Youth

Youth is a fickle thing. When we are young, the only thing we want is to be older, and in some cases, "respected." As we age, we realize that all we want is to be younger. The cliche that youth is wasted on the young is more true than most of us would like to admit. Lola has not lived myriad years, but sometimes she feels like she has. As she looks back on her life, she is proud of many of the decisions she has made, and not so proud of more than a few. What do we do with those poor decisions? There is always the option of chalking it up to being young and dumb. There is also the less appealing fact that yes, we knew it was a bad idea, but we did it anyway. And the least fabulous thought is that we made some of those decisions out of anger or spite. Lola unfortunately must admit to all three, but particularly the latter. She made an awfully stupid decision when she was but a young thing, perhaps telling herself that it was the best thing at the time, but knowing that the primary reason she did it was out of spite. And what was she rewarded with? Knowing that, out of being hurt, angry, and (embarrasingly) out of spite, she made the worst decision she could have possibly made. And she will most likely spend the rest of her life regretting it, and asking herself, "But what if...."

It Never Stops

Just when you prepare yourself for one thing, something will completely sideswipe you and knock you off your course. I have yet to decide if this is good, bad, or indifferent. Sometimes being led (or shoved onto) a different path is good; we see and experience new things. Other times it just plain fucks shit up. At the less than ripe old age of 30, I have decided I may be too jaded for my own good. Not only am I not getting nearly as worked up about things as I used to (which, in some regards is wonderful), but I find myself completely nonplussed by most occurrences. I fear that I could blithely sit by and watch some sort of tragic accident, and only be annoyed if something were to spill into my cup of tea. I feel there must be some fine line between caring and complete apathy... I just haven't figured out how to find it.

And So It Begins...

I sit here, on the eve of a potential hurricane, realizing that in a few short days work must yet again commence. Part of me (the OCD part) wants to go back through all the posts from Europe and format them appropriately. I am going to try to stay my hand on that one... a little imperfection does a soul some good. But now I must settle my wanderlust, and get back to business. But oh, how I like my vacation! On the bright side, it looks like I have a few new students... on the downside, Dean just upped my class limit from 27 students to 47... which sort of makes me worry about how many people they have scheduled for me.... God have mercy.

Thick as a Rock

Interesting Bits:
There is a faultline that runs through Scotland. In fact, where Edinburgh currently sits there were 5 ancient volcanoes, long since dead. North of this faultline the bedrock is granite. The buildings in this area are made from granite, mostly in a pink, white or grey color. South of the faultline the bedrock is a red sandstone, and the architecture there reflects the natural material. Its interesting to see the contrast that is nearly a clean dividing line between granite and sandstone buildings.
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St. Andrew's

On our way to Edinburgh, we stopped in the town of St. Andrew, the birthplace of golf. We walked around a bit and visited a ruined cathedral. When John Knox gave his inflammatory sermon in God knows what year, the Presbies left the Holy Trinity Church in a bit of a lather, walked down the street to the catholic cathedral (which up to that point had been the largest cathedral in Scotland), and began demolishing it by hand. It served as an unofficial quarry anytime the townspeople needed stone, now only 1 tower and a couple of walls remain.
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At The Bar

Last night after dinner, Dad and I decided to go to the hotel bar for a scotch. We ended up talking to some Irishmen, who were in Scotland on a fishing trip. They found out I was a musician, and wanted me to play the piano in the bar. Turns out the lid was screwed shut, so I figured I'm off the hook, right? Nope. One of them went to his room, got a screwdriver and broke into the piano. Unfortunately it was so out of tune it was unplayable. In the end, I sang a couple of songs, they explained fly fishing to me, and each one of them insisted on giving me a kiss when I lwft to go to bed. All in all, quite a fun evening!
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Swim For Your Life!

We went to a teahouse on the Falls of Feugh on the River Dee for tea and scones. Whilst dining, we heard about salmon fishing in Scotland from a fisherman, or "Gilly." I'm not exactly sure what salmon fishing has to do with tea and scones, but it was informative. We then went to the little pedestrian bridge over the falls and could actually watch the salmon swimming upstream and trying to fling themselves UP the falls. Takes a special level of stubborness to do that.
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Castles

Today we left the hotel at a reasonable hour for our day of touring. First we went to a little town near Balmoral castle, the private residence of the Royal Family where they spend each August. Braemar (the little town) was cute; did more shopping of course. We then headed towards Craithie Kirk, where the Royals worship. On the way we were able to catch a glimpse of Balmoral, but my speed camera skills lacking, I decided to buy a postcard. Next was Crathes Castle, which was interesting. Built in the 16th cent, the walls are 6 ft thick, and it is definitely built for protection. Even though some of the ceiling paintings had been lost over the centuries, overall it was not as ornate as some of the French castles; more practical. Lots of furniture and artwork.
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Accomodations

On this trip, we have been in relatively nice hotels, but this one takes the cake. It is a hotel and spa, that was originally owned by a man who got rich making and selling soap. The original wing looks like an old castle. Inside, there is ornately carved woodwork, gorgeous chandeliers, etc. I think I could easily live here. Too bad we're leaving for Edinburgh tomorrow.
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I Hope I Don't Jinx Myself

Lola has heard such horror stories of the Scottish weather, that she has, until now, avoided mentioning it, for fear that it will permanently drive the sun away. She had been told that it was cold, dreary and rainy, but the scenery is nice. So far, the weather has been quite lucky and Lola thanks the meteorological gods for this blessing. For the most part, it has only rained at night, or in the morning when we are on the bus. There has been quite a bit of sun, and Lola even visited the pool! Granted, it's indoors, but that is completely beside the point.
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Glenfiddich

We awoke at the arse-crack of dawn to begin our journey to the next hotel, which had 3 important stops along the way: Speyside Cooperage, Dean's Shortbread, and (drumroll please) Glenfiddich Distillery (by far, my favorite part of the day). The cooperage was very interesting. They mostly refurbish old bourbon casks from the US, and most of the work is done by hand. Then, the distillery. FAH-bulous. A nice tour that told the history of the company, and then a walking tour of the grounds. I had only the vaguest notion of how whiskey is made, so I found this riveting. We ended the tour with a tasting of the 12, 15 and 18 year old scotches. We ended the day at Dean's, which had a lackluster tour, but a good lunch and nice history about this shortbread company.
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A Bit of History

After the lighthearted dogs, we went to Culloden to see the museum at the battlefield. Here's your history lesson for the day: in 1745 there was a Jacobite Rising; those who wished James VII of Scotland (III of England) returned to the throne, along with catholocism. Led by Bonnie Prince Charles, the Jacobite troops were undefeated until their last battle. Due to several issues, they were slaughtered at Culloden. The museum is just beside the actual battlefield, which has remained relatively unchanged since the battle. The field had the battle lines shown for each side, and the dead are actually buried there. There is a stone for each clan that lost members. That was the last battle fought on British soil. It was awe inspiring.
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Sheep Dogs

This morning we went to a sheep farm to see a border collie demonstration. It was absolutely fascinating! There are 2,500 sheep and 35 dogs. Each dog has its own set of whistle commands, and the dogs are friggin brilliant. After the cornering of the sheep, Neil (the shepherd) showed how the sheep are sheared, and let people try. Those that did got to keep a piece of fleece. Now THERE'S a souvenir... Sheep bits. Anyhow, the dogs then corralled some wayward ducks, and I got to feed a lamb from a milk bottle. Lots of fun, and very interesting :)
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Here Nessie, Nessie

Last night we had driving tour of Glasgow. Much of the architecture is reddish, or mottled in color due to the sandstone in the area. Today marked the first REAL day of sightseeing, and we did quite a bit. We took a boat cruise on Loch Lomond, the 3rd largest lake in Scotland. 500 ft at its deepest! Then we continued through the countryside, through Glencoe where we learned about the massacre of the MacDonalds by the Campbells in 1692. We continued through Great Glen, and the Caledonia canal, which connects 4 lochs, the last of which is Loch Ness, the 2nd largest lake at 26 miles long and 900 ft! Try tho I might, I did not see Nessie. The countryside is indescribably beautiful; the mountains are extremely steep, and lakes so deep because they were cut from glacial ice. I've already taken more photos than I know what to do with!
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Haggis for Breakfast

The breakfast at the hotel this morning was buffet-style, with all sorts of different foods: fruit, eggs, yogurt, croissants, and haggis. Now, I'm not sure what my expectations were, but I was certainly NOT under the assumption that haggis was a breakfast food. At any rate, it was sort of like hash, without the carrots and more pepper. Wasn't too bad, actually!
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Yes, 1 Kilo DOES Matter

After returning to Mauze, we had dinner at a friend's house, and - spent the following day repacking the bags to have ewverything perfectly balanced fdor the Flybe flight (cheap airline with a 20 kg checked bag limit, and 10 kg carry-on). Finally, with both carry-ons virtually bursting, and the wine safely packed, the checked bags were 21 kg each. I just hoped that would be close enough. Apparently not. While they didn't charge me, I was sternly spoken to about packing too much weight. Grrrr. Anyway, we got on our flight, and safely made it to Glasgow. Slept poorly, as I am fighting some sort of annoying sore throat, but the tour starts this afternoon, and I am quite excited!
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Arcachon-Day 2

When we left that morning on the boat tour, it was cloudy and cold. And, of course, I forgot a sweatshirt, so I was a bit chilly on the boat. When we arrived in Cap Ferret, we walked along a touristy street to the Lighthouse. On the little path to the lighthouse there was a display dedicated to light. It talked about white light being comprised of other colors, and there was a station for each color, detailing the regional things you can find in those colors (houses, food, flowers, etc). We then walked to the beach, on the Atlantic side of the peninsula, and just watched the waves. By that point the sun was reappearing. We had dinner at a lovely restaurant recommended by Annie, where we had oysters on the half-shell, and fabulous wine, right on the ocean. This morning, we went to the beach for a bit before packing our stuff to go back to Mauze. We will stay there this evening, then take a plane to Glasgow on Saturday to begin the Scottish (and final) leg of our journey.

Arcachon- Day 1

We arrived in Arcachon about 2:30 and went to our hotel, Le Dauphin (the dolphin). That afternoon, we walked to Ville d'Hiver, the older part of the city. Still not sure if we made it entirely to the correct area, but the places we did walk were very nice. We visited the Notre Dame basilica, with gothic vaulted ceilings that are painted crimson, and a steeple that can be seen from quite a distance out to sea. The second day we took a boat tour of the basin, and later got off at Cap Ferret, a peninsula across the way.

Fine Food, Good Company

After our canoe trip, we continued on a windy path in the general direction of Bordeaux. Our hotel that evening was very nice, and we had dinner at the highly acclaimed restaurant there. It was a five course meal, and I was truly convinced they would have to roll me back to my room. Sadly, the next morning we had to take Helene and Maxim to the airport so they could return to England :( Dad and I then took a train from Bordeaux to the city of Arcachon, located on a tidal basin on the Atlantic.

Steer From the Back, My Friend

Lola has been canoeing since she was but a wee lass. She knows a thing or two about how to keep the damn boat straight. In the process of canoeing along the Dordogne river, she was asked to sit in the back of the 3 person canoe by one of her travelmates. Of course, Lola assumed that was because said other person wanted her to steer. But alas, she was terribly mistaken, as it became apparent that aforementioned Navigateur thought one steers a canoe from the front. This led to much drunken careening along the river, as Lola attempted to divine Navigateur's intentions, and counteract accordingly. Thankfully, there were no aquatic mishaps, although a severe beating with a canoe paddle did nearly ensue. The day was beautiful; sunny with a nice breeze, and there were several castles along the 15 km route. Of course, the blasted camera batteries died halfway through. Lola will need to be kind to Navigateur in order to get copies of his photos.

Onward and Southeast-ish

The afterparty was very nice. We basically sat around the garden and pool at Annie and Jean's place (Helene's parents). I might have whooped it up a bit too much, but I had a great time. The next day, Helene, Maxim, Dad and I were supposed to leave for the Dordogne region at 11, but didn't actually get on the road until 3-ish. We had a lovely drive through the countryside, until Helene paused on the road tu turn onto a virtually abandoned side road (for a quick wee), and someone behind hit us. Thankfully there was no damage (I hope the rental company agrees, as the car is in my name). Then I drove for a bit through tremendously windy roads, until we found the place we were staying for the evening. We had a lovely dinner, complete with foie gras and trout (two specialties of the region). Then, off to bed.

The Wedding

We arrived in Rochefoucauld (where teh wedding was) later that afternoon. In the evening, we met up at a little restauraunt called Chez Steph. This region of France is especially known for their beef, so it was a steakhouse (the only one I have ever seen in France). I ordered a filet so red it was mooing, and it was probably one of the best steaks I have ever had. The next day was the wedding, which was held in the chateau. The chapel was absolutely wonderful, and had fantastic accoustics. The ceremony was very nice; the daughter of Florence's family friend performed the service, and Flo read an excerpt from the film "Wings of Desire." After the ceremony we went into the courtyard for champagne and appetizers. Later we went downstairs in the castle to begin the multi-course eating extravaganza. In between courses, the Toastmaster called on different people to give little speeches and whatnot. It was all very nice! After dessert and dancing (yes, I actually danced) we finally went back to the B&B; I ended up going to bed at 5 A.M. qnd I am too old for that sort of thing! But it was a fabulous day!

St. Emilion

GPS is not always a godsend. After we rented the car and left the airport, we drove for a few hours to get to the chateau near St. Emilion where we were staying. Unfortunately, the GPS decided the best route was to drive THROUGH some of the vineyards, which of course is not possible. So, we took a somewhat circuitous route but eventually found the place. We went in to the center of St. Emilion and found a nice restaurant. This being serious wine country, we each got a different glass of wine and shared them. They were fabulous!! After we took a short walking tour of the historical relics and story of St. Emilion. There is an enormous monolithic church there, and it's quite amazing to realize that everything was carved out of the existing stone, rather than constructed! The following morning we visited two vineyards and did a bit of wine tasting. I purchased 5 bottles of wine that I have no idea how I will get into my suitcase. It is gorgeous contryside! There are grape vines as far as the eye can see, and the owner of one of the vineyards explained that they will start to change their color in about a week or so. Too bad I won't see them when they are that nice, deep purple!

So Many Bottles, So Little Time!

We arrived safely in Bordeaux, and began the wine portion of our trip. The first evening we went out for a nice dinner that was on the river, then walked around the city. Our hotel was right in the center, so everything was in walking distance. The next day (our full day in the city) it rained. The first time it has really rained since we arrived! But it worked out well because the light drizzle kept the air cool so that we didn't die as we trekked around the city. At the Grand Théatre, there was a self-guided tour that showed the instruments, costumes, lighting and special effects for the operas and ballets they perform. St. Catherine street is the most commercial part of Bordeaux; its a pedestrian street with nothing but stores as far as the eye can see! We ended up taking a little nap before going out for dinner at a place called Fernands; very traditional bordelaise cuisine, and very tasty! The next day we met Hélène and Maxim at the airport to begin our trip through St. Emilion.

Mauzé sur le Mignon

Mauzé is the small town where Hélène's parents live; it is about 1/2 hr away from La Rochelle (on the Atlantic coast). We arrived on Wednesday afternoon, and have been enjoying several days of pure rest and relaxation, not to mention faaaabulous weather. Even when the weather here is crappy, its nice! Yesterday we visited the "city" of Niort. We walked around and saw some of the shops. And where did I go? You guessed it... the book store! I have added 2 more books to my Asterix and Obelisk collection (a French comic book that takes place in medeival France, during the time of the Crusades). I also purchased the first two books in the Harry Potter series; turns out they are a bit easier for me to read than the French "lire en français" book I actually brought with me. Today I brought Dad to the farmer's market, next to the church. I couldn't help it, I had to buy rabbit. Now I love to cook, but never in my life have I prepared rabbit. So I experienced what should have become, by all rights, a near culinary disaster. The stove is quite different from mine, so there is a learning curve there. Then there was the possibly questionable cooking wine I used, nearly burnt garlic, and instead of adding olive oil when the pan was a bit dry, I accidentally grabbed nut oil (whose nuts is yet to be determined). Anyhow, despite these things, Bugs actually came out quite tasty! Chalk one up for the winning team. Monday we leave for Bordeaux, the city of wine :)

Surprising Tidbits

After having described the main portions of my journey, i can comment on the lesser known things that I found just plain interesting.

• Driving on the left side of the road is a given point of confusion- I can't tell you how many times I stood at a crosswalk like a complete arsehole, looking in all directions because I had no idea where the cars would be coming from (easy to do- there are lots of 1-way streets in London and I always seemed to be on the wrong side of them).
• Courtesy- Everyone in England seems to be exceptionally courteous. Even down to the Underground announcements and signs. The signs tend to be exceptionally verbose, but seem to genuinely care that you "mind the gap" between the train and platform so that you do not get squashed into people jelly.
• Beer is cheaper than water- apparently a holdover from earlier times, Londoners have apparently decided that they prefer beer be available to everyone, as opposed to water. I can't say I argue with this
• Drunken Brits are hilarious- I don't even know what to say here; you sort of need to experience it. One guy started talking to me, and when he discovered I was frm the US, he laments how difficult it is to get into our country. "I mean, I only have one conviction," he said.
• British accents are contagious-while lovely sounding, this accent is insidious and began to make its way into my speech. I hope I come home and remember to say "bathroom" instead of "loo."

I Am My Own Tom Tom

For those of you familiar with the ways of Lola, you understand that she has a bizzare and completely irrational fear of driving in Boston. She even prefers not to take the T without proper supervision, for fear of ending up in the nether parts of the world, such as Mattapan. However, this same Lola has turned a new geographical leaf and learned to navigate a large city. She managed, via train, to get herself into London, and once there navigate the streets and the Tube without getting lost once! She is a master of all things geographical and directional! Boston, and its fair inhabitants beware! Lola is coming!

London, Baby!

On July 13, Dad and I took a train into London, and a hop on/hop off tour of London, which also included a few walking tours (not possible to do all in one day, though). For you Harry Potter fans, there is indeed a "Platform 9 3/4" at King's Cross Station! A cute little brick wall with a luggage trolley stuck halfway through. And yes, I did do the touristy thing and had my picture taken with it, but I digress. We just barely arrived at the Visitor Center in time to begin the tour that goes to Buckingham Palace and sees the Changing of the Guard. Unfortunately our tour guide was a bit of a speed-demon. He walked at such a rapid pace I couldn't have kept up with him if I wanted to! And, of course, when we arrived at the castle, everyone and their brother was there, and we ended up losing the walking tour entirely. So we said screw them, and went off in search of the bus. We then travelled toe Westminster Abbey and saw Big Ben (which I always thought was the name of the tower, but turns out it is the name of the 13 ton bell inside!). After some lunch with a psychotic waitress (she was running around like a womqn on fire), we got back on the bus. It was one of the open-air buses, so we sat on the top. The tour was actually very nice, and we even got to see Fleet St. (for all you Sweeney Todd fans). We thought about taking the Jack the Ripper walking tour; but it was a bit long and we would have missed our boat cruise, which was very nice. It was similar to the one we did for Flo's Hen Do, but this one went to Greenwich. After the cruise we had dinner at the Sherlock Holmes Pub, where we both had traditional "Bangers & Mash" which was actually quite tasty; I could have done without the gravy on my Yorkshire pudding, though.

London Town

The day after the Hen Do party (yesterday), we went to the section of London called Camden, where there is an open air market with lots of little vendors and shops. It was extremely crowded, but somehow we managed to get through without losing anyone. Somehow I have managed to not yet buy a single thing! We then went to a sushi restaurant where it's all you can eat for £15. Quitterie, Boris and the baby then returned to France, while the rest of us walked around the city, visited St. Paul's cathedral, and walked along the river. We took a brief trip to the Tate Modern Museum, where I was able to see some Dali, Picasso and Warhol. We ended up in Chinatown, where we had a fabulous dinner at a restaurant called the Four Seasons. They are quite famous for their Crispy Duck and Special Fried Rice. We realized that it was 10:40, we still had to go back to the hostel to get our luggage, then take the Tube to King's Cross station to get a train back to Cambridge! Of course, not only was it a Sunday night, when trains generally stop earlier, but it was the final night of the World Cup (which Spain won), so the city was a madhouse, especially Picadilly Circus, which is very similar to Times Square. Thankfully we made it in time, and arrived back to Hélène's around 2 a.m. Needless to s ay, after our whirlwind weekend I slept until noon-thirty. Today is a nice lazy day, to be spent reading, updating this blog and doing laundry. Tomorrow Dad and I will go in to London to see all the things we haven't yet seen (which, given the amount of walking we have done, I can't imagine is much!)

The Hen Do Party

In England it is quite traditional to throw a bachelorette, or "Hen Do" party for a bride to be. It is also customary for said bride to be made to wear some sort of kitschy costume, in the case of Florence, Hélène's sister, a fake bridal gown purchased on Ebay, a princess tiara and silly lace gloves. A group of 14 of us first went to London, to a little club, where we had tapas and cocktails. Our next event was a booze-cruise on the Thames River. Unfortunately, when leaving the club we were not entirely sure where we needed to be to get the boat, so there was much running around trying to find the proper pier and not be left behind. Thankfully; we safely made it onto the boat, and the 4 hr cruise was wonderful: perfect weather, good music and even better company. We finished the evening at a club called The Borderline, which played mostly rock music. I spoke quite a bit with a lovely girl from Ireland named Ailbhe (pronounced Elva). We finally made it back to the hostel at 4:30 a.m. Meanwhile, Dad and Boris went to the park with the baby, out for dinner, then in to bed at a reasonable hour (unlike the rest of us). But I had such a nice time, I nearly forgot that I am too old to be staying up that late several nights in a row!

Drinking: It's Not for Everyone

Ah yes, back to the awkward moment. After returning to Hélène's from our walking around Cambridge, there was a big BBQ at her house. She has a quaint little gated garden behind the house. There, she set up disposable BBQ's, which I had no idea even existed! There were probably about 25 people there from all over, and we had a wonderful time. When it was late enough that we were probably annoying the neighbors, we left and went to a club. Now by this point Lola had been speaking with a rather cute French guy, and what vacation is without a French man? The club was nice, although rather loud so we left and went to another bar. Things were going quite nicely, and Lola was quite enjoying herself with this French guy, when all of a sudden she was caught unawares by a run-by puking. Some arsehole, most likely on his way to the bathroom, essentially puked down the front of Lola's shirt. Making a mad dash to the loo, rather afraid that she might follow suit and yark all over the place, she stood topless in the ladies' room, trying desperately not to be ill while Hélène washed her shirt in the sink. Not the highlight of the day, I'm afraid. To put a rancid icing on this fanfuckintastic cake, things went less than smoothly when, later in the evening, Lola tried to kiss aforementioned Frenchman. Less than stellar, with his explanation that he was sorry, he was just too drunk. By that point, Lola quite wished she herself was also drunk.

Cambridge by Day

The night in question I may have had one of the most awkward moments of my life, but I am getting ahead of myself. Our second day in Cambridge, Quitterie, Boris (friends of Hélène), their son Aeol, Dad and I took an organized walking tour of the town, where we were able to visit the King's College chapel. We were very lucky in that the King's College boys choir was rehearsing for a concert that evening. They are a very famous and wonderful choir, and the acoustics in the chapel are awe inspiring. It is wonderful to see all the old architecture of the city. For all of you Harry Potter fans, portions of the first film (particularly the broom fight with Malfoy) were filmed at King's College. And thus far the weather has been phenomenal. Roughly 75 degrees and sunny. And apparently all of England is beside themselves with their luck with the weather! I might actually end up leaving England with a sunburn!

Ostrich...its what's for dinner

Lola has safely traversed the Atlantic without issue. After arriving in Cambridge we visited with some friends of Hélène and Maxim. The next day we walked all over Cambridge. We also visited some of the colleges, such as Trinity, St. John's, Cambridge University and King's College. We stopped at the Eagle Pub, a historical place because that was where Watson and Crick first announced they had discovered the structure of DNA. What better place to share information than the pub? There I had traditional fish and chips and mushy peas (and yes it says "mushy" on the menu). We then took a punting tour of the Cam River, similar to a gondola. That evening we went to the Kingston Arms pub for dinner. Dad and I shared an ostrich steak. Absolutely fabulous! The pub has boardgames you can play, so Maxim and I played Connect Four. Very old-school.

On the Road Again!

Ah, yet again Lola will be bidding the US adieu while she travels Europe... again. I have planned quite the trek for my month abroad. I will be visiting London (for the first time), France (for the umpteenth time) and Scotland (also a first). As updating my blog has, regrettably, fallen by the wayside (yet again), I am hoping to use this trip as a means to regularly update it. So, I wake up at the ass crack of dawn, to leave my house by O'dark thirty, and be on a plane that LEAVES at 8:15 AM. For those of you who know me, you can start laughing now... I find it amusing myself. With any luck, my father and I will be able to leave the country without incident, and begin a sorely needed, month-long vacation. Bon voyage!