London The Millenium Celebration 2000 AD

London, Scotland, Paris and Rhineland, Germany in January 2000

London, Great Britain
We arrived via Iceland on Icelandair from Boston. We breezed through customs and went to my friend's flat near Swiss Cottage Tube station (NW3). We immediately purchased a Time Out Guide to London. That is the quintessential guide to everything that's anything in London. So we booked tickets to see De La Guarda, an Argentinian aerial troup that played to sell out crowds all Fall. I think they are now playing in NYC and I urge you to attend. It took place inside a large circular brick building with high ceilings. We were ushered into a round arena with a large white sheet of paper over our head. This was a 80 minute masterpiece of zaniness with a lot of audience participation. One piece of advice: Don't wear your best theatre clothes. First we could only hear things falling on the paper, and see shadows wizz by over our heads. Then suddenly someone broke thru up above and came down and picked up an audience member and carried her up with him. Suddenly the paper came down in a shower of rips and tears and then we were pelted with water from a huge mister and we became quite wet. Meanwhile the actors were sliding over our heads on an elaborate system. They would crawl or dance up the wall to our left, or heckle us from staging above us. They would drum, chant high above us, or bring in huge wheeled carts and dance. Then they would come into the center and throw things at us or invite us to dance as if we were in a rave club. It was very intense and crazy. You didn't know what would happen next. I was particularly impressed by the skit where one man in a suit is on top of the raised platform and the other underneath the platform completely upside down. He tries to climb up but the suit man pushes him down yelling at the audience with a bullhorn. Very imaginative, excellent timing, highly recommend this show.

Millenium Eve, London, Great Britain
Now the poop in town was that normally London doesn't do anything for the New Year. Big Ben goes 'bong' and that's about it so people were very excited about 1999's plans to hold the biggest most expensive event in the world along the Thames river. The queen even gave permission to hold an amusement park on her front yard in St. James' Park. We decided on a plan of attack and set out around 2 pm. We perused the madhouse of the carnival area with crazy rides along the main drag, the usual disgusting greasy overpriced foods. It was pretty crowded. Deirdre decided she must have a carnival type hat. So we walked down toward the Embankment area across the bridge. We found street vendors selling hats for 10 pounds sterling each and I got a cool colorful jester's hat (see pic) and D got a fun hat with points going in all directions. Anne decided on a oversized mad hatter top hat in black and silver. We crossed the bridge to try and find some food but the Festival Hall was closing due to security. We took a respite in the chairs then wandered over past all the small stages set up along the river with various music performances going on for the crowd. We made our way near Waterloo station and found a Chinese restaurant. It was serving the Millenium Meal, which is basically a horrifically overpriced prix-fixe menu of 27 pounds sterling per party of four. So we said what the hell and sat down. We were there for 2.5 hours and ate our fill of various dishes.. some seafood, some duck, some vegetable. I ended up with a hot pepper in my mouth and couldn't speak for a few minutes. We decided the price was worth it just to use the clean uncrowded bathrooms. British porto-potties were set up but don't go there, girlfriend. So then we tried to see the Big Eye start but it was not to be. They had too many technical problems with the huge ferris wheel like structure so it was not going to give any rides to the business people who sponsored it. Every time we tried to get near a concert stage the stage shut down for a intermission! By 9 pm the river banks on both sides was beginning to fill with the crowds. One estimate put them at 3.5 million people. Wow. So we mistakenly tried to cross Westminster bridge. We lost 2 umbrellas and were nearly crushed to death. Everyone was in good spirits around us tho. But the bridge had so many people on it no one could move forward nor backward. So we managed to get stuck right in the middle of that mess for 1/2 hour and finally broke free. People had climbed up on the statue of Boadicea across from Big Ben. It was the best view in town. There was a laser light show on the river. The Weather was ok, a bit overcast but not raining. We made our way past police on horses doing crowd control. We were to meet friends at Millbank Tower by Vauxhall to see the fireworks from a 3rd fl balcony of a highrise. It was big security since some of the Labour party has offices there. Sian and Co finally showed up. They had gotten stuck in the huge crowd just as we had and could not get thru. So we went upstairs. Broke out the Moet and Chandon Brut Imperial and I got trashed pretty quickly, especially since I don't normally drink. We were right in front of a barge. The millenium dome was on the other end of the river. It cost nearly 1.2 billion US dollars to build and from what we heard they hardly got their monies worth for all that expense. The Queen was due there for festivities. She tried to light the River of Fire that was to wind down the Thames. It was a night of things not quite going to plan. Hell that was ok we had a great time watching fireworks cascading from multiple barges all along the river for 20 minutes. Not just a one after the other firework show. It was a barrage of lights, explosions and cascading colored ribbons of fire. It was cool to hear 3 million people all counting down to midnite. And the crowd cheering at midnight was intense. After we hung out and got drunk and got silly. We were all a bit tired. We left at 3 am to go home but of course 3 million people also were trying to get home. We got into another crush of people at Victoria station. It was so crowded the police would only let so many people down at a time so we were up on the station being crushed as people behind us pushed to get into the stairwell. Quite an experience. But we made it home safely. I went to bed and at 6:30 AM Anne and I got up to walk to nearby Primrose Hill to see the sunrise. Well the hill was trashed from revelers and really muddy when we arrived to stand with 40 other people who were trashed to just see the day begin. From the hill you can see downtown London and the Thames, so it just was overcast and became lighter and lighter.

Edinburgh, Scotland
Deirdre had never visited Scotland and since it was the home of her ancestors she said she desired to go. New Year's is called Hogmany and it is a big tradition celebrated in a big way up there. While in London they rarely ever celebrate New Year's. Anne had a friend up there in Dunbar on the coast so we hastily woke up, packed and were on the 1 pm northbound train traveling in first class, all the tea you can drink and waitresses to get your meal for you. This is the life. The weather was actually not too cold. A little bit windy at times, a bit damp at times. But otherwise not entirely miserable. Our hosts were fantastic and very hospitable. They totally made us feel at home. They have a lovely home right on the water. They told us to expect damp. The 2 kids gave us their bunks and we went the first evening to a pub sing in the Scottish Borderlands in a town. I made a mental note of how much cheaper chocolates are here than in London. We all had a great time. Our hosts played instruments and sang quite a few songs. Different people took turns. Anne sang A Cappella some really interesting American pieces. Even Deirdre gave it a go. Later one of the German tourists in the pub came up to me and asked if I was the only one in the family who didn't sing. Ok, whatever. Yea, I can sing I just am not very good at remembering songs to sing from memory. I stuffed myself on Scottish smoked salmon. YUM. We got home and stayed up til the wee hours talking. I really love Scotland and the people. They are really genuine and have a rich history. They are easy to talk to and just made us completely at home. The next day we ventured forth along the coast to Edinburgh to eat some more Scottish smoked salmon at a pub near the center of town. We walked the Royal Mile street. Anne saw Starbucks had invaded this ancient way and was dismayed. I got some good photos and video. The city is mostly stone and has huge sort of craggy areas and small valley places. So it is far from flat. We got home and played games and hung out, watched movies like the Full Monty on video. On Monday we just hung out all day. It was very relaxing. D and I would often sleep in til 11 am. Kids in this part of the world had just discovered Pokemon. Our train left at 5 for London. It was sad to leave coz we had the best time. Edinburgh in January 2000.

LONDON
Back in London my friend Sian, whom I met over 10 years ago while a student for a semester in London, invited to give us a tour of Parliament where she works. So we got to use the Sovereign's entrance. Deirdre knew more about architecture than I did! Most of the original palace burned down in the 1800s. We got to see all the inlaid gold of the thrown in the House of Lords. If you try and sit on anything in that House it is not only considered bad form but you will be in big trouble. Apparently the government is running out of space in the House of Commons. The two houses are separated and the Queen is not allowed in the House of Commons so she sends a messenger to go and get them for important meetings over in her wing. We saw all the crests and where a WWII bomb had damaged some of the building. We got to walk around the House of Commons meeting area. It's a wonderful building and very few Americans ever get to see it because you have to be invited to a tour by your MP (or know someone). Sian took us to the only remaining old section. A huge roofed area going back almost to 1100 AD. Royalty and such are laid in state here after they die. Sian and I also went to see An Inspector Calls, a London morality play that takes place in 1910 in post industrial England. We liked it. Spoke of how we should take care, everything we do to another person has repercussions we may not be aware of but can have a cumulative affect. Has a twist ending. Sian took me over to the New opera house near Covent Gardens. It is very controversial since it cost so much money but it is lovely. Anne took us to Cambden town, a really funky area. There is the best restaurant called WagaMama, excellent Japanese fare in a cafeteria style setting. I hope they import such restaurants here to the USA! the waiter orders your food from the table on a keypunch pad and writes your order down by number on the paper placemat. All very efficient and a big hit. We went to see the movie Dogma but Anne hated it. It's not the best movie ever but typical for the director/writer. I was having a hard time with all these bank holidays where everything is closed and I needed my battery recharger for the camera but it never came til the day before I left. Sigh.

Paris, France
I've always wanted to just be able to jet over to Paris for a day or weekend. Here was my chance. D and her mom went to Wiltshire to visit Grandmama and I took the Eurostar over to Paris. It's only 3 hours and I got to use the Chunnel. My friend AM was expecting me the next day but I got there a day early. She said her place was a mess. But it was ok by me. The Metro subway was a bit sketchy. I found people to be friendly and make eyecontact and smile. But there was an air of menace. The 4 line especially isn't that safe I gather. I tried to act like I knew what I was doing, but looking like a complete tourist at the same time and speaking about 3 words of French tho I was proud I did ask for my tickets in French. I converted a 10 pound note I had to Francs so I could get there. AM and I chatted and laughed til late. Then the next day it was a bit overcast and we went to the Museum of Modern art to see an exhibit on the fauvrisse period. Which I had never heard of, and it was the european style bridging impressionism with modernism from 1905-1915. It was quite a few rooms to view including Renoir's.

Then we took the #63 bus (I recommend this bus it seems to take you to all the places along the Seine River) to the Musee D'Orsay. This place is lovely, quite functional architecturally. It used to be an old train station and was totally remodeled into a museum over 10 years ago so the ceilings are quite high with huge windows and an enormous clock. AM was telling me of the difficulty the city has trying to get all the Paris clocks switched over at daylight savings time. We went to see the exhibit on Theo Van Gogh, brother of Vincent, who was quite an art collector. He tried to help Gauguin, but his work was such a new style it would not sell. So we saw some Van Gogh's, some master works of Monet. It was well put together. Then we found ourselves at a Catalon bar in the Latin Quarter to hang out and drink cappucino's and chat like the old friends we are. Finally it was time to get to the Gard Du Nord for my train to Germany. I firmly believe in always having a plan B. I didn't have total confirmation I would be picked up at the train at 11 pm so I decided on a hostel and didn't have so much worry if I was alone when I got there. But my fear's were unfounded. Let me just say that it is not that easy to figure how to make phone calls in other countries, let alone one's you don't speak english in and try to call out of country as well. So in that case I could have called him to confirm but I emailed instead.

Krefeld, Germany
I went to Koln Germany via Brussels and got in around 11 pm. I got off the train and put my luggage down by a bench and thought, "Ok, I will wait here. See if anyone comes up to me." Then to my left like out of a black and white Bogart Movie, a tall handsome guy dressed in black comes striding toward me and gives me a big hug. I was like "Ok, this must be him." Uwe and I met in Australia at Fraser Island. And since I was in the neighborhood I thought I would stop by. We stayed up late talking and reminiscing about Australia. The next morn I wanted Fruhstuck but got mittelstuck. See I am sucker for breakfast as my first meal of the day. But this is Germany and when in Rome ... I had to remember the rule is no breakfast served after noon and it was a bit past that. I rarely got up before 11 am the entire trip! He took me on a tour of Krefeld and the Rhine. It was a grey day with a little bit of spitting rain. Then we went to Dusseldorf to parade down the fancy big avenue and the old town. The old town has claim to the longest beer hall in the world. We found an Oz Cafe to sit and drink coffee in and hang out. Just a nice easy relaxing day. We had dinner at an Italian eatery he favors and I had seafood pizza. We got drunk on wine and walked around town. He was a gentleman. See that is why I love the Europeans so much. I just find they have so much more class than Americans. Americans just get so lazy and so fend for yourself and the Europeans take it as a matter of pride to treat their guests well. People told me Germans can be a bit boring but I don't find that. They are sticklers for things being a certain way, certainly so. But I can handle it. They generally speak their mind and can be opinionated, but they have great senses of humor-- I find. So of course the next day came and I had to go on the train to London via Brussels and Paris (mental note: fire that travel agent). Wanted the weekend to last longer but it was not to be. He drove on the autobahn back to Cologne which made my hair stand up on end a little bit to be going 100 MPH on a 2 lane highway but I had to trust he knew what he was doing. He may come to visit this summer.

London to Boston
Well I took the first class train back to Paris since it was cheaper on the weekend and it was pretty low key til I got to Brussels when a billion people piled on. I got to Paris well before the Eurostar back to London. They have quite a fancy setup. The terminal is upstairs and you need a ticket to get in and they check passports by a gated kiosk. It is a lot like an airport terminal with small places to buy snacks and gifts like chocolate/alcohol. A newsagent (in French magazines, useless to me unless I wanted to look at the pictures). They don't let you through to the track until 20 minutes before the train leaves. I found my seat. It was an ok trip of 3 hours. I had to endure a Muslim woman's screaming children and when I went to the bar car through the smoking car *(major yuck)* there were drunk guys harassing passengers waiting in line. But otherwise British immigration comes by during the chunnel passage and stamp passports. Of course the lady stamps the middle of my 4-stamp page making it useless for any other stamps. Hey lady maybe I need all that space in my passport. Stupid bureaucrats. I was tired and took the subway home to NW3 and I got my stuff organized to get on the plane. The next morn I left for the subway to Heathrow but plan at least an hour! Or more. It is the cheapest way to that far-off airport BUT if you have a lot of luggage it is crowded on the train and they have National Express buses that will go there directly from town. I am a perennial cheapo. Didn't matter in the end since the flight was delayed leaving and then we were squashed in a three seat with another guy. But the flight attendant took pity on us and helped D and I get an open row near the tail. Then landing in Iceland at Keflavik was hairy it was blowing a gale and I could see the wings moving a lot as we approached the ground which told me "bumpy landing". Then it took forever to taxi to the terminal and the airplane was rocking so much from being buffeted by the wind D and I started to get seasick!!! The flight was delayed out of Keflavik for Boston. Finally we were aloft. Then we were delayed getting into Boston and had to sit in the plane over 15 minutes at the gate due to immigration being backed up with passengers. I was really starting to feel claustrophobic. I mean after so many hours on a 6 seat wide plane it was like "let me outta here". Finally we got through. Then well Logan airport is a mess, especially the international terminal. I don't think it gives people a good welcome to USA! First we got through immigration no prob and then we waited at the luggage area. But my bags never came through. Other people who had knapsacks from connecting flights via Iceland didn't get theirs either. I was starting to get really tired of this. Someone said they saw a knapsack behind some huge bags. I really have never seen this before but these people were taking bags off the rack and leaving them so people would not know this and so their was my bag behind several large suitcases. This just inflamed my already bad mood. I got thru customs and then you have to walk 1/4 mile to get to the car area. I was really pissed. Logan makes you pay for the carts for your luggage. So we get to the street and it is raining. Ok better than cold but the line for the taxi's is 1 block long (I am not exaggerating). Nightmare. So I told Deirdre to get on the free terminal bus and we went around the terminals to B where there was a lot shorter line. At this point I had run out of patience. People were standing in line like cattle not taking taxis, yet people coming right to the door were getting right into cabs. So I just took my bags, mumbling curses and shoved people ahead of me out of the way, commandered a cab (which got the guy in trouble with the guy directing cabs) and made the cabbie drive us to Cambridge my way. Logan really needs to get it's crap together. I can't blame the airline. Too many flights, too many delays, bad weather, not enough taxis where they are needed, a trial to get your luggage out of the terminal to the curb. Bad Bad Bad.
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This page updated February 11, 2000
Stonehenge at Sunset, January 2000. Photo by Deirdre Brownell. Copyright 2000. All rights reserved.