Tuesday Night In Uxbridge

I haven't left the flat for two days, trying to recover from a nasty cold in time for the Paris trip on Thursday. Feeling much better, Robin, Maria, and I walked to Uxbridge town centre and met Wally (coming back from spending the day at the Brunel campus) at the Metropolitan for dinner. A special 2-for-1 deal, £6.45.

A visitor popped in for a tuna fish snack just before we left.

Wally and Marie walk hand in hand down as side street... or has she been abducted by an ET alien?! 

Trains arriving and departing Uxbridge Station, through guard rails at street level.

Uxbridge Station from a sidewalk/street overpass. 

Wally and Robin dash across the street. Still haven't gotten used to traffic coming from the opposite direction. No problem for Robin though, with those snazzy high-top tennis shoes.

Paris Countdown

In preparation for our side trip to Paris, I've been researching various sights and museums that we want to see. In addition to the Crazy Horse show and dinner, and the Cézanne exhibit at the Musée du Luxombourg, I've penciled in a tour of the Paris catacombs, the Paris sewer (sure to be a gut-wrenching experience), the Musée d'orsay (formerly a train station), Musée du Montmartre, Musée Rodin, Cafe Procope (former clientele: Victor Hugo, Napolean, Benjamin Franklin), the Apple Store next to the Louvre, and if time permits, the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, and who knows what else.

I really doubt this trip can compete with the trip to Murphys in Killarney, Ireland next month, but I'll be open minded about it.

Speaking of catacombs, the catacombs under Paris are part of an extensive system of tunnels that had been used as stone quarries for centuries. In the late 1700s, cemeteries became so crowded and unsanitary that the government condemned many of the inner city graveyards, dug up the graves and moved the bones to a section of the quarries, now known as the catacombs. The remains of about 6 million people are there.

Beyond the catacombs, the underground tunnels cover vast areas. Only certain parts are open to visitors, although some people, called cataphiles, explore the underground world on their own, illegally. More on that later.

A wall of human bones in the catacombs. 

A Short Side Trip

From London, Paris is a 2.5 hour train ride. Reason enough to hop on over there next Thursday, returning Monday. I've never been under the English channel before. Sounds fun.

I've made reservations for the Cézanne exhibit at the Musee du Luxombourg, and a dinner/show combination at the Crazy Horse cabaret. From what I understand, Crazy Horse is a wholesome place with lots of good entertainers. Naked maybe, but good. 

Our Paris apartment is in Montmarte, the area where lots of famous artists lived and partied and painted. There's a plaza in this part of town, Place du Tertre, that's so overrun with artists you have to beat them off you to keep from buying an unwanted portrait of yourself. Really fun stuff. Naked entertainers and rabid packs of artists. What a great city.

When booking reservations for the Cézanne exhibit, the Musee du Luxombourg web site was in French. I could have had Google translate it for me, but decided this was a good time to test the translation app on my iPhone, Word Lens. I held the phone up to the laptop and the app, although not perfect, translated well enough that I was able to navigate through several pages of ticket ordering chaos.

Word Lens at work.

Tomorrow morning we take a 8:00 train to St. Pancras/Kings Cross stations (Harry Potter's magic train left from platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross). Robin says there's a luggage trolley embedded half in the wall there. So Harry Potter. Now it has been moved to the front of the station, so maybe we'll grab a shot of some young wizards going off to school.

Miscellaneous Photos

A pint and a half pint of cider, after a few sips. I'm not a drinker, just an appreciator of pub tradition.

It's hard to walk past the Uxbridge station without grabbing one more photo.

The lighting fixture design in our flat is what I'd call "Post Modern Alcatraz." I mean that in a good way.

Flatmate Maria works on genealogy projects.

Drawing Spirited Bodies

I've signed up with The Drawing Theatre (a part of the London Drawing organization) to participate in their first event of 2012: The Drawing Theatre - With Spirited Bodies.

They invite "a cast of up to 30 models to create a progressive day-long scene, morphing and moving throughout the day. Prepare to leave your regular life drawing class at the door." 

Sounds interesting. 

Another quote:

"The sessions are a result of a six year creative life drawing program facilitated by London Drawing at Tate Modern and combine elements of performance and movement, light and sound to create an unforgettable drawing experience which aims to re-invent the traditional concept of life drawing."

Two years ago I participated in a drawing session at Tate Modern, also run by London Drawing. A typical pose was 10 - 30 seconds. After 4 hours I had one drawing worth saving and dozens of unfinished drawings made up of 2 or 3 strokes. But it was a memorable experience, partly because I got to hang out in Tate Modern after hours.

This drawing session takes place at the Battersea Arts Centre. 

"Using low-fi experimental drawing materials and techniques, participants explore the human figure in hidden spaces and beautiful architecture, turning inspiration into drawings, collages and 3D drawings."

I'm not exactly sure what I've signed up for here, but I'll find out February 11, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., while Robin is doing research at the British Library. 

Meanwhile, to prepare, I'm drawing spirited bodies in our apartment.

No, Robin's knee has not moved down close to her ankle. These things just happen with "spirited -bodies" drawings.

Still At The Queens Head

A lonely pea was waiting at our table. Not many blogs deliver this kind of photo documentary drama. Yeah, I know, there's a good reason for that.

Nachos, or what must pass for nachos around here. I know they're nachos, because the chips are nacho-flavored chips. Brilliant!

Robin savors the view of the historic St. Margarets Church across the street.

At The Queens Head

Afternoon break at Queens Head pub. Ann Boleyn's head to be specific, which had recently been removed when this pub opened. So sentimental, these Brits.

The main difference between the pub then and now: Wi-Fi.