Last Stop: London

The last stop on our world tour is London for a few days. We stopped in London overnight on the way to Ghana but now we have a chance to spend a few days exploring the city. We were staying in a very touristy part of London purposely. I knew that this stay would be at the end of our monthlong trip and I anticipated us being tired and weary and no longer interested/willing in traveling very far for food, shopping, and sights. Most of the museums in London are free and we were a block away from Harrod's department store and the Natural History Museum.  

Nighttime view of Harrod's. 

Window display of Christian Louboutin shoes (VERY expensive shoes with the iconic painted red bottoms).

Animated window displays at Harrod's 

I do love a good deal and was in need of a nice pair of casual shoes so when I saw these shoes "on sale" at Harrod's I was excited until I saw how expensive the shoes were even when they were on sale! The shoes are sale priced at £869 (down from £1450) which is about a sale price of $1289 (down from $2151). Yikes!

The Natural History Museum with outdoor carousel.

Sculpture made of tin cups, pots, and pans outside of the Natural History Museum.

The Natural History Museum with outdoor ice skating rink.

We enjoyed the requisite fish and chips for dinner. 

Every part of the trip has a public health component so when we traveled to London I had to visit the Broad Street pump made famous by Dr. John Snow.  This symbol of public health history is one of the most basic discussion points for every public health course. The original pump itself is believed long gone but a replacement was erected at the corner of Broad Street (now called Broadwick Street) and Lexington Street. Across from it is also a pub named John Snow Pub. The replacement pump itself was removed in January 2015 for construction of a new condo building so all I can share is pictures of the pub. There is a campaign to return the pump when the construction ends so I'm hopeful that on my next trip the pump will be back in its rightful place. 

Street sign at the famous corner of Broad Street and Lexington (Broad Street is now called Broadwick Street)

Depiction of Dr. John Snow above the John Snow Pub. 

Outside of the John Snow Pub.

 Street view outside of the John Snow Pub.

Another view of the John Snow Pub.

We visited the NTCG Brixton Community Church on Sunday and enjoyed worshipping with our Christian brothers and sisters in London. 

Storefronts below flats (apartments) in London. Like New York, garbage bags are placed on the street sidewalks for collection. 

Gorgeous home in London.

Typical row home on a London street.

More flats in London. 

Restaraunt called the Mango Room in London.

Enjoying a Caribbean meal of pork chops and basmati rice at the Mango Room. 

Dessert of banana flambé and sticky toffee pudding.

Riding back to our hotel on a city red double decker bus. The underground tube was easy to use to get around the city but the bus allows you to "see" the city as you travel from place to place. 

On our way back to Chicago we were given a complimentary upgrade to business class!! It made our 8 hour 55 minute flight home from London a breeze! We were given the business class welcome kit which allows you to freshen up before departing the plane after a long trip (lotions, toothbrush/toothpaste, lip balm, socks, and a blanket).

Dinner of beef, risotto, and broccoli. It was surprisingly tasty. We were also given real silverware and glassware. 

Dessert of coffee and cake after dinner. We were full but who can resist dessert?!

High tea toward the end of the flight which consisted of tea/coffee, a mini pastrami sandwich, mini egg salad sandwich, a mini prawn salad sandwich (which I couldn't eat because of my shellfish allergy), scones with clotted cream and jam, and small cakes (a petit four, a gingerbread, and chocolate cake). Yum!! we were having so much fun in just business class, we couldn't imagine what was happening in the magical world of first class!

Arriving back at O'Hare! We are finally home to celebrate Christmas with our family. 

It has been an amazing month long trip that we have absolutely no regrets about! I hope that you have enjoyed following us along our travels and I look forward to discussing with you more specifics in person or in class. Thank you for joining us!

Lyon-A Lovely Surprise

Once we left Geneva we traveled by high-speed train to Lyon, France to visit our nephew Franck and his new wife Cristina. Franck is the son of Clovis, the man who hosted us in Côte d'Ivoire; we're bringing the family reconnection full circle!

Lyon was surprisingly big (it's France's second largest city) and full of life. We wish we had more time in Lyon. It's really a lovely city and has a lot to offer similar to Paris but without the hustle and bustle of Paris. We also thoroughly enjoyed Franck and Cristina's company!  We plan to visit Lyon again for a longer visit. 

McCay and nephew Franck reunited after 23 years! 

Me and Cristina, Franck's wife. She and I connected immediately and share a love of shoes and a good deal! 

A snack at Franck and Cristina's home of different cheeses, sausage, raisins, pickles, and olives. 

We visited the La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere and it was a remarkable site. Here are some of its specifications:

La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere. 

Interior of the basilica. 

Beautiful ceiling of the basilica. 

View of Lyon from the mountaintop ledge of the basilica. 

Christmas lights along a downtown Lyon street late at night. 

Euronews building along the river.

Dinner at a an outdoor cafe in downtown Lyon: roasted chicken, au gratin potatoes, and a salad. 

Lunch on the way to the airport: roasted lamb, potatoes, and salad. Cristina was a gracious host and is a wonderful cook! 

On to our final stop on this epic trip...London! 

Reaching the Holy Grail of Public Health

On our way to visit a nephew and his wife in Lyon, France, we made a 24-hour stop in Geneva. We took a high speed train from Paris to Geneva and we were in the first class car which allowed us a more comfortable 3-hour ride.  The train attendants served us a light breakfast of croissants and tea/coffee. It was a smooth and pleasant ride across the French countryside. 

Being in Geneva gave me an opportunity I had only silently wished for...to visit the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva. I lecture about the WHO and their work. I've championed the monument outside of the WHO that commemorates the eradication of smallpox. But I've never been to the facility and never thought I would have the opportunity to do so. The WHO sets worldwide standards, research, and services around a multitude of public health issues. It was an immense honor to see the facility and grounds.

Exiting the bus I saw the street sign leading me to the public health holy grail. OMS is the abbreviation of the French acronym L'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé. 

Fair warning that the WHO grounds are for authorized people and vehicles only. 

A cigarette package on the ground outside the WHO.

Smoke-free campus sign just a few feet from the abandoned cigarette package. I wonder if someone got scared and just abandoned the package!

The WHO logo outside of the building. 

View as I walked towards the building. 

"...the attainment for all peoples of the highest possible level of health" 

Outside of the front of the WHO.

Front doors to the WHO. The security guards wouldn't allow us to take pictures inside. But we were able to walk around the lobby and view some of the displays outlining current projects such as the Healthy Caribbean Coalition which is working to address disparities in access to chronic disease care for women living in the Caribbean.  

Me at the WHO!!!!

I had tears in my eyes as I approached this monument. I couldn't believe I was really in front of it. 

Monument to commemorate the eradication of smallpox. 

Monument highlighting work towards ending river blindness so that no one else has to be led around due to blindness from a water-based parasitic disease. 

 

I loved every brief moment I had at the WHO.

We also had the chance to visit two other exciting places: the United Nations and the Red Cross Museum!

The United Nations office in Geneva. The main headquarters is in New York. 

Me outside of the United Nations!!

The Allée des Nations featuring the flags of the UN member nations. 

Peering through the gates. The UN conducts tours for the public but they ended the tours for 2015 a week before our arrival. Darn!

The Broken Chair sculpture 

Sign on the street for the Red Cross Museum

The Petrified Ones outside of the museum...a little too Weeping Angels for me. 

Me at the Red Cross Museum but we arrived at almost closing so we didn't have a chance to explore beyond the gift shop. 

Red Cross Museum gift shop items. 

Really yummy rotisserie chicken, pasta, and haricot verts at a Geneva restaurant.

The Geneva public transportation system is sophisticated and plentiful. The tram took us directly from the high speed train station to directly in front our hotel. 

Next stop, Lyon, France!