I have heard it said over and over again that Paris is the most romantic city in the world..... On Saturday night, Jason and I decided to take a walk up to the Piazza dell Michelangelo. Many of the guidebooks mention both the walk and the piazza, but do not ever really recommend taking the hike up there. It was just about sunset as we set out on the Otrarno Walk. It meanders up the hillside, trees lining the street, with little glimpses of the city down below. All of the trees were in their fall glory, blazing against the sunset. [View Full Entry]

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The weekend was made to order, as if the gods and goddesses themselves had commanded the great Italian painters to create these days for us. Swaths of bright blue sky outline grand, ornate buildings. Splashes of sunshine turned everything golden and shimmery. Meanwhile, Mother Nature continued her march towards winter, showing brilliant reds and yellows in the leaves fluttering down in our wake. Firenze is just like you would think it would be....old men and beautiful young women riding their bicycles, with baskets attached to the front, through cobbled streets. Each morning, men and [View Full Entry]

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Oi! What a gorgeous weekend! Away from the city and into some breathing space! We could not have asked for better weather as if we had custom ordered it. I am speechless. It has taken us this long to get our tongues back and get this thing written after being surrounded by such natural beauty. Even our bed-and-breakfast style hotel, Ty Gwyn ("The White House"), was wonderful--soft cushy bed in a large room (even en suite), and delicious food served in a cozy dining room. And homemade vanilla bean ice cream (I know hand-churned when I taste it!) Our only regret [View Full Entry]

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PART I Felicia toiled and toiled and toiled. And on the 7th day Jason came from the sky and landed a mere 30 minutes late. We had the day off on Wednesday, so we went straight to Fulller's Brewery for a little tour and a pint or two. Fuller's is the oldest brewery still in existence in England (according to Fuller's Brewery). Our tour included our guide, Felicia and me, a London professional taking the day off for a tour, and a teacher with approximately 8 privileged high school students, most of whom are headed to Cambridge, and did not need [View Full Entry]

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I feel sort of sad today. I don't know why. I guess with change comes both happiness and sadness. At least I am balanced! The thing about London is, everyone walks hurriedly to their destination, from first thing in the morning, to the Tube, throught the Tube station, and to the next destination. As I stand in the crowded tube watching people (it's one American thing I can't seem to break, although lately I think I have become more subtle about it), I wonder, "are they thinking what I am thinking? What do they notice? Are they noticing things, too?" I [View Full Entry]

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I must say that my Cloud Cult t-shirt with the words, "Please Remain Calm" on it garnered attention from people young and old; I even had a couple of teenage girls ask me where I got it. For some reason, that saying really interested people. I got a few knowing laughs and few thoughtful looks as well. I have a busy week ahead, as I start my new job Monday. It is a little bit outside London, so I will be traveling by tube, train, and bus to get there! So I took it easy this weekend, tried to organize a [View Full Entry]

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As I settle in here, I realize that I do not need to rush through all the tourist-y things because I have plenty of time. I realized this after deciding to go to Westminster on Saturday afternoon to see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Trafalgar Square. Now I realize that I chose Saturday afternoon. But. There were so may people that it was almost impossible to get down the street. Then the tube shut down, along with all of the streets around these sites. So I hung out on Westminster Bridge for an hour and a half and just people watched. [View Full Entry]

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So much to tell, so much I have seen today! Whoever thinks they can see London in one day must be really energetic...I know there are some places that I would even like to go back and look at again! Let me first say that the flight was great--very smooth. My bags were underweight (much to the surprise of the airline attendant). I had the window seat. My seatmate was a fascinating Australian woman who has been living and working in Saudi Aabia. She told me that they have schedules when the women can leave the compound to shop, visit a [View Full Entry]

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Just a few more goodbyes to go before I leave on Wednesday. There were so many people that I wanted to say goodbye to, and couldn't. Jason will be arriving a month later. Packing for 1 month is a lot harder than a week or two, especially because we are heading into fall and winter. Checked the weather report, and London is keeping up with Seattle temperature wise. I am not sure how to feel. I have been thinking about this since I started grad school, and now the time is here. There is so much to see, so much history. [View Full Entry]

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