Sadly, my little netbook took ill no sooner than I arrived in Bogotá for the bookfair at the start of May. The fantastic Hotel Excelsior has a business center for its guests but trying to blog knowing any minute someone else will turn up to use the computer makes it harder for me to write. At any case, the bookfair was useful, several salalmistas were present and many of us were at the Excelsior.
Onto my stay in Philadelphia from May 27 through June 2 to attend SALALM LVI hosted by University of Pennsylvania and Temple University. (Another guest in the hotel elevator asked me what the LVI letters stood for and I explained it mean the 56th annual meeting of our group. He replied, "Clearly, I'm not a Roman or I would have known that.") We had some very good panels on archiving issues regarding human rights. As always, what I really look forward to is seeing the many friends I've known from the conference over the years. What's equally fun is meeting new faces joining us for the first time and I met several people in this category.
It was my first time in Philadelphia and the Center City area was the perfect setting. The hotel had good restaurants but right outside the front door were even more in every direction. I had French food, Mexican food, seafood, Middle Eastern food, and even the mandatory Philly Cheesesteak! It was also great to see the old character of this realm mixed in with new stores and buildings. There were small old alley ways that I looked down even if I only got delivery trucks unloading their goods. From my hotel room window there was a mix of old buildings mixed in with new. Some of the older buildings were even taller than the new builds right by them. I was especially intrigued by one building I could see to my far left from my room window. Very tall, possibly early 20th century (or at least through the 1930s) but not a skinny skyscraper. It was rather broad and toward the top, I could see a row of balconies with arches. Time didn't permit a walk to try to get to the building and learn more about it.
I did manage a walk on a hot Sunday afternoon to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. I didn't have a ticket for Independence Hall but it didn't take long to walk through the Liberty Bell Center, read its documentation and see the bell itself. Luckily, I found the bus stop on Walnut Street and caught the 42 bus back to the hotel. It was really hot that day and the last thing I wanted to do was show up at Executive Board a big, sweaty mess.
My next trip to Philly will have to be during a cooler time of year in order to enjoy more sights and drink in the history.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Trini Travel
This is my last night in Port of Spain. I arrived Sunday to spend the week buying books. This year's Title VI budget was allocated for the Caribbean. There aren't many bookfairs in this region so I started planning this trip last fall by determining where library holdings need strengthening and it turned out to be Trinidad and Tobago. I don't mind at all! I was here in 2001 on my TICFIA project working with the UWI Library and it's been gratifying to think about returning. The big difference as well is that in 2001 I stayed in St. Augustine and only got a glimpse of Port of Spain on a car tour that included visiting the zoo.
The drive from Piarco airport to Port of Spain can take about 30 min. on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway. It crosses the Eastern Main Road which is the vicinity of St. Augustine. I saw the Mount St. Benedict monastery high in the hills and remembered the delicious passion fruit yogurt they make. We passed the Valsayn Shopping Center which was very nostalgic. Most evenings in 2001, I would leave campus and go back to my guesthouse, rest, change clothes, and then walk through the neighborhood where I could approach the shopping center from the non-highway side. There were a variety of restaurants where I could dine without it getting boring, a grocery store where I could buy cold drinks and snacks for my room's fridge, and just get out a little in the evening. There's now also a 24 hour pharmacy at the opposite corner of the highway. We also passed a drive-in theatre, now closed. I love going to drive-ins so it's fascinating to see they've also been in the Caribbean (there's still one in operation in Barbados).
As we hit a red light going into POS, I suddenly heard a loud broadcast of East Indian music. I assumed someone driving with their windows open was blasting their radio. The cab driver pointed out it was coming from a procession of cars for a Hindu wedding waiting at the light. Sure enough, there was a car outfitted with outside speakers and a sign announcing its availability for hire. Heading up the line was a white car festooned with red streamers. The light turned green and they headed to their festivities.
I got to Alicia's House in St. Ann's, a POS neighborhood. The room here is not fancy but fits my budget (including breakfast), is clean and comfortable, has free wi-fi access and a fridge. The cable TV selections include 2 Miami channels so I don't have to miss news from home. The desk clerk pointed me to Hi-Lo supermarket before they closed at 4pm so I could get water and snacks. To my delight, I also found Mount St. Benedict yogurt in the dairy section! I bought the big container, found plastic spoons and checked out just at 4pm as the store closed. I also found some prepared sandwiches so my dinner that night was a sandwich and passion fruit yogurt. Yeah!
Alan Moss was good enough to give me ideas for where to go and stay. I haven't gone totally with all of them. I didn't make it to Tunapuna and the bookstore there nor a couple of others he mentioned. I should have made it back downtown one more time to visit the Central Statistical Office but much of their stuff is online. The FIU Libraries receive several Central Bank publications and most of those have now gone online. On the other hand, there's still a lot to find here that isn't strictly UWI publications. The UWI titles we lack can be ordered online and I'll be finishing that up in the next couple of weeks.
I spent Monday visiting a couple of downtown bookstores, writing down titles so I could check them against the online catalog to avoid duplication. The bookstores are well stocked with US publications but generally have a West Indian section. A couple were more inclined to provide school books, test materials and educational supplies so I didn't use them. One might think that there's a law in T&T that all bookstores must bear the surname Khan. Take your pick: RIK (Khan) Trinidad Book World, Keith Khan Books and Gifts, and Nigel Khan Books (who also included an Erotica section). RIK and Nigel Khan have multiple locations; I'm not sure about Keith Khan. Actually, there's also Metropolitan Book Suppliers in the Capital Plaza Mall on Frederick Street, and other stores around Trinidad do have different names. The Metropolitan was very helpful. They agreed to ship my pu
rchases and those I made at one of the other stores. They called this afternoon before I left my room to let me know the 2 boxes will be heading towards Miami as of tomorrow and should arrive the week after next. Perfect!
Yesterday I walked over to the National Museum and Art Gallery. It sits on one side of the Queen's Savannah, the POS equivalent of Central Park. Next door to the museum is the newly opened (2009) National Academy for Performing Arts. It's large and has staggered shells reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House. Unfortunately, no activities are scheduled until this weekend. The museum had some interesting exhibits on T&T history but I was viewing them with 2 school groups which meant I got stared at as much as the exhibits. The main art gallery had recently closed an exhibition and had nothing up in its place. There was a lovely exhibition of the works of Cazabon, a 19th century Trinidadian artist.
It should not come as much of a surprise that World Cup fever has also set in around t
own. Walking around downtown and going into the various shopping arcades, you can always hear playback of whatever match is in progress. At the museum, 3 staff members had a TV on to watch. Today at the Long Circular Mall in St. James, the flat screen TV hanging from the second floor railings drew many people as the France/Mexico match continued.
I finished up purchases today that will ride in my suitcase and carryon. There's a bookstore/gift shop at the nearby Normandie Hotel called Paper Based. They tend to carry more art books and catalogs but also had some recent publications I didn't see in the other bookstores. I had lunch at the hotel yesterday, then wrote down titles to check against the catalog last night. We had several of the exhibit catalogs already but there were still 5 titles we didn't own so I went back over this morning to buy them. I got them back to the room just before a heavy rainstorm thundered for 20 mins. I hung around checking e-mail until the weather improved and then caught a cab to Long Circular Mall.
Our library doesn't have much in the way of Trini music cds but the downtown stores where I could use my university credit card tended to have more of hip hop and reggae offerings. I was resigned to thinking I'd have to find an online source to buy some once I returned to Miami. I went to LCM today just for a change of scenery but it paid off. Nigel Khan and Kam's Records both had the type of selections I wanted to buy. I'm no expert on calypso but the young lady ringing up my purchases at Nigel Khan thought I made some good choices! In all I bought 15 cds.
I've primarily been having dinner every evening at the guesthouse. Nothing exciting but tonight they offered a special of stewed chicken, vegetables and macaroni pie! The latter is a very Trini concoction, basically macaroni and cheese baked into a firm casserole but will vary from place to place in terms of seasoning, added pigeon peas, etc. I've had my share of dahl and roti all week but hadn't found the right place for macaroni pie. I'm glad I got to have it on my last evening. And desert was my wonderful passion fruit yogurt. You can find all kinds of tropical fruit yogurt in Miami but not passion fruit so far.
Most of my packing's done and in all it's been a productive week.
The drive from Piarco airport to Port of Spain can take about 30 min. on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway. It crosses the Eastern Main Road which is the vicinity of St. Augustine. I saw the Mount St. Benedict monastery high in the hills and remembered the delicious passion fruit yogurt they make. We passed the Valsayn Shopping Center which was very nostalgic. Most evenings in 2001, I would leave campus and go back to my guesthouse, rest, change clothes, and then walk through the neighborhood where I could approach the shopping center from the non-highway side. There were a variety of restaurants where I could dine without it getting boring, a grocery store where I could buy cold drinks and snacks for my room's fridge, and just get out a little in the evening. There's now also a 24 hour pharmacy at the opposite corner of the highway. We also passed a drive-in theatre, now closed. I love going to drive-ins so it's fascinating to see they've also been in the Caribbean (there's still one in operation in Barbados).
As we hit a red light going into POS, I suddenly heard a loud broadcast of East Indian music. I assumed someone driving with their windows open was blasting their radio. The cab driver pointed out it was coming from a procession of cars for a Hindu wedding waiting at the light. Sure enough, there was a car outfitted with outside speakers and a sign announcing its availability for hire. Heading up the line was a white car festooned with red streamers. The light turned green and they headed to their festivities.
I got to Alicia's House in St. Ann's, a POS neighborhood. The room here is not fancy but fits my budget (including breakfast), is clean and comfortable, has free wi-fi access and a fridge. The cable TV selections include 2 Miami channels so I don't have to miss news from home. The desk clerk pointed me to Hi-Lo supermarket before they closed at 4pm so I could get water and snacks. To my delight, I also found Mount St. Benedict yogurt in the dairy section! I bought the big container, found plastic spoons and checked out just at 4pm as the store closed. I also found some prepared sandwiches so my dinner that night was a sandwich and passion fruit yogurt. Yeah!
Alan Moss was good enough to give me ideas for where to go and stay. I haven't gone totally with all of them. I didn't make it to Tunapuna and the bookstore there nor a couple of others he mentioned. I should have made it back downtown one more time to visit the Central Statistical Office but much of their stuff is online. The FIU Libraries receive several Central Bank publications and most of those have now gone online. On the other hand, there's still a lot to find here that isn't strictly UWI publications. The UWI titles we lack can be ordered online and I'll be finishing that up in the next couple of weeks.
I spent Monday visiting a couple of downtown bookstores, writing down titles so I could check them against the online catalog to avoid duplication. The bookstores are well stocked with US publications but generally have a West Indian section. A couple were more inclined to provide school books, test materials and educational supplies so I didn't use them. One might think that there's a law in T&T that all bookstores must bear the surname Khan. Take your pick: RIK (Khan) Trinidad Book World, Keith Khan Books and Gifts, and Nigel Khan Books (who also included an Erotica section). RIK and Nigel Khan have multiple locations; I'm not sure about Keith Khan. Actually, there's also Metropolitan Book Suppliers in the Capital Plaza Mall on Frederick Street, and other stores around Trinidad do have different names. The Metropolitan was very helpful. They agreed to ship my pu
rchases and those I made at one of the other stores. They called this afternoon before I left my room to let me know the 2 boxes will be heading towards Miami as of tomorrow and should arrive the week after next. Perfect!Yesterday I walked over to the National Museum and Art Gallery. It sits on one side of the Queen's Savannah, the POS equivalent of Central Park. Next door to the museum is the newly opened (2009) National Academy for Performing Arts. It's large and has staggered shells reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House. Unfortunately, no activities are scheduled until this weekend. The museum had some interesting exhibits on T&T history but I was viewing them with 2 school groups which meant I got stared at as much as the exhibits. The main art gallery had recently closed an exhibition and had nothing up in its place. There was a lovely exhibition of the works of Cazabon, a 19th century Trinidadian artist.
It should not come as much of a surprise that World Cup fever has also set in around t
own. Walking around downtown and going into the various shopping arcades, you can always hear playback of whatever match is in progress. At the museum, 3 staff members had a TV on to watch. Today at the Long Circular Mall in St. James, the flat screen TV hanging from the second floor railings drew many people as the France/Mexico match continued.I finished up purchases today that will ride in my suitcase and carryon. There's a bookstore/gift shop at the nearby Normandie Hotel called Paper Based. They tend to carry more art books and catalogs but also had some recent publications I didn't see in the other bookstores. I had lunch at the hotel yesterday, then wrote down titles to check against the catalog last night. We had several of the exhibit catalogs already but there were still 5 titles we didn't own so I went back over this morning to buy them. I got them back to the room just before a heavy rainstorm thundered for 20 mins. I hung around checking e-mail until the weather improved and then caught a cab to Long Circular Mall.
Our library doesn't have much in the way of Trini music cds but the downtown stores where I could use my university credit card tended to have more of hip hop and reggae offerings. I was resigned to thinking I'd have to find an online source to buy some once I returned to Miami. I went to LCM today just for a change of scenery but it paid off. Nigel Khan and Kam's Records both had the type of selections I wanted to buy. I'm no expert on calypso but the young lady ringing up my purchases at Nigel Khan thought I made some good choices! In all I bought 15 cds.
I've primarily been having dinner every evening at the guesthouse. Nothing exciting but tonight they offered a special of stewed chicken, vegetables and macaroni pie! The latter is a very Trini concoction, basically macaroni and cheese baked into a firm casserole but will vary from place to place in terms of seasoning, added pigeon peas, etc. I've had my share of dahl and roti all week but hadn't found the right place for macaroni pie. I'm glad I got to have it on my last evening. And desert was my wonderful passion fruit yogurt. You can find all kinds of tropical fruit yogurt in Miami but not passion fruit so far.
Most of my packing's done and in all it's been a productive week.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
And the Wind Kept Snowing down the Plains!
A belated Happy New Year from Miami which jumped from a warm December when I left town to a now rather cold, windy January in place. I've been accused of bringing the weather back from Oklahoma with me.
By the time I arrived, Janet was getting information about changes in the weather. She cautioned me that we might want to return to Caddo County (where she lives) late Wednesday afternoon to avoid the big snow storm being predicted. We had a pleasant evening at her house where I learned that touching the towel bars in the main bathroom other than to take off towels would bring them ripping off the wall and a tiny angle wrench was required to reinstall them. After 2 instances of this and Janet's glare as she reinstalled them, I conditioned myself NOT to hold onto them for any reason and I was successful for the remainder of my trip. It would be so much easier if she just considered installing STURDY towel bars that stay in place. Life is never so easy.
Tuesday morning started at 3:45 am when Janet's dog Elke woke me up. Her lack of panting seemed to indicate that she didn't need to go out in the yard for relief but simply thought that I would enjoy some playtime with her after such a long time apart. I managed to get back to sleep until we got up and drove up to Oklahoma
City. We decided it might be a good idea to exchange presents that afternoon at my mother's. Shortly after that my cousin Karen and her daughter Hunter dropped by. Hunter is 8, still full of enthusiasm for Christmas, and was happy to open her presents from us. When they left, she also demonstrated the sun roof of her mother's new car by poking her head out of it! Obviously the weather was still decent at that point.
The cold weather gear I'd packed was mainly sufficient to go outside but Janet deemed I should wear some of her outdoor shoes to survive. I'm glad I did. I was wrapped head to toe but my hands remained cold since my gloves were thin which was great for taking photos but lousy for keeping warm. I helped feed Chief a variety of chopped up fruits and vegetables plus hay though kept my distance. Chief is about 25 years old which means he can get cranky, especially with strangers.
Christmas Day also brought its share of phone calls with holiday greetings and updates. Most of the family had its power back except for one of my cousins. My father called to update us on possible plans with my half-brother James and his daughter Jaden. They'd had to go to visit his other siblings in McAllister and Tulsa to collect a van he was getting. Janet and I were hoping to host the Williams' clan on Saturday. James and Jaden were determined to get back down south since they had to return to Austin on Sunday. My half-sister Bobbie and her family would have normally driven down but given that they would be driving from Broken Arrow (Tulsa) and the weather in Oklahoma City was still bad, it was common sense for them to stay home so unfortunately we didn't get to see Bobbie, her husband Mike and my nephews Bryce and Jake.
My father is nearly 80 but didn't see the snow as an impediment. He was confident he'd be able to take the main road and then go through the back pasture into the yard and Janet's garage and parking area. We were a little wary but the idea of seeing other faces was also entertaining. Janet and I are close but the whole point of returning to my home state for the holidays is to see relatives beyond my mother and sister. Late in the afternoon, Daddy called to say they were on the way so she'd be ready to open the gate. Sure enough, there they were (as I looked from the kitchen door), still slipping and sliding but coming to a safe stop. When Jaden hopped out of the van, she spotted the huge drifts at the curb of the drive and immediately jumped onto them. She sank in slightly and since she's all of 5'1', I warned her we wouldn't pull her out if she sank into the snow! She came in and on hugging me, noticed that my hair had been cut since our last meeting in December. She was thrilled to see all the snow. When I saw her in Austin in December, she'd asked if there'd be a white Christmas in Oklahoma. I'd laughed and noted in my many years, Christmas in Oklahoma had been cold, had been warm, but rarely ever accompanied by snow. That night at Janet's, I told her I was glad she got her wish!
We had a great evening with Daddy, James, Jaden, Janet and me. Of course, Elke and Chief were in the vicinity as well! We had dinner (more meatloaf plus my green chile corn casserole). Pre-blizzard, there'd been plans to attend the weekly horse auction in nearby Mountain View but the weather cancelled that event. We opened presents and Jaden was appreciative of what Janet and I put together for her. My niece is truly adorable, a tiny beauty with glowing skin and perfect hair. She wasn't too bored as the adults discussed family and other events since she sometimes texted on her phone and enjoyed getting on the floor to play with Elke. Elke was very content with the attention.
At long last, it was time for them to brave the cold, dark night and see if they could return to Daddy's house in Mountain View. Janet was outside assisting and I stood again at the backdoor watching the van manuveur with more difficulty on the more frozen road. I was doing a mental inventory of sleeping arrangements for 3 more people that night when the van maintained an even keel and disappeared over the rise and back around the pasture down to the main road. They reported their progress along the way via cellphone and noted that the county grader was down at the entrance to Janet's drive. We felt encouraged at that news, did the dishes, and went to bed.
Sure enough, Sunday morning the county grader did its work and piled the snow off into the ditches. Mother and friend Roger managed to arrive on their way to Dallas for lunch. It wasn't easy. The driveway wasn't perfect and Janet still had to help direct Roger's car and dig them out a couple of times. To add insult to injury, later Roger inadvertently opened the gate to the front yard and there was Elke streaking out into the property and ignoring Janet's frantic attempts to get her back! At one point Elke came around to the back and I thought she might be persuaded to return into the house with me there. No such luck! The little fugitive again whipped around in a different direction with Janet in pursuit. Bear in mind though that Elke is about 10 years old. Despite her love of snow and cold, when she tired, she was all too happy to come back in for a long snooze!
Canine crisis averted, Janet and I adventurously set out in her car to make a few visits. There was still a bit of slip and slide down the drive but we were somewhat astonished at the roads as we drove along. It appeared that Janet had gotten loads more snow than we saw as we drove along. We figured the wind driving the snow up along the contours of her property just built it up more there than on average elsewhere. We stopped briefly to see my Aunt Sue and her family (my dad's side of the family) as they were wrapping up a delayed Christmas reunion. That's part of the family tree I haven't seen much of in the last few years so it made up for the other relatives I didn't see at all.
From there we headed to the Block farm where my Uncle Johnny and Aunt Paula live. This is the house where my mother and her 2 little brothers grew up. Janet and I are the only grandchildren to have stayed there when Grandma and Grandpa Block still lived there. By the time my maternal cousins made their way into the world, my grandparents bought a house in Hobart, the county seat of Kiowa County. Johnny and Paula moved there not long after and have made changes over the years. The world's tiniest bathroom (swear!) is long gone for a much larger and more comfortable version. One side of the house has been expanded for a nice master suite for the adults. However, I can close my eyes and still remember the house from when I was 6 or 7.
Johnny and Paula have 3 grandsons who have all undergone amazing growth spurts since I saw them last Christmas. My cousin Darrell is very tall but his youngest, Braden, appears to be overtaking his old man. Big brother Conner is also getting tall but not quite as tall. My cousin Pam's son Chance is even taller than I would have expected! Who knows what Christmas 2010 will bring!
This has been a singular holiday for me. I'm not accustomed to being trapped on a farm as a result of a record-breaking blizzard but in a nutshell that's what happened. I arrived in Lawton, Oklahoma on Dec. 21. I spent the night at my sister Janet's home and then we went up to Oklahoma City for a couple of days with our mother. The idea was to stay there until Christmas Eve day and then all of us would head back to Janet's to spend the evening with some relatives and visit other family on Christmas day. My mother then had plans to go to Dallas TX and Mobile AL with a friend. Janet and I were planning another Christmas reunion with my father, half-siblings and their families on Saturday at her house.
By the time I arrived, Janet was getting information about changes in the weather. She cautioned me that we might want to return to Caddo County (where she lives) late Wednesday afternoon to avoid the big snow storm being predicted. We had a pleasant evening at her house where I learned that touching the towel bars in the main bathroom other than to take off towels would bring them ripping off the wall and a tiny angle wrench was required to reinstall them. After 2 instances of this and Janet's glare as she reinstalled them, I conditioned myself NOT to hold onto them for any reason and I was successful for the remainder of my trip. It would be so much easier if she just considered installing STURDY towel bars that stay in place. Life is never so easy.
Tuesday morning started at 3:45 am when Janet's dog Elke woke me up. Her lack of panting seemed to indicate that she didn't need to go out in the yard for relief but simply thought that I would enjoy some playtime with her after such a long time apart. I managed to get back to sleep until we got up and drove up to Oklahoma
City. We decided it might be a good idea to exchange presents that afternoon at my mother's. Shortly after that my cousin Karen and her daughter Hunter dropped by. Hunter is 8, still full of enthusiasm for Christmas, and was happy to open her presents from us. When they left, she also demonstrated the sun roof of her mother's new car by poking her head out of it! Obviously the weather was still decent at that point.Wednesday morning we took Mother to a morning feature of "Up in the Air." Mother was disappointed that its course of events didn't lead to a happy ending but I enjoyed the film. After a few more errands, Janet and I loaded up her car, even Elke, and headed back down to Caddo County. Mother decided to wait in OKC because of her other travel plans. The weather was still decent though getting colder. However, the storm followed us by a few hours. Howling winds woke me up around 5am to announce the arrive of snow and ice.
Christmas Eve day was completely overcast outside and the sun never appeared. Throughout the day we received phone calls from my father, aunt and uncle and assorted cousin
s who'd all lost power. Janet doesn't have a great deal of trees on her property which may have accounted for not losing power since there were no trees falling down that toppled nearby power poles. Luckily we had more than enough food, in addition to electricity, satellite TV kept running, the Internet was active or we might have lost it! I also had plenty to read. Meanwhile, Elke came in and out since she loves cold and snow, and Janet made several visits to check on her horse Chief. By afternoon, she reported that his ears were coated in ice and his horse blanket was soaked through from the blowing snow. While she didn't cover his ears, she cleared them of snow, and put his horse blanket in the drier so he'd be more comfortable.
Christmas Eve day was completely overcast outside and the sun never appeared. Throughout the day we received phone calls from my father, aunt and uncle and assorted cousin
s who'd all lost power. Janet doesn't have a great deal of trees on her property which may have accounted for not losing power since there were no trees falling down that toppled nearby power poles. Luckily we had more than enough food, in addition to electricity, satellite TV kept running, the Internet was active or we might have lost it! I also had plenty to read. Meanwhile, Elke came in and out since she loves cold and snow, and Janet made several visits to check on her horse Chief. By afternoon, she reported that his ears were coated in ice and his horse blanket was soaked through from the blowing snow. While she didn't cover his ears, she cleared them of snow, and put his horse blanket in the drier so he'd be more comfortable.
Janet brought out one of the frozen meatloafs she'd prepared for one of the family get togethers that the weather cancelled. We spent the evening dining and watching TV. Despite the lack of real activity, I fell into a torpor. I had little appetite, and was happy to head to bed much earlier than usual.
Christmas Day was much of the same with a few differences. The wind had died down, the sun came out and we could see the surrounding snow in all its glory. Janet's driveway down to the main road was packed high with snow drifts and she wondered how soon we'd be able to get out of it. In the late afternoon cabin fever began to take hold and I was eager to take some photos of the snow plus take my first look at Chief.
Christmas Day was much of the same with a few differences. The wind had died down, the sun came out and we could see the surrounding snow in all its glory. Janet's driveway down to the main road was packed high with snow drifts and she wondered how soon we'd be able to get out of it. In the late afternoon cabin fever began to take hold and I was eager to take some photos of the snow plus take my first look at Chief.
The cold weather gear I'd packed was mainly sufficient to go outside but Janet deemed I should wear some of her outdoor shoes to survive. I'm glad I did. I was wrapped head to toe but my hands remained cold since my gloves were thin which was great for taking photos but lousy for keeping warm. I helped feed Chief a variety of chopped up fruits and vegetables plus hay though kept my distance. Chief is about 25 years old which means he can get cranky, especially with strangers.Christmas Day also brought its share of phone calls with holiday greetings and updates. Most of the family had its power back except for one of my cousins. My father called to update us on possible plans with my half-brother James and his daughter Jaden. They'd had to go to visit his other siblings in McAllister and Tulsa to collect a van he was getting. Janet and I were hoping to host the Williams' clan on Saturday. James and Jaden were determined to get back down south since they had to return to Austin on Sunday. My half-sister Bobbie and her family would have normally driven down but given that they would be driving from Broken Arrow (Tulsa) and the weather in Oklahoma City was still bad, it was common sense for them to stay home so unfortunately we didn't get to see Bobbie, her husband Mike and my nephews Bryce and Jake.
Saturday was another bright, cold, sunny day with snow piled high. A couple of neighbors came by with tractors and could clear off some of her back pasture but the drifts down the main drive proved too much to clear. Janet got the name of her county commissioner and gave him a call. He put her in touch with his road crew who let her know they probably wouldn't be able to arrive on Saturday to clear the drive since they were clearing snow everywhere. He was committed to getting to us on Sunday to dig us out!
My father is nearly 80 but didn't see the snow as an impediment. He was confident he'd be able to take the main road and then go through the back pasture into the yard and Janet's garage and parking area. We were a little wary but the idea of seeing other faces was also entertaining. Janet and I are close but the whole point of returning to my home state for the holidays is to see relatives beyond my mother and sister. Late in the afternoon, Daddy called to say they were on the way so she'd be ready to open the gate. Sure enough, there they were (as I looked from the kitchen door), still slipping and sliding but coming to a safe stop. When Jaden hopped out of the van, she spotted the huge drifts at the curb of the drive and immediately jumped onto them. She sank in slightly and since she's all of 5'1', I warned her we wouldn't pull her out if she sank into the snow! She came in and on hugging me, noticed that my hair had been cut since our last meeting in December. She was thrilled to see all the snow. When I saw her in Austin in December, she'd asked if there'd be a white Christmas in Oklahoma. I'd laughed and noted in my many years, Christmas in Oklahoma had been cold, had been warm, but rarely ever accompanied by snow. That night at Janet's, I told her I was glad she got her wish!
We had a great evening with Daddy, James, Jaden, Janet and me. Of course, Elke and Chief were in the vicinity as well! We had dinner (more meatloaf plus my green chile corn casserole). Pre-blizzard, there'd been plans to attend the weekly horse auction in nearby Mountain View but the weather cancelled that event. We opened presents and Jaden was appreciative of what Janet and I put together for her. My niece is truly adorable, a tiny beauty with glowing skin and perfect hair. She wasn't too bored as the adults discussed family and other events since she sometimes texted on her phone and enjoyed getting on the floor to play with Elke. Elke was very content with the attention.
At long last, it was time for them to brave the cold, dark night and see if they could return to Daddy's house in Mountain View. Janet was outside assisting and I stood again at the backdoor watching the van manuveur with more difficulty on the more frozen road. I was doing a mental inventory of sleeping arrangements for 3 more people that night when the van maintained an even keel and disappeared over the rise and back around the pasture down to the main road. They reported their progress along the way via cellphone and noted that the county grader was down at the entrance to Janet's drive. We felt encouraged at that news, did the dishes, and went to bed.
Sure enough, Sunday morning the county grader did its work and piled the snow off into the ditches. Mother and friend Roger managed to arrive on their way to Dallas for lunch. It wasn't easy. The driveway wasn't perfect and Janet still had to help direct Roger's car and dig them out a couple of times. To add insult to injury, later Roger inadvertently opened the gate to the front yard and there was Elke streaking out into the property and ignoring Janet's frantic attempts to get her back! At one point Elke came around to the back and I thought she might be persuaded to return into the house with me there. No such luck! The little fugitive again whipped around in a different direction with Janet in pursuit. Bear in mind though that Elke is about 10 years old. Despite her love of snow and cold, when she tired, she was all too happy to come back in for a long snooze!
Canine crisis averted, Janet and I adventurously set out in her car to make a few visits. There was still a bit of slip and slide down the drive but we were somewhat astonished at the roads as we drove along. It appeared that Janet had gotten loads more snow than we saw as we drove along. We figured the wind driving the snow up along the contours of her property just built it up more there than on average elsewhere. We stopped briefly to see my Aunt Sue and her family (my dad's side of the family) as they were wrapping up a delayed Christmas reunion. That's part of the family tree I haven't seen much of in the last few years so it made up for the other relatives I didn't see at all.
From there we headed to the Block farm where my Uncle Johnny and Aunt Paula live. This is the house where my mother and her 2 little brothers grew up. Janet and I are the only grandchildren to have stayed there when Grandma and Grandpa Block still lived there. By the time my maternal cousins made their way into the world, my grandparents bought a house in Hobart, the county seat of Kiowa County. Johnny and Paula moved there not long after and have made changes over the years. The world's tiniest bathroom (swear!) is long gone for a much larger and more comfortable version. One side of the house has been expanded for a nice master suite for the adults. However, I can close my eyes and still remember the house from when I was 6 or 7.
Johnny and Paula have 3 grandsons who have all undergone amazing growth spurts since I saw them last Christmas. My cousin Darrell is very tall but his youngest, Braden, appears to be overtaking his old man. Big brother Conner is also getting tall but not quite as tall. My cousin Pam's son Chance is even taller than I would have expected! Who knows what Christmas 2010 will bring!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
I Got to Go Home to the Armadillo...
I'm back in Miami after a brief jaunt to Austin TX to deliver a paper on the Digital Library of the Caribbean at the Society of American Archivists annual meeting. If you didn't know, I got my MLS at UT, lived in Austin for 4 years, and left 30 years ago. I've always wanted to return to live and work but Fate has decreed other paths in my life. I can't complain in that respect and I manage to get back to Austin whenever possible.
It was HOT in town with average temperatures of 100 degrees Farenheit. Wed. night as the plane was landing, it was easy to see there'd been a much needed thunderstorm. Sadly the rain predicted over the next couple of days never showed up. Even the conference wear I packed seemed too hot and I made a few adjustments since the 4 block walk between hotels downtown was akin to walking in a blast furnace.
Friday evening I dined with my panel mates (though I'd already met Bert Lyons in Jamaica in June) and my SALALM colleague Marisol Ramos. I hadn't met Helen Wong Smith, our other speaker, until then. It was useful to get to know one another and we loaded their PowerPoint presentations on my netbook for the presentation. The panel went well with a plentiful audience for 8am. I came away with 2 intriguing new leads for dLOC participation that I'll follow up on this fall.
I also had a lovely evening with my half-brother James Williams and his daughter Jaden. James was out of contact with most of the family for several years so this was my first chance to meet my 13 year old niece Jaden. I couldn't quite see the resemblance with my sister Janet that others have claimed but Jaden does remind me of her Aunt Bobbie (my half-sister) and my cousin Bonnie's daughter Judy Kaye. James promised they'll be coming to Oklahoma for Christmas.
I slipped away from the conference to use the Benson Latin American Collection for a research project I want to finish. Being back in the Benson is always nostalgic for me. I wander the stacks remembering using the collection for my Latin American bibliography coursework in my graduate work. There have been shifts in where some of the collection now sits so it was good that I looked at the floor map of call numbers or I'd have ended up on the wrong floor! A big change is the recent addition of a replica head from the Olmec San Lorenzo site that greets you in the courtyard on the east side of the building. I couldn't help but dubbing it "Big Boy"!
Saturday evening was dinner with Ann Hartness at the Fonda San Miguel (James has lived in Austin off and on since 1993 but he'd never heard of this Austin institution till I told him about it). The Fonda has superb Mexican food in beautiful settings and it's probably been about 10 years since the last time I dined there. Ann and I missed one another by a day when I was in Rio de Janeiro in June. It was fun to hear about her upcoming birding trip in Italy she'll be taking with Laura Gutiérrez Witt, the other retired director of the Benson Latin American Collection. We also agreed that we despise Heathrow Airport in London!
This morning arrived TOO early, 4am to get up and leave for a 6:45am flight. I had a 2 hour layover in Atlanta where I finished my novel in an attempt to not just fall asleep at the gate. I dozed on the flight to Miami and still needed a nap once at home so I would stay awake for True Blood. My eyelids are again getting heavy so buenas noches.
It was HOT in town with average temperatures of 100 degrees Farenheit. Wed. night as the plane was landing, it was easy to see there'd been a much needed thunderstorm. Sadly the rain predicted over the next couple of days never showed up. Even the conference wear I packed seemed too hot and I made a few adjustments since the 4 block walk between hotels downtown was akin to walking in a blast furnace.
Friday evening I dined with my panel mates (though I'd already met Bert Lyons in Jamaica in June) and my SALALM colleague Marisol Ramos. I hadn't met Helen Wong Smith, our other speaker, until then. It was useful to get to know one another and we loaded their PowerPoint presentations on my netbook for the presentation. The panel went well with a plentiful audience for 8am. I came away with 2 intriguing new leads for dLOC participation that I'll follow up on this fall.
I also had a lovely evening with my half-brother James Williams and his daughter Jaden. James was out of contact with most of the family for several years so this was my first chance to meet my 13 year old niece Jaden. I couldn't quite see the resemblance with my sister Janet that others have claimed but Jaden does remind me of her Aunt Bobbie (my half-sister) and my cousin Bonnie's daughter Judy Kaye. James promised they'll be coming to Oklahoma for Christmas.
I slipped away from the conference to use the Benson Latin American Collection for a research project I want to finish. Being back in the Benson is always nostalgic for me. I wander the stacks remembering using the collection for my Latin American bibliography coursework in my graduate work. There have been shifts in where some of the collection now sits so it was good that I looked at the floor map of call numbers or I'd have ended up on the wrong floor! A big change is the recent addition of a replica head from the Olmec San Lorenzo site that greets you in the courtyard on the east side of the building. I couldn't help but dubbing it "Big Boy"!
Saturday evening was dinner with Ann Hartness at the Fonda San Miguel (James has lived in Austin off and on since 1993 but he'd never heard of this Austin institution till I told him about it). The Fonda has superb Mexican food in beautiful settings and it's probably been about 10 years since the last time I dined there. Ann and I missed one another by a day when I was in Rio de Janeiro in June. It was fun to hear about her upcoming birding trip in Italy she'll be taking with Laura Gutiérrez Witt, the other retired director of the Benson Latin American Collection. We also agreed that we despise Heathrow Airport in London!
This morning arrived TOO early, 4am to get up and leave for a 6:45am flight. I had a 2 hour layover in Atlanta where I finished my novel in an attempt to not just fall asleep at the gate. I dozed on the flight to Miami and still needed a nap once at home so I would stay awake for True Blood. My eyelids are again getting heavy so buenas noches.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Happy Birthday to Me!
Please don't think this is the rant of a bitter, old shut-in. Today is my birthday (July 29) and since I worked on Sunday, I took today off as comp time. My friend Susan and her husband Bill arrived a couple of weeks ago at their get away place in Key Largo. I contacted her about coming for a birthday lunch and she said yes. When I lived in Athens, Susan was always gone for the summer so this has been the first opportunity to celebrate my birthday with her since I've known her.
Susan warned us that with today and tomorrow being the 'lobster mini season' that traffic might be heavy. We got an early start but the lobster enthusiasts must have gotten an earlier start. We arrived in under an hour even with stops to get gas and some sundries at the drugstore. Don brought his trunks and hit the water (their place has its own beachfront) while Susan and I caught up and her husband finished his shower. We had a short drive down the road to an oceanside restaurant. Don had the most interesting item from the menu: tuna nachos! This was an Asian seasoned reworking of marinated raw tuna served on won ton chips. He generously shared a few bites and it was delicious. Nonetheless I was still content with my chilled shrimp and coleslaw. Susan had birthday cake waiting for me at her house with some strong coffee. We'll probably make a return visit next week when her grandchildren Henry and Beatrix arrive.
We made a quick trip to the Wild Bird Rescue Center before it started raining. There's nothing like walking around among pelicans, herons, egrets, cranes, and various other feathered friends. They also appear to live in peace with a few cats on the property. We got back to the car just as the light sprinkles turned into a real downpour.
We thought about making a few other visits on US1 but the rain made going home the more desirable option. We jumped on the turnpike and got back to Kendrall Breeze West. My sister Janet left a message on the answering machine wishing me a happy birthday. She mentioned my mother wasn't feeling well yesterday which may account for why I didn't get the usual 6:30am birthday phone call from her this morning. I may need to call her soon.
I've read the mail, checked my e-mail and now wait for 'Jeopardy.' Here's the one lament I have as another birthday goes by. I don't mind getting older. However, in January 2008 I qualified as a potential 'Jeopardy' contestant during their talent search in Miami. They cautioned us that they collect more contestants than they need and we would go into the contestant file for 18 months. Do the math. The approach of August means my little contestant card goes into the circular file cabinet or whatever they do to purge the list.
Sigh, no meeting Alec Trebeck, no dazzling anyone with a daring 'Double Jeopardy,' no ringing in on the buzzer, or swooping in to answer a question miffed by one of my rivals. I guess somethings aren't meant to be.
Susan warned us that with today and tomorrow being the 'lobster mini season' that traffic might be heavy. We got an early start but the lobster enthusiasts must have gotten an earlier start. We arrived in under an hour even with stops to get gas and some sundries at the drugstore. Don brought his trunks and hit the water (their place has its own beachfront) while Susan and I caught up and her husband finished his shower. We had a short drive down the road to an oceanside restaurant. Don had the most interesting item from the menu: tuna nachos! This was an Asian seasoned reworking of marinated raw tuna served on won ton chips. He generously shared a few bites and it was delicious. Nonetheless I was still content with my chilled shrimp and coleslaw. Susan had birthday cake waiting for me at her house with some strong coffee. We'll probably make a return visit next week when her grandchildren Henry and Beatrix arrive.
We made a quick trip to the Wild Bird Rescue Center before it started raining. There's nothing like walking around among pelicans, herons, egrets, cranes, and various other feathered friends. They also appear to live in peace with a few cats on the property. We got back to the car just as the light sprinkles turned into a real downpour.
We thought about making a few other visits on US1 but the rain made going home the more desirable option. We jumped on the turnpike and got back to Kendrall Breeze West. My sister Janet left a message on the answering machine wishing me a happy birthday. She mentioned my mother wasn't feeling well yesterday which may account for why I didn't get the usual 6:30am birthday phone call from her this morning. I may need to call her soon.
I've read the mail, checked my e-mail and now wait for 'Jeopardy.' Here's the one lament I have as another birthday goes by. I don't mind getting older. However, in January 2008 I qualified as a potential 'Jeopardy' contestant during their talent search in Miami. They cautioned us that they collect more contestants than they need and we would go into the contestant file for 18 months. Do the math. The approach of August means my little contestant card goes into the circular file cabinet or whatever they do to purge the list.
Sigh, no meeting Alec Trebeck, no dazzling anyone with a daring 'Double Jeopardy,' no ringing in on the buzzer, or swooping in to answer a question miffed by one of my rivals. I guess somethings aren't meant to be.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Rainy Days in London...
When I left Berlin last Thursday, it was 6am, cold and breezy. The weather was also a premonition of what I'd be facing in London. The last few weeks before departing for Europe, I'd been reading that it was already very hot in London. It's been very much the opposite. Yesterday was the worst in terms on rainfall. No thunderstorms but an off and on persistent drizzle.
Back to the start. At Schonefeld Airport, I discovered Stephanie Rocío Miles of Harvard was on my Ryanair flight. It appears we're the only 2 salalmistas to arrive in London post-conference. We took the bus into the city and parted ways for our respective hotels at the Liverpool St. Station.
I'm staying at the Thanet Hotel in Bloomsbury and my single room is every bit as small as I expected it to be. The tiny room in Hotel San Antonio Abad in Lima was palatial compared to this. On the other hand, it's July, and even though this area is full of hotels I expect they're all booked and anything larger would bust my travel budget. In the meantime I have managed to make myself comfortable. It's a nice old building, the staff are very friendly, and the buffet breakfast is generous. I haven't needed the fan yet what with the drop in temperature and I haven't needed the extra blanket they placed in my wardrobe. The immediate area is full of restaurants, the bus stop on my street goes to Oxford Street (the British Museum is on the way), and the Russell Square underground station is 5 minutes in the opposite direction.
The hotel is also just down the street from the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. Friday morning I had a good conversation with their librarian about contributing some of their collections into the Digital Library of the Caribbean. What with summer holidays here, it'll take time to work out details but time is on our side. Alas, no news yet about the TICFIA awards.
Once finished there, I found Marchmont Street where I wanted to locate the laundrette mentioned in my hotel guide. I chose not to use the Hotel Maritim's laundry service but did need to make sure I would have fresh underwear for my remaining time. I also discovered the lovely Brunswick shopping arcade set into an apartment complex. More shops and restaurants there so I also stopped for lunch and visited Superdrugs for some needed toiletries. The hotel was closeby so I ran by the room to drop my purchases and then set out for my 2:30 tour of the British Library.
The BL is only a slightly longer walk and I made it with time to browse the gift shop. It wasn't too surprising to find Stephanie in the books section. Librarians can never resist browsing shelves. We then went to the information desk where they produced visitor tags and rung Geoff West. They reported Geoff would be with us shortly but Aquiles Alencar Brayner was on his way down. Stephanie hadn't met Aquiles in SALALM so by the time hands got shaken, Geoff had arrived.
What a place the British Library is! It's huge. There's a large courtyard in the entrance but once you're inside, you see lots of steps, signs, and in the back a huge rising stack of old volumes. This is the Imperial Library founded by George III. The stacks rising in the center of the building hints at the 4 underground floors of stacks of the other collections.
Geoff and Alencar walked us up and down various levels to see the different reading rooms and discuss various configurations the library has seen since the building opened in 1998. There's great emphasis on making it open to the public. Free wi-fi is available in the building. In addition to the restaurants and cafes, there are nice chairs with matching tables for plugging in one's computer to work. The atmosphere reminded me of how our students fill every possible space in the FIU Library to use their laptops.
The library has a special exhibit on Henry VIII and Geoff nicely supplied complimentary tickets for it. Stephanie opted to join me today at Sunday to see it. After tea and lattes with Geoff and Alencar, Stephanie and I also looked at the exhibit of special treasures of the BL. It's great to see manuscripts by Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Virginia Woolf (there's also an audio panel where you can hear her giving a reading), and a marvelous interactive room devoted to the Magna Carta. I have to confess a modest display on the Beatles really touched me. There are manuscripts of Lennon and McCartney manuscripts. The audio panel for them has familiar songs but I got a real kick out of the Fan Club Christmas Disk sent out in 1963. They all send out Christmas greetings to their fans accompanied by hoots from the others, jingle bells, and creative takes on standard Christmas songs. You can hear the enthusiasm in this part of their career, their appreciation of fans' support and liking for one another. Ringo reminds us he was the newest member who'd just joined the year before. What a time machine!
Saturday I woke up and discovered the weather gods were active. I dumped some of my plans for primarily outdoor activities, and headed on the bus to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. That was a nice way to pass an afternoon with a late lunch, and then back to the room to collect laundry and make my way back to the laundrette. Luckily it wasn't crowded and a woman doing her wash provided change when I ran short, and information on how to start the washing machines and driers. I picked up a sandwich for dinner back at the hotel.
This morning started with a hint of sunshine through my window. I made my way back to the British Library and found Stephanie waiting outside the gate for the 11am opening. I enjoyed the exhibit. The documentary artifacts were many, I strapped on the audio guide so I could garner the various facts associated with the exhibit. You get a better sense of the king beyond the usual 6 wives melodramas.
Stephanie and I parted ways and I made my way down to the Victoria and Albert Museum. I'd finally gotten the courage to take the London underground and it's still more confusing than the systems I know well in Atlanta and Washington DC. There was a helpful information desk that got me on the right track. I took in many exhibits at the V&A with fashion, a special exhibit on the Baroque, and many halls of beautiful Asian art works from all regions. Lunch in the V&A was in a beautiful dining room from the period but slightly refurbished with bright shimmering balls suspended from the ceiling for light. Somehow it looked like Studio 54 did some time travel into the Victorian age.
From the V&A I visited that other British institution, Harrod's. Everyone else in London appeared to be there for their summer sales! The food halls were elbow to elbow. My favorite thing to see there was the Krispy Kremes counter. It was very popular! I found some quieter floors for refuge up in books but eventually made my way back on the tube and back to the hotel. Another quiet evening so I'm planning my itinerary for tomorrow. Stay tuned!
Back to the start. At Schonefeld Airport, I discovered Stephanie Rocío Miles of Harvard was on my Ryanair flight. It appears we're the only 2 salalmistas to arrive in London post-conference. We took the bus into the city and parted ways for our respective hotels at the Liverpool St. Station.
I'm staying at the Thanet Hotel in Bloomsbury and my single room is every bit as small as I expected it to be. The tiny room in Hotel San Antonio Abad in Lima was palatial compared to this. On the other hand, it's July, and even though this area is full of hotels I expect they're all booked and anything larger would bust my travel budget. In the meantime I have managed to make myself comfortable. It's a nice old building, the staff are very friendly, and the buffet breakfast is generous. I haven't needed the fan yet what with the drop in temperature and I haven't needed the extra blanket they placed in my wardrobe. The immediate area is full of restaurants, the bus stop on my street goes to Oxford Street (the British Museum is on the way), and the Russell Square underground station is 5 minutes in the opposite direction.
The hotel is also just down the street from the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. Friday morning I had a good conversation with their librarian about contributing some of their collections into the Digital Library of the Caribbean. What with summer holidays here, it'll take time to work out details but time is on our side. Alas, no news yet about the TICFIA awards.
Once finished there, I found Marchmont Street where I wanted to locate the laundrette mentioned in my hotel guide. I chose not to use the Hotel Maritim's laundry service but did need to make sure I would have fresh underwear for my remaining time. I also discovered the lovely Brunswick shopping arcade set into an apartment complex. More shops and restaurants there so I also stopped for lunch and visited Superdrugs for some needed toiletries. The hotel was closeby so I ran by the room to drop my purchases and then set out for my 2:30 tour of the British Library.
The BL is only a slightly longer walk and I made it with time to browse the gift shop. It wasn't too surprising to find Stephanie in the books section. Librarians can never resist browsing shelves. We then went to the information desk where they produced visitor tags and rung Geoff West. They reported Geoff would be with us shortly but Aquiles Alencar Brayner was on his way down. Stephanie hadn't met Aquiles in SALALM so by the time hands got shaken, Geoff had arrived.
What a place the British Library is! It's huge. There's a large courtyard in the entrance but once you're inside, you see lots of steps, signs, and in the back a huge rising stack of old volumes. This is the Imperial Library founded by George III. The stacks rising in the center of the building hints at the 4 underground floors of stacks of the other collections.
Geoff and Alencar walked us up and down various levels to see the different reading rooms and discuss various configurations the library has seen since the building opened in 1998. There's great emphasis on making it open to the public. Free wi-fi is available in the building. In addition to the restaurants and cafes, there are nice chairs with matching tables for plugging in one's computer to work. The atmosphere reminded me of how our students fill every possible space in the FIU Library to use their laptops.
The library has a special exhibit on Henry VIII and Geoff nicely supplied complimentary tickets for it. Stephanie opted to join me today at Sunday to see it. After tea and lattes with Geoff and Alencar, Stephanie and I also looked at the exhibit of special treasures of the BL. It's great to see manuscripts by Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Virginia Woolf (there's also an audio panel where you can hear her giving a reading), and a marvelous interactive room devoted to the Magna Carta. I have to confess a modest display on the Beatles really touched me. There are manuscripts of Lennon and McCartney manuscripts. The audio panel for them has familiar songs but I got a real kick out of the Fan Club Christmas Disk sent out in 1963. They all send out Christmas greetings to their fans accompanied by hoots from the others, jingle bells, and creative takes on standard Christmas songs. You can hear the enthusiasm in this part of their career, their appreciation of fans' support and liking for one another. Ringo reminds us he was the newest member who'd just joined the year before. What a time machine!
Saturday I woke up and discovered the weather gods were active. I dumped some of my plans for primarily outdoor activities, and headed on the bus to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. That was a nice way to pass an afternoon with a late lunch, and then back to the room to collect laundry and make my way back to the laundrette. Luckily it wasn't crowded and a woman doing her wash provided change when I ran short, and information on how to start the washing machines and driers. I picked up a sandwich for dinner back at the hotel.
This morning started with a hint of sunshine through my window. I made my way back to the British Library and found Stephanie waiting outside the gate for the 11am opening. I enjoyed the exhibit. The documentary artifacts were many, I strapped on the audio guide so I could garner the various facts associated with the exhibit. You get a better sense of the king beyond the usual 6 wives melodramas.
Stephanie and I parted ways and I made my way down to the Victoria and Albert Museum. I'd finally gotten the courage to take the London underground and it's still more confusing than the systems I know well in Atlanta and Washington DC. There was a helpful information desk that got me on the right track. I took in many exhibits at the V&A with fashion, a special exhibit on the Baroque, and many halls of beautiful Asian art works from all regions. Lunch in the V&A was in a beautiful dining room from the period but slightly refurbished with bright shimmering balls suspended from the ceiling for light. Somehow it looked like Studio 54 did some time travel into the Victorian age.
From the V&A I visited that other British institution, Harrod's. Everyone else in London appeared to be there for their summer sales! The food halls were elbow to elbow. My favorite thing to see there was the Krispy Kremes counter. It was very popular! I found some quieter floors for refuge up in books but eventually made my way back on the tube and back to the hotel. Another quiet evening so I'm planning my itinerary for tomorrow. Stay tuned!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
I Am Here and So Is Checkpoint Charlie!
I arrived in Berlin on Thursday night after a long night and day of travel. I left Miami on an overnight flight on Virgin Atlantic. This is my first time taking them but they won the airfare competition out of Miami. I don't like overnight plane rides. I can never sleep and most of the flights connecting me to Berlin involved a long enough layover where I would have been miserable, feeling wornout and ready for a shower and nap. I discovered the Yotel in Terminal 4 of Heathrow. This is a compact cabin hotel based on the Japanese cubicle hotel rooms but a little bigger, plus you can book it for 4 hour increments. Perfect!
Why must we march for miles and miles off an international flight to get to the immigration lounge? Heathrow has little air conditioning which does not help the experience. Getting through the line once I got to there was relatively quick. The great signage helped me find the express train between terminals to go to the Yotel. I got to my Superior Cabin at 10:15am, only 15 minutes late for my booking. The bed is kind of a reverse murphy bed. It looks like an upright sofa but you press a button on the side and the whole thing slides down each rail on the side to spread out. I had a snack, a nap, and shower, and then went back to Terminal 3 to the Central Bus Station for my coach ride to the Stanstead airport and my Ryanair flight to Berlin.
I had a sandwich at the Caffe Nero at the bus station and then waited for my coach to arrive and then leave at 3:35. I still napped on the way (it's 90 min.) but occasionally woke up to view the country side. I saw an old Norman tower on some land off the expressway. I only caught a glimpse and would have liked to know its history. How long has it been there? Anything momentous happen there?
Heathrow was busy and crowded but I got through it. Stanstead was a mess. The self-service kiosks weren't working despite the signs to use them. That meant going to a 3 row deep check-in that appeared to move slowly. I got checked in and was reassured that my flight would be held open for all passengers. Still, by the time I got through security and sprinted through the long, winding gate, my flight was boarding for departure in 60 min. They decided to open the rear of the plane to enter so I managed to scoot into a seat and relax.
I landed at Schonefeld airport which is a little further out but it was a fast trip to the Hotel Maritim. The young man at reception couldn't find my reservation. Did I know there's another Maritim hotel in town and had I confused them? I showed him my printout of the reservation confirmation and he agreed I was in the right place. At last it turned out he was searching under Gayle rather than Williams! I got to the room and was quite happy to hit a real bed.
Friday was my rest day. I discovered the hotel's massive breakfast buffet and started seeing salalmistas. I made my way over to the Sony Center and discovered the German Film Museum. 6 euros later I wandered through the history of German film. It's full of mixed media and you start from the 3rd floor and wander down. Signage is in both German and English and some of the audio interviews were English as well. I liked the parts on the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Marlene Dietrich. The first floor exhibit commemorates the 20th year of reunification through the photos and videos of German citizens, global news coverage of the events, and locally made film documentaries for West and East German television.
After a tasty lunch at Vapiano's, I wanted to walk up to the Brandenberg Gate but got caught in an afternoon rainstorm. I was drenched and while drying off under an awning discovered Anne Barnhardt and Dora Loh were next door having lunch. They saw me so I finished drying off and talking with them until the rain was gone. They went up to Brandenberg before LAMP while I went back to the hotel after grabbing a sandwich for the room. I got there, got dry and cozy but didn't feel like going back out for the 8:30 showing the IAI exhibit.
So, yesterday and today were SALALM committee meetings. More friends are coming in but it's easy to see this will be a much smaller group than usual. Such are the ways of the economic downturn. In the meantime I hope to get out again and discover more of this intriguing city!
Why must we march for miles and miles off an international flight to get to the immigration lounge? Heathrow has little air conditioning which does not help the experience. Getting through the line once I got to there was relatively quick. The great signage helped me find the express train between terminals to go to the Yotel. I got to my Superior Cabin at 10:15am, only 15 minutes late for my booking. The bed is kind of a reverse murphy bed. It looks like an upright sofa but you press a button on the side and the whole thing slides down each rail on the side to spread out. I had a snack, a nap, and shower, and then went back to Terminal 3 to the Central Bus Station for my coach ride to the Stanstead airport and my Ryanair flight to Berlin.
I had a sandwich at the Caffe Nero at the bus station and then waited for my coach to arrive and then leave at 3:35. I still napped on the way (it's 90 min.) but occasionally woke up to view the country side. I saw an old Norman tower on some land off the expressway. I only caught a glimpse and would have liked to know its history. How long has it been there? Anything momentous happen there?
Heathrow was busy and crowded but I got through it. Stanstead was a mess. The self-service kiosks weren't working despite the signs to use them. That meant going to a 3 row deep check-in that appeared to move slowly. I got checked in and was reassured that my flight would be held open for all passengers. Still, by the time I got through security and sprinted through the long, winding gate, my flight was boarding for departure in 60 min. They decided to open the rear of the plane to enter so I managed to scoot into a seat and relax.
I landed at Schonefeld airport which is a little further out but it was a fast trip to the Hotel Maritim. The young man at reception couldn't find my reservation. Did I know there's another Maritim hotel in town and had I confused them? I showed him my printout of the reservation confirmation and he agreed I was in the right place. At last it turned out he was searching under Gayle rather than Williams! I got to the room and was quite happy to hit a real bed.
Friday was my rest day. I discovered the hotel's massive breakfast buffet and started seeing salalmistas. I made my way over to the Sony Center and discovered the German Film Museum. 6 euros later I wandered through the history of German film. It's full of mixed media and you start from the 3rd floor and wander down. Signage is in both German and English and some of the audio interviews were English as well. I liked the parts on the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Marlene Dietrich. The first floor exhibit commemorates the 20th year of reunification through the photos and videos of German citizens, global news coverage of the events, and locally made film documentaries for West and East German television.
After a tasty lunch at Vapiano's, I wanted to walk up to the Brandenberg Gate but got caught in an afternoon rainstorm. I was drenched and while drying off under an awning discovered Anne Barnhardt and Dora Loh were next door having lunch. They saw me so I finished drying off and talking with them until the rain was gone. They went up to Brandenberg before LAMP while I went back to the hotel after grabbing a sandwich for the room. I got there, got dry and cozy but didn't feel like going back out for the 8:30 showing the IAI exhibit.
So, yesterday and today were SALALM committee meetings. More friends are coming in but it's easy to see this will be a much smaller group than usual. Such are the ways of the economic downturn. In the meantime I hope to get out again and discover more of this intriguing city!
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