Hey Y’all out there,

It’s been an eventful past week here on the road with CDG. Our first gig was Sunday, March 1^st in Joplin, MO. at the Coda House venue. My long time good friend Jeff started having concerts in his house in an effort to help raise funds for some of the victims of the terrible tornado that devastated many homes in Joplin a few years ago. Jeff’s house was spared total annihilation but a lot of his neighbors weren’t so fortunate. So after he hosted several music events to raise funds for the community, he has carried on this tradition and we finally got to play there. As everyone knows I’ve stated in past blogs that I’m not always in great shape on the first gig of a tour due to my atrophied technique from sitting around my place just playing to a metronome and not actually physically engaging in the music. At the Coda House the gig is pretty much a sold out show, very limited seating, and I’m nervous cuz’ I don’t do a lot of acoustic shows. I make a small disclaimer at the top of the show promising to pour my passion into my show and my aforementioned acoustic shortcomings be damned. As I put it – Some guitarist actually come out and shine on acoustics and can actually be brilliant at it. Me, I’m just using it as a vehicle to carry the song. I’m not brilliant on it.

We throw ourselves into the show and it’s going OK. I know everybody is enjoying it but I’m just uncomfortable with myself. We finally get to the point where we transition over to electric guitar and throw things into high gear. We finish the show out with another set of electric songs and as usual I’m starting to feel better about my playing near the end of the show. As if the rust is starting to break apart. Tomorrow will hopefully be a better show for me but I’m excited and grateful for Jeff letting me play at his venue.

We’ll be there next year in March. I’ve got some practicing to do.

Oh Charlotte, Queen City of North Carolina. The financial hub that it is with the HQ of Bank of America as well as other heavy hitters, we set our sights on the Double Door. This club is famous for its long list of artists who’ve played there. Stevie Ray’s old promo photo is still up on the wall, albeit permanently affixed to prevent theft, but he did play there on a number of occasions, I kid you not. I’ve always like this venue cuz’ it’s truly an old house. Not sure what it was when first built but with all the wood on the walls and floor it makes the sound warm. I’ve had many memorable performances here and I always look forward to the shows. The drive is normal and uneventful and we make it to load in on time. The staff is still pretty much the same cast of characters since I started playing here probably way back in 97’.

The crowd is looking pretty good and we start in on the first set. I can already tell I’m going to play better cuz’ I’m starting at a better spot than I did last night. In Graham my hands felt stiff and clumsy, but now this night I’m feeling a bit more dexterous, like how I felt near the end of last night. My anxiety is starting to melt away. Even after all these years of performing I still always have a bit of anxiety creep into me before every performance. From what I’ve read about other performers a lot more famous than me, this feeling never goes away. That’s one of the reasons I love what I do so much. You stand on the precipice visualizing what’s to come but you have to be ready for the unexpected turns that my creative energy wants to go. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes woefully bad. I’m not afraid to say it. That’s the chance you take when you try to work on things you’ve been practicing in private and then when applied on stage with all the other elements in play, my ear hears it differently and it’s that combination that I have to acclimate to. Not as easy as it looks but sometimes confidence is part of the equation too. I could go on for a while trying to explain this mode of musical execution and just get tied up in the process of elucidation. It seems so easy but it’s not. That’s the elixir I always strive for.

By the end of the night I’m feeling good and taking a lot of musical chances. Sure I still stick to some sort of story line that I’ve applied for certain songs, but deviating minutely here that there to add more embellishment or lyrical quality to it. It might not sound so good to some ears, but it feels good to my soul and it keeps me engaged and focused on trying to be a better player. I’m looking forward to Wilmington, N.C. tomorrow night.

February 12^th has arrived and it’s time to go out and play a 3-day weekend. I’ve been cooped up in my ‘Fortress of Solitude’ for close to a month going over scales and other picking exercises along with some chord work but also attending to the duties of everyday life and errands one does in the course of human existence in the semi-urban setting. My calluses have weakened considerably and my ‘playing muscles’ have suffered a bit of atrophy. While in ‘playing mode’ it’s very apparent that what I do is a most physical application of mechanics. How my body and extremities have survived this long is questionable at times but I endeavor to keep myself fit so I can continue what I love to do; play music. So John comes over to my place and we depart and head for Dustin’s cuz’ he lives on the way out and also the way back so it just makes sense to routing.

Our first stop is Graham, North Carolina. A new venue called 54 West, right off I-44 and appropriately named because the building resides on North Carolina Hwy. 54. Easy nuff’. I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve done more than 2 gigs on one swing through the great state of North Carolina. Having had great and magnanimous CDG alums such as Jason Patterson, ex-drummer from Cry of Love and on he’s on my Love>Me cd, (Farmville, NC native), and Robert Kearns, (Hickory, NC), another ex-Cry of Love bass player who went on to an illustrious career of various groups with popularity as he currently holds down the bass duties for Sheryl Crow the past 2+ years. Not to mention he was in Lynard Skynard for a couple of years. You might get heckled from time to time to play ‘Free Bird’ but it’s a whole different scene when you’re playing in the band that wrote and recorded it. That doesn’t suck. Robert also coined the phrase; ‘North Carolina- Where it’s a little bit greener and a little bit nicer.’ How’s that for a pleasant platitude. Anyhoo we leave in the mid-morning and drive towards Graham. We arrive at the venue and its staff is young, something which I still like to see, and the owner himself of young age. We set up and my brother Bill is in town for a get together put on by the company he works at so he’s managed to convince a lot of his co-workers to attend the show. The venue is a ‘roadhouse’ looking structure with an outdoor stage in the back where most likely they have bands play during the warmer times of the year. Inside it’s been remodeled and accoutered with a comparable PA system inside. The P.A. is nothing too over the top on sound reinforcement, but enough to do the job for a club this size with a group like us; Power trio. During our sound check the owner’s dog is there with him and it’s a huge Newfoundland. This dog was huge, a bit furry, and with the right name; Moose. With its dark brown coat and its shoulder almost up to my hip bone, if this dog had antlers it could be a small moose. We were told the dog’s weight was 187 lbs. Yep that’s one big protein gobbling machine. Rather gentle beast he was too. Good doggy.

Time to play and there’s not a bad crowd in attendance for our first time in the area. My brother’s friends and co-workers make their presence known and a sprinkling of locals fill out the rest of the immediate area in front of us. As we start the show it’s obvious to me from the four weeks of not playing that I’m a bit rusty but that doesn’t stop me from trying. I can tell I’m not able to reach some things that I hear in my head but I’m undeterred. If I have to I’ll carry the day with emotion. We complete our two sets and it’s a pleasant surprise that we’ve managed to hang onto a good portion of the crowd. When thinking of how sloppy my execution was with my technique I’m happy to have anybody still left. Sometimes though, people do like to see emotion accompanying a musical performance and at times what happens is while I’m playing, to me it’s a feeling like frustration but to some audience members its raw emotion and they’ll hone in on that aspect of my performance. It’s that emotion that moves them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought I’ve played the worst show of my life, and afterwards people in attendance will come up to me at the end and say that was one of the greatest shows they’ve seen me play. Sometimes these people have seen me on many occasions. What I’ve gathered is that the emotion and my personal struggle on stage was my greatest attribute.

Although it wasn’t my best musical night at 54 West, I never give up on myself and decide to dial back and ‘play it safe.’ A double-edged sword maybe, but I don’t learn and expand by ‘playing it safe.’

Onto the Double Door in Charlotte…..

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]Still resonating from the incredible energy and inspirations that comes from great art and paintings such as that on display in the National Gallery, we turn towards Her Royal Majesty’s residence in London and venture on our way. Ah, Buckingham Palace, a grand Palace and highly guarded too. Of course there’s the stoic and taciturn guards out in front of the gates that everyone poses with hoping to get a reaction of some kind and usually for naught but fun for some nonetheless. Though this time the security is a bit more elaborate due to the unfortunate and horrific incidents in Paris the week preceding my visit to London as we see policemen accoutered with automatic weapons holstered high on their chests and often with a finger poised near the safety and trigger. Their appearance is a bit alarming and ominous but this is offset by the smiles they are sporting between themselves as they stand in groups around entrances on the backside but I don’t doubt their readiness and training for a second. We did traverse a bit of a greenway bisecting a part of St. James Park in downtown London and me being an enthusiast bird watcher of sorts, will always take a moment to look at some when in a totally different spot on the planet other than my home country. I snap a few pics of the water fowl in the park but nevertheless time is running out and we must adhere to our appointed rounds.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]Now we head towards the Victoria and Albert museum. I hand my trusty iphone over to my hostess, who though being a longtime London resident from time to time in the past and has a knowledge of the layout of London, is a bit of an anachronism. She has not really embraced the ‘smart phone’ age we live in and still has one of those ‘small basic’ phones. You know the ones that can’t receive emoji’s in text messages or photo attachments, basically a phone in its most basic of functions, but I’m quite surprised at how deft she is with adapting to the map applications. I must admit there’s something incredibly attractive about intuitive smart women. Right; on we go. With a few turnarounds and ‘no, it’s this way’, we find the museum. It’s a grand structure and it’s packed full of art and antiquities. A bit of background; The Victoria and Albert Museum is the world’s largest decorative arts and design, with a collection of approximately 4.5 million, yes, millions of pieces. Whew, no way we’re going to see all of these items so we concentrate on a few galleries advised to us by a very knowledgeable staff member we query as we entered. I posed to the female staff member, who by the way has a most mellifluous and erudite voice, about some artifacts from Greece that England had procured back in their 19^th century Empire ‘Glory Days’, and that now Greece is calling for the return and it’s a bit of a row between the governments, “The Greek Marbles you mean?” she so eloquently orated, “No those aren’t here I’m afraid. They sit in the museum of Natural History”. With that being put to rest she then tells us the exhibits we should see with our limited time is the Asian collection and the Castings exhibit too. Right, off we go. Now funny, with that short interaction and query about the Greek Marbles, I’ve put it in my head that this museum’s collection which was mainly built and acquired during the reign of Victoria and Albert, and it’s been recorded in history quite often that Empires are known to be a bit ‘grabby’ with artifacts and antiquities especially in the areas they’ve established themselves back in the good ol’ days of colonialism. Egad, a lot of these items could have been ‘appropriated’ in some way. A very naïve and ignorant view I must admit on my part but my ‘Former England’s colonialist American’ roots somehow hijack my otherwise open way of thinking towards more benevolent leanings and optimism, to one of ‘Good God man!, the vast majority of these items were just taken from the regions while under British rule.’ I know; pathetic but it was regretfully there in my head. So as we’re looking at all the fantastic artifacts I’m quipping here and there, ‘Oh yeah, just put this on the boat and ship it back’ Finally after several of these snarky remarks my hostess in a most polite and English way elucidates to my ignorant and obviously uninformed remarks, ‘You know, museums quite often pay for most of the items on display and the others are on loan. These all didn’t come by ‘Royal acquisition’. To me that told me, ‘Now see here my good man, my country has its fair share of illegalities and grievances in its past but we’re not a country that was built upon brigandage!’ Oops, I’m a dork. I quickly apologize for my comments and acquiesce. I must say there are some fantastic items displayed here. The most impressive to me was the enormity of the Cast Court exhibits. Although these items look like the real thing, they’re plaster casts made for the real pieces from countries around the world. Most of these casts were made in the 19^th century and they’re huge! Of course there are some sculptures of repute; Michelangelo’s David of course, but many more others and tombs as well. There are these huge ornate columns called Trajan’s Column, which is originally in Rome. It has a continuous circular frieze from top to bottom depicting the Roman Emperor Trajan’s two victories against the Dacian Kingdom, located in what is now the Romania and Moldovan areas, and conquered by the Romans in the very early part of the 2^nd century. This column is in two pieces so as to accommodate its standing upright within the building. Even with its divided stature the columns are imposing and triumphant in appearance. Then there’s the grand ‘Portico de Gloria’ made from the Cathedral ‘Santiago de Compostela’ located in Galicia, Spain. The sheer work it must have took to undertake this endeavor is amazing. The intricacies and the detail of the arch’s tympanum and facade depict scenes and stories from the various apostles and people in Jesus’ life in the New Testament. The cathedral is reportedly constructed upon the burial place of St. James. He was one of the 12 apostles and after a rude beheading by the Romans while in Jerusalem, St. James’ body was brought to Galicia. Legend has it the apostle James first brought Christianity to the Iberian Peninsula but his work was cut short in the 1^st century A.D. (Yes I know). The cathedral that stands now was finished in the early 13^th century and the Portico is just a fraction of the majestic properties it displays. Nevertheless I am not in Galicia so I enjoy what is before me. Some of these casts are just amazing. One of the fine attributes of these casts is the fact they were made in the 19^th century, so their appearance reflects as they were back then. Before the ravishes of time, before 20^th century pollution and overzealous conservation and restoration and more importantly, some of these casts are of artwork and examples that no longer exist due to war or disaster; man-made or natural. Good going Britannia. I could go on trying to describe what I’m seeing but it would take me the better part of a week to type this all down so I’ll just enclose the pics I shot of some of the displays that caught my eye. It was a wonderful time at the V& A.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][mk_image_slideshow images=”6510,6509″ image_width=”400″ image_height=”350″ effect=”fade” animation_speed=”700″ slideshow_speed=”7000″ pause_on_hover=”true” smooth_height=”true” direction_nav=”true”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][mk_image_slideshow images=”6508,6507,6506,6505,6502″ image_width=”400″ image_height=”350″ effect=”fade” animation_speed=”700″ slideshow_speed=”7000″ pause_on_hover=”true” smooth_height=”true” direction_nav=”true”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][mk_image_slideshow images=”6504,6503″ image_width=”400″ image_height=”350″ effect=”fade” animation_speed=”700″ slideshow_speed=”7000″ pause_on_hover=”true” smooth_height=”true” direction_nav=”true”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][mk_image_slideshow images=”6501,6500,6499″ image_width=”400″ image_height=”350″ effect=”fade” animation_speed=”700″ slideshow_speed=”7000″ pause_on_hover=”true” smooth_height=”true” direction_nav=”true”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]We finish up our evening at the not so fancy Wetherspoon’s Restaurant. My hostess just had to guffaw at me at my insistence for my wanting to go to this most ‘Denny’s-like’ eateries. I go there cuz’ the fish n’ chips are generous in proportions and the price is most economical by England’s standards. A popular place, just like our beloved Denny’s, and since it’s a Friday night and it’s around 7:30 pm, the place is full of people stopping in after work or starting their weekend with a few pints and a bite to eat. More of a sports bar in appearance but different, there’s a vibrant social vibe here as you feel it’s more a meeting place to either view a football game, you know what kind of football, or chat with your friends and have a pint and bites, rather than the sole purpose of getting some food then moving on. That’s my intention but I’m an American and since I don’t drink pints or other such, me and my hostess sit and chat about how the week has gone.

I retire to my hotel and enjoy one last time in that glorious shower, bid adieu to the hotel staff and I’m taken to Heathrow for my departure. Everyone should travel somewhere at least once in their lives. It doesn’t have to be a far corner of the Earth, but somewhere that your soul can be nourished and enriched. Somewhere you can drink in the wonders that our planet has to offer. Be it man made, natural or a marriage of both.

Do not deny yourself this pleasure.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]It’s my last day here in London. I haven’t seen everything I want to see but then again where’s the relaxing part of that ambition. I did come here to vacation and relax and to take in some inspiring views this storied city has to offer but let me digress a bit and address some things I forgot to write about from my day V posting.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]As I showed with some of my pics that I took from the St. Paul Stone Gallery, I wanted to show the emerging modern skyline of London. Besides the obvious ones that have been erected in the past 5 to 10 years or so, namely and most striking among them being the Swiss Re building, or known to the locals as ‘The Gherkin’, which by the way is a small cucumber commonly made into pickles. I’ve always called it ‘The Salt Shaker’ cuz’ that’s the first thing that came to my mind. (I know it could be a bullet out of its brass casing shell or an artillery projectile or worse, a suppository. Yes, yes, a bit puerile on that last one Chris) When I came here back in the early 2000’s the Gherkin pretty much stood alone on the horizon, but now since London is rivaling NYC in the stock market and trading industry, it’s getting a bit crowded around it but across the Thames and not too far from the Gherkin stands the new-kid-on-the-block; The Shard. Aptly named for its appearance, the Shard does resemble a shard of glass, plus having glass as its exterior makes it a no-brainer. The Shard is the tallest building in the EU and it’s actually the 2^nd tallest structure in the UK, the tallest is a concrete telecommunications structure if you can believe that. (Emley Moore Transmitting Station outside Kirklees, West Yorkshire) For now the Shard does stand alone in its immediate area so as to appear all the more ‘towering’ amongst the adjacent structures, (sorry couldn’t help myself there), so only time will tell if the financial flow will continue to point indicators up and thus more buildings will follow.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][mk_gallery title=”London’s Modern Skyline” images=”6389,6388″ style=”grid” column=”2″ image_size=”crop” height=”500″ hover_scenarios=”fadebox” item_spacing=”8″ margin_bottom=”30″ frame_style=”simple” disable_title=”false” image_quality=”1″ pagination=”false” count=”10″ pagination_style=”1″ order=”ASC” orderby=”none” item_id=”1423530968-54d95bd8c690a”][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]Also on my way to my appointed rendezvous I passed by this group of grade school kids, maybe 20 or so, and they were all dressed up as pirates. Most with 3 cornered hats resplendently adorned with the ‘Jolly Roger’, eye-patches, some with a plastic Cutlass and a few with plastic Parrots on their shoulder. Quite a sight is was. Couldn’t help but get a big grin on your face as you walked by. I have no idea as to the purpose of this ‘Bevy of Buccaneers’ but I liked it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][mk_gallery images=”6387,6386″ style=”grid” column=”2″ image_size=”crop” height=”350″ hover_scenarios=”fadebox” item_spacing=”8″ margin_bottom=”1″ frame_style=”simple” disable_title=”false” image_quality=”1″ pagination=”false” count=”10″ pagination_style=”1″ order=”DESC” orderby=”none” item_id=”1423531320-54d95d38a49d5″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]I also got nice shots of the dome of St. Paul from across the Thames after a brief covering of clouds came and dropped a bit of rain on the town. With the passing of the precipitation the sun broke through and upon landing on the dome with its bright light it was as if the dome’s white stone qualities stood out. What a contrast it was amongst the buildings surrounding it especially with the grey background. You can see the photos pre-direct sunlight and post-sunlight. Lovely. Right! All caught up now, let’s move on.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]We met at my hotel this last day in the morning and we again cut through the park with Kensington Palace and the Gardens and we were heading to the ‘Fab’ place I alluded to in the last posting. Of course I’m referring to the ‘Fab Four’; the Beatles. It’s the famous crosswalk on Abbey Road that we’re walking too. I know this is at times a bit of an ‘eye-roller’ to some people when you announce that you want to visit and see it. ‘Oh you’re going there huh?’ If anybody is a Beatle fan it’s just a nostalgic and evocative place to go. Of course it’s the month of January and the trees are bare, quite the opposite optics the iconic photo displays, plus the architectural landscape is a bit changed as well. Then there are the old cars that are not there but the crosswalk itself still retains a lot of the same characteristics. We trust in my iphone to navigate our way there, and get to see quite a bit of London’s many colorful and varied neighborhoods. Little cities really, all joined together in a confederacy making up London metro. While walking my hostess tells me of the minor machinations and fees and taxes the residents must pay to each city council for services, i.e., refuge collection, tree and shrubbery upkeep, street repairs and maintenance. It’s a wonder there’s any money left over for living expenses but it all seems to work.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][mk_circle_image src=”http://duarte.rocks/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/IMG_1271.jpg” image_diameter=”400″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]After a remedial perambulatory education on these subjects we arrive at the famed crosswalk. It’s a bit gray this morning, par for the course, and rather than being a simple crosswalk that I imagined on a non-descript street, it’s actually right off an intersection. The intersection consists of Grove End Road and Abbey Road, made a bit tricky by not being a clean intersecting of two lines but with End Grove at a bit of an offset. It’s a staggered intersection and there’s an island in the road as well that gives it a ‘round-about’ appearance but it doesn’t function that way. When we arrive there are small groups of people and some couples taking photos and doing the celebrated walk in the crosswalk, we all know why. I was there to do the same thing. If you go to Google Earth and look up the intersection on there, you’ll see pretty much the same scene. People loitering about and some in the intersection doing what I can only guess at being ‘The Walk’. I will note here too that everyone is conscience of each other’s intention with being there and we all wait our turns to allow just one person, the subject, to do ‘The Walk’ to the other side. Can’t help but be polite here in London. Now mind you it’s a bit chilly outside and the wind is blowing a bit but that doesn’t temper my enthusiasm for accuracy. There are certain factors in play here that is complicating things with our re-creation attempts, this is a crosswalk and all that are waiting on either end of the designated way obligate the flow of traffic and all the motor cars approaching it to stop and allow safe passage. But that’s not the desired effect the majority of people want standing on the curbs. We don’t want any vehicle to be stopped at the crosswalk, that’s not the image at all. It’s got to be clear. Oh sure there can be a car down the road a bit, either approaching or going thither, but not stopped at the crosswalk. No, no, no, no, that won’t do. We have to wait for a break in the traffic to accommodate the desired effect. Then you step into the street and cross to the other side. Not a tricky thing, you just got to be patient. Me, I want it to look good. I don’t live here and I don’t know when I’ll be back here so do the effort and get it right. One thing I notice is that everybody else, being the people who are behind the camera, is standing on the curb. One has even gone out to stand on the island for the shot but to me this angle of the perspective is not quite right is it. No, the person behind the camera, my host, is going to have to risk it a bit and stand out in the middle of the street while I walk with impunity and with the full protections granted to the pedestrians of London from the safety of the confines in the crosswalk. Art does demand sacrifice on occasion. Did I mention not only does she have to stare down oncoming traffic but she must also turn a blind eye to the other oncoming lane, her backside, and thus have faith they won’t run her down from behind. Stern stuff these Brits are. God love em’. I start to get ready and queue up on the curb just out of camera shot so as not to interfere with the preceding team. Now it’s my turn and after a few false alarms, cars stopping for you to cross but then you wave them on, a break happens at last. My hostess fixes herself in the road straddling the dividing line and I step into the crosswalk. I’m in my hoodie and scarf and I try to take on the mien of either John or George. Mainly John cuz’ he’s got his hands in his pockets as do I but they’re in my hoodie. Ringo I can’t do cuz’ I don’t have a ‘ciggie’ in between me’ fingas’. She snaps away with my iphone and rushes out of the way of oncoming traffic. I run back to her side and we examine what we’ve got. They look good. Now for the Paul re-creation; barefooted and no hoodie. This is fun. I take my shoes and socks off hardly noticing the chill in the air and we queue up for our turn. We’re lucky cuz’ there’s really not many people here at all and this could’ve been much more laborious and inaccurate if there were a lot of fans. The break comes and we jump into action. I try to look relaxed but you just get excited when you do ‘The Walk’, and when that happens it loses its efficacy and genuineness. My iphone can take bursts of photos, rapid fire, and it’s in that burst that an image is good. Not exact but under our primitive circumstances it’s pretty good. We collect ourselves, I thank my hostess for her work, nerve and patience, put my shoes and socks back on, adorn my hoodie, tie my scarf around my neck and we’re off towards London proper. Back to the National Gallery to finish viewing the paintings I didn’t get to see because our first visit was near closing time. Right. Off we go.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][mk_image_slideshow images=”6384,6383,6382″ image_width=”400″ image_height=”600″ effect=”fade” animation_speed=”700″ slideshow_speed=”7000″ pause_on_hover=”true” smooth_height=”true” direction_nav=”true”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]Well we’ve already been walking quite a bit and while we talk I tell my hostess I’ve never boarded one of the double-decker buses that make up a part of the public transit system here in London. Since we have our Oyster Cards, your pass for the ‘Chube’ and train stations, they also work on the buses. This is genius, to have all the public transportation systems working with one card and fused together seamlessly. I know if America was not such a ‘car culture’ that we live in and the car industry being such a major economic driving force, (Oops, I did it again) we’d probably have something along the same ideas but we just won’t give up our wheels dude! Anyhoo, the bus is only 1.25 quid as opposed to whatever distance the train station to station is, the length of your ride determines your fare. Buses are more economical but a bit slower. I don’t care cuz’ this is something new to me! We jump on board and immediately head upstairs and what d’ya know, the seats right in front is open and it’s ours to claim. Now I’ve got this huge elevated view of the street and sidewalks and looking in the cars next to us. Oh the joy! I feel as if I’m on some sort of carnival ride through this busy city landscape. Plus I’m starting to get a bit haughty cuz’ whenever we stop to pick people up I get to see what’s on top of their heads, a feature we’re not privy to or don’t think about but made obvious to me from my newly situated vantage point, and when the people come upstairs I give them a smug sort of look and think, “I’ve just seen the top of your head.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]Disembarking the double-decker bus we’re right around the corner from Trafalgar Square and back at the National Gallery. I’ve got to talk about the activities that go on within close proximity in front of the Gallery. Everyday there seems to be performance art of one kind or another out in front. When I came last time with Celeste and Tomomi, there are these two rather grand plinths flanking the first level of stairs leading up to the Gallery. The plinth on the right, if you’re looking at the Gallery, has the ubiquitous sort of war-hero-on-a-horse bronze statue. George IV is the subject in this equestrian setting. The other plinth or officially known as the Fourth Plinth is the interesting one. Originally a statue of William IV, in an equine pose, was to be placed on the plinth but due to insufficient funds that was abandoned and for 150 years it remained empty.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]As its use was debated over the years, in 1998 it was announced that a series of artworks were to be exhibited upon the plinth. Due to the success and the public embracing this endeavor a commission was appointed to oversee its management, operations and exhibits. So when I came to London close to 6 years ago the plinth was host to a ‘public space exhibit.’ What was happening was anyone could queue up, I mean anybody, and you were allowed to ascend the plinth and do whatever you felt like doing. Give a speech, dance, stand on your head or whatever. I’m sure there was an allotted time limit one was given but sometimes I saw a person get on and be off in less than a minute. I actually liked the concept behind it. On this visit there was a big blue rooster on the plinth. The rooster was pretty much a true Royal Blue, how apropos, and a bit striking too. Also in the front were these street performers. They appeared to be defying gravity in a sitting posture floating above the ground while they leaned languorously with their elbow on nothing but a slim rod with a diameter no thicker than an average broomstick. Plus they were painted up with a metallic sort of patina so as to blend in as a sculpture of some kind. There were three in total, two as metallic sculptures and the other was Death, replete in hooded attire and a scythe clasped in a bony hand and they all were tacitly asking for tips put in a receptacle in front of each one of them. Eh, it’s a livin’. Also another interesting point on Trafalgar Square, the column, the obvious attraction here, is called Nelson’s Column with a likeness of the man was placed on top, and at the column’s base there are four majestically posed lions on the corners in a triumphant ‘In-your-face’ gesture because these lions were originally from the captured French and Spanish ship’s cannons that took place in the Battle of Trafalgar. The ‘spoils of war’ were melted down and placed at Lord Nelson’s feet so to speak. You can see the lions are rather large so that gives you an idea of how large this capture of war materiel had been.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][mk_image_slideshow title=”Trafalgar Square” images=”6373,6372,6371,6370,6369,6368″ image_width=”400″ image_height=”600″ effect=”fade” animation_speed=”700″ slideshow_speed=”7000″ pause_on_hover=”true” smooth_height=”true” direction_nav=”true”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]Back in the Gallery and we go for the wings we neglected to view when we came on our last visit. This was the more modern paintings, the early impressionists and the giants of impressionists. Just stunning paintings. I never grow tired of viewing art, especially when it’s this high caliber. I’ve taken the liberty of posting just a few of some of my faves. By the way, these pics you’re seeing are not some ‘gifs’ we grabbed on the internet. These are the pics I snapped with my phone as I stood in front of the paintings. On some you can zoom in and see the brush strokes in the paint. I still can’t get over the energy these paintings give off to me when I stand so close to them. We spend about an hour here and then buy a few things in the gift shop and we set our sights on Buckingham Palace and the Victoria and Albert museum which I have never been to. There’s more to squeeze into this last day and we must get going.
Right. Off you go then.[/vc_column_text][mk_gallery images=”6381,6380,6379,6378,6377,6376,6375,6374″ style=”grid” column=”4″ image_size=”crop” height=”300″ hover_scenarios=”fadebox” item_spacing=”8″ margin_bottom=”20″ frame_style=”simple” disable_title=”true” image_quality=”2″ pagination=”false” count=”10″ pagination_style=”1″ order=”ASC” orderby=”date” item_id=”1423534051-54d967e35943b”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The Tower of London is to my left as I continue towards Tower Bridge to rendezvous with my hostess after she gets off work. Ah the history this castle evokes. From its origins coming from William the Conqueror after the battle of Hastings in 1066, the castle was William’s effort to solidify his holdings and defensive posture in his newly acquired territory. Serving also as an official residence for some Kings of England, a prison with notorious reputation as the last place you’d want to be sent to and for some it truly was. Now home to the Crown Jewels I lamentably could only gaze at it while I passed because this was not on my itinerary of places to visit. Besides the small fortune you pay to get into this storied complex I was a bit short on time for my meet up so I opted for a few snaps of pics as I assiduously walked by. The crowds are getting a bit thick in this area due to the close proximity of another popular destination for many; the Tower Bridge. With construction starting in 1886 and completion and opening for traffic in mid-1894, (Brooklyn Bridge in Manhattan is actually older and much bigger in span but not a drawbridge), it draws its name not just from the two towers that act as a support structure, but mainly for its proximity to the Tower of London.

I remember hearing about this bridge in school and imagined it as a grand span both in length and width, but when I first toured in England back in 1995 upon being in our touring ‘lorry’ we traversed this storied span in a matter of seconds. ‘Was that it?’ I must admit I equated the bridge’s haughty reputation and legend with actual physical size and in my naïve notions was a bit unsatisfied. A modest if not barely adequate 2-lane affair handling approximately a mixture of tens of thousands of people crossing over the river Thames in cars, trucks and by foot but not to be forgotten it still serves as a functioning drawbridge with nautical traffic passing between raised bascules on a fairly routine basis. Today was not one of them but so much the better for me for I am running a bit behind.

With my trusty iPhone to help guide me through the antiquated layout that is the London back streets, I reach my destination in time and my hostess and I set out for the Globe Theatre. Not the original mind you, that structure was built in 1599 but destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt on the same site 1614 but closed in 1642. The current structure now was built in 1997 and it stands very near the original location from the 17^th century. Since we’re here on a weekday and the admission to tour the inside is again a bit of a sum, we forgo the tour and I opt to peruse the gift shop for things Shakespearean. There were some productions being held there closer to the weekend but they were not Shakespeare plays and for me to lay down the ‘big quid’ it would have to be one of those plays. But it’s all good, the gifts and trinkets from the shop will suffice.

From there we start to walk towards the Big Ben, Parliament & Westminster area. Staying parallel with the Thames we stop in a sort city sponsored Children’s Science and Activity Center. My hostess had taken her young son here on occasion while in the city and so we ducked in to sit in the warmth from the biting chill and wind. At one point we were looking down over this rail onto a lower floor and watching a couple practicing a dance routine. They had a small boom box playing a song and they were going over the moves they had planned out. I didn’t expect to see this on my trip but it was pleasant to watch as we warmed up. With the sun going down over London we leave the Center and continue our way towards Big Ben and we pass the huge Ferris wheel near Big Ben but it’s not going at the moment. The cold has put a damper on the tourist’s desires to ride up there and it was one of those typical gray cloudy days the month of January usually brings this time of year. I snap a few more pics in this area and pass on the obvious tourist’s temptations of the Big Ben area because of declining visibility and we instead head for a train station and start our way out towards my hotel. My hostess has offered to cook me a meal and so we detour and go out to her flat to grab a bite.

This detour we take requires us switching to another line. We get off at this one station and start to head for the exit and she moans a bit and informs me that since this is an old station and we’re just got off one of the most underground of lines, the next platform we need is up on the first level. There’s a lift we can ride up on but due to the age of this platform there’s only one big lift to accommodate the commuters. Mind you we’re right in the rush hour period. As we walk towards the lift it’s obvious from the congregating of people waiting in this undulating mass that this might take a while. She informs me that there are stairs but ‘it’s a bit of a huff’. Pfft!, please, while on tour if my hotel room is below 10 stories I always take the stairs. Go for the calorie burn is what I say. Even with all my stuff on my back, I still make the trek. Being without my instruments and clothes and hygiene needs how hard can this be? “I’m taking the stairs”, “Meet you up top” she says and I head for the stairs. Hmm, not many people choosing the stairs. I notice there’s just a few, and I mean a ‘few’ people traveling my direction and it’s in the complete opposite direction to the lift. ‘What’s keeping these people away?’ I think to myself. At the base of the spiral stairs a sign informs the pedestrian that it will be 197 steps to the top. ‘Oh, this is why’, as I answer my earlier query. The stairs are wide and able to accommodate many people plus they’re not that steep and of modest height, about 9” or so. Just set a pace and start Chris. My practicing to a metronome has given me a natural intrinsic tempo I can default to. I set mine for this purpose, which happens to be around the 150 – 160 bpm and start my ascension. There’s another young couple that started the trek a little before me and as I pass them fairly early over the next minute or so they start to fall behind as the sound of their footsteps becomes more distant. The couple is French, I can hear them talking to one another, and although I can’t follow French very well, I can tell by the tone and cadence they’ve bitten off more than they can chew and before they’ve realized it, they’re past the point of turning around and must endure the climb. We had all crossed the Rubicon but I was faring much better as I strived to keep up my pace and they fell more and more behind. Signs were still posted reporting your progress or diminishing your strength depending on you looked at it; ‘Oh good I’m halfway there’, or ‘WTF!? I’m only halfway there!’ I’ll admit around step number 150 or so I was starting to call up the reserves but I stayed pretty steady. Upon reaching the top I quickly made my way to the disembarking area for the lift and I had beaten my hostess to the top. I stood the in a winded pose with my arms akimbo on my hips looking for a bit of a comment of commendation for my athletic undertaking. ‘You OK?’ I didn’t think I looked out of breath. I answer with a nod of my head, ok maybe a little. ‘Right. Let’s go’ I trailed behind trying to catch up as she briskly walked towards the exit turnstiles.

When we arrive at her flat she informs me that she needs some items to prepare the meal so I’m called on to go to the corner store to pick up a few items. She asks me to pick her up a few Ales to drink for later. I ask her what kind and she says ‘whatever, you decide.’ I tell her I am the last person you’d want trying to pick Ale or any kind of beer when it comes to taste. Since I have never been a drinker of beer or ales, I can only use the quality=cost formula; Expensive means good taste. She smiles and says I trust you. OK, another adventure. Most of my fans know that I don’t drink and that I’ve never been a big drinker, especially when it comes to beer. Just never liked it, or I should say I’ve never acquire the palate or taste to discern one from another. It all pretty much tastes the same to me. I had some, what was told to me, really good beer while in Belgium a long time ago. Sorry, couldn’t tell the difference. Just not my bag baby. So I defer to my next standard of choosing; interesting name. So I see ‘Spitfire’, ooh, the plane that turned back the invading German Luftwaffe and helped win the Battle for Britain in WWII, which sounds good. Aw look, the ‘Fuzzy Ferret’, a bit on the rodent side but rats and bawdy times go with pubs and drinking don’t they?, sounds good. I grab those two and at the checkout counter the clerk informs me that ales are 3 for 5 quid, would I want another? Sure why not, let’s see…..Old Red Hen is appealing enough for me. The clerk looks amused as do some of the other people in line cuz’ I’m making my choosing out to be this semi-celebratory like event. I’m announcing my choice in a typical loud American tourist voice as I stride back to the counter holding the ale out in front of me and elevated a bit as if I found some kind of valuable artifact. All the other customers in line are waiting for me to return because I’ve held up the check-out process for this 3^rd choice. They exhibit proper British courtesy to me and tolerate my obvious delight in turning a quotidian errand into something fun. I make the short walk back and proudly present my purchases to my hostess and she can’t help but smile at me cuz’ I’m feeling a bit ‘puffed up’ by the whole experience. ‘You can be such a tart sometimes Chris’

We eat this delicious vegetarian dish she prepared and I head back to the hotel. One more day tomorrow and I’ve still got to finish seeing the paintings at the National Gallery and another famous ‘fab’ spot that’s on my list. The night folds in and I go to sleep.