The Parent's Visit

So, Mom and Dad have been here for the last nine days. Glad that they came, and glad they're leaving!! And I know they feel the same way! So, it's all good.

Unfortunately, Paul was working the whole time they were here, and they weren't able to meet him. We even went up to York (close to his base) for a couple of nights, but he couldn't get away. York was pretty cool, though. Very old city, with a medieval wall still intact around it. It has a huge church, called a minster (the picture shows mom and I in the York minster). It is like a cathedral. Very beautiful and old. The foundations have Roman origins. The middle of the town itself has lots of narrow cobblestone streets with shops and pubs. We stayed at a bed and breakfast just a short walk from the town centre. We took the train up to Thirsk (it was only about half an hour each way) for the morning to see the James Herriott Museum. That was a highlight for mom and I, since we are big fans of the books ("It Shoudn't Happen To A Vet", "Vet In A Spin", "Let Sleeping Vets Lie", etc.) The Yorkshire countryside is gorgeous - very green with lots of livestock. I am looking forward to my next trip up there. There is a lot more of York I'd like to see, and I'd also like to spend some time in the Yorkshire Dales and the Yorkshire Moors. Another corner of England that needs some exploring!

Back to London for a few days (I had to go into the office for a half day) and then off to Paris for two nights. We went to the Eiffel Tower and took a bus tour around the city. We went to the Basilique de Sacre Coeur and explored the Place du Tetre, an artists market. The basilica and the market are in Montmartre, a well known district for the arts - famous poets, writers and other artists have lived there for centuries. If you've seen the movie, "Moulin Rouge", that's where it all takes place. In fact, the Moulin Rouge is still there in operation, in the Pigalle area of Montmartre, which is the "red light district". Mom and dad loved touring around Paris in the bus, especially when it got stuck in a traffic jam. Dad just couldn't get over the crazy way the French drive - no lanes, no rules, everyone just goes. It is quite nuts - I don't know why there aren't more accidents. We also saw Notre Dame Cathedral, which is quite something. We ate at little cafes around the city - one outside Notre Dame for lunch, a Greek restaurant in the Latin Quartier, breakfast at a cafe near the Metro station before we headed out for the day, etc. The last time I was in Paris was my first time, and I was fascinated. This time, I realized how much I truly love the city. I am looking forward to spending a lot of time there over the next few years! We took the Eurostar down and back - what a great way to travel!!

I ended up having to go to work on Friday after we got back to London - we're finishing off a debt financing and we needed to get some signatures and whatnot. Anyway, I put in a few hours at the office Friday afternoon, and then we went out for supper when I got home. Then the weekend - Greenwich, the home of the time zone and the Prime Meridian (Dad loved that); Camden Market, Covent Garden, Picadilly Circus (it's a circus all right!). The picture at right was taken in Greenwich looking down on the Royal Park from the Observatory.

My parents wore me out! I'm exhausted, and I have to go back to work tomorrow afternoon. Mom and dad leave for the airport just before 1:00 pm - my driver, Patrick, is going to take them to the airport (it's not as posh as it sounds - he runs a car service and lives in the building I used to live in). In the morning we are going to take a walk down to the Thames. They they'll go off to catch their flight and I'll head off to work for the afternoon. Back to the routine.

Well, time for bed - ciao for now!!