OXFORD, Part 1

(Note: If you'd rather start at the beginning of our trip, check out Why We Fled the Country and just follow the links at the end of each post.)

People are often surprised that Josh travels so much for work. After all, doctors don't usually have to go very far to see patients... But Josh spends more than 80% of his time doing peer-reviewed scientific research, all of it in collaboration with institutions in other states--or in this case, countries.

He has been working with folks (and by "folks" I mean KNIGHTS - Aaron nearly ate his shirt when he found out) at Oxford University for months, but they'd come here. It was his turn to travel, so I sacrificially agreed to accompany him. This meant 2 material changes to our circumstances:

1. We stayed at an elegant boutique hotel right in the middle of everything.
2. I had 1.5 days to enjoy on my own while Josh slaved away.

Old Bank Hotel
The hotel was full of art that I loved - except perhaps for the creepy lady outside the staircase window.

Yep, that's a Stradivarius top right. And the back of a guy's head bottom right. (??) Love it.

They had turn-down service in the evenings, towel warmers, bathrobes, tea sachets, free walking tours, 24-hour room service, etc, etc, etc. Mmmm. There is something to be said for luxury.

With Josh headed out early both mornings, I slept in. Ahhh. Then I went to a local cafe for tea and muesli with yogurt while reading Surprised by Oxford (a rec from two women I adore, who were both absolutely right).

Finally, I crossed the street to begin wandering among the old stone buildings and colleges and churches and pubs until it was time to go back for a run, shower, afternoon tea, and then meet-up with Josh.

It. was. heaven.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

New College
The first street (which looked suspiciously like an alley) wound me around to this little (5ft?) door...

...which of course I had to enter, and found myself suddenly in New College. It has been "new" since 1379 (which would explain the leetle door). It is one of 38 (mostly residential) colleges that together compose the University of Oxford. Students and fellows (teachers/tutors) live, eat, sleep, study, and worship here together.

A courtyard typical of the older colleges at Oxford (and Cambridge for that matter).

Recognize this courtyard? this tree? It was in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (when Draco becomes a ferret).

Also typical: a garden in the back, though this one is bordered by a section of the old city wall (about 1,000 years old). There's also this odd "mound" in the middle with stairs leading to...nowhere. Just an ornamental piece and originally a viewing platform for seeing over the wall.

Can you imagine hearing you've been accepted to New College Oxford and then finding out you'll be tucked back in this 1970s addition? I don't think I'd be in my room much...

Bridge of Sighs
The name could not be any cooler, and while it is just a footbridge, it's on the b-roll for anything shot and set in Oxford (including Endeavour, Inspector Morse, and Inspector Lewis - more on these beloved friends later).

As I walked around that morning, I was delighted to see flocks of students in white ties and black gowns: They wear Hogwarts dress robes to class!?

No. But they do wear them to graduation, which happened to be that morning. I suppose that could make Rowling a little less creative than I thought, but I'd just say it makes Oxford cooler than ever.

Bodlein Library
My favorite guided tour in Oxford was at the Bodlein Library. One of the first ("modern") libraries, it was founded by a Catholic in the 1400s, all the books were then destroyed by Henry VII, and then it was re-founded by Bloody Mary in the 1600s. Books laid flat and were chained to the shelves until someone came up with the idea of standing books together spine-in (titles weren't printed on spines till later). Fascinating history of the school and of how we store knowledge...

The top is the original Divinity School, also a Harry Potter set. Bottom is where the ruling council for the University used to meet - and my tour guide who was the perfect British librarian. He even wore a cardigan.

The Bodlein also has an exhibit running called "Magical Books" about the fantasy genre and its themes in literature. Since everywhere I visited was featured as 1) a Harry Potter set, or 2) a favorite haunt of the Inklings (Tolkien, Lewis, Sayers), this exhibit seemed only natural. It also made me wonder, Am I touring a school, a church, a film set, or the past? (Yes.)

Christ Church Park
After the library, I popped by the hotel and then went out for a jog through the park behind Christ Church (College). It is rightly famous for being so pastoral right in the middle of town.

Tea Time
After a shower, I ducked into the "Vaults & Gardens" tea room in St. Mary's church to read, eat a scone, and savor their better-than-donut-filling strawberry jam.

This is where Josh found me after work.
 
Dinner at Quod
Then, he got me into dinner with the working group -- a delicious 3-course meal in a private room at our hotel. I wish I could say it was at a round table, but everyone came unarmed, so I suppose it wasn't necessary. Thankfully, I sat next to an un-knighted (but not benighted) doctor who reads novels, has three children, and seemed to match my interest in discussing faith and culture (no small feat). It reminded me of our dinner with friends in Paris - refreshing, enlightening, delicious, fun. Needless to say, I am determined to follow up with her in case we ever return.

The Inspectors
We ended the day in our room with an episode of our favorite BBC detective series, Inspector Lewis (traditional murder mysteries set in contemporary Oxford). And this time, we recognized where the bodies were dropping, where the police were walking, and even where the suspects were drinking tea (the Vaults & Gardens!). Who knew Oxford was such a dangerous place? Well, maybe not exactly dangerous, but definitely intriguing.

For the last post on our trip, check out OXFORD, Part 2.

KENSINGTON

In our circuitous route to our hotel-with-no-tube (explanation below),
we passed Mr. Holmes, and pretended we had someone to call.

Josh and I have visited London several times, including two years ago (see "Honeymoon, Year 12" and "Britishisms" for more). We love it, but this time we only had one night to spare, so we spent it all in the neighborhood known as Kensington.

Kensington runs along the southwestern border of Hyde Park, and is famous for its white Georgian townhouses, shopping, and museums. It's also an active commercial/residential section of a major international city, so it has the occasional dose of reality mixed into all the romance...

The Kensington Close
We returned to the newly-renovated Kensington Close Hotel after 10 years for 2 major reasons:

1. It's next to a tube (subway) stop, and 
2. It has a swimming pool.

Upon arrival, we discovered:

1. The tube stop was closed for maintenance.
2. The swimming pool was closed for renovation.

It was still lovely, just a bit...ironic.

British Museum of Natural History
The next morning we walked to the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaurs and were greeted by this sign:

Still, the museum was amazing, even before we walked inside. Its 19th-century history reads like a farce, and the building itself has been appropriately nicknamed a  "cathedral for nature," with animal gargoyles and plant imprints across its terracotta tiles.

I didn't take this picture, but it was too good to omit (and too much for my little phone camera).

From giant wasp nests to an ancient armored anteater to the life cycle of a mosquito in 28x scale, the exhibits were cool. The new Darwin Centre includes an 8-story cocoon with interactive displays that make entomology...fun. Really.

Apparently the museum specializes in skeletons and taxidermy -- on a grand scale. It made us really want to come back with our boys.

It is also impossible for a museum to describe such a huge cross-section of natural history without discussing evolution, so we were both thankful that I had worked through some issues I'd had with science growing up. It was probably the first time I've been able to visit a natural history museum and just celebrate God's creativity in revealing himself to man, rather than feel defensive.

My Sandwich Soapbox
Now I'd like to take a moment to discuss the sandwich. In our household, it comes in two varieties: PB&J or ham/turkey & cheese (plus its radical cousin, grilled cheese). We are not alone. Most of the stores and homes I visit offer the same. There may be an occasional tomato or avocado slipped in. Or chicken salad (though this is basically the cold-cut sandwich chopped & mixed). I'd even jump for an egg salad if you can find one. But in most U.S. run-of-the-mill convenience aisles, I have yet to see a chevre baguette with prosciutto and sun-dried tomatoes. Or an egg and mackerel sandwich on wheat.  Some Subways even refuse to carry my favorite: seafood (metaphorically speaking) salad.

THIS IS NOT THE CASE IN EUROPE. These people (including the eponymous Earl) are on to something. Here are a few examples just from this trip, at ordinary walk-up stands or chain lunch spots in Paris and London:

And this was just the tip of the iceberg. I didn't have time to take photos in the airport (hardly foodie heaven) of the hoisin chicken wrap, the roast beef with horseradish sauce and arugula, or the smoked salmon sandwich.

I used to wish Pret a Manger would come to the U.S. so we could get the mackerel sandwich. Then I discovered something really depressing: When they came to the U.S., guess which sandwiches they offered on their menu? Ham, turkey, cheese. Not a mackerel to be found.

Yet, there is a ray of hope. I have seen a considerable improvement in the food England has to offer over the past decade. I feel sure the U.S. is on the same trajectory. It just has to trickle down from some Food TV sandwich wiz to the 7-Elevens of the world. Someday.

In the meantime, my boys may be choosing to buy lunch at school for the next few weeks, just to avoid Mom's crazy experiments.

Leaving - Or Trying To

We checked out Sunday morning and left our luggage with the bellhop so we could visit the museum. Then we returned to get our luggage with plenty of time to travel less than 2 miles to the bus stop at Marble Arch. There were 3 problems with this plan:

1. The bellhop could not locate my suitcase.
2. The only local tube stop was still closed.
3. The World Triathlon Finals were taking place that very day at Marble Arch, so no taxi would take us there and buses were taking hours.

Enter my knight-in-shining-armor, Josh Denny. Somehow, 20 minutes later, he (alone) found my suitcase in someone else's room. When I asked him how he found it in someone else's room, he said he figured out that the bellhop had delivered it to the wrong person. But HOW did you find it IN someone else's room? He just shook his head and shushed me. I had my clothes; I asked no more questions.

Then, we grabbed our roller-derby luggage and hauled it several blocks to the next tube station, which was open, and rode to Marble Arch in time to catch the bus to Oxford and meet his colleagues for dinner at a cozy pub, where I promise you, all was right with the world again.

  For more, see OXFORD, Part 1.

BACK HOME

Perhaps I should take a moment to reassure you that during all this gallivanting, we were occasionally provided proof that our boys were alive and well...

Eating, pulling up, and making friends with snails.

And visiting Donut Den after dinner. The Gilmans are so cool.

PARIS, Part 2

A few shots of the city during our stay...

Just Julia
Julia Child's 3rd-floor apartment when she discovered French cooking - and a nice sample of a typical downtown Paris building. This one was in a prime location just across the Seine from the Place de la Concorde, so I'm guessing it's no longer within a diplomat's budget.

Place de la Concorde
The sprawling center of Paris with the obelisk (think Washington monument, shrunk) in the middle, where monsieur guillotine used to sit back when it was called the "Place de la Revolution." In the top photo, you can just see the Eiffel tower through the fog. In the middle, the Arc de Triomphe. At the bottom, the fountains and lots of pavement. The Place can of course be beautiful (even in a dark-and-stormy way), I'm just going for truth in advertising here...

Hotel Meurice
Emboldened by my triumph in walking through Chanel's original store, I lost my head and started to walk into the Hotel Meurice of "Is Paris Burning?" fame. One of the porters stepped up to ask me my business. (Mind you, I was not in Chanel, but I was not in rags either.) I said I'd read about the hotel's history... To which she replied, in French, "You just want to walk through? No, I'm sorry, it's not possible."

I can't help thinking the former Nazi headquarters could have a little more humility...but moving right along...

Notre Dame
Our requisite visit to the grand lady. The top (John the Baptist holding his head) and bottom ("knight" holding his sword) photos were especially for our boys; I carried their interests with me everywhere.

In the middle, Josh is eating a fresh-made crepe with "apple compote" on the bleachers facing the cathedral (odd, but useful). He was expecting Cracker-Barrel-esque baked apples; he got Motts-esque applesauce. #oops

Shakespeare & Co.
All the famous writers living in 1920s Paris (Stein, Hemingway, Pound, Fitzgerald) visited Shakespeare & Co. regularly to sit and read, then fold down a corner of a page and come back later to finish the book. The owner at the time was a patron and mentor. Today, I didn't spot any famous authors, but it has the winding little corridors, stacks at every odd angle, serendipity of a piano in one nook and chandelier in the other, and old-book smell that prove its worth.

                                                                                     Found this gem at the bookstore of all bookstores.

Ile Saint Louis
I had read about walking through the "medieval" little town of Ile St-Louis in the middle of Paris, so I was surprised to discover a distinctly 19th-century maze of mostly-quiet narrow streets. I found the hotel I'd want to stay in next time (Hotel Lutece), an adorable grocery store, and several fantastic-looking restaurants, but that's about it. It's like a little residential neighborhood in the middle of the tourist mecca.

Worst Dinner
This looks great! A romantic dinner at a cafe in Paris. White table cloths. Three courses. Surely the famously gourmet French who police their culture like we police violence would not allow objectively bad food to be served. I promise Josh's escargot tasted like the pond they came from (though I do tend to think that of all escargot) but then his bass did too, and that just ain't right. He spent the night tossing and turning, convinced we were gonna see that fish again.

My goat cheese & toast salad was fun (though soaking in dressing), but the oddly-crunchy cappuccino ice cream kept me awake, too. At least we got to toss and turn together, right?

Toilets
'Cause who else is gonna tell you about this? Two things to know:
1. If there are two buttons, push the smaller one to flush peepee. Push both for the other. If there are no buttons, pull the chain hanging from the ceiling.
2. If there's no seat (?? not uncommon), I don't recommend sitting. I just hope you don't have a little girl with you.

Champs Elysees

Our last morning we had time for a quick run in the rain past several Japanese tour groups and down the Champs Elysees, where Josh made a few big golden friends, thanks to Louis Vuitton.

The Bus

Months ago, I checked out the EuroStar 2-hour express train from Paris to London online. It leaves 2/hour and was less than $100, so I figured people just show up, buy a ticket, and board, as we've done for many other buses/trains.

I was wrong. Our last night in Paris, I found out the last-minute price is $250/person. The bus is only $65. It takes 8 hours, so we pretended we wanted a scenic tour of the countryside. We left Paris at 11am and arrived in London around 6pm. The bus was clean, roomy, comfy, and gave us a chance to see lots of green rolling hills with cows and windmills and graffiti (in France) and sheep (in England).

A little more yin (the windmills were cool) than yang...

The Chunnel
With one interesting bit in between: The Channel. The bus drove from Paris to Calais, then into a train, was carried (with us in it) through the Chunnel, then drove out of the train at Dover, and on to London.

The only plans it sacked: our dinner reservations at a highly-rated restaurant in London (Orrery), which we replaced with our 2nd worst meal of the trip...

For more, see KENSINGTON.

PARIS, Part 1

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles
Before we get to the City of Light, we must savor the flights that took us there. Quiet. Climate-controlled. Completely chore-free, kid-free, FREE TIME. We scarfed up airplane food (it's as pathetic as it looks, but somehow still fun because I did not make it), wrestled a crossword puzzle, read, watched Beautiful Creatures, and tried (and failed) to get a night's sleep. It was all lovely in that all-nighter-at-35-but-not-because-of-babies way...

On arrival, we spent several hours in our sleepless haze winding through customs, subways, and then

crisscrossing the giant Gare du Nord train station with all our luggage looking for a ticket booth only to discover that our subway tickets (in our pockets) were all we needed.

To their credit, we were approached by several strangers during our time in Paris who saw the lost-puppy looks on our faces and offered in broken English to help. The Parisians were overwhelmingly friendly. Unfortunately, their signs are not. The names of the Metro (subway) stops often don't match from one map (in your hands) to another (on the train), and the maps themselves are hard to come by - not to mention the Metro is enormous and confusing. Next time, I'd pick a hotel closer to Notre Dame so I don't have to spend so much time in transit.

That said, I was reminded on this rainy visit that I do love city buses which let you ride through and absorb the city in dry comfort for very little money. There is also something to be said for observing a cross-section of natives on the subway. Notably, I never saw a Parisian eating en route to anywhere (even on our 8-hour bus trip - more on that later). I'm not sure they understand the concept of fast food...which could explain a lot.

Our hotel (Champerret-Elysees) which was cheap, clean, quiet,
and connected (love me some fast WIFI), though a little too far north.

Musee D'Orsay
Mistake #2: Once we'd checked in, we headed straight to our top priority destination: The Musee D'Orsay, which had been closed during our last joint trip to Paris, and whose art we both adore. We were just in time for a guided tour by a charming Parisian whose explanation of the environment into which impressionism was born was helpful and (totally my fault) soporific. Jetlag hit with a bang. Josh caught me sleeping on a bench while the guide talked on. Glad we saw it, and I learned something...I think. But if you ask me about the art, my response may sound oddly dream-like.

No pictures are allowed of the paintings, but the interior decorating was worth a few on its own.

Best Dinner
We went straight home for a nap so we could enjoy our best meal of the trip: dinner at Ambassade d'Auvergne with some delightful Parisians Josh had gotten to know (through work) on his last trip.  It was my first time visiting with locals on an international trip (I don't have many opportunities to make friends with folks living on other continents), and it set me to scheming: Josh is now under orders to be very friendly with charming scientists who live in attractive vacation destinations.

If you're ever in the neighborhood, you must get: the mushroom-fig cassoulet, salmon and lentil appetizer, pork cheek in gravy, cheesy mashed potatoes ("aligot"), fresh bread with pate, roast duck, pots de creme (eaten counterclockwise) and a giant bowl of dark chocolate mousse (no resemblance to the gray cool whip we give that name).

Musee de l'Orangerie
The next day we tackled another impressionist museum: L'Orangerie. Which still makes me think it's full of oranges, event after I've been there and not seen a single orange. It was phenomenal. Probably because I was awake. The first two rooms look like this...

...designed by Monet for his water-lily frescoes, to provide a haven of peace during wartime (or life). As you turn in the room and relax your eyes, you can imagine you're in the middle of the never-ending pond as the light changes from sunrise to sunset. It's like the still-life version of performance art.

The lower galleries hold a manageable number of paintings that run the gamut from gorgeous (Renoir, whose peaches came the closest to upholding the museum name) to fun (Soutine - his chef below) to haunting (Chanel by Laurencin, bottom left) to repulsive (I'll spare you the Rousseau). 

We spent the rest of our time in Paris walking the rainy streets and notable sights of the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th arrondissements (neighborhoods)...

Eglise Saint-Severin

Found this little statuette in a random corner of a random church (St Severin) in the Latin Quarter, and he took my breath away. Such strength and gentleness. It's of St Vincent de Paul, a 16th century French priest who spent 60 years serving the poor. Based just on that info and this sculpture, I have to believe he was an inspiring (and magnetic) reflection of Christ. I prefer not to think about what has happened to his parish in the years since.

Pont de Solferino

Ever since we saw the movie Now You See Me, we knew we'd have to buy a lock, so we went through the ceremony of writing on it, locking it to the bridge, and throwing the key in the Seine. Then we kept walking along the Seine and discovered we'd actually done it on a different bridge. The original was getting too full, so some enterprising Parisians started it on a few others. Now, you can pretty much take your pick. #whoknew

***Travel Tip: If you see a wedding ring on a railing (for example, a bridge railing...), don't pick it up. It's a scam. #dodgedabullet

 Chanel

Coco Chanel's first store/home/studio (found in Forever Paris). Josh convinced me to walk inside despite the imposing bouncers at every door. I glanced at one $55k watch and $3500 little black dress, then left for our 10€ lunch in my $12 H&M dress...

Latin Quarter
In some ways, this is my favorite neighborhood in Paris. On the Left Bank of the Seine, it used to be the student district but has since been taken over by tourists. There are skeins of international shops, people, and restaurants with competing price fixe menus and outdoor seating.

Our very French 3-course late lunch at an outdoor cafe. Josh's turkey was delicious; my steak was inedible; the cafe de creme was dark and creamy; the atmosphere was relaxed and festive and...French. Not bad for 20€.

More to come in PARIS, Part 2.