Resolute

Well, by this time every year, I've usually broken my resolutions or forgotten them altogether. No different than Monday mornings and Thursday afternoons really. With good intentions, I start the week off with some new goal which usually includes eating less and exercising more. Then some time around mid to end-week, I'm planning dinner out on Friday.

Frankly, I don't think that's so bad. I figure if I start each week off with a goal of some sort, at least I'm doing something.

Here are some of the most common New Year's resolutions, which are no-brainers, but admirable. Too bad January and/or Monday don't come around more often.

1. spend more time with family

2. quit smoking

3. enjoy life

4. quit drinking

5. get out of debt

6. learn something new

7. help others

8. get organized

9. lose weight

10. exercise

Perhaps your list includes some of the admirable goals above. I challenge you to add just one more. Maybe even move it to the top of the list.

1. change your mind

Basilica Blueprints

We've seen quite a few cathedrals now and although some are bigger, some have more relics, some have more money, I noted a while back that there is a bit of a theme when it comes to design.

This is the Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Reims in Reims, France

This is the Kolner Dom in Cologne, Germany

This is the Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris in Paris, France

This is the Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Chartres in Chartres, France

I guess you spotted the theme.

Auld Lang Syne

We've been to Paris a few times and although the New Year's Eve celebration was not exactly what I expected, Paris is still . . . well, it's Paris.

This time we stayed in the Madeleine area

and walked around the trendy shopping areas.

Winslow considering a visit to the Louvre.

So, before the clock struck twelve, we headed to the Champs-Elysees. At midnight . . . nothing. Seriously? This city of 2 million/metro of 11 million has no fireworks? No countdown? No crystal ball? Those 350,000 revelers on the Champs-Elysees are simply there to party?

That's right.

And even though I do love a good fireworks display, I can't say I was all that disappointed to be in Paris on New Year's Eve.

As Audrey Hepburn said . . . "Paris is always a good idea."

London Lagniappe

Purchased at the St. Pancras Station. American peanuts - Belgian chocolate - made in England? It doesn't get any better than this combination. These were indeed lekker!

Jim insisted we go in this store and it was pretty amazing. It may be hard to tell from this picture, but this entire store was full of umbrellas.

This picture is just one little corner. No wonder they've been in business since 1830.

It rains a lot there.

London is gearing up for the Olympics in 2012. Perhaps if we are still here we may try to attend an event. There will be about 10 million tickets available beginning in March 2011. The average ticket is supposed to cost around 40 pounds for which you can probably watch something like badminton. The opening ceremony ticket will cost you a symbolic 2,o12 pounds. Clever, huh? And outrageous.

Fish 'n' Chips.

'nough said.

On our first evening in London, we met Ross's friend Lauren for a drink at the Shakespeare. She has been studying in London and was actually supposed to already be back in the States. She was one of the victims of Heathrow's closure. She did get to depart the following day and, unlike some others, made it home for Christmas. Oh, and I was there. Just didn't make it into the picture :)

No doubt you've heard of this store.

It's the most famous department store on the planet.

Harrods.

The store is huge. It occupies a 5-acre site, has over a million sq. ft. and has been in business since 1824. It's also high end so there's really nothing affordable. No surprise it burned to the ground in 1883. Fire and London just seem to go together. And in December 1983, the Provisional IRA (Irish Republic Army) set off a car bomb outside the store killing 6 people. Once again in 1993, the store was targeted by the IRA with another smaller car bomb. This time there were injuries, but no deaths.

FYI - The IRA is the Irish Republic Army and although it has been declared no longer operational, it was a group dedicated to ending the Union between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K.

Just this year, Harrods was sold to Qatar Holdings for 1.5 billion pounds. The previous owner was Mohamed Al-Fayed. Sound familiar? His oldest son, Dodi, died along with Princess Diana in a car crash in 1997. Oooh, that Al-Fayed.

So, yeah, we went there and we shopped, but it is the most confusing maze of a million sq. ft. I've ever seen. We split up and were to meet back in an hour. I immediately got lost and it took the remainder of the hour just to get back to our meeting place. Oh, and did I mention there were also a million other people shopping there too?

This is the first ice machine I've seen in all of Europe.

You have to make your own ice at home 'cause ice is not available by the bag at the Jiffy Mart either.

Quite a commodity here. I guess.

Ross noticed this sign amid the signs for pedestrians on a busy city street.

Guess this is for the Household Cavalry. We thought it was funny.

Piccadilly Circus is an area of London similar to Times Square in New York only much smaller.

This is one of the stations in the Underground - aka subway.

We were impressed with the Underground and took advantage of it. We would have used it exclusively to avoid taxis, but of course it was shut down for Christmas Day and naturally they had a strike the day after.

On Christmas Day we had lunch at the hotel.

The menu included herring, of course. It was actually quite good - well, all but the herring.

We all got these crackers and a little box of streamers and whistles for New Year's.

I'm sure you know that Londoners drive on the wrong side of the road so in an effort to keep people like me from getting run over, every intersection has Look Left and Look Right painted on them. EVERY intersection. And it's a good thing - it's harder than you think.

We kind of felt like the family in A Christmas Story by having Christmas dinner at the Crispy Duck. As you can see, on Christmas Day they open. We were expecting them to break out in Deck the Hars, but they didn't.

So, that's my view of London, mate. It was a jolly good experience, hope to bloody go back, and like Ross said, it almost seemed like cheating since they speak English as their first language :)

Cheerio, old chap!

The Square

Trafalgar Square . . .

lies in central London and is owned by the Queen in Right of the Crown. It was one of my favorite areas. Really beautiful.

This tree, given annually since 1947 by the city of Oslo, Norway, is in appreciation to the people of London for their assistance during the years 1940-1945.

Both times we visited the Square, it was dark or almost dark so my pictures are, well, a bit dark.

The square is named for the Battle of Trafalgar, a British victory in the Napoleonic Wars. You can see St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church (center). In the foreground is Nelson's Column built to commemorate the death of Admiral Horatio Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar.

That's the National Gallery in the background. When the square was first built in 1845, the primary purpose of these fountains was not aesthetics, but to reduce the open space available for assembly and possible rioting. They're quite aesthetic too.