Joi gin, farewell, & à bientôt

I am sitting on a high-speed train, blazing through the French countryside on the way to Brussels.  By the time I finish this post, we'll probably be there.  I wish they had trains like this in the U.S.

Mark and I are now over halfway through our vacation.  So far we've been to Hong Kong, London and Paris. Yes, we're tired.  And we have both caught colds, but despite that every aspect of our trip has been wonderful. 

We overnighted in Hong Kong and caught up with my long-time best friend (Mark I), who works there now and lives with his wonderful partner, King.  They both treated us to a fantastic night.  We look forward to going back when we have more time to spend with them and explore HK.  The highlight had to be the very funky cocktail bar we ended up in after dinner.  I think it was called the Blue Feather Boa, or something like that.  Completely unsigned and discreetly tucked away behind double doors lined with silk curtains, the interior was comfortably chic and shabby.  The clientele, mostly English-speaking men and women from all over, were drinking cocktails and engaged in quite a bit of merry-making.  Apparently, there are places like this all over Hong Kong.  It was great fun.

Mark I. looked a bit blurry after a couple of the lychee daquiris.

The next day we flew to London, where Kevin and I watched Mark and Jason get a bit roughed up in the Union Cup rugby tournament.  Thankfully, there were only scrapes, bruises and strained muscles to deal with.  We met some fun guys and had a swell time at the various gatherings and parties. 

Despite the rugby schedule, there was time for some sightseeing, including a day trip with Kev & Jase to Cambridge.  I'll have more pictures in my Flickr account when I have time to edit and upload them.

Punting with Kevin & Jase on the River Cam in Cambridge

Kev & Jase (and our punter...an American who attended the University of Arizona at the same time Mark and I did.  What a strangely small world.)

Sandy in the sun at St Paul's

 
I attended the Ascension Day choral Eucharist at Westminster Abbey.  The choir sang the Byrd Mass for 5 Voices for service music, as well as Stanford's Caelos ascendit hodie and Gibbons's Clap your hands, two of my favorite sacred choral works.  The organ postlude was Messiaen.  What a treat.  After the service, I shook hands with the Archbishop of Canterbury on my way out.  I left my politics at the door on the way in and decided simply to admire his sermon...and eyebrows.

Next up was Paris, and it was splendid!  The weather was cool and very rainy on one day, but we did not let that stop us.  Mark marveled at Versailles and Sainte Chapelle, and I had a great time seeing them again after so many years.  But what's up with all the beggars and scam artists everywhere?  I don't remember them. 

Mark wants a palace like Versailles.  I told him I'm not cleaning it.

Waterworks at Versailles

The ever-so incredible stained glass at Sainte Chapelle

We took the metro out to La Défense, the ultra-mod Paris business district, to see the Grand Arch.  It's grand alright.  The photo doesn't do it justice.  You'll just have to trust me:  the scale is mind-boggling.

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Update:  Now we're in Bruges, where we'll overnight as we work our way up to Amsterdam by train.  I'll have more to report soon!

Comments

[Seth]

Greg wants to live in Augustus the Strong's party palace in Dresden...cleaning the windows would be a real bitch!

[urspo]

I get to travel the world thanks to photos and reports like yours!
You are a fortunate man to have seen so much of the world.

[John]

Have fun! And hope that you guys do not have fever! That might get you into trouble in some countries as the suspects of H1N1!

[The Mutant]

Wow, it sounds like you're having such an amazing time, all those sights, all those amazing places. How incredible!