Exploring the world
I have journeyed again to the land of the Oregon and have discovered a remarkable river. I call it Deschutes, so that I can show off my knowledge of French. It is at times placid and then ferocious. The Oregon living here claim the river has fish in it, but none were in evidence.
Finally, Xena, the Warrior Princess, asked me to share her latest blog: Xena’s Silent Tribute
Took another trip through the Southwest, concentrating on southern Utah and northern New Mexico. I was again struck by the similarities between cruising on a sailboat and road tripping in a camper van. Both have moments of serene calm and awe inspiring scenery. And both require repairs of various components in remote locations.
Pretty scenery accompanied by the comforting tones of suitable tunes. Turn it up.
Xena, the Warrior Princess, loves to dig holes and she’s good at it. And not just for pooping! Sometimes she lays in them. Sometimes she digs for the sheer joy of it and wanders off.
More red rocks. Poor sound quality. Turn it down.
Great news! I had occasion to transit a desert settlement I call “Las Vegas.” While there, I visited New York, Paris and Rome…all within a couple of hours. No more multiple flights around the world, no more incurring carbon karma, not more tedium of airports. You can see the same boorish behavior, regrettable wardrobe choices and waddling midwesterners in Las Vegas as you could anywhere in the world.
The EuroStar ride to London was uneventful. I think they should have some sort of display or something about the engineering marvel of the tunnel under the sea.
The UK (pronounced UHK) is a fine little island; those dwelling therein are known as UKers (pronounced UH curs). There is a nice variety of UKers: smart ones and stupid, ugly ones and handsome. They have a lot of old buildings and newish sheep. Many of the UKer streets are crooked. This is due to a cost-cutting measure; the UKer government decided against providing civil engineers with straight edges. Consequently, the streets are not straight.
In Paris, they have a meeting place for trains that is just like an airport! I suppose they are trainports. There are security lines and passport checkers and all the trimmings. Europeans use trains the way people use aircraft. Imagine the effort and resources in laying and maintaining all that track and associated equipment!
While in Paris, I visited one of the many art warehouses, the D’Orsay. It is a large storage facility that attracts a sizable crowd during the day. In the olden days, people didn’t simply take a photo of a pretty person or scene. Instead, some pecked away with a hammer at a large rock, sometimes as big as a house, until it resembled a person or whatever. Others smeared colored grease on large bedsheets (the flat ones, not the fitted ones) to get a likeness. Seems like an awful lot of effort.
When you go, be sure to buy a timed entry ticket well before your desired visit date. Otherwise, you will stand in a very long line and get cranky.
Sundays in Paris are chilly and very windy, there is also a chance of rain showers. It is not unreasonably inclement as long as you have proper clothing. The weather Mondays through Wednesdays improves a bit, although a jacket is still required in the early mornings and evenings. Keep these points in mind as you plan your trip here.
The French, at least those in Paris, are intuitive to the point of being psychic. When I speak French to them, they somehow divine that I’m an English speaker and switch immediately to accommodate me! Incroyable!
The Parisienne sidewalk cafe is neither myth nor exaggeration. One can hardly take a dozen steps without passing yet another cafe! By my observation, there are about 1,000 cafes for every grocery store; one does not eat at home in Paris.
It is safe to stroll through Paris. I suppose it must have some rough areas, like all major cities. But average tourists will not find themselves there. Never once did I feel the tug of intuition saying “Maybe I shouldn’t be here.”
Oporto, which is in Portugal, is the birthplace of port wine. Thanks, Oporto, for a refreshing beverage! To foster the growth of tourism, they have set aside a sizable portion of their waterfront and created a district modeled on the ancient medieval towns of Europe! Their efforts are richly rewarded with a delightful destination, complete with bumpy cobblestone streets (very narrow!) and steep staircases with each step of some random dimensions. Such a thing would never be allowed in the US, to the litigious nature of our society. Too bad.
The climate is similar to that of the California coast and the hills reminded me of San Francisco. Temps were mid-50’s at night and mid-70’s in the daytime. Very pleasant.
Took a trip on the Underground to the British Museum. What an amazing place, packed to the brim with cultural artifacts stolen from every place on Earth! One could visit daily for a week and not get through it all.
Speaking of amazing, London’s transport systems is an engineering and sociological marvel in its own right. Fast, efficient and cheap. I developed a technique for navigating through the system:
Before descending into the system, use Google Maps to plan. Take a screen shot so you’ll have the plan when you lose cell coverage. On your way to the station endlessly repeat (to yourself, silently) the name of the line and platform you need to get to. For example, I say “Buckaloo” on the left foot, then “3” on the next left foot. Take the escalator down, down, down. Realize that you’ve forgotten the line & platform, consult the screen shot and follow the signs to the train. Foolproof!
The Tower of London doesn’t tower physically nearly as much as it does historically. I suppose it towered over the huts surrounding it a few hundred years ago; modern towers overshadow it. However, it is still an amazing fortress. Viewing its moats, walls and built in firing positions makes apparent why it was attacked so few times. Did you know Anne Boleyn lost her head here? She did, thanks to Henry VIII. The usual punishment for treason was burning at the stake, but Henry, in his monarchical mercy, commuted her sentence to mere beheading.
