Washington (+3.5) @ NY Giants

I like the Redskins for a couple reasons here.  One, I think the Giants are beat up.  Mentally and physically, this team is not the same as it was last year.  Two, I still don't think that Eli Manning is that good a quarterback.  This may never happen.  I hate people that have the look of being in a horror film every single snap of a game.  He seriously looks like he's about to crap himself every time they show him on camera.  Third, I really like the Redskins this year.  Most people forget they were a playoff team last year WITHOUT Jason Campbell.

Arizona (-2.5) @ San Francisco

As a Niners fan, I have to say I think it is a joke this line is so small.  Warner tears the Niners up historically and it's not like the the Niners have done a ton to improve this year.  If you believe in JT O'Sullivan then enjoy the yellow bus because I can't help you.  If you believe in Mike Martz then I think you took a time machine back to 2003.  If you believe my Niners are going to win more than six games this year then bless you brother, but you are an idiot.

Seattle @ Buffalo (-1)

Big time trap line.  People see the name "Seattle" and think that this team is still good.  Well guess what?  They aren't.  They are so banged up at the receiver position that I got a call this weekend about my availability.  I couldn't think of a good excuse so I told them I had to go to a funeral (terrible, I know) but I had to do something to avoid having to play alongside Nate Burleson (gross).  The Bills are young, improving, and at home.  They will take this game.

Cincinatti @ Baltimore (+1)

Now here is a game that I am about as excited for this weekend as I was during the last half hour of the final "Lord of the Rings" (worst 30 minutes of any movie ever...it almost ruins the whole series for me).  I think both teams suck and the most recognizable players on each respective team are either idiots (Ocho Cinco) or felons (Ray Lewis).  Not a lot to get excited about unless you are betting on the game.  I'll take the Ravens at home but I really would prefer to just stay away from the game all together.

Dallas @ Cleveland (+5.5)

Do I think the Browns can win?  Yes.  Not likely, but yes.  Therefore this 5.5 line because pretty obvious.  I think Dallas is a great team without a doubt but the Browns are no slouches.  They won 10 games last year in a much tougher conference.  The Cowboys also had a 1-3 finish to end the year and Romo has had a tendency to have a few goofs on the road (see @Buffalo last year).  All signs point to either a Cowboys narrow victory or a win for the Browns outright.

Detroit (-3) @ Atlanta

When I think of the Falcons, I think of taking a summer vacation in Antarctica.  I think of watching "Night of the Living Dead" on acid.  I think of trying to make out with your cousin.  Basically, I think of some of the worst ideas in the world.  The Falcons suck.

Indianapolis @ Chicago (+9.5)

For the first time in a while, the Bears are not who we thought they were.  They are actually better.  Orton looks good and that defense at home is still menacing.  Throw in the fact that Peyton may not be 100% and I'll take the points.

Jacksonville (+3) @ Tennessee

Vince Young is to David Garrard like Sidney Ponson is to the South Beach Diet.  Vince Young doesn't win football games.  His teams win in spite of him.  I will still never forgive him for being on the cover of Madden after a season where he didn't even break 20 touchdown passes.  What a joke!  Has Madden gotten that desperate?

Tampa Bay (+3) @ New Orleans

Until the Saints start playing some defense they will consistently lose to teams like Tampa Bay.  The Bucs don't do anything flashy on offense but they don't turn it over and they don't make mistakes.  The Saints could win this game by 17, but they could also lose by 17.  When that is the case, you take the points.

NY Jets @ Miami (+3)

Am I crazy to pick the Dolphins?  Perhaps, but I don't believe the hype around the Jets so much (except for Thomas Jones who I have on like every single one of my fantasy teams).  Brett Favre is just one season removed from his awful season that even Rex Grossman would have frowned at.  I think the fins can steal this one at home.

St. Louis (+7.5) @ Philadelphia

While I do hate Eagles fans more than I hate nuts in brownies (seriously, why would you ruin something so delicious with crunchy, salty, gross tasting nuts?).  The Rams are bad but it's not like the Eagles with old man McNabb are a juggernaut.  7.5 points is way too much for a team that has a quarterback a stiff breeze from ending his season.  Seriously, McNabb is made of tin foil.

Houston @ Pittsburgh (-6.5)

The Texans are going to be good this year but the Steelers are going to be a force.  Now with Mendenhall, the Steelers have the ground game back that made them so good in the past.  Big Ben is going to be a top 5 quarterback and the defense will hold teams enough so that their offense can just outscore people.  Sorry Texans but you simply got the wrong week 1 matchup.

Carolina (+9) @ San Diego

I think the Panthers may make the NFC championship game this year so this is way too many points for them to be getting.  The Chargers have questions marks at the linebacker spot with Merriman's injury and still have a QB in Rivers who looks like he is constipated every time he throws the ball.  Give me those points please.

Denver (-3) @ Oakland

Fact: I hate the Raiders

Fact: The Raiders are a terrible football team

Fact: The Raiders will have at least three people get arrested this year (or found unconscious in a Vegas alleyway)

Minnesota @ Green Bay (-2.5)

Are you kidding me?  A team with Tavaris Jackson is only getting 2.5 points on the road?  My Matt Cain bobblehead could play quarterback better than Jackson.  No way I don't take the Packers here considering that the Vikings STILL haven't solved their pass coverage problems from a year ago and STILL haven't solved their QB issues.  Speaking of which, are the VIkings run by Doc Rivers (prior to this last year)?  How do you publically come out and say you want Favre and then go and tell Jackson, "hey buddy, you are our guy."  You don't do that with young players!  Great work Vikes!  Now enjoy your 7-9 season!

We rode one of those double-decker buses!

Outside Buckingham Palace...we missed the changing of the guard, though. But judging from the crowds, we wouldn't have been able to see anything had we been there, anyway.

Taking photos at the Canada Gates to St. James Park beside Buckingham Palace.

The Canada Memorial in St. James Park.

Yes, I found a 10 pound note on the ground (!) in Hyde Park. Woohoo! That paid for our lunch!

Diplodocus skeleton in the Museum of Natural History. Of course, it wouldn't be a vacation without some dinosaur skeletons!

A little treat at Victoria Embankment (that's Big Ben in the background). Now they have an ice cream stand as well as a pancake hut and a souvenir stand right in front of the statue of Boadicea!

On the Thames riverboat, with the London Eye and the London Aquarium in the background.

What fun...seing tower bridge from the middle of the river. The cruise was the highlight of the trip, and best of all the Thames river cruise is FREE with your tube pass. Actually, sightseeing in London need not be that expensive at all. We spent only 16 pounds for a travel pass (train into London, unlimited tube and bus rides and Thames river cruises), the museum of Natural History is free, too (as are the other museums & galleries). We estimated we only spent about 40 pounds (actually 30, since I found 10 pounds!) for a full day of fun, a meal, treats and coffee, plus all our transportation. And that is for a family of four. Good value!

The Tower of London and the famous Traitors Gate - from the river, as the traitors would have seen it! Actually, we did the same ride -- from Westminster to the Tower via the Thames -- as any old convicted traitor would have done back in the reign of Henry VIII.

Lemme in! Lemme in! Oh, wait, this is the safer side, anyway! Looking at the Tower of London from outside the moat. We'll visit again when we have time to go inside and do the tour.

Don't lose your head at the Tower of London!

I made the girls fling out their arms...that's what you were supposed to do when you were ready for the headsman to strike. I don't think I could have done it, myself!

Time to head home...hop on the tube to...

Waterloo Station. Texting Allyson with the details of our train back to Epsom.

All in all, a busy but WONDERFUL day!

I fredags åkte vårat plan 06:40 på morgonen. Jag och ante satte oss på en hyffsad plats vid vingen ungefär. Sedan kommer en hyffsat söt tjej och sätter sig brevid ante då det var tre sittplatser åt gången. "Aja" tänkte man och funderade inte så mycket över det. Efter ett tag börjar dock tjejen, som visar sig vara från Kiruna typ, tjåla på utav helvete om de mest ointressanta saker någonsin. Dragen var hon också. Jag kände mig lyckligt lottad som hade en fönsterplats där jag kunde låtsas kolla utsikten i rutan medan ante fick dras med denna där.

När vi kom fram hur som helst var man på helspänn över att äntligen vara i London, dock hade ingen av oss sovit på säg 24 timmar, så det var oerhört svårt att inte somna. Vi sov i 3 timmar på hotellet när vi fått checka in där vid fjorton noll-noll eller så. Därefter gick vi ut och tog en rundtur på stan och kikade läget typ. Vi tog en öl på en lokal pub. Därefter tog vi det lugnt ett tag för att därefter åka ned mot södra London för lite sight-seeing och ytterligare pints. Vi var upp i London Eye. För den som inte vet är London Eye ett extremt stort "pariserhjul" på andra sidan Themsen från Big Ben sett. Tror den var runt 75 meter hög.

Därefter sprutade vi ut kort på Big Ben och så vidare som en proper turist skall göra.
Sedan blev samtliga av oss väldigt törstiga, så vi letade oss inte på ett par pubar och sög i oss några pints.

När vi var klara med det hade det blivit mörkt och vi retirerade mot lobbybaren på vårat hotell, fyrstjärniga Holiday Inn i Kings Cross. Hotellet var näst intill perfekt och hade väl vad man kunde önska sig. Det stora pluset var dom magiskt sköna sängarna som fanns på rummen. Efter att ha druckit någon Guiness i lobbybaren klarade ingen av oss att hålla ögonen öppna längre. Det var lika bra att vila upp sig för den stora dagen.

Lördagen började med en fin frukostbuffé som ingick på hotellet. Därefter använde vi hotellets pool, bastu och bubbelpool innan vi gjorde iordning oss för den stora dagen. När vi hade duschat och så tog vi en av Londons kända svarta taxibilar. "Emirates Stadium please!!".

När vi åker i taxin känns det som man aldrig kommer fram då man väntat efter det här så länge man kan minnas. Jag sitter och diskuterar någonting med Andreas farsa och jag kollar sedan lite snabbt ut genom rutan på taxin till vänster om mig först en gång. Sen tänkte jag "men var de inte..?" och vände mig om igen.
Det kunde man ge sig fan på. Där låg Emirates Stadium och det var precis så grandiöst som man tänkt sig.

Väl där frågade vi dom trevliga vakterna om vilken ingång vi skulle använda och bad dom sedan guida oss till "The Armoury" som är Arsenal-shoppen vid arenan. När vi väl hittat till shoppen och steppat in blir man helt salig över alla saker som har rätt emblem på sig. Jag och Ante väljer ut våra Arsenal-tröjor. Andreas valde sin holländska favorit -Arsenalveteranen Robin Van Persie's tröja. Jag tar min nya favorits, 8. Samir Nasri. Jag köper även en plånbok där.

Efter det gick vi och åt på ett McDonalds i närheten som även de var smockat med röd- och vitfärgade snubbar. Sedan går vi in på ett par Arsenal-pubar för att ta något lugnande! Därefter var det dags att entra arenan. När vi kommer in visar dom trevliga vakterna hur man använder kortet som man skulle stoppa in i en maskin för scanning, och därefter blir accepterade in till stadion.

Om man var salig förrut så blir det svårt att beskriva hur det var att blicka ut över planen när man kom in. Vi blev alla som spralliga skolflickor som ätit alldeles för mycket socker och precis sett en ponny eller dylikt (fan vet jag vad dom blir spralliga över). Vi tar sedan en till öl inne på Emirates egen pub i väntan på att matchen skall starta. Därefter när vi kom tillbaka ut till planen var det smockfullt. 60 000+ personer som alla redan sitter och skriker ut diverse ramsor. Sjukt surrealistisk känsla.

Matchen orkar jag inte börja berätta om då jag börjar få kramp i fingrarna. Men kort och gott var matchen även den magisk. Arsenal lirade sin allra bästa hawaii-fotboll och lekte med stackars Newcastle. Bäst på plan i min åsikt var Van Persie, Clichy och Nasri. 3-0 var slutresultatet även om det kunde varit så mycket mer.

Efter matchen åt vi lite mat med den sedvanliga ölen till och tog oss sedan tillbaka till hotellet för lobbybaraktiviteter. Våra farsor gick och lade sig vid 12-tiden om jag inte minns fel medan jag och ante gick ut på äventyr som skulle innehålla allt från dekadens till cykeltaxi hem. Den hela historian tar jag dock enbart face-to-face med noga utvalda personer!

Allt stämde in på resan. Sol, Fantastisk fotboll, bra hotell och massvis med öl och upplevelser!

Bilder finns uppladdade på min Facebook och även på Antes bilddagbok. Videor kommer upp här sedan.

Nel titolo, c'era scritto che lì, in un anello sotterraneo di 27 km di super magneti a temperature superfredde, si riprodurrà il Big BEN. Proprio lui. Un campanile.

E che qualche schizzato dice che c'è rischio che qualche buco nero inghiotte la terra.

Se è l'ignoranza, sì.

Si scrive big BANG non BEN!!!

This picture was taken from the ferry to England:
[caption id="attachment_123" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Horizon"][/caption]
A picture of Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth. We had some tropical weather there that day:
[caption id="attachment_124" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Spinnaker Tower"][/caption]
A classic of course; Big Ben in London:
[caption id="attachment_125" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Big Ben"][/caption]
This is the Cathedral in Salisbury, quite nice to look at:
[caption id="attachment_126" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Salisbury Cathedral"][/caption]
The HMS Victory in the D-Day Museum in Portsmouth, a great looking ship:
[caption id="attachment_127" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="HMS Victory"][/caption]

I hope you enjoyed these pictures.

Be safe,
Marius

The event will have many of Britain’s top cycling stars taking part, including the likes of Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas, Chris Newton and Mark Cavendish, racing against each other on the streets of London.

According to the event organisers, the London 1st stage will see 96 pro cyclists race 86km on a 8.6km circuit (that's 10 laps) that takes in some of London’s most iconic sites – including Big Ben, Cleopatra’s Needle, Somerset House and the Tower of London.

Now in addition to the racing, Transport for London will also be hosting BikeJam (at Tower Hill), which is supposed to be a family-friendly, celebration of all things cycling related. BikeJam promises a cycling-themed day of activities and experiences including cycle-stunt performers, bike maintenance and pedal-powered food stalls.

Well, I'm looking forward to the second stage finish in Newbury. I'll be there and am hoping to get some good pictures of the riders coming in. Who knows, Cavendish might even take the stage..?

Well, rather lost in Galaxy. A Tag Galaxy to be more specific. A nice new Flickr search tool from some German developers. A simple interface belies an engrossing site and slick animation touches that will have you hooked for some time.

Start by entering a tag for Flickr - being a Londoner my imagination stretched as far as 'London'.

You can then zoom in to London or choose a 'satellite' tag. Big Ben was my next obvious choice (my name being Benn, of course). The camera pans through space and shows the combined tag cloud.

The nice thing here is that planets are positioned based on the amount of relevant links they have. They also orbit your central tag. It's all very pretty. You can go further by clicking a planet. Clicking the central planet produces a flat render of the planet and then the images start to appear in a quite majestic/ Matrix way...

Then you just browse around the globe to find the image you want and zoom in - you can even go to the Flickr page.

OK, so you can search on Flickr just as easily and a lot faster but who cares. This is a much more immersive and fun way of doing things and if you have the time to play and search for images then why not? You'll soon find you'll be clicking on planets, spinning them, rotating them on their axis, and thumbing through all the images contained inside. I wonder if they do an API of this? I feel a widget coming on...

It was a real laugh, we followed the route and then Ali had to say goodbye and we were joined by Treasure.  Rus got us all chips from the Fish and Chip stall and we headed off towards the Greyhound Pub in Kensington, stopping at my Office building on the way for a look round.

We went through the office lobby over to where the Greyhound Pub was, just over the road, chips still clutched in our hands.

Ruskin poured us a large whiskey and and we decided to sit in the booth seats and have a chat.  It was a lovely evening and it was nice to see the gang again.  I left Rus and Treasure to it, as it was getting late, and headed off back to real life.

While we'e been frequenting pubs in the evenings, I've also taken the time to continue my sightseeing around London. This time, I flew solo into Kensington to see Buckingham Palace, which was absolutely packed with excited and energetic tourists who came from around the globe. Standing outside the palace for just a few minutes, I heard no less than five different dialects being spoken around me at any one time, highlighting the mass appeal of the palace grounds.

After observing a portion of the changing of the guard ceremony, inclement weather rushed in over London and so I took temporary shelter in the neighbouring St James's Park which is a very well-maintained area between the palace and 10 Downing Street. Once the rain had passed, I then walked through Trafalgar Square once again before strolling down to Big Ben while listening to the new Coldplay album on my iPhone. Great package of music, that album.  :)

Speaking of my iPhone, it's come in very handy on this trip to the UK, despite the fact that I didn't configure it for international roaming before leaving Australia! Although I don't have a telephone capacity while abroad, I've been using its in-built iPod religiously during my morning jogs along the Thames, which have been a great way to start each day. The iPhone has also been very handy at wifi 'hotspots' around London, allowing me to check my email and look up numerous directions via the GPS.

Earlier this week, dad and I moved out of the hotel in Hammersmith, and have been staying with my brother in Fulham along with his wife Amy and daughter Samantha. We've been based here for a couple of days already and have really enjoyed it. Yesterday, dad and I spend hours visiting St Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London - more on this to come in the next post!

After spending time soaking up the atmosphere at Trafalgar Square, I visited the National Gallery which was also very impressive. I enjoyed taking time out to reflect on some early European and English art, and the stunning gallery building is a fitting host of such amazing artwork.

After leaving the gallery, I then walked down to the Westminster Bridge (past 10 Downing Street which is in the midst of some construction and roadworks) where I spent some time admiring Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and some nearby parkland which backed onto the Thames. I'm now back at the hotel writing up this blog entry before we meet up with my brother again tonight for some dinner and a few pints in Hammersmith.

In similar fashion to the previous few days, the weather today featured a mixture of sunshine, wind and rain - sometimes together! At first this weather pattern was a little bewildering, but I'm quickly getting accustomed to it now!

Big Ben From Trafalgar Square

Originally uploaded by Pat and Amy's pics

We spent this last weekend in London, and it was hard to avoid thinking about what-might-have-been. In the spring of 2007, Amy accepted a job in London, and we had planned to live there for two years. We didn’t feel we could move without first selling our house in Corvallis, though, and unfortunately we were caught in the real estate downturn. As we waited and hoped for the house sale that didn’t come soon enough, we planned our move to England for August of last year. Eventually, though, after weeks and months of no offers on the house, we had to pass on London and wait for the house to sell before looking for a new place to move. So, as we sat in a little Italian restaurant in the City on the first night of our London trip, I realized the dinner could have been a celebration of our one-year anniversary in England, had things turned out just a bit differently.

We love Cork and are happy to be living here, but London is wonderful, and by the end of our first full day, we were already rearranging our future European travel plans to include another trip to London. Or two.

With a population of a bit over 7 million people (the number seems to vary depending on just how you define London), London is a huge city, but we found it easy to find our way. Some people complain about the London Underground, but it was so easy to hop on and off the tube, and our hotel was only a four minute walk to St. Pancras/King’s Cross, which is a station for six different tube lines. Within a few minutes, we could get most places without even transferring.

It was incredible to come out of the tube station at Westminster that first evening and see Big Ben and the Parliament Building, then turn to look across the Thames and see the London Eye. Neither of us had been to London before but I was struck time and again over the weekend by how familiar so much of it was, because we’ve all seen London countless times in movies and on television.

Everything is well sign-posted on the tube and on the streets, and it’s easy to find your way with a good map and guidebook (we bought the Time Out Shortlist guide and it was perfect for us – large enough to have lots of useful information but small enough to fit in a pocket). It was time to explore the city.

Our first evening was spent on a short river cruise from Westminster Bridge to London Bridge, followed by dinner in the City. Saturday we wandered the South Bank, Sunday we roamed from Westminster over to the Natural History Museum, and Monday we walked around the West End before flying back to Cork late that night. Over the three and a half days, we visited the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, the British Library, the Tate Modern, and Harrods, as well as several parks. We saw (just from the outside) St. Paul’s Cathedral, the reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abbey.

As I mentioned, we’ve already begun plotting our return to London, and we decided that each time we go we’ll visit the British Museum. A person could spend a week there and not see all it contains. We also plan to see a show, and get inside St. Paul’s Cathedral and Winchester Abbey.

The food was great (no, really, it was), and coming first from Corvallis, Oregon, and then Cork, Ireland, seeing the diversity of people in London was fantastic. Take it from someone who participated in the Cork Spencer Tunick installation, Ireland is overwhelmingly white.

Our hope, and our fear, is that we’ll similarly fall in love with each new place we visit. Hope because of course we came to Europe to see as much of it as we could, and we look forward to seeing as much as we can. Fear because there just isn’t enough time to see everything, and we’ll always be torn between seeing something new and going back to a city we love.

Walker-Sports AFC North Preview

In our ongoing effort to cover the entire NFL we pick up our coverage with the focus on the AFC North. This is perhaps the most confusing division in the league. Confusing because teams go from worse to first in seemingly no time, and the fall from the top is just as quick.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Always consistent, always in the mix, always there. It seems like every year these guys are ready to make a play and be a contender. This year is absolutely no different. They have all the same weapons back again. Big Ben, Hines Ward, Willie Parker and company are locked, loaded and ready to bring it. A big addition during the off-season was drafting Rashard Mendenhall as a running back. While he won't be a superstar this season, he will be able to provide Willie Parker a break, which will keep his legs fresh especially coming down the end stretch of the season. A big key for the Steelers will be the health of their defense. Mainly the health of Troy Polamalu is the big concern. Last season Troy was in and out of the lineup with injuries, and it hurt the overall continuity of the defense. Much like Bob Sanders in Indy, Polamalu is a key part to the Steelers defense. His ability to be at the line of scrimmage at the snap and then drop back into coverage and not miss a beat cannot be emphasized enough. If he can stay healthy and remain on the field then the Steelers will once again find themselves in the mix.

Cincinnati Bengals: This has to be one of the most difficult choices I've had to make so far. There are plenty of underlying issues with this team that could easily tear it apart well, before they ever take the field. Obviously I am talking about Chad Johnson who is currently at camp but not participating because of his bum ankle. The relationship between Palmer and Johnson's has to be considered strained at best and the same could be said with Johnson's relationship with Coach Marvin Lewis. What the Bengals do have going for them is T.J. Houshmandzada who has become one of the best receivers in the league and his numbers will continue to be up there next season. The problem with the Bengals offense is in their backfield. The two headed monster of Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry has failed to produce at the exponential rate that makes them a true threat.

Oh yeah... they still can't stop anyone on defense either. So expect to see another 56-48 shoot out with the Browns.

Cleveland Browns: A lot of people have the Browns as the breakout team of 08. I see them playing more like the 49'ers did in 07 in the wake of a great 06 season. Bottom line is there will be a let down. The Browns will play a tougher schedule this season (the NFC East), and the rest of the league knows what to expect. Derek Anderson had a phenomenal year last season and established himself as the starting QB. However, he will have to continue to play at an exceptional rate if he wants to keep the job. Brady Quinn is still lurking in the shadows and you can bet that as soon as Anderson begins to flounder, that the fans will be chanting Quinn's name. The Browns added Donte' Stallworth at wide out, but he has largely been an underachieving player even in New England last season. It will be interesting to see if getting the paycheck will inspire him to play at the top of his game or will he continue to be lackluster. The Browns defense has undergone little change over the summer, and so they will continue to struggle there. Last year was a great story and this was a fun team to watch, but it's just asking too much to have them repeat.

Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens are in a rebuilding process so one cannot expect much from them in the upcoming season. A New head coach, probably a new starting QB (by week 5, I'm guessing) and some new faces on the O-Line. Not a good combination for one of the traditionally worse offenses in football. Add to that the Ravens defense is an aging group. They have added a couple young players over the past couple seasons, but unfortunately their talent level is not to the level that the Ravens are used to. If the Ravens want to avoid the disaster they experienced last season they will need their defense to play closer to their 01 level than 07. Also getting Flacco up to speed as quickly as possible will be in the team's best interest.

Ao contrário do que muitos pensam, Big Ben, não é o nome do relógio, nem da torre. E sim do sino que está dentro da torre e badala a cada 60 minutos!

O avião era da finada Transbrasil de Guarulhos a Lisboa onde fiz conexão para Londres pela TAP, companhia aérea de Portugal. Assim que a luz do cinto de segurança apagou, não vi nada daquela correria de gente apressada querendo sair do avião. "Bem vindo ao Primeiro Mundo", pensei achando tudo muito civilizado.

A primeira preocupação da maior parte dos brasileiros quem vêm ao exterior é relacionada a dinheiro. Sem noção do quanto as coisas custam, você quer economizar o máximo possível e não gastar tudo em uma semana. Então fui eu pegar o trem chinfrim com vinte paradas que custava metade do preço do trem expresso do aeroporto de Gatwick até Victoria Station. Após meia hora, todos os passageiros saíram do trem, então achei eu que tínhamos chegado a Londres. Após perambular pela estação achando tudo muito estranho, fui me informar e descobri que estava em East Croydon, na zona sul de Londres!  Entre erros e acertos, de toda experiência você sempre aprende algo. Nesse caso, o barato as vezes pode sair caro.

Consegui acomodação por uma semana na casa de uma amiga da minha irmã que morava aqui já há muitos anos. Era uma "republica" com cinco meninas brasileiras dividindo uma casa. Ali fiz minhas primeiras amizades, algumas com quem mantenho contato até hoje. Não existe nada como encontrar algo familiar quando você esta completamente sozinha num país estrangeiro pela primeira vez. Tive a sorte de o lugar ser limpo e paguei um valor simbólico de aluguel já que a menina não queria me cobrar nada.

Na minha primeira noite, sai para fazer umas comprinhas e sentir a atmosfera do bairro onde ia ficar por uma semana, Clapham. O lugar era descolado com várias lojinhas, pubs e gente bonita. Entrei no Iceland, uma rede de mercados mais conhecido pela comida congelada e, sem idéia nenhuma do que comprar, sai de lá com chocolates, suco e um saco enorme de batatas que tava em promoção. Nem preciso dizer que metade das batatas apodreceram dois dias depois!

No dia seguinte, armada com meu cartão "weekly Travelcard", fui ao ponto de ônibus fazer minha primeira viagem num dos famosos "double-decker". No trajeto, atravessamos o Rio Tamisa, passamos pelo "Houses of Parliament", vi o "Big Ben" pela primeira vez e desci na Trafalgar Square. Durante aquela minha primeira semana eu realmente "me joguei" em Londres, foram dias incríveis e me apaixonei perdidamente por essa cidade.

Cometi todos os erros clássicos dos recém-chegado. Achando que fora do Brasil estaria longe de trombadinhas, minha bolsa foi roubada num pub contendo dinheiro, maquina fotográfica cheia de fotos e passaporte com visto. Subestimei o frio achando que aqui já era primavera e trouxe apenas dois casacos leves. Me perdi. Conheci gente estranha. Peguei escada rolante parada do lado esquerdo, quando deveria estar do lado direito. Apesar de tudo isso, me diverti pacas batendo perna pra todo lado.

Ao final da primeira semana, peguei um trem para Brighton, uma cidade ao sul da Inglaterra aonde passaria um mês estudando inglês e conhecendo mais sobre esse país. Infelizmente, minhas aventuras nesse lugar vão ficar para um outro dia.

Big Ben #483 "Big Ben" chestnut with 2 hind socks, blaze.

Produced 1997-2004

Condition: 3+ the paint on the R chestnut is smeared

Big Ben #?: glossy dark bay with 4 high stockings and a blaze. The markings are mapped. Painted shoes on bottoms of feet

2006 Breyerfest Volunteer Model. About 120 produced. I received this horse in compensation for volunteering in the Model Horse Hobby Booth at Breyerfest 2006.

Condition: 4

Big Ben #710004 "Cryptic" Designed to look like a head stone, finished like granite with "RIP" on left hip.  The horse has a glow in the dark skeleton under the paint.

2004 Halloween Series Horse, 4th of 7.

Condition: 4

Big Ben #700999 "Molokai" solid bay with star

1999 Breyerfest Celebration Horse. About 4,000 produced (per Ponylagoon)  I attended this Breyerfest.

Ephemera: included a white blanket with blue and yellow trim.  Blanket embroidered with "Breyerfest '99 10th Anniversary" and Breyer logo.  Torn Pick up ticket (#1159) and a postcard with the real Molokai and Dorothy Trapp-Crowell .  The back of the card has information on the live horse.

Condition: 4  there is dirt on his right neck in the photo (D'oh!)

Big Ben #701500 "Nautical" palomino with RH sock and blaze.

Portriat model of show jumper Nautical, the "horse with the flying tail" Produced in 2000 for the USET Festival of Champions in Gladstone NJ.  750 made.  I purchased mine from Renata Shura who picked them up directly from the Festival and I paid $80.00

Condition: 4