Down and Out in Paris and London
 

Back, and unexploded...

Still jet-laggin', but posting a taste of the best from the trip:

First day: to Stonehenge, wet and cold!

It seems to have this vortex thing going on:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Vortex.jpg">

A more dramatic shot:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Stonehenge.jpg">

A busker on the streets of Bath:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Piper.jpg">

We happened upon the vicinity of a security alert twice, the first in Edinburgh:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Edinburgh Alert.jpg">

Holyrood House was shut down for expected trouble from the G8:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Holy Rood, Batman!.jpg">

Bar banned, and now the ignominy of having it postred on the Internet for the world to see:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Bar Banned.jpg">

Nice Jag:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Jaguar.jpg">

2:30 in the morning, Scotland:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Midnight Sun.jpg">

Coventry Cathedral, or what's left of it:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Coventry Cathedral.jpg">

A Harry Potter lookalike informed us it was bombed by the Germans on November 14, 1940, a Thursday:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Chum.jpg">

Clever indeed:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Clever.jpg">

Lake District countryside:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Countryside.jpg">

At the British Museum, the Rosetta Stone, too cool:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Rosetta Stone.jpg">

I'd like the PPV rights for this match:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/WWF.jpg">

One million books that will never be read:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/One Million Books.jpg">

Buckingham Palace:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Buckingham Palace.jpg">

Downing Street:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Downing Street.jpg">

It would kind of suck living at 12 Downing Street, wouldn't it? You're always going to have to deal with cops when you come home, shitfaced or not:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/10 Downing Street.jpg">

CCTV on the pole, and in the lantern itself:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Big (Brother) Ben.jpg">

Westminster. Black market cigarettes can usually be found for 3 quid per pack on the bridge, as opposed to 5+ in the shops:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Westminster.jpg">

London Eye:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/London Eye.jpg">

221-B Baker Street. No London address is like this, the B referring to the second story flat, but it helps the tourists:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/221B Baker Street.jpg">.

No shit, Sherlock!:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/No shit, Sherlock!.jpg">

On Abbey Road:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/NBN Abbey Road.jpg">

Abbey Road Studios:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Abbey Road Studios.jpg">

This is pretty good, not much has changed between Then and Now. Notice the white wall to the left and the three trees on the right:

1969:
<img src="http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000002UB3.03.LZZZZZZZ.jpg">

2005:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Abbey Road.jpg">

At the Greenwich Meridian. Since I'm bi-polar I figured why not be bi-hemispheric, as well:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Bi-Hemispheric.jpg">

Since I have such an absolute quantity available, I figured why not calibrate the GPS. I will leave to you trig-heads to figure the margin of error as evidenced here. The cooridinates displayed are 51 degrees 28.680 seconds North Latitude, 000 degrees 00.089 seconds West Longitude. Pretty damn close, I say:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe%202005/Calibration.jpg">

Simply breathtaking!!! Gorgeous!! Wonderful!! Thank you, NBN!! Your pics are the best I've seen!!

On to France:

Arc D'Triomphe (what triomphe is unknown):
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Arc.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Arc d'.jpg">

Bastille Day madness:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Fireworks.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Fuego.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/The Ring.jpg">

Cute baby:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Baby.jpg">

Alley:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Alley.jpg">

Eiffel:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Beams.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Structure.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Lasers.jpg">

Montmartre:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Montmartre.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Sacre Couer.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Slip.jpg">

Pere LaChaise, amazing place:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Pere LaChaise.jpg">

Morrison:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Jim Morrison.jpg">

Wilde:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Wilde.jpg">

It's all downhill from here:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Downhill.jpg">

Out and About:

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Candyman.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Bum.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Boardwalk.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Insane-sur-Seine.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Metro.jpg">

More:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Segways.jpg">

You can make a quick friend in Paris by saying "Fuck George Bush!". These students turned me on to the latest Amsterdam fashions:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Sorbonnistas.jpg">

My way down every morning:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Spiral.jpg">

My favorite bridge in the world, the Pont Alexandre III:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Pont Alexandre III.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/La Rive.jpg">

From our hotel window:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Paris street.jpg">

Perspective:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Perspective.jpg">

What, no birds? I'm surprised!!

Very nice.

The Opera House, Hitler's fave:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Opera House.jpg">

Spot the non-French woman:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Choices.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Cafe Society.jpg">

In the countryside:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Vezelay.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Town.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Walled City.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Defenses.jpg">

Sunflowers everywhere:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Yellow.jpg">

<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Funslowers.jpg">

It would be cruel to give this picture to an autistic child and say "Let's play connect the dots":
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Connect the dots.jpg">

Wheat:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Wheat.jpg">

Clock with 30,000 moving parts and umpteen dials, but no snooze button:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Horological Clock.jpg">

Winging home:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Winging Home.jpg">

First class:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/First Class.jpg">

From Old to New Orleans:
<img src="http://www.myrefrigerator.com/Europe 2005/Old and New Orleans.jpg">

What spectacular photos. Thank you for sharing, NBN. I'll never get there, but at least I can enjoy it vicariously.

Wow! Some trip man.

Great photos.

Loved em.

I already have half my trip there planned.

But no France.

Brian

Kudos, Sir. :notworthy
Did you fly first class both ways?
From your hotel window in Paris, did it smell like diesel fumes?

Amazing.

I was especially intrigued by the photgraph of the gentleman sleeping in the park. He had certain qualities in common with the gentlemen who sleep in the park of my own acquaintance.

(The stonehenge pictures totally rocked. I didn't actually mean to say rock, but well, it just came out that way.)

Wow, great pics! I've been to Paris to visit a friend for the past 2 Octobers in a row, but i can't remember where i put my photos... oh well.

The security alert in Edinburgh, was that sometime around early this month, because there were problems with anarchist rioters on Sunday the 3rd, the day after I'd been there for the Make Poverty History rally along with 200,000 people, the same as the whole population of my home town Aberdeen, which is only 130 miles up the coast from Edinburgh.

Thanks for the comments, all.

Bruce, flew Business First only on the way back, but that's when I needed it most. The best meal of the trip was on that airplane. (And no, I didn't pay for the seat, in fact my flight was paid for with One-Pass miles, they just bumped me up on the return.)
grazzers, the security alert in Edinburgh was on the 8th, the day after the London bombings. We were on the open top a a tour bus when it deviated off Prince's St., and the guide comes up and tells us all to evacuate. I'm not sure if he meant our bowels or the bus. Police, Fire, Ambulance, sirens from all sides converging in sight down the street. Someone had left a package on the previous bus, which was then detonated via "controlled explosion". That bomb left Spaghettios all over those walls. It was all very exciting.

Anybody with the money can take that or a similar trip. Ho hum.
But, I'll bet NBN had as much fun as can possible be extracted from that or any trip. That's what makes it, and him, special.
I'm sure he had experiences and interactions with the natives that 95% of travelers miss entirely.
Plus, the eye of a good photographer can't hurt to see things others don't, even if he's not taking a picture. :king:

great pic's NBN, i particularly like the last one! :cool:

NBN, I remember seeing that on the news, closing off a big section of Princes Street, but didnt think much of it after the more serious events of the day before.

WOW.

Thanks for taking the time to share them. Someday, someday...

those sunflowers were in the loire river area right?

what the heck is business first?

that is where you don't get much attention from the stewardesses on the outward bound trip. you have to go do what you are travelling to do - take care of business first. then you get a hummer from your stewardess of choice on the way back. haven't you been getting the deserved attention on your trips, Jag?

:lol2:

fantabulous photos

Great family picture there....the rest was beautiful taken yoo! :p

I'd just like to say I enjoy the pictures you take, NBN. Thanks!