5 down, 4 to go.

It's hard to believe we've been here for 5 whole weeks. Even harder to believe, is that we'll be leaving in 4! Where has the time gone?! Seriously. Life in London has become so normal that we sometimes forget this isn't our 'real' life.  I'd like to think we no longer stick out like sore thumbs, but I'm pretty sure every time we step out the door there is a neon sign that lights up, saying 'Americans on the loose!'

In the past few weeks we have (in no real order):
--Had dinner with our friends the Subletts at a pub around the corner
--Made friends with a couple, Iain and Clare, who happen to live around the corner,  are great cooks and quite a lot of fun. We've had dinner with them twice in the past 10 days and Clare introduced me to the London Voices Choir*. We've also been to pub with said choir. It's what they do.
--Gotten the girls' hair cut. 'Bangs' are called 'fringe' here, by the way, and the glossary relating to dye jobs (aka, technical services) is long and confusing.
--Taken a paddle boat out on the Serpentine in Hyde Park
--Become members of the British Museum (it was cheaper than paying for the touring exhibits we wanted to see, plus we get special access and don't have to queue for tickets
         --Started using the word 'queue' for lining up. Have even told people who were trying to cut in    
           where the queue started
--Checked out the movies. You have to select seats when you buy your tickets and even if no one else is in the theatre you can't sit in the upgraded seats.
        --Discovered that popcorn in the movie theatre is sweet or salty but never buttery. Bummer.
        --They do serve beer at the movie theatre. Yay!
--Gone to Hampton Court Palace. That Henry VIII. He was kind of a jerk. Had a cool house though. He also had a pattern to his wives--just in case you weren't aware--divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, (he) died. I find him and his reign quite interesting.
--spent some time with Will's mom, Carol who has been visiting. We've shown her around a bit. She's gone off on her own a bit. She, Will and Ella hit the Harry Potter Studio Tour and liked it quite a bit. Julia and I went and played in a park that day.
--Taken in a couple of shows. 39 Steps, with Carol and then she and Will went to see The Commitments, which they thoroughly enjoyed and the girls and I saw Sequence 8, which was sort of a Cirque de Soliel-esque performance, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
--Discovered that 10 and under's ride free on most buses and all tube rides so long as they're with a paying adult. Spent a few hours sulking that we'd been paying for her for the first 3 1/2 weeks.
--Discovered that public transportation is pretty cool, but it really sucks if you don't check the status before you leave the house and find yourself at a closed bus stop or tube station.
--Learned some colorful slang and interesting rules of etiquette courtesy of Iain and Clare.
--Had dinner with a Detective Inspector of the New Scotland Yard, and a Neuroscientist, also courtesy of Iain and Clare.
--Realized there is no way I can bake anything if I don't have measuring cups of some kind or a kitchen scale. Not sure this is a real problem.
--Gone on the London Eye. Thought it was going to be cheesy, and it was, but also quite enjoyable. We've been told it's a bad idea to have a session at pub and then go on the Eye. Sounds like good advice.
--Found a gym and coach for Julia to practice with at least once a week. Once they got past the language barrier--certain skills are called different things--it went really well.
--Gone to Anne Boleyn's childhood home. We spent some time there today with friends' of the Nyberg's. Ali and Andy Etheridge have a son and daughter that are right around Ella and Julia's ages. We had beautiful weather, plenty of room for them to run and a water maze to boot. It was a lovely afternoon and the girls were absolutely thrilled to have kids their own age to talk to and hang out with.
--Been to the Natural History Museum. The Smithsonian is really damn cool, but this place is friggin' amazing! It doesn't hurt that we showed up on the one night a year that the museum is open late and some 150+ scientists are let out of their labs to educate the general public for Science Uncovered 2014. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. We got to see some really cool stuff and talk to really cool people!

There's been loads of other things, but this list alone is not bad for a couple of weeks...

Some of the Tall Ships from our near disastrous excursion to the festival where we met Iain and Clare.

Two of our favorites from Hampton Court Palace. 

The Boleyn Dragon and the Seymour Jaguar

Clearly this is the 'bang head here' spot, even though there isn't a sign.

So glad this is not my stovetop!

Ali and me, Hever Castle

The kids having 'a go' at archery…. 

You can't really see it, but that's a bullseye!

Ella, Julia, Edward and Caitlin after the water maze. It was possible to not get quite so wet…..

We just thought this guy was cool at the British Museum

One of the main entrances of the Natural History Museum.

If you see a dodo, you have to take a picture.

Unfortunately, this picture doesn't even begin to do justice to the expanse and beauty of the main hall. That's a statue of Charles Darwin way in the back.


**London City Voices is a really cool choir. It's a no-audition, pay by term and come when you can. All the arrangements are done by the director and currently they're working on some Queen, Paul Simon, and traditional songs. After practice they all go to pub (the same one each week) and inevitably end up singing some more. I'm taking video this week to share, but you can also check out the website www.londoncityvoices.co.uk

It never fails

to rain when you've forgotten your umbrella or be beautiful and sunshine-y when you've brought it along. It's the same with packing. If you pack for warm weather, it will inevitably be cold and vice versa.

Trying to pack for this trip was quite an undertaking.  We didn't want to bring more than we needed, but we also didn't want to end up spending a fortune on things we should have brought.  To help us, we looked at weather forecasts, checked average temperatures and rainfall for each month, and listened to personal accounts.  It was from all this information that a lot of warm clothing was packed and no shorts (except for Will, of course).  I'm pretty sure I told Julia that there would be no reason for shorts--she'd never need them.  It is England, after all, it's supposed to be chilly, foggy and rainy.

Since we've been here, I think it has maybe rained 4 times and two of those were our first days.  From then on, the weather has been lovely and even hot. It has frequently reached the upper 70's and even hit the 80's last week. The girls kept complaining about not having clothing appropriate for the weather. Finally,  I was tired of the whining (and being hot and sweaty), so I gave in and we went shopping. We didn't buy much, but enough to get us through these warm days.

You'll never guess what happened next. Autumn officially started the next day, and right on cue the temperature dropped considerably and the wind picked up. Unless there is a heat wave around the corner, which I seriously doubt, the new clothes will probably have to wait until spring in Winchester before they get worn.

It just never fails.

Not everything can be sunshine and rainbows.

Sometimes even the best opportunities and experiences really suck sometimes. We are four people living in about 1/4 the space we're used to and we've become accustomed to the idea that we're living here
and not just one vacation. There have been tears, flaring tempers and temper tantrums. For the most part, I think we've done a pretty decent job of talking through hurt feelings, frustrations with lessons, homesickness and the general lack of privacy. Rough patches are to be expected but most of the time a good night's sleep usually means things are better the next morning.

Unfortunately, some rough patches can't be fixed by a good night's sleep, or even multiple good nights' sleep. The death of a pet is never easy. When it happens somewhat unexpectedly and you're thousands of miles away and your family is already a little sensitive, it's even worse.

Over the years our boxer, Sadie, has had all kinds of issues--ACL surgeries on each knee, mast cell tumors, some kind of unexplainable mouth issue that led to constant bad--no, ferocious--breath and most recently, an unknown, unrecognizable tumor that led to several rounds of antibiotics and funnily enough, better breath. She had surgery less than a week before we left. We were worried but felt comfortable that she was in the very good and capable hands of Salli (our surrogate? house/dog sitter?) and our friend and vet, Mary-Margarget. Indeed, all reports after our departure, had been positive. Until the weren't. Our sweet girl took a turn for the worse on Monday and passed away that evening.

By all accounts she was her sweet and loving self, charming everyone the way that boxers do. Her body ultimately made the decision for us, I am grateful for that, but I am also racked with guilt and regret. Salli was with her until the end and I know that she felt loved but I wish it could have been me.  I wish I had taken more time to love on her before we left and that I'd had more time to say goodbye. I wish that I had caught issues and gotten her to the vet sooner. I wish I could take back all the times I was irritated with her for being so excited about breakfast that she wouldn't finish pooping outside and I'd have to pick up little turds that she'd drop on the way up the stairs. Or all the times I was mad at her for going after the mailman or the UPS delivery guy to the point that she got pepper sprayed.  Mostly, I wish that her body could have held out a little longer. That she could crawl up on the bed one more time and push against me until I would scoot over so she could lie down next to me. I would even take the bad breath, the snoring and the gas.

St Davids

Coastal Path in St Davids

We decided it was time for a little side trip, so last Friday we went through some guide books, looked at  the map and decided on St Davids on the Pembrokeshire Coast in Wales. It seemed like there were things to do and all the logistics worked so we headed there on Monday morning.

We made a fantastic decision.

St. Davids (really, no apostrophe) is a cute little town of about 2000 right on the coast with spectacular views. A coastal path takes you along the cliffs all around the outside of town, through ruins and random cow fields, complete with grazing cows. Picturesque might describe it.

We had beautiful weather and took the opportunity for a 2 hour cruise around Ramsey Island to check out the tons of birds and seals that populate the island.  The Pembrokeshire coast is the birthplace of Coasteering, a combination of rock climbing, bouldering, cliff jumping, swimming and caving and Will happily took part--the rest of us decided it was safer on land, and totally regret that decision.

It made for a nice little jaunt. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle, though 2 nights in a hotel room with all 4 of us is about the limit. A pool at the hotel was an extra added bonus and seeing the stars at night for the first time since we left was kind of nice too.

Additional excitement included renting a car and experiencing the thrill of driving on the 'wrong' side of the road for the first time. Will did a wonderful job driving and I get kudos for keeping calm.

Now for pictures!

The lane from our hotel into town

St Davids Cathedral and the Bishops Palace

On the Coastal Path

Gearing up for Coasteering

1st jump of many

If you look closely you can find the little blue helmet dots climbing up

Race to the water on the beach at Roch

 

Sometimes, I'm not just taking the pictures.

Today was almost a disaster.

It started off on the wrong foot when we discovered that our favorite little coffee shop is closed on the weekends. It picked up when we walked by later and the owner was there with the door open only because he was roasting coffee and we walked off with free coffee and free hot chocolate. I'm not completely sure if the rest of the day went up, or down, from there.

Our intention was to head to the Tall Ships Festival in Greenwich. The information online seemed straightforward enough--get a ticket at one of the Thames Clipper Piers and head to Greenwich. How hard could it be, right? Well, something that should have taken about 30 minutes, ended up taking over 2 hours and more than 8 miles of walking.

The pier we chose as our starting point turned out to be closed, lucky for us there was a nice couple that was heading to the same place and let us follow them to the next pier. There, we discovered that it would be at least an hour before we could get on one of the ships, but our new friends, Ian and Clare said they'd be heading down on the DLR if we wanted to go that route, which we decided to do. Unfortunately, we were enjoying our conversations so much we missed the stop to switch trains.  They were horrified that they'd dragged us to the wrong place until we discovered the stop we'd landed at was also part of the festival. Only problem? It was the red-headed step-child part of the festival in a fairly run down, very industrial part of town.

We set off towards Greenwich, where things were supposed to be a little more festive and it was only (or so we were told) about a mile walk. Several miles,  some wrong turns, dead ends, a really sketchy neighborhood, a bus ride and another mile of walking and we finally found the festival and the stupid, frigging tall ships.

By 3:30 (only 2 1/2 hours after starting off on this adventure) we were sitting on a grassy hill enjoying some cheeseburgers and some well deserved pints (ice cream for the girls). We got to meet some of Ian and Clare's friends and there were even some kids for Ella and Julia to run around with. Despite the fact that it was not at all what we'd expected, today ended up being really nice. And exhausting.

Cheers!
Libby

Every day we learn a little more.

We wanted to fill the first week or so with some of the must see touristy stuff and for the most part we accomplished that. So much so, that by Tuesday night the girls were begging to do nothing but school on Wednesday, so we decided to oblige. Yesterday, we slept late-ish and then spent several hours on school work and not leaving the flat. By mid-afternoon Will and I were a bit stir-crazy and wanted to run some errands but the girls wanted none of it, so they stayed in and we ran out.

Big lesson of the day: Always wear decent shoes to walk in. Even if you think you're running a couple of quick errands, you will end up walking much further than you anticipated. In this case, it ended up being about a 5 1/2 mile loop and all we were doing was looking for some light bulbs and a place to buy some kitchen supplies.

Monday, we went to Kensington Palace which was lovely. They had a great fashion exhibit with examples of clothes from the Queen, Princess Margaret and Princess Di. The girls, and Ella especially, were in heaven. Even though it was small, they could have spent tons more time looking at each example. Will on the other hand was chatting up the 'explainers' and getting information about the Royals and lineage and protocol. The architecture might have intrigued him a little bit. It was a chilly, drizzly day, so was good to be inside, but we managed to spend a bit of time in the gardens and the fresh air was good for all of us

Big lesson of the day: The royal lineage is confusing, and just when we think we understand it, we discover we're wrong.

Tuesday we got up early so we could get to Windsor Castle early and have plenty of time to explore and enjoy. We were only about 45 minutes past our intended departure time. Regardless, we enjoyed the castle and the grounds. Because the Queen is in Scotland and therefore not in residence at all, we got to take tours of the kitchen and go to the top of the Round Tower. While taking the kitchen tour, I couldn't help but think of all my friends who love to cook and entertain, and the few who are in the midst of kitchen remodels themselves and I felt you were all there in spirit and would have been just as in awe as I was. It was pretty remarkable. Even more remarkable was that they let us open up ovens, cupboards, drawers, etc., until you realized that everything was empty. The Queen's chef Mark Flanagen brings all the necessary tools and utensils from Buckingham anytime there is a state dinner at Windsor. It was all pretty fascinating.

Unfortunately, we got hungry during our tour and stepped outside the castle walls for lunch at a nearby pub. This little detour took more time than we anticipated and we had to rush through St. Georges Chapel which was pretty disappointing--we really wanted to spend a little more time checking it out.

Big lesson of the day #1: It always takes longer to get out the door than we thought. Plan accordingly.
Big lesson of the day #2: If you're going to leave the attraction for lunch, don't settle for the first pub you happen upon. You might end up with dried out chicken and a stomach ache.

Today we eased into our day and after lunch headed to Harrods where we managed to find our way up to Shoe Heaven. It had special little salons for all of the big name aka, super expensive brands and we had fun oohing and aahing (and occasionally scratching our heads) at all the footwear. Will, strangely, seemed unaffected by heels, peep-toes, boots and loafers. After performing a thorough check, we realized we were starving so had afternoon tea. Not in the fancy, make reservations restaurant but down on the ground level where we could still do some people watching and not break the bank. Julia was totally enamored with all the exotic fruits in the food court and was begging for one of the fruit baskets. We finally settled on one piece of fruit, a custard apple, with a promise to go and try something else on another day.

Big lesson of the day: Harrods is huge and wonderful. It's also a little overwhelming and scary. Apparently, even the employees get lost in there sometimes.

Other big lessons:
--If you spill an entire glass of red wine on a white wall, it's going to stain. And if you try to scrub it, you'll just make it worse.
--Japanese curry is delicious. Even picky children like it.
--Living across from the train station is noisy. Living across from a train station under construction is even noisier, but you get used to it.
--You shouldn't do more than one load of laundry a day. There just isn't enough room on the drying rack, and air drying takes considerable more time than a dryer.
--Will might end up liking Scotch Whiskey, but don't tell his friend Jack Daniels.