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Life in London – during the coronavirus pandemic!

It is weird everywhere with everyone I know; trapped at home taking our best care of ourselves and our loved ones. What a difference a month makes.

March 1 Andy and I were still enjoying our coastal cruise of Norway (blog 31). We were having a great time and this ‘virus thing’ seemed a million miles away. When we returned to London in a few days, we had plans to see a few more West End shows; Waitress with Sara Bareilles, Wicked, and Magic Goes Wrong. We were scheduling our preliminary trip to Amsterdam for the 23^rd when we would open the bank accounts and take care of setting up utilities for the newly rented apartment so come April 1 we would be ready to move to Amsterdam.

Ha, that feels like a lifetime ago.

Since all those plans were made, borders have closed in hopes of containing the virus, we cannot go to the Netherlands; not for planning, not for moving. So, we are here; still in London, still in our rented house in Chiswick – and still covered by the NHS. Andy’s new start date in Amsterdam has been changed to May 15 – we are not optimistic this will stick but are working toward that date none-the-less. We are so lucky. Lucky to have Coty’s teams of consultants working on our situation to literally pack up our stuff here in London and ship some to the US and some to Amsterdam. A thousand details that would have been just ordinary work just a few months ago have become hurdles that must each be addressed. So lucky.

We are not suffering. Many people are suffering, we are not. We are adjusting. Adjusting to Andy working at home, which is fine, we did not use the dining room anyway. Adjusting to eating every meal at home, with most of those being self-prepared. Who knew at this late date I would fall back on detailed meal planning generating detailed shopping lists to buy an entire week’s worth of groceries at one time. Susy Homemaker, indeed. Adjusting to the UK’s virus guidelines; stay two meters apart, socialize only with members of your household, go out only for necessities and exercise outside once per day.

It’s all good. We are healthy and hope to stay that way. We have internet. We have cell phones. We have water and electricity. We have soap. And, we have toilet paper. It is still good to be a Benjamin.

https://lindasjourney.net/

What were our favorite things to do in London?

There is no question that we have had a wonderful seventeen months in London. For most of this blog though, I have written about places we have gone to away from here; Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, etc; and only to a small degree the places and events we have enjoyed here. But, as we prepare to wrap up this part of our lives, and wrapping up itself not really being that interesting, it seemed a good time to pick a Top Ten. For my fellow boomers, I do not mean a Letterman top ten, but an actual; “this may be useful” top ten. So here goes. 

Plan to be out and about in the afternoon. Go to the Westminster area, and in particular the Victoria Tower Gardens. This is a beautiful little park which fronts the River Thames. So close to so much activity, it is literally a breath of fresh air. It is also the location of the Emmeline Pankhurst Statue (https://www.biography.com/activist/emmeline-pankhurst) which is specifically placed within a rocks throw of Parliament. Women fought the world over for the right to vote (many still do), but British women truly paid the price for this ‘right’ by their forceful efforts, and the punishments that those efforts drew, to bring attention to women’s rights. Walk out of the park and past the Houses of Parliament (tours on Saturdays). Look up to see Big Ben, or as much as you can through the scaffolding. Cross the Westminster Bridge to reach Southbank; the other side of the river. Slowly make your way east, passing the Sea Life Aquarium and The London Eye (we have not done this, if you want to, buy tickets ahead of time online). You are on the Thames Path. You can walk this all the way to where the English Channel meets the North Sea but making it to Tower Bridge should be far enough. Note, it is not a straight path, as buildings get in the way – watch for signs. Along the way you will pass The Royal Festival Hall, The National Theatre, The Tate Modern (stop for a coffee and view on the 9^th floor), and Shakespeare’s Globe. Borough’s Market, The Golden Hinde, The Shard and City Hall. All are between or next to small shops, coffee shops, restaurants, and pubs. If you are hungry, think of stopping for Afternoon Tea to expand your British experience. (https://southbanklondon.com/guide-to-the-best-afternoon-tea-in-south-bank) With a bit of luck, the sun will be going down as you pass City Hall to reach the Potters Fields Park just before Tower Bridge – that is the best. Do you see all the folks taking pictures? Pictures of the bridge, pictures of the skyline, pictures of the river. Walk across the bridge to take in the view of this ancient river lined with buildings both old and new. If you are hungry again, go to your right over the bridge to St. Katherine’s Docks. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Katharine_Docks) There are several good restaurants in this area. We recommend the Bravas Tapas. Then start your walk back toward the west to take in the whole of Tower Bridge. All these places, all this view, all this River Thames, is my number one of my Top Ten.

For shear, this is London, you can’t beat visiting The Tower of London. https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/#gs.zic5kr  We would absolutely recommend this. You get history, art, and the Crown Jewels. We spent several hours there, the better part of an afternoon; well actually, we closed the place. A free tour is included, and we would definitely recommend that you make time for it while at the Tower.

Westminster Abbey. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/  We have thought several times, ‘we’ve seen enough churches already.’ But then you cannot be in London and not see Westminster Abbey. It is beyond just a church; it is the location that Kings and Queens have held their coronations since 1066. It is the burial place of not just royalty, but notables like Sir Isaac Newton, Robert and Elizabeth Barret Browning; it has memorials to among others, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Sir Winston Churchill. It is truly something to see. Make sure you pay the extra five pounds to enter The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/visit-us/plan-your-visit/the-queens-diamond-jubilee-galleries#i16906  You can take an elevator to the Galleries, but it you take the stairs, you also get an up-close view of the outside of the Abbey.

There are those who say the British stole art from all corners of the world – many are now saying further that they want it back. But, in the meantime, much of it is housed at The British Museum. https://www.britishmuseum.org/  This is another large commitment of your time, but where else can you see beautiful art from the Americas, China, and Egypt. To see the whole museum is to see the world. And, its free.

The Museum of London, at the Barbican, is worth several hours too. It’s free too. https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london  In a few hours you can learn the history of London from 450,000 BC to present day. The exhibits are well organized via timeline and the exhibit on the London Olympic Torch is simply awe inspiring. The Barbican as a development is also of interest for building junkies and history buffs, as the land was available for development as a result of the Blitz. https://londonist.com/2015/01/mapped-barbican-before-the-blitz 

London is a top location for fashion museums. https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/articles/the-10-best-museums-for-fashion-fanatics-in-london/  Number three on the list, is the Victoria and Albert Museum; “the largest art and design museum in the world.” (https://www.vam.ac.uk/) This huge building is not just dresses, not just fabric, it is art and architecture through the millennia. I have spent whole days there several times. They also have several cafes, including the first café to be included in a museum. Entry is free here too – snacks extra.

Only 4 items left.  I’m going to add another museum here: The Natural History Museum. (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/)  Generally speaking, I’m not big on birds and the science of animals – but, I went in this building because it is beautiful building and huge and right next door to the Victoria and Albert. It won me over. We are talking whole dinosaurs and whales and the best exhibit on evolution ever. Another whole afternoon can be spent here – also free. If you have any brain cells left after this and it’s not too late, go behind the Natural History Museum to the Science Museum, another amazing collection. (https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/home)

Make a day to go to Greenwich. If the weather is nice, take the Clipper on the river. The Clipper is essentially a river ‘bus’, run by Transport for London, but unlike other busses, you go along the river and you have restrooms and a bar. (Remember, alcohol is always appropriate in London). At Greenwich you have a very charming small village with lots of shops in addition to several museum spaces, such as The Cutty Sark, The Queen’s House, The Maritime Museum, and of course, the Greenwich Observatory. It will take all day. https://www.visitgreenwich.org.uk/

Take a walking tour. There is no better way to learn about a city than on foot. We have taken many tours with London Walks. (https://www.walks.com/)  You don’t have to sign up ahead of time, you just need to be at the right location at the right time. Cost is 10 pounds ‘regular’ and 8 if you get a concession for being young or old. The tour leader will take your cash at the start of the tour. Tips are appreciated at the end, but not expected. Some of the ones we have done are Jack the Ripper, The Beatles, and Brunel; all were excellent and definitely worth the time and money. 

Lastly, see a show. Go to the TKTS book in Leicester Square and get tickets for something that looks good to you. (https://officiallondontheatre.com/tkts/) West End productions are every bit as good as any we have seen in New York. TKTS does not sell for every theater, but they usually have a brochure with what is playing in town and how to contact theaters directly. We have seen some amazing performances in some beautiful old theaters.

If you need another snack after TKTS; we suggest you walk on Irving Street to the A400, past the National Portrait Gallery and before you turn the corner to your right for the National Gallery,  look across the street to your left. You will see a small, glass building that houses an elevator and a set of stairs. They go to The Café in the Crypt. (https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/visit/cafe-in-the-crypt/) This is literally the crypt of the big church on the corner; Saint Martins in the field. You can have your Afternoon Tea over the markers of folks who are buried there. It may sound eukie, but it is a very cool spot; and many times when the places you can see on the street to sit down and have a coffee are overflowing with folks, you can still find a table in the Crypt.

This was hard. We have really liked so many places. Below is a portion of the spreadsheet I have kept on the places we have gone in London. It does not include my comments, but I think it may be enough information for you to start your own list.

Happy travels,

Linda

Type	Location/ Name	Recco
Building	Royal Albert Hall (Tour)	Absolutely.
Building	The Churchill Arms Pub	Absolutely.
Building	Fuller’s Brewery – Chiswick (Tour)	Absolutely.
Building	Buckingham Palace (in the summer)	Absolutely.
Building	Windsor Castle	Absolutely.
Building	The Shard, Viewing level	Absolutely.
Building	St. Stephens of Wallbrook, Church	Absolutely.
Building	Walkie-Talkie, Roof top garden and viewing	Absolutely.
Building	Pitzhanger Manor – Ealing	Possibly
Building	London Mithraeum (Roman Ruin)	Possibly
Drink	The Cauldron, Bar	Absolutely.
Eating	Afternoon Tea	Probably.
Entertainment	West End live theater	Absolutely.
Entertainment	Movie Theaters, Battersea, Archlight	Absolutely.
Entertainment	Movie Theaters, VUE	Probably.
Entertainment	Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club	Probably.
Entertainment	Nells, London, Music venue	Probably.
Entertainment	Islington Assembly Hall, Music venue	Probably.
Entertainment	Union Chapel, Music and Lectures	Probably.
Entertainment	Apollo in Hammersmith, Music venue	Probably.
Entertainment	Royal Festival Hall, Music and Lectures	Probably.
Garden	Hydepark/Kensington Gardens	Absolutely.
Garden	Kew Gardens	Absolutely.
Garden	Chiswick House and Gardens	Probably.
Museum	Warner Brothers, Harry Potter	Absolutely.
Museum	Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)	Absolutely.
Museum	Science Museum	Absolutely.
Museum	Natural History Museum	Absolutely.
Museum	British Museum	Absolutely.
Museum	Museum of London	Absolutely.
Museum	British National Gallery	Absolutely.
Museum	Westminster Abbey/Galleries	Absolutely.
Museum	The Design Museum	Absolutely.
Museum	Churchill War Rooms	Absolutely.
Museum	Greenwich; Royal Museums	Absolutely.
Museum	Greenwich; Old Royal Naval College	Absolutely.
Museum	The Tower of London	Absolutely.
Museum	The Saatchi Gallery	Possibly
Museum	British Library	Possibly
Museum	The Jewish Museum of London	Possibly
Museum	Royal Academy of Arts	Probably.
Museum	Tate Modern Museum	Probably.
Street	Portobello Street Kensington	Absolutely.
Street	Boroughs Market, London Bridge	Absolutely.
Street	Greenwich; the town	Absolutely.
Street	Camden Market	Absolutely.
Street	Coal Drop/ Kings Cross	Probably.
Street	Leicester Square	Probably.
Street	Piccadilly Circus	Probably.
Street	Covent Gardens	Probably.
Walking Tours	http://www.walks.com/	Absolutely.

https://lindasjourney.net/

Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavia) are known as the best places on earth to see the Northern Lights (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora) because there is little light pollution and they are located above the Arctic Circle. It does not have to be cold to see the lights, that is just a happy coincidence because you must be north, above the Artic Circle, and it must be dark. The lights are there in the summer – but, you can’t see them when the sun never sets.

So off to Norway in February we go. Now, before we go further with this story, you may be thinking that the last two posts have said that we are moving to Amsterdam; we should be busy with that, we are. But a year ago when not much was going on during February in London, planning a trip to Norway a year out sounded like a reasonable idea. So yes, we took two weeks out of our moving timeline to go to Norway. We are still moving in a few weeks. Haaaa.

And, while we went searching for the Northern Lights, we found so much more. A few details are needed here. We did not go searching alone; unlike most of our trips, I did not ‘plan’ this, I made reservations on the Hurtigruten Astronomy Coastal Cruise which makes a round trip from Bergen in the south of Norway to Kirkenes in the north. (www.Hurtigruten.co.uk) The ‘Astronomy’ option included lectures and assistance from a renowned astronomer,  Dr. John Mason (http://www.guildfordas.org/speakers/mason-john/). Dr. Mason is the teacher you always wanted; knowledgeable, fun, great analogies, and so much enthusiasm that it is contagious. He was teamed with a coordinator, Eva Stiegler; he handled the sky, she handled the earth. Eva is a born Norwegian, who better to share with us the eccentricities of these people and their lands. I still don’t know how a person so young could have so many stories and tidbits of information – and, lest I forget, great camera skills. Of the 480 or so people on board, 80 of us were part of the Astronomy sub-group; a wild and woolly group from all over the world, but especially UK, US, and New Zealand. Lots of ‘Bucket List’ items being checked off by many in the group. 

We did find the Northern Lights. We also found new friends, from North Dakota! We found new appreciation for science (at least I did, Andy was pretty good in that department already). We found the cutest towns in the world. We found new gloves and even a pig-type of souvenir. (remember, the pig is my ‘spirit animal’; it only goes forward) We found fun! Snowmobiling, dog sledding, trekking, hiking, and marble mine exploring.  The coast of Norway is amazing. What an adventure!

And, now, we are back. Time to focus in on getting ourselves to Amsterdam. We have confirmed the rental of a furnished apartment right on a canal; two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a Nespresso in the kitchen.  Now all we have to do is complete our immigration paperwork, arrange to have our stuff shipped to either Amsterdam or the US and then get on a plane to start living in the Netherlands. That’s all we have to do.

What makes a good episode of House Hunters International?

Conflict. One person wants to be close to shops. One person wants close to transportation, or close to work. One of them wants to be close to a park. They both want to be close to entertainment. They need a guest room. Oh, and then there is the budget. The budget is firm, but one will say: “we can pay extra for location”. Ah, yes; so funny.

Until it’s you. 😊

Luckily, we agree on everything this move; we both want it all. We knew for sure we did not want to be in the canal zone; too loud, too many tourists, to many ‘coffeeshops’. We knew we did want to be close to the Vondelpark. Vondelpark is the largest, I think, in Amsterdam. It has trails, ponds, restaurants, and even a great brewery outlet/cafe – yes, that is where we want to be. The park is surrounded by stately brick homes with wrought iron balconies. Who wouldn’t want to live there? And, of course, we want to bring our own furniture and belongings from London to Amsterdam. Our UK bed is super comfy, the barn-wood dish cabinet from Pennsylvania Dutch seems appropriate, and who can read a book without the reclining chairs? Yep, we agreed on it all.

Until we went house hunting. 😊

We walked into the first, completely furnished apartment, and threw all our wants out the balcony window.  Holy cow, it was beautiful! We looked at furnished apartments in London, Paddington actually, before we moved to terraced house in Chiswick. The furnished apartments looked like dorms. The floors were plastic wood simulations, the décor was all gray, the sofas dismal and of a questionable cleanliness – no, who would want a furnished apartment? Not us, we are grownups now. That is not what we saw in Amsterdam. So, maybe, a furnished apartment would be a good thing. We can fill some suitcases with our clothes and ship the rest of our stuff back to the US; that way when we do finally go back to the US; easy/peasy.

OK, so maybe we will change our mind on the furnished/unfurnished question. But, the Vondelpark, we want to be by the park. Turns out, the inside of the beautiful houses show their age – 100’s of years. Dutch stairs are steep and twisted. We opened the door to what looked like a beautiful home next to the park and were greeted by stairs so steep they could be a ladder. A beautiful kitchen and living room could not make up for bathrooms as old as the invention of indoor plumbing. Maybe we don’t want to live right next to the park.

We saw a few apartments in the canal zone. Views of the water, views of the courtyards you can’t even imagine from the streets. Turns out, not all canals are noisy. Not all are filled with coffeeshops (of the light drug dispensing kind). But, they are close to tons of restaurants, venues, and various shopping outlets.

Yes, we have both changed our minds 180 degrees from our ‘want’ list. Now we do want a place in the canals, we do want it to be furnished, and it turns out; Amsterdam is so walkable, getting to the Vondelpark from almost anywhere is not a problem.

All we have to do now is make it happen. 😊

Momma Mia! Here we go again,

How many activities can you fit into two months?

Blog 28 ended with the statement that we are moving on to Amsterdam, effective April 1^st. Since we were thinking we would be here until at least the end of May, if not longer, this necessitates a compression of our sightseeing plans.

Officially 2020 started with Aj still here until January 4^th. During this winter’s break visit we were able to cross off many places and activities from our joint ‘want to do’ list. We saw shows, (Ian McKellen, Magic Circle, Snow White pantomime) exhibits, (King Tut, Gingerbread City) buildings (The Shard, Coal Drop) and even Scotland. (Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace) It is now on to our own ‘want to do’ list.

We want shows; some of these dates were happenstance, having been planned months ago and some because now is the time. In one week, we saw: Come from Away, Judy Collins, Sandi Toksvig, The Girl from the North County, and I went to see Les Miz on my own. Before April 1^st, this list will include, Beth Hart, the musical Rags, Waitress (w/Sara Bareilles), Wicked, and a night of stand-up comedy with Romesh Raganathan. Our access to such great events is part of what has made London such a fun adventure.

And the adventure continues as we again work to complete immigration requirements, locate a new place to live, negotiate setting up utilities and cell phone plans – and move all our stuff, again. We are as lucky as can be and ready to see what we can fit into the next few months in London as we move on to ‘phase 2’ of our living abroad adventure.

Blog 28 – A year in the life.

We have now lived in London over 14 months.

During this time, we have been in the great situation of being both ‘tourists’ and ‘local’. We have done almost all the usual touristy things now; Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Jack the Ripper walking tour; but we have also been able to do more of the regular, everyday things too. That is what has made living here such a great adventure.

I keep a spreadsheet (no surprise there) of the tourist-like places in London we have been; it has a simple recommendation rating system of possibly, probably, and absolutely. The current list has 41 listings, of which, 25 are recommended ‘absolutely’. This includes some pricy options such as the Warner Brother Studios tour where the Harry Potter movies were made. This is absolutely a must-see for any Harry Potter fan. Live theater in the West End where we have seen such hits as Hamilton, Man of La Mancha, and The Play That Goes Wrong. Visiting Westminster Abbey, including the new Galleries. There are also many free items in this category, such as: The Museum of London, The British Museum, or any of the “Markets” like Camden, Burroughs, or Portobello Street. Some of the places I think a visitor can skip, but probably won’t, are: Piccadilly Circus; a true circus of people, not just cars going through a roundabout. I include Leicester Square in this category too, but it at least has a great Lego store.

Because we live here, we get to use London as a home base. We have routinely traveled within England and out of the country to places like Scotland, Spain, France, Netherlands, and Croatia. For the most part, these trips are documented in my blog postings and include my/our impression of the places visited. All have been worthwhile, with most earning a ‘we could come back here again’ review – with one exception, after the nine days in Prague because of the stolen wallet, we don’t feel a need to go back there, Prague is ‘done’.

And, we get to be ‘local’. We can walk to the Hammersmith Apollo by following the Thames from Chiswick to Hammersmith or take the Underground for three stops. This is a major event venue where we have seen performers such as Jerry Seinfeld, k.d. lang, and Hootie and the Blowfish. Also, in Hammersmith is Belushi’s Bar. Belushi’s is one of the few places in London that show American NFL games. The selection is limited; the provider (Sky Atlantic) selects one game to show from each time slot plus the Red Zone channel. Sundays at 6:00 pm, this is the place to be for any NFL fan in London. When the Ravens/Bills game was the selected game, Belushi’s was packed with members of the UK Ravens fan group. We have also been able to go a couple of the NFL games played in London. We saw Carolina Panthers vs the Buccaneers at the new Tottenham Stadium and the Rams vs Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley. NFL fans in London celebrate all teams, it is great fun to attend a game where fans are in all 32 team’s jerseys and rooting for the best plays regardless of team.

With more time here we have found smaller shows and venues that as tourists we would probably miss. We have gone to a couple improv musicals which are quite a fun way to spend an evening. Some of our favorite bands have come to London; Dustbowl Revival played at Nells Jazz Club in Kensington and Dawes was at the Islington Assembly Hall. A great evening was spent at the Simon and Garfunkel Story which is a combination of impersonated songs and historical context. The Union Chapel hosts Comedy Nights every month with locally known entertainers trying out their new material; proceeds fund their outreach programs.

We go to dinner, we go to the pub, we go to the mall. We go to Westfield Mall, the largest covered shopping development in London – and we can walk to that too, or take a bus. Westfield has a huge selection of stores and a beautiful movie theater, the VUE. VUE was our favorite for many months and was where we saw all the American movies you probably saw too, but then we found the Archlight Cinemas at Battersea; this is our current favorite. Built under the arches of the Overground train coming out of Victoria Station, next to the redevelopment project of the Battersea Power Station, this is a very comfortable and intimate theater. All three screening rooms are small, holding 50 – 60 patrons at a time; but the seats are comfortable, the projection beautiful and the sound system is great. We had the perfect seats for Star Wars, it did not disappoint.

It has been a great year with adventures and joys large and small. We are excited for 2020 and ready to see where the new year, the new decade, takes us. We do know that it will take us out of London. We will be moving again on, or about, April 1, 2020. Coty is moving their headquarters and consolidating many of the smaller offices currently situated around the world into a new location in Amsterdam. Andy has agreed to be part of this transition and has committed to 18 months in Amsterdam effective April 1. While in many ways we feel we have just now really gotten a handle on London, we are excited to move to another European city.

While we know it is less likely that friends and family may be in the neighborhood of Amsterdam, please let us know if you are; we would love to see you.

Wishing the best for all and to all for 2020 and beyond.

Last spring, Andy and I went to Barcelona, Spain and loved it. The sun, the color, the architecture. The food, the drink, the Mediterranean Sea. It was all good, especially after the dark and dreary winter in London. When thinking of where we might go this December for a bit of sun, we decided to return to Spain spending a few days each in Seville and Granada.

Seville was beautiful. Not as warm as we would have liked, but nice enough to be outside both day and night – with a jacket. We managed to spend almost an entire day at the Real Alcazar. https://www.alcazarsevilla.org/en/  It was in the mid-1200’s that the location became a royal residence that is still in use today. We did a tour of the actual rooms still in use, but no photography is allowed. A lot has happened in the meantime as the area switched from a Moorish center to a part of Catholic Castile. The compound has been expanded multiple times reflecting the change in leadership.  The buildings and gardens are unlike any castle or grounds to be found elsewhere in Europe.

It was on a tour of the Jewish Quarter that the guide used the phrase: “Our history is difficult, but we still must share it”. We, of course, knew of the Spanish Inquisition; but to see the buildings and hear the stories of the lives lost and affected is a whole other thing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition

Our time in Seville included an evening of Spanish guitar music provided in the central garden courtyard of our hotel, so nice to be that close to our room. The following evening, we went to a Flamenco dance center to have an evening of Flamenco. We may have benefited from a little explanation of the dance and music, but think we figured out on our own that someone’s heart was broken and that the only way to work this out is to dance with rhythmic stomping to precise guitar harmonies. Our table was quite close to the stage where we collected evidence of the hard-stepping dance in the assortment of wood chips flying from the dance stage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamenco

It was then on to Granada. Granada is home to the Alhambra, one of the most visited sites in the world. December is a good time to visit; it was not hot and while busy, it was not too crowded. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra  A site that has been a royal center since Roman times, it was here that Ferdinand and Isabella gave authorization to Columbus to find an alternative route to China. The site itself reflecting Roman, Moorish and Christian rulers. The history is difficult. It was also Ferdinand and Isabella who created the Spanish Inquisition which would report to them, the Crown, as apposed to the Pope. They needed loyalty for their newly combined kingdom, they needed money; it was the Jewish communities of Spain that paid that price.

Aside from the painful parts of this difficult history, the time spent in Spain was wonderful. The weather was fine, the food was great, the wine was excellent. In this land of Christians, we also saw whole Christmas markets dedicated to the selling of manger scene materials. New styles, traditional and vintage; from very small to almost life-sized, there were Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the wise men, camels, chickens, hay, pottery, and water features; several even included little tiny menorahs. And, for those of us who love lighting displays; Granada at Christmas is the place to be. The shopping streets compete for the most beautiful overhead street displays. It is something to see and we are glad to have been there to see it.

The history is difficult, but it must be shared.

T-Day in the UK, an ex-pat’s experience

At the end of July 2018, I was in Pelican Rapids Minnesota visiting my sister and her family. The day before I was to leave, Andy called and said: “I have an offer to move to London for eighteen months, what do you think?” Duh.

This was not completely a surprise; the possibility of moving somewhere had been floating around since Coty announced they were buying the color cosmetic brands that were previously owned by P&G. Yet, we were still caught off guard. Andy needed to respond quickly, and we had to extricate ourselves from Towson, and the US, within three months to start our life in London on November 1, 2018.

When I said ‘yes’, I didn’t consider myself brave, or adventurous, or courageous; I do have some considerable depth of knowledge around curriculum and assessment – but that is very much a niche skill set and does not prepare a person to make rash or necessarily exciting decisions. We still don’t see ourselves as brave or adventurous – simple taking advantage of a tremendous opportunity that was placed before us (with just a little nudging).

So, here we are thirteen months into the eighteen-month assignment. Celebrating our second Thanksgiving in a country that does not celebrate Thanksgiving. We could have cooked a turkey, we could make cranberry sauce, we could even find pumpkin pie; but why? It’s not a day off for Andy; there is no lazy, sleeping in, football watching, eat an early, large dinner, day event. It’s go to work and come home by 7:30 pm, a little late to start a traditional Thanksgiving Day. Last year, we had baked chicken in our temporary apartment with the twelve-inch oven. This year, I made reservations.

A few London restaurants and pubs offer a ‘traditional’ Thanksgiving dinner. One, even includes all three NFL football games, but it was sold out long ago. Instead, we went to Duke on the Green. The ‘green’ in question is Parsons Green and is right off the Underground stop of the same name. The dinner was mostly traditional – it started with spareribs, not traditional in our experience, but tasty. It also came with four (full-sized) cocktails. All cocktails were made with Makers Mark Bourbon Whisky. Again, not traditional in our experience, but very tasty.

It was a fun and festive evening followed by today’s Black Friday sales. Even though it is not their holiday, even though there are no days off this week; Friday the 29^th is still Black Friday. The stores are open, the streets are decorated; it is again, a lovely time to be in London – no courage needed, but the Makers Mark may help.

Blog 25 – Not all tours are meant to be fun

D-Day; June 6^th, 1944. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day

In mid-October Andy had a set of multiple meetings scheduled in Paris. While I would know many of the folks involved and enjoy meeting them over drinks and dinner; I still needed something to do during the day. I looked for a day trip and found Normandy and the D-Day landing beaches bus tour.   https://www.pariscityvision.com/en/france/normandy This is a full day; 14 hours door-to-door. Normandy is located about three hours outside of central Paris. The day starts with a long pre-dawn drive.

I am not a World War II buff. War is not glamorous or exciting to me. Defenses and strategies played out with real human lives is not of interest. But I am a minor history buff; time, distance, culture, old buildings. I can’t help but feel compelled to see and touch the actual places where World War II took place as we venture around Europe. Memorials, remains of bombed buildings, the existing streets that supported the movements of both Allies and Nazis; Jews and Gentiles. The magnitude of the efforts for both good and evil remain incomprehensible. The courage, the honor, the horror; it is too much to understand. This is what took me to the beaches of Normandy.

According to: https://www.historyonthenet.com/d-day-casualties The total number of casualties that occurred during Operation Overlord, from June 6 (the date of D-Day) to August 30 (when German forces retreated across the Seine) was over 425,000 Allied and German troops. This figure includes over 209,000 Allied casualties:

• Nearly 37,000 dead amongst the ground forces
• 16,714 deaths amongst the Allied air forces.
• Of the Allied casualties, 83,045 were from 21st Army Group (British, Canadian and Polish ground forces)
• 125,847 from the US ground forces.

The beaches of Normandy were just that before the war; beaches. Beach towns where families and friends would gather for a weekend holiday. And, then the Nazi’s came; outings ceased to be. Occupied France was turned to the Axis war effort.

Invading the European continent via the west coast beaches was determined by both sides to be a key military option. To defend against such an attack, Hitler built the Atlantic Wall.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Wall It was a fortified wall of bunkers, guns, and barbed wire fences running from the northern tip of Norway to the southern French border with Spain. Regardless of the fortifications, Eisenhower knew this was the only option to come at the Nazi’s to form a new front of the war. The planning took months.

Much of the coast was bombed prior to D-Day in hopes of confusing Hitler regarding the Allies actual planned landing location. Military and civilian lives were sacrificed along much of the coast. It worked; Rommel left the area as he did not believe an invasion imminent. None-the-less, 425,000 troops were killed and up to 20,000 French civilians were sacrificed in addition to the military personnel.

It is too much. Too much to comprehend. Too much to see. November 11^th will be Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and much of Europe.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day  It will be Veteran’s Day in the US.

The tour was not fun. It was enlightening. It was sobering.  When I asked my seat mates why they had chosen this tour, they replied: “You can’t come to France without coming to Normandy”. That may be the point of this blog posting; to see all the history here, not just the pretty buildings, not just the rolling countryside. See what we are capable of doing both to each other and for each other. A day of Remembrance, a tour of Remembrance. The day ends with a long post-sunset drive back to Paris.