Final Day in London

On Sunday our first stop was the British Museum. I was excited about the visit, as I wanted to see the Elgin Marbles – a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures and other artifacts that were part of the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis. Following my visit to Athens earlier this year, the timing of the visit worked out very well.

In terms of the artifacts themselves, they weren’t significantly different from those that I had seen Athens (basically different pieces of the Parthenon as well as one of the six Caryatids). Instead, the truly interesting part of the visit was being able to compare the different perspectives of the Parthenon Museum and the British Museum with respect to the ongoing controversy over whom the artifacts rightly “belong” to (there was even a pamphlet outlining the opposing views).











Here’s a related link for anyone who is interested:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgin_Marbles

Aside from the Elgin Marbles, I found the Rosetta Stone to be the most interesting exhibit in the museum. I had forgotten (or perhaps never really knew) that it was in the British Museum’s collection and was pleasantly surprised to see it.

We then walked to the London Gallery in order to see a couple of paintings that Emilie was interested in (some works by Rafael in particular).

The most memorable part of the visit turned out to be during our departure, however, when we asked a girl to take a picture of us outside and she turned out to be perhaps the worst picture taker ever. As can be seen from the photo below, she seems to have very poor aim (we noticed this while she was lining up the photo, but didn’t know what to say…).

The best part was the fact that we didn’t just pick out some random person to take the picture. She had a very expensive camera and was taking artistic shots of Trafalgar Square. Who knows…perhaps she was trying to be artistic with this shot as well?

***

After walking around a bit more it was time to head back to the hotel for our stuff and then on to Heathrow for our flight home. As we were heading to the Tube, the English soccer fans were out in full force preparing for their afternoon World Cup match with Germany. They were definitely fired up, with many dressed in full hooligan attire – face paint and all.

***

After arriving at the airport we learned that our flight was delayed for nearly two hours. By this point all we wanted to do was get home and now we had to hang around Heathrow for three hours. But there was one bright spot – the Germans were beating the English 4-0, which I considered payback for the English fans rooting for Ghana (or, more likely, against the U.S.) in the pub the other night.

Two Tates and the Thames

Our first stop on Saturday was the Tate Museum to see the Joseph Turner exhibition. Perhaps it’s a sign of cultural deficiency on my part, but I was completely unfamiliar with Turner. It’s possible that I learned about him at some point during school (or at least read a paragraph about him briefly in a textbook), but I have no recollection of doing so. Nonetheless, I quickly appreciated why he is considered a master of landscape paintings.

Next we walked along the bank of the Thames and decided to take a boat ride up the river to the Tower Bridge. As we approached the dock where the boats depart, we were overcome by a sea of tourists who were taking the various river tours. We elected for the main commuter boat to avoid the tourist madness and maintain some level of sanity.

The weather was beautiful – sunny and in the 80s – and the ride up to the Tower Bridge was relatively quick. I have to be honest, though...I didn’t find the views from the Thames to be that impressive. Sure there were some nice views here and there (e.g., of the Parliament and the London Eye), but as a whole it was a bit underwhelming.










After getting off the boat we walked past the Tower of London but did not visit since the wait looked a bit arduous. Instead, we walked along the Thames and then across the Tower Bridge










Our ultimate destination was the Tate Modern museum, which Emilie wanted to check out. There was a nice exhibit of photos from the NYC subway system taken in the 70s.

We then walked back along the Thames and across the Millennium Bridge, before spending the rest of the day just walking around in the city and enjoying the warm afternoon sun.

***

Before dinner we went to a pub near Covent Garden to watch the U.S. - Ghana World Cup elimination match. It was standing room only, but we were ultimately able to get a small table right before the second half. Aside from a couple of Americans supporting the U.S., the crowd was overwhelmingly in favor of Ghana.

The match was very exciting – particularly when the U.S. tied the score and then controlled the rest of the second half. The dream came to an end, however, as Ghana scored quickly in extra time and then managed to prevent the U.S. from tying the score before the whistle blew.

As a result of the match going to extra time, we ended up being late for our dinner reservation at an Indian restaurant nearby. Fortunately, our late arrival wasn’t an issue as there were plenty of open tables. And thankfully, the empty tables weren’t a reflection on the food, which ended up being excellent. There wasn’t a menu – the waiter simply asked if we wanted the regular or vegetarian option and then brought us all of the related courses based on our selection.

London Calling

On Friday I arrived in London for a weekend trip with Emilie. Apparently I fit the profile of a drug trafficker, as I received the 3rd degree from a customs officer upon my arrival to Heathrow. Why was I in South America prior to London? What was I doing in London? Why do I live in Switzerland? The questioning went on for a good ten minutes, but I guess I finally convinced him that my visit was legitimate since he decided to let me pass through.

Since my flight arrived at 7am, I had a couple of hours of wait time at the airport before Emilie’s arrival. Fortunately, my ticket granted me access to the British Airways arrivals lounge so I was able to spend the morning in relative comfort. BA was showcasing some contemporary paintings in the restrooms, which I thought was kind of funny. I wonder if the artist knew that this was where his work would end up one day…

After meeting up with Emilie, we headed to the Tube for our journey into London. The trip was very efficient and we had seats the whole way. We’re staying at the Beaufort hotel, which is a boutique hotel on a quiet, tree-lined cul-de-sac in South Kensington. We chose the location because it is walking distance from Hyde Park – the site of the Pearl Jam concert we’d be attending.

After a quick lunch, we headed out to explore London. Our hotel was also coincidentally walking distance from Harrod’s, so Emilie talked me into a “brief” stop in order to make some obligatory purchases. As I stood helplessly amidst the estrogen-filled frenzy, I made eye contact with another pour guy (likely someone’s husband or boyfriend) also trying to survive the experience. No words were needed – the shrug from across the store said it all. We felt eachothers’ pain.

With the shopping behind us, the real tourism began. Our first stop was Buckingham Palace. It wasn’t open for visitors but given the beautiful weather we preferred to spend the day outside anyway. We then walked through St. James Park, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus. I was a fan of everything except for Piccadilly Circus, which basically felt like Times Square in NYC.




























Next we walked toward the Thames to see Big Ben, Westminster Palace (the British Parliament) and Westminster Abbey. All three were very impressive and I particularly liked the parliament building.




















It was at this point that I first learned about a unique aspect of London tourism – it costs money to enter churches but museums are free. During all of my travels, I have always experienced the opposite. While some museums simply “requested” donations, they all generally had an entrance fee. But churches, on the other hand, were always free. But I guess the Brits just like doing things a little differently – kind of like driving on the opposite side of the street.

Speaking of driving on the opposite side of the street, I found it amusing (though nonetheless helpful) that many of the crosswalks in the touristy areas had warnings for which way to look before crossing (see picture below). I guess it makes sense, though, in order to ensure that tourists don’t end up getting flattened by oncoming traffic.

By this point the evening was approaching, so we headed back to the hotel in order to drop off some stuff before the concert. On the way we passed the Victoria and Albert museum, which has visible bullet damage on the external walls dating back to German aerial attacks during WWII. I like how they chose not to repair it and instead left it as a visible reminder of the past.

Before the concert we met up with two of Emilie’s friends that she had met while working in Malaysia. They happened to be visiting London at the same time so it provided a nice opportunity for her to catch up with them.

The concert was actually more like a festival, with multiple acts playing throughout the day. Since we only wanted to see Pearl Jam – the final act of the night – we simply arrived about a half hour before they were scheduled to play. This allowed us to grab some food before and squirm our way as close as possible to the main stage before Pearl Jam went on.

The venue was huge – basically, a large section of Hyde Park had been closed off for the concert. While we tried to get as close as possible, we were still a couple hundred yards away. Nonetheless, we had a nice view and given the size of the crowd we were actually quite lucky to have made it as close as we did.

The show was easily one of the best that I have ever seen. Aside from the fact that Pearl Jam is one of my favorite bands, the combination of the warm weather, outdoor venue and 10pm summer sunset really made the overall experience unforgettable. And to top it off, they played for a solid 2.5 hours.

Buenos Aires - Part III

The remainder of my time in Buenos Aires was devoted largely to work, but there was nonetheless one respite that turned out to be the highlight of the trip – the Argentina vs. Greece World Cup match. While I knew that soccer is huge in Argentina, I don’t think that I really appreciated exactly how huge it truly is.

During the match – which took place around 3pm – the entire city literally stopped. The streets were vacant (kind of like in the movies after a nuclear attack), businesses closed and all forms of activity aside from actually watching the game itself came to a screeching halt. It was one of the most unprecedented things that I had ever seen. For roughly two hours, it was as if nothing else in the world mattered at all. Actually, I’m pretty sure that for many Argentines, nothing else truly did matter. They are fanatical about soccer.

The game itself turned out to be very exciting, with two late goals by Argentina serving as the difference. I’m definitely glad that they won, as it would have been depressing to have seen so many people completely devastated after a loss.

***

The other main highlight of the last few days was the food. I was fortunate to have two work-related dinners that allowed me to have some more of the famous Argentine steaks. I’m not sure exactly what kind of cuts they were since I simply went with the waiter’s recommendation in each case, but they were both very good.

I thought the menu at the first restaurant was pretty funny – the cover was essentially a cow hide.

At one of the restaurants the waiter served us a meat appetizer platter that included some interesting items. The most notable was the membrane that covers the cow heart. Had I not known what it was, I think that I would have really enjoyed it more. But knowing that it was a heart lining was difficult for me to get past.

Buenos Aires - Part II

My first stop on Monday was the nearest subway station and on the way I happened to pass Luna Park – the site where Evita met Perón.

I took the subway to Avenida 9 de Julio – the central avenue that cuts through the city. It is supposedly the widest avenue in the world (at least according to the guide from yesterday) and the picture below seems to support that with seven lanes in each direction.

At the heart of the avenue is a giant obelisk that stands in the Plaza de la Republica. It was constructed in the 1930s to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the city’s founding and is over 200 feet tall.

The famous Teatro Colon is on the avenue not far from the obelisk. The newly renovated building is known for being one of the top five opera houses in the world due to its excellent acoustics. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to see a show during my visit.

For lunch I headed to the nearby El Gaucho restaurant, which someone from the hotel had recommended. When I arrived, Switzerland was playing Chile in a first round World Cup match. There was definitely a sense of excitement in the air and Chile was clearly the team of choice among the patrons.

I had always heard how good Argentine steaks were, so I decided to order one. It lived up to my high expectations, but was a lot of food. Fortunately, I was able to take my time while watching the match. Chile won, so the restaurant patrons were in good spirits as I left.

Next I headed to the Recoleta neighborhood and walked around for a while. The weather was very nice and even felt somewhat warm at times despite being winter. In particular I liked the Pilar church.











From there I walked back towards the hotel, passing along Avenida Florida – basically a shopping mecca, but of no interest to someone like me who doesn’t like to shop – and through the Plaza de Mayo.

As I neared the hotel, I could tell that the setting sun would allow for some nice pictures along the water in Puerto Madero. The following is one of my favorites with the reflection of the sun on the building.

One of the downsides of being alone on a trip is not having anyone to take a picture of you. Fortunately, people are typically nice and willing to take a photo if you just ask. Note the use of “typically”. That is because I asked a couple walking by to do me such a favor (in my “best” Spanish, of course) and they flat out said “no” with zero hesitation. They didn’t try to make an excuse and showed no compassion for my predicament. I wasn't quite sure how to respond.

Fortunately, the next person that I asked graciously obliged. He was a French guy that spoke no Spanish and seemed genuinely happy to hear his native language (or at least my interpretation of it) when I asked him in French if he could take a picture.

Once back at the hotel I decided to make reservations for a tango show. Though I was a bit tired from the combination of jet lag and my tourist activities thus far, I had been told that one can’t come to Buenos Aires without seeing a tango show. That was enough of a reason for me. Fortunately, I was able to book a ticket through the hotel, and it included transportation to and from the venue. This came in handy since the show ended after midnight.

The show was indeed a must see. The performers were incredible and the combination of live music, song and dance was unlike anything that I had ever seen before. The skill required for the dancing in particular was truly remarkable. I unfortunately wasn’t able to take any pictures during the performance, but here is a shot of the venue prior to the show.

Buenos Aires - Part I

I’m in Buenos Aires this week for work and decided to come a day early so I could visit the city a little bit. The trip entailed an afternoon flight to London followed by an overnight flight to Buenos Aires via Sao Paolo (to change the flight crew – we had to stay on the plane). Door to door, it ended up being nearly as long as the travel time to Melbourne. Who knew?

During the cab ride from the airport I was forced to (try to) speak with the driver in Spanish since he didn’t speak English. It seems that my brain has reached capacity from a language perspective, as things that used to come easily in Spanish were a struggle. And in many cases, French just seemed to come out instead – as if some sort of internal wires were crossed. The optimist in me (at least what exists of him) hopes that this is a sign that my French is improving.

I’m staying in Puerto Madero – the old port area of the city – which is on the Rio Plata and has gone through a significant revitalization in recent years. Not far from the hotel is the Puente de la Mujer, which is an interesting bridge that “swings” open so that boats can pass through the channel that it spans.

As a quick aside, the Wikitravel page on Buenos Aires notes that Puerto Madero has a mixture of restaurants “ranging from high-end American chains such as Hooters and TGIFridays…” Well, I guess one man’s trash is another man’s treasure as the saying goes (the second man being the one who wrote the Wikitravel blurb, of course).

I began my visit with an afternoon tour of the city that I booked through the hotel. In addition to the driver and the guide, there were three other tourists – one of which was a French woman who grew up near Geneva, coincidentally. During the ride, the guide would discuss the history of the Argentina / Buenos Aires and provide an overview of the upcoming stops. She seemed to really enjoy her job a lot and had a nice sense of humor.

The guide’s tour intro included a number of interesting things about the country. For example, although the soil in Argentina is quite fertile, the country was effectively “tree-less” prior to the arrival of Europeans. Nearly all of the trees in the country today trace their roots (no pun intended) back to Europe.

In addition, all of the cobblestones of the older streets are from Europe as well (apparently such rocks are another natural resource that Argentina lacks). The cobblestones were simply used as ballast for the ships coming to Argentina and were expected to be replaced by gold and silver for the return voyage. Unfortunately for the explorers, however, Argentina did not have any such loot (which makes "Argentina" a bit of a misnomer…).

The first major stop was the Plaza de Mayo, which was the site of the 1810 revolution that led to Argentina's independence from Spain. It is adjacent to the Casa Rosada (literally the “pink house”, where the Argentine president lives) and the Metropolitan cathedral. When we arrived there was a celebration / performance taking place so we stayed for a while to watch.



















The Metropolitan Cathedral dates back to the 16th century and from the outside looks kind of like it could be an ancient Greek temple or Federal court house. The inside is very impressive – particularly the Venetian-style mosaic floor. There is also a mausoleum for the famous general San Martín as well as a Jesus sculpture that is somehow tied to the 1978 World Cup that was won by Argentina.



















We then visited the San Telmo neighborhood, which was very lively and had a number of streets that were lined with booths selling a broad assortment of goods. The booth in the picture below stood out the most – I’m not sure who planned to buy something there, but I don’t really want to meet them. I didn’t notice at the time, but the vendor looks kind of scary.

Here's a picture of a group that was playing tango music. The singer (not pictured, unfortunately) was particularly good.

And here’s a picture of (part of) a church that caught my attention.

Next we headed to La Boca, which is well known for its colorful houses and popular football (soccer) team. The story behind the house colors is interesting. Given the poverty in the area, people would simply paint their houses with whatever paint was left over from the ships in the nearby harbor. As a result, the neighborhood has a bright, rainbow feel to it.










The story behind the colors for the Boca Juniors football team is also interesting. In 1906 the team had to change them and decided to use the colors of the flag from the next ship to sail into the harbor. The ship turned out to be from Sweden and the team thus adopted yellow and blue of the Swedish flag.

We then drove around for a while through many of the neighborhoods (Palermo, Recoleta, Retiro) and saw a number of sights such as the Monumental Tower and the Floralis Generica Monument.










For our last stop we went to the famous Recoleta cemetery, which reminded me a bit of Père Lachaise in Paris (albeit without the hills). As can be seen from the pictures, the mausoleums are quite impressive.



















The most visited mausoleum in the cemetery is the one that is the final resting place of Maria Eva Duarte de Perón (Evita).

The driver nicely offered to drop us off at our preferred spot along the tour route and everyone decided to go with San Telmo in order to return to all of the outdoor activities that were taking place.










I browsed the street booths for a bit to pick up some souvenirs and then stopped to watch some of street performers. The groups of percussionists in particular were very fun to watch.











By this point it had started to get late (and cold for that matter – it’s winter), so I headed back to the hotel. On the walk back there was a bicentennial celebration going on in the Plaza de Mayo. The light show and music were very nice so I decided to brave the cold for a bit to enjoy the celebration with the locals.




















And here are some pictures of the bridge by the hotel that I took during the walk back. The giant dinosaur-looking thing in the first picture is a German crane, of which there are numerous along the water. I believe that most are no longer functional but instead remain solely as artistic remnants of the past.