Or, as they call it in Rome...food...

Michael and Barb,

In Rome.  This was lunch.

EH regaled us with "Notes to Live By" and the first about Rome was "there's always traffic and it's not helped by the insanity of Roman drivers."  This was confirmed by the taxi driver from the airport, who made it seem like one lane was two, made his own shortcuts, and did all kinds of hand gesticulations shooting through the wet Roman streets.

They said it hasn't rained here in two months.  It rained here today.

But we made it with ease from Stansted, with only a minimum of hassle (EH pulled a Michael and got double checked by security, for who knows what?).  Other than that Ryanair was on time and we were in central Rome for lunch.

(For fun, you might want to have a drink for every time I make a Michael is old joke here)

We decided the thing to do to get an overview was to get on one of those hop on hop off tour buses, which conveniently talk to you in like 24 languages (not all at once).  We started at the nearest hop spot, the Circus Maximus -- pictured here.

You know. Michael, Maximus, the one who was emperor in your middle age.

The streets are tight and the bus is large.  It was maybe 50 with a drizzle.  Not a day for being out on the top of a moving bus.

Our overview is that the city is very old and historical and there are LOTs of people here.  You couldn't get near St. Peter's due to the pilgrims (the real ones, like carrying wooden crosses) and some closures.  Maybe another day.

There are fountains.

There are lots of palaces.  And churches.

I didn't get a good shot of the Colisseum (today) and all I got from our distance was this one of the St. Peter's dome.

WE are going to the Colisseum, a short bus ride from our B&B, tomorrow.

After an afternoon nap, we found a place nearby for dinner.  The local pizza place was too full. So we found a place that specialized in Italian...error...food (as they call it here).  How's this?

It's been suggested I have died and gone to heaven.  Not sure about that, but I do like they do with cuisine.

As a final EH moment, she asked why we call it "Rome" when the Romans call it "Roma?" Is the extra A too hard? Who knows the vagaries of Anglicization?

And with that, we move to day 2.  Buonsero (or something like that)

...YES, I'd take cheese with that

Traveling is both a great adventure and a big pain. As they say, life’s a struggle, right?

Let’s start with Ryanair.  If you haven’t heard of it, it’s the British isles equivalent of southwest.  Or JetBlue.

Their initial prices are grand, if their website is clunky, but they charge for everything, almost including air. For instance? After checking in online, I was told “all non-EU passport holders on this flight have to have a printed boarding pass.” After some searching, I find Ryan will charge you £15 each to print one at the airport! Yikes.  Want to take a checked bag? From £15 to £75, depending on the flight.  On ours it was £40 for a 20 kg bag. Each way. I read an article where the company CEO said they were revolutionizing how people traveled(not making money, right?) I see that as I now know how to get three days worth of gear into half a duffel bag AND where the left luggage counter, and what  they charge, is  in several train stations and airports.

But enough on Ryanair. Let’s talk airport express train construction. First, the Gatwick express emailed to warn about construction over the holidays. The half hour trip, we were warned, became a 90 minute one. First, by bus eastward (not towards London) to east Buggtussle for half an hour. Then the full (unprepared for all the luggage) slow train northwest to London, stopping at west Buggtussle, Bumfuckhampton, & River Worthing. Then, the Stansted express (again takes half an hour) is closed today (the day we are traveling) & tomorrow. you can hear my teeth grinding from there. Luckily, one bus alternative was only two blocks from our flat & took “just” 75 minutes.

And, now, for a even more middle-class whine: the damned phone isn’t working worth f***! Okay, right now, somewhere over the south of France, it still  thinks I’m in Potter’s field-where  I’d  claim to have never been, but seems to be near the trainline on Thursday. Not helpful when you want to know where you are or where you’re going.

And my texting hasn’t worked right, eventho at this point I’ve paid Verizon $140 extra for service in Europe. & part of the point of paying was so EH & I could keep in touch. Common conversation “did you get my message?” Yes, did you get mine? No. Wtf?! & yes, one wonders how we managed to find each other without cell phones.

But, despite those minor headaches (& neither Ryan or Norwegian from JFK has offered a free cup of water), it beats staying at home, hoping Ellen isn’t a rerun (I’ve seen two episodes w the blonde from 2 Broke Girls, who’s really not that interesting).

I’m sure in all this Michael would have gone all Glengary Glenross on someone, which makes me miss him. LOL

The New Year

So, Michael and Barbara,

Yes, yesterday was too much and I didn't have the energy to write you.  Sorry.

So, here goes the last two days, as quickly as I can since the bus arrives at 545 for the airport in the morning (as you know, I need my beauty sleep).

At some point earlier in the week, we decided to go to York yesterday.  None of us had ever visited the seat of the second archbishopric of the kingdom, so we jumped on the 8 o'clock train (early enough) and made the hour and 50+ minute ride (this was a fast train).

BTW, if you missed the news, northern England has been under a flood watch all week.

Let's start with the inside of the wonderful Gothic cathedral -- might be the best in England.  EH did all the steps to the top of the Tower (like 265) but I never saw the pictures, and she said the view "wasn't that good."

We followed that with lunch (a horrid affair at an overpriced chain pub), then walked down to the "castle area" to see that.

But the Viking village was underwater (so we were told by a guy in Viking gear at the door), and the castle was pretty much a museum, with amusements, but little castle to it, really.

The Clifford Tower, a 12th century affair (York was doing a lot of building that's stood up about that time), was impressive, so here's your picture.

The museum including a toy collection, a recreation of a street from Victorian York, complete with about a dozen shops (it smelled a bit of urine, but maybe that's to make it more authentic), a big section on how the Great War changed the world, a prison section, with video of 18th c prisoners and jailers.  Love the wigs.

Then a cuppa and we were too tired to walk the XXX back to the train station, so nicely, easily found a cab and we were back on the way to London by 335.

In one of those moments K will never forget (it pairs w the 2008 trip from Paris where the woman talked from the Chunnel to London), the guy behind me decided that he was in the Quiet Train and that meant calling his mates in London and working out the evening was the thing to do.  And he didn't know much about how to get around in London.

Back at King's Cross, EH wanted to go to the Harry Potter store (I know Michael knows of it).  Yes, America, there was a huge line on New Year's Eve to get your picture taken at Platform 9 3/4, which has a fake trolley car, loaded with a white owl in a cage, and a person to put a scarf on you and take a professional photo.  New Year's Eve, 7 PM, in line to get your picture...I will say no more.

None of us was up to going out in the rain for New Year's.  Call us lame.

This morning started with French breakfast at Paul's Patisserie.  I had croque forestier and K quiche lorraine.

Then off to the V&A.

You know that the V&A (Victoria and Albert) is the largest (in square footage) design museum in the world.  I drug along, knowing I would hear about splotches.  To K's credit, she only turned to me once and said "I want to re-do the living room like that."   While K & EH went into the Indian Fabric exhibit (like I was paying money to look at more splotches?!), wondered around  -- it is large.

Speaking of which, you may remember their cast court -- they have some impressive casts of statues elsewhere.  This is by far the most famous --

I thought the wall was a nice color, right?

While EH went to see the 19th c stuff, as she said at dinner, including 5 samples of William Morris wallpaper, we waited and K looked in the shop.

We had early dinner reservations, and made the trek "cross town" (cross the touristy center of town, given it's Europe's largest city) to one of Gordon Ramsay's dives.  It was the closest one to the flat.

EH started with this, what she called the best sushi of her life.

K and EH had the British sirloin, not the US, rare, or Japanese that were on the menu --

I admit I had rigatoni.  I had had enough meat on the trip so far.  And I wanted to prep for Italy tomorrow.

We decided that Jamie Oliver's was probably a bit better than Gordon's place.  The determining dish was this mac and cheese (I didn't order it -- I really didn't!)

And, with that, good night...more tomorrow (maybe) from Italia.

Money, God, & Jamie Oliver

Michael & Barb,

Today was a bit different.  But it ended with a Michael favorite (as he will see).

It began with a late breakfast.  K & EH were up late watching *Revenge of the Siths* (Sky TV is showing all the Star War movies on a dedicated channel) & regaled me with their criticism of the direction & the acting, as well as the whole plotting.  No one was buying the motivation of Anakin to turn to the dark side.  Sigh.

Breakfast:

Then, eventually, off to the Museum of the London Docklands.  Which, unbelievably, is in the East End, in the Docklands.  Trivial fact: in 2000, in the first year of the London program, Collins, a young EH, and I were supposed to stay in a flat in the Docklands.  The agent, on the way there from the student hotel, took a call to find out the renter had decided to not move out that day and stay!  We stayed in Wapping (farther from downtown on the river) instead, but, upshot, never got to explore the area.  This is what it looks like from the light rail station:

Yes, there was money in these docks.  The exhibit indicated the earliest big money was made from the West Indies in sugar and slaves.  At one point in the 18th c, London was the largest slave market in the world.  & a quarter of the English economy came from trade with the islands. 

It wasn't until the middle 20th century that this international dominance subsided. 

From the docks we made our way west to St. Paul's cathedral, which we have visited before.  However, this time K wanted to sit through Evensong.  The best news about Evensong (for you non-Anglicans) is it was only 35 minutes long, with neither sermon nor Eucharist.  The downside is that it's like Legislative Assembly in that they give you a program but you still can't follow it. 

This is an illegal photo of the altar end (the west end) of the chapel. 

Your Sheldon Fun Facts for St. Paul's: there's been a church there from like 605.  The medieval cathedral was the largest wooden structure in Europe with the highest steeple.  Wooden.  The Great Fire of 1665 started about half a mile away and the church didn't survive.  The current structure was designed by the King's designer/architect Sir Christopher Wren (he also designed about 30 parish churches that were built after the fire in London).  The Wren design is one of only two domed cathedrals in England and one of the highest in the world.  It took 35 years to complete. 

If you look at this picture, you will notice a difference between it and the one of the west apse:

In the twentieth century, when they went to remodel and renovate, they found that the paint on the ceiling was 19th century and Wren's original design was more classical with lots of white.  The Victorians it seemed liked their embellishment, the design be damned! 

Then across the street to a Michael favorite -- Barbecoa, a Jamie Oliver restaurtant.  Of course there was lots of meat -- here's the 3 rib platter --

To the left is a St Louis style rib, on top, darkened, is a short rib, and beneath is a spare rib.  Meeeeeat! My cardiologist would be so proud.

Today's EH moment: "Of course, you get that kind of meat at a place called Barbecoa."  Why?  "You know that's the origin of the word barbeque?  From some tribe Columbus eradicated."  Right.  Like we knew. :)

And then dessert.  The thing on the right is sticky toffee pudding, there was some mention of bourbon in the toffee sauce...on the left is merely white chocolate cheesecake with a macaron.

And then, after a stop to buy tickets on the train for tomorrow, back to the flat in the rain.  In London! who knew?!?!?!?  Hope for decent weather tomorrow.  I promise neither good weather nor quality food porn from the provinces (as it's known here).

Episode III: Bad Kids on Pilgrimage

Today, we went to Canterbury.

But, first...one of several funny anecdotes from the day: K and I went & picked up pastries but the "Pret" (a FF breakfast place) got my order wrong -- instead of a pain au raisin, an almond croissant (afficionados will recognize they aren't interchangeable).  So, when we arrived at Victoria Station, I thought I would grab one (pain au raisin) before we got on the train.  We quickly purchased our tickets, found our platform and were at the turnstile when I said "we have 3 minutes, I can grab a pastry."  EH said "I thought you might have said THIRTY minutes"...LOL.  I got the pastry (a stand was next to the turnstile), but the tickets didn't open the turnstile & we ended up needing an attendant to open another door to let us through.  Meanwhile, the voice overhead said "the doors on platform 3 are about to close..." I jumped into the first door, then turned and K & EH made it just as the door slammed shut.  K gave me the knife eyes for part of the trip toward Canterbury.

We knew we were in the right place when we saw this:

That's the knight on the right, several nun's priests in the foreground, and a falconer in the background -- the reeve?  And, in the background, that's the great Westgate (of the medieval wall) into town.

So, it's almost noon by the time we get to town (doesn't the sunlight - yes! sunlight in England in December! - look like mid-day? :)) so we decide to have lunch before going to the Cathedral.  Bad move.

For two reasons: first, although EH chose Moroccan cuisine (the lamb and tabouli salad is pictured),

but before we had gotten our drinks there was a series of bangs at a nearby table (we were in the basement) and it turned out a customer had fallen and hit her head.  So, as we sat through lunch, EMTs came, then another set...we know "June" is 84, what her meds are, how much pain she was in and where (they asked repeatedly) and she's 84.  Her next of kin...her date of birth -- you get the idea.  No, we don't know if she turned out all right or not...you get it.

We walk the two blocks to the gate to the Cathedral and...they were closing?!?!?!?  A sign said that on Dec 29 they were closing at 1:30 for....a 3 o'clock service! Whoops.  WE are allowed onto the grounds, but not inside!

So we walked around.  The entry gate is on the southwest corner.  We walked around the outside and through the Dean's close on the north side and there was a list of services at the base of the Dean's stairs.  So we took the stairs and came in through the north door -- causing EH to say "you all are bad kids."  Clearly, she was NOT along, too. :)

We saw the inside, in some hurry, as they were herding people out the south door, but saw the main events, including the spot where Thomas a Becket was murdered in 1170.  Back in Michael's day. & were hurriedly ushered out. I was back in someone's good graces after sneaking in.

We went to the cathedral shop (of course there's a huge one, right?) but EH & I were disappointed you could buy neither vials of Thomas's blood nor a piece of a finger.  What kind of relics are we talking here, anyway?!

And then a long, tricky walk back to the other railroad station (yes, Canterbury needs two!) because, nearby was this castle --

You know, just a little thing thrown up by Willy the Conqueror to help protect the country he'd just won in battle.  Now almost 950 years later, it's still standing.

Then back to London and the flat.

For dinner, we went to a Michael Fav -- Zizzi's.  EH calls it "institutional Italian."  Here's the bruschetta

-- which you can see is better than institutional.

Tomorrow is London cultural sightseeing and gourmet dining.  Preview: serious food porn tomorrow. I think one of the specialities is pork belly on the side on everything (I think including dessert).  You know, everything is better with high end bacon.

And now, for those wondering about whether I have been ground into the English turf more than last time, my Fitbit's step counter screenshot.  Notice the neat pattern...):  Just sayin'...

Episode II: The Tourists Awaken

So, M & B --

Today, we got around "early."  Michael time.  We finished breakfast at Natural Kitchen (I was told for the last time) -- EH had porridge -- around 11.

The EH of the morning (a good example of the phenomenon) was: free range chickens eat more worms so protein, which means their yolks are a brighter yellow than those that are just grain fed.

Huh. (you can imagine the conversation before this tidbit)

Then to the Tate Britain ("home of the Turners"), which I did not get to visit in May-June.  This is EH's picture from there --

Having fumbled around with my Oyster card (the refillable pass for the Tube & bus), we taxied to Westminster Abbey and stood where I took this picture, waiting to pay 20 to get in -- this is the north side & if you know about such churches, you know the west end is where the big glass window is and the altar is in the east nave.

Here's illegal picture of the inside of the Abbey.

You can see the two Christmas trees, the garland on the pillars, and even a bit of the manger scene.  Illegal, though, remember. :)

Then, to the Cellarium, which is in the Abbey close, for high tea.  How "in the abbey"?

High Tea took forever (literally, over an hour) to deliver, and Jude Law never showed up as puffed by the web review ):  But the tea tray was pretty impressive, don't you think?

K & EH ate the cucumber sandwiches first (I HATE cucumber) -- we agreed the quiche and the clotted cream were the highlights.  The brownie (tier 2) was serviceable.

Then off to the play -- Terence Ratigan's *Harliquinade* starring Kenneth Branagh.  I suspect he called Michael for tips on how to play a "veteran" actor.  He was quite good and the play, which a review said was like "Noises Off", is a piece of fluff that is full of funny timings and lines from the wrong place -- they are rehearsing *Romeo & Juliet* and Branagh's character, the Romeo, becomes a grandfather during the play! He admits at one point he can't even see how it works.

With a post-procedure new record for steps (Michael will recognize May all over again) in the books, we go on to episode III -- out of town.

Episode I...in a country far, far away

So, it's time for another S road trip, but this time with a new set of sidekicks -- how did that work out for Bob Hope? -- but back to a familiar city -- London.

But this blog is about our Road to Morocco buddies, Michael and Barb, who sang along (Michael ALWAYS sings along...or alone) in our first big adventure in summer '14.  Here's the obligatory Bob & Bing screen shot (remember -- I'm the good looking, funny one who DOESN'T sing :) --



First, the point needs to be made: we flew the same airline Michael flew in May and June and WE HAD SEATS!!!  He'll know what I mean (and there are counter people at both JFK and Gatwick who'll know too :))

Second, I arranged a flat with the person who supplies them for the student program Michael and I have been a part of for some years.  It's less than a block from Baker Street tube station -- very convenient -- and it reminds us of Michael because he stayed in this building in 2012 and we visited and stayed here.  Well, technically, in the flat directly above the one we are in.  A nice two bedroom flat with two bathrooms for the 3 of us.  We think of this as "Michael's flat."


Third, we ate lunch at Natural Kitchen, a couple blocks from the flat (the great thing about staying in this area is there is lots to do nearby, like eat and a movie theatre, grocery stores, etc), which Michael and I ate at twice in the spring and he approved.  Here's dessert, a chocolate tart with toffee ice cream.  (Food porn #1)

Finally, after we all caught up on our sleep -- the hour on the plane didn't seem enough -- we went to a Michael favorite for dinner -- Wagamama's.  It is 50+ degrees here (like home), so nice weather for the .6 mile walk.  There EH (the nickname for these initials will be apparent by the end of this blog) had this -- chicken ramen with spicy chili:

And that's day one.  Day two is full-packed, so be ready, M &B!