Vonda is Headed to Texas!

Vonda is headed to Texas tomorrow, Wednesday, to spend some quality time with friends and family during the holidays. Edgar will join the fun on December 20th. This will be our longest time apart since we've been married and I hope the days pass quickly!

I've got a long flight tomorrow...10 hours to Houston and then another hour to Austin. Thankfully, my best friend Amber will be waiting for me at the bottom of the Austin-Bergstrom airport escalator...I get teary eyed just thinking about it!

The photo above was taken this past weekend in Trafalgar Square. Edgar and I spent Sunday wondering around the city taking in all the Christmas sites. We did the German market/festival in Hyde Park, walked past Buckingham Palace, which had no decoration at all, and then finished up in front of the Christmas tree,which is donated to London every year by Oslo, Norway. As a warm-up to our Texas trip, we stopped at the Texas Embassy for some nachos...they were pretty good and that place just feels like home.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

We all know London can get pretty cold this time of year. Click here to see how Edgar and I occupy our time during these long, dark months.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY BABY

Today is Edgar's birthday! Isn't he so cute at 8 months old? Can you even recognize him? I love you, Babe, and I'm so happy you came into the world 34 years ago. You are a constant source of inspiration and I am so happy to be sharing my life with you. I hope you have a great day and that this next year is even more exciting than the last.

A Milestone, 40 Years in the Making

There are many milestones in life...first tooth, walking, graduations, marriage, children. Today, my dad celebrates a major milestone in his life. He is retiring. At 5pm, he will close a chapter in his life that has been open for 40 years. That's right...he's been the "telephone man" for 40 years now.

Dad, I am so happy for you. You have worked hard your entire life, not just the past 40 years. I look forward to seeing what projects you will take on and how your hobbies will flourish. So, get the hammer polished and practice your aim at the alarm clock. Monday morning is your new beginning...the best is yet to come.

SUCCESS

Well, I have to say that my first big solo Thanksgiving was a success! Despite a few logistical setbacks...late start and roasting pan that didn't fit in Charlie's oven...we pulled it off and everything tasted very good. In fact, I even got some recipe requests, the biggest compliment a cook can receive!

A small correction...Charlie's friends are Norwegian, not Swedish. I was most worried that they wouldn't care for the dishes since the Norwegian diet is so completely different, but they lived in the US, Houston actually, for about 3 years, so it wasn't completely out there for them.

I will post a photo of the turkey as soon as I get one. Somehow my camera got left in my purse all evening and we failed to get any pictures. Charlie is sending some along though, so I'll get them uploaded when I can.

How was your Thanksgiving? Are you out of leftovers yet?

The Big Day is Here!

Well, I've been cooking for hours and tomorrow is the big day. I sincerely hope everything turns out with all the different ingredients I've had to use. It should be interesting. Most everything I've tasted has been quite on par even without the molasses and Cheez Whiz. Now it's midnight, my feet hurt, and I'm tired. Guess I should get rested for before the craziness begins.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

I just want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving today. I hope you enjoy time with your family and friends and take a respite from your busy lives.

I invite you to post a "thankful thought" in the comments section and keep visiting to reflect on everything we have to be thankful for.

Talkin' Turkey

Since we won't make it home for Thanksgiving, Edgar and I are teaming up with Charlie's family and some of her Swedish friends (who knew Thanksgiving could be so international!) for a feast like none other...well, except for maybe my mom's. I can't promise dressing as flavorful or turkey quite as moist as my mom's, but I'm certainly going to try. Since Edgar and Shawn have to work on Thursday, we will be celebrating on Saturday. Today I headed to the grocery store for the big shopping trip. This is my experience of shopping for a holiday not celebrated in England...

I was super organized with a printed list, created in Excel, and categorized by supermarket sections. I was worried about not being able to find a few items, namely the cornbread and biscuits for the dressing. I had cornmeal imported a few months ago via a friend and Gatwick airport. Biscuits...this one is a little tricky since, over here, biscuits are cookies. Sure enough, no biscuits to be found. They just don't eat them here. I guess the closest thing may be a scone, but I didn't want to chance an experiment on my first big Thanksgiving dinner. So after a panicked flip through my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook, I found a recipe. Guess they'll be homemade! So far, so good.

Next challenge...molasses for the baked beans. Over here, they eat baked beans all the time. They are a staple for the "Traditional English Breakfast". But these aren't baked beans as we think of them, they are just good ole pork and beans. Heinz just changes the label to say "Baked Beans" instead of "Pork & Beans". In fact, the pork & bean selection is as big as the soup selection, no joke! A nice worker in the frozen food section helped me locate the frozen broccoli for the broccoli-rice casserole (another story) and I told him he would make me really happy if he could find some molasses for me. He said, "Oh yes, we don't have molasses here, we haven't had molasses since 1953, when we couldn't get the "black treacle"". I don't know why they couldn't get black treacle in 1953, since it is made in the UK. Nonetheless, he assured me that black treacle is very similar to molasses (apparently, molasses is just a fancy name for black treacle), and he gave me a personal escort to its location...what a guy! I told him if the baked beans don't turn out, I will look for him next time I am in the store.

Last obstacle is Cheese Whiz for the broccoli-rice casserole. I'm not a big fan of Cheese Whiz, but it tastes really yummy in this casserole. Over here, you are hard pressed to find cheese that isn't the real thing. They take their cheese very seriously and to produce something not made from some animal's milk and call it cheese would just be blasphemy. I am substituting Emmental cheese instead, so we'll see how it turns out.

In addition to these dishes, we are having all the traditional trimmings-cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc. I am getting a bit nervous, but I figure after 30 years of watching, it's time to do some doing. I'll let you know how it goes!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Amidst the cold and rain, Charlie and I walked Richmond Park this morning. All 7 miles of it. And good thing Charlie is from Sweden, where the winters are long and harsh, or else I would have no one to coax me out of my warm and cozy home. It's one of my favorite things to do here because there is always something new to see. The deer are always a hit and right now the leaves are changing, so everything is gold and red...so beautiful. As we were rounding our final corner for the home stretch, a beautiful rainbow just appeared out of nowhere. As I looked closer, I could actually see the end of the rainbow, right there in the trees about 50 feet in front of me.
I guess I can cross that one off my life list!

I didn't see a pot of gold or a box of Lucky Charms, but I did find Lucky Charms in Selfridge's on Oxford Street last weekend...for $14 a box!

The Fire in London

Some of you may be seeing the reports of a fire in East London. As far as I have heard it's an abandoned warehouse that was set to be demolished in the next few months to make room for the 2012 Olympic campus. It's in east London near Edgar's office in Canary Wharf...well not really near, but in the far vicinity...so I'm sure he'll give me the full report when he gets home. Thanks to everyone for your emails and concern.

Familiar Faces, Familiar Food

We had our first visitors from Gatesville this weekend! OK, so they didn't actually come here to visit us nor did they come to our flat, but they were in London and we met up with them...that counts, right? Edwin and DeDe Powell are here in London catching all the big sites and we finally connected with the world travellers at a little cafe behind Harrod's. With it being their first trip to London, Edgar and I were fully prepared to give them the low down on the tube and the who/what/why to visit, but we quickly found out that these guys needed no help at all. They are pros at public transportation and they already had their itinerary lined up. It was so nice to see some familiar faces and they promised they would be our ambassadors for London. Thanks, Edwin and DeDe, for taking the time to see us. It really meant the world to me.

Today, Edgar and I traveled back to Oxford Street to get into the holiday spirit. I was very excited to see all the window displays in the big department stores of Debenham's and Selfridge's. They were Ok, but not quite what I was expecting from a city as large as London.

I am very homesick for BBQ and Mexican food and with my hopes shattered on finding any true Mexican food here, I thought I would give the BBQ a try. I had heard from a friend that I could find "real" BBQ in a place called Bodean's, near Oxford Street. We didn't need a map. Our noses found it about a block away. It was on par with any BBQ I've had in Texas and to top it off, they keep the TV's on the North American Sports Network, so we even got to watch college football! I had a tear in my eye and a smile on my face as we made our way to Selfridge's to sample Christmas chocolates. What a great weekend!

In Da Club

Charlie invited me to join a Book Club a few months ago. I missed the first meeting because I was in Greece...thankfully they all understood and didn't kick me out. So last night was the second meeting and I finally got to join in on the fun and meet up with 5 glamorous women to eat good food, drink wine, talk...and, oh yeah, discuss the book. Charlie chose the book and hosted. It was very appropriate that she chose Astrid & Veronika by Swedish author Linda Olsson. Much of the book is set in Sweden so not only is it a beautiful story of friendship, but we also got to learn about some of Swedish Charlie's culture. It all just made me want to pick berries in the forest and dance around the Maypole.

The next "meeting" will be at the end of January, which means I will have a great book to keep me occupied on those long plane rides to and from TEXAS!

Deer in Richmond Park

I love Richmond Park. About a 10 minute walk from our flat, it's 2500 acres of nature with miles and miles of walking/jogging, biking, and horse riding trails. The perimeter is approximately 7 miles, which makes for a nice little exercise outing. The fact that it is hilly makes it a perfect place to cycle and world class cyclists do come out here to practice. One of the main attractions of the park is the fact that it holds the Queen's deer...all 650 of them...although they have just begun the culling season, so some of them won't be with us for much longer. Everytime we go to the park, I say I'm going to take some photos of these amazing creatures, but I keep forgetting my camera. Well, today was the day. The sun was shining and the air was brisk...we put on our shoes and started deer hunting. Sorry to Bill, John, Greg, and James...they don't open the cull season to the public.

EdVon's Bella Italia

What can I say about Italy, except "Mama Mia!" I knew this country would be completely different than the others we have visited this year. Italy is passionate-the people, the cities, the food, the gelato! We had so much fun and I can't wait to tell you about it. I hope you enjoy my story and I hope it inspires you to travel there one day yourself (if you haven't already been, that is). We flew into Marco Polo airport in Venice, which is where the adventure begins...

Venice

I had mixed feelings about visiting Venezia, the city of islands (117 to be exact). Once a stronghold for shipping, it's been a tourist haven for hundreds of years. Because Edgar and I generally try to experience the authenticity of the places we visit, we purposely seek out the roads less traveled and avoid the pull of the masses. But it's Venice. If you travel to Italy and pass up Venice, you might as well visit Texas and not eat the BBQ (for shame!).

We flew in late on Wednesday evening, which means we were thrust into the world of water buses (vaporettos) in a foreign city in the dark. It wasn't so bad though. The vaporettos have line numbers and routes in the same way as buses on land. There is only one main Grand Canal, so you can't really get lost.

We stayed at the Le Mansarde B&B (sorry, they don't have a website, but are very popular with Rick Steves gurus) in the Cannaregio area, the original ghetto. No seriously! "Getto" is the Italian word for the process of casting, which happens at a foundry. During the 16th century and because of their beliefs, Jews were forced to live in this isolated area near the foundry (or getto), where officials could lock the bridge connecting them to the outside world at night (only Jewish doctors were allowed out to treat the Venetians). The word has now evolved into ghetto, which is generally descriptive of a run down area of town occupied by a minority group. However, this area is far from a "ghetto" now. In a city as small as Venice, one would think the entire place would crawl with tourists, but this little region is often overlooked and undervalued. It is here that you can get a taste of authentic Venice...street markets, local shops, bakeries, and no crowds. It is in a perfect location, close to the train station (which means a shorter lugging distance for bags), the Rialto Bridge buzzing with market stalls of all types, and only about a 15 minute walk to the more visited and famous area of St. Marks's Piazza.

We did not take the famous gondola ride. Sorry to disappoint. It's $125...that's alot of wine! Maybe if we were on our honeymoon or proposing a certain question, it would have been worth it. We opted instead to take the No. 1 vaporetto, which sails the entire length of the Grand Canal and costs only about $10. Just have your sweetie sing in your ear and you'll get the full experience. We armed ourselves with the Rick Steves Italy guidebook and had full descriptions of every important building we passed along the way. We landed at Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) and took a trip to the top of the Campanile (bell tower) to get a towering view of the city...highly recommended. We then checked our bags at a nearby church, which allowed us to skip the very long line at St. Mark's Basilica (good tip-otherwise you'll wait for hours). You can see from the photos that the basilica is amazing on the outside...very ornate with multiple domes. We weren't allowed to take photos on the inside, but it was equally as beautiful. When laying the foundation, they used the best marble on the outside perimeter and of lesser quality further inward toward the center. Therefore, the floor is not level, in fact it rolls...kind of cool to see. We were then off to the island of Murano, famous for glass making. You could spend days strolling through the different shops. Surprisingly, even though they all sell the products of the master glass makers, each shop has something a little different. Very rarely will you see the same thing twice. After getting a few souvenirs of our own, we stopped off at the Glass Factory to see how it's done. It's pretty amazing to see these guys bend and shape this delicate glass into ornate designs...lots of fire.

Before jumping on the train bound for Florence, we made one last site seeing stop at the Frari Church. It's a little known church, but contains one of the largest collections of fine art in situ, which means it is displayed as it was meant to be before getting carted off to galleries or museums. Inside is the tomb of Titian, and several of his famous paintings which rose him to stardom, and a famous Michelangelo wood carving of St. John the Baptist.

Florence

Florence is considered the birthplace of the modern world, where the Renaissance began. It was the home of Machiavelli, Michelangelo, and the Medici family. It is full of art, history, culture-you can hardly wrap your fingers around it. The Duomo is truly amazing. When I first walked up to it, I was speechless. So decorated, so huge, so much detail. It's really hard to imagine how something so grand could have been built so long ago (1296, but took 150 years to complete). A competition to design the dome was won by Brunelleschi, the first dome of its kind since antiquity.

With one single phone call, you can reserve an entry time into the Accademia Gallery, home of Michelangelo's David, and the Uffizi Gallery. Please do this. I don't know why people DON'T do this. As we waited a fleeting five minutes to enter the Uffizi, we scoffed at the long line of people waiting to get in without a reservation. It was easily a 2 hour wait-during the off season! We took an audio guided tour through the gallery and exited around 4:30pm. Our Accademia reservation wasn't until the next day, but we wanted to rent a car and tour the Tuscan countryside instead, so we hopped over just to see how the wait was looking. It was nonexistent. We just walked right in. I guess if you don't have a reservation, just go really late in the day when the coach tour buses have left and everyone else is taking a gelato break. I couldn't believe I got to see David with my own two eyes. It is truly amazing that a sculpture towering 13 ft. in height can be so perfect. He was carved out of a single piece of marble, which is also mind blowing that someone is this talented. Because what do you do when you accidentally chisel off too much chest muscle? You can't really put it back on. Every single detail was perfect from his curly hair to his toenails. Some of his body parts are out of proportion, such as a too large head, eyes, and hands, but some critics say that the sculpture was meant to be for a rooftop, so he did it on purpose to make these features stand out. Other critics say "Big giant (Goliath), big hands"-kind of like the biblical story represented in marble.

We decided to rent a car on our second day in Florence so we could explore the Tuscan countryside. We drove through the Chianti region, which is famous for its wine. We saw beautiful vistas of vineyards and olive groves, little towns perched on hillsides, and lots of villas I wish I could recreate for my own home one day. We looked at the map and realized we were really close to Pisa, as in the Leaning Tower of...I had heard some bad things about this city, but what the heck, I'll be a total tourist for a day! So off we went in search of the tower. It is actually a very pretty tower and, yep, it's leaning! The town was not as bad as I had heard, but I wouldn't plan a trip to Italy with the intent of staying here, there's just not much else going on.

Rome

Rome-the eternal city, all roads lead to Rome, when in Rome....I didn't know quite what to expect of Rome. I knew it had the Colosseum and the Vatican, but I didn't' know much else. This was, by far, my favorite city in Italy. If I was amazed by the ancient ruins in Athens, this was like the Acropolis on steroids. The whole city is a conglomeration of ancient and new. It is a city of layers with the ancient on the bottom and the modern on the top.

Our first stop was the Colosseum for a tour. We aren't mass tour people, but when I don't know alot about an important site, I like to have a tour guide to tell me about it. It just makes the experience that much richer. Otherwise, you leave with a visual image, but nothing to back it up. Plus, joining this tour group allowed us to bypass all the non-tour group people waiting in line (saved us around an hour and a half of waiting-in the cold wind, nonetheless). The place is massive, and partly crumbled, so to see it as it once was must have been quite awe-inspiring... except for the over one million people (and countless animals) who were murdered for shear entertainment! It was inaugurated in AD 80 and had a seating capacity of 50,000. The events were free to the public, and they were even given free food, water, and sometimes gifts. The emporers came to the conclusion that they would rather have the masses of people in one place, enjoying themselves, with everything they needed, than wandering on the streets getting it any way they could.

After taking a tour of Palatine Hill (which was included with our Colosseum ticket) and seeing the exact hut where Romulus founded the city of Rome in 753BC, after killing his brother Remus and seizing complete control, we wandered back through the Forum, which is free. The Forum was the ancient marketplace and main hangout of the city so to say. We had not done a tour of it, but just kind of looked at the buildings and used our imagination. We came upon the beginning of a free tour led by a young American (New Orleans, actually). He was explaining a building I had been curious about, so I decided to stop and listen and then move on. But this guy was so captivating and within 5 minutes it was obvious that he knew more about this stuff than just the name of the building and what people did there. Come to find out, he has a Masters degree in art history and theology, is an expert on religious history, and was named by the New York Times as the BEST tour guide in all of Rome. WHAT LUCK! We wound up staying for the entire 1 1/2 hours. He began the tour with around 10 people and was like the Pied Piper adding more and more as we went along. By the end of the tour, there were around 40-50 of us, sitting on the steps of an ancient church overlooking the Forum, Palatine Hill and the Colosseum, hanging on every word he said as he quoted Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. I was sad the tour was over...I wanted to know more! Lucky for us, we were headed to the Vatican the next day (Wednesday) and found out he would be leading a tour of the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel, SIGN ME UP! As it also happens, Wednesday is also the day the Pope makes a public appearance and the entire area is 70% less crowded than all other days. Could this have worked out more perfectly? His name is Jason Spiehler and he is with Roman Odyssey tours. Please promise me you will seek him out and take his tours when you go...your experience will be so much better.

We arrived to Vatican City around 10am, since the Pope would make his appearance around 11am. Out he came in the Pope-mobile and made several loops around the plaza in front of St. Peter's Basilica waving to the crowd of 1000's of fans. After he made his way to the stage, he gave a short speech in German (he's German) and then the shout-outs began, or at least that's what I call them. You see, thousands of people flock to St. Peter's Basilica to see the Pope. Somehow, their names, or their group name, gets passed on to the clergy leading the appearance. Priests will then head to the microphone and say something to the effect of "The people of the United States and Canada are honored to be here today and seek your blessing, etc., etc. Those with us today are pilgrims from St. Mary's Church in Gatesville, Texas *the group from St. Mary's church cheers and goes wild, the Pope waves*, pilgrims from St. Peter the Divine in Des Moines, Iowa *more cheers and shouts and waves*...you get the idea. This goes on in many different languages, with each priest speaking in the native language of the group he is giving shout-outs to. As you can imagine, this takes a while! The best groups are the nuns. They come from everywhere. One group made banners and signs and started singing a song to the Pope after they were called out. It made him cry and he was so touched. The whole thing is like a pep rally with the Pope as the star quarterback.

After the English and Spanish speaking groups were called out, we left for a bit of lunch before our 1pm Vatican tour with Jason. The Vatican Museums are huge and it is advised to get a good tour guide to lead you through the expansive galleries and point out the important items. The main attraction is, of course, the Sistine Chapel. I couldn't take photos, but there are plenty out there that are better quality than I could take anyways. This thing is amazing. Michelangelo painted the frescoes on the ceiling as well as The Last Judgement on the back wall. The crazy thing is that he didn't even like to paint. He considered himself a sculptor, but he spent years of his life painting. The ceiling fresco took 4 years, and the Last Judgement took 6 years. The ceiling is divided into 9 sections representing stories from Genesis. Contrary to popular belief, he did not lay on his back to paint the ceiling. He stood and bent backwards....try doing that for more than 5 minutes! We saw other great works by Raphael, tapestries, the Map Hall, and plenty of marble statues. For those who are interested, the Sistine Chapel is where the cardinals meet to elect a new Pope. They install a chimney by removing a window panel that sends out the white or black smoke.

In case this whole thing couldn't get any better, our tour ended around 4:30pm, just in time for the 5pm Wednesday Mass! There is nothing like walking into St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world, and drooling over Michelangelo's Pieta while the choir's beautiful voices fill the air. It is something to be experienced.

I could go on and on about Rome, but I must move on to the Amalfi Coast...

Positano

I purposely planned a nice respite from big cities and site seeing at the end of our trip. I knew we would be tired, but I didn't think I would be so mentally exhausted! When you are thrown into these cities, there is so much to see and learn and it can get a bit overwhelming. Makes me wish I would have had some more effective history and art history teachers throughout my life.

The Amalfi Coast is considered the most beautiful coastline in Italy. It is pretty breathtaking with cities perched on hillsides, looking as if they will fall forward at any moment. Even more breathtaking are the bus rides along the winding roads hugging the side of the mountains with nothing but a rocky coastline hundreds of feet below you! The drivers of these things are good, I mean really good. There were times I thought there was no way we were going to round that corner without 1) tumbling over the side, 2) pushing that oncoming car over the side, or 3) me throwing up. At some points the road is so narrow that one car has to back up to a wider spot to let the other car through. There is also alot of honking to warn oncoming traffic. I would much rather have taken the ferries from city to city, but they closed for the season about 3 weeks ago. If you tend to get motion sickness, just be prepared. Also, don't scream...the drivers don't like that. I finally just had to look out to the ocean and imagine my happy place.

We stayed at the Albergo California in Positano, which was a good base for exploring the other coastal towns of Amalfi and Ravello. There are many other towns, we just checked out these two. Our last two days were spent lazing about our ocean view terrace drinking wine, shopping for pottery, and taking in our last bit of Italian scenery. The perfect ending.

Tidbits

*Italians are very expressive. They really do say "Mama Mia" with that hand motion thing.

*It can be an expensive country, but the house wine is cheap and good!

*Please don't attempt to drive, just train and bus it.

*Avoid restaurants near tourists sites unless recommended by a local or a guidebook. You can get bad Italian food.

*It's southern Europe, so think bread, bread, bread. It's for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you stay at a B&B, don't expect bacon and eggs.

*The coffee is good. Try to learn to use one of those stove top espresso makers.

*Save Rome or Amalfi for last...it's doesn't get better than these two places.

*At any given time, I believe that the population of Italy is 50% Italian citizens and 50% American tourists.

*Call me before you go!

Bella Italia

Well, in about 45 minutes, I am going to be on my way to Gatwick airport for the last of the 2007 EdVon travel season. We may still take some small excursions, but this is it for the most part.

We are going to spend 10 glorious days in Italy...2 nights in Venice, 3 nights in Florence, 3 nights in Rome, and 2 nights in Positano, a beautiful town on the Amalfi coast. We will feast our eyes on the Grand Canal in Venice, Michaelangelo's David in Florence, the Colosseum in Rome, and the most beautiful Italian coastline in Positano...among many other things. I'm sure we will feast on some great Italian food and, of course, GELATO!

I cannot get my mobile blog to work, so I can't promise any updates on the road, but I can promise great photos and a fun story when we return. Maybe I'll sneak into an internet cafe once in while. Everyone take care and can't wait to tell you all about it!

Missing Me Some Texas

Does it mean I'm a little homesick if I keep watching this tornado documentary on TV just to get a glimpse of Texas?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRODY!

It's hard to believe that my sweet nephew is 3 years old today! Watching him come into this world is still the highlight of my life. This photo was taken at his birthday party last weekend. Brody is the cowboy in the middle and his good buddies are riding alongside. Hope you had a fun day, sweet boy.

It's All Greek to Me!

Sorry for the delay in getting this post up. I've been out and about enjoying the British sunshine before we hibernate for winter. Thanks to Flo for keeping me on my toes...

Don't tell my husband, but I am in love with Greece. Everything about the country is beautiful-the people, the culture, the food, the beaches-even the flight over had great scenery. I am in the process of culling through 700 photos to put together the best album summary of our trip. Until I get that uploaded, please enjoy my story and then see if the photos match your imagination.


We boarded a 6:30am EasyJet flight out of Gatwick, which meant not much sleep the night before. Aron and Lilly caught the 2am bus out of Oxford and met us at the airport. Gatwick is surprisingly crowded at 6am with everyone catching the early budget flights. We left right on time and I was pleased with my EasyJet experience. It was my first time on a European budget airline and I began to see what made it budget...no complimentary drinks or snacks, no on board entertainment (unless you count the nice view through the window), and for some reason we got a plane whose seats didn't recline.


We arrived in Athens and grabbed a cab to take us to our ship, which happens to dock in the yacht port. It was very comical to gaze wondrously at the P. Diddy/Big Pimpin' yachts as we strolled the boardwalk and then arrived at the EasyCruiseOne ship! A big orange and black cruise ship. I'm sure the international billionaires love us docking next to them. ECO is a very basic cruise ship holding about 250 people. It is not your typical cruise ship as it is only supposed to be a floating hotel. It has a hot tub (which we made good use of), a bar (which we made good use of), and a small DJ booth. The top deck also held a small workout area so you could get your treadmill run in while gazing at the passing islands. The on board restaurant was also very good and reasonably priced.


Our first island was Milos...where the Venus di Milo was found! We took part in our one and only "shore excursion" here. We saw three amazing beaches, each only completely different. The last beach looked like a lunar landscape with smooth white stone shaped over thousands of years of waves crashing.


Ios is known as the third largest party island behind Mykonos and Santorini. After a day on the beach and island exploration via scooters, we hit the town. Lucky for us, it was the last night that many of the clubs and bars were open for the season. Drink specials and fun abound and I never thought I would have to worry about missing a boat that departed at 7am! We kept close tabs on our watch as we danced all night long and made our way back just in time to see the sun come up.


After staying out all night long, Amorgos was supposed to be a relaxing day on the beach. Far from it...this was the windiest place I've ever been. We rented 4 wheelers and were almost blown off the road as we rounded the switchback corners and made our way from one side of the island to the next. But it was worth it. The vistas at the top of the mountains were breathtakingly beautiful.


Naxos proved to be the perfect beach day. We rented a Jeep Sidekick and set off for what was considered the best beach on the island. On the way to the beach, we passed a stoplight that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that our road crossed the island's airport landing strip. So I guess the light turns red as a plane is landing or taking off...never seen that one before!


Siros was a slight detour from the schedule. Folegandros was supposed to be our stop, but the weather was too bad to allow for our docking. We had so much fun on this island. The beach we chose to hang out on had not only paddle boats for rent, but paddle boats with a slide on top! You better believe we rented that thing! This was also a great place for snorkeling (we snorkeled on every island). Lilly even saw an octopus! Octopus are very common in the Greek Islands and one of their main dishes. You see them hanging around on lines at many restaurants. I can't say they were the tastiest things, but it was cool to see the tentacles come out on the plate, complete with suckers still attached.


Serifos was our last island. It was the perfect last day. Great beaches, beautiful snorkeling, and warm sun and water. If you've ever seen Borat in his line green body thong, well, Aron has an exact replica...I'll let you think about that one. It just might have made an appearance on this island.


We decided to spend an extra night in Athens so we could take in all the sites in this amazing city. We made our way up to the Acropolis at dusk-less crowds and less heat. What an awesome experience to walk among ruins built in the 5th century B.C. In fact, there are ruins everywhere in this city. When we sat down for our first lunch, we were gawking at the ruins behind the fence next to our table, thinking it was so cool. The more we wandered around, the more we found out it's hard to walk more than 100ft. without coming across some. The British Museum has some controversially acquired pieces from the Acropolis. I travelled to the museum with Trey a few months ago and saw them for the first time. Edgar and I just went this past weekend to see them again and put all the pieces together. I have to say that I learned much more history from the British Museum than the Acropolis. There is absolutely no signage at the Acropolis explaining any historical facts. So if you decide to go, read up beforehand or get an audio tour.

I am still carrying the remnants of my tan...yes, I got a tan, big shocker! We are already planning our next trip to Greece. Hopefully we can fit a few more islands in before our time here is up. While we have said we will not visit the same place twice, we just might make an exception for the Greek Islands.

We're In Greece

I am writing this blog in an internet kiosk on board easycruiseone on the island of Milos in Greece! We arrived to Athens yesterday and began our 7 day Greek Island hopping tour. I'll try to blog while we are out, but can't make any guarantees. But rest assured I will have some lovely photos when I return. I saw 3 amazing beaches today on the island of Milos (as in Venus di Milo, this is the island where she was found)...the Greek Islands are so beautiful and really beyond words. Tomorrow we set sail for Ios and more sun catching.

Hope everyone is doing well!

We Conquered the Thames

The Great River Race was awesome! We were boat #104 and after Sting shot the canon, we took off at 1:45pm, about 45 minutes after the first boat. It was really cool to see every single bridge from Richmond to Greenwich...there are some really, really beautiful ones. Crowds were gathered all along the route, on the shore and on top of the bridges, which made it go so much faster. We were ravishing in our viking hats and got lots of laughs and "Go Vikings!" The water was a little choppy in the downtown London area, which made rowing and steering a bit interesting.

We were steady the whole way, finishing in 3:45. We overtook around 15-20 boats (who cares they were manned by Girl and Boy Scouts). Spouses, kids, and friends rode the passenger boat and were there to greet us with champagne and kisses when we pulled ashore. I felt really good when it was over...just had a sore back on Sunday. It helped that we switched every 30 minutes, so we got a good break.

I would definitely do this race again. I had so much fun and just love the atmosphere that comes with these types of things. We have raised money for a very good cause, The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and are still taking donations. So if you didn't get in before the race, you still can! THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

(Photos will be uploaded as soon as they are developed)

THE GREAT RIVER RACE IS HERE!

You still have time to sponsor the Blistered Sisters on their quest down the Thames River. The big race is tomorrow and we are stocked up on water, Lucozade (sports drink), chocolate, and oranges. We've all worked really hard to get in shape for the gruelling 22 mile journey. Cheer us along and donate today!!

http://www.justgiving.com/blisteredsisters

Thanks to everyone who has already donated. Check your mail in the next few weeks for a special message....

Prince Concert Rocked!

Last night was the much awaited Prince concert. And he rocked it! We had great seats on the first level, the acoustics were awesome, and the O2 Arena was really nice. He played a mix of classic hits and some of his new stuff. One of the highlights was his saxophone player, who brought me to tears with his rendition of "Wonderful World", the Louis Armstrong classic...truly amazing. Prince played quite a few songs without the band even on stage...just him and his piano. It gave it a very intimate, small venue feel.

The ending was a bit strange. He did the whole "disappear and come back as the crowd roars" thing 3 times. The first time he did it was only 1 hour into the show and everyone knew it wasn't really over. Then he did it a second time, and then a third time. At this point I am thinking that he must have a big, spectacular finale planned (I had heard about streamers and lights and all sorts of fun). After this third time, he played a few more songs on his piano, including Raspberry Beret, after which he stood on his little stage that lowered him below ground amongst smoke and lights, and then it was over...no dancers, big band, streamers, etc. But I guess he's gotta keep it fresh playing so many shows night after night.

All in all, a great concert. Everyone who attends the concert gets his new CD for free! I'm looking forward to uploading it to my iPod...will make the miles so much easier.

Chocolate and Waffles

We had a great time this past weekend as we celebrated our 5 year anniversary in Bruges, Belgium. The city is small, beautiful, clean, and very quaint. It is touted as the "Venice of the North" as it has multiple canals running through it, although I didn't see any operatic singers steering a gondola.

To cross the Channel this go around, we drove our car into the Chunnel train and were in Calais, France in 35 minutes. This is a huge freight train with double decker metal cars that carry everything from our small car to large coach buses. Basically, you just drive the car into the freight car and enjoy the ride. When you arrive on the other side, you exit the freight car almost directly onto the main interstate. I think this is the best way to cross...it's faster and cheaper.

We stayed at a B&B called A Room with a View and was very pleased with our choice. Everything in the city is within walking distance because it is such a small city. The best part is that the whole place is cyclist and pedestrian friendly. They have true bike lanes surrounding the city, not just a stripe on the pavement painted as a afterthought when global warming became a hot issue. You are separated by metal or concrete barricades from the main road. Very nice and safe. Within the city bikes are allowed anywhere and are once again granted bike lanes...these don't have barricades, but not many cars cruise the city...it's best saved for walking and biking.

While Bruges offers fabulous museums, we opted against anything touristy. I even bypassed the chocolate museum...I just want the chocolate however they decide to make it! We opted for a relaxing, laid-back weekend, holding hands as we browsed the street shops and making use of the free bikes from the B&B to work off some of the waffles. Out of shear coincidence, we were in town for the Pageant of the Golden Tree. This parade, which happens only once every 5 years, chronicles the history of Bruges and the commemoration of the wedding of Charles the Bold and Margaretha of York. They had great floats and costumes and it was fun to feel a little like a local celebrating their city. We had a very nice anniversary dinner at Chez Olivier, a small 10-table French/Flemish restaurant overlooking a canal. The husband is the chef and the wife is the server...they make a great team and serve delicious food.

We had a beautiful weekend in a beautiful city. Monday was a UK bank holiday, so Edgar had the day off. We took advantage of the great weather and cycled through Richmond Park. You should see the deer there...I'm going to try to get photos of them posted. In the meantime, enjoy our photos from Bruges!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, EDVON!

Today, Edgar and I celebrate our 5 year anniversary! I distinctly remember our second date, camping in Pedernales Falls State Park, when I looked up at him and thought to myself, "Oh my gosh, I've found the man I'm going to marry!" I knew it from the beginning. Thanks, Babe, for being a wonderful husband, treating me like a queen, and making my dreams a reality.

We are off to Brugge, Belgium for the weekend...chocolate, waffles, and Edgar...what more could a girl want?

Mex-it-up...Well, sort of...

You've all heard me lament about the lack of Mexican food over here. Thought I would share with you this photo of McDonald's recent "Mex-it-up" campaign. More like "Mess-it-up". Is that fajita breaded and fried? And that salsa...is that ketchup? And just what is that mystery white sauce on the burger?

When I arrive in Austin in December, will whoever is picking me up at the airport please have a taco waiting? Or maybe a margharita...yeah, that sounds better.

It's Fall Already?

OK...it's officially cold. Edgar had to issue a wimp alert on me because I wanted to turn on the radiator. For those of you who may know some of my wardrobe staples, I have pulled out the green Taos, New Mexico sweatshirt from Spring Break 1997 (WOO HOO!). Unfortunately, I had to bury the grey joggers that had been with me from the 8th grade. They were my favorite, but were so thin, they ceased doing their job of keeping me warm.

I don't think I'll get the hot chocolate out just yet, though. According to weather.com, it's supposed to almost hit 80 this weekend. I love the changing seasons. I love having four distinct seasons, instead of just 2-hot and not hot. But I have to say that no matter how much I like this, my threshold for bitter winters stands at 2. After that, it's get me back to Texas-just give me an air conditioner and a swimming pool and I'll be just fine.

The Great River Race-I MADE THE TEAM!!!

You may recall from an earlier post that I had taken up rowing (well, sculling actually) with a group of ladies one night a week. I was just doing it for fun exercise and to try something new. Two of the ladies were in training mode for the Great River Race in September. There were two additional spots open on the team and Charlie and I made it!

Our team name is the Blistered Sisters and on September 8, we will scull 22 miles down the River Thames from Richmond to Greenwich. This is the part where I need your help! Our team is raising money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and I would greatly appreciate your support as I tackle this new endeavour. It is super easy to give at our online donation page. A few minutes of your time and your generosity can make all the difference for the millions affected by this disease. Thank you in advance for your donation!

So last year I did my first triathlon, and this year will be my first River Race...a new adventure to keep things interesting. We just got news on the identity of the celebrity starter...STING!!! Can you believe it? I'll have the camera ready!

Anyone a Nicolas Cage fan?

As I walked past our historic Richmond Theater today on a slight detour that just happens to run past the gelato shop (it's summer...I need the gelato!), I noticed all these trucks parked outside. Upon closer inspection I came upon the above sign that explained it all. They are filming the sequel to National Treasure here! This one is called "National Treasure: The Book of Secrets". I'm not a huge Nicolas Cage fan, in fact, ask me to do my Nicolas Cage impression for you next time you see me, but I may go see this one just to check out the theater scenes! I'll keep my camera ready these next couple of weeks in case I run upon anyone worth taking a photo of...

Summer-Hello and Goodbye

It has been a while since my last post, but with the beautiful weather we've been having here in London, who wants to stay inside on the computer?

The weather forecasters around here are saying that this past Sunday was "THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR!!!" What? Really? That was it? 86F? I barely even broke a sweat as Edgar and I lazed on the Thames with about 1000 other sun seekers. I was so worried about not having an air conditioner in our flat. I couldn't imagine going through a summer and not needing one. Even Columbus, Ohio got pretty toasty in the summer. I was even scoping out these portable AC units that can be rented...but I guess everyone was right...it just doesn't get very hot here.

While I do still long for a searing hot Texas day and a cool dip in the San Marcos river, I will take my 86F summers these next two years and enjoy them. Now about those winters...

The Most Beautiful Vegetable Boxes I've Ever Seen

You might remember our favorite place in France, Le Couvent, in the Languedoc region. Lizzie, one of the proprietors and our new friend, has one of the most talented nephews I've ever met. Josh can take a grassy area, develop it, plant seedlings and grow them into the most beautiful fruit and veg. He grows vegetables in several gardens around the property and sells the fruits of his labor to area residents in lovingly created vegetable boxes. I read where his chickens are now producing eggs as well...more for the boxes!

Learn more about Josh and his business in his blog! If only he could export...

Another Visitor From Across the Pond

Last Tuesday my good friend Trey Dodd arrived in London to spend a couple of weeks. He has been the guinea pig in testing my talents as a London tour guide. Considering I hadn't seen all the hot spots myself, I appreciated his patience as we traipsed around London. I do have to say that I saw more of London last week than I have seen since I arrived. It is a fabulous city and I'm sure I still won't see all of it by the time we leave in a couple of years, either.

Highlights of our wandering around included Westminster Abbey where I saw the tombs of Queens Elizabeth and Mary (Bloody Mary)...half sisters with Henry VIII as a father (unless you believe some of the conspiracy theories); The Monument to the great fire of 1666 where we climbed 311 steps of a spiraling staircase to the top and a fabulous view of the city; and the Tate Modern-sorry to all of you modern art fans, but I don't get it; The Tower of London where I saw the exact location of Anne Boleyn's beheading as well as her final resting place; The British Museum which had some fascinating artifacts and some "acquired" Greek pieces from the Parthenon.

This weekend we all headed to Wales for a camping trip with our friends Lilly and Aron. You might have seen some news coverage about Great Britain enduring the worst flooding in 60 years....we didn't care. We headed out anyways. We figured the worst that could happen is that we may get a little wet or our roads might be flooded (in which case we would just turn back around). After touring a beautiful castle that just happened to be on our way, we found a great campsite next to a rushing river...well, not exactly next to it...up the hill a little...a safe distance away. While pretty muddy and slightly misty, we found a good plot under a tree. Surprisingly, it didn't rain on us at all until 9am the next morning. But we didn't mind...it just meant we were forced to sleep for three more hours listening to the light rain tap the top of our tents. Now THAT's a relaxing Sunday!

Lilly, Trey, and I will take a few road trips to round out his tour of the UK. I'm sure by the time all of you come ;), I will have my skills finely tuned and I'm sure you will have a great time.

A Surprise to Ring in the New Decade

Last Wednesday, July 11th, I turned 30! Notice I used the exclamation point...because I am excited about this new decade. If it is anything like the actual day, it is sure to be the best one ever.

A few weeks ago, Edgar told me to buy a new dress because he was taking me out for my birthday! So, a quick call to Catalina and Charlie, and off we went. I got a very fun black and white, calf-length, V-neck dress and some fun new black patent leather peep-toe chunky heels. When Edgar arrived home from work, with 2 dozen pink roses in tow, I was ready to go, with my best smokey eyes, red lipstick, and feathered hair. Shawn, Charlie's husband, had recently taken a trip to the States, and apparently had brought a special gift back for me from Edgar. As we were about to leave, Edgar received a call from Shawn saying he was running late from the office and would need more time in order to get me the gift. I wondered why the boys had just not made the exchange at the office, since they work in the same building...I summed it up to poor logistics. Secretly, I was happy we would need to stop by their house to pick up the gift, because I wanted to show Charlie my dress as I was all primped up. When we got to their house, Edgar ran inside while I waited in the car, and then ran back out saying , "Charlie wants to see your dress, but make it quick because we are late for the reservations." So I run up the sidewalk, in my heels, and Shawn answers the door apologizing for making us late. As I walk through the house to get to Charlie, I see sparkly streamers, and then all of my London friends there in the kitchen saying "SURPRISE!"

We had such a blast with the 70's inspired decor, including people's outfits-ladies with their mini-dresses, and the guys with unbuttoned shirts and chest hair in full force. The food was amazing-parma ham with melon to start, a whole poached salmon and salad for the main, and of course the delicious chocolate cake for dessert. You can't forget the wine! It was plentiful, perfect, and lasted until the very end.

I was 100% completely surprised and then still not convinced they were there all for me for a whole party! I asked, "Are you going with us to the restaurant?" Charlie laughed and said, "This is the restaurant...tonight I am Italian!" Edgar had told me we were eating Italian and it was a 35 minute drive from our house. I felt very special to be able to drive to the restaurant and not take the Tube. Although, I knew it had to be somewhere close to be able to get there in only 35 minutes. Charlie had taken me to lunch earlier in the day (THANKS CHARLIE!) and asked if I knew where we were going. She threw some options out, we pondered if it would be this place or that. I don't know how she kept a straight face.

Edgar has told me the integral part that Catalina and Charlie played in this big surprise. I would like to thank them here for their work in putting everything together. I feel so truly blessed to have made such wonderful friends half way around the world. Who knew that our circumstances would have put us all together? I would like to thank Alex for recommending the "sinful" chocolate cake...it was delicious and required many prayers. Aron, you are truly amazing. Thank you for being here on my special day. I know you had many other things on your mind and I feel so honored to have had you at the table. Nick and Shawn-thanks for always keeping my glass full...yes, I am thanking you believe it or not. And last but not least, thanks to my wonderful husband for having such a surprise for me. You all made my 30th completely unforgettable and made this American girl feel like British royalty-a Queen!

le Tour de France...the Real Deal!

You may remember me mentioning previously that the Tour de France was beginning in London this year. Our friends from the States, Mauricio and wife Faviola, were visiting us these past few weeks, and since Mauricio loves cycling, he couldn't have picked a better time to be here.

Saturday was the prologue, where they do the individual time trials. We made our way to Hyde Park to camp out for the day and catch all the action. The bikes were so cool. The tires looked more like gigantic CD's, they were so thin. When they rolled past, it sounded like bees humming.

We were not able to see them on Sunday as they began their journey to Canterbury, but there is always next year, right? Or there is even still this year...the tour lasts for three weeks! It was such an awesome experience to see this event. It's one I never thought I would get to see in person. Granted, it would have been even more awesome had it been a few years ago when Lance was in the running. I hope you enjoy the photos and I created a little video of our raw footage as well. We had a great viewing area right on the barricades.

EdVon Tour de France: 8 Victory Laps

Stages 7-9, Tuesday, June 26th-Thursday, June 28th: Le Couvent
The big iron gates creaked open from the unassuming entry and we took a tentative step inside, not knowing quite what to expect. The sound of our footsteps on the gravel driveway signaled to our hostesses that new friends had arrived. Lizzie was out the front door as soon as she realized we were there. I have never received a welcome such as this. To say it was wonderful or enthusiastic would be generic. This welcome was truly genuine, one to expect from only old friends and family after a long time apart. Three cheek kisses in true French fashion and an extra pair of arms to haul our luggage upstairs to our room. After the grand tour we sat down to a glass of wine with also now Ali who has joined us.

They ask if we would like to go with them to walk the dogs and pick figs for the next morning’s breakfast. We jump at the opportunity. Within a few miles we were in the middle of a vineyard at the top of a hill and Edgar was forging our path to the fig tree. Along the way we passed an almond tree brimming with young fruit. We broke some open and tasted the creamy, sweet almond inside, and then we picked a few for the morning feast. Lizzie says she loves the vineyard because you could live in it. I believe her.

Breakfast is a feast. Breads and pastries from the local boulangerie, fresh fruit from the vineyard and market, and delicious coffee. We were even lucky enough to get an egg one morning from their chicken. Gathered in the huge kitchen around a wooden table that could probably seat 20 or more people, we converse with the other guests about our day’s plans and swap stories from our trip. It’s like a reunion everyday.

This place is peaceful. A converted convent, it has been so lovingly restored by Lizzie and Ali that somehow they were able to change the walls and floors but keep the atmosphere of tranquility. Our room was grand and reached by ascending a staircase whose steps are still worn by centuries of nuns and school children running up and down. The sun peeks in every morning to let you know it’s time to greet the day and the clock tower strikes on the half hour in case you need a reminder.

Our remaining days in Languedoc were spent on the beach, meandering through old villages and getting to know Roujan. It is here that I think we got a true feel for the French culture. Store hours are roughly 9-12ish and 3ish to 6:30ish. Lizzie and Ali are actually British transplants (via some other places) and were able to really tell us about the lifestyle from a unique point of view. We like it.

On the last day our goodbye was just as genuine as our hello. After only three days we felt as if we were old friends and our goodbye was really just an “until next time”.

Stage 10-12: The Loire Valley
Our final stop was the Loire Valley. It was a long drive, about 5 ½ hours, but one of the most beautiful I’ve ever taken. The roads were wide and winding, cresting the tops of mountains and dipping into the valleys below. Along the way, we crossed the longest bridge in the world (unless I guess you count I-10 through Louisiana!) in Millau. I haven’t been able to confirm that it is also the tallest, but I do know it is higher than the Eiffel Tower…it had a pretty impressive view of the gorge below.

Somehow, our SatNav found our final B&B, Les Moulins des Vontes, in Esvres-Sur-Indre. It is at the end of a very narrow road in a town so small that it doesn’t even show up on the road signs until you are about 3 miles away. This place was spectacular. It sits in the middle of the Indre River and is an old watermill. The wheels no longer turn, but the owners have restored the three buildings…one is their home, one is kind of a very large playhouse, and the third houses the guest rooms. We were on the top floor and enjoyed sleeping with our window open, letting the rush of water lull us to sleep. They have a beautiful garden where we picked fresh raspberries and strawberries, and the flowers there were just beautiful. They have the biggest hydrangea bushes I have every seen. They also have a load of ducks. Most are just docile and swim around eating little bugs. But one in particular is very old and cranky. He actually hisses at you! Guess he is their version of a guard dog…

We spent our last three days visiting chateau in the surrounding area, eating great food, and basically relaxing. We were very close to Amboise, which is the city where Leonardo da Vinci lived his last three years. They have made his palace of a house into a fascinating tourist destination, chronicling his inventions. IBM studied his drawings and made scale models of some of them. I never knew he was such a genius and was so ahead of his time. He thought up the precursors from the bicycle to the suspension bridge to even modern day transmissions…a really amazing genius. And you can’t forget his artwork as well!

The 8 Victory Laps: A Time for Reflection and Recollection
The Atkins Diet would never fly in France. These people eat more bread than any group of people I have every known. At any given time, as you stroll through these little towns, probably 50% of everyone you see will be carrying a baguette…under their armpit, in their bike basket, etc. I was so happy to get an egg that morning at Le Couvent. But I guess I can’t complain that my only options for breakfast were plain croissant, almond croissant, chocolate croissant…the dilemma!

I was afraid of encountering wine snobs when visiting the vineyards of such famous wines. But it was quite the opposite. They are so proud of what they make and want you to understand every aspect of the process and what makes their wines unique and stand out from the rest. Not everyone is a mass producer and they may only sell their wine within a 30 mile radius. They tend their vines as if they are babies. And when you pass by them, you can see the loving care taken. If you decide you like the less expensive wine better than the “Grand Cru”, that’s OK! Every single person we encountered told us that enjoying wine is to everyone’s individual taste. Finally, I sort of know how to read a French wine label… if says “Grand Cru”, then you know you have the ultimate of that producer’s wine and you better check your bank account before purchasing.

Champagne always goes through the same process, no matter who produces it. The grapes grow side by side on the hills. The mastery is in the mixing. Most of the time, if you pay an exorbitant amount of money for champagne, you are probably just paying for their advertising.

The highways are amazing. There are many tolls, so you pay for their great maintenance, but they are very well taken care of and even have their own radio station, so you are never without music, traffic reports and the news. Speaking of music, we heard some fabulous French pop music, and if I never have to hear Rihanna’s Umbrella song again, I will not be sad…ella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh….listen and you’ll understand.

The women really do go topless and you will encounter many birthday suits on the beaches. It’s just what they do, and trust me, they ain’t all supermodels walking around.

Finally, France is a wonderful country. We love it…the food, the people, the lifestyle, the wine, everything. We were never treated with less than kindness. A “Bon Jour” and a smile go a long way. Meals were always a bit of an adventure as we never quite knew what we were ordering, but it was all delicious. After much thought, well it didn’t take much thought, we realized that 35 hour work weeks aren’t so bad. Is it so wrong to stop work for almost 3 hours in the middle of the day for a little siesta, espresso, and chat with friends? We can’t wait to go back…Au Revoir!

EdVon Tour de France: The Grand Depart

As I type this first Tour de France blog entry, I am in Roujan, France, sitting on a king-sized bed, which is resting on terra cotta tiles, contained in a large guestroom in a former convent that has been lovingly restored by two of the nicest hostesses I have ever encountered. I want to catch you up on our trip thus far, so more on Le Couvent later…

Stage 1: Wednesday, June 20
First, the Grand Depart. It was to be a superior Grand Depart…we were to leave Wednesday evening for Dover, England, spend the night, and catch the 6:30am ferry to Calais, France…would hate to waste any daylight hours! I had worked very hard all day snack shopping, packing the car, cleaning the flat, etc. so that when Edgar walked through the door we would be 100% ready for departure. Everything was falling into place, we left in good time, and then 5 miles outside of Richmond, we had to make a slight change of plans. It seems I have not done as well as I had hoped in judging the distance on the left side of the car (since I am now driving on the right hand side of the car) and I accidentally got too close to the highway curb and BLIP…there goes the tire. I knew I had hit it pretty good, but all systems checked out fine…no low tire pressure warnings or strange sounds. Fortunately, we had to stop for gas and upon inspection discovered the tire had a one-inch gash. Our tires are made for driving even when punctured so we were able to head back home for the night and catch the first tire shop as it opened the next morning. I was pretty upset, but Edgar was wonderful…constantly reassuring me that accidents happen and we would recover in good time.

Stage 2: Thursday, June 21
So the true Grand Depart now happens on Thursday morning. Because the tire shop was so efficient in getting us back on the road and our ferry didn’t depart until 1pm, we had some time to kill in Dover, and this time it wasn’t raining (see White Cliffs of Dover entry)! So we headed to Dover Castle where I got to meander through the same hallways, staircases and chapels as King Henry VIII. I even stood in his presence chamber, royal bedroom, and loo! The best part…English Heritage, baby…our tally is now £14 heavier and we just may break even before the summer ends.

The ferry boarding was extremely organized, the boat huge and accommodating for the 1 ½ hour journey, and we were in France by 3:30pm (they are one hour ahead). Our first stop was Reims in the Champagne region. June 21st is the longest day of the year as well as the first day of summer, and festivals happen all over Europe. We were lucky enough to come upon the music festival in Reims and hear everything from French hip-hop to old-school American big hair ballads. Our favorite group looked as if they had gotten together in college in the 1980’s and then decided it would be fun to reunite for this one night. The lead singer looked like the only one who had grown up…he was now clean-cut, had nice wire rimmed glasses and probably a couple of young kids to tend to back home. The rest looked like they could still hang with the best of them into the wee hours of the morning…

We headed to Epernay for one night in the Hotel Villa St. Pierre…a very old mansion that is now a hotel. It was a spacious, clean room with very nice proprietors, although I wouldn’t splurge for the breakfast if you stay there.

Stage 3: Friday, June 22
We are off to explore one of the three Champagne routes…the Cote des Blancs to be exact. Our main goal of this little expedition was to learn once and for all how they make the bubbly so good. Contrary to what I have been told in the past, Champagne (the region) does not have a special spring oozing fizzy water that is combined with the wine to make it bubbly. It’s all about the process…they ferment the wine twice (as opposed to once with wine) and use yeast…that’s what makes it dance in your mouth. Only champagne produced in this region can call itself “champagne”…otherwise, it’s sparkling wine, or cremant in Burgundy, etc.…but they all use this same process to make it the way it is. Very cheap sparkling wines do indeed just add carbonated water to make it fizzy, so not everything that pops in your mouth has been through this fascinating process. We walked through the 300 year old chalk cellar, was educated on the process, and did a wonderful tasting at the RUFFIN & Fils Champagne house. Of course we also walked away with three bottles in hand!

Now South to Beaune, Burgundy and the Cote d’Or….and some very good Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Beaune is very reminiscent of Cartegena, Colombia in that the old part of the city is surrounded by a brick wall and ramparts, the streets are winding and full of surprises, and the buildings very, very old-from the 13th century. After this long day, we were happy to lay our heads on a bed in the Hotel Bretoniere.

Stage 4: Saturday, June 23rd
The day began slightly cloudy and cool. We headed to the Saturday market being held in the old city…like the markets in Paris where the locals go once a week to stock up on food and goods. We loaded our backpack with some dried meat, cheese and bread and headed to a bike rental shop for our preferred wine tasting mode of transportation. Since we were in Burgundy, we knew we would be doing some serious wine drinking! The guy at the shop gave us a wonderful route through old farmroads, vineyards, and rolling hills with suggestions on where to stop. He was dead on…the wine was fantastic. Because so many people stop by on bike, the winery shops will deliver your order to your hotel, so we were happy to stock up!

The highlight of this circuit was definitely the last stop. At the l'Ange Gardien (Guardian Angel) winery, we were greeted very enthusiastically by Nicole and Pierre and were immediately whisked downstairs to their cellar, containing thousands upon thousands of bottles just waiting to hit their peak. Nicole also showed us their oak barrels and explained the special way they are created and how they lovingly tend to the liquid until it is just ready for bottling. We tasted some amazing and very unique wines here, but I have to say my favorite was actually a liqueor called Cassis (made from a berry of the same name). It is a very thick, sweet drink (20% alcohol!) that can be poured over ice cream, or, my personal favorite, mixed with their cremant to make a Kir Royal…it was so good I had to have two of them just to make sure it was really that good. I was very happy to learn that, sometime in the near future, Nicole and Pierre will open as a guesthouse the chateau that they acquired with the vineyard. We just may have to make another little trip to Burgundy!

Stage 5: Sunday, June 24th
While very sad to leave Beaune, we had more to explore so we were southward bound once again, headed for the Languedoc region. It is called the Midi, which means it is in the south-middle of France. While this is the largest wine-producing region of France, quantity doesn’t always equal quality. In the 1860’s, a terrible disease killed the vineyards in France, but the Languedoc vines survived. By shear demand they were forced to produce massive quantities of wine while the others vineyards recovered. I guess this lead to somewhat of a relaxed attitude towards the wine quality and the region developed a less than stellar reputation as the other vines recovered and began to produce good wine once again. In the last few decades, however, many of the region’s vineyards have been going through a refurbishment process and are producing good quality wines.

We arrived in Pezenas and stayed in a charming chambres d’hotes called the La Dordine. In the evening, we participated in a food and wine tasting with the owner, which highlighted specialties from the region. It was here that I tried my first oyster, and I liked it! Tasted just like the sea…and the tablespoon of lemon juice Edgar squeezed onto it before I ate it. Pezenas is another very old city, from the 13th century, that is much like Cartegena as well.

Stage 6: Monday, June 25th
Since we are now in Southern France, we have to see the Mediterranean! So we were off to an excellent beach just east of Pezenas. The water is clear, a little cool, and the beach is sandy and clean. We strolled for about half an hour down the coastline until we began to see a little more skin than we wanted. We worked our way back up the coastline to our next night’s lodging, Le Couvent….

The sun is beginning to set, the clock tower strikes 7, and the breeze is blowing through the balcony on which I now sit finishing this Grand Depart entry. Our bottle of cremant is chilled and we have promised to share with our hostesses, Lizzie and Ali....who knew the Tour could be this refreshing?

The EdVon Tour de France

EdVon is headed to France for 10 days! Vonda will be blogging from the road, so pop in every few days to check their progress.

Wednesday will mark the beginning of EdVon's first big trip. We have taken some small baby trips over the long weekends, but this one....this one is big! Two months ago I knew nothing about France. Now, I have successfully (or at least I hope) planned a 10-day trek that will take us on a clockwise route around the country, stopping to explore 4 key regions.

We will drive to Dover Wednesday evening and spend the night, so that we may take the early ferry over to Calais Thursday morning, where our journey will begin. Our first stop will be Epernay, Champagne...we'll tour some of the vineyards that produce the world's greatest champagne and take part in some tastings in the big Champagne houses.

After this overnight stop, we head on down (just a little) to Beaune, Burgundy for two nights. The Burgundy region produces what is considered to be the best wines in the world with the Cote d'Or vineyards at its center. Think really high dollar and robust. Dijon is the major city in this area, so maybe I'll pick up some mustard as well!

We will then get our first taste of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea when we head down to the South of France and make our base in the Languedoc region, the largest wine producing region in France. We will be staying one night in Pezenas and three nights in Roujan, perfectly situated to take to the sea or hike through the land in the Natural Park.

Our last stop will be in the Loire Valley, famous for its grandiose chateaux. I am very excited about our accommodation, which is in a converted windmill sitting on its own island in the middle of the Indre River. Since this is the end of the trip, I'm sure we'll relax a little and I'll pretend to be a princess as I let my hair fall down the side of a castle. We'll then head back up to Calais and take the ferry in to England, giving us a view of the White Cliffs of Dover as seen by generations of travellers, warriors, and royals.

There are several regions that we will just not be able to visit because of time. Most of these are on the western coastline, so they shouldn't be too hard to get to in the future. We are packing as lightly as possible, as customs will allow us to bring 90 liters of wine back over....guess this should be enough! I am going to blog from the road, so check in every few days to see our progress...and see our smiles get bigger and bigger!

On a slightly different note, every few years the real Tour de France begins in a city outside of France. Can you believe that this year it will start in London??? July6-8. Too bad we are just a little too late to see Lance. I am so excited to watch the Grand Depart and see the very first pedal strokes of what is probably the most grueling race there is.

PRINCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know if they are advertising it much in the States, but Prince is supposedly retiring and has decided to play his last 21 concerts in August and September here in London. The tickets for the final 6 dates went on sale this morning at 9am and I GOT THEM!!!!

I would like to thank my mom for training me for this day. Her days of winning Six Flags tickets and Alabama concert tickets from KPEP 98.5 in Gatesville was my training ground. Although in those days (pre-internet), she would dial the entire phone number except for the last digit and wait for the cue to call, at which time she would release the last digit and be caller #1! It was a fantastic, clever coup.

This morning I made sure all of my Ticketmaster info was updated, so checkout would be speedy. I then added one of the ticket phone numbers to my landline address book, and the other to my cell phone....3 chances to get through. I had the landline on my ear, the cell on speakerphone, and Ticketmaster reloading. It only took about 10 minutes, but I made it through on Ticketmaster. I actually made it through on one phone line as well, but the ordering was a bit cumbersome.

So September 6 is the day! Should be an awesome show!

The Ticket Police

Today I had to go into the City to run an errand...the Buckingham Palace area, actually. After a quick tube status check on the Transport for London website, I learned that there were delays on every tube line I needed to take (gotta love that District Line!). So instead of the "tube-tube-tube-walk" route I would have normally taken, I opted for the "train-bus-walk" suggested alternate route. I haven't ridden the buses too much here. I just find it easier to navigate using my little organized tube map than having to remember a bunch of bus numbers. But, it was a nice day outside and I figured a ride on top of a double decker would give me a nice, birds-eye view of the city and all the tourists.

I boarded my bus portion after a quick train ride to the Vauxhall Station. About halfway through my journey at one of the stops, 4 official looking transport workers boarded our bus and started saying very loudly "I'd like to see your passes, please.....Passes, please." So I dug my travelcard out of my pocket and showed that I was indeed paid-up and entitled to ride the bus. Two guys got totally bus-ted (no pun intended) and had to disembark to the awaiting officers writing penalty tickets.

I haven't decided yet if it's the accent or the vocabulary that makes the British sound so sophisticated and important. But as I glanced at the back of the transport workers' neon green vests, I think I may be leaning towards vocabulary. Their official title? "Revenue Protection"

Fiesta!

Today, the light shone down, the angels sang, and I ate Mexican food for the first time in THREE MONTHS! Three months without Mexican food is like three months without...chocolate. After hearing Mexican food horror stories, my expectations were not very high as Charlie and I headed to Cafe Pacifico in Covent Gardens. But she had eaten there before and assured me it would taste just like home. As we walked in, I smelled the familiar aroma of fajita smoke and saw the familiar Mexican decor and knew I had found the place.

We were given small bowls of chips (as in tortilla) and salsa to start, although their bowl for the both of us consisted of about 12 chips and a 1/4 cup of salsa...hey, I never said they had Texas-sized portions here. The salsa was great! So good, in fact, that I bought some to bring home...won't Edgar be so surprised and happy at his good fortune? They had all the usual suspects on the menu. While I had my heart set on cheese enchiladas originally, I would up opting for the quesada grande...basically a burrito, and like having a chicken fajita without all the work and extra plates on the table. They also had decent rice and charro beans.

So now that I know where to go to get my fajita fix, our next mission is to find a good Colombian food place. I was very surprised to learn that London has a small Colombia population, as evidenced by a little trek to the Colombian Embassy a few months ago. In the Embassy are advertisements for everything Latin in London. They even have Spanish language newspapers. I picked up an advertisement for a Colombian food place near Oxford Street that is supposed to be pretty good...we may check that one out next.

A few London Mexican food stories...American chips=tortilla chips, British chips=french fries. Our friend ordered chips and salsa from a supposed Mexican food restaurant and received french fries covered in a salsa that was basically ketchup with some veggies in it. You would think a Mexican food place of all places would know that chips and salsa are chips and salsa! There is a place here in Richmond that purports to be a Mexican food restaurant, so Edgar and I checked out the menu....no chips and salsa on there and the only thing half way Mexican was a quesadilla...not even a taco or enchilada. They should be charged for false advertisement for luring in homesick Texans with the promise of Tex-Mex.

Stonehenge and a Long Awaited Bath

Edgar and I were settling into our favorite Saturday morning ritual...cup of coffee and the newspaper...when he looked at me and said, "Why don't we go to Stonehenge?" I said, "Of course!" I thought we could also combine it with a trip to Bath, so I got on the Internet, found a place to stay, and two hours later, we were on our way!

Stonehenge is only 1 1/2 hours from us. And the best part is....it's an English Heritage site!!!! That's right! We finally got to use our cards...and we got free parking! See the bottom of this post for the running tally of how much more we need to see in order to recoup our membership fee.

We set the SatNav towards Amesbury, the closest town, and off we went. It was a very nice drive, mostly on the freeway, but some nice country roads as we approached the site. We came down a hill and suddenly, there it was...perched on a hill on the side of the road. Being a Saturday afternoon in the summer, I expected lines of cars, but we found a parking spot easily. I think that most everyone arrives by tour bus. They have the expected headset audio tour, which was pretty dull, but I listened to about 10 minutes of it, just to get the basic gist of the place. It is reported to have been built in phases beginning in 3100 B.C....pretty old! The reasons for its construction are varied, ranging from astronomy to human sacrifice. No one really knows for sure, which I guess is what adds to its mystic. They have the entire site roped off now, so you can't actually walk amongst the stones, only see them from about 50-100 feet away on a circular path. The stones were very big and it was cool to see one of the most famous structures on the planet...

We then headed up the road to Bath. Although we made a slight bypass to Bristol on the way. Someone had told us that Bristol was supposed to be nice, but with no city map or guide, we didn't have a clue as to where to go or what to see. We weren't impressed with what we were seeing, so we quickly got back on the path to Bath. Maybe I'll do a little research so we can be more prepared next time.

Bath is famous for its ancient Roman baths. It was around 50 A.D. that the Romans discovered the natural hot springs and began building impressive temples and structures to enclose and worship the springs, and create a most impressive bath house. They believed that the springs held special powers because they had no other explanation as to why the water would be there, pumping out over one million liters of 45 C (113 F) water daily. People from all over made pilgrimages to the site to bathe and make offerings. The Romans were fantastic engineers. They created this massive complex with many different bathing rooms and used only the heat from the springs to make sauna/steam rooms. They even had a cold plunge pool, which is very common in spas today. The most impressive engineering feat for me was the system they created for moving the water around to the different rooms and then eventually out to the River Avon. They designed and built this system 2000 years ago, and it is still the same system they use today. In fact, much of the wood used in the system is still there and working nicely. Pretty cool.

Other than the ancient baths, there is not much else going on in Bath. The Avon River runs through it, they have a few museums, and the architecture of the buildings is gorgeous. It is a perfect town to just spend a day or two looking around and relaxing with a nice dinner and glass of wine at the end of the day. One thing that impressed me about the city is, other than the double decker tourist bus that I think is completely unnecessary, the town has retained some charm. While you will find plenty of shopping in chain boutiques, they have not resorted to tacky souvenir shops, which makes it a pleasant place to stroll around.

So now, the English Heritage tally...
Total membership fee: £69
"Spent" so far: £27
Left to break even: £42

We have discussed visiting Windsor Castle next weekend....guess we'll see how we feel when we wake up Saturday morning. Have a great week! By the way, we paid $8 per gallon for gas...still complaining much?

A Tisket-A Tasket-60 Balls in a Basket

You may recall me referring to my friend Charlie as my "golf buddy" and that she really likes to play golf. Well, when I say she really likes to play, I mean she REALLY likes to play. In fact, she's a pro! I don't just mean she's really good...I'm talking professionally good...she was one of Annika Sorenstam's teammates on the LPGA tour! So when she offered me a trade off of watching her boys for about an hour in exchange for a lesson, you better believe I took her up on it. Although I think she may have had the harder end of the deal, considering I had never even picked up a golf club.

So this morning we headed out to the Richmond Park driving range where I was poised to reveal my golf greatness...my undiscovered talent...or maybe I could just make contact with the ball and be very proud of myself. We got a basket of 60 balls and the lesson started. I learned all about the grip, alignment, and proper swing. We started with baby steps...little half swings without the ball. Then, when I felt comfortable with that, she put a ball on the the tee in front of me. I was so nervous! To my utter surprise, I hit the ball on the first try!!! I couldn't believe it! After a while, she taught me the full swing, I did a few practice swings, and then the real deal. I hit it again with the full swing!

It was only my first day, and I didn't know anything about golf before today, but I think I did pretty good! I only missed the ball a few times, mostly when I was concentrating to hard and not relaxing. I hit some pretty straight and I even got some 100 yarders. I just loved it when I hit it perfectly and it had this nice hollow sound as it made contact and then it flew into a nice arch. She says I have a natural swing and did very good for my first try...even that I should practice more and pursue it! But I guess I shouldn't be surprised at my successful lesson...I was in very good hands and knew if anyone could teach me, it would be Charlie!

Rowing Down the River

Wednesday night I was invited to a rowing session with 3 wonderful ladies-Alex, Charlie, and Angel. We were sculling, actually. Alex heads up a team for the Great River Race which happens every September here in London. Three hundred boats of all types row 22 miles down the Thames River, starting near Richmond in far west London, and ending in Greenwich in far east London. Considering it was my first time to ever row, I think I did a pretty good job once I got into the rhythm. It is a bit awkward at first because it isn't as cut and dry as the rowing machines at the gym, but I learned that it's kind of like driving...you have to look at the road ahead and not the sidelines. With sculling, I found it much easier to just look straight ahead and feel the movement rather than concentrate on the placement of the oars or my arms, back, legs, etc. I don't know if I'll get to participate in the race because they seem to already have a full boat, but I am happy to participate in the Wednesday rowing sessions....I said I would try new things while here, so I guess I can add this to my list!

If you have any tips for my sculling technique, please send them along....I can take all the help I can get!