Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Got to London – Heathrow at around 6:05 AM; went to immigrations, then customs and finally found the dot2dot outfit for our ride to the hotel. Got to the hotel at about 9:00 AM and, although we did check in, our room would not be ready until 2PM. So we left our luggage there; freshened up a bit and took to the streets.
Had breakfast at a place on Hyde Park Rd; then went shopping at TQ Maxx; then walked around some ore and scouted out where Alex will live for the next three month (about two blocks from the hotel); finally went to Kensington Park and hung around until 2 PM, when we got our room. Later went to a local market we had spotted earlier and loaded on some basic groceries (bread, cold cuts, wine, bear).
Discovered the electrical converters I had were not good for this place… They are good for continental Europe but not for the UK; Alex had the right kind; we’ll look for some tomorrow…

Thursday, May 21, 2009
Delivered Alex to her dorm; moved her in. I had wanted to get there by 9 AM to ensure she had first dibs on everything; we did not. We got there at around 11 AM and, as luck would have it, we were still the first ones so she ended up having first dibs anyway! It is a building with 5 stories; Alex is in the 5th. The elevator only goes to the 4th. Narrow stairs and then narrow and zigzag hallways led to her room; one bed and a bunk bed; Alex got the bed and the armoire in the center of the hall way… She’s good. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Left Alex in her room and we went hunting for lunch; found a great pub: the Prince Regent pub on Gloucester Rd. Ordered some Mediterranean platters and beer. Good stuff!
Went to the hardware store and got two electrical converters…
Went to a local deli and bought some sandwiches (baguettes stuffed with stuff!).
Developed and full-fledged cold!
Had dinner at an Italian restaurant, Bella Sera; excellent!

Friday, May 22, 2009
Bought and took a double-decker bus tour around the city; went through the Center and West, then changes buses and when through the center, North and East… Feeling like shit and it is as cold as a Witch’s ear, but I hung in there…
Walk around Leicester Square, going into several souvenir stores; Jan bought a beautiful scarf… Looked around to see if we could find relatively affordable tickets for a play… The book said to better book them on-line…
Had a late lunch at the Waxy O’Connor pub (fish & chips & beer); Leah had her first taste of pub life with a pint of Stella!

Saturday, May 23, 2009
It is a little over ½ mile to the closest subway (tube) station, Gloucester Road. Three lines service it: Circle, District and Piccadilly…Bought one-week tube & bus passes (best investment ever)! For £28.00 per person we got unlimited travels on the tube and buses…
Took the District line to Tower Hill to go to the Tower of London; took a tour with one of the beefeaters (yeoman of the tower); it was both funny and enlightening… Saw the place when they held the beheadings (Ann Boleyn’s amongst others), the gate of traitors where William Wallace was “hung, drawn and quartered”, the Crown Jewels, the Henry VIII armors (in the White Tower, the armory), the Sir Walter Raleigh cell, and the torture chamber…
Right outside the tower, as we were going towards the tube station, there was a small place selling Fish & Chips; bought them again with a Stella… What a pleasure!
Took the tube back, District line, and stopped by the Westminster area… Walked around the Parliament, Westminster Abby, Whitehall, Downing Street, The mounted Guard… Leah was not feeling too well and neither was I, although I felt much better than yesterday… So we went back to the tube station and headed home… We stopped by our favorite place – Partridge – and stocked up on groceries again…

Bought tickets on-line for a play: Phantom of the Opera on Wednesday, 7:30 PM, at Her Majesty Theater, in Haymarket…

Sunday, May 24, 2009
Breakfast w/Alex. Alex came by and we all had a ham and cheese burrito breakfast… After that, we all walked to the British Museum of National History. As usual, after two hours, Jan had had enough so we all headed out to go to Camden Town to go to a street market. As we approached the tube station Leah realized she did not have her pass, so we went back to the hotel to get it; Alex took the opportunity to bail. We ended up, instead, going to Covent Garden Market via the Piccadilly line… It was excellent. We started with a Pizza lunch at the garden (most expensive pizza I’ve ever had – lunch for three came out to be about £65 (or about $102.50!)… Walked around, watched street shows, shopped around… Headed home…

Monday, May 25, 2009
Took the District line to St. James Park to try to see the changing of the guard a Buckingham Palace; no dice! It was a little cloudy, but they decided to cancel it (and didn’t tell anybody, including their web master!)… We met some people who went to school in the same neighborhood as Jan (what are the odds of that?)
We walked through the mall to Trafalgar Square, took pictures and then decided to go to the London Zoo, taking the Northern line at Charring Cross up to Camden Town. From the station it was about a ¾ mile walk to the zoo. It is an old zoo they’ve tried to modernize; although they’ve done a decent job, one can still tell it is old and small, but historic and important!
Late lunch at the zoo’s café… I had an excellent English Meat pie… Whoever said English food was bad was wrong! Went back home via the Northern line, changing to the District line at Embankment…

Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Went to the Imperial War Museum; we took the District line up to Embankment and crossed over to the Bakerloo line to get to the Lambeth North station… What an impressive array of display and memorabilia… One can spend days in there and, as prescribed, after two hours Jan was ready to leave; so we left…
Late lunch at ‘The Three Stags’ pub right at the corner of Kennington and Lambeth roads… Leah had the most expensive burger yet in her life: £9.50 (or about $14.90!). I had the vernacular Bangers and Mash!
From there we went to the Southwark Cathedral. We took the Bakerloo line from Lambeth North to Elephant & Castle where we transferred to the Northern line and got off at the London Bridge station… This cathedral has been there since 1,066 and one of his parishioners was William Shakespeare…
From there we went back to the London Bridge station and took the Northern line north to King’s Cross & St. Pancras; crossed over to the Piccadilly line and got off at Knightsbridge to go to Harrods (cannot be in London and not go to Harrods!) – Walked around the store for a while and then ended up buying an apron! Headed home….
Had dinner at a restaurant – Manor at The Gate – attached to the hotel; good!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Took the District line to St. James Park to try – again - to see the changing of the guard a Buckingham Palace; no dice!
From there we walked to the Westminster Cathedral (Catholic) on Victoria road. What an impressive place; it had not yet been finished although has been under construction for over 60 years… They had a kitchen in the basement and Jan had a vegetable soup there…
From there, we decided to go to the British Museum; for that we went to Victoria Station and took the Victoria line to Green Park and crossed over to the Piccadilly line, getting off at Russell Square… Had a great time and, again, one could spend weeks in there but, after two hours, ‘we’ were ready to go; and we left!
Had a late lunch at a pub near the museum, across from Russell Square and next door to the Russell Hotel; good stuff! Went home for a little break before the theater tonight…
‘Phantom of the Opera’ at Her Majesty Theater - Took the Piccadilly line to Piccadilly Circus and walked on Haymarket to the theater; got there a little early so we went to the “Texas Embassy” a Tex-Mex restaurant housed in the same place where White Star line used to be. Here is where tickets for the Titanic voyage were sold…
There was a sports bar next to the theater and it was full to the rafters and still there was a queue of about 200 people wanting to get in to see the match between Barcelona and Manchester United (Barça vs. ManU).
The play was very enjoyable – sorry story, impressive consumes and excellent music!
When we got out of the theater we learned that Barcelona won 2-0. Took the Piccadilly line back home…
As we were getting home, just getting out of Partridge – the market, we met up with Alex, also coming from a play. She came home with us (she was hungry), ate and drank, and then I walked her back to her place.

Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tried again for the changing of the guard a Buckingham Palace; GOT IT, FINALLY! From there we walked via Birdcage Walk towards the Thames… Walked by the British War Room buildings, Westminster Abbey, House of Parliament, Westminster Bridge, and London Eye.
Had lunch at a Noodles Place – great!
Late in the afternoon, after classes, Alex came by and the four of us went on a Pub Crawl; the drinking age here is 18 and, on the first pub we hit, Alex & Leah were carded; Alex jumoed out with her ID and I said that Leah’s was at the hotel; they let me slide… We hit 5 pubs altogether; we had a great dinner in the next to last one (Gloucester Arms); the last one was the most crowded and was across the street from Alex’s residence. One of Alex’s roommates joined us for a beer on this last one… We had fun…
Alex is on a field trip tomorrow so we said our goodbyes…

Latest happenings...

Today is Wednesday, January 07, 2009. A day like today, Papá would have turned 87 years old; he fell 85 days short. I still cannot get it through my head that he’s gone; we still had so many things to talk about; he still had so many stories, funny and not-so-funny, to tell… At times I feel he’s around, very close to me; some other times I call him to see if he can – somehow – show me he is indeed around; I’ve had no luck yet, but I’ll keep on trying…

I will call my mom today and, as expected, she will get very weepy and sentimental, rightfully so. She just turned 80 on January 1st and these were the first Christmas and New Year holidays she spent without Papá in 60 years. This will be the first birthday of his they do not get to celebrate together in 60 years! Otherwise, her health is stable although I’ve noticed traces of something she and I have always aligned against: the PLOM (Poor Li’l Ole Me) syndrome, or feeling sorry about oneself.

She is living with my sister; the apartment she and Papá had needs to be returned to its owner in March, so they’ve been working gradually on disposing of things and keeping others in order to make sure my Mom keeps the things she cherishes most and gives away other things that, although dear, they could be of better use for someone else…

Other things of note happening are:

• Jan, Alex, Leah, Lola Bo & Pancho spent the Christmas and New Year holidays in our home in Tennessee; we call it “La Casona”, Spanish for old, ancestral house. Jan went there from December 13th and the rest of us joined her on December 20th. Had a great time with new friends here in Hawk’s Bluff as well as dear old friends (Mike, Nancy, Jesse and Rocky Temperilli) and extended family (Uncle Spence, Auntie Marcia and Sassy Price, Leah’s Godparents) who came to join us in the house after Christmas and left before New Year. Alex and Leah left on the 4th; Jan and I will leave this coming Saturday, the 10th.
• We came to the realization that the old investment strategies would not allow us to recover in a few years what we built in over 20 years and lost in less than a year: better than half of our retirement funds. Therefore, we decided to invest in an equity position in PayCargo, the company I work for. At worst, we lose some more money and end up no worse of where we are anyway; at best, we rebuild in short order our retirement nest.
• Ligia, my sister, and her family continue to grow old, surviving the Venezuelan sociopolitical situation, and hoping for better days. I asked her to please put some concentrated effort on obtaining US Visas to come visit us… We’ll see…
• Last, but not least, I continue to try and keep alive my relationship with my older daughters, Clarissa Ane and Valentina Marie; I seem to be able to talk regularly, both by phone and via e-mail with; Clarissa Ane. But I am still struggling to have even a small modicum of communication with Valentina (Medical School keeps her too busy)… But, as always, I’ll keep on trying…