tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49240616797926398422024-02-19T07:57:51.842-08:00The Business & Innovation BlogHolly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.comBlogger137125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-77147134555270117582015-11-27T11:37:00.002-08:002015-11-27T11:37:28.275-08:00Goodbye and Good Riddance Verizon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have been with Verizon for a very long time. And, the prices got higher and higher. Eventually, they stopped offering a free phone with contract renewal. After that, there was nothing keeping me with Verizon (certainly not their BOGUS rewards program)...except my existing contract. Now, the contract is over for all of the lines on my account and I can say goodbye to Verizon once and for all!<br />
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I started using Google's Project Fi on November 1st. Since I still had a contract with Verizon until the end of November - I had both phones running for the month. Because I was still in contract with Verizon, I could not transfer my phone number to Project Fi without getting slammed by Verizon's early termination fees. So, I decided to take Google up on getting a new number. No big deal for me, really. I was actually a nice opportunity to clean house. And, having both Verizon and Project Fi active at the same time gave me a bit of a safety net during my Project Fi trial (turned out I didn't need a safety net - Project Fi is better than Verizon).<br />
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Now the month is over and I can say without hesitation - Project Fi is AMAZING! The service is flawless. During my month trial, I traveled in both the US and the UK. Perfect service in both countries. Best of all, 10 gigs of data costs $10 per month with Project Fi both in the US and in 120 other countries! I used data in the UK as if I were in the US and there was no additional cost beyond that $10 per gig that I pay anyway. Yes, you understood correctly. International data for $10 per gig when you travel in any of their listed 120 countries!!! Hard to believe, but completely true!<br />
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Honestly, it only took me a few days using Project Fi to know the service was great. Several times, in areas with generally poor cell service, I had better cell reception than family members who were still on Verizon! After about 3 days of carrying both my Verizon phone and my Project Fi phone, I started leaving my Verizon phone at home. As a matter of fact, I think I have only turned on my Verizon phone 3 times this month.<br />
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I am now so confident with Project Fi that my whole family is moving over and I couldn't be happier. We are moving over to an reliable yet affordable service and getting rid of Verizon once and for all.<br />
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If you haven't heard about Project Fi, you should check it out soon. The service is excellent and the price is right!<br />
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-10733054307791919472015-09-21T12:52:00.001-07:002015-09-21T12:52:24.101-07:00I didn't wimp out... Technically<p dir="ltr">I ended up eating at the hotel restaurant... Not quite what I hoped but at least I am not in my room with a bag of chips. Don't think this is not a cop out, however. The restaurant I wanted doesn't serve dinner. It is a pub that turns full bar at night. Turns out that in the evening they only serve snacks and beer. So, it wouldn't have served my purposes anyway.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Eating alone is still no fun. I am trying to people watch but in doing so I am reminded  that I am the only person eating by myself. And sitting next to a group of Asian tourists speaking in a language with which I am completely unfamiliar, eavesdropping is useless. </p>
<p dir="ltr">So, in the end this is the worst part of traveling alone. Usually try to get an apartment or hotel with in-room cooking facilities (like a microwave). Unfortunately, that is not always possible like with this trip. Well, such is life. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Once I am done eating I will return to my hermit ways - retreating to room looking forward to tomorrow when I go to see Measure by Measure at the Globe Theater with a coworker.  </p>
<p dir="ltr">On a positive note, when I get back to my room I will have plenty of time to tell you all about my adventures and share pictures from this trip. Despite the pains at dinner, I have had a wonderful time touring London!</p>
Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-5234572550600558932015-09-21T11:29:00.001-07:002015-09-21T11:29:14.539-07:00Traveling on Business... Alone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you have read my blog before you know that I am loving my travel to Europe for business. I am in London again and having a ball (for the most part...read on)! I love London and will have much more to share soon... but before I share all the details and photos, I have a purpose for this post.<br />
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As much as I love to travel, traveling alone has some wins and some pains. When I visit a museum, I can spend as much time as I want near a favorite display and rush past those that I find boring and no one can complain. When I am touring I can get lost and discover new things and no one complains. I can be "late" to destinations that I choose and no one complains. I can see the sights I want to see and no one can complain. And, when I am "off the clock", I am a tourist again and can do whatever I please and I have no one to answer to. But....<br />
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I hate eating alone. I try to eat as many meals on the run as possible so I don't have to sit at a table by myself wondering how dumb I look. Now, it is dinner time and my stomach is making ungodly noises. I want dinner. But, here I sit in the hotel room thinking about how awkward it is to sit in a restaurant alone and wondering if I should just quite my stomach with a bag of chips from the grocery store.<br />
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Generally, I am a confident person so I should be able to walk into restaurant like I own the place. Just now, I tried and failed. When I saw other people sitting and eating - I kept walking as if it wasn't ever my intention to stop. I walked around the block and came right back to my hotel room to hide. Pitiful!<br />
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Then I thought, if I blog about it - tell the world that I plan to eat alone - I cannot possibly disappoint my readers. I will be forced to people watch and then write to tell you all about my experience eating alone in London... Right?<br />
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Well, it's worth a shot. The place I want to eat has some of my favorite (perhaps I should spell it favourite since I am in London :)) dishes like Cottage Pie and Bubble and Squeak... I should go and enjoy a traditional English meal while I have the chance. Right?<br />
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Ok I am going to try again. Who knows, maybe I will meet some nice English people who will take pity on the poor lonely American tourist and talk to me. Chances are good, the English are very nice. Here we go... If I make it and succeed in this venture of eating alone - I will tell you all about the experience. I know you are just waiting on the edge of your seat for an update :).<br />
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-51498434078028083682015-05-08T08:00:00.000-07:002015-05-09T09:48:38.558-07:00Trip to Italy - Florence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Oh, Florence! What a wonderful place. The birth of the Renaissance. For anyone who loves art, Florence is the place to go. Florence was actually our first home in Italy and every second was lovely.<br />
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On the first day, we walked around aimlessly seeing the sites and stopped for dinner at an ok (but not great) tourist trap. Despite the fact that dinner was marginal, just walking around in Florence is a thrill. Every inch of Florence is art and the Piazzas are packed full of street performers and musicians. Because of the street musicians I will forever associate the song Time to Say Goodbye with my trip to Florence.<br />
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Our first full day in Florence was spend on a walking tour of the city. Though the tour wasn't great (see the post about the tours), it gave us some sense of direction. In the days that followed, we went to the Gallery of the Academy, the Uffizi Gallery, all of the cathedrals/churches, the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, all of the Piazzas, and the Ponte Vecchio.<br />
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At the Gallery of the Academy we saw the David, Michelangelo's masterpiece, up close and personal. It is an amazing sculpture and absolutely massive. The David is truly a masterpiece (and yes, his hands are very big for his body but I will make no comment about the part of his body that is considered very small :)). We walked through the rest of the Gallery of the Academy too and I took some pictures, but it was mostly full of religious Renaissance paintings - which aren't really my thing.<br />
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The Uffizi museum, however, was wonderful! There were a ton of sculptures (sculpture is my thing) and I was able to see a couple of paintings that were very cool. First, I saw the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_Venus_%28Botticelli%29" target="_blank">Birth of Venus by Botticelli</a>. It is a beautiful painting. I also got to see (up close and personal) two paintings by <a href="http://www.uffizi.org/halls/hall-15-of-leonardo/" target="_blank">Leonardo DiVinci</a>. Though I wasn't familiar with these works before this trip, it was a thrill to see his work in person.<br />
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On the second night in Florence, we had dinner at a wonderful restaurant - though I cannot remember the name of the place. It was lovely, the food was excellent, and the wait staff was wonderful in every way!<br />
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I think my favorite part was seeing the Dante related things. Of course, as a Dan Brown fan, I read Inferno and honestly that had a little to do with it. But, I am also an avid reader of the classics and have read the Divine Comedy as well. So, we went to Dante's home, saw his death mask in the Palazzo Vecchio, and visited Beatrice's church where the 'love lost' leave letters Beatrice asking for help. As heartbreaking side, my younger daughter left a letter behind asking Beatrice to tell our recently departed dog, Daisy, we love her and miss her.<br />
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The historic center of Florence is relatively small and you can walk everywhere and that we did! There was so much to see from the massive Doumo at Florence's main cathedral to the Ponte Vecchio to the Palazzo Medici Riccardi. Florence is wonderful! Beauty at every turn - lovely buildings, cobblestone streets... just wonderful.<br />
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Now for the pictures... <a href="https://plus.google.com/115847658255460538424/posts/XhS9LEZe2w6?pid=6144412445050520450&oid=115847658255460538424" target="_blank">Here are the pictures of Florence</a> (there are a LOT of them)<br />
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-22611770180635566582015-05-07T09:00:00.000-07:002015-05-07T09:00:12.978-07:00Trip to Italy - Rome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I cannot even begin to describe how much I loved Rome. Rome almost seemed like a dream. The ancient buildings, stone streets, the archaeological wonders at every turn - it was heaven. We stayed in an apartment on Via Del Governo Vecchio in the historic center of Rome, just around the corner from Piazza Navona. The street was lined with little mom-and-pop shops, street cafes, and outdoor wine bars. Pretty little Christmas tree-like lights, table candles, and big outdoor space heaters illuminated the cobblestone street and old buildings at night. The buzz of conversation and laughter was warm and friendly. It was charming in every way. I never wanted to leave.<br />
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But, leave we did as there were tons of sights to see in Rome. On our first full day we went on a tour of the Colosseum, Forum, Trevi Fountain, and Pantheon and them spent the following day at the Vatican. Though very different both were amazing. The Colosseum was interesting, but the Forum was awe inspiring. I walked the same path as Julius Caesar and saw what is believed to be the spot where he was killed (et tu, Brute?). I was thrilled by every temple. It was truly awesome. </div>
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The Vatican is stunning. We toured the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. While all of them had amazing sites and exquisite art - St. Peter's Basilica was by far the best - such opulence and artistic beauty. If I tried to describe the Vatican, you would think I was exaggerating. </div>
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On our last day in Rome, we just walked around taking it all in and dying a little inside that it was the last day. During that walk we climbed the Spanish Steps and popped over by the American Embassy just because I wanted to see American territory in the heart of Rome. And, on the last nigh in Rome we had one last dinner at a street cafe by our apartment. With one too many glasses of wine in me, we walked over for a last look at Piazza Navona with all the street vendors selling art, playing live music, and performing all sorts of wonders. Knowing that I had to leave that wonderful city the next day, this strange watery substance leaked out of my eye. No, I certainly wasn't a blithering baby but having to leave Rome actually caused physical pain. </div>
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Don't let the short length of this post deceive you - Rome was amazing. If anything, I was left speechless by Rome. </div>
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/115847658255460538424/posts/LpoPHjrcaM7?pid=6144396507524393826&oid=115847658255460538424" target="_blank">Here are my pictures of the Vatican</a></div>
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/115847658255460538424/posts/bPfgjV9LnuW?pid=6144398241891919154&oid=115847658255460538424" target="_blank">Here are my pictures of Rome</a></div>
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-67961588043770612452015-05-06T09:00:00.000-07:002015-05-06T09:00:12.311-07:00Trip to Italy - Naples<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
While in Italy we spent part of a day in Naples. I cannot say I was impressed by the city itself. There were a couple of things of interest, but otherwise the city was just any city. So, here I will only focus on the things I thought were interesting.<br />
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As I mentioned in an earlier post, we spent the day with a tour guide and he took us to lunch at a wonderful restaurant in Naples. I didn't take any pictures of the food because I was too busy eating it :). It was GREAT! Then, all the food in Italy is amazing (my scale agrees that I really liked the food in Italy). </div>
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After lunch we walked over to the Archaeology Museum which houses all of the things that were too precious to leave out in the elements in Pompeii. So, if you ever go to Pompeii be sure to go to the museum also. It was wonderful. But, before I get to the museum, let's talk about interesting facts about Naples. </div>
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Naples is a port city that over the centuries was ruled by many different people. Accordingly, the language in Naples is a little different from Italian. It is a merge of several languages (though I cannot remember them all). Naples is also the home of pizza. I have to be honest, though... I have had equally good pizza in NYC. And, despite people telling me it is sooooo different - its not! It is basically the same pizza we have here. The major differences are in the crust. The crust is bland and very thin. The idea is that the toppings really make the pizza and the crust is just a vehicle to get it into your mouth. So, they see no need to make the pizza crust anything special. </div>
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Another fun fact (well, experts aren't completely sure actually - but it is suggested and now believed by many to be true)... <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/draculas-tomb-discovered-in-italy.aspx?pageID=238&nID=67748" target="_blank">Dracula (Vlad the Impaler) is buried in Naples</a> and I got to see where! Here's a picture of the location:<br />
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Next on the agenda was the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples_National_Archaeological_Museum" target="_blank">Archaeology Museum</a>. WOW! AMAZING! In addition to all of the things from Pompeii this museum has so much history, I was absolutely in awe. This museum is not to be missed. I will share all my pictures, but be warned I am a BIG fan of sculpture (anything made of rock really - any type of rock will do - I just love rocks. Sometime I will have to explain why - but that will have to be a separate post. For now, just know I love sculpture) so there are a lot of pics of those that I saw. </div>
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/115847658255460538424/posts/KKJtPQC3oPr?pid=6144380306269464514&oid=115847658255460538424" target="_blank">Here are all the Naples and museum pictures</a></div>
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-22397723809310505322015-05-05T09:00:00.000-07:002015-05-05T09:00:13.206-07:00Trip to Italy - Pompeii<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Having a strong interest in ancient history, I cheated the system in high school - choosing to take Latin as my foreign language. I basically got a second history class each day under the guise of a foreign language :). Though I cannot speak to any living people today - I never regretted the decision to take Latin for a dozen reasons.<br />
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For Latin 1 in freshman year of high school, we studied using the <a href="http://www.cambridgescp.com/Upage.php?p=clc%5Eoa_intro%5Eoa_unit1" target="_blank">Cambridge Latin 1 course</a>. You learn the language by following a story of the lives of a family living in Pompeii around 79 AD. The last pages of the book detail the eruption of Mt.Vesuvius, the destruction of Pompeii, and the death of most of the family members with whom we spent an entire school year (side note for those that are too sad to read on... As I recall one of the family members, the son, escaped with the help of a slave, the chef named Grumio). </div>
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I was absolutely amazed to find that though the story was fictitious, the family were once real, living people. The father (pater in Latin), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Caecilius_Iucundus" target="_blank">Lucius Caecilius Iucundus</a> was a wealthy banker. He was married to Matella (the mother - mater in Latin), and they had a son (filius in Latin) whose name was Quintus. Though it is believed that Lucius died several years before the eruption, the house still stands in Pompeii... And I got to see it!!!</div>
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While every second in Pompeii was amazing, this was the best part for me. Silly as it sounds, this family was an important part of my life and I am glad I was able to visit their home (even if they did die nearly 2,000 years ago). Here are some pictures of their house. Unfortunately, it was not open so I had to take pics from outside a gate, but I was there nonetheless. (read on below the pics for more about Pompeii)</div>
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Pompeii is amazing! I always knew that I would love to see the ruins, but this exceeded every expectation. Standing in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius, looking up at that massive volcano, then looking down at the horror it caused - the ruined remnants of an ancient society, the casts of human bodies just trapped in time - it was surreal. But then, there are reminders of just how real it was - subtle indications that this was once a bustling city full of real people who lived just like me. The pictures that follow may not seem amazing on the surface, but these are the things that remind you that this is very real. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6oA9v4mSabfFuK55lw_Cef3andvok-R-Xjb9xAkQqQ55_nC4n8uf5UBHPG-OKLtEp4cI9PkLlpzhQYPDElbFDXdVuTTcFrfz6YBHViunZvhWyMQn47TiBerAyjbGRqIMIUmmnZ_mkSY/s1600/20150411_112703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6oA9v4mSabfFuK55lw_Cef3andvok-R-Xjb9xAkQqQ55_nC4n8uf5UBHPG-OKLtEp4cI9PkLlpzhQYPDElbFDXdVuTTcFrfz6YBHViunZvhWyMQn47TiBerAyjbGRqIMIUmmnZ_mkSY/s1600/20150411_112703.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A water pipe (yes they had public water back then)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A walk up fast food restaurant. Hot food, like stew, was served to patrons at the counter</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tee4MyPCynP_KSdSjnvqEINaAV8CW9efLNa1eOayCBN4odzZT8oWatEOVBIa-v85Kb_xbpBnHANWrqu4JSwvBmHNC6N803-7eILMIPFkasVjvMsDZxykts7AuXrwwtmDb4izOAuywEA/s1600/20150411_105750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tee4MyPCynP_KSdSjnvqEINaAV8CW9efLNa1eOayCBN4odzZT8oWatEOVBIa-v85Kb_xbpBnHANWrqu4JSwvBmHNC6N803-7eILMIPFkasVjvMsDZxykts7AuXrwwtmDb4izOAuywEA/s1600/20150411_105750.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cross walk</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the street. Take note of the groove in the center of the pic. It is a tire tread warn into the stone from years of chariots riding over this spot.</td></tr>
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Needless to say, I have a ton of pictures in addition to these. You can see them all my <a href="https://plus.google.com/115847658255460538424/posts/Nd1PL7wWWFi?pid=6144372077693008610&oid=115847658255460538424" target="_blank">Pompeii pics here</a> (there are a LOT of them).</div>
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-26014858913548910572015-05-04T09:00:00.000-07:002016-02-20T11:56:01.817-08:00Trip to Italy - Tours<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Initially, I didn't plan on booking tours but the more I researched the more I realized that we’d miss too much without guides and this trip was important to me. So, I broke down and arranged for guides for a few key points. In taking the tours then comparing the price to the value, I learned a lot. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I booked the tours based on price, reviews, etc. and tried to keep the costs down as much as possible. Accordingly, I made some less than perfect decisions but now I know better for next time. I booked different types of tours using 4 different agencies providing 3 different types of tours and I will tell you about type of tour. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First, in Florence… the city has free tours available. This seemed like a really good deal to me and to about 1000 other people (exaggerating a little – but you get the idea). In the end, our free tour group was huge. We could hardly hear the tour guide and since the tour was free there were no headsets or any means of staying “connected” to the guide if you got separated from the guide by even just a few steps. Even though this was a free tour, it wasn't worth the time we dedicated to it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In Rome, we took 2 tours - one of the Vatican, one was the Forum/Coliseum. These were booked through typical travel/tour companies that I found online. The tour guides had a microphone and we tourists were directly connected to her by ear buds. This was nice because we could hear everything. The guides were good and very knowledgeable though somewhat mechanical in their presentation – as if they gave the same speech 20 times per day (which I think they do). <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0KmtCD89qHZPj4ExaTGJW-U3B-tlnp4z8FfR7QACcKVYqLUW0hX_5ltbfYiRE-WjQ0XtzygcawfcvDK4M3eL9bcCvgAGrvSqNYJ4AsLt_sA3pYv9tA8V0sHJ9IzpfwKerZF5TRq0-L0/s1600/20150411_121729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0KmtCD89qHZPj4ExaTGJW-U3B-tlnp4z8FfR7QACcKVYqLUW0hX_5ltbfYiRE-WjQ0XtzygcawfcvDK4M3eL9bcCvgAGrvSqNYJ4AsLt_sA3pYv9tA8V0sHJ9IzpfwKerZF5TRq0-L0/s1600/20150411_121729.jpg" width="371" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The great Mt. Vesuvius</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For these tours we were in groups of approximately 30-50 people (though large, much more manageable than the free tour I described in Florence). These tours cost in the $300 range for my group of 4 people and included “skip the line” access to major sites. For this type of tour, “skip the line” is important because the lines are unlike anything I have ever seen before – hours and hours of waiting! Still, don’t be sold on this type of tour yet. There are some better alternatives and other ways to skip the line. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Overall, while this type of paid group tour is better than a free tour, it still wasn't perfect. First, these tours are mechanically delivered and since you are in such a large group your access to the guide is limited. If you can corner the guide long enough for a question, 2 dozen other people are also trying to do the same thing at the same time. So there is absolutely no personalization, no feeling of connection with the guide or the site – very mechanical. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our final tour (the completely awesome one) was a private full day (booked 8 hours and he spent 10 hours with us at no additional cost) tour that included Pompeii, the city of Naples, and the Archaeology Museum in Naples. I booked this tour through <a href="http://www.toursbylocals.com/">Tours by Locals</a> and it was AMAZING! </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Since we had a guide only dedicated to us for the full day, there was nothing mechanical about the tour. The guide was at our disposal to answer any question, he changed the tour agenda on-the-fly-based on our areas of interest and the whole day was like hanging out with a friend who knows everything! He took us to a local restaurant that had great food, brought us to the best place to get gelato. Since these places were local haunts rather than tourist traps, the menus were in Italian and the waiters spoke no English. Our guide read the menu to us, explained everything, recommended the best dishes, and did all the talking for us in Italian. Since he was a regular at the restaurant, we got VIP treatment!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The whole concept of Tours by Locals is a little different from other tours. With Tours by Locals your guides are licensed tour guides but the live in the place where they tour – and many of the guides have lived there for their entire lives. Our guide for example, was born in Naples and lived there his entire 40+ years. They know the local customs, they know the best restaurants, they know the people, they know the areas to avoid and what is a must see, they know the best transportation (subway in Naples) – they know everything a tour guide knows plus all the tricks and tips that only a local knows. It was PERFECT! This is touring the way it should be!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The best part…. ready for this…. It was equally priced and for some tours I looked into less expensive than the impersonal group tours I booked in Rome. Moving forward, I will be using Tours by Locals exclusively. It is important to know, however, that some of the tours with Tours by Locals don’t offer skip the line access… so read...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Florence and Rome have a lot of tourists. If you want to see the major attractions, just assume that everyone else does too. For example, lines to get into the Basilica at the Vatican were over 4 hours long. If you choose to use a group tour, make sure it includes “skip the line” accesses. If you choose a private guide (I recommend Tours by Locals) or go alone, reserve a date/time and buy tickets in advance online. The downside to this is that you are stuck to a set agenda and timing. The upside is that you don’t waste your time in line. I got tickets through <a href="http://www.italy-tickets.com/"><b>Italy-tickets.com</b></a>. If you choose Tours by Locals or other private guides coordinate it with the guide before paying anything. A local guide may have other recommendations on how to secure tickets from the local perspective. </span></span></span></div>
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-34869415262678695932015-05-03T06:10:00.000-07:002015-05-03T06:10:39.854-07:00Trip to Italy - Accommodations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0wckG1sYC0w2oC5TPjRRbE6eS5zXSLx2cu1A3190E_xZ_ow6-qjpDeWRiyEOU1ZBJiYX2l7rhFImmZlCBLLThxfNo08LTuDXrtHa_C8vJj7Yss1QDomm0xsIbNM1_Eo9vHF37n0lRAE/s1600/20150410_144727~3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0wckG1sYC0w2oC5TPjRRbE6eS5zXSLx2cu1A3190E_xZ_ow6-qjpDeWRiyEOU1ZBJiYX2l7rhFImmZlCBLLThxfNo08LTuDXrtHa_C8vJj7Yss1QDomm0xsIbNM1_Eo9vHF37n0lRAE/s1600/20150410_144727~3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Rather than staying at hotels or B&Bs
we opted to rent apartments during our stay. Overall, renting apartments was
much more convenient and affordable than staying at a hotels since we could
cook in the apartment – plus we had a lot more space! Choosing to stay in an
apartment was the best decision I could have made. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Finding the right apartment took a lot of
work! There are a ton of websites that connect short term renters with hosts
and I found that most of them are don’t make it easy for the renter to really
understand the location of the apartment or the apartment’s amenities. For
example, we were staying in Florence and Rome for several days each and I
wanted to make sure that our apartments in both cities were in the their respective
historic centers and within walking distance of major attractions since we were
not planning to rent a car. Most of the sites I searched use names of regions
that don’t appear on traditional maps. Since I am not from the area, I had no
idea where these regions were, what they meant, and whether attractions were
actually within walking distance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In the end, I discovered that mostly all of
Florence’s historic center is walking distance from everything. As long as you
stay in the historic center somewhere, you are fine for walking everywhere in
Florence. Rome’s historic center, however, was more confusing (I think). I found that you have to be very careful
where you choose to stay or you will need to pay for transportation (car,
train, cab) and that expense can really add up! In the end, I found a map that
was a huge help in finding the best apartments. It is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rioni_of_Rome#/media/File:Roma_rioni_mappa.png">hyperlinked
here</a>, if you need it. In short, the
area (and the area in which we stayed) with convenient walking access to just
about everything a tourist will want to see is the Campo Marzio. From there you
can easily walk to the Piazza Navona, Coliseum, Forum, Vatican, Trevi Fountain,
and the Spanish Steps. The only time I used a cab was coming and going from
Roma Termini train station which was a bit further than I was willing to walk
with luggage in hand (though it is possible to walk to Termini from Campo
Marzio – about 35 minutes’ walk at a normal pace from where we stayed). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I booked the Florence accommodations using
Booking.com and I used <a href="https://www.9flats.com/">9Flats.com</a> to book
the apartment in Rome. Both apartments were excellent but my actual booking
experience was better using 9Flats. The nice thing about 9Flats was that
everything is a credit card transaction and conducted through 9Flats. With
Booking.com, I had to really work hard to find apartments that didn't insist
cash payment either via wire transfer or in person at the time of check-in.
And, for something so new to me, I wanted to know that I could dispute
erroneous charges, if necessary. Also, 9Flats has other protections in place to
make sure that you aren't scammed. For example, you pay 9Flats using a credit
card and they hold the money until you are checked into the apartment so you
aren’t gambling. Finally, I really liked 9Flats selection of apartments. I definitely recommend 9Flats to anyone
looking for short term apartment rentals for vacation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">When using these apartment booking sites,
be sure to use the amenities filters on the site to make sure you get the right
apartment for your needs. For me, internet access was a must. Additionally, I wanted to travel light – no checked luggage! That meant I needed to be able to
conveniently do laundry mid-trip. So, a washer or easy access to a laundromat
was important. As an interesting tid-bit, while finding apartments with washing
machines is easy, it is virtually impossible to find apartments with driers.
People in Italy line dry their clothes. So, after washing clothes in our
Florence apartment, I had to do as the Romans do </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span lang="EN-US"> and
hang laundry. The clothing dried and I was surprised to find how nice my
laundry smelled once it dried. While I won’t be throwing out my home drier any
time soon, I am no longer horrified by the idea of line drying clothes on
vacation. In Rome, I had no washer, so I took necessities to a local cleaner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-63184822970627513762015-05-02T11:57:00.005-07:002015-05-02T11:57:52.436-07:00Trip to Italy - The Trains<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8KRvuCPnajuzu-Scx5JDseyffYCqo74qknqItZLjTUm282-xjO0B9Dre1_OmNj6lRMwl7IjhPoPZvIkF0_Hhtfdevp45vvcSD_53LmQ8s1DO20A-LHwlAGHF7OgJHE3A6Rlsqctv_fQ/s1600/italy.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8KRvuCPnajuzu-Scx5JDseyffYCqo74qknqItZLjTUm282-xjO0B9Dre1_OmNj6lRMwl7IjhPoPZvIkF0_Hhtfdevp45vvcSD_53LmQ8s1DO20A-LHwlAGHF7OgJHE3A6Rlsqctv_fQ/s1600/italy.PNG" height="132" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I just got back from a 10 day vacation to
lovely Italy. There is a lot to tell and a ton of pictures to share! But, I
will start with some information that may be helpful for others traveling. While
planning the trip to Italy was a lot of fun, it took a lot of time and research
to find out what I needed to know to make the trip successful. I thought this
may be a good way to save others a lot of time in planning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Turns out Milan, Italy is among the least
expensive destinations to fly to in Europe. So, we flew into Milan and took the
train to our various destinations including Florence, Rome, Naples, and Pompeii.
Italian trains are great! Traveling by train is affordable and extremely
convenient. The trains are very modern, clean, have at seat power, and large
luggage racks (just remember you will need a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/OREI-Italy-Adapter-Plug-Type/dp/B008Y8S38G">plug
converter</a> for American electronics when traveling anywhere in Europe). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The major train stations along our route
were Milano Centrale (Milan), Firenze Santa Novella (or Firenze SMN- aka Florence),
Roma Termini (Rome), and Napoli Centrale (Naples). There are other stations in
these cities too but these are the big, central hub stations. The train
stations are well organized, easy to navigate, and all the arrival and
departure boards show English translations of many words in addition to the
Italian words. The only thing you will have to know in Italian are the Italian
city names. For example, Florence is called Firenze, Naples is Napoli, Rome is
Roma, etc. So, know your cities in
advance!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It is important to know that there are
different kinds of trains. There are intercity trains, high speed trains
(called Frecciarossa aka Red Arrow in English), and local trains (sort of like
a subway). You can buy tickets at the
stations or buy them in advance like I did. If you buy trains at the station
you need to validate the ticket right before you use it or you may be fined. If
you book in advance, you will have assigned seats and no ticket validation is
required. I bought all my tickets through <a href="http://www.italiarail.com/">Italia
Rail</a> and printed the voucher which I showed to the train conductors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We used the Frecciarossa (high speed) for
travel from Milan to Florence and Florence to Rome and they have a nice
selection of food for eating at your seat. The prices are very fair and the
food is decent quality (you can bring your own food too, but we bought it on
the train). We took the intercity train (slow, long distance train less
expensive) from Rome to Naples. It took about 2 hours for that trip but the
price was right! The intercity trains don’t have food for purchase, but you can
bring your own. Still, both train types are comfortable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">One of the major benefits of buying train
tickets in advance is that you know exactly which trains to take. So, when you
go to the station you simply compare the train number and the train type
(intercity vs. Frecciarossa) from your ticket to the departure board and the train’s
track will be posted about 10+ minutes in advance of the departure time
(usually and sometimes even earlier than 10 minutes). </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">One thing to be aware of… the train’s
destination may not be the same as your destination. For example, our train
from Milan to Florence showed a destination of Napoli. Our stop, Florence, was
one of the stops in the middle of the long trek from Milan to Naples and it was
not specifically listed on the board. It is very important to compare the train
number on your ticket to the train number on the departure board and use the
train number as your guide. If in doubt, mostly every conductor I met spoke
sufficient English to confirm the train stops. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Overall, the trains were on time and we had
minimal problems with train travel. One of our trains did break down and we had
to be moved to another train. But, as a regular train commuter for work in NYC,
this was nothing different from the problems I experience in NJ/NYC with the
trains regularly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-64344026440915091862015-02-12T14:17:00.001-08:002015-02-12T14:17:03.939-08:00More about My Trip to Oslo, Norway...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have to admit, at first I wasn't impressed by Norway. It has, however, grown on me. I suppose it was a bit of a culture shock at first. Now, I figured everything out and I kind of like Norway.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, my sightseeing was extremely limited. As I mentioned in my first Norway post, everything was closed on Sunday. On Monday, I had late meetings, running until well after 11pm (Norway time). Tuesday I was drained. Meetings ran until 7pm (Norway time) and with the 6 hour time difference and the late night before, the jet lag really hit me hard on Tuesday. I was basically a zombie by mid-morning.<br />
<br />
On Wednesday, my co-workers and I went out for dinner to a tapas restaurant. I'd never had tapas before, but I loved it! For any readers who aren't sure what tapas is, I will explain. When you eat tapas, your group shares a wide variety of Spanish appetizers as a meal. It is a very social way to eat dinner, but if you are a germaphobe, don't try it! Tapas coupled with some red wine and very nice co-workers made for a lovely evening out. The restaurant was on the harbor, which apparently is a comfortable walk from my hotel (who knew?). When I went exploring on Sunday, I must have walked the wrong direction when I found nothing. But, the opposite way (and very close by) is the harbor area with lovely restaurants and tons of shops. Not far from there is the <a href="http://www.royalcourt.no/" target="_blank">palace</a>, home to the King and Queen of Norway.<br />
<br />
Tonight, we went out to dinner again to a French bistro. It was very nice. The food way very good and the atmosphere was great. It was quite and allowed for good conversation. The restaurant was small and very nicely decorated. Most interestingly, there was a strange man in the restaurant. He was old and unkempt with wild hair. He ate alone, yet the table was full of empty dishes and a couple bottles of wine. He just sat in the corner of the restaurant people watching and the restaurant staff seemed to mostly ignore him. I am not sure why I found him so interesting, but I did. There was something ghostly about him.<br />
<br />
At one point (when I was so rudely staring at him), our eyes met and his gaze sent shivers down my spine. Embarrassed, I looked away and got back into conversation with my coworkers. The next time I looked up, he was gone and the table was cleared. It was as if he'd never been there. I am not sure why he was so interesting or why he kind-a scared me... or maybe I do. There was something about the restaurant's atmosphere and the dense fog outside that created a strange feeling. In response, I gave that poor, disheveled man a back-story. In my story, he is a ghost - a jilted lover whose love never showed up some 50-60 years ago. He comes to that same bistro every night and eats alone waiting for her to arrive...but she never comes.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I am sure no one wants to hear about my mental wanderings! For now, I am tired and I have to get to the airport early tomorrow for my flight home to the U.S. There are still more stories to tell, including all the interesting things I learned here and some pictures to share. I will post again tomorrow with those details/pics of my Norway trip.<br />
<br />
Next Euro trip - Italy in April!<br />
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-7975693973235855042015-02-08T06:55:00.001-08:002015-02-08T06:55:02.763-08:00Visiting Oslo Norway - Day 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I arrived at Oslo Airport this morning. I was worried about struggling with a foreign language. Fortunately, it seems that everyone speaks English. I was able to get coffee in the airport and find the bus that would take me within a few blocks of my hotel without any problems. The scenery along the bus ride was very nice. Norway is very mountainous and quite snowy.<br />
<br />
After I checked into the hotel, I decided to go exploring. Initially, I'd planned to go to a Viking ship museum but the cab fair would have translated to $50 each way and I cannot figure out the trains here! So, I scrapped the Viking Museum idea and went to the Museum of Cultural History which is just around the corner (walking distance) from my hotel. The museum is relatively small, only some of the displays explain the exhibit in English, and they didn't have an audio tour. I went through the entire museum in less than an hour. I'll admit, I was disappointed but in fairness not every museum can be the Metropolitan Museum of Art.<br />
<br />
After the museum, I decided to go on an adventure - just walk around and get lost (no worries, I have Google maps). I found an area with shops, but nothing is open on Sunday. So, after about an hour walk, I am back at the hotel.<br />
<br />
The hotel is decent (very plain) but doesn't have an in room coffee maker or any means of controlling the temperature in the room (its freezing in here). On the bright side, I have free wifi and there are a few English-speaking TV channels, including Disney Channel. But, I suppose that's for the best as I have homework to do anyway. Dinner may be a challenge with nothing open, but there is a little shop in the hotel where I can grab junk food to tide me over until tomorrow.<br />
<br />
<br />
So, that's about it... not too much to tell. With that, I am going to do my homework now.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-22143992374776320292014-12-20T06:26:00.002-08:002014-12-20T06:27:31.354-08:00London Tips - Final Thoughts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I arrived home in the USA last night. It was a long flight home! But, I wanted to share some final thoughts before I close this chapter on my visit to London.<br />
<br />
Overall, he people in London are very friendly and really wonderful to tourists! Even the cab driver who took me to the train station on my way to the airport to come home was going above and beyond to make sure I enjoyed London. Hearing that I was an American, he asked how I enjoyed the trip and asked what sights I'd seen. When I told him that my touring was somewhat limited because I was visiting on business, he took the opportunity to make sure that I saw a few last things on the way out.<br />
<br />
To the dismay of the traffic behind us, he drove very slowly past Buckingham Palace so I could get a few pictures. First he explained that one can tell if the Queen is home or away based on the flag that flying from the top of the Palace. If the Union Flag is flying, the Queen is not home. When she is home, her flag flies. As we passed, I saw hat the Union flag was flying, meaning that the Queen was not home. This explains why I never received my invitation to have tea with the Queen as I'd expected :).<br />
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He also told me some of the history of the surrounding area including how London was built out in various directions from the address Number 1, London which was the home of the Duke of Wellington called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apsley_House" target="_blank">Apsley House</a> (or Wellington Museum today) and stands not far from Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, the picture I got is very poor quality and not worth sharing (the car was moving and the pic is a mess).<br />
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As we drove a little further, we passed the location of the <a href="http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Tyburn-Tree-Speakers-Corner/" target="_blank">Tyburn Tree</a>, which today is simply a circular stone plaque embedded into the pavement. Many executions by public hanging were carried from the 1100s through the late 1700s. According the the cab driver, it is from the executions at the Tyburn tree that we have the phrase today to "take one for the road" (getting one more of something to take with you when you leave a place). Apparently, when a prisoner was on the way to the gallows at that location, the captors would ask the prisoner if they wanted "to take one for the road". If the prisoner said yes, they would stop at a pub for a last beer "for the road" to the execution site. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a picture of this, but I enjoyed hearing the history!<br />
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I simply cannot say enough about how friendly the English are. If you are looking for a vacation destination in Europe where they love tourists - London is the place. I was absolutely overwhelmed by how wonderfully Londoners treat Americans tourists.<br />
<br />
Going backwards a little, I stayed at a discount hotel chain called the <a href="http://www.premierinn.com/en/london-hotels.html?cid=KNC_Brn_G_UK_US_Eng_Enc_LO_London_EX&mckv=sl5X8H0OC_dc|pcrid|42159678584|kword|premier%20inn%20london|match|e|plid|&gclid=CjwKEAiA2dSkBRCX8KmK5YrFviwSJACeYweC4h6bY_0RqD2szITynDbQ8NuHDm-bfS1YCE0lFVL35RoCi2Hw_wcB" target="_blank">Premium Inn</a>. Let me start out by explaining that I am a complete hotel snob. I consider it camping to stay at anything less than a 4 star hotel. I have been lucky enough to stay at some of NYC's finest hotels including the Ritz Carlton. While the Premium Inn didn't have the amenities of a Ritz Carlton, I was very pleased with this hotel. It was immaculately clean, modern, quite, and the service was excellent.<br />
<br />
As with everything I experienced in London, the staff at the Premium went above and beyond. One night, coming in late from site seeing and not having eaten, I found that the hotel restaurant was just closing. Rather than turning me away, they reopened the restaurant just for me. Another night, I brought food at Harrods that needed to be heated. Despite the fact that I wasn't buying food from the hotel's restaurant, they heated my dinner for me, put it on a plate, provided utensils, napkins, condiments, and a glass of water. All I asked for was if they had a microwave I could use. And, when my hands were full, a person at check-in would rush ahead to push the elevator buttons for me. These aren't big things, I know - but little things make a HUGE difference in the quality of one's stay. I would definitely stay there again and recommend it to anyone looking for an affordable hotel in London.<br />
<br />
I learned a lot about business in London too. The English are very direct and no where near as politically correct as American business people. This was refreshing. Rather than beating around the bush, the English get right down to business. They tell you like it is rather than trying to pad everything to avoid offence. This is certainly not meant to imply that they are impolite or mean. Rather, they recognize that time is valuable and get to the point. Business meetings were faster and more productive.<br />
<br />
The English find American human resources and employment rules/regulation ridiculous. They sometimes make off-color jokes or use phrases that an American business person may find shocking. This, too, was refreshing! There is nothing that I hate more than constantly being on guard for fear of offending. to that end, some of their jokes were specifically at the expense of the American human resources. I particularly enjoyed those :). The English openly wish you a merry Christmas rather than American's more inclusive but evasive "happy holidays". They will openly speak about going to church, religion, racial matters without concern that anyone will be offended. And the best part, the English are not so easily offended. Though nothing anyone said was truly offensive (or shouldn't have been, in my opinion) - just having such conversations above a whisper in the USA is completely taboo.<br />
<br />
Overall, I loved the culture - from touring to business, England was wonderful and I am going to miss it! I have a couple more trips lined up. Next I am off to San Francisco in January and after that Oslo, Norway in February. I am sure Oslo will be another exciting adventure. February in Oslo (as I'v read) it will be very cold and very dark. That will be my first trip to a country where English is not the default language. It should be quite an exciting experience!<br />
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-51186691636837114562014-12-18T16:05:00.000-08:002014-12-18T16:55:28.001-08:00Videos from London - Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I just learned that the videos from London I posted have no sound - eeeekkkk! The whole point of the videos was the sound - especially Big Ben! <br />
<br />
With that, here are videos that have sound. Please note, the sound is not great because I recorded it from my phone and it was a busy street with a lot of background noise... but it is sound nonetheless.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-29887435304417691012014-12-18T15:47:00.000-08:002014-12-18T15:59:32.069-08:00London Trip - Day 5 - Last Day in London<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My adventure today started at lunch. Next to my office building in London, there were Christmas stands set up today. There were a variety of foods and knick-knacks for purchase at the stands. My team and I took a walk over to the stands for lunch. There were a lot of different kinds of foods, but I went with an English tradition called <a href="http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/node/1365" target="_blank">Bubble and Squeak</a>. It is a fried mash up of potatoes, cabbage, leeks, and whatever other vegetables were left over from dinner the night before. The one I got came with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce on top. It was wonderful!<br />
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This evening was my company's Christmas Party. It was a lovely party. First, London has a tradition and even a <a href="http://jumpers.savethechildren.org.uk/" target="_blank">charity associated with the Christmas jumper</a> - better known in the USA as a tacky Christmas sweater. The company planned to have Christmas jumper day on the day of the London Christmas party. So, I picked up my jumper in the US before I came and got to wear it today. I was, however, very much out done by some of my coworkers who had much tackier jumpers than I did. Here is a pic of my lovely Christmas jumper.<br />
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The party started out with a secret Santa gift exchange. Since I am not part of this office location technically, I didn't expect to be included but I actually got 2 gifts! One was a full of beauty products and the other is a Christmas jumper coffee mug. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to take some of the beauty products home because of restrictions on the size of "liquids" with which one can travel. Still, the gifts were very thoughtful.<br />
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The party was a sit down dinner and at each seat there was a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_cracker" target="_blank">Christmas Cracker</a>. Everyone holds one side of their own Christmas cracker and grabs an end of their neighbor's cracker and pulls until the crackers break open and a small toy, a paper crown (which everyone wore all throughout dinner), and a small card with a joke on it fall out. Here was my Christmas cracker and the joke from inside it. Unfortunately, the toy went flying and I never found it - but apparently that's part of the fun! </div>
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I really didn't understand the joke in my Christmas cracker (read the joke above). My coworkers thought it was a hilarious joke and tried to explain it to me. Finally, they determined that the problem is that I have never had mince pie. So, after dinner - I had mince pie as my coworkers all looked on in anticipation waiting to see my reaction (fully expecting that I would love it). I'll admit - it was pretty good! Here is my mince pie -</div>
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Well, tomorrow morning I am off to the airport to come home to the USA. I am definitely glad that I will see my family soon - but I am going to miss London! This was a wonderful trip and London is a wonderful place. The people here are very friendly, helpful, and very nice to tourists! Time and again, complete strangers took an extra few seconds to ask how I was enjoying London (restaurant workers, store clerks, police, cab drivers, etc.). When I would answer that I was loving London they became so proud of their home and would tell me stories, histories, and make recommendations on what to see next. It was so nice. People here are very proud of their city/country and they are extremely nice to tourists. </div>
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Tomorrow, after I check out I will post again with any final notes on my first trip to London. </div>
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-83177290491903857012014-12-17T16:54:00.001-08:002014-12-17T16:54:12.779-08:00London Trip - Day 4 - Exploring the Thames, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today after work I took a 30 minute walk along the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Thames" target="_blank">Thames</a> to see <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/bigben" target="_blank">Big Ben</a> and <a href="http://www.westminster-abbey.org/" target="_blank">Westminster Abbey</a>. It was absolutely lovely. It rained last night and part of today bringing in unseasonably warm temperatures nearing 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit. There was a soft, fresh breeze coming off the Thames which made for a beautiful walk. The Thames is lined by tons of restaurants and there were little holiday shops in little temporary house like structures set up all along the walking path. Though there were a lot of people it wasn't overly crowded. The view along the Thames is a sight to behold! There were even street performers. One was a violinist playing very beautifully. I got a few seconds of video of the violin - but videos upload very slowly on hotel WiFi - so I will have to wait to share the video of that.<br />
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And of course, I have plenty of pictures. I stopped worrying about being looked at as a tourist (whipping out my camera every few steps) on my first day here. With an American accent like mine, I stick out like a sore thumb and there is nothing I can (or want to) do about that. Though I was excited to get to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, I took my time walking. It was wonderful!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6m1x2eahpE97RXE60sTICjDYXFFkLhBeMlZpzK62i0pbc9SkSOrESq9lAsFl_L11vc_-K1SV69AvtimlAXyNsF7GytxDVGZd01ZF7YLi20Z6Ve9FeBAnY-be1VC3_Y-whxX_oGzpBQA/s1600/20141217_194808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6m1x2eahpE97RXE60sTICjDYXFFkLhBeMlZpzK62i0pbc9SkSOrESq9lAsFl_L11vc_-K1SV69AvtimlAXyNsF7GytxDVGZd01ZF7YLi20Z6Ve9FeBAnY-be1VC3_Y-whxX_oGzpBQA/s1600/20141217_194808.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a>This is called the <a href="http://www.londoneye.com/" target="_blank">London Eye</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJUUIdaITbM9FMnDYh0FuOARERkQbgXeeupSrNn5RQyBOWJG82M80o1qLLXyRqVO5wW-JyqTYi2cu447FjrFvfiFT9X2RjJwkZL4dGctixtuYl98-OKewkBNTqwZndCe16-I9ehC6VE0/s1600/20141217_205602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJUUIdaITbM9FMnDYh0FuOARERkQbgXeeupSrNn5RQyBOWJG82M80o1qLLXyRqVO5wW-JyqTYi2cu447FjrFvfiFT9X2RjJwkZL4dGctixtuYl98-OKewkBNTqwZndCe16-I9ehC6VE0/s1600/20141217_205602.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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As I crossed a bridge over the Thames to get to Big Ben, I was able to finally see why it is named Big Ben. It is huge and the architecture is magnificent.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaPk6l5RBPtuS-vdUFtbgb2xRiCqqh1GWYJX8qEKvtXW7E_w6s2TwMWeoOsOX_nG8MEBXHZHhs-NLCtHl7JFhvjZP1EKUoYXt4c4TxaQkPqn9n8QeYZI2H5Y-xS0m5lhGLAD0yXDUECg/s1600/20141217_204914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaPk6l5RBPtuS-vdUFtbgb2xRiCqqh1GWYJX8qEKvtXW7E_w6s2TwMWeoOsOX_nG8MEBXHZHhs-NLCtHl7JFhvjZP1EKUoYXt4c4TxaQkPqn9n8QeYZI2H5Y-xS0m5lhGLAD0yXDUECg/s1600/20141217_204914.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a>I took this standing at the base of Big Ben to show how huge it is!</div>
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I arrived at Big Ben at 7:55 PM London time and stood waiting the last 5 minutes to hear it chime 8:00 PM. The sound is as big as Big Ben. I video taped the chime but it is taking forever to upload on the hotel WiFi. So, I think I will have to share that tomorrow.<br />
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I come to find out that Big Ben is connected to the Parliament building. Parliament is the most beautiful architecture I have ever seen. It is so ornate. Unfortunately, by the time I got there hours for touring were over so I was not able to go in or even get as close to the building as I would have liked as it is completely surrounded with gates and barriers. Still, I got a special treat! As I was walking around taking hundreds of pictures and straining my neck to look up at these massive structures, I caught the interest of one of the Bobbies guarding the area. He politely nodded to me and I took the opportunity to ask if he could tell me what the beautiful building across the street was. He explained that the building across the way was Westminster Abbey. At first I had confused Parliament for Westminster Abbey.<br />
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Hearing my accent, the Bobby asked where I was from. I told him and a 30+ minute conversation followed. When I told him how beautiful London is, his sense of national pride kicked in and he told me all about London, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. I don't think any tour guide would have shared so much. It was wonderful. He explained that the side of Parliament closest to Big Ben is the <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/commons/" target="_blank">House of Commons</a> and the other end (where he and I were talking) was the <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/" target="_blank">House of Lords</a>. He told me all the most important people - Lords, Barrons, etc. came in through the entrance where he and I were chatting.<br />
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He went on to explain that the House of Lords contained records in scrolls dating back to Henry VIII and the most ornate entrance just beyond where he and I were talking was built at the request of and for Queen Victoria. He explained that the steps leading to that door were specially measured to accommodate the size of Queen Victoria's feet and her stride.<br />
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Noticing I had an empty coffee cup in hand, he asked if I needed a bin (garbage can). I said yes and he took the cup and threw it away for me in his watch post. He explained that almost all of the public bins were removed in the 1970s and 1980s because the IRA would place bombs in the bins to attack Parliament. He also told me that the barricades outside of the ornate iron gates were put up over the last 30 years also to protect against the IRA.<br />
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He told me that when he was a child, there were no barricades and one could walk right up to Parliament unobstructed as the gates were always open. That was, he continued, until the IRA planted a bomb in Parliament's parking garage. Today, Parliament and Big Ben are on complete lock down unless one attends one of the public sessions of Parliament. Unfortunately, with work hours such as they are (and the fact that Parliament just went on holiday break) I will not be able to attend one of those sessions or see the inside of the building. Maybe on my next visit, I will be luck enough to go inside. For now, I was very content hearing such interesting history from a London Bobby. <br />
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As interesting side notes, he tells me that no one in Parliament wears wigs anymore (yes, I asked) and the term Bobby is still in use today. He told me that the nick name Bobby came from the the first British Police officer<a href="http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Sir-Robert-Peel/" target="_blank"> Robert Peel</a> back in the 1800. There is a big statue of Robert Peel in a park across the way from Parliament.<br />
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Here are my pics of Parliament.<br />
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Following my conversation with the Bobby, I walked over to Westminster Abbey. Sadly, it too was closed and there were no Bobbies immediately around to fill me with stories. Still, I got some excellent pictures. Westminster Abbey is very pretty - but I think it pales in comparison to Parliament. It's funny - looking at Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower of London, I find that I am most impressed by doors. It sounds strange and perhaps it is strange or shows some weirdness in my psyche - but I love big, old, wooden doors. That is certainly not meant to imply that I no longer love ornate stone architecture. Oh, I do! But there is something that really attracts me to old doors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wBYvRkdYb5rLt_eO-wOI10mLxjEyYiBG3zn6q1_kBIc7OUKFlMkKYujpak2sgIB1MIuCg4oN-ttsW9ma5EMaeVcT4BSnzdnOUQw5XXlYL5bmV1BcMdjmUkJIMkjmxRavN8eKf2nyGzw/s1600/20141217_203316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wBYvRkdYb5rLt_eO-wOI10mLxjEyYiBG3zn6q1_kBIc7OUKFlMkKYujpak2sgIB1MIuCg4oN-ttsW9ma5EMaeVcT4BSnzdnOUQw5XXlYL5bmV1BcMdjmUkJIMkjmxRavN8eKf2nyGzw/s1600/20141217_203316.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a> This is a cool little bag from the Westminster Abbey shop</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqfHzma2spSbbxoralZPin7gkaexbBmGkaB9o_FAS0NSwI2oEeyYtG_doVz6XBo_BzHUXJn9fxJh_YxkJrG-AEQHl133og26z_dKgnWLcthn8A9TLI-3ElWbN-yGzURTLZK5C8Y30F2o/s1600/20141217_203256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqfHzma2spSbbxoralZPin7gkaexbBmGkaB9o_FAS0NSwI2oEeyYtG_doVz6XBo_BzHUXJn9fxJh_YxkJrG-AEQHl133og26z_dKgnWLcthn8A9TLI-3ElWbN-yGzURTLZK5C8Y30F2o/s1600/20141217_203256.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a> This is the Westminster Abbey shop (closed when I got there)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iEqRJr8qVKJ4IJdTe_j_iJ7bkA9EBQ9fatGrA4n4vcQKDPQHOHyMku0O8o7WHk2uhltiUqCbsNie97VrnruckwtYt8XyU-jTPXuZFjnXLjp_xK-Amm_DiUD7j8gwuqSuHLfO2hfxwro/s1600/20141217_203243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iEqRJr8qVKJ4IJdTe_j_iJ7bkA9EBQ9fatGrA4n4vcQKDPQHOHyMku0O8o7WHk2uhltiUqCbsNie97VrnruckwtYt8XyU-jTPXuZFjnXLjp_xK-Amm_DiUD7j8gwuqSuHLfO2hfxwro/s1600/20141217_203243.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a>I told you, I love doors!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaC0J7PrHo_qd_bf-GZofPhZe5wDyP7xxiH5khLkOqSQAzs92g7BttT8FO08gVrnSjt0saYvWw0MuQyZ40J0bpHuQsOss_Lt8PbOrNTwBFWsBzdh25AuEomCs98YdVUDJVbcXb00cjByw/s1600/20141217_203224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaC0J7PrHo_qd_bf-GZofPhZe5wDyP7xxiH5khLkOqSQAzs92g7BttT8FO08gVrnSjt0saYvWw0MuQyZ40J0bpHuQsOss_Lt8PbOrNTwBFWsBzdh25AuEomCs98YdVUDJVbcXb00cjByw/s1600/20141217_203224.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2ttIxfwvypEFB3FNUH9_nWA7Pb135jVkT2PJI9_gWwa3SOoHYtjl5s8U9D1HJnh_j8H3JoGE4ZyDKO_3DURc6FXyY4QsftAUudGCfiRVXFyUJuTACf9LJ3RqbgngTWhwM2_O_V9TS4Q/s1600/20141217_203213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2ttIxfwvypEFB3FNUH9_nWA7Pb135jVkT2PJI9_gWwa3SOoHYtjl5s8U9D1HJnh_j8H3JoGE4ZyDKO_3DURc6FXyY4QsftAUudGCfiRVXFyUJuTACf9LJ3RqbgngTWhwM2_O_V9TS4Q/s1600/20141217_203213.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyk4BfNBbz2uKobdu93lb3odbTE5LKhiIpbvwLUL5Ydo8wjS1XjokZRgvIIjpSFPfuYmePyAE5cDALwbDQa0fvKvSY07w4OEHKf83BeoGHzv1E3C0eWiYBki0cpVK4ZuVQqn0my9rN5w/s1600/20141217_203701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyk4BfNBbz2uKobdu93lb3odbTE5LKhiIpbvwLUL5Ydo8wjS1XjokZRgvIIjpSFPfuYmePyAE5cDALwbDQa0fvKvSY07w4OEHKf83BeoGHzv1E3C0eWiYBki0cpVK4ZuVQqn0my9rN5w/s1600/20141217_203701.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a>Another door</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VzIBserN1yS-3QhgZT-thypxj2zOYsWy6KCk2-1U2IHR2942_Rfw5890JwgfvR_t0rTCC2_x4NwYamheWm9Z2ziCCBc7QHxu9Cp1B3KWjZVbU2N37_uYX2sLQBOcWk8BIN5xa0jMPOk/s1600/20141217_203631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VzIBserN1yS-3QhgZT-thypxj2zOYsWy6KCk2-1U2IHR2942_Rfw5890JwgfvR_t0rTCC2_x4NwYamheWm9Z2ziCCBc7QHxu9Cp1B3KWjZVbU2N37_uYX2sLQBOcWk8BIN5xa0jMPOk/s1600/20141217_203631.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a>Yet, another door</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Izmv9AhA1ec6QWWFjRiKMtUjfM3JDrYyFDuHFZx8WHhcA3wRdJBEIWl3kRx8Cv_fBOfsMFdBhG8JVEh9RsghER2jBM4gU6tvecmj9JmiP3NrXjAuiiJStjOI_K3OFnHz2JpgpYJJxGc/s1600/20141217_203533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Izmv9AhA1ec6QWWFjRiKMtUjfM3JDrYyFDuHFZx8WHhcA3wRdJBEIWl3kRx8Cv_fBOfsMFdBhG8JVEh9RsghER2jBM4gU6tvecmj9JmiP3NrXjAuiiJStjOI_K3OFnHz2JpgpYJJxGc/s1600/20141217_203533.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjac-Zi_IcG9uibQS3GubK74WuvtFoiJmsqvuoH279YUD_ONAXAgssR3F5j6tGB7gTdRyaaz15CsmZ7YgcEcSIV-SbzfJVSu3oSPHQwM3IBrVRxGQnqsIw0uiGahbQhOVAPl0KcFB8uWFo/s1600/20141217_200846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjac-Zi_IcG9uibQS3GubK74WuvtFoiJmsqvuoH279YUD_ONAXAgssR3F5j6tGB7gTdRyaaz15CsmZ7YgcEcSIV-SbzfJVSu3oSPHQwM3IBrVRxGQnqsIw0uiGahbQhOVAPl0KcFB8uWFo/s1600/20141217_200846.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a>door :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zI3xA0TT1U6iLB-WHgTcPjKYOILJMK8EYo8IVABNLHNs2Y0ySfOpQR2gEjHIjr-WX0a5cyvSgMqA82JXT3EhCyT3kZdcytmO31_md8CrrjExtLrS8tzMjyXz-XNcqcJDJhS0v-CUj1w/s1600/20141217_200923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zI3xA0TT1U6iLB-WHgTcPjKYOILJMK8EYo8IVABNLHNs2Y0ySfOpQR2gEjHIjr-WX0a5cyvSgMqA82JXT3EhCyT3kZdcytmO31_md8CrrjExtLrS8tzMjyXz-XNcqcJDJhS0v-CUj1w/s1600/20141217_200923.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a> surprise - its a door!</div>
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Over all, it was another wonderful day touring England! Tomorrow will be my last full day in London and I head home to NYC on Friday. I am looking forward to going home because I really miss my family. But, I am going to miss London. This is a wonderful place. I am so glad I have been able to visit and do some site seeing.<br />
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Here are a few other pictures that just didn't fit into my story but came from the same general area.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtH6ESXleKjsiLBwWMKxI8clZuBGKYUrkz0PoTJZ9aPJ6F6M0jLehCtX3YGwYX0v5Eoi-c7MVwCMBI0ILmxwK2oJop70Kf35BcIKa9_G1NT8AXpNnlWVJ1DokKo4F7d6dXdmajY1asa4/s1600/20141217_204134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtH6ESXleKjsiLBwWMKxI8clZuBGKYUrkz0PoTJZ9aPJ6F6M0jLehCtX3YGwYX0v5Eoi-c7MVwCMBI0ILmxwK2oJop70Kf35BcIKa9_G1NT8AXpNnlWVJ1DokKo4F7d6dXdmajY1asa4/s1600/20141217_204134.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a> Not sure who this is - but it was a nice statue</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MZgoyjAJCiF8xRuTxDPT8KkAL_OsW0aG54HBBIlB9sErOY61mJ7Qruv_6F04fSG2gwYQ4VuYiaYp7gFp4xXt1MhvfXMYBK3Chc5ULJMKbvMzffJ0M37i8SClnT0ilcY62eWctZY5OAI/s1600/20141217_204355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MZgoyjAJCiF8xRuTxDPT8KkAL_OsW0aG54HBBIlB9sErOY61mJ7Qruv_6F04fSG2gwYQ4VuYiaYp7gFp4xXt1MhvfXMYBK3Chc5ULJMKbvMzffJ0M37i8SClnT0ilcY62eWctZY5OAI/s1600/20141217_204355.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a> This is a statue of Winston Churchill</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHS2RmdeNGgajOEnVw__hJ50mJZp1p53qV80sDZx7DwZIhNqfqzlpCv8-0DzFIQH8EeeNug_Oqv8pNDLuD1uqOd2i_aKBe9-Ki7ZoknYyrX8OE-y50hyBFHEG7qitrUHoNvOFpWxWajuE/s1600/20141217_200219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHS2RmdeNGgajOEnVw__hJ50mJZp1p53qV80sDZx7DwZIhNqfqzlpCv8-0DzFIQH8EeeNug_Oqv8pNDLuD1uqOd2i_aKBe9-Ki7ZoknYyrX8OE-y50hyBFHEG7qitrUHoNvOFpWxWajuE/s1600/20141217_200219.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2prhFnezOooC8uSZ-MRkN970EN6pmQeHsAVxweSb4s74xVsC5zYnQfKdnvoWHmlUGEP16U3PRfnrKEjwzBuCmAQrDti_6pdwcIOaaecbTRsV9iJsBdO-dZ18D8KjGMhtGV1hFihW3ITY/s1600/20141217_200622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2prhFnezOooC8uSZ-MRkN970EN6pmQeHsAVxweSb4s74xVsC5zYnQfKdnvoWHmlUGEP16U3PRfnrKEjwzBuCmAQrDti_6pdwcIOaaecbTRsV9iJsBdO-dZ18D8KjGMhtGV1hFihW3ITY/s1600/20141217_200622.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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Finally, an interesting observation about London....<br />
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Ordering Coffee in London is different. First, I have not found any coffee shops yet that allow you to add your own milk/cream to the coffee. With that, the server will often ask if you want black coffee or white coffee. White coffee has milk or cream in it. I don't know whether it is milk or cream because they don't offer the choice... black and white are the only options.<br />
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Next, when you say that you'd like your coffee white (with milk/cream), they will ask if you'd like it hot or cold. At first, I assumed that cold coffee was iced coffee and that was wrong. Hot or cold actually refers to the milk that they will put in your coffee. The formal interpretation of hot or cold when ordering coffee is "Do you want the milk in your coffee steamed (HOT) or right out of the milk container (cold)?<br />
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Just though you'd want to know that! Good night!<br />
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-41180421859771749032014-12-16T14:48:00.004-08:002014-12-16T14:48:50.745-08:00London Trip - Interesting Observations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I promised myself and my family that I would keep track of cultural differences. Though some of my posts have included interesting tid-bits, there were some observations that just didn't fit elsewhere. So, this post is strictly to talk about interesting observations I have made in London.<br />
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Food - I have been very surprised at how hard it is to find traditional British food. Perhaps I have just been to the wrong places, but I am seeing so many American brands (Burger King, McDonalds, Dominoes Pizza). Have the Americans conquered the Brits?<br />
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I have a tea maker in my hotel room. No problem for me though. I went to the store and bought instant coffee to use with my tea maker. :)<br />
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Everything about bathrooms in London is different! First, rather than referring to the bathroom, restroom, ladies room, etc. as we do in the States, the English refer to it as the toilet (nothing like being blunt). The other day, I tried to hail a cab and the driver told me he had "just stopped to take a piss in a toilet round the corner".... I thought the British were supposed to be very proper. So far, I am finding the Brits make me blush regularly. Additionally, toilets have these odd buttons for flushing. There are two buttons each making up part of a full circle. One of the buttons is large and the other small... here is a picture of the toilet flushing button because I know my description is weak -<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWH70Gaga1j15VCkTRdlh2IoXrlVMGB-_Ad00V_Gxq8OjbYO7U19jbenmD668o9TQ3yqONrnmuLTWjpaL-bD9CMyD1a9JiszCvtGthm0Esq0TQIcKsWDmltERxxdAJYqp_QAq-II7VIV4/s1600/20141216_213827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWH70Gaga1j15VCkTRdlh2IoXrlVMGB-_Ad00V_Gxq8OjbYO7U19jbenmD668o9TQ3yqONrnmuLTWjpaL-bD9CMyD1a9JiszCvtGthm0Esq0TQIcKsWDmltERxxdAJYqp_QAq-II7VIV4/s1600/20141216_213827.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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Basically, the idea is that the small button is a half flush and the large button is a full flush. Since I am a proper American I will let you figure out why a half vs. a whole flush. One last note about toilets here in England. They "fill up" with very little water. It is strange to me. I suppose it is all about conservation but I miss American restrooms.<br />
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Elevators or shall I say lifts are different too. If you are like me, you may have never noticed this before in the USA. In the US the ground floor of a building is the first floor, right? In London, the ground floor of any building is floor 0 and if you go down one floor below floor 0 the floor you are going to is -1 (negative one) - if you go up one floor above floor 0 you are on the 1st floor (American 2nd floor). This completely blew my mind!<br />
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The word brilliant is used a lot. Apparently, it means great or excellent.<br />
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Computer keyboards are different. The special characters (above the numbers on the top row of the keyboard) display differently. Since my computer's settings are for American people I can still type normally but it looks odd to me. For example, rather than the # above the number 3 there is a British pound sign (money) and rather than number 2 having an @ symbol it is the double quotation ("). Different.<br />
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I was very surprised to find how commonly people in London use military time. Public clocks are military time and even many people's cell phones display in military time. I have to stop and subtract 12 every time I am curious about the current time :).<br />
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I will keep watching for more interesting observations to share but that's all for today. </div>
Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-36839036385585577212014-12-16T14:08:00.002-08:002014-12-16T14:08:40.073-08:00London Trip - Day 3 - Exploring Harrods<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today after work, I went to <a href="http://www.harrods.com/" target="_blank">Harrods</a>. I was told by many people that it is definitely something I must see. Now I know why! Harrods is HUGE! There are entire sections dedicated to specific products - all super high-end. For example, the shoe department has to have been a 1/2 mile divided into individual stores dedicated to big brands like Prada, Manolo Blahnik, etc. The perfume section was equally huge and again divided up similarly with big name perfume makers.<br />
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Some of the rooms throughout Harrods are themed. For example, there is a large segment of the store Egyptian themed. The Egyptian theme was pretty cool, but oddly placed. The theme of the rooms didn't reflect or even relate to the items sold within. For example, the part of the Egyptian section was high end accessories (purses, sun glasses, etc.).<br />
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The store also had a couple of nice tributes to Princess Diana and Dodie Fayed. These were the first such tributes I have seen here in London. I was a little surprised but I though it was nice.<br />
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Harrods has some lovely Christmas decorations, though it still doesn't compete with the decorations in NYC at Christmas. The windows were all done up. But it wasn't Macy's NYC, then I am very bias toward Macy's. Pictures will be coming soon so everyone can see how nice the decorations are.<br />
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There was also an entire (huge) department dedicated to home decor and Christmas decorations. Everything was nice to see but I couldn't take any pictures. I had to leave the department rather quickly to avoid a scene. While I was looking at the tree ornaments (right near the entrance to that department), I saw a snow globe with a dog inside and snow falling all around. My dog, Daisy, loved snow - she would try to eat it as it fell. Unfortunately, she won't get to see snow this winter. I lost my Daisy to cancer just a few days before coming to London. After seeing that snow globe, I nearly broke down in the store and had to go distract myself elsewhere.<br />
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In happier news...<br />
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I had heard that there is a food court within Harrods that cannot be missed. I found it! Actually, I couldn't miss it - HUGE! Every kind of food imaginable and nothing like a traditional food court at a USA mall. There were sit down restaurants, take out stations (that looked a little like the meat and cheese deli at a supermarket in the USA - but bigger), and an entire huge section dedicated to chocolates - every chocolate imaginable. It was stunning. I have never seen anything like it before. The best part, I was able to get BOTH steak and kidney pie and shepherds pie which I brought back to the hotel and proceeded to make a complete pig of myself.<br />
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The shepherds pie was amazing. The steak and kidney pie was just ok. It has been a while since I've had steak and kidney pie and either my tastes have changed over the years or this was particularly gamy. Either way, I ate it but enjoyed the shepherds pie much, much more. <br />
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( I'd already taken a bite out of the shepherds pie before the picture :))</div>
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Overall, I am not a big shopper so Harrods was an experience - but I genuinely prefer seeing the architecture over shopping. <br />
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-55213179026300358472014-12-16T10:38:00.000-08:002014-12-16T10:38:24.280-08:00Pictures from the West End - Regent Street and Surrounding Area<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here are pictures from my explorations of Regent Street and the surrounding area.<br />
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-37332120490405668182014-12-16T10:34:00.000-08:002014-12-16T10:40:30.388-08:00Pictures of the Tower of London<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As promised, here are the pictures of the Tower of London<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoq44s0_xLQXKHq3OAdQZRbIc3RQ-4sQyPm6-k_Ckn3Qd9DsT-MjI6HNKLR_uw1vFJFb-FUKXetEhOArrrFsIIqggEtzhRomkyM9xhNlQ8eTGyurIX0MURGbps6CDrBvro2B7Q_kBgZfM/s1600/20141214_151645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoq44s0_xLQXKHq3OAdQZRbIc3RQ-4sQyPm6-k_Ckn3Qd9DsT-MjI6HNKLR_uw1vFJFb-FUKXetEhOArrrFsIIqggEtzhRomkyM9xhNlQ8eTGyurIX0MURGbps6CDrBvro2B7Q_kBgZfM/s1600/20141214_151645.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a> Unfortunately, we were forbidden to take pics of the jewels. so this is the best you get :)</div>
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-29321905609857670812014-12-15T14:20:00.001-08:002014-12-15T14:20:25.828-08:00London Trip - Day 2 -The West End<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have been in London now for more than 24 hours and the jet lag had been minimal. After yesterday's adventures a the Tower of London, I slept like a baby. I had a little trouble waking up this morning, but all-in-all not too bad.<br />
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Though I had to work today, I did get the chance to do more exploring! At lunch time, a couple of my coworkers took me over to an area by the Thames that had a temporary shopping center erected for the holiday. The shops were all in temporary little house-like buildings that reminded me of the little shops that are set up at Bryant Park in NYC during the holiday season. From where we stood, we were able to see the<a href="http://www.londonmillenniumbridge.com/" target="_blank"> Millennium Bridge</a>, a food bridge built over the Thames in honor of the millennium, and <a href="https://www.stpauls.co.uk/" target="_blank">St. Paul's Cathedral</a> on the other side of the Thames.<br />
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During our excursion, I commented that I was surprised how few Christmas decorations there are in London. She told me I just hadn't been to the right places and recommended that we go to the <a href="http://www.westendlondon.com/" target="_blank">West End</a> after work.<br />
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We headed out immediately after work and walked 10 minutes to the <a href="https://www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/tube/?cid=fs109" target="_blank">tube</a>, which is the equivalent of a NYC subway. From this, I learned that Londoners walk faster than anyone in NYC. I was completely winded when we got to there! The tube is clean, well-lit, and crowded. There is <a href="http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2907673" target="_blank">upholstered bench seating</a> throughout and plenty of standing room. We got out a <a href="http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/77552-piccadilly-circus" target="_blank">Piccadilly Circus</a> and made our way to <a href="http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/64061-regent-street" target="_blank">Regent Street</a>, which (as my coworker promised) was decorated for the holiday (but the decorations don't come near the quantity or quality of holiday decorations in NYC - sorry London NYC has you beat here).<br />
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The West End has a ton of stores all featuring modern name brands like Gap, Apple, Channel, etc. Normally, I wouldn't make such a comment - who cares if it was full of modern brands, right? Well this was striking because of the age of the buildings in which these brands were housed. Is was so odd to see an Apple store in a building that dates back hundreds of years. All of the buildings were magnificent! I really love the architecture here in London. It is so interesting to see very old buildings and modern buildings side-by-side as is common here. I am told that many of the newer buildings have been built over the years to replace buildings that were destroyed during WWII.<br />
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The West End was very crowded with holiday shoppers and tourists like me blocking the foot traffic to stop and take pictures. As I was walking, I tried to figure out the social/cultural norms of walking a busy street in London. In NYC, for example, those "in the know" walk on the (their) right side of the sidewalk to keep foot traffic moving and avoid colliding with people coming the other way. I am not sure whether it was because there were a lot of tourists or because no such norm exists, but in London everyone walks anywhere they want.<br />
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I do find it interesting, however, that jay-walking is relatively rare here and you cannot cross at every corner. Most cross walks have a traffic light and you have to press a button to change the light so you can cross. I don't know if the light would change naturally because no one lets it get to that point. If you don't press the button - someone else will. The walk signals are a green person silhouette, caution (the light is about to change) is a red blinking silhouette and a steady red person silhouette means don't cross. The lights also make a noise to indicate the status, though it was so busy in the West End that I couldn't hear the sound.<br />
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Cars and driving are interesting too! I have not personally driven in London but I have taken the Black Cabs and watched closely to see what's what. As most know, Londoners drive on the left side of the street and the driver is on the right side of the car. This continues to make my brain hurt. I could never drive in London! Since the city is so old, many of the streets are very narrow with people parked on the street making the streets hard to pass by car (particularly for those huge Black Cabs). It is rare to see anything that resembles a traditional street sign and few buildings are clearly marked with numbers. I cannot imagine how the Black Cab drivers do it... but they seem to know where everything is and how to get to it despite these challenges!<br />
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Overall, it was really nice to see the West End even though I think my legs are going to fall off because we walked so much!<br />
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Pictures and more details about my first time in London will be coming soon! Unfortunately, I am having a little problem uploading pictures to the blog via the hotel WiFi. So for now, all I can do is stock photos. I promise I will put up my real pictures as soon as possible!<br />
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-41474837595472619892014-12-14T15:00:00.000-08:002014-12-14T15:00:41.290-08:00Trip to London - A Few Things I Forgot to Mention<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I cannot believe that I forgot to mention <a href="http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/stories/yeomanwarder" target="_blank">Beefeaters</a>. Technically they are called Yeomen Warders and just nicknamed Beefeaters. They are the guardians of the Tower of London and provide amazing tours (I attended one of the tours) but they are not just tour guides. They are technically part of the Royal bodyguard(s) referred to as the Yeomen of the Guard dating back to the 1500s. The Beefeaters remained at the Tower of London rather than following the Monarch around to protect the Tower and thereby London when the Monarch was away. I loved their uniforms! And, they even have a gin named after them - though much to their dismay, they don't get royalties from the use of the name :).<br />
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Also, I failed to mention the <a href="http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/stories/theravens" target="_blank">ravens</a> at the Tower of London. Apparently, legend has it that the Tower will fall if the ravens ever depart. So, they keep at least 6 (currently 8) ravens at the tower all the time. I got some great pics of the ravens. I will upload those tomorrow.<br />
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Good night for real this time!<br />
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-38942550536472160852014-12-14T13:55:00.001-08:002014-12-14T13:55:16.574-08:00Trip to London - Day 1 Exploring London<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It was only about 1PM UK time when I finally settled into the hotel. This is my first trip to... anywhere. I wanted to explore. When I first found out I was traveling to the UK, I promised myself that I would see everything. I really wanted to note cultural differences and experience another country not just go there and lock myself in a hotel room when I'm not at the office. Though my family probably wouldn't have been keen on me exploring alone - I did it anyway (shhhhh...don't tell them). <div>
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First, I walked around the area by my hotel. It's nice - very modern, very business-y. This area is a little like New York but cleaner - a lot cleaner. It was during this exploration that I realized that ordering coffee here is much different than at home. This time I was able to get coffee, but I had to describe as "drip coffee". The barista then proceeded to confuse me again asking "do you want it white?". Apparently, this means "do you want milk in it?". Ultimately, that was the max excitement in this part of town and it certainly wasn't what I wanted to see. Modern and clean are great but I wanted history and culture. </div>
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Of course, I had a list of the things I wanted to see in London. You know, the usual list of tourist spots including Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abby, etc. Unfortunately, hours are extremely limited for touring on Sundays. So, I hailed a <a href="http://www.londonblackcabs.co.uk/" target="_blank">Black Cab</a> (they are everywhere in London just like they are in NYC) and asked the driver to take me to the Tower of London. </div>
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This was my first Black Cab experience, though I am quite experienced with NYC taxis. NYC and London cabs are NOTHING alike. London cabs drive cautiously and the drivers are polite. I am not sure how I feel about that. It kinda made me miss NYC. Anyway... the Black Cab is very distinctive. The cars look like something out of a 1940's movie. The back seat is extremely spacious. Though, I am not very tall, I have no doubt that Wilt Chamberlain would have fit comfortably in a London Black Cab. </div>
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It turned out that the Tower of London is just a few minutes away from my hotel. The minute I stepped out of the cab, I was in awe. I went there not really knowing what they Tower of London was - sad but true. I only knew that it housed the <a href="http://www.royal.gov.uk/the%20royal%20collection%20and%20other%20collections/thecrownjewels/overview.aspx" target="_blank">Crown Jewels</a>. I was thrilled to find it was so much more. The Tower of London is a true Medieval castle complete with dungeons, steep winding staircases to high up towers, and knights in shining amour. I will admit that the Crown Jewels were lovely (inside the Waterloo Barracks - one of the buildings within the Tower of London), but those jewels don't compare to the architecture and stonework of the buildings - magnificent!!! </div>
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My favorite was the <a href="http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/stories/WhiteTower" target="_blank">White Tower</a> built by William the Conqueror in 1075. Wow! I wasn't sure I could make it up (and back down) all those winding stairs. But, it was worth it. I also had the chance to see the Tower Green where Henry the VIII sent some of his wives to be executed and the chapel where a couple of those wives are buried. I also saw the <a href="http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/Sightsandstories/Prisoners/Towers/BloodyTower" target="_blank">Bloody Tower</a>, named because of the torture that wan conducted there and possibly the location where the princes in the tower were murdered. This all sounds really morbid now that I think about it - but I got to walk through history today regardless of whether or not the history was pretty. </div>
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Best of all, there was a lovely view of the iconic <a href="http://www.londonblackcabs.co.uk/" target="_blank">Tower Bridge</a>. </div>
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Finally, I closed out the day with fish and chips and lemon-aid. </div>
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Though it isn't very British, I asked the waiter for Ketchup for my "chips". He brought out two kinds of Ketchup. One was a traditional ketchup. The other was called <a href="http://www.heinz.co.uk/en/Products/HP-Sauce/Products/HP-Brown-Sauce" target="_blank">HP Brown Sauce</a>. Really and truly, the USA has got to learn about this stuff. It was sooooooooo good. Its made up of tomatoes, malt vinegar, molasses, and dates. Yum! </div>
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As for the lemon-aid, I am not sure if the waitress was mistaken or if the UK calls it something different. This wasn't lemon-aid like we have in the USA. This was more like 7-up or Sprite or something. It was good, just not what I expected. </div>
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Overall, it was a lovely day exploring the UK. I hope I will have the chance to do more while I am here. Either way, I have tons of pictures that I will upload to the blog soon. </div>
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For now, its bed time in the UK. Good Night!</div>
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-64346681100823986502014-12-14T12:43:00.003-08:002014-12-14T12:43:51.779-08:00Trip to London - Day 1 My Arrival<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So, this is my very first trip outside the United States. I am in London on a business trip and being in another country is new to me. Though this is not one of my traditional posts (been a while since one of those anyway), I think detailing my adventures will be interesting for both my family and other readers. With that, I will tell you all about day 1 in London. I have learned a lot in less than 12 hours!<br />
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After reading tons of advice online, I decided to fly overnight to minimize the jet lag. The plan was - board the plane at 9PM, immediately go to sleep, wake up in the morning (9AM) in London and ta-da no jet lag. So far, this advice is working. It is 8:30PM London time and I am not tired at all. It is possible, however, that I am still running on nervous energy and the jet lag will hit later. I'll keep you posted on this front.<br />
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The flight was nice. I was a little worried about flying over the Atlantic Ocean for 6 hours but in the end it was so dark that I couldn't see the very big, very deep ocean beneath me. I woke up about an hour before landing to the smell of coffee and the flight attendant served me right away. Two thumbs up for <a href="http://www.united.com/" target="_blank">United Airlines</a>!<br />
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Once I arrived at Heathrow Airport, I was told by colleagues to take the Heathrow Express (train) to Paddington Station and then a Black Cab the rest of the way to the hotel. I was very impressed with the Heathrow Express. I was able to buy my ticket for the train online and display an e-ticket to the conductor. The path from the airport terminal to the train were well marked and there were very nice Heathrow Express workers everywhere to direct me.The train was super-modern and immaculately clean with free WiFi. New York and New Jersey trains really need to take a lesson from London on trains!<br />
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Unfortunately, this is where things got complicated. Everyone told me that I should use an ATM in London to get money (pounds) at the lowest fee. Stupid me for listening to that advice! Though I called my bank in advance to let them know about my international travel, the very first attempt to draw cash resulted in a hold being put on my debit card.... and once you are in London you quickly learn that cabs here don't accept credit cards. So there I am stranded at the train station in a foreign country. What does one do in such a situation? Get coffee, of course!<br />
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I go to this little coffee shop in the train station and order a coffee and the barista looks at me like I have three heads. Apparently, they only sold lattes. I told him a latte would be fine and pulled out a credit card to pay. Now, before I came to London I studied up on what to expect. In the process, I learned that UK credit card machines use a chip and pin system. I was able to get my credit card company to change my card to the US "equivalent" of chip and pin called a chip and signature card before I came.<br />
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Unfortunately, while I had received the chip card to satisfy UK requirements, I didn't know how to use it! I proceed to try to hand the barista the card and he (in an annoyed tone) tells me "put it in yourself." "Put it in where?", I asked. He points to a little card reader thing and I proceed to swipe the magnetic strip in the machine. Now, the barista was really getting mad and says to me "it is a chip card." Proud that I was so on the ball with that one, I said "yes, I know" and he responds in a very nasty tone "you insert a chip card, you don't swipe it." After fumbling for a couple minutes I finally mastered inserting the card and got my coffee. Now, I am an expert at chip and signature cards!<br />
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Though I had finally gotten coffee, I still had no way to get to my hotel. I know that I can technically draw cash on a credit card, but considering the high interest rate, I don't even know the pin that would allow me to do that. So, I was stuck. But, then I remembered I downloaded the <a href="https://www.uber.com/" target="_blank">Ubber</a> app before I left the USA - just in case I needed it. I used Ubber to get a ride - charged to my credit card. In less than 10 minutes an Ubber driver picked me up and safely delivered me to my hotel. Two thumbs up for Ubber!<br />
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After that, I checked into the hotel, straightened out the debit card mess and was able to move on with my day (more on my day in the next post). In the end, I learned:<br />
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1. Always have at least a little local currency before you arrive in a foreign country. Don't depend on your bank to get it right even if you notified them in advance.<br />
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2. Pin and signature cards are available through most American credit card companies and they work in the UK's Pin and Chip machines. But, remember you must insert a pin and signature card - don't swipe it.<br />
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3. Have a plan B for everything. In this case Ubber was my plan B for travel in the UK and I am so glad it was available (otherwise I would still be at Paddington Station probably curled up in a fetal position sobbing). My other plan B related to calling home to the USA. I have both Google Hangouts and Skype available to me. I have already used both as one or the other was giving me trouble.<br />
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4. Expect challenges buying a regular-old cup of coffee (this challenge continued throughout the rest of the day - more to come on that).<br />
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5. To minimize jet lag flying to the UK, fly over night and awaken/arrive in the morning UK time.<br />
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6. Though I didn't talk about it here, I'll also note that plugs for powering your electronics are different in the UK. Be sure to get an adapter before you travel.<br />
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More to come later!<br />
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924061679792639842.post-52027820130096482452014-09-25T03:30:00.000-07:002014-09-25T03:30:03.049-07:00My New Discovery: Pixabay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As a blogger, finding graphics is challenging. I am not making money off the blog, so I don’t want to pay money
for the blog. Since I am not about to start buying pictures, I don’t want to steal pictures, and graphic design is just not my thing - this has been a challenge. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Recently, however, a colleague told me about a great site
for free graphics and I wanted to share it with the rest of the world. The site
is called <a href="http://pixabay.com/">pixabay.com</a> and they have tons of excellent, high-resolution images for free download in a variety of sizes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Apparently, the company survives by offering images from pay
sites like Shutterstock and accepting donations. The Shutterstock images are
clearly marked so there is no confusion and donations are optional. Considering
how helpful this service is, I highly recommend donating so we can keep <a href="http://pixabay.com/" target="_blank">Pixabay</a> alive forever (I already did my part and will do so again). <o:p></o:p></div>
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If you are looking for images, even for commercial purposes,
I definitely recommend you check our <a href="http://pixabay.com/">pixabay.com</a>!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Holly Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670710859289024322noreply@blogger.com0