Computer problems

Are making blogging virtually impossible.

Be bach as soon as possible! :0(

Off to Scotland

Friday was an early day as we had to gather to take a bus to the train that would take us to Scotland. Moving about with 80-some people is not easy. It was over a four hour train ride, but it did provide me with some time to get some things done and it was comfortable.

When we got to Edinburgh, we walked to the hostel. My mom thinks Tallahassee is hilly? Oh my. I thought I was going to die. I am actually glad that I brought my larger suitcase which has wheels rather than the smaller one that I would have had to carry. (The bruises still haven't healed from carrying it to and from Berlin!). Ay the hostel, all 80 of us had about 15 minutes to pile out belongings into a "secure" storage room that clearly states, "Leave valuables at your own risk.". I am not exactly what secure means. The key was at the front desk where anybody was free tongo up and ask for it.

First thing on the agenda was a walking tour and those hills are just as steep when you don't have luggage. Add to that, we had a guide that walked too fast, apparently unaware that we all were nt alway able tonget across the street. Then, she didn't feel the need to wait for everybody tonget caught up before starting her stories. That being said, it was beautiful.

You know, on these guided tours, I just love the stories. On this particular day, my favorite story was that of a dog, Bobby. Bobby was the dog of John Gray, a Edinburgh police officer. They were inseparable for the two years they shared before John died of Tuberculosis. It is said that Bobby laid on John's grave for the rest of his life, nearly 14 years! He, the dog, has been memorialized as a symbol of loyalty! It was a very endearing story!

We checked into the hostel when we got back from the walk. I was assigned to room 516, European, which is the 6th floor. We were told that there was no working elevator. I almost burst into tears and headed back to the train station right then and there! Two angels in the form of FSU undergraduate students saved the day and carried my bag up all those steps. If only they had offered to carry me, it would have been perfect!

After the getting settled in, so to speak, there was finally time to eat. Shelly, one of my roommates (who was simply delightful) and I headed back up the hill and found a place about which we had heard good things. I had salmon with potatoes and vegetables. It truly was a wonderful dinner and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Shelly!

Shelly and I both decided to stay in and ended up talking until quite late. So thankful for her as a roommate on this trip!

Nightingale Museum and Class

Pictures will be added when I have access to a better internet connection!

Thursday is class day, so after a load of laundry, off I went. I don't know if I have mentioned, but to get to my classroom, I walkout of my building (102), enter another building (99) where I go down a flight of steps and then I walk up two flight of steps. On this particular day, the classroom was very hot, but knowing we wouldn't be there for long, we tolerated it well.

After what we called "story time" we headed out to the Nightingale Museum. We took the tube, changing once. I am not too comfortable with the tube, so I am always glad to travel in groups.

I was amazed to be reminded of the story of Florence Nightingale. I remember reading a book about her, resulting in the only time that I ever considered being a nurse. I was 10 and in fourth grade. This desire soon passed, thankfully.

A cool thing happened on the way back from the museum. Rhonda and I left with Dr. Karioth because we were not too certain as to how to get back. As we started out, I mentioned the time which prompted Dr. Karioth to realize that she was late for a meeting, so we hailed one of the infamous black cabs. This was my first time in a can in London and they are nothing like the few I've taken in Tallahassee. It was a good object lesson that if I am lost, they are really quite nice. I only wish had learned they lesson earlier in the trip. I could have saved myself a lot of anxiety.

On that note, it was funny to me that as Dr. Karioth and I talked about what a wonderful option the black cabs were when you are in a pinch, I commented that when lost, to take a cab would be admitting defeat. Her perspective is that it reflects good problem solving skills. I could stand to learn a lot from her and adopt many offer laissez a faire attitudes.

In our afternoon class, we take two presentations by students. One was on massage and reflexology and the second was about acupuncture. Obviously this is my complimentary health class! I found them both interesting, but I'd have to see it to believe it. On the other had, if it makes someone feel better, providing relief, who am I to argue!

After class, I had a good talk with Dr. Karioth. I am so thankful for her willingness to take time with each of us. I love the stories that she can tell as only someone who has been able to come to London for so many years can do!

When I left Dr. Karioth, I had decided that I was going to see Mama Mia. I mapped it out and was just about to leave when I thought that I should just check to see when the shows were for which I already had tickets. It is a good thing that I did, as I had a ticket to see The Holy Rosenburgs at the National Theatre!

Having become a little less confident about getting around London, I left quite early. As it turned out, this allowed for time to go to the Waterloo Tube Station where I was able to top off my Oyster card (add more money to my bus/tube pass) and a hit ip an ATM machine. These were things that I needed to do before Friday's trip to Scotland.

The show was in the Cottleston Theatre at the National Theatre. This was my first time in this theatre. It is a relatively small theatre and I was in the top tier of seats. Then entire play takes place in the living room/ dining room of am home. In this small theatre, it felt as If I were eavesdropping on this Jewish family whose were dealing with the death of their son. His military funeral was to be the next day. I was thankful for the many humorous moments as, without them, it may have been overwhelming.

I got adventuresome on the ways back and got a bus to Russell Square, hoping to stop by and pick up something from Dr. Karioth's flat. It all worked out well and, while at times, I was out ot sorts, it turned out to be a wonderful day in London!

Field Trip to the Globe Theatre!

Wednesday included a guided tour of the Globe Theatre. Now, this isn't the original theatre where Shakespeare's works were performed, but it is just like it. It is an open air theatre with the same style seating. It is interesting to note that the Globe was essentially rebuilt due to the passion of an American, Sam Wannamaker! The theater allows for about 1700 people, including 700 standing. In Elizabethan times, they could fit in about 3000 people because 1) people were smaller, and 2) there were no fire safety regulations! It is also interesting to me that the most expensive seats in Elizabethan times were, in fact, the worst search (behind the stage), but they were the seats where you could been seen!

Our guide for the tour was a actor from the Globe. He was wonderful! He had us practicing iambic pentameter and then he gave us each a card and based on how we treated each other, we had to line up in the order of the card. I had a king, so everybody bowed very low to me! It was kind of a fun way to teach us about theater!

After the tour, a group of us went and had a wonderful lunch before the 2:00 performance of "Much Ado About Nothing!" This place was a little classier than where I normally ate, but that didn't keep me from taking a picture of the napkin that I found quite humorous!

We had standing "seats: so I was right in front of the stage. The guide had told us that they view the audience as being the forth wall of the stage and, as such, are a part of the play. I can say that I really could see that as they were always making eye contact and even took the hands of one of our students during the performance! As much as I enjoyed it, standing in front of the stage, I couldn't do it for the second half. Fortunately, the University had extra tickets for the seated area. It was at the side of the stage, which wasn't nearly as good for seeing the show, but it certainly was nice to sit!

As with many trips in town, we don't head back together. I had dinner plans at 5:30 and the show didn't end until 5:00. I had no idea how to get back. Finally, I found a bus stop which listed a stop that sounded familiar as being close to our flats. I boarded, but soon realized that no stops were sounding familiar! Finally I asked the driver if we stopped where I needed to be, only to learn that I was headed in the wrong direction! So, off the bus I went and finally found the right bus and headed back.

Arriving at 6:30, needless to say, I missed dinner. This type of thing sends me over the edge and this was no exception. I let it ruin the evening, so I stayed in for the first time since the first weekend I was in London.

Back to the "Grind"

Tuesday, I actually had both classes! in the morning, we went to the Imperial War Museum. The focus was on the Holocaust exhibit. Again, this was a very difficult thing to see, but as someone't mother said, "If they could live it, I can look at it." Because I had just spent so much time in Berlin looking at this same issue, I determined to look from a different vantage point. For one thing, I read all I could about those people who were involved in the killings. I just have a hard time imagining how a person can get to the point of committing such atrocities on another human being. This was of particular interest since Doug had mentioned a dissertation he was reading wherein the researcher had found that many refused to take part in that and that there were really no consequences. They were still required to serve, but not in any capacity where they were required to directly, personally kill innocent men, women, and children

The other thing that I did was listen to many of the accounts of the survivors. I don't know who they managed to go on with life. I made note of a couple of quotes which really spoke to me. I am sure that I didn't get them word perfect, but I hope I can convey the point. One man said, "Once tortured, you remain tortured who is never at ease with humankind." Another man commented that he hadn't talked about it for 20 years until his daughter finally asked. He realized that if he couldn't tell his children, then how would they be able to tell their children and he "hoped that their future wouldn't become out past." A man said that when he was asked how he survived, all he can say is, "I don't know." He said that one day he was in a cab with a driver who was also a camp survivor. He asked the driver what his response was to that question. He, too, would just reply, "I don't know." The one that touched me most was a woman who described it as a stone thrown in a lake. At first the ripples are big, but as you move away from it, the ripples get smaller and smaller. She said that when you can no longer see the ripples, the stone was still at the bottom.

The other thing that I looked at were these small fishing boats. Here in the midst of amazing warcraft were a couple of small boats. It was amazing to me that in response to a sounding of the need for boats to rescue over 300,000 people in the Dunkirk evacuation that fishermen came forth with small fishing boats. It is a wonder that they didn't feel that they had nothing to offer in the face of such need. Instead of looking at how small their boats were, they were able to see the opportunity to rescue at least a few people.

When we got back to class that afternoon, we talked about what all we had seen. were talking about how almost disgusting it was to see people posing in front of the exhibit of shoes of the victims of the holocaust. One of my classmates, a wonderful, sensitive young man, was hesitant to confront these people primarily due to his age. It was an interesting conversation about taking a stand for what is right without regard for what others might think, particularly when we are in a place where we know nobody. Of course, wisdom is required, but we have a role to play. We couldn't help but to contrast what a difference between the attitude of the fishermen who seemed confident that they could make a difference and the attitude of the people in the midst of the holocaust.

The rest of class time included student presentations on nutrition and exercise. I am so impressed with the amount of learning and prep time we are all able to put in despite all of the wonderful distractions.

Of course, my main distraction is the theatre. I originally had dinner plans for Tuesday night, but they got changed. So that freed me up to hit the theatre. I have only a few nights left when I am in town without plans so I have a made our must see list. When I headed out, I had no idea where I was heading and then I found a show on my list. I was able to buy a ticket at the door for Pygmalion, which is essentially their version of My Fair Lady, without "the rain in Spain falling mainly on the plain!" It made for a wonderful evening!

Last Day in Berlin

Note: Pictures will be added when I have access to a better internet connection!

On my last day in Berlin, Doug and I had decided to take Ella to the park "with the hill." This is the highest point in Berlin. That, however, was to be Ella's mid-day walk and Doug is very diligent to keep Ella in her routine.

It just dawned on me that I may not have explained who Ella is or how she came to be a part of Doug's family. Ella is a dog who was rescued from the streets of Greece. Apparently, there are a lot of strays in Greece and there is an organization who fly over there and brings them back to Germany in hopes that they will be adopted. Ella spent 9 months in a foster family where she got acclimated to family life. In some ways, it appears that more care was taken to providing a smooth transition to Ella than is for many foster children in the states.

So, before it was time to take Ella for her mid-day walk, Doug decided to do some grocery shopping as he and Julien were having company that evening for dinner. When asked if I wanted to go, I had to factor in that this would require and addition trip up the 75 steps, but determined that experience of life in Berlin and more time with Doug was well worth the trip! When we returned, as I had done on previous days, I asked how long Doug would be in putting away the groceries, hoping to avoid the trip up, but soon learned that he needed some time to do some of the prep work for dinner. So, up the 75 steps I went and, obviously, I survived!

Soon thereafter, Doug and I, along with Ella, headed out to Victoria Park. As I mentioned this is the highest point in Berlin and provided a fantastic view. In addition, there is an artificial waterfall that falls down through it that was simply lovely. The whole thing reminded me a lot of "the valley" near where I grew up outside of Cleveland. But for the 90 degree heat, it was a wonderful walk.

One of the most exciting part part of the walk is that while Doug was pointing out where Ella's dog sitter lives, Ella started getting very anxious. This had happened before in response to certain types of whistles and other sounds from her difficult past. This time she was relentless. The next thing that I knew, Doug was almost running to stay with her. Finally, the issue because clear. Ella had sniffed out Nina, her dog sitter who was walking quite a ways in front of us. She was so very excited and relieved when she could finally visit with her friend!

We returned to the apartment, continued our conversation until it was time for me to leave. Doug was kind enough to take the first bus with me and get me on the second bus that would deliver me directly to the airport. Departing Berlin was much less eventful than arriving. I would have to say that this was, at least in part, to the fact that I was now more experienced with their processes.

Upon arrival back to London, the train that I had planned to take didn't travel to the destination I had planned to get off at. This provided the excitement (i.e., stress) for this let of the trip. I caught the Tube and traveled to a familiar station and walked the rest of the way for fear of getting on the wrong bus. I was tired and wanted to be home. I have bruises on my arms to document that my luggage was too heavy for such a walk (discount airlines have severe restrictions on carry on luggage, so I had a bag that I had to carry), but I survived.


I am so thankful to Doug, Julien and Ella who made me feel so very welcome. It was a wonderful trip and a little hard to return as it felt so much like home, being with someone who knew so much of my story.

Good, but not exactly fun.

Doug and Julien had brunch plans so I elected to venture out again by myself. I had determined that I couldn't do everything, so I was going to make it a priority to do those things that you needed to experience. That is any I went to the memorial yesterday. On this day, I made the difficult decision to visit a memorial/museum concentration camp. This required about a 50 minute train ride to the north end of the S1 train to Orenienburg. From there I walked about 20 minutes through this small town, which was pretty much closed up on this Sunday morning.

I had a lot of reservations about going there. I knew that it would be overwhelming and I was right. I was overwhelmed with the evil and couldn't help but wonder how people get to the point where they are able to do the horrendous things that were done there. I was equally as amazed at the fact that there are people who survived those atrocities and went on living. There were videos of survivors recounting horrific experiences that I feel certain I could not have endured.

I was glad for the walk back as I needed time to decompress. I stopped at what appeared to be the only place open to get food. I couldn't communicate at all,a but I pointed to a picture and ended up with what Doug later told me was classic Turkish street food. I really liked it and was quite proud of myself doe trying it!

The long quite train ride also provide some time to reflect. I concluded that as easy as it is to say that war is not the answer, I saw for myself that there are times that war is necessary. I am thankful, this Memorial Day weekend, that people interceded on behalf of people they would never know.

After some quite time at the apartment, we headed out to a beer garden to get dinner. I had a wonderful meal with leg of lamb and again, the evening was topped off by peppermint tea and one of Doug's wonderful cookies!

The Garden and then Adventuring out on my Own!

Saturday started off with a delicious breakfast of fresh made scones! Wow! Further evidence that Doug is amazing! After breakfast, Doug and I headed out to do some shopping for dinner! Everything, I was led to believe is "just around the corner!". Nothing was particularly far and I soon realized that just around the corner is a relative term, but is meaningful for those who are used to walking. We ventured out to the grocery store, the Turkish market and then to the Turkish grocery store.

I was fascinated by all the memorial markers there were throughout the city. For example, where ever a Jew who was killed was known to have lived, they place a marker in the sidewalk out front of the home.

When we got back to his apartment, I confirmed that we were just dropping off our purchases before heading out to true garden. That being the case, I elected to wait at the bottom of the 75 steps for Doug to return! Soon, he and Ella were ready to head off to the garden!


The garden! Doug and Julien have a garden that is simply wonderful. The only down side is that it is about a 25 minute walk from their apartment. They lease a guarded that is a quite a nice size. It is in a community garden area so they have garden neighbors. They are require to use a certain percentage of the land for "useful" plants, such as fruit, vegetables, and herbs! They have decided to not have any grass (which is considers ornamental), but to instead use the space for flowers. They have a beautiful variant of plants and it was wonderful to see Julien, especially, enjoying the whole process.

I left the garden and Doug got me to the train station so that I could venture back into the city by myself. I was a little concerned since I don't speak the language and didnt want to be one of THOSE Americans who expect everybody to speak English.

My first stop was the information center which is beneath the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It was an incredibly powerful exhibit. From there, I needed some relief so I set out to find something for my mom as well as postcards. Mission accomplished and the. I passed a Dunkin Donuts, where the donuts are labeled just like they are at home! Comfort food, following a very painful Memorial.

I walked back to where Doug and I had been the day before, and took it all in. It is humbling being in a different country with a different language. I am constantly reminded of how arrogant I am as I am constantly surprised that everything is not in English. I made my way back to the train and headed to the apartment.

Boy can Doug cook! He made a wonderful pork roast with small potatoes, and white asparagus. The entire meal was wonderful!

First Full Day in Berlin

I was astounded when I woken up to see tha I had slept past 8:30, which even with the time change was later than I've slept the entire time I've been away! Doug and sat on the couch for hours, just talking and catching up! It was wonderful!

After a quick shower, we headed out, taking a train to the city. The first stop was to see a portion of the wall that divided East Berlin from West Berlin which has been left up. It is just amazing to me that this really happened in my lifetime! This was was built the year that I was born! Throughout the city, you can see in the ground a two-brick wide trail of there the was.

From there we walked. Doug knows an amazing amount of the history of the city. As in London, I was kind of overwhelmed with a sadness that I didn't know much of the history at all. I was also humbled, because if I were asked to take someone around in America, I probably couldn't do much better than I can over here! Oh well, no sense in worrying about that now!

The next point of interest was the "Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe." This was a huge memorial that was very unique and yet very powerful. It is made up of over 200 slabs or Stelae as they are called over nearly 5 acres. They are of varying sizes and at different angle. The ground on which they are placed is not even either. There is an information underneath that I didn't visit this day, but determined that I would come back for.


We walked through the Brandenburg Gate (admiring the Quadriga on to) and continued down that street, passing various historic sites, including a memorial to burned books. This consisted of a piece of glass in the ground through which you could seen empty bookshelves. We stopped at the Neue Wach (New Guardhouse). This was a memorial to the victims of "war and tyranny." Inside, there was a statute titled, "Mother and Dead Son."


Julien, who is the director of the Sculpture Collection at the Bode Museum met us and took us into the Pergamon Museum where you can see the Hellenistic Pergamon Alter, the Gate of Ishtar, and the Babylonian Processional Street. I was most fascinated as Julien described that these "works" were delivered in creates in small peoples that had to be put together is some meaningful fashion. I will never allow myself to be intimidated by a jigsaw puzzle again!

From there, we took that S-Baun back to the apartment. Julien walked to the garden to unwind after work (more on that later) and when he returned we went to a lovely Italian restaurant. I had a pasta dish with sausage and mushrooms, which was wonderful! It was fun to discover that there was no sense in overeating because Doug and, moreso, Julien were more than willing to finish it off!

Upon returning home, we enjoyed peppermint tea and Doug's amazing oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! A perfect end to a wonderful day!

Class on Thursday and then Off to Berlin!

Yes, I do take classes! On Thursday, as a class we went to the Mind, Body, Spirit exhibit on the other side of town. Keep in mind, one of my classes is a "complimentary health" class, si we are being exposed to many things that are new to us. This exhibition was the peak of new experiences! There were hundreds of booths on every kind of activity that is thought to have healing or diagnostic powers that you can imagine!

I was assigned to find out about iridology. In the brochure, it was listed under "Clinical Iridology!". I was so glad to see that it is clinically based. For those who don't know, this is the "science" of determining all that ails you by examining your irises! I talked to the women, who had more initials after her name than anyone I've ever met, and, not surprisingly, I wasn't convinced!

Well, I was full of anxiety today as I prepared to go to Berlin. I am guessing that this was because it was my first time flying alone outside the United States. The first challenged was to get to the airport. Because I made a mistake right off the bat, this involved a bus, a ride on the tube and the the train. I had to laugh when outside the window from the train, I saw where "Take Courage" had been painted on the side of a building. As it turned out, I got there in plenty of time.

Things are different flying out of London. To start with, nobody looked at identification until I was getting on the plane. Secondly, they don't post the gate in advance. Instead, from something like the food court/shopping area, we all watched these boards. My flight was listed and it indicated that the gate would open at 17:00. My flight was to take off at 17:40 and my boarding pass said that the gate closed at 17:10. Very confusing. What happens is that at the time listed Ian the boards, the gate number is posted and you have 45 minutes to get to the gate. This was my first indication that things were running late!

Well, at 17:00 they posted , "Please wait.". So I waited. And waited. Finally at about 17:45 the board was updated to say, "Gate. Closing!". I've never seen a group of people move so fast down a concourse to a gate in my life. Nobody knew what was happening! This is all compounded by the fact that you don't have an assigned seat on these discount airlines, so your place in line to board really matters.

So, now I'm in a mob at the gate where we wait and wait. Finally they tell us to take a seat because they don't know how long it will be. They were waiting for the plane to be refueled. After nearly an hour, someone turns around and says okay, and the mob jumps to their feet and stands waiting to board!

So I board and just take the first seat I see. I am glad I brought a very small bag so that I didn't even have to put it overhead. No frills airline-you pay for everything! Thankfully they haven't started charging to use the restroom, but I hear it's coming!

All that to say, I made it to Berlin, where, thankfully Doug met me at the airport! Two buses, later, I arrived it Doug's apartment, where I was greeted by 75 steps! My word, haven't they heard of elevators?

It could have been worse. A classmate of mine was also flying to Germany on Thursday, but out of Heathrow Airport. He arrived at his destination at 5:00 Friday afternoon!

Where was I - oh, yes, Wednesday!

This is why I need to post every day. It is so hard to remember because I am getting to do so much!

On Wednesday morning, on the recommendation of Dr. Karioth, i headed out to the Foundlings Museum. The Foundlings were children who were taken in rather than to be left on the street to die. This started as a hospital of sorts and was really a big boarding school. Amazingly it was in operation beginning in the 1700's all the way into the 1950's.

On of the exhibits they have is of people who lived there telling there story. It was profound hear from their perspective. As with anything, the stories varied, but all here intense. There were photos which reminded me of my high school reunion, with people laughing, but there many more sad images.

One interesting fact was that Handel (yes, of Handel's Messiah) was a huge supported of the hospital and used to do annual performances of the Messiah as a fundraiser! The top floor of the museum is dedicated to him and contains a collection of his music. They even have chairs where you can simply listen and enjoy.

From there, I headed on a meandering walk and discovered that the Lion King has a matinee on Wednesdays! Needless to say, I bought a ticket. The only problem with the afternoon performance is there there are a zillion children on trips with their class! Teachers really need to inform the children that it is not necessary to clap long with every song that has a beat! Other than that, it was an amazing show! I am constantly amazed with the creative mind that so many people appear to have! But I am thankful for those who use it for good and not for evil!

I had purchased tickets to see Billy Elliot in advance so that was my plan for the evening! This required that I go to a part of London that I had never been! I diligently checked and determined that I needed to be on the 38 bus. I was certain that I knew where the stop was, so I headed out. As I always do, as I boarded, I asked if this bus would take me to my desired destination. It wouldn't! The driver looked in his little book and found that I needed to catch the bus at a different stop, so I headed in the direction he sent me.

Upon my arrival at the stop, I realized that the 38 bus didn't come to this stop. However, the good signage indicated that the 78 bus would get me there. So I waited and waited. In the meantime, I kelp seeing 38 buses, but always turned just before getting to the stop where I was waiting. I was getting concerned so I decided that I'd walk to a different stop to get the 38 as I had originally planned. The problem was that when it turned the corner, I realized that this was a London intersection that had like five streets coming together and I had no idea which way the 38 bus went. In the end, I had walked around the block and ended up on the 78 bus, finally on my way.

Well, the 78 bus stops at every corner along Oxford street! I was certain i was going to be late! I was trying to tell myself to relax be use there was nothing that I could do. Keep in mind that even when I got to my destination, I had no idea where the theatre was and I had to pick up my ticket at the box office since I bought it online!

This was the first time that I had really been frustrated getting around London. I hate being late and I hate the panicked feeling of knowing I am going to be late and there was nothing I could do about it! I was not a happy camper, but was proud that I didn't just give up and go back home.

I was in my seat at 7:28 for the 7:30 start! It was so worth the stress. It was an amazing show! The music and the dancing was wonderful. I was in total awe to see this young boy with so very much talent! My favorite part was after he had danced his audition (I am not going to explain the show so you'll have to trust me), this young man, broke into a huge grin! He nailed in and he knew it! I am sure he wasn't supposed to do that, but it was wonderful to sees that he was enjoying himself so very much!

As I was leaving, I ended up on the 38 bus heading home and it was a perfect trip back from what turned out to be a wonderful evening in London!

Touring Tuesday

This Tuesday, we had an organized trip to the Tower of London and to Greenwich. The Tower is fascinating to me! I went on a guided tour with a Beefeater who was charming! I so enjoy hearing them tell the stories. Of course, I did stop in a visit the crown jewels, which were as impressive as you would expect. We also saw the ravens that are kept there. It is said that if the ravens ever leave that will be the end of the monarchy, so they keep them caged . . . just in case!

I was fascinated that there are some 130 people (including some children) who actually live at the Tower of London, including a doctor and a chaplain. I would think that would be a very strange place to live. I'm not sure how I'd feel about it.

It was interesting that while we were there, there was a 21-gun solute in honor of President Obama's arrival. I found it most fascinating that there was no press coverage, as if this is "normal." Of course, Mr. Obama wasn't there (he was at his own private 21-gun solute elsewhere). In spite of the lack of attention, the British servicemen still "performed" with the precision that we've grown to expect.

From the Tower, we took a boat ride down the Thames River to Greenwich. I have to admit, I was underwhelmed until I got to the top where the observatory is and took in an incredible view! Of course, it was fun to stand with one foot in the eastern hemisphere and one in the western hemisphere. It just proves how arbitrary we are in our ways of making sense of things.

Slow Monday

This monday was kind of slow. I was exhausted from the TCF supportive weekend. I realized that my time is quickly running out. So I spent the morning planning out my theatre priorities! I mapped out the remaining evenings that I will be in town and made a list of shows I still hoped to see. Then, I began to fill in the spaces. My first priority is anything that is showing at the National Theatre. I am glad to say, that I am now in possession of tickets for all the remaining shows playing there! I only have 7 days to fill in and that makes me very sad.

After that most important task was under control, I did a considerable amount of reading for school. I only mention that as some have begun to wonder if I remembered why I was here. I do and I am pleased to say that I meeting all of my professor's expectations to this point!

After getting cleaned up, I headed out to spend some time with a friend, just talking. It was a good, needed time, to reflect on the weekend. And it was fun, filled with laughter as well.

I had ordered my tickets to "The Cherry Orchard" online so I had to pick them up when I got there, which was a new experience. I, of course, arrived very early, "just in case," but there was no problem. Because I had successfully navigated unfamiliar food over the weekend, I took a chance and at at the theatre, ordering Stuffed Aubergine and Peppers. It looked rather fancy and tasted wonderful. I guess eggplant isn't that special to a lot of people, but for me it was an adventure!

I've decided that I am a simple person who likes the theatre and that's okay. I enjoyed it and was simply fascinated by the set. You have to understand, however, that I stood on that set last week!

This entire trip has been an series of amazing experiences for which I am truly thankful!

Weekend in Sheffield

On Friday, after doing laundry, I packed up and took a two hour train trip to Sheffield. I have no idea which way it was relative to London, but I do know that it was beautiful. It was not the side trip to which I was most looking forward. The purpose of the trip was to participate (not just attend) a TCF (The Compassionate Friends) supportive weekend. I slept on the train (stress does that to me), but was greeted by the most delightful older man, Jerry (in the background below) who made me feel quite welcome.

The food over the weekend was in abundance and was, I'm told, typically British. For example, I had duck salad, ocean pie, and yorkshire pudding with roast beef! Each morning offered a full english breakfast. The odd thing to me is that it includes what looks to me like it might be Van Camps beans! I passed on that. By the end of the weekend, I was free to ask these dear people anything about what they were saying and what we were eating. The seemed to enjoy watching me try to navigate their world.

Saturday afternoon, a group of us went on a hike through the countryside. We left through a back gate from the Whirlow property (pictured above) and walked between two "dry walls." These are the walls that are simply stones piled very carefully. They are called dry walls because there is now (wet) cement kind of stuff used to put it together. it was simply amazing! It is the law that landowners have to allow you to pass through their property. In order to do this, we had to climb over the fences using these steps. Towards the end we went into the woods and descended using steps that were built into the side of the hill. This brought us to our destination, a magnificent city park. While we were sitting there, most having tea, of course, a wedding reception began and we just sat there. I don't know, but somehow I found it kind of funny!

All in all it was a good weekend. It was very encouraging to see people who had lost children years ago who had found the balance of moving forward while honoring their children who had died. I had psyched myself up before I went by telling myself, "It's only 48 hours and you never have to see these people again!" I left kind of sad saying, "We only had 48 hours and I may never see these people again." What an amazing turn-around!

Thursday . . .

Thursday is a school day, so there isn't as much going on. Class was interesting in that we had a speaker come in and talk about Ayurveda, which means, "The Science of Life." It has been around from over 5,000 years, so I wouldn't call it a fad. Some of it I could kind of get, but some of it is a little out there for me.

Our class had dinner together and headed to a show. The class was going to see "Priscilla," but before I knew that, I was able to buy a ticket to "One Man, Two Guvnors," which just opened Tuesday. It is interesting that when a show opens, they only have about 3-4 days to rehearse with the full set. Then, they have 5 or 6 preview nights before they have the "press night." For this show, press night is this coming Tuesday which means that I was at one of the preview nights. Tickets were much cheaper and I had an amazing seat! It was such a fun show. A lot of physical humor and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This picture is the view from the Waterloo Bridge as I was walking back from the National Theatre! Have I mentioned that I love London?

I'm glad to have done something really fun tonight because it is my last show for the week. Tomorrow, I'm heading out of town to North of London. Compassionate Friends is a worldwide support organization for parents who have lost children. They are having a "Supportive Weekend" this weekend at Whirlow Grange, which is a beautiful conference and retreat center. I am looking forward to a slow weekend in such beautiful surroundings and I think that it will be a good time to share my life with Christopher with some people who understand my loss.

I doubt that I'll have internet access over the weekend, so there probably won't be an update until Monday!

A Theater-filled Day!

Wednesday started off with a tour of the National Theatre here in London. This was a class trip, although not a class that I am enrolled in. However, one of the students, Jenn, has a conflict on Wednesdays when they take the class excursions and so I am her fill-in! I am so thankful as this was amazing. Also, I already have a ticket to a tour of the BBC in a couple of weeks! Thanks, Jenn!

I think that what made the tour all the more intersting is that last week I saw "Rocket to the Moon" in this same theatre. The National Theatre actually includes 3 theatres. It is a repitrarie theatre which means that there can be more than one play on a particular stage at a time. Not at the same time, but the sets are all there for two shows and one plays about a week and then switches out and the other place for a week or so and then back again. They have to be able to switch out sets in one day - like 8 hours! The idea is that as a national theatre it should have shows that reach the widest audience as possible. I was able to go on stage at the Olivier Theatre which is named after Sir Lawrence Olivier! It is the biggest of the three. The interesting thing about it is that, unlike most theaters in london, it is not rectangular, but rounded like a Greek open-aired theater! The total angle of the seating is 118 degrees. This is the same angle that our peripheral vision includes. This way, when you are standing in the center of the stage to give a monologue or speech, you have the entire house within your vision! I'll tell you, they think of everything!

On the way back, I stopped at the "Rock & Sole Plaice" and split fish and chips, which was wonderful! The portions are huge and I love it, but am glad to be able to share it with someone!

Something like 70-80% of the costumes, props and sets for productions at the National Theatre are made "in house." There is a metal shop, a carpentry shop, an armory, a scenic studio (where the sets are painted, and the prop department. It was amazing to see on of the horses from "War Horse" up close and personal! Totally amazing! The one that we saw was Emily, Joey's mother! Her role got cut a few weeks before the show opened at the National. So, there she lives. Sets are recycled as much as possible. Props and costumes are kept to be used for future shows and are "hired out!"

After that wonderful tour, I was anxious to go to the show! I went to see "Love Never Dies" at the Adelphi Theatre which has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Some says that this is a sequel to Phantom of the Opera, but I've been told that Webber doesn't say that's not true and I'm guessing he would know! As you can imagine, it was wonderful.

In the evening, I saw another powerful production, "War Horse!" If you can imagine, it had "puppets" that were life sized for full-grown horse! It required three puppeteers for each of the big horses and they were able to carry a man on top of the horse!

Obviously, I am loving the theater. I think that it is most exciting to me that London is such an easy place to be active even by myself. I have no problem going to shows at night and walking. It is just an amazing place!

Tuesday

Tuesday's are kind of a slow days because they are interrupted with classes, of all things. Somehow, I managed to be an hour and a half late to class. I could make a good case as to why it wasn't my fault, but it was. Now I have a system where fellow-classmates and I confirm and verify so that I know what I am doing. I told them that this should be an encouragement. You, too, can be a doctoral student even if you are unable to read and correctly interpret an e-mail from you professor! Oh well, time to let it go.

When I did go to class, we went to the Grant Museum Zoology and Comparative Anatomy. This was not exactly my cup of tea as it contained something like 70,000 specimens which date back 170 years! Apparently when Robert Edmond Grant came to London to teach anatomy (Charles Darwin was one of his students), there were no specimens to use so he started his own collection. He was convinced, on his deathbed, to donate this collection to the University, where they are still used today. Again, not my thing, but interesting nonetheless!

From there we headed to the Wellborn Trust Museum's Dirt Exhibit. The full title of the Exhibit is "Dirt: The Filthy Reality of Everyday Life." Sounds appealing, huh? I didn't spend a lot of time there, but saw enough. London apparently had a real problem with dirt in their past. My professor told us that when she was here in the 1970's, she would have black stuff around her nose when she got home after being out for a day. And when she blew her nose, there was black in the tissue. Enough said.

My evening was topped off by going to "Blithe Spirit," which was vey funny. I am loving the variety of shows that are around town. A couple of interesting things around the theaters. First of all, no photographs are allowed. I understand this totally during a performance so as not to distract, but I am not sure I understand why you can't take pictures of the inside of the theaters. They are beautiful buildings? The other thing that is "cute" is that there are little Hagen Das ice cream carts that come out at intermission. The a little cup (like we used to eat as kids with a wooden flat spoon) cost 3 pounds, fifty. That is over $5.50!

I have finally accepted the fact that I am one who is able to just go to the theatre and enjoy the show, especially when I like the story. I am not a critic and will never be. I think that I am just too simple and I like it that way!

Monday, Monday

This Monday was a very productive day! I did a load of laundry, folded it AND put it away! It is amazing what I can do when there is another person sharing my room! I had just thrown on my Berkenstocks when I was doing laundry and then when I put the clothes in the dryer, I decided that I'd go to the bank to get cash (to purchase what else, but theatre tickets!). Seemed like a good idea. From there, I thought I'd going by the post office to get stamps in hopes of mailing some of the many post cards I had purchased. By the time that I was at the post office, I realized I had managed to grow a blister on the bottom of my foot about the size of a quarter. I wasn't about to let that stop me! So, I tied my tennis shoes as tight as I could and off I went!

First stop, Buckingham Palace! I decided, however, to take the bus! I'm getting pretty good at it, if I may say so myself. Walking through Green Park, I noticed this "thing" in the middle of the side walk. This is the first time I have seen anything with Princess Diana's name on it! After I saw this one, I saw another near Buckingham Palace! I guess it is a little awkward since she was the ex-wife!

I thought this was kind of cute. Walking back in front of Buckingham Palace, there was what appeared to be a newly married couple getting who were using Buckingham Palace for their wedding photos!

I am amazed at how many tourists are here! Both times that I've been near Buckingham Palace, there are just thousands of people! You know, I've heard (back home) that the people here resent how much the Monarchy costs, but I have to wonder if anybody has ever figured out how much revenue they create! Everything you buy here includes a 20% VAT (value added tax) and I can tell you that there is a lot of buying going on at the shops related to the Monarchy!

When I got back, there was work to be done for school. Yes, I do have to do work for school. I went over to Pret, which is my Panera here in London! I was all ready to set up shop when I realized that I failed to bring the converter-thing that lets me plug my computer into their electrical outlets! I did manage to get some reading done!

Of course, not day is complete without going to a show! So, I decided to see "The Mousetrap" which is the world's longest running show, now it ints 59th season. I attended the 23,364th performance! After seeing some of the exciting stuff that I've seen, this was a little slow, but it was good. Eventually, this run will come to an end and I'll be able to say that I was a part of it!

American Music in London!

Sunday, was a day of American Music in London! I went to a matinee performance of "Jersey Boys" and an evening performance of "Thriller." Although the same kind of show, they were entirely different. Jersey Boys told a story and Thriller was more of a concert with minimal details provided. If you think about it, with cable TV, we all know exactly what the Jackson's were all about. We've seen more videos of Michael Jackson through the years that we have of most anybody else. As a result, there is no way that you could have somebody "play" him in a live performance. It is too easy to find where they wouldn't get it right. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, on the other hand, weren't so visible! The actors who played them were simply amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the everything about it and I was amazed at all the songs those guys did. I had no idea!

What a contrast in audiences! I would say that for Jersey Boys, I was in the youngest quartile while at Thriller, I was in the oldest quartile! It was pretty funny to see one show following the other. The most fascinating thing to me was that in Thriller, the audience was from everywhere. It seemed to me like there were more non-English speakers than there were English speakers! I had no idea what a world-wide sensation Michael Jackson was. It was pretty incredible! The kid who sang Michael's part of songs from the Jackson Five days was wonderful and probably got the biggest ovation! I'm glad I went!

Just in case anybody is wondering, I did spend most of the morning doing work for school. I do remember my primary purpose for being here!

Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the Theatre, of course!

Saturday's planned activities included guided tours of both houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey! These (and most of our tours) are lead by Blue Badge Guides. These people are amazing! They can walk around and talk about these various places like they lived it all! One of the guides that did groups for both of today's tours had was also one of our guides for yesterdays trip to Bath and Stonehenge. The Blue Badge is to tour guides as the CPA is to an accountant. They spend nearly two years studying and training to get their badge. They are just amazing!

Parliament was amazing! Did you know that it was built along the river so that angry mobs could never surround them? For the tour, we followed the route that the Queen takes when she appears to open Parliament, starting in the Robing room. This is where she gets dressed for the ceremony and is the only room in Parliament that doesn't have cameras! From there, she proceeds through the Royal Galley. This is the room that is often used to greet heads of state. The last one to visit was French President, Nicolas Sarkozy. What is funny about this is is that on either side of the long walls in the Royal Gallery there are two huge painting. One is the Battle of Waterloo and the other the Battle of Trafalgar. In both cases, the British defeated the French. I wonder if he noticed!

The walked through the House of Lords, which is a little over the top with all the gold trimmings. This is where the Queen sits (with her husband sitting next to her on a chair that is 1 inch shorter) to give her speech, opening Parliament. From her seat, you can see right through the chambers, through the Central Lobby and in the House of Commons. The Queen has never been in the House of Commons; she is not allowed past the House of Lords. The word lobbying, we were told, comes from the fact that commoners are permitted to come to the Central Lobby and talk to their MP (Member of Parliament). If the member is in, they will come down to talk. Talking to your member, stating your interests, in the Central Lobby was called Lobbying!

They don't allow photographs inside, so this is the hallway off of Westminster Hall, which by the way, is currently undergoing preparations for President Obama's visit at the end of the month!



















Westminster Abbey was simply glorious! I found it interesting that there are little statues that have been added above the doorway, including one of Martin Luther King with a child at his feet. Within the Abbey, there are some people buried there and many more memorialized there, including FSU's own Paul Dirac! It has been said that if he had more social skills (they now believe that he was probably on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum), he would likely have been more famous than Einstein as he is credited with laying the foundation for the microchip! My favorite statue was of William Wilberforce as he just had a wonderful smirk on his face!

The Abbey has been the site of all the coronations since 1066! Also, it is the site of some notable weddings, the most recent being of the the William and Catherine (as she is being "re-branded"). The guide pointed out that these wedding weren't always so elaborate, because before television coverage, it didn't much matter.

After all that, I was exhausted, but after a rest, couldn't let an evening be lost. So I decided to wander out and ended up at the theatre (surprise, surprise!). I saw "Blood Brothers" which was very sad, but really good. I could particularly relate to the final song, "Tell Me It's Not True."

Bath and Stonehenge

Today we took a trip to Bath and to Stonehenge. Both are amazing in different ways, but only one was I able to really appreciate. It might be like the theatre in that I just don't get it.

Bath was fascinating as we were able to see Roman structures that date back something like 5000 years! It had been buried and was just discovered around 300 years ago (I think). I enjoyed hearing about the thinking when the city of Bath was built. There was a concerted effort that homes should be "palaces on a human scale." To accomplish this, they made the attached houses look very regal and designed the roads to maximize the view as the homeowner approached. For example, the Circus (a road that is like a big round-about), only had three roads so that as you entered, you always saw the full view of the homes. another interesting piece of trivia, is that the diameter of the Circle ws to match the diameter of Stonehenge!

While that was interesting, my great accomplishment in Bath is that I climbed the 212 steps to the top of the tower of the Bath Abbey! I may never walk again, but what a view! In the pictures to the right, you can see the clock near the top of the tower and a picture of the back of that very same clock! After that, we climbed another 30 steps, or so, to the tower that you can see beyond the Roman Bath. The most humorous part of the day is that I got a sausage roll for lunch. It had a real flakey crust, which kept dropping as I stood outside and ate. The next thing I know, I had my own personal pigeon waiting at my feet to collect my crumbs! Kind of reminded me of Dutchess!

After Bath, we headed to Stonehenge. I have to admit that I don't understand the fascination here. I can appreciate that it is a huge deal that someone felt compelled to move these huge stones to this place and configure them like they did, but if we don't now why they did it, then why is it so interesting? Maybe I was just tired and someday, I'll look back on this and appreciate more having been there.


After all those steps and all this time travel, I'm tired.

About Last Night . . . .

Blogger was in a read-only mode for maintenance. Actually, it was a good day for it to be down since not a lot happened since I had class. The cool thing about class, however, was that we went to the British Museum as a group to see the Life and Death Exhibit. That's certainly not something you do everyday!

I did get to the theatre again! (I've decided that my goal is to see 20 plays while I am here! I've seen four so far! Wish me luck!) I saw "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg." I kind of liked it, but today I was told that it wasn't very good. I guess there are benefits to be ignorant as to what makes for good theatre! I was able to just enjoy it because I, apparently, didn't know better. Oh well!

The Problem with London

Today was a perfect example of the problem with London. I set out a little after 11:00 to head to a park where I would do some reading for school. I figured there was no sense in sitting in my flat to read. So I headed out. I meandered through town. Along the way, I noticed a matinee of a play that I thought sounded interesting. Eventually, I came to the The Green Park, which was not my intended destination, but it worked. I found a bench and sat down when I heard a marching band. Of course, I had to go see what was going on! Boy was I surprised to find that I was right next to Buckingham Palace! Of course, I had to scope things out around there and came back through St. James Park. The picture is Buckingham Palace from the bridge in St. James Park. By this time, it was after 1:00, so I decided to head back towards that theatre I saw. I was surprised that I found it again, even though somehow I came at it a totally different direction. The cool thing is that from where I came, I noticed that this theatre was next to The Queens Theatre where there was a 2:30 matinee of Les Miserables! This was on my must do list, so I bought a student ticket and went to that production!

Les Miserables was amazing. I had never seen a turn-table style stage. I now understand (thanks to Katie, my MFA-Theatre student roommate) that this is one of the signature characteristics of this play. I was amazed by the entire thing! The theatre was virtually packed which is amazing since I believe it is in its 25th year! It was fun to see that there was a group of school kids - probably about fourth or fifth grade there. What an experience!

As I was walking today, I realized that there were some unuque things about London that I want to be sure to remember. First of all, I find it fascinating that there are sandwich shops everywhere. They are kind of like Panera or Atlanta Bread, but the sandwiches are pre-made. These places (PRETs, Eat. Eat. Eat., and Costas) are everywhere! People here don't appear to sit down as much for lunch as we do. They are walking along the streets eating sandwiches!

Another thing, I have now seen two bookstores that, along with medical books, sell scrubs and stethoscopes! One was near a college so that kind of made sense, but the other one had a display in the window! I think that is so odd. It is like you are going to buy a book about being a doctor and then dress the part.



Today for the first time, I was the London version of AAA for Black Cabs, which, by the way are not all black, but they are still called Black Cabs. It was so cool looking. Here I am next to Buckingham Place and there is a guy under a car making repairs! I could easily have imagined Christopher doing this!

There so much more, but I need to call it a night! I actually spent quite a bit of time this evening getting ready for class tomorrow. I never did get to read my book. That's the problem with London; it's so hard to stay on task! It sure did make for a fun day, though!