FamousUncleArt's a 78yr old's take on LONDON
Jun 2nd, 2005, 07:27 AM
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FamousUncleArt's a 78yr old's take on LONDON
Hiya Gang:
As some of you know, I found the internet cafe, so far, until Connie gets here, I have no computer and I did find after walking halfway thought LKonond, an internet store. Actually, it is a Fugifilm shop and I went in asking about my digital and saw two ladies on the internet.
EURYKAY! (An old Greek expression from an old Greek)
I to to the airport three hours before depart time but they h ad a food shop much like those a food areas in shopping malls. Two things struck me, one an AA member could easily drink at 8:00 am and noboy would reacting to anybody drinking since it is at an airport, and, hey, everybody is nervous about flying even if their liver explodes at the high alltitude.
I must confess that I had an egg mcmuffin at McDonalds which with coffe cost $5.00. I didn't mind that as much as I minded the fact that a pilot and co-pilot were in line waiting to buy their egg-muffin and whatever. A pilot! A person skilled in all the aeronautic complactions eating like we peons. I shatters my boyhood memories of myself as a brave pilot shooting down Stukas (look it up)
I will try not to fly American Airlines (AA) not because thier service is worse than any other airline, it's not. The food was much like the egg-muffins, but, what the hell? But the movies! Usually I have my pick of five or six features and many short subjects on other lines I have flown, but here there were three. 1. A Chevy Chase vacation film. 2. A miss Marvel Agatha Christie made for tv film. The only problem with an Agatha Christie is if you have to use the bathroom (which often takes a lot time in flight, you miss an important clue. 3. A film called Good Company which was about the internacene battles in work. It hit too hard and the hero panted after a teen age girl who looked a lot older. I did not note the names but the woman had a swedish last name like johasson or such.
Also no games to play. Luckily there were a couple, he had a (what we called in my time) a Mohawk, a furry center looking like a brush and the rest of the head was bald. (if only I could grow a bush in the center of my head I would look dangerous)
The girl who looked like a chubby twelve year old wore a dirty T shirt which revealed her belly button which, I regret to say had a rusty kind of ring attached to it. She fell asleep on his lap and, after we were in flight, he began to throw up.
Every around me reaction in ugh sounds, but it was only a trickle which trickled on her hair which was pasty looking. Suddenly a flight attendant rushed down with a huge trash bag and offered to him, he rejected it and after a long discussion, she left. Soon, he fell asleep with some residue on half eaten food on his chin!
I had to walk a lot. (Oh, I tried using my birthday and the fact that my doctor recommended me to walk a lot or I might die in flight. He didn't buy it) I noticed many men with laptops and at the beginning they were working but towards the end of the trip they were playing games like solataire etc.
Connie arrange for a driver to meet me at the airport and I must say, it is a lot better than looking for a cab. The driver was a thin orientl and I couldn't place his country since we did not understand each other. We got to the apartment with much trouble. He kept asking me if so and so were the address and I yelled , sorry that I did, I AM A TOURIST YOU SHOULD NOW. Luckily, he didn't understand.
In doing the exchange I try to find out how many steps were involved since I don't like facing a long stairway to heaven coming and going to my new abode. My exchange person was quite accurate at the number of stairs (Connie contradicts me on this but irregardless (!) I thought it was a short flight up and down) There were 12 to get to the foor, two flights of roughly 12 steps to get up to apartment door and then a circular, slippery ten or twelve to the rooms.
I told you my oriental gentleman was much smaller than me, but I had a precudiced opinion that he was like all the National Geogrpahic Magazin led me to believe this skinny Chinese can do anything phsyical. Oh, boy was I wrong when he pleaded me to help me.
Two skinny man, me and a skinny young gentleman. pushing, pulling, tugging my suitcase which
as big as a vokswagon and loaded with books, and magazines. ('don,t worry, British cabbies always schlep suitcases up and down'....ah no they don.t)
I thew my suitcase down, and after an hour mor my arms and legs stop twiching, I went out and bought some won ton soup and stuff from the local 7-11 and went home. I turned down
Ellsworth lane and I came to number four the address but it didn't look familar but, remember, I was jet-lagged, and wondered why I could not used my key, I tried and tried, until a lady came in and asked who I was, and she told me that I need Ellsworth terrace which was down the block.
By this time, I was worn out, I got to my apartment building and there was no light in the vestibule and no jokes jokes, please I could not either find the key or the keyhole. I looked up and saw some buttons which I hit the one which I thought it was my new neighbor (she greeted me at my arrival) but no response, so I got on my knees and kept trying.
The door opened and a man was standing there. I'm on my knees tring to open the door. He said "why did you awken me?" It was around eleven at night. I said that I couldn't get the key in" He was annoyed and shouted AND FOR THAT YOU AWOKE ME? I mumbled something and went upstairs.
More about my new home.
Love to
As some of you know, I found the internet cafe, so far, until Connie gets here, I have no computer and I did find after walking halfway thought LKonond, an internet store. Actually, it is a Fugifilm shop and I went in asking about my digital and saw two ladies on the internet.
EURYKAY! (An old Greek expression from an old Greek)
I to to the airport three hours before depart time but they h ad a food shop much like those a food areas in shopping malls. Two things struck me, one an AA member could easily drink at 8:00 am and noboy would reacting to anybody drinking since it is at an airport, and, hey, everybody is nervous about flying even if their liver explodes at the high alltitude.
I must confess that I had an egg mcmuffin at McDonalds which with coffe cost $5.00. I didn't mind that as much as I minded the fact that a pilot and co-pilot were in line waiting to buy their egg-muffin and whatever. A pilot! A person skilled in all the aeronautic complactions eating like we peons. I shatters my boyhood memories of myself as a brave pilot shooting down Stukas (look it up)
I will try not to fly American Airlines (AA) not because thier service is worse than any other airline, it's not. The food was much like the egg-muffins, but, what the hell? But the movies! Usually I have my pick of five or six features and many short subjects on other lines I have flown, but here there were three. 1. A Chevy Chase vacation film. 2. A miss Marvel Agatha Christie made for tv film. The only problem with an Agatha Christie is if you have to use the bathroom (which often takes a lot time in flight, you miss an important clue. 3. A film called Good Company which was about the internacene battles in work. It hit too hard and the hero panted after a teen age girl who looked a lot older. I did not note the names but the woman had a swedish last name like johasson or such.
Also no games to play. Luckily there were a couple, he had a (what we called in my time) a Mohawk, a furry center looking like a brush and the rest of the head was bald. (if only I could grow a bush in the center of my head I would look dangerous)
The girl who looked like a chubby twelve year old wore a dirty T shirt which revealed her belly button which, I regret to say had a rusty kind of ring attached to it. She fell asleep on his lap and, after we were in flight, he began to throw up.
Every around me reaction in ugh sounds, but it was only a trickle which trickled on her hair which was pasty looking. Suddenly a flight attendant rushed down with a huge trash bag and offered to him, he rejected it and after a long discussion, she left. Soon, he fell asleep with some residue on half eaten food on his chin!
I had to walk a lot. (Oh, I tried using my birthday and the fact that my doctor recommended me to walk a lot or I might die in flight. He didn't buy it) I noticed many men with laptops and at the beginning they were working but towards the end of the trip they were playing games like solataire etc.
Connie arrange for a driver to meet me at the airport and I must say, it is a lot better than looking for a cab. The driver was a thin orientl and I couldn't place his country since we did not understand each other. We got to the apartment with much trouble. He kept asking me if so and so were the address and I yelled , sorry that I did, I AM A TOURIST YOU SHOULD NOW. Luckily, he didn't understand.
In doing the exchange I try to find out how many steps were involved since I don't like facing a long stairway to heaven coming and going to my new abode. My exchange person was quite accurate at the number of stairs (Connie contradicts me on this but irregardless (!) I thought it was a short flight up and down) There were 12 to get to the foor, two flights of roughly 12 steps to get up to apartment door and then a circular, slippery ten or twelve to the rooms.
I told you my oriental gentleman was much smaller than me, but I had a precudiced opinion that he was like all the National Geogrpahic Magazin led me to believe this skinny Chinese can do anything phsyical. Oh, boy was I wrong when he pleaded me to help me.
Two skinny man, me and a skinny young gentleman. pushing, pulling, tugging my suitcase which
as big as a vokswagon and loaded with books, and magazines. ('don,t worry, British cabbies always schlep suitcases up and down'....ah no they don.t)
I thew my suitcase down, and after an hour mor my arms and legs stop twiching, I went out and bought some won ton soup and stuff from the local 7-11 and went home. I turned down
Ellsworth lane and I came to number four the address but it didn't look familar but, remember, I was jet-lagged, and wondered why I could not used my key, I tried and tried, until a lady came in and asked who I was, and she told me that I need Ellsworth terrace which was down the block.
By this time, I was worn out, I got to my apartment building and there was no light in the vestibule and no jokes jokes, please I could not either find the key or the keyhole. I looked up and saw some buttons which I hit the one which I thought it was my new neighbor (she greeted me at my arrival) but no response, so I got on my knees and kept trying.
The door opened and a man was standing there. I'm on my knees tring to open the door. He said "why did you awken me?" It was around eleven at night. I said that I couldn't get the key in" He was annoyed and shouted AND FOR THAT YOU AWOKE ME? I mumbled something and went upstairs.
More about my new home.
Love to
Jun 2nd, 2005, 04:16 PM
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>>> <i> a thin oriental ...National Geographic Magazine ...thought all Chinese were physically strong ...yelled at him to be understood</i>???
OK, I'm cringing!
Maybe you did have one thing right:
"...I had a prejudiced opinion..."
May your stay in a city as richly diversified as London help make you more tolerant of everyone.
OK, I'm cringing!
Maybe you did have one thing right:
"...I had a prejudiced opinion..."
May your stay in a city as richly diversified as London help make you more tolerant of everyone.
Jun 3rd, 2005, 03:41 AM
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I can’t remember if I described my temporary home, but it is very attractive, two bedroom, a modern bath, and a living as large as half my apartment. It is in a very old building which has been recently renovated into just four apartments. My exchanger has a taste for huge reproductions and very sparse in every other details. Danish first comes to mind.
I suspect the renovation took place within the last five years since you need a degree in engineering to turn on the stove. The bathroom is a bit smaller than mine but the fixtures are up to date. The bathtub like many European tubs is very deep, and Connie supplied me with a rubber mate so I can't slip getting into the monster tub. I can rehearse synchronized swimming in it. The tub has a glass/plastic shield which protects the floor from the shower splash, it is hung next to the shower and is about two feet long and six feet high and it swings out for easy entry which I did and I got into the tub and was trying to decipher the hot water/cold water code on the shower. I seemed to balance the water to my temperature...perfect...I leaned over and began to pull the shield to close. It snapped from it base and slipped off, I grabbed it with my right hand. It was heavy but I thought I could handle it. But at this point the water pouring over my body turned into a scalding shower, I jumped back, luckily I was on the mat, climbed out of the tub holding on to the plastic shield. I turned off the shower and washed myself at the sink, I must say it was very modern!
I took a trip to Chalk Farm and Camden Town. Chalk Farm is named after a Farm where they make Chalk (duh) not as I thought, the Chalk family farm. For wont of a better word, it is a hippy town and I know I've been there before.
There is a large renovated stable filled with shops of all kind and there was a happy touch to it. People would try to sell me food, and all done with a lot of giggles and sweeping gestures of trays of food which looked like something one does from take out at my 88 Noodles.
However, there were merchants who were not cheerful at all, they seemed to snarl at me to buy whatever they were selling. At one point I said, "I'm American and I don't understand English" which is not original with me but handy in those cases.
I mentioned the young man with a Mohawk haircut, they are prevalent in Chalk Farms, young men--teenagers--wore the cut with pride so did a couple of young girls.
Camden Town is toned done a bit. Lots of shops and a 99p store which I promised Connie I would not enter without here but I lied. I needed paper towels for my modern apartment which had everything but the essentials.
I suspect the renovation took place within the last five years since you need a degree in engineering to turn on the stove. The bathroom is a bit smaller than mine but the fixtures are up to date. The bathtub like many European tubs is very deep, and Connie supplied me with a rubber mate so I can't slip getting into the monster tub. I can rehearse synchronized swimming in it. The tub has a glass/plastic shield which protects the floor from the shower splash, it is hung next to the shower and is about two feet long and six feet high and it swings out for easy entry which I did and I got into the tub and was trying to decipher the hot water/cold water code on the shower. I seemed to balance the water to my temperature...perfect...I leaned over and began to pull the shield to close. It snapped from it base and slipped off, I grabbed it with my right hand. It was heavy but I thought I could handle it. But at this point the water pouring over my body turned into a scalding shower, I jumped back, luckily I was on the mat, climbed out of the tub holding on to the plastic shield. I turned off the shower and washed myself at the sink, I must say it was very modern!
I took a trip to Chalk Farm and Camden Town. Chalk Farm is named after a Farm where they make Chalk (duh) not as I thought, the Chalk family farm. For wont of a better word, it is a hippy town and I know I've been there before.
There is a large renovated stable filled with shops of all kind and there was a happy touch to it. People would try to sell me food, and all done with a lot of giggles and sweeping gestures of trays of food which looked like something one does from take out at my 88 Noodles.
However, there were merchants who were not cheerful at all, they seemed to snarl at me to buy whatever they were selling. At one point I said, "I'm American and I don't understand English" which is not original with me but handy in those cases.
I mentioned the young man with a Mohawk haircut, they are prevalent in Chalk Farms, young men--teenagers--wore the cut with pride so did a couple of young girls.
Camden Town is toned done a bit. Lots of shops and a 99p store which I promised Connie I would not enter without here but I lied. I needed paper towels for my modern apartment which had everything but the essentials.
Jun 3rd, 2005, 05:00 AM
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I'm glad you didn't burn yourself in the shower. I remember my first trip to Europe and my absolute wonder at how many different ways one could flush a toilet or turn on a shower. It was sometimes very challenging!!! LOL
