22-September

Step 1: Rent car and travel to see Stonehenge and Bath
Step 2: Get lost
Step 3: Briefly go in approximately the correct direction
Step 4: Repeat steps 2 & 3 900 times.
Step 5: Arrive!


Well, I kid. Actually we only got lost a few times on the way there, but English roads aren't half as driver friendly as roads in the US. Maybe that's just what I'm used to. Driving a standard with the opposite hand, with a steering wheel on the 'wrong' side, on the other side of the road, in a city that doesn't emphasize road signs is about the essence of the experience in a nutshell.




So that was the bad. A little rough finding our way. But it ended there. We stopped to see Stonehenge on our way to Bath, and although someone could sum it up as "just some old rocks", the experience of being there was magnificent. (I don't pull the "magnificent" card very often) The beginnings of the structure date back all the way back to 3500BC (that's before McDonald's was around...), but it was incredible seeing the rocks that still stood.








The history of the landscape and of the structure itself were impossible the comprehend. Leah and I both agreed the free audio tour was worth looking like a dirty American tourist. It was the first time of many throughout the day where I found myself looking at the picture and knowing it wasn't doing the experience justice.





About thirty more minutes west of London is the city of Bath, aptly named for being home to Roman Baths built in the 1st century (65-75AD). Leah had heard from co-workers that in addition to being a historical site, Bath was also a beautiful city. She heard correctly. I think the final tally of Leah or I saying, "I could live here" reached about 70. We first walked through the narrow city streets and made our way to the end of a thrity minute que to see the inside of the baths.




Now, I've been to some crappy museums...places where I nod my head at each exhibit and allow a fake gesture of the hand to emphasize my pretend interest at each stop, but I've never been to one where I wanted to read EVERYTHING and see EVERYTHING until today. I can honestly say (and I think Leah would say the same for herself) that I was completely captivated and immersed from the time we stepped in to the time we left the baths.

It would take 5 pages to describe everything. We saw copper and gold coins that were in circulation at the time of Jesus, tombstones from 50AD, Roman cobblestone streets, not to mention the baths themselves. Minus needing a few chlorine tablets to solve the algae and parasite issues in the water, the baths were in incredible shape for their age.


Lastly, was the city of Bath itself. It was a beautiful marriage of city and nature. The river Avon flowed north to south through the center, and each half of the city sloped gently downward toward the river. The result was an incredible view to the east and west of neatly lined houses and green fields. The small streets were packed with what could be called "Lars stores", which are small "cute" stores selling anything from clothes, to wine, to little "trinket" things.....maybe Leah should explain that...




Well that's enough for now. We have this our rental car for one more day so maybe we'll try somewhere else tomorrow. I can't wait to check the manufacturer's website to see if the car has 7 or 8 horsepower. It feels like it has about the same kick as a garage door opener.

Later.


Other Photos:
(hopefully, the descriptions match up...)


- The abbey outside the bath
- Me and Dickens striking a serious pose
- The River Avon
- Garden near the Avon
- The crescent. Basically a crescent moon-shaped building adjacent to a huge field.

16-September

Well, I’ve probably gone too long without writing something. Since the last post, quite a few situations have evolved, and we’ve nestled into our living situation quite a bit more.

If someone had told me that I would be spending my 27th birthday having a BBQ with my Turkish and Kurdish neighbors in London, I probably would have guessed that I was a victim of mistaken identity in an international sting operation and was now imprisoned oversees in a jail that serves BBQ on the weekends. I guess that’s another way of saying, “I wouldn’t have guessed.” It was definitely memorable, and I guess that’s really what birthdays are all about.

Yesterday, Leah and I committed to getting out to see some sights 2 or 3 weekends a month, so we commemorated that commitment by going to check out some of the landmarks in Central London. We started out just south of the London Bridge, which despite being the main subject of a popular children’s song, was nothing special. It’s just an expanse of concrete and metal from one side of the Thames to the other. The only thing notable was the view of the other bridges and of the Tower of London.


It was immediately obvious that this country was born and raised Christian. There were cathedrals every few steps, and the size of each one of them made you feel especially insignificant. The first one along the way was Southwart Cathedral which sat along the south bank of the Thames. All of the cathedrals disallowed pictures inside, so I won’t attempt to explain and simultaneously discredit the incredible architecture and frescos inside. Next we stopped at the largest and probably the most famous St. Paul’s Cathedral Huge.

For a £9.50 entry fee, they'll allow you to walk around the inside. Instead we walked out and made sure we had adequate coverage of the outside of the building for free.

Although the name of the next cathedral escapes me, when we went in they allowed us down into the crypt below. (Leah threatened the staff with physical harm) Apparently, in the 1500’s, the church was built on top of the wreckage of a Roman church built as early as the first century. Although no photos were allowed, I cracked off a shot wild west style of the underground area. What I couldn’t show you is the ruins of the Roman road a little ways down the hall. Really cool. There was a petrified hobo clutching a 40 near a lamp post.

Next was the foyer of the Daily Express. Some Aussie said we’d definitely recognize things from inside, but Leah and I could only smile and nod. The design on the wall, in the words of the information guy, means this: Britain is the center gold figure, and all the little silver freaks around it are the puny countries too weak to defend themselves against the British Empire. (I’m paraphrasing)

There was also a very neat art deco winding staircase. (the real reason we came to London) Leah got the best shot she could by pointing straight up the center. Then she elbowed a little English man in the head after she took the picture.

We saw a few open markets and were both in awe and impressed with the mix of culture and people. Everything from buying shark to olives, it was all there. I feel like we got a great sample of what London is all about.

Till next time.

Other Pics:

Court Building Big Ben Wembley Arena

02-September

I was going to wait a few days for some good writing material, but it seems as though the last few days have been eventful enough to inspire a little writing.

Yesterday Leah and I learned the English interpretation of "salsa". Salsa earns quotation marks here because I'm not sure there's another suitable word to describe the soupy, liquidy, sweet crap that we had with our chips. I had to second guess whether we in fact purchased salsa, or pureed sweet peppers. Anyway, that was expected...what wasn't expected was seeing a Tex-Mex restaurant the other day in Notting Hill. Maybe their stuff is better...

In case you're not already aware, tortillas are a favorite food of mine. Simple, edible alone, or can be combined with a cornucopia of other foods. I'm pleased to say that Indian/Pakistani Naan bread has usurped command of 'Favorite Bread'. Not that anyone really cares, but seriously, Leah and I can't get enough. I stuffed my pillow with it last night, and its quite comfortable bedding material as well.

More important than either of the previous paragraphs, Leah and I introduced ourselves to our neighbors today. (Leah and I live upstairs, they live downstairs) We were out working in the garden (which is sort of shared between the houses) and about an hour after we finished, we noticed they were down tilling and weeding their side. We went down to say hello. The wife is Turkish and speaks good English. The husband is Kurdish. Sometimes he's hard to understand, but I simply spit at him and he tries harder... just kidding. In case you don't know, the Kurds are from Kurdistan, in northern Iraq. No surprise that he moved away about the time the US started blowing things up over there. The region as a whole is actually fond of the US, as Saddam was a bit brutal on the Kurdish people. Anyway, they have two daughters, 1.5 and 3, and the whole family is about as nice as you can imagine. Dinner Wednesday at our place.

Bye