by John Foltin
Patricia knew of his father’s death. She convinced him to go.
There, they saw the Basilica di San Pietro. It had the largest interior of any Christian church in the world.
They saw some of the Vatican Museums, such as the Chiaramonti Museum, the Pio Clementino Museum, and the Pinacoteca. They saw the Vatican Library, one of the oldest libraries in the world.
They saw the Sistine Chapel, where a new pope would be elected when one passed away. It was famous for paintings depicting nine scenes from the Book of Genesis painted by Michelangelo on the ceiling. Those scenes were: The Separation of Light and Darkness; The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Earth; The Separation of Land and Water; The Creation of Adam; The Creation of Eve; The Temptation and Expulsion; The Sacrifice of Noah; The Great Flood; and The Drunkenness of Noah.
The last sight they saw was the Castel Sant'Angelo, a towering cylindrical building initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family.
They had little time to enjoy the city. They had to catch a midnight train. They checked out of their hotel.
Six and a half hours later, they arrived at Bari. They checked into the Hotel Oriente Bari and traveled to Andria to tour the Castel del Monte.
Built by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II during the 1240’s, its shape was an octagonal prism with an octagonal tower at each corner.
Later that afternoon, they boarded another train. Five hours later, they arrived in Naples. They checked into the Grand Hotel Vesuvio.
Douglas felt the need for some good jazz. Mei-Xing didn’t. He went by himself to Riot.
Patricia and Richard went dancing at Chez Moi. Their bond was growing stronger by the day.
Leigh and Christopher had dinner at Europeo di Mattozzi
The next morning, they drove to the ancient city of Pompeii. During their tour, they saw Mt. Vesuvius, the volcano that caused the devastation back in 77 A.D. They also saw the Temple of Vaspian, the Vettius House which still contained many frescos, and the Tomb of Vestoria Prisco.
That night, Todd wanted one last taste of pizza from the motherland. He went to Antonio e Antonio.
Since he had gone purse shopping with her, Douglas took Mei-Xing to Mimì alla Ferrovia for dinner. They were starting to become serious. They weren’t at the level of Christopher and Leigh, but they were getting there.
Kristen started feeling neglected. After her last date with Chadwick, he had become distant to her. She still had her entourage at every site. But she felt alone without Chadwick. Still, she refused to dismiss her beliefs.
CHAPTER FIVE
The next morning, they caught a flight from Naples. Two and a half hours later, they landed in Madrid.
They checked into the Hotel Ópera and left immediately for the Museo del Prado. The museum featured a collection of more than seven thousand paintings and more than a thousand sculptures.
After they finished the tour, they drove northwest about thirty miles to El Escorial. While primarily used as a monastery, it also functioned as a palace, a museum, and a school. Among the sights they saw were the Courtyard of the Kings, the Hall of Battles featuring frescos of the most important Spanish victories, and the Pantheon of the Kings containing the remains of the kings of Spain.
Today was Todd’s twenty-second birthday, but you wouldn’t know it by the events of the day. With the exception of the guest of honor, everyone either forgot it or ignored it. The only one who got him a card was Mei-Xing, and that was at the very last minute. She was so preoccupied with Douglas that she forgot. She got one as the gift shop was closing.
All day long, he had but one birthday wish. He wanted Kristen to acknowledge his existence. Alas, it didn’t happen.
He called his family for the first time on the trip. They were the first to wish him a happy birthday.
He went out to celebrate alone at Balneario. He had a few drinks and a few tapas.
It was then that he was approached by a young woman. She could see he was unhappy and wanted to cheer him up.
“¿Lo que está mal?” (“What’s wrong?”)
“Es mi cumpleaños, y nadie quiere celebrar conmigo.” (“It’s my birthday, and no one wants to celebrate with me.”)
“¡Qué vergüenza! ¿Te gustaría celebrarlo conmigo?” (“What a shame! Would you like to celebrate it with me?”)
“Sí, me encantaría. Gracias.” (“Yes, I would love to. Thank you.”)
She told him her name was Marisol. They left Balneario. She took him to Fabrik. There, they danced the night away.
At the end of the evening, she took a picture of the two of them, kissing him on the cheek. “Feliz cumpleaños.” He gave her his e-mail address to get a copy of the picture.
It wasn’t the evening he wanted. It was so much better.
Chadwick didn’t know any Spanish, but he learned one phrase to use when he went out. “Te daré cincuenta dólares para tener sexo conmigo.” (“I'll give you fifty dollars to have sex with me.”)
After a few slaps to the face, he finally got a positive response to his request. Fortunately for Kristen, she was nowhere nearby. He brought her back to his hotel room, and she did the deed she was paid to do. When she finished, he sent her on her way.
Speaking of Kristen, she went to Casa Hernanz to find a pair of shoes to match the outfits she bought in Rome. She also decided that, in order to keep Chadwick, she had to give him what he wanted: a kiss. That was all she would give him.
Douglas wanted to sample the local cuisine. Mei-Xing didn’t. Douglas went with a group of guys to Zalacaín for dinner. This was probably good for him. He felt like things were going too good too fast with Mei-Xing. An evening away from her was just what he needed.
Christopher and Leigh wanted to try something different. They went to Cines Verdi for a Spanish movie. In the dark, they held each other. They couldn’t understand most of the words, but they still got the message the movie delivered.
The next morning, they flew five hours from Madrid to Edinburgh. They checked into the Balmoral Hotel and left for the Royal Mile.
The Mile started with a tour of Edinburgh Castle, a fortress located on top of Castle Rock. Among the sights they saw there were the Portcullis Gate, the Argyle Tower, St. Margaret's Chapel, the Half Moon Battery, David's Tower, the Queen Anne Building, and the Royal Palace, which contained the Honours of Scotland, Scotland’s crown jewels. At one o’clock, they heard a cannon go off. This was the One O’Clock Gun being fired.
At the end of the Mile was the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the Queen of Scotland.
Christopher, Leigh, Douglas and Mei-Xing had dinner at the Forth Floor Restaurant. Douglas continued to fear that things were moving too fast with Mei-Xing, so he asked to go on a double date.
Kristen knew the time was now. She asked Chadwick to go with her to Cabaret Voltaire. After a night of dancing, she kissed him for the first time. But one kiss was not enough for him. He wanted more, more than she was willing to give.
As he grabbed her to kiss her again, she pulled away. His grip got tighter. “You’re hurting my arm.” She broke his grip and ran away.
The next morning they traveled by train from Edinburgh to London. They would be spending the next few days here.
They checked into the Savoy. They boarded buses and drove an hour and a half northwest to Stratford-upon-Avon, the home of William Shakespeare. Todd was excited about this stop. Shakespeare was a major inspiration in his becoming a writer.
They visited the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the childhood home of his wife. Christopher commented, “I loved her in The Princess Diaries.”
They loaded the buses and headed back to London for the night.
Still feeling the Shakespeare vibe, Todd wanted to see the Bard’s work in his homeland. He went to Shakespeare’s Globe Theater.
Feeling
the need to fill his urge that Kristen couldn’t satisfy, Chadwick hit the streets of London looking for someone who could.
A group of them, including Patricia and Richard and Christopher and Leigh, went to the London Eye. They boarded their capsule and rode the four hundred forty-three feet tall Ferris wheel. The view of London from that height at night was spectacular.
Douglas took Mei-Xing to the Barbican Centre to see the London Symphony Orchestra.
On the morning of day two in London, they left to tour the University of Oxford. Some of them had already visited Oxford for interviews. Patricia was among them who applied and were rejected.
Along the tour, they visited the Ashmolean Museum, the oldest museum in the United Kingdom.
Mei-Xing and Todd both got information on applying in the future to Oxford. Neither strongly considered it, but wanted to leave all options open.
That night, all were treated to dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s Restaurant.
The next morning, the group traveled to Stonehenge, the ancient wonder that was built over four thousand years ago. The circular monument was believed to be used as a burial ground. Others believed this was left by aliens. How else could such heavy stones have been placed as they were?
That night, Christopher had a rare evening alone. He needed to be alone on this night. He went shopping at Daniel Prince for a very special piece of jewelry.
Richard and Patricia were getting closer each day. This was no more present than when they went to Ministry Of Sound dancing. Richard took offense when a Londoner started dancing with her. She loved when he came to her defense.
Douglas and Mei-Xing went to Ain't Nothin' But Blues Bar, a change of pace for Mei-Xing, but right up Douglas’s alley. His father used to play for a blues band.
Kristen joined a few of the ladies, including Leigh, for a night at Fabric. She was approached by several men, but turned them all down. She wanted to stay true to Chadwick.
If only she knew where he was that night. He spent the night at Nags Head, a gentlemen’s club. He spared no expense there.
Todd, meanwhile, spent the night alone in the hotel room. He continued working on his book. Being in London has inspired him to make this his best work to date. He had a new inspiration: Marisol.
His roommate Gary Peach seldom ever spent much time in the room. He was involved in Geocaching, an internet treasure hunt. People would hide caches, mostly with trinkets, that others would use GPSs to find.
Most people in the States had few finds, if any, outside of the country. What better opportunity to find international caches than this trip.
On their last day in England, they toured the city of London. Their first stop was Westminster Abbey, just months after the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The two highlights here were the Henry VII's Lady Chapel and the shrine of St. Edward the Confessor.
Next on the tour of London was the Houses of Parliament. This included the House of Commons, the House of Lords, Westminster Hall, Victoria Tower, and Big Ben.
Next on the tour was Buckingham Palace, the home of Queen Elizabeth II. The inside tour was limited to the State Rooms, the Royal Mews where the royal carriages were housed, and the Queen’s Gallery, but they were able to tour the grounds. They arrived just in time to see the Changing of the Guards. Christopher tried his best to make them flinch. He failed.
Next was Windsor Castle. During the tour, they were able to climb to the top of the Round Tower.
The final stop of the tour of London was the Tower of London, a castle founded in 1066. Among the sights on the tour were the White Tower, the Crown Jewels and the Menagerie.
Scattered throughout the many sights were paintings by the world’s most famous artists.
They finished their stay in London with a moonlight cruise on the River Thames. Besides the sights that had seen earlier in the day, they saw London Bridge lit up.
CHAPTER SIX
The next morning, they checked out of the hotel. They rode the train from London to Paris. The ride took them through the Channel Tunnel, an underwater tunnel. Two and a half hours later, they arrived.
They checked into the Hotel de Crillon. A half hour later, they left to tour the Louvre.
When they saw the glass pyramid, Christopher made a remark about The DaVinci Code. Inside, they saw some of the most famous works of art in the world, such as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, among the thirty-five thousand pieces in the collection.
As the sun was setting, they toured the Eiffel Tower. On their way, they passed the Arc de Triomphe, which honored those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, and Notre Dame Cathedral.
When they reached the top, Christopher pulled Leigh to the side, where they could be alone. “You don’t know how much you mean to me. In this past month, I realized that I don’t want to spend another day without you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the engagement ring he purchased in London. He dropped to one knee. “Leigh Anne McElvain, will you marry me?”
When he asked that question, they knew they weren’t alone because everyone turned to see her reaction. When she said yes, everyone applauded.
While some went elsewhere after the tour, others stayed and ate at Le Jules Verne. Among them were Douglas and Mei-Xing. It was during dinner that Douglas told her that he loved her for the first time.
Kristen took this as another opportunity to shop. She visited Yves-Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton.
As she walked back to the hotel with several bags, she looked over to an alley. What she saw shocked her. She saw Chadwick making out with a French woman.
When she saw them kissing, her eyes welled up. She ran away as fast as she could. She gave him more than she did to most other men, and this was the thanks she got?
After he ditched Séverine (again, he didn’t get her name nor cared to), Chadwick took in a show at Moulin Rouge. He didn’t care about the story, just the manner in which it was told, with topless performers.
Christopher and Leigh celebrated their engagement at Taillevent, followed by a walk, hand in hand, through Park Monceau.
The next morning, they checked out and boarded a train. Three and a half hours later, they arrived at Pontorson. They checked into the Hôtel Vert.
Shortly thereafter, they traveled to Mont St. Michel to view the famous Abbey. It used to be a monastery, but was converted into a fortified prison during the French Revolution. According to legend, the Archangel Michael appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of Avranches, in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet where the structure that bears his name stands today.
After checking out of the hotel, they boarded a train and rode through the night. When they woke up, the train was pulling into Aachen, Germany.
They checked into the Hotel Pullman Aachen Quellenhof. From there, they traveled to Aachen Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in Northern Europe. The cathedral was a mixture of Carolingian, Gothic, and Baroque architecture.
They saw the octagonal Palatine Chapel. They saw the Shrine of Virgin Mary and the four great Aachen relics: St. Mary's cloak, Christ's swaddling clothes, St. John the Baptist's beheading cloth and Christ's loincloth. They saw the Shrine of Charlemagne, which housed his remains.
They did not stay the night in Aachen. They checked out and boarded a train bound for Füssen.
On the way there, Chadwick tried to talk to Kristen. Kristen, however, didn’t want to hear any of his sweet talk.
“What do you take me for? A fool? I saw you back in Paris making out with that whore.”
“I can explain…”
“Don’t bother. In fact, don’t say another word to me. Get away.”
Before he left, Chadwick told her of the other women he enjoyed on the trip, Daphne in Greece, Giovanna in Italy, Isabel in Spain, and Séverine.
Word of their split spread fast. Before the train arrived in Füssen, she had been
approached by six different men asking her out. She refused them all. Todd was happy to hear about the split, but knew to keep his distance for the time being. She needed time to recover.
Christopher and Leigh started making plans for their wedding. Leigh wanted to wait until they got home to get married. Christopher wanted to get married on the trip. They compromised. They would get married on the trip and then have a separate ceremony back home with friends and family.
As they were checking into the Luitpoldpark Hotel, man number seven asked her out. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“Look, just leave me alone! I don’t want to go out with you or anyone else! I just want to be left alone!”
Her plan worked. All of the men left her alone. Unfortunately, all of the women left her alone, too. She got what she wanted; she was an island unto herself.
After checking in, they left for Neuschwanstein Castle. It was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as an homage to Richard Wagner. They saw the Hall of the Singers, the Throne Hall, and the Rectangular Tower.
As they left the castle, they saw several people paragliding over the castle. Christopher wanted to try that, but he didn’t know who to contact nor did he have the time to.
Again, they checked out of the hotel early and rode the train through the night.
Kristen wound up with a private room, as no one still wanted to have anything to do with her.
They arrived at sunrise in Berlin. They checked into the Hotel Adlon.
After breakfast, they left for the Brandenberg Gate. This was one of the openings for the Berlin Wall. It was here that in 1987, Ronald Reagan Gave his famous speech, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
From there, they went to Gemäldegalerie. This museum held one of the most impressive collections of European art.
That night, Christopher and Leigh discussed their wedding plans further over dinner at Die Quadriga. After much discussion, they decided on where they would get married. They would get married in a few weeks when the trip stopped in Japan.
Patricia and Richard shared a pint at Prater Garten. They were getting back to the way they were when they dated in high school.
Kristen spent a rare evening in her hotel room, ordering room service. She wanted to be left alone. She got her wish on the tour. This was one of the few times she had been all by herself on the trip. The silence was calming.
