Saturday, October 21, 2006

Why am I doing the open-mouth smiley thing? I hate that.
Taken our last night at dinner, my coworkers and I are at the restaurant next to the bridge.

Friday, October 20, 2006
Goodbye Prague!

So I guess that concludes the Prague entries. That night, after the Charles Bridge, I headed back that way anyhow and walked the bridge again at night. It was beautiful and dreamlike. We had a group dinner during which I talked to some people, ate some more traditional Czech food, and tried to have a good time.

I can say i'm glad I went, that I really needed the break from the total heartbreak that this year has brought me, and that it was an experience I'll never, ever forget.


Thank you to Paul, who is a most gracious and wonderful host, and without whom I wouldn't have had a place in London to stay. I am so happy I got to spend a couple of days hanging out with you and Jen and Charlie. Good times.

There may be more photos, or more details that I have completely forgotten (i'll look over the notes I made), and if that is the case, there will be more posts here.

Until later....adios!

Thursday, October 19, 2006
Charles Bridge

I'll have to admit, when people were talking about the Charles Bridge, I didn't think much of it. It's a bridge. OK. But, I was persueded to take a look anyways, so I went via tram to the area of town nearest the bridge. I was just sitting there, staring at the seatback in front of me, when I noticed something.



Yep, that's my name. Don't sit on it. My name is on ALL OF THE SEATBACKS in every tram in Prague. Can you believe it?

Then there was the incident of the ticket inspector. Ticket inspector man was standing next to my seat, only he didn't look like a ticket inspector. They don't wear uniforms in Prague, apparently. So, I was slightly annoyed at the older man who wouldn't stop standing next to me and talking to me like I had a clue what he was saying in Czech. I didn't understand it at all. I thought maybe if I ignored him, he'd go away. He didn't. He stood there and then asked if I speak Spanish or French or Italian. That's when something clicked in my brain (cue clicking sound) and I sheepishly took my ticket out of my pocket with an, "Oh! my ticket!" And showed it to him. I told him I was sorry, and he just thanked me very kindly and moved along. I suppose it could have been worse. Wow, Czech mishap #2. Or was it #22 by that time?

The bridge was of course, beautiful. I did some shopping down the street before the bridge, and then on the bridge as there's no shortage of vendors with photography and artwork and crafts. It was interesting and very crowded. Here's some shots I took:





On the way back I stopped at Joe's Bar and ate a burger, then I wandered around some more and did more shopping. It was a leisurely afternoon by myself.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Karlstejn

We took a trip to Karlstejn early one morning, which was nice. On our way there, we drove through the Czech countryside, beautiful and very foggy. I love the fog, even though the scenery is beautiful without it.
The bus took an hour down a winding road to get to the 13th century castle. When we got there, we realized how big it was, and how huge of a walk that would be. So I did what I do best- I got other modes of transportation to the top.



Meet the transportation. Isn't it cute?

It was really sort of fairytale-like, driving up to the castle in a carriage in the fog. It was also really beautiful and still.



We took a tour of the castle, and were astounded at how huge it all is. Most of it is a Victorian-era refurbishment, but they have restored many of the original attributes. It was interesting in its own right architecturally. I didn't even attempt to walk up the largest of the towers, because...no. Just, no. But I liked staring at it from a distance. I also liked looking down from the turrets at the trees in the hills below, which were just beginning to turn their colors. It was actually very peaceful.

We walked some of the way back down, and I took the carriage back most of the rest of the way, giving my best "princess wave" as I passed my coworkers and friends on the road. I had them let me out at a restaurant, where some nice people treated me to the best pig's knee I have ever had. Yes, pig's knee. It's basically pork roast, which is large enough to feed at least 3 or 4 hungry people. It was delicious, along with the pancakes. Ah, the Czech diet. I loved it, despite the apparent lack of vegetable.

When we got back to the hotel that afternoon, all I did was settle in for a long nap before dinner.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Josefov

Anyone who knows me, knows that I can't go anywhere without visiting a cemetery. The older, the better. The more haunted, the better. So, I took a trip with Big, Gay Black Man (oh that journey is another entry in itself) over to the Jewish Quarter of Prague the next day. It was the most interesting part of Prague I was able to see.

My main reason was of course, the cemetery.
This cemetery is several hundred years old. It's probably double the age of the U.S., and then some. And the bodies...are buried some say 12 deep. I've never seen anything like it. It is said that Kafka liked to hang here. I could see why. It's pretty, in an odd way. There are nooks and crannies, and odd things that you don't find in other cemeteries, like rocks on grave stones, and one stone that had nothing but bits of paper and wrappers folded neatly by various passing people and fitted neatly in the hebrew letters. Odd.

Some photos:










The oldest grave in the cemetery is that of a rabbi, poet and physician named Avigdor Kara, who died in 1439. His original tombstone was recently replaced by a replica. Kara was one of the few survivors of a pogrom at Easter time in 1389 when approximately 3,000 Jews, almost the entire Jewish population in Prague, were killed by the Christians living in the city, after local Catholic priests accused the Jews of desecrating the Host used in the sacrament of Holy Communion.
The cemetery itself was closed in 1787.

Dinner

Can be summed up in a few words.

Drink




Food



Crazy friends




And of course.....


Beer.

Sunday, October 15, 2006
Defying Gravity?

Uh...well. I did my best. We went to the top of the Very Big Tower after lunch. Of course, the only reason I was able to do it was because they had a lift. I was happy, because I really wanted to see the view from up there. Or so I thought.



Oh hey. Now that's a long way down. Gulp.



Look, ma! I'm eye-level with a church-steeple! Goody!

I seriously forced myself to walk around all four sides of the itty-bitty balcony on this tower. I had to. I knew logically we couldn't fall over, but being from California, I kept having flashbacks of the Northridge earthquake of 94.

As I picked my way gingerly around the outside, past the other tourists, all I could think was, "Holy God I'm going to fall out." At one point I felt nauseous and I could have sworn I felt the building sway (which it probably did). Or, maybe that was just me getting light-headed.




Oh but the views! They were beautiful and fantastic and everything I had hoped. I'm glad I (sort of) got over my fear long enough to take a few shots. That was nice!

Saturday, October 14, 2006
"Bus" Tour

I think I've already mentioned how much I looooooooooved walking in Prague.
So, I was thrilled the first day we were there when we were told we'd be on a bus tour. Little did I know, this 'bus' tour consisted of 20 minutes of bus, and about 3 miles of walking. I kid you not.

But to its credit, we did see some pretty kick-ass scenery and the fabulous St. Vitus, which is beautiful. They had a purple stained-glass window in it that I wished I could take home with me, it was so gorgeous and perfect.



Sigh.

There were other things, of course. Like, for instance, creepy gargoyles.


I was impressed with this portion of the city, despite my hatred of the cobblestones. Much of the time was spent me grumbling like an old lady about the "fucking cobblestones" all the way down a long-ass hill in Mala Strana towards the river.



It doesn't look like much, but it was a long way down.

Then Annmarie and I had the most irritating experience at a restaurant in the city center. It was as if the waiters were being irritating on PURPOSE. I swear. Two hours to eat lunch? This was outdoing even Chateau de Suck. But, we tolerated them because the view was pretty.



See? Prague does the scenery right.

Purple Socks

These are fabulous, the only purple pair I own. Also bought in London. Jen informed me she went back and bought the black and white ones, a kind not seen since a certain house fell on a certain witch. I can't wait to get them!

Friday, October 13, 2006
How to drink Absinth

1. Acquire Absinth.



Like so.

2. Put sugar on spoon. Light it on fire.



Be careful not to drop the fire into the alcohol. That can end badly.


3. Wait for the sugar to carmelize. Admire the pretty colors.







4. Stir in sugar. Take a sip. Now, knock the rest of it back as quickly as possible.



That buzzzzzzing sound is the nice buzz you have after that small amount. Now, try not to get lost on the way back to your hotel room! Enjoy!

Thursday, October 12, 2006
A stands for airport and absinth.

What to say about Heathrow that hasn't been said? No Paris this time, but there were still long lines, and confusion, and much waiting for assistance to the gate (over an HOUR!). They finally got it under control, but not before giving the excuse of a "shift change" which oddly was the EXACT same excuse given to me at LAX. Whatever.
I amused myself by counting the number of times officers with machine guns (soldiers?) walked by on patrol.
So by the time I was on my way to the gate, they figured out that we had to use some sort of lift to get onto the plane. And that particular lift was...in the El Al terminal. Goody.
The El Al terminal is an interesting place to be at a time like this. I noticed something was up with it when we passed many Hasidic Jews praying against one of the walls. Interesting.
The air conditioning was off. Their security was out as usual. They have really tight security and told us that this "wasn't our gate".
We knew. They told us the lift didn't work.
So away we went....another 15 gates down, which is a long walk (or a long way to wheel me)...to a different place where we could get to where we needed to be. Finally after what seemed like forever, we got on the airplane...
Only to be told we'd be delayed another hour due to mechanical problems. This didn't irritate me as much as getting the run around (wheel around?) at the airport did, seeing as I'd rather NOT have to make an emergency landing somewhere over the English Channel. No thanks. So, I brought my patience along with me on this trip and waited it out with everyone else, not that we had a choice.
I just sat there as we waited on the taxi way and played Sudoku. What can I say? It passes the time. I also stole some of my seatmates' newspapers. Did you know they have a UK version of "The Apprentice"? Me neither.
Uneventful flight to Prague, but we did get there about 2 hours late. My first non-English mistake in Prague airport? Almost walking into a broom closet after using the bathroom. Oh so THAT'S why there was the big "X" on the door. It doesn't stand for "exit". Hmm. Those Czechs...very tricky.
By the time we got to the hotel (after listening to our guide tell us in broken english that the Czechs consume more beer than anyone in Europe?), I didn't feel like going anywhere in particular. It was past 10 p.m. and I don't speak Czech, which at that point was so utterly bemusing to me (still is). I was tired. So, I sat in the hotel bar and ate pasta and drank a beer with my coworkers who were also on the trip. I know, so much for low-carb. Shockingly, even with all the beer I still weigh roughly 10 lbs less than when I left. I like this diet; Pasta, beer, and 5 miles of walking per day. Fun.
While eating pasta, my coworker had a bright blue-green liquid set down in front of him.
I stopped mid forkful and said, "What is THAT?"
He leveled his gaze at the glass and said in his most Bond-like tone, "Absinth."

Oh. This was going to get good.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Happy Girls

Jen and me in the cab on the way to Wicked.
(photo courtesy of Jen)



Me having coffee in Covent Garden.
(photo courtesy of Jen)

Jennifer Totally Copied Me...

But I think it's flattering! Her blog about her/our trip is here. She also has pictures in it.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Wicked

First I guess I should explain that dinner at Chateau de Suck* was sooooooo incredibly slow, that we got there at 6 and weren't done until 7:15. Apparently, a 2-course meal is SO hard to come by these days. Sheesh. By the time we got to the dessert, we had to gulp it down and then leave payment on the table because we were so afraid we were going to miss the beginning of the Best Show Ever. I was about ready to handcuff our waiter to the table leg and staple the bill to his forehead.

But I digress.

None of this marred the fact that we would be seeing Wicked, starring the person who won the 2004 Tony Award for playing the lead role.

We were beside ourselves with squee.

I snapped this photo as we half-jogged down the street:


As we entered the Apollo Victoria, which was done entirely in green inside, we could feel everyone rushing around in a frenzy trying to get their seats and talking excitedly. Apparently, this musical is just as popular in the UK as in the US. I didn't really expect that.

We didn't mind the fact that our seats were waaaaaay up near the top, above the Time Dragon Clock, it was OK... we just wanted to see this show from whatever distance. There was nothing that renting opera glasses couldn't fix.


Look! A dragon!

Idina Menzel was greeted like a rock star as soon as she made her entrance on stage. It was incredible. And so was she.

After seeing it with an all-American cast, it was weird seeing the show with a mostly-British cast. It was definitely a different feel to the musical overall. Some of the comedy might have been lost. But, the songs were the same, the story was the same, and we were floored by the production as we had been previously. "Defying Gravity" sung by the person you hear all the time on the CD is so much better in person.

As Charlie put it, "This? Was an amazing idea."

I just smiled and said, "Yes, yes it was."

And you couldn't get that smile off my face for the rest of the night.



See?


*Name changed to protect sucky restaurant that totally doesn't deserve it.

Monday, October 09, 2006
My Garden in the Sky

Next day we woke up late. Well, not so incredibly late that we missed breakfast, technically we could still have that. Jen and I decided to walk along the river and find a cafe..it was a cool morning, very grey and wet. Finally, London was behaving in typical fashion.
Thankfully, Paul's place is in walking distance of many, many things- food included. Jen and I got our pounds worth of grub and headed home to Charlie, who was waiting patiently.
What to do today? We decided St. Paul's Cathedral and Covent Garden might be fun.
I had heard St. Paul's was worth seeing, and so it was. Indeed, it was huge, and imposing, and inside beautiful. They were actually having a mass inside under the big dome (it is an Episcopal church-duh) so I didn't take any flash photos. I didn't think it would be appreciated. The priest (preacher? uh...not religious here, so have no idea) droned on in his preacher-voice, and it was like something from the Princess Bride, only without the speech-impediment.
Charlie wrote poetry, Jen and I tried not to get thrown out.
Little did I know, this was to be the first of many, many churches.
When we got out of the cathedral, it was raining, as it does. We hailed a cab and took off for Covent Garden..one of my most favorite places in all of London.
Hello, shopping!
And it's not only shopping, but to me a different kind, because they don't just have the fancy shops but they have the stalls outside as well. The day we were there was the antique market, so we saw rows and rows of antique goods, from china to action figures. It was fantastic.
But I had to stop when we saw....stripey socks. I must have stripey socks.
So, I bought three pairs; the green ones which are already posted, the purple and black, and the red and white, which make my legs look like candy canes.


I rest my case.

Fabulous. I was in stripey sock heaven.
Add some musicians, a few more frivolous purchases, wine, and some good food, I was set. I was in utter heaven.
And do you know what made that day even BETTER?
That's right. That night we saw Wicked, two days before it opened on the West End, starring this person right here.

Saturday, October 07, 2006
Boating on the Thames

So I said I'd talk about boating, and I will. After our Tower fiasco, there was much confusion about what to do next. And we watched the people get on the boats, and decided that would be quite fun. So, we did.
The boat was like an imaginary ride, because it took us beneath the majority of all the bridges on the Thames. We went by sites I had seen earlier that morning, we went by things I had yet to see upclose, we went past ships and boats and bridges that were no longer there.


New London, Old London. Our driver did his best to tell us of all of the things that we were seeing, and he deposited us next to the houses of Parliament. We snapped photos, and then went to the Westminster tube stop past one of the most awesome buskers ever, who was playing a mix of 80's tunes. We clapped appreciatively to him and he tilted his hat to us.

It was a nice afternoon, as Charlie and Jen and I all held on for dear life as the packed train brought us towards Waterloo, with the wind underground blowing on our faces through an open window.
Our night out with Paul was fabulous- wonderful food, even though choices were slim on a Sunday night, and then lots of drinks afterwards. We went to the Firestation, then up to Liecester square where we finally found an open pub. Jen demonstrated her ability to massage sore, tired backs, and we had a few pints of Grolsch. It was nice. The DJ there was good, played all the pop hits, then at the very very end, tried to play the Muppet Song to get us to leave. It sort of backfired, even as the middle-aged lady got her groove on for the older men at the bar who looked on appreciatively. So, they finally had to tell everyone to leave.
As we took a black cab back over Westminster Bridge towards home with Parliament lighted up next to us, I was sure I'd have NO problem sleeping in the next morning.

Friday, October 06, 2006
Socks

I am going back to bed, but first I had to share these:



They are my Covent Garden stripey socks. I bought them in London, one of three pairs, each a different color.

I love them.
And, yes, I wore them to see Wicked.

Thursday, October 05, 2006
Sniff

It started on the trip with a few people. They started to sniffle. Then they had to lay low for awhile because they had bad colds. Being sick in a foreign country isn't high on my list of things to do, so I can only imagine how they felt as they hiked to the grocery store near our hotel for some medicine.

Then my inner OCD-Girl kicked into high gear when we were on the airplane and not only was there a small child near me, but someone coughing as well.

And now?

And now I feel sick.

Goody.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Row Row Row My Boat

So after much gorilla watching, modern art gazing, and picture taking at the river, I awaited J-Fan and Charlie's imminent arrival at Paul's for a couple of hours, just hanging out and knitting. Now that I mention it, my knitting that I did on the road looks to my eyes like a blind person with little or no coordination must have done it, but that is beside the point. Mary is getting a scarf, and it will be a good scarf. Same for Deb's. I'll try to have them done by next....uh.....summer.

Fun fact I learned from the Tate Modern: Did you know Monet can be considered modern art? Me neither. I know little about art history, in fact. This is why I think a guy scribbling stick figures on the back of a coaster in a bar is art. Or, maybe it is. Who am I to judge? I just look at the pretty things and admire like a novice.

I walked my favorite walk before waiting for J&C. From the Tate, I took the path through the underpasses, sad oboe music and all. It was really atmospheric. I went down the narrow passageway towards Southwark Cathedral, where the founder of Harvard University was actually baptized. I did my angsty writer in the coffee shop thing as well near the Globe. I sort of teetered around the narrow streets and tried to find my way back to where I came. I failed, so I found the nearest tube station.

J&C arrived late, as was customary from Heathrow. They were real troopers, however. No napping for them! Drop off things and go, go, go! OK, maybe Charlie protested. He was tired. But Jen wanted to see things. We tried to go to the Tower of London, but by the time we got there, it was only open for another half hour. We took pictures of it from outside, and vowed to go in it some other time. I had already been previously, but I wanted to go once more. Oh well... the river beckoned anyways, as we watched the Tower Bridge raise to let a tall boat underneath pass safely by.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

All Prague photos (the non-redundant ones) have been uploaded. I've begun to upload the London set now.

Give a gorilla a bananna...

The thing about London is, you never quite expect the unexpected. The next morning as I awaited J-Fan and Charlie's arrival, I decided to take a walk around the South Bank/Southwark area since we were staying basically around the corner.

I love this area of London, it has to be one of my favorites. It was a gorgeous day out, and there were people making the most of it by strolling along the Queen's Walk, eating lunch outside, and generally enjoying the view. I started by walking towards the Oxo Tower to go up to the observation deck and get a good view of the entire river. It was when I got down and continued my walk, that things got weird.

I saw a gorilla running towards me.

No, make that three gorillas.

There were actually dozens of gorillas, running around this area this morning. People in gorilla suits, running.

Huh?

I think I stared at them for a long time as they dissappeared around the corner, but it wasn't until another oncoming gorilla waved at a lady while casually strolling by, sipping their iced Starbucks drink from a straw, that I walked up to her and said, "What IS this?"

"It's a charity race," She explained, "They run all of the bridges in London, it is several miles."

"Oooooh..." I kind of tapered off, pretending that this made sense to my jet-lagged self.

Why can't we have silly races like this where I live? You know, people wearing random animal suits while jogging for charity- Can you imagine? Gorillas taking over Susan G Komen race for the cure?

I just stood there and watched the spectacle. Two gorillas walked by, wearing Viking helmets. On my way to the Tate Modern, a few walked by, pushing a shopping cart. I thought nothing of it at this point, until they stopped it next to me and offered me a bunch of banannas.

Banannas? You have no idea.

Monday, October 02, 2006

Lots more photos here.
I need to go catch up on many hours of sleep now.

And in the beginning...

So let's start there. The beginning. Getting to the airport was a blur, so was the "Paris Incident" in security. Fugly boots aside, she looked non-plussed.

So, airports are a case of "hurry up and wait", but at least the flight was on time. And we got to London early. Little did I know, this was the first and last time on this trip that this would happen.

After waiting for ages to get wheeled through Heathrow, I gave up and decided to hoof it. Heathrow is a long walk, but at least it wasn't crazy busy. I got through security and through immigration/customs in a brief time, after the immigration guy looked at the many UK stamps in my passport and asked to see my tickets home, as if one year of torrential rains wasn't enough for me. No thank you, sir. I will be going home to Southern California eventually.

Cursing the heaviness of my luggage, which despite initial appearances decided to show up at some point, I made my way to Paul's house. The cab ride through London took me past all of the touristy and scenic sites. The weather? Beautiful. It was interesting, even though I was tired. I managed to catch Paul just before he left for rehearsal, so was able to dump my stuff in his hallway and then catch a nice, long nap.

I woke up soon after 5 p.m., and my wonderful host made us dinner, then we went for drinks at a bar on the river. It was lovely, and summer-like. There were buskers and random drunken lady, who was dancing to aforementioned busker music and had her sandals in her back pockets. Oooooookay. Interesting and a little surreal when you are so jet-lagged. The Thames is beautiful at night. I wish I had been awake enough to take more pictures.

Home

1. Jet-lagged (we didn't get home until 1 a.m.)
2. Tired

Only a few photos are uploaded here.