Blog

Woke at 5:30 today to beautiful sunshine. Decided to get up and walk in Green Park one last time. Had the park to myself for some vivid green pictures. Back to shower and pack and pick up Jeff for our early Tube ride to Waterloo station. Insane check-in lines at the Eurostar terminal. Platform 21, Coach 15, Seats 15/16. Sped through green English countryside. Entered the Channel Tunnel…popped out 20 min later to find green French countryside. Hot ham and cheese sanwiches on the train…spent our last pounds. Arrived in Paris at Gare du Nord trainstation and picked up our euros. Walked a few blocks to the #2 Metro line to the Arc de Triomphe station. Arrived at our hotel–the Hotel Élysées Ceramic. Dropped off luggage and walked back to the Arc de Triomphe. Bought our Paris Museum Passes. Got dizzy climbing the circular stairs to the top of the Arc for panoramic views of the city. Lunch with outdoor tables along the Champs Élysées. Took Metro to the Louvre…not to go in today, but as a starting point for a healthy walk through the Jardin des Tuileries past the Grand and Petit Palais and along the broad Champs Élysées returning to the Arc de Triomphe where we began. Dinner in La Marais.

Woken two hours (!) early by an erroneous wake up call…but the hotel staff are so polite, who could be upset. After 30 min trying to fall back asleep, decided to wander and take photos instead. The city is quiet on a bank holiday weekend morning. Had to wander until 7am for the coffee shops to open. Sipped my latte in Green Park. After breakfast, hopped the Tube to Waterloo station and caught a train to Windsor. Walked the grounds of Windsor Castle (‘the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world’) and toured the extravagent state rooms. The Queen was out, but this was Jeff’s third visit, so he played tour guide. The castle’s grand medieval chapel–St. George’s–provided a gothic roof over our heads when the rain started to pick up. Fish and chips in town for late lunch and then back to the train station bound for London. After a rest and break from the rain at the hotel, we had drinks and dinner at Bertorelli in Soho. Walked back through Picadilli Circus. Early to bed to pack and catch a train to Paris in the morning.

[Note: The trouble with pounds is that prices in London are just about right if the conversion was 1:1. For example, my grande latte at Starbucks was just under 3 pounds, which is what it costs in dollars in SF. Food, drink, and transportation seem similarly priced. But the exchange is almost 2:1 right now (!), which makes everything here outrageous. Not sure how the average person here lives. On the upside, this will make the Euro seem like a deal.]

Woke to a light rain out the window. Hearty English breakfast in the hotel…’the best in London’. Grabbed a latte from Cafe Nero nearby. Walked through posh Mayfair on the way to the British Museum. Wandered aimlessly through the museum collections. Throngs of schoolkids, particularly in the Egyptian parts. Short walk to the Soane Museum, a small architecture collection. Took the Tube back to Green Park to meet up with Chris, who is joining us for several days. A quick lunch of sandwiches and soda near the hotel. Then back on the Tube to Knightsbridge. Walked through Harrods…Chris bought some chocolates. Walked through a very green Hyde Park to the Albert Memorial and then to Kensington Palace. Hopped back on the Tube to SOHO where we had dinner at the Dehli Brasserie. Crowd watching in SOHO until the bars closed at 11. Back to the hotel to rest the walking feet.

Flight from SFO to London Heathrow. Upgraded to business class (thank goodness). King Kong. Beef short ribs. Pecan crusted chicken. Lot’s of wine. Landed and breezed thru the priority arrivals line. Took the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station and then a cab to the hotel. Hilton Green Park. Small comfortable modern room. Walked through Green Park to Buckingham Palace. Queen’s Gallery. Westminster. London Eye. Lunch on the Thames at Eat, a local chain of gourmet sandwich shops. Thames walk to the Millennium Bridge at the Tate Gallery. Crossed to St. Pauls Cathedral. Walked through The City and then back along the river. Well needed shower and nap. Dinner at a nearby pub in Shepard’s Market, a cozy square in Mayfair. Fish and chips at the King’s Arms. Shrort walk through Mayfair. Chrashed for a nice cool night.

Jeff and I begin vacation today, and that will most likely result in a dearth of blog entries. But who knows, these mobile posting techniques I tried a couple of weeks ago might allow some updates from the field. But more importantly, at 1pm, Jeff and I will be sipping wine on a plane bound for London. Before we return, we’ll visit Paris, Amboise, and Venice.

Ciao. [Don’t UN-bookmark my page in my absence!]