Amazing.

I wish I had a better title for my post about the Northern Lights, but I'm at a loss for words.  It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life.  

We didn't have very good weather for the lights, so I was a little nervous that we weren't going to be able to see them --- and for a long time, we didn't.  Seeing the Northern Lights is a little like being a storm chaser in Twister, but a lot less exciting and no flying cows.  When I got picked up, the drivers still weren't sure where we were going.  They were examining all the reports and making a game time call.  We ended up driving to the west of the city and parking in an area that looks like it might be used for teen makeout sessions (not that I frequent those types of areas, but I watch TV).

Anyway, we got out of the van and waited.  And waited.  And looked at the sky again and waited.  To give you a sense of the time, it was 9pm when I got picked up and took about 15 minutes to drive to the makeout spot.  The lights didn't really appear until about 11pm.  That is a long time to be standing outside in the freezing cold.

While we were waiting in the cold, the guides of the various vans were having discussions about whether to drive to different areas or not.  Viewing of the Northern Lights is impacted by cloud cover and in Iceland, the clouds come down fast.  So, an area that was clear 10 minutes ago may be covered now.  Apparently, there was no way to predict it.  Our guide, who has been "chasing the Northern Lights" since 1996, decided to stay.

We started to get a little glow in the sky and the guides got all excited and said "we have Northern Lights!"  I'm looking up in the sky thinking "These Icelanders have duped me!".  The guides said that a lot of the Northern Lights are not visible to the naked eye, but show up on cameras.  Basically, the Lights showed up at first as a glow in the sky.  It kind of looked like a spotlight breaking through clouds.  I was thinking "Really?  This is what all the fuss is about?  Lame."  Boy, was I wrong.

The Lights came out in full force and lasted about 25 minutes.  Like I said, it started as a bit of a glow and it arched across the sky.  Then, it there was a second arch (per the guides, a pretty rare occurrence).  The first arch started getting brighter and brighter and then it was unreal.  The Lights looked like they started dancing.  They were rolling across the sky and it looked like....actually, I can't think of anything that it looked like.  To say that they were dancing across the sky sounds stupid and overly dramatic, but it is close.  The colors from green (which is the most commonly seen color) to a purplish red, which is much less common.  For the science geek, the green color is caused by collisions with oxygen particles.  Nitrogen collisions give off the purple-red aurora.

Before anyone asks, yes, I took a few pictures, but my crap camera wasn't good enough to register it all and the iPhone picked up nothing (too far away, I think).  I wanted to focus on enjoying it and not staring at it through a view finder, so I gave up after a few minutes.

After the lights stopped, the sky was pitch black, which made me further appreciate how much they really lit up the sky.  I can only imagine what it would have looked like if there weren't any clouds.

OK, what I'm about to say is really going to sound overly dramatic, but still true --- if I didn't already believe in God, I would after seeing that show.  It was so beautiful and I know there is a science behind it, but it was unlike anything I've ever seen.  There has to be a greater power behind that.  I felt like I was in some science-fiction movie because it almost didn't seem real.

In case I was too subtle in this post, I would highly recommend it to anyone else.  It is a crap-shoot because you never know when/if the Lights are going to come out, so you have to be prepared for that, but if you get the chance, I would jump on it.  

I now have 4 currencies in my wallet and I love it!

Most people go somewhere warm on vacation, but that wouldn't be me.  I took off last night for Iceland.  Who needs warmth when you can get snow and glaciers??  Ironically, it's actually warmer and sunnier here than in London.

The trip in itself was quite the experience.  My flight was out of Gatwick airport, which I didn't find out until late yesterday is way out in the boonies of London.  I budgeted about an hour to get there and that was certainly not enough.  I planned to take the express train, but when I got to Victoria Station, the express train was cancelled and I had to take the slow train to the airport.  I got on the slow train without realizing that you can't use the Oyster Card (equivalent of the el pass) on it (you can use it on the express train --- I checked).  So, I'm sweating the timing as the train is making what seemed like 100 stops and then I realize that I don't have the paper ticket that everyone else has.  I got to the airport and couldn't get out the gates without the paper ticket.  Fortunately, the little worker dude must have seen how frazzled I was and took pity on me and let me buy a ticket there without the extra penalty fee of 20GPB.  

I got to the check in with literally 1 minute to spare before check-in cut off.  For someone who likes to get to the airport a little early (especially for an international flight), this was not comforting.  Thankfully, security wasn't very long, so I got to the gate with 4 minutes to spare before they closed the doors.  Way too close for comfort.

The flight itself was uneventful, thank goodness.  The trip from the airport was mildly eventful.  The airport is about an hour from downtown Reykjavik.  Taxis (like everything else on this island) are super expensive, so I took a bus. The big bus takes you to a smaller bus in the city, which then takes you to your hotel.  As I was going from the big bus to the small bus, one of the bus drivers was trying to give directions to someone and accidentally punched me in the face.  He was a young guy and really apologetic.  I couldn't do anything but laugh.  He didn't draw blood, so no harm, no foul. 

My hotel is fine.  It's clean and that's all I care about (yes, Kelly, I did the bed bug check.  And yes, Mom, I'm using the sleep sack.).  I didn't get in until after midnight, so I just crashed.

This morning, I got up and went to the Blue Lagoon.

The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal lagoon that holds 6 million liters of water that is a combination of 2/3 saltwater and 1/3 freshwater.  It is about 98-102 degrees.  I've been to geothermal pools before and it didn't smell as sulfury as some other places, but there was definitely that tinge.  The water is also known for having some healing properties due to the algae and silica in it.  That is healing in the skin condition way, not the laying-on-the-hands-and-making-walk sort of healing.  Anyway, that is why the water is the crazy color.

The whole thing was cool.  They have steam baths and saunas alongside the lagoon and you can get a massage right in the lagoon.  I've not had luck lately with my massages (Schmuddle!), so I bypassed that, but I did take advantage of the free mud mask they were offering.  (They sell it in the shop for the equivalent of $75!  I'm nothing if I'm not frugal.)  

I'm not good at relaxing, but I did my best to embrace it.

Not too bad of a morning. :)

I'm off to hopefully see the Northern Lights tonight.  It's kind of a lottery to see if you can see them, but the timing is supposed to be ideal.  Keep your fingers crossed that Mother Nature cooperates.

More later!

Paris and Back Again!

It was a whirlwind trip to Paris.  We stayed in the St. Germain area, so we were very close to the Louvre and Notre Dame.  We walked everywhere.  We walked from Notre Dame, through the Tuileries Gardens, up the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe and then over to the Eiffel Tower. 

We had beautiful weather in Paris -- 50s and sunny.  A complete contrast to the weather back in London (30s and rainy).  Caroline had running tights under her pants (a piece of clothing I think she wore the entire week), but we weren't really cold until we went up to the Eiffel Tower and had to wait in line for forever.  I guess we can't complain --- we didn't have lines anywhere else. (Side note about lines: why is that certain nationalities have no respect for personal space when it comes to lines?  I get that it may be a cultural thing, but when I scoot away from you and the rest of the line hasn't moved, don't you get the hint?  I'll grant you a pass for the first time, but the 7th time?)

The tourist attractions are cool, but I like wandering the streets to see the personality of the city.  I took lots of pictures of food and flowers.

Local flower market.  So pretty.

This was the pastry shop on the corner and their display of macaroons.

How cute is this little guy?!?  I don't know how you could eat him.  

Oxymoron: big shrimp

I had been to a lot of the places before, but we did go to one place I had never been before: the Pont des Arts - the "Love Lock" Bridge.  It is a footbridge right near the Louvre where couples affix locks to a bridge to declare their love.  Both Caroline and I had heard about it on the high-brow news programs, The Real Housewives and Keeping Up with the Kardashians, respectively.  (To my defense, I actually hadn't seen the Kardashians.  I just read about it in US Weekly.)

 
It's kind of a neat concept.  While we were there, a couple came in search of a lock they had put on the bridge.  It was kind of cool to see them find it. 

Way better than what I read about in US Weekly. :)

So, I'm back in London and Caroline is back in Wheaton.  It was a bit of a whirlwind, but I'm *so* happy she came to visit me.  

Some people decide to go to Michigan for the weekend...

When you are this close to Europe, you have to take advantage, right?!?  Caroline and I decided to take a last minute trip to The City of Lights.  No, not Vegas or Aurora, IL (also known by that name - Aurora?  Really???).  We made our way to Paris this weekend.  

We just got in a little bit ago after a somewhat adventurous ride on the Eurostar.  As it was a last minute ticket, the train was oversold, so we got what can only be described as a "jump seat" in the hallway between cars where the luggage is.  It was like we were lepers or something.  People were constantly coming through to go to the food car or to the bathroom.  About halfway through the train, some guy decides to go in his luggage and put on his Axe Body Spray right in front of us.  Mind you, the bathroom was less than 2 feet away from him.  Instead, he decides to fumigate our little area with his Axe spray.  I started coughing and Caroline was laughing hysterically.  Whatever, dude.  Go to the bathroom.

Anyway, the ride itself was pretty good.  Two and 1/2 hours and we are in Paris!    We just had dinner and then walked over to the Louvre.  

Off to bed now and then up to see the sights.  More details later!

Bonsoir!

Yippy!

I have a visitor this week!  My sister Caroline came in on Tuesday.  It's her first time in Europe and she has been quite the trooper walking all over the place. 

Unfortunately, I have had to work for 2 days while she is here, but she has successfully navigated around the city yesterday all by herself.  The number of places she has gone is astounding.  I think she is finding it faster to get around when she doesn't have to haul three kids behind her.

More about our travels later.  I need to get some work done so I can take the day off tomorrow.

Should I Be Concerned?

It was announced today that archaeologists found 13 skeletons in a construction project thisclose to my flat.  (When I say "thisclose", I mean the end of my block.  Mike Vogel, we walked right past it!).  Based on some pottery found with the skeletons, it looks like the bodies date back to 1350.  How cool is that?  OK, that sounds macabre, but 1350?!?  It's literally history in my backyard!  It's older than anything found at home.

What's better (or worse depending on how you look at it) is that they are looking into whether this plot of land holds the remains of some 50,000 people killed as part of the plague.  That's right...the plague.  Bubonic, baby!  The city is being careful and trying not to freak people out by saying "There is no health risk.  It's not something that stays in the soil.  You have to meet someone who has it to catch it."  Dear God, if the plague can lie dormant for over 650 years and then come back, we are in big trouble.

I'm wondering if I should be more concerned by this.  I'm fascinated.  I want to take pictures, but I wonder if I might go on some list as a whack job.

A little bit of culture

I've been trying to make a concerted effort to try a lot of different things while I'm "over the pond".  

Valentino Exhibit

A few weeks ago, I went to see the Valentino exhibit at the Somerset House, which is right on the River Thames.  

As part of the exhibit, they showcased about 150 different Valentino dresses, including the dress that Julia Roberts wore to the Oscars.

I have to say, I was a little surprised that some of the dresses didn't look better in person.  Some of the dresses definitely photographed better than what they actually look like in person.  It was very cool to see the volume of work that he had created, though.  There was a video running that showed how they made certain pieces.  Good Lord, the people who work in the atelier have *a lot* of patience.  I would either go blind or give up with the amount of time it takes to make one little ruffle.  Whatever...this may be why I shop at Target, not Valentino. 

Wildlife Photography Exhibit

The photography exhibit was shown at the Natural History Museum.  First of all, the museum itself is gorgeous.

I could have just walked around and looked at the architecture, but since I had the ticket for the exhibit, I thought I would go. :)

The exhibit itself is in its 49th year and shows a global showcase of the very best nature photography.  It was amazing.  For obvious reasons, photos of the photographs weren't allowed, but I was able to download one of the pictures.  The below photograph isn't even one of the winners.  And, they have a children's exhibit with some photographs of kids as young as 10(!).  (God, I'm such a loser.  I've done nothing with my life!).  Anyway, very impressive.  Unfortunately, the exhibit isn't scheduled to be in the US, but you can see the pictures online. (http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/temporary-exhibitions/wpy/onlineGallery.do)

British Museum
I didn't go see any special exhibits at the British Museum yesterday.  The museum is within walking distance, so I figured I should check it out.  

For those not in the know, the museum holds, among other things, the Rosetta Stone.

Again, the architecture inside the building itself is pretty darn cool.

The really nice thing about the museums in London is that they are all free.  They ask for a "donation", but it's not like the donations they ask for at the street festivals in Chicago --- there isn't anyone monitoring the door to give you the evil eye if you don't contribute (don't worry, I contributed.  I'm not that bad of a cheapskate).

I'm glad that I have had the opportunity to take advantage of some of these things.  I've got fashion, photography and history under my belt.  That leaves art, music, food, ???.  I have already addressed the food piece (shocker, I know).  That is for another post.  I will have to work on the art and music pieces. 

GBA

I had my first US visitor this week.  My brother-in-law, Mike Vogel, was in town for work.  We got a chance to go for dinner and drinks.  It was really nice to hang out --- just the two of us --- without any family, kids, etc.  That Mike Vogel (yes, I have to use his full name) is a good time.

It was nice to have a little bit of home here.  To be honest, I have a reminder of home every day.  Right before I left, I got an American flag from my nephew Patrick (he was very concerned that I was going to another country).  Patrick's flag is on my fridge, along with pictures of my nieces and nephews (and a particularly funny picture of Brock's Angels).

I also have on display a card from my friend Linda's daughter, Sarah.

I love all the reminders from home, especially since they are homemade. 

As my friend Shark says "GBA - God Bless America". 

A bit of a milestone

I had a bit of a milestone this week in London, but I have to say that it was a little anticlimatic.  On Thursday, we launched the first phase of the project that I was sent here to do.  We presented the solution in a meeting at the top of "the Gherkin".  What is the "Gherkin", you say?  It is the nickname for one of the buildings in the financial district.  It is pretty distinctive and the name obviously suits it.

The real name for the building is 30 St. Mary Axe, but that doesn't really roll off the tongue like "the Gherkin" does.

As I was saying, the whole thing was a little anticlimatic.  I've been working pretty hard since even before I got here to get this project up and running.  February 28th was this date looming in the distance and I had to call in a lot of favors and put up with a lot of crap to get it done.  The day came and...went.  I don't know what I was expecting --- fireworks?  parade?  overwhelming sense of relief?  Other than the meeting, it was like any other day.  

I do have to say, it was cool to go up in the Gherkin.  After the meeting was over, we went to bar up at the top and had a drink to celebrate.  I didn't realize it at the time, but the restaurant and bar are private facilities.  I guess the only way to be able to get up there is to either become a member (not happening on my stipend) or to host an event there.  

It was a bit cloudy, but here are a few pictures from the bar.

All in all, I guess I can't really complain.  The initial launch went well and I got another cool London experience under my belt.  Not too shabby...