Crazy Love

Song of the Day for Wednesday, November 3rd: "Crazy Love" by Van Morrison

Wednesday night the D-Town winos and I had a baby shower via Skype for our fellow Wino, Stacy, who now lives in Boston. Of all the new babies that have arrived this year, her baby is one of the few boys. I wasn't sure what Song of the Day would be best, so I Googled "songs about having a baby" and good 'ol Google generated a result for the 1988 movie "She's Having a Baby". One click to IMDB later, and wallah! This song was on the soundtrack. Seemed all too perfect, as that's just the love you need to bring a child into this crazy world.

London Town (or I love Cadbury Spread on Toast)

July 7-12th, 2009

"I'm saving up my money

Gonna fly back to London Town

Don't think that I should

But I can't help myself right now

Cuz if I make it

Back to London

I may never

Make it out." --Chris Seefried, "London"

The two things I loved most about London: easily navigable public transit and Cadbury chocolate spread on toast.

I arrived in London on a Tuesday afternoon, tired from my flight from Athens but excited about being in London for the first time in a decade. I found my hostel easily (located a block from Hyde Park,) and thanks to advice from my friend Pete from high school bought an oyster card for the public transit. My hostel had free wireless as well as a common room, and since I was staying in a shared room with 7 others, it was a welcome amenity. I took it easy the first night, treating myself to an Italian dinner and a good glass of wine.

The next day I went for an early job in Hyde Park; it's not every day I get a chance to run past so many historic things, but I found myself wondering what it would be like to run past those each day. It was something, I thought, I could get used to.

After making plans to meet up with Pete the next day, I began navigating the buses and Tube. I passed by Big Ben and gave him a wave, and then took a ride in the London Eye, since that wasn't there the last time I was in London. Having nothing on my hands but time, I took in the Dali exhibit and made my way to Trafalgar Square, treated myself to coffee, and ducked into the National Gallery for a few minutes.

It was freeing to be able to make decisions on a whim, traveling alone. And I wasn't lonely due to the large amount of people around. I was loving London, and it seemed to be sharing the love right back.

My next decision: going to Lion King in the evening, which was fantastic and I had never seen it before. I ended up sitting next to a Canadian women in her early 20s who was nannying abroad, and hoping next to go to Spain.

View from/of the London Eye.

Hello London.

There's the Big Ben.

London Archy architecture.

Boy conquers lion in Tralfagar Square.

The following morning I headed out to the Campden Market and found some used Wellies to take back with me for the monsoon season in India. I spent most of the day wandering, taking photos, and eating fish n chips before busing it to the Hampstead Heath area and walking to the highest point in London. Finishing a book, I watched a handsome guy flying a kite before heading back down to meet Pete for crepes and a beer. It'd been years since I'd seen him, and it was great to catch up. Soon we were heading to the opposite side of town, to go to a party with some of Pete's friends who are professional symphony musicians. A few had played in the Mumbai Symphony, so it was especially fun for me to talk with them (though I couldn't help wonder how I happened to be crashing a party full of professional musicians, when I quit the clarinet in 10th grade and can't play a bar chord clearly on my guitar). I had to run to catch the tube back to the hostel before it stopped for the night, and as I reached I spilled my purse on the ground, the token/security man took pity on me and helped me gather extra change before the last train left.

Wellies from London, left in Mumbai. Such a pity I didn't bring them back.

Can you believe I held out and did not buy a wig? Loved this store though!

View from Hampstead Heath.

I continued my touristy trail of London the next day by strolling through the British Museum in the late morning, finding it odd to see art and sculpture from India and Greece when I had just been there. I did see a mummified hippo, the Rosetta Stone, and an outdoor garden exhibit on Indian plant life. I met Pete and two of his friends for lunch and we had, of all things, Indian Thali, which was delicious. I found a copy of High Fidelity in the afternoon in an old bookstore, and found a phone to call to change my flight back to the U.S. I wandered through the National Portrait Gallery (fantastic) and failed in my attempt to find a small photography museum.

Later, again in Tralfagar Square, there was a live art display taking place where each individual spent an hour on this raised pedestal in the square and could do anything they wanted, as long as it was legal, and they were alone. I saw a woman reading a book--not aloud--followed by a soccer mascot dancing to a boombox.

That is one OLD hippo.

My buddy.

Art display near Indian restaurant in London.

I soon made my way to the Aldwych Theatre where I upgraded my seat for Dirty Dancing (and yes, I had the time of my life). At the bus stop back, I was asked for directions from a young couple. Surprisingly, I was able o help them. I guess it only takes 3 days in London to seem at ease (and avid use of public transit).

LOVE that I got the random 80s girl in with the hot pink signs!

On Saturday I headed to the Portobello Market in Nottinghill where I was met by Pete and his friend Elizabeth, another delightful American. We wandered, ate churros, people watched, drank beer, basically, it was fabulous. In the afternoon I headed to see a Kate Nash show at a literature festival in Queen Elizabeth Hall that was a combined book release/signing for Laura Dockrill, a friend of Nash's releasing a book called "Ugly Shy Girls", and met Pete and Elizabeth again that night for a drink, though with the early closing of pubs in London it didn't end up being a late night. I did manage to get slightly lost finding the correct bus back to the hostel, but was able to sort it out, only getting slightly drenched in the rain.

Portobello Market view.

Please give me a key to your pastel house, where I will while away my days and water your plants.

Pete and I: Holla for SD!!!

Elizabeth is awesome!

I spent my last morning in London doing laundry and eating my last breakfast in a long time of toast with Cadbury chocolate spread (DELICIOUS!) I headed to the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park which featured art from American Jeff Koons and his work about Popeye and also inflatables (it was cool, trust me). I headed to the Natural History museum to see some dinosaurs, but since it was Sunday it was packed and being prone to claustrophobia, I split to see the Victoria & Albert Museum (or V&A) nearby and eat lunch by a pond outside. I highly recommend going if you are in London!

My last stop before the airport was to meet my friend Becca who I volunteered with at One! International in Mumbai. We had a beer and it was great to see her before I headed back to Mumbai. I told her I would be moving into the volunteer housing--where she had stayed--and she laughed, hoping I would be prepared, as it would be much more bare bones than Sunitha's house...so we would see!

Turns out, British dinosaurs RARRR just as loud as American ones.

Outside the V&A Museum pond before returning to Mumbai.

Touring Athens

ATHENS June 21 - 24, 2009

We welcomed Athens with open arms, and the mood was reciprocated. After getting a cab with relative ease to our hotel, we were able to navigate the public transit (with assitance from our hotel desk clerk) to an area not far from the hotel where we had an amazing dinner with, as expected, excellent wine. We also realized that the 80s style is back in a big way, as evidenced from the hot pink tights this young woman was sporting.

Having been pretty spent from ferry-traveling, we retired early that night, and admittedly, did not figure out how to pay for the use of the bus until the next day.

On Monday (the 22nd) we tried without success to enter the new Acropolis Museum. Though it was officially open to the public, we needed advance Internet reservations, which we didn't have. Bummed but determined to enjoy the beautiful day, we headed over to the ancient Acropolis (which is the name of the ancient Greek city) to see the Parthenon (which is the temple).

We didn't take a guided tour of the Parthenon, but highlights were the Dionysus Theatre and the Herod Atticus Theature. I won't go into a lot of the history here, but instead will let some of the pix speak for themselves.

Goddesses I loved this.

Parthenon view.

Senor felt at home here.

Having our trusty guidebook, we tried to find the Temple of Zeus, but first wandered up a small trail to the Philopappou Monument. I cannot remember what greatness Philoppaou is known for, but the view of the Parthenon from his monument was pretty grand.

After trying, in vain, to get an employee at the Acropolis to guide us to Zeus' Temple, we wandered around in other areas known for their spectacular ruins and called the Ancient Agora (what we thought was Zeus' Temple most of the day from far away views). This was the heart of ancient Athens for years and years and where political gatherings, debate, elections, theatre, athletics, religious occasions, and trading took place. However, it was repeatedly plundered and destroyed over the years, and it was last excavated in the 19th century with more effort going into it beginning in 1931. Having a great lunch after leaving the Ancient Agora, complete with Mythos Beer, we continued our journey until we finally came upon yes, you guessed it, ZEUS' Temple!

Lib holla-ing at Zeus' Temple!

It wasn't nearly as rad as we had hoped, but it still was pretty great, and we also got to see Hadrian's Arch. From their we wandered in the beautiful National Gardens where we came upon some delightful old men playing chess and a wild turtle. Soon, we came to a road that we discovered was in front of the President's residence, and just as the Changing of the Guard was taking place. A small group of men were filming some sort of TV show of the process, but we never did figure out what that was about. Being a huge nerd, I needed a photo with the guard. I am pretty sure he hated me, and all others like me who pose for such photos.

After my photo opp, we made it to the original Olympic Stadium that was re-used in recent years.

By now though, it was time for happy hour where we made it to a delightfully decorated watering hole. After our drink though, I hit the wall, and wanted nothing more to rest up for the night, and we soon ventured back to the hotel.

With only two days left in Athens (and the last day of holiday for Lib) we took the day fairly easy, doing some shopping and of course sampling more great food. The highlight was an open-air concert at the Herodeion at the Acropolis which featured a classical music concert by Thanos Mikroutsikos and was part of the Athens & Epidaurus Festival. We did end up leaving before it was over, partly due to the fact we had been there for three hours and partly because we had our fill of entertainment by the extremely enthusiastic woman in front of us who was overprotective of her seat cushion and had a little too much love for Thanos.

It was sad to send Lib off in her taxi to the airport, but I was so happy to have spent the time traveling together and took such great memories away from our trip! I was also lucky enough to get into the Acropolis Museum my last day in Athens, and it was very impressive, featuring tons of Greek sculpture. Including this Half-Faced Man.

Athens was a great city, but in comparison to Istanbul it didn't hold quite the same allure to me. I did wish we would have had time to go to Marathon though, the city where Pheidippides, the man who was said to have run the entire distance from Marathon to Athens to declare that the Athenians had been victorious over the Persians in the Battle of Marathon, started his fateful journey (he died of exhaustion after relaying his message of victory). I was thinking, maybe it would make me faster in the half-marathon I had coming up in a few days.

The Turkey/Greece leg of my adventure was certainly full of surprises, happy memories, and tons of fun. All the same I was very excited to be heading to England to meet two friends I had met on my southern India tour and oh yes, run a half-marathon.

Onto England!

Onto Oz! Where footy and wine are king

Friday March 13 and Saturday March 14

Post-Holi I had a few hours to attempt to clean up, finish packing, and head to the airport for my flight to Melbourne, Australia to visit Sarah and Gareth, friends from Colorado, for a week. Before I left, I was able to watch the movie “Outsourced” with Sunitha and Ashwyn. Highly recommended to anyone who has visited India, worked in any sort of call center, or dealt with calling a call center! Very funny stuff.

Also, I foolishly booked my flight through Dubai, which for those of you not familiar with the geography of the area, is in the wrong direction if you want to go to Australia from Mumbai. Alas, visiting the Dubai airport did present me with the opportunity to play Bon Jovi on Guitar Hero at one of the electronics stores; “You Give Love a Bad Name” has never rocked the United Arab Emirates harder. I also saw many great films on the plane: “Mama Mia!” (go see the musical, the movie is fun but rubbish in comparison); “Vicky Christina Barcelona” (very well done, worth a look if only for Javier Bardem the lead actor); “Breaking Away” (how I never saw this my two years in Bloomington I am still amazed); and “Madagascar 2” (worth it for the penguins alone! I may buy this one.)

Four movies, an overload of food courtesy of Emirates Airlines, and a stop over in Singapore later where I had a pleasant chat with a pilot from Zimbabwe who was getting Australian citizenship, I reached Melbourne.

Melbourne greeted me with blue skies, open space, and no horn-honking. Alas, I thought, I must indeed be Down Unda.

I caught the airport bus into town, borrowed a phone from a passerby on the street and phoned Sarah, who soon met me and we made it to her and Gareth’s apartment in Port Melbourne. After catching up for a bit, they headed back to work for the afternoon and I took a much needed nap before they returned home and we partook in having several of their home brewed beers before heading to the Footy Game.

I had not heard of Footy, or the Australian Football League, until a few days prior my arrival. It’s a sport only popular in Australia, and it really is loved by fans, the arena the games are held in is quite large and the beer flows freely.

Footy Stadium

S & G Enjoying some Fish N Chips

But really what one goes there for (if not acquainted with the sport) is the fans, along with the fish n chips. We were lucky enough to sit between a fan who knew everyone by first name and especially loved yelling “C’Mon Chappy!” Another fan was not afraid to utter profanities in front of his young sons, who promptly corrected him that “Mom says you aren‘t supposed to say that!” Alas, it was highly enjoyable, although the game was a massacre, something like 100-50, with Gaelong victorious over Collingwood.

The next day, we were supposed to go walk about AKA bushwalking AKA hiking, but it was rainy so after getting a move on by noon (it’s pleasant weather here; I slept in), we headed to the Yerra Valley that has several wineries in the vicinity. The area was affected by the brush fires a few months ago in Australia, in fact we had tried to go to the Sound Relief concert but that was sold out (the Aussies LOVE their Kings of Leon here, one of the performers at the event to raise money for victims of the fires).

Instead, we hit up three wineries that were all tasty and all different--Helen’s Hill, where the woman was extremely knowledgeable about their wine and told us they had to fight the fires with towels and buckets of water; Yearing Farms that had lots of rustic beauty and where the winery across the way from them was affected but they were minimally and which was very rustic. Also Sticks, that was more Hip and Urban (even in a rural winery, this is possible).

At the first winery of the day, Helen's Hill

Nine bottles of wine bought and my first kangaroo roadkill sighting later, we went back to Melbourne that evening, and Sarah made a great dinner at home and we kept drinking wine, and more wine, and more, until we decided to stay in, which may have been the worst decision since that lead to a rough morning on Sunday.


However, we did phone our friend Kate and her boyfriend Haydn in the US and I think may have convinced them to make a trip to Melbourne this year, and we also busted out some great tunes on the guitar; “Leaving on a Jet Plane” was taken to an entirely new level. I swear wine makes rocking out so much more effortless.