The reason I am here

Sorry I have not had any updates for a few days. We were pretty busy wrapping up our project. I have now been in London for 4 weeks (in Europe for 5). We finished our project on Wed and all seemed impressed with our work. Here are a few pictures from out office and the people we worked with.




They were all so friendly that our time there was quite enjoyable.

After our work was finished, I spent a day on my own in London. I wanted to see some of the things that I had missed on previous visits.

I have seen Buckingham Palace twice now, but I wanted to see the changing of the guards. I knew I would not get a front row view...you have to arrive hours beforehand to get a spot. I am not patient enough to sit (or stand) in one place for THAT long. I got there and found an elevated spot that I hoped would work. The parade of soldiers came up to the palace and went through the front gates.



The band was great! And my view for part was good. But when they went through the gates, they could have been turning cartwheels for all I knew...



I was bored, plus the police kicked me and others out of our good watching spot. So, off I went. I had heard that there was some place where you could go up to a guard and take a picture with them. I wanted to see this for myself and see if they really do not talk or smile... I finally found him, after winding around some side streets. This guy looked all of 12 years old and was the tallest person I have ever seen. There was a crowd of tourists around him, each person taking turns getting their picture taken with him. Some were trying to talk to him, but he stood still, looking straight ahead. Of course I wanted my picture too....



Now, I am about 5'5", so how tall does that make this guy????

After that, I went to Churchill's war rooms. This was an underground bunker where he and his War Cabinet lived and worked throughout the expected air raids on London during WWII. From his underground Cabinet Room, he announced 'This is the room from which I will direct the war'. It was so interesting to see where major decisions were made, were strategies were formed and even the phone scrambler that he used to talk to the US President. Attached was a museum where you could browse through several interactive displays. You could listen to excerpts from his radio speeches, writings between him and important heads of states and even some of his sarcastic and humorous quotes. This place is seriously cool, but beware, you WILL learn something. Dad - yous should be proud - I did something where I LEARNED. No pictures were allowed. Boo.

I got to talking with a fellow tourist (imagine that) and she asked me what was my favorite thing so far in London. Certainly there are many interesting and historical places to see, but this next place blew everything else out of the water. St. Paul's Cathedral. The current Cathedral – the fourth to occupy this site – was designed by the court architect Sir Christopher Wren and built between 1675 and 1710 after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. Again - these pictures do not do it justice, but WOW.


The grandeur of this cathedral hits you as soon as you walk in. Your eyes are immediately drawn upwards. There are mosaics in the ceiling, depicting Jesus, Mary, angels and saints. They are intricate, with brilliant colors mixed in with gold. It seems to glow. The rounded arches are supported by intricately designed columns. There are services every day still, so tours revolve around that. I walked to the middle, underneath the dome. St Paul's is built in the shape of a cross, with the dome crowning the intersection of the arms. It is one of the largest Cathedral domes in the world, 111.3 metres high. It weighs approximately 65,000 tonnes and is supported by eight pillars. Between the arches of the inner dome are mosaics of prophets and saints, which were installed between 1864 and 1888. The murals in the dome were created between 1715 and 1719 and feature scenes from the life of St Paul. How did they get people up there THAT high...and who would be crazy enough to paint it??

People can climb up the top of the dome. There are 3 levels to which one could climb - a total of 530 steps. Of course I HAD to go up. I climb the first set to the Whispering gallery. The Whispering Gallery runs around the interior of the Dome and is 259 steps up from ground-level. It gets its name from a charming quirk in its construction, which makes a whisper against its walls audible on the opposite side. Since I was along, a nice group of English ladies let me in on their experiment. One of the ladies in their group went to the opposite side. Then the others talked to the wall. They asked her questions and we could hear her answer! It was crazy!

The next set of steps took you up higher and to the outside of the dome. Here you could see panoramic views of London.






Yes, it was raining. The good thing about rain here is that it may pour, but they never last long.

Yessss, another set of stairs!! I climb up for the best view. It is pouring now and I am trying to get pictures while trying to stay dry. This is harder than you may think, because it is tiny up there. People are squeezing by each other.


I do not know what that funny shaped building is, but how many cranes can you count?
The stairs leading up to the top were narrow. Hope you are not claustrophobic!!


After I came down all those steps, my legs were wobbly. When I stopped walking, they would start to shake like jello. I was afraid I would fall over, so what do I do? Walk downstairs to the crypt!! There area lot of people buried there, right in the floor. A little creepy. There is a small chapel and a shop and restaurant. Just what you expect to find in a crypt, right?
One more view from the front... this place is a must see!!

I walk across the Thames and was a little taken aback by this:



Yes you read it correctly - it says "I eat rubbish". Apparently, this thing floats along the Thames and collects and traps the garbage that is floating in the river. It is actually a good idea - but a better idea would be to prevent it from going in to begin with.....

That is all for London! I leave tomorrow morning for Amsterdam where i will meet up with another classmate, Jolene. She has been in Sweden working for DHL.

I hope everyone is doing well. I will be home soon! I cannot believe it is almost over!

Take care!

London redux

This past weekend, Mandy and I headed back down to London. There is so much to do and see there that you could spend a month there and not do the same thing twice.

We headed over to Covent Gardens - which is an outdoor market. Anything and everything is happening here. Street performers, food, shops, booths....even tattoos!


Here is one of the street performers. Apparently, he has been here doing this gig for years.... I honestly cannot tell you if I thought it was good or just plain scary..


I have mentioned that London is a culturally diverse city. We walked right into Malaysian week! We thought of Jolene (our classmate from Malaysia). So Jolene, we walked around and soaked up a bit of your culture. I must say that I was intrigued and I would like to go there someday.... Here are a few pics:

I think the clueless-looking woman - NOT part of Malaysia Week!

This is a very common site all over London. The government will not have them removed because the historical society won't allow it. They are still making a small profit, and I have seen people using them! Stacie & Bryan - show the kids...they may never see one in their lifetime!!

This may come as a disappointment to some of you - Piccadilly Circus is not really a circus! It is a square in London that looks like a small scale Times Square (New York). No tigers, lions, monkeys, horses.....just people. Bummer.

Went back to Buckingham Palace. A lot fewer people this time, but of course the changing of the guards was hours earlier... Here are Mandy and I in front of the gates.


This is the front of Buckingham Palace. They say when the queen is in residence, the flag is up. Not only is the flag up, but you can actually see her...look closely - she is on the top floor 7th window from the left. She is waving at the camera...


We were invited to Tony Blair's home, but we were getting tired and wanted to catch the last train back to Hemel. So, we got just a few shots of 10 Downing Street and headed toward home.


See the white building on the right? The building next to it (the green painted brick) is Tony's house.

Here is the Eye of London, across the Thames. We did not make it over there, and we did not feel like sitting on that thing for an hour...



I plan on going back down to London again this weekend. So I hope to have more stories.

Stay tuned and take care!

Travel - American style

If I have heard it once, I have heard it 20 times during my 4 weeks (so far) in Europe. Americans are criticized because they come over and spend 2-3 days in an European city, then move along to another city. The complaint is that one cannot possibly see all there is to see and absorb all the culture in such a short time. I agree, but sadly, what other option do we have? We get a pitiful amount of vacation -we get 3 weeks and to their average of 5 weeks. AND they are so much closer to other COUNTRIES, much less other cities. (I flew from London to Brussels in 45 minutes!!) At least I am here, trying to see as much as possible and absorb it all. So, if there are any Europeans reading this - cut Americans some slack!

Brussels decided that if you can't beat the city hoppers, join 'em. They created "Mini Europe", a park where you can tour Europe in a few short hours. It reminded me of a mini-golf course, but without the golf clubs...and no golf balls or holes, and add in lots of miniatures of famous European landmarks. So...almost same.

We had a poorly organized book that sort of correlated with what we saw. Being the super patient person I am, I quickly ditched the book and just took pictures of what I thought was cool. But Euro-nerd Ryan read up on it and told me things about each stop.

I liked this one because it reminded me of dad and uncle Norm. Trains are always cool.



Not sure what this is...Ryan??



Looks like the real thing, huh? Once you get up close, it is pretty flimsy.



Leaving France.... taking a short chunnel ride on the Eurostar.... I think this chunnel is not to scale....



We end up in England! Parliament and Big Ben... I was amazed. What a neat job it would be to build these things....


My official dorky act for the day....

The weird looking thing in the background is the Atomium. It was built for the World's Fair in 1958. It represents an iron molecule.....and you can even go up in it!

Guy and I went to real Sacre Coeur....we never knew there was a "front" entrance.



Detailed replica of ruins, it looked so real. Except I towered over it and the water slide in the background detracted just slightly.



Little itty bitty Pope. I want to know if those doors open.


This was the funniest thing there...I am not sure which country/city this represents (I am sure it was somewhere in that book). The little silo would "burst" into flames. Then the sirens would sounds and those 2 fire boats pulled up. Water shot forth from the little water hoses that sprayed the entire pavement area and the surrounding hillside, but completely missed the actual flaming building. If you look, you can the the ship on the right spraying the air. Calibration needed on Fire boat 2!!!!



There, I have satisfied my European critics! I did all of the EU in 2 hours - a record!

That wraps up Belgium. It was a great weekend and I owe a debt of gratitude to my tour guide, host and friend. It really makes visiting a foreign country much easier when you have a local with you. I was once told to never say good bye to a country, because it would be sad to think that I would never see those places again. So I will say - I'll see you soon, Belgium!

An old Friend

Brugges was our second stop of the day. We had some time to rest as we rode the train there. Brugges is smaller than either Antwerp or Belgium. But do not let that fool you. It is full of itself! There is a lot of character here. Cobblestone streets, narrow roads, houses close together and old structures. It looked just like I thought it would.

What I wouldn't give to take a remote controlled boat out on this canal!

Here I am, blending in with the locals. Too bad I don't speak Dutch...

We arrived in Brugges' Market Square. Brugges is one of Europe's most important landmarks as the city center has hardly changed since the Middle Ages. It was yet another beautiful site. It was getting to be late afternoon, so the setting sun added to the charming ambiance.

I know I keep saying this, but it is all the people milling about that makes these cities feel so alive. People were not rushing from one errand to another. They were out, just enjoying the day. Everyone was in a relaxed mood and you could feel that vibe. I guess I was taking too long to feel the vibe... my tour guide is leaving without me.

This feels very Holland-esque, does it not?

Since I will be in Holland in a week and a half, we will compare!

I was impressed that in honor of my visit to the venerable country of Belgium, an orchestra was arranged to play in the city square. It was almost like going to see the Owensboro City Orchestra on the 4th of July. So we found a spot to eat and sat back to enjoy the music.

Yes, yes, we were facing the BACK of the orchestra.

This is the Church of Our Lady. It dates back to medieval times. The brick spire - at 122m - makes it one of the world's highest brick towers/buildings. We were going to climb up, but just our luck, it closed about 30 minutes before we got there. I tried the door anyway to see if it was locked. I figured we could find our own way up. It was locked :( Don't they trust people anymore?

I was sad to leave Brugges, but it was getting cold and I was tired. Long day, but well worth it! Thank you Brugges!

Hand throwing contest

One of the best things about mainland Europe is the public transportation system. You can go anywhere via train or bus. And if that doesn't quite get you there, you'd better start walking.

On Saturday we went to Antwerp and Brugges. Both cities were a short train ride away. I am becoming quite adept at sitting on trains. Of course, it is easier when someone else knows which line to get on and which stop is yours. Then there is the "trick stop" that some lines have. Apparently certain trains, on certain lines, will actually split at a certain stop. Part of the train cars will go to Madrid and the other part will go to Vienna (maybe I exaggerate a little). So it is imperative to make sure that you get on - not only the right train - but also the right car on the train!!! I think you have to be part of some secret society to know for sure...

Trains are also a great way to see more of the country. There are beautiful landscapes, amazing architecture and the occasional odd sighting. Hmmm, is it me, or is this train station weird? :)


We get to Antwerp first. This is one pretty cool train station. There are several levels with trains on each level.



We get to the station and the first stop was coffee for Ryan...already I am tiring him out! I get something to drink as well and perform the transaction in French. As we walk away, Ryan informs me people here speak Dutch, not French! Geez, we did not even change countries!

Ok - we all know I am a dork... I have proved that many times over. But when I saw this, I had to go over and touch it. It was fascinating. Ryan would not let me sit on it...party pooper. So I had to settle for standing under it. How cool is this?? It is made out of wood!



Antwerp has this amazing energy. There are so many people around. Everyone is walking with friends or family. There is this feeling of community. So many cultures, all blending together in one place. The feeling was electric! We came upon a square, were there were all sorts of activity. In the center of the square was this gazebo, with a bunch of funny looking men speaking in Dutch. The best part was the giant version of the funny looking men. I have no idea what was going on. They started to sing, and it was not good. But I had to laugh. What a sight!



Hey mom, Beth and Stacie - does this look familiar??


This next picture has an interesting story. In the city square, there is a statue of a Roman soldier throwing a hand....Legend has it that long ago the River Scheldt was in the hands of Antigoon, a giant who demanded heavy tolls from passing ships. The Roman soldier slayed the greedy giant by chopping off his big hand and throwing it into the river. Hence the name Hantwerpen or “hand throwing.” The ‘hand’ has become the unofficial symbol of Antwerp.

Steen Castle was once the center of the city Antwerp. Now located along the waterfront it is the National Maritime Museum. It served many purposes throughout the centuries. It was once even a jail but that dark era ended in 1823. In 1864 it opened its doors again as a museum of local history and archeology. I am not sure about the odd statue in front of the castle...but it makes me laugh just looking at it!

This section on Antwerp took longer then I expected. Too many pictures, I suppose. And I am not even posting half of them!! I guess you will have to wait until tomorrow to read about Brugges!