Passport

While my passport is at the Chinese consulate, I'm temporarily grounded. While it's probably possible to drive to Buffalo and catch a domestic flight within the US from there, I'm not going to take a chance. Not these days, when a day of jet-skiing can land you in detention.

Sometimes it's easy to forget the significance of having a passport, or the potential problems of having the "wrong" one.

Like at the UK Immigration checkpoint at Gare du Nord in Paris, where a Canadian passport gets a cursory inspection, a couple of gruff questions, and a Channel Tunnel stamp. Meanwhile, the "Asian" family [in Canada, the more commonly-used term would be "South Asian"] right behind, with green-coloured passports, gets the third degree.

Aside from US Citizenship and Immigration, the last time I felt this personally was in Iceland. As the European Union expands, certain countries have become very defensive, with their immigration policies and increased scrutiny of non-Schengen passports.

As I handed over my passport, I watched the officer flip through, waiting for something to happen. Waiting, until he reached the page with the US work visa. He did not try to hide his "wow" reaction, but let me through. It was a long wait though, for my new friend Haya.

While in the clearance area behind the booths, we were both pulled aside again. Couldn't help but notice that they picked out the two non-Scandinavians. Passports were taken for photocopying, no doubt to be added to an immigration watch list.

At the end of the trip, that passport is still the only universally accepted ticket home.

Advice from Mummy

Back in the British Museum, there was a 3-D (glasses included with admission) audio-visual exhibit on Nesperennub. Narrated by Sir Ian McKellen, it is a significant technical and academic achievement, but it is also a very human story, of a middle-manager/priest at the Temples of Karnak.

Rather than desecrating and damaging the mummy by unwrapping, it was placed in a CT scanner in sarcophagu. The resulting visualisation reveals details which could not otherwise be known, including various health conditions and special ornamentation. In an ancient case of "just cover it and maybe no one will notice," the embalmers appear to have accidentally left a clay bowl of resin permanently bonded to his head.

In the exit hall, where the original sarcophagus is displayed, there is an Egyptian proverb written on the wall:

Life on earth passes
    it is not long;
Being remembered is the only success.

Waterways

Although Toronto lies on the shores of a Great Lake, it doesn't have a very strong maritime feel. In fact, decades of apathy and political infighting have left the waterfront a mess of industrial wasteland or concrete jungle, which may someday require a Big Dig to remedy. One need only go to Chicago to see how it should be done. The one saving grace is Toronto Island.

Chicago Skyline

I find a certain appeal in cities on rivers or the ocean. Perhaps because I never grew up with long ferry rides or driving along bridges and causeways that are miles long. I did live in The Beach neighbourhood, but for most of my childhood, entering the water was at your own risk.

When I was in Tampa, there were jetski rentals at the edge of my hotel parking lot. I could see powerboats go back and forth from my window. Even if I had brought appropriate beachwear, I think I'd still prefer a nice tourist cruise on a river.

Welcome to De Swamp - AAAIIIEEEEEE!!!

There are many creeks and streams in the Toronto area, but no majestic rivers you can sail down. Nothing which cuts through the downtown core, with many grand bridges across it. Unless you include the hidden and often forgotten Taddle Creek.

Three Rivers

Even Pittsburgh, a city crawling out of economic recession, is making a good run at waterfront re-development. But nothing compares to the rivers and canals of Europe.

Copenhagen, Denmark

A great way to quickly see the sights, and highly recommended if you're pressed for time.

View from the Riksbron - Stockholm, Sweden

The old architecture and palaces along the water only add to the mystique. The ABBA soundtrack on the English narration (for the benefit of the tourists) does not.

Stockholm is situated on 14 islands - AAAIIIEEEEEE!!!

My favorite estuarine city though, still has to be London.

Tower Bridge

So much history, and so many bridges across the Thames, including the initially-wobbly Millenium Bridge.

...is falling down

Engineering marvels for their age.

Passing through

Saucy Subway Sirens

A few months ago on the subway, I took special note of the station announcements. This particular driver spoke very clearly and consistently. It was almost as though she had some professional voice training.

On my return journey that evening, I thought it amusing that I happened to get the same driver, still cheerfully making the announcements towards the end of a ten hour shift.

It wasn't until my next trip that I suddenly realized, that 12 years after door chimes replaced whistles, and drivers started announcing stations, a computerized voice system had finally been installed.

Still, it's not quite on the same level as the London Underground, which has personality.

Day at the Museum

Flashback: July 11, 2004

The British Museum

Like the German Reichstag, Norman Foster has had a hand in the modern redevelopment of this historical building.

The Great Court

One of these things doesn't belong here

The Reading Room

Welcome

Among the major artifacts here is a true linguistic milestone.

The Rosetta Stone

Speaking of linguistics, 24 hours in London already has me using bigger words and syntax found only in the Oxford English Dictionary. And is that a hint of an accent? Oops - I just said "elevator"...

The Elgin Marbles

One of the security guards is giving an impromptu commentary on the exhibit. I inquire about the status of the various repatriation campaigns. Apparently, it would require an Act of Parliament to allow their return to the Parthenon in Athens. So they will be staying put for a while.

West Frieze of the Parthenon

East Frieze of the Parthenon

It's been argued that such artifacts have been better preserved in foreign museums, than had they been left where they were found. Also more accessible to the public, and a larger, world-wide audience. This is a valid point, considering the tragic plundering of the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad.

Ram in a Thicket

Three countries, 24 days, and 11000 miles...

Flashback: Sunday, August 1, 2004

It's a right royal (half-) day today. There's a big running event, which has diverted normal traffic. But the Queen is at Balmoral, and Buckingham Palace is open to the public. Unfortunately, photography is not permitted inside.

The front door

The backyard

The pool

The garage (Royal Mews)

Before heading out to the airport, there's time for one long stroll through Hyde Park and Oxford Street, and a healthy (and reasonably-priced) early dinner at Pret a Manger.

The Serpentine (Hyde Park)

Unfortunately, the newly-opened Princess Diana Memorial Fountain is closed, due to poor design.

Kensington Palace

Marble Arch

Tactical travel error #2b:
There is a Star Alliance check-in counter at Paddington Station [since closed, as of January, 2005]. They will even check luggage for you (which follows on a separate train). However, you cannot later check a bag at Heathrow, which you may have already stored there, especially if you stored it at the wrong terminal...

Tactical travel error #2a':
You can work up a sweat carrying a full baggage load between Terminals 1 and 3. [Two years later, strict baggage rules implemented at Heathrow in July 2006 would have been a major challenge!] Certainly it's no fun to be frisked again, and in this case, to be the one frisking either. However, with not enough mileage for Star Alliance Gold status, one can only gaze longingly at the glass doors of the Air Canada/SAS London Lounge (or Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge, or United Airlines Red Carpet Club), and imagine the shower facilities inside.

And then home again. Thinking back, this has been not necessarily a life-changing experience, but a fully unforgettable one. A mind-broadening first trip to Europe, but also a reminder of how much more there is, out there, and how litte time there is to go and see it. Overall though, it is a good feeling, that will take some time to wear off, and to absorb.

Last Night

Eighteen hours later, this long whirlwind day of travel has come to an end.

Palace of Westminster, at 11:35 pm

Though sun-baked, under-fed, over-walked, and in need of a shower, I still feel strangely energized. Mostly because of the incredible experiences of this day, and with the not-so-sudden realization that this kind of traveling is good. The kind which broadens one's horizons, and opens new doors, allowing one to better connect with other people in the future.

The American family initially identified themselves as hailing from Chicago, thinking that should be more readily recognized by most people in Europe. After I mentioned my visit earlier this year to McHenry county (in Illinois), they then clarified that they were actually from Milwaukee (down the road and just across the state line, where I had flown in to General Mitchell Field, and then promptly driven out of Wisconsin). We had moved beyond just polite nods and smiles, and the conversation continued on from there.

View from the Golden Jubilee Bridge

Tomorrow will be the end of this trip. For tonight, in this moment, here's to new and unforgettable memories.

Westminster

The tour ends back where it started, at Victoria Station. I decide to walk back to the hotel, via St. James's Park and Westminster.

Horse Guards

Westminster Abbey

Palace of Westminster

It's still early enough in the evening for a quick recce, to make sure that it is indeed possible to walk from Charing Cross to Waterloo Station, directly and in a reasonable amount of time. Then a run to the Tesco Metro in Covent Garden, for dinner, and a full day's supplies for tomorrow's adventure. There'll be no time for breakfast, when you have to leave the hotel at 5 am.

London Eye

No Opportunity Wasted

On the way back to London, our guide points out his native Wales, just on the horizon. Yet one more place to visit on a future trip. The world feels like a small place sometimes, when you're at home, standing still. Once you get moving and get out there, it becomes much bigger, full of new possibilities and experiences. [Newer technologies such as Google Earth try to shrink it back down again, allowing a different sort of travel, via a 19" screen.]

Our guide mentions once visiting a colleague and fellow journalist in America, and then inviting him to visit the UK for their next meeting. He was astonished when his friend informed him that he did not have a passport, and only 11% of American citizens did. One of the Americans on our tour drily notes that one does not need a passport when travelling as part of an invading army. [A more recent figure is up to 25%, partly spurred by planned border security requirements in 2008. The corresponding figure for Canadian citizens is over 40%.]

Time and money are always an issue, and being able to travel is a great privilege. But it seems a shame that many people who could do it, just won't venture out of their insular comfort zones.

Jubilee Sundial

Built in Westminster, across the street from the Parliament buildings, on the occasion of HM Elizabeth II's golden jubilee in 2002, the sundial carries a quotation from Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part II:

To carve out dials quaintly, point by point,
Thereby to see the minutes how they run,
How many make the hour full complete;
How many hours bring about the day;
How many days will finish up the year;
How many years a mortal man may live.

Taking in Bath

Apparently, it rains 20% of the time here in the west of England. The great weather we're having this week makes this visit that much more pleasant.

Bath

Still, this is a major tourist town, with tour buses and tour groups filling the streets around the Abbey. Many Jane Austen fans also come here on pilgrimage.

Bath Abbey

Pulteney Bridge spans the River Avon. It is notable in that shops line both edges of the bridge, so that it looks like just another street when you're crossing it.

Pulteney Bridge

The main draw though are the Roman Baths.

The Roman Baths

Deeply buried facts learned in ancient history class slowly come back.

Model of the Roman Baths

The chi-chi restaurant above the Baths is offering water from the sacred spring for £1 a glass. It's supposed to be mineral-rich and good for you. I didn't realize that it came out piping hot. It's almost 30° outside, but I'm down one quid now, so I have to wait for a short while, before downing the warm Bath water.

The Stones of Blood

No, not really. A major touristy destination, but one that you just have to see once.

Stonehenge

British Cuisine

Lunch is at the King's Arms Hotel. A nice fish dish, washed down with Old Speckled Hen.

Downtown Salisbury

Our guide's recommendations for the best food in London:

• Fish & Chips - not the Kebabhús, but Rock & Sole (Ellers St.,Covent Garden Tube)


• Chinese - Wong Kei


• High Tea - Fortnum & Mason (Piccadilly)


• Camden Town Market


• Simpson's (Covent Garden)


• Rules (Covent Garden)

So many choices, and they all sound good. However, they'll all have to wait until next time.

Climbing up on Solsbury Hill

Flashback: Friday, July 30, 2004

Back in Iceland, we were going at such a different pace from my day-to-day life that I'd almost forgotten what it was like to drive into the office. I certainly wasn't going to attempt to drive on the wrong side of the road. So, it's back on the bus for a day trip to Salisbury, Stonehenge, and Bath (in that order).

Our guide for the day is David Simmons, a former BBC Radio correspondent, so there's plenty of interesting facts on the journey:

• The average annual salary in the UK is £30 000
• An average house costs £185 000
• You can add at least 50% to that figure for London, with some areas going up to £600 000

As it turns out, Solsbury Hill is near Bath, not Salisbury.

Salisbury Cathedral

The stained glass windows are very impressive.

Inside Salisbury Cathedral

Also inside the cathedral, is a copy of the Magna Carta.

Cloisters

Back in Blighty

Flashback: Thursday, July 29, 2004

Landing at Heathrow for the second time ever is not as exciting as the first. Perhaps I'm feeling reluctant to return to the mega-city lifestyle, and the knowledge that my vacation is winding up.

The woman at the Immigration and Customs desk seemed surprised, and even pleased, when I stated Bath as my intended tourist destination. It must get boring to hear responses like "Tower of London" or "Windsor Castle" all the time.

In the baggage area, there is another high school band, this time returning from their own trip to Iceland. The baggage carousel was never designed for their oddly-shaped instrument cases, and each one slams into the metal siding with a loud dissonant clang as it drops down, and misses the rubber bumpers. On top of that, their electronic equipment got a good soaking while sitting in the rain, on the tarmac at Keflavík.

I had decided to travel light for the remainder of this trip, and would leave all the warm/heavy Icelandic gear at the airport until returning home, rather than trying to lug it back into town, around the country, and across the Channel.
(Tactical Travel Error #2a - if you leave baggage at the airport, you should leave it at the terminal building from which you will be departing later!)

It took a bit of time to re-arrange my packing, make sure I had everything I would need for the next three days, and then hand over my large bag at the left luggage counter. Then it was back to the Heathrow Express, and downtown London. With the sight of the Metropolitan police marching through the terminal building, machine pistols at the ready, the return is complete.

Piccadilly Circus