Sunday, September 9, 2012

London on a Sunday

Today I discovered that Sunday is a great day to be out and about in London! (If one chooses wisely.)

Since I'm staying at Kelaine and Richard's, I merely had to get myself to Wimbledon Station (via bus) and then onto the correct District Line Tube train (which was empty except for me), transfer once (OMG) at Earl's Court, get off at the correct stop, South Kensington, walk through a long subway (which means pedestrian underpass here - also nearly empty at 10:00 a.m.), follow the signs, and emerge (amazingly, victoriously) at the Victoria & Albert Museum!

The V&A is quite the happy place with an eclectic collection of period clothing, furniture, design artifacts, paintings, stained glass, sculpture - and where even the cafeteria trays are delightfully decorative!

Could've stayed there all day, but today is my last full day in London, so where did I head next? Well, out to Olympic Park of course! I wanted to see what I could see since today is also the last day of the Para Olympics.

Perhaps not my very best idea of this trip! Laugh with me here!

With advice from one of the numerous guides in pink (appears to be the London 2012 Olympic official color) and a map, I managed to ride two Tube lines involving a transfer from Piccadilly Line to Central Line all the way out to East London. Upon alighting at the Stratford stop I realized where all the people in London were - here!!!

And not only that, but a person such as me couldn't even get near the park without a ticket which in today's case would have meant for the closing ceremonies!

So I walked and walked and walked with the crowds (driving is one thing, but are you supposed to walk on the right or the left?) through a shopping mall (of all things) into a department store that had created an indoors observation deck for the multitudes. And, well, that's the sum exciting total of my trip to Olympic Park.

Well, except for the Tube ride back that took over an hour and involved two more transfers and 27 stops - I counted them!

Home sweet home tomorrow!

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Canterbury Cathedral: Evensong

Friday at 17:30 I found myself back inside the amazingly historic cathedral here in Canterbury for Evensong. I had toured earlier in the day, just off the train from London, so I was ready for the grandeur of the towering pointed Gothic arches and the sumptuous 12th century stained glass windows and the intricate ornamental scrollwork. This helped me focus on the music.

And oh! The music! As services began, the choir processed in front of us to the center section of the Quire where we congregants were sitting as well, everyone facing the aisle and each other. A dozen men and eighteen boys, ages about eight to twelve I'd say, all in floor length white robes draped over black shirts and high white ruffled collars, singing in exquisite four-part harmony.

They sang though every section of the service, the delicate sureness of high soprano voices blending with strong altos, vibrant tenors and resonant basses, forming consonants and chords that soared high to heaven inside this ancient holy place.

The choir delivered an Ave Maria in at least eight-part harmony as their anthem. And as if that weren't enough, the service ended with a Bach fugue organ voluntary!

An ethereal experience, among the best of this trip!

Oh yes, free and not even on my tourist's list of what to see in Canterbury.

London!

Made it to central London on Monday, in spite of Heathrow's madness. CPH - LHR was an uneventful 1.5 hours and the curving Thames from the air is quite a remarkable sight. But then it took over 2 more hours to get myself to Sierra's flat in Covent Garden. But no matter, no more grumbling, now I'm here, the last but definitely not least stop on this ambitious overseas trip. Diana is staying in Denmark to visit relatives.

Here's what London is offering up as a feast for the eyes these days:
  • Big Ben - it never ceases to amaze - I just stand and stare and try not to get run over by all the people!
  • Houses of Parliament - flying the Union Jack
  • Buckingham Palace - yes I finally pulled off an inside tour by being here during August/September when it's open to the public; and yes, it was truly one sumptuously gorgeous room after another!
  • Churchill Museum & Cabinet War Rooms
  • Trafalgar Square
  • Charing Cross Road - the book I'm reading right now is called 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff, so of course I tried to find it
  • Greenwich - I took a Thames River boat cruise to get there and back, finding where time begins - truly it's measured starting there!, and the Cutty Sark clipper ship is dry docked there as well
  • London Tower
  • Covent Garden - where Sierra lives
  • Regent's Park
  • Wimbledon - to stay with Kelaine and Richard, and 
  • Les Miserables - twice! at Queen's Theatre with Sierra as Fontaine and Tam as Javier - beyond awesome!

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Pedaling Copenhagen

Today we rode bicycles around the city, becoming the "temporary locals" we came here to be. "Yes, of course we have bikes, what's your room number?, here are the keys, bikes are in back, take your pick white or brown." So simple.

Such a freedom to fly over areas we had walked last night. We acted like we knew where we were going, and rode directly to Nyhavn, a picturesque Copenhagen harbor full of wooden boats. Our canal cruise, including the Little Mermaid statue, helped us get further oriented.

Returning from our cruise, we hopped on our sweet bicycles and pedaled across the Knippels-Torvegade Bridge (I know, we can't pronounce anything either!) to Christiania, a 70s commune. We were thrilled to be riding in bike lanes on major thoroughfares and proud to find our way with confidence and ease in such a large city (2 million) on bicycles! Can't imagine doing this anywhere else.

On our way back we stopped to climb 398 stairs (the highest ones outside!) to the very top of the spiraling gleaming golden tower of Our Savior's Church. Copenhagen is fun on bikes on the street and absolutely glorious from the sky! The panoramic view of the rooftops of Copenhagen filled my heart.

So, yes it's true: Bicycles are everywhere and bike lanes are busier than car lanes. We SO fit right in! What an ideal mode of travel through a big city. Perfect, really.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Waterfalls & Fjords & Glaciers

What is it about a waterfall? Why is each one a startling, mesmerizing, awe-inspiring moment? The gush of powerful fresh water captured by gravity, the water tumbling downward from towering heights over enormous boulders, the overwhelming force of nature, the sheer beauty?

Our ferry ride through the breathtakingly beautiful Sognefjord and Naerofjord began when the Gudvangen ferry sailed into our dock at Aurland where we had spent the night, opened up its bow, and gathered us in.

We climbed to the top deck as spectacular views of high waterfalls, mountain cliffs, and tiny remote fjord-side villages began immediately. During the cruise we oooed and aahhed at tumbling, gushing, and sometimes free-falling waterfalls on both sides of the narrow waterway formed by a long ago glacier that cut through granite forming cliffs on either side. That glacier then of course melted down providing the fjord on which we sailed.

After the boat's scenic wonders, a bus ride to Voss over a multi hairpin-curve roadway provided even more fantastic waterfalls. It seems that in Norway the scenery never stops!

We saw no live trolls today, but got acquainted with "Sven" when our bus dropped us off at the Voss, Norway train station.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

2 Days, 2 Countries, 2 City Halls

On Sunday we toured City Hall in Stockholm, Sweden (Stadshuset) and then on Monday we toured City Hall in Oslo, Norway (Radhuset). Other than the cool fact of two awesome countries in two days, I know it doesn't sound very exciting to be touring city halls. In fact I'm not sure I've ever toured one anywhere else I've traveled or lived! 

However, we know now that here in Scandinavia a city hall is a more important and elaborate building than a cathedral or palace, as in other parts of Europe. These city halls celebrate humanism and the idea of people working together. They're both impressively large, stunningly ornamental, red brick, towering buildings on their respective gorgeous waterfronts. They hold the cities' assemblies

And our most compelling reason for visiting both of these is they each have Nobel Prize props! The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded every year on 10 December in the Grand Hall in Oslo - and yes, we were just standing right there in that hall! And the Nobel Prize awards banquet is held in the Grand Hall in Stockholm. More later . . . When we find out more!

Westward Through Norway

Even as I write we are traveling by train fom Oslo. The train is comfortable, quiet, smooth, and fast, and the scenery is truly amazing. Yet we know the best will come when we actually get to the Sognefjord area in a few more hours.

We are sliding by an ever changing array of green fields, hilly mountainsides, rippling streams, large clear lakes, tall pines and white bark birch. Pictures would help describe this, but the train is moving too fast for that - sorry to keep making excuses for a photo-less blog! 

Here's what I love: 
  • The gracefulness of tall pine groves creating an upward pattern of parallel vertical lines, 
  • white wispy clouds hanging low in the valley, 
  • the occasional herd of fat white sheep on a green hillside, 
  • small yellow or white tidy houses tucked into a background of rolling hills,
  • red wooden barns, 
  • the quietness of the train as it moves quickly along, 
  • bright sunshine highlighting hilly golden fields of mown oats,
  • inlets of water & harbors with sailboats tucked in, 
  • flatbed cars loaded with cut trees and lumber.
Yes, Norway is all about nature. So why oh why did I feel the need to pack that dress? 



Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Pictures!


Here are a few miscellaneous photos. For several reasons I'm having a rough time posting pics to this blog!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Stockholm - So Beautiful!


Didn't really expect such peaceful, glowing beauty from a city. Stockholm sits on several small islands, so of course it's surrounded by flowing water. I knew that. And the water is clear, and the town is clean, and the buildings are colorful in a monochromatic, subdued sort of way, and the harbor is full of boats. I had read ahead about all of those elements too. But the sum of those parts make up one spectacular whole - one I'll never be able to capture with a photo. (And besides I'm just not quite ready to upload any yet! Sorry!) 

But let me try again to describe it with words: Massive buildings surround Stockholm Harbor, each more impressive than the next, each adorned in its own hue of saffron or cinnamon or light orange or sandy red stone or brick or stucco. Windows are decorated with wrought iron or stonework balconies, some cascading misty grasses and spiraling variegated green vines and red geraniums, some overhung with dark green or deep red canvas awnings. Every level or two varies in style and pattern of brick or stone arches, and roofs sport cupolas or oxidized green copper ornamental coverings. 

And boats! Wooden boats of fascinating shapes and sizes and vintages, gigantic three masted sailing vessels, enormous ocean liners, sailing skiffs, fishing boats, row boats, sight seeing boats, paddle boats, kayaks, and houseboats float throughout the islands looking well used and well loved.

The whole setting is strikingly lovely and it's really just quite marvelous to be here! I know - pictures please! Yes, soon! 


Tuesday, August 21, 2012

New Trip, New Template

Hello again, Everybody! I'm very excited to be leaving for Scandinavia and the UK in a few days.

I hope you'll enjoy my new blog template. I like the little photo hint of what's inside each posting. Just click anywhere on any posting (try it on this very page) and it will open up in its own window with the formatting I intended (I hope). Thanks for joining me again as I try to make sense of what I'm seeing across the seas. :)

Very briefly, here are the latest plans:
I'll be traveling with Diana, my good friend who adventured through Italy with me a few years ago. We've been planning this trip for several months and we love how sweetly it's coming together right now. Late summer, early fall seems like the perfect time to be heading to the Nordic part of Europe!

Vikings ho! Away we go!



Friday, March 2, 2012

Snow? On the Desert?

Today we left Beit Zaman, our cozy restored ancient village hotel in Wadi Musa near Petra, and slowly made our way over treacherous, snow covered roads towards Amman, the capital of Jordan.

The roads were particularly slippery because snow is rare here and I'm not sure snow plows, road salt, or even snow shovels are a part of the culture.


Once we got to Amman and checked into our hotel, we slushed out to explore a bit, getting our feet very wet and enjoyably watching Jordanians enjoying the snow.

A snowman in front of a hotel in Amman
~~~~~

What a trip this has been! Remembering the snow here in Jordan, the marvel of Petra, the beach at the Dead Sea, the stark beauty of the Negev Desert, the glory of Jerusalem, and the sweetness of Galilee, we head back across the Jordan River for Tel Aviv and then home tomorrow.

Shalom!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Petra. Oh, my!

We emerged from yesterday's zero-visibility sandstorm (it nixed our jeep ride in Wadi Rum) into a gloriously clear, yet icily cold and windy day. But trust that weather is not a factor when what's on your agenda is Petra.

The mile-long walk down the Siq to the Treasury was amazing as we saw with our own eyes what the Nabateans wrought over 2,000 years ago, and we couldn't believe our eyes when we got there!

Our first glimpse through an opening in the canyon walls



~~~~~

And camels, wonderful, wonderful camels.
We agree with Mary: "You can never have too many pictures of camels!"