Italian Excursion Anyone?

With only five days in Rome, each day's agenda was well designed to pack in every square inch of Rome. But plans are sometimes only fun if they are ignored and there is something refreshing in being spontaneous. Cinzia Cortese's infectious love for Italy convinced us to squeeze in a visit to Ostia Antica and Lido Centro. Cinzia was our tour guide yesterday as we discovered the Vatican and other parts of Rome. Ostia is about 1/2 hour train ride south of Rome and Lido Centro is two stops further south. Feeling adventurous the next morning, we queued up at the train station for 45 minutes (or was it an hour?) to buy Italian rail tickets only to find out we needed only to jump on the metro. This was an indication of how our day on Italian public transport would transpire.

Despite this inauspicious start, we successfully navigated the underground metro to the above ground metro at Pyramide to arrive at Ostia. We even knew which stop was ours. We felt a bit strange and initially lonely when the train departed leaving us on an almost deserted station holding our Camel Baks. We shrugged our collective shoulders and meandered into town trying to recall exactly what Cinzia said we should go and see.

We had Pompeii in mind as that is how Cinzia described Ostia. She mentioned that Ostia is quaint and beautiful city and that it is, but the Pompeii part remains elusive. Our goal was to find some kind of port or other historic site. While looking lost at a busy intersection a helpful driver honked his horn and pointed to his right. Fortunately, his right was also our right so our future direction was not vague. Just to be certain, I questioningly pointed right and he confirmed by vigorously nodding his head yes. We smiled and waved confirmation and happily went towards the recommended direction. Now, we didn't think about it at the time but we should have wondered how he knew we were looking for a port or a historic site. Well...he didn't. We continued our long hot walk only to arrive...wait for it...full circle at the train station. It did look oddly familiar as we approached it from a different direction. Ready to admit defeat we decided to continue our journey towards Lido and act as if we meant to do that all along.

One interesting thing about Rome is that you never have to buy bottled water. The Roman aqueduct system delivers cool, crisp, and clean water at fountains throughout Rome and its surrounding area. Here are the girls at of one of these fountains.

After arriving in Lido our independent streak unwisely kept us from following the people on the train with beach gear. How hard can it be to find a beach, right? We studied the bus routes and jumped on Bus 5B towards Mare Russo. "Mare" means ocean so we were rather proud of our achievement if only briefly. It does pay to be nice in life. While on Bus 5B an old man got on with two bags of melons in plastic grocery bags. He set the bags down near Kelsey and I to free his hands to grab a handle. As the bus jerked at a stop, he started to lose his balance as he tried to gather the melons that rolled out of his bags. I reached out to help but he managed to grab the handle on his own but gave a kindly glance. About this point I also started worrying we may not be on the correct bus so I leaned over to Kelsey and whispered how I wished I could speak Italian so we can ask the old man if this is the correct bus. He couldn't have heard me but after a few moments he asked "where you go?" Surprised and not having fully understood his broken english I just smiled and said "I don't understand Italian." To which he said in a bit clearer english "you don't understand me?" Now fully understanding him, I rapidly threw out words like "mare", "lido", and "beach" in case his understanding of english somehow had a time limit. He just shook his head side to side and said "wrong bus" and then he gestured we had to go exactly the opposite direction we were heading. We thanked him profusely as he graced us with toothless laughter and jumped off at the next stop and looked for the bus going the other way -- which by the way is Bus 5. Who knew adding a "B" at the end of the bus number meant it goes the opposite direction from where you would want to go?

Here is a picture of the bus before the old man arrived.

Success! We arrived at the beach and enjoyed the view of the Mediterranean. We had a nice relaxing lunch on the beach as we watched people that should not be wearing what they were.

Even with our transportation challenges, it was a fun day discovering two new towns. Half the fun is in trying to figure out where to go and what to do. We just rolled with it and enjoyed the experience. We returned to Rome, took a nap, and strolled out to find a hidden ristorante and enjoy the evening. This was a pattern we followed every night.

It Is Now or Never...

Today we met our Vatican tour guide, Cinzia. She is bubbly, fun, and very knowledgeable of all things Rome. Well, all things Rome except for Grom - a very creamy Gelato store recommended by several friends and family members. But we didn't hold that against her -- it is a somewhat new store. It was a great time discovering Rome and learning all about the Vatican from Cinzia.

Here is Cinzia and the girls...

One of the first things we learned from Cinzia is the Italian technique for crossing a busy street. You basically pray/say "it's now or never" and take the first step. It works! Cars, scooters, buses, trucks, and bicycles all slow down or stop for you to cross. The thing to remember is be firm, commited, and never change your pace or you throw everything off and could get run over.

From Cinzia we also learned many interesting and amazing things. Here are a few:

- There are four Basilica's throughout Rome and although they look like other Catholic churches, they belong to the Vatican. Meaning that when you step into them, you are not in Rome anymore, you are in the Vatican.

- The Colosseum had a capacity of 70,000 and the grounds are huge; however, it was preceded by a man-made lake that Emperor Nero had built. Talk about a guy that had issues -- Nero virtually burned down Rome to make room for his home which covered four large hills around the current Colosseum. Just one of the hills was large enough for some 200 rooms.

- Mussolini signed the Vatican treaty in 1929 and granted 102 acres -- probably more than sufficient for a single guy. The Vatican consists of its own rail station, Radio Maria, TV station, and two hospitals -- after all it is a city-state that is totally independent of Italy. Radio Maria is boring according to Cinzia!

- The Japanese gave $4.2M in 1964 to the Vatican to clean the Sistine Chapel for royalty rights for postcards, prints, tourist stuff, and later CDs and DVDs. That was smart.

Cinzia made it a fun and enjoyable experience to walk 10 miles through Rome and the Vatican. We learned so many things from her and can't wait to come back and tour other parts of Italy with her guidance. BTW, go to www.roman-gateway.com if you would like to learn about her -- we highly recommend her tours!

One sad observation I must share is my deep disappointment in Italian men. I can see why the Italian soccer team has turned into wusses and constantly dive when merely touched by an opposing player. Yes, it is a rather broad brush I am painting but they definitely threw away the man card here. I mean come on...in the land of gladiators, Ducati, and Ferrari...they wear man bags and capris. I expected Italian leather wearing guys on red Ducati's zipping through the streets stopping at cafes with women at their elbows. What a let down. Take a look at this picture -- these man bags are everywhere!

Italian women on the other hand...gorgeous. There, maybe Cinzia and Morgan won't be too unhappy with me now...

Here are a few pictures of our adventure. The tower below is an actual home today of one of Cinzia's friend. Nobles in the past lived in these towers and there are four of them in Rome today. The design was such to make it easy to defend; each window is a floor with a room. The kitchen is the lowest room.

Here is shot of the inside of the dome in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. The entire church is amazing and the size of the building, sculptures, and paintings is unimaginable.

To give you a perspective of the size of the St Peters Basilica, look at the letters forming the ring of the dome. Cinzia informed us that each letter is six feet tall and we didn't believe it. But look closer at the picture and notice the people that are along the railing above the letters...compare the height of the people with the letters!

During the day, we took a lunch break and discovered buffalo mozzarella - made from water buffalo milk. Wow - this was amazing. With Cinzia's help we ordered a great lunch consisting of buffalo mazzarella, tomatoes, bread, olive oil, melon, and proscuitto. She even made sure they brought lots of ice for our "light" Cokes (i.e., no "Diet" Coke).

We ended the day with a treat from Cinzia with a tour of Chiesa Di St. Ignazio a Jesuit church. This church was designed by the Jesuit architect Orazio Grassi and built from 1626 to 1685. What is unique about it is the use of perspective in the paintings on the ceiling. Instead of being domed, the ceiling is actually flat but the paintings make it look domed. The arches also change perspective as you walk across the church -- very neat.

This is Roma...

Oh my...a short two hour Alitalia flight and we were drenched in the Italian sun and accosted by the wonderfully blended aroma of scooter exhaust, pasta, sweat, and coffee.  The flight itself was mercifully uneventful given the rather worn looking Airbus aircraft. The pre-travel research proved handy as we immediately found the Leonardo Express train to Stazione Termini which is only a few blocks from Giovy Bed and Breakfast.  As an anchor for the remaining five days in Rome, it was perfect.  Giovanna and her nieces are amazing hostesses as they settled us in our second floor suite.  Baggage up the stairs? No problem with a neat little one person elevator with a folding door.   


Here is the picture of Leonardo Express at the train station...I love trains...

Our immediate goal for day one was to establish situational awareness and explore the area so we can validate our attack plan each day.  But food is always a priority and we took Giovanna's recommendation to go see Ciro at a pizzeria a few blocks from the B&B.  The pizza was unreal and not surprisingly way better than, oddly enough, the Ciro's restaurant in our neighborhood in Clifton, Virginia. You have to understand, the Virginia Ciro's sets a fairly high bar but it paled in comparison. Two pies later, we continued our day one adventure.

We wandered perhaps a bit further than expected to the Colosseum via a series of cobblestone side streets, moss covered apartments, and an engineering college.  Admittedly a bit lost and disoriented, we turned looking for the Colosseum and there it was filling the frames of our eyes.  Thousands of years of history majestically waiting as it always has for the gladiators and tourists alike. It was an amazing sight to behold and pictures or web site tours before arriving do not prepare you adequately. We resisted the temptation of purchasing tickets and decided to simply walk the grounds of the Colosseum, Palatine, and the Roman Forum -- after all it was only day one. 

Here are a few shots of the Colosseum during this exploration tour...the first picture is from a small bridge we stumbled upon.  

This second is taken as we got closer and tried to figure out how to get down to the lower street where the entrance to the grounds is located.

Being so close to the Vatican, Catholic, Jesuit, Fransiscan churches are on almost every corner. There are some very beautiful locations with intricate details, paintings, and sculptures. I'll talk a bit more about this in my next blog. Here is a photo of one of the churches -- we had to be quick since we weren't very well dressed for churches. Meaning, we had shorts on and the girls had shoulders uncovered -- we dressed better the next day...

The evening snuck up on us quickly but the heat (oh God the heat) mandated a break to the B&B. Re-energized a few hours later we headed for Trevi Fountain for an evening photo tour and dinner. It is said singles will meet the Roman of their dreams with a simple toss of the coin into the fountain and if husbands drink from the fountain they will love their wives forever. Well...there were lots of singles hanging around the fountain that was overflowing with Euros and the husbands were no where to be seen. There were a lot of bars and cafes around Trevi fountain and the water must be disgusting from all the money...I'm just saying...

We avoided the mainstream cafes and restaurants located right on a tourist site and found an alleyway with just enought light to have a sidewalk cafe and restaurant. We wanted local color and we got it in spades. The pasta dinner was amazing in a neverhaditbeforekindofway...really. We must have looked like homeless people that found a Euro because the food lasted oh about 30 seconds. Slowly we came to realize that is not the Italian way. We were supposed to order antipasta, relax, sip wine, eat a bit of bread if they gave it, sip wine, order the main course, relax, sip more wine, order the cappuccino and dessert, relax, ask for the bill (not "check"), and then pay and leave.
We instead, sat, ordered the pasta, became impatient when the bread didn't arrive in time, inhaled the pasta, asked for the bill, became impatient when the bill didn't arrive pronto, paid, annoyed the waiter didn't come to get the money so we walked it inside the restaurant, then left. I can still hear/imagine what was being said as we left..."stupid Americans." But we left with a skip and a smile having eaten the best pasta of our lives and wondering why Italians are not fatter. I think I have a clue as to why...tourist eat all the calories...the pre-travel research also paid off in finding awesome gelato at San Crispino! It too was unlike anything we have had before. To wrap up the food segment of our day...best pizza, pasta, and gelato. This week in Rome is off to a great start...

Olympic Size Experience!

Saturday, July 28, was Olympics day. I wound up getting behind with this blog since we had much to do and prepare for the Rome leg of our vacation. But I get ahead of myself, Rome is the next blog. Today, I share our Olympic experience. In summary -- what fun!

We started the day lingering around Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the London Eye in our matching US flagged Old Navy T-shirts. A traditional English breakfast was served and hungrily consumed at a restaurant within a stone's throw from the London Eye. Of course I gained a stone (14 lbs) with my Super English Breakfast but "when in London"...oh...again I get ahead of myself...not in Rome yet. Scratch that. "Super" only because that was the only dish that offerred Black Pudding. It of course wouldn't be an English breakfast without Black Pudding which consists of a bunch of things that includes pork fat, onions, other stuff (you don't want to know), and blood. You didn't misread that...yes blood...boiled over and over until it is black. Yum. Hope you are not preparing to eat a meal. Really it is good but perhaps an acquired taste or maybe acquired courage. Fully loaded with protein, we were prepared to tackle the throngs going to Earls Court where all the volleyball games are played.

Here is the crowd going from Earls Court to the volleyball stadium.

Our Olympic tickets! We had tickets for the women's Great Britain vs Russian and Italy vs Dominican Republic matches. The thumb I believe belongs to Elena who is badly in need of a manicure. I'm sure that is a Rome foreshadow.

Here is the view from our seats...

Of course, every thing is about precision and practice at the Olympics -- even how they sweep and mop the court at every timeout. Look at these gals...

The Great Britain vs Russia match was exciting only because the home team crowd energized the games. The GB team itself didn't play all too well -- afterall it was their inaugural volleyball event. We had a deja vu moment with Elena and Kelsey's high school volleyball experience when the Russian's walk in...they almost had to duck when they went under the Jumbo Tron in the middle of the court. These ladies were TALL! It also was reminiscent of the East Germany women athletes back in the day -- I know a few of you gray hairs remember that! Recall the fun trying to figure out if the East Germans were men or women? Now we have relegated this fun but cruel game for only the Chinese. The cold war did have its moments...

The several 6' 5" plus Russians quickly dispatched the herioc attempt by the Great Britain team who in comparison could probably walk under the net without ducking. I jest but you get the picture. It was interesting shouting the same things volleyball parents shout at their kids. You volleyball parents will know these..."close the block", "cover the block", "up on it", "just serve it in the court", and "come on ref...you are missing a great game". For you uninitiated, many on the GB side made similar unforced mistakes you see during high school volleyball. I am not implying the GB team was equivalent to high school skill...on the other hand they have amazing skill. The GB setter was just brilliant with jump sets going backwards across the entire court. Skill at this level has to be admired. But unforced errors are frustrating for all -- at one point, GB missed five or six straight serves. But hey, the wave was fun and the crowd, including us, cheered them on. The match was unfortunately won by the Russians in straight sets...on to the Italians and Domincan's. For what its worth, the GB players were prettier.

The Italian vs Dominican Republic game by comparison was amazing volleyball. The offense and defense was great and many volleys went on for what it seemed hours. The Dominican's had 80 mph serves, but as my girls reminded me, they were are the easiest to dig because they have a predictable trajectory. Once you lock in on one of these serves, it is supposedly easy to pass them to the setter. Supposedly because I don't want to be on the receiving end of anything going 80 mph! By comparison, the Italians (and Russians) had float serves that literally seem to shift laterally a foot as it approaches the defensive player. Those by contrast are hard to pass to the setter. The Italians won in four sets but each set was hard fought. It was also fun to be a few rows up from the family of one of the Italian players, #13 Valentina Arrighetti. You can see her at:

http://www.london2012.com/athlete/arrighetti-valentina-1081583/

When we arrived at the stadium, we heard a rumour that tickets were still available for the later matches. That, combined with the fact there were empty seats for the games we watched, encouraged us to attempt the evening game. Afterall, the US and Brazil, amongst others, were going to play in the evening. If you are wondering why we didn't have tickets to watch the US play, it is a result of the lottery system that was used to allocate tickets. When we, mostly Ella, purchased the tickets, all we knew was that it will be first round games and we'll watch two matches. With the rumour freshly in our mind, we attempted to buy tickets for the later matches but were rebuffed. I swear the person in the kiosk giggled and said something like "those silly Americans." The entire stadium was solded out for the evening matches! Annoyed that we didn't act sooner we hustled back home on the Jubiliee line to Edgware to watch the remaining Olympic events on TV. However, we were glad we experienced the event...and that I can share it with you.

Next stop Rome...

Let the Games Begin!

What a uniquely British opening ceremony! Now we see why Slum Dog Millionaire was such a great movie, Danny Boyle is that good. The projection of a host country's image during the Olympics opening ceremony is always interesting. China projected their very controlled society when it was revealed that the tiles of the flooring during their ceremony was controlled by 897 humans when it was assumed it was computer controlled. Great Britain projected the many wonderful instititions and contributions to modern society that enables the country to earn the first word of its chosen name.

Ok, hang on, I have to get something off my chest. Why are Olympic announcements spoken in French before English? Hellllloooo - opening ceremonies are in ENGLAND. Besides, about a quarter of the globe speak or understand English whereas French is 11th on the list of most spoken languages and comprises a very small percentage. If anything Mandarin or Spanish should be used given they have more speakers than any other language! I can even understand if it is in Greek -- after all they started the Olympics.

Ok, off the rant...

Any Olympic ceremony that plays Pink Floyd has my vote! It was truly an awesome spectacle starting with a rapid skim over the Thames across scenic southern England to Olympic park. The Red Arrows flying BAE Systems Hawk T1s flew over each of the capitals of the United Kingdom with the final leg over the park -- I always get goose bumps over flyovers. These ceremonies had it all -- from the Queen "jumping" out of helicopter with James Bond to the comical facial expressions of Mr. Bean.

The stroll through British history with the transformation from agrarian to industrial society was spectacular. Who can argue over the influence of British rock? In this day and age, it was also refreshingly bold to proudly raise smoke stacks while symbolically destroying the country side all while chomping a cigar in front of a global audience. All of the industrialism leading to the forging of the Olympic rings -- absolutely brilliant. I found myself cheering inside for the display of capitalism and industry that resulted in Great Britain's power and influence over most of the world. Only to be brought down by the subtle portrayal of the suit wearing capitalists succeeding over the toil and labor of the common man. But sprinkle in Voldemort, Mary Poppins, Paul McCartney, and David Beckham and I have to say it was all well done.

But really? National Health Service (NHS) in the Olympic ceremony? Looks good in lights but really, if you have used the system, you truly can't be proud of this British institution. Of all the greatness displayed during the ceremony it was an odd choice. It would be something I supposed if Danny Boyle, the Royals, athletes, and other celebrities actually used the NHS. Oh well, even the little boy fell in poop in the outhouse in Slum Dog Millionaire.

Torture and Twitter at the Tower!

Clever alliteration, no?

Plyometrics in the backyard, masala Chai, and off to London, determined to stay out most of the day. I was in full tourist mode with backpack, bottle of water, and 35mm around my neck. Don't worry no Hawaiian shirt or fanny pack...

The feature of the day as you can guess is the Tower of London. Despite having visited many times, I can't get enough of the 1,000's of years of history of this place. There is also something comically sad yet irresistible of all the be-headings, blood, torture, and human turmoil these stones have witnessed. We lined up or as the British say, queued, for a very informative tour with Beefeater Chris Skaife, yeoman.  Chris very eloquently described the many hangings and be-headings of 75 high born lords, ladies, and queens at the Tower of London.  That number seemed eerily low but I wasn't about to become part of another show so I kept silent.

Interestingly, Yeoman Chris is the raven keeper of the Tower which by the way was a neat little tidbit I didn't recall. King Charles II originally had the ravens released from the Tower only to realize later the monarchical superstition that without ravens in the Tower of London, the monarchy will fall and eventually, Britain. Needless to say they rushed in ravens -- six ravens are kept in cages with two in "reserve". The wings are also clipped to avoid flight. The actual history and myth of the ravens is a disputed historical item but interesting and fun nonetheless. Ravens have a special historical role in not only inspiring Edgar Allan Poe but pecking the eyes out of the heads spiked on London Bridge until the heads fell into the Thames. Not sure if there are any more heads in the Thames but the look and smell of it makes me wonder.

Here is Chris Skaife, Beefeater.

Below is a view of the Tower Bridge from the Tower of London grounds.  This picture was taken very close to where Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII's other queens were be-headed.  They do have Olympic rings hanging from the Tower Bridge but they are folded up in this shot since the bridge was being opened for a boat to pass through.

The depressing but again interesting close of the tour was in the Chapel of St Peter da Vincula in the Tower of London.  Imagine the sadness of being killed and buried, with no friends at the funeral, no presence of a priest, and no tombstone to mark your place in history. In this little, deceptively peaceful, chapel they found over 1,500 bodies, many stacked up in the stone walls. Only the passing of time lightens the human turmoil and misery. Even this story was woven in a light-hearted and humorous manner -- with a plug for Twitter to boot. The Twitter craze has even cracked this historical site!

Chris, the raven keeper, has a Twitter feed -- follow him at @ravenmaster1! I smiled inwardly wondering what the prisoners in this Tower would have tweeted and what social media policies would be in play if the technology was around then.  Tweets such as "#kingcharles sucks", "Enjoying the dungeon! #wheresthefood", "@colonelblood...enjoying the crown bling?" come to mind. You'll understand this last fictitious tweet in a moment...

We enjoyed seeing the crown jewels, viewing the torture contraptions (no evidence of water boarding), and touring the weaponry displayed in the White Tower. We were also treated to a reenactment of Colonel Thomas Blood's theft of the crown jewels in 1671. It was a humorous and historically accurate portrayal of the brazen scheme by the Irishman. Long story short, he befriended the Master of the Jewel House, Talbot Edwards and his wife, gagged them, stole the jewels, and got busted.  Given that the last be-heading at the Tower of London would not be until 1745 and this period was the prime time of capital murder punishment, he did amazingly well by not only being released but given land in Ireland by King Charles II.  Talk about the gift of gab!  His release and grant of land happened after a supposed one hour conversation with King Charles and no one knows what was said!  If only the stones retained sounds like they retain blood.

We topped off the day by strolling along the Thames and enjoying the river activities.  Ice cream (made from Cornish dairy cream!) and Cadbury Flake sweetened the walk to the Underground. I took lots of landscape black and white pictures -- hopefully at least one will be good enough to enlarge into a poster and frame.

Bracing for a turn of the weather -- glad I packed an umbrella!

Magical World of Harry Potter!

Sprung out of bed this morning with an excitement reminiscent of the first amusement park trip oh so many years ago. It is Harry Potter Studio day -- re-living childhood is so much fun! No breakfast, no work out, no need.

Camera charged -- check
Useless (in England) iPhone in hand -- check
Transportation card in hand -- check
Kids in tow -- check

The adventure begins as we hurriedly try to catch the 142 bus to Watford Junction from Edgware Station. A detour through Marks and Spencer filled the backpack with cold sandwiches -- egg and water crest, smoked ham mayo and mustard, salmon and soft cheese, and tuna with cucumbers -- very English. We almost wanted to picnic at the bus station!  But then we may have had to share with the little old ladies that are always waiting for a bus and that ain't happenin'.

From Watford Junction we spent 15 minutes on a Warner Brothers double decker tour bus to the studio in Leavesden.  We entered through the Great Hall and that was truly magical. We imagined we were Harry Potter walking into the Great Hall to be sorted that very first year at Hogwarts. The Great Hall was smaller then you see in the movies (as is everything) but complete. They fit 400 students in the hall for the wonderful food scenes. The floor is real stone because they anticipated wear and tear over the ten years of filming.  Imagine that, the actors and actresses spent ten years of their lives at this studio - that included going to school here! We enjoy the awesome results on screen, but the hard work it took to make this all happen was evident everywhere.

Overall the whole studio experience was very neat.  It was cool to imagine the movie scenes that we have seen over and over again as we viewed each set.  They pretty much had everything available to the public -- lots of props, clothing, wigs, make up, wands, and brooms.  You really appreciate the minute level of detail that went into each film  There were four directors that brought the eight films and 1,000's of people that worked on all aspects.  They even had kids make bulletin board posters and pin ups like you see at all schools for the Gryffindor common room.  You never see the posters in any of the movies but they added them for realism.   Here are a few pictures...

The girls in Mr. Weasley's Ford Anglia!

We had lunch at Privet Drive -- literally.

The set below was perhaps the most impressive part of the tour. It is the full Hogwarts Castle where they shot the aerial castle scenes.  It is amazing how cameras make things look so real. But every brick of this scale model was hand placed.  You can compare the size of this set with the person in the very right side -- it took up a very large room  The entire room had green screen walls so they can overlay the castle on English country side.

We all enjoyed this tour very much and it has a 4-0 vote over the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida.  That was fun too but learning all about the making of the movies was much more thrilling.  They have Butterbeer here too -- although we did not partake this time.  If you are into the movies -- this is the place to visit.

One aside -- I believe the Gulf Stream not only warms the British isles but it keeps ice from forming in ice trays.  I have been absolutely dying for an ice cold Diet Coke in a tall glass filled with ice cubes.  Getting thirsty just writing this blog entry. But no joy. Every Diet Coke I have order is at best slightly chilled.  They just don't like extremes it seems. On the other end of the spectrum, even the Starbucks Chai Latte Soy Extra Hot was warm to hot.  They forgot the "extra".  Oh well, at least the Guinness is best the way it is served here...very English....cheers...

My International Debut...

Here is Arizona Jones a street performer setting up for his show.  He mimics Indiana Jones -- has a whip and everything.  

The crowd around Covent Garden in an unusually nice day in London.

Drum roll please...taking a bow after being picked out by Arizona to help him with his act.  Not sure if there were any agents in the audience. Two days later...no phone calls to join other performers so the answer is a resounding "no".  Grin.

Here is one of the acts I had to perform.  Couldn't quite belch the Tarzan scream that Arizona wanted me to do but mimed it...grin...

Success.  Arizona climbed up using Paul and I.  Paul is the guy who replaced Brian who refused to dance and silly things to mimic Arizona.  Paul was a good sport.

Ella and Elena enjoying the sun after my performance!

Kelsey and I doing the same!

The market...practicing black and white....

Enjoying another treat...ice cream with Cadbury Flake...Flake is gone...

Wicked!

The beginning of a rather bland day ended deliciously Wicked!

Ella spent the day "taking one for the team" and securing Olympic tickets. The tickets were purchased a LONNGGG time ago and today is the first day for pickup -- will call of sorts. Five and a half hours later, tickets were in hand. Apparently the problems with management of people exist everywhere. The company that sorted the tickets the night before in anticipation of us commoners screwed up royally. Oops, didn't mean to bring the royals into this...but it was a frustrating day, particularly for Ella, but for all of us as it ruined the trip to Wembley for Indian food and people watching.

In the mean time, the girls and I gingerly finished a work out. Gingerly due to mild shin splints from I don't know what...greater gravity from a few degrees in latitudes? harder concrete? harder workout in anticipation of higher food volume? Who knows?

Given that Wembley was out of the equation, the girls and I decided to eat the original British delicacy, Fish and Chips. Mr. Chippy's has been in Edgware selling Fish and Chips for a long time albeit under changing management. The original Mr. Chippy was a guy that looked remarkably like Homer Simpon's boss, Mr. Burns. But years blur on and Mr. Burns is no longer and today the store is manned by a punk teenager. The Fish and Chips, drenched with salt and vinegar, didn't last long as we sat outside and watched interesting people. We observed silly teenage girls laughing and screaming too loudly in an attempt to attract boys, a rather non-athletic looking boy skateboarding awkwardly, and other random Edgware locals going about their business. Speaking of Edgware locals, according to my father-in-law, this town has taken a turn for the worse. The window in time observing during Fish and Chips seemingly confirm his rants.

Later in the day, the girls and I joined Ella at Victoria Station in time to have a bite before going into the Apollo Victoria Theater to watch Wicked. Amazing how Hokies travel. Once again, as we were sitting down at a Cafe, a lady gets up and asked my girls, "are you guys from Virginia Tech?" She was eating with her son and unconfirmed family members. Her son, Taneel, a rising Chemical Engineering sophmore had recognized Elena and Kelsey from Virginia Tech. He was too shy to make first contact but a good Indian mom is always ready to meet girls for her boy. Sangita, the mom, seemed nice enough. They are British ex-patriates living in Atlanta for the past 10 years. Go figure.

The play, Wicked, was very entertaining. If you don't know the story, I will try not to ruin it for you -- the wicked witch of the west dies when some kid throws water on her. Oops, I gave it away. It is a fun parallel story to the Wizard of Oz and a must see.

Wicked indeed. There were many neat insights into people and what drives them and how your whole life can change by just meeting someone...

This is England...

The clouds over England have parted rather nicely to a warm 28 C. The vacation begins. I landed at Heathrow at 11 am having left the States at 11 pm. My eyes red from being awoken for breakfast and to a British voice yelling too excitedly that he had landing cards. In reality you don't need them to land but if one wants to see the rest of Britain you must comply -- a precursor to a rather regimented and bureaucratic society.

I met my mini cab driver, Ahmad Sultan, at Costa Coffee in the newly redone Terminal 5. I felt important as I picked him out from a throng of drivers holding names of other no doubt important feeling people. Having been to London many times the windshield tour from Heathrow to Edgware was not a priority so I attempted a nap. Until Ahmad droned on about petrol prices and the upcoming election in America (as they call it here). A conversation about petrol prices and a gas / petrol price comparison truly depressed poor Ahmad. In the US, we pay about $3.70 per gallon in the America and in UK they pay about £1.35 per liter. At current exchange rates that is $8.00 per gallon...wow. About 47p is the real price per liter; the rest is a petrol tax and the VAT. Ahmad also commiserated that they pay some £2,000 per year in car insurance. And the mini cab swayed on smoothly through roundabouts...

One thing you must understand is that there is some pride held by mini cab drivers. Mini cabs are an alternative taxi service to the famous Black Cabs. The source of this pride? Unknown. They seem to despise Black Cab drivers and the perceived arrogance held by the Knowledge achievers. The Knowledge Test takes years to achieve because they have to memorize 25,000 streets and 20,000 landmarks within a six mile radius of Charing Cross in London. Ahmad giggled when he said he saw a Black Cab with a Tom Tom. He says in an Indian accent, "you tell me, why he need Tom Tom if he has Knowledge?" Perhaps not pride but envy?

On and on it went sprinkled with an occasional "really?", "wow", and "uh huh" from my tired brain. Wonderfully thought provoking topics included why people are gay in Hollywood and handling traffic in roundabouts - a skill that is proudly British.

After Ahmad disposed of me at my in-laws, day one was largely spent at my in-laws reunited with my girls. Later, shopping at Sainsburys in Edgware yielded 50 pounds of English chocolates -- weight not currency! The India vs Sri Lanka cricket ODI capped the day with an Indian victory.

The second day started with a brisk speed walk through Canons Park (a 25 year routine) and the P90x Ab Ripper X exercise. During breakfast I recieved a lecture on Unit Trusts (an investment strategy) from my father-in-law. It was a common tactic when I first got married but twenty-six years later he still doubts my ability to financially support his princess! I didn't brag about my ability to generate 18% out of dog stocks collared with options.

Then it was off to Covent Garden and Piccadilly Square. I made my international debut as an assistant street performer for Arizona Jones. Yes, he looked like Indiana Jones. He broke dried spaghetti from my hands with a whip and I held a pole while he climbed up to juggle swords and break more spaghetti! You had to be there and yes there are pictures. The Hokie Nation is everywhere! A fellow pole holder, Brian from New Zealand, was a 1983 graduate in Materials Engineering from Virginia Tech. Brian refused to do silly things for the act and was promptly replaced with Paul. Game on. Paul and I were made to perform silly things and hopefully the video won't make You Tube.

Window shopping followed and followed -- sorry but men's feet are not made for it. I perked up as we approached a store called "United Nude" but alas, sorry boys it was only a shoe store. Moving along with nothing to report. The sidewalk cafe sandwiches punctuated with vanilla ice cream and Cadbury Flake made a nice treat. We also purchased tickets for Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theater for Monday night! It was neat watching live statues and one of them was a knight that pretended to kill Kelsey when photographed. So much for knights and princesses...chivalry is truly dead. It was fun walking through China Town and laughing at store names like Wong Kie.

Beer with Umesh the cousin at a local pub will cap the night. That is profoundly England...

It's a wrap!

What a great trip. This is a delayed blog entry as the thing called work got in the way yet again.

We enjoyed lunch with Arthena, Barbara, and Howard on our last leg of the trip. Great company, good conversation.

We also met Rosie, Arthena's cute as a button poodle. She is so friendly but camera shy -- will not let anyone take a picture. Even a treat didn't help. I managed this picture with Bax holding Rosie.

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and following our trip. I was pleasantly surprised how many actually read it!

There were many highlights from the train ride to the great people we met. Next trip will hopefully be on the Diavel!

Wow...it has been a week!

The last leg of the trip starts! We are only about 240 miles away from home. We have another treat along the way...having lunch with Arthena (Bax's)!

Let's roll...

Last night...Rocky Mount, NC

We made great time totaling 350 miles today!

We stopped in Four Oaks, NC to gas up before our last leg to Rocky Mount. While checking the GPS and making hotel reservations on the iPad...yea..we really rough it on these trips...we observed four people dumpster diving! They successfully acquired an open bag of Funyuns and shared as if they were in a commune. Google it if you don't know about Funyuns, but trust me...they have a half life longer than a Volkswagen at a junk yard. A few minutes later a brave Funyun diver walked over and asked us if we had any change so they can go to the McDonalds next door.

Heartless me of course said "no" but Bax rose to the occasion. It reminded me of a comic book I read many moons ago when Dr. Strange (Google him too while you are at it or wait for a Marvel movie...it won't be long) was accosted by a homeless man asking for a dime. Dr. Strange used his magic powers to make a feast table flooded with food. He walked away saying how can this can be in America. While Bax was not quite as cool, he gave a hand full of coins to Funyun diver. We all wondered how can this be in America. But thinking about it some more...these characters clearly have not been applying themselves industriously. Oh well. Hopefully the dollar menu at McDonalds will suffice for the night...

Welcome to Tackyville, USA

Redirected to I-95 to make time and that got us to South of the Border in South Carolina just shy of the North Carolina border.

We spent an hour or so getting a new phone for Kal due to his second IT casualty of the trip. He lost his iPhone at the race track. We had hope in mankind in that someone would turn it in...but alas it is not a Droid. iPhone's are too popular I suppose -- they probably had a stack of Droids to give away. Just a bit of ribbin' given that he is ditching the iPhone for the Droid Bionic.

Greasin' up at Pedro's Diner...

Beautiful Summersville, SC!

Church bells tolling, flowers in bloom, and beautiful 75 degree weather -- priceless. Stopped to smell the bouquets and enjoy a quick conversation with a nice man that commutes 130 miles from here to work. We can clearly see why.

Riding along route 17 and seeing the wonderful South Carolina country side.

One little hiccup...checking why my bike to bike communications gear is not 100%.

One day closer to home! Checked in for the night in Yemassee, SC

Not much here...Denny's for dinner and breakfast...yum. We clocked about 290 miles today...a bit short of the average we need over three days. But tomorrow will be a long riding day.

No pictures for this entry...trust me...there ain't nuthin' interesting.

Had to make quick stop for a picture moment

Quaint, picturesque Darien Waterfront...continuing Kal's luck on this trip...he got pooped on my a bird after he took off his jacket!