London - Day Four: The Most Expensive Starbucks EVER, Museums, and a Taste of India

One thing I haven't mentioned yet is how expensive everything is in London... here's some simple math for you... take the US dollar... now multiply by 2. That is roughly the way things go here... something that would cost $1 in the US costs one pound in London, which equates to $2. So, my little morning venture to Starbucks on my last morning cost me about $12 for my normal double tall latte and muffin. Ouch!

After my gourmet breakfast, I went to the British Museum:

The Exterior of the Museum

Something pretty cool about London is that many of the public museums are free. This is one of them. Some really interesting objects are housed here, including:

The Rosetta Stone (famous stone that helped historians to decipher Egyptian Language)

Pieces of The Parthenon from Athens

On top of that, the entry way is really cool - it's bigger than a football field!

After this quick history download, I went to have a little Indian feast for lunch. It was so delicious! I need to find a good Indian place in Amsterdam!

My Indian Feast! Yummy!

Following this, I made two more stops. The first was to the British Library, which houses some pretty famous and important pieces of literature, such as the Gutenberg Bible (the first book produced using a printing press in the West), Beowolf, the Magna Carta, and many others. It was pretty cool to get to see some of these works.

The British Library

My last stop was to the National Gallery. While I don't really "get" modern art like at Tate Modern, I am building an appreciation for this "real" art, as I like to call it. It was enlightening to get to see the works of da Vinci, Rafael, and many others.

The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square

After this jam-packed day of learning, I made my way to the airport, and gladly got on my plane "home". It was a great weekend, and I feel like I just barely scratched the surface!

On a positive note, my shipment from the States arrived this morning, so my apartment is in a mad state of chaos as I attempt to put everything away. Pictures coming soon...

London - Day Three: WWII, Kensington Palace, Tea with Diana, and Views from the Eye

I went to London with a few things in mind: I knew I wanted to see Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London, I wanted to ride the eye, and I wanted to experience the food: Fish and Chips, Indian Food (India was once a colony of Great Britain), and... The English Breakfast (please don't be confused with this dish's cousin, heart attack on a plate... this is merely artery clogging goodness). I finally found a place that was open at 8, and enjoyed my first real English breakfast, prepared by an Italian (oh well, it's kind of like my Jewish deli sandwich prepared by an Indian guy in NYC... you just gotta go with it, it's a melting pot of a world!). Here it is (and, yes, I ate it ALL!):

Fueled by this fatty goodness, I went to my first stop of the day: The War Room Cabinet and Churchill Museum. I was only so-so about going to this museum, but it was included in my pass, so I decided to give it a chance... and I'm so glad I did. I've mentioned in other posts how interesting it is to see how WWII affected Europe, as it was SO different than how it affected America, and this museum only further heightened this newfound curiousity. These were the actual rooms where Churchill and his cabinet planned how they were going to defeat the Germans in WWII. Clips of his speaches were played throughout the tour, and highlights of his life were showcased ina museum bearing his name. I stayed in the museum for nearly three hours. I was fascinated. I couldn't get enough. I was so moved by images of England holding strong during the war. St. Paul's, as referenced in my Day 2 Post, was bombed repeatedly, but never fell. Images of the church standing strong even with smoke and fire around it brought goosebumps to my skin and tears to my eyes. I think it is something that I will never understand fully, but something I really want to learn more about. I can literally feel my world expanding with each day that I live in cultures that are different than what I was brought up in... Anyways, climbing down from my mini-soapbox. To put it briefly... if you are at all interested in WWII, this is a must-have stop if you go to London.

The War Room Cabinet

The "Slab" - a Thick piece of concrete inserted into the wall to protect those below from WWII bombings

I exited the museum feeling inspired, and the weather certainly helped - it was warm and sunny. I hopped on a double-decker bus and made my way to Kensington Garden and Hyde Park. I just wandered around the park for about an hour, taking it all in - the numerous roller bladers, families playing with their dogs, elderly people enjoying the pond... it was quite serene. That was when I had a little moment of reality... and I'll share it with you... while all of this is really cool, and I'm seeing a lot of amazing things, it is so utterly, indescribably hard to be alone sometimes. During this walk through Hyde Park, I felt a tightening in my chest that I can only describe as my heart breaking (trust me, I know from experience...). I just got really sad, and had to sit down and collect myself before I could continue. I'm so lucky to get to experience all of these amazing things, but sometimes I just dwell on the life that I had... always a friend to call, a hug to be given, an ear to listen. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this whole experience is not all roses. But I certainly don't regret stretching myself... it just has "moments".

Beautiful Kensington Garden

Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park

Queen Victoria Statue in front of Kensington Palace

After my little walk/panic attack, I took a tour of Kensington Palace, which is where Queen Victoria was born, and where Princess Diana lived for a while. To be honest, the gardens outside were more impressive than the palace, but it was still pretty cool.

Kensington Palace and the Sunken Garden

After this, I went to Harrod's (the famous department store), and had tea with the wealthy consumers there. It was amazing to see everything that they had to offer - everything from Valentino purses to whole chickens - yes, ladies and gentlemen, you can get your dinner and your eveningwear at the very same place. :) One other strange thing... I didn't know this, but Diana's rich boyfriend's father owns Harrod's, so there is a rather large (and kind of creepy) memorial to the two of them in the basement of Harrod's. The diamond engagement ring (not quite as big as the Crown Jewels, but still impressive) that had been purchased a few days before their deaths was on display at the monument... kind of strange...

Harrod's Department Store - currently undergoing "reconstructive surgery"

My ride on the Eye was after this, and it was pretty cool to get to see London from this far up. Of course, it would have been nice to have done this ride with my beloved Sean, however, que sera, sera, he'll be here next week (yes, that's right... only 10 days to go!). After the ride, I made my way home... I was exhausted! Here are some photos from the ride:

The London Eye from the Westminster Bridge

The "pods" that 25 people ride in during each 30 minute ride

Views of Parliament from the top

London: Day Two - Tower Power, London Bridge (?), St. Paul's, & a Little "Art"

Rejuvenated after a night of sleep (okay, not really... I woke up in the middle of the night in a mad panic - I think my body is very confused about where exactly it is right now), I headed out to the Tower of London so I could get there when it opened at 9 am. The Tower of London is a pretty famous sight - it's where the Crown Jewels are kept, and where many prisoners were kept (and some executed - "off with their heads") in times past. I took a tour with one of the "Beefeaters" (offical guards of the tower - they even live on site!), and then went to see the Crown Jewels, which are on display for the public to see. I belive the diamond in the royal scepter is the second largest in the world, but it's by far the LARGEST I've ever seen... I think it was something like 192 carats... holy smokes!! Again, no pictures were allowed, but just picture lots of sparkles. :) Here are some pictures of the Tower:



The Tower of London from the Tube Station


"White Tower" - where royalty used to live




This monument marks the spot where beheadings took place!

After leaving The Tower of London, I went on a tour of the London Bridge - oh wait - it's just what everyone THINKS is the London Bridge.... it's actually called Tower Bridge. London Bridge is pretty unremarkable... I didn't even take a picture of it! Anyways, Tower Bridge is impressive, and the views were nice. I think my engineering friends would have enjoyed the explanation of exactly how steam power lifts and lowers the bridge, but it was still sort of interesting (sort of, I'll stress.)



Tower Bridge


View of the "modern" downtown London from Tower Bridge


After Tower Bridge, I took the Tube to St. Paul's Cathedral and toured this magnificent chuch. So... this has to be the most amazing church that I have seen to date (granted, I have not yet been to Italy, but St. Paul's caps all the amazing chuches in Paris). It is just excuisite inside... and the impressive thing is not the stained glass, as with many churches... it's the lack thereof. The beauty of the inside of this church (at least the nave, which is still largely undecorated) is it's simple beauty. The inside is all beautifully carved stone, and large, clear glass windows. At the front of the church is where Queen Victoria had her way - it's all guilded out and painted, which is also impressive, just in a different way. I seriously just sat and stared at the inside of the church for about an hour before I could get up. I repeatedly said "wow", just looking around. Unfortunately, this was another church where no photography was allowed, but, trust me, it's amazing. I climbed all 500+ stairs to the top, and enjoyed some more great views of the city. Absolutely lovely! This was probably the single best highlight of the trip. Here are some pictures of the exterior of the church and the views:




The Side View of St. Paul's




The Entrance to St. Paul's




View of the Millenium Bridge Crossing the Thames to Tate Modern (Art Museum)




View of the Thames and the London Eye (Ferris Wheel looking thing in the Distance)

After St. Paul's, I hit a few more sights. I had purchased a "London Pass" for Friday and Saturday, which allowed free entrance to a lot of the popular sights in London, so I was trying to make the most of it. My first stop was at an operating room museum, which I had heard about a long time ago, and kind of forgotton. The basic idea is that patients allowed surgeons to operate on them in front of a theater of students, and, in turn, received their medical treatments for free (I like to think of it kind of how the students in Grey's Anatomy watch from the upper balcony - same concept - only much closer, and the patient wasn't put to sleep! Scary!)

The Theater - Operating Table in the Center

After that, I went and toured Shakespeare's Globe, which is a replica of Shakespeare's famous theater, which was completed in the late 1990's. It was really interesting to see the venue that people of Shakespeare's time would have watched his famous plays in. I didn't have time to see a performance, but there are nightly performances there. Definitely on my list of "to do's" for the next trip to London.

The Globe

My last trip was to Tate Modern, which is a museum of modern art on the South Bank of the Thames. Okay, folks. I'm an accountant. I try and I try to get into modern art, but, to be completely honest, I just don't get it. Really. I've tried. I've been to some of the best modern art museums in the world, and each time, I leave, scratching my head. Please don't hate me for being honest, but, seriously... I feel like I could make better art in excel spreadsheets. ;)

Tate Modern Art Museum... works by Warhol, Leichtenstein, and Picasso were the only ones I sort of "got" :)

London - Day One: Changing of the Guards, Westminster Abbey, Fish 'n' Chips, and "All That Jazz"

Wow! What a whirlwind! I got back last night (Sunday) from a 4 day trip to London. It was amazing - it was so awesome to get to see all of the things I have been picturing in my mind since I was a little girl! Seriously - I remember reading books about Big Ben and the Changing of the Guard when I was still in elementary school!

So... a strange observation before I begin: I was kind of taken aback at how my sense of "normal" is changing. Being in Holland, everyone has the ability to speak English for the most part, however, what you hear on the streets, on trains, in the super market, etc. is Dutch. I have gotten so used to just tuning conversations out because I can't understand them, that it was almost surreal to be hearing a language that I knew. (okay, sometimes, even British English was hard to understand, but I caught on pretty quickly). With that said...

I left Amsterdam on a night bus at about 5 am (with all the people going home from Queen's Day parties... still not quite used to how late people stay out here!), still really tired from the Queen's Day celebration the day before. What a treat I had as I flew out of Holland - all the tulip fields were in bloom, so I got to see the huge blocks of color as I left the Netherlands - check this out:

Blocks of Color as I flew over the Tulip Fields

We got into London around 8 am London time (one hour behind Amsterdam), and I proceeded to figure out how to get to my hotel, which was in the Shepherd's Bush part of town on the west side. I am proud to say that during the whole weekend, I did not get lost once - those of you that have ever travelled with me will really appreciate this - it was a true accomplishment! :)

I got to the hotel by about 10, and knew that the changing of the guard was going to be happening at Buckingham Palace around 11, so I hightailed it back to the "tube" (England's subway system", and boogied over to Buckingham palace, along with about 5000 of the Queen's other fans. Immediately after coming out of the underground, it began to rain (a common theme for the weekend). I quickly purchased a cheap umbrella (not having learned my lesson in New York over Christmas that cheap umbrellas never work), and made my way to the palace, just in time to see the guard changing. Honestly, I have to say that the ceremony was pretty under-whelming. I'm not a huge fan of crowds, and we were packed in there like sardines with pointy umbrellas to poke each other with. (Did I mention I was really tired from my early flight and the day before??). Anyways, it was interesting to see the fanfare with with this changing of the guard comes with - there are bands, guns, and lots of marching around in straight lines (oh, and a drum major - that made me smile!). Here are some pictures so you can see what I saw:

Buckingham Palace and Queen Victoria Statue from a Distance

Guards at Attention

The Guards about to Change

After this, I wandered around London a bit, and ended up seeing Big Ben in all his glory (along with the Houses of Parliament). Truly impressive:

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

After taking about a million pictures (I'm only posting a select few of the 450 pictures that I took!), I wandered over to Westminster Abbey, which is a very famous church in which many kings and queens are buried, and which is where the coronation ceremonies of pretty much every king or queen of England has taken place since about 1100. (kind of amazing to think that North America hadn't even been discovered by Columbus at this point... we're just babies in this world!). I couldn't take any pictures inside (as is the case in many of the places I went). but here is what the outside looks like:

Westminster Abbey

After this amazing tour, I wandered around the city a bit more, touring the theater district (I guess I should say "theatre", and make sure you say that with a British accent!), and had dinner at a British pub. I had my first "real" fish and chips, and, I'm happy to say, I quite enjoyed my meal. People say that British food is not very good, but everything that I had during the trip (as you will see - I love taking pictures of my food), was quite tasty!

Outside diners enjoying their meals in the rain!

Following dinner, I went to see the musical "Chicago", which was absolutely phenomenal. I think Les Mis will always be my favorite, but I loved the singing performances of Chicago - the songs were in my head for the rest of the weekend, and I've now downloaded the soundtrack and am probably annoying the hell out of my neighbors with my singing... but anyways... :)

My First Real Fish and Chips

Chicago!!

That wraps up Day One... I didn't stay out much after the show (which ended at about 10:30), because I was terrified that I was going to get mugged on my walk back from the Tube to my hotel... it wasn't in the best part of town, so I just clutched my purse and walked like a woman on a mission. It seemed to work... ;)

Happy Koninginnedag! (Queen's Day!)

Well, I've survived my first Queen's Day in Holland. I have to say, this day was unlike anything else I've ever experienced. The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona was pretty darn close, but not quite as crazy as this!

Queen's Day is Holland's National Holiday, kind of like the 4th of July in the US, but it is the Queen's Birthday (well, okay, it was the FORMER Queen's birthday - the current queen's birthday is in January, which wouldn't be nearly as fun). The color orange is everywhere - it's the national color, and comes from the Dutch royal family, which is the House of Orange. There are orange banners, orange colored foods and drinks, and extreme amounts of orange clothing and creative accessories are worn as well. During the day (starting at about 6 am!), there is a 'vrijmarkt' ('freemarket'), which is kind of like a gigantic garage sale . Many people set up stalls or blankets in parks or on sidewalks. Most of the items for sale, I found, were pretty much junk, but people are still buying! I bought a few books, didn't really see any other "must-haves".

My friend Nadia from work joined me around 12, and we made our way through Vondelpark, which is pretty fun on Queen's Day. That park is for children only to sell their belongings, and it's really cute how they market their wares. We then walked up the city center, where the canals were packed with boats carrying many partiers. After about 5 hours of all of this craziness, we were pretty "knackered" (Nadia is British, so I'm learning all kinds of new words!). She went back to Utrecht, and I back to my cozy little apartment.

Check one more thing off of the life to-do list!

Here are some pictures from the day:

Many Dutch flags were flying on this national holiday!

The Street outside my apartment at 7:00 am! People were already on the hunt for bargains!

I'm not sure I captured the shear craziness of the "free market", but this is an idea... picture this for miles and miles!

Boats on the Prinsengracht

Craziness on Leidseplein (one of the main squares downtown)

More craziness on Leidseplein

Partiers on the Prinsengraght

The Amsterdam flag flying proudly

Next stop... London! I'm leaving tomorrow morning on an early flight! I'll give an update hopefully on Monday!

Normalcy

This weekend felt a lot like a weekend in Portland... most of the weekend was spent in Amsterdam, which is "home" now. I was so relieved for Friday to come... it had been a long week in the office. Some interesting notes from the week:

* It's a Dutch custom for the birthday boy/girl to bring in a cake for their co-workers, not the other way around like in the US. It was my boss's birthday on Thursday, and so he brought in some super yummy (lekker in Dutch) pastries.

* I am so blessed with nice people in my life. It seems like every time I start to get a little sad, there is someone there to help boost me up again. My lovely co-worker Claudia and her husband Manfred (who I kept thinking she was calling her "Man Friend" hehe) took me out for dinner on Thursday night, and then we went back to their home for coffee. It was a really nice evening.

* Friday night, after work, I had made plans with some lovely ladies, Karyn and Kristin, to try this amazing restaurant. I had called on Thursday, and was surprised that I was able to get a reservation. I got to the restaurant first, and was very disappointed to find out that our reservation had not been recorded, and so, we were politely dismissed. :( The other girls showed up eventually, and, disappointed, we found another place to eat. We settled with a cute Italian place near where Karyn lives. It was absolutely delicious, and we had a really great time chatting among "American" friends. Two bottles of wine later, we made our way home on our various trams. Fun times!

* Saturday, I was feeling really good in the morning. I was so glad, because I had to take nearly a week off of running and working out because I had been feeling just exhausted. The weather was gorgeous, and so I went out and ran my usual 9 mile run through Vondelpark - in shorts and a t-shirt! Summer is almost here! :) After that, I made my way out for some personal maintenance... I was in desparate need of an eyebrow wax and manicure, things that are surprisingly uncommon here. Three hours and a small fortune later (I think because waxing is not common here, they are able to charge a premium), I was on my way feeling like a new woman. :) The weather was absolutely amazing, so I just walked around, enjoying this beautiful city.

Beautiful Rowhouses along my walk...

The flowers... one of the best things about Holland. I'm not too proud to buy them for myself every once in a while! :)

A few hours into my walk, I started feeling really woozy, and decided I better get home. I took a nap, and woke up with a migraine. UGH. I was supposed to meet Siba for dinner, and I called to politely decline. I didn't think that a smokey and loud restaurant was going to make me feel any better. So, rather than being among people, I spent my Saturday night at home, planning my trip to London... I'm leaving on May 1st - I can't believe it! I booked a few tickets, including a ticket to see Chicago on London's version of Broadway, the London Eye, and my London City Pass, and I also came up with a basic outline of what I'm hoping to do each day. There is so much in London - I have a feeling I'm going to need to go back!

* Sunday I woke up with the same pounding headache. I'm really hoping that this is not the same thing that happened to me in October/November... during that time period, I had a migraine that lasted for nearly 4 weeks, which no doctor could quite figure out. Anyways... I was supposed to go to the beach with Nadia, a friend from work, and she called to tell me that she had... you guessed it - a migraine headache. She wanted to rest, which was definitely how I was feeling last night, but I was honestly a little tired of being kooped up in my apartment, so I decided to take the train to Zandvoort and take it easy. I'm so glad that I went. It was absolutely gorgeous when I got there. I spent about 2 hours walking the beach, then stopped at a little cafe on the beach for some lunch and beer. I read quite a bit of my book sitting there in the sun, and later continued my walk along the beach. It was starting to get a little dark and windy, which I have learned means that the storm is a'comin', so I started making my way back to the train station. I stumbled across downtown Zandvoort along the way however, and couldn't resist its quaint charm. I bought myself a yummy soft-serve ice cream cone and plopped myself down in the town square to listen to some accordian/guitar music. It was super relaxing. Eventually, I made my way home on the train, and I've arrived home, just in time to catch up with my friends in Portland, who are now just waking up. My headache is still lingering, but it's not quite the pounder it was when I woke up. Fingers crossed that it's gone completely tomorrow.

Here are some pictures from the beach and town of Zandvoort:

The other side of the Atlantic...

SBE... he's always on my mind!

The Train Station at Zandvoort

Young Dutch Engineers in the Making!

The beach had TONS of sea shells - beautiful for my eyes, and painful for my feet! :)

Musicians in the street

What European town would be complete without a beautiful church?