And that photograph has a story of its own! David and Faye have been married for 33 years. They are still madly in love with each other. In December 2004 we decided to travel overseas to the UK and Paris. While visiting the Louvre Museum the lights went out! Electricity was off and security was frantic. Nobody was actively monitoring the Mona Lisa and thus it presented the perfect opportunity for the perfect kiss!
Tonight dinner was had at a small pub/restaurant recommended by the hotel concierge. The place had excellent atmosphere! Food was great too.
]]>St. Michael's cathedral is around the corner. I snap some photographs and we head to the Louvre.
As expected, the entrance line is long. Dad and I leave mom in the outside line - snaking around the famed glass triangle. The Louvre's courtyard sports a mechanical drummer boy. He is nested up along the roof and rhythmically beats his drum. You have to take a double glance because at first he seems lifelike. You know he can't be real but Yesterday when we were at the Louvre we saw a museum entrance outside the RER train station. Dad and I head downstairs to see if the line is shorter. It is, but when I go back for mom she has already entered the museum. Problem is, you can't get down into the museum without waiting in the line! Bottom line: we reunite about an hour later. This bit of fact becomes relevant due to the timing.
Our tickets are purchased. The second floor of the Scully X building is our destination. Here the famed Feast of Cannon and Mona Lisa are displayed. [The museum says 6 million people visit the museum each year to view the Mona Lisa. The painting was taken off public display Monday but will be reopened Wednesday to the public in the Salle des Etats. The famous portrait, believed to be of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of an obscure Florentine merchant, was painted between 1503 and 1506 on a thin panel of wood. The artist brought the painting to France in 1517. It has been in the Louvre since 1804.] But as we reach the top step of the 2nd floor the lights go out. Every light, all around, is off. Emergency exit lighting is not working or is not installed. The place is totally dark with just a few green emergency exit signs lit. People are using their cell phones to display the path. Security's response was not expected: they did nothing. There was no immediate closure, there was no announcement made calming people. We (along with hundreds of others) were able to wander the dark Scully X building for an hour before security started to ask people to leave! It was almost like a James Bond movie. You fully expected a dark clad man to repel from the ceiling and start cutting away artwork. Unless security cameras were infrared I guarantee you they saw nothing. We passed at least one little shop and the poor cashier didn't know what to do. There was no security around her - anybody could have grabbed merchandise.
We wandered to the far end and found the Mona Lisa. This room was, thankfully, lit. Da Vinci's most famous painting is much smaller than I had imagined. Mona Lisa is framed behind an oversized glass enclosure and roped off. Photographs are "strictly" prohibited. But with security guards off doing God knows what in the darkness everybody was photographing the exhibit. Cell phone cameras, 35mm cameras, any and every digital type of camera were all shooting the artwork. And yes, most all were using a flash. Security didn't care - they were non existent! After a while I believe they stopped letting people into the Scully building. This made it great because at one point there was practically nobody viewing the Mona Lisa!
There were a few other famed pieces lit but most all were dark. Finally, security starts asking people to leave. We've had enough and want a refund - it seems like quite a few others do as well. The line at service is growing and is being headed up by an Indian looking lady who is speaking French and English to the attendant. Long story short is that we get to talk to a supervisor (speaking only French) and are gladly offered vouchers to come back tomorrow. (We have plans for tomorrow and they don't include the Lourve, therefore, that doesn't help us!) Admitting they are responsibly is good, however, they declare they just can't refund money. With three vouchers in hand we head off. For good measure (ok, pleasure) I take one of the vouchers and sell it (hey, we can get our money back some way).
It's dinner time and we are getting tired.
Grocery shopping is always a neat way to compare prices. There was a fair sized store in the Latin quarter. We went in and perused their shelves. Tropicana Orange juice runs from 2.60 euros to 3.05 euros. They have almost all of the American cereals such as Cheerios, Frosted Flakes, etc. Prices are comparable to the US excluding the dollars exchange rate. We had found butter to be an expensive commodity. (At one restaurant we were charged 1 euro for 3 little squares of butter.) In the store it was fairly priced. They had all the meats one would expect from pork to beef to veal. Coke is sold in 2 liter bottles. The store was running a special whereby you got eight 2 liter bottles for about 8 euros. Not a bad price!
It is now back to the hotel and time for bed.
]]>Travel note: purchase your Versailles entrance tickets along with your train ticket. It saved us two long lines and added benefits such as audio headsets and parliament entry.
One of three Paris parliament buildings is located at Versailles. The theatre, per say, is within the parliament museum. We view the parliament building but breeze through the museum.
King's and Queen's chambers are the most famed rooms at Versailles. There is artwork galore - most of which we skip noting that we'll see better at the Louvre.
Shopping along Hausemann street was our nighttime activity. And it seemed that most all of Paris was there. Navigating the stores and sidewalks was a challenge. The Galleries Lafeyette is the cornerstone. Like Harrods of London, Macy's on New York's 5th avenue, and Marshall Fields in Chicago, this is a one-stop shop.
I stopped along Hausemann street to take some night shots and got separated from the parents. We met up a little later at the hotel and went to dinner.
]]>Descending provided the killer views. Nighttime was approaching and the city was lighting up. Christmas lights along Champs des Elyess and the well lit river boats cruising the Seine brought Paris to life.
Across the river is a slew of pastry shops. Mom, dad and I select a few dinner and desert pastries. Then it's down river to catch the river boat cruise.
Our cruise takes us all the way up the Seine past the Louve then back around the Paris version of our Statue of Liberty.
]]>And before that, many think Boxing Day came out of Medieval England. There the gentry would give their servants who, of course, had to work on Christmas Day, on the next day after Christmas a box filled with goods, coins, cloth, tools, fruit.
But, before that, it would seem on this day the churches would open their poor boxes and distribute whatever was in them to the needy of the community. This, I think is important. Here, I believe, we begin a turning into something compelling. Now we are moving into the ancient and dark and mysterious where the light can be discerned and collected. Here we are at a point of serving the vast web of relationships. Here something holy is going on. Here that light dreamt by so many begins to gather.
At the north tip of Hyde Park is Speaker's corner. Each Sunday anybody and everybody can come, get on their soapbox, and speak their mind. Topics range from politics to religion to mumblings. Dad and I walked up (it's just 2 blocks from the hotel) to see who was performing this morning. Only one black guy was there. He was surrounded by about eight individuals. Frankly, he had nothing to say but said many words. I believe he was rambling about religion, but don't quote me on it.
Dad had yet seen the changing of the guard. We walked down to Buckingham Palace and got a front row seat. The best seat is just to the left of the main gates and right up front. You have to arrive mighty early to gain a decent position. The guard changes at 11:30 am every other day during the winter months.
Today is our last day in downtown London. We pack and ride the metro LHR. Security to Paris is definitely more relaxed then in the US. Nobody has to remove coats or shoes; laptops do not have come out their bags; and the general impression is a more hassle-free atmosphere. Boarding passes are checked before you enter the gate area. Air France, our carrier, buses us out to the plane. Not all their gates have a jet-way. The flight is uneventful. Air France serves complimentary beverages to all cabin passengers - including alcohol. Way different from the US carriers!
Landing at Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport finally makes me realize I'm no longer in the states. Traveling through Scotland and London was unique but at times you would think you had not left the States. No longer the case! We made our way to the Sorties (exits), found an ATM and retrieved 100 euros, then gingerly purchased train tickets to downtown. That was my first experience communicating with a French national. Fortunately, almost everyone we encountered spoke at least "a little" English. (I would say 70% of the people we spoke to in French knew "a little" English. That was the common answer to "do you speak English?")
Communicating and navigating CDG was such a new, overwhelming, and exhilarating time that we forgot about personal security. And it almost cost us (me). Let me setup the situation. Imagine my dad, my mom and myself sitting on a metro train traveling to downtown. We are trying to interrupt the map to find our transfer stop while confirming we are heading the right direction. Also remember everything is in French. We have two bags a piece. My day camera bag is snapped over one of our roller boards. Most of our luggage is in the booth of seats with me. Mom and dad are sitting the next booth back. I'm right next to the door, my back turned away from the door. About five stops into the trip somebody taps me on the shoulder. Of course, I turn around and look. The man (Hispanic decent, ~35ish) asks which endpoint the train is heading towards. I stand and point. He speaks French, I do not, so it takes a minute. He does not seem to be getting it so I turn back around. As I am turning I see a second man (black also ~30's) moving away from my camera bag. Dad is standing up coming towards the bags. It still doesn't click, until I look and see the camera bag half unzipped and unclipped from the roller board. Then it hits me like a bag of bricks - the textbook distract, grab and run scam. Thankfully, they failed! But what makes this story really interesting is that my camera was housed in my camera/laptop bag at my feet. Only apples were in my day camera bag. I almost wished they had taken it!
This incident was probably the best thing that happened. We all had become complacent. Never in London or Scotland did I ever feel threatened or insecure. After the failed distract, grab and run we were much more aware and protective. The bottom line is this: while in public watch your belongings like a hawk. Do not sit near a train's exit. And never leave an object easily distinguishable (eg. camera bag) in the open!
Wow. With that behind us we get off at Chatlet and transfer to the yellow line to George V. Navigating the French metro is not simple, at first. Arrows do not always point in the direction you should walk. We saw numerous examples where arrows point in opposite directions (side by side signs) to a location! Our final destination was Chatelle de Gualle. The Arc de Troumpe stares us in the face when we exit to street level. The arc unites about seven different roads. Its massive structure is a great Paris greeting.
The hotel is wonderful. It's the five star Starwood property, Prince de Galles, on George V avenue. George V intersects with Champs des Elyess - a main thoroughfare connecting the Arc de Troumpe and Concorde place. The staff is accommodating (English speaking, too) and the room is nicely furnished. Mom believes the bathroom here is the best we've had. She has fallen in love with the towel warmers.
Tonight we meander over a few streets and locate a French restaurant. They speak some English but we have to point and explain a lot. Smiling and talking very slow seems to help.
The day has been long and it is now bedtime.
]]>The Royal postal service and the Piccadilly line (tube) workers are on-strike. Tonight we watched Chevy Chases Christmas.
]]>The Queen and Ben Elton musical comedy, "We Will Rock You", was performed at the Dominion Theatre off of Oxford Street. This West London theatre district has a theatre on each corner, practically. The shows premise is thus: 2070 is the year; GlobalSoft has banned all musical instruments and all independent musical thinking. Teens robotically perform the company's music. Two rouge "thinkers", a guy and girl, come together (literally) to break the mold, find the one remaining instrument (an electronic guitar) and start making music again. It's about defeating the Stalin one-world style monopoly and allowing independent thinking. The finale of We Will Rock You, We are the Champions and Bohemian Rhapsody truly engaged the audience and provided a fabulous end of show.
Dad left Dulles today heading to Manchester than London LHR. He should arrive around noon tomorrow.
]]>Second, a few more things I'm noticing. All electrical outlets are switched. There is a switch right beside the plug. Bathrooms have their light switches (for the most part) outside the room. Many Brit's end their verbal conversation with the greeting "cheers." Text messaging is rampant here. You see everybody from the oldest grandma to young kids textin'. Every fifth television commercial, it seems, advertise ring tones that you can text and receive. Want the crazy frog? Text Sound2 to 86104. Restaurant service tends to be spottier and less prompt. You frequently must ask to have water refilled. Bread isn't a common starter on the table.
Sometimes you need a translator to understand a Englishman's speaking. Here are some examples: pensioner = an old person; queue = a line (eg. you must wait in a queue to buy tickets); quid = an English pound; a drink driver = a drunk driver.
]]>There are many little shops. Scottish scarves are sold everywhere. Mom buys up a scarf then comes back later to buy more for gifts. You can buy a full Scottish kilt outfit, if you have 99 to spend. Need full armor? You can buy that too for about 1,200.
The tourism and visitor center is located in an old cathedral. (1061, 1062)
St. Giles' cathedral was the church of John Knox during the Reformation. Its stained glass is its forte. Inside sits a huge pipe organ. (1064-1072)
Walkways between buildings are called "closes". (1094, 1115, 1124, 1143) For example, there is the Anchor Close. (1094) Aptly these are named; there is limited space between each. We find Advocate's Close. There sits Edinburgh's oldest house at No. 8 Advocate's Close. It was built for the merchant Thomas Harvey in 1470. The home has been used as a brass foundry, blacksmith's workshop, Song School and more. DOM, a Scottish arts charity, maintains the premises today. There are three floors each with a different style and history. (1078-1086)
Memorial's to fallen Scotsmen contain the phrase "their name liveth for everymore." We see this along the Royal Mile and also at the Edinburgh castle. (1093)
The Tron Kirk is next. (1101-1108) "350 years ago in 1637 the foundation of Christ's Kirk at the Tron was laid over the upper parts of the much earlier Marlin's Wynd, the remains of which can be seen inside the building. Important in the history of Edinburgh and the story of Scotland the Tron amply fills a strategic position on the Royal Mile close to the site of the old salt Tron or public weighbeam from which derives its name. The tower and spiral provide a landmark on the famous skyline of the Old Town."
You can't help but smile when you see the World's End photographs. (1143,1147)
The rock structure in photograph 1162 provides a sky's eye view of the Royal Mile.
Towards the end of the mile sits the current Scottish Parliament Queensberry house. And what a site it is. Its modern dcor is unlike anything else in the city, bar none. (1183-1192) The Queen's Gallery and Palace at Holyrood is across the street. (1193, 1195) Once the home of Mary, Queen of Scots, Holyrood remains a working palace today.
Lunch is eaten at Piemakers. This Great Britain favorite was named best takeout in Scotland the past three years.
Our Royal Mile history walk concludes and it's time for dinner. On the way I stop to photograph town at night. (1205, 1208) You can see the Edinburgh castle in the distance. (1211) Jennings is the oldest department store in the world. (1212, 1213)
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