Last Day - We're Coming Home

Our last full day in London turned cool and very wet. We will miss London terribly, but are anxious to come home. We hear that Iowa might be providing us with some weather excitement tomorrow! Please be careful driving to Des Moines, especially those of you coming from long distances. There's no point in rushing -- you will hear many, many, many stories!

See you soon,

Jim

Another theatre entry

As I mentioned yesterday, the big theatres in London are clustered around Leicester Square (what is known as the West End). They have the big shows with titles you probably have heard of. My sister and I saw Swimming with Sharks, starring Christian Slater, and enjoyed it a lot.

This is where Spamalot is playing (you can see the theatre is quite large from the outside).


But don't get stuck thinking you should only go to the BIG shows. I find the big shows don't really capture my attention much -- personal preference I guess and they tend to be crowded with tourists who ALL want to go to big shows. I really enjoy contemporary dance performances (there are a lot of excellent ones, some of which have political angles to them). Also, there are countless theatres spread throughout the city in what is known as Off-West End. There are even smaller theatre venues known as Fringe theatres. These will typically be very small theatres with maybe 100 seats or less, often above pubs. Many will let you buy a drink in the pub and bring it into the theatre with you. What I love about these small places is that they delve into very creative areas that might take you out of your comfort zone.

If you want to find out more about a play or performance, you should read a review of it in Timeout, a must-have weekly magazine which tells you everything going on in London.

I was just walking around town the other day and spotted this venue, although I'm not sure if it would be considered Fringe or Off-West End. I have no idea what it's about, but I bet it is a winner! Look for gems like these as they are precious.


It was a wonderfully sunny afternoon, so I took this from near the Somerset House. Ice rinks are popping up all over this city, although the temperatures are well above freezing during the day.


Cheers,

Jim

Theatre tips in London

Of course, when you visit London you will want to go to a few shows. For the traditional fare (i.e. Les Miserables, Mamma Mia, Phantom of the Opera, etc.), you will probably go to one of the theatres near Leicester (pronounced "Lester") Square.

So how do you get tickets? You can always purchase them ahead of time online directly through the theatre's web site or at the theatre (most will accept credit cards issued in the United States). The advantage of this is that you know what you're getting and can plan the rest of your day around it. The disadvantage is that you pay quite a bit extra, and since most of the time you will go to the theatre with someone else, this extra amount is doubled!

What I like to do is buy tickets at discounted prices on the day of the show. Is this a bit dangerous? Why, yes, but the students have convinced me I need to be more dangerous!

Here's a tip: try to plan your trips to the theatre between Monday and Thursday evenings. There is greater demand for tickets on the weekend for sure, but during the week, it's a buyer's market.

There is only one place to go for day-of-show discount tickets, and that's at the tkts building on the south side of Leicester Square (see picture). The building opens at 10 in the morning and only sells tickets for theatre productions THAT DAY. There are many purveyors of "Half-price tickets" or "The Official Discount Ticket Booth" near Leicester Square. Skip them because they will either charge you more than the prices at tkts, make you wait a long time for your tickets, or not give you the best seats available.

If you really want to tempt fate, you can go to the theatre where you want to see your show an hour before performance and buy your tickets then. This is risky since they may be sold out, or only have the really bad seats (or outrageously expensive front area seats). They tend to give students nice discounts on these last minute seats, but since I'm not a student I don't get as much of a discount. Oh, one interesting tidbit is that they want to encourage people in all situations to enjoy theatre, so they offer discounted tickets to unemployed people as well as students (you have to show your unemployment card).

Cheers, Jim

London Miscellanea

You never run out of things to do or discover in London. When you visit, don't just go to museums.

Last night, I stumbled across a wonderful little store called La Fromagerie at 2-4 Moxon Street. When we find mold, we kill it. When the French find mold, they make cheese out of it. The quality and selection overwhelmed me (and I've been to countless cheese shops in Europe). There is also a gourmet grocery area attached to it, and a wonderful little patisserie. The prices are high, but the quality is as well.

Or why not go to a concert? Many churches in London offer evening concerts. This is St. James Church and they played Mozart's Requiem. After the concert, a Dutch couple knowing very little English was lost and we helped them find the Westminster tube station.

I'm Mr. Market Man, and I like the Greenwich Market. It's smaller than many of the others, but it has a nice variety of interesting items and food. Also, Greenwich is a fun town very close to London, and is in Zone 2, if you have a pass for Zones 1 and 2, you can go there using the DLR (short for Docklands Light Railway). It's a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of central London.

This is from Old Spitalfields Market. I know this gets rave reviews, and I enjoyed going there, but I wasn't WOWED. There were some interesting items, but the prices were quite elevated, and there was a lot that is sold at other markets.

Again, around every corner something new appears. This is outside the Natural History Museum, where an outdoor ice rink has been installed. People were having a wonderful time.

The same rink at night.

Cheers, Jim

Mind the gap, please.

Tonight I attended an interdenominational service at Southwark Cathedral for World AIDS day, which is 1 December. In an earlier posting I mentioned that the students visited folks at the London Ecumenical AIDS Trust (LEAT) to learn more about HIV/AIDS issues. The director of LEAT, Steve Penrose, let me know about tonight's service. I'm glad I went as it was very uplifting and a great chance to talk with people.

On my way home, I realized I haven't really described how you travel around London. Cabs are very expensive and when traffic is heavy can be slower than other options, so try to shy away from these whenever possible. The bus network in London is quite extensive, and I enjoy using the bus when I can because although I do enjoy the speed of using the underground, sometimes I want to see some daylight when I travel.

The main way people get around is with the London Underground, also known as the Tube. It's pretty straightforward to use and the price isn't bad. For a one-week unlimited ride pass, it's about 23 pounds for central London (zones 1 and 2 on both the Tube and buses) (that's about $50, which is very inexpensive for the transportation you can get). My monthly pass costs 90 pounds. The Tube runs from around 6 a.m. until around midnight.

The Tube is used VERY, VERY heavily. At peak periods, trains will come every 2-3 minutes and it's a vast sea of humanity at each station. Many of the stations have a combination of stairs and escalators. My mum has bad knees and I wouldn't even consider her taking the Tube. It's just too much chaos for a slower person to handle.

You'll frequently hear a recorded message saying, "Mind the gap." Many of the stations are curved, so spaces form between the edge of a train and the edge of the platform (try to imagine a straight car with a curved platform and you should get the idea). Sometimes the gaps are a few inches. When I got onto a Central Line train at Bank, the gap was about a foot and a half! It's quite dangerous, but the cost to realign the stations is probably very large and it's cheaper just to tell people to pay attention to the "gap" between the platform edge and the train. Remember, some of these stations have been around for a LONG time.

I should also add that at some stations the train edge will be a few inches above the platform, at others a few inches below, creating an obvious tripping hazard. But hey, just mind that gap!

I have to admit that the inside of many tube stations shocked me at first. Many of the stations have advertisements for whatever you can think of -- theatre shows, home buying, breast augmentation, rock concerts, museum exhibitions, teeth whitening, etc. It's common for these ads to be defaced over time.

Further down by the trains, advertisements are held up, literally, by black duct tape!

At the Holborn station, they don't bother to hide wires and cables. There is chicken wire to hold things up all over the walls and ceiling above the escalators. They don't allow pictures in tube stations, but trust me on this one. The Tube is an amazing system, but there's a lot of tape and wire holding it together!

Ciao,

Jim

One of my favorite places in London

There are so many wonderful things to see and do here. The last few days I have gone back to one of my favorite places, the British Museum.

The British Museum (http://www.britishmuseum.org) is enticing, captivating, frustrating, humbling, and enjoyable beyond belief. The museum specializes in historic artifacts from around the world, the most famous being the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon marbles (called Elgin Marbles here, although the Greeks claim they were "stolen" by Lord Elgin).

My usual trips to the museum have usually focused on the Greek and Egyptian sections and a quick run through the Roman area, while ignoring much of the rest. What a huge mistake! The British Museum has a wonderful African collection, outstanding Islamic and Asian rooms, a much more extensive Egyptian collection than I ever knew, and a strong collection of work from ancient civilizations from the Americas.

Yesterday, I decided to look through the Americas exhibit and discovered a wonderful selection of artifacts from the Aztecs, Mayans, and other civilisations in Mexico. There were Aztec masks made out of turquoise mosaics that absolutely blew me away! Now I REALLY want to go to Mexico to see more! (I should add this is one aspect about traveling. You go one place, and then find other places you'll want to visit!)

So why is the British museum "frustrating and humbling"? There are two reasons. First, the place is so big, it's impossible to absorb one-tenth of what you see in a single visit. Second, I love learning about ancient civilizations, but the British Museum reminds me of how little I know about ancient history.

So when you're in London, promise me you'll go to the British Museum at least twice!

I can also recommend a great place for coffee that isn't Starbucks (which are like the plague around here.) Head to a place called Sfizio (www.sfizio.co.uk) at 35 Theobald's Way. It is a chain of 1 store! Their cannoli are terrific -- light ricotta filled with crunchy outer shells, and their sfogliatelle are as good as I've had in Rome. The coffee is top drawer, as you would expect. As with most Italian coffee places, the thought of getting coffee to go in a paper cup is something they don't like. Expect to have your coffee at the cafe in a demitasse. Sit down, enjoy, and relax!

Cheers,

Jim

Abbey Road

As the days in London end in a week, everyone is focused on making sure to see/do what is most important. As an aging hipster, I went to a place in London where I've never been before, the famous Abbey Road.

Here I managed to ask (drag?) the guys to walk with me at the famous crossing on the cover of the Beatles' Abbey Road album. The street is actually quite busy with traffic, so our photographer Meghan took the picture from an island protected from traffic in the street. In the photo, Max plays John, Drew is Ringo, I'm Paul, and Jacob is George. I was heckled by two British blokes who yelled at me to take my shoes off (Paul is shoeless in the photo). Although we strove for authenticity, it was very chilly and I draw the line at cold feet! :)

The Abbey Road Studios still exist as a working music studio, but are not open to the public. Outside, graffiti is written all over the walls. Here's a drawing of John, with a Che connection.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, BOTH IN AND OUT OF IOWA!

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with people close to you. It's a bit difficult to explain Thanksgiving to people here. Most seem to be unaware of it, which makes sense because it's a U.S. holiday. For those who do know about it, they seem to have mixed feelings. They like the idea of families getting together and giving thanks. On the other hand, it's also linked to people leaving England hundreds of years ago because their lives were so difficult.

We had our Thanksgiving celebration at the flat last night. It was rather "cozy" as the pictures show, but was so much fun!

Here is the other end of the living room. It felt good to unwind from the last final exam.

This is from Wednesday morning in front of the Royal Academy. We saw a show on the work of Georg Baselitz, one of Germany's best known living artists. His early childhood was spent in Nazi Germany, and themes surrounding the devastating impacts of war are an integral part of his work.

































Here's something on a completely different note. Do you remember the tragic case of the former Russian KGB agent, Alexander Litvinenko, who was poisoned with Polonium while living in London. Based on tests done by the British authorities, it was determined he was poisoned at this sushi bar on Piccadilly Street, right near the Royal Academy. It was closed for awhile, cleaned, and is now open again. Nobody in the group seemed interested in eating there!

What's in the news and random thoughts from London

I thought you would like to know what people talk about over here.

Over and over again, they are very aware of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, so there is quite a bit of discussion related to your "carbon footprint." Some people have responded by riding bicycles to work, which is tough in a place where it's often cold and rainy. Some local agricultural groups have made the claim that fruit and vegetables from countries in Africa should not be imported, or have large taxes placed on them, because they are shipped long distances (and have a large carbon footprint). The economist in me thinks this could be used for protectionism very easily. I should tell you that the European Parliament is in the beginning stages of taxing all flights into and out of Europe based on their carbon emissions. As if travel here isn't expensive enough already.

Buses and bikes share a special lane in London. I'm not sure how safe this is, especially since bicyclists can't ride as fast as buses, and I've seen bus drivers honking at bicyclists often. Many bicyclists like to wear dark clothes at night, which doesn't help.

Brits love soccer and rugby. Sports from the U.S. are practically invisible here and there isn't any coverage of U.S. sports teams in any of the major London papers.

In the U.S. we have problems in the subprime market, even hitting banks like Wells Fargo. In the UK, the big worry is with a giant lender called Northern Rock. The U.S. and UK financial markets are very strongly linked.

If you want to make an instant friend here, just comment on how much you dislike the very weak dollar. Nothing makes a European happier than knowing their currency is doing well, and that a U.S. citizen is frustrated with her/his government about it.

There are a lot of sirens in this city from police, fire and ambulance trucks. I haven't actually seen any emergencies, and I've noticed on a few occasions that these sirens are used to get through busy intersections.

There is entirely way too much attention paid to the following people/happenings:

Kate Moss, The Spice Girls (individually or the entire group), Princes William (a.k.a. "Wills") and Harry and their nights out on the town (usually in Kensington, a very wealthy part of the city), Britney Spears' woes, singer Amy Winehouse's outburst at a recent concert, David Beckham (a.k.a. "Becks"), and Led Zeppelin's BIG, HUGE, MEGA reunion concert that sold out in 1.7 seconds (or some equally insane time frame).

I should tell you that this is a city of Blackberry dependency. Hey, I have a cell phone, but I have to admit the thought of texting people and checking my email on a cell phone, Blackberry or other electronic device has no appeal. Maybe I'm showing how out of touch on the tech front I am or my insignificance in the world, but I'd much rather speak with someone than text them with messages such as "how r u doin?"

People have no qualms about pressing buttons on their gadgets and not looking where they are going. I've almost missed trains because folks ahead of me were so preoccupied with texting someone they forget there are people behind them. You learn to adapt (and push) in London. Nobody has actually dropped a Blackberry because of me, but there's still time! :)

Cheers, Jim

Markets in London

I suppose a prerequisite for most economists is an interest in markets -- how they work, what they sell, prices, etc. There are so many markets in London that it would take an almost superhuman effort to try to go to all of them. Well, since I don't want to let any of you down, that is exactly what I will try to do. I'm sure I'll miss a few of the smaller ones, but here is my take on the ones I've seen so far.

This is the Borough Market, near London Bridge. Most likely due to my interest in good food, which is what the Borough Market is all about, this is hands down my favorite. There's a real buzz at this market, and it gets VERY crowded on Saturday. I tend to gravitate towards the gourmet cheeses from France, the large variety of outstanding, hearty bread, the artisanal dips and prepared foods, and the coffee served at Monmouth Coffee's booth (only a pound for a double macchiato!). I particularly like the Irish soda bread here, made with whole flour and on the dense side.

Shepherd's Bush Market near the Shepherd's Bush tube stop on the Hammersmith and City line. It has a little food, a bit of fabric, but mainly inexpensive clothing. I noticed few prices on things here, so I think bargaining is more the norm.






































Portobello Road Market has everything, and a LOT of it. It winds its way through parts of the Notting Hill area. You can either enter from around the Notting Hill tube stop and hit the antiques first, or start at Ladbroke Grove tube and work your way through the food vendors at the beginning. It's a lot of fun. The prices are a bit higher here as they tend to get a lot of tourists. Like Borough, this market can get quite crowded. If you like to look at old antique spoons, or antique anything, come here.





























Petticoat Lane Market near the Liverpool Street tube stop doesn't have the high end style that Borough or Portobello Road bring. Still, it's a great place to find inexpensive things, mainly clothing, at reasonable prices. It's a very old market and I read that the city has tried on numerous occasions to shut it down, but it stays alive. I love that fighting spirit!




























Brick Lane Market is not far from Petticoat Lane Market in London's East End. The day I went there wasn't much going on (it was very cold, too). I enjoyed walking around, however, because there is a strong Indian presence here, with rich smells of curry in the air.

Hasta la vista! Jaime

A day in Bath

Bath, rhymes with swath, NOT as in path, is a charming town, about 90 minutes away from London by train. The Romans found hot springs here, and using their engineering skills and penchant for bathing, built an extensive bathing complex here.

The photo on the left shows Bath Abbey, a medieval church founded in 1499.
The photo on the right is one of the areas of the bath complex. Note the green and gross water. The Romans would have had a roof, thus preventing sunlight from getting in. With no roof and warm water, algae forms. There were also steam rooms, cold water bath, etc., even a temple outside the bath area.

After visiting Turkey and seeing the collection at the British Museum, I've become much more interested in mosaics. There were some impressive mosaics at Bath. The one below is from the Roman bath.

Another view of the Abbey from inside the Roman bath. Too bad the Romans wouldn't have seen the Abbey, which was built a thousand years after the Romans were long gone. I like the juxtaposition here.

Your tour guide in the central part of the Roman bath.

The Pultney Bridge in Bath. It reminds me of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. It's very solid and it doesn't "feel" like you're on a bridge.

Treat yourself to a spa experience when you go to Bath by going to Thermae Spa. The 2-hour treatment is ample, and allows you access to their 2 large heated pools, and 4-chamber steam rooms. The steam rooms have essential oils (one is eucalyptus, another lavender, and two I couldn't make out). More intensive pampering is also available, but the mortgage needs to be paid next month! :)

Try going after dark, since one of the hot baths is on the roof and provides a fantastic view of the Abbey, which is lit up at night.

Cheers, JP

A random day in London

This morning the students in the art class had a discussion on Pop Art at the Tate Modern museum, which is a converted power station. Although London is quite expensive, many of the permanent collections at public museums are free (fees are usually charged for special exhibits).

On the walk over the Millenium Bridge, I spotted all of these painted hands done by children. Remember I told you that London never stops surprising me? Here's one pleasant example.

Our class starts at 10, and here are some of the early arrivals waiting for the building to open.

WOW! This is the floor in the Turbine Hall of Tate Modern. They need to have their concrete company fix this! :)

Serious, the "floor" (actually it's a fake floor) has this large crack on purpose. It's the latest exhibition by Doris Salcedo. Yup, that's my right foot, size 10.5, to give you some perspective.

Help!!! London is being taken over by GIANT SPIDERS!!!

(this is a large outdoor piece by Louis Bourgeois, who has a large exhibition in Tate Modern)

London is a city of great wealth. Still, people fall through the cracks. This man spends much of every day sitting on a bench outside. His only real companion appears to be this cart of plastic bags, which he moves around during the day. I've noticed some of the local business managers give him something to eat or drink from time to time.

Group Day Trip to Oxford

We took a group trip to Oxford today (Monday). It was sunny, but cold -- the type of English cold that cuts through to your bones! Ouch!

Max, Drew, Chelsea, Meghan and Dana pose at the Oxford train station. Can you tell Drew is the shy one of the bunch?















One of the things I love most about being here is that when I think I've seen everything, I spot something that completely surprises me. Here's a sign outside a Chinese restaurant. Hmm ..., what kind of clientele are they trying to cater to?



















Both Cambridge and Oxford have world famous universities. Punting, which involves pushing a small boat along the river with a long stick, is done in both places. Here are the boats all tied together (maybe the punting season is over until spring?).














This is the famous Radcliffe Camera, built in 1737 that acts as a reading room for the Bodleian Library.



















Anne (looking down), Naiara, Miranda and Sarah.














If you like intricate stone and brick work, England is the place for you. The Bodleian Library in Oxford is very beautiful, and the ceiling has fantastic stone work. Remember, this was done in the days before power tools.














Paige, your humble servant, Jodi, Allison, Anne, Elyse and Meredith in front of the Carfax Tower. I don't know where the name Carfax comes from, but I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the Carfax that allows you to check the registration history of a vehicle in the U.S.














View from the top of the Carfax tower.

A door at the Bodleian library designed by the famous architect, Sir Christopher Wren.

Remembrance Day (Sunday) and Lord Mayor's Procession (Saturday)

Remembrance day is similar to Memorial Day or Veterans Day in the U.S. Red poppies have been sold the last few weeks to raise awareness and funds for veterans groups. If you look closely, you might be able to recognize the dapper looking gentleman standing on your right on the raised platform. That turned out to be the Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of the Queen. I didn't see her and don't believe she attended.

There were a lot of different groups marching for Remembrance Day.

St. James Park is near the Horse Gardens where the Remembrance Day celebration took place.

On Saturday, this is from the Lord Mayor's Procession. His carriage is pictured below.

Lots and lots of horses for both celebrations ......

..... and the resulting "negative externality" as we say in economics. Oh well, it's organic! :)

Last Paris Installment

I would love to write 50 entries on Paris, but, dear reader, I have other things to share with you not related to Paris. Here are some random thoughts, feelings, suggestions, etc.

Money is always a constraint on travel, especially with a dollar that isn't worth much. Unless you have enough wealth to stay at The Four Seasons or Ritz everywhere you go, you'll want to economize where you can.

Hostels are one option (they're not just for students anymore), although the quality can vary considerably and I'm at the stage in my life where I don't want to share a room with people I don't know, as is common at many hostels.

Bed and Breakfasts are abundant in Europe, and are often cheaper than hotels. Many include breakfast (always check on this) which takes care of your first meal of the day. B & B owners often are quite helpful. B & B's may or may not be listed on sites such as hotels.com or expedia, and some prefer to be paid in cash.

Hotels are the usual choice and I use them often. Some include breakfast, but the ones that don't often overcharge for breakfast.

More recently, apartment rentals can be an excellent option. In particular, for the Paris trip we rented from a company called "Citadines Apart'Hotel." It is just like renting your own place, and you get a fridge, cooktop, coffeemaker, dishes, pots, pans, etc. The Citadines at Bastille Marais is clean, modern and conveniently located. My Citadines stays have always been nice.

Why do I want a kitchen when I'm on vacation? With a fridge I can buy and store juice, milk, bread, cheese, etc. and make breakfast and lunch tasty. Second, Europe has incredible open-air markets all over the place, so you can buy fresh ingredients and cook for yourself.

Finally, cooking for yourself saves you mucho. A basic cheese fondue for 2 people in Paris, with a half a carafe of wine, costs around 45 - 50 euros (that's about $60 - $70). Meal costs add up very quickly, and it's easy to spend yourself into a hole. My theory is to splurge some, and save some by cooking for yourself sometimes. Also, think about making lunch your big meal for the day, which can be less expensive than a big dinner. OK, enough of that, here are some other images of Paris.

Paris has little kiosks all over the place that sell all kinds of things like books, postcards, tourist trinkets, stamps, etc. They're fun to look at.

One of the markets near Bastille Marais. The freshness and high quality of what was sold was impressive. Here they are selling produce.

In addition to produce, this vendor is selling fish.

I forgot to show pictures of Notre Dame. This is a very popular place in Paris!

When (not if) you go to Paris, you have to have a crepe at least once. Get your crepe from a creperie that makes the entire crepe, from start to finish, in front of you. This means they pour the batter on the crepe pan, spread the batter, flip it over, add the topping(s) you want, fold it up, and hand it to you. Some places will pre-make the basic crepe during times of high demand, and then add toppings later and reheat it. You deserve the "full" treatment, and part of that is getting a beautiful new crepe, made freshly for YOU! It takes a little longer, but it's worth it.

Note the pre-made crepes on the far left. The customers asked the young man making the crepes to make theirs fresh, and he obliged. Some places won't do this even if you ask. My general practice is that if I see any crepes sitting on a plate, I go to a different creperie.

I think my favorite building in Paris is the Hotel de Ville. This picture doesn't do it justice, but it's so beautiful.