Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from Highgate Cemetery!  This cemetery, established in 1839, is home to many famous people.  Take a stroll on a cold, drizzly day through the ivy-covered and somewhat dilapidated headstones.  Peaceful during the day....who knows what goes on at night?  There was a sign posted saying that there is a need for a night security watchman... any takers?

William Richard Foyle, founder of the iconic Foyle's Book Store in London.

I like the pot of pens placed in front of this writer's grave.

The most famous of those interred here, Karl Marx.

Not to worry - lots of angels watching over the dead.

Make no mistake about the condition of the sculptor buried here.

Be careful going down this path - you never know where it may lead.  Have a Happy Halloween!

Monet - the Master of Impressionism

On a recent short trip to Paris, I spent a morning taking the train from the St. Lazare train station to the town of Vernon, about 45 miles southwest of Paris. Once there, a quick 10-minute bus ride took me to the sleepy little village of Giverny.

Just outside the village lay the Maison et Jardins de Claude Monet - the house and gardens of Claude Monet, the master of Impressionism.  Since Monet is one of my favorite artists, it was very exciting to be transported in time to a place where he lived and painted many of his great masterpieces.

Claude Monet lived in his home at Giverny for forty-three years, from 1883 to 1926. During this very long time, he layed out the house to his own tastes, adapting it to the needs of his family and professional life.  He loved the use of color and it was he that chose the pink color of the walls and the green shutters for the outside of the house.

Unfortunately, no photographs were allowed inside his homes so I'll give you a brief description here.   It was a very long house and decorated very simply but beautifully; many rooms painted in cheerful hues of blues and yellows.  The house was warm and welcoming and lived in fully by his family of ten.  The kitchen was especially inviting with blue walls, French tiles and an array of sparkling copper pots and pans hanging on the walls.  A doorway off the kitchen led into a wonderful yellow dining room that contained a country-sized eating table where his family and  guests were fed and entertained.  Claude's studio walls were covered with Japanese paintings, which he collected for 50 years.  Other walls bore paintings by the likes of his friends, Pizzarro, Cezanne, Renoir, Morisot, Manet, Sisley....

Of course, it was the gardens that inspired many of his paintings and I can certainly understand why!  Come with me on a gentle stroll amongst the flower gardens and the ponds ....

Monet didn't particularly like organized gardens and the gardens still remain somewhat haphazard - in a most-inviting way!

It's the last part of the season for the water lilies to bloom and, according to a passer-by that I overheard, they bloom in the afternoon.  Since I was there first thing in the morning, I missed the blooms - but, happily, I think I missed the masses of tourists, too.  A welcome trade-off for me!

Surely, all the reflections off the water inspired his style of painting.  And it's not hard to figure out where Monet's love of color came from.... 

The house and gardens are open 7 months out of the year and, no matter what time of the year you visit, there is an array of breathtaking color and variety of flowers.  

Departing from Monet's house and garden, I meandered through the sleepy village on my way back to the bus.  Seems everyone wants to keep up with the Monets with their beautiful gardens and flower boxes and

even this mail box! 

Olympic Fever

The London 2012 Olympics have finally arrived after years of preparation.  It's been highly anticipated with mixed emotions on the part of the local population in London and other areas of Great Britain - some have been negative and say that it's too costly and too much disruption and others that are so excited for the events that will bring world-recognition to their city.  I fall into the latter category and feel privileged to be living here during this historic time.

The amount of preparation for such an undertaking is mind-boggling.  Everywhere I walk, I see signs that a world-wide event is imminent.

One of the cool things about these Olympics and being in London is that many of the events are taking place right in the city so no ticket is necessary to be a part of the build-up and excitement.  Here, the street alongside Harrods (Brompton Road) will be used for some event - maybe cycling or running.

The lead-up to the actual opening of the Olympics is almost as exciting as the events themselves.  The Olympic torch has been traveling around the world and has finally arrived in London.

 We researched the route of the torch and, after much deliberation, a group of us decided to park ourselves alongside the Royal Chelsea Hospital, where the "Men in Scarlet" call their home.  The Royal Chelsea Hospital was founded in 1682 by King Charles II to provide soldiers with a home in their retirement.  They were out in their iconic uniforms to support one of their own who was about to arrive carrying the torch. To this day, the Hospital is run in almost the same way with one very apparent exception....

and that is in March 2009, they began accepting women!  I believe there are 2 or 3 of them living there now.

And here he is..... Chelsea Pensioner James Anderson running with the Olympic Torch in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.   This was on July 26th - the day before the Opening Ceremonies was to take place.

And now....do I hear a drum roll?....an event that I have been looking forward to ever since we got lucky in the lottery and were able to purchase tickets to the Opening Ceremonies.  

For weeks beforehand, we discussed our plans for the big day at Olympic Stadium - what time to leave,  how to get there, what to wear, what to bring...the list goes on.  In the end, we got there with ease on the London Underground, had an early dinner near the stadium, went through security where there were virtually no lines and were in our seats by 7:15 p.m.  

The atmosphere around Olympic Park was electric and we saw all sorts of revelers.

Half the fun is people watching at an event like this and

fans like these weren't shy about having their pictures taken.

There's nothing quite like an event like this to bring people together from all over the world showing pride in their heritage.

These must be Americans! - our friends, Mike and Debi Kirksey and Rex and I.

The clouds look a little ominous in the background but, in the end, it only sprinkled for a few minutes during the pre-show.

The whole venue was spectacular and extremely well organized with 

friendly, knowledgable ambassadors ready to help guide us and

even entertainment along the way.

Wildflowers planted outside the stadium brought some color to the grey skies 

and the world's largest McDonald's sits just beside Olympic Park.  I'm sure they will sell a few hamburgers and fries over the next couple of weeks.

A view of the stadium before the festivities started - the calm before the storm!

The Olympic Bell was rung by British cyclist, Bradley Wiggins, who had just won the Tour de France to mark the beginning of the ceremonies.

There were so many dazzling parts to the show, it was almost hard to take it all in.

 Lights, flames, fireworks, music, dancing...

all wove part of a tale about Britain's coming of age.

Little Mary Poppins floating down into the stadium.

This "house" represented British music and television and it's pop stars over the years.

All of this pageantry lead up to the real reason we were all there....

to welcome and celebrate the greatest of the world's athletes in a two-week long competition of the Summer Olympics that takes place once every four years.

The countries' participants marched out proudly in beautifully-colored uniforms and

it was a proud moment for us when the American athletes made quite a presence looking sharp in their blue and white.

After the athletes were all assembled, the fireworks show began

and continued on and on and on....it was spectacular.

 There was so much anticipation and we weren't disappointed.  

When finally the Olympic Cauldron was lit, signifying the official beginning of the Games, the show had mesmerized us for 3 and a half hours and the time seemed to fly by.  We made it back home on a natural high that night and crashed into bed at 2:30 a.m.

As I write this, the Games have been going on for days and will be ending soon with the Closing Ceremonies on Sunday.   I can't say enough what an amazing day this was for me - one that I will always remember and be thankful for.