A Year in England and Language Lessons

Well, it has almost been a year since I moved across an ocean for a dream come true. Have I learned anything? Oh yes, loads. I have learned how to transfer money internationally to pay my student loans, pay taxes from a different country, and get my license renewed through the mail. I have also learned how to cook curry, transfer cat records, and travel by train by myself across the country. I have learned what it is like to make friends from all over the world and try to understand their different quirks and customs. I have learned how to speak an entirely different language, and I DO mean English! I have learned how to have a long term relationship with someone and how friendship definitely has to be at the heart of it for the whole thing to work. But the most important thing I have learned is that if you want to make your dreams come true, the number one person that is holding you back is normally the person you see in the mirror. Once you get that person out of the way dreams are a snap! What do I mean? I mean I always kept telling myself I couldn't do it, listened to others who said the same, therefore I believed it. Once I started telling myself I could do it and only listened to that one little voice (and brought out some long suppressed Arnold stubbornness), well here I am a year later. I have now seen Paris, climbed the Eiffel Tower, seen the Mona Lisa, seen the Stone of Destiny, seen the great expanse of English moors, seen the haunted gallery and the maze at Hampton Court Palace, touched Queen Elizabeth's tomb in Westminster Abbey, and been in two rooms where kings were born. I have dined or had a pint where great works of literature have been written, seen Eloise and Abelard, walked in the footsteps of Shakespeare, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.

This coming year I hope to see Ann Frank's house, where Horatio Nelson died, Pocahontas, walk through Munich and see where Jesse Owens ran, possibly go to Portugal, and bring the love of my life home to meet my father and mother.

People still ask is London everything you ever wanted. The answer is still Oh Yes and MORE! Everyday I still pinch myself and think how blessed I am. I love England and don't ever want to leave. I have a feeling that I think of it the same way Dad feels about Montana. Maybe that is why he is so understanding about it. Thanks Dad.

Well, I have been promising you a list of some of the language barriers I have had to cross this year. Here are a few of them. . . .

fanny-pretty much not a good word to say around here, means pretty much the same as the c word for female parts. We don't say fanny packs over here, we say bum bags . . . Mum take note.
pint-beer
tube-underground
boot-trunk of a car
garage-pronounced almost like garrish
mobile-cell phone, they don't say cell, they say mobile
cooker-oven
lift-elevator
coach-bus for a long journey
tights-panty hose
chemist-pharmacy
tyres-this one is so hard to explain I will leave it up to Steve when you meet him
nappy-diaper
pram-stroller
jab-a shot from the doctor
kicking off-throwing a tantrum
grass-to tell on someone
bag-purse
rucksack-backpack
coat-jacket
sofa-couch
quid-pound
trousers-pants
pants-underwear
cash point-ATM
that's sick-that's cool!
midges-mini mosquitoes that don't really bite too bad
stag do-bachelor party
hen do-bachelorette party
disco-dance night at a pub
curry-anything Indian to eat, not necessarily with curry in it
jalapenos are pronounced halapino, with no yo sound at the end. It is quite funny. Tacos are almost pronounced with a long a, as is salsa. Trust me, I am correcting as I go.


I also would like to see more of you coming to visit me. I miss you and would love to show you my new home.

Lastly, thank you Parnell. Without you, none of this would be possible. You changed my life and made all my dreams come true. Everything I have now, I have thanks to you. God Bless.

Love,
Cory

Independence Day!

Hello everyone!

I am wearing red, white and blue today as I work on 4th of July. What? The English don't celebrate it? ;-) Well tonight I thought you might find it ironic that me, an American, will be celebrating it exclusively with the English I consider my friends. A lot of our friends are coming out to party with us as I celebrate 4th of July. No fireworks I am afraid, that might be a little over the top.

Anywho, hope you all have a wonderful, relaxful day. Enjoy the barbeque and fireworks. Stay safe and remember I think about you all with love and fondness.

School Trip in Wales

Well I survived! I don't know how, but I did.

Last Sunday I went on an adventure with the school I am currently working for, namely a week long school trip into Wales. There were 12 of my students and 19 of Year 5. I was second in command to the headmaster, Jim, and had lead responsibility for the girls. Wow, first off, lots of medications going around for asthma and hay fever. As a sufferer I am familiar with them, but have no memory of that many students in LA having allergies, nor that many children in my own childhood having any either.

Well, I grabbed my gear, mainly old sweats, trainers, and t-shirts and headed towards the train. These are the only times when I miss a car. I hate dragging suitcases through buses and trains and WALKING with the darn things up and down London's hills. Anywho, somehow I made it to Barking, where my work is, and got on the bus with the students and three Year 5 parents. The trip took 6 hours and luckily no one was sick on the way. One little Year 5 girl, Jessica started to just before we got there but I talked her out of it and distracted her by having her sing "High School Musical" songs to me. Hey, it worked!!!!

Trewern House is an old estate house turned into an activity centre for learning run by the borough I work for, Barking and Dagehham. It is approximately 200 metres from the Welch border near a town called Hay on Wye. It has several wings and tons of fields and forest around it. Absolutely gorgeous!!!!! I had been prepared by Kathy Judge, the deputy head, as to where I should look for a room. I found a nice one at the end of the upper hallway, where the girls were located. I was winging it as I took control of the unpacking and moving of belongings, but fortunately many of my girls had been the year before and coached me as to what to do next. Thank you my ladies.

After the initial dinner, goals, etc, I had to put the girls to bed. Try putting to bed 16 ten and eleven year old girls on their first night away from home. . . it is not easy!!!!!!!!! I actually resorted to telling bedtime stories from Grimms . . thank GOD for my memory! Even then I had to sit outside in between both doorways in the corridor reading my Slash Autobiography until they went to sleep. Great book by the way, for all the G N R fans! Anywho, after that we, the parents, met downstairs to enjoy a bottle of wine and recuperate from the journey. It was nice to get to know the parents, they were very kind and disappointed to learn that I will be teaching Year 5 next term. I however, am not, no pressure for the SATS!!!!! Yes!!!!!

The next morning I had to get the girls to rise and shine by 7 and downstairs by 8 for breakfast. All the students had chores assigned to them on a rotating schedule. It was very summer campish and I felt like I was living my dream of being a camp counselor. It was funny to see the girls scrambling for the shower and then trying to get away with messy rooms and unmade beds! Ha . . . as if I would let them do that! It was also interesting to see which girls and boys were pampered at home . . . Jessica obviously was after it took me three times to get her up and she forgot many things on her way to the shower. She also turned to me at one point and said, "I don't know how to make my bed." Oh boy!!! Thank you Mum and Dad . . . I think you know why.

It was very good that there were two mothers there that week. They were mothers of the boys in Year 5 but still, they were definitely more motherly and patient than me. I am all about getting on with it, I guess I get that from BOTH my parents, but when the kids needed comfort both Michelle and Debbie were there. Thank you to you both as well.

My first day my 12 students and I were going down into a cave. I had been terrified all week since I found out I would have to go through a small small SMALL space called the Post Box. You literally have to be pushed through because it is that tiny. Most of you know . . I AM CLAUSTROPHOBIC!!!!!! I hate tiny spaces and crowds. That is why I always left for work early, avoided traffic, crowded elevators and don't enjoy flying. I can control it. I have learned to get through it for the most part, the London tube has certainly helped, but oh man, I was stilly very scared. But, the moment we got in the cave, Porth yr Ogof in Wales, one of my students freaked so I didn't have time to freak myself. I had to stay strong. It was amazing. My class is very agressive towards each other usually, it comes from their backgrounds. But they helped each other through this whole cave system. The guide was even impressed. One difficult space was called the washing machine. You went down a tiny hole into darkness, found the tunnel and crawled halfway in water until you were out at the base and then crawled back up to the top of the hole. Most of the kids had no problem. But Kamile freaked out when Lisa crawled too far ahead and there was no light to guide her. Barry and Shamari, two of my agressive but saveable boys convinced the hysteric girl to go down in between them. They were so encouraging and selfless that I was in shock and teary eyed. The rest of the cave was one tight crawl space after another. There were so many times I banged my head that I was really glad to have a helmet on. OH, and did I mention the caving suit from heaven! We went down natural waterfalls in those things. Still got soaked, but not too bad. Well, Theo was pouring the water out of his Wellies but that is my Theo after all. He is loveable, but well, I think you get it when I say . . . simple.



Once we got back up to civilization the kids were stoked that they had survived their tight corner and started singing High School Musical songs. Good LORD, even the boys were singing word for word! Then they started singing Old MacDonald and were all fired up. Suddenly my Barry starts improving by saying, "Old MacDonald had a teacher . . . . with a detention there, a detention here, there a detention, here a detention, everywhere a detention!" It was hilarious. He came up with a few more that were really funny, on the spot!

Well, another evening of dinner, games, and trying to put the girls to bed on time. At least afterwards all the adults met downstairs for wine and snacks. Majel's father, the only male parent, played opera, blues, and jazz which was sweet for that time of night. He ended up burning me some CDs so I now have it on my laptop as well. Once we were all tired we went back up to bed and tried to sleep. I had my trusty little mini-DVD player with me, thanks Mom, to help me fall asleep at night.

Next day we were hiking up a mountain. Now I had already had issues getting Lisa up and down the hill from the parking lot to the cave the day before, so I was not looking forward to this day. I couldn't believe I had never realised how babied she was. Fortunately the house, Trewern house, provides boot and other hiking gear for all students and staff. You should have seen their room of boots! Well, we were climbing a place called Hay Bluff, but not only climbing, we were doing a circular climb around, up, and down onto it, which meant we were going further up because it was supposedly easier. Yeah . . . . . easier, (hear the sarcasm in my voice).

We climbed 703 metres, at some points almost vertical, I mean I was crawling up that darn mountain with feet and hands because it was so vertical. AND yes, I did say mountain! I know from watchng that stupid movie, "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain" that a mountain is anything over 1,000 feet. 703 metres is 2, 306 feet to be precise, so I am now officially a mountain climber! No, this is not a painting ladies and gents, this is the top of Hay Bluff!



What was really nice was how the kids helped each other, except Lisa, I was a little disappointed in how they didn't really help her. It was like they sensed weakness and did not want to be near her for fear of catching it. So . . . I was stuck with her, being mean, not babying her, punishing her if she sat down, and she sat down quite a lot ladies and gents. She sat and wailed, it wasn't pretty. Teaching has definitely gotten rid of all my mothering skills let me tell you. I felt very much like Mum when one of us is ill . . . " Go take care of yourself and quit bothering me!" Instead I said, "Get up Lisa and quit your wailing, you're annoying me and you can't stop!"

The greatest fun was when we were almost to the top and we saw a sheep on its back. At first we thought it was dead and kept climbing. But then one of the kids saw it move its legs. Our guide, Andy, said that once a sheep gets on its back, it can't get up and it will die. Majel's dad, Cash, walked down to where the sheep was, all the kids following him, running back down the mountain they had just struggled to climb up, screaming, "We are going to save a sheep!!!!" Cash kicked it over as gently as he could and it went running. Only then did we realise that next to it was a small baby lamb who was waiting patiently for someone to help the adult. She ran after her mother and we all realised that two little lives had been saved that day, not just one.
Anyway, we had a good day overall and the hike was a lot of fun, after the huffing and puffing of course.

The next day we went to a mine. You should have seen the students faces when they thought, I was kidding by the way, I wasn't going down with them into the mine. They practically grabbed both my arms and hands and dragged me onto the lift with them. Then they all joined hands as the lift went down. It was neat, and REALLY cold down there. The hardest part was to hear about the horses that were born, lived, and died down there without ever really seeing too much daylight. They had to practically knock them out before they brought them back down into the mine after a holiday. The funniest part was when another boy, who was there with his parents, put a booger on one of my girls coats in the dark during one of the films. Now that was hilarious! The look on her prissy face! Still laughing, sorry, know it is wrong, but yeah, still funny! (laughing to myself yet again)

It was a great trip overall. The girls enjoyed their stories every night and the boys really became less aggressive as the days went on. The scariest thing of all was when we started to get back into London during our return coach trip. The baseball caps came on, the aggressive talk started to pick up and boys that had gotten along started to talk trash to one another. I asked Jim if I was seeing and or hearing things and he said no, that it happens every year, right about this spot on the road. How sad that city life can do that to these boys.

Hopefully next year, since I am staying with this school, I can go again and tell you about new experiences. I already told my boss, Jim, that I am ready to go again. Wales was beautiful! Beautiful! I actually woke up on the coach guiltily disappointed that I was looking at the English hills I have come to love rather than the rolling hills of Wales. But as I said before, on to next year! After all, I didn't get to go canoeing or go along the waterfall walk. Who knows . . . . new adventures await!

My Uncle Ted

Thank you to all who have sent condolences regarding my uncle. The news is sad, but at least he is at peace. I have been thinking a lot about him the last couple of days. Today is the funeral, so I thought a memorial blog appropriate.

My first memory of Uncle Ted was that he was the one that took my father, sister and I in to his home when Dad was going through the divorce. I have always loved roses because of his collection of over 50 types in his yard in California. Even after we moved out, I enjoyed visiting him and his tasty healthy cooking. No really, it was tasty! During one of those pleasant visits, he was the first one to introduce peirogies to Jenny and I. What was really special to me was how he would get so excited whenever he saw Jenny or I approach that he would always giggle. I will remember that lovely giggle the rest of my life.

He was also very generous. As a child he would give me books for my birthdays, encouraging my love of reading. I still have some of them and will cherish them always. As we grew up, he continued to keep giving us gifts. Jenny and I received a large amount of money each, once we had graduated from university, to pay off student loans and any other debt we had.

I never got to tell him how I always looked forward to his birthday card every year. I remember the first one I received after his stroke, the writing was very scribbly, but he simply wrote, I still didn't forget. It always makes me smile when I think of that card. He was going through so much, but didn't forget me. I knew something was wrong when I didn't get one this year, even though I am now in London.

I never got to tell him how much I admired him for scuba diving like he did, with only one leg. That is just the kind of person he was . . brave, adventurous, and
caring. When we were little, Jenny and I had a name for him, Uncle Teddy Bear. That is exactly what he was to us, a loveable, huggable teddy bear. We love you Uncle Ted, always.

Love,
Cory

John

Well, I have been here almost ten months now. It is hard to believe that my work permit is already half done. I have had so many wonderful experiences so far . . . it is staggering to think that I can do this again for another year! Not that I am going back to LA. Home is London. Home is John. Sorry family, but that is the way it is. I have already looked into renewing my work permit and there are a few agencies interested in me, should TimePlan not renew my contract. I don't think there will be an issue with that, but just in case . . .I am prepared.

Sure the teaching is definitely tougher. But when I get home, I have John to talk to, take care of, go out with, and he takes care of me. It actually gets on my nerves how protective he is sometimes. When I was in LA, I was great at teaching, it was easier, but I didn't have John or his friends. I am so fortunate to have him AND them. I make his friends' girlfriends jealous with the many things he does for me, most recently my spa day and my birthday. I am going to Cabaret on Thursday by the way!!!

Recently I discovered that a few of my elderly relatives may be dying. It got me thinking that maybe they might want to know that I am taken care of. I did kind of spring our relationship on the family all of a sudden without explanation. I know some of you have questions as well, I haven't really informed all of you how we met. So . . . here it goes.

It was my last night in Dublin in June 2005. I had been walking all day with the family from Hope, Indiana that had taken me under their wing. We were to all meet in the hotel pub for a few drinks before the night was over. As we walked into the hotel and went our separate ways, Jimmy, the tour guide, pulled me aside in the lobby and told me that I had to be on the 6 am shuttle. My flight left at 10:3o but the next shuttle after 6 am was a 10 am, and that wouldn't work for an international flight. Well, I still went up, got ready, and met the family down in the pub. I talked with Erin, who was a woman my age in the family, and then went over to hang out with the rest of the family. They were talking to some guys at the edge of the bar. Lo and behold once I began speaking with them I discovered they were English and had just arrived from Bristol on a business trip. Now most of you know, I have always admired the English culture. I consider Jane Austen and Queen Elizabeth I my heroes. So I immediately began talking with one of them about English literature. The conversation went something like this.

Cory: "Oh you're English, I love English literature!"
John: "What, Harry Potter???"
Cory: "No . . . Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, and Henry Fielding!"
John: "Oh."

After that, John knew I wasn't an ordinary American girl. We discussed many books, movies, and TV series, including the new Lost series. I really enjoyed talking to him. He clumsily flirted with me and I turned him down, but he still kept talking to me, which I gave him props for. It also probably helped that he kept buying me Jameson and Cokes. ;-) Finally, I had to go to sleep if I was going to get up for that shuttle. I told him goodbye, not planning on seeing him again, and he not so smoothly handed me his business card. He says at this point, he didn't plan on seeing me again either, I mean, what are the chances of an Englishman and an American meeting in Ireland of all places, . . . but he thought about me and my smile days after we met.

Anywho, went to sleep, woke up, packed, ate, got on the shuttle, and made it to the airport. While on the airplane I met two more men, Irish students, who were staying in America for three months. We talked for hours and exchanged phone numbers, but they only ever called me once. Meanwhile, I had finally gotten back to my apartment and started to unpack. While preparing my laundry I found John's business card in my jean pocket. I remember thinking, oh he was nice, wouldn't be a bad pen pal. So I wrote him and said that I had a good time talking to him. When he got back from his business trip he wrote me back too. The thing that struck me, was how much he remembered from our conversation. He even remembered that I was a teacher and asked how the kids were treating me.

As we continued to write we became really good friends. John was sort of smitten with me, but I was not with him. First, he wasn't really my type. Second, he was 6,000 miles away. I had just gone through hell and high water with Mike and did not want another impossible relationship. He was always faithful in writing to me but I would sometimes go weeks, even a month before writing him back. Yet, when he came out to visit, I questioned whether I should get into a relationship with him. But again, I didn't. We drove around everywhere, Disneyland, Hollywood, Long Beach, I tried to show him everything. He didn't make a move on me, which I was pleasantly surprised with,a perfect gentleman. I would take his arm occasionally but that was about it. But even then, when my arm was through his, I have to say I did start to feel something. Then he was there when I bought Gidget. I joked with him that it was our cat, because he was there when I got her. After that he would always e-mail me asking how our baby was. Did she eat enough, etc. It was cute.

The two things that really began to sway me in his favour did not happen close together. Basically, I dropped him off at LAX at the end of his visit in February and drove off. But by the time I got home, I realised I missed his company. I even wrote him an e-mail right then and there saying how I missed him and that I had had a really good time hanging out with him. It surprised me how much I missed him. The next thing that happened was when he sent me a birthday present in May of 2006. He gave me a beautiful necklace and a book, but what got me was the book. It was a book on dragons. I love dragons! Yet again, he proved how well he paid attention to what I said and felt. Mom was there when I opened his gift and said he seemed like a nice guy. I said dismissively he wasn't my type, and she said so . . neither was James for Jenny at first. But . . . since Jenny is now Mrs. James Casey, we all know how that turned out. It got me thinking Mom, thanks!

Anywho, about September 2006 I threw myself into therapy after my last failed relationship with an English professor. I also read a quote that said something like I would rather be a young person in therapy and the rest of my life to look forward to rather than an old person in therapy looking back on the life I could have lived. During that time I went through a lot of changes and saw myself a lot differently than I use to. I healed a lot of my hurts and started to break many of the emotional chains that had held me in place for so long. I thought again about my dream to live in London, a dream I hadn't pursued since 2001. I started to look into it, not really telling anyone except my therapist, because I was afraid of discouraging remarks. I figured I had a friend in England and that might make it easier. At the same time, John's company in Bristol was in trouble and he was looking for a new job. He ended up looking for jobs in London and got one with Harper Collins. All the while we were still e-mailing each other as friends. but he would say things like, 'there is no man for you on that side of the Atlantic' or call me beautiful, his American princess, and gorgeous when he addressed me in e-mails. He also listened when we talked, was a great friend, and was always positive about me and my changes. He finally wore me down. I started to have feelings for him.

I didn't really say anything until one day in January when someone from high school found me on my MySpace. This person was extremely annoying back then but I knew he ran into my friend Marsi quite a bit and didn't want to make things difficult for her should she run into him again. So I decided not to block him from my account and added him as a friend. Before I did so, I changed my account to say that I was in a relationship. John noticed and waited for me to announce that I was seeing someone else again. Apparently he hadn't handled the last guy to well, according to his friends. Finally I explained on my own the situation and he acknowledged that it bugged him a little. That is when I bit the bullet and e-mailed him that actually, scared as I was of spoiling our friendship, my heart belonged to him. He e-mailed me immediately from work saying that he felt the same way.

The rest is history. We were pretty much still just friends until I arrived in London last year. Here we are today, still together in London. I can tell you with absolute certainty that I haven't once regretted the day that I turned around and gave him a shot. I do regret that it took me so long to come to my senses, but John keeps telling me that it happened when the time was right and I shouldn't feel guilty.

I come home and there are little gifts waiting for me everyday. Be it a book that he thought might pique my interest, or a meal he thought I might enjoy, he always has something for me. During my last holiday he went out and bought me bagels for breakfast every morning before he went to work. There are so many things that he does for me that I cannot list them all. But I want you to know that I am well taken care of over here. His family and friends sent me numerous cards and gifts for my birthday. I am hardly ever alone, unless I desperately choose to be. John gives me my space, yet will always tell me when he is on his way home, when he has arrived at a work location somewhere in England safely, or when he is going to be late. When we clean house, WE clean the house. He doesn't just sit around and wait for it to be clean, he helps me. When I cook, he does the dishes. When he cooks, I do the dishes. When I start laundry, he finishes it. When I have to take Gidget to the vet, he carries her the whole way on the tube and down the streets.

He will huff and puff when he reads this e-mail, like the traditional English gentleman he is. But, he is so much more than that underneath and I am glad to share that with you. Anywho, hope this answers a lot of your questions.

April in Paris Day

When I was reading 84 Charing Cross Road the author once asked someone who traveled to England a lot if literary England was still able to be found. The man commented, "Oh it's there, you can find it." I myself can vouche for this since moving here but I wondered if something similar was true about Paris. Can you still find traditional, cliche Paris? After my visit there last month I can safely say yes. You have to look for it, but it is there.

John and I took the Eurostar from its new station at St. Pancras International Train Station. For those of you who aren't aware, the Eurostar is the train that travels under the English Channel to Paris via tunnel in two and 15 minutes. It was really amazing, the tunnel under the channel, 26 miles, took no more than 20 minutes to get through. Checking in was like checking in to an airport, having your passport checked and our luggage x-rayed. The seats were incredibly large and the space to spread out was expansive. We weren't served food but could go and buy stuff from the food carriage, just like a regular train. When we arrived in Paris my first view was of the Sacre Cour Church, it almost looks like a middle eastern temple.

We got ourselves some tickets for the Paris metro and made our way to our hotel. The Paris metro is very different from the London metro/tube. First, the trains don't actually have metal wheels. They have huge car-like rubber tires. The trains also don't sit people along the side in one long row facing each other but in seats of two on each side facing the front or back of the train. The metro was also dirtier than the London tube. Everyday the tube has minimal rubbish that is gone by the morning. I have never seen graffiti in the tunnels and only rarely on the actual trains. In Paris, the metro tunnels were covered end to end with graffiti, as were the trains. It was very grimy all over as well. There were also constant beggars and performers who would shanghai trains with small kareoke machines trying to earn a few cents and Euros.

Our hotel was small but very nice and smelled all over of mojitos. I loved going out into the hallway everyday just to smell mint and lime. The nice thing about it was that it was three metres from the metro station. We were able to come and go with ease.

The first stop on our tour of Paris was Pere Lechaise Cemetery. Not that John and I are morbid or anything, it was just the furthest out from the center of the city so we decided to get it over with. We were able to visit Heloise and Abelard, the famous medieval lovers who were separated by Heloise's uncle, who had Abelard, considered one of the founders of the Sorbonne, castrated. He became a monk so that she might marry again, but Heloise became a nun rather than be separated from him. They wrote letters during their religious travels until they died and were buried together in Pere Lechaise. I have always thought their story was an amazing testament to the power of true love.

Next we decided to visit Jim Morrison. I always swore I would never visit him should I come to this cemetery, but with all the little graffiti arrows on other graves pointing the way to Jim, see my pictures on MySpace, I couldn't resist. He is tucked away in the middle of three small mausoleums. Next, we visited some of the other famous graves Chopin, Moliere, Proust, and Oscar Wilde. Now Oscar's grave was definitely wild. There was so much graffiti all over it that it was hard to make out his name. There were also numerous lipstick kisses covering the tomb that it looked like one big pink pocked rock. The cemetery had many more famous graves but John and I wanted to get more done that day than visit dead people.



After visiting the dead we decided to go to the spot where the Bastille stood. Apparently there use to be some ruins left of the old prison, but now there is really nothing but a monument left. We took a picture of the monument and headed for the Paris Opera. Actually, it is known as the Opera Garnier, after the man that built it, but it is the actual opera house where Gaston Leroux based his novel, Phantom of the Opera. The opera house was amazing, unfortunately we got there ten minutes to closing so we didn't go in, but even the outside was incredible. The front was made up of numerous monuments and statues dedicated to different composers, including Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach. While in the neighborhood we spotted a crepe stand. There are tons of them all over. I decided I wanted to have a crepe. While in France do as the French do. All I have to say is . . . . . .wow! It was fantastic!

After that we went to the Place de la Concorde. This was the actually place where a statue of Louis XIV was torn down during the revolutions and then the guillotine stood. It was where thousands sat and watched executions all day during the reign of terror. Apparently at one point there was so much blood in the streets that cattle being driven through the town refused to cross the way. Now there is an obelisk from Ramses II of Egypt on the spot. It was put there because the government thought no one would remove it should there be another revolution. Looking down from the Place de la Concorde you can clearly see the Champs Elysees and the Arc du Triomphe in the distance. You could also see the Eiffel Tower in the distance standing proudly over all of Paris.

At this point I was a little tired of being on trains so asked John if we might walk to the Eiffel Tower. We walked past the American Church in Paris, down cobbled streets, across busy intersections directed by police, and finally reached the Eiffel Tower. There is a beautiful garden that surrounds the base of the tower and I couldn't help but take pictures of it. So far, April in Paris was everything I had imagined and more. The weather was perfect, the trees and flowers in bloom, and John by my side. And yet, when I said I was heading to the top of the tower, John said he was only going halfway up. I said that if I was going to go up, I might as well go all the way up, . . . . darn it! So we separated and I headed up the elevators.



I met a few Americans from Georgia on the way up, a couple from Atlanta. The woman and I spoke about our teaching careers on the last elevator trip up, constantly, keeping eye contact to avoid looking down. We walked around and looked at the different views. The only problem with the Eiffel Tower are the lines. Lines to get on the elevators to go up, and lines to go down. We finally got tired of lines, and the noisy Italian rugby players singing songs such as Volare, and took the stairs from the second level down. I met John at the bottom and we decided to walk back to the closest tube station and have dinner.

There were two restaurants on either side of our hotel. We decided to go the smaller of the two. I remember hearing once that if you try to speak in French to the French they are much nicer to you. Having taken French for several years in high school I was a little rusty, but tried my best. The waiter we had was great. He was humourous and helpful. We had a smoked salmon salad with a great sauce. Then came our steaks with gorgonzola sauce. I LOVE gorgonzola now, let me tell you. But the steaks . . . well, just be prepared that when you say medium rare in Paris, . . . it is a VERY different medium rare . . . more like rare rare. We ate it anyway, not too bad really and then ordered a creme brule for our dessert. Now most of you know, creme brule is my favourite dessert. I can say without a doubt that in that little French cafe, I had the creme de la creme of creme brule. It was sooooooo rich and creamy, the right temperature, and don't even get me started on the taste. YUM!

After that, as we were exiting the restaurant, such friendly people inside by the way, some three young adults with backpacks ran past us. They were speaking French and seemed to be in a rush. No sooner did we see them turn a corner when all of a sudden a waiter and host from the other restaurant ran out after them. I indicated to the two men quickly to turn the corner rather than go straight, realising that I was witnessing the classic Paris cliche of running out on a check. We waited a few minutes, but did not find out whether they were ever caught.

Next day we got up early and made it to the Louvre around opening. The Louvre is amazing. Not just the works of art, but the building itself. You have to remind yourself that it was a palace at one time. It still maintains that regal quality every time you look up at one of the magnificent ceilings or walk through one of the glamourously decorated doorways. We are talking statues and paintings in every nook and cranny that have nothing to do with the collections, they are part of the architecture people!


It was funny, I hadn't planned on going on a Da Vinci Code places of interest hunt, but I ended up doing it, just because I was there and why not. We found the inverted pyramid. We even found the other 'Madonna on the Rocks', I have now seen both since the other one is in London's National Gallery. I could have walked around the Louvre all day. Seeing works of art I have dreamed about my whole life was one of the most amazing experiences. I cried a little when I saw the Mona Lisa, just because, there she was, right in front of me, finally. And don't even get me started on the Venus de Milo. She is huge, but so breathtakingly beautiful. I am only sorry I could only show certain pictures of her on my MySpace, but well, I understand their rules on nudity and respect that. She was perfect.

After that we walked along the streets of Paris to the Cite, the oldest part of Paris. It was there that Abelard instructed young scholars and is considered one of the founders of the University of Paris. It is also where Quasimoto lived, which brings me to our next major landmark, the Cathedral of Notre Dame. What an amazing bulding! Not only outside, but inside as well. I am the only I know of who has been to Paris and bothered to see the inside. Let me tell you, John is not overly impressed much by cathedrals, having lived near York, Canterbury, and Westminster most of his life, but I heard a sharp intake of breath from him to match my own as we walked inside. It just goes up, and up, and up. Beautiful! It is the same size as Westminster in width, but is much taller in length. It also does not have many memorials, or tombs on the inside like Westminster. This gives it the element of space and vastness which left both John and I in awe. We did not have time to climb up the towers, that will have to wait for the next trip.

Once we did the inside, we decided to walk around the outside. I wanted to get a picture of one of the many gargoyles, but John by far took the best picture.

Once John had perfected this picture we decided to head for the University of Paris. When I was a young teenager and first studying French, I seriously dreamed of going to the Sorbonne and living in Europe. Actually, I think that is where my dream was first born. Right around that same time I started reading a lot of English classics like Wuthering Heights and Lorna Doone, not to mention Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. I think from an early age, my heart was not in LA, but in Europe. Anywho, enough of a tangent, for the above stated reasons, I wanted to see the Sorbonne/University of Paris. Unfortunately, due to security reasons, you cannot enter and walk around unless you are a student. So . . . I took a picture of the doorway and the Place de la Sorbonne. Oh well. I was there darn it!

After that it was one landmark after another, don't even get me started on my feet. We saw the Pantheon, burial place of Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, and Marie Curie, who I did my 9th grade biology report on. We also visited the Palace du Luxembourg and its beautiful gardens. Next was the Church of St. Sulpice, we literally were walking somewhere else when we spotted it. Yep, another trip down Da Vinci Code lane. I have stood on the Rose Line people! But the cathedral itself was beautiful. It actually had a statue of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus riding in on a stone cloud that billowed over the edge of the nave of the church.

Next we went to the Musee de Orsy. It is a museum converted from a train station. All the major impressionists and post impressionists were there. I got to see more Van Gogh, Seurat, Monet, Manet . . and many others. I also got to see Toulouse Latrec and Whistler's Mother. It was incredible. I would love to go back again.

Finally it was time for our grand walk down the Champs Elysee. Yep, a grand walk it was, took FOREVER from the Place de la Concorde. But, we enjoyed it. At least John did, catching a not so funny pic of me looking in the Cartier window. Still quite haven't forgiven him for that. Men!

Nope, didn't put it up, we all know this is what you really want to see a picture of, isn't it? ;-)

Next we headed over to the Red Light district of Paris, in order to see the Moulin Rouge and Folies Bergere. It was very uncomfortable to walk down the street, I guess I still am a sort of prude, but I have seen Moulin Rouge! I just wish Amanda, who loved that silly movie with me, was there to see it with me as well. I even took a picture pretending my arm was around her. I hope she knows that I have prayed for her in Westminster, St. Paul's, St. Sulpice, St. Martin in the Fields, and Notre Dame. I will continue to pray for her through all the major cathedrals of Europe if that is what it will take. I love you baby sister.



Around this time it started to get dark so we decided to head over to the Eiffel Tower again for a river cruise. We made it on to the boat and got to witness the light show the Eiffel Tower puts on every night. The first ten minutes of every hour, the tower sparkles like champagne. Sorry about the angle . . .




The boat trip was very cold, but worth it. To see the city in lights was an experience. It truly is the city of romance. John and I decided to keep it simple this night when it came to food. I wanted all the cliche foods, bread, cheese, wine . . . and so did he. We simply went back to our hotel after purchasing these in a local shop, and had a french food snack. The bree was almost too rich but soooooo delicious. We had french chocolate for dessert, which was also lovely.

Next morning we had a while before we got on the train so we decided to just sit and enjoy Paris for once, instead of walking our very sore feet and bodies from one spot to the other. We walked along the Seine and talked, held hands, . . . did all the romance stuff. Along the banks we looked a the different art works that were for sail and observed a few painters at work, another cliche checked off the list. We then went to the Trocadero and sat out on a bench. We finished off the bread and cheese while kids played in the gardens and people sat enjoying the weather. John and I discussed what we had seen and admired. I really loved visiting Paris, I checked off quite a few of dreams on my list, but I decided that London was the place for me to live, not Paris. London is home, Paris is just a fun place to visit. I can't really pinpoint what about Paris made me not want to live there, maybe it was the traffic, the beggars, or maybe it just was that French people don't believe in escalators on their underground system. I was cussing like a sailor every time I saw stairs on the third day!!!! :-) I know, I am teasing. I am a Londoner after all, I walk EVERYWHERE!!!!!

We just knew we wanted to get home to London and our cat. We do plan on going back, taking side trips, we have pretty much done all the major points of Paris. Now it is time for Versailles, Mont St. Michel . . . oh lots of French places! Look out France . . we will be coming back!

Hen Do in Oxford

So I had the opportunity to go to Angela's Hen Do, bachelorette party, this past weekend in Oxford. While there, I thought I would take some 'me time' and explore the university town. I thought this was a great idea especially since I had just watched Oxford take away the Boat Race trophy from Cambridge yet again this year a few weeks back. That race has been going on for over 150 years and the whole town of London watches it, even though it was raining along the Thames. But enough about the muscles, encouragement, and pouring champagne of the boat race . . . . lets get to the muscles, encouragement, and pouring champagne that was the Hen Do.

I arrived in Oxford at about 12:30 and decided to take the Hop On/Hop Off bus. Took the Oxford Castle tour, walked around the cute college town, and gazed at some of the many colleges around the town that make up the campus. Oxford in itself is not really like a US campus. You can have classes on one side of the city in the morning at one college and then have to walk across town to attend your next class. Over the several hundred years that this university has been around the colleges have popped up all over the ever expanding city. The town is a patchwork combination of school and city. I also got to walk around Christ Church garden but could not go inside unfortunately, someone had the audacity to get married the day that I came to visit. I know, I know, how dare they spoil my fun! ;-) Just kidding. After that I decided to meet up with the girls around the agreed upon time, 4-5pm

Sarah and Laura, Angela's close friends, planned a river barge cruise along the Oxford Canal. There were twelve of us on this narrow, 63 ft long boat. Yep, 12 women. But before I could even get on the boat the girls had to come to me in a little town 20 minutes North by taxi, called Thrupp. I called to let everyone know that I was there and unfortunately discovered that due to a combination of people arriving late, leaving late, and learning how to drive the darn thing, they wouldn't be there for about 3 hours. Yep, 4, 5, 6, and 7 pm rolled around as I sat in the only pub that was open and made friends with the locals. I was fortunate that they were so friendly, but was still upset at the lack of a courtesy phone call to warn me of the ladies tardiness. Still not completely over that, but am trying. No really I am.

Finally, everyone arrived and we had a nice dinner together. I continued to remind myself that this was about Angela so did not really show or make a big deal about my waiting. It was not the time or place for it. But then I found out, fortunately no one else was around, that even though I was one of the first to pay, I was going to have to share a bed with someone I didn't know because I was one of the last to arrive. Fortunately, Natalie, who is an angel, took my spot and switched with me when she saw how visually and verbally upset I was. Thank you Natalie, you are so wonderful and I owe you big. Still, the rocking and tiny bottom bunk took some getting use to and I did not sleep well. But let me tell you, the English have it right, a few cups of tea can cure anything, as I discovered the next morning!

The next day we had a nice day puttering up the canal, opening locks, going down locks, opening bridges, eating and drinking. Finally we stopped for a picnic at a park, having puttered down back to Oxford, and Laura, Angela's dearest friend, made the best spread I have seen in a long time. We are talking caprese on a stick, cheese plate, peri peri chicken, homemade sausage rolls, quiches, two salads, and various meat and cheeses. There was more but I can't remember it all. Sooooooo much food and wine! Then we decided to all get ready to go to a club. Not an easy thing to do with 12 girls on a boat with two showers. Some of us had to forfeit our use of hot water for the bride and bridesmaids. Yep . . . I am sure we all smelled great at the club.

The club we went to was nice, typical club. In fact I was surprised at how similar it was to any American club I have been in. You have your wristbands, stamps, usual pretty boys, usual tramps, and flashy bartenders. It was all so reminiscent of when I was a lot younger. Made me feel old that I started to get tired very early in the night and fought to stay awake. It didn't help that the DJ was the worst DJ ever . . . . . he started off by playing a lot of no-name 90's kiss FM kind of R and B, not Usher and Alicia, I am talking about those cheesy songs like Spring Love. You know what I am talking about people. He then proceeded to play What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love! I think most of you would say that what the world needed at that moment, or at least that DANCE club needed, was a new DJ. He proceeded to insult Sarah by refusing to take requests but once the bar filled up, he did improve, thank the LORD!

Angela I think also was very tired but she was doing her best to fight it. Brave Hen! Finally, after many dances, some on top of tables, (not me mom, not me I swear! Haven't done that in years . . . I mean ever! EVER mom really!) we headed back to the boat in cabs. Unfortunately for us, a Stag Do, Bachelor Party, decided to moor next to us. Most of us, in fact all but two, were taken ladies but that didn't stop them. They somehow broke into the back of the barge and had one of their buddies walk from back to front, naked from the waist down. Fortunately I was already half asleep in my pajamas and therefore did not fully see ALL that the young man had to offer. He passed by my lower bunk without a word and I thought it was all a bad dream . . . . until I heard the screams from the front of the boat and compliments on well, his bravery.

Anyway, woke up the next morning, after sleeping about 6 hours, and heard Viv getting organised across from me. I decided that was a wise choice and got dressed myself. Was tempted to take a shower but considering the motor had been off for several hours, figured the water would be no where near to warm. I put all my stuff away for convenience and waited for the boat to start. The travel plan was to sail back up to Heyford, above the town of Thrupp, and return the boat there. I had two choices, take the bus 59 back from somewhere along the route later in the day to catch my train, or take a taxi. After arriving in a taxi on Friday and paying 18 pounds for the ride, I decided the bus was a better, cheaper option. I also had received an offer to be picked up by one of Angela's friends who stayed in a Bed and Breakfast rather than the boat but she cancelled on me that morning by text. I was seriously considering the bus and looking forward to sitting out in the sun another day, despite my dirtiness, when Penny came up and asked me if I was leaving right then and there. I said no and stated my plan of taking a bus later on in the day. She informed me that there were no buses running on Sunday North of Oxford. As if to make things worse, the boat had started up and Sarah was steering the boat into the middle of the canal. Miranda offered to drive me back later on, about 5 but my train left at 3:30. I made a split decision in my tired, dirty state and literally 'jumped ship' with Penny and another girl Holly. I felt bad for my hurried departure and tried to explain as fast as I could as I was running off the boat. I hope it is clear to everyone involved why I left so quickly.

After that Holly, Penny and I walked to Oxford Train Station and talked all along the way. What great friends Angela has. I can't wait to hang out with everyone at the wedding. I was planning on following my original seat reservation time of 3:30 for the train trip back to London, but was talked into traveling back earlier with Penny, actually it didn't take much in my sticky, sleepy state. Holly made her way back to Bristol and I made it home 6 hours ahead of schedule.

Overall, I had a good time. I really enjoyed the trip, the people, and the whole experience. But I already told John that for my Hen Do it will be a day in the Spa and a night in a nice hotel. EVERYONE will get their own bed and only have to share a shower with one person. How does that sound ladies?