Bon Jour!

PARIS....what can I say about the City of Lights other than WOW! I must have said it at least a hundred times this past weekend. From a welcome rainstorm to an all day bike tour to the Mona Lisa, Paris was simply beautiful and utterly romantic.

The Eurostar and Chunnel
The Eurostar is inside Waterloo Station (although it will move to St. Pancras Station this year), which is a very convenient 20 minute train ride from Richmond. Because I had pre-purchased the tickets, all we did was walk up to the self serve ticket kiosk, punch a few buttons, and voila...we had our boarding passes. The Eurostar does have a security check point, but was nothing more than walking through the detector and running your bag through the machine. Not a hassle at all. The train itself was nice. Large comfortable seats and large windows to view the countryside. The ride through the Chunnel is 20 minutes in a long, dark tunnel. Before you know it, you pop out the other end and you are in France! After a 2 hr 45 minute journey, the Eurostar stops in Paris at the Gare de Nord station, which is quite busy and very large...although fairly easy to navigate.

A Welcome Rainstorm
Upon exiting the train station and beginning our five block walk to the hotel, it came the storm of the century! Thunder, lightening, and a torrential rain were our welcome to the City of Lights. I guess I should be glad to have had such a spectacular introduction! We arrived at the New Orient Hotel a little wet, but happy to settle in. After an hour the storm had passed and we were not to be deterred from our plans...we headed straight for that beacon in the skyline-the Eiffel Tower! The hotel receptionist gave us perfect Metro (that's the underground system) directions and we exited at Trocadero Square. When we popped up out of the station, I had no clue where I was and I couldn't see the Tower anywhere. There was a huge building to left of us giving us only a partial view of the skyline....and then I began to see it, crowds with cameras...it could only mean one thing! Edgar is a few steps in front of me and I see a huge smile come across his face as he turns left. I creep forward very slowly and start saying with anticipation..."Is it there? Is that it?"....and then I step into the clearing, look to the left and take a quick gasp of air as I see the Eiffel Tower for the first time. Majestic, beautiful and just as grand as I thought it would be. The rainstorm had driven most everyone back to their hotels, so we were lucky enough to have beaten the crowd back out after the rain had stopped. We only waited in line for 10 minutes to get our tickets to the top...lines the next day were probably 3 hours long. The view was amazing and we were lucky enough to get to the top right at dusk, so we were able to see the changing colors of the sky as the sun went down.

Back at Trocadero Square, on our way to the Metro for our return to the hotel, we stopped to admire the view one more time from this amazing vantage point. All of a sudden, the entire Tower began to sparkle...thousands of white flash bulb lights twinkling the entire length of the structure. It was so beautiful and a completely unexpected surprise. Apparently it does this for ten minutes every night on the hour from 9pm-11pm.

Fat Tire Bike Tour
Saturday was our big bike tour day. Our friends Lilly and Aron had recommended Fat Tire Bike Tours, so we knew we couldn't go wrong. Thirty of us set out at 11am on big California cruiser bikes with Brian, our fearless leader, leading the way. This bike tour company is Texas owned-Aggie owned actually. We had a great time seeing many of the major landmarks in the city and relaxing for lunch in the Tuillery Gardens just outside the Louvre. This morning tour concluded at 3:30, and since our evening tour didn't start until 7pm, we rented our bikes back and set off for Napoleon's Tomb at Les Invalides. It's a beautiful building with real gold on the top of the dome (one of only 3 places in Paris with real gold) and amazing frescoes adorning the ceiling and walls.

After a relaxing dinner, we headed back to the Fat Tire shop to begin the evening portion of the bike tour. This tour included stops at the Louvre (more on that later), Notre Dame, ice cream!, St. Germain Blvd., and a boat ride down the Seine River...of course we sipped some wine as well. Along the river, we saw Lady Liberty...an exact replica of the Statue of Liberty offered to the French by American residents in Paris to commemorate the Centennial of the French Revolution. It was inaugurated on November 15, 1889.

We met an amazing family from New York on this evening tour. Matt, Joanie, Carla, and Kevy were so much fun and were celebrating Matt and Joanie's 27th wedding anniversary as well as Kevy's graduation from high school. We were surprised to learn that our hotels were just down the street from one another, so we took the Metro back to Villiers (our stop) and had some drinks and dessert to cap our night. Jennifer, on vacation from California and also on the bike tour, joined us as well. After 11 hours on the bike, we were exhausted, so we said goodbye to our new friends, headed to the hotel and collapsed into bed only to wake at 9:30am the next morning for another adventurous day.

The Louvre and Notre Dame
Thanks to Rick Steves, we had a free podcast for our iPod to lead us around the massive expanse of the Louvre. If you were to spend just one minute at each article in the Louvre and not stop for sleeping, eating, etc., you would be in there for 8 1/2 months! That's how big this place is! And it is truly amazing. We saw Greek artifacts dating from 3200 B.C. and some amazing artwork. Highlights of the Louvre were the Galerie d'Apollon, Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, several sculptures by Michelangelo, and paintings by all the famous artists including Raphael, Messina, and of course Leonardo da Vinci. Yes, I have seen the Mona Lisa with my own two eyes! She was beautiful. And for all of you Da Vinci Code fans, it was pretty cool to see the Pyramid at the entrance and all the major structures that Dan Brown writes about. I could write about the Louvre for days, it was that amazing. But in the interest of time, I will go on to....

Notre Dame. I didn't know that Napoleon was crowned, not King, but Emperor in this Cathedral. He didn't like the Gothic look on the inside, so he had them create a "stage set" of velvet curtains and a grand altar for his coronation. Although it is debated, word has it that Napoleon actually took his crown from the Pope, who had endured a long and arduous journey to get to Paris, and put it atop his own head. This scene is depicted in a painting by David on display in the Louvre and the Pope does not look happy! I didn't know that Notre Dame was actually to be demolished at one point in history and was saved when a book called The Hunchback of Notre Dame created renewed interest and the authorities in Paris saw a cash cow in the making.

Moulin Rouge Area
Because of a logistical error on my part, Edgar and I wound up in the Moulin Rouge area. We had dinner reservations at a highly recommended restaurant named Chez Georges. Well, guess what? There are two restaurants by that name in Paris, and wouldn't you know I got directions to the wrong one! No big loss, we weren't that hungry anyways after eating french onion soup and banana/nutella crepes for lunch. We saw on the Metro map that we were close to the Moulin Rouge, so off we went. If nothing else, we could have drinks and people watch. Now I am a pretty open-minded, liberal person, but I have to say that this area held no attraction for me. I won't really say much about it other than that there is a reason the famed windmill of Moulin Rouge has RED LIGHTS...maybe it has something to do with the DISTRICT? We were back in the Metro station about as fast as we got there.

On Monday morning, we were very sad to be packing our bags for home. After a quick trip to the Sacre Cur, a cathedral even more beautiful than Notre Dame, we were off to the station from which it seems we had just arrived. Paris was an amazing city and I would like to spend more time there in the future. Perhaps, after some art history lessons, a little more time in the Louvre or a re-read of the Da Vinci code to take in all of the famously talked about landmarks.

TidBits
In Paris, each district is required to host a street market at least twice a week so the people in the neighborhood can buy food and goods. These are great places to pick up a picnic and laze about in one of the parks in front of the Eiffel Tower...this will definitely be on the next agenda. The Parisians were so nice to us. We were always greeted with a smile, even when biking down the streets. It amazes me how communication will always find a way to prevail. We had a waiter grab a small toothpick in an effort to explain to us that the special of the day was skewered veal...pretty creative! Paris is a very bike and pedestrian friendly city. They have whole lanes dedicated to bikes and large, wide sidewalks for biking or walking when the lanes are not available. Romas (the PC term for gypsies) are everywhere. They are a quite organized group of people with a "Don" who acts as the headmaster. If they ask you if you speak English, always say no. If you say yes, they hand you a piece of paper with a sad story and ask for money. As soon as they find out you are American, the flock swarms. Always beware of pickpockets at all times...they are pretty sneaky. Never let anyone put a bracelet on you for demonstration. Before you know it, the thing is tied tight around your wrist and someone is asking for money....especially in the Sacre Cur area. We were fortunate enough to avoid these pitfalls, but have heard and seen the horror stories. Paris is full of interesting smells...the good, the bad and the ugly. They have a high unemployment and homeless population who seem to like living in the underground. But the underground can be like a city in itself...there is always a musician or a singer there to entertain you. The Eiffel Tower lines will be long. Just grin and bear it, or hope for rain! Last but not least, always eat the crepes and have a chocolate/almond croissant for breakfast...with espresso.

Edgar and I have decided that since we will celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary this year, we might as well celebrate all year...why save it for just one day? So, as we were cruising down the Seine River drinking our little cups of French wine watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle in its greatness, we reflected on how far we have come since the days of playing soccer with empty water bottles in his office at the SWT Student Center. We would never have thought that our whispered dreams would become such a surreal reality. We are truly grateful for our experiences and consider ourselves blessed to be sharing them with you.

Selfridge's

Yesterday, I visited Selfridge's with Catalina and Charlie (and of course little Adam...he is quite the lady's man)! It is a huge department store on Oxford Street that was opened in 1909 by an American entrepreneur. It is still in its original building and is famous for groundbreaking window displays.

Upon walking in on the ground floor, I made my way through the myriad cosmetics counters and managed to avoid the spraying perfume. It was worth the maneuver, because in the next section, I was greeted by the most magnificent food hall I have ever seen! They have every single type of food you could want from Spanish to Scandinavian to sushi. You can eat it in the store or have it as take-away (British for to-go). We had a gorgeous selection of Moroccan dishes and a dessert that was a cross between fudge and baked meringue.

They also sell some groceries and I was so excited when I spotted an entire section of Lucky Charms! And then I looked at the price...$13.00!!!! I don't think I want them that bad. Aunt Jemima syrup must be considered a delicacy as well, because a small bottle was $12.50...it's not even real syrup!

I cannot wait to go back and spend some more time browsing all of the floors. It must be so much fun during the holidays. I can't imagine what the displays must look like.

Photo: Catalina on the left, Charlie on the right (with Adam in the pram...British for stroller). Selfridge's is the building on the left with the pillars.

English Heritage vs. National Trust

So after our road trip last weekend, you may recall that we had become proud English Heritage Society members. We were so pumped about being able to visit all of these great places as many times as we wanted for FREE (with our small membership fee). I was very excited about visiting Ham House, which is 3/4 of a mile down the river from our flat. It was not built by King Henry VIII or even visited by King Henry VIII (it was after his reign and life for that matter), but it did host many Royal Court members and would allow me to see how those I've been reading about had lived.

We had been doing the Chandler dance (from Friends) as we walked down the river, singing "That's right, we're members...oh yeah, let us in..." When we arrived at the gates, Edgar proudly pulls out our temporary English Heritage Society membership cards (the Welcome Pack and real cards will arrive in 6-8 weeks). This is the exchange that happened between us and the entrance lady (AKA...National Trust Lady #1):

National Trust Lady #1: (in a very proper British accent) "Oh, right. That's English Heritage...we're National Trust."

EdVon: (in utter dismayed unison) "What?!?"

National Trust Lady #1: (showing our card to National Trust Lady #2) "This is English Heritage, right?"

National Trust Lady #2: (with her nose slightly turned up) "Oh yes, that's English Heritage. I can tell by the writing on the card. But we won't hold it against you...hahaha."

EdVon: (still dismayed and speechless) "What's the difference?"

National Trust Lady #1: "We are a non-profit and self supportive. The English Heritage is government supported and gives you access to old ruins and buildings that...are...free...anyways (her voice trailing off)."

The way they talked about the English Heritage, I could just imagine that the two groups were like rival gangs. Staunchy, British historian buffs would ask you the secret password and throw you their gang sign before letting you sit in the entrance booth (see above photo...I am throwing an E for English Heritage, Edgar a T for National Trust). I think we should become members of both and accidentally show the "wrong" card at the entrance gate, just to see what kind of response we get. I wonder if they consider membership in both akin to treason?

Well, you better believe I pulled out the English Heritage guidebook when we got home. Not only do we get discounts at gift shops all over Great Britian, but our audio guides are already paid for! And, there are plenty of places that require an entrance fee....and don't you know we will visit every single one. Guess the joke's on them, huh?

The Original Maids of Honour

The Original Maids of Honour was the perfect setting to celebrate the upcoming marriage of my friend Catalina. I feel very fortunate to have made some great friends here in London and even more fortunate to have a history with some of them! Catalina is a long-time friend of Edgar after they met in Cali at University and she is now a friend of mine. She is engaged to Sebastian, a Londoner, and will marry on June 2!

In true English fashion, Charlie, myself, and Catalina sat down to a luncheon and afternoon tea at the Original Maids of Honour near Kew Gardens. Maids of Honour are actually little pastries thought to have originated in Richmond Palace when King Henry ate them from a silver dish with Anne Boleyn and the Royal Court. They are very tasty and kind of like a custard flavor with a buttermilk pie texture. Of course, you know me...I will track down the recipe and attempt to make them myself...even though the recipe is supposedly a family secret passed down from generation to generation in this bakery.

Congratulations to Catalina and Sebastian! We are so happy for you and wish you the best!

The White Cliffs of Dover

We took our first English road trip on Sunday amid a slightly soggy sky. We were determined to make it to the coast and see the famed White Cliffs of Dover made famous by a WWII era song.

We started out at 7:30am (I know, quite early for a Sunday!) with all our snacks in tow and the SatNav firmly pointed toward Canterbury. After about 1 1/2 hours, we made it to the city also known as the City of Cathedrals and also famous for the Canterbury Tales. It was a beautiful city and one we would like to return to for an entire day and not just a quick drive through. The buildings truly are beautiful and, as many things around these parts, very, very old! The city is also the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Next, we were off to Sandwich...the town, not the tuna. It was a lovely town and is one of the original Cinque Ports along the eastern edge of the English Channel. It is home to the Royal St. George's Golf Club, which is famous among golfers...so says my golf buddy Charlie...she loves to play there! It is said that the actual sandwich was invented by John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, in 1762, to sustain him while he was either gambling or working at his desk...the actual reason depends on the biographer.

We headed a few more miles down the road and finally hit water...in Deal! I was especially excited to visit this city because it has the Deal Castle, built by King Henry VIII between 1539-1542. I am really into the whole King Henry VIII history right now, so I was super excited to see some of this history in person. It is an amazing place in the shape of a 6 petalled flower and was built as a true fortress and not a residence. One of Henry's wives, Anne of Cleves, changed into her wedding attire in this castle before their marriage...although the marriage only lasted about 7 months. They didn't have cameras back then and the only way you knew how someone looked without ever meeting them was through a painted portrait. Henry never saw his bride before becoming engaged (the marriage was a political arrangement as many things were in those days) and relied on her portrait as to her looks. Well, it seems the painter made her appear lovelier than she really was and King Henry was not impressed with the real thing. His reign was truly a soap opera...Anyways, we were starving when we finished touring the castle and headed to the High Street for some down home fish-n-chips, complete in wrapped paper dripping with grease. There is nothing better on a cold, rainy day than true fish-n-chips wrapped in paper!

So now that I'm on cloud nine after visiting my very first castle, we could see the goal in site. After a quick stop at St. Margaret's at Cliffe through a very windy, downhill descent, we arrived in Dover! The White Cliffs of Dover are spectacular! Because this is the point of England closest to France, you can take a ferry from Dover and arrive in France in 30 minutes via the English Channel. The Cliffs are made of pure white lime with streaks of black flint and stand 350 ft. tall! Pretty impressive! We attempted to tour the Dover Castle, but the rain washed out our parade. However, the good news is since we are new, proud members of the English Heritage Society, we can go back as many times as we want!

This was the end of our very first road trip. I was so surprised we could pack so much into 190 miles! Edgar drove the whole way and I am so proud of him. It is not easy transitioning to the driving over here. Everything is backwards and the signs are different. He is a pro at the round-a-bouts and we are both learning to judge our distances on the opposite side of the car. I've been brave enough to drive to Charlie's house (which requires one turn) and the grocery store (which requires 3 turns and one major round-a-bout). I'm sure in 2 years it will be second nature and we will be really confused when we return to the States.

Have a great day!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY & BIRTHDAY, MOM!!

I would like to send a very special Happy Mother's Day and Birthday wish to my dear Mom. It just so happens that her birthday fell on Mother's Day this year! I hope you had a great one and I am so happy you got to spend it in your new home!

A Little Taste of South American in London

I am very happy to report that there is a great South American, Argentinian actually, restaurant right in our front yard here in Richmond! I met up with my girlfriends, Charlie and Jenny, for lunch at the Gaucho Grill and had a great time chowing down on ceviche and churrascos. We have already thought of dessert and coffee at another time as we were way too full to get it this go around.

I have to admit that I am pleasantly surprised by the food here in London. Most of you who know me, know that I am a foodie...I love to cook and try new things, and I like good food. I was warned of many things before coming here, such as...They don't have peanut butter...They don't have salad dressing...and you will never see the sun again. These things turned out to be untrue as did the warning of really terrible food. Just like any place, you have to be a little choosey on where you decide to dine. For example, you probably wouldn't order a steak from IHOP and expect it to be steakhouse quality. Here, we have eaten some bad food...English breakfasts are not our favorite...but if you go to a family owned place that cooks food of their family specialty, you will be in pretty good shape. Eating out is very expensive unless you grab a sandwich in a little cafe. Fortunately, the grocery store food is very good as well. It's about 50% more expensive as compared to US prices, but it's London and what can you expect? The pre-made food tastes just like home-made...they don't really use preservatives or artificial ingredients, so what you get is exactly what you would have put together at home...without the time and cleanup afterwards!

My new favorite sandwish combo is tuna/sweet corn/cucumber/mayo...and always on toasted bread (a "toastie" they call it). Try it! I guarantee you'll like it!

SURPRISE!!! We went to Switzerland...

...and hiked the Swiss Alps!!!

Monday was a bank holiday here in the UK, which meant Edgar had the day off! We decided about two weeks ago to take a trip to Switzerland and fulfill my lifelong dream. I would have never thought when I was in Mrs. Meharg's first grade class learning about this beautiful country, that I would actually get to see it in person! Something about the three story houses fascinated me, never mind that the ground floor was a barn! And they made cheese! Our friends from Houston, Lilly and Aron, have recently relocated to England as well, and they came along with us. We had a fabulous time and I will try my best to keep this succinct.

Where did we go and how did we get there?
Our destination was Gimmelwald, Switzerland. A tiny village in the middle of the Alps, population 131. It is only accessible by mountain gondola.

From London, we flew into Zurich on Friday night...and that's the easiest part! On Saturday morning, we went by train to Lucerne, where we transferred to another train bound for Interlaken Ost. This is by far the most scenic ride I have ever taken-by car, train, plane, whatever! It cuts through the Alps and takes you through the lake areas, where the water is crystal clear. From Interlaken Ost, we took another train to Lauterbrunnen. This was tricky because at a certain point, the train stops and splits. The first half goes to Grindelwald and the second half goes to Lauterbrunnen. Of course we were on the wrong half, so when it stopped, we had to jump out and run to the front of the train. We felt quite silly. Anyways, we made it and from Lauterbrunnen, we took a short bus ride to Stechelberg, where we boarded the gondola which took us up the mountain to Gimmelwald...WHEW!!! Sounds like a lot, but the entire journey was only about 3 hours.

Where did we stay?
Ah, yes, the BEST question by far! We stayed at the Mountain Hostel with around 30 of our new closest friends. It was our very first time in a hostel and it will be hard to beat! What is a hostel you ask? Kind of like college dorm living, only you are traveling. Every hostel is set up differently, but basically there are dorm style bunk beds in rooms for any number of people and shared bathrooms. There is usually a communal kitchen where you can cook your own food, and a group dining area. The Mountain Hostel had 50 beds divided into Girls, Boys, and Co-Ed rooms. Edgar and I got lucky and swiped the "honeymoon suite". It was a private room in a loft area with a window to the Alps. It was pretty cool to wake up in the morning and have your eyes pop open to the beauty! Below us was the living area with the pool table and bar, where we were serenaded to sleep every night by accordion and sometimes yodeling...ah, the romance!

This was a great first hostel experience. At around $15 per night, you can't beat it for budget traveling. We will probably continue to stay in hostels throughout our travels. Generally, they are full of just out of college kids backpacking around Europe (or whatever continent you are on), but it is a great way to meet people and get the inside scoop on everything travel related. It definitely made a much richer experience for us on this trip. I'm sure we will treat ourselves to a hotel every now and then, but from here on out, its paid showers and communal living for us!

What did we do?
On our first day, we hiked up to Murren (the closest place with a grocery store) to get food and eat lunch. There was one place open in the whole town and lucky for us they had cheese, meat and beer! This pretty much consumed the rest of our daylight, so we spent the evening playing cards and hanging out with our new hostel friends.

Sunday was our big hiking day. We stopped at the house next door for freshly made cheese and sausage and set out to find the Chilchbalm glacier. The hike was amazing with beautiful views. Even though there was a slight drizzly rain, the clouds and fog only added to the mystic of the area. When we finally reached the glacier, the handwork paid off. It was probably the most beautiful vista I have ever seen in my life. The mountains just kept going higher and higher as the fog rolled away, and just when you thought you could see the peak, another one would come into view. Because it is springtime, the snow is beginning to melt. It had already melted in the area where we had hiked, but high into the mountains beyond us, you could hear a low crack and then see an avalanche of snow tumble down toward the bottom like a waterfall (don't worry, Dad, we were far from this area). A cave sat up the mountain and to the side of the glacier and we hiked up there for lunch. You will see in the photos that it's the best window seat I have ever had, with the Alps as my view!

Monday saw us reluctantly traveling home. We had time to kill in Zurich before our flight and decided to walk around the city a bit. Maybe we didn't give it a good enough chance, but unless you like designer shopping or need an anonymous bank account, this city may not hold alot for you. We were starving and had a very hard time finding a restaurant in the busiest area of the city. We searched and searched and in the end, did the only thing we could do....McDonald's. Even worse is that in this financial mecca of the world, most places only accept cash. I would think they would have some kind of sophisticated payment system, but no, only cash.

In the end....
This trip was truly a dream come true for me. It is a place I have dreamed of visiting since I was 6 years old. The beauty is unrivaled, the hospitality a charm, and the Swiss travel system is amazing. They've got logistics down to a science and have every mode of transportation you could need-plane, train, bus, cable car, mountain gondola, etc. Everything is perfectly timed no matter where you are going or what transfer you need to make. We met some very fascinating people, had a great time in the mountain top hot tub, and will mark this trip as one on the top of our list. Our return is no question, with more time and hopefully less clouds. Until then, we will clean our hiking boots and keep with us the peaceful, tranquil feelings of Gimmelwald and the Swiss Alps.

I Told You!!!

Check out this article on cnn.com about Ronaldo from my previous post...
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SPORT/football/05/04/england.ronaldo/index.html

Guess I am really catching on to this football!

Have a great weekend...Monday is bank holiday here in the UK...I just might have a new story on Tuesday...be sure to check back next week!

Manchester Player's Got Mad Skills

*Please be sure to click the hyperlinks below for important info...ladies, especially.

So I decided since I am now living in Europe, I should become a football fan...the kind of football with two nets and a round ball...and since I live in England, perhaps I should root for an English football team. I know nothing about who is who, so I just plucked a team out of the air...Chelsea... and if it wasn't my luck that they made it to the semi-finals of the European Champions League...it's kind of like the run-up to the Superbowl, if only Canada and Mexico had teams. Unfortunately, I found out that the coach is pretty much a jerk, so I decided to change my loyalty...Chelsea wound up getting beaten by Liverpool anyways, so no big loss on my part.

Now, I am a Manchester United fan. They have alot of great players that I recognized from the World Cup in 2006. They also made it to the semi-finals, playing against Milan (Italy). I am mostly impressed with the player named Cristiano Ronaldo. He has got mad skills. Edgar tells me that he is one of the best players in the world, is very talented, and dribbles the ball very well. Sounds like a winner to me! I guess I can overlook his slightly inflated ego, as evident in a recent quote, "Maybe people don't like me because I am too good." It's hard to tell if that is his ego or if it was lost in translation, as he is Portuguese and English is not his native language...and if anyone can understand lost in translation, it's me!

I am sad to report that Manchester United lost to Milan tonight. They are now out of the running for the European World Champions trophy. I know you are crying....