Iconic London and Paris Moments - Carol, Kathy, Shari and Linda

Carol and Kathy near Cornwall

1,400 miles w 3 women in UK

Carol in Cornwall by the sea

At Three Sawyers in Canterbury 

After giving the tour she bikes home

Paris!

PARIS TOGETHER ALWAYS!

Carol's expert in Paris shop

Shari in Paris

Month of Charlie in Paris

Save one for the vicor, says Jane

LONDON!

Tales From Canterbury To Cornwall, To Wales, To Edinburgh, To Hull,Through London To Canterbury With 2 Friends, 1600 Miles in A Citron

It's A Tale Of Three Friends Who Remain As Friends Today. 🐑🐑🐑🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧❗️

Shari and Carol arrive - yay! Friends love sharing in opportunities with hopeful adventures. Each know who they are and by the end of 1600 miles together the changes made us a shared team of stories, playful Canterbury sisters and life-forever friends. 

It started with YES to the question - why don't we share time together in England in a time of bad weather at home for Carol and Shari and winter break for Kathy at Canterbury University? It was a question with more than a simple easy answer and the outcome was a favorable best-dressed event for the three of us!

First - the party got started in London. A stay at a very strange hotel in London - we called it 'the one with the terrorists in the next room!' and 'the one where it was not room for three persons let alone even ONE - ugh!'. Hold on - there is a story familiar to the three of us. This hotel was a place called home for two nights as we explored London together. But it is the hotel that makes this travel episode! 

As we settle down for sleep, the trouble is there was not a micro-footprint outside of the three of us as we lay in our beds. Have to shower? Have to pee? - can't - without one of us perpendicular to the room's ceiling. We made it through one night before we rocked the hotel desk with an insistence to move us to a real - three - person - room. Three bitching women works wonders - rockin' success! 

Second story - oh yea, the terrorists in the next door room. The talk all through the UK is the threat, awareness and fright of terrorism. A sorry condition of our era with rockin wild feelings of those who feed into our narrow stereotypes. They were loudly housed in the room next to us. We could subjectively fulfill our stereotypes by peeking through our peephole as they came and went. So the problem was our silliness as we cured our anxious responses to the ongoing ever-after threats of terrorism - and there they were - shimmering, accidentally terrorist guys next to us with lines of incredible whispered unsettling jumping excited laughter by us.....oh my. What should we do to silent the madness of noise next door to us? I did a frozen walk to catch their room number and crazily used our room phone to call them. With beating heart and laughters, their phone rang once, twice, three times. We could hear it through the paper-thin walls. 

Without our roomies ever answering the phone - we found them to leave the room immediately wrapped up in coats and backpacks. 

Keeping our frenzy of laughter as our subjectively constructed stereotype continued to build - we each came to the conclusion the three rings of the phone was their tagged sign to commit themselves to the act opposite of love. 

We were standing on childhood behaviors - laughing until we almost peed!  Girls can get this as this behavior divides us from the animals and men. Thank God! When we were young and we got scared - we couldn't be told or maybe it was wouldn't hear truths but instead we created thoughts in our heads based on fables of stories embedded with silliness and shared laughter. It certainly was a time of shared love releasing symbols of fear in complicated times, 

 In London 2015 after Charlie Hebdo, Paris, France. From here we laugh in order not to taste anything remotely close to our fears of terrorism. At that drifting moment - we released with much laughter creating a reality to laugh from a time of what we can't control. 

Third story - let's rent a car and see England -  OK! And we hired our very own Citron with the many yet to be discovered unfamiliar changes - driving from the steering wheel on the right, driving on the left side of streets, highways, narrowest paved paths on planet earth. Oh My! And so we begin. 

Our first destination is Cornwall - YAY! We find ourselves in a small, small country - the UK is. So with me behind the left-sided wheel and Carol in her right-sided passenger seat - we left in our forever unfamiliar surrendered role with no fear to die! Carol spent her hours whispering 'to the right, TO THE RIGHT, TO THE RIGHT!!!!!!  And that was our life for next one thousand six hundred miles in our from-Canterbury-journey  - we knew we were all in this together and we will not be scarred to DIE. 

Cornwall resides after a day's drive with arrival on a dark night. A sound of a series of quick boom boom boom boom - what was the bitter explanation? Carol stoically reports - 'You just took out the side mirrors on all the cars on this block - hurry and let's get out of here! Oh My! We lived and died in the same response - an exhausting, most incredible non thinking burst of huge laughter for many, many, many many minutes! We see a cute pub on the ocean  - we found a place to stay for the night. This path led to an incredibly funny story and great small Pub in Penzance with comfortable rooms for us. Our Canterbury pavement chase to Cornwall lead to a great story and episode together.

Fourth story - It's called the witches caldron located in a deep dark night in Wales - and we three Canterbury sisters clearly know why! Cause we rode, got lost, entered the complicated witches caldron more than many times, over and over and over and over and over until we had enough! Where are we????? I just don't know, was the response - it's late, it's icy, were hungry, and were lost in the witches Armageddon cauldron - there's gotta be something more than this hard time caldron. Wales episode didn't seem so little then .......as it does today. 

Fifth story - the sheep. Did you know sheep have the most expressive lips deep in the color of black. (Sheep also have private secrets based on many many colors, as wll lol.). We know this only by a chance interaction with a trailer of patient sheep whose faces were inquisitive in knowing who three American girls in a Citron are. Get a picture!! - we ordered to Carol! We were  just sitting in this two hour traffic jam - should be easy peasy! Well, the sheep were in the grass is always greener lane. Catch up to them for picture of their cute mobile lips - oh hurry! Well, this is the story of the sheep lip picture that 'got away'! And we, as Canterbury Kent sisters who know many interesting sheep stories.......ahem.....will have that picture in our collective memories always. Seems like the proper thing to do for the girls/sheep of multiple color of stories:)))

Sixth story - Cumbria! Now Shari will be a better story teller on this one. Shari shares a common behavior trait of all Brits and because she has to participate with others outside - Shari knows everything about everyone.  We found by chance a lovely, quiet, picture perfect tiny Cumbria quintessential village. We parked a distance from the pub housing our first floor (second to those in USA) a three person room. As we walked to the two story old, old white structure with smoke released in curly question from the chimney night of a full moon - well, this could go very well OR scarry bad. We closed our eyes and took a breath and found love! A wedding - quit small with the whole village at work celebrating the wedding. Now, Shari knows every relationship of marriages, children, exes and more as she chatted outside with many. 

Dr. Watts

It's a class I teach at Canterbury, American Studies: Divided By A Language. It is a class of US students comparing both the UK and USA societies on government, politics, social class, wealth and income, education, healthcare and more. And it is with great pleasure to work and teach with Dr. Martin Watts.

Dr. Watts is quick to demonstrate his authentic side. He a a man of about 60 years old, full of life experiences - a salty pirate, matey!  He has been in Great Britian's Navy for many years. He describes his work on ships carrying bananas, military arms and weapon supplies for the US in VietNam. Dr. Martin tells us he has been on every ocean, many places around the world in his navy days and finishes most sentences with  what I call, an after thought question, isn't it, now? The first few days, I thought the questions at the end of Brits' sentences required action on my part. Not so. It is one example of how we are divided by language, interesting..., isn't it? (See what I mean.)

Dr. Watts makes me think and makes me laugh and I am so happy to work with him. None of his body measurements have changed, he tells us. "My chest has now dropped to my belt and my waist is now what my chest measurement was and there isn't much more to say about it, is there? :)) It all happened when his days of being a referee stopped for women's futball four years ago. 

And, he is extraordinarily brilliant with biographical examples used for class examples. Dr. Watts remembers after the war in London, parks had been bombed and as a child he played in the rubble not knowing the difference of missing swings or shuffling in debris.

World War II is an everyday mention everyday somewhere in the UK. Red poppies are on many city center WWI and WWII memorials. And Churchill's death anniversary of 60 years was a big deal in all of Great Britian two weeks ago. Churchill is one of only two with a royal funeralClass discussion was on the war and Churchill's incredible leadership of strength and courage. Dr. Watts had us tour Spitfields, London borough rich with Jewish history....and Jack the Ripper. (No, he wasn't a Jew and yes, he escaped to the states, I am told.) We were shown details on Jewish community who fed, taught, cared for so many German Jewish children sent by train to Spifields with hopes to see their parents again some day. Many never did. 

Cornwall - in Penzance

Pubs are for sharing a pint or two with your mates. No BBC, CNN, ESPN.  Many with no food as historically is done. Just a few hours to talk, laugh, share lives, news, fun. 

I met Eddie tonight in a Cornwall pub of locals. He has a Jack Russel named Boson he reports to me. The dog sits in one of the pub chairs checking out everyone as they walk by or sit. 

Eddie sat with me and talked about the Celtic differences in people compared to those Londoners. He shared the intimate, loving, personal stories of the dozen or so in this Cornwall pub. Elizabeth lost her husband last November and this is first night out with her daughter. She shared a smile with me. Everyone is looking for sunlight and love.  Eddie told me about the local tin mines located with tall rock towers for ventilation. Tin from Asia destroyed tin mining here. Long lines to the sky represents the part of life maintained by the towered cathedrals of fresh air and oxygen. 

Bernard Leach pottery workshop is here and nearby, Bernard was a local and now a new generation of Leach family ceramists and world interns create museum-hopeful pieces. And a great ceramic China clay continues to extend miraculous veins of non stoppable clay from an ice age - a ground granite and a  show of white in open hills in area is the targeted dig for more Leach clay.  It continues to be mined and is used for china pottery.

I made up my mind I do not need to look any further for an easy authentic life.  I have entered a video of the locals in this pub tonight -  spontaneously singing folk songs, reading poetry - doesn't get any more real than this!! I feel I should give up chasing anything beyond what is real in front of me, finally tonight. I will give up and leave life's unending chases as all races lead and end up here - Cornwall.

No. Not With The Guns

Many times each day, I receive inquisitive comments triggered by my American accent.  'Luvin the yank accent,' 'You from the states?', (Increase your voice tone low at beginning to high at end of sentence), 'I hear an accent, which part of the states you from?' And the most interesting interactions follow. 

When I ask if they have been to the states, about half report to me, yes. Usually it's New York, Florida, California and/or Washington D.C. We continue talking about great parts of their visits and they enjoy hearing comments I report about their country.

But yesterday, I was drawing in Canterbury Cathedral with some Brit friends close to my age. We engage in the predictable questions and responses as I mention above. However, more recently, both in Paris and in Canterbury I see people at the same places more than one time. We recognize one another and become a bit more friendly. And so it is now more than predictable, proper responses, a bit more personable. So, I ask, have you been to the states?  "Oh no, not with the guns!" Or, "Oh, no. Not anymore with the guns." I heard this few times in Paris. But I hear these words a lot in UK and Canterbury.

I teach with a Brit professor, in his early 60's, Prof Watts. He has been part of the British Navy for many, many years. Retired, he is a well respected, Ph.D. in history and knows everything on WWII. Dr. Watts and I teach together 'Divided By A Common Language:  A Comparative Study of Contemporary Britian and USA.  We cover government, economy, social class, education and will discuss health care in today's class. In fact, the USA is significantly worse ( - actually THE worst) in comparison to UK, and European nations in meeting equity, access, equality, costs, mortality, infant mortality, life expectancy, healthiest lives and more.  See http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2014/jun/mirror-mirror

Dr. Watts promises to speak more to the class about USA and guns. In fact, when asked if he would ever live in the USA, he sputs and coughs before saying, "USA is a beacon for free speech, capitalism and much more. However, the USA has gone beyond the point of return with its guns." He promises the class to finish the course about guns in USA with a last lecture and why he will never live in USA.

Now, this idea got the 15 Missouri, USA students defensive, who clearly state they hold gun carrying FOID cards. One of the 'merican Missouri students, Sam, asks Prof Watts, "Have you, Prof Watts, ever held a gun?"  Prof Watts sputters and responds, "Of course! Being in the Royal Navy, at sea, I have seen and been in every ocean for thirty years, of course!" 

Sam follows up with, "Then you know how great the feeling is to hold a gun and shoot a gun." 

Prof Watts responds. "Young Man. Apparently, YOU have never had sex!"

Lecture hall responds with a hard, long, hard laugh.

Teaching at Canterbury, Winter Term, 2015

Each class has a team who together teach, lecture, tutor, and double mark students' work. Directories are syllabi, tutors are faculty, and the issue of exploitation of adjuncts is shared yet Canterbury adjuncts each have universal healthcare, second best in world with fully healthcare equality.  On average, two papers each class are expected for completion of the course, and a paper is turned in two ways:  paper turned in online within Blackboard and paper turned in hard copy. The hard copy requires a 'cleared from plagerism' receipt, turned in with paper. The student at Canterbury is the agent of her learning. It is the students' duty to learn. That's it! No scores for attendance. No scores for participation.  No tests. No quizzes. Just teaching. Just learning. The administration is not in the faculty's academies. The faculty have full respect and ownership to the classes. It is a Harry Potter experience in seeing and feeling CCCU tutors, professors teaching and walking on the grounds of ancient ancestral domain to Christianity of 437 AD.

In comparison to the Illinois community college middle class student, CCCU too, projects a middle class set of values, demographics, accents and of students. Both sets of students get out of bed, chase after girls, boys and many more, confront how to make the world better than ancient royal and political histories of destructions, put cell phones first and make rules as they go.  Both sets of students want to be a better set of citizens than those who studied before them in these places.  But, students don't understand how to keep and understand the college dreams of today to their distant predictable, content hearts of lonely workers in minds of forty-somethings.  How to keep the passion and love from rolling away from a set of spirited, dreaming students to a perennial established set of ways to preserve and mainten status quo. Yet, just in this matter of time, I stand in CCCU classrooms where students roll and try to catch this time of a lesson on killings of black men and black boys by cops in America, from the USA professor. 

This is the time to teach what is of courage, of wasted and current and corrupt answers to past problems and to teach histories that are not their fault, with their hearts of conviction on the line of tomorrows, of yet to be. A visiting professor of sociology focusing on US racism and race relations at Canterbury, reports what is 'f*cked up at this time'. The problems that were made in the USA on killings of black men and of black children by cops makes the UK student tremble. A hush and a cry of 'so sorry' whispers from the back of the classroom as they witness the youtube killing of twelve year old Tamir Rice. 'Whose fault is this?', ask the unaware CCCU students blind to the USA three hundred fifty years of harsh, complicated race relations in the country they believe to be one of the most democratic and richest in the world with a wealth of blue skies, land, largest lakes and mountains. But after discussion, the belief is expressed more for the victims and families taken by US cops' bullets, an incomprehensible violence not understood on the streets of Canterbury, county of Kent, in London, the UK, European Union, Europe. 

Discussions swell of what will break and stop the USA cop violence on black children.  Who does it start with to disappear, they ask. Who will be the WWII, royal, lion-leader to stop the killings in America with courage and with conviction? Each begin to see the sun can go down in a society where heads are not held high but instead corrupt and lost values divide people into groups of empty senseless killings, keeping many awake. The truth needs to be carried out, the students argue. The truth will be laid out and all this will disappear or America will bury itself, is the take away from the students.  I listen to the reasoning of the CCCU student as we carry on.

If hunger exists without feeding, there is a lesson here for America - to love people equally.  All Americans are victims to the same issue. Always look out for one another, the UK Canterbury student advises, for a better set of outcomes and a country.  

America needs to get this right, they plea - with Courage and with Conviction.

Canterbury Cathedral - January 6. 2015 Epiphany- EVENSONG

This ancient Canterbury Cathedral was started by Abbey monks in order to welcome Pope Gregory 597AD. Pope took visit after he saw slaves working in Rome and asked who were they? Anglos he was told- Pope heard Angels and wanted to visit home of angels.  At same time Romans were retreating and empire falling apart. Paganism taking over. Queen Bertha was a Christian from France and received Augustine and his monks and King became Christian. Cathedral becomes strong and big. 

Norman Invasion 1066 ( USA students had no idea what this is:(... 1057 church partially burned down. Below the cathedral floor are 600BC Roman ruins. Cathedral rebuilt 1172 in Gothic style and you can see original v gothic in the style of windows - thank you King Henry II and marries Eleanor from France to control that country - she loves the Cathedral.  The King trusts Thomas Beckett, Chancellor of King's money - and King wants to control church so appoints Thomas Beckett to be loyal to King with church and his money. Over time, Beckett follows God - not King. King has secret soldiers cross English Channel from France to kill Thomas Becket, in the Cathedral. The murder started people all over Europe travel to pray at shrine of Thomas Becket in the Cathedral 1580. These pilgrimages surprise King.

Later, King Henry VIII married and wanted divorce from Catherine. Pope said no. So King made himself head of church and King has much of the England's churches and religious artifacts defaced or destroyed.

Check out the stain glass window I have posted. Start at top middle and work down- each frame tells the story of Epiphany told to my students and me Day of Epiphany by the docent - so cool - went to Evensong that night with the full choir - amazing! 

A funny story only with college students - Docent told the tale of the three kings to the students. The fourth frame down shows the three kings sleeping receiving message from angel. You can see the Kings are sleeping in one bed- well.......you see where this is going! Docent tells students 'The Kings sleep in bed together receive message from angel' - students giggle and ask why do kings sleep together? Oh Boy! Clearly, students are learning to hear Brit language and trying to understand its meaning:)))) Our elderly docent looked at me unsure - yep; I explained the students confusion of how they heard the words and the implied meaning. He made that throaty skof noise and said, 'Oh, heavens no- it was easier for the artist to place them together, I guess' - GHEEZ!

Archbishop of Canterbury is Head of England's Church and today he made strong statement that UK is not doing enough for Brits who are poor or ailing and it is only weeks before the national election  - Archbishop of Canterbury's message is a front page, big headline in today's paper here- this Cathedral sits with power still today, 2015!

Canterbury Cathedral and the grounds of Canterbury Christ Church University are protected via UNESCO. (The university sits on grounds of an ancient abbey and it's orchard, I am told. The ruins sit in middle of campus.) 

WWII this town hit hard with German bombs. The town had Fire Brigades with long sweepers on the  roof of Cathedral to sweep off the German fire bombs- a dedication to them is on floor of Cathedral when you first walk in. I asked docent how did this Cathedral survive - it's amazing! He believes the Cathedral was used as a landmark to guide the German planes to London - 'see Cathedral, go left and North to London,' and so Germans not destroy the Cathedral. The elderly docent told me his mother was on a fire brigade in London and she never lost her assigned building - walking history ~

See picture one and six below - long outside covered walkway. When cathedral needed money (old times, 1300-1400), families donated and the family crest of the donors are posted on the ceiling. We should consider at UCC?!

See picture seven and eight and ten- this the smaller (!) nave where Evensong occurs.

JE SUIS CHARLIE January 8 & 9, 2015

PILGRIMAGE- A Tale To Canterbury, Kent

Canterbury is a town only 30 minutes from the seaside area of Dover, the Cliffs of Dover. I have seen these chalk, white huge cliff-like walls - the bookends of England.  And from there are a group of extra huge ferries taking pedestrians, trucks, cars, buses back and forth to Calais, France. I mention this area because I learned it is not just a beautiful part of UK. This is where people from south (Africa) but mostly east (Iran, Romania, Syria, Turkey and more) enter the UK without passports or documents. And it is in the truck parking area you will find at times people running from truck to truck trying to pay a driver to hide them somewhere on board for the crossing to UK. 

See the links to read about the Social issue.        

 http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2014/dec/23/calais-migrants-get-to-england-or-die-trying-video.          

And.     http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/dec/23/15-migrants-trying-enter-uk-die-shameful-calais-conditions

January 4 is when Rich and I crossed. The process was interesting. I kept thinking of the old, I Love Lucy shows, when Lucy and Ricky go to Europe passing through the borders, the border uniformed agent checking passports, the gate lifts up and down to let you pass into the country's imagined rigid border. And so was the process from Calais to Dover in the Calais ferry port.

I was stopped after luggage checked at French passport gate. French looked at my passport, released me to UK, 4 feet from the French desk and gate. Now in the UK the Border Agent asked for passports. Rich easy peasy- got his stamp - into UK just 3 feet from me as I remain in France.  In my case, I was told to have Canterbury's contract and papers with me due to 3 months in country. And so it was- Many, many questions. I was warned it would happen. Why are you here 3 months? Is Canterbury paying you? What do you teach? What is sociology? What exactly will you teach? To who do you teach? Explain how you came to teach in Canterbury? May I see your teaching papers? Who created these papers? Where will you live? How is your housing paid? Will you be receiving a salary? Who pays for the salary? Will you be receiving any money from Canterbury during your stay? When do you leave? Do you have access to personal money or credit? Will you be traveling out of UK during the time you are teaching? For what purpose? With who? - the agent turns and goes into his office with door closed. I can see him on the phone reading my passport in his hand. Within a couple minutes - he returns with my passport and stamps it. He tells me each time I return to UK - now I will know how to answer each question - it is important. OK, I say. It's not so easy as compared to Rich's process. He is 2 feet from me actually in UK. Gate is raised, I walk into the UK to the gate of the ferry. Alas, we missed it and wait one hour. It's late, no one else around. Rich and I are laughing, tired-giddy from the I Love Lucy episode we feel we went through. 

Another man, no luggage, thick accent, a dark man, sits with us. We visit with the general passive, polite conversation for one hour. It's Sunday night, 930pm, the station is empty of pedestrians. The three of us wait together. A ferry agent dressed in uniform walks past us, unlocks a small windowed office in front of us, pulls open the window shade and announces in a very official manner- all pedestrians please go through door one to the bus. The three of us look around....it's just us. I walk to the window and ask her, where is door one? She points behind her, lowers the shade, removes herself from the office, locks office up, and walks the three of us to the door one. OK.

Ferry ride is uneventful. Our friend sits very close to us helping in such a gracious way with our baggage - we have a HUGE bag we call Bertha, and she was cumbersome. We offer to buy him a coffe to thank for his help with our luggage. Our friend stays near us during the 45 minute trip over English Channel to Dover. We arrive. Lots of waiting - very alone on this huge ferry. The three of us stand and wait to be released off the ferry. I ask our friend, where in UK are you going? London, he said, to stay with a cousin. Where are you from?, I ask. "I am from a region in Iraq, Kurdistan, and I am Kurd, you may know that word from your USA war in Iraq!"  And then he spoke fast and more - angry.  I wasn't able to follow. He was very angry. I hugged him. I don't know why and he embraced me too. I said it was a terrible war. He agreed. The gates opened, we hugged again and walked quickly off the ferry together. A car was waiting for him in an empty parking lot. We made eye contact and waved goodbye and best wishes. He returned our wave.  I asked Rich, what was that about?! 

For us no taxis, not a soul around- it's Sunday night after 11:30pm. We do not have a working phone...kinda an, oh crap moment! After a bit, an older gentleman leaving off work from the ferry, walked by, asked if we got off the ferry and where are we going? He told us we are in the taxi port and to wait it out.......didn't feel so promising. Off he went after we spoke. He turned around to come back and told us, he called a taxi and we must agree to his story, that we had a taxi ordered but it didn't show. We thanked him for making that call for us and agreed to keep his lie true. The half hour taxi ride, very late now, in heavy fog took us to Canterbury.....an incredible pilgrimage into Canterbury.

Honfleur, France with D-Day Visit - January 3, 2015

It's so worth visiting Honfleur, France. Thank you, Carol for the bed and breakfast recommendation - best place!

A small French seaside village from 1600's. 

Omaha Beach - Rich is a man who knows how to love history- every detail. And being once a soldier - he knows how to HONOR. 

It's New Years Eve in Paris - Welcome 2015!

We are off to Montmarte to visit Sacre Coeur. We ask a resident, which way to Sacre Coeur? Her response is immediate with a pointed hand up, any road that leads UP. So we walked up and up the narrow cobbled stone streets until we reached a carnival souvenir location of walking artists complimenting your pretty face in order for your 20€. "I will draw for you your beuuuuuutiful face, mademoiselle!" The olde towne center was filled with artists each selling their works for one hundred years just like that today.

In Sacre Coeur - Sacred Heart. The church was receptive and embracing. A lighted Christmas tree near the door and the life sized crèche just beyond beckoning 2€ for us to light a candle. As we have in every one - we oblige.

The view to Paris center from Sacre Coeur is one beyond words. The Eiffel Tower is easy to pick out - the crown jewel in the horizon of neighborhoods, streets, buildings, Parisian shoppes, Paul's Coffee,  monuments, museums, tourists but mostly unique and independently warm Parisians.

Wine at a cafe as we watch artists selling their art, we waited for 4pm - dark and the Christmas lights turn on! Voila! Magic! But what do I see? Two young men in French military uniforms heavily armed with machine guns either side of the only Starbucks in Montmarte. I ask two Parisian residents, why? "Oh, you Americans! It's security for YOU!"  OK then ~ .....it's security.

A restaurant for New Years Eve is easy to find in Montmarte as most Parisians enjoy the event in their homes.  A man peddling roses gives me 2 - a red one and a white pair of roses with a kiss from his mustached wet mouth. He tells Rich 25€ - Rich works him down to 20€. We both receive a dam good kiss - it's Paris just a couple hours before midnight! 

Off to the Paris city center on the Champs Ellyssess with a small bottle of champagne with my sweetheart! The midnight brings a million lights twinkling up and down Champs Ellyssess, a beaming Eiffel Tower and a low, short set of firworks off the Arc de Triumph. A Happy New Year toast and loving kiss ~ best wishes in 2015 on the streets of the grand city - Paris!

It's PARIS with an interesting interaction under the EIFFEL

It's Paris! Mosaic elegant squares, palaces, and parks; narrow cobblestone streets and one ever going cafe terrace in the City of Lights.

It's Christmas in Paris. Every chapel, church, cathedral holds a decorated Christmas tree in its outdoor  front area and a very old, gold, silver, wood or plaster crèche near the front alter. Each crèche has its own orientation on presenting the story of Christmas. Some crèches are a holy, ambitious display with gold, candles and lights. Most church crèches are a simple display with real birch trees, evergreens, dried grass, leaves and hay mixed with the chipped painted plaster figures expressed with great care with hay set in food bins for the broken ear- plaster cows and sheep - cute!

Off to Saint Germain. This area was the incubator for artistic creativity in the 1920's, for Nazi resistance in the 1940's, and for student revolution in the 1960's. These days best way to experience this neighborhood is to wander along Boulvevard Saint-Germain, stopping at the shops and bars. For me - This Is Paris! 

To Jardins + Palaisde Luxembourg to begin our walk through Saint Germaine- des- Pres- the neighborhood to be in the 1920's! Here literi met the glitterati and Tout Paris marveled at the ensuing explosion of creativity and alcoholism. Sarte fumed on these streets. Hemingway hunt for pigeons his first year from Luxembourg Park. And Gertrude Stein used to cross thru this park on her way to sit for Picasso. Statutes, pruned trees and a pond in which children float wooden boats.  A family was just packing the small flat bottom, wood boat when we arrived. The gardens support small green flowering plants in December!  The Sarbonne is nearby, the large Palace (1615), was built for Henry IV widow but now houses the democratically elected French Senate.

North on de Tourman to find Rue Bonaparte where Pierre Herme (at no. 72) makes the BEST delicious macaroons. We entered to purchase 2 - not enough! We returned immediately to purchase many more. I asked to take a picture - I did.  Suddenly, behind the counter, an abundant woman with rhinestones on her eyelids states, "Vous. Vous!?" I think she was suggesting I take a picture of HER too- and indeed I did.

On Rue St-Surplice, 6th, we opened door of Eglise Saint-Surplice- an ancient medieval 6th century national treasure church filled with Delacroix, Jacob's Fight with the Angel and 800 year old frescoes.  Rene DesCartes is entombed and a Romanesque painting, during a restoration, was discovered.  Bookstores, antiques, and a posh Bohemian collection of galleries and shoppes are located nearby here where once Colette, Picasso, Jacqueline Kennedy, Jean Cocteau once haunted these streets.

Off to see Eiffel Tower using tickets Luke and Nicole gave us - YEAH! We take Sara's recommendation, "To see the Eiffel Tower for the first time, my recommendation is to get off at the Trocadero Metro stop, walk around the corner up the steps, the Eiffel Tower in all of its magnificence comes to view and it it just breathtaking. That gets me every time."  

Rich left to order street food - chocolate crepes located between a carousel and the Eiffel. Two young college aged students, African, asked if I could take a picture. (I think that's what they said in very broken English.)  I did and then they asked if I am from the states, where? I told them Chicago and they began chattering Michael Jordan. I asked where they were from. Belgium they reported. Vacation, they asked? I said yes including the Canterbury story. What is race in USA, they asked.  I touched my face and touched his, and they both said yes, we understand. Very bad, they reported and demonstrated shooting guns. Wow! 

Sara's recommendation was spot on- thanks, sweetie!! Luke and Nicole's 7:30pm ticket reservation to the top of Eiffel Tower was MAGNIFICENT!  Best gift ever! We walked with more crepes, Nutella, banana crepes awestruck when the Eiffel Tower Twinkled- it was 4 times!

ICONIC LONDON PHOTOS and A Political Discussion With A Brit Family Man

Yes, that's Big Ben and Parliament with Christmas trees behind the iron gates. The London Eye is pretty and if you look close, Big Ben is what I am pointing to in the eye:). And last is the extra long line into Crown Jewels near London Bridge. 

History seems to always start with, "in the 12th Century..........." And what is so amazing is standing in the footprint of that time sweeping past 900 years. Crown Jewels was interesting. Did you know all the original jewels and gold were destroyed in civil war 1300's to diminish the monarchy! But jewels, crowns, gold and more recreated and monarchy continues well through today.

So, standing in a 45 minute line to see the Crown Jewels, I became friendly with a Brit family in front of us. They were professional, early 40's with two sons, one 6 and other 12 years old from Birmingham, outside of London. So it was politics, as I was told in my orientations the Brits love the topic. It started with talk of Prince Charles 'will never be king and will go to his son'. They both (the Brit couple in front of us) reported this to me with great regard for monarchy and 'Kate's' soon to be child to be born in April, 2015.

And so the topic switched to higher education in Britian and USA. He said, "It's a shame that higher education in UK is now different than when I was a student, in late '80's. Now everyone can go to university and it's just not right!" "One had to be tested and work very, very hard to be in university. It's just not that way today, and it's not right." He explained now anyone in UK can go to university and yes, UK students have loans through the government. UK Student loans run about 15,000€ and would begin to be paid after the UK graduated student earns 18,000€/year. After 3 years the UK forgives the student loan entirely. (Need to teach this to my classes and push Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts on this idea.)

 I reported to my Brit friend the USA student loan social issue- my Brit friends were shocked and bewildered on the idea USA students pay 10 years on student loans average 20,000$ in full, never to be forgiven - with full interest to the government! Shocking, they said!

President Obama next topic- my Brit friend brought up. "Disappointing your president doesn't do much to help you Americans,"he said. My Brit friend wanted me to know, "In UK, the rich can afford everything, poor receive everything, the middle class stuck with the taxes to pay for it all!" We discussed social class changes since USA and Brit recession - interesting, his response was 'revolution!' I will let you interpret the meaning of my Brit friend's response.

We said our goodbyes as we got close to the inside to tour. I shared my business card and they said they may just pay us a proper Chicago visit! 

12 Things I Know In London

1. Mind the Gap politely announced, leaving the car off the Tube

2. Way Out is Exit

3. A Red Fox lives in St. James Park near Buckingham Palace and trots down sidewalk near the Ritz- saw it!

4. Litter Causes Delays, reads signs in London

5. Romanians are not understood in UK, always referred to in harsh terms

6. Brits don't use real cream in coffee - only skimmed milk..sad for me

7. Roasted chestnuts everywhere

8. Big Ben peeks at Buckingham Palace through the leaf-less trees in St. James Park

9. Kensington Borough, London is the place to live - very Lincoln Park - esque 

10. Flowers bloom in window boxes, December in London

11. Chelsea will win the big football game Sunday, 28/12/14......I hope

12. Churchill is a Hero, with Mandella and Lincoln, according to the Brits

London and It's Boxing Day December 26, 2014

We left for London Christmas night. We arrived on Amanda's Birthday- Happy Birthday to you!! The UK Border Immigration growled at my three month entry, but with my powers of persuasion and the empowering label professor ( the agent stated that title 20x in 20 different where, when, why questions),  I got the multiple stamps! 

We found the best London neighborhood - Kensington. Our small residential hotel, Park Grand London Kensington is only a block from the London Tube, at Earl's Court on a small main street of coffee shops, banks and pubs (....and a Nanos, too, Sara:)). Thank you Sara - Abbey Car was a total miracle for us - Heathrow directly to our wonderfully small residential hotel. 

It's Boxing Day - so we wanted to be with the London residents doing what Londoners do on Boxing Day, shop together on Oxford Circus, Regents Street, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square - today is all about the CONSUMER. So we quickly assimilated into the proper role and found - SELFRIDGES & Co, SELFRIDGES.com and their ubiquitous yellow bags that every Londoner carries on Boxing Day. It's like Macy's with an accent.

We found a friendly taxi driver who took us through the shopping areas and gave us a true London narrative on Boxing Day and all he felt we needed to know. First, there are London cameras EVERYWHERE! Everywhere!! EVERYWHERE!!!  And second, not to worry, the 'Romanians are removed' immediately as they are the pickpockets. Third, he told us to look at the people on the sidewalks, just in this area alone are plainclothes police everywhere as well as men in black suits and ties wearing tags, SECURITY. Our east London accented taxi driver told us, "We want you to come back to London, so we remove immediately the 'Romanians'.  "But keep a good eye on yourself, he warned us, "in case others try as well". Fourth, " We wait to shop for gifts after Christmas because you can get a better price and save a lot. In fact, we are eating at my mother in laws tonight", he reported. "She cooks everything so dry, that's why I am eating my roll now, I don't tell her, but I can't eat her food at dinner."  So it's Boxing night the exchange of gifts occur.

As the taxi crept slowly through Oxford  Street to what the driver thought was the perfect spot for us, we saw hundreds and hundreds of people, shoulder to shoulder on narrow sidewalks passing Forever 21, Ambercrombie & Fitch, The Body Shop, and many, many USA brand stores. Everyone carried many purchases with the store name brandished on every bag. And as we entered Selfridges, dozens of men in black suits tagged with security smiled at me saying, 'welcome to London'. Rich and I apparently look very much USA in a crowd of London Boxers. Rich was wearing Chicago White Sox hat, that may have been the tip as well.

The London tube is very easy. We went to find St. James Park, Green Park, found Bird Cage Walk. We found Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Parliament Square, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye with hardly a Brit in view. We listened to the chimes of Westminster at noon and Big Ben's strong bong at one. It is all international tourists. London iconic sites are a thrill to discover. And it was awesome to turn for a picture at Buckingham Palace gate and spontaneously find Big Ben boldly standing in the short distance - just there! So cool! 

We stopped in a pub for hot mulled wine and a beer.  WE ARE IN LONDON! Thanks, Ben for your advice, we keep saying exactly that, "We are in London!!!!!!!!"

Back to Kensington to chill and a bite to eat. Chelsea, neighborhood next to Kensington, played big football game (soccer to you Americans we were reminded), tonight. Every pub in this little neighborhood packed with the winners and the losers tonight with a large police and Bobbie presence, for extra security we were told. It's Boxing Day, a Bank Holiday they remind us. So not much is opened. It is only the pubs that are opened in order to celebrate the football win!

Tomorrow, Churchill War Rooms part of the Imperial War Museums. Thank you Luke and Nicole, will be interesting event in London. 

I'll be adding some photos later.

I made it to London!

My other favorite Big Ben.

At Her Majesty's front door.

Real blossoms outside in December!