Civilized Cross Many Countries

Dogs are ubiquitous, cats are rare as hens teeth. Dogs walk in the middle of the city without leashes and follow their masters. It’s amazing.

Another day, another 22,000 steps. I’m beginning to feel my age.

This is what we start the day seeing. I love this church and its beautiful courtyard. It represents this little area of Marleybone to me.

We started the day at the hip cafe all the Toney “ Marleybites” are always eating at – day and night, the place is jammed with the best pocketbooks and hip outfits. It’s called Granger. It was fine, but it was not Ottolenghi. I’ve learned my lesson.

We met Paul at Kensington Palace for a lovely tour of three different Royal periods: Tudor, Georgian, and young Queen Victoria.

Very different styles, and very different histories. One thing for sure – adultery and scandal have always been with us.

We travelled to St. Pancras station to visit the Harry Potter store for Michael. It was a madhouse, but a beautiful one.

Tea and a snack and we went off to do a little shopping in town.

No Goutal candles, no where, no how. Liberty, Selfridge, Harrods, Harvey Nichs. None.

We trotted back to the flat through the sea of humanity that is Oxford Street on Saturday, and rested our wearily bones before heading out to Trafalgar for dinner. We ate at Portrait, at the National Portrait Gallery, and took in views of the city.

Richard Corrigan was there himself, and the food and service were divine. We had our first drinks and a lovely meal of Dover Sole, Hake , and Beef Filet – each of us had our favorites.

The National Portrait Gallery was open late, and wasn’t crowded, so we spent some time getting to know some famous Britons. Of course, my favorite, Isambard Kingdom Brunel was at the top of the list!

The biographies attached to each painting were unexpected and terrific! Here are some wonderful heroes:

There we sooo many John Singer Sargents (thank you, Isabella Stewart Gardner for believing in him) and so many interesting depictions of many, many people. You could spend days there.

Paul headed home and Kirsten and I decided to walk to Buckingham Palace. We got out of the crowds, walked along St. James Park and approached the Palace devoid of people.

A cab brought us home. We are tired and a bit achey after 12 hours on our feet traversing this fine city. It is a lovely place and we’ve covered a lot of ground. Tomorrow we get to see Paul and Abi’s place and tuck into a Sunday Roast.

I just hope I get to see a cat.

We slept fitfully. Could have been on nails. 12 solid hours.

We woke refreshed, and had a glorious day of nothing much planned. We took a different route to Marleybone’s High Street and discovered a beautiful little park. We came across the Lobell’s of London, the Ginger Pig.

We decided we needed to breakfast at Ottolenghi, my North Star. Kirsten had the most gorgeous yogurt and fruit bowl, I had the leek and feta danish with zaatar, and we split Brad’s favorite cinnamon pretzel. Look at these gorgeous pastries.

We walked past one of Stanley Tucci’s favorite restaurants, which is in the neighborhood, St. John. Menu looks fab, but we’ll have to wait for all the buzz about it to dissipate to get a reservation.

We felt great so we decided to walk through Hyde Park and into Knightsbridge. On the way we saw a gorgeous little fox.

The walk was lovely. The park beautiful and flowers on every house. They must grow millions of cyclamen for their window boxes every year.

Harrrods was on our list, and it was delightfully quiet so we decided to do makeovers. Had a lovely soul from Cle de Peau give us a once over. Then a fancy cappuccino. Such fun.

We’ve never seen Little Venice, do we took a long walk over, passed the hospital where the Royals have their babies, saw the closest thing I’ve seen to a cat, and got to the canal.

What a great little area of houseboats and history. We took a boat cruise to Camden where we met Paul.

We got the best tour of Camden market, which is a total show! Vintage sellers by the hundreds, every kind of food purveyor you can think of, small shops of every persuasion. From Harrods to Camden are two separate worlds.

Then over to Covent Garden for a spot of tea and a look around. We went to my favorite tea purveyor, Mariage Freres. Such a lovely respite. Paul had a luscious iced green tea and Kirsten and I did the full Monty.

We wandered about and met Abi for dinner at The Ivy. Lovely end to a wonderful day.

On a lesser note, the Internet is spotty in the flat and the hot water is less than stellar. I am making inquiries…..

We arrived at Heathrow at 8:00 Greenwich Mean Time (I just love to say it). With no bags to wait for, we breezed through Passport Control and headed to Heathrow Express, then a taxi, then the flat.

This flat is in the same complex as the one we took last year, but a bit smaller and a bit more utilitarian. It’s adequate, but it won’t be a repeat. Great location though.

We washed our faces and headed for coffee. We didn’t brave Ottolenghi today in our sleepless state, but settled on Cafe Paul for my very favorite Pastel de Nata.

We took in the neighborhood again, Conrans closed, a Swedish coffee place opened, and the homeless guy living in the church alcove has moved.

Daunt Books is still alive and well. The Fromagerie is as charming as ever. The shops in the High Road were getting ready for Christmas and we found out the name of that hip restaurant we always walk by (Granger and Company). Paul met us after school and guided us through the city.

Selfridges was amazing – food and decor.

Next up was Liberty, with all its fineness. (No Goutal candles in sight!). We smelled a few others, but nothing beats that candle.

We stopped for a quick bite and Paul went home to get Abi, and Kirsten and I took the bus back and went to the Wallace collection.

The Wallace Collection never disappoints!

We stopped by Durrants, just to wander through, on our way home – always so English.

Home to rest for a minute, then a quick dinner with Abi and Paul on Baker Street.

What a lovely day! We are both on fumes, and ready for bed. More adventures tomorrow!

It would be deceitful to say I awoke joyfully this morning, but the Election came and happened and we need to move forward. I am just relieved that there was no talk of conspiracies and stolen elections – we live in a country where elections are safe and fair and we need to accept the results and move on. Last time was cruel for the country.

My sister awakened me with a beautiful cappuccino and serenaded me with Tom Petty. It took the sting out.

The weather in Boston was balmy, so I borrowed summer clothes and we hit the road.

We took the bus to Harvard Square ($1.70), thinking it might be the last time we see immigrants. We walked past old haunts, had a lovely lunch, and visited a church grave yard dating to the mid 1600’s. I love me a graveyard…. Many revolutionary patriots are buried there. I burst into tears on this emotional day when I saw a gravestone that read “Here lies the body of a Cat”. On further inspection, it read Cap’t something. I dried my eyes and moved on.

We headed back, Lisa drew me a bath, selected fancy shampoo and styled my hair. What a life – sisters are a small miracle.

Off on the T back to the airport where I was met by the crack Virgin Atlantic staff who kindly upgraded our seats. Love this airline.

Met up with Kirsten, did a spin around the new terminal, had a light supper, spoke with Paul and off we go!

Talk to you from across the Pond.

A little trip to London with Kirsten. Boston first for a night with my sister and then I’m off.

This is a quick trip, done economy style – not my usual mode of travel, but it’s good to see what you can tolerate. We bought bargain basement tickets that came with no baggage allowance or seat assignments (and yes, they are coach seats). Packing was a challenge.

2 slacks, 2 sweaters, 2 turtlenecks, 2 scarves, 2 shoes, one skirt and one pair of tights. All mix and match. A vest and a puff coat and ear muffs. Let’s see if I can pull this off.

Jacksonville didn’t disappoint – no lines anywhere. Priority Pass lounge is closed for renovation, and the Delta lounge would have taken me with my Amex, but because I bought a basic economy seat, I was refused. So much for a free meal on my austerity program.

I told Brad that I was taking the subway and he balked until I told him it was $2.40. I was at my sister’s house in 40 minutes, door to door at rush hour. My room and amenities are divine.

Boston’s weather was a balmy 70 degrees and lovely. We took a walk and within 5 blocks we picked from Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, steakhouse, Mexican, Argentinian and Vietnamese. Gotta love this city (Vietnamese always wins with me).

So, I go to sleep happily dreaming of London and all her charms.

This is always where I write my thoughts on the trip after I’ve had some time to digest.

I was very impressed by all the people that we met throughout the trip. Granted, many were tourists, but we mingled with some Westerners as well. I really expected an angrier, more hostile crowd in this divided country before an election. Instead, I found almost everyone we encountered to be accepting and thoughtful. There is very much a live and let live approach to life, and everyone might need to depend on everyone else at some point.

Yellowstone and the Tetons are certainly impressive, but in our world of video and Disney, they weren’t as impressive as I had imagined. I’m not a science geek, so thermal pools were interesting, but not gobsmacking. We were already at 7000 feet, so the the mountains didn’t seem gigantic. Mount Washington is almost 7000 feet and you start at sea level. So it felt similar. Old Faithful was terrific, but if you’ve seen the water show at the Bellagio, it’s kind of meh. The animals were lovely, but White Oak Conservancy spoils you for life.

Beauty is what I crave. Lake Jackson, the largest glacier lake in the lower 48, is gorgeous, but the Achensee in Austria was far more beautiful (to me). The Val Gardena in Ortesei was exceptionally beautiful, and there’s nothing like a well appointed room with a goose down comforter and a great glass of wine with a lovely meal after being outdoors. I’m a creature of comfort and luxury.

With that said, it is an amazing thing that these gorgeous parks are wild and free. The fresh air and views are lovely, but they are not the British Cotswolds or Cortina d’Ampezzo.

I totally relaxed because I wasn’t in charge and Brad had a whole group of lovely English speakers to chat with. It was stress free and I learned a lot, but I don’t crave going back.

The best part of the trip for me was the small museum in Bozeman that described all the people that settled the West. I love to envision the lives and experiences of those pioneers. Montana State was a revelation. So many interesting kids and such a terrific campus.

Bozeman was really liveable and lovely, but the little town of Livingston has my heart. Artists, authors, a real Western town without the tourists. Jackson is gorgeous – pictures below – but it’s Nantucket. A made up town that has priced out the locals.

The air was dry, my skin was rough and my nose crusty. How can these towns surrounded by pristine streams and lakes have such putrid tap water? Why does the Park allow those bandit corporations to provide such mediocre lodging and food? The entire world comes here and this is what we show them? You can go to a rural town in Scotland or Sicily and get an old fashioned room that is charming and comfortable. And let’s not discuss the food. Can’t some billionaire who loves the West make this his or her passion project?

Anyway, I digress. It was a wonderful getaway with lovely people and exceptional guides. We covered a lot of ground, got a taste of everything, learned a lot and unplugged.

I am home in my linen sheeted bed after a long scented soak in my tub, the air has moisture in it, the moon is high in the sky and I get to pick tomatoes tomorrow!

Here are some pictures of Jackson, WY.

Yippee Aye A….

Our last full day here in Wyoming. The vistas are beautiful and the air has turned cold. We’ve gone from 90 degrees earlier in the week to 45 degrees this morning.

Brad and I fell asleep last night to the sound of rain on the roof of our cabin.

Sleep was delicious, so we skipped the early scouting trip and had coffee in bed. The rain abated, but overcast skies and a good wind required the hats and gloves and fleece and Gortex we’ve been dragging around. We headed to the Snake River for a “Float”.

Able guides and oarsmen loaded us into rafts, and our guide poled us down the icy river in currents and wind. A Western gondola ride.

The Float was the way Westerners traveled in the 1800’s. Their rafts were wooden, not rubber, but the water was rough, the weather unfair, the current unpredictable and the rocks beneath ever changing. It was our first small taste of what the pioneers dealt with. We were on the river for two chilling hours, but it was important to be uncomfortable to really understand a bit of what life must have been like. It gave me time to think, for my mind to wander, and to be truly one with the scenery. Not much talking, just the elements and me.

A warm lunch in a local restaurant was a nice dose of the modern world and everyone felt more convivial. The three sisters left for a spa weekend (great planning!) and we headed out to look for moose.

We got as far as the parking lot and one of our travelers spotted one behind the restaurant. We all jumped out of the vans – how lucky. We drove a bit further and stumbled on another group.

A good day. A few more pronghorn, a couple of eagles, a trumpeter swan and we were done for the day.

We did a quick freshen up and headed out to dinner in town. We stopped by the creek for just another little dose of tranquility.

The last dinner with the group was lovely. Our little team of travelers got along so well. We were a varied bunch, all East Coasters, but we all shared kindness and acceptance and found numerous similarities and connections. I do hope we see each other again because we’ve shared a special time in our lives.

Our guides were outstanding – as individuals and leaders. Knowledgeable, competent, friendly and deeply complex and interesting souls. They enhanced the trip in so many ways and were flexible yet organized. I am a hard marker (as all of you know), but Nathaniel Dodge and Erin Roberg should be asked for and sought out. It was an exceptional experience.

The sun was almost set when we returned back to our compound. Fires lit in the Tee Pee and around the river bank. We are full and tired and ready for bed.

The airport awaits. Wish us luck traveling.

A geologist I’m not, but even I can appreciate the boiling, roiling, geo thermal action that encompasses this part of the park. We started early on a crisp morning here. We hiked around small geysers, mud pots, and hot springs. The pictures won’t do it justice.

The landscape is lunar. You’re at almost 7000 feet and it feels like sea level. We are literally standing on a volcano that spits and boils all day and all night. The water in these crystal clear aqua blue pools is 180 degrees, and it’s boiling up and rolling down hillside leaving minerals and bacteria and killing everything in site. It looks like a barren wasteland with boiling pools that smell like sulphur. And then you go a mile down the road and it’s all pine trees and streams. It’s hard to wrap your head around it.

It was a full day of wandering around springs and geysers on boardwalks and trails. It really would be like visiting another planet if not for all of the tourists – that’s a whole story for another day.

This time of year the park attracts older people like us. Many of the international tours are finished for the season, so it’s just older Americans visiting the park for the most part. I’m not going to elaborate, but let’s just say that it’s an inelegant crowd.

Old Faithful is right behind our hotel and shoots boiling water high into the air every few hours day and night. It is the epicenter of the park. Because of it, the Old Faithful Inn was built in 1904 and it is the most beautiful structure.

This hotel is the model by which all National Park buildings are designed. It is rustic, fanciful, and wonderfully restored and maintained. Tax dollars to be proud of. It is built with lodgepole pine from the area, and the architect had crews hunting for interesting twists and burls of wood that were incorporated into the design. The original blacksmith work is still being used for door handles and room numbers, and the lighting fixtures have been replaced, but to the exact initial design.

The building was electrified by two DC generators that were driven by steam from wood furnaces. Only 15 of the original rooms have private baths, the rest share a bath down the hall. Two newer wings were added with a more modern design (and bathrooms).

Thinking about how this building was constructed (mostly by immigrant Chinese labor), who stayed here (only the very wealthy), and how it has remained through brutal winters, a large earthquake and a devastating wildfire makes it so much more than a hotel. It has a history and a personality and a determination to exist. It was almost more interesting than the geysers.

On another note, expectations for lodging and food should be modest. It’s a let down for me to have bad food and basic lodging and that is all there is here. I just see such an opportunity to show this vast swath of Americans and visitors how good and nutritious food can be, and how innovative American ingenuity can be with a small room. Instead, frozen French fries and crappy towels with spotty internet. It was better in Romania – truly. But alas, maybe this is American culture and it’s all part of the experience. I hate it to be so.

We are leaving Yellowstone tomorrow and off to the Tetons and Jackson. More adventures await.

We have two very capable guides, Erin and Nathaniel, who know more about the natural world than I can fathom. Nathaniel guides all over the world with National Geographic, but lives here in that sweet town of Livingston and Erin is his partner. They are smart and sweet and competent, and therefore I am relaxed.

We are traveling in style in a luxury van with three lovely sisters from Upstate New York and Nathaniel. The other 6 guests are with Erin. Gorgeous vistas abound, the Park is not overly crowded, and the weather is hot, but lovely. All of us were expecting cooler temps, so we were over dressed.

We saw Pronghorn – an ancient species confused with antelopes, and Pika, a rabbit like animal that is rarely spotted (Erin had never seen one).

We stopped for lunch at a picnic area and struck up a conversation with a German couple that own a Mercedes Unimog that they are camping in. It has 400k miles on it and they shipped it from Hamburg to Halifax, Nova Scotia and then travelled through the US. Brad was impressed.

On to Mammoth Springs to see the most outrageous landscapes. Scalding water, 15 miles underground, comes up through limestone, bringing up limestone dust which covers large areas, making a moonscape.

Boardwalks are the only place you can walk, and there are miles of them. Every area looks different, and it’s surreal. The initial settlers and visitors must have felt like they discovered a distant planet. The water was boiling, the sun was very strong, and there is not a drop of moisture in the high altitude thin air. It beat us up.

We hobbled down to the main Yellowstone Visitor Center and sucked up some air conditioning and made our way to our hotel. After a shower and a rest we could appreciate the rushing river right below us and the elk on the opposite shore.

We had a sweet dinner at a local spot (trout for me, bison for Brad) and came back to watch the moon over the river before heading to bed.

The day felt long. We didn’t really do very much walking, but there was a lot of sensory overload, unexpected heat and high altitudes. How people survived without enough water or supplies, I will never know. It is an awesome place, but a punishing place. I think I expected a more Hansel and Gretel like environment.

We left the windows open to hear the river and hopefully some elk braying tonight, but our screen wasn’t properly fitted, and 72 small bugs have been murdered by me so far. They are attracted to the light of the IPad as I write. Windows closed, AC on, and we will miss the call of the Elks. The natural world is nice, but I’m a modern girl.

Good night from the bug fest. More tomorrow.

We’ve had a nice time here in Bozeman. No heavy lifting, and pleasant all the way around. We’ve learned a lot, and it’s made us think a lot about the middle of the country.

The people that settled here were tough hombres. The weather here can be cruel, and it’s so vast that isolation must have been harder than the weather. It’s a special person that can deal with the hardships of distance and extreme weather and still be an innovator and entrepreneur.

It seems to have made people here more independent, and more forgiving. We saw a mom in Livingston with her 6 year old son, riding bikes to meet Gram at a restaurant. The little tyke navigating the road and cars, helping himself to a buffet that was above his head, and carrying a real plate to the cashier for weighing – it wasn’t his first rodeo. Kindness is embedded into these people – every service person genuinely wanted to help us. You learn to be nice to each other because we all need each other.

The older people in town are walking around in jeans and hiking boots, stopping to chat, heading to yoga class, and ordering chai lattes in hip cafes. No room for complaining. They are holding up political signs and urging the young people to vote and care. Young people were the volunteers at all the museums and the university offers everything from Bill McKibbon and Isabelle Allende lectures to drag Queen brunches.

There was one well dressed student today, but overall there is no fashion sense. Not even the gay men.

We started the cool morning in front of a fire and headed to Rockford Coffee for a great cup. We took a leisurely walk and headed out to drop the car. We wanted to see the living history museum and the University was right next door, so we had breakfast with the Bobcats.

We haven’t been to a dining commons in years, but MSU’s is locally sourced and diverse. Gorgeous fruit, local sausage and homemade rhubarb strawberry compote with allspice (yes, Brad had eggs and toast). We walked around the campus, heard the carillon bells and took pictures of the trees and birds.

The Living History museum didn’t disappoint. Lovely MSU students in period dress, knitting, feeding chickens and interpreting.

We hung around town in the afternoon in front of the Co op and watched greater Bozeman walk by. Everyone third person had a yellow MSU Bobcats T-shirt as there is a game tonight. We talked to the local horse and carriage operator and stumbled upon one of the loveliest chocolate shops that I’ve ever been in. Such a lovely surprise.

The high school boy who waited on me was a delight. The chocolates are all made on site and the owner is French. We sat and sampled and bought treats for our trip. What about a trip to France with this wonderful couple next year? Who’s with me?

So we’ve finally met our crew tonight. Our guides are very experienced and really easy. The people we’ll be traveling with are also easy to get along with and intrepid travelers all. I know we will learn a lot.

We are packed and ready and watching the Bobcats decimate Maine football team. I’m reading some Annie Proulx Western stories tonight and looking forward to the week ahead.

Talk to you from Yellowstone.