Back "Home"... Away from Home

Returned 5 days ago from a 3-week trip to the US, and am still fighting the jet lag! It's much easier to go west than east... I am laying awake until at least 2 am, then sleeping fitfully; I probably don't hit solid sleep before 8 am and am absolutely willing myself out of bed at 10:30. By the time I drink my coffee, watch a few episodes of "Two and 1/2 Men" and take a shower, half my day is over with! Must... get... back... to... regular... routine...this...week!! This will include returning to my beloved fitness walks, starting tomorrow.

And how was my trip to my real (as opposed to surreal) home? It was really great. Kyle & I flew over with Chris - rather, behind Chris as he was up in Business Class and we were back in Economy Plus (it was a work trip as well for him) and we all spent a week at our beautiful home in Vestal, NY. It really is a beautiful home, darn it. Huge kitchen with full-size appliances, a prep sink, and a pot-filler! Walk-all-the-way-in-and-close-the-door-behind-you laundry room with a humongous Whirlpool duet washer & dryer - you can wash more than 2 towels at a time! And my shower... don't get me started on that shower. I was absolutely giddy for the first 15 minutes after we arrived.

Michael & Sarah and Eric & Lauren came up from NoVirginia and we had a wonderful Labor Day weekend together, joined by Chris's brother Mike, their parents, and mine as well. Steaks on the grill were of course in order, as were stops at Heid's of Liverpool when we drove up to Syracuse for a day, and the Speedie & Rib Pit in Vestal. Forgot to mention that Kyle & I arrived a day before Chris did and our first dinner back home was Five Guys Burgers in Binghamton. Almost heaven! We also made it to the Ithaca Brew Fest where people actually - and I'm not making this up - stopped Chris to take photos of him and his "Bob the Boozer" shirt that he bought at the British Beer Fest! He was eating it up, of course. Add in a game of whiffle ball and a few evenings around the ole' fire pit, roasting marshmallows and melting beer bottles, and you could almost call it a perfect holiday.

Following the much-needed and well-enjoyed family time, we headed out. After driving Chris to Dulles airport, Kyle & I spent 3 wonderful, warm, sunny days in Manassas, VA, practically our home town (actually, it really is Kyle's hometown.) Got the chance to spend more time with Michael & Eric and see some old and very dear friends. Then it was off to Kennett Square, PA for a stay at the Koetz's - Auntie Gramma needed her fix and we had a lovely visit with Olivia & Riley - oh, and Meg & Glenn of course. The last stop on our road trip was South Jersey, where we again had the opportunity to see very dear friends and do some catching up. Boy, did the time go by fast. After a week on the road, we headed back to Vestal, where (in between watching our favorite Food Network shows) Kyle & I vacuumed up crumbs, did laundry (pure bliss) and cleaned out the fridge in preparation for vacating the house once again.

Our last 5 days were spent up in Liverpool, mostly with family - although I did get the chance to see one of my HS BFF's Nancy, who doesn't even read my blog so won't know about this shout out. All of the Manning side of the family gathered at Dad & Darlene's that Saturday for our traditional "Early Thanksgiving" and had a ball just being together.

How thankful I am - I just traveled to 4 different states in 3 weeks and had the chance to spend true quality time with our wonderful families and many fabulous friends that I count myself so blessed to have. And now I'm back in London, familiar but at the same time still foreign, and am fortunate enough to have a few friends that I'm returning to. What did I appreciate most about being back in the US? Being together with all of our kids at once. (And the above mentioned modern conveniences, of course.) What do I appreciate most about being back? Hmmmmm... besides the obvious, which is Chris & I being in the same time zone, I'm going to have to give it some thought. I'm still reveling in the memory of that Five Guys cheeseburger...

(Note: album below is the same one that was e-mailed to family)
http://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/TripToUS#

Maria bids Adieu

(Pre-script: I wrote the below a full 5 days ago - I am getting bad about these posts.)

Hard to believe it's been a week since my last post! It's been a whirlwind for sure.

Tuesday of last week, Maria & I went to the National Gallery, but on our way we stopped at TKTS in Leicester Square to see what they had. (I believe NYC has a TKTS for discount Broadway shows tickets as well.) We were able to get great tickets for a show that evening (details will follow.) Then it was on to the National Gallery just to peruse through a few rooms that Maria selected (you could peruse rooms for an entire week there and still not see it all) then it was a late lunch in the cafe and back home for a rest - all the travel & touring was beginning to wear on poor Pi. So, we went home to regroup, collected Kyle, and headed to the Prince Edward Theatre to see "Jersey Boys". We had fantastic seats for an absolutely fantastic show! With the exception of one chap who just couldn't seem to lose the Welsh accent, you would never know that these actors weren't from Hoboken. During the intermission, I got chatting with the bartender telling her how much I enjoyed the show, and I observed that I couldn't imagine how it could be any better in NY. She told me that she actually hears from a lot of Americans who have seen both versions that the West End version is better... what a compliment. And a challenge for the actually Joisy Boys who might take it to heart.

Afterwards, we decided to see if we could pull another DHP moment, and sought out the stage door. While doing so we met a wonderful couple from Los Angeles, Stu & Karen, who were doing the same thing and we had a lovely time chatting with them. It was through Karen's tenacity that we were able to figure out that we were in the wrong place, and scooted back to the front of the theatre just in time to see 3 of the 4 main actors come out. Extremely sweet guys - and so young! Maria & I laughed later that it probably makes their night when 2 middle aged American women gush about how fabulous they are and how brilliant their accents were. "Tee hee hee..." You can hear us now, can't you? That was certainly the one moment of the evening when Kyle wishes he'd stayed behind to use the loo or something. The lovely guy who played Franki Valli recommended a nearby Italian restaurant for dinner after the show and it was a great find - one I would definitely return to when going to see another show (Almalfi on Old Compton St. - Cannelloni almost as good as Old Ebbit's, and that is high praise, believe me.) As the Four Seasons themselves sang earlier in the evening, "Oh what a night!"

Maria's last day came much too quickly. We headed back to Covent Garden so that she could pick up a few things she'd spied earlier, then Jenny met up with us for lunch. Then we all headed to Knightsbridge and walked up to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. The day turned out rather well for a walk in the park. I got my first glimpse up close of the Royal Albert Hall; across from it in the park is the Albert Memorial - good Lord, the woman spared no expense in tribute to her late husband! Before getting back on the tube, we did a quick walk through Harrod's - you can't be so close and not go in - and then it was time to head home. Kyle made a lovely Asian stir fry for us for dinner which was delish.

Early Thursday, I rode on the tube with Maria as far as Victoria Station, where she got on board the Gatwick Express headed for the airport. It was only 7:45 am when I got back to the flat, so it was back to bed for me, to sleep off all the excitement of the last several days. Maria says she had a good time, but no better time than I had having her here. I think she's already making plans for what she wants to see next summer... :-) That's one sister down, 5 to go. Come on girls! You'll have a blast! (Yes, Mart - you can come too...)

http://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/MariaVisitIIIJerseyBoysAlbertMemorial#

Maria's Visit, Part 2 - London Tours

Sunday, as promised, Maria, Kyle & I had brunch at Belsize Kitchen, where Kyle had the luxury of eating food that he didn't have to prepare himself. Maria & Kyle had the "Full Belsize" which translates as the traditional "full English"; I opted for the eggs benedict and we all left full & happy.

Then it was on to the St. Paul's tube station to meet the tour - which we almost didn't, as "scheduled works" on our branch of the Northern Line delayed our trip. But we made it just in the nick of time and were so glad we did. Our tour guide for "Shakespeare & Dickens' London" was an American from the midwest named David. He's clearly been in the UK for awhile and he was terrific. The tour lasted a bit over 2 hours and stayed pretty much in the vicinity of St. Paul's. We saw several buildings that pre-dated the famous London fire of 1666, as well as spots that Shakespeare & Dickens would've either themselves frequented, or referenced in their writing during their respective times in London. Since none of the three of us can remotely call ourselves any sort of authority on either Mr. Shakespeare or Dickens, we didn't get as much from the tour as perhaps we could have, but it was enjoyable nonetheless and David (who also teaches Shakespeare to American college students) kept us very entertained. Also featured during the tour were surviving sections of the "London Wall", the defensive structure that the Romans had built around "Londinium" in the 2nd or 3rd century.

Following the tour, after stopping for a tea & coffee break, we visited briefly the spectacular interior of St. Paul's Cathedral, then walked across the Millenium Bridge and popped into the Tate Modern before it closed. The Tate Modern displays the works of international artists from 1900 and beyond and we did see a few Picassos and a Jackson Pollack among others. I must say I prefer the less contemporary art for the most part but you know, it's in the eye of the beholder and all that. We then continued walking along the South Bank of the Thames as it had turned into a very nice, albeit cool afternoon. (Sitting on the patio of the Anchor Bar was mandatory as it overlooked the river and the sun was out, and you can't sit on the patio unless you buy something, so... you know the rest.) It was another good, full day.

As I write this, it's Monday evening and Maria & I are chilling after another event-filled day. We met another London Tour group at 10:45 this morning, this time for a tour of Westminster Abbey, which I've been by myself many times but hadn't yet toured. Once again, the interior of this magnificent church really took our breath away - by the end of Maria's visit she & I will both be pulling around oxygen tanks at this rate. Not only is it HUGE but it's so darn ancient and beautiful. Today's tour guide was Chris, and although she didn't have the entertainment value of David, she clearly knows her stuff and gave us more information than I fear we can hold in our brains. The site of coronations and royal weddings, the Abbey is also the burial place for many well known Brits (and not), royal and not, including: Elizabeth I, her half-sister Queen Mary and her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, Charles Dickens, George Handel, Sir Lawrence Olivier, Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin, just to name a few, and in absolutely no particular order. Also entombed there is the "Unknown Warrior" who was an anonymous soldier killed during World War I and who gets the highest honor and respect of any others buried there. It was a really great tour.

Following it, we grabbed a bite and walked around Westminster in order for Maria to take the cumpulsatory photos of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and 10 Downing Street. We also timed our walk past the Horse Guard nearly perfectly and were able to catch the hourly changing of the "mounted boxmen" guards (in this case, 4 out of 5 participants were women) which was kind of cool. Then it was up to Trafalgar Square, a peek into Saint Martin-in-the-Field church and back to the tube. We are tired!

http://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/MariaVisitIIStPaulSWestminsterAbbey#

I Just Met a Girl Named Maria... (actually, I've known her for awhile.)

Maria arrived safely from Syracuse by way of Philadelphia last Wednesday, and it's been a whirlwind ever since.

After breakfast and a little nap (Maria took one too), we stayed around Hampstead seeing the sights and of course, stopping in the pub. We all had dinner at our favorite Hampstead restaurant, Villa Bianca to officially welcome her to London. Thursday, Maria & I met up with my friends Jenny & Joyce for our "Royal Day Out" at Buckingham Palace.

The Palace State Rooms are only open to the public during August & September while the Royal Family vacations at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The Royal Day Out ticket included the State Rooms, and also the Royal Mews where the carriages & horses are housed, and the Queen's Gallery which is currently running an exhibit about Victoria & Albert (the Queen & her Prince) which includes loads of paintings of the two of them and their six children at various life stages, and also samples of art that they gave to each other as gifts over the years. They apparently had quite a love story; if anyone has ever seen the movie "Mrs. Brown" (highly recommended if you haven't), you'll recall it's the story of how a man named Mr. Brown, played by Billy Connelly, was brought in to sort of bring the Queen (Dame Judy Dench) out of her many years of depression after Albert died. As the story goes, he remained her dear friend and companion for many years, much to the chagrin of her children and her advisors. (Needless to say, this story isn't highlighted at the exhibit.)

The Royal Mews & the State Rooms were in a word, spectacular. At the Mews, we saw and took photos of the carriage that Diana rode in to meet her own Prince Charming on her wedding day (the Queen and Princess Anne had both used it as well), as well as the over-the-top Royal State Coach, among others. The State Rooms themselves were just unbelievably beautiful and so regal. From the original fine works of art to the Grand Staircase to the Throne Room, it all sort of just took your breath away. Of course, no photos allowed inside, so just trust me when I say it was truly exquisite. It was a long day out but a really good one.

Friday took us to Borough Market and Covent Garden for shopping & lunch & more shopping and it was a lot of fun. Saturday, Chris left early for a looooonnnng plane ride to Sydney for a week of business meetings (he'll actually be in Camberra, the official "capital" of Australia) - he'll also get a chance to visit with our London friend Andrew which will be good. Kyle worked a full day, so Maria and I were on our own again, and this day got a bit of a late start and headed to the British Museum. Maria will be teaching her 6th-graders ancient cultures this coming year, including Greece & Rome, and she was really excited about all there was to see at the British Museum. We spent a good few hours there, then it was on to the Audley Pub in Mayfair for proper pub food (and a few pints) then back home.

This brings us up to date and through the first half of Maria's visit. Today, Kyle wants us to have brunch at the restaurant where he works, then we'll head downtown for a "London Walks" tour of "Shakespeare & Dickens London" which should be pretty neat. Reports to follow...

http://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/MariaVisitIBuckinghamPalace#

Beer, the Bard, and David Hyde Pierce

A few weeks ago, my friend Jenny & I went to see a Wednesday matinee of the show "La Bête" starring the American David Hyde Pierce and Brits Mark Rylance and Joanna Lumley at the West End's Comedy Theatre. It's a story set in 17th century France about a royal acting troupe. It was a great show (Mark Rylance is brilliant), and anyone who's able should try to catch it when the entire cast moves with it to Broadway in mid-September. The most exciting part was afterwards: as Jenny & I were leaving the theatre, we saw a small group gathered near what we assumed was the stage door. iPhone cameras in hand, we joined them, and sure enough, after not much of a wait, the cast made its way out. How wonderful & gracious they all were, taking the time to sign autographs & pose for pictures (keep in mind they had to return to the theatre in just a few hours for the evening show.) Best of all was having the second opportunity of my not-yet-too-terribly-long life to meet and chat with David Hyde Pierce. David's grandfather and subsequently his father both suffered from and succumbed to the affects of Alzheimer's Disease, and David has worked tirelessly over the years as a spokesperson and true advocate of the Alzheimer's Association in the US. I had a chance to meet him several years ago at a Candlelight Vigil in Washington D.C. and he was just as lovely and personable this time around. Most of you know that I lost my mom to this awful disease and I told David quite truthfully that as much as I enjoyed and admired his acting work (I watch Niles go head to head with Frasier daily over here) I will always love him best for his work on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association.

Last Saturday, Chris & I went to see Shakespeare's comedy "A Comedy of Errors" at the Open Air Theatre at Regents Park. It was a lot of fun, despite the fact that the first 15 minutes or so were a bit over our heads - ya know - it was Shakespeare and all. But the second half more than made up for it and we really enjoyed it. And the theatre was beautiful - especially since the weather cooperated. This past Monday I was with Jenny again, this time for a visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum. We went for the wonderful "Grace Kelly: Stlye Icon" exhibit, and it certainly was aptly named! Not only did they have many of the outfits from her wedding trousseau, but also dresses from several of her movies (best were from "High Society") as well as her more "funky" looks from the 70's and early 80's.

Finally, yesterday, Chris & I visited the Great British Beer Festival in Earl's Court. Lots of beer and lots of fun. You pay an admission fee, then a few quid for a souvenir glass (that you can return for a refund before leaving if you want; we didn't) and then you can go up to one of hundreds of different taps for an inexpensive taste of either 1/3, 1/2 or a full pint. They had bottled beer available as well. The event was sponsored by a group called CAMRA, which stands for "Campaign for Real Ale" and they are very big on promoting what they consider to be "real ale" made from traditional ingredients by a very specific process. It's all greek to me, but Chris was happy and I tasted some beer that I wouldn't have thought I liked, but I did. So it was a successful day. In case you're interested, earlier in the week of the festival, Castle Rock's Harvest Pale, Nottingham was voted Britain's Champion Beer (we tasted it and liked it) and winner of the Michael Jackson Award, which is given annually to the best American Cask Real Ale went to the Smuttynose Brewery's Big A IPA, from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. (Anyone heard of it...?)

In between all this "culture", I've been thoroughly enjoying fitness walks 2 or 3 times a week with a walking group based out of the Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute. They are guided walks/hikes through parts of Hampstead Heath & the Heath Extension so I never have to worry about getting lost (not that I ever was lost) and they are also silent, so no mobile phones and no chatting. Even tho' this is meant to be meditative, I can't say that I'm always thinking on a higher level than what I'll be picking up from the grocery store when I'm finished, but many times I am concentrating on the beautiful surroundings and thinking of my family and my friends and it's a good thing.

And Kyle got a job! He's been in it for a few weeks now and so far so good. He's sort of a "chef-in-training" at a local family owned, newly opened restaurant. Although they are getting progressively busier and he stays quite busy while he's working, he is rising to the challenge and I'm sure learning a lot, not only about cooking, but about the way a restaurant works. What more could an aspiring chef hope for?

My sister Maria arrives this week for an 8-day visit and I am quite excited! Maybe I should ask her to be "guest blogger" while she's here!

http://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/CulturalFun#

Paris!

Sigh. How does one describe her first trip to Paris? Je ne c'est pas... Magnifique? Trés bien? Amazing? All of those things. And lots of fun, too.

We arrived around 12:30 Wednesday afternoon to an auspicious start: We managed to hail a cab at the train station, and convey where we needed to go - I even ventured a "comment allez-vous?" and the driver answered with "comme ça", indicating that he actually comprended me! However, after about 2 minutes in the cab it began to sprinkle, then pour, then absolutely teem with rain, which continued for about the next 2 1/2 hours. So the "oohing" and "aahing" didn't kick in right away. We were able to check into one of our two reserved rooms early, so we stowed our things, donned our umbrellas and headed out to find somewhere to mange. (Only breakfast is available at our hotel.) After getting a teensy bit soaked, we settled on the nearby Brasserie du Louvre, which is very near the hotel, and also very near the Louvre, and yes - your conclusion is correct - our hotel was very near the Louvre. We had a nice, leisurely, albeit very expensive lunch (including of course a bottle of vin).

By the time we finished the rain had started to let up a bit, so we headed over to the Louvre, which is a remarkable building on the outside! I realized on the train that the day we arrived - 14 July - is also Bastille Day, which is a national holiday in France. Good news was that the Louvre was open, even better news was that the admission due to the holiday was free; bad news was that about 5 trillion people discovered this before us and the wait in line would have been trés long. Tour guide Sue of course was carrying books & maps and we decided to try the Musée D'Orsay instead which was about a 10 minute walk on the other side of the little river called the Seine. Time well spent as that museum contains a lot of really great stuff - Van Goghs and Monets and Renoirs just to name a few. By the time we left the sun had come out and we spent the rest of the afternoon strolling and window shopping and just enjoying being in Paris. Dinner that night was at a very French Restaurant called "Au Pieds du Conchon" which loosely translates to "Feet of the Pig" which is exactly what Kyle ordered, along with the tail, ears, and trotter. Mon Dieu! Chris had escargots as a starter and we all enjoyed a wonderful meal (which included of course, a bottle or 2 of vin.)

Thursday provided absolutely lovely weather - even a bit cool to start. That was a day of heavy walking, first just through the streets seeing the sights and doing a little shopping, then after a lovely lunch (and bottle of vin) where we had the most terrific French waiter, Xavier, who was impressed with my French (this time I tried out "Comment vous-appelez vous?"), came the major stuff: down the Champs-Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe (WOW) then on to the Trocadéro (not sure what it actually is Paris - just saw signs) where we got our first glimpse of the Tour Eiffel which truly was breathtaking in every sense of that word. Unfortunately, Kyle started the day not feeling well and by lunch was feeling pretty badly so we had to put him in a cab back to the hotel and he missed the big stuff. He felt better after a good nap and by the time we got back to the hotel he was ready to venture out again, and we did, this time to an area on the Left Bank called St-Germain-des-Prés which contains lots of art galleries, shops, and restaurants. As we were pondering the all-in-French menu in front of one of the restaurants scratching our heads (my limited French doesn't go that far) we attracted the attention of a guy walking by who took the time to stop, ask (in English) if he could assist us (only if "we didn't mind"), and walk us to an Italian restaurant that he had just recently eaten at and liked very much. Talking about it later, we'd all been a bit skeptical for different reasons as to what his motivation might be, but it had become clear after a few minutes of talking with him that he was just a nice man - if a bit of an oddball - who was doing something nice. It was one of our favorite meals of the trip: not just delicious, but served by a French Italian (Italian French?) and accompanied by the requisite old craggy man playing the accordian. So French! (Yes, the little guy did pass the chapeau aound later to all of us who had taken his photo. Any way to make a euro.)

Our last day was another full one. First stop: the Louvre and at 10 am the line was almost non-existant. This is hard experience to describe, because it's almost with disdain that I witnessed masses of people rush with blinders on past magnificent sculptures and one-of-a-kind works of art to get to the Mona Lisa, but then again, I was one of those people, and I feel kind of weird about it. Amazingly, they allow photos to be taken in the Louvre, but not with a flash. Needless to say, more than half of the picture takers used their flash anyway (not us) and what really bothered us were the people that literally pushed and shoved their way (I'm being kind here) up to the rope in front of the painting, ignoring everyone around them that might be waiting for their photo to be taken so that they could have their companion take their photo, then carelessly push their way back out without even bothering to stop and glance at the amazing masterpiece that they had just been in the presence of! So that being the atmosphere in which I was able to see the one and only most famous work of art in the world, I think it felt a bit anticlimactic. I made myself feel a little better in the end though, as I looked her way one last time before moving on and realized that her smile isn't mysterious after all - it's a look of pure amusement at the masses of lunatics who come before her daily and make idiots of themselves. I think you could visit the Louvre every day for a month and still not see all there is to see, so after a quick stop by the Venus de Milo and a look at but a fraction of the French paintings, we were on our way to Notre Dame, about a 30 minute walk. This 13th Century cathedral was the perfect way to end our "official" whirlwind tour of Paris and is an amazing structure inside and out.

Following that, we sought out a bistro that we'd found in the guidebook for one last French meal (and oui, one last bouteille de vin) and it was a wonderful meal at that. We then strolled back through St-Germain-des-Prés, made our way back to the hotel where we picked up our luggage and waited for our taxi to the train station. What a trip.

I think I was most impressed by the Arc de Triomphe. Commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon to commemorate his military victories, it took 30 years to complete, and has really become quite a symbol in Paris. I found it completely awesome. One not-so-positive and surprising observation about Paris in general was how much trash was around the streets and parks, but I'm choosing to chalk that up to the Bastille Day celebrations. On the positive side, although we may have come across a brusque waiter or two, for the most part the French people who we met and dealt with were really lovely, friendly and helpful. One night walking back to the hotel after dinner, we came across a band playing by the Seine. It was a brass band - tubas, trumpets, trombones, french horns - and a drummer, and this just seemed like a regular Thursday night activity for them, the way some guys get together for poker or to watch the game. They appeared to be having the best time. That was the most magical moment for me - looking down over the Seine in the moonlight listening to this informal group of amis playing music together, whether anyone happened to be around to listen or not.

Exhausting, overwhelming, unbelievable, yet wonderful. I think that will be the description I will settle on about my first (and hopefully not last) trip to Paris.

http://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/Paris#5495663009322461282

Catching Up

It's been a busy few weeks. Last Sunday Chris & I celebrated the 4th of July British style. We were invited to an "American 4th of July Picnic" at the London home of Louis Susman, the American Ambassador to the UK (actually, to the Court of St. James) and his wife. They live at Winfield House, which is a humongous dwelling within Regents Park. We of course were limited to the yard (even the loos were outside) so luckily the weather cooperated. It was a really nice effort, but pretty much a British event. We were greeted by the Ambassador himself upon arrival; he said hello then directed us quickly toward the hot dogs. Hamburgers were also provided, as well as beer (American & British), chicken, ice cream & Starbucks coffee. Pimms cocktails and large screen TV's showing the Wimbledon final kept the English guests content. There was a band - a very good one, in fact - but it was no National Symphony Orchestra on the grounds of the Capital and, sadly, there was no Stars & Stripes Forever accompanied by fireworks for a finale. I'm happy to say that there was a US Marine Corps Honor Guard in attendance, which of course made me think of my Dad. The 4th of July was a very big deal when we were kids and all of the patriotic songs that my siblings & I can all still sing are a result of Dad's tuteledge. ("You're a grand old flag...") Now, for some reason, which I'm sure makes sense somehow, Bianca Jagger was at this event. Just floating among the guests in a very un-celebrity sort of way. Sounds kind of like I'm recapping a strange dream, doesn't it?

I'd been feeling more settled and a bit more at home before this picnic, but I realized at the end of the day that I was feeling depressed and homesick again. We never had a huge party or anything for the 4th in the US, but we usually did spend it with some contingent of the extended family, and it really is such a huge part of our culture over there. Here, it was just another Sunday, which felt wrong somehow. Having Bianca at our "American" picnic might have kinda pushed the whole feeling over the edge. Oh well. Ironically enough, just as we were going to bed, we heard a brief smattering of fireworks going on out the window. We couldn't see anything, but someone was setting them off somewhere close by which gave me a bit of comfort before I fell asleep.

Yesterday, we went to the wedding of our friends Cristina & Wycliffe. Cristina was my niece Olivia's (Meg & Glenn's now 5 yo) very first au pair from 2005 to 2006. She is from Romania and after her 1 year commitment in the US went back home. Not long after that she took a nanny position in London, where she met Wycliffe, who is from Uganda. I'd gotten to know Cristina when she was providing wonderful care for Olivia & support for new Mom Meg, and when we came over for Chris's interview in January Meg hooked us up. We've seen them a few times since, including - much to Wycliffe's dismay - watching England's final loss (some would say embarrassing thrashing) to Germany in the World Cup together. So, yesterday we went to the British wedding of a Romanian bride and Ugandan groom and had a lovely time.

Chris's brother Mike arrived for a 10-day visit on Friday morning - so good to see some family! I think he's been having a good time: we took him to Borough Market & for a walk along the south bank of the Thames on Friday, Yesterday while we were at the wedding, Kyle showed him Covent Garden and they walked around the city a bit more, and last night we had lamb chops for dinner. Not sure if I've previously mentioned this, but the British lamb & pork that we've been getting from our local butcher is to die for. It's all free range and truly like nothing I've ever eaten in the US. Chris & Mike headed up to Birmingham today to play a few rounds of golf, one of which will be on the same course where something like 4 Ryder cups have been played. They rented a car and Chris drove for the first time since being here. He did call to say they'd made it safely - hopefully they'll have as much success on the golf course.

I'm most excited about the fact that this Wednesday, the 4 of us leave for a 3-day trip to Paris on the Eurostar!! I really can't wait. I've been brushing up on my French and pouring over the guide books. It's the first time going for all of us so it should be a lot of fun. It may just be a blog worth tuning back in for. Au revoir pour maintenant.

http://picasaweb.google.com/swronsky/JulyHappenings#