Tonight’s meeting of the area forum had an unusually exciting task: to decide how to spend the £10,000 it has been allocated for local projects (which each Camden ward has received).

The debate was heated but friendly, but in the end the decision was quite clear. The allocation ran (with some flexibility still according to actual costs):
* £1,000 to the Reflections community newsletter
* Around £1,500 to put up two new benches in the sheltered housing areas in Monica Shaw Court garden and the Brill Place entrance for the complex “for older people to sit out”.
* About £1,000 to repair broken lights in the pavement and restore the wooden benches in Chalton Street (only if the budget for this can’t be found from other sources).

But the meeting decided to spend the bulk of the money on food-growing projects in the ward. We had before us proposals from the London Wildlife Trust, which runs the Camley Street Natural Park, to install a community food-growing project in a disused playground in Ampthill Square; a call for community orchards to be established on 3-5 estates (with advice to be taken from London Community Orchards) ; and a call to develop a scheme with the Camden Garden Centre to train local children and young people in horticulture.

A small committee was formed to develop the plan (which is going to have to be done quickly, as the money needs to be spent soon), and decide on locations.

We’re glad that this Green Party proposal to give area forums a budget to use as they wish is now in operation.

A few weeks back my Grandad took me on a surprise visit to the British Library in London next door to the impressive St Pancras International Station.

I currently work in a large county library, so I was very excited to see one of the worlds largest libraries.

Some facts about the British Library:

• Holds 150 million items, including books, journals, magazines, A&V, patents, stamps, prints and drawings.
• The current library is located on Euston Road, it is a large red brick building that was opened in 1997

• Every item that is published in the United Kingdom is sent to the British Library due to a 1911 Act of Parliament

In the centre of the library is the King’s Library which holds the British Royal Collection of 60,000 items. It is the only book shelves you’ll see in the library, and they are very impressive.

The Sir John Ritblat Gallery hold an amazing collection of books that would make any book fan squeal, including:

• Magna Carta
• Gutenburg Bible
• Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebooks
• Alice’s Adventures Underground (the original Alice in Wonderland book)
• Original Beowulf manuscript
• Shakespeare’s First Folio

It is completely free to go into the exhibition room, and I highly recommend seeing original manuscripts of classic literature  and some of the first published books in history.

You aren’t allowed to take photos in the exhibiton room, but I manage to take a sneaky few:

Gutenburg Bible

Alice’s Adventures Underground

First post about my trip to Belgium in November
All the pictures taken will be uploaded to a new set called Benelux 4 of my flicker photo account
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622685920411/

St Pancras International with Eurostar Trains to Paris and Brussel Zuid

Brussel Zuid two Thalys ‘Trains a Grande Vitesse’

  
Landen Station
I took a train bound for Liege (Luik) from Brussel Zuid, and changed here to Bus 21a to St Truiden and Hasselt, which stops 5 minutes away from the Gurdwara in Halmaal, just south of St Truiden (Province of Limburg). My Eurostar train ticket was valid to all Belgian stations, the bus ticket was only Euro 1.60

More to Follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

France enjoys one of the most modern, extensive, high-speed rail networks in the world.  The renowned Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) network will whisk you across the country in a just a few hours.  And the Eurostar is heaven….central Paris to central London in a mere 2 hours 15 minutes.  Here are some of my top tips for enjoying the trains in France.

 
Gare du Nord – Paris’ busiest train station, with Eurostar to London; also Belgium, Netherlands, Northern Germany

Gare de l’Est - Eastern France, Austria, Germany, German-speaking part of Switzerland
Gare du Lyon – Central and south-east France, French Riviera, French speaking part of Switzerland, Italy and connecting service into Spain through Montpellier

Gare Montparnasse – Western and south-western France (southern Normandy, Brittany, Pays de la Loire, Tours by TGV, Poitou-Charentes, Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées) and north-western Spain.

Gare d’Austerlitz – South Central France, Toulouse and Pyrenees; night trains to south of France and Spain

Gare du Bercy – near Gare du Lyon, provides service for overnight trains to Italy:  Florence, Milan, Rome, Venice

Charles de Gaulle – Gare Aeroport CDG – most convenient if you are flying in and making an immediate connection – you may not have to transfer to central Paris at all.  Travel directly from the airport via high speed TGV to Avignon, Brussels, Lille, Lyon and Nice.

Gare St. Lazare – serves Normandy, including Caen, Vernon, Le Havre, Cherbourg, Deauville, Lisieux

 Detailed practical information on each station can be found here at Rail Europe’s Paris station pages. 

 2. Travel like a local – Second class travel is just fine, and you’ll meet more Europeans that way.  Who wants to be upfront with the business travelers?

 3. Tickets – Don’t count on purchasing your ticket at the train station kiosks.  Most accept only European credit cards that have a chip which U.S. issued cards don’t have.  Purchase your France rail pass before you leave home, or purchase point to point tickets at the train station office. Check with a travel agent or Rail Europe for details on the many great options. France rail passes are offered for 3-9 days of travel.  If you plan to travel only 1 or 2 days, you’ll want point-to-point tickets.  Also, if you have a short-haul trip in mind, it may be more cost effective to purchase a point-to-point ticket for that leg, and save your Rail Pass day for a longer, more expensive journey.  Click here for the SNCF website in English, which has point to point schedules and prices. 

 4. Reservations – Eurail and France pass travelers, be aware that the high speed TGV trains and night trains ALWAYS require advance reservations, payment of a nominal fee, and space may be capacity controlled.  Reserve your train early to ensure your place, especially at peak travel times.  When I arrive in one station, I usually visit the ticket window before I leave to make reservations for the next leg of the journey.  You can also make reservations in advance from your travel agent from whom you purchased your pass, or directly on Rail Europe’s reservation page.

 5. Dining – Most French trains of any distance have an informal dining car, with drinks and snacks, and some even offer kids meals in a cute plastic zip container.  Convenience can be pricey though.  Take a tip from the locals and pick up a fresh baguette, some local cheeses, fresh fruit and beverage of choice before you head to the station, and enjoy your picnic onboard.  Many train stations also have surprisingly good patisseries – yum! – and sell sandwiches to go (emporter).

6. Travel light – Chances are you’ll be lifting all the bags onto and off of the train by yourself.  Most trains have overhead shelves to store smaller items.  Storage areas for larger bags are at the ends of the cars, where you may not be able to keep an eye on your belongings.  If you’re concerned about theft, bring along a bicycle-type lock to secure bags to the storage shelves.

7. Be alert – Like any major gathering place in the world, train stations have their share of pickpockets.  Carry cash, credit cards and passports in a money belt, and keep a watchful eye on your bags. 

8. Right Place at the Right Time – Note the platform your train will be leaving from and arrive early.  You may need to traverse up and down several flights of stairs to reach your platform, so again, travel light..bring only what you can comfortably carry yourself.  Most platforms have an electronic (or manual) board noting the composition of the trains, i.e. first class and second class cars.  Position yourself accordingly on the platform while you wait for the incoming train.   Each car will be marked with a 1 or a 2, indicating whether it’s first or second class.  Stations stops can be brief, and they don’t wait for you, so be ready to board.  Likewise, be alert as to when it’s time to get off.  Know the names of the stations that are several stops prior to your stop, so you can begin to collect your belongings and position yourself towards the exit doors.

9. Onboard bathrooms – Okay, maybe not the most glamorous, but serviceable.  Most cannot be used while the train is in the station (I won’t go into detail here), and the water is usually non-potable.  Traveling with your own hand sanitizer and small pack of tissues is always a good idea.

10.  Eurostar – I saved the best for last.  You really can’t beat the convenience and modern amenities.  Easy to see why high speed Eurostar service under the Chunnel beats air travel – no checked bag fees, no long security wait lines, no 2 hour advance check in.  It’s a breeze traveling from Paris’ Gare du Nord station to London’s bright new St. Pancras station. St. Pancras is almost a destination within itself with shops, restaurants, bars, and Europe’s longest champagne bar.  For the best insider tips on traveling Eurostar, check out frequent Eurostar traveler’s Paris Perfect blog post for excellent suggestions, including which cars are most convenient.

Recently on fine sunny days, we have been getting out and about discovering new towns in the vicinity, doing some local research and taking photos for my new website about South Lazio.  One day we visited the town of Castelforte for the very first time.

When we arrived the town was sleepy as it was still after lunch siesta time.  Feeling thirsty we found a little bar to find some liquid refreshments.  We chose to sit outside in the fresh air, and suddenly an English voice said: “So we are not the only English people here in Castelforte?”

We introduced ourselves and began chatting to the couple at the next table, and a friendly Italian chap called Antonio who spoke some English having worked for several years in London. 

It seemed that Dominic and Jill were on a short holiday in Rome and during their stay they had decided on the spur of the moment to do a day trip down to Castelforte, by taking the train and then catching a local bus.   Dominic’s Italian side of the family had originated, many years ago, from this charming little hilltop town. 

I explained that my maternal ancestors were also Italian, originating from Atina, near Montecassino, and that they had settled in the Clerkenwell district of London.  Dominic , who is a London cabbie, went on to say that his family had also settled in London and mainly lived in the St Pancras area. 

 He had been brought up by his Italian aunts, and knew the area well.  He was curious to know where exactly my grandparents had lived. 

My Nonno and Nonna lived in what once was known as Little Saffron Hill, now renamed Herbal Hill, which is just around the corner from St Peter’s Italian Church.  We talked about all the nearby streets, such as Farringdon Road, Ray Street, Back Hill, Grays Inn Road.

Dominic immediately rang his elderly Italian aunt “Mala” to tell them about our encounter.  Apparently she is  aged 92, but is still bright as button, and actually lives with Dominic and Jill. 

 I then went on to  explain that my mother, Tina, had passed away a couple of years ago, aged 85, and that she had lived much of her life in London’s Italian community.  She would have so enjoyed meeting people who had come from “Little Italy” and talking about the old times.  I mentioned that a very good old friend of my mother still lived nearby, near the Mount Pleasant sorting office, named Rita. Dominic went on to say that he knew a Rita, who was the best friend of  aunt “Mala”.  It turned out that we were talking about the very same Rita !!! 

I still try to keep in regular contact with Rita, as she so enjoys reading our stories about our new life in Italy – she keeps telling me to write a book !!!  

Rita had been my mother’s life-long friend, and  during WWII  they had both shared the misfortune of contracting tuberculosis.  After the war they took a couple of holidays  in Switzerland to aid their convalescence. 

My Mum Tina and Rita

Indeed Rita and her sister Delia had been my mother’s bridesmaids at her wedding in 1955, which was held at St Peter’s Italian Church. 

Bridesmaids: Rita, Delia and Nita

Dominic felt he just had to phone his aunt again to tell her about  this remarkable coincidence.  By this time “Mala” had already phoned Rita to let her know about our amazing encounter in Castelforte.   

He asked his aunt if she remembered my mother,  a Concetta (Tina) Leonardi, and she said that indeed she had known her well, mainly through the Italian church .  It was quite amazing !!!

We chatted for a long time, and I asked the Italian gentleman Tony, who was still seated beside us, what his job had been during his 11 year period working in London.  He said he had been a Porter in some hotels near Russell Square.  This immediately sounded familiar to me, as my late father had worked for 42 years as a plumber for a small independent  hotel chain located in this  area.

Not really believing that this day of coincidences could continue in the same vane, I asked: “It wasn’t Imperial London Hotels, was it?”  “Yes it was !!!” he replied, “Why?”.  I explained, and from just the name he couldn’t recall my father Hugh (Hughie), but I promised we would go back to Castelforte before too long with some photos of my Dad, which might help jog Tony’s memory.

Tony very kindly offered to act as a tour guide and show us around the historic quarter of Castelforte, so whilst Tony went off, arm in arm with two camera laden ladies, Dominic and Paul remained steadfast at the bar, drinking beer and trying to get their heads around this unusual day of coincidental encounters. 

Tony and Jill

When the girls returned we happily gave Dominic and Jill a lift back to the station, so we could enjoy their company for a little longer, saving them the bus ride back to Formia to catch their train back to Rome for the last night of their stay in Italy.  We very much hope we can keep in contact with then and of course Tony.

Jill has sent me a recent photo of Rita and “Mala”, which would have been lovely, but the flash seems to have been too bright so their faces look rather ghost-like.  I hope to get a better photo soon.

"Mala" and Rita

Sending both Rita and “Mala” all our love !!!

Click here to find out more about Castelforte on our South Lazio Website

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Destinations. Arriving. “I’m here”. The journey’s one thing, but nothing beats the sense of arriving in a new place, especially when it’s abroad.

Andrew Hovells, AKA Northern Planner (fine man by all accounts, read his blog too) recently posted about his trip through the Eurostar, and sensed a lack of ‘leaving’ and ‘arriving’ compared to trips abroad on a plane. And he’s right. But the problem is rife across much, or dare I say it, every airport in the UK.

The issue is the cold commercialisation of our so-called destinations. The over-sanitation of the environments in a rampant quest for ’simplicty’ and ‘ease of use’, and in doing so we’ve stripped the heart and soul from our historic ‘time capsuals’.

I feel quite passionate about this. That our environments don’t always benefit from a tunnel-visioned quest to smooth the experience out. I don’t think that Great Britain should be trying to make them overtly slick. For example, you really get a sense that you’ve ‘arrived’ in the country at Abu Dhabi airport.

I’ve worked with Heathrow here with talented planner @JonNZdream on a number of occasions, and we’re currently into a major review of how Heathrow communicate.

One thing’s for sure, one of our key considerations is ensuring that our primary ‘gateway to Great Britain’ should be undoubtably and proudly that – we need to love arriving again.

Prestigious larndmark benefits from integrated IP CCTV that improves flexibility and reduces costs

The £800m refurbishment and extension of St Pancras International is part of HS1, Britain’s first major rail project for over a century and the UK’s biggest ever construction project. Opened by the Queen in 2007 this prestigious landmark required an advanced CCTV solution to help protect staff, customers, and visitors to the station. Controlware won the contract on the basis of the advanced technical solution, integration expertise, and the proven ability to deliver large projects successfully.

To read the full story click here.

I shall be at this tonight and may even give a short little reportage from the Frontline of the War on Food…

LitroLive! September 24th, 6pm-midnight

 an evening of
live words and music
devoted to food, glorious food

St. Pancras International Station

On Thursday 24th September, from 6pm to midnight, LitroLive! returns to St. Pancras International Station for a night of live spoken word and music (with exotic cookery in the melting pot), exploring the many ways in which food infuses our imaginations.

LitroLive! partners – for the second time this Summer – with St. Pancras International Station and the Betjeman Arms, bringing Litro’s inventiveness – as well as an armful of artists, established and new – to Londoners, commuters, and lovers of the spoken and sung word. LitroLive! takes place during St Pancras’s Foodie Fortnight, and we’ll be entering into the spirit, with many of our artists performing new commissions on a gastronomic theme.

£6

http://www.litro.co.uk/?p=1403

They held each other awkwardly. She kept her head away from the wailing and tears to save herself from being caked in running make-up.

Crypt Gallery, St Pancras Church, Euston, NW1

Unintelligible, breathy sobs escaped from the mop of curls and echoed in the empty hospital corridor.

What’s the problem? He’s not dead.

Ras Conrad photography, Crypt Gallery, St Pancras Church, Euston, NW1

She could think of words of comfort but was too embarrassed to say them.

“He ain’t dead. Is he?”

Crypt Gallery, St Pancras Church, Euston, NW1

The howling mess leaned forward for further embrace but she took a half-step backwards and tried to disguise her frown.

Next week:

 
The London Design festival – 19th September – 27th September
Looking for inspiration? The festival running in its seventh year will be a vast array of creative events exhibitions, and installations taking place across London. “Essentially it is an annual event established to celebrate and promote London as the creative capital of the world”.

For more information visit http://www.londondesignfestival.com

 London Digital Week – 21st -27th September
“A week of conferences, workshops, meet-ups, presentations, networking, parties and exhibitions bringing together the digital-orientated industries in and around London under one umbrella event”.

For more information visit http://www.londondigitalweek.com/

Must attend events are:

D&AD Annual Launch Party – 22th September- 7-10pm
A chance to party, take advantage of the free food and drink and see the launch of the best in design, advertising and creative communication 2009.
Tickets are free but space is limited, add your name to the guest list by contacting emily.terry@dandad.co.uk.
For more information visit http://www.dandad.org
Shesays -  23rd September, 7-10pm
Why aren’t there more women working in the digital industry? Shesays are a bunch of industry professionals putting on events to help change this. In this free event they will be discussing ways to get into the industry. It is also a chance to network and ask any questions you have whilst having a bit of a drink and nibble.
For more information visit http://www.shesays.org.uk/missing-out.aspx

 Regent Street Festival – 27th September 12-8pm

This year’s festival theme is birthdays and will see Regent Street and Absolute Radio celebrate by hosting a joint birthday party.The traffic free event will see the Madness perform an exclusive special gig which will be broadcast live from Absolute Radio at 6pm. The event will be in aid of Cancer Research UK.
Thousands of cupcakes will be served at 3pm to celebrate and outside Hamley’s there will be plenty to keep the kids occupied from face painting to a birthday tea party. For adults there will be a fashion show, street performances and a chance to sample a cocktail or two.
For more information visit http://www.regentstreetonline.com/

This post was inspired by friends of mine who claim to be bored. How can you be bored living in the most cosmopolitan, culturally diverse city in Europe!

After doing a bit of research I have found that there are plenty of things happening in the next week to keep you from twiddling your thumbs.

This Weekend:

 
St Pancras – Foodie Fortnight – 16th-25th September
If you fancy yourself as a bit of a Gastronaut you will be happy to hear that St Pancras station is turning itself into a food lover’s paradise.The 10 daylong event will see chefs like Richard Corrigan, Giorgio Locatelli rustling up delicious treats, as well as offering expert advice. There will be masterclasses to prepare everything from sausages to sushi and the opportunity to sample different champagnes and whiskies.
You will also be able to see the launch of The Sourced Market giving you the chance to replicate some of the food you have seen prepared using the finest ingredients all locally and seasonally sourced., with 10% off of course.
For more information visit http://www.stpancras.com/foodiefortnight/

Open House London – 19th – 20th September
Love Architecture? This weekend 700 of London’s most revered buildings will be throwing open their doors to the public for free. The vast majority of buildings are on a turn-up-on-the day basis. However, due to limited capacity or the nature of the site, certain buildings require pre-booking. Free copies of the programme will be available from libraries in participating London boroughs.
For more information visit http://www.openhouse.org.uk/public/london/event.html
Mayor of London’s Skyride – 20th September -10am – 4pm
Dust off that old bicycle in the garage and this weekend join the thousands of cyclists who will be taking to the streets to take part in the Mayor of London’s Skyride. This hugely popular event will see many of London’s most famous streets closed to traffic giving you a safe route to see many of London’s famous landmarks.
For more information visit http://new.britishcycling.org.uk/skyride/london

In de duisternis van de kanaaltunnel is het kalm typen. Er zullen vast wel cruiseschepen en olietankers boven mijn hoofd af en aan varen, maar hier in het blauwe schijnsel van de Apple merk je daar niets van en is het schrijfklimaat okay voor een pretentieloos blog.

Met mijn collega Stijn vertrok ik in het vroege ochtenduur vanuit het Station in Maastricht met de Waalse intercity op weg naar het Eurostar station in Brussel-Midi. Er is veel veranderd op dit traject, als ik dat vergelijk met de jaren dat de boemel naar Luik nog op diesel reed. Dat ging toen honkebonkend door de boomgaarden van Visé en Jupillle van stationnetje naar stationnetje. Voor aankomst bizar langzaam langs de neonramen van de prostitutiewijk bij Guillemins alsof de machinist niemand wilde storen. Niet te vergelijken met de goed geveerde, strakke vaart van nu. En hoe bijzonder is het niet om zo gladjes onder de structuren van Calatrava door te glijden en moeiteloos richting Brussel te zweven op snelheid. Al zou de TGV er wat later nog een angstaanjagend schepje bovenop doen. Jawel, van vertrek tot aankomst heeft de TGV nog het meest weg van vliegen. Het station van Rijsel heet dan ook Lille-Europe, zoals een luchthaven betaamt. De incheck, de controle, de snelheid is bij benadering dezelfde. Alleen het uitzicht is aanmerkelijk dynamischer, behalve hier in de tunnel al duurt dat maar even. We waren vandaag in Londen voor een bezoek aan onze toeleverancier van het Content Management Systeem. En dat werd een lang gesprek met glazen water. Dat jullie zomaar die hele reis maken, vroegen de jonge kerels verwonderd. Ze hadden geen idee waar Maastricht ongeveer ligt. Wij vanochtend trouwens ook niet waar we hun kantoor konden vinden. Een passerende Bobby had ook geen notie, maar wel een tip: you can find the adress on that one, wijzend op de i-phone. Wat merkwaardig dat de Londense taxi’s alle denkbare moeite doen om hun historisch imago te onderstrepen met oncomfortabele lamlendigheid. De retro klapstoeltjes en het kogelvrij glas maken het tot een hobbelige bevrijdingstocht in een Sherman tank over de linkerrijstrook. Maar komaan, we zijn weer eens in een wereldstad en liggen vanavond terug in ons eigen bed. Al kom ik wel vaker in Londen, het is toch weer anders als je er een zakelijke bestemming aan geeft. Het voelt strakker, functioneler, eigentijdser en georganiseerder om van dusk till dawn overgeleverd te zijn aan eigentijdse mobiliteitssystemen. Met in die resturen een geschikt blogklimaat.

Eurostar noses: Mine's the one on the right

Okay so I’m on the Eurostar and we’re about to get underway – it’s all been pretty smooth so far.

Quite a lot of those pesky trolleys. All parked, you'll notice.

My main stress this morning has been persuading the luggage trolleys at St Pancras to move forwards: You have to press the front bar quite hard all the time otherwise the brakes activate. Anyway I managed it, and didn’t bang too many people’s ankles with it either. Strangely not a single other person was using one – this is definitely the land of the wheelie suitcase!

I left my house in north London at 7:30 for this 9:01 departure – this gave me plenty of time for a coffee and croissant (well I may as well get into the French thing as soon as possible – I’m only in France for about 24 hours so I have to make the most of it). To get a 9am flight from Heathrow, I’d have had to check in at 6am, meaning leaving mine at 4:30! Or at least, that would be the case if the tubes ran that early, but they don’t start until around an hour later – this would mean an expensive taxi or several time-consuming buses. I’ll be at Lille in an hour and 20 minutes – not bad.

Of course this route does take longer – the others joining my trip will not leave London until Friday afternoon. But I do feel you get a better idea of the distance you’re covering if you travel overland – flying doesn’t give you the same sense of perspective. (If you’re interested, have a look at my big overland trip to South America for 6 months at www.heidis-travels.co.uk. Sadly this website isn’t finished but the first part of my trip is there).

Today marks the 8th anniversary of the death of Dianne T. Signer.  She most likely would have celebrated her 40th birthday this past March if not for the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

I don’t know much about Ms. Signer; I only learned her name yesterday after reading about Project 2,996 in Bob Collin’s News Cut blog.  Project 2,996 is an effort to remember the victims of the 9/11 attacks by recruiting bloggers to post something about each  victim.  I think it was Bob’s comment that only 1,082 names had been assigned on the eve of this 8th anniversary that made me sign up.  The guy who runs the effort – Dale Challenger Roe – sent me her name.

Here’s what I’ve learned.

Ms. Signer worked on the 93rd floor of the North World Trade Center building at company called Fred Alger.  She was 32 years old and was to be married that coming Saturday to Paul Mauceri, a carpenter who had known her  for 14 years.   She was from the Ridgewood section of Queens and was a parishioner at St. Pancras in Glendale.  On the day of her wedding, the priest conducted a Mass for her before a packed church that was reported in a Jimmy Breslin column the next day.

I know Ms. Signer has some very loving cousins – Eddie, Rosa, Kayla and Brian Malone – who populate the web with tributes and memorials to her memory.  A couple of her friends remember her laughter and kindness.  A few days ago one of her cousins wrote that her mother is still hurting terribly from the loss of her daughter.

The City of New York renamed a street in Queens Dianne T. Signer Drive in 2003.

Ms. Signer was one of three parishioners of St. Pancras who died on 9/11 and one of 36 people in her firm who died.  Her  offices were just two floors below where American Airlines’ flight 11 crashed  into the northern face of the building at about 466 miles per hour with about 10,000 gallons of jet fuel on board.  In the list of 2,996 people who died in the attacks, her name is most often listed between Johanna Sigmund, who also worked at Fred Alger, and Gregory Sikorsky, a New York firefighter.

The world has moved on since 2001.  School started at St. Pancras this past Wednesday and the youngest students there weren’t even born back then.  Fred Alger lost most of their headquarters staff that day but rebuilt.  The World Trade Center site is being rebuilt – albeit haltingly – as well.  For those of us not directly involved in the attacks or their immediate aftermath, we note the day and we remember where we were when we heard and what we did and felt.  For most of us, though, the raw edges of our emotions have been smoothed by the passage of time.  And – for what it’s worth – I think that’s how it should be.

But we should never forget.  I’m honored to do a little bit to help remember Dianne T. Signer.

- Austin

Stepping off the Eurostar you can’t help but think that Gare de Nord encapsulates everything that is Parisian.

Old architecture

And above all, a bit of a kafuffle

You leave the impressive, glass-fronted building of St Pancras station and arrive into something resembling any other big railway terminus.  You see, the French have had high-speed trains since goodness knows when and they don’t feel the need for the fanfare reception that one receives in London.  Perhaps they just don’t see ‘little Britain’ as a big deal.

After spinning around several times, I eventually got my bearings and descended into the confusing network of the metro.  I got out my phone and read the text message explaining what type of weekly pass I’d need in order to get myself around the city.  A passport photo and 22 euros later and I was on my way.

Luckily, I have a very kind friend in Paris who has agreed to let me stay with her for a short-while.

The worryingly simple number directions in the metro are surprisingly easy to follow and although after two changes of train only one person helped me with my over-sized case (and I’m pretty sure he wasn’t Parisian) I finally reached my destination –albeit a little frazzled and sweaty.

One more sleep and up early to start my week’s training in work.  A little nervous, a little unsure of what to expect.