Maddy:
Today we went to the science museum. Mom's foot feels much better and my feet didn't hurt until the very end. Go rubber shoe insert things! The museum was cool and had many hands-on activities. We saw a dinosaur IMAX film. Sooooooo cold today also. Makes my hair frizzy and my toes ache. But all-in-all, London is AWESOME!
Chris:
I had such a wonderful time at the museum. My favorite part was the IMAX movie. But first we went to the LaunchPad where we did everything on our own. It was pretty great because it was all really doing things for science. I already knew a lot of it, like about sound waves, magnetism, electricity generation and so much more. Last thing was the dinosaur IMAX, it was a little scary but mostly about fossils and history.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Chris:
Today was a relaxing day except I found a spider in the bathroom. Now we saw that tomorrow it's going to rain again. But hopefully mom's foot will heal and we can go to the science museum because I really want to do the LaunchPad activities and then see the evolution of life . Today we ate a British soup with rutabega, chicken and cheddar that mom made. It was one of the best I ever had.
Maddy:
Today was a resting day. The Tesco guy came, he gave us a London newspaper and, well, food. We also got some rubber shoe insert things to help Mom's feet, as well as mine. For dinner we had a delicious chicken, cheddar, leek and rutabaga soup. Mmmmmmmm so good. Tomorrow we hopefully will be going to the science museum which looks SO fun. I really hope Mom's foot gets better, so we don't have to leave there too early. London is great and full of surprises!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Cooking in a holiday flat
I have had plenty of time today to prepare for the week, get some food delivered from the local grocery and familiarize myself with the kitchen in our studio. Why so much down time on holiday? Well, it was always part of the plan to travel slowly and give the Tweens ample time to do school assignments most days. But at the moment I have a sprained foot giving us extra rest. Last night I scoured the Web for a coupon and created the list for a delivery of groceries (plus shoe inserts and foot brace) that arrived just as expected and at a great price.
This dish was made last night from easy ingredients from the corner market. The veggies are presliced and mixed together but still fresh and crisp. Boil the linguine, steam veggies, toss with butter and garlic then top with cheese. Much healthier and cheaper than always going out but still simple in the mini kitchen with no oven or much of anything really beyond kettle, one burner and microwave.
It will be even simpler to feed us now that I have had a lay-up day to plan and prep after the nice driver brought all of these easy to fix ingredients:
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Tweens day 3 & 4
Maddy:
Yesterday we went on an overground train, and saw platform 9 3/4 (it didn't look like it was supposed to). It took half an hour to get to our flat in Foxhill. There we meet the owners and they showed us around. They also said that we couldn't go a week without seeing a fox in the garden. No foxes for that day. Today I woke up at eight something. I turned over and looked down on none other than a ladybug. I know it's lucky to find a ladybug in your house, but how much luckier if you find it on your pillow? I woke up Chris and mom to tell them and set the ladybug free and we saw not one, but two foxes in the garden! London is beautiful, and the flat is wonderful!
Chris:
We came here by train yesterday and it was hard because of the luggage and the stairs. The apartment is great because it is in somebody's house and they made a business from it. Today we watched two red foxes play in the yard right out out window. There are also a lot of pigeons and they actually flew in our tree which I did not know they could do. Turns out in Britain they show movies on TV. Last night we watched part of Harry Potter and The Wild West. Our dinner was quiche from the Sainsbury store with veggies, the food here is fantastic! All day today we just did school.
Yesterday we went on an overground train, and saw platform 9 3/4 (it didn't look like it was supposed to). It took half an hour to get to our flat in Foxhill. There we meet the owners and they showed us around. They also said that we couldn't go a week without seeing a fox in the garden. No foxes for that day. Today I woke up at eight something. I turned over and looked down on none other than a ladybug. I know it's lucky to find a ladybug in your house, but how much luckier if you find it on your pillow? I woke up Chris and mom to tell them and set the ladybug free and we saw not one, but two foxes in the garden! London is beautiful, and the flat is wonderful!
Chris:
We came here by train yesterday and it was hard because of the luggage and the stairs. The apartment is great because it is in somebody's house and they made a business from it. Today we watched two red foxes play in the yard right out out window. There are also a lot of pigeons and they actually flew in our tree which I did not know they could do. Turns out in Britain they show movies on TV. Last night we watched part of Harry Potter and The Wild West. Our dinner was quiche from the Sainsbury store with veggies, the food here is fantastic! All day today we just did school.
Crystal Palace
Last night, after trekking from the city center on the afternoon train to our flat in the quieter suburbs, we had our first UK grocery shopping adventure. I love their prepackaged food that has so few ingredients all clearly listed, especially since I have a limited kitchen for these 2 weeks, without all the ingredients needed to cook fresh. The simple quiche for dinner and this morning's farm-fresh toasted bread and butter with fruit and tea were either all really high quality or we are just easily impressed. I have to go back to the store today because the kids miss the "full English breakfast" of beans, eggs, potatoes and sausage that the hostel served both mornings we were there. Personally I couldn't eat it but they are hooked and it keeps them fueled for hours.
It was lovely to get a full night of deep sleep with no church bells, sirens, traffic or other city noises. The tweens woke me up with squeals this morning. They opened a window to release a ladybug and saw not one but two red foxes in the garden. This flat is wonderful. It is on the edge of a huge park, Crystal Palace Park, in what used to be the Great North Woods of Winnie the Pooh fame. This beautiful Tudor house is on a hill with great views all the way to London and it is visible in Pissaro's painting "Fox Hill". All of those clues should have prepared me for the wildlife but it was a great unexpected surprise.
We are spending the day catching up on school work and getting settled in to our temporary home.
It was lovely to get a full night of deep sleep with no church bells, sirens, traffic or other city noises. The tweens woke me up with squeals this morning. They opened a window to release a ladybug and saw not one but two red foxes in the garden. This flat is wonderful. It is on the edge of a huge park, Crystal Palace Park, in what used to be the Great North Woods of Winnie the Pooh fame. This beautiful Tudor house is on a hill with great views all the way to London and it is visible in Pissaro's painting "Fox Hill". All of those clues should have prepared me for the wildlife but it was a great unexpected surprise.
We are spending the day catching up on school work and getting settled in to our temporary home.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
The input of the Tweens so far
Maddy London Blog
Day 1, 3/25
Today, we drove to LAX. We had to wake up at 2:00 am, arriving at 5:00 am. The plane ride was 2 hours, landing in Dallas, Texas. Mom doesn't like Texas, I can only guess why. Then we had to wait 5 hours for our next flight to arrive. We ate at the busiest TGI Fridays ever. When our flight came, it really freaked me out. It was SOOOO big and had three rows of seats. The flight took 12 hours. I didn't sleep a wink. When we arrived in London, we went on the stupidest tube train ever. It was cramped, full of loud people, and stopped every 30 seconds, if we where at the station or not. The loudest people where three teenage girls telling storys of crushes and asking each other for money. Finally we came to the hostel and dropped of our luggage. It was quiet and had too many stairs. We rode around in a two story bus and looked all over London. Even though we sat down, our feet still hurt. We finally got to the hostel and fell asleep.
Day 2 3/26
Today we went to the Natural History Museum and saw dinasaur bones and the timeline of life on Earth. It was cool. Then we walked around Kensington to get to the Diana memorial park. The best part there was the Peter Pan ship. But before we left the hostel we talked for hours with some very fun and interesting people. So by the end of everything we were really tired again. It took a lot of walking to find the Wagamama restaurant that we wanted for dinner. When we got there, it was DELICIOUS. Mom bought chocolate bars and they are so much more awesome here in England!!!Chris
Chris blog Day 1 London 3\25
Today, I learned the starting parts of England. Like that there are many trollies and underground stations, many of which contain trains and food stands. Also we rode a bus through downtown and saw so many things, like the Royal Court of Justice and some Palaces, pubs and a lot of churches .
day 2 london 3/26
Today I went to the Natural History museum and learned the history of earth, sience and all. Then I went to the Princess Diana memorial playground in Kensington Gardens. Dinner was great, I had duck gyoza and real ramen with chicken and vegetables at Wagamama. My favorite part of the whole day was the playground.
Day 1, 3/25
Today, we drove to LAX. We had to wake up at 2:00 am, arriving at 5:00 am. The plane ride was 2 hours, landing in Dallas, Texas. Mom doesn't like Texas, I can only guess why. Then we had to wait 5 hours for our next flight to arrive. We ate at the busiest TGI Fridays ever. When our flight came, it really freaked me out. It was SOOOO big and had three rows of seats. The flight took 12 hours. I didn't sleep a wink. When we arrived in London, we went on the stupidest tube train ever. It was cramped, full of loud people, and stopped every 30 seconds, if we where at the station or not. The loudest people where three teenage girls telling storys of crushes and asking each other for money. Finally we came to the hostel and dropped of our luggage. It was quiet and had too many stairs. We rode around in a two story bus and looked all over London. Even though we sat down, our feet still hurt. We finally got to the hostel and fell asleep.
Day 2 3/26
Today we went to the Natural History Museum and saw dinasaur bones and the timeline of life on Earth. It was cool. Then we walked around Kensington to get to the Diana memorial park. The best part there was the Peter Pan ship. But before we left the hostel we talked for hours with some very fun and interesting people. So by the end of everything we were really tired again. It took a lot of walking to find the Wagamama restaurant that we wanted for dinner. When we got there, it was DELICIOUS. Mom bought chocolate bars and they are so much more awesome here in England!!!Chris
Chris blog Day 1 London 3\25
Today, I learned the starting parts of England. Like that there are many trollies and underground stations, many of which contain trains and food stands. Also we rode a bus through downtown and saw so many things, like the Royal Court of Justice and some Palaces, pubs and a lot of churches .
day 2 london 3/26
Today I went to the Natural History museum and learned the history of earth, sience and all. Then I went to the Princess Diana memorial playground in Kensington Gardens. Dinner was great, I had duck gyoza and real ramen with chicken and vegetables at Wagamama. My favorite part of the whole day was the playground.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Short update, day 2 in London
Yesterday was like magic. The Tweens helped me pick the activities: Natural History Museum, Kensington Gardens for the Diana playground and carved Elvin Oak then Wagamama noodle bar for dinner. The highlight of the day was the many people we met and conversations shared. It took us 3 full hours to get going after breakfast as we stayed in the lounge of the hotel talking with new friends.
Physically, we are all getting past the jet lag and accustomed to the Cathedral bells waking us up through the night. But there is an odd and deep kind of tiredness that comes from being so aware of my surroundings at all times while navigating unfamiliar situations and places. So I am not writing enough, but I will! Today we head out of the city center to our studio flat in the suburbs where I am sure things will calm down. But within the chaos and difficulty there is so much joy and I love London!
Physically, we are all getting past the jet lag and accustomed to the Cathedral bells waking us up through the night. But there is an odd and deep kind of tiredness that comes from being so aware of my surroundings at all times while navigating unfamiliar situations and places. So I am not writing enough, but I will! Today we head out of the city center to our studio flat in the suburbs where I am sure things will calm down. But within the chaos and difficulty there is so much joy and I love London!
And we're off!
I've decided the Brits I met today are the first real ones I have encountered and will therefore represent their entire nation as the great adventure begins. Previous aquiantances were either expatriots, tourists or temporary Americans working in the horse industry in Kentucky. These British Airways personell and fellow passengers were (although currently in Texas) working and living in their natural English habitat. The kids and I were in luck with these nice people who were probably having a much harder day than we were yet still treated us very kindly.
The labor dispute was announced last week but I didn't worry because while they had threatened, British Airways employees had not walked out in 13 years. There was no possibility the union would pick this particular time and economic climate to have the first work stoppage in 13 years. Right? So as this impossibility began to occur, I monitored the cancelations and changes without much recourse. By the evening of the 22nd I was sure my flight would be spared. The next morning I woke to an email that it was canceled but that I could call to arrange alternatives that would still get us to London on the 25th. The lady on the phone was wonderful dispite the chaos they must all be experiencing. She was able to route us from LAX on American Airlines through Dallas with a long layover then onto an unnaffected British Airways flight into Heathrow. My dilema now was whether or not to accept this convoluted oddessy that would start with a much earlier than planned and rush hour embattled departure and end in an exhausting 20 hour journey. We would arrive on the expected day but several hours too early for our reserved check-in or I could decline and risk further difficulting trying to fly later in the week. The prospect of having to rebook each sleeping arrangement with possible lost deposits decided matters.
By the time we boarded the last leg of the journy we had been on the move for 10 hours. The 8 hour flight to London was comfortable and we met great people who were wonderfully interested in our plans. The flight attendants struck me as experts and seemed to be plentiful so it was weird to hear them apologize repeatedly for the low standards of service due to the “current unfortunate events”. They made announcements to that affect and gave copoiuos amounts of really nice free wine to any and everyone. Between exchanging travel stories with interesting passengers and talking a bit with some of the crew we didn't get much rest. It didn't help that there were tiny televisions in each seat back with a variety of choices to boggle the minds of two Tweens who have lived without TV for a few years.
All of my smugness at having pre-purchased Oyster Cards online to use for travel on the Tube, buses and local trains flew out the window while trying to clear customs. Fuzzy eyed and cranky kids had to follow me through huge crowds while I struggled to find the right office to pick the cards up. Success! But then we had to continue on and use them on an unfamiliar subway system on a workday morning in a busy city. With luggage. Maddy actually fell asleep leaning on her suitcase holding onto a pole about halfway between the airport and downtown. And Chris had a very hard time not wandering off while we had to switch from the blue to the red lines.
But we arrived safely at St Paul's where we are booked for a few days in a cozy room that used to be part of the choir dormitories. It now holds three beds, built in a futuristic angled stack with clever storage cubbies. Our shower and WC are down the hall and our view is of the great Cathedral next door. They were kind enough to let us leave our luggage here this morning so we could wander around until check- in time. About all we could manage was lunch in a little deli and getting onto a double deck red bus. We literally got onto the first one and went wherever it was going, pointing to the marvels out the windoow and asking locals what we were looking at. Eventually we got off at a Tube station and got back into a crowded train that brought us back to the Cathedral. Lovely! And now for a nap.
The labor dispute was announced last week but I didn't worry because while they had threatened, British Airways employees had not walked out in 13 years. There was no possibility the union would pick this particular time and economic climate to have the first work stoppage in 13 years. Right? So as this impossibility began to occur, I monitored the cancelations and changes without much recourse. By the evening of the 22nd I was sure my flight would be spared. The next morning I woke to an email that it was canceled but that I could call to arrange alternatives that would still get us to London on the 25th. The lady on the phone was wonderful dispite the chaos they must all be experiencing. She was able to route us from LAX on American Airlines through Dallas with a long layover then onto an unnaffected British Airways flight into Heathrow. My dilema now was whether or not to accept this convoluted oddessy that would start with a much earlier than planned and rush hour embattled departure and end in an exhausting 20 hour journey. We would arrive on the expected day but several hours too early for our reserved check-in or I could decline and risk further difficulting trying to fly later in the week. The prospect of having to rebook each sleeping arrangement with possible lost deposits decided matters.
By the time we boarded the last leg of the journy we had been on the move for 10 hours. The 8 hour flight to London was comfortable and we met great people who were wonderfully interested in our plans. The flight attendants struck me as experts and seemed to be plentiful so it was weird to hear them apologize repeatedly for the low standards of service due to the “current unfortunate events”. They made announcements to that affect and gave copoiuos amounts of really nice free wine to any and everyone. Between exchanging travel stories with interesting passengers and talking a bit with some of the crew we didn't get much rest. It didn't help that there were tiny televisions in each seat back with a variety of choices to boggle the minds of two Tweens who have lived without TV for a few years.
All of my smugness at having pre-purchased Oyster Cards online to use for travel on the Tube, buses and local trains flew out the window while trying to clear customs. Fuzzy eyed and cranky kids had to follow me through huge crowds while I struggled to find the right office to pick the cards up. Success! But then we had to continue on and use them on an unfamiliar subway system on a workday morning in a busy city. With luggage. Maddy actually fell asleep leaning on her suitcase holding onto a pole about halfway between the airport and downtown. And Chris had a very hard time not wandering off while we had to switch from the blue to the red lines.
But we arrived safely at St Paul's where we are booked for a few days in a cozy room that used to be part of the choir dormitories. It now holds three beds, built in a futuristic angled stack with clever storage cubbies. Our shower and WC are down the hall and our view is of the great Cathedral next door. They were kind enough to let us leave our luggage here this morning so we could wander around until check- in time. About all we could manage was lunch in a little deli and getting onto a double deck red bus. We literally got onto the first one and went wherever it was going, pointing to the marvels out the windoow and asking locals what we were looking at. Eventually we got off at a Tube station and got back into a crowded train that brought us back to the Cathedral. Lovely! And now for a nap.
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