Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Champs-Elysees, cafes, macaroons, sidewalk art, French wine, Sacre Coeur, Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower, walking, walking, walking. : )
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Days 16-18: London
"London, baby!!!" had been Kerry's jubilant refrain of anticipation for an entire month leading up to this trip. Unfortunately, as it turned out she couldn't make it down on the weekend that I was there. :-(
I met up with my friend Rachel, who had hooked us up with an empty apartment to stay in for free (Rachel is one of the most well-connected people I know). We spent Friday evening watching the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremonies at a house party of another of her friend's. It was fun watching it all in a room with an American (me!), a couple of Italians, an Indian-Irish guy, an Israeli, a Thai-Swiss (Rachel!), an Albanian, and a handful of Londoners. I might be forgetting a few others, but you get the idea. :-) That seems to be the flavor of London, and it is certainly the flavor of the games.
I got up early on Saturday and left Rachel sleeping to take the Tube to London Tower, where I had decided to start my custom-made "walking tour" of the city. After crossing Tower Bridge, I visited Southwark Cathedral (where I had a pleasant chat with a Korean chaplain) and then met Viki (yes, the same Viki you met in the Norwich post) for breakfast at Borough Market. Viki and I explored the Thames' South Bank region the rest of the day, stopping at Shakespeare's Globe Theater, the Tate Modern museum of art, Gabriel's Wharf for lunch, and the bookstalls near the National Theater (enjoying the carnival-like atmosphere), before crossing back over the river and walking past Big Ben and the House of Parliament, up to Covent Garden. We slowed down and had a drink there before meeting up with Rachel and her friend for dinner at a Spanish tapas cafe and then to go see the musical production of The Lion King! The Lion King was never one of my favorite Disney movies, but the costumes and setting were so good that it was impossible not to love the musical.
Sunday included a visit to Kensington Gardens and the Victoria & Albert museum in the morning, worship at HTB, lunch at a French creperie, the afternoon service at Christchurch London with a friend I'd met in Beijing last spring, and an evening hanging out with folks from Christchurch at a nearby pub.
I met up with my friend Rachel, who had hooked us up with an empty apartment to stay in for free (Rachel is one of the most well-connected people I know). We spent Friday evening watching the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremonies at a house party of another of her friend's. It was fun watching it all in a room with an American (me!), a couple of Italians, an Indian-Irish guy, an Israeli, a Thai-Swiss (Rachel!), an Albanian, and a handful of Londoners. I might be forgetting a few others, but you get the idea. :-) That seems to be the flavor of London, and it is certainly the flavor of the games.
I got up early on Saturday and left Rachel sleeping to take the Tube to London Tower, where I had decided to start my custom-made "walking tour" of the city. After crossing Tower Bridge, I visited Southwark Cathedral (where I had a pleasant chat with a Korean chaplain) and then met Viki (yes, the same Viki you met in the Norwich post) for breakfast at Borough Market. Viki and I explored the Thames' South Bank region the rest of the day, stopping at Shakespeare's Globe Theater, the Tate Modern museum of art, Gabriel's Wharf for lunch, and the bookstalls near the National Theater (enjoying the carnival-like atmosphere), before crossing back over the river and walking past Big Ben and the House of Parliament, up to Covent Garden. We slowed down and had a drink there before meeting up with Rachel and her friend for dinner at a Spanish tapas cafe and then to go see the musical production of The Lion King! The Lion King was never one of my favorite Disney movies, but the costumes and setting were so good that it was impossible not to love the musical.
Sunday included a visit to Kensington Gardens and the Victoria & Albert museum in the morning, worship at HTB, lunch at a French creperie, the afternoon service at Christchurch London with a friend I'd met in Beijing last spring, and an evening hanging out with folks from Christchurch at a nearby pub.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Days 13-15: Vicenza and Verona
Venice was really only a stop along the way to my ultimate destination in Italy. The reason I really wanted to make this trip was to see Tyler and Joy Hoffman in Vicenza!
They met me at the train station on Monday evening and we drove straight to the bowling alley on Post to meet up with a few of their friends. I feel the need to comment here that I bowled pretty well that night - well, not for some, but for me. ;-)
Ty and Joy were great hosts. They let me see where they work and I got a better feel for what they do with the kids there and how it all works. Joy and I spent an afternoon at the pool together and cooked stuffed peppers that we ate for dinner in the patio area of their adorable little villa in the hills just above Vicenza. I got to meet their neighbors, too. They also took me to nearby Verona for dinner on night and to see the arena there the House of Juliet. Oh, and I had THE BEST coffee of my life at a little cafe in downtown Vicenza. Seriously. Words cannot describe...
They met me at the train station on Monday evening and we drove straight to the bowling alley on Post to meet up with a few of their friends. I feel the need to comment here that I bowled pretty well that night - well, not for some, but for me. ;-)
Ty and Joy were great hosts. They let me see where they work and I got a better feel for what they do with the kids there and how it all works. Joy and I spent an afternoon at the pool together and cooked stuffed peppers that we ate for dinner in the patio area of their adorable little villa in the hills just above Vicenza. I got to meet their neighbors, too. They also took me to nearby Verona for dinner on night and to see the arena there the House of Juliet. Oh, and I had THE BEST coffee of my life at a little cafe in downtown Vicenza. Seriously. Words cannot describe...
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Days 10-12: Venice
Kerry, being the sweetheart that she is, dropped me off at Stansted Airport in the wee hours of the morning for my budget flight to Italy.
I arrived in Venice, backpack having grown just slightly heavier in England, and wandered around in the hot sun for a little while trying to find my hostel. I succeeded after some time and showered before I was ready for anything else.
Venice is great for wandering. It's filled with crooked little alleys, and interesting shops filled with jewelry and glass and theatrical bejeweled and feathered masks, and bridges over the canals. There are plenty of tourists too (me being one of them, I do realize...), but it's possible to escape from them.
I think I took in most of the major sights in Venice - St. Mark's Basilica & Square, the Doge's Palace, the Rialto Bridge markets, several magnificent churches - but just being there and people-watching and eating amazing gelato and bruschetta and listening to street musicians play made it fun.
On the last day, I took the Vaporetto to Murano and Burano. Murano is an island of glass-makers. In fact, in the 14th and 15th centuries, Murano glassmakers were forbidden to leave the Venetian Republic, on threat of death, so that the secrets of Murano glass-making would be kept local! You can visit the furnaces and watch artisans blow and manipulate hot glass into vases and lamps and jewelry and horse figurines. And of course there are galleries and shops and ristorantes and other ways to spend money. :-)
Burano - an island known for fishing and lace-making - is bursting with character and color. The little houses, all in rows, are painted in a rainbow of bright and cheery shades and make for incredible vistas with only blue sky and ocean for a backdrop.
I arrived in Venice, backpack having grown just slightly heavier in England, and wandered around in the hot sun for a little while trying to find my hostel. I succeeded after some time and showered before I was ready for anything else.
Venice is great for wandering. It's filled with crooked little alleys, and interesting shops filled with jewelry and glass and theatrical bejeweled and feathered masks, and bridges over the canals. There are plenty of tourists too (me being one of them, I do realize...), but it's possible to escape from them.
I think I took in most of the major sights in Venice - St. Mark's Basilica & Square, the Doge's Palace, the Rialto Bridge markets, several magnificent churches - but just being there and people-watching and eating amazing gelato and bruschetta and listening to street musicians play made it fun.
On the last day, I took the Vaporetto to Murano and Burano. Murano is an island of glass-makers. In fact, in the 14th and 15th centuries, Murano glassmakers were forbidden to leave the Venetian Republic, on threat of death, so that the secrets of Murano glass-making would be kept local! You can visit the furnaces and watch artisans blow and manipulate hot glass into vases and lamps and jewelry and horse figurines. And of course there are galleries and shops and ristorantes and other ways to spend money. :-)
Burano - an island known for fishing and lace-making - is bursting with character and color. The little houses, all in rows, are painted in a rainbow of bright and cheery shades and make for incredible vistas with only blue sky and ocean for a backdrop.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)