Berlin and Beyond

The Brandenburg Gate

 
This trip was very special, as I visited the small town that my father's ancestors came from. But more on that in a bit...

I went to Berlin with my co-expat friend Marion, who was born and raised in Germany, but has lived in the U.S. for many years and is married to a co-worker of Tom's here in Rauma. It is always great to visit a country with a "native," so to speak. For one thing, they know what to see and how to get around. And in small towns like we visited, the language skills are wonderful.

The Reichstag Dome

Fresh-baked and delicious!

I have always been a World War II buff, and Berlin has long been on my "must-see" list. I thought I was mainly interested in Hitler and the war, but I found that once there, I actually wanted to see and learn more about the after-effects of WWII -- the splitting up of Germany, the Cold War and the infamous Berlin Wall. This chapter in history was made even more interesting, since Marion was born in Leipzig (which at the time, was part of East Germany). Her family moved to West Germany a year after she was born, but they still had relatives in East Germany and East Berlin. I also bought a book on the Cold War and the Berlin Wall, so I could learn more about it, even though I also grew up during that time. Of course, I remember that Germany was divided, but at the time, I didn't know anyone who was personally affected by it.

We had wonderful weather, and we visited all the top sights: the Reichstag (where Parliament meets), the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and the nearby museum, Charlottenburg Palace, the Berlin Cathedral, the Pergamon Museum (the Ishtar Gate is amazing), the Memorial to Murdered Jews, the TV Tower, Potsdamer Platz, and of course, the remaining bits of the Berlin Wall. We took the Hop-on, Hop-off bus ride and a boat ride on the River Spree. We shopped at central Europe's largest department store, KaDeWe.

The famous sign at Checkpoint Charlie

I was actually surprised at how much of the Berlin Wall still exists.The wall started out as a line of soldiers and barbed wire in August 1961, then progressed over the years to tall cement structures, topped with more wire. The Checkpoint Charlie Museum was full of information about the Wall and the Cold War: escape methods and attempts, the political situation (the U.S. government initially approved of the Wall, since that meant the Communists had no intentions of invading and taking over West Berlin -- they just wanted to stop the massive exodus of East Berliners into the West), the protests, how the citizens coped, etc. It was very impressive.

Remnants of the Berlin Wall

After Berlin, we rented a car and drove south, stopping in Leipzig, then heading to the town of Erfurt, where we spent two nights. The next day, we drove to Bad Langensalza, home of my ancestors. I couldn't have asked for a more picturesque town! We went to the Rathaus (town hall), where Marion talked to the archivist, who spoke only German. The archivist is going to search the written records and try to find out more about the ancestors before Andreas Hildebrand, who was born in 1598. His three sons emigrated to America in 1690. By the way, the prefix, "bad," is used as an official designation for a spa town. Sulfur springs were discovered in Langensalza in 1811, and salt and mineral water springs in 1996.

Of course, we had good beer and food on the trip. All the German beers I tried were excellent; I ordered only pilsners, because I'm not a dark beer fan. I had sausages and sauerkraut, too. Marion had schnitzel, which I tried. Two weird things: Our bread in our hotel restaurant in Erfurt was served with a tiny pot of bacon lard to spread on it (I did not care for this at all!). The other thing that appalled me was at the Reichstag Restaurant, where we stopped for coffee and dessert after our night-time tour of the building. On the dinner menu was this item: marinated, braised horse. I know a lot of cultures eat horse meat, but this is the first time I have ever seen it on a menu. No, I did not try it, and I never will.

Bad Langensalza -- the town dates to 932 A.D.

Germany is a beautiful country, and Germans are some of the nicest, most helpful people you will ever meet. I've been to Frankfurt, Munich, many German small towns, and now Berlin, and I recommend any of them as a vacation destination. I hope all of you get the chance to visit sometime.

Here is the link to the pictures. I swear I tried to delete a lot of them, but I just couldn't get rid of too many!

https://plus.google.com/photos/103069509757300719995/albums/5787169850540151825

Girona and Barcelona

Girona

The worst thing about taking weekend trips is that the weekend is never long enough! But I have to admit, the weekend trips we can take here are pretty amazing. This past weekend, we visited Girona and Barcelona, Spain, and I didn't want to leave!

Ryanair, the low-cost airline based in Dublin, flies from Turku (an hour south of where we live in Rauma) to Girona, which is an hour north of Barcelona. Since we arrived late Friday night, I decided to stay overnight in Girona. I'm really glad we did, because Girona is a beautiful medieval city with one of the most well-preserved Jewish quarters in Europe. Girona has a busy history, having been attacked 25 times and captured at least seven times. Today, Girona is a quiet oasis with a huge square filled with outdoor cafes, and a lovely river lined with pastel-colored homes reminiscent of similar landscapes in Lyon and Copenhagen.

La Boqueria Market

After spending the morning strolling around the Jewish quarter and the Old Town and exploring the magnificent cathedral, we took the train to Barcelona, which provided a nice look at the Catalan countryside. We were lucky that one of the train stops in Barcelona was a short walk from our hotel on the famous Passeig de Gracia street.

I like old hotels with lots of character, but I also like modern conveniences. Our choice, the Hotel SixtyTwo (named for its address at 62 Passeig de Gracia), wasn't spectacular on the outside, but the inside was definitely a 21st-century showpiece. Everything in the room operated with buttons, including the black-out shade. The bathroom was huge by European standards, with separate rooms for the toilet, shower and even a bathtub! Americans take bathtubs for granted, but they are luxuries in Europe! Plus, we had a small balcony with great views over the city.

Tapas!

Anyway, we walked around a bit, "ooh'ed and aah'ed" at everything we saw, and tried to get into the Picasso museum, but the line was too long. We were quite surprised at just how packed with people Barcelona was. I know summer is tourist season, but Barcelona seemed even more crowded than London or Paris. The weather was another jolt for us, even though we knew it would be hot, especially coming from chilly Finland. It was 32 degrees C. (about 90 degrees F.) and sunny the entire weekend. I loved it! We haven't had a real summer, and I have been craving sunshine and warmth.

We had  a "Cava and Tapas" walking tour scheduled at 5 p.m. I'm so glad we did this, because it was tons of fun and we met some great people from Houston, Honolulu, Toronto (by way of South Africa and Holland), and Australia. Our guide, Sophie, was excellent, and she took us to the famous Boqueria Market and to three restaurants to sample different tapas and Spanish wines. We had so much fun that we stayed at the last restaurant with our new friends way past the time the tour ended!

Inside La Sagrada Familia

The next day was devoted to seeing as much as possible as we could cram in. We had tickets on the Hop-on, Hop-Off bus tour, which I recommend taking in any new city. These bus tours provide recorded commentary and give you a great overview of a city. You can exit at any stop or just stay on for the ride.

Most people associate Barcelona and Catalonia with Picasso, Dali and Miro, but the most famous native son is Modernist architect/artist Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi lived from 1852 to 1926, and his work is seen all over Barcelona. Gaudi was a Modernist, very religious and very imaginative. His work reflects nature, light, use of non-traditional materials, mosaics, curves, and new techniques. His buildings are true works of art, and many are deservedly UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We visited his most famous projects: Casa Batllo, La Pedrera, Park Guell, and of course, La Sagrada Familia, the cathedral which is the most famous landmark in Barcelona, and which has been in construction since 1882. Gaudi worked on the project until his death in 1926, even living at the site the last year or so of his life. (Gaudi was struck by a tram, and because he was dressed like a beggar with no identification papers, he did not receive proper hospital care; by the time his identity was discovered, it was too late, and he died.)

Bench at Park Guell

La Sagrada Familia is fascinating, because it is being built entirely with donations and proceeds from ticket sales. That is why it is taking so long! Gaudi's detailed plans are being followed to this day, and latest estimates state that the cathedral will be completed between 2026 and 2028. Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church in 2010. But as Gaudi once said, "My client is in no hurry," referring to God.

In the afternoon, while on the bus tour, we visited Gaudi's Park Guell, which is 50 acres on top of a mountain. There are magnificent views, more great Gaudi masterpieces and way too many hills to walk up and down! On the way back to the bus, though, we had a Coca Cola Light and a bowl of fresh fruit, which was refreshing. Later, we stopped at the coast to see the beach, and also to visit the casino. There was a European Poker Tour event going on at the casino, and we watched a bit of the goings-on.  we

Seafood Paella

Our last night in Barcelona, we had a nice dinner, and I finally got some seafood paella, which was wonderful. Tom had sea bass, which was also good. The next day, we took the airport bus back to Girona, during which our bus driver practiced his karaoke the entire trip, singing or whistling to every song on the radio.

And, naturally, when we got back to Rauma, it was 10 degrees C. (50 degrees F.), which was depressing. I think summer is over in Finland, although I don't think it was every really here! No worries, though -- there are more trips to plan! And I definitely want to return to Spain -- I sure wish Tom's employer would built a power plant there...

Here are the links to all the pictures:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103069509757300719995/albums/5779386400419298001

Stockholm -- City That I Love

Stockholm -- one of my favorite cities

This is my submission for the '3 Things in the City' I Love contest by Velvet Escape, Traveldudes and Wimdu.co.uk


 Ask people to name their favorite city -- or the city they would most like to visit -- and many likely will say New York, London, Paris or Rome. After all, the world's capitals have much to offer, and I agree that visits to those places are wonderful.

But after living as an expat American in Finland for almost a year, I have had the opportunity to visit lesser-known cities -- cities that are just as beautiful, historic and fun -- but maybe not on everyone's list of "must-sees." Places like Helsinki, Finland; Tallinn, Estonia; Stockholm, Sweden; Copenhagen, Denmark; Brussels, Belgium, and St. Petersburg, Russia.

One of my favorite places is Stockholm, a city I certainly never would have visited if I wasn't living in Finland. It's probably best-known as the setting for the late author Stieg Larsson's "Millennium" trilogy and the home of IKEA and the pop group ABBA, but Stockholm is much more. Stockholm is exotic, yet accessible. It has a rich history, but it also has developed into a 21st-century leader in culture, technology and environmental issues.

The city known as the "Venice of the North" lies on a range of islands connected by bridges and canals. The city's origins date at least to 1252, and it has survived sieges, famine, plague and recession. Today, Sweden is ruled by a democratic parliament headed by the prime minister and a ceremonial king, Gustav XIV.

While a trip to Stockholm deserves at least a week, there are three things every visitor should see:

Gamla Stan

1. Gamla Stan -- Narrow cobblestone streets and colorful medieval buildings are a photographer's dream in Stockholm's Old Town. Set on an island, Gamla Stan is home to the Royal Palace, the Alfred Nobel Museum, a pretty town square with a bloody history, and a 700-year-old cathedral. Wander along the streets, stopping for a rest at one of the many cafes and restaurants. Shop in stores specializing in Scandinavian crafts or any of the myriad of tacky souvenir stalls.

Walking tours are a good way to enjoy Gamla Stan; the tourist office at Vasagatan 14 or at Arlanda Airport can help. Also check the official tourist website at www.visitstockholm.com.

The Nobel Museum looks fairly mundane on first glance, but take the free guided tour (tours are offered throughout the day in different languages), and it becomes an intriguing history lesson of the greatest achievements of our time. For more information, visit www.nobelmuseum.se.

Don't miss a visit to the Royal Palace, especially the State Apartments and Royal Treasury. There is also the always-popular Changing of the Guard ceremony. Check www.kungahuset.se for times and information.

The Vasa

2. Vasa Museum -- I'll be honest -- if a friend hadn't told me to visit this 17th century warship, I probably would have skipped it. Thank goodness I listened to my friend, because the Vasa is one of the most fascinating sights I've ever encountered in years of travel!

The Vasa sank 20 minutes into its maiden voyage in 1628. It sat at the bottom of Stockholm's harbor until it was rediscovered in 1956. Raised in 1961, a museum was built around the remarkably-preserved wooden behemoth and has become one of Sweden's top tourist attractions.

There is an interesting free film (shown throughout the day in different languages) that helps the visitor appreciate the massive undertaking to salvage the ship and the exhaustive restoration work. The museum also offers guided tours in different languages that are included in the admission fee.

It is remarkable that 95 percent of the Vasa's wood is original. The intricate carvings along the ship are works of art. The ship was so well-preserved, because the water in which it sank does not contain the wood-destroying saltwater clam that is prevalent in the oceans.

The Vasa has an excellent website. Even if you don't get to visit this marvel, you can read all about it at www.vasamuseet.se.

Skansen

3. Skansen -- I was really torn between selecting Skansen, a boat tour of the harbor or the Nordic Museum for my third choice. If you have more time, I recommend all of them! But a trip to Skansen, Europe's first open-air museum, is a trip back in time and fun for the entire family.

Opened in 1891, Skansen is a huge park filled with 150 original buildings -- farmhouses, schools, windmills, homes, village halls, mills, etc. -- that have been transported there from all over Sweden. It is a wonderful mix of architectural styles and culture that truly embraces the term "living history." The best part of the park is the costumed employees who will tell you everything you want to know. I particularly enjoyed talking with the "school marms" in the 1910-era schoolhouse. One room of the house was devoted to the school, while the other half was set aside for the teacher's living quarters.

Besides the buildings, Skansen offers a variety of events, such as the opportunity to help out with farm chores, learn traditional dances, or watch glassblowers at work.

The lemurs at Skansen's Zoo

The other major component of Skansen is the zoo. There are bears, moose, elk, spiders (yuck!), snakes (double yuck!), boar, seals, you name it, in both indoor and outdoor enclosures. My absolute favorite animals were the lemurs, who hung out on the walkways, the little ones piled on top of their mothers, while a zoo employee stood nearby to make sure visitors didn't get too close. 

I spent over two hours at Skansen, and you could easily enjoy an entire day there. For information, visit the website at www.skansen.se.

Of course, there is much more to see and do in Stockholm. There are great restaurants, shops, food halls, museums, parks and more. Just writing this makes me want to go back (and fortunately, I am returning very soon!). I hope you get to visit soon, too!

Modern Stockholm

 

Summer in Rauma

I just got back from a 2-1/2 hour bike ride, and I started thinking that after that gloomy blog post of a few weeks ago, I really should point out the positives of living here in rural Finland.

Naturally, after having a visitor from the U.S., going on the fun girls' trip to Tallinn, Estonia, and enjoying good times at the most recent expat dinner in town, my mood has improved, along with the weather. And I'm always hard at work planning the next trip: Tom and I are going to Barcelona in August, which we both are looking forward to.

Anyway, you probably didn't know that Heaven is right here in Rauma. Yes, Heaven. I have to give credit to my friend Sara, because she found Heaven first. And she told me how to get to Heaven (insert jokes here).

Heaven in Rauma actually turned out to be a restaurant and karaoke bar, but so what?!

There are tons of bike trails in Rauma, which is great:

  
We have beautiful scenery, everywhere you look:

I found the ducks' summer hangout, which made me very happy. I have been worried about them, because they haven't shown up at the canal in town after the long winter:

 




























We have clay tennis courts (which Tom and I have played on) and a nice golf course (which we have not played on, but I keep talking about taking lessons):

We have wonderful cafes and a daily market in the Old Town Square:

And because of all the French expats living here, we have wonderful fresh French bread (crusty on the outside, soft on the inside) and croissants:

Which may totally negate all the calories I burned during that bike ride, but who can resist fresh bread?

Living here isn't so bad after all!

A Visitor, Tallinn, Helsinki and Rauma

The Wine  Library in Old Town Tallinn

I was very excited this past week, because one of my good friends, Kim Bost, visited me from the U.S.! I know it is very expensive to travel here, and that most people can't afford to visit, but luckily, Kim's husband is a United Airlines pilot, so she got here practically for free! Of course, she was flying standby, and she almost didn't get on a flight, but fortunately, she did, and we had a great visit.

My friends Sara, Allison and Marion, and I picked up Kim at the Helsinki airport, then took a quick drive through the city and boarded the ferry to Tallinn, Estonia. This was my second trip to Tallinn, which is a beautiful place with so much history, from its medieval beginnings to its struggles under Communist rule. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and we walked our legs off.

Crazy tourists

We saw the huge Old Town Square, took a tour of the KGB museum on top of the Hotel Viru, toured the Bastion Tunnels under Old Town, and went out to Kadriorg, the summer palace Peter the Great built for his wife, Catherine. One funny bit about that last place: We took the old-fashioned tram back into town, and there was no place to buy a ticket, so we just rode, hoping we wouldn't get fined. Needless to say, at the first stop in town, we hopped right off and walked the rest of the way.

We also enjoyed just wandering around Old Town, climbing the tower walls (which was better exercise than any Thighmaster), poking around the shops, having terrific dinners for unbelievably low prices, and in general, just having a great time. I bought a beautiful hand-blown vase, Sara got a lovely painting, and we all stocked up at the duty-free store on the ship. As a matter of fact, many Finlanders take the ferry just to buy cheap beer and liquor. You always see people dragging cartloads of alcohol off the ferry. Since we had five peopel in one car, we couldn't bring back cartloads, but we bought back a fair amount!

Expat dinner at the Kellari Restaurant in Rauma

I am way too old to go out bar-hopping, but that's exactly what we did one night. You may know of the popular 80s band, Depeche Mode. Welll, there's a bar in Tallinn devoted to Depeche Mode. Very cool. And later, we went to a nightclub, where we enjoyed watching Marion dance. The rest of us were too chicken.

Lace-making demonstration in Rauma

Back in Finland, we toured a litte in Helsinki, then drove back to Rauma, where Kim got to see our own lovely Old Town and meet a group of expats at dinner at our favorite restaurant, the Kellari. It's Lace Week in Rauma. Yes, you read that correctly -- Lace Week. We actually got to see a woman making a lace masterpiece, which takes lots of time and patience. It was very interesting! This week, many of the residents in Old Town open up their back yards to visitors. It's mainly a chance for them to have yard sales, but some of the gardens are quite lovely, in particular, the garden of famous local sculptor Kerttu Horila.

Today, the weather is back to chilly, rainy and all around dreary. I told Kim this is the REAL Finland weather! But I much preferred the unusual warmth of the past few days!

Here are links to all the pictures:

https://plus.google.com/photos/103069509757300719995/albums/576830117691988593



https://plus.google.com/photos/103069509757300719995/albums/5768312596470875105


https://plus.google.com/photos/103069509757300719995/albums/5768309676092672001 
 

I am a Foreigner

I am a foreigner. A stranger in a strange land. 


Tom and I have been in Finland for 10 months. We have gotten used to living in a small apartment with no air conditioning, no TV, no clothes dryer. Our refrigerator and oven are very small. Despite my attempts at learning the language, Finnish is just too difficult for me. And I miss my family and friends back home very much.

On the other hand, a small apartment means less space to take care of. We haven't really needed air conditioning yet (and it's the middle of July). We DVR programs at home via the Slingbox and watch them the next day on the laptop or iPad (remember, there's a seven-hour time difference between us and home). With just two of us, we really don't need a large refrigerator or oven, except when we have friends over. There is a community dryer in our building, something most of my other expat friends don't have in their buildings. Many Finns speak at least passable English.

We have made lots of friends here, all other expats, of course. My appreciation of other cultures has increased significantly. I am proud to say I have friends from Latvia, Russia, Romania, Germany, France, Brazil, South Africa, Switzerland, Wales, England, and Spain. And I've made wonderful new friends from the U.S., people I have bonded with in this adventure we all share.

Does that look like a private drive? I don't think so.

But I don't feel at home here. Little things make me feel more foreign than ever. The Finnish people have a saying, "jokamiehenoikeus," which loosely translates to "every man's right." That basically means the general public has the right to access all public or private land, as long as you don't disturb the natural environment. Now, you don't want to traipse through someone's yard just to pick some wild berries you see growing on the other side. You have to use common sense. But what about walking across an apartment building parking lot? I got yelled at in Finnish recently by a man who apparently did not like me walking across his parking lot. He kept yelling and pointing toward the sidewalk. Buddy, I was heading to the sidewalk, just taking the parking lot to GET to the sidewalk.


Maybe it's my imagination, but I think we get stared at a lot because we are foreigners. Actually, I don't think it's because we are foreigners, it's because we aren't long-time residents of our small town.

I don't want to give the impression that all Finns are like this -- there are countless Finns who are friendly, welcoming and eager to help. There's an older man in my apartment building who is always doing little chores outside -- pulling weeds, putting out gravel when it's icy, etc. He has this white cat that I call the official mascot. This man doesn't speak a word of English, and I only know a few words of Finnish, but we always greet each other, and he always chats away in Finnish, even though I have no clue what he's saying. And he knows I have no clue. He opens doors for me. On several occasions, he has stopped his weed-pulling to run up and open the door to the bike storage room when he sees me coming up the hill on my bike.

The employees at our favorite cafes, restaurants and stores speak good English and are extremely friendly. Thanks to a recommendation from a friend, I found a hairstylist who is nice and does a good job. I feel safe walking anywhere in Rauma. 

I feel like a foreigner when a bill comes, and I have to use Google Translate to figure out what it says. Same with instructions on the back of packages. And if you've used Google Translate before, you know that the translations aren't often literal. Some of them are quite funny. And Tom and I still aren't sure exactly what the knobs mean on our stove and washing machine.

The Finnish washing machine settings and my translation note

I feel like a foreigner when I'm looking for an ingredient at the grocery store that I can't find, or they don't have, or there are so many possibilities that I can't figure out which to choose. I can't order things from my favorite stores at home without worrying about paying duty or the items getting stuck in Customs (which has happened). I have to rely on family to send Jif peanut butter and Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing. Some things you can get used to doing without, but you still need a few of those favorites from home or you will get really depressed. I haven't had a Diet Sun-Drop in months, which is truly amazing.

I feel like a foreigner when I realize I can be sent home against my will. Last month, I waited in line at the local police station for an hour to turn in the paperwork and 148 Euros to renew my residence visa. My current visa expires in August, and I've heard it can take months to get a new visa approved. The clock is ticking. When we came back from a trip to London a few weeks ago, the Immigration officer noticed that my visa expires in August, and he mentioned it. I told him I had applied for a renewal and was hoping it arrives before the old one expires. Because if I don't have a new visa when I go home in late September for two weeks, Finland won't let me back in the country for 90 days. That would be a problem.


I used to complain about all the foreigners moving into the United States. Everything in our country now is both in English and Spanish. But the coin has flipped, and I am the foreigner in a new country. Just like those moving to the U.S. for jobs (although the situation has changed significantly in the past two years, hasn't it?), my husband moved here for a job opportunity. I will not begrudge those who travel in search of a better life.


But I also appreciate my own country much more than I did before. We had a Fourth of July cookout last week, and one of my friends sent me an email afterward, commenting that it was so refreshing to be a part of celebrating our homeland and the freedom we enjoy while so far away.

And that's the key to living in a foreign land -- accept and adapt to the new; appreciate and acknowledge what you left. Because you will return, and your experiences will educate others who have never traveled or lived abroad.

London, Wimbledon, Harry Potter, Shakespeare!

The beautiful Tower Bridge

London is a fabulous place to visit. Sure, it's crowded. Sure, you have to be careful -- Tom got his wallet stolen (more on that later). But there is so much to see and do, so many shops, so many restaurants, so many pubs -- sigh.

This trip wasn't without problems. At least for our daughter, Kristen. We were supposed to meet up at Heathrow on Saturday morning, June 23. Well, there were massive storms along the east coast of the U.S. Friday night, and her flight from D.C. to Philly ended up getting cancelled. So she missed her connecting flight to London. Lots of flights were cancelled; she waited over three hours trying to get a new flight, USAirways was VERY unhelpful. She ended up flying to Gatwick Sunday night, arriving Monday morning. Plus, she tried to bring us a jar of JIF peanut butter in her carry-on, but dang security took it! How dare they? Anyway, I met her at Gatwick, we dropped her luggage off at the hotel, and we headed straight to Wimbledon.

Centre Court at Wimbledon

We had bought a package deal, which included four nights at the Hilton Doubletree Tower Bridge, breakfast, a daily Travel Card for the Tube, reserved seats for Days 1 and 2 on Court 2 at Wimbledon, a program and best of all, 25 pound coupons to use at one of the Wimbledon shops! We each got a coupon both days, so that was 150 pounds to spend. And believe me, we spent it!

The tennis was fabulous. In addition to the matches on Court 2, we also saw some of our favorite players on other courts.We got to see Venus and Serena Williams, John Isner, Mardy Fish (my favorite player!), James Blake, Radwanska, Cilic, and Tomic, among others. Wimbledon also has a queue set up at 3 p.m. every day in which people leaving turn in their show court tickets (show courts are Centre Court, Court 1 and Court 2), and people can buy them for only 5 pounds each. On Day 2, most of the peole were  lined up to buy tickets to Andy Murray's match on Centre Court, but we wanted to see Andy Roddick on Court 1, and we only waited a short time and got fourth row seats! We also got to see top woman's player Victoria Azarenka's match, but her loud grunting is as unbearable as Maria Sharapova's.

The Globe Theatre

Besides the tennis, we saw as many tourist spots as we could -- we've been to London before, so the usual sightseeing wasn't as important, but we went by Buckingham Palace, toured Kensington Palace to see the new display of Princess Diana gowns, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, Big Ben and Parliament, Trafalgar Square, and Picadilly Circus. Kristen and I saw the Christian Louboutin exhibit at the Design Museum and also toured Warner Brothers Studio in Leavesden, where all eight Harry Potter movies were filmed. That was a great experience, whether or not you are a fan of Harry Potter. Just seeing all the sets, props, drawings, hair and make-up, costumes, and visual effects was terrific.

One of our favorite things was attending a performance at the Globe Theatre. We saw "The Taming of the Shrew," and even though the seating isn't the most comfortable (and the woman behind me poured her juicy drink on my back), and the play clocked in at three hours, it was lots of fun. 

The Harry Potter studio tour

We also met up with one of my oldest friends, Dan Fitz, and his partner, Mario Cescutti for dinner our last evening in London. Dan and I were close friends in both high school and college, and he moved to London after graduating from UNC Law School. 

Now, about Tom's wallet. We consider ourselves to be seasoned travelers. We've been all over Europe, the Caribbean and the U.S. It was funny because Tom was always telling Kristen and me to zip up our purses. Then his wallet gets lifted, even though it was in an inside pocket, which was zipped up. He was carrying his jacket on his arm, and we figure it got swiped on the Tube. Fortunately, he carries cash in a pocket, so the thief got no money. And we cancelled the cards right away. I'm sure those crooks just steal wallets looking for cash and then throw the wallet and cards away. Still, it is such a violation and a pain in the rear.

And poor Kristen had more flight troubles. Her flight from Heathrow to Philly was delayed three hours (which she spent sitting on the plane on the tarmac), while workers were trying to repair the "back-up braking system." Of course, she missed her connection, but at least she got back to D.C. the same evening. She originally was scheduled to fly home Friday, but she changed her return flight to Saturday after the original flight issues. And it turns out it was probably better that she flew home on Saturday -- the Washington, D.C., area was hit with massive storms Friday night, with massive power outages, trees down and travel disruptions. Fortunately, the power as back on in her apartment when she got home.

We already are talking about returning next June to Wimbledon, because it was so much fun. And maybe next time, we'll bump into Wills and Kate.

As always, here's a link to the pictures, if you're interested and have time to waste!

https://plus.google.com/photos/103069509757300719995/albums/5760498783419848081