Our dear friend Blythe visited us for four days and we showed her everything, including Brighton, our closest big city. Brighton is on the English Channel so we went there to wiggle our feet in the rocks (boulders really) and go to the pier and have ice cream in the wind. It was also the big day that Eleanor FINALLY got her ears pierced. Of course, these are from Blythe's camera so there are no pictures of her. Hmmm...
Did you see us at the FA cup final in Pride Park in Derby??? We had front row seats in the middle. And of course, I don't need to tell you that the team in red, the victors, are Arsenal's women's team, do I??? Arsenal is in the south of England, and Derby is in the north, so the crowd rooted for the underdog Sunderland, also in the north (though both are 2.5 hours away in opposite directions, but you know how regional loyalties can be). We had great fun despite the chilly, rainy day.
Two incredible things about Copenhagen: it is absolutely beautiful in the spring and it has Lutheran churches that are very old! And it is so expensive that I'm glad we enjoyed it because that's it. So that's three things. Also, everything you have seen and heard about Danish design is true -- witness the cool cardboard chair and Ottoman. I took a photo of the family with the Little Mermaid. And then I went to work at the University of Copenhagen for a workshop which was just fabulous, one of the best things I've done ever!
We went directly from Madrid to Lisbon. I had a conference there and the family toured for a few days before I began, then left early to enjoy a few days in London before I was done. Here, you will see that Lisbon is a city of tile, churches, and clay roofs! We really did an awful lot there in a short time, but it is a much poorer place overall than Madrid and we were sorry to see so much grafitti and disrepair in the buildings. The people were very friendly -- but just watch out in restaurants. The 'appetizers' they bring out in bounty are not included. As one waiter said quickly 'you eat, you pay, you no eat, you no pay.' Since a small plate of jamon can cost 9 Euros, we learned to have them remove it immediately!
