Happy Halloween

Halloween has always been one of my most favorite holidays. I think the fact that you can be a grown up and still put on a silly costume to be a kid is priceless. When we left Charlotte, it was hard to enjoy Halloween because we never get any trick or treaters out here in the boondocks. In Charlotte, I'd have to buy bags and bags of candy. There were so many kids.

Hillsville had an event they held in town, but Cass soon outgrew that. Two years ago I had the great idea of hosting a party. They were so much fun to plan and prepare for. The first year was great, but the second year was a BLAST!! I think next year I'm going to have an adult party. It will be on a Friday night, so that will be perfect. I should start planning now!

On the way home tonight, I thought back to the days when I was a kid myself going out for Halloween. Our little gang was pretty mischievous. We egged cars and rolled toilet paper. Last year when I saw one of my friends from back then, he reminded me of a vegetable garden fiasco one Halloween.

We all threw rotten veggies from the garden at passing cars. I happened to pick up a ginormous melon of some sort. Sure enough, we hit a car and caused a lot of damage. They stopped and we all scattered. This one guy got caught and took the rap for all of us. My melon probably caused the worst of the damage, and that poor guy got all the trouble. Sure we were just stupid kids, but I feel badly I participated in letting him take all the credit. And even worse, I had completely forgotten about it all happening. I still don't remember much about it, but it rang a vague bell when he told the story. UGH!

Then I started thinking about the girls when they were little. Some of their costumes were adorable. I made a lot of them. Jen decided she wanted to be an elephant one year. That one was interesting to turn out. I wish I had kept it. But I'm sure it was sold in a yard sale along the way. Thankfully we have pictures of it.

I have great memories of Halloween. The gobs of candy we'd get. Costume contests we always wanted to win. Carnivals we went to bobbing for apples, doing cake walks, and eating lots of food. Haunted houses we screamed in. 

So, here's to Halloween. The holiday where you can be a crazy kid no matter how old you are. I hope you found your inner child and didn't eat too much candy. And if it's possible, let a little bit of that kooky kid follow you into tomorrow and every day following.

Sad Sacking

I can't believe it's been over a week that I've been home from the whirlwind trip. I got a day of rest and then it was back to work. It wasn't too busy, but my body decided to get sick. I think I just ran on fumes for too long and it retaliated.

I came home Saturday from work and haven't been out since. I think it was just an allergy attack that progressed into my usual fall sinus infection. The joys! I'm on the mend, but I think it will take a few more days to finally work through my system like it normally does.

I've had the added measure of missing Tony like crazy. The two weeks he spent home and then my trip over proved to attach us at the hip for the better part of a month. We did our usual bickering like an old married couple, but for the most part we had a wonderful time. And now I feel like a bicycle without a front wheel. And I don't like it!

Tony, probably a little more than most men, is like the wild horses that run out west. Throughout his career, he's always traveled to some degree. The last 7 and a half years of being here part time and in Charlotte the other have been manageable. But this gone 24 x 7 for weeks at a time is NOT working. Something has got to give, and I'm hoping it's not my sanity.

Until such time that he gets home, I'm going to have to find a way to pick my lower lip off the ground and get back to life. I've let him know loud and clear this isn't working for me. We'll see if he listens. There is a long list of things that need done in the mean time. I just need to get focused and get them done. Please say a little prayer for us as we work through this. I know God has a plan, and I'm trying to follow along nicely. Trying is the key word!!

That's all she wrote

Getting up bright and early is something I haven't had to do much of in the last two weeks. I decided to avoid rush hour tube traveling to the airport and be four hours early for my flight instead of being frazzled dealing with the crowd. Once I got checked in and such, I was only 2 and a half hours early.

Airport security is a LOT less stressful in Heathrow than in the states. However when we reached DC, we had to go through TSA between flights. I nearly gave myself a coronary running through the airport to make it. Of course my flight would be the furthest gate away. Oh well, I made it. That's all that matters.

In looking back on my stay in Europe, there are so many wonderful memories. I'm thankful I have visited other big cities to remove the intimidation factor of coming into a big airport, riding on a subway, and interacting with the gobs and gobs of people. I know there are a ton of things I missed seeing in Europe, but what I did see was beautiful. And those left unexperienced are reasons to return one day.

The time spent with Tony was great. There is always an adventure where he's involved. We fortunately skipped any big issues like flat tires or car accidents, but our roundabout circling and "hopelessly lost" memories will bring a smile for quite some time. It's amazing that I was lucky enough to find my soul mate at such a young age. We constantly challenge the box that each other lives in knowing when to stop once an edge is reached.

I have also appreciated the countless emails, texts, and FB messages of support in my journeying. I have enjoyed sharing it with you, and it's been great having your words of encouragement. I know a few of you will be glad I'm home to get back to my massage duties!

I left London at 12 p.m. and got back home at 9 p.m. After getting up at 6, 14 hours of traveling, and a five hour time difference, exhausted doesn't cover it. I have tomorrow to recuperate and plan to do just that. It will be a busy three days at work I'm sure, and then Sunday I plan to vegetate yet again. If I don't blog for a bit, you'll understand why.

P.S. I started smelling home when I got off the plane in Charlotte. I made a beeline and when I opened the door, it smelled like Heaven. It just might take a miracle to ever get me to leave again!!

London day five - Winding down

The excitement that I had when I first landed in London has mostly diminished. Today it was a struggle to get up and go out sight seeing. There is so much more to see and do in the city, but my energy level is shot. The crazy week of work and training I had before I even came, on top of two weeks of nonstop going, has finally caught up with me.

I slept in today but did manage to get out to see the two places I was interested in. But when I got there, I discovered they were closed. They are only open Wednesday through Sunday. As I was making my way back to the tube, I heard horse clops on pavement. It was the people involved in the changing of the guard from Buckingham. It rained today so they didn't actually do the ceremony. You just never know what you'll see at any given moment in London.

I came back to the hotel to try and have lunch with Tony, but that didn't work out due to his work schedule. So, I thought it would be a perfect day for a massage. I lucked out and found a place within half a block of our hotel. It felt great and was just what I needed to rejuvenate me for my trip home tomorrow. A cat nap before he got in from work was icing on the cake!

I think all the sight seeing has gotten to Tony, too. Last night I woke up to what I thought was him talking on the phone. It turns out he was reporting that he had a fireplace that was partially caved in and he had no idea what to do to fix it. It let me know that instead of just looking at the castles and the beauty of them, he was thinking about how to reconstruct them. Only a man!

I asked if he remembered it this morning and he said yes. And that he's been having the same dream now for three nights. The strange thing is he doesn't dream nor does he ever remember if he does. Maybe he can get all these ruined castles fixed while he's over here.

This evening was bittersweet. We went to dinner with two guys from Tony's work so I could meet them. Afterwards we walked around a bit. The weather was very mild today and carried over into the night. While I'm ready to go home, I sure wish he was going with me. I don't look forward to managing the five hour time difference and the technology challenges of staying in touch. It's just so much better having him in person.

I've had a wondrous time these last two weeks exploring Europe. We have seen and done so much. We've made so many amazing memories. I will cherish them forever. I've taken nearly 2500 pictures as proof.

London day four - Back to the beginning

We made it back to London safely. We decided to drop off our luggage at the hotel before we dropped off the car. We just thought it would be easier than fighting through the tube with it. Boy, was that a mistake. We spent 45 minutes fighting traffic to get here, and then another 45 minutes back out to the airport.

We put just over 1200 miles on our car in 5 days. It was a really fun experience, but I was glad to let public transportation take over navigational duties. We never would have seen the beautiful countryside we did if we weren't as brave (or stupid) as we are. They are memories that we'll never forget.

On our way out to the airport, we saw a cool restaurant - Sherlock Holmes. We decided to stop back there to eat for the night. We got off the tube and made our way in that direction. We wound through the streets and happened upon this area where a guy came and stopped us. He said they were filming. We asked what it was. He said he couldn't say. I asked if it was British or American. He said we'd recognize some of the actors. So we decided to stay and watch.

There were cool cars, people dressed in overcoats and hats, and women dressed in the dresses and veils of India. We couldn't really make heads or tails of what was happening. Finally, we saw an actor come across the street. It was Billy Bob Thorton. They told him to hurry across the road. He flipped them the bird! Everyone laughed. We had no idea who the rest of the actors were. But when I googled it, the movie is London Fields. We'll have to see that one for sure!!

We finally found the restaurant and it was really good. We made our way across the river and to The London Eye. It's a giant Ferris wheel sort of thing that has pods that you can stand up in. It fits probably about 20 or so people in each. It spins all the way around staying level the whole time as the wheel rotates. It is a beautiful view of the city as it's 443 feet high.

Tony is back to work tomorrow, and I'm back to exploring. There are a couple of places I can see from the English Heritage passes we bought. I may as well get my money's worth! Now if my feet will hold up.

Scotland day three - Long roads

At our breakfast this morning the owner was very inquisitive about us and America. He wanted to know what Virginia is famous for. We told him many of our early presidents were from there. And then we told him it was the capital of the confederacy. He knew all about that. And said we're known for being losers. Oh joy!

He kept wanting to talk to us and finally happened upon the topic of motorcycles. He and his mate do a lot of traveling and riding in other countries. He was telling us about their various adventures along the way. From the sounds of it, he and Tony are brothers separated by the Atlantic Ocean!

He was telling us how the GPS had settings for things that you could avoid. One he set was for traffic. He thought that meant traffic jams. Turns out it meant the most scenic route even if it took you around your nose to get to your big toe. He said he took a lot of u-turns until he figured it out. His mate said that if they don't do at least three u-turns a day, she felt incomplete. I was crying laughing by the time we left. It let me know that I don't have the only man in the world that seeks adventure on the crookedy path versus the straight and narrow.

We took the slow route to Glasgow. The countryside looks a lot like the Shenandoah valley back home. There are fields and fields of sheep separated by low rock walls. We hit a mountainous area that had beautiful streams flowing down the crevices where they met. Simply gorgeous.

Glasgow wasn't much fun. We would have skipped it other than the fact we needed to get some souvenirs. We parked in a garage and set out on foot. We got lucky and were close to the tourist area. We got our gifts and headed on our way. I found yet another back road and we were off.

To give you an idea of the extra amount of time it took us on the lolly gagging route, what should have taken 4 hours took 12. We've spent the last 90 minutes looking for a hotel. My golden rule was that we had to be checked in each day before dark. That didn't happen tonight for sure! We are currently sitting in the middle of the road because there is some sort of accident or something. Our hotel is right beside us. But we cannot figure out where to park. My patience barometer is running on fumes. That and I need to pee! UGH!!!

I've already told Tony tomorrow we are finding the most direct route from here to London. I don't think he will argue. Now if we can just get into our hotel.

Scotland countryside day one - Scrambled

Today we saw Edinburgh Castle. It is more of a fortress built on top of craggy rocks. An amazing place for sure. As we were making our way further North, we went to Linlilthgow Castle, too. It is where Mary Queen of Scots was born. It's just sheer coincidence that we happened upon it. But it's neat that we did those two particular castles tied to her.

We've seen so many castles that they are all running together. Tonight we tried to pick our favorite. We've listened to audio guides at each. There is so much information about each. I'm glad there isn't a quiz at the end because we'd surely get the questions and answers mixed up. We couldn't really decide which was our favorite either because when we'd remember something about one, we figured out it was really another. It's been a wonderful trip.

We are staying in yet another place called Callander. Tony is bound to start an argument tomorrow with wanting to go three hours North of here which means the trip back to London will have to be done all night tomorrow night and into Sunday. And just when we've been doing so well in getting along. Oh well. It's not been a complete trip without a knock down drag out between us!

I think I'm officially fried. It's 8:53 and it feels as if it's at least 2 a.m. I'm about to turn the light out and be done for the night. I'm not sure what the itinerary will hold tomorrow, but I'm sure it will be just as exciting as all the rest of the journey has been.

England countryside day three - Roadtrip

Today we got up and saw Bolsover Castle that was only about 10 minutes from where we spent the night. It is a really neat place. It was like so many places in that there was one structure that then kept getting added on to. One piece of it is referred to as the Little Castle. It's not little by any means. It is the only structure that still has floors and walls left in it that we've seen. It even had some paintings on the walls and ceilings remaining. And I told Tony it was just his kind of place because the horse barn was bigger than the main house.

We left there and got directionally challenged yet again. We did get the phone set up with Internet again so the GPS would work. At first it wouldn't work and there was a lot of swearing going on in the car when we couldn't manage to find the way by ourselves. But it finally synced up and all was well.

We found Brodworth Hall and Gardens in Duncaster. The house was built about the time we were at civil war in the US. It is a beautifully decorated home with lots of paintings and marble sculptures. The last woman that lived in it died in 1988. From the descriptions they gave us about her, she was feisty! She was nearly 90 and refused to leave the house. She died there in her own bed. Her daughter gave the house to the Heritage but sold it's contents to them. I think they said they paid $3.2 million pounds. CRAZY!!

After we toured the house, we walked through the gardens. It is amazing how extensive they are. I can not imagine the restoration work they had to do to get them back in shape when they bought it. It doesn't take a garden long to get overgrown. They've done a wonderful job because the property is gorgeous. I don't know if they rent it for weddings, but it would be a gorgeous setting do that!

We decided to head North to Scotland tonight. Tomorrow we will see Edinburgh Castle. We thought we might head further North, but we're running out of time. I guess that gives us a reason to come back. We'll head back to London Saturday afternoon. We might actually stay in one place for two nights in a row. That will be a miracle!

Despite the crazy driving adventures, we're really having a great time. The schedules we've set are all very soft and if we blow them, oh well. We haven't had to be anywhere. It's just a matter of how much we want to see. We've taken the slow roads and tried to soak in the beauty of this place. Now to rest up for more exploring!

English countryside day two - Schedules

Up to today, we've been blessed with beautiful weather, for England that is. I only had one rainy day while I was in London. We woke up to rain and it never let up the whole morning. It didn't really put too much of a damper on things though. And before the day was over, the sun was shining.

Tony had bought a track phone of sorts for work on his first trip over. After playing with it I figured out it had a GPS. It made my day! But I still did screen shots of the directions for today's travel. I tried to use those to begin with hoping to save the phone battery for an emergency if we happened off the beaten path.

Well, it didn't take long to have to pull it out. Street signs are at a minimum here and I missed a street where we needed to turn early on. We went 30 minutes out of the way before I gave in. We got an hour and a half later start than we wanted to, so we were two hours behind schedule.

Schedule, you ask? Yes, schedule. At our first stop yesterday, the lovely lady at the ticket desk told us about an English Heritage pass you can buy to see over 100 castles throughout England. She gave us a wonderful book of information about each and a map! That would be one of the three I've been using in my navigational duties. My anal retentive type A did a back flip once we had our "guide" for the rest of our trip.

Anyway, last night before we hit the sack, we plotted our course for the day. We figured hitting two a day made sense. Those we picked are about two hours away from each other and the first one is two hours from our stay last night. If we allocate two hours at each, it would make a total of eight hours for a full day of sight seeing.

Those plans are perfect in theory. Reality always seems to dictate a little different outcome. By the time we got to the first castle we were two hours behind. The phone Tony has was about to die and he doesn't have a car charger. We had to make a pit stop to find one.

We saw Kenilworth Castle today which was HEAVEN for me. I love Elizabeth I. This is the castle she gave to Robert Dudley which was her suitor for many years that she never married. To know that she had walked through these building and grounds was a cool feeling. They had a demonstration of the process women of her time went through in getting dressed. It was a lengthy process said to have taken upwards of five hours. But the lady said she can do it in 20 minutes so someone is off somewhere. Nonetheless, it was cool to learn about.

We spent over three hours wandering through the grounds. We gave up on trying to get to the next castle by closing time. When we got back in the car, we found the GPS had stopped working. It only had 2 pounds left on it. We're going to have to figure out how to add more money so it will work again. Or maybe I should just take this as the sign that we're supposed to stay lost on this trip. Jennifer says being lost  equals exploring. I need to remember my pursuit of type A-.

We did a few circles and spent the mandatory 15 minutes or so looking for the route we needed. I found a motorway (read highway) that pointed in the direction we needed. So far we've been taking small back road kinds of routes. At home, I'm usually passed out in the car because Tony's driving only makes me scream. Being the navigator and the token person to ask for directions even though I don't have a freaking clue hasn't allowed me to catch any shut eye. But with a straight road ahead of us, I immediately fell asleep.

He woke me up just as we were passing the exit we needed for the next castle town. Fortunately the next exit also worked. We wound around the roads until we drove into the little town of Balsover. The castle sits on top of a hill overlooking the valley. It appears like this one is fully intact. I look forward to exploring it tomorrow.

We had to come to the next town over to find a hotel. It's a chain versus the wonderful cottage we stayed in last night. But we're so tired we don't care one way or another. We just need a place to lay horizontal for a few hours and take a shower in the morning.

I'm about to map out our course for tomorrow. This trip has been a lot like our visit to Disney World a few years back. We wake up at dawn and go until we can't move anymore. There is so much to see and do. The driving is a lot like being on a roller coaster from the perspective of being lost and stressed out to knowing our way and being calm.

Four more days of exploration, and then it's back to London. Tony will head back to work, and I'll do more London exploring. I can only imagine how long it will take me to get back to "normal" when I get back home. It will be nice to plant my feet and spend more than one night in a place. But I'm getting pretty used to the hectic schedule. Tony says I should just stay. I'm wondering what my girls and clients would think about that?!

England countryside Day One - Notes to Self

1) Driving in the UK is unadvisable if you have no idea where you are going AND you want to stay married.

We spend at least 15 minutes in each place we go driving in circles trying to find the road we are supposed to be on. We don't have a GPS and are trying to navigate with the high level road maps they've given us. Tony is known in our family as "Tony, hang a U-ie McCann". We now need to update it to "Tony keep circling the roundabout McCann" and "Tony pull in, back up, and turn around McCann". All the while, I'm screaming "Stay on the left, watch the curb, you missed the turn, that's a red light, etc," It's like he's forgotten every driving rule he's ever learned in 30 years because he's driving on the left side of the road. Well, that is when he actually is after I've screamed "DRIVE ON THE LEFT" as cars are approaching. At breakfast I did contemplate asking for a barf bag for the road after the eventful trip from the airport to our hotel last night.

2) Practicing my British accent really does help reduce stress in the passenger seat.

The excitement began as soon as we left our hotel this morning. I, in my infinite wisdom, decided that I could do screen shots of more detailed maps to help to get from point A to B while at the hotel each night as I map out our route. That works GREAT... except when you veer off the roads on the map you've screen shot. We make big circles, we make small circles. And with every pass, knots intertwine the muscles in my upper back and neck. I have three maps I'm trying to consult while at the same time trying to match it to reality. And somehow Tony thinks I know the answer to "Where am I supposed to go Machelle?" when the place I told him to go took us in the wrong direction. UGH!!!

So, I finally came up with a solution. I said to heck with caring where we were and started providing running commentary in my best British accent. Since arriving, I've been listening closely. We get audio guides at the places we visit, I hear it on the radio, and of course all the folks around us are talking. I've caught myself thinking in British. I figured this would be a good time to practice. I'm actually quite good according to Tony. Having to think of the pronunciations and listening to Tony laugh at me for being a goofball detangled all the knots. Always making lemonade out of lemons, that's me!

3) When driving in a foreign country, it would be best to understand how they do it.

The obvious difference of driving on the opposite side is actually the simplest. One of the most difficult navigational issues is that they don't use simple words like North, South, East, and West on road signs. They give you the names of the places that the road leads to. So, instead of having M3 South on the road sign, they have M3 Farnborough. It forces you to know which cities are in which direction on that particular road. It requires a split second decision that based on the aforementioned navigational and driving issues we have leads to the circular driving pattern we keep displaying.

On a highway, positionally you're supposed to drive on the far left lane and fast cars drive on the right. It makes perfect sense once you rewire your brain. But when you first get in a car here, you just focus on staying on the left side for obvious reasons. But reversing everything else that goes on takes a little bit of time to get used to. Today we were supposed to turn left and Tony turned on the right turn signal. Poor guy is so focused on trying to keep me from screaming and us from wrecking that he's all discombobulated. I told him this whole thing should be easy for him since he's left handed. He just had that deer in the head lights look.

The other fun part is roundabouts. One, they pop up out of no where when you're barreling down a road. You're nearly forced to come to a complete stop to avoid any cars already circling. And once the coast is clear, it's pedal to the metal and ride that thing like its on rails! Two, it's hell figuring out what lane you're supposed to stay in based on where you want to exit and taking into consideration the cars around you. And finally, they are kinda nice when you screw up because you can just keep circling (on two wheels).

All joking aside, we are having a great time. Yes, there's been a lot of screaming and laughing and horn blaring (they don't much like us foreign, stupid drivers). But today we got to see Stonehenge, a castle ruin from the late 1300s (Hungerford Castle), and drove through Bath. We are staying in a beautiful country cottage (www.guyershouse.com) that we just happened upon, well, if you don't count the circling through the little town before it. It has a beautiful garden area that the birds are chirping as if it's spring.

Tomorrow is yet another day of adventure. There will be some screaming, but hopefully it will be outweighed by laughter. I could always switch to an Asian accent when all else fails.

Paris day three - Rafa's kingdom

We started the day out with the intentions of spending it at The Louvre. However after about 30 minute of being there, I was entirely ready to leave! It had far too many people and was nearly impossible to navigate through. Besides that, all the artwork had placards in some language other than English. We had gotten an audio tour, but it was as directionally challenged as we were.

The day nearly started out with a riot when Tony tried to stop a group of people from cutting in line in front of us. He told them to go to the back of the line and wait just like the rest of us. It got very confrontational at one point. I could see us sitting in a French prison for eternity.

It turns out that the two women in front of us were "saving a place " for five others. They just kept crowding in. Tony finally gave up and they proceeded to laugh and take pictures and have the time of their life. He continued to brew and glare at them. It was a joyful start and should have been a forewarning of things to come.

Once we got through the security check, we found it was the same super informative place that the rest of Paris is. There was no clear direction to be taken. So we wandered around until we figured out what to do.

My frustration level with this process heats up fairly quickly. After nearly 29 years, Tony understands my meltdown barometer pretty well. He's been great this trip in diffusing my tantrums and getting us through.

Tony and I don't wander at all in the same direction or at the same speed. After our initial agreement of finding each other before leaving a room fell through, we decided to break up and meet in a set location at a set time. I liked that plan and tried to get back to figuring out how my virtual audio tour gadget worked.

The building is situated in a ginormous U. We started in the end that was the bottom of the U. In my mind, I was imagining that we would walk down one pathway and it would have stairs to get to the next floor and continue on. That's obviously too logical as I did more back tracking than I did forward tracking somehow.

If you add that frustration in with the fact that there were a bajillion people wandering around with their gazes looking up and bumping into everyone and everything, and you take into consideration what a crowd prude that I am, you'll understand why I was ready to leave. There were tour groups that were over 50 people in number pushing and shoving to try and stay with their group. They swarmed together like bumble bees around a hive. And get in their way, and they'd sting you for sure!

On my first back tracking venture, I was hating the fact that our rendezvous time wasn't for four hours. I was in a near panic state of just trying to get back to the main entrance without getting trampled. I don't know what I thought I was going to do there, but I just wanted OUT!

Fortunately my path crossed with Tony's. He could see the freak out factor in my eyes immediately. He could tell I needed out. But instead of saying let's go, he just agreed to an earlier leaving time. He wanted to meet in 90 minutes. I begged for 30 minutes, but he said I'd be fine. I reluctantly agreed to the new time and went on my merry way.

I pretty much gave up on my audio guide and tried to navigate via the map. It wasn't much more helpful. I continued to wander and managed to see some part of each side of the U. I didn't see every floor, but saw something of each. I thought that was close enough. I did get to see The Mona Lisa. Surely that counts as successfully navigating The Louvre.

I had discovered that I lost my scarf somewhere along the way. That was the last straw. I managed to find the main entrance which was our rendezvous point. I was an hour early, but I had had enough.

I didn't wait more than 10 minutes and Tony showed up. He must have felt my distress call. He didn't see much of anything but was willing to leave. I had talked about seeing Rolland Garros which is the home of the French Open. I had given up on seeing it, but he offered to go there instead of more Louvre torture. I jumped at the offer!

We checked out the map and headed in what we thought the direction was. We got off and started walking. We found some signs that looked like we were on the right track. As we were walking, we went by a stadium. I was getting excited until I saw pictures of soccer players.

We continued on and yet another stadium appeared. This time it was the tennis courts. As we got closer, we saw the stadium that has the names of the winners of each year. Of course we came up on the side that had Rafa on it. I was beyond excited.

We circled the building until we came to an open gate. A guy met us and said it was closed. He wouldn't let us in the museum or any other place. We continued to walk outside hoping we'd catch a glimpse of something. We walked past court one and court two. Again, I've watched countless matches from this venue. It was killing me to be so close, but so far away.

I got to take pictures of some of the outside courts. The red clay looks just like it does on TV. It was amazing to be there. We continued to circle the place and came upon another open gate. This time the guy was nicer and let us at least walk through the area. I snuck a tiny side view of center court. I kept telling myself that this was Rafa's home and he had walked these same paths.

He is the master of all tennis players on clay, that's for sure. To get to see this grand slam sight was an item on my bucket list. Sure, it would have been more special to see him play a match, but I'm convinced it's better watching at home with replays and the mute button when I don't like what I'm hearing.

I told Tony I marked off 50% of the grand slam sights with this one trip. Surely I can get Flushing Meadows accomplished with it being in my home country. Now he just has to take me to Australia.

Paris held some amazing sights for us. It is a beautiful city that I am glad we saw. But I will not be sad to leave it. Being in a country where I don't know the language is intimidating. Add to that the native people are not friendly and it makes for a pretty bad experience. I learned to overlook it and try to stay positive, but it was challenging at times.

We are currently headed back on the train to London. It's about two and a half hours to get there. We have to pick up our other suitcases and get a car at the airport. Once we get that done, were supposed to find a hotel to stay in. It's going to be a long night!

The next leg of our adventure is a driving tour of the entire island. We've had a few unknowns along our journey thus far. I think we'll probably be adding to that list in the next week. I just hope none of the misadventures include a jail visit or long hours of being stranded along the roadside. But with Tony McCann, you never know.

Paris day two - Overload

Tony didn't want to get up after nearly 14 hours of sleep. But once he did, he was a tourist engine revving to go. Today was a marathon for sure.

We started off by going to The Eiffel Tower. On the way we saw runners in pink. France celebrates breast cancer awareness month, too! I said a prayer for all my breast cancer buddies. Unfortunately they were running around the tower. It made for a frustrating start in trying to get over by it. We finally figured out how to get there and my what a sight!

We rode the elevators up to the first landing after a relatively short stand in line for tickets. But then we had to wait in line to get to the next level. Hurry up and wait. But we saw some amazing views. On the way down we accidentally got off the elevator at the restaurant level. We had a few stairs to traverse to get down. I guess it just made it a full experience to have to walk some of the way.

We next went on a Seine River cruise. I had bought a package that included the bus tour, the river cruise, and a night bus tour. They hadn't given us a brochure so we were relatively operating in the dark. Again we got lucky and found where we needed to be. The direction Gods have most surely been in our favor so far.

We went to Notre Dame next. I've been in more churches in the last week than I've been in for years! I did have the thought today that lightning just might strike with me crossing their thresholds. It is another amazing sight both inside and out.

We got dinner and tried to find the bus tour for our night trip. That one proved to be a little more difficult to find, so we just went to a location that we knew we could catch it. It just required catching a train and a little walk. We're getting good at this subway kinda life.

The weather has been nearly perfect on my trip thus far. Today was a bit chilly, but no rain. I had rain last Friday, but that's it. I brought the right clothes, hats, scarves, gloves, and shoes. Now if I could just drum up another body to get me through this next week. The aches and pains of walking miles and standing in lines is catching up with me. I'm having a great time, but I wouldn't turn down some quality, horizontal, hot tub soaking time.

Tonight when we were riding high above the traffic on our double decker bus, it reminded me yet again of how happy I am we haven't had to drive in this mess. In the intersections, there are no lines on the roads to keep you in place. The cars simply go in whatever direction they want.

Horns are blaring, people are throwing their hands up at each other, and at one point it looked like bumper cars with cars stuck between each other going in all directions. It's difficult to explain but just imagine 100 cars in an intersection going in all directions. They do have traffic lights, but no one obeys them. Chaos doesn't touch it. But somehow they all manage to get where they need to be.

They have the adorable little "fold em up and stick them in your pocket cars", too. Those little things zip in and out everywhere. Oh, and then there are the mopeds. Those things are CRAZY!!! We saw one that didn't fare so well yesterday. The driver was taken off in an ambulance.

And that's the other thing. Sirens are on non stop. I told Tony with the way they drive, it's no wonder! Too many noises, people, cars, etc. at times I long for the quiet of my little cabin in the woods. Soon. I keep reminding myself that a girl has to get out every once in a while.

Paris day one - Eye Opener

We rose super early to make our way to the train station. Of course the tube route we had planned fell through with some sort of construction going on. Fortunately, we navigated around it easily enough. We made it in plenty of time. Crossing that border is LOTS easier than the American one.

As soon as we got into the lounge area, the fun began. Everything was announced in both English and French. It occurred to me that maybe we should have learned at least a few words in French. Americans are considered ignorant because the large majority of us speak only one language.

Not long after we started on the train, they switched from speaking English first then French to French first. I thought it would happen once we got into France, but we hadn't gone far. It was fun trying to pick out words to make sense of what they were saying. But I was grateful for the English translation!

We had to come to a complete stop at one point out in the middle of no where. Some sort of technical difficulty, but we never got a full explanation. We thought we were still in England and admired the countryside.

I slept for a bit at first. I'm not sure what happened, but I finally woke up and could not get back to sleep. The clock kept ticking and we never went underground (aka under the channel). Before we knew it, we were in Paris. So much for my reservations about being in a train under water. We're not sure when it happened on the trip, but obviously it's painless enough to complete.

After four days in London, I had gotten used to the level of rudeness. I think it's just what comes with living in a city that size and all the people. People are very matter of fact and don't waste any time on pleasantries. But I did find that when I did greet someone on an elevator or on the tube, they were nice enough. I can't say the same for Paris.

The train station where we came in was very confusing. Every word is about 20 letters long and none of it makes any sense. We asked for some help and got blank stares. I've heard of this experience from quite a lot of people before we came over. There is definitely no love lost between the French and foreigners that don't know their language, especially Americans.

There is truly an irony about their snobbishness toward the English speaking tourists. At lunch a woman from yet another country, I have no idea which, didn't know French. She went back and forth with quite a few wait staff. Finally, the hostess switched to English and they conversed more easily. I guess that makes us the lowest common denominator in one sense, but at the same time unites us all.

We stopped in a shop and bought a city map. We found the street our hotel is on and tried to match it up to the subway routes. However, there was no "You are here" red dots on the train station map. The tension was mounting.

We eventually got some directions from one person that put us on our way. The subway here is like everywhere else. It's a tangle of spaghetti and you just jump in head first trying to find the line you need. We got very lucky in our first attempt.

The next challenge was once we stuck our heads above ground. The streets here are CONFUSING to say the least. It's not an intersection with four corners, but eight. Following a street straight across presents a significant challenge. But again, we made our way easier than we probably should have. I guess it was just dumb luck.

We got to our hotel and settled in. I got online and ordered bus tour tickets. Getting them printed was entertaining, but we managed that, too. It was back to the subway line to make our way to the Arc De Triomphe. We popped out of the ground and there it was. And there too were the people. And cars. And honking motorists. It was a ZOO!!

We got lunch and jumped on the tour bus. We rode around in mini circles for about two and a half hours. I must have taken five hundred pictures. The architecture here is so extravagant. And it goes on forever. Every building is at least five stories high and it is all so symmetrical. And all of the streets are laid out so views of major attractions compliment each other. There was obviously a major type A person involved in laying out the city. My anal retentive side picked up on it immediately.

We pooped out after the bus tour and came back to the room. Tony hasn't been feeling well since he returned two weeks ago. I'm not sure how you go to a doctor in Europe, but he needs to. I think it's just a cold, but it's lingered so long. Some antibiotics might help. But being a tourist has doubly worn him out. He fell asleep before 7:30 and is still snoring. I'll let him sleep all night and then tomorrow, we're off to more adventures. We might be country bumpkins from the sticks of the US, but we fend for ourselves pretty dang well!

London Day 4 - Proficient

Today I traversed the tube lines fairly well. I only got on one train heading in the wrong direction. It was easy enough to fix by hopping off at the next stop. I even figured out how to add money to my card so I could go outside of my purchased zones. While I might be getting the hang of this stuff, I definitely don't want to stay!! The city life is NOT for me!!

I saw Buckingham Palace today at one of the worst possible times. It was changing of the guard time. They are only doing it every other day right now, so that made for mass hysteria by onlookers. I got there about 5 minutes before it was to start. People were shoving and being entirely rude. I made a bee line for the closest exit. I did get back away from them and managed to get a few pictures of the grounds.

I then got to see the Royal Mews. Like me, I'm sure you have no idea what that is. It's the Queen's horse stable. I got to see some amazing carriages today. The coronation carriage is all gold. UNBELIEVABLE!!

I then made my way over to Kensington Palace. And no, I didn't get to see Georgie Porgie! It's not the most grand building on the outside, but the grounds are beautiful. I can understand why Diana, and now her son, wanted to live there. The 30 or so rooms that we got to see ranged from extraordinarily beautiful and ornate to just ho hum. It was quite the experience to see.

My final place to visit was one of my favorite. I've seen this place on TV for YEARS!! Wimbledon!! It was quite a tube ride out and a mile walk one way, but so worth it. I missed the last full tour, but I was able to see the museum and center court. I'm sure it was the glass enclosure that I was in, but center court wasn't as big as I had imagined it in my mind. Maybe I'm just so used to the gigantic stadiums that we have in the US for sporting events. But it was definitely hallowed ground for me. I didn't cry, but I was close!!

It was finally time to head back to the hotel and hopefully rest for the evening. But Tony had different plans. We're to head out to Paris in the morning and he wanted to do a dry run to the train station we'll be taking and drop off our extra luggage. It's yet again a late night. But maybe I can sleep on the trip to France tomorrow. I don't like the idea of being under water on a train.

I've managed to survive the tortures of non stop sight seeing up to this point. I have been going ever since I landed basically. Let's see if I survive Paris!

London Day three - Zombified

Today I saw The Globe, The Tower Bridge, The Tower of London, and All Hollows Church. I also walked 3+ miles I'd say. I think since I've been here, I've probably walked a half marathon. My feet feel like bloody pulps. What I wouldn't give for a hot tub soak on the back porch of my little cabin in the woods at this point.

My brain (and entire body for that matter) is in overload. I've taken in so many sights and information placards that I don't remember which end is up. Today at about 3:30 p.m. I reached "tilt" mode. I found a Starbucks and sat. I debated on what there was left to see versus sitting. Sitting won. I was a little concerned about getting back to the hotel. I just didn't have anything left in the tank to motivate me to get moving.

I somehow managed to traverse the multiple tube lines to get back. I came in and passed out. Tony ended up having to work late. It was a blessing! I got a couple hour nap and refueled. We went to dinner and roamed around a bit making plans for our weekend in Paris. I know I was there with him, but much of it is a blur. The nap helped, but I'm in a major deficit. Maybe tonight will do the trick.

Tomorrow is Buckingham and Kensington Palaces. I also want to figure out how to get to Wimbledon. Traversing the tube lines takes good concentration. They are a tangle of spider webs that go in all directions. But you have to include in the mix the hordes of people that are buzzing around you at all times. Luckily I've avoided them at rush hour. I can only imagine the level of chaos then!

London is the other city that never sleeps. The similarities between London and New York are endless. The streets are full of honking cars and people. The simple act of crossing the street can cost you your life. For one, the traffic is moving in opposite direction as the US. Fortunately at every cross walk, they have written on the pavement which way you're to look. And the traffic lights go from green, yellow, to red versus red, yellow, green. I still haven't figured out the logic behind it. But I can tell you I don't cross a busy street unless there are other people there telling me when it's safe to cross.

I've been here three days and that's pretty much my limit in a place away from home. I think I could go home today and feel like I've experienced Europe. But we leave for Paris Saturday morning. I know I'll be grateful for all these experiences when it's said and done. But right now I feel like I'm trying to swallow the entire watermelon. There is just so much to see and do.

Sleep will be much welcomed again tonight. I hope I can muster the strength needed to see the sights planned tomorrow. Being a zombie is no fun!

London Day One and Two

I've been on a long hiatus with Tony being home. But forgive me while I use this space as sort of a journal to keep up with what has gone on while I'm here.


Day one - October 8th
I finished up my massage training, submitted my recertification, and set sail for the airport. I was a good girl and got there three hours in advance. It made for a long wait, but it was better than rushing and stressing about being on time.

The first flight to DC went by quickly and uneventful. I had to be the luckiest person on the plane to London though. Both of the seats beside me were empty. That meant I could lay down to sleep. However, after a man attempted to sit on me about half way through the flight, I couldn't get back to sleep. Not a good thing!

Being the fiercely independent ox that I am, I wouldn't let Tony meet me at the airport. I figured that if I was going to have to figure out how to get around while he was at work, I might as well start sooner rather than later. I made it to the hotel without a single problem amazingly enough.

He came home at lunch to see me. I then made my way into town to get a bus tour ticket. I got on it and roamed the streets of London. I wore out two camera batteries and the one on my phone taking pictures. This place is amazing.

I finally gave out and decided to come to the hotel. I took an ever so brief nap and Tony was here. He decided I had to see London at night. We must have walked 3 miles. I was exhausted and begged to come back. He finally greed to it. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.


Day Two - October 9th
If it was a bus that hit me yesterday, it must have been a tornado today! I have walked to the point of my feet feeling bruised. I've only used my London Pass three times seeing St. Paul's Cathedral (yes, I walked up to the highest point of the dome, and then back down for a total of 1056 steps), Westminster Abbey, and The London Bridge Experience (which was supposed to be scary but was a total waste of time). The churches were amazing. I definitely could not describe them to do any sort of justice. Unbelievable is the first adjective that comes to mind.

I usually am a good navigator and can read a map without any problem. But I have gotten turned around in this city every time I'm out. Today I walked about two miles out of the way because I thought I was going in the right direction. I never even realized it. Tony pointed it out to me when I got back. I'm glad I didn't know else I probably would have sat in the street and cried I was that tired.

I've seen so many beautiful sights. Tomorrow is yet another day packed with seeing things (and walking!). I hope my body can keep up. I should have done some training before I came. Hindsight is always 20-20.