Sunday Stealing-The Boat Questions

Still not sure why it is called the Boat Questions.

1. YOU HAVE 10 BUCKS AND NEED TO BUY SNACKS AT A GAS STATION. WHAT DO YOU GET? I would be on a road trip so I would get a couple of bottles of water, coffee, and nuts, popcorn or candy if I am driving next, a 5 hour energy.

2. IF YOU WERE REINCARNATED AS SOME SORT OF SEA DWELLING CREATURE, WHAT WOULD YOU BE? A manta ray, they are slow and beautiful swimmers and can be playful.

3. WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE REDHEAD? Julianne Moore and Prince Harry.

4. WHAT DO YOU ORDER WHEN YOU'RE AT A DINER? Usually breakfast as that is the time we would probably stop at a diner.

5. LAST BOOK YOU READ? I just finished the Harry Potter series.

6. DESCRIBE YOUR FAVORITE PAIR OF UNDERWEAR? Cotton and roomy.

7. DESCRIBE THE LAST TIME YOU WERE INJURED. I sprained my wrist, wrestling my brother in law's very large dog into my yard .  I fell on it, and went to the doctor.

8. ROCK CONCERT OR SYMPHONY? I love most music. LAST SEEN? Willy Nelson, last year.

9. IF SOMEONE WERE TO BUY YOU A GIFT, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE IT TO BE?
I would like it to be plane tickets to California to see the grandsons,any time I wanted.
 
10. WHAT TYPE OF SHIRT DO YOU (look) BEST IN? Well I wear T-shirts mostly.  I probably look best in a long sleeved knit shirt.

11. IF YOU COULD USE ONLY ONE FORM OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? A chauffeured limo.

12. WHAT IS YOUR DEADLY SIN? Sweets!
 

13. MOST RECENT MOVIE YOU'VE WATCHED IN A THEATER? RATE IT. Les Miserables, not as good as the stage play, but enjoyable.  We don't go out to the movies...mostly stream them on TV.  Last night we saw Joy, with Jennifer Lawrence and I really liked it. Very uplifting.
 
14. IF YOU COULD INVENT ONE THING, WHAT WOULD IT BE? A transporter like in Star Trek. It would be excellent for travel.

15. NAME AN ACTOR/ACTRESS YOU'VE HAD THE HOTS FOR? Sean Connery, I have told you that before. 
 
16. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE CITY? LAST TIME THERE? London, I was there, a year ago.  I love England and would like to see more than London.
 

17. WHAT'S THE FIRST WORD THAT COMES TO MIND RIGHT NOW? Vampire, we are watching a travel show about belief in vampires in Romania, on the travel channel. Mr BC left it on that channel when he took his accidental nap.  He has the remote.
 
18. WHAT TYPE OF PET DO YOU HAVE? We have 2 funny dogs.
 

19. WHERE HAVE YOU LIVED THE LONGEST? In southern California, I grew up there and Mr BC and I lived there the better part of 30 years.

20. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON THAT SPENT $100 ON YOU? Mr BC.
 
21. WHAT'S THE LAST PIECE OF CLOTHING YOU BOUGHT? A couple of long sleeved shirts and a purse, last week at Ross.

22. WHAT WAS/IS YOUR FAVORITE JOB? When I did substitute teaching in elementary school about 48 years ago.
 

23. WHO MAKES YOU LAUGH THE MOST? Mr BC

24. WHAT ARE YOU CRAVING? Macaroni and Cheese.

25. WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND? My grandsons and DD1.  She is raising them right. Just got a picture of Лука 7 reading a book to Caшa 5, such a sweet scene!

Saturday 9-Brilliant

Saturday 9: You're Beautiful (2005)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? 

 Hear it here

1) The first line is of this song is, "My life is brilliant." Using one word, describe your life.  "True." 

2)  This is about a chance encounter between strangers in a crowd, specifically the subway. What "crowded place" were you most recently in? On my trip to London last fall, recent. Victoria Station at 5 pm on a Friday night.  Just getting to the escalator going down, was a mob.  By the way, Phil Sayer, 62, whose voice was heard on most of the automated PA systems on railway stations across the UK, died on Thursday. Mind the Gap. 

3) Near the very end of this song, James Blunt sings, "It's time to face the truth." Do you believe you face things head on? Or do you tend to deny or put off the unpleasant? I tend to put off unpleasant things.

4) James Blunt went to an all-boys school. Some educators recommend single-sex classrooms because they maintain girls just naturally approach subjects like math and science differently than boys do. Do you agree? 
I don't think I would have liked going to an all girls school, but it is probably true.

5) Blunt put his father in charge of his finances. Income taxes are top of mind for many of us this time of year. Do you do your own taxes? Or do you go to an accountant or tax preparation service? I do it using Turbo Tax. Sending it off this weekend, we always owe.  *See Procastination.

6)  In 2005, the year this song was a hit, the sitcom How I Met Your Mother was also popular.  Do you know how your parents met? 
Yes, New Years Eve 1945, My Mom's cousin dated my Dad's cousin and they fixed the two of them up. It was love at first sight for them. They stayed out all night and married in June of 1946.

7) 2005 is also the year Tom Cruise famously jumped on a sofa. Do you remember where he did this?   On the Oprah Show.  I didn't see it when it happened, and really didn't care.

8) 2005 was also the year YouTube really took off. What's the last video you watched? Something on Facebook, I'm sure. Probably something Corgi related.

9) Random question ... Which of these high profile jobs would you enjoy more: head of General Motors, CEO of Apple or president of the New York Yankees?

CEO of Apple, because it would mean that I am very smart about computers and programming, I'd have the most amazing blog with all kinds of bells and whistles.

On to Buckingham Palace and the Queen's Backyard

I've been to London to visit the Queen....although she wasn't there, she opened the the Palace for a visit....for £40.  I really wanted to do this, Mr BC almost bailed on me because of....walking.  In making plans, I forgot again that walking the mall in Joplin is different from walking the Mall at Buckingham Palace.  Taxi's from the start next time. 

Mr BC is somewhere on the steps of this statue.

Crowds Everywhere

I planted Mr BC at the Victoria Statue outside Buckingham Palace and went to find the ticket office. Then went back to get him when I found the ticket office around the side of the palace on Buckingham Palace Road.  The whole ticket taking was very well done as you might think.  It was a Friday and next to last day of the tours and crowded as expected. (Pictures of the inside of the palace are from the a web site.

Paul was able to go back stage a bit and take an elevator up and down.

You get the idea, the rooms actually seemed a little smaller with crowds and informational displays.  All very opulent, lots of Dutch painters, Chinese vases, silk, lavish ceilings and wallpaper. Between this and Windsor Castle, they were the reason, I didn't want to see Versailles on the French portion of the tour. I imagine the personal rooms being filled with tweed, tartan, chintz and corgis. 

One could take pictures outside, in the backyard. We had some coffee and sat on the porch, then made our way out. We could see Magpies and sea birds on the lawn and there was a small lake/pond, toilets (finally) and the ubiquitous gift shop with really nice (read, expensive) gifts. 

At the end of the walk out, I found where everyone got the ice cream they were eating, in front of the palace....I was craving something to eat by the time we got there. Good move, Liz and Phil!

We made our way to crowded Victoria underground...It was Friday night, remember and then to our hotel.  We had an excellent room service. We also noted the bus stop in front of the hotel and check bus service to the Tower of London for tomorrow.

When I Thought I Lost Mr BC in Westminster Abbey - Pt 2

Part One Here

Well, after our day of rest on day one we got up feeling more refreshed.* Our hotel provided a great breakfast and we feasted every morning to fuel our day. This should be the only picture of food from the H10 Waterloo, and I pulled it off the internet but this was what Mr Bankerchick had every morning, What I liked were the pastries, fruit, and they had smoothies, peach and strawberry.....yum!   We always had lunch out and about. 

 

We tackled the Tube again, as we had our Oyster Card, which worked for us the whole time we were in London.  It was only one stop to Westminster....It could have been walked but, we knew we would be walking a lot.  When we came out of the station, we were greeted by Big Ben. A big Just Think moment for Mr BC.  We never did get a good picture of Parliament (the traditional one) but did get this. 

 We then made our way to Westminster Abbey, a top spot on Mr BC's list.  Needless to say no photography in the Abbey, but we clicked as we waited in the line.
  

You buy your tickets at the door and the handset guide was free.  We used a London Pass and I would say we got our money's worth in admissions for the 3 days we purchased.  It advertises you can skip long lines, but those are only the ticket purchase line....it is your ticket.  But you still might have to stand in line if the ticket purchase is at the end of the entrance line or if there is another line to get in.....as was the case most every where we went .

Since 1560, the building is no longer an abbey nor a cathedral, having instead the  status of a "Royal Peculiar"—a church responsible directly to the sovereign. The  building itself is the original abbey church.Construction of the present church began in 1245, on the orders ofKing Henry III.^{[3] Wikipedia}

Queen Elizabeth I
Pinterest

Paul and I got separated during our visit, I had walked through at a leisurely pace so I waiJust ted for him at poets corner..(I have been here before) He had spent time Thinking at Queen Elizabeth's crypt, he explained when he caught up with me.  We moved on to the outside portion of the Abbey.

The Cloister

The Chapter House
They found and uncovered some 13th and 14th century paintings on the wall.  I did not take pictures, but pulled some off the Abbeys website to show some examples.  This picture was taken from the door.   Out side was the Oldest door in England which an Asian tourist was trying his hardest to open, that really tickled me!. 

By this time we were ready to have a bite to eat, so we went to the Cellarium Cafe which is Zagat rated.  Fourteenth-century Benedictine monks once stored their provisions in this bi-level space beside Westminster Abbey, which has been converted into a relaxed eatery where midpriced Modern British eats are served for lunch and afternoon tea; the bright, modern setting has vaulted ceilings, refectory-style oak timber tables and a small outside terrace.

Next up for the day....Buckingham Palace.


*  From this point on I won't be referring to how tired we always were at the end of a day of touring, any more, just know that it is implied.  I will spare you our pain, it would become very tiresome. Since this wasn't a food tour, we did a lot of room service for dinner rather than going out again.  I know this would be anathema to many.....sorry.

Mind the Gap - Pt 1 of the Great Adventure

And the stairs!

We weren't met at the airport by Go Ahead, because we choose to have extra days before the tour, so we were aware that we had to make our own way to the hotel.  Boy, Howdy! I made plans and some were good and others not so good.  We arrived at about 11:15 am, after the overnight flight.  All was good, I had made plans......

After clearing the passport part of arrival, we had to decide whether to take the Heathrow Express to Paddington or the Piccadilly Line to Bakerloo, to Waterloo station.  Since the Oyster card did not cover the Heathrow Express (I thought it did), we opted for the Underground, while it worked and we got to our destination, We would have done better on the train and a taxi to our destination. 

Next time in London, I will take more taxis  Less wear and tear on our tired bodies. We opted for less expense and adventure.....! Not the best choice.  I only remember the escalators on the underground,,,,,not the flights of stairs between different lines (with 1 suitcase and our carry ons in tow and Mr BC knees.) 

It was a really a short walk to our hotel from Waterloo Station but after the flight etc,  we were glad to be able to check into the hotel to nap, order room service and then sleep again.  The room was lovely, the bed was great, and room service was reasonable. This hotel had the best room and breakfast, of the whole trip.  This part of the trip was all my planning and so far...on day 2, I was regretting some of my planning decisions, but not the trip.

H10  London Waterloo Hotel from their website.

Next time: A good night rest and on to Westminster. 

Where am I? Oh yeah, Back to Bed

Two happy couples at the British Museum last week.

We are back from the great adventure and here I am at 3:00 am  awake and tired at the same time.  It was a lot easier adjusting to the time in Europe, than to the time here at home. We had a great time and I will post some pictures as soon as I get them downloaded or uploaded or whatever.  Which will be around Thanksgiving at the rate I am moving.  

Some Thoughts:

• London and Rome were fantastic and we will go back to see more.
• Paris is overrated.  I can say I have been there but, I don't particularly want to go back. We would visit like to visit the Normandy Landings areas sometime, then we will be done with France.  Also there are no fat people in France.
• The tour group was great and we had some very enjoyable company.  Nikki, our tour director was the best. Our guide Joel was so funny, the way the British can be.....very dry.
• We are not as young as we once were and tire easily.  My feet still hurt and I don't do museums as well as I use to.
  
• The Tube is much better than the Paris Metro.  I didn't get lost there as I can understand the English spoken by the English better than English spoken by the French.  There is truth to the London Underground being the best in the world.
• Buckingham Palace would be a hard place, in which to live,  I would have to place covers over all the furniture.  I found a Corgi hair on my jacket, but it turns out that it was one of Gwennie's that I carried all the way to London.  I left all the ones I could find on me, there.