MAY 20-21, 2008
by Katharine Schroeder
Day Three: Off to London! (May 20)
We were in France so Jackie Chan could attend the Cannes Film Festival and he had spent the entire day before promoting the film Wushu, which he produced. After getting to bed very late, the sun was already high in the sky before any of us awoke. I couldn't wait to go outside with my camera; the garden was so beautiful and I wanted to make sure that I took plenty of photos to show you. Afterwards, I went back into my room and sat at the desk which faced the double doors opening out to the garden. As I sat working at the computer, I was startled by Jackie, who poked his head into my room and yelled “GOOD MORNING!!” He had his camera with him and he was taking pictures in the garden. Every time he took a photo, he ran back to show me what he’d done. I told him that I was impressed with how unique his photos were. I said that I’d just been out taking photos in the same garden, yet his were completely different. He seemed pleased to hear this, and scurried away to look for some more interesting angles. Not long afterwards I noticed Solon in the garden, also taking photos. Later, when I compared the photos taken by the three of us, I realized that it was easy to see three very distinct styles. I will show you the comparison between my photos and Jackie’s, but I don’t have any of Solon’s, so I’ll just have to tell you about them.
Here is the photo that Jackie took of a tree right outside my room:
And here is the photo that I took of the same tree:
Another of Jackie’s photos from the garden:
And one of mine:
Solon’s photos are quite different…they are classically and carefully composed studies of flowers, dewdrops, and even an insect crawling across a rose petal. Jackie mostly goes for the funky, unusual angle and when I’m not photographing people, I go for a broad view.
Here are a few more of Jackie's pictures:
Here's Jackie looking for an interesting angle to photograph the tree from.
After taking pictures, I realized that since there were only the three of us at the villa, one of us would have to prepare a meal. As you probably know, Jackie is not much for cooking and I confess that neither am I. Imagine my joy when I went into the kitchen and discovered that at some point in the morning, someone had come in and delivered fresh fruit and bread. No need for me to cook, which was surely a very lucky break for Jackie and Solon.
Sadly, it was soon time to leave and begin our trip to the airport where we would catch a plane for London. After one more look around the grounds, I hauled my suitcase into the van and we drove away from the beautiful French villa.
You don't have to be able to read French to get the message on this sign at the villa's entrance.
A last look as we drove away.
Before heading for the airport we went back down to the waterfront in Cannes to meet with Jackie’s friends for lunch, after which they would be joining us for our trip to London. After eating, we went out for a walk along the boulevard and Jackie was stopped numerous times for photos and autographs. It was becoming impossible to walk more than a few feet without interruption, so finally we just got into the cars and drove away.
Jackie has a look at downtown Cannes.
Lunch.
Jackie attempts a walk down the street in Cannes.
A short while later we arrived at a small airport where we would be taking a private plane to London. Because Jackie’s friends were doing business during this trip, we were lucky enough to be able to travel with them on a private jet. After clearing security and taking a few photos, we settled into our seats and the plane took off. This was my first time in a private plane and I asked Solon to take my photo, which he did. I was unaware of the big kid behind me making rabbit ears over my head for the picture:
During the flight to London, Jackie’s friends played cards, read magazines, and talked. They talked a lot. Jackie’s friends are from Beijing and for someone who is new to Mandarin (me), a Beijing accent can be most challenging to understand. Actually, Jackie told me that he also has trouble understanding them occasionally. Jackie’s Mandarin is so easy to understand, although he insists that it’s not perfect. At one point during the flight, Jackie demonstrated some of his famous moves on his friend:
Jackie thought the clouds looked like a snowy landscape. What do you think?
As we approached London, I took some photos from the window of the airplane to show you the beautiful English countryside:
Jackie at the airport.
After arriving at our hotel, we dropped off our luggage and got ready to go out to dinner. (I told you that Jackie never slows down.) We went to a popular Japanese restaurant in London, where the considerate staff whisked us away to a table in the corner near a big window which overlooked the street. As he always does, Jackie sat with his back to the dining area and he was able to have dinner with minimal disruption. About halfway through our meal, we happened to glance out the window and were amazed to see that there was a group of photographers standing across the street looking up at our party. When they saw that they'd been spotted, they waved happily. It appears that someone had alerted the press that Jackie was in town and dining out, and soon there were eight photographers standing in wait. By the time we were ready to leave, there were a dozen. In order to avoid being caught in the photos, most of us exited just ahead of Jackie, this way he was the only one who would end up in the tabloids.
Jackie patiently posed for photos until all the photographers were satisfied and then asked them to let us go. They complied, and we started over to the waiting van for the ride back to the hotel. Jackie, however, had other ideas. You see, if Jackie is within walking distance of anywhere and there is a choice to ride or walk, he will always choose to walk. So walk we did. It was quite cold and none of us were dressed for the weather, so we huddled together and made our chilly way back to the hotel. By the time we got back, it was late at night and we bid each other goodnight and went to our rooms for a well-deserved rest. It had been another long day.
In the morning we would be taking a drive to the south of England to visit a car factory and sculpture garden. One of Jackie’s friends was interested in touring the factory and we would all go along for the ride.
Day 4: Car Factory and Graham Norton (May 21)
Because we would be leaving at around 11:30, I arose early to take a walk around the city since we would not have much time for touring during this trip. The London weather was beautiful and of course Buckingham Palace was magnificent. Jackie wants me to take photos wherever we go and then post them in these articles in the hopes that his fans will want to visit some of these places too. Here are some photos I took to show you:
Buckingham Palace and statues.
No article about London would be complete without a photo of the palace guard.
Back at the hotel, I met up with Jackie and the others and we drove down to a town in the south – I think it took about two or three hours to get there. I sat in the front with the driver so I could take photos, and Jackie and Solon sat in the back. We talked for a while and then all I heard was the sound of soft breathing coming from the back seat. My bosses were both sound asleep. I spent the rest of the ride talking with the driver, who enthusiastically described every landmark and point of interest along the way. I was quite happy to listen to him since I’d never been in the area before. Before long we arrived at a sculpture garden. Situated in the middle of a dense forest, the garden had paths cut through the woods with pieces of sculpture displayed in natural surroundings. It looked so much like Sherwood Forest and I kept expecting Robin Hood and his Merry Men to come running out of the shadows at any moment.
Jackie was tremendously intrigued by this place and asked me to take some photos of the pieces so you could see how beautifully they were displayed. He said that he wants to show different government officials what can be done with art to make places more attractive. Jackie is always thinking about how to improve the surroundings and he loves beautiful things.
When we were done looking around, we were treated to a small buffet of snacks and some drinks. Jackie was like a kid in a candy store at the buffet; there were so many wonderful things to eat, he didn't know where to begin. He will tell you that he eats too fast and doesn’t really savor his food, but he seemed to really like the taste of everything and I think he ate about a dozen of the little appetizers. After taking some photos with the people we’d gone to the sculpture garden with, we got back in the cars and headed for a tour of a car factory.
Although the idea of touring a car factory may not seem very exciting, I assure you that it was quite interesting. Jackie was intrigued by each and every process that went into manufacturing the cars. He listened attentively to our guide and asked many questions. He carefully examined each and every thing we saw very and seemed to be filing the information away for future use. Maybe someday you will see another scene in one of Jackie’s movies that takes place in a car factory (think of Twin Dragons).
On the drive back to London, we passed through towns that looked like something out of…..well…..a fairy tale. Cottages with thatched roofs, green rolling hills, people riding bicycles along country lanes. It was all so picturesque and Jackie wanted me to take some photos out the window of the car so you can see what it’s like. He thinks that maybe someday you will want to visit after seeing how pretty it all is:
Back in London we hurried over to a television studio where Jackie was scheduled to be a guest on the Graham Norton Show. I confess that I had no idea who Graham Norton was, so I was unprepared for the type of show that it was. We arrived with some time to spare, so we went to the dressing room to wait. While we waited, Jackie turned on the television and we watched more reports about the
One of the other guests on the show was a popular British comedian named Dawn French. She and Jackie got along well and all in all, I thought the show was quite good. Jackie told some very funny stories; one about meeting the Queen of England and another about his hand injury during filming of Rush Hour 3. During the taping of the show, Graham displayed Jackie’s injury page from the Jackie Chan Kids Corner website (this segment was cut from the final show) and of course that made us happy.
When we went outside to get into the car, there were dozens of fans waiting to see Jackie, all calling and waving to him from behind a fence. Many of them were thrusting photos or autograph books towards Jackie and begging him to sign for them. Jackie told me to go over and get a few so I did. I grabbed the ones that were nearest to where I could reach and brought them into the car, where Jackie signed them. I felt so bad for the people whose items I couldn't take, but Jackie would have been there for hours if he signed each one. I hope that the next time Jackie's in London, the fans who didn't get an autograph will have another chance.
Afterwards, we went to dinner at a beautiful restaurant which is famous for its seafood. Unfortunately, the acoustics were so bad that I could not hear anything Jackie was saying although he was sitting right across the table from me. Therefore, I have nothing much to report to you, but I will tell you that the shrimp were enormous. They had their heads, legs, tails, and antennae still attached, and I wasn't quite sure how to deal with them. I'd seen much smaller versions of these shrimp in Hong Kong many times, but I never attempted to eat them. You see, in America, shrimp are rarely served this way; Americans like their shrimp served already cleaned. I did not want to embarrass myself with my lack of knowledge about how to deal with these monstrous crustaceans, so I decided to watch Jackie since he most certainly would know what to do. Jackie has his own method for doing just about everything, and of course he had a precise system for beheading and de-legging shrimp. After watching his technique, I was soon following his lead. I'd learned another handy skill from my multi-talented boss.
After dinner, we walked back to the hotel (this time we were better prepared for the weather) and after saying goodnight to everyone, I went to take some photos at Piccadilly Circus. Since this is not exactly a safe place late at night, I quickly took some photos, then hurried back to the hotel.
ON THE ROAD WITH JACKIE CHAN:
TRIP TO EUROPE: CANNES FILM FESTIVAL IN FRANCE
(DAYS ONE AND TWO)
ON THE ROAD WITH JACKIE CHAN:
TRIP TO EUROPE: SHOPPING IN LONDON AND OTHER THINGS
(DAY FIVE)
ON THE ROAD WITH JACKIE CHAN:
TRIP TO EUROPE: CHINESE EMBASSY AND OXFORD
(DAY SIX)
Text and photos ©2008 The JC Group. All Rights Reserved.