I am not a religious person, but seeing St. Peter's for the first time brought tears to my eyes. It is overwhelming!
You need to time your visit early. R. and I were in the area on a Saturday afternoon, and the line up was wrapped around the piazza. This is in early May when tourism is *not* at it's highest! We had no intention of wasting 4 hours on a sunny afternoon standing in line, and so resolved to come back on a weekday morning.
The piazza is attributed to Bernini, but others, including Michelangelo, have contributed to it's design. Bernini completed it and it is his design that stands today. If you look at an aerial view of the piazza, St. Peter's is approached by a large piazza, with two semi-circular colonnaded porticoes. It was meant to be a welcome into the heart of St. Peter's. I described it as a "hug" to R. This is the outside area where the Pope addresses the faithful. It is a massive space.
We came back at 8:00 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, and this proved to be the correct timing. We walked right up to the entrance, went through security and continued up to the area where you can get audio guides. We ended up taking an English tour, instead, and I'm glad we did. The guide was able to explain things that I'm sure we would have missed otherwise.
I was really not fully prepared for the size of St. Peter's. It is HUGE. Every surface is decorated and it is a tradition of each pope to add something, be it small or large. There was so much to see. My favorite was Michelangelo's "Pieta", so beautifully sculpted. You don't have to be religious to find the subject of a mother grieving her child moving. The walls are all covered in massive art. Our guide explained that while originally, these would have been actual paintings, all the original works have been removed for conservation and replaced by mosaics. I was astonished. I like mosaic works, in general, but these were done to a standard I have never seen before. You cannot tell they are mosaics - every nuance of shading and color is so precise. Absolutely astounding.
I also loved Bernini's huge twisted baldachino, and the stained glass with the dove in the centre. Try as I did, my camera would just not capture the dove image.
What moved me the most, for some reason, was the realization that this is still a church in active use today. The day we were there, a wedding was taking place in one of the side chapels for the Swiss Guards (the area was covered off with curtains, but we figured it out when the bride and groom came out as our tour finished), and a baptism was also occurring. These two events really touched me.
The Vatican Museums are a must see. We arranged our tickets for a Friday night. I figured there would be fewer people and the lighting would offer a different perspective and I was right on both counts. When you come into the Museums (again, through security) there is a large patio that overlooks some of the grounds. Although not yet dark, they had large oil candles burning. The view of the gardens, lit by candles looking towards the dome of St. Peter's, was a serene scene.
The Museums house some of the worlds best art. As an art history major, I suspect my degree would be pulled if it were discovered that I went to Rome and did not visit the Museums. We wandered through gallery after gallery of art from all the ages. We saw tapestries from the 1500's, mosaics of what I think are the different geographies of Italy, the Raphael Rooms, the modern art collection (which I found fascinating, despite some guides which claim that it is horrendous - not true!), all on the way to the Sistine Chapel. The chapel is beautiful, it really is. To think about how this was painted by one man over 10 years - and took twice as long to clean, restore and conserve - is humbling. Most of us are familiar with some of the famous images from the ceiling - God creating Adam (the fingers touching), some of the muses (Ikea had a poster for years of one of the muses). Seeing it all together is simply....beautiful and humbling.
I did enjoy the modern art collection. Some of the art is gifts, some has been procured. All of it is religious in nature. And it comes from all over the world, so it almost serves as an ethnographic collection as well. There were some gems in there: a small painting by Salvidor Dali, a sculpture of what looked like small blobs of metal clouds, connected by one or two points, ascending upwards, a clay sculpture of Jesus leading a flock of sheep, a stained glass of Madonna and Child in black and white.
All in all, it was worth the visit no matter what your religious or spiritual background to see the jewels of Vatican City.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Final Stop: Rome, the Eternal City
We boarded our plane to Rome via Frankfurt from London on 6 May. R. was introduced to the wonderful world of duty free at Heathrow, but mostly just wanted hot chocolate.
We arrived in Rome about 5:30. After picking up our luggage and making our way to the train that takes you into town, we bought our tickets for the train. No one told us these had to be further validated, nor were the boxes very prominent, nor were there signs advising this, and so we ended up paying a 100 Euro fine by the very nasty conductor - who then let off all the other travellers who also didn't know they needed to validate the tickets further. There went our planned trip to Pompeii, between that fine and the extra tickets for the Eurostar, it blew any money I'd planned to use to get to Pompeii. Nice little racket, the Italian train system has going there. And not a pleasant welcome to Rome.
We made it to our rented apartment not far from the Termini train station. I'd heard this wasn't the best part of Rome to be in, but really, the only issue I saw was that it was an ethnic area. Our apartment was nice and cool and we were pretty central to everything.
We managed to find some dinner that night and tucked into bed early for our first day of sightseeing.
I'm not going to go day by day here, as quite frankly, I don't remember the chronological order of sites. I remember our first day, and then, after that, it's just a blur of archaeological sites, museums and walking, walking, walking!
We started the next day deciding to do one of the walking tours in my Lonely Planets guide of Ancient Rome. We set out with a detour to Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the 4 official churches of Rome. It has beautiful mosaics and the tomb of Bernini, which is very understated for such an important figure in Roman art and architecture. The decoration was primarily Baroque and really lovely.
Next we stopped for our first ice cream on the way down towards what is called Ancient Rome. We eneded walking past this building behind an old wall, and realized it was a museum. We decided to go in and then realized it was the museum and site of the archaeological ruins of the Imperial Forums. Not "the" Roman Forum, that came later. Click this url to read more about the imperial forums... http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/imperialforums.htm
What fascinated me about this site is that apparently, it was used as housing for people into well past WWII. There was an accompanying photo exhibit that showed kids playing soccer amongst the ruins, on ancient marble floors. All I could think was what people thought living amongst the ruins.
From there we walked around the corner and Ta-da! There is Trajan's column. Oh, there is main road to the Colosseum! Oh, there's the Roman Forums! And that was pretty much how the rest of our trip went. We essentially threw out the guide books after that, because we knew that in the heart of Rome, we were going to find something of interest at almost every turn.
The funny thing is, we didn't miss what we didn't see, because we came across such little gems along the way. One of our favorites was on our way to the Pantheon. We saw this pit with ruins in it, which was clearly still being execavated, and in it were several cats lounging around. There were (typically, I'm sad to say) no signs stating what this site was, and then another tourist told us that attached to the ruins was a cat sanctuary that was open to the public. So, R. & I had to go! We go down the stairs to a narrow area filled with plants and flowers and trellis' to offer shade. And CATS everywhere! R. had fun taking photos of the cats, and I sat on a bench under the shade - and within two minutes, a small cat came and sat on my lap, eventually settling in for a snooze. We realized this place ran on donations, and so decided that since we had enjoyed our time, we had to donate something, buying t-shirts to commerate the occasion. We ended up getting a tour of the facility, which accepts all cats, no matter what their condition. Some of the cats which are not allowed out have neurological problems, or have had amputations, or are blind. Rome has a "No-Kill" law, but sadly, this doesn't mean you have to care for the cats. The care and love these cats - all these cats - receive from the volunteers is amazing, and I have to say, in a city that often seems not to care, it was heartening to see this softer side.
The official website for Gatti di Roma (Cats of Rome) is here http://www.romancats.com/ . The diary is quite cute to read, as they talk about the cats and some of their habits.
As a matter of interest to those of you who enjoy Roman history - the ruins in which the Torre de Argentina cat sanctaury is next to is the site on which Brutus had Julius Cesaer killed. Sadly, they weren't running tours that day, but I would have liked to learn more about this site.
So in a nutshell, what did we see?
I'll post about the Vaican City and Hadrian's Villa in separate posts.
Our last day we went back to Trevi fountain so R. could take some more pictures, then we decided to go visit one of the Catacombs along the Appian Way. We found one of the hop on/hop off buses, called the Archeo-bus, which took you to some of the archaeological sites and along the Appian Way. It was hot that day, so perfect not to walk. The catacombs were interesting, but not really much to see. What was interesting was that the oldest tombs were at the top...as each layer was filled, they dug deeper for the next grouping. The bus ride took us up and down the Appian Way, and it was pleasant to see the reletive quietness of Rome. It also took us past the Circus Maximus, which I am glad we didn't go out of our way for, as all that is there now is a grassy field.
We arrived in Rome about 5:30. After picking up our luggage and making our way to the train that takes you into town, we bought our tickets for the train. No one told us these had to be further validated, nor were the boxes very prominent, nor were there signs advising this, and so we ended up paying a 100 Euro fine by the very nasty conductor - who then let off all the other travellers who also didn't know they needed to validate the tickets further. There went our planned trip to Pompeii, between that fine and the extra tickets for the Eurostar, it blew any money I'd planned to use to get to Pompeii. Nice little racket, the Italian train system has going there. And not a pleasant welcome to Rome.
We made it to our rented apartment not far from the Termini train station. I'd heard this wasn't the best part of Rome to be in, but really, the only issue I saw was that it was an ethnic area. Our apartment was nice and cool and we were pretty central to everything.
We managed to find some dinner that night and tucked into bed early for our first day of sightseeing.
I'm not going to go day by day here, as quite frankly, I don't remember the chronological order of sites. I remember our first day, and then, after that, it's just a blur of archaeological sites, museums and walking, walking, walking!
We started the next day deciding to do one of the walking tours in my Lonely Planets guide of Ancient Rome. We set out with a detour to Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the 4 official churches of Rome. It has beautiful mosaics and the tomb of Bernini, which is very understated for such an important figure in Roman art and architecture. The decoration was primarily Baroque and really lovely.
Next we stopped for our first ice cream on the way down towards what is called Ancient Rome. We eneded walking past this building behind an old wall, and realized it was a museum. We decided to go in and then realized it was the museum and site of the archaeological ruins of the Imperial Forums. Not "the" Roman Forum, that came later. Click this url to read more about the imperial forums... http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/imperialforums.htm
What fascinated me about this site is that apparently, it was used as housing for people into well past WWII. There was an accompanying photo exhibit that showed kids playing soccer amongst the ruins, on ancient marble floors. All I could think was what people thought living amongst the ruins.
From there we walked around the corner and Ta-da! There is Trajan's column. Oh, there is main road to the Colosseum! Oh, there's the Roman Forums! And that was pretty much how the rest of our trip went. We essentially threw out the guide books after that, because we knew that in the heart of Rome, we were going to find something of interest at almost every turn.
The funny thing is, we didn't miss what we didn't see, because we came across such little gems along the way. One of our favorites was on our way to the Pantheon. We saw this pit with ruins in it, which was clearly still being execavated, and in it were several cats lounging around. There were (typically, I'm sad to say) no signs stating what this site was, and then another tourist told us that attached to the ruins was a cat sanctuary that was open to the public. So, R. & I had to go! We go down the stairs to a narrow area filled with plants and flowers and trellis' to offer shade. And CATS everywhere! R. had fun taking photos of the cats, and I sat on a bench under the shade - and within two minutes, a small cat came and sat on my lap, eventually settling in for a snooze. We realized this place ran on donations, and so decided that since we had enjoyed our time, we had to donate something, buying t-shirts to commerate the occasion. We ended up getting a tour of the facility, which accepts all cats, no matter what their condition. Some of the cats which are not allowed out have neurological problems, or have had amputations, or are blind. Rome has a "No-Kill" law, but sadly, this doesn't mean you have to care for the cats. The care and love these cats - all these cats - receive from the volunteers is amazing, and I have to say, in a city that often seems not to care, it was heartening to see this softer side.
The official website for Gatti di Roma (Cats of Rome) is here http://www.romancats.com/ . The diary is quite cute to read, as they talk about the cats and some of their habits.
As a matter of interest to those of you who enjoy Roman history - the ruins in which the Torre de Argentina cat sanctaury is next to is the site on which Brutus had Julius Cesaer killed. Sadly, they weren't running tours that day, but I would have liked to learn more about this site.
So in a nutshell, what did we see?
- The Imperial Forums - one of my fav's, I have to say
- The Colosseum- It was intersting, but I preferred the iconic exterior architecture to the interior site.
- The Roman Forums - disaapointing, we didn't get audio guides, but from a friend who went just a few weeks earlier, it apparently wouldn't have mattered. The site is a just a jumble of stones with no explanation of what you are seeing - very little in Italian, even!
- The Pantheon - I was astounded at how big it was and that it is open air. Too bad some much of it's original interior decoration was removed to be used in other sites....still cool to see, though
- The Capitoline Museum - where the big bronze statute of the She-Wolf feeding the baby twins, Romulus and Remus is. And the Palazzo du Nuovo in front of the museum was designed by Michelangelo
- Trevi Fountain - ok, nice, but...is that it???? Yes, I did throw in one coin, to assure I'll come back to Rome one day. Two would have meant I fell in love and three woud have meant I fell in love with an Italian and moved to Rome - wasn't sure Colin would appreciate that, though, so hence, just the one.
- Santa Maria Maggiore
- The Vatican Museums
- St. Peter's Basicilica
- Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli
- San Callisto Catacombs
I'll post about the Vaican City and Hadrian's Villa in separate posts.
Our last day we went back to Trevi fountain so R. could take some more pictures, then we decided to go visit one of the Catacombs along the Appian Way. We found one of the hop on/hop off buses, called the Archeo-bus, which took you to some of the archaeological sites and along the Appian Way. It was hot that day, so perfect not to walk. The catacombs were interesting, but not really much to see. What was interesting was that the oldest tombs were at the top...as each layer was filled, they dug deeper for the next grouping. The bus ride took us up and down the Appian Way, and it was pleasant to see the reletive quietness of Rome. It also took us past the Circus Maximus, which I am glad we didn't go out of our way for, as all that is there now is a grassy field.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Stop 2: Paris
I like London. There is something about it's tiny, twisted streets and small alleys that beg for exploration. But, it does become claustrophobic after awhile and I start to crave wide open boulevards and open sky. And this is why I love Paris.
If these two cities were human siblings, Paris would be the glittering one, full of flair and frivolity, while London would be the practical one. Both are wonderful in their own ways, but even the most practical soul needs to get out and have some fun, and this is the role of Paris.
So, I'd decided early on in the planning stage that I had to bring R. to Paris, even if it was just a short trip. I knew she'd appreciate that glittery city as much as I do.
We left on a not-too-early Eurostar that got us into Paris Gard de Nord before noon. I booked us using my free Hilton Honors rewards at the very nice Hilton Arc De Triomphe, we checked in and thus started the fastest trip to Paris I've ever done.
What does one prioritize in a city when you have essentially one day to see it? We started by taking a walk down to the Arc de Triomphe, which was just a 10 minute walk away along leafy streets. R. took lots of very good photos, despite the dust choking her. Then we walked down the Champs Elysées, and over to the Louvre via the metro. Wandered in the courtyard of the Louvre (it was closed that day, but we wouldn't have had time to see it properly anyway).
From there, we walked along the Seine to Notre Dame. I was happy to see that the line ups I've come to associate with the cathedral were essentially non-existent. I wanted R. to see this church - sadly, most of the front exterior was covered in scaffolding for restoration - but the inside is stunning anyway. I lit a candle for Colin' parents (R.'s grandparents) and thanked them for their generosity to their children and grandchildren. Both were very devout Catholics, and I knew the family would value this.
From Notre Dame, we crossed the bridge to the Left Bank and wandered through the Latin Quarter, before we took the metro back to the hotel in time meet with my Aunt Anne.
We had an enjoyable dinner with my Aunt, and afterwards, she came with us to the Troccadero, where she left to go home and we walked to the Eiffel Tower. I've never seen it up close at night, and it was really lovely! We stood in line to go up to the main level. R. had, perhaps, harboured ideas of going up to the top level, but I've warned her all along that she would be doing that trip on her own...as I get older, my vertigo is not improving - besides, I've done it 4 times now and the thrill is gone. The decision was taken from her, however, as by the time we got to to the ticket booth (the line up was only 45 minutes!), the top had been closed and we could only go as far as level 2.
The next day, we had a date to go to Versailles. At my party in London, my friend, Anouska, said that like me, she had been to Paris several times but never to Versailles, and when she finally went, it was well worth it. So we hopped on the metro/train to Versailles and spent what little of the day we had left. We had to stand inline for over an hour to get tickets to go into the Palace, and given the time restrictions we had, opted for a guided tour later that afternoon. In the meantime, we walked though the gardens and I'm sure saw less then a tenth what was there!
We were so far away from the Palace at the far end of the garden that we barely made it back in time for the tour, but we did make it and so the palace tour started. For me, the highlight were the Chapel, which is still beautifully preserved, and the Hall of Mirrors. But the tour ran over, and we forgot that our cell phones had *not* adjusted for the 1 hour time difference...and well, to make a long story short, we did not make it back Paris in time to collect our overnight bags and make it to Gard de Nord for our train back to London. It was an expensive mistake, but what do you do? I wouldn't have traded our time at Versailles for anything, but if we'd known we weren't going to make it back in time, we'd have stayed an extra hour at Versailles instead of rushing for a train we missed anyway.
All I can say is: Kids, Don't miss your Eurostar back to London, or the last-minute 1 way fare will cost more then your return fare booked weeks earlier. You have been warned. :)
We made it back to London that night and enjoyed a lovely home-cooked meal with Cath. We packed and booked a taxi to Heathrow the next day for our next leg of the adventure: Rome.
If these two cities were human siblings, Paris would be the glittering one, full of flair and frivolity, while London would be the practical one. Both are wonderful in their own ways, but even the most practical soul needs to get out and have some fun, and this is the role of Paris.
So, I'd decided early on in the planning stage that I had to bring R. to Paris, even if it was just a short trip. I knew she'd appreciate that glittery city as much as I do.
We left on a not-too-early Eurostar that got us into Paris Gard de Nord before noon. I booked us using my free Hilton Honors rewards at the very nice Hilton Arc De Triomphe, we checked in and thus started the fastest trip to Paris I've ever done.
What does one prioritize in a city when you have essentially one day to see it? We started by taking a walk down to the Arc de Triomphe, which was just a 10 minute walk away along leafy streets. R. took lots of very good photos, despite the dust choking her. Then we walked down the Champs Elysées, and over to the Louvre via the metro. Wandered in the courtyard of the Louvre (it was closed that day, but we wouldn't have had time to see it properly anyway).
From there, we walked along the Seine to Notre Dame. I was happy to see that the line ups I've come to associate with the cathedral were essentially non-existent. I wanted R. to see this church - sadly, most of the front exterior was covered in scaffolding for restoration - but the inside is stunning anyway. I lit a candle for Colin' parents (R.'s grandparents) and thanked them for their generosity to their children and grandchildren. Both were very devout Catholics, and I knew the family would value this.
From Notre Dame, we crossed the bridge to the Left Bank and wandered through the Latin Quarter, before we took the metro back to the hotel in time meet with my Aunt Anne.
We had an enjoyable dinner with my Aunt, and afterwards, she came with us to the Troccadero, where she left to go home and we walked to the Eiffel Tower. I've never seen it up close at night, and it was really lovely! We stood in line to go up to the main level. R. had, perhaps, harboured ideas of going up to the top level, but I've warned her all along that she would be doing that trip on her own...as I get older, my vertigo is not improving - besides, I've done it 4 times now and the thrill is gone. The decision was taken from her, however, as by the time we got to to the ticket booth (the line up was only 45 minutes!), the top had been closed and we could only go as far as level 2.
The next day, we had a date to go to Versailles. At my party in London, my friend, Anouska, said that like me, she had been to Paris several times but never to Versailles, and when she finally went, it was well worth it. So we hopped on the metro/train to Versailles and spent what little of the day we had left. We had to stand inline for over an hour to get tickets to go into the Palace, and given the time restrictions we had, opted for a guided tour later that afternoon. In the meantime, we walked though the gardens and I'm sure saw less then a tenth what was there!
We were so far away from the Palace at the far end of the garden that we barely made it back in time for the tour, but we did make it and so the palace tour started. For me, the highlight were the Chapel, which is still beautifully preserved, and the Hall of Mirrors. But the tour ran over, and we forgot that our cell phones had *not* adjusted for the 1 hour time difference...and well, to make a long story short, we did not make it back Paris in time to collect our overnight bags and make it to Gard de Nord for our train back to London. It was an expensive mistake, but what do you do? I wouldn't have traded our time at Versailles for anything, but if we'd known we weren't going to make it back in time, we'd have stayed an extra hour at Versailles instead of rushing for a train we missed anyway.
All I can say is: Kids, Don't miss your Eurostar back to London, or the last-minute 1 way fare will cost more then your return fare booked weeks earlier. You have been warned. :)
We made it back to London that night and enjoyed a lovely home-cooked meal with Cath. We packed and booked a taxi to Heathrow the next day for our next leg of the adventure: Rome.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
European Vacation: First Stop - London
My stepdaughter, R., didn't really seem focused on London during our planning talks. Maybe it was because she knew that since I'd lived there, I'd take her to what I wanted her to see. Maybe she just didn't realize how cool the city is, I don't know. I confess to not really "planning" London for her...I figured it was my opportunity to go see and do the things I enjoyed and she'd enjoy them, too. And in the end, that's pretty much what happened.
After the longest flight R. had ever been on - and one during which she didn't sleep at all - we were met at the airport by my wonderful friend, Catherine, who had taken an entire day off work for our arrival. And we just about needed it to get through the morning traffic back to her East side flat! All the things I'd come to take for granted were things that amused R. : the right hand driver seats, the kids in the school uniforms, the motorcyclists zooming in and out of the traffic. And the route did take on us past some iconic landmarks, like Parliament, Big Ben, along the Thames, etc....so she managed to get some great shots from the backseat of the car. Eventually, sleep overtook her, and she curled up against her bag in the backseat.
I introduced R. to my "arrive in London" routine that I'd developed over the two years I was there: Arrive at your destination. Drink some water. Go to bed. For her sake, I eliminated the "unpack" step - as there really wasn't anywhere to unpack. Tucked nicely into our bed, we slept for a few hours, and then I dragged a weary R. out of bed to get some daylight time.
Jet-lag has several "remedies", but I've found that some combination of a little sleep, lots of water and some walking in the daylight helps immensely. So that afternoon, Catherine & I took R. down Liverpool Street, introducing R. to London buses and crowds. Big crowds.
I'm quite used to big cities now. I grew up in the Detroit suburbs, so while I appreciate small towns and quiet lifestyles, cities are what I am used to, all the good and the bad. So I cannot quite imagine how R. really felt coming from Middleton, Nova Scotia (population: <5000) to London, England (population: >10,000,000). But, she was stunned. We procured our Oyster cards (oh, how I wish I had not given mine away when I left!) and were now, I announced to R., Ready To Travel!
But remember, this is day 1, and we are still jet lagged, so we walked instead. We wandered through the Spitelfields Market. We looked at girly stuff, like the Benefit store. We found a GBK and this made Amy a happy lady. I drank cider....sweet nectar from the gods....R. found a Krispey Kreme outlet at Liverpool Station. And we all went to bed early.
I won't go through a day by day account here. It would take too much effort and space, and really, I'm not convinced anyone cares to read that much. I knew we wouldn't be able to see everything, and told R. that. Heck, Catherine has lived there for over 10 years and she hasn't seen everything. That's the way it is when you live someplace - reality steps in and you take for granted what is around you (I still have never seen most the tourist attractions in Ottawa and I've lived here over 12 years now). But I made sure R. had the highlights and I didn't go see things I've seen 100 times.
We saw - in no particular order:
Cath arranged a party at her place one night and I was able to see some of my friends again, although sadly, not again during this trip....it was great to see team J2 (Jean & Joe), Rickey-Dean, Jose, Anouska, Toni....I miss you all already!
Cath - special kudos to YOU for taking R. out that evening. Poor things was dying to see London nightlife but I was just too tired to do it. At any rate, how would it have looked if some cute guy came up to her and she had to introduce the table: ".....and this is my stepmom...." yeah, cool, huh? LOL
Next stop: the fastest trip to Paris I've ever done, and, teaching R. the value of making sure your cell phones automatically time adjust.
After the longest flight R. had ever been on - and one during which she didn't sleep at all - we were met at the airport by my wonderful friend, Catherine, who had taken an entire day off work for our arrival. And we just about needed it to get through the morning traffic back to her East side flat! All the things I'd come to take for granted were things that amused R. : the right hand driver seats, the kids in the school uniforms, the motorcyclists zooming in and out of the traffic. And the route did take on us past some iconic landmarks, like Parliament, Big Ben, along the Thames, etc....so she managed to get some great shots from the backseat of the car. Eventually, sleep overtook her, and she curled up against her bag in the backseat.
I introduced R. to my "arrive in London" routine that I'd developed over the two years I was there: Arrive at your destination. Drink some water. Go to bed. For her sake, I eliminated the "unpack" step - as there really wasn't anywhere to unpack. Tucked nicely into our bed, we slept for a few hours, and then I dragged a weary R. out of bed to get some daylight time.
Jet-lag has several "remedies", but I've found that some combination of a little sleep, lots of water and some walking in the daylight helps immensely. So that afternoon, Catherine & I took R. down Liverpool Street, introducing R. to London buses and crowds. Big crowds.
I'm quite used to big cities now. I grew up in the Detroit suburbs, so while I appreciate small towns and quiet lifestyles, cities are what I am used to, all the good and the bad. So I cannot quite imagine how R. really felt coming from Middleton, Nova Scotia (population: <5000) to London, England (population: >10,000,000). But, she was stunned. We procured our Oyster cards (oh, how I wish I had not given mine away when I left!) and were now, I announced to R., Ready To Travel!
But remember, this is day 1, and we are still jet lagged, so we walked instead. We wandered through the Spitelfields Market. We looked at girly stuff, like the Benefit store. We found a GBK and this made Amy a happy lady. I drank cider....sweet nectar from the gods....R. found a Krispey Kreme outlet at Liverpool Station. And we all went to bed early.
I won't go through a day by day account here. It would take too much effort and space, and really, I'm not convinced anyone cares to read that much. I knew we wouldn't be able to see everything, and told R. that. Heck, Catherine has lived there for over 10 years and she hasn't seen everything. That's the way it is when you live someplace - reality steps in and you take for granted what is around you (I still have never seen most the tourist attractions in Ottawa and I've lived here over 12 years now). But I made sure R. had the highlights and I didn't go see things I've seen 100 times.
We saw - in no particular order:
- A walk past Parliament and Big Ben, down Whitehall, pass the PM's pad to Trafalgar Square
- Westminster Abbey (new for me)
- St. Paul's Cathedral (new for me) where R. took covert shots of the dome from the whispering gallery...sssshhhhhh
- A London Walks tour around Rotherite and the Brunel Museum, where the entrance to the original tunnel under the Thames - the world's first underwater tunnel - has been opened for the first time in over 80 years. The technology served as the precursor to the all the world's metro and tube lines. We stopped for a drink at the Mayflower Inn - I don't think R. appreciated it as much as Cath & I did. But it did drive home the point that London is an old city and has the centuries of grime to go with that distinction.
- We did a London Walks tour of the British Museum and while waiting, saw the "May Day" Labour parade/protesters.
- We did a Ghost Walk with London Walks and at the end, took R. to see Buckingham Palace lite up at night.
- The Globe Theatre
- The Tate Modern where I gave R. her 5 minute art history lesson.
- Oxford Street shopping, down to Piccadilly Circus, via the very, very sexy Ambercrombie & Fitch store. Ladies.....worth the visit.....although I have never felt so old and fat in my life! Ah, to be young, slim and sexy again.....those shirtless boys with the abs-to-die-for would not stand a chance.....
- The Tower of London and the Crown Jewels
- Borough Market and the George, over in my old 'hood....
Cath arranged a party at her place one night and I was able to see some of my friends again, although sadly, not again during this trip....it was great to see team J2 (Jean & Joe), Rickey-Dean, Jose, Anouska, Toni....I miss you all already!
Cath - special kudos to YOU for taking R. out that evening. Poor things was dying to see London nightlife but I was just too tired to do it. At any rate, how would it have looked if some cute guy came up to her and she had to introduce the table: ".....and this is my stepmom...." yeah, cool, huh? LOL
Next stop: the fastest trip to Paris I've ever done, and, teaching R. the value of making sure your cell phones automatically time adjust.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Back from the European Vacation
Last night I returned from my vacation in Europe with my stepdaughter, R. We had a really great time, but are both exhausted!
We left just over 2 weeks ago, landing first in London. Since this is R.'s first overseas trip, I thought the culture shock might be a little less extreme by visting London first. We stayed with my friend, Catherine, and had a great 6 days recovering from jet lag and introducing R to her first really, big city. I had fun showing R. around my second home for 2 years, and introducing her to big city essentials such as the tube and how close walking to highlights really is. We walked along the Albert Embankment and Thames walkway, toured the Globe Theatre, explored the Tower of London, went shopping on Oxford Street and Covent Garden, visited the British Museum and did a few of what I still think are the best bargins in London, taking a few of London Walks walking tours.....
Then we jumped over the pond to Paris for a *very* quick trip! Spent the afternoon of day one exploring the city highlights: the Louvre courtyard (closed the day we were there), the Left Bank, the Latin Quarter, Notre Dame, dinner with my Aunt Anne, and the Eiffel Tower at night. Day 2 we took the train to Versailles. I'd never been and it was beautiful! The Hall of Mirrors in the Palace was stunning!
Back on the Eurostart to London for our last night with Catherine, and then off to Rome for 6 nights. I'd never been to Rome before, and this was where R. most wanted to come.....it did not disappoint. Everywhere you turn are some sort of major ruin of history.
I'm still recovering from jet lag back - we flew Rome/Toronto/Ottawa, and it was a looooooong day of travel...so will write more of our adventures and post pictures soon.
We left just over 2 weeks ago, landing first in London. Since this is R.'s first overseas trip, I thought the culture shock might be a little less extreme by visting London first. We stayed with my friend, Catherine, and had a great 6 days recovering from jet lag and introducing R to her first really, big city. I had fun showing R. around my second home for 2 years, and introducing her to big city essentials such as the tube and how close walking to highlights really is. We walked along the Albert Embankment and Thames walkway, toured the Globe Theatre, explored the Tower of London, went shopping on Oxford Street and Covent Garden, visited the British Museum and did a few of what I still think are the best bargins in London, taking a few of London Walks walking tours.....
Then we jumped over the pond to Paris for a *very* quick trip! Spent the afternoon of day one exploring the city highlights: the Louvre courtyard (closed the day we were there), the Left Bank, the Latin Quarter, Notre Dame, dinner with my Aunt Anne, and the Eiffel Tower at night. Day 2 we took the train to Versailles. I'd never been and it was beautiful! The Hall of Mirrors in the Palace was stunning!
Back on the Eurostart to London for our last night with Catherine, and then off to Rome for 6 nights. I'd never been to Rome before, and this was where R. most wanted to come.....it did not disappoint. Everywhere you turn are some sort of major ruin of history.
I'm still recovering from jet lag back - we flew Rome/Toronto/Ottawa, and it was a looooooong day of travel...so will write more of our adventures and post pictures soon.
Monday, April 5, 2010
WE'RE IN!
Last weekend we moved back into our "new" house. It feels so good!
The space is everything we wanted and more. I sit each morning at the granite island and do my work. The atmosphere is so relaxing. I feel lighter and happier being able to look out the windows and see the trees starting to bloom and the family of cardinals coming back.
We still have boxes upon boxes to unpack and sometimes it seems that we still don't have enough space. We are still purging...I think we have enough furniture to furnish a small one bedroom apartment! We'll contact the Canadian Diabetes Association soon enough and donate it to them. Most of it is still in fine shape!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Be Careful What You Wish For....
You know the old saying: Be careful what you wish for? Well I realized that I haven't been on a plane in over a year, and I was starting to get itchy feet again. So I threw it out there to the universe: "Gee it would be nice to do some travelling again". And.....WHAM!
My first trip to London & Paris was with my step-mum, Evelyn. Actually, my first trip outside North America, to Australia, her homeland, was with my step-mum. I have always considered myself fortunate in this regard, and it really helped me to create an adult relationship with my step-mum. It was time for return on that karma.
I called my step daughter - who is 20 - and asked her: "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"
"Rome", she replied. "I don't know why, but I really want to see Italy."
"Ok - let's go!" I said.
The desired effect being achieved (shock! awe! excitement!) we started planning. I said we would cash in my frequent flier points (some of them) and take off!
I decided that we would first stop in London. This is R.'s first trip overseas - she's really had limited travel to date - in fact, the only time she's been outside of Canada has been to visit my family in Michigan - so I thought it would be helpful to stop in London first. At least they speak English and it might be a little less overwhelming - if you can call a city with a vast international population of 15 million "less overwhelming" then the tiny town in Nova Scotia she lives in now. Of course, the primary motivator for me is to see my old friends!
We'll be staying with my dear friend, Catherine, for our stay in London.
I'm hoping if the French family responds in time, we can take the Eurostar to Paris for a couple of days. I do love Paris! And I find it a real contrast to London.
And then - off to Rome for 5 days. I found a great website that identifies B&B's and small private apartments. It is run by a couple who run one of the best hostels in Rome, The Beehive, according to my Lonely Planet bible. The Beehive acts as a booking agent for B&B's and private apartments in Rome and some other cities in Italy, Spain & Paris. Cross-pollinate is the website. Apartment secured, we can now start to decide what sites are on our "Top of Things to See" lists. Mine includes shoe shops - I know that shocks so many of you. :)
Once all these travel plans were decided on, the universe decide I wasn't done. It threw two more opportunities at me. I take off to San Francisco this weekend for some product training - and it is so close to my brother and his family, that I am able to stay with them and visit instead of a hotel. Then, the week after I get back, I head off to Calgary for a short visit, for a client workshop. I'll be able to meet up with some friends one night before I leave. I do like when I am able to mix business with pleasure!
My first trip to London & Paris was with my step-mum, Evelyn. Actually, my first trip outside North America, to Australia, her homeland, was with my step-mum. I have always considered myself fortunate in this regard, and it really helped me to create an adult relationship with my step-mum. It was time for return on that karma.
I called my step daughter - who is 20 - and asked her: "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"
"Rome", she replied. "I don't know why, but I really want to see Italy."
"Ok - let's go!" I said.
The desired effect being achieved (shock! awe! excitement!) we started planning. I said we would cash in my frequent flier points (some of them) and take off!
I decided that we would first stop in London. This is R.'s first trip overseas - she's really had limited travel to date - in fact, the only time she's been outside of Canada has been to visit my family in Michigan - so I thought it would be helpful to stop in London first. At least they speak English and it might be a little less overwhelming - if you can call a city with a vast international population of 15 million "less overwhelming" then the tiny town in Nova Scotia she lives in now. Of course, the primary motivator for me is to see my old friends!
We'll be staying with my dear friend, Catherine, for our stay in London.
I'm hoping if the French family responds in time, we can take the Eurostar to Paris for a couple of days. I do love Paris! And I find it a real contrast to London.
And then - off to Rome for 5 days. I found a great website that identifies B&B's and small private apartments. It is run by a couple who run one of the best hostels in Rome, The Beehive, according to my Lonely Planet bible. The Beehive acts as a booking agent for B&B's and private apartments in Rome and some other cities in Italy, Spain & Paris. Cross-pollinate is the website. Apartment secured, we can now start to decide what sites are on our "Top of Things to See" lists. Mine includes shoe shops - I know that shocks so many of you. :)
Once all these travel plans were decided on, the universe decide I wasn't done. It threw two more opportunities at me. I take off to San Francisco this weekend for some product training - and it is so close to my brother and his family, that I am able to stay with them and visit instead of a hotel. Then, the week after I get back, I head off to Calgary for a short visit, for a client workshop. I'll be able to meet up with some friends one night before I leave. I do like when I am able to mix business with pleasure!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
It's the Little things....
We'd hoped to that the house would be returned to us by now, but there have been delays - little things like quarter round trim against the baseboards and patching holes and such....Sometimes it seems like just as we see light at the end of the tunnel, the drywall gets resanded and covers everything in a thin white dust again....
But... The granite is installed. The kitchen cabinet doors are installled. The kitchen sink and faucet are installed. The bathrooms have the tubs, toliets, sinks and such installed, with all their hardware. The basement floors with their underfloor heat mats are installed. So I am hopeful that they will soon be ready for us.
Here are some of the latest photos:
But... The granite is installed. The kitchen cabinet doors are installled. The kitchen sink and faucet are installed. The bathrooms have the tubs, toliets, sinks and such installed, with all their hardware. The basement floors with their underfloor heat mats are installed. So I am hopeful that they will soon be ready for us.
Here are some of the latest photos:
Colin & Kristian in the basement with the floor down.
Me peeking out from behind the new shower door.
The kitchen cabinet doors installed
The granite!
Granite detail
Me & Kristian outside the house
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
We're getting warmer!
My last post was newsy but no photos. This one will be the reverse.....
Update: the electricians were in today and now we have electricity in every room. Most of the potlights are installed, adding twinkle to the rooms.
All the rooms except the dining room have been painted.
Update: the electricians were in today and now we have electricity in every room. Most of the potlights are installed, adding twinkle to the rooms.
One of the electricians installing a potlight.
Potlights in the kitchen and great room.
Lights in the basement "man cave".
The light in the master closet. May I remind you it is 15x5 feet.
All the rooms except the dining room have been painted.
The bathroom, showing Benajamin Moore's "Mt. Rainer Grey"
The bedroom, master closet and hallway are Benajamin Moore's "Chantilly Lace" - a nice clear, bright white.
The kitchen foyer, stair well and great room are all painted Benajamin Moore's "Smoke Embers". This will be the color of the dining room, too.
The doors are all installed now. Trim is up. Bathroom fixtures installed.
Yea!!!!!!!
Monday, January 4, 2010
New Year - Almost a New House!
Well, things have really progressed over the holidays! The hardwood has been put down and coated with the initial finishing. We elected not to stain the oak floor, and I am so glad we left it natural. You can really see the grain and variations of color in the oak - it has areas of almost a red tone, others white and others blonde. Really lovely.
Al, our neighbor and cabinet maker, has done a spectacular job on the kitchen cabinets. The base cabinets are installed, in readiness for the granite countertops to be templated and installed. The cabinets will be a dark, almost chocolate, color. The doors will all simple Shaker style. The granite is a green wave. Most granites I've seen look like crushed stone - little bits and blobs - but the one I've selected looks like you are looking down from space at the waves in a deep green sea.
This was a very interesting part of the process, because it is no longer "empty space" but is taking form as a proper kitchen. The island has been installed - yes, it is as huge as we thought it would be, but it doesn't overwhelm the space, as I had started to fear it might. Lots of room to get around (we allotted extra space between the base cabinets and the island).
This was a very interesting part of the process, because it is no longer "empty space" but is taking form as a proper kitchen. The island has been installed - yes, it is as huge as we thought it would be, but it doesn't overwhelm the space, as I had started to fear it might. Lots of room to get around (we allotted extra space between the base cabinets and the island).
The new appliances have been delivered and have been slid into their new places. I am very happy with how it will look - so beautiful. After 10 years of living in a white kitchen, I was nervous of going to a dark color, but because the overall space is so big and the appliances are stainless, it is as bright as I wanted it. I'll never go back to a white kitchen again - it gets dingy fast!
We also had fun at an auction the other day. Colin wanted a pub table and chairs for his man cave, and we have long been tired of the mismatched and cheap bedroom furniture we'd been living with for over 12 years - some he brought into the marriage, other peieces I brought - so even though many designers hate the idea of a matching bedroom suite, we found one we love. A solid headboard we can lean up against while reading a bedtime book or the weekend paper; matching bedside tables - the highboy chest and the "ladies dresser" will both go into the large walk-in closet. We found everything we wanted at the auction - hey - where else can you find a pub table (larger then standard) and 8 chairs for $700.00?? The bedroom suite was a great deal, too.
The other furniture we had ordered also arrived over the holidays. We've stored everything in the new dining room for now - I am anxious to get it unwrapped and in place soon!
The contractor says it is just a matter of weeks now.....some things will need to be held-off until spring, like removing the pile of dirt left behind when the basement was dug out (it's a frozen mountian now) and building the new front porch. But wow - hard to believe moving day is a matter of weeks now and not months!
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