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A view of the old North Bridge from Nathanial Hawthorne's house

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On April 19, 1775, British and Colonial forces clashed on this bridge - the first skirmish that led to the Revolutionary War. It is often called the "shot heard round the world" and is one of the most important moments in American History. It was then that the long suffering colonists wouldn't take the opression of the King any more - and they didn't want to pay taxes...It is even cooler that, years later, Nathanial Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau lived just yards from this site. Even cooler still is the fact that Louisa May Alcott, authoress of the smash hit "Little Women" grew up right down the street. On top of that, this place is as cute as can be - well worth a visit....

Hilary and I decided to take a summer driving vacation during Independence Day week, and on our way up to Quebec to spend our economic stimulus checks, we stopped in Holden, Massachusetts to visit her Mom and Dad, Malcolm and Ellen.

We had a very nice visit, and on a warm, overcast saturday, Malcolm and Ellen drove us up to Concord to take in some history...

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The Minuteman Statue, by Daniel Chester French - who also sculpted the statue of Lincoln in Washington, DC

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700 British Regulars marched out to Lexington and Concord to secure a munitions depo and were met by a smaller, but ever growing force of local militia.

Years later, Ralph Waldo Emerson, another Concord native, penned the poem "Shot Heard Round the World"

The relevant bit, etched into the Minuteman statue's base

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A small memorial to the British troops who fell that day

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The monument erected to mark the site where the battle began

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Hilary and Ellen stand in Hawthorn's yard

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American Transcendentalists like Hawthorne, Emerson and Thoreau developed a philosophical movement - religous, cultural and artistic in nature - that focused on individual intuition as a source of spirituality instead of the divinations and doctrines of the church. Many of you might be familiar with Thoreau's work - "Walden" - about his life in a shack out by Walden Pond, near Concord.

Louisa May Alcott's home as a girl and as a young woman - she wrote "Little Women" in the 2nd floor bedroom on the right

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The Transcendentalists were not the only game in town back then - Amos Bronson Alcott, famous educator, part-time socialist, and all around smart guy - also lived just steps from Hawthorne and the Old North Bridge.

[

The "School of Philosophy and Literature" run by Mr. Alcott

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Amos Alcott is far more famous as the father of Louisa May Alcott than for his own thinking and writing, as his daughter's books have been enjoyed by millions for over 100 years. I myself have never read "Little Women", and doubt I ever shall, but I hear it is a page turner...

After a day in Massachusetts, we jumped in the car and headed north into New Hampshire, next stop: Quebec City!

A Transcendental Summer Vacation remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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A view down the beach at Buck Island National Park near St. Croix - Sailboats bring snorkelers out here each day

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Sunset at "Off The Wall" - a little joint on the beach at Cane Bay

Hilary and I headed south for a little mid-winter getaway last month, spending a week on St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. We had a great time - the weather was great and there was plenty of time to relax on the beach and explore some of the island's history.

(photos courtesy of Hilary E. Parkinson and Bryan V. Gibb)

The main battery at Fort Christiansvaern on St. Croix, USVI

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I know, I know, when you think about Denmark you think about Vikings, Legos, tasty breakfast treats - maybe my great Grandfather Jens Nicholi Kreuger Johannsen - but did you know that the Danes were slave holding Caribbean sugar barons as well? Yep. The sugar trade in the 17th and 18th centuries was just too lucrative to leave it to the English, Spanish, French, Maltese and Dutch, so the Danes got themselves a few islands too....

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See the itinerary of this trip, and details about each destination.

Located just southeast of Puerto Rico, St. Croix is one of three U.S. Virgin Islands - one time zone later than the east coast and 1,729 miles due south of Halifax, Nova Scotia

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Christopher Columbus himself came ashore at Salt River, on the north side of St. Croix on November 14th, 1493 and was quickly chased off by the arrows of the native Arawak people. The Italian was undaunted though, and returned later to kill most of them in the name of God and the Queen of Spain.

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Bryan strikes a pose in front of a restored windmill at the Wim Sugar Plantation Museum near Fredericksted

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For years the island was held by various powers, but in 1733 St. Croix was purchased from the French West India Company by the Danes and soon became the heart of the Danish sugar trade in the Caribbean. Based on the labor of enslaved Africans, the sugar trade enriched generations of Danish traders and plantation owners. The slave trade was abolished on the island in 1848, but slave ownership persisted until as late as 1867. The island is dotted with the ruins of windmills that suppled the power to process sugar cane into sugar, molassas and yes, the prized Cruzan Rum.

A map of St. Croix during the Danish period - 1754

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The main house at the Wim Plantation - first established in the 18th century

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An old sugar-cane processing still on the Wim Plantation

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The United States bought St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John from the Danish in 1917 for $25 million in gold in order to keep the Germans out of the Caribbean. Just a few hundred yards out into the ocean from our hotel, the water goes from 20' to over 13,200' - from light green to deep, dark blue - perfect for German U-Boats...

A view from the road as we approch our home for a week - the Carambola Beach Resort

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Our resort was lovely and a real bargain. Based on the price, we were prepared for something a little ratty, but the resort was beautiful, the beach was deserted and the room was spacious and clean. It had a big bedroom, living room, huge bathroom and a screened in porch.

Hilary gets her first look at the beach near our room

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The view from our screened in porch

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We ate breakfast each morning on the porch - here Hilary studies her birding book, hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive Caribbean Bananaquit

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A local dove visits us as we wait for our lunch

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The beach was only about 75 yards from our room and most of the time we were the only ones down there

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The resort is tucked into a valley at the base of steep mountains and is full of local flora

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The Carambola was separated from the more settled part of the island by rocky surf-swept coastline

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The island was crawling with critters - birds, mongoose, geckoes, sea turtles, conch and lots of bright green Iguanas!

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Another view - parts of the beach were rocky and home to lots of spiney sea urchins, but there was a smooth part perfect for swiming

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Cocoanuts overhead

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There were hammocks placed here and there around the resort - you were never far from one if the powerful need to lounge overcame you

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Hilary (in red) wanders up the beach one evening

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Hilary really starting to dig this beach vacation idea...

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The sun finally drops below the mountains to the west - look out, night time temperatures plummeted from a day time high of 83 to as low as 75!

Seen enough? Ready to book your own trip? You won't be disappointed! Here is the web site: http://www.carambolabeach.com/

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Yes the resort is secluded, peaceful and beautiful, and yes, the weather is perfect and the sea inviting, BUT, there is also lots to see and do on the island. One of the first things we did was explore more of the Capital city, Christiansted. About 65,000 people live on the 28 by 7 mile island, and the biggest employer is not tourism, but a refinery on the south side of the island. Consequently, there really were not that many tourists around - we kept seeing the same people all over the island and never felt crowded at all. Whenever we did see large groups of people, they were invariably Danish. Apparently there is some nostalgia for the colonies back in the old country...

First things first - in St. Croix, you drive on the left - all the more confusing since all the cars have the steering wheels on the left just like on the mainland

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The historic part of Christiansted is protected and preserved by the U.S. Park Service - your tax money at work!

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Painted bright yellow, Fort Christiansvern used to protect the Danish harbor from the English, Spanish, and yes, even Pirates!

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A view of the old town to the south from the Fort

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Hilary ponders the defensive position of the battery

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Another view

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A stockade from which even Jack Sparrow could not escape!

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Later in the week we visited Fredericksted, a smaller town on the other end of the island, to see another fort and the then vacant cruise ship pier

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The interior of the fort in Fredericksted

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We explored the "rain forest" on the west side of the island, but all we found was a creepy old collection of shacks with scriptural warnings, so we moved on!

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After settling into our hotel and exploring the island a bit, we booked passage on a catamaran sailboat through "Big Beard's" tour company to take us out the Buck Island for a day of snokeling. The day finished off with a BBQ on the beach back on St. Croix.

Hilary, myself, and another couple from Chicago were the only Americans on the tour, the other slots were filled with 25 good natured and leathery Danish retirees in speedoes... Good times.

After a 45 minute sail out to the island, we spent some time on the National Seashore's gentle, white sand beach

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Buck Island is administered and protected by the National Park service, and no food or fires are allowed on the island

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It was a bit windy and the current was strong, but the front of the boat was best place to ride

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Buck Island from the east, quite close to the underwater snorkeling "trail" we explored

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Hilary gears up

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After snorkling for a bit in a strong current we were hungry - good thing they took us to this beach for a BBQ

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Our boat at anchor

On old sail made for a useful shelter as we waited for the fresh Mahi Mahi to grill up

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Time to head back to Christiansted, and then the Carambola

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The trip to Buck Island was a highlight of week. The crew was cheerful, the weather was nice, and we even learned a few words in Danish... For more on this day trip and others, take a look here: http://www.bigbeards.com/index.htm

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As many of you know, wherever I travel I am always looking for good local food. I subscribe to Anthony Bourdain's philosophy that food is one of the best ways to get to know a place and its culture better. This trip was no different, and Hilary and I sought out the freshest fish we could find and explored indigenous West Indian cuisine.

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Bryan in front of Harvey's Restaurant - Good to see the locals are politically sophisticated!

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Our research suggested that the best place to try West Indian food in Christiansted was at Harvey's Restaurant. The small restaurant is in an old building on Company Street in the historic downtown. Interesting historical detail - In 1765, Alexander Hamilton lived on Company Street with his mother Rachel after his father abandoned them...

The first time we showed up (on Presidents Day) it was closed, but we tried again and were not disappointed. Harvey Junior was at the bar, and his Mother was in the kitchen. The special on that particular day was conch in butter sauce - tender and flavorful - and spicy goat curry. Both dishes also came with a side of "fungi", or corn meal mixed with okra - a savory polenta like side dish. Harvey Jr. welcomed us warmly and explained each dish to us in detail. Be sure to visit next time you are in Christiansted!

http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/caribbean-and-bermuda/virgin-islands/st-croix/restaurant-detail.html?vid=1154654634294

Most of the people on St. Croix are ethnically Afro-Caribbean, but the island is a real mixture of Puerto Ricans, Rastafarians, Cruzans, and white mainlanders. Everyone speaks English, but many on the island also speak Spanish, and/or a strongly accented local dialect similar to Jamaican English.

As a part of the United States, there is a U.S. Post office, a few Air Force cargo planes at the airport, a McDonald's or two, and they had their Democratic primary the week before we arrived (Obama 76%, Clinton 24%)

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One of two Baobob trees on St. Croix - this one is in a parking lot, the other is near the west end of the island's "rain forest"

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For good local seafood, we found our way to a harbor-side bar called Rum Runners. It doesn't look like much, but our guidebook promised good food at reasonable prices.
http://www.rumrunnersstcroix.com/
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Perched right on the water, Rum Runners keeps its local lobsters in a tank below the dining room floor

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The view from out table at Rum Runners

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Bryan digs into a plate of conch fritters - a local delicacy!

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Hilary enjoys a plate of fish tacos filled with fresh Mahi Mahi pulled from the sea that morning

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We asked one of the crew-members on our sailing trip to Buck Island where to get some good local Caribbean lobster and he sent us to Duggan's Reef on the east end of the island.

Funny enough, when we got there one of the other crew members, Mike, was our waiter, so we got the best table in the place...

Hilary enjoys the Queen's Throne at Duggan's

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The view from the dining room at Duggan's

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Duggan's is an interesting place - a little bit of Boston in the Virgin Islands. Yep, we flew four hours south to eat at a seafood restaurant with Red Sox, Holy Cross and BU pennants on the wall. The owner is from Massachusetts and proudly notes on the back of the menu that Senator Kennedy eats there every time he is on the Island and former Red Sox and Yankee pitcher Roger Clemmons has been there twice - no doubt between injections.

http://www.caribbeanedge.com/st_croix/restaurants/duggans_reef.html

For those of you who have never had Caribbean lobster, they don't have claws, but do have large, fat tails and flesh that is sweet as candy....

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Bryan in the King's throne

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Finally, our favorite place to eat on the island was "Off The Wall" at Cane Bay. This little spot right on the beach had a perfect view, lousy pizza, but great burgers. No indoor seating here - its all al fresco. Right next to the world famous Cane Bay "Wall" scuba diving location (where the ocean depth goes from 20' to 13,200' in a few hundred yards) "Off the Wall" is worth a visit!

Hilary enjoys a large, fruity and STRONG drink at the bar on Cane Bay

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Bryan awaits his bad pizza, but at least the view is superb!

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This was the first time I had ever been to the Caribbean and I cannot wait to go back. We loved St. Croix - it had everything you could want in a beach getaway, but was also quiet, affordable, easy to get to, and offered up lots of interesting historical field trips for your nerdier side...

Next on the agenda? Quebec City and Montreal in July.

Finally . . .

A late evening view of Buck Island from Point Udall (the eastern most point in the United States BTW...)

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Danish are not just for breakfast anymore... remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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A burned out car parked below the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn, New York.
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Since I moved to Washington, DC from California eight years ago I have been able to get up to New York City at least once a year to visit friends, wander the streets, look at art and eat good food. I am embarassed to say, that until the third weekend in June I had never set foot in Brooklyn.

When I was planning my travels last winter I was thinking of finishing in New York (I was due), so I took my friend Jamie up on a long standing invitation to visit her on the other side of the East River. Jamie lives in a great apartment in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn on a commercial street between a high school and a meat distributor. Her neighborhood borders the very hip (and expensive) area around Metropolitain Avenue where the hipsters, artists and young professionals live and play. We hung out in Brooklyn and Manhattan, sought out interesting music and art, and yes, ate very well...

Graffitti in Williamsburg
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I arrived friday evening after driving up the New Jersey Turnpike all afternoon. After settling in at her apartment, Jamie and I met up with her boyfriend Allen, had some dinner, then headed to a local nightclub called Southpaw for a special Classic Soul Review that Allen was looking forward to seeing.

Allen is not only a fan, but a bit of an expert on such things. When he isn't working his day job for an NGO dedicated to fair-trade products, he writes liner notes for re-issue recordings of classic and Brazilian Soul Music.

The show poster - I loved the 1960s era photos of the performers so I bought a copy - now hanging in my hallway...
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The show was amazing. Roscoe Robinson must have been in his late 70s or early 80s, but still had a terrific voice - the young hipster crowd loved him!

The Legendary Roscoe Robinson - courtesy JiveMagazine.com
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Clarence Reid was the headliner and went back and forth between his hits from the 60s and his raunchy 1970s alter ego, "Blowfly". Reid was a kick, but a little creepy. He had long fingernails and between songs was telling the young ladies in the front row what he would like to do with them later...

More on the performers here: http://www.jivemagazine.com/article.php?pid=11272
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The next day I met up with my old college pal Dignan in SOHO to catch up and walk around lower Manhattan together. We started at a favorite - Ino in the West Village.

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This tiny cafe doesn't have a kitchen, but they serve excellent coffee and make very good cafe breakfasts. Dignan is a bit of a foodie (he is a former Chef and currently a waiter at the world famous modern Japanese restaurant, Nobu) and has yet to steer me wrong. He suggested an Ino specialty - Truffled Egg Toast.

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It doesn't sound like much, but it was very good. Take a thick slice of fresh bread, cut a slot, drop in an egg, baste liberally with white truffle oil, pop it under the broiler, then sprinkle with sliced asparagus. Simple, but darn good...

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For more on Ino, look here: http://www.cafeino.com/
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After our morning repast, we just walked around the Village, SOHO, Little Italy and Tribeca. The weather was nice, the humidity moderate, and people were out enjoying the day.

A little-league practice session in the West Village - a Father gives his son some pointers...
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Little Italy on a Saturday afternoon. This neighborhood is shrinking as its neighbor, Chinatown, grows - one immigrant enclave encroaching upon another...
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Tribeca - traditional row houses are being remodeled and turned into condos

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That night, Jamie, Dignan, his wife Jinn-Hee and I all went to dinner. I wanted to eat at a French place in lower Manhattan called Bouley. This two star Michelin rated restraurant is supposed to be one of the best in town (and the country) so I made a reservation a few weeks in advance.

Jamie Brown poses on the threshhold
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As you enter the restaurant, the waiting area is filled with racks of ripening apples that give off a wonderful aroma.

Dignan and Jinn-Hee at Bouley
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Bryan and Jamie at Bouley
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The meal was truly memorable - fresh ingredients expertly prepared with excellent service. Seven courses and three and a half hours later we stumbled outside fat and happy...
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For more on Chef David Bouley's projects in New York and beyond, look here: http://www.davidbouley.com/

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The next morning, Jamie, Allen and I went to one of their favorite brunch places - Pies n' Thighs - under the Williamsburg Bridge. As the name suggests, they specialize in home-made pies and BBQ chicken. Their donuts are REALLY good too...

Entrance to Pies n' Thighs - the seating area is in a vacant lot next door
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Jamie and Allen in front of Pies n' Thighs and the burned out car - vandalism or public art? You decide...
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Remind me to never valet park my car at Pies n' Thighs...
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Want to try for yourself? Visit their website here: http://piesandthighs.com/
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Jamie and I both wanted to see the Richard Serra sculpture exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, so we bid dear Allen goodbye and jumped on the L subway line to Manhattan.

Big-Foot Jamie Brown
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If you have not been to MOMA's new building put it at the top of your list for your next visit to New York. Not only is the permanent collection unsurpassed, but the architecture is really cool - lots of clean modern lines, large windows, and peek-a-boo cut outs that give you a glimpse of the gallerys from the atrium.

View from the upper level of MOMA's atrium
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The Richard Serra exhibit was and in-door / out-door affair, but photography was prohibited inside the gallery, so I took a few in the museum garden.

Serra's iron sculptures are huge - I am not sure how they moved them here - I looked for seams or bolts but could find none.

Jamie Brown inspects the piece
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What is she looking at? The rust patterns on the sculpture is one of the most interesting things about it...

Detail 1
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Detail 2
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This little girl was more interested in the water than the piece behind her
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I have a few favorite pieces in the permanent collection, so whenever I go to the MOMA I try and visit them.

One of Monet's large water lily paintings
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Water Lily detail
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Newly restored, Pablo Picasso's painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), is one of the collection's highlights
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A woman takes a break in front of Richard Diebenkorn's Ocean Park 115 (1979). This painting is my favorite work in the collection
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For more about the museum and its collection, go here: http://www.moma.org/
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After an afternoon at the MOMA and a well deserved gelato break, we headed back to Williamsburg. I had a wonderful weekend in Brooklyn - thanks for sharing your city with me Jamie!

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Well my travels are done and this is the last post of the blog. I hope you have enjoyed travelling with me. I am back home in DC now with no current plans to hit the road again anytime soon (we will see how long that lasts). I am picking up some consulting work this summer and I start the second year of my Executive MBA program in late August. If you know anyone who needs some work done, give me a call - I can design and facilitate executive education seminars, manage non-profits, mow lawns, walk dogs, etc...

Until next time - Bon Voyage!

Bryan

Over the Bridge or Under the River remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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The Shanghai World Financial Center rises in Pudong:

To say that Shanghai is a blending of the old and new in China is a bit of a cliche, but it is true. This town is very modern in sections, and there is money here - you can get a Latte at Haagen Daaz on the riverfront and shop at Ferragamo if you like -

Joe sips his Cappucino - he could be in any large city in the world...

A Chinese guy works on his laptop on the river-front in Shanghai

...but there are also millions of people that are living a more modest, and I guess you could say, traditional, lifestyle in Shanghai. After a week of factory tours and corporate meeting rooms, most of my view of street life in Shanghai was out the window of our tour bus.

We had a free afternoon on our last day, so I grabbed Jim and Elvis (good travel companions both, and it never hurts to bring a little extra-muscle when exploring unfamiliar neighborhoods...) and we headed off to the alleys and markets of the Old City. We were not disappointed. Except for the occasional shoppers at Dong Tai Lu, we wandered for hours and didn't see any other tourists. Needless to say, we got some puzzled looks from the locals.

I don't think these guys are from here...too well fed.

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The Old City is tucked into a bend in the river is southeast Shanghai. The relatively organized and planned avenues and intersections give way to tiny streets and alleys that have grown organically for hundreds of years. Large parts of the Old City are being torn down for new construction, but plenty of off-the-beaten-path streets filled with people going about their quotidian lives still exist.

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But before heading into the Old City, a little about the Jade Buddha Temple pictured at the beginning of the post.

The Jade Buddha Temple was our first stop when we arrived in town. We were all a bit tired and not sure where our guide was taking us, but when we entered the courtyard and saw the warm ochre of the temple walls contrasted with the bright red lanterns, we understood.

The place was quite active as Monks and Nuns moved from their quarters to worship in the Temple

The actual "Jade Buddha" is inside and upstairs - worth a look - but not as interesting to me as watching the Monks practice... Another view of the courtyard:

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Ok, back to the Old City. After a week of watching my classmates return from shopping excursions with armloads of jewelry, watches, pens, leather goods, etc., I had yet to buy a thing.

A tea house in the shopping part of Shanghai:

Mark, Elvis, Steve and Sean at the shopping mall - taking a break from shopping and touring...

I was not that interested in knock-off goods - even if they were dirt cheap - but I must admit, some of the stuff looked pretty nice. What I was looking for were a few more historically themed souvenirs, so when I heard about the antique flea market at Dong Tai Lu, I wanted to take a look.

Although the guidebooks I consulted warned that the antiques found at Dong Tai Lu were most likely fakes, I was looking for some Maoist era stuff to take home. What I found may not have been genuine, but it sure was Maoist!

I wish I had a bigger suitcase - I might have taken this statue home...

The flea market runs down a few streets near the Old City and is made up of crowded stands in front and shops behind. The pace is much slower here than in other "tourist" markets in town - you can bargain, but it is a pretty low key experience.

In addition to posters, watches, little red books, and wooden jewelry boxes, a few of the vendors had diverse collections of porcelain figurines from (or inspired by) the Cultural Revolution.

Sure they are cute, but it dawned on me that they represented a period in Chinese history when anyone deemed an intellectual or otherwise influenced by the West was persecuted. Note the worker standing on the back of an intellectual, little red book raised. The victim of this humiliation is wearing a "dunce" cap and a sign repudiating his western ideas and celebrating the revolution of the common people.

They would make a nice addition to my extensive collection of Hummel figurines don't you think?

If you were looking for older objects, you could pick up antique looking furniture, statues, phonographs, etc.

I was hunting for a small statue of Zhou Enlai (a local party leader who rose to become Premier of China from 1949 - 1976) but they didn't have any. I settled for a large colorful propaganda poster of Mao surrounded by workers, soldiers, farmers - if you come over to my place you can see it framed in my kitchen...

Jim picked up a small authentic looking "Little Red Book" of Mao's quotations for his Dad - a history buff - and we headed deeper into the Old City.

The weather was fine, so people were out and about everywhere - walking home from school, working, shopping, socializing, playing cards...

This woman was cleaning fish on the street - her dog was more interested in the stranger than the fish bits...

Elvis discovered a "1 Yuan" store - like a dollar store I guess - where you could get a package of sponges, plastic bowls, tools, etc. For those of you interested in doing a purchase power parity analysis, one Yuan is about 12 cents.

As with everywhere else in Shanghai, there was plenty to eat in the Old City.

Duck:

Crawfish:

This young woman was staffing the crawfish store in the crawfish section of the Old City - the Crawfish seller's daughter perhaps?

This guy was selling clothes and shoes on the street - a budding entrepreneur. Who says political dissent is not allowed in China?

One best not cross this threshhold un-invited. The Old City guard-dog is ready to spring into action...

There was a great deal of activity in the Old City, but not everyone was busy. The chair repair-man takes a break...

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On the edge of the Old City, Jim, Elvis and I stumbled upon a huge market area where you could buy just about everything from electronics, food, clothes, shoes, washing machines, bicycles, pets, you name it.

I was most interested in the food market - no suprise there - so I peeled off from the guys and went in.

Anything you need to make dinner could be purchased here at rock bottom prices...

Vegetables -

Tofu -

Frogs!

This guy gave me samples of his dried ham - good stuff - Dean and Deluca in SOHO has nothing on this cool ham dude...

Fresh noodles were being made upstairs...

... and sold downstairs...

There was an extensive section of dried mushrooms, beans and other ingredients I could not identify...

Some sort of dried berry?

For the real carnivors among you, there was a big meat section:

Pigs feet, freshly cleaved

A closer look - anyone see the movie "Babe"? They got all of him it seems...

If you didn't feel like cooking, you could get some take-out - wonderful looking steamed buns, usually filled with pork:

Some chicken feet were available in the salad bar section...chewey I bet...

Fruit too:

If you were looking for fashion, they could take care of you...Jim knows that the shoes make any outfit complete:

On the way back to the hotel we passed briefly through the pet section of the market. If you want a low maintenance pet, crickets or cicadas in little wicker cages might be a good choice...

Well enough of our day in the Old City....

The next day we boarded a plane for Chicago, and 13 hours later we were at O'Hare...right in the middle of a day of weather delays...The airport was full of people who had been there all day. Our flight from Chicago to Dulles was delayed a few hours, and by the time we got home that night (Joe and I minus our luggage) we had been on the road for 24 hours... The trip to China and back is not for the faint of heart...

China was amazing, especially Shanghai, and I can't wait to go back. In the meantime I will be working on my Mandarin...

Shanghai Street Life remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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After our week in Beijing we flew south to the economic capital of China, Shanghai. This city of 18 million people has been a key regional port for hundreds of years. Situated on the Pudong River near the Yellow Sea, Shanghai is the "New York City" of China. Shanghai looked and felt very modern in comparison to Beijing. As with many port cities around the world, Shanghai had a more "international" feel.

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After settling in at our hotel and taking a short tour of the city (details in another post), we started our first day in Shanghai with Mr. Your Chen who runs a Venture Capital firm in Shanghai. He walked us through the VC process in China and pointed out how it might differ from what they are doing down on Sand Hill Road in the Silicon Valley.

Our first two days in the city, the Shanghai Stock Market - China's main exchange - dropped almost 20%. The Chinese stock market had been on a tear over the past five months and it seems the regulators decided to cool things off by increasing the "tax" or "fee" on transactions.

After our meeting at Mr. Chen's, I ducked into a brokerage across the street to see how people were taking the volitility - it was pretty crowded

Inside a woman watches the board for news of her investments:

It seems everyone in Shanghai is trying to get on the investment bandwagon - our tour guide kept us up to date on his losses each day...

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After another great lunch - the food in Shanghai was really terrific - we headed out to the other side of the river to visit the GM Factory in Pudong. Elvis Oxley, a member of our class, helped arrange the visit through some of his GM contacts back in DC.

The factory is located on a large campus about 40 minutes east of the river in a newer part of the city. The modern facility builds Buick models and other GM cars for the domestic market. There is a six month waiting list to buy a Buick in China...

We started with an introduction from our guide as we gathered around a model of the campus factory complex:

Professor Yang and Elvis in the showroom:

Unfortunately, photography was prohibited inside the factory, but we had a comprehensive tour of the huge modern facility. All the things you would expect to see in a car factory were present - conveyor belts with whole cars on them moving slowly down the line, guys in jumpsuits and hard-hats checking body panels, large high-tech robots doing spot welds, etc. - very cool. Those of you who know me well understand how much I enjoyed this...

After the tour, an expatriate Executive at GM's facility answered our questions and outlined the nature of the car business in China.

After GM we headed back to the river for dinner (where the opening photo was taken) and then off to Shanghai Circus World! I have nothing to say about Shanghai Circus world except that the last time I saw people ride motorcycles so recklessly I was in Boston, Mass...

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I am very interested in architecture and design, and Shanghai has some amazing buildings. Some are finished like the famous TV tower below:

And some in process like the new 101 story Shanghai World Financial Center which is slated to open next year:

Some of the curvature in the photo above is due to the extreme perspective of where I was standing, but the building itself has a curve incorporated into its design:

(rendering courtesy of Kohn Pedersen Fox)

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On our third day in Shanghai we travelled out to the city of Changshu (pop. 1.3 million) to visit a leather goods factory, tour the planned economic zone, and meet the Mayor of the city. Changshu is about an hour and a half north of Shanghai and is situated around a hill and adjacent to a large lake. The officials in Changshu were very proud of their air quality and green space and used these as selling points in their promotional materials to attract international investment.

First we visited the Maydiang Company - a firm specializing in fine leather goods.

Mr. Mao, the firm's founder and our host, is an old friend of Professor Yang, so he rolled out the red carpet for us. Here Mr. Mao and Professor Yang talk about starting a manufacturing business in China. Begun a number of years ago as an official supplier of Coach and other brands, Maydiang now makes $100 million worth of product a year.

Mr. Mao took us on an extensive tour of his facilty where more than 4,000 employees work in the tanning, cutting, assembly and packaging departments.

These large machines are used to process the leather. Interesting fact - all the hides are imported from Texas and only processed in Changshu.

After tanning, the hides are processed further with a flattening machine:

(photo courtesy of Joe Bechtold)

Mr. Mao shows us leather that is ready to move on to cutting and assembly.

We had no idea of the scale of Mr. Mao's business when we first arrived, but it became clear soon enough - this is only one of many parts of the facility

These women - and most of the employees in the assembly portion of the factory were women - make $0.50 - $0.75 an hour to put together Coach wallets, hand-bags and briefcases for export. This might not sound like very much, but for China, this is a very competitive wage. Remember, more than 800 million people in the countryside survive on only $1 a day. China has specific overtime and employee safety laws, and although some facilites do not comply with these laws, Mr. Mao made it clear that all his facilities were in full compliance with the law.

I found the facility clean, the conditions comfortable and the employees seemed happy. Granted, we were touring with the boss, and they were pretty focused while we moved through the facility, but at one point I snuck off and watched some of the employees in a break room and they were laughing, joking - taking it easy.

A woman tracing and cutting the leather:

Elvis and James on the factory floor:

As I watched these bags and briefcases take shape, I realized why they are so expensive. Granted, much of the price of a hand-bag is label and status, but the quality of the leather, design and the care in assembly was apparent at Maydiang. Mr. Mao noted that where it was possible, he automated the process, but in many cases there was no substitute for human hands, especially in detail work such as the stiching on women's hand-bags.

Briefcases - I was hoping to buy a sample, but Mr. Mao's agreement with Coach prohibits him from selling any product outside established channels.

Shane poses on the factory floor:

After a tour of the factory, Mr. Mao hosted a lunch for all of us. His personal chef put together the best meal we had in China, by far. In addition to countless familiar dishes, we were served "Rice Bird", or whole sparrow. It appears that the bird's feathers and feet are removed, then the whole thing was cooked in a sweet sauce until it turned all crispy and delicious. I wish I had not filled up on the freshwater clams and jellyfish as I only had room for a few Rice Birds...

One eats the whole thing - head, wings and all - the light hollow bones are easy to masticate, but you have to be a little careful of the wings...

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Just down the road from Mr. Mao's leather factory was the main office of the Changshu Economic Zone. The city is very interested in attracting foreign investment and a number of international companies have set up facilities in the area. They gave us a quick orientation as to why we should choose Changshu as a good place to do business. Another cool model - this one of expansion plans...

After the orientation, we travelled to Changshu's main park where electric carts carried us to the Tea House on the Lake for our meeting with the City's Mayor.

Bo is ready to go!

As is Elvis!

In the rear, Bob acts as security for the Alpha Cart...

The Mayor showed us a video touting the natural gifts of the region, its suitability for foreign investment, served us tea and took our questions.

On the way through town we passed a familiar sight - this super-store is expected to open soon.

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On our final day of business meetings in Shanghai, Mike Stolker set up a visit to Nortel for us. Some of the discussion of telecom equipment and enterprise solutions was over my head, but I was very interested in how a foreign company deals with doing business in a country where the government has a more "hands on" approach to exactly what its citizens do and say online...

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Next post, roaming the streets of Shanghai - back alleys and cultural attractions....

Doing Business in China 2 remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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When I visit a new city, especially one as different to me as Beijing, one of my favorite things to do is just wander the streets and watch people. If someone is interesting to me and I want to photograph them, I either ask their permission or try to do so unobtrusively. The following photographs are from a few walks I took around Beijing in early June. As is common in Beijing it was overcast and smoggy that day, so no clear blue skies, but the people were all out and about...

A bus driver - I liked his serious look:

I tried to get the owner to pose with his dogs, but he insisted that they were more photogenic than he was...

This photo was taken inside the Temple of Heaven - these women appeared to be tourists just like me, but Chinese

This guy could be a migrant worker from the countryside or just a local man of little means.

China's economic boom has not reached all quarters. A statistic that I heard more than once from different sources is that 900 million rural Chinese live on about $1 a day...

A couple kanoodling on a bench next to the Forbidden City:

Same couple in 40 years? More likely the two above will be driving a Lexus...

A girl working on her calligraphy using a brush dipped in water - a common sight in public parks in the city.

I think I saw this car in Oxford didn't I? This one is parked next to the Forbidden City wall

Hard to see, but this guy is wearing a Yankee cap - you just cannot escape members of the Evil Empire...

An elderly man taking a load off next to the Forbidden City

The public park at the Temple of Heaven was crowded with groups of people playing music, dancing, singing, playing dominoes, etc.

The man below is playing an Er-hu, or two stringed Chinese violin.

Another guy who seemed to be down on his luck. He seemed very interested in the trash barrel in front of him. There were very few homeless people in the center areas of Beijing. I suspect the government keeps things "tidy" for foreign visitors

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A pedi-cab ride for the whole family!

Either she is tiny or that lantern is VERY large...

Nice ass, great mellons... (sorry, I couldn't resist...)

Fishing in the moat around the Forbidden City

Proud little guy in his coolest outfit posing for mom & dad at the Temple of Heaven

Still the most popular form of transportation in China

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On my walk I came across a street lined with food vendors. They were just setting up for the evening and didn't have their grills fired up yet, but most of their "raw" material was presented for inspection

Start with veggies...

Move on to cray-fish or shrimp...

Maybe some squid or octopus?

Some cicada pupae or heart?

And finish with starfish and sea urchin...

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Finally, I liked how intently this man was filling the cracks between the bricks in the Temple of Heaven. I watched him for a few minutes and his focus never wavered...

Beijing Street Life remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Wherever you go in the world, you will find people - both locals and foreigners - who get together to support each other in a program of recovery. China is no different, and if you do your homework, you can find AA meetings in Beijing, Shanghai and beyond.

Every culture approaches the affliction of Alcoholism differently - some are more progressive than others. China has only officially recognized the issue recently - here is an article from the official English news site in 2002:

http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn/star/2002/0919/bz9-2.html

As you can see, it appears the "intemperance" is on the rise...

As a foreign traveller in recovery, you might be suprised to learn that although the recovery community exists, and there is an English & Chinese speaking meeting every day of the week in Beijing and Shanghai, the broader community is comparatively tiny. I spoke to a man at a Sunday night meeting while I was in Beijing, and he told me that the first AA meeting in Beijing took place as recently as 2000. There were three people present - the man I spoke to and two others (and no doubt, a pot of tea and a resentment or two...)

Here are the 12 steps in Mandarin on the wall of the Beijing AA Clubhouse:

For political and cultural reasons, AA was a tough sell in China (for example, on more than one occasion I was told that if you don't drink in China no one will trust you in business dealings...), and seven years after its founding, I was told that the program has only 10-15 Foreign members in Beijing and 25-30 Chinese members. The numbers in Shanghai are smaller, but comparable. That means that in a country of 1.3 billion, more than a few of which suffer from the disease, there are less than 100 AAs... Let that sink in for a minute...

If you are in Beijing - visit the local AA website. It has resources, a meeting schedule, and very specific directions on how to find the small clubhouse (a studio apartment in a large building on Dong Zhong Jie.)

http://www.aabeijing.com/

If you are in Shanghai, vist this site with similar information - FYI, there are a few English speaking meetings each week at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in a very posh conference room... Not necessary conditions, but nice...

http://members.cox.net/mppowers1/index.html

What are you waiting for? There is a direct flight from Washington's Dulles Airport to Beijing... 13 1/2 hours and you could be in Beijing!

Recovery in China - Beijing and Shanghai remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I travelled to Beijing last week with my Executive MBA class from George Washington University to participate in a two week residency in China. Our International Economics professor - the pride of Shandong, Jaiwen Yang - is our leader, and he arranged visits for us to Chinese Government offices, International Business Associations, and both Chinese and American companies. In addition to our comprehensive visits during the day, we have been eating very well and enjoying traditional Chinese entertainment in the evenings (some shown, some not...). On the weekend we visited a number of historic sights and played tourst - complete with bus and guide.

In this post I will do my best to show what the class of 2008 has been up to in both areas - business & pleasure...

(Disclaimer)
I should note that this blogpost is based on my own observations and photographs and does not necessarily reflect the opinion or experience of my classmates.

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Our first stop was the Chinese Trade Development Bureau at the Ministry of Commerce. We met with a number of officials including their prominent economist - Professor Mei Xinyu. This organization is quite active in assisting Chinese companies - both in China and abroad.

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For our first lunch in Beijing, we went to a famous Peking Duck restaurant. It was a wonderful experience - every bit of the bird was available to sample, from the standard breast meat on a pancake with onion to the less common feet, lungs and brain...

Steve and Alan happy after their duck:

The remains of the critter - poor guy didn't have a chance... Note the head and tiny cranium - I guess that is why we are eating him and not the other way around...

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In the afternoon we visited the Commercial Section of the United States Embassy to learn about the role our government plays abroad in assisting U.S. companies, then we headed to the U.S - China Business Council to hear an association perspective.

It was a day full of thought provoking visits, and although we were all pretty tired at that point, we rallied and headed over to a private club for a reception for the George Washington / China Alumni organization organized by its President, Bo Jin. As a special suprise, it was Pam's birthday and a cake rolled out after the meal to the strains of happy birthday!

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The following day we were off early to the north west part of Beijing to visit the headquarters of the Lenovo Computer Company. This Chinese company purchased IBM's Thinkpad division a few years ago and is the largest seller of personal computers in China (and in the top four worldwide behind HP, Dell and Acer).

After a quick tour of the fabrication plant where we saw Chinese workers assembling standard and custom PCs, we visited their model showroom. Our guide, whose name in English is "Alma", gave us a tour:

Mr. Elvis Oxley inspects their line of new notebook computers:

At the end of our visit, we met with Mr. Cory Grenier. Cory is a Project Manager in Product Marketing and told us more about Lenovo's global Marketing Plans and shared a little bit about what it is like as an American working in China.

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Lunch was atop a the tallest structure in Beijing - the CCTV Tower. Alas, it was so cloudy that day that we couldn't see more than a few feet up top.

Here is a shot of Bo, Sean and Joe:

The Dragon Guarding the tower:

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After lunch we headed to the Beijing offices of the Microsoft Corporation to learn a bit more about doing business in China. Our meeting was with Eric Ashdown - Microsoft's Chief Security Officer for China - and Mr. Joeseph Lee, their national Technology Officer.

As we waited for our speaker to arrive from the airport, Professor Yang told jokes to keep us entertained:

Ashdown was a very interesting speaker who was very candid about the challenges and opportunities for an American company in China.

Here is a nice shot of the class and Mr. Ashdown in Microsoft's lobby:

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Our next day of visits began at the Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park in Beijing. This quasi-government organization provides support for new companies throughout the region. We visited their headquarters and one of their "incubators" for fledging businesses in the tech sector.

Our hosts point out their various facilities in the region. One of the reasons this concept (based on what exists in Silicon Valley) is so successful is the presence of so many established universities and research facilities in the Capital City.

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In the afternoon we visited the Ministry of Finance and learned about Chinese Tax Policy from Mr. Zhu Guangyao, Assistant Minister of Finance.

Later in the day, we were warmly welcomed at the Beijing Municipal Engineering Consulting Corporation, a Beijing Municipal Development Agency. This firm is responsible for many of the large scale projects for the 2008 Bejing Olympics. They rolled out the red carpet for us...

A shot of the Olympic Stadium in progress - many call it the "bird's nest"

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For an evening's entertainment, our tour guide arranged a visit for us to the Beijing Opera. Some of the group pictured below after dinner and before the show - pictured: Kathleen, Blair, Scott, Constance, Professor Yang and Mark:

This particular cultural tradition goes back to the 17th century and was like nothing I had every seen (or heard). I enjoyed the costumes and the music, but I must admit that I was a bit lost at times as to the plot of each Act. Some images:

The overture:

Act One:

Act Two:

Act Two:

Act Three:

Act Four:

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On our final morning of visits, we met with Dr. Gene Ma, Chief Economist at Citic Securites in Beijing. Citic is the larges such firm in China and is part of a conglomerate that is China's larges company. Dr. Ma helped us understand the complexities of the Chinese Stock Market and how it is different from other international exhanges and how they interact.

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After our last working session in Bejing, we drove out of town a bit to a traditional Beijing restaurant for a banquet luncheon. The place was beautiful:

Although the identity of much that was put in front of us was a mystery, the food was delicious. Bo certainly thinks so....

Kathleen seemed pleased as well:

The group raises a glass of traditional Chinese Alcohol in celebration of a successful week - Gambai!

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Upcoming posts - "Walking the streets of Beijing", "Beijing: History and Architecture" and "The Great Wall - You Gotta Do It!"

Business (and Pleasure) in Beijing remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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The Tian'an Men, or "Gate of Heavenly Peace", is the entrance to the Forbidden City where the Chinese Emperors lived for hundreds of years. Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China on this spot, October 1, 1949. This is the geographic and cultural center of Beijing, China - established in the year 1421.

After a thirteen and a half hour flight from Washington to Beijing, I arrived dazed and wide eyed three days ago. Below is a view of the frozen landscape near the North Pole. For those interested in geography, one flies north to get to China, not East...

Although I am on a study tour with my Executive MBA class from the George Washington University and am comfortably ensconced in a kind of tourist cocoon, at times I am overwealmed by the intensity and scale of this place. I am here to learn how to do business in China - a subject I will explore in more detail in subsequent postings, but for now, I will share some of the amazing images I have captured so far...

This city was established long before Columbus sailed for the new world, and some of the sacred and political buildings in Beijing were raised before the signing of the Declaration of Independence in America. In stark contrast, because of years of dramatic export driven economic growth and the approach of the 2008 Olympic Games, parts of Beijing are intensely modern and new construction is everywhere you look.

A view of the Ministry of Commerce from my hotel room:

A traffic jam between a bicycle-trailer and a mini-van...

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Last night, my friend Bo and I took a walk from our hotel over to Tiananmen Square. Below is a view of the Monument to the People's Heroes - decorated with images of China's revolutionary history. The two in the foreground were having a little lover's quarrel...She was upset, he was trying to convince her of something (not sure what, they were speaking Mandarin Chinese)

A view of Mao's Mausoeum - where his body is kept on view - with a statue of iconic revolutionary themes:

The Forbidden City is guarded not only by the Chairman's visage, but also by more traditional Chinese Lions.

They Olympics are only 436 days away - a counter mounted on the Chinese National Museum on the Square:

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During one of our business visits yesterday we stopped near the new CCTV Headquarters Building that is in progress. The building, comissioned by the Chinese Government and designed by the dutch architect Rem Koolhaas (who also designed the Seattle Public Library), will be ready for the 2008 Summer Olympics:

Here is an Koolhaas' rendering of what it will look like when completed. Note the dramatic cantalevered portion that connects the two sloping towers - how would you like to have an office in there!

A view in a neighborhood context:

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Directly below my 16th floor hotel room is the Wangfujing Daijie - one of Beijing's most famous shopping streets. The main street has a McDonald's, Hugo Boss, and an Addidas store, but just a few blocks down an alley is the Night Market:

A bit touristy, but fascinating and chaotic enough for those seeking some adventure. You can buy souvenirs and also get dinner. I hear you can get roasted scorpions on a stick here, but I couldn't find any...

A sit down place:

Lots of tourists - most of them Chinese:

If I am able to find the Scorpions on subsequent visits I will be sure to get a photo and let you know how they taste...

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Finally, in a nearby hotel lobby I came across this collection of statues that represent the Chinese Astrological Calendar - Animals - anyone know what year they were born? Monkey, Pig, Snake?

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First Impressions of Beijing, China remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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(file photo)

Colorado rocky mountain high...
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply...
Rocky mountain high, Colorado... (everybody now...)
- John Denver

I finished my western tour of the United States in Colorado where my whole family has collected over the years. My Mother spends six months out of the year in Boulder, My sister and her family live in Boulder, and my Brother and his family live in Buena Vista high in the mountains. I spend a few weeks every year in Colorado - both summer and winter - and love playing in the mountains and spending time with family.

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I arrived just in time to attend my nephew John-Wesley's 7th birthday party. He chose to have it at a local pool/water park-type place this year:

John and friends:

John starts tearing into the birthday booty:

Catherine seems more interested in her soy milk...

Joy or sadness?

The Shrek birthday Cake...

Now thats what I'm talkin' about! Birthday parties are about CAKE CONSUMPTION!

Plenty of options at the pool:

Cake consumed, presents opened - time to hit the water! (John and Jacob)

John clings to the side of the "rushing river" part of the pool:

Nephews John and Jacob beached...

Lots of fun to be had!

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A trip to Coors Field to see a Colorado Rockies game was on the agenda for the next day - John gets a free ride:

The Carter-Gibbs at Coors Field - Paul, Amy, Jacob and John:

The bullpens in center field at Coors - appropriately landscaped...

Jacob in center field - glove at the ready! (he learned well from my story about getting nailed by a line drive earlier in the week...)

Amy and John enjoy some pink ballpark goodness...

Bryan, Jacob and John from our seats in the club section...

The game went 12 innings and a thunderstorm blew through to make it interesting, but the Rockies could not pull it out against the Royals. Oh well, it was still an excellent day at the park!

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The next day I drove about three hours up into the mountains to see my Brother Eric, his wife Diane, and my nieces Taylor and Hayden. They live in a small town called Buena Vista (elevation 8,000 feet) tucked between the collegiate peaks (Mount Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Oxford - all over 14,000 feet) and the Arkansas River.

Eric is a doctor in the small town and has delived most of the babies since he arrived. When you walk down the street with him he can point out all the children he has helped enter the world... Diane is on the City Council and serves as Mayor-pro-tem. Taylor and Hayden, well, they are little girls so they are VERY busy too!

First stop, the river. Just a few miles outside of town is one of the best river rafting spots in the United States. Eric is also the Medical Director for one of the largest local rafting companies - Noah's Ark - take a look at their web site and plan your visit today! http://www.noahsark.com/

The guys at Noah's took great care of us. There were no other trips scheduled that afternoon, so they set one up special for us. It was a rare treat to have the river to ourselves!

Taylor and Eric enjoy a little sun on the river. The water was COLD - 42 degrees - and we did not stay very dry...

Yours truly rafting the Brown's Canyon section with my niece Taylor, brother Eric, Matt, and a our guide... HIGH WATER this time of year...

(Courtesy Noah's Ark)

The "After" photo...we survived!

Eric and Diane grilled steaks and asparagus for dinner - followed by Diane's homemade mint chip ice cream. Here is the Buena Vista contingent of the Gibb family...

Hayden and Taylor - the belles of Buena Vista!

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Well, now it is back to DC for a few days...Next stop, Beijing...

Colorado Rocky Mountain High remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Once I knew the City very well, spent my attic days there, while others were being a lost generation in Paris, I fledged in San Francisco, climbed its hills. slept in its parks, worked on its docks, marched and shouted in its revolts~ It had been good to me in the days of my poverty and it did not resent my temporary solvency.
- John Steinbeck

When I graduated from Pitzer College in May of 1991, I loaded up my car and moved to San Francisco. I didn't have a job, and was not quite sure what I was going to do with my liberal arts degree, but a friend's parents had an empty house in Presido Heights where we could crash in until we found a place. For the next five years I lived in this wonderful city - a terrific place to be a poor slacker in the pre-dot-com era. I made lattes, decorated cakes, worked as the assistant to the Organist at Grace Cathedral, and temped in law firms. Mostly I rode my bike around town, hung out in cafes, read left-wing literature and went to rock clubs. Ah, those were the days...

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This is Cole Valley, one of the neighborhoods where I lived. Tucked between Golden Gate Park and Haight-Ashbury, it is a nice quiet corner of the city. My apartment was on the hillside on the right. You can just see the Golden Gate Bridge through the fog in the distance...

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In May I went back to San Francisco, visited some of my old haunts, ate VERY well, then headed south to Mountain View in the heart of Silicon Valley to stay with some friends and meet their boys. I also caught an Oakland A's baseball game while I was in town. It was a lovely visit!

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My friend Kateri drove down from Sacramento to pick me up at the airport and spend my first day in the city with me. Thanks Kateri!

She is just hanging on in the photo above - the wind was really blowing!

Kateri was one of my students nine years ago when I taught High-School in Pleasanton, California. I was her AP Government teacher, and we have been friends ever since. She now works for an insurance company near Sacramento. Apparently all the liberal propaganda I tried to fill her head with didn't work...

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Soon after arriving, we headed for one of my favorite spots - Peasant Pies in the Noe Valley neighborhood between the Castro and the Mission. I used to go here all the time when I lived in the city, and I was thrilled to see that they are still thriving. I was also touched that Ali remembered me after so many years. Here is Ali showing off today's specials:

Ali and his partner Gerard make peasant pies - savory treats that originated in the South of France as a quick fisherman's meal. Kateri and I sampled the modern San Francisco versions - Curried Potato Yam, Zucchini Mushroom and Cheese, Chicken Potato, and a Beef and Vegi. If you are in San Francisco, pay Ali a visit - or, find their product in Bay Area Whole Foods Stores. Website here: http://www.peasantpies.com/index.html

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After a sustaining meal of at Peasant Pies, we headed for Ocean Beach at the edge of Golden Gate Park.

The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco.
- Mark Twain

The fog was in, the wind was blowing, and it was COLD. I loved it! (Kateri was less enthusiastic...)

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After a frigid walk on the beach and an afternoon hanging out in my favorite funky cafe in the Outer Richmond neighborhood, we made our way to the Marina District. Some of you might remember the vivid images of crushed and burning houses after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake - as you can see, the neighborhood has recovered well since that terrible day.

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San Francisco is one of the best places to eat in the world, and since we were there for only one day, I wanted to have a memorable dinner. We were able to get a reservation at one of the city's best - The Plumpjack Cafe in the Marina - and were not disappointed. http://www.plumpjack.com/cafe_main.html

Amuse Bouche anyone?

Our meal was sublime - we shared:

First

Veal Sweetbread Dumplings
Snails & Spring Onion, Lettuce Sauce with Flavors of Spring Garlic & Licorice

Canneloni of Big Eye Tuna
Raw Conch & Radish, Mortared Shiso with Sesame & White Soy

Second

Pacific Halibut
Octopus & Ramps with Artichoke Puree, Preserved Meyer Lemon

Poached Liberty White Pekin Duck Breast
Braised Leg & Cracked Green Almond with Seascape Strawberries, Foie Gras au Lait

Third

Pistaccio and Olive Oil Ganache
Green Apple Sorbet and Beet emulsion

The food and my dining companion alone were worth the flight west...

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We headed south to the Silicon Valley and stayed with my friends Dave and Bettina in Mountain View. When we woke up, Kateri and I breakfasted with little Hanik Weckerman Mohr.

Since food seems to be a theme on this trip, after a morning of playing with Hanik, we went to lunch at the University Avenue Cafe in Palo Alto. From the left - Dave, Bettina, little Jens (their younger son) Kateri and yours truly:

Jens is two and pretty darn cute...

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I got tickets to a Major League Baseball game in each city I was going to visit this spring, so the next day Dave and I headed across the bay to Oakland - home of the A's. McAfee Coluseum might not be as charming as many parks, but it is the place I went to my first baseball game ever as a little kid growing up in the suburbs to the east.

We had great seats, right on the third base line between the A's dugout and the bullpen, to see the mighty, mighty Oakland Athletics face the lowly Kansas City Royals...

McAfee is a little odd in that the bullpens are right on the field in foul territory. Good for the those of us who like to watch relievers warm up, but it must be distracting for the players...Lefty Joe Kennedy gets ready...

Our seats were in the part of the park where foul balls are pretty common, so I brought my glove just in case...I have see plenty of line drives go into the stands in our section on TV, so I was ready... I know, I know, those of you who are real baseball fans are thinking that only 12 year old kids bring their gloves to the ball park, but hey, I wanted to try and catch one!

I had my glove on all game and was ready for my big break after every single pitch. No luck. Then in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs I saw a cute little kid a few rows over that was all decked out in A's gear - too perfect of a photo op to miss:

Now isn't he adorable?

So, I go back to my seat, start to put my camera away, and crack! I look up and a smoking line drive is coming right at me! I realize that I put my glove on the seat next to me, then I realize that the ball is tracking right at my head! I had two choices:

1) try and catch the liner with my bare hand - high probability of breakage

or

2) duck!

I chose #2 and was just able to get my head down in time. The ball nailed me in the shoulder and bounced up behind us. Some other guy got the souvenir and I got a nice bruise on my left delt for my trouble. It could have been worse - if I had looked up a second later I would have gotten it right in the forehead... that damn kid...AND the A's lost to the Royals...Oh well, you can't win em all...

Next stop, Boulder, Colorado...

San Francisco / Mountain View / Oakland remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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"I wanted to move to Seattle, sell my ass, and be a punk rocker, but I was too afraid."
-Kurt Cobain

Every part of all this soil is sacred to my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove has been hollowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. The very dust you now stand on responds more willingly to their footsteps than to yours, because it is rich with the blood of our ancestors and our bare feet are conscious of the sympathetic touch.
-Chief Seattle

"I grew up in Seattle, but I always knew I wanted to leave."
-David Guterson

I lived in California for more than half of my life, but until this week I had yet to get up the coast to Seattle, Washington. What a terrific city! I can hardly believe it took me so long to get to the upper-left-hand corner of the country... Known for rainy weather, grunge music and Microsoft, Seattle is a large city with a rich history. The air smells like pine trees and the sea, the coffee is strong, and there is interesting art and architecture everywhere - my kind of place....

A college friend - Viv Hutchison - has lived here for years and is one of Seattle's biggest fans. She was a terrific host and was pretty dedicated to making sure I saw and enjoyed some of the best her city and the region had to offer. Viv works for the USGS (United States Geological Survey) and was kind enough to not only give up her weekend to entertain me, but also took Monday off to show me around.

Here is a nice photo of Viv at the Pike Place Public Market:

The first morning after I arrived, Viv and I met up with some of her hiking buddies and we headed out into the Cascade Mountains just west of the city. Because it is early in the season and most of the trails on the western side of the Cascades are still snowed in, we drove two hours over to the Eastern side where the snowfall totals are lower (and the trails are passable earlier in the season).

Our goal was to hike the 4th of July Pass trail in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness near Leavenworth, Washington. I know that Viv was trying to make sure I experienced a challenging hike with pretty views, but she almost killed all of us. The hike was seven miles up with a vertical elevation gain of 5,000 feet. Yep, we started at 2,000 and hiked straight up to the top at 7,000 feet. It took us five hours to get up there and everone didn't make it to the summit.... Thanks Viv! Actually, I had a great time, but my legs were totally spent by the time we staggered into the parking lot at the trailhead at 7pm that night.

Below, Viv and I rest about 3/4 up:

The country is beautiful up there:

There was a big fire up here a few years ago and there were large groves of burned trees - pretty dramatic.

About half way up, I take a few moments to enjoy the view!

The next day was Mother's Day, and what better way to celebrate than to watch the Yankees lose a baseball game (pink bats and all). Ok, it was nice to see the Mariners win too...

Safeco field is right downtown near the railroad tracks and has one of my favorite features - a retractable roof - useful in such a rainy place...

Good views of the city skyline from the upper-deck. Here is a shot of Viv and I. Our seats were down by the Yankee dugout.

Jorge Posada, one pitch away from striking out as A-Rod and Jeter look on. There was a great deal of choking going on that day, and the Mariners won 2-1.

Viv and I met up with her friends Rebecca and Carrie at a local Vietnamese place called the Tamarind Tree - delicious! (Order the spring rolls with fresh herbs to start)
http://www.tamarindtreerestaurant.com/

We got an early start on Monday as Viv had a lot to show me. Lake Union is one of the smaller lakes around Seattle - it is connected to the Puget Sound through a ship channel.

There is this old abandoned gas works on the lake surrounded by a park.

Everywhere I looked in Seattle there were sea-planes - either taking off, landing or crusing off toward the islands north and west of the city.

Taking off from Lake Union:

Landing past the gasworks:

Either there is a ton of public art in Seattle or Viv just decided to expose me to a lot of it - either way, here is a Calder stabile on the Puget Sound with the Olympic Mountains in the background:

The sculpture park also had some less known pieces, but dramatic in their own way:

For reasons of decency, I photographed this particular sculpture from the back. For the record, this bronze gentleman is anatomically correct from the front.

The famous Pikes Place Public Market in downtown Seattle, where one can buy fish, flowers, vegetables and get a coffee at the very first Starbucks...

Right out of the sea:

Huge and fresh Dungeness Crab:

This is one of the most interesting pieces of public art I have seen in a long time. Located in Magnuson Park on the shore of Lake Washington, the Plowshares Project is a number of tail fins from de-comissioned nuclear submarines planted in the ground along the lake. At the base of each fin is the name of the vessel it came from, and the name of a protected Orca Whale currently crusing the sound (since the sub fins resemble a pod of Orcas...)

Lake Washington in the background:

another view:

With spring blooms in the foreground:

There are a number of important buildings around town. The Seattle Public Library's main building in the city center was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. This exterior photo speaks for itself:

The reading rooms are bright and airy.

The stacks are tucked here and there on various levels:

...and there is a ten story atrium with symetrical and asymetrical lines:

Just across town, in the much funkier Fremont neighborhood, at the end of Troll Lane...

This piece of public art lurks below the 99 Freeway bridge over the shipping channel between Lake Washington and the Puget Sound. Note the VW under his Troll paw...

Also in Fremont is a statue of V. I. Lenin - it seems that he is endorsing the Taco Del Mar in this photo.... Apparently a local resident came across this statue in Slovakia soon after the Wall fell in 1989 - he was able to purchase it for a a thousand bucks...

In another installment of "You never know who you are going to run into..." - I had the opportunity to hear Jhumpa Lahiri speak on my last night in Seattle. The Seattle Public Library has a series called "Seattle Reads" where they invite prominent authors to town for readings and special events.

Many of you might be familiar with her most recent book, "The Namesake", which has been made into a film. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 2000 for "The Interpreter of Maladies" - a collection of short stories. I have really enjoyed her writing and I found her talk very interesting. She is bright, articulate and breathtakingly beautiful.

The moderator asked her a number of questions about her work in general, but she shied away from any attempt to categorize her writing as a reflection of the "immigrant experience", or representative of Bengali families in general. She made it very clear that her work is the result of her own experience and that of her relatives, but fundamentally, "The Namesake" is a just a story about a boy who grows up with a funny name....

After an early morning flight, I bid Seattle goodbye and headed for San Francisco...

Seattle, Washington remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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"In Utopia, where every man has a right to everything, they all know that if care is taken to keep the public stores full, no private man can want anything; for among them there is no unequal distribution, so that no man is poor, none in necessity; and though no man has anything, yet they are all rich; for what can make a man so rich as to lead a serene and cheerful life, free from anxieties."

- From "Utopia" by Sir Thomas More, 1515 AD

Although many throughout history have used the word "Utopia" in the pejorative sense to describe a place than does not exist and can never exist, in all sincerity, I dare say Madison, Wisconsin comes close to fullfilling the idea's promise.

This town is lovely...Located on an isthmus between two lakes (Menona and Mendota) the Capital of Wisconsin and the home of the University of Wisconsin is an intellectually vibrant and diverse place.

In Madison, children say hello to you on the street, people ride their bikes everywhere, the city is filled with little independent cafes, and there is a huge Farmer's Market surrounding the State Capitol on Saturdays...all this in the heart of "America's Dairyland". Sure the average high temperature in January is 27 degrees, but it sure is nice in May, so plan your visit accordingly!

The Madison skyline from lake Monona. It is hard to see in this photo, but the white building on the left is Monona Terrace (the city's convention center on the lake) designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Now, my intention in visiting Madison was not to seek out a modern day Utopia, but rather to meet the 20 month old twin boys of my dear friends Gary and Mary Margaret. Gary and I trained as teachers together in San Francisco years ago, and when Gary and Mary Margaret were starting a family, they considered a number of places to settle. Madison won out - I can see why.

During my visit I also had a chance to hang out with their 8 year old son Camden, meet some of their friends and enjoy some of the things that Madison has to offer.

Here is Camden in front of his house - resplendant in his tye-dye shirt:

Soon after I arrived, me, Mary Margaret and her twins headed off for a day at the zoo. Madison has a nice little public zoo with the usual big ticket animals and a few little ones.

The twins, Ben and Riley at the zoo

This bear looks hungry - there were many children behind me marveling at the beast - I suspect they looked delicious....

I always thought Flamingos were pink, but this group can be characterized more as a "salmon" color don't you think? "Salmon Flamingos" - it doesn't quite have the same ring...

The boys wanted to ride the Merry-go-round (so did I) - here is a nice shot of Mary Margaret and little Riley:

Ben and I on an adjacent horse:

Here is a nice shot of Ben at the playground - very proud of his sliding skills:

That night, Mary Margaret and Gary got a baby sitter and we went out to a terrific meal at a Japanese place near the Capitol called Muramoto. The food was terrific - when you go, make sure you order the Daikon Salad...
http://www.muramoto.biz/restaurant.html

Below are my friends Anna, Mary Margaret and Maria Christina - the most beautiful women in all of Madison, Wisconsin!

Gary took a sick day on Thursday so we could spend some time together. He does look a little pale...

The Olbrich Botanical Gardens, right on Lake Menona, has the only true Thai Sala Pavillion in the continental United States. It was designed and built in Thailand and transported piece by piece to Wisconsin. It is hand-made without nails or screws, and is covered with real gold leaf - it cost $2 million to produce and install.

Detail:

In addition to various gardens, at Olbrich they have an indoor conservatory with tropical plants:

A bees-eye view:

One never knows who else will be visiting Madison - on Friday it was his Holiness, the Dali Lama. He gave a lecture in the Kohl Center (where they play basketball apparently) to a sold out crowd of 12,000. The place was full of monks in saffron robes, hippies, and just plain regular folks who came to hear the world leader talk about happiness...

(Since photography was prohibited at the event, the photo above is stock lifted from a story in the local paper)

The Deer Park Buddhist Center, just 10 miles south of Madison, planned a week of events around the Dali Lama's visit. Center website below:
http://www.deerparkcenter.org/NewFiles/facilities.html

The lecture, titled "Compassion: The Source of Happiness", was very interesting. He also took questions and commented quite forcefully on China's occupation of Tibet.

The most interesting things I learned from the Dali Lama that day:

1) He is a vegetarian most of the time, but not all the time
2) He gets up at 4am every day to pray and meditate, but also because, as a monk, he is not allowed dinner and he gets hungry - breakfast is one of his favorite parts of the day
3) Practicing compassion for others through empathy for their plight and a forgiveness of their transgressions is a way one can achieve happiness... Cool.

Saturday is Farmer's Market day in Madison, and the square around the State Capitol Building is full of stalls selling the bounty of the countryside. All of Madison seemed to be out that day...

A family portrait:

Fresh and local:

One can get just about anything at the Farmer's Market - locally made cheese curds, baked goods, organic vegetables, flowers, honey, fresh fish, and of course, Ostrich eggs, jerkey and stew bones...

One of my favorite things on the planet are wild mushrooms. A few days before, my friend Anna showed me where to hunt for Morels, but it was a few days too early for them so we went home empty handed. There were vendors at the market that had better luck...

Saute in a little butter then serve with a veal chop and grilled asparagus - HEAVEN.

I asked the honey man how many times he had been stung by his bees - he said not as many times as people had taken his picture... (maybe it is the hat?)

Camden gets a good look at the hive...

After the market, we stopped by the Madison Performing Arts Center where a local Samba group was performing. The lead-singers are Kristen and Barry - they had good Wisconsin accents, so I don't think they were from Brazil...

Good Japanese food, a very respectable zoo, cute kids, the Dali Lama, Wisconsin style-samba, good friends and Ostrich Jerkey - see what I mean about Utopia?

Say "bye, bye" Riley

...bye, bye Madison...

Next stop - Seattle, Washington and the Cascade Mountains...

Madison, Wisconsin remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Wayne Campbell: So, do you come to Milwaukee often?
Alice Cooper: Well, I'm a regular visitor here, but Milwaukee has certainly had its share of visitors. The French missionaries and explorers began visiting here in the late 16th century.
Pete: Hey, isn't "Milwaukee" an Indian name?
Alice Cooper: Yes, Pete, it is. In fact , it's pronounced "mill-e-wah-que" which is Algonquin for "the good land."
Wayne Campbell: I was not aware of that.

Ok, so Milwaukee may not have an international reputation as a leisure travel destination, but my good friend Jason lives here and I have become very fond of the place over the years. If it is good enough for Wayne, Garth and Alice Cooper, it is good enough for me...Allow me to share some of my favorite things to do in "The Good Land".

An easy flight from Reagan National Airport, as most of you know, Milwaukee is just an hour north of Chicago on Lake Michigan.

See the itinerary of this trip, and details about each destination.

Famous as the home of Miller Brewing Company, Harley Davidson Motorcycles and of course, Laverne and Shirley, Milwaukee is a mid-western industrial city that has developed a more diverse economy in recent years and is a great place to enjoy oneself.

My friend Jason had a number of good ideas of fun things to do, and I had some myself. One of the things I needed during my stay here was Frozen Custard. I had no idea what it was until I first visited here a few years ago. Frozen Custard is like ice cream, but it has eggs in it - in other words, it is DARN GOOD.

Leon's is a local landmark - Bill Clinton ate here on one of his midwestern political trips during the 1992 campaign. Hey, if it is good enough for Bubba...

One can almost imagine the kids from "Happy Days" stopping by here after the sock hop. I think thats Joanie and Chachie on the right....

Jason suggested a trip about 30 minutes west of Milwaukee to place called Holy Hill. This former Monastery dedicated to St. Theresa of Avila is now a pilgrimage site for Catholics. The church tower is open to the public and affords one sweeping views of the Wisconsin countryside, Milwaukee and Lake Michigan beyond.

St. Theresa herself:

Inside the tower - that is my buddy Jason

I was taken by the interesting patterns made by the afternoon sunlight coming in through the tower windows:

The view from the top:

Anyone see Quentin Tarrantino's masterpiece Kill Bill Volume 1? We found the "Pussy Wagon" in the parking lot of this holy place...

One of the things I like to do when I travel is go on factory tours. I know, pretty nerdy, but they can be really interesting and are always free! Jason knows this, and got us a reservation for the next day to visit the granddaddy of them all, the Kohler Factory in Kohler, Wisconsin...

The 7,000 employees of the Kohler Company make toilets, bathroom fixtures, and cast iron bathtubs here at their large facility half way between Milwaukee and Green Bay.

They did not allow photography inside the factory, but during the three hour tour, Jason and I saw clay slurry poured into moulds to make commodes and sinks, faucets being fabricated and electroplated, and huge vats of molten iron poured into moulds to make cast iron bathtubs. The latter was my favorite - cherry red-hot bathtubs swinging past on conveyors as they came out of the forge on their way to the cooling area before being glazed. Very cool. Nothing makes a factory tour worthwhile more than the potential to be horribly burned by an iron forge... If you are into such things, and find yourself in this part of the world, I recommend you set aside a morning to visit. The Harley Davidson Factory in Waukesha, Wisconsin is interesting - did that last time - but nothing compares to Kohler...

They did have a nice showroom where they artfully present their products - here is the wall of toilets... Inspiring, I know...

And a nice look at my favorite Kohler product - the Jacuzzi bathtub:

After a day in Kohler, Jason and I headed back to Milwaukee where we had a very good dinner at a Moroccan Place on the river and then took in a play at the local theater. Who says there isn't culture in the home of Lenny and Squiggy?

A few months ago when I decided to spend some time in Milwaukee this spring, I was hoping to catch a Brewers game at Miller Park. As soon as the tickets went on sale I jumped on a few right behind home plate for Jason, his girlfriend Shelby and I.

We started our evening by grilling up some Bratwurst in the parking lot. Here is Jason and Shelby, protected from the April chill by a stomach full of Bratwurst:

The main entrance to Miller Park - note the roof - it is retractable.

Our seats did not disappoint - we were in row five, right behind home plate. Miller Park is very nice - everything one could want from a modern ballpark.

Here is a shot of Jason and I wearing Brewers colors:

St. Louis Cardinal First Baseman Albert Pujols - 2005 National League MVP and future Hall of Famer - warms up in the on deck circle:

Jeff Suppan pitches to Albert Pujols - a fine match up.

Suppan was superb that night. He pitched a complete game and the Brewers defeated the reigning World Series Champions 7-1.

Since Major League baseball games are about entertaining the fans with more than just baseball, at Miller Park they have the famous "Sausage Race". Guys in sausage suits (Bratwurst, Hot Dog, Italian Sausage, Polish Sausage, and Chorizo) race around the field.

Bratwurst and Hot Dog are neck & neck!

Hot Dog pulls ahead of the German and wins!

In the competitive struggle for cased meat world domination, the USA wins again! God Bless America! (Jason tells me that Chorizo never wins - I hope it is not political...)

Next stop, Madison, Wisconsin - home of the Badgers (whatever they are...)

Milwaukee, Wisconsin remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Magdalen College, Oxford - from the High Street. Established in 1458, Magdalen is one of the many colleges that make up Oxford University. Each college is indepedent, has their own students, dining hall, library, chapel, and endowment. Magdalen is on the edge of the city center and adjacent the river Cherwell. Famous alumni include Julian Barnes, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer AND David Souter, Oscar Wilde, and of course, Dudley Moore...

My trip to Oxford the other day was a trip down memory lane. I spent my Junior year of college studying English History and Literature at Wadham College and lived in this city for a very memorable year of my life. I was here briefly for a wedding 10 years ago, but didn't have time to wander the streets and visit my old haunts.

An easy hour train ride from London's Paddington Station, Oxford is not far from London, but feels a thousand miles away from the (relatively) modern metropolis.

From the train window:

When I got to town, I started with my old local pub, the Holly Bush

The Holly Bush was about 50 yards from my house, and I spend a lot of time in there. Back then my drink of choice was either Guiness or Glennfidich, on this visit I had a sparkling water and a Steak and Kidney Pie for lunch.

I met a Welsh gentleman at the bar named Adrian. He normally works as a tour guide, but had lost his voice two weeks ago and was in there mid-afternoon for a constitutional. Get well soon Adrian!

After a sustaining lunch, I walked down the river - called the Isis here in Oxford, but actually the Thames just down stream - and visited the boathouses where I used to row for Wadham College in an eight man boat. We were awful, never won a race, but enjoyed ourselves. Maybe if we spent more time on the river and less time in the pub...

A bit down river from here I came across more interesting grafitti art below a bridge:

An infamous and iconic image.

The architecture found in this city is truly breathtaking - even for a country as rich in history as England. Here is the roof-line of New College, Oxford. Ironically, one of the oldest of the colleges - established in 1379. (Trivia - Hugh Grant AND Kate Beckinsale went here - I smell a screenplay!)

Parked between New and Magdalen...Yes, they really drive those things in this country...

And yes, the students do wear these gowns and mortar boards - not every day, but for special occasions and when they sit for exams. It was exam day in Oxford on Monday. I overheard them muttering about some especially difficult question on their Medieval History exam just finished...

Exams finished, students gather in front of the Exam Hall.

Just west of the city, where the Isis (Thames) winds behind the train station, there is a towpath that affords one some very pretty views. Every Swan in England enjoys the special protection of the Queen. Each of them has a little bracelet on their leg that has HM and a number...

Another view of the river

Oxford is a famous University town, but it is also the center of Oxfordshire, and a very busy center of commerce. That is Christ Church College in the background - the entrance was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, who also designed St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

Also designed by Sir Christopher Wren, the Radcliffe Camera Reading room of the Bodlein Library is the round building on the right. By royal decree, the publisher of every book printed in Great Britain has to send a copy to the Bodlein Library regardless of "quality". Thus, they have a copy of everything, and I mean everything. That is All Souls College on the left.

Another view

This fellow is the Docent at the main entrance to Christchurch College where many of England's Political leaders were educated over the past 350 years. His job is to help tourists, but also to keep non-students out. The grounds were closed when I arrived, but he agreed to a photo to temper my disappointment.

(Famous Christchurch alums - 14 former Prime Ministers including Sir Robert Peel & William Gladstone, also - W. H. Auden, Lewis Caroll, William Penn, John Locke and Abert Einstein).

(isn't he right out of central casting?)

Hertford College Bridge. Some call it the "Bridge of Sighs" due to its similarity to the bridge in Venice. (Famous Hertford alums - Thomas Hobbes, author of "Leviathan" and Jonathan Swift, author of "Gulliver's Travels")

A view of St. Mary's Church from the High Street. I love the architectural details found in this place. Many of the colleges not only have statuary on the roof, but also collections of classic gargoyles along the eaves.

Detail of Hertford College

This is Wadham where I studied. Not as impressive as some of the colleges, but it was home for me... Next door to Wadham is Rhodes House where the American scholars of the same name are based. Bill Clinton went here for two years in his youth. (Famous Wadham alums - Monica Ali, who wrote "Brick Lane" and Sir Christopher Wren, Architect)

Just in case you thought that every building in this city is hundreds of years old, I present to you the Saïd Business School at Oxford University. This particular structure opened in 2001. Adrian told me that it was endowed by a Middle Eastern businessman and is supposed to resemble a Ziggurat, yet still preserve the stone color of many of the older colleges. Maybe he was putting me on...

The Oxford Castle - once just that, then it was used as a prison, and now...a hotel and tourist attraction. To my horror, I discoverd a Krispy Kreme Donut shop just inside the main entrance...Progress, I guess...

Before leaving town, I hiked two miles upriver to a place called Binsey. It was a pilgrimage of sorts - one of my favorite poems was penned about this place. Gerard Manly Hopkins was walking along the river in 1879 when he found that his favorite grove of poplar trees had been cut down. The poem he wrote was a lament for these particular trees, but has a broader, environmentalist theme. I was walking this same path back in 1989 and I came across a grove of tiny saplings with a small sign that said "planted in memory of Gerard Manly Hopkins". They seem to be doing well don't you think?

For those of you interested in poetic style, his work is a nice example of alliterative verse. I include it here:

Binsey Poplars

felled 1879


MY aspens dear, whose airy cages quelled,
Quelled or quenched in leaves the leaping sun,
All felled, felled, are all felled;
Of a fresh and following folded rank
Not spared, not one
That dandled a sandalled
Shadow that swam or sank
On meadow and river and wind-wandering weed-winding bank.
O if we but knew what we do
When we delve or hew—
Hack and rack the growing green!
Since country is so tender
To touch, her being só slender,
That, like this sleek and seeing ball
But a prick will make no eye at all,
Where we, even where we mean
To mend her we end her,
When we hew or delve:
After-comers cannot guess the beauty been.
Ten or twelve, only ten or twelve
Strokes of havoc únselve
The sweet especial scene,
Rural scene, a rural scene,
Sweet especial rural scene.

On my way back along the river to catch my train back to London, I caught this early evening sunset. A fitting final image I think...

Oxford, England - Town and University remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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After a day in Mayfair at a storybook wedding, I was interested in seeing something a bit different... I read a book a few years ago called "Brick Lane" by Monica Ali about a woman from Bangladesh who moves to London through an arranged marriage. It is a classic tale of culture shock and slow assililation. I recommend it, although it is very heavy at times as the main character's isolation, both from her culture and her husband takes its toll...

Anyway, I did some research about this traditionally Bangladeshi neighborhood and found my way there on Sunday. The weather was very warm and since it was Market Day, the place was packed.

What I found was a mixture of immigrant AND hipster culture. As in most rich cities around the world, the hipsters often move into marginal areas - in this case, London's East End and Brick Lane.

All the street signs are in Bengali.

The entrance to the mostly immigrant section of Brick Lane.

Bangla-City Mega Market. They sell rice in 50kg bags, tins of spices, and slaughter goat in the back. I asked if I could photograph the act of rendering a goat - which was taking place just behind the double doors of the butcher section - but they politely refused...

There were bargains to be had on Brick Lane!

Shoppers out and about on a fine day.

Parts of the neighborhood have little alleys with cafes and boutiques. The food and the shopping is amazing in London, but I have tried not to buy much - because of the weak US Dollar, everything in London costs twice as much as it would in New York or Washington.

I have noticed that regardless of where you are in this city - among the well off and connected in Mayfair, or in immigrant East London, there is a great deal of cynicism about Bush/Blair Foreign Policy...

More of the Sunday Market.

A Klezmer band plays traditional Jewish Folk Music near one of the areas very good Bagel Bakeries (yep, I had one, not a proper NYC Bagel, but not bad at all...)

More interesting Grafitti Art in a vacant lot next to the curry house where I had lunch.

Shampoo, leather goods, roasted nuts, car parts, sarees, artisianal cheeses - you name it, you can get it on a Sunday in Brick Lane.

Ok, a punchline contest for anyone who has gotten this far. Best submission regarding this sign wins a package of dried goat jerkey from Bangla City - the good stuff, mind you.

London's East End - Brick Lane remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Congratulations to the happy couple!

Mr. Christopher Joseph Erdmann and Ms. Katrina Anastasia Lambrianou were married at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Mayfair, London on April 14th, 2007.

The weather was perfect and the wedding was lovely.

As most of you know, the primary reason for my trip to England was to witness this blessed event and share in celebrating the wedding of my dear friend Chris. He is truly blessed, and God has smiled on him by delivering Katrina into his life.

It was a storybook wedding in an historic church in Westminster with a complete Catholic Mass and full choir. I felt like I was witnessing something out of a film - it was so beautiful. The details of the event were impressive - Chris and Katrina did an amazing job in planning the event. I especially enjoyed the music during the service.

But, before the wedding, as is the tradition on both sides of the Atlantic, the guys took Chris for an evening out a few days before. In America we call it a Bachelor Party, in England they call it a Stag Night. Katrina's brothers - there are three (not pictured) - and all the guys who came over from the States gathered at Kettner's Steak House in Soho for a dinner.

Since the ground rules were clear - no booze, no scantily clad women and nothing that might get Chris arrested - we had to be creative to make the evening more than just an opportunity to eat red meat, smoke cigars and speak coarsly. Thus, I came up with a plan....

As many of you know, Chris is a very AMERICAN American, and when it sunk in that he had moved to London, was marrying an Englishwoman AND applying for a British Passport, I began to worry that his patriotism was in danger of erroding, so...

...we dressed him up in an extra large t-shirt dress that said "All American Girl" on the front and put a star-spangled banner USA cap on his head for the evening. In order for him to prove his undying allegience to the good old US of A, I printed up the lyrics to various patriotic songs for him to sing at a number of places in central London.

In addition to climbing on one of the lions in Trafalgar Square and singing in a loud strong voice, we headed for 10 Downing Street (the official residence of the Prime Minister Tony Blair).

Chris is singing Lee Greenwood's famous song "God Bless the USA" to the uniformed security officer at the front gate. Alas, they would not let us in to have Chris serenade Mr. Blair. For those of you not familiar with this American classic, penned during the first Iraq War and popular at Boot Camp Graduations and NASCAR races across the US, here is the first stanza:

"If tomorrow all the things were gone, I'd worked for all my life. And I had to start again, with just my children and my wife. I'd thank my lucky stars, to be livin' here today. 'Cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can't take that away. And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I gladly stand up, next to you and defend her still today. 'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land, God Bless the USA!"

Alas, no arrests were made that night....

But, back to the WEDDING!

Did I say that the weather was perfect? Here is an exterior shot of the church:

The interior was even more beautiful. Here, Chris and Joe get some last minute instructions from the Priest.

"You may kiss the bride..."

Below are Chris, Katrina, the Best Man Joe and little Charlotte.

Chris' friend Joe was everything one could want in a best man - not only a good friend to Chris, but articulate, funny and devastatingly handsome (the ladies tell me that is....)

The Wedding Party, including the parents (two sets for Chris).

Yours truly and Chris.

A recent addition to the clan sleeps peacefully after the service. The family Chris has married into is rather large, so the wedding was crawling with cute kids...

Every wedding needs an adorable flower girl - Charlotte Lambrianou was a bit reluctant at times, but performed admirably!

The boys were very excited about the idea of throwing handfulls of flower petals at the couple as they emerged from the church - we had to remind them to throw the flowers UP into the air, not AT the couple!

Alas, the Father of the Bride suffered a stroke recently and could not give a speech at the reception, but he was there to preside as the patriarch of the family. He is a Greek Cypriot and is on the right. His brother - who does not speak English - made the trip from Cyprus and is on the left.

To transport the many guests from the church to the reception site, Chris and Katrina hired suitable transportation.

The reception, dinner and dancing took place at the Chandos House, also in Mayfair. It used to be a College of Medicine - now it is a private club and available for events.

A closer look.

No shots of the reception itself - I was more interested in eating wonderful food and talking with the diverse group of wedding guests. The party went until midnight and included a cocktail reception on the back terrace, a full four course dinner with French service in the upper ballroom, and Greek dancing in the main hall. A good time was had by all!

Chris and Katrina are off to Fiji and New Zealand for three weeks - all the best to them!

The Blessed Event remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Actually, London is not foggy at all today

Here are how the flowers in Kensington Gardens looked this afternoon. A bit of a change from the snow and rain in Reykjavík...

I arrived in London this morning and headed to my hotel near Paddington Station and about 50 meters from the entrance to Kensington Gardens. One of the things I love about traveling is staying at unique hotels. I spend a great deal of time finding places online that look interesting and fit my budget. I decided to stay at the Shaftesbury Hyde Park. It is 120 years old, and although cozy, the sleeping rooms have been newly rennovated. The bathtubs are especially nice...

When I checked in, I realized that this place was in fact, more than unique, but downright funky. Anyone ever seen Fawlty Towers? Well it seems that I am staying at a very similar place...I have yet to find my John Cleese, but the Porter, a very nice fellow, is right out of central casting.

The Porter, named Brian interestingly enough, is particularly loquacious. I started chatting with him in the lobby and 20 minutes later I had his life story. Apparently he is from Bulgaria, but his grandmother was Greek and fled Greek Macedonia in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire - those darn Turks... Anyway, he speaks Russian, Italian, and even English. I promised to teach him the little bit of Icelandic I have been able to acquire so far...BTW, I made friends with an Icelandic guy on the flight in this morning - Siggi - turns out he went to Oxford too, so we had lots to talk about. We exchanged contact information and he promised to show me around Iceland on my next visit (which will be soon!)

After unpacking, I took a walk in Kensington Gardens and wandered over to the Albert Memorial

This famous London landmark was comissioned by Queen Victoria for her late husband Albert. She must have liked him... There are all sorts of great Victorian Era motifs incorporated into the memorial - Elephants to symbolize the extent of the British Empire, images of Industry and Agriculture, and of course, old Albert, all done up in gold and sitting right on top.

The weather was fine, so the park was full of Londoners enjoying the day.

London is truly an international city. I have never heard so many different languages spoken - even in New York - and not just from tourists, but from the diverse population that calls this city home. I found this scene especially charming - two women enjoying a picnic together on a Thursday afternoon...

More flowers

London - Spring is Here remains copyright of the author BryanG, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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