A List with 72 Places

Yesterday's entry included an old postcard from Cuba because we will soon be visiting there for seven nights; we've never been. That reminded me to update the resume which I never plan to send out. I took early retirement in anticipation of never having to work again. Yet, keeping that document up-to-date seems second nature after all these years. There is an entire section on page 1 of 2 which comprises the places to which I have wandered during my life.

I added Cuba. I put in Panama as we are also planning a week there next month. Although we are returning to places we've been during the upcoming winter, we might have a chance for a mini-vacation somewhere new. For sure, we will be taking a long stopover in Taipei because we purchased plane tickets months ago. So, I added Taiwan too.

I have visited these countries and territories:

Albania, American Samoa, Austria, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Belize, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Gibraltar, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, the Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, the Vatican, and Vietnam.

This photo was taken in 2005, but London was the first city out of North American to which I travelled. On the original trip, I was on my way to my first teaching job in Kuwait after college in 1981.

Doing a Big Wheely

Yesterday's entry had one of the first photos I posted on Flickr. In fact the reason I investigated the service was in order to share the photos of the trip with those friends.

That was a long time and over 1800 uploaded photos ago!

I started my 'My Daily Picture Parade' on July 1st of last year. In the fall, I was even able to document our Euro trip as it occurred.

My photos can be divided into several categories. One way would be to separate into: everyday life, special events, and slightly artistic photos. The one to the right is a part of the latter group. Strangely, hardly anyone has looked at it, so I figured I could give it a second wind on my blog.

It was taken in London. We rode the London Eye for fantastic view of the Parliament, the Thames, and Westminster.

A Bit Neglected

I don't know which was better: trying to catch up with events to be blogged, or trying to think of something to blog about. I said I'd comment on the recent three weeks in Europe. So, I probably should pick my favourite place. I'm not sure I can do that though.

The trip contained many have to see sights and sites. Probably the elevator from the second platform to the top of the Eiffel Tower would make the cut. But travelling is more than the things you can take a picture of. It's the little things that broaden perspectives. One sees more out there, so there's more to which one can relate. An example is how Jay and I can now refer to something using personalized jargon.



We were quite impressed by London's Underground system. Yet, we felt the line we needed to take to the place where we stayed for five nights was the most neglected tube line. Compared to the other, more beautifully-designed and better-maintained lines, the District Line seemed a bit overlooked. The trains were slower and older. The stations dirtier and less modern.

So, now when say something is like the 'District Line' we are trying to suggest it deserves more attention than it is receiving.

Last of London

It's our last day in London and the final day of our trip. It doesn't seem possible that we've been away almost three weeks. Tomorrow, we'll get up around 5:00 am so we can get to Victoria Station early enough to catch the Gatwick Express to the airport. Then, it'll be 10 hours home because, unlike our flight out, this stops in Calgary.

Today, we had a few more things on the list to do. We started by finding Harrod's and walking around the floors pretending we were like the people stupid enough to waste their money on items with impressive brand names. I picked up a single set of sheets that boasted a price of 195 Pounds. Since that is nearly Canadian $450, they never be on any bed that I sleep on.

As we were looking for a Tube station, we happened by the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was a great because of such an eclectic collection of objects and arts. Modern shows are included to keep things up to date. The best thing is that the admission is free. We've spent a Queen's random to see her stuff on this stay.

We also walked darned near all around Hyde Park. It probably was only a few miles but it seemed at least 300. We saw a tiny little sign pointing to the Princess Diana Memorial. It's surely not an attraction set up for ready attraction. We ended up getting around to Piccadilly Circus for lunch at around 3 o'clock.

Although we popped back to our area which is one stop past Ravenscourt, we plan to go back downtown this evening just to see the Parliament area of the Thames at night.

... And All That Jazz

Although I had no desire to get out of bed this morning, by the end of the day I had conquered my flu. After breakfast in our 'hospital' accommodations, we went downtown by Underground. I mention hospital not because of any reference to my own health. I mentioned that we were staying at Globetrotter Inn, a semi-hostel for people of all ages. Well before the middle of the last century the building was a center for local community health care. After a lot of refits, it makes a perfect residence away from home.

First, we went near the Tower Bridge and walked about.

After, while walking near Leicester Square we couldn't help but notice all the places selling show tickets, all seemingly at half price! We went right to the real TCKTS and decided on the evening showing of Chicago, the Musical.

I was rather tired so after a really late lunch we went back to the Globetrotter and I slept for a few hours.

Feeling much better after the sleep,we went back to Charing Cross and were there well in advance of the 8:00 pm show. It was marvelous. You'll never guess who played the role of the prison warden; it was Lynda Carter! Wonder Woman looked wonderful after all these years. We made some soup in our hostel kitchen after getting back at 11:20. I'll be dreaming about and all that jazz ... all night.

What, No Tea?

The first thing I noticed this morning was how sore my throat was. I guess while travelling around, in close quarters, someone has provided me with a virus to fight. That's not a souvenir that one likes collecting when abroad. The next irritant was it looked dark and cloudy.

Still, we jumped back to a tube train to Buckingham Palace. Although, we wandered by yesterday, today we went in for closer inspection. The State Rooms are open to the public for eight weeks of the summer. They close on the 27th so we made it just in time. Handheld electronic devices have really helped the museum and tour business. We were turned to English from the multitude of those offered, and proceeded to tour the palace. If proceeding at a snail's pace it's easy to follow along. Pause buttons make it possible to linger any place along the way. There were many objects where one could interrupt the audio commentary and by pressing the number mentioned hear auxiliary clips and explanations. Not only are these systems more complete and accessible, they are much cheaper than hiring tour guides. Even though, the Palace seemed stuffed to the gills with staff to ensure no one got out of line.

The sun had come out with puffy white clouds floating in it. As we are still on our passes, we jumped in and out of the Underground a lot today; once, to eat at Earl's Court. Another time, we simply wanted to check out the location of the Tower of London before going there tomorrow.

I'm early here resting. Jay's still checking out the scene.

Where to Stay?

(Jump to Sunday the 25th.) The Globetrotter's Inn is sort of a spin on a hostel for mature folks. We read about it in the travel section of the Vancouver Sun this fall. It's sort of the way that Jay and I travel anyway. It's not lack of funds that keeps us from staying in a Hilton. Well ... the funds are a definite part, but more importantly, it's avoiding the boring, sameness of chains. Why would someone wish to go to a standardized hotel room that appears the same as hundreds of thousands all over the world. It's nice to know you're not at home when travelling.

Anyway, I was just starting to say about the breakfast buffet at the place we're in. It's sort of a fun, communal way of starting the day. You get a chance to see and at minimum, say 'Good Morning' to the fellow guests.

The morning proved to be sunny. The sky was blue so our first chore was to go up in it. We bought 3-day passes on the Underground and popped out at the London Eye this morning a half an hour before many of the other tourists did. It was beautiful and I'm awed by engineering enough to have enjoyed it merely for the mechanical aspects.

London city seems small and easily 'walkable'. Combine that and our passes and we've chosen to forgo the bus tour and explore on our own. We ended up at Piccadilly Circle. We ate lunch there but didn't end up at a matinee performance of any show. I'd love to see Phantom of the Opera though.

Tonight, we're keeping close to home, so we can get up early and do some more exploration bright and early tomorrow.

Metro, Bus, Ferry, Bus, and Underground

You know how some things can go very smoothly and come off without a hitch. That sort of describes today. Getting up early was not nearly as hard as I would have expected. You have to remember that by 'early' I mean just a bit before 7:30. We ate. We checked out and walked right to one Metro line at Republic Square. Within 15 minutes we'd departed at the end of the line which led right into the Euroline bus station. We had to wait about a half hour before leaving Paris. It was like clockwork.

The bus was big and comfortable. It also headed for Chalis and a ferry crossing to the English coast. On the ferry we had a great, late lunch and then walked around the ferry a bit before we headed past the white cliffs of Dover and into the port. Our bus was stopped by customs for a check, but even that went without incident.

We got into London a bit late, but we had made reservations at Globetrotter Inn, the only of our trip, before we left Canada. So, we knew there was a room waiting. From Victoria Station we got the District Line to Stamford Book and proceeded right into our room. We grabbed fast food and were quite tired. But, it was a perfect day in many respects.