London and Whole Foods

I did London in a brief burst. Decades ago good food was scarce in London, but now it is full of natural foods stores and restaurants, as well as fast-food convenience stores selling decent food for on the go. These chains include EAT and Pret a Manger.
The Fresh and Wild health food stores are beautiful and full of great food. This line of stores was bought a couple of years ago by the U.S. Whole Foods. While the original Fresh and Wild stores remain, Whole Foods renovated an old landmark building, Barkers, on Kensington High Street, and built their flagship store, which puts their U.S. stores to shame. A gigantic store, Whole Foods has 80,000 square feet of natural and organic foods taking up three floors. It offers a variety of over seven different food court options, and sells fair trade and organic clothing, bed linens and gifts. The food part of the store is divided into regular groceries, plus gourmet sections for cheese, wine and other delicacies. They also offer health therapies including massage. The store is easily accessible by Tube – just a block from the High Street Kensington stop, and they also offer delivery services using their groovy-fueled motorbikes.
Whole Foods, Barkers Building, 63-97 Kensington High St, London; www.wholefoodsmarket.com/uk/ ; Open Monday-Saturday: 8am -10pm, and Sundays 12-6. The four former Fresh and Wild store locations can be found at the Whole Foods website.
For travelers feeling desperate for natural food in the Piccadilly Circus area, take heart – a Fresh and Wild is hidden on Brewer Street just behind the north side of Piccadilly Circus with prepared foods and gluten free options.
The Queen’s walk on the south side of the Thames is a great strolling promenade – very busy on nice weekend days. Both the National Theater and Shakespeare’s Globe are along this route, as well as numerous shops and sites. Under Waterloo Bridge you will find a used book market full of old and new titles for reasonable prices open daily. Street musicians are plentiful and talented along this promenade.
A note on London Theater – while the regular, Broadway-like theater productions are expensive, you can find excellent theater for great prices at the National and Globe theaters. The Globe only has productions in the warmer months since they are an outdoor venue, but the National goes year-round. I bought standing room tickets for 5£ each (about $10/ticket) for a wonderful production of George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara.
Bus stops and subway stations (the Tube) are everywhere, so between public transport and walking you can get around just fine - in fact a car would be a hindrance in London – the traffic is horrid, parking scarce to none and there is now a fairly hefty congestion-fee for driving in central London. Harry Potter fans will understand when I say that London bus drivers perform very closely to the night-bus drivers portrayed in the books. That said, it is great fun to travel on the double-decker buses and the views from the upper deck are excellent. Check out the day-pass for public transport – good value and so much easier than having to buy tickets each time you hop on a bus or train. French and London bus drivers may go to the same training school. A helpful bookstore employee told me that the Tube employees are trained to be knowledgeable about London and be able to answer questions, but not the bus drivers – she said not to bother to ask them anything. That was a good heads-up, but little did I realize that I would be barked at! One cranky London bus driver called me a “stupid cow” as I was trying unsuccessfully to exit the rear door of the bus (now the French were not helpful, but they did not sling insults).
One word of advice – leave enough time to travel throughout the city. The Tube maps can be deceptive as to how long it takes to travel between stops, especially when venturing out to areas beyond the heart of the city.
For possibly the cheapest prices in London you can explore the Queen’s Market on Saturday mornings by the Upton Park Tube station (takes about 40 minutes from central London). This is in the West Ham area of East London, a block from the West Ham football (soccer) stadium. It offers a good view of the non-tourist side of London – the streets are litter-strewn, and the items at the market vary from foods to electronics to a variety of clothing including saris and shimmering dresses.
London is an awesome city. The exchange rate makes it very expensive (about $2 per 1£ – so double the price of everything- ouch!) The Earl’s Court Hostel is a great accommodation located in the fairly swank South Kensington residential area. It is part of the Hostelling International Network. Prices are exceptional for the middle of London and the hostel is clean, newly renovated, and has internet access for a fee on their computers and wifi throughout if you have your own computer. London Earl’s Court Hostel, 38 Bolton Gardens, Tel: 44 207 3737083; earlscourt@yha.org.uk; www.yha.org.uk. Prices starting at 22£/night per person.
There are countless eating options in London – even the late night convenience stores sell organic foods. I was able to get organic cheeses and bread, as well as wheat-free options and organic ice cream for a friend. So while expensive, London is a great city for traveling green and naturally.

Mind the Merde

In London, the Tube announcers warn you to “Mind the Gap” between the train and platform. In France they should have similar announcements broadcast over sidewalk speakers to “Mind the Merde”. While there is technically a pooper-scooper law in France, many French ignore this, so take note - there is dog shit all over the sidewalks and you really have to pay attention to avoid it – really really - “mind the merde”.
On the subject of Merde, I was wondering why none of the guidebooks mentioned the Paris Sewer museum – well now I know☺ The Paris Sewer museum is along the Seine between the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides. On street level all you see is a modest ticket booth and sign because the actual museum is underground. My vision was out of a picture book I had read to my children years ago about a crocodile from Egypt who ended up living in the Paris sewers. I imagined them to be clean and tiled, and that the museum would be just that – a museum, not a working window into the daily sewer system. So my first words of advice are, unless you have a total fascination with shit or the underground infrastructure of a city – you can pass on the sewer museum. That said, it did provide for countless jokes for the remainder of my trip. If you do go, be prepared with a gas mask or scarf – it stinks – it is, after all, a sewer. You cross bridges over white water rapids of sewage, and through puddles of condensation (hopefully not leaks) – the signs warn you to wash your hands after leaving and not to touch anything – thanks.
My friend and I were laughing so hard when we emerged. We snitched a jasmine blossom from a plant at a florist shop we passed as we had gone completely unprepared and could not get the stench from our nostrils. We pictured the French, with cigarettes in hand, muttering “Ahh, we will get you Americans back for putting your Disney here – we will make a Sewer Museum and make you smell our shit, ha, ha, ha.” My friend couldn’t believe it, “How can that be legal?” We were reminded of our favorite line from the movie The Banger Sisters, when Goldie Hawn says to her traveling companion, “Harry, you may never shit again.”
If your curiosity gets the better of you, Paris Sewer Museum/ Les Egouts, opposite 93 Quai d’Orsay, 11-4, closed Thursdays and Fridays, near the Alma-Marceau metro.

La Alberca, Spain – Going back in time

La Alberca is a historic village located in the Salamanca region of Spain. The tiny, cobblestone streets are lined with buildings dating from Columbus’s time and before. In this tiny village you can find traditional life mixed with modern day. Off the northwest corner of the main square you will find a store specializing in fair trade goods and some organic treats. Donkeys carting manure filled baskets walk down the streets, as do men carrying tools to work the land. Numerous stores sell the famous local delicacy, “Pata negro”, meaning black leg or hoof, a special “ham” from Spanish black pigs that eat only acorns from cork oak trees. This meat really should not be called ham as there is nothing remotely similar to American ham, rather it is closer to prosciutto. It is a dark meat with a rich and unusual taste, and is very expensive.
There are biking and walking trails in the area, and nearby, the monastery of La Peña de Francia sits about 5,200 feet high on a mountain, with amazing views. It is known for its black Madonna and sanctuary, as well as its guesthouse and café.
It takes almost four hours to reach La Alberca from Madrid, but it is worth it for the time travel experience.

D-Day

Bayeux is an ancient town in the Normandy region of northern France filled with old stone houses and walls. Founded 2000 years ago, it has many buildings still standing from 1,000-1500 ad including a large cathedral from 1077. Home to the famous Bayeux tapestry, a wool-in-linen embroidered masterpiece spanning over 200 feet, the tapestry tells the story of William the Conqueror’s (Duke of Normandy) conquest of England in 1066. The tapestry museum is well worth the 7 euro entry fee which includes a great audio guide.
Bayeux somehow managed to escape damage from both the Hundred Years’ war, as well as World War II even though it is only a few miles from the d-day beaches lining the Normandy coast. Museums, tours and cemeteries commemorating World War II surround the area, as well as Omaha, Utah, Juno and Gold Beaches. In Bayeux there is Le Memorial Des Reporters, a joint effort between Bayeux and the organization Reporters Without Borders, honoring freedom of the press and journalists from around the world that have lost their lives covering wars since 1944, including a single headstone for the famous war photographer Robert Capa who took extraordinary photographs of the D-day landing – standing alongside the troops as they came off the boats.
Historically known for its lace-making, ceramics, and its apple products, Bayeux boasts many local artisans carrying on the traditions of lace-making, embroidery, porcelain and ceramic making, woodworking, stone sculpture and even a small umbrella company. Local apple products are abundant here including Calvados, an apple liquor, as well as cider, jelly, juice and other goodies. Apple products made from local orchards surrounding Bayeux can be found at Cave Cidrocle Lecornu, Place Charles de Gaulle close to the cathedral, open April through September from 10-7:30; October through March just in the evenings 5- 7:30pm (www.lecornu.fr).
Bikes can be rented year round at the Le Verger de L’Aure, impasse de L’Islet, conveniently located across from the Bayeux Tourist office; Tel: 02 31 92 8916; open 8am-8:30 pm year round. A booklet detailing 19 walking or biking trails around Bayeux is available at the tourist office for 7euros. The Jardin Public de Bayeux, in the northwestern corner of the town, has 400 trees including an old weeping Beech listed as an historical monument (www.mairie-bayeux.fr). In the summer, you can spend over two hours walking through Le Labyrinthe de Bayeux in Mosles a few miles northwest of town (www.labyrinthe-bayeux.com).
Bayeux has seven, second-hand and antique stores selling things from traditional antiques to World War II artifacts, which locals still dig up on the nearby cliffs and beaches. Lovely, English speaking Patricia Cowling runs a tiny store, Brocante de Jolies Choses, filled with treasures on rue Larcher across the street from the post office ( 7 Bis rue Larcher; Tel: 06 25 71 2463).
While there are no health food stores in Bayeux, there are in surrounding towns, accessible if you have a car. Fresh produce, cheeses and bakeries are abundant and the Bayeux market, known for its excellent produce and products, is held on Saturday mornings in Place Saint Patrice. A smaller market is on Wednesday mornings on rue Saint Jean.
The local youth hostel in the heart of the old Bayeux Village is right across from the park Place Charles de Gaulle. It is in a historical building comprised of some old and more recently renovated sections. My room had a large French window overlooking an old walkway and terrace, an old stone wall and beyond, trees filled with singing birds. The wood and bamboo furnishings were comfortable and the beds were made with the traditional rolled duvets. The hostel, while quiet except for the lovely bird sounds, was pretty empty this time of year. Since the walls are thin, I can imagine a not so contemplative mood when the rooms are full, the windows open, and there is late summer night partying. The Hostel is part of the Hostelling International Network, www.fuaj.org and is called Family Home, 39 rue du General de Dais, Bayeux, Tel: 02 31 92 1522; Fax: 02 31 92 5572 (they have no email or web page – you must book by fax or post) Beds are 19 euros/night.
There are tour buses to the various D-day beaches that run in the range of 45 euros, but you can take local buses for a fraction of the cost. From Bayeux village you can take the #70 bus to the American Cemetery and monument at Omaha beach, a thirty-minute bus ride, for 2 euros one way. In the winter there is only one bus each way, but in the summer there are more options.
Omaha beach is impressive: a large beautiful beach, that doesn’t look like a battleground, but rather a resort beach. It is a protected area and the cemetery and monuments sit high above on a plateau. The acres of white crosses and stars of David in the cemetery emphasize the magnitude of what happened on June 6 and 7 1944. The beach was not what I expected. I imagined a grittier scene, with scattered wreckage and rocky shores. Instead I found a pristine beach with seashells, golden sand, dramatic clouds and an aura of significance.
I find Europe to be comforting, like an old woman who has seen everything: the land and many buildings here have born witness to wars, floods, earthquakes, different political regimes, different religious beliefs, and yet here it still is, for better or worse, a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit and the earth from whence we come.