Remembrance day recap...
1. I got up early and packed up my stuff to switch to my business hotel, Hilton Metropol. The Metropol is on Edgware Rd, near Paddington station. I took a cab again, because I wasn't really interested in dragging my suitcase up and down stairs. No way I can do that in some of those stops and I wasn't sure what the Edgware Rd. station would look like.
2. After dropping my bags at the bag check, I ran immediately to the tube to get to the Remembrance day festivities on Whitehall at the Cenotaph. I read online the night before that the queen/royal family lays a wreath as part of the ceremony so I jumped on the chance to see her. No issues on the tube, got to the right stop and followed the crowds to the right exit. I made it there at 8:30 and it was already packed. I went through security and then found a spot 3 rows back from where the action was happening. I thought I chose well behind a smaller woman and a kid on the front row, but around 10:00, 2 large men switched spots with them. They had to be at least 6'5". The ceremony started at 11, so at 10 I started staring at the back of jackets. I couldn't see anything. I began to think it wasn't worth it and should get out, but by the time I had that thought, it was too late. I was stuck in a sea of people with no hope of getting out. It gets pretty boring staring at the back of a jacket and your shoes.
3. I ended up watching the cameras that were held up to take pictures or video. I saw the queen on their little video screens. Here are the bbc highlights of what was happening 50 yards away from me:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15710473
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20285860
I'm somewhere in the crowd on the second video. Bonus points if you can spot me. I couldn't, but I guarantee I'm there.
Here are some pictures I took through the rare moments I could see around the jackets:
Most of the people in the crowd were wearing their British Legion poppy pins on their lapel. I bought one as well to fit in...made me feel very British.
I borrowed that picture from the Telegraph.
I took some video...some of these I actually got the parade, some I just shot my feet or the tree above me to capture the sound. Ignore the singing in 2 of them...I can't remember to stop singing when I have the video camera on. It was neat to sing Our God Our Help in Ages Past with a crowd like that...and I attempted God Save the Queen. I need to learn the words! Blogger's not working all that great, so I'll do another post with some of the videos referenced here.
After the official ceremony ended, the veterans present marched, were wheeled or used scooters to form the longest veterans parade I've ever seen. It was pretty cool. I couldn't get out at that point, so I just relaxed and people watched. They had veterans marching from every corner of the Commonwealth, so the uniforms were a sight just alone. Add in all of the band pomp and circumstance and it made for some very pleasant standing. What I didn't realize until after it was over was that I stood in one place for over 4 hours. I don't think I really understood how tired that was going to make me until I tried to move. My feet were like blocks of ice and dead to the world. That drastically adjusted my plans for the rest of the day. However, on the way out, I did catch the area where all the dignataries parked. I'm pretty sure I saw Boris, the mayor of London and I was able to grab a picture of the ambassador to Britain from Kenya:
I saw quite a few other ambassadors, just didn't take pictures of all of them. The building in the background was the Horse Guard's Parade, where they played beach volleyball for the Olympics:
I then followed the crowd to the WWII memorial:
I found the Churchill War Rooms, but the line was at least an hour to get in. After standing for 4 hours, I wasn't really up to standing in line. I didn't think it would do the place justice to be in pain while walking through, so I'm saving it for the next trip. I followed some more crowds and ended up on the opposite end of the mall from Buckingham:
I then got my own close up experience of the parade as a group of Marines marched back to Buckingham:
That summarizes my Remembrance Day morning activities. Another post for the rest of Remembrance Day....
London Day 2 continued....
1. After the Lord Mayor's parade, I headed to Leicester Square to get my tickets to One Man Two Guvnors, showing at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, just off Leicester Square. Getting the ticket was really easy...I had everything printed out, but they didn't even look at it.
2. After getting my ticket, I had about an hour to kill before seating, so I walked to Trafalgar Square for a quick drive by painting viewing at the National Gallery:
The National Gallery has Van Gogh's Sunflowers as the center of it's Impressionist wing, with a bunch of Monet's (including a lily painting), and Manet's to name a few. It was a great exhibit...I didn't linger much given the timing. I could spend probably a good half day in the museum. I didn't hit the other rooms at all and it looked like it went on forever. There's also the National Portrait Gallery right next door that I didn't have time for.
3. Next, I hit the play. It had a lot more musical elements than I thought it would, even though it's not technically classified as a musical. The premise is British slapstick humor. One man gets hired as an assistant to a man and simultaneously is hired by another girl, who are connected to each other but don't know and can't know they've hired the same man. So the assistant attempts to keep them apart and in the dark about the dual employment. It has a lot of Abbott/Costello type qualities to it....changing the meaning of words to literal interpretations, falling down stairs a lot, catch phrases. I enjoy that kind of thing, so it was perfect for me. They also played quite a bit with the audience, which was really funny and unpredictable. Some of the audience members they picked were pretty funny themselves. The theatre was gorgeous, reminded me of Ford's Theatre in Washington DC. Just felt historic...the floor boards creaked, everything was decorated in rich reds and gold. Great venue for the show. The only issue was that the British accent was really strong and there were some points where I wasn't quite sure what was said or the joke was specific to something in London that I didn't quite get. But the physical comedy totally made up for it.
4. After the play, I walked to Buckingham. It gets dark very early in N. Europe. It's hard to imagine, but I live on relatively the same latitude as Calgary, Canada. London is pretty close to that latitude as well, so by the time I got out of the matinee, it was night, which was before 5. Very strange. Anyways, I walked to Buckingham to see more along the way because it wasn't raining or super cold. Buckingham at night was worth it:
For me the best part was the balcony. I'm not old enough for Di/Chuck's wedding (William and I are almost birthday buddies), but I felt like a princess standing outside the palace. It really is grand. I thought maybe the TV guys had a way of shooting certain angles to make it look bigger and more grandeur, but to be honest, the TV doesn't really do it justice. It's really a house built for a queen.
5. After Buckingham, I wandered to Victoria Palace Theatre to pick up my ticket for Billy Elliot. It was really easy again. Victoria Palace Theatre is near Victoria Station. I realized at that point that the last time I ate was the English breakfast in the morning. I found a place close to the theatre for a quick bite because I didn't have much time. It happened to be a decent Indian place. London is great for food from around the Commonwealth. It was good, cheap and quick.
6. I've seen Billy Elliot on the traveling tour through Houston, so I knew the premise. The reason I booked it was because it was a great show in Houston and I figured it could only get better in London. The premise is the mining strikes in 1984/85 in Scotland, where a legacy mining family struggles to deal with the strike and two completely different sons, one of whom lives for the mining work and the other much younger son who just wants to dance ballet. Not really an option for a coal miner's son in Scotland. The kid who plays Billy is incredible. What strikes me most is that at the beginning of the play, Billy is shown learning to dance, which means the actual actor has to play down is true ability and look awkward. I think that's probably the hardest part for the kid who plays Billy. He's so talented it has to be hard to look bad on the stage. At the end, you get a real appreciation for how great he is. Anyways, one interesting moment came in the 1st half...there's a scene where the chorus puts on these awkward life size ladies' dresses costumes with a netting at the face to see where they are going. The dresses tap dance and it's a big number. However, one of the dresses came out on stage and promptly fell over, which apparently wasn't part of the show and the stage manager came out on the stage in the middle of the number to stop the show. He announced that they needed to reset and it would take some time. Curtain closed, lights came up. It took about 5 minutes until the house manager came out and announced that the actor had a minor accident but was fine and the play would start again. They restarted the number and it moved on. I've never seen anything like it. I thought the "show must go on" meant no matter what you don't stop, but apparently means you can stop, reset and then the show goes on. Anyways, it was strange, but they handled it very professionally. The theatre was nice, much more like Hobby Center in Houston, but much more ornate. The show was packed.
Sneaky photo of me in the theatre.
7. After the show, I headed back to the hotel to get caught up on sleep and plan for Sunday.
Sunday to follow.....
I'm going to split this day into 2 posts, mostly because the morning and the afternoon were so different that they deserve a full review each. This was my most successful day of traveling by myself in Europe to date. The stars were aligned and the research payed off in big ways.
1. I got an early start...London doesn't get going early from what I could tell. I got downstairs in the hotel at 7:30 and the hotel reception seemed shocked to see someone. I enjoyed the quiet moments on the tube to St. Paul's - it was nice to get a real feeling for what the city is like when it's still asleep.
2. I headed first to St. Paul's because I read online that it was open at 8:30 and it was free this weekend for the Lord Mayor's Parade. If you are going to London in the future, the best website I found for this kind of information was: Timeout London. Great information on what was going on during the weekend, things to see, special events, show times, etc. I wouldn't have been as successful without it.
3. Anyways, I was early for St. Paul's so I grabbed a full English breakfast right next the Cathedral, which was great. I was the first one into St. Paul's...I noticed you weren't supposed to take pictures, but as it started to fill up, everyone was doing it with no shame. I took 2 clandestine photos....I was at least discreet about it. You should have seen the others.
I feel guilty about doing it, but not guilty enough to not post them. It was incredible. I also got a quick snippet of the organ:
I spent about 2.5 hours roaming the cathedral. This was my first crypt experience too. I'm not sure how I feel about crypts. It's pretty creepy to me to be honest (apologies for the awkward language). It just seems strange that the floors are grave stones. However, it was cool to see all of the unique tombs included. I also felt like a princess when I stood in the aisle that Di and Chuck walked down the year before I was born. Just incredible to think about.
4. After wandering St. Paul's I stepped outside and took a few shots:
I didn't climb the dome - that's for next trip. It was raining and cloudy and I heard people saying you couldn't see much. I saved my feet, which was good because I then got a front row standing spot at the cathedral to see the Lord Mayor's parade. The Lord Mayor is the elected Mayor of the City of London (the City), different then the mayor of London. It has a huge tradition and included all of the branches of military and about 160 different floats. I got my front row spot and waited for the parade to come by at 11:30. I again got adopted by a family - this time a British family complete with grandparents shared a program with me and introduced me to British culture. It was really fun and they were super nice. The grandfather's brother was killed in Antartica on a science mission and he is on the board of Trustees for the foundation that sponsors different humanitarian projects to honor those lost in the tragedy (I believe 29 were killed). There's a plaque in St Paul's for it. Anyways, they provided great commentary throughout as to what I was seeing, not that I can remember any of it now, but it was really helpful:
The car picture has the back of Jessica Ennis's head...she's a major star in the UK for her performance in the Olympics (Gold medal in Heptathalon?). The last picture is the Lord Mayor himself. It was a neat experience, so glad I did it. Here's a video of the beginning of the parade...I wish I would have taken more. There's more from Sunday. In this one, you can hear the grandma from the family giving me the play by play of who was coming. So cool!
After I saw the parade, I headed to Picadilly to pick up my ticket for my afternoon show. That's for the next post!
London was incredible. I have to break up again into several posts...too much for one post. Enjoy the ride....
1. On Friday, I did a bit of work, met some delivery guys at my apartment for delivery of my chairs (reading area is done!), and then went to the airport early because I was so excited to get there. The anticipation was killing me.
2. No issues getting to the airport. Took the tram with my suitcase and then got on the train to Schipol. It's amazing how easy it is. Going to IAH is always such a hassle - Schipol is so easy from my apartment (hint, hint).
3. After arriving, I grabbed the Heathrow Express to Paddington station and then from there a quick cab to Hilton Hyde Park. I did the cab because I really don't trust subways with suitcases. Paris is almost impossible with luggage....way too many stairs for this little girl. I don't pack that heavy, but it's still too much if there's more than 10 stairs at any point in the trip. Plus, now I can say I road in a famous London cab. I wasn't super impressed...pretty much like any other cab ride I've taken. A semi rude cabby with the smell of last night's regret. However, it was super convenient from the station.
4. The Hilton Hyde Park was just what I needed. Functional, convenient to the tube, quiet and clean. The area isn't the best...it looked a tad shady outside the hotel, however, the Queensway station was literally right next door on the Central line so I never spent more than 1 minute outside the hotel at night. I got a single room, so it was about the size of a walk-in closet, but I hardly spent any time there, so perfect.
5. I got to the hotel around 7, so I dropped my bag and ran down to the tube. I got an Oyster card first thing because I know I'll be going back and they are super easy to use. It's a pay as you go system like they have in the Netherlands (Chipkaart here). The nice thing about the Oyster card is that it will never let you pay more than an all day pass, which essentially means your card is an all day pass if you go all day. Bad news was they didn't take my European chip debit card, which meant I had to pull out cash each time to top up the card. No big deal, but it scared me as that was one of the first purchases I made and I got concerned I would need to pull out cash for everything. Thankfully that was the only place I had an issue with, except the second Hilton for work (annoying).
6. I jumped out at Oxford Circus because I read online that Oxford Street had its Christmas lights up. I was really excited and this is what I saw when I got out:
Complete with the famous double decker red buses. I will say it was a bit overwhelming...I felt like Farmer Brown goes to Town. I walked too slow, stared at my map constantly and was on censory overload. It was well worth it, but I think if I could do it again, I would have gotten out a quieter famous tube station. Anyways, since I hadn't planned on sight seeing much on Friday, I took my time. I shopped a bit...found the best department store ever: Liberty. Such cute stuff and not your typical tourist stuff either. I'm not a huge shopper, but I had a ton of fun in that store.
7. After the madness along Oxford, I walked down Regent Street, which is similar, except more people. The lights on Regent were not on yet...I think they light them up tonight actually. Anyways, I walked straight into the madness at Picadilly Circus. I've never been to New York Times Square, so this was definitely crazy to me:
There were people everywhere. I didn't linger long, mostly because I couldn't find a place to linger. I found a place just off Picadilly to grab a quick bite to eat (don't judge me - this is a judgment free blog. It was a Whole Foods. After 2.5 months of the Albert Heijn, it was so great. It was easy and they had a place to just observe the madness while eating a healthy meal. I know I should have had fish and chips, but I was so excited to see a familiar place with signs in English that I couldn't help myself. And I figured there would be other meals. Also, it's a bit tough traveling by yourself when you are a tad overwhelmed....I was lucky to find something that reminded me of home and it helped me get my bearings.)
8. During the meal, I made plans for my next move. It was about 9 and considering transportation didn't take that long to get me back to my hotel, I figured I had about an hour before I would need to crash. I went to the tube at Picadilly and grabbed the next one to Westminister. Here is the reason I should have done this first:
The first thing you see coming out of the Westminister tube (if you take the right exit or get lucky like I did) is the straight up view of Big Ben. That's more like it for me. I enjoyed seeing it at night. I really enjoyed seeing the London Eye from across the Thames and the Parliament buildings lit up. Westminister Abbey also looked really neat at night. It was busy in the area but for some reason felt quiet and relaxed. I did linger here quite a bit...watched the river and enjoyed the night. It felt almost warm (from what I'm used to) and it was a great night. I headed back to the hotel after that so I could get an early start to the next day.
Day 2 up next!
So after much anticipation, I finally have my Dutch ID card! I really needed it...I was worried about getting back into the country after London this weekend. Here's the story from today:
1. I was told originally that my card would be mailed to me in 4-6 weeks. At week 8 I became concerned it wasn't coming, so I spoke with some people at work who called immigration to find out where my card was out. Turns out I was supposed to go to a different immigration office and pick it up. The company confirmed I didn't need an appointment and could just show up to pick up my card.
2. So I got on a new tram at lunch to pick up my card. The building was close to the beach, so it was a good 20 minute ride out there. By the time I got there, I realized I forgot a book or anything to occupy my time as I assumed it would be like the DMV. Bad move.
3. The first question they asked was if I had my paper saying that I could pick up my ID. I pulled out every piece of Dutch paperwork I had and none of them were right. I explained to the nice Dutch man that my company called and said I could pick it up. The guy shrugged and gave me a number for the next station.
4. I thought I would wait forever for the next station but it ended up being about 2 minutes. At the next station, they again asked me for that piece of paper and I again showed them everything I had. He informed me I didn't have the right paper. I explained again about my company situation. He nodded and said that because I didn't have my paper, it would take him 5 minutes to find my card rather than 1 minute. He said it with a serious face, as if this was the end of his world. I had a really hard time not laughing. I mean seriously, I'm so glad that the US is not the only one with bureaucratic crazies. He made a big show of going through 2 stacks of about 30 cards and found mine in less than 5 minutes. Phew! That was a close one. I almost caused a major issue in the immigration office....work!
5. My ID photo was taken on the day I flew in. I look like I've been in an Amsterdam coffeeshop, just after going on a serial killing spree. I don't think a worse photo has ever been taken. I'm a little concerned about showing it to customs agents at Schiphol. Additionally, they spelled Texas as "Tekan". I asked a girl at work if that was the Dutch spelling of Texas...its not. That's just unfortunate.
I thought I'd include a picture of my tram stop, just to further confirm I'm living in a movie.
That's a swan, ducks of all kinds and seagulls. Sometimes there's a really big crane. I will add that the ducks cross the street in the cross walk and the cars/bikes always stop. It's so cute. That's what I see every morning. Makes it hard to go to work!
I found it! The nice couple I met 2 weekends ago mentioned me in her blog. I'm famous on the internet :)
Check out her account of that day at: www.mindfulmagpie.com. And yes - M, it's totally fine to mention me on your blog! I'm just so glad we met! Funny how are our accounts are so similar...and her pictures really describe the day so much clearer. She even has a picture of the hot Dutch guy!!!!
So normal life is starting to become more clear. I'll admit that the first 7 weeks were one long roller coaster ride...the best ride I've ever been on. I've lived more in the last 2 months than probably the last 7 years combined (minus the 3 weeks to Kenya). I've experienced things I've only dreamed about and read about in travel books. I'm living that dream. This past week, I felt normal life was really coming around. My apartment is mostly set up - minus pictures on the wall and a few pieces of furniture, it's mostly there. I love normal life here. It's relaxing, reflective, peaceful and spontaneous. I never thought I would ever be spontaneous, but I'm quickly learning how to do it here. Here's the last week or so update:
1. Last week was full of work. I almost experienced my first real transportation accident. I left work late one night and it was cold...as is becoming the norm here. I had on a jacket with a hood trying to keep my ears from falling off in the wind. The Hague has bike paths everywhere...they run right next to the side walks. Here is the order of right of way in the Netherlands by transportation mode: 1. Tram/Train. They stop for nothing. 2. Buses. Generally only stop for trams. 3. Bikes. Only stop for trams or trains. 4. Cars. Stops for everything else on the list, except the last. 5. Pedestrians. Very clearly the bottom of the list. No signs to indicate as such, just an implied fact. So as I was leaving work, I came to the end of the side walk to cross the street. I stepped into the bike path just in front of a biker (stupid hood! didn't think to look.). Luckily he had a split second to stop and just missed me. He cursed at me in Dutch (which is essentially English - words don't translate). I apologized with Sorry...which luckily is the same in Dutch/English...but he could clearly tell after I spoke I wasn't Dutch and then I think he felt embarrassed for cursing at me. He just smiled and kept riding. So I've avoided getting hit with any form of transportation to date, knock on wood, streak continues. I also have not fallen once (knock on wood again). That's a huge deal. I'm sure that won't last, but I think I've been much better about slowing down my life style and taking my time to get places. I'd like to think that's really increased my ability of staying on my feet and not just that I've been lucky.
2. On Friday, I did a bit of shopping and found a rug for the apartment, which I'm excited about. I also found 2 chairs for reading - great adds that will look good even when I move back to the states. My buffet table/dresser thingy was delivered as well and it looks great. So happy with it.
3. My rug was supposed to be delivered on Saturday between 11-5PM, so I went out early to grab lunch fixings and settle in for the day, because you know that if they give a time frame, it will always be the latest. I got some mini pancakes, which you can heat in the oven. They are just the same as the other Dutch pancakes I described in an earlier post but so much better because they are about the size of a silver dollar. SOO good. And I just dated myself by referencing a silver dollar. Anyways, I really should do a separate Dutch food post. I've found some more interesting foods. Saving that for another post.
4. Rug came as expected at 4. I decided it was too late at that point to go to Amsterdam or somewhere else, so I got on the tram and headed to the center to find new places to window shop. As I got out of the tram, I noticed that Skyfall was playing at the local theater and it only had subtitles in Dutch (i.e. it wasn't dubbed). I thought there were 2 added benefits to seeing the new 007 flick: 1. I need to figure out how to see movies here because I'm not sure I can wait to get back to the US to see the next Hunger Games. 2. I'm going to London next weekend, so it was research. Yes I'm that nerdy. I used a Bond film to research London.
5. The movie was great. I don't know when it comes out in the US, but I would definitely recommend it. I didn't see the previous 2 Daniel Craig films, mostly because I'm a Pierce Brosnan fan and hated the idea of trying to get attached to a new Bond. But I found him very enjoyable, the plot was well done (predictable, but well done) and the shots of London were great. Bonus, Daniel Craig was super hot. Going to see the movie was relatively easy. I bought a ticket at the kiosk in the lobby. They have assigned seats for movies and it was a pretty popular showing. When the seat selection came up, it said I had seat 1, row 3, which I thought meant very front of the theater. I couldn't figure out how to change the seat, so I just went with it thinking at the very least, it will be a warm and I can enjoy just being out. Turned out my seat was 3rd row from the back, so it was perfect. I had pancakes at Will's pancake house while waiting for the movie. I know, 2 pancake meals in one day....man does not live on pancakes alone.
6. On Sunday, I decided to go to Amsterdam to use my Museumkaart. I took the train again, only because I love the idea of relaxing on the journey to a new place and ending up in the center of town, rather than driving, finding parking and then tramming it in from there.
7. Amsterdam was pretty when I arrived. I jumped on Tram 9, which heads in a different direction than I had been before. I love that about public transport...I do that in the Hague too now. I jump on trams I haven't been on just to see where they go and figure out if there's something else I want to see at some point. Anyways, on Tram 9, I saw a lot of places I want to go wander through when I go back next. I believe it took me past Dam Square, which was pretty packed with people and things to do. Definitely want to go there. Anyways, I was on a mission. My goal was to do 2 museums in one day, which for me is tough...I never can regulate how much I read at a museum. I can literally spend a day in the same museum, particularly a WWII museum. I've done all day museum binges at several in Washington DC before....I just get lost in it. I thought it would be tough for me to do 2, but I really wanted to get them both in. No idea why I decided to be so motivated, but I was.
8. First stop was the Dutch Resistance Museum. I loved this museum. I allocated 2.5 hours to this museum and ended up spending 4, giving myself only 2 hours at the second. Rick Steves gives it 2 pyramids...for me, I would give it 3, but I'm really into WWII history, particularly the German front. It does an excellent job of describing what 2 generations prior to me in the Netherlands struggled with - whether to support what everyone knew to be a morally corrupt regime that only came to power through hostile means or to actively protest and violently act against the regime. The efforts by those who protested were futile for years - many Dutchmen were killed for their efforts to break the occupation. However, the museum also doesn't shy away from the fact that so many didn't protest and didn't try to help when 100,000 Jews were rounded up and subsequently killed. This isn't unique to the Netherlands...it happened across Europe. I've read a number of books lately that examine the perspectives of ordinary citizens who watched the murders happened. It really makes you think about what you would do. I would hope that I would be numbered amoung the few that stood up for what was right, but how can you ever be sure. Even today, don't we all sit and watch genocide on our TV in Syria, Darfur, Mali, etc? I'm guilty....I don't contribute to organizations promoting social justice or write my congressman regarding injustice in those countries. Isn't it the same? God have mercy on us...so much evidence of a need for a Savior.
9. Anyways, I could have spent another 2 hours in there....I flew right through the Pacific war section, which focused on Indonesia. I really wanted to read more about that....Uncle Erwin was in the Philippines, so I thought it would be interesting to read more about the Dutch perspective on the Japanese front, but time did not permit. Next time.
10. Brief interlude...In a given week, I leave my house or work on average 16 times. I would say of those 16 times I am outside, I get rained on at least 12 of those. I am constantly wet. 2 umbrellas have already been KIA (killed in action). I only have one left and thankfully it's my A&M umbrella....I'm a little scared to use it because I really don't want it to get broken. It's already blown out once....I'm concerned it's not going to make it to Christmas. It's almost tropical here, without the tropical temps.
11. After the Resistance museum, I headed to the Tropical Museum in the pouring rain (ironic, I know). This museum is like one big World Geography class. It details the history of Dutch colonialism across the globe, but it mostly focuses on current day of those countries, plus artifacts from each of the countries. It was incredible - I really enjoyed it. They have a whole floor on Africa, inclusive of music, masks and jewelry from different parts of the continent. I loved the music parts....got me feeling like I was back in Kenya. I also learned a lot more about W. Africa, including Senegal, which I'm quite intrigued about now. I also had to remember I was not a kid, as I saw the kid area had lessons going in African dance. I really wanted to do that...but thought better of it. I will be going back there...RS gave it 1 pyramid, I would give it 2 and spend more time.
12. I also ate at the museum....I'm finding that museum cafes are pretty good and convenient. This one served tropical type food, which meant I had a roll and a quinoa salad with cranberries. Looked like something I have gotten at Central Market, but tasted better. I also got an Indonesian beer to spice it up.
13. After that, I headed back to Amsterdam. I found a flower shop on the way back and got this week's flowers...red roses with some greenery and pink flowers mixed in. They are gorgeous...I love fresh flowers. When I get back to Houston in 2 years, I've made a resolution to have more flowers in my house more often. It really picks up the mood and I don't need to wait for Johnny Angel to enjoy them. I'm worth it.
Up next: LONDON this weekend! I'm so excited. Here's my schedule:
Friday night - fly to London (Heathrow); staying at Hilton on Hyde Park
Saturday: Morning: St Paul's cathedral is free in the morning, so going to be there at 8:30 when they open. After that, I'm going to Picadilly Circus to shop...I have Christmas I need to get accomplished and I know exactly where I'm going. I also thought about adding in Portobello Road. Hopefully I can get there too. Afternoon: I have a ticket to "One Man, Two Guvnors" which is a West End play, British slapstick. Got rave reviews, very excited about that. After the play, I'll grab a quick dinner on West End and that night I have a ticket to see Billy Elliot!!!!!! I've seen it before in Houston, but WEST END Billy Elliot. Words cannot describe how much I'm looking forward to Saturday.
Sunday: A 2 museum day: National Gallery (has Van Gogh's Sunflowers, plus countless others) and Churchill's War Rooms or the British Museum. At 5:45, I'm going to head to Westminister Abbey for a free organ concert. Sight seeing along the way.
Monday-Tuesday: Work
I'm trying to not see too much because I really want to see the good stuff (Buckingham, Tower of London, Crown Jewels, anything Royal) with my mom. We've talked about it for years...would hate to not see it with her. I'm also debating on Churchill's War Rooms because I really want to see that with my dad. If push comes to shove, I know where to go look for 1/2 price theater tickets...I could go see another matinee on Sunday. I wouldn't be opposed to that...in fact just thinking about it makes me want to check the tickets again.
Ok. Post was too long. Thanks for sticking to the end!
