London, episode 14. In which we bolt for Olympic Stadium.

There's a story.

There's a few actually, but let's start with location. Aer Lingus had transported us (and all our luggage) safely across the Irish Sea to Edinburgh, Scotland (not to be confused with Mari's nearby hometown of Edinburg, Texas), for one last weekend adventure before heading to the Olympic Games.

On our first full day we headed out for what appeared to be a short walk up the hill to Edinburgh Castle. You know how that goes. A half mile looks easier planned than walked when you see it on a map, but it was pretty steep going uphill. We stopped about halfway for Mari's photo of the Olympic rings. I just happened to be in the way filming one of my favorite sites.

The colorful temporary advertising was a welcome surprise to us as we came closer and closer to our first day at the Olympic games, just a few days away now after so many years of excited expectation and so many days on the road.

We were thrilled to wake up at the historic Old Waverley Hotel (far left) the day after our arrival to find this spectacular view of the (Sir Walter) Scott Monument outside our window. The monument is on the edge of the beautifully lush Princes Street Gardens which we were happy to walk through on our way up to the castle.

Visit both websites to be sufficiently tempted with colorful photos and visitor information aplenty.

oldwaverley.co.uk

edinburghmuseums.org.uk/Venues/Scott-Monument.aspx

While touring the very touristy and consequently very popular 1000-year-old military stronghold, Mari and I were joined by hundreds of summer visitors; children especially were excited to explore the many rooms of the ancient castle while adults like us were thrilled to enjoy the surrounding views. That's probably not a rumbling from the dormant volcano upon which Edinburgh Castle sits, so you'd better have that checked at the Redcoat Cafe or the Tea Rooms. We were relieved to enjoy a good cuppa (yes, that's herbal iced tea for me) with all the (I won't say accoutrement, but I'm thinking it) gourmet goodies after a pretty full day's tour of the extensive sloping grounds and ancient buildings (not to mention that healthy hike up the hill).

Visit the fully fortified site to help plan your visit and for a calendar of activities.

edinburghcastle.gov.uk

Meanwhile, Mari and I would finally make it into Olympic Stadium for an incredible night of world-class athletics. We had tried to sneak into the stadium for a first-hand view and photograph of the Olympic flame earlier in the week, but only ticket-holders were allowed entry to the first of several security queues which await you at the Olympics.  

Fortunately, we would have our moment in the stadium and with the symbolically magical cauldron on a spectacular Thursday evening.

If you have attended a high school or college track meet, then you know to expect a wide variety of events happening at the same time all over the field and on the track. Such was our luck that midsummer evening with a wide variety of medal rounds in contention by athletes whose hard work, dedication, and dreams would finally coalesce in one perfect moment.

That Thursday we witnessed finals in Men's 200 and 800 meter races and the triple jump. There was also a very hard-fought final round of Women's javelin, and preliminary heats in several races and relays.

It was also the final evening of the Decathlon competition.

Mari and I had attended a variety of events in our first few days at the Games, but had yet to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in proud multitudinous (gleefully off-key) unison. We had been itching to hear those first few patriotic strains and we were not to be disappointed.

At left is my best zoom of Ashton Eaton (gold) and Trey Hardee (silver) after their successful completion of the 9th and 10th rounds of the Decathlon that evening. Thanks also to triple jump medalists, Christian Taylor (gold) and Will Claye (silver), for giving us another go at our national anthem.

Our first sighting of the Olympic flame and our first evening in Olympic stadium were the culmination of my own years of daydreams and more than a year of planning. I can only imagine what that evening represented to those amazing athletes and their supportive families, but I know first-hand what it represented to their fans "back home" because I was one of them, even abroad.

For a little while there that Thursday evening, we were all Jamaican, too. Witnessing teammates Usain Bolt (gold, of course), Yohan Blake (silver), and Warren Weir (bronze) sweep the 200 meter race was perhaps the most exciting 20 seconds for all of us assembled.

Not a single jump was attempted nor javelin thrown during those precious seconds when all at once 100,000 raucous individual fans from every corner of our pale blue dot held their collective breaths then released them in gloriously barbaric yawps* of encouragement followed by sensationally ecstatic joy.

*With eternal thanks

to my beloved Whitman.

The fastest man in the world was arguably cool as ever, casting his famous pose for an appreciative crowd then posing for my camera (along with a few thousand others in seating block 218) with his flag-draped teammates.

At the end of our overwhelmingly and patriotically exciting evening, Mari and I finally had the opportunity to pose for a photo with the Olympic flame. We are forever grateful to so many wonderfully welcoming world travelers willing to share a "Kodak moment" with us.

I take my favorite shirt out for a final Scottish spin (cycle) next time.

London, episode 13. In which we are left to drive.

Mari and I have both always wanted to visit Ireland. Hard to pinpoint exactly, but there was probably something about the Fighting Irish involved, I'm sure.

This is one of my favorite travel photos, for obvious reasons, but also because I'm wearing a favorite shirt. I recently forced myself to retire the L.L.Bean "classic" because it was getting to be too much of a favorite (it kept showing up in all my travel photos), so you probably won't see it again until I've decided to reintroduce it into my wardrobe as "vintage" (perhaps during a return trip to the Emerald Isle).

After our first ever weekend visit to the Paris fleamarket, we headed to Ireland with our newly-acquired secondhand goodies in tow, but unbeknownst to us, sans Mari's suitcase. Not to worry, it would be delivered to our B&B in Galway two days later, just in time for our drive back to Dublin.

Cannot recommend Galway's The Herons Rest highly enough!

theheronsrest.com

As a result of the luggage delay, Mari and I have started sharing suitcases. We still travel with two suitcases, but each packs half of our clothing in both. That way if a bag is lost or delayed, we both still have clothing to wear. In Mari's case, a few souvenir T-shirts found their way into her wardrobe that weekend.

We are also prepared with what we have come to refer to as our "emergency underwear" which is the first thing we stuff into our carry-on backpacks, just in case both suitcases are sent adrift.

Our first full day in Ireland consisted of a leisurely drive along a mostly coastal "highway" from Galway (our stomping ground of choice for two of our three nights in Ireland after much research and a little debate) to the Cliffs of Moher. My favorite shirt made its first appearance above at Oranmore Castle.

Over six centuries old, the postcard-picturesque castle is worth more than a quick stop.

oranmorecastle.com


We were just driving along, no particular plan, saw a castle off in the distance, and pulled over onto a field. That's pretty much how that first day in Ireland went. No map, no reservations, just a sunny day, wonderful wife, and a shoulderless two-lane highway that ambled along jagged coasts, grassy sheep farms, and the occasional slightly-urban stronghold where we had to slow down and yield at roundabouts. Luckily, I had the first few of those to myself so I could figure out my left from my right and get my circular bearings under control.


We found ourselves at the breathtaking (see the next three photos above) Cliffs of Moher a leisurely three hours after our magnificent Irish breakfast at The Herons Rest just 50 miles away.

Next day, Mari snapped that goofy photo of me as I tried to keep my eyes open against the steady drizzle on the Aran island of Inishmore where my sensible shoes proved not ready for slippery ancient stones.

Among the many Dublin sites we managed to cram into a touristy walking tour on our final Irish day was a visit to Trinity College and tour of the library (yeah!) during which I was able to have a moment with the amazing Book of Kells. I am still in awe at the colorful beauty and amazing craftsmanship on display therein (have always wanted to sneak that one into use). Somehow, I had found an online coupon, years before our trip, for a free item from the gift shop at the Trinity College library.  You know me and coupons.  It came along, printed, in my carefully curated clear travel folder even though I had no definite plans to visit the Trinity College library.

When we found ourselves with a few free hours in Dublin on our final day, we uttered a breathless "why not" to each other and I eventually pulled out my coupon at the gift shop and received a beautiful facsimile poster of one of the illuminated pages. I love looking at it every morning when I walk into my office (too many guards around the actual Book for me to actually look at the real thing every morning).

Meanwhile, our Olympics activity went from the grace and athletic ability of gymnastics to the strength, endurance, and (yes) grace of weightlifting. I don't usually watch weightlifting events, but wanting a well-rounded Olympics experience, I was excited at the opportunity to attend the finals in the Men's +105kg (heavyweight) weightlifting competition.

Mari and I certainly expected demonstrations of (far from Festivus) feats of strength and very strong competition (in every sense of the word), especially in this weight class, but what we did not expect was the very emotional and supportive atmosphere both among the athletes and the assembled (very R-O-W-D-I-E) fervently frenzied fans.

I was amazed to witness not only seemingly supernatural physical strength, but the strength of character and sportsmanship that came through even more than physical strength (especially when one of the favorites was eliminated as the result of a particularly gruesome injury).  When the medalists were ultimately decided, the crowd absolutely roared with support and (a little too much) enthusiasm for Team Iran which finished with both gold and silver. Mari and I were (more than) slightly overwhelmed by a hoard of uber-enthusiastic fans who had a difficult time containing their excitement during the medal ceremony.

I get my (metaphoric) kilt on next time and we witness a Bolt of lightning at Olympic Stadium.

London, episode 12. In which we are under the influence of Jane Austen.

It was a serendipitous combination of our love for Jane Austen and fleamarketing that partially drove the overwrought travel itinerary for our summer travels in 2012. With our cache of Olympics event tickets safely stashed, Mari and I were nearly as thrilled as the impetuous Lydia Bennett in Pride & Prejudice to head to Brighton to spend a few days by the sea.

Brighton Pier is immeasurably photographable and its rich century-old history makes it a magnet for fun-in-the-sun seekers. Mari and I were immediately struck by the vibrantly colored and densely packed beach. It was July and it was hot and, if Jane Austen and a host of beloved British authors are to be believed, the British love themselves a well-deserved respite at the shore.

If you do make it to Brighton for your own seaside sabbatical, be sure to take some comfortable sandals as there is not a grain of soft silky sand in sight, only large uneven yet very colorful stones that have a few decades to go before becoming smoothed by the salty surf.

Visit the colorfully friendly site for loads of visitor information.

brightonpier.co.uk

Time for another confession.

While I have previously admitted a fondness for the experience of tea and its intricately obsessive accoutrement (both edible and decorative), I must now confess that I'm a long-time subscriber to TeaTime magazine, a bi-monthly publication for lovers of tea.

There's a good story behind my discovery of TeaTime that involves my reading it over someone's shoulder on an airport shuttle to Waikiki, but I'm saving that for a future series on the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, one of my favorites.

Visit the website for an inviting glimpse at the tea culture documented so beautifully by TeaTime.

teatimemagazine.com

I found a review of Brighton's Tea Cosy while doing my due diligence as an expert amateur foodie trip planner, and despite the unseasonably hot day, Mari and I escaped the crowded beach for a cuppa (iced tea in this case) with some beautiful homemade treats at the densely-packed-with-all-things-royal tea shop.

I have my own British royalty souvenir memorabilia collection beginning to compose itself, but nothing quite like the tchotchke-mania displayed throughout the Tea Cosy (a glimpse inside the doorway above).



Our search for the best fish & chips reached a tasty pinnacle at Brighton's Bankers Fish Restaurant. Looking at the overabundance on our barely-able-to-contain-our-order table reminds me of one of my mom's colorful expressions, "Meus olhos eram maiores do que a minha cabeça." Literally translated it means my eyes were bigger than my head which, of course, makes no sense whatsoever and is always good for a laugh from Mari, but it means that my desires were bigger than my ability to think.

In other words, we ordered too much food
(and I miss my mom).

The Greek salad and mushy peas were superfluous but delicious additions to already substantial servings of Icelandic cod and haddock. Visit the surprisingly sophisticated and informative site for menus, photos, and details about the sustainable fishing that brings fresh Icelandic catches directly to your waiting plate at Bankers in Brighton.

bankers-restaurant.co.uk

We thoroughly enjoyed our quick respite by the sea, but were excited to begin the next leg of our trip which included an intentionally-planned fleamarket weekend in Paris (revisit Paris episodes 5 & 6 for stories and pictures).

Meanwhile, our second day of Olympics action would begin with an exciting round of artistic gymnastics known as the event finals in which the top eight finishers during previous rounds of team competition would compete for individual medals on their best apparatus. Not having scored tickets to the team gymnastics finals, we were, however, fortunate to find ourselves at Monday afternoon's first event final which included the top eight finishers in the women's uneven bars, and men's vault and rings.

We were particularly excited to see Gabby Douglas (pictured left, on the far right) perform on the uneven bars, especially after making history the previous evening by winning both team gold and the individual all-around gold medal. I was thrilled also to watch some of my favorite gymnastics events and 24 world-class athletes at the top of their game. Despite our luck-of-the-draw seats in Row U (the very top row of North Greenwich Arena), we still managed some good views and helped cheer on Team USA members Douglas and Sam Mikulak (who would place 5th in the vault).

Pictured at bottom are the uneven bars medalists, including Beth Tweddle at left who, at 27, won Great Britain's first ever female gymnastics medal that afternoon. Mari and I, along with the very proud and emotional home crowd (Go Team G-B!), were thrilled to witness Tweddle's well-deserved medal-winning performance.

One of the first of many emotional moments for us that week.

Our pre-Olympics travels continue in Ireland next time and we almost find ourselves in the midst of a rumble at the weightlifting finals.

London, episode 11. In which the ticket's the ticket.

This is the first of many selfies my extended reach was able to snap back in July 2012. You already know some of the story, but allow me to sentimentalize the stage.

It was our first day at the London Olympics, but that Sunday was already the beginning of the second week of athletic action. If you recall (from my Olympics special), we succeeded in acquiring tickets to events only during that second week, so I was able to plan an extended adventure for us during the two weeks prior to our whirlwind week at London2012.

We began, immediately upon arrival in London, by storing our American-sized suitcases and heading to the CoSport ticket distribution center in central London. Since the first events of the games were still about two weeks away, I figured we'd make a quick errand of it before heading to a relaxing lunch and beginning the rest of the day's journey. I had not anticipated, however, that hundreds of other eager and similarly-obsessed vacation planners would have the same thought! About two and a half-hours later...

These graphically colorful and beautifully designed event tickets (pictured above are one ticket for each of thirteen different events) were the result of a lot of planning and a lot of time spent battling it out online in the 16 months prior to my marathon wait outside the CoSport offices. As mentioned previously (Olympics special) only two of these events were part of my original ticket request, but I'm nothing if not flexible. As more tickets to more events were eventually released in the months prior to London2012, I was able to find tickets to a wide variety of events, ultimately making our Olympics experience truly well-rounded. The thirteen events (over a period of six days) included table tennis, Greco-Roman wrestling, gymnastics, beach volleyball, synchronized swimming, weightlifting, rhythmic gymnastics, track & field, taekwondo, soccer, and volleyball. No swimming, no tennis, no diving... three of the five events Mari and I had originally requested.

With all our events scheduled for the final week of the games, Mari and I found ourselves with a wonderful opportunity to do a little exploring and tick a few locations off our travel wish list, including some fleamarketing, of course. What follows is a synopsis of my carefully-crafted, obsessively-overplanned itinerary (and published evidence should the authorities ever need a public admission of my disorder).

Fly from McAllen to Houston, then from Houston to Heathrow.
Train to Paddington Station.
Store luggage then pick up event tickets at CoSport office.
Late lunch. (Nando's!)
Retrieve luggage at Paddington, train to Brighton.
After two nights in Brighton, train back to Paddington, then to Heathrow.
Fly to Paris. (Revisit Paris, episodes 5 & 6, which included our first visit to Les Puces de Saint Ouen.)
After three nights in Paris, fly to Dublin.
After a longish weekend driving across Ireland and exploring its beautiful west coast (during which Mari's suitcase was delayed in Paris until our final Ireland day), fly to Edinburgh.

The second day in Scotland marked the half-way point of our trip

which meant an exciting morning at a local laundromat.

After three days in Edinburgh, train the beautiful English countryside to Stratford-upon-Avon.
Enjoy a very full day and night, including a Bollywood update of Much Ado About Nothing at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
Train to London the following day and thereby complete our feverish Olympics prelude!

Whew!

Mari and I would use the first two of our colorful event tickets that Sunday afternoon and evening at the ExCeL Centre, pictured at top.

As you may have already surmised, this was trip planning not for the faint of heart (or keyboard). Our three-week adventure was a trip of Olympic proportions, not to mention a trip of a lifetime.  Plane tickets, train tickets, rental car reservations, hotel room reservations, restaurant reservations, theater tickets, (not to mention that colorful array of event tickets pictured above), all purchased online months (some up to 16 months) in advance.

When we travel, I print a copy of every reservation and transaction and store these copies in a clear folder in chronological order of use (flight itinerary on top, then car rental reservation, then hotel reservation, etc.) only because I have a need (eccentricity? sickness?) and I have to do things this way. I keep the original e-mails and e-receipts in an e-mail folder, along with scans of our passports, because I've learned the hard way that you must always have a back up.

You should always

have a back-up.

Imagine my surprise (and patriotic delight) walking into the ExCeL Centre that first afternoon and finding Portugal playing Korea in a team table tennis quarter-final round! The hypnotically fast-paced and emotionally-charged match was a fitting harbinger of our frenetic week ahead.

A few hours later and a few doors down the cavernously massive hallway of the ExCeL, we would watch some very hard-fought Greco-Roman wrestling matches, triumphant (and bruised) victors pictured here.

At left is a final view down that cavernous hallway as I risked being trampled and turned around for a final photo glimpse late that evening.

Just a few of

our fellow spectators!

I am, as ever, thankful for the opportunity to meet my fellow pale blue dot explorers, thankful for seemingly endless blessings, so much sincere support, and such durable luggage that has seen me and my wonderful Mari through so many miles of smiles and camera exchanges.

I look forward to exploring our extraordinary and very full week at London2012 throughout the next few weeks with you (including our first fleamarketing visit to Portobello Road and a restoratively rural visit to a particularly persnickety but lovable Dowager Countess).

Maybe there will be a story (and souvenir) or two, too.