My First Cell Phone

Forward

I just checked my last blog and I see that it clearly leaves the date that I have written it. So all know how many days behind that I am. Yes, I am in Paris now - and I love it, but more about that in a later blog.

Perhaps you have noticed. This blog will probably not be a list of things we saw or ate. They are my reflections on traveling. In fact the events that I seem to be relating are relativly minor, but I think will speak volumes on the ups and downs of traveling. A small example: I am not a great speller and I rely on spell check a great deal. Well I am in Paris now at an Internet Cafe. The spell check underlines just about every word that I type- obviously because it is set up for misspelling in French. So please forgive my spelling and grammar errors. I will fix them when I get home (maybe).

Friday, June 12

Donna left early this morning and I started out on my own through the Kesington Park. The beautiful day contrasted with the rain, the previous day. I had been inquiring about renting a cell phone. I heard that 30 Pounds ($1.90 now times 30) was a good price. I went to a cell phone store and found out that I could buy a cell phone for 20 pounds, a chip worth 10 pounds- and some extras like insurance and VAT and other things made the total price 35 pounds. You may imply from the title that this is my first cell phone and it is. Before I left the store, I called Donna, just to make sure it worked. -- INTERNATIONAL CODE-- 001--AREA CODE--707 and so on. And yes it worked.

For those who have noticed, yes, I was dialing an international call for my wife who was only several blocks away. ( will continue later- my internet time is up.)- I am back again. THIS PHONE THING: I am new with cell phones but I read up a little before I went on my trip. American cell phones are locked. This means that you sign a contract for a period of time- a year usually, I think, then have some freedom when you contract is up. Cell phones in Europe are unlocked. Of course you can sign up for a long term service but many people just buy a chip in the drug store and use it until it runs out. Donna successfully called me in England, but when we came to France, she has yet to figure out how to call me. I am still able to call her. This subject brings me to another problem- changing the phone. England has big funky plugs like nowhere else in Europe. I came with a whole range of adapters but still we are having problems finding the right adapter for the right plug. In addition Europe, including England and Russia have 220 current running through their systems. There is a danger that if one only uses an adapter and not a voltage transformer, a person can burn out their electronic device. Last night as I was trying to charge my ipod there was a strange buzz coming from the transformer and I was afraid that I was burning out my ipod as I was charging it. Also I bought an plug adapter for my phone in the rest of Europe today. It was 25 Euro- that is more than the cost of my phone. To sum it up. I am able to call Donna long distance, and I am able to call her Dad (who is with us, did I mention?) but they are still not able to call me. I still have not figured out my cell phone. Noone knows my number except Donna- and I have one message from her and five more from some mystery person (probably some kind of cell phone advertising)and I am still not able to retrieve my messages. But I am able to make a phone call if I get the right country code. Adios!!!

Postscript:
My tour of the National Gallery took in my favorite painters- the great Dutch of the 17th century including of course Rembrandt and Vameer. But in my evening stroll through the museum I came upon one of my favorite painters and certainly my favorite British painter- Wm Turner. At an early age I saw a certain painting of his and endeavored to paint it. It has a name like -Dragging in the Ship (What's its name?) for the last time. The effect is a spread- splashes of light and smoke and sun and water - all over the four foot by four foot canvas. The painting is really a plunge into twentieth century abstraction done by a man born in the early nineteenth century. I have always been quite taken by the painting, but staring at it closely, seeing the thick layers of paint and color exploding on the canvas - in three dimentions was a transporting experience. There were four of them there- similar style but all wonderful in their own way. I urge you to look them up - Google: Turner "National Gallery" London in the image mode. I am sure that you will find them.

Making Judgements

As a forward- I must apologize for the photos posted and lack of photos. The previous photo is of the Blackfriar's Bridge and bridge construction. The beach is the one where Donna and I found artifacts and bones from previous centuries. But it was not the photo that I had hoped to post. I realize that writing a blog overseas is full of compromises. I was able to hook up my camera at the Internet cafe, and see numbered icons but was not able to see what photo that I was posting. So I took a guess from hundreds of photos, where the one that I wanted would be. It was very close to the photo that I had wanted for the previous entry. Also you may realize that my blog is late in appearing. Let me tell you that it is several days after the day that I am writing about. I will not tell you how far behind that I am, but I am behind.

Thursday, June 11

Just the day before we went dining at a wonderful resturant on the South Bank in the Oxo Building- top floor with a lovely view of the Themes. A wealthy American family was having dinner nearby. I heard them say something to the waiter about not having much time for dinner and that they had to catch a show at 7:30. I thought "ugly Americans" rushing down their dinner in a nice place like this. The next day June 11th we had just spent the afternoon at the Tower of London- I recommend it (especially the exhibit in the Norman Castle about the armour of Henry VIII. (I would skip the torture chamber.) We walked down the South Bank looking for a place to eat right before (Let's say 80 minutes) before the show we were to see at the National Theater. We took a walk across the Tower Bridge, then a little down the bank of the river. (Subtract 15 more minutes.)

We chose a comfortable French cafe and ordered our meal. The meal included an appetizer, main dish and dessert. By the time we were finished and paid the check, we had ten minutes to run ( a 15 minute walk) to catch our show. Breathless we entered the theater, to the announcement that the doors were about to close. (Noone let in during the show.)We bypassed "will call" just to see if they would give us seats- ours were the cheap ones on the third floor- We had then to go to the second floor to pick up the tickets and back up to the third floor. Yes, we made it barely. But I thought about those rushing Americans the night before.

The Tube Strike

Ok, my photo for this one is a line of buses- on Oxford Street- all stopped. Our second day was the beginning of the Tube (or Subway) strike in London. We are staying in a lovely little flat in Holland Park, Kensington. We began this day (June 9, I believe) walking from the flat across Kensington Park in the rain- Hyde Park then caught - a certain changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. I was told that it was the real changing of the guard but a shorter version. But the guards changed! I got on film!!! Well digitally. And several carriages and fancy horses and military men marched into Buckingham Palace. It was an hour delay on our walk- I am not particularly fond of the Royal Family but exciting nevertheless.

We continued our walk to Picadilly Circus- check that on a London map- a good distance. Then a bus for about a mile and we came to St. Paul's. Again, luck was with us. We heard an incredible vocal group from Ottawa, Canada. In St. Paul's the sound was gorgious and erie at the same time.

We walked then in and around Soho and Bloomsberry and head back to Holland Park, the long way. Took an extra few blocks north to Westminster University, a little south again. Donna and I figured that we walked 10 to 12 miles. Maybe someone could check that.

I must go now. Donna is waiting for my phone call.

London: Here we are

We arrived last night into Heathow after coopting the flight attendants seat. And indeed it was a comfortable ride from Boston to London. From Heathrow- two hours in what should have been a 25 minute transportation ride. Our flat, in Kensington, owned by a BBC celebrity was warm and welcoming. The full, traditional and very delicious English breakfast with free stories of life in British reality telli satisfied us for almost the whole day.

We started out for Bankside and the Globe Theater. But first a wonderful side track walking on the low tide beach next to Blackfriars Bridge. We found all kinds of interesting artifacts from hundreds of years ago. I mean to post a photo of just one of those artifacts, a jawbone- from an animal that I am not sure of. Perhaps I will post it when I am able to unload my photos. We think that maybe it is the jaw of a mastif jaw. They were bred in Shakespeare's day for bear bating. I will leave that for you authorized opinion when I am able to post it.

We took an extended tour of the Globe Theater with a special costume presentation including some very cute junior high girls and boys from France. Also we got a rare tour of the archeological dig of the Rose Theater- submurged in water for preservation.

The Tate Modern afforded Donna a good two hour nap. I took in a big portion of the extensive colleciton- fabulous group of abstract expressions- a large number of Francis Bacon's work and many Picasso's. Donna now patiently awaits while I finish this blog- near Chinatown and Picadilly Circus- on a bit more gaudy than Time Square. I must go.

Two Hours from Leaving Home

I have been in a manic state, trying to think of everything that I may have forgotten. At the same time I am enjoying every instant of these busy last minutes. Dennis and I went to the French class reunion yesterday. Lynn and her husband have a gorgeous setting for a get together. Earlier Saturday I was stressing about a bread that I was making for the get together. I use the New York Times "No Kneed" Bread recipe. Look it up. Actually the stressful part was my improvisation. I saw a delicious looking loaf in my French cookbook (French Cuisine) - country bread with raisins and hazel nuts. I looked up the ingredients on line but as I told my wife today, I am not good at following directions. The difficult part was making sure that the dough was the right consistency and temperature for rising. I added the currents (soaked in VSOP Cognac) and hazelnuts last. It turned out well. So this is the close-up that I leave for your inspection.

Last night I was up late trying to send a mass email, ridding it of the misplace periods so I could actually send it out. I pulled my ipod out of my computer improperly and got a big grey apple on the screen. I thought that I had ruined for good. But I managed to look up a fix and it seems as good as new. Another mishap is that I locked my keys in my classroom. One might say that the lights are on but nobody is home.

So, bags almost packed- heavier than I would like. I plan to put together one more email list of my buddies in French class. I am listing to Russian tapes and typing this blog. Ya niyi punyimayo. Do you?

I remember why I stopped Blogging

See my most recent blog. My setting had me enabled for Hindi. Why, I do not know. But here is a preparatory blog. Preparatory to my trip overseas. With one week of finals left, Donna and I are leaving for London on an 11PM flight Sunday night. We spend five nights in London. Take the TGV to Paris for 6 nights to stay in an apartment on the Rive Gauche with my polyglot father-in-law (a true "bon pere"), Bill.

I am off on my own to Helsinki, Russia (for 20 days), Latvia, Poland and the Czech Republic. I will try to keep connected. If you want to read about it just post a link to this blog-

Attached is a photo of me and my boys.

इ सुद्देंली रेमेम्बेर वही इ स्तोप्पेद पोस्टिंग