Expressions of China

One of the best gifts I brought home to myself is a "coffee table" book of black and white photographs taken by a famous Chinese photogragher, Gangfeng Wang. I visited his studio, "Gang of One" in Shanghai and his pictures of children brought back so many memories of my days in Taiwan. "His photographs capture the extraordinary beauty of ordinary people."

I couldn't help but try it myself!

Beijing - Day 1

With only 2 days in Beijing the smartest thing was to hire a driver and a guide...I am amazed at what we were able to see! Our traveling group were 3 other EYers, all experienced travelers and Peter, our guide, who was extremely patriotic and always politically correct. Hoping the dreary weather would clear we started with a tour of the Cloisonne factory and shop, of course! Our driver made a wrong turn and drove against traffic on the highway but we lived to tell the story and it was the first of many "traffic" stories.
On to the Great Wall. The hour drive to Mutianyu gave Peter, the guide, time to give us a brief history lesson. Since it was cold and rainy he suggested we take the (open) ski lift up and we decided the cable car down - good group decision. The weather gave the mountain a mystical feeling as if we were sitting in the clouds. It was built between the 5th century BC and the 16th century AD; it's purpose was protective and for many Chinese people the wall remains a part of their cultural identity. In a word - AWEsome!
From there we visited the Lama Temple to see the largest statue of Buddha carved out of a single sandalwood tree from Tibet. Although it is open to tourist many Chinese were burning incense and worshiping. It was clear that the temple is an attempt to demonstrate that the government "tolerates" Tibetan Buddhism. That night we had a fabulous Beijing Duck dinner including the crispy skin dipped in sugar. I had the honor of cracking open the hard clay covering of the Beggar's Chicken with a mallet....presentation is everything!

The Bluebell Hike

My first real hike...8 miles through forests of Bluebells on a beautiful, sunny, warm May day! These pictures are a peek at some of the sights along the way. We took the Metropolitan Tube to the end of the line and then walked, at a pretty brisk pace I might add, over a canal, through a golf course, across a farm field, over a few rock walls, and into a forest thick with bluebells.

We worked up quite an appetite but never fear, there is always a quaint pub nearby! Fish and Chips never tasted so good!

JERSEY BOYS

.....The story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It was fantastic, the songs were so familiar that even before intermission people around me were singing and tapping their feet (unusual for a British crowd!) ...you couldn't help it! Songs like "Walk Like A Man", "Big Girls Don't Cry", and "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You". I did wonder if the story had much significance for people born in the UK and even for Americans the Jersey accent was a little hokey, but I'll go back and take Rick next time! I bought my ticket through the AWC about a month ago for £45.00, remember don't convert, great seats, and I took the bus so I saved money!

The walk home from Whole Foods

On a typical Saturday afternoon we stop by Whole Foods to buy (and try) some interesting cheeses, sausages. fruits, nuts, flowers, and wine. Tonight we are taking Brad and Susan to TOTO's, a true Italian restaurant. The usual routine for our dinner guest is they meet at our flat, we serve a cheese tray and a glass of Prosecco and then we walk to the restaurant for a fabulous meal and I don't have to do the dishes! - But that's another story, back to our afternoon walk.


We detour off High Street, down quiet neighborhood streets where the cars we hear out late at night are napping.
Across Imperial Campus where if you don't look up you might miss this beautiful tower which shadows the Royal Albert Hall.
Down Queen's Way which now houses student's, daycares, and Embassies but were at one time the grandiose residences of the wealthy and royally connected.

Almost home, down the cobblestone streets of the mews houses - very hard to walk on! The load is heavy but this low wall behind the Brompton Oratory is a shaded place to rest. Next time only one bottle of wine!

Hampton Court

A Comparison of Castles

In March I visited Warwick Castle with the AWC, which is a medieval fortress built in the 14th century but transformed into a great country house in the 18th century. Madame Tussaud's family has bought the castle and with the help of wax figures recreated scenes to bring the tour to life. (Can you tell which of us are wax?) This week I went on a river boat tour up the River Thames from Richmond to Hampton Court....much the way Henry Vlll and Anne Boleyn would have made the trip! The boat ride took about an hour and a half and we had to pass through the locks because of the tidal change. In comparison, Hampton Court is a grand royal palace with a blend of the Tudor architecture and Wren's classical additions. Here is a tour guide tip: Remember Christopher Wren's style of architecture by thinking "wrenaissance"! The Baroque gardens were beautiful but I especially got a kick out of watching a tennis match...the King's tennis is played more like racket ball. Another IPI (interesting piece of information) the word "love" in tennis means 0 and comes from the French word L'oeuf, meaning egg - get it? We did end up skipping the maze...do you girls remember going through it when you visited last June?