6am. I know this not because they were too loud, but because I couldn't sleep. Besides my nap when I first got here I haven't slept well. But I still managed to get up at 7am to start my day. I love my transformation to being a morning person, who still can sleep in when the mood strikes. Best of both worlds really.
I enjoyed a stroll through Hyde Park with all of the morning joggers. Walked by the Princess Diana fountain and traveled on her Memorial Walk next to the Serpentine lake and through the rose garden which I imagine is beautiful other parts of the year. There were several swimmers doing laps in a designated part of the lake. One of them had a speedo on that said 'Serpentine Hunk' on the butt. I so tried to take a photo but he was walking too fast.
Yesterday when I walked through Hyde Park I saw a bunch of pigeons eating under a tree. When I looked up I saw that they were scavenging the leftovers being dropped by a flock of beautiful green parrots with long tails. I stood there and watched them for quite a while. People kept passing me and didn't look up. I was sad for them and their lack of curiosity as to what I was doing or what I was looking at. One of the parrots was so close I almost could have touched it. I've had a lot of mushy 'I'm so happy to be alive' grateful moments on this trip, and that was one of them. I looked for them today but didn't see them. Makes yesterday even more special and I'm glad I took the time to stand and admire them.
I then tubed to the east end to go to Spitalfields Market which was amazing and a joy to walk through. Much cooler than the Petticoat's Market nearby. Glanced at Mischa Barton's store (shout out to Kati & the OC) and then sat in the sun. Yes, the sun! Although it was super cold. Much colder than the last couple of days. But it was dry, all day, which was nice.
I thought about going to check out Kensington Palace but I didn't have it in me, so instead I went to Chelsea where a woman who works at the hostel said her favorite afternoon tea is located. She also said it started at 1pm. Which was not the case. It starts at 2:30pm. I walked on King's Road a bit more to soak in the feel of Chelsea and headed to the hostel for a quick nap. Which turned out to be just laying down (no sleeping), but at least I could close my eyes and rest. I ventured into Waterstone's bookstore, which is my favorite kind of store to browse in. Loved it and refrained from buying books. Proud of myself.
After my non-nap I went back to Chelsea to get my afternoon tea on. Afternoon tea is code for little sandwiches, biscuits, sweets, and tea. Not just tea in the afternoon. My afternoon tea location was at the Saatchi Mess, the restaurant of the Saatchi Gallery. Unfortunately the gallery was closed today for a private event so I couldn't check that out. But I did enjoy a fantastic afternoon tea. Even added in a glass of prosecco which was delicious. I hate to admit this but I'm having a hard time with the beer here. It's not cold enough and it's not strong enough. Hoping Belgium will be better, before I head to the wine country that is France.
After a lovely afternoon tea I wandered into a Cath Kidston store which was cute and kitschy. And then headed to Soho for my 5pm viewing of Jersey Boys! I loved it. Even got a bit emotional. Amazing what music can do. It was hard to pick which play to go see, and I'm so glad I saw that. I talked a bit to the ladies I sat next to during intermission. They live several hours outside of London and come in once a year for the weekend. I asked about the crowds - because there are many more tourists here than I was expecting for this time of year. They agreed and said it was because of the holiday. They also told me that tomorrow on 11/11 at 11am the whole country has two minutes of silence. Intrigued by that and good to know. Not that I'm talking much right now. Speaking of which - this had me laugh out loud (guffaw really) during my afternoon tea, to the point where people turned to look - "Prolonged solitary travel, you see, affects people in different ways...Some solitary travelers start talking to themselves: little silently murmured conversations that they think no one else notices. Some desperately seek the company of strangers, striking up small talk at shop counters and hotel reception desks and then lingering awkwardly after it has become clear that the conversation has finished. Some become ravenous, obsessive sightseers, tramping from sight to sight with a guidebook in a lonely quest to see everything. Me, I get a sort of interrogative diarrhea. I ask private questions for which I cannot supply an answer...like Why do they call it a grapefruit? Why do the British call them jumpers? Why when we are happy do we say that we are head over heels, when in fact our head normally is over our heels?" and he keeps going (Bryson). I have definitely done all of those things, but mainly I talk to myself or sing outloud when I'm walking around, hoping no one is watching or listening. Too funny.
Just me and one roommate tonight. He's leaving in the morning, and am hoping I'll have the room to myself tomorrow. We shall see.
Parting tidbits:
My feet are better - apparently putting the moleskin on the shoe instead of my foot helps.
I still have not purchased an item. Is it weird that I feel the need to get something here? I looked at scarves today but didn't love any of them. We shall see if I find something tomorrow to take home with me.
Going to take advantage of the NyQuil I brought and hopefully get some good shut-eye.
Cheerio!
I enjoyed a stroll through Hyde Park with all of the morning joggers. Walked by the Princess Diana fountain and traveled on her Memorial Walk next to the Serpentine lake and through the rose garden which I imagine is beautiful other parts of the year. There were several swimmers doing laps in a designated part of the lake. One of them had a speedo on that said 'Serpentine Hunk' on the butt. I so tried to take a photo but he was walking too fast.
Yesterday when I walked through Hyde Park I saw a bunch of pigeons eating under a tree. When I looked up I saw that they were scavenging the leftovers being dropped by a flock of beautiful green parrots with long tails. I stood there and watched them for quite a while. People kept passing me and didn't look up. I was sad for them and their lack of curiosity as to what I was doing or what I was looking at. One of the parrots was so close I almost could have touched it. I've had a lot of mushy 'I'm so happy to be alive' grateful moments on this trip, and that was one of them. I looked for them today but didn't see them. Makes yesterday even more special and I'm glad I took the time to stand and admire them.
I then tubed to the east end to go to Spitalfields Market which was amazing and a joy to walk through. Much cooler than the Petticoat's Market nearby. Glanced at Mischa Barton's store (shout out to Kati & the OC) and then sat in the sun. Yes, the sun! Although it was super cold. Much colder than the last couple of days. But it was dry, all day, which was nice.
I thought about going to check out Kensington Palace but I didn't have it in me, so instead I went to Chelsea where a woman who works at the hostel said her favorite afternoon tea is located. She also said it started at 1pm. Which was not the case. It starts at 2:30pm. I walked on King's Road a bit more to soak in the feel of Chelsea and headed to the hostel for a quick nap. Which turned out to be just laying down (no sleeping), but at least I could close my eyes and rest. I ventured into Waterstone's bookstore, which is my favorite kind of store to browse in. Loved it and refrained from buying books. Proud of myself.
After my non-nap I went back to Chelsea to get my afternoon tea on. Afternoon tea is code for little sandwiches, biscuits, sweets, and tea. Not just tea in the afternoon. My afternoon tea location was at the Saatchi Mess, the restaurant of the Saatchi Gallery. Unfortunately the gallery was closed today for a private event so I couldn't check that out. But I did enjoy a fantastic afternoon tea. Even added in a glass of prosecco which was delicious. I hate to admit this but I'm having a hard time with the beer here. It's not cold enough and it's not strong enough. Hoping Belgium will be better, before I head to the wine country that is France.
After a lovely afternoon tea I wandered into a Cath Kidston store which was cute and kitschy. And then headed to Soho for my 5pm viewing of Jersey Boys! I loved it. Even got a bit emotional. Amazing what music can do. It was hard to pick which play to go see, and I'm so glad I saw that. I talked a bit to the ladies I sat next to during intermission. They live several hours outside of London and come in once a year for the weekend. I asked about the crowds - because there are many more tourists here than I was expecting for this time of year. They agreed and said it was because of the holiday. They also told me that tomorrow on 11/11 at 11am the whole country has two minutes of silence. Intrigued by that and good to know. Not that I'm talking much right now. Speaking of which - this had me laugh out loud (guffaw really) during my afternoon tea, to the point where people turned to look - "Prolonged solitary travel, you see, affects people in different ways...Some solitary travelers start talking to themselves: little silently murmured conversations that they think no one else notices. Some desperately seek the company of strangers, striking up small talk at shop counters and hotel reception desks and then lingering awkwardly after it has become clear that the conversation has finished. Some become ravenous, obsessive sightseers, tramping from sight to sight with a guidebook in a lonely quest to see everything. Me, I get a sort of interrogative diarrhea. I ask private questions for which I cannot supply an answer...like Why do they call it a grapefruit? Why do the British call them jumpers? Why when we are happy do we say that we are head over heels, when in fact our head normally is over our heels?" and he keeps going (Bryson). I have definitely done all of those things, but mainly I talk to myself or sing outloud when I'm walking around, hoping no one is watching or listening. Too funny.
Just me and one roommate tonight. He's leaving in the morning, and am hoping I'll have the room to myself tomorrow. We shall see.
Parting tidbits:
My feet are better - apparently putting the moleskin on the shoe instead of my foot helps.
I still have not purchased an item. Is it weird that I feel the need to get something here? I looked at scarves today but didn't love any of them. We shall see if I find something tomorrow to take home with me.
Going to take advantage of the NyQuil I brought and hopefully get some good shut-eye.
Cheerio!
Lots of bridges & stairs
Today was fabulous. Every minute of it.
I got up early, had a light breakfast downstairs, and headed straight to the Portobello Road market in Notting Hill. I couldn't help but think of the movie 'Notting Hill' and Hugh's travel book shop. It was fun to walk around. The market is known for its antiques but it had everything. Many of the stores on that road put a stand in front of their store, along with other vendors. I walked up and down and all I bought was a coffee. I think my recent purge-fest in my apartment has me very picky about what I purchase, which is great. I was happy to be leaving when I did as there were hoards of people on their way to the market.
I took the tube to the Bank stop and there were several police around but I didn't think too much of it. When I got to the top of the stairs there were people blocking the exit. I assumed they were waiting for the rain to let up. But it turned out to be they were waiting for the Lord Mayor's parade to start. Every year a new Lord Mayor is chosen, and this show they put on dates back to before 1535. I managed to be right across the street from where the important people were. I got to see her (Fiona Wolf) sign important looking documents and then the parade started within 5 minutes of me getting there. I couldn't have planned it better if I had tried. She's the 686th Lord Mayor of London, but only the second woman to hold the position. I learned most of this online, post parade, but I could tell from her outfit, hat waving, and that everyone in the parade was waving up at her, that she was a big deal. It sadly poured during the entire parade, but no one seemed phased. I guess it rains almost every year.
After enough parade watching for me I tried to head to the Tower of London. I got turned around, partly because of me and partly because of the parade route, so I ducked into St. Paul's Cathedral instead. It's a beautiful cathedral and I enjoyed walking up to the Rotunda. I could see the parade still going on from up there.
I then made it to the Tower of London where I walked around the entire property, learned lots of history, and got to admire the Crown Jewels. There was a guard with a fancy hat in front of the building housing the royal gems. Several people were taking photos of him, and then all of a sudden he did some stopping and changed his gun to his other hand. A little boy went running and screaming, I think he thought it was a statue. It was cute. The guard tried to hide his smile.
I then wandered over to the Tower Bridge and walked across it, walked along the "Queen's Walk" on the other side of the Thames, and then back across the London Bridge, where I had the childhood song in my head the entire time. Good thing it didn't fall down. Tower Bridge is much prettier than the London Bridge.
I couldn't get enough of these bridges, so I then walked over the Westminster Bridge after snapping a few photos of the Elizabeth Tower which holds Big Ben. I bought an evening ticket for the London Eye cause I had just seen city views from St. Paul's Catheral during the day, so thought a nighttime viewing was in order. I'm so glad I waited (sipping coffee at the Zen Cafe which is not so zen) as the view was spectacular with everything lit up. I think my favorite lighting-wise was the House of Parliament and the green lights coming from above the clock at Elizabeth Tower. After the ride I walked back on the Hungerford railway bridge which has pedestrian bridges alongside it.
Next stop was the Covent Garden neighborhood which my guidebook says has the best vegetarian restaurant. I got a workout in climbing the 193 stairs (=15 floors) from the train to the exit. There is an announcement when every train arrives that it's 193 steps and that if you have a health condition to please wait for the lift. Ha. People were taking breaks, laughing every time we heard the announcement as we were climbing, commiserating together. It was comical. Once I made it and caught my breath I wandered towards the indoor market the hood is famous for. As I was walking there I ducked into a discount theatre tickets store and scored a show for tomorrow night. The indoor market was nice, but soon after I arrived I went to find the Food for Thought restaurant, which is this tiny place that you order at the counter and can either sit in or take out. All the tables were full, so I got my veggie curry to go and went to sit on a stoop by the market. I ate and people watched. It was great; both the food and the people watching. Once I got a bit chilly I got up and started walking in Soho's direction. I passed a Havaianas store - apparently they are making rain boots now. Or maybe that's just in London. It did rain off-and-on all day. I found a bar that my guidebook recommended - Admiral Duncan. The guidebook didn't label it as a gay bar as it did others. Or even the neighborhood. But it didn't take me long to realize that's where I had planted myself. The cabaret theme, mostly male patrons, and drag DJ were clues, but I knew for sure when a guy walked into the ladies room and was shocked to see me there. That was a first. I love gay bars, but I have plenty of them in SF. Will try to find a typical British pub tomorrow. (But I did see that Admiral Duncan has karaoke on Monday's! I might be back..)I looked the bar up online because I was curious why the bouncer wanted to look in my bag. Sure enough a Neo-Nazi homophobe set off a bomb there in 1999. Sad. After I enjoyed my Pimm's Cup and IPA sitting next to the awkward old man sleeping at the bar, I headed home via Piccadilly Circus.
Walking down my street I passed a ton of important looking people in fancy outfits, several with medals. I asked the nicest policewoman where they were all coming from. Apparently the Royal British Legion just had a big something for Remembrance Day nearby, probably at Royal Albert Hall. The Queen was there and everything.
I got up early, had a light breakfast downstairs, and headed straight to the Portobello Road market in Notting Hill. I couldn't help but think of the movie 'Notting Hill' and Hugh's travel book shop. It was fun to walk around. The market is known for its antiques but it had everything. Many of the stores on that road put a stand in front of their store, along with other vendors. I walked up and down and all I bought was a coffee. I think my recent purge-fest in my apartment has me very picky about what I purchase, which is great. I was happy to be leaving when I did as there were hoards of people on their way to the market.
I took the tube to the Bank stop and there were several police around but I didn't think too much of it. When I got to the top of the stairs there were people blocking the exit. I assumed they were waiting for the rain to let up. But it turned out to be they were waiting for the Lord Mayor's parade to start. Every year a new Lord Mayor is chosen, and this show they put on dates back to before 1535. I managed to be right across the street from where the important people were. I got to see her (Fiona Wolf) sign important looking documents and then the parade started within 5 minutes of me getting there. I couldn't have planned it better if I had tried. She's the 686th Lord Mayor of London, but only the second woman to hold the position. I learned most of this online, post parade, but I could tell from her outfit, hat waving, and that everyone in the parade was waving up at her, that she was a big deal. It sadly poured during the entire parade, but no one seemed phased. I guess it rains almost every year.
After enough parade watching for me I tried to head to the Tower of London. I got turned around, partly because of me and partly because of the parade route, so I ducked into St. Paul's Cathedral instead. It's a beautiful cathedral and I enjoyed walking up to the Rotunda. I could see the parade still going on from up there.
I then made it to the Tower of London where I walked around the entire property, learned lots of history, and got to admire the Crown Jewels. There was a guard with a fancy hat in front of the building housing the royal gems. Several people were taking photos of him, and then all of a sudden he did some stopping and changed his gun to his other hand. A little boy went running and screaming, I think he thought it was a statue. It was cute. The guard tried to hide his smile.
I then wandered over to the Tower Bridge and walked across it, walked along the "Queen's Walk" on the other side of the Thames, and then back across the London Bridge, where I had the childhood song in my head the entire time. Good thing it didn't fall down. Tower Bridge is much prettier than the London Bridge.
I couldn't get enough of these bridges, so I then walked over the Westminster Bridge after snapping a few photos of the Elizabeth Tower which holds Big Ben. I bought an evening ticket for the London Eye cause I had just seen city views from St. Paul's Catheral during the day, so thought a nighttime viewing was in order. I'm so glad I waited (sipping coffee at the Zen Cafe which is not so zen) as the view was spectacular with everything lit up. I think my favorite lighting-wise was the House of Parliament and the green lights coming from above the clock at Elizabeth Tower. After the ride I walked back on the Hungerford railway bridge which has pedestrian bridges alongside it.
Next stop was the Covent Garden neighborhood which my guidebook says has the best vegetarian restaurant. I got a workout in climbing the 193 stairs (=15 floors) from the train to the exit. There is an announcement when every train arrives that it's 193 steps and that if you have a health condition to please wait for the lift. Ha. People were taking breaks, laughing every time we heard the announcement as we were climbing, commiserating together. It was comical. Once I made it and caught my breath I wandered towards the indoor market the hood is famous for. As I was walking there I ducked into a discount theatre tickets store and scored a show for tomorrow night. The indoor market was nice, but soon after I arrived I went to find the Food for Thought restaurant, which is this tiny place that you order at the counter and can either sit in or take out. All the tables were full, so I got my veggie curry to go and went to sit on a stoop by the market. I ate and people watched. It was great; both the food and the people watching. Once I got a bit chilly I got up and started walking in Soho's direction. I passed a Havaianas store - apparently they are making rain boots now. Or maybe that's just in London. It did rain off-and-on all day. I found a bar that my guidebook recommended - Admiral Duncan. The guidebook didn't label it as a gay bar as it did others. Or even the neighborhood. But it didn't take me long to realize that's where I had planted myself. The cabaret theme, mostly male patrons, and drag DJ were clues, but I knew for sure when a guy walked into the ladies room and was shocked to see me there. That was a first. I love gay bars, but I have plenty of them in SF. Will try to find a typical British pub tomorrow. (But I did see that Admiral Duncan has karaoke on Monday's! I might be back..)I looked the bar up online because I was curious why the bouncer wanted to look in my bag. Sure enough a Neo-Nazi homophobe set off a bomb there in 1999. Sad. After I enjoyed my Pimm's Cup and IPA sitting next to the awkward old man sleeping at the bar, I headed home via Piccadilly Circus.
Walking down my street I passed a ton of important looking people in fancy outfits, several with medals. I asked the nicest policewoman where they were all coming from. Apparently the Royal British Legion just had a big something for Remembrance Day nearby, probably at Royal Albert Hall. The Queen was there and everything.
Friday, November 8, 2013
London
I'm in London!
The travel here was seamless. Flights were fine and on-time. Actually we landed an hour early in London. It was easy to figure out how to take the tube from Heathrow to downtown London. Right before my stop (Gloucester Road) it started to rain, but it was still a pleasant walk to my hostel. Although my feet were barking. I bought these boots specifically for this trip - great support, waterproof, and warm. Even though I had preventative moleskin on my heels, my skin still is a bit irritated. Am hoping it will get better, but if it doesn't I will power through! The book I'm reading is Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island" about his time living in and exploring England. Several passages have struck me, but this I wrote down as a reminder to myself - "the trick of successful walking, I always say, is knowing when to stop".
So...I think I'm in for the night. As much as I want to go walk around, I think it best to rest my feet and go to bed early (I barely slept on the flights). But first I'll tell you what I did and saw earlier today.
I walked to the hostel (on Queen's Gate in South Kensington) to drop off my bag, and headed right back out since check-in is after 2pm. It had stopped raining. I walked up to the edge of Hyde Park and walked east on Kensington Road. Soaked in some sights as I dried off, people watched as I walked slowly, peaking into buildings in a non-creepy sort of way. Saw a small sign where JFK lived for two years. Snapped a few photos of beautiful buildings and architecture. I wasn't really ready to pull out my map and guidebook to read about where I was, I just wanted to walk and enjoy what I saw. Think it was fatigue based.
I walked basically to the edge of Hyde Park and decided to turn around (feet inspired). I then spotted Harrods, which is hard to miss (it's 5 acres and 5 stories tall). Since I had heard of it and probably seen it in movies, I thought a quick walk through would be good. It is massive. I walked in one of the five entrances and was completely overwhelmed. It's a lot of little rooms leading to other rooms. I took the escalator up to the top floor, and then back down, soaking in the various designs and Egyptian-esque decor. Someone told me to get pizza or ice cream in Harrods. I could not find either, but I did find a really amazing market downstairs. I had no idea all that it had in there. I thought it was a glorified Nordstrom. Now I know. When I finally found a way out, I had come to the entrance with a concierge and map - that was helpful. I then went and found where the pizza and ice cream was, but wanted something a bit more quaint. So I wandered around and saw several Parisian cafes. Since I'll be there soon I skipped those and settled into Richoux across from one of the Harrods entrances. There were several tables of tourists - at one of them all 6 people ordered the fish & chips. I feel a bit like I'm missing out experiencing that tradition, but I also felt better seeing the locals next to me all ordered Italian fare (as did I).
After a pleasant lunch, it still wasn't time to check in yet, so I wandered into a pub for a pint. Naturally. It took me a minute to get used to the room temperature of the cask beer, but it was quite good. As I was reading my book enjoying my beer, I could feel my 500-pound eyelids. I thought about going to the hostel earlier and taking a nap in their lounge room, but I managed to wait. As soon as it was close to 2pm I headed out. And of course it started raining, but all I could think of was a hot shower and a nap. Both were amazing and much needed. And that's today.
Anecdotes/Side-notes:
1. On my first flight to Dallas the man with his family to my left were headed to Florida to celebrate his father's 100th birthday. Once we landed I overheard the group of 6 traveling to my right that they were heading to their father's second memorial service. His widow was with them. I took a deep breath and reflected at the two opposite worlds I was between for three hours.
2. Poppy - I saw several people wearing a red poppy on their lapel for Remembrance Day. Imagine I'll see that a lot the next few days.
3. Left side. Right side. I definitely felt like I was going to get hit several times today. But it wasn't because I was looking the wrong way (the big painted 'look left' and 'look right' are super helpful). It was more because pedestrians don't seem to have the right of way here. Something Bryson mentioned in his book too. So I started to slow down more at crosswalks and follow the locals lead, or join in on the other gutsy tourists trying to simply cross the street!
4. It is definitely interesting to see the opposite-side-of-the-road driving, but what trips me out more is seeing the steering wheel on the right side.
The travel here was seamless. Flights were fine and on-time. Actually we landed an hour early in London. It was easy to figure out how to take the tube from Heathrow to downtown London. Right before my stop (Gloucester Road) it started to rain, but it was still a pleasant walk to my hostel. Although my feet were barking. I bought these boots specifically for this trip - great support, waterproof, and warm. Even though I had preventative moleskin on my heels, my skin still is a bit irritated. Am hoping it will get better, but if it doesn't I will power through! The book I'm reading is Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island" about his time living in and exploring England. Several passages have struck me, but this I wrote down as a reminder to myself - "the trick of successful walking, I always say, is knowing when to stop".
So...I think I'm in for the night. As much as I want to go walk around, I think it best to rest my feet and go to bed early (I barely slept on the flights). But first I'll tell you what I did and saw earlier today.
I walked to the hostel (on Queen's Gate in South Kensington) to drop off my bag, and headed right back out since check-in is after 2pm. It had stopped raining. I walked up to the edge of Hyde Park and walked east on Kensington Road. Soaked in some sights as I dried off, people watched as I walked slowly, peaking into buildings in a non-creepy sort of way. Saw a small sign where JFK lived for two years. Snapped a few photos of beautiful buildings and architecture. I wasn't really ready to pull out my map and guidebook to read about where I was, I just wanted to walk and enjoy what I saw. Think it was fatigue based.
I walked basically to the edge of Hyde Park and decided to turn around (feet inspired). I then spotted Harrods, which is hard to miss (it's 5 acres and 5 stories tall). Since I had heard of it and probably seen it in movies, I thought a quick walk through would be good. It is massive. I walked in one of the five entrances and was completely overwhelmed. It's a lot of little rooms leading to other rooms. I took the escalator up to the top floor, and then back down, soaking in the various designs and Egyptian-esque decor. Someone told me to get pizza or ice cream in Harrods. I could not find either, but I did find a really amazing market downstairs. I had no idea all that it had in there. I thought it was a glorified Nordstrom. Now I know. When I finally found a way out, I had come to the entrance with a concierge and map - that was helpful. I then went and found where the pizza and ice cream was, but wanted something a bit more quaint. So I wandered around and saw several Parisian cafes. Since I'll be there soon I skipped those and settled into Richoux across from one of the Harrods entrances. There were several tables of tourists - at one of them all 6 people ordered the fish & chips. I feel a bit like I'm missing out experiencing that tradition, but I also felt better seeing the locals next to me all ordered Italian fare (as did I).
After a pleasant lunch, it still wasn't time to check in yet, so I wandered into a pub for a pint. Naturally. It took me a minute to get used to the room temperature of the cask beer, but it was quite good. As I was reading my book enjoying my beer, I could feel my 500-pound eyelids. I thought about going to the hostel earlier and taking a nap in their lounge room, but I managed to wait. As soon as it was close to 2pm I headed out. And of course it started raining, but all I could think of was a hot shower and a nap. Both were amazing and much needed. And that's today.
Anecdotes/Side-notes:
1. On my first flight to Dallas the man with his family to my left were headed to Florida to celebrate his father's 100th birthday. Once we landed I overheard the group of 6 traveling to my right that they were heading to their father's second memorial service. His widow was with them. I took a deep breath and reflected at the two opposite worlds I was between for three hours.
2. Poppy - I saw several people wearing a red poppy on their lapel for Remembrance Day. Imagine I'll see that a lot the next few days.
3. Left side. Right side. I definitely felt like I was going to get hit several times today. But it wasn't because I was looking the wrong way (the big painted 'look left' and 'look right' are super helpful). It was more because pedestrians don't seem to have the right of way here. Something Bryson mentioned in his book too. So I started to slow down more at crosswalks and follow the locals lead, or join in on the other gutsy tourists trying to simply cross the street!
4. It is definitely interesting to see the opposite-side-of-the-road driving, but what trips me out more is seeing the steering wheel on the right side.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wanderlust
Preparing for this trip and thinking about the adventures to come made me realize I think I'm at my happiest when I'm traveling. Or at least it's extremely high up there. I think I already knew that, but it's nice to come to the same conclusion, again.
I also really enjoy writing in this blog. It's been two years since my last post. I have been out of the country, but I don't blog when I go home to Brazil, and I didn't think it would be appropriate to blog when I was in Nicaragua for a course.
But for the next few weeks I'll be blogging from England, Belgium & France. Excited!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)