The 2 little chiefs are back to school (small tear), so it is time to give the blog a little attention and get it up to date. First, we start with our big summer vacation ---> The Paulis Go to the UK!!
This trip was London and more. ("London Baby" is a Friends, yes one of the best sitcoms of all time, reference) Close friends of our's took an international assignment in Peterborough last April (2015). Visiting them has been on my radar, well pretty since they told me they were being transferred! Here is the story of our journey:
We left out of Chicago and transferred in Dublin. The flight from Chicago to Ireland actually went extremely fast. It is only about a 6 hour flight and it is very important to get sleep because when you arrive across the pond it is morning! We stressed the importance of sleeping on this flight over and over again to the kids, but those little screens on the seatback in front of them were very captivating! Honestly, by the time you watched a movie, and they served dinner there was only a couple of hours. The kids maybe dozed for a few hours, me maybe an hour, Brandon less. So much for all that sleeping that was supposed to happen! We had just a little bit of a layover in Dublin. We took a bathroom break and the girls were waiting on the boys for quite some time. As they surfaced Grant looked a little pale and Brandon informed me that he (Grant) had just thrown up. Awesome. We caught the 45 minute flight to Heathrow and the Paulis had arrived! We had actually cleared customs in Ireland so we marched right through immigration and Kim was there to meet us on the other side with the best biggest hugs all around! Due to all of our luggage we had to take the elevator to the parking garage. The doors opened and two British police in full gear (think like assault riffles, automatic weapons, something like that, you got the message that they were armed) were inside the lift. I thought we were going to have to push the kids inside the elevator, their eyes were as big as saucers and the adults exchanged glances. Well, we aren't in Kansas anymore (or Illinois as the case would be). OK so the police force has a strong visible tactical presence at the airport.
The airport is maybe 45 miles from their house, but that really means nothing, as it took almost 3 hours to get home. At one point I was falling asleep mid-sentence (the kids had already fallen asleep on me) and Kim told me to just close my eyes, which I gladly did...but when my eyes closed my mouth opened and thus the beginning of taking pictures of people sleeping started.
The kids were reunited and happily played outside for a long time. Brandon took a short nap. Kim and I had tea. Kevin came home from work and the 8 of us were re-united. They have an apple in their backyard and the kids collected apples and made potions and ran and laughed and were just kids. It was a beautiful sight. We walked to the neighborhood park and the kids had even more fun, because parks in England are much cooler. I believe this probably has something to do with OSHA regulations or something that curbs the fun factor in parks in the good ole' USA, but at any rate this park was great. It was really set up more like an obstacle course and there was a zip line that gave the dad's a good workout. Poor little Caleb was feeling a little under the weather so Kim had stayed back with him. We walked to the local convenient store for ice cream after the park and took a treat home for Caleb. This is where Grant learned that not all ice cream is created equal and making a hasting choice can lead to picking ice cream with a weird strawberry center - he didn't make that mistake again!
We had dinner at the local pub, the Blue Bell. It was perfectly British and quaint. This is when Brandon likes to interject that I think everything European is perfect and quaint (he isn't wrong, I am a bit smitten with Europe!) Brandon had his first (and certainly not last) order of fish and chips. I had a braised pork that was really good and cidre (my first and certainly not my last). Grant tried to fall asleep at the table before his meal came, so we quickly passed out apple devices to rally the troops and keep everyone awake! This is why I should have blogged earlier, I can't even remember what my kids had to eat - pasta maybe? It was early to bed...
...and late to rise! The Paulis learned how to sleep in, or rather jet lag taught us. We didn't have any trouble sleeping through the nights but by day 3 I felt like we needed to set an alarm because we would easily sleep until 10.
So it was Saturday and once we finally all woke up the Earle's treated us to pancakes and sausage and of course it rained. But the rain did not stop Kevin from going to the Saturday butcher, but it did keep us from getting a picture. Picture in your mind an ice cream truck, but instead of ice cream, this moving butcher sells meat! I know, I am sad not to have a picture too and will probably have to go back on a Saturday so I can personally experience this traveling butcher ;) The day's adventure ahead of us was to visit the Burghley House. This house was built by Queen Elizabeth I's treasurer and is still a family house today. It was an excellent tour. They gave the kids a children's tour book with interesting facts and it really drew them in. We heard more than once "hold on, I'm not done in this room yet" (be still my heart - they love Europe too!). It was a beautiful estate.
Next we headed into Stamford for lunch. We found a great Italian place and I am certain that Nutella pizza with marshmallows has been requested state side since our return! Kim and I could have spent hours in this village. The dads took the littles home and the moms took the bigs to the grocery store. I love grocery stores in other countries, I always think it is interesting to see their offerings. The boys made a fire and we grilled the meat from mobile butcher we had a nice relaxing evening at home.
The next morning our family headed into London via train. It was a pretty quick ride, about 45 minutes and then we navigated the tube (underground subway) to get checked-in to the hotel. We promptly stepped onto the tube going the wrong direction, but quickly realized our error and just reversed! Our destination was Tower Hill and when we popped up from underground our hotel was right in front of us (this was luck, because there was some construction and the only stairway open was the one by the hotel, if we had options we probably would have ended up on the wrong side of the street!). At this point I was glad we didn't have to pull out our phones but was very glad that we had enabled our phones so that we could use GPS if needed (it was needed later!).
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| Grant spotted candied nuts on the streets of London. |
I really enjoyed planning the London part of our trip (my alter ego is a travel agent!) My list was extensive for only 3 days, but we did a really good job hitting the high-lights. Pictures tell it best, but here was our list:
-Double-decker bus tour
We got tickets the first day. The passes were good for 24 hours and included a "free" boat ride. We thought it would be a good idea to ride around the city and just take in some sights. I knew we couldn't do everything in detail and some landmarks that we wanted to hit would just simply be "drive-by's". I don't think we took into account how relaxing the bus ride would be. At one point all of us grabbed a little snooze. London's traffic is pretty congested so the bus doesn't go very fast! We actually relied heavily on the underground Tube (subway train) to get us places quickly. The bus was good for soaking in the atmosphere and the sights, you just weren't going to use it get you from one side of town to the other. There were also headsets that gave some background info and packets for the kids with a "passport" which was a major hit.
-Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards (it is only open for tours for a few weeks each summer and we were one week too early!). We took breakfast there on morning and sat on the steps while we waiting for the guards procession. The police came and made several announcements about pick pocketers being active in the area and to protect your stuff. I even saw them go up to a few tourist and told them to move their book bags to their front. Good to know they were keeping us safe. As soon as the guards starting marching the selfie sticks went up - it really soured the whole experience for me, as we viewed it all through metal sticks in the air. Several songs were played by the band and most of our group had seen enough, so we moved on. I'm glad we can say we saw it, but it wasn't jaw dropping.
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| Even as cute as they there are, they weren't getting into the palace! |
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| Eating breakfast waiting for the changing of the guards. |
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| Lots of people were asking for pictures with the officers. I thought it was best if they just did their jobs and took a picture from behind! |
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| Apparently it was sunny at some point since we all have our shades on! |
-Trafalgar Square (great street performers). This wasn't necessarily on my list, but we happened to be close and it was a lively scene so we checked it out. The kids got their picture by the big lion. There are actually 4, one on each corner of the huge center monument. I'm sure we weren't supposed to let the kids crawl up there, but we were by no means the only tourists doing this! The kids were greatly entertained by the street performers. This one in particular had a trick bike that he would pay people if they could ride it 20 feet without falling off. They really wanted daddy to try, but he said "watch the other silly people try!". And then we found ice cream!
-Big Ben (drive-by) "Look kids Big Ben!" (to quote Chevy Chase European Vacation). Yep that was about it, look and take a picture.
-House of Parliament (drive-by) They do have tours for this but we thought the kids were probably a little young to appreciate it so again we pointed and took a picture!
-Westminster Abbey (walk-by) I am sure this is lovely to tour, but we had been told that there were other churches to see and for the price it was hard to justify. It is also more catacombs and tombs than what most people think. Although it is lovely to see where the royalty weds, we viewed it from the outside.
-Covent Garden (another happening spot for street performers) This was just a short stop, but it was fun to go and check it out. It a social place with street performers and vendors and cafes.
-Tower of London We spent a lot of time here! When I was researching I came across the London Fodor's guide book that we had used back in 1996 and the bookmark was our tickets into the Tower of London. I can verify that the prices have doubled. The Tower of London is steeped in rich history and also houses the Crown Jewels. The Beefeater or Yeoman are the tour guides and many live on site. Our guide was really good and had a great sense of humor. Grant insisted his picture be taken with all of the canons.
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| We are Illini alums and thus drawn to Indian head dresses (I guess). This was a gift to a King, not sure which one! |
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| A little drizzly inside the gates of the Tower of London |
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| This is an original Tudor house - perhaps the only ones still standing. Newton had labs here. It was also home to a coin mint and where some of the Beefeaters live today. (I was really paying attention during the tour!) |
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| I guess those boys in the background like canons too! |
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| White Hall at Tower of London |
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| Yes he is trying to push his sister out of his canon picture. |
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| She is a photo bomber or just a persistent annoying sister. |
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| One of the ravens that lives on site. There is a legend that if the ravens leave the castle will fall. There is a Raven Keeper to keep the ravens happy and present! |
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| Finally got one by himself! |
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| We had to wait in a 45 minute line but it was so worth it to see these priceless jewels in person. Some are still rotated in and out today and used by the royal family. Every coronation gets a whole set of special items: sword, septre, china, serving pieces, not to mention the crown, rings, necklaces etc... |
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| Wait! I recognize two of those heads! |
-Harrods What can I say, we had to visit the world's largest department store, known for procuring any guest's request (at a price of course!). We strolled through the food halls first and picked out a snack. I think the children enjoyed their cupcakes, I hope so, they were $5/each! But we are making memories so it is worth it! We spent a lot of time in the toy department which happened to back up the electronic department. This is actually the only time we got separated the whole trip. One of the kids had to use the restroom and we went separate ways and Brandon was dialing his phone to find me when we turned corners and bumped into each other. We had dinner at The Bunch of Grapes Pub up the road and I had a Summer Pim. They come in different varieties and I couldn't tell you exactly what mine was, but it was good. I had a British pulled pork nacho that had pomegranate seeds - yum!
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The kids and I got glitter tattoos. I don't think the guy really thought
I would say yes when he asked "Does mum want one?" |
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| B and his Lego Friends |
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| A well deserved Summer Pim - map out and everything! |
Hyde Park- After our dinner we decided to walk to Hyde Park, which has the Princess Diana memorial and children's playground. I thought the kids would think the playground was fun. It was a lot of walking to get to the park and it was a lot of walking in the park. One of those when you keep saying "I am sure it just around the corner!" and 30 minutes later you get there. Unfortunately by the time we did get there the playground had closed 45 minutes prior. Ugh. So we found the nearest tube station, bought candy bars and everyone was happy again!
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| A large monument in Hyde Park. I should have taken a picture of the placard. |
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| Boo, the park is closed! |
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| Yay! Candy makes it better! |
Kensington Palace- we viewed from afar as it is situated at the end of Hyde Park.
St.Paul's Cathedral - Again another great church I am sure to tour, but we had a different church in our sights so we passed on this one. We did walk in the doors and take a quick peek before the line for tickets.
Tea at Bea's- When I asked the kids if they would like me to schedule a tea in London, Elizabeth of course immediately said "YES!", Grant said "Sure (long dramatic pause) it's with the Queen, right?" And he was dead serious. Well, Queen Elizabeth II didn't not invite us to a garden party (although Elizabeth said "we are special out of town guests!") and she didn't join us at Bea's for tea, but it was wonderful none the less. To say I had to talk Brandon into this would be an understatement. This was definitely not on the top of his list. Once the hostess informed us that we could order tea for two people, not four and the cost went in half he began to feel a little better about it! This was not a super traditional English tea. We could have gone to a swanky hotel or tea room and done that, but Bea's really appealed to me because their speciality is being a bakery and I thought the food might be better for the kids. It was 1:30 in the afternoon, it was dreary and raining and Bea's the perfect spot for an afternoon family tea. You can read the menu in the picture, but let me just say Bea's did not disappoint. Grant thought the picked beet with goat cheese was delicious! Perhaps there is hope for this boy's palate! We have a small obsession with macaroons so it was awesome that they had those. Honestly, it was all really good and we were all left full and re-energinzed which was a good thing because I had over 20,000 steps that day and most of it came after the tea!
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| Yes there were scones and clotted cream! Those are homemade marshmallows on the top left. |
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| See how excited they are! |
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| Pinky out! |
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| Mmmmm...she likes the tea |
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| "Here son, let me pour you some berry infused tea" |
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| Macaroons! |
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| A box of a rainbow of macaroons! |
The one thing that Grant really wanted to do was walk over Tower Bridge. He kept calling it London Bridge, but the big draw bridge is actually Tower Bridge and is so iconic that it does seem like it should be called London Bridge, but it is not! The way the River Thames winds through London there are lots of bridges. We started with tea on one side of the river and then decided to walk to Tower Bridge, walk over it and back to our hotel. If we would have looked at this on a big map we probably never would have attempted such a walk (especially in the rain), but we were stupid (for lack of better words) and knew no better so we charged on in our best tennis shoes! The first bridge we crossed was the Jubilee bridge which is just a footpath bridge that was opened by the Queen the morning of her Jubilee celebration and closed that night by police because it was swaying a little too much. It has since been reinforced and deemed safe. At the end of the bridge Tate was starting right at us and seeing as it is a free museum and it was still raining we decided to check it out.
Tate Modern Art Museum- This is actually an old power plant that they have converted to the modern art museum. The Queen was not thrilled with the idea because she is fond the classic arts, not so much the modern, but we found there to be a nice blend. We also found some of the modern art to be inappropriate and too graphic for the kids. I suspected we might be in for an interesting ride, so I had Brandon walk ahead of us and preview the exhibit before we waltzed right in with wide eyed children. The nudity was fine, it is the human body and we are who we are. The problem was more what was being done with the nudity - anyway, some rooms we skipped! But for all of the crazy stuff (the stuff you look at and say "how is that art") we got to see works from Picasso, Matisse, Warhol, Piet Modrin, etc... which was amazing. There was even a few times that each of the kids said "wait I'm not ready to leave this room yet!" That's right kids, soak it up!
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| This falls into the "what? this is art?" category. Yes, 3 sticks and 2 brown canvases. |
Tower Bridge- On the way to Tower Bridge we did pass under London Bridge, which is actually the 3rd London Bridge, because London Bridge did indeed keep falling down, falling down. The 2nd one was carted off and is in Arizona. I am not sure if it was the twirling of the umbrella all the way across Tower Bridge or what but Grant's bucket was full. Brandon and I actually did the tour when we were there in 2004 and all the kids really wanted to do was walk across. When we were at Tower of London the bridge opened up for a boat to pass under so I think we got the full Tower Bridge experience. Thank goodness our hotel was just on the other side. We were wet and had very tired feet.
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| This is London Bridge - not very exciting. I think Grant was trying to match the expression of the graphic in the banner. There is a dungeon museum under the bridge. |
China Town- We thought it would be fun to have Chinese food in China Town, because Brandon should only eat so much fish and chips! The kids were such troopers and we had a great experience. It would have been fun to walk around a bit more, but it was approaching dark and China Town bumps into the SoHo district which is not family friendly shall we say so we high-tailed it back to the hotel!
Paddington Station- If you have not seen the Paddington Bear movie, go rent it! It is adorable. Months ago Brandon picked it for a family movie night flick and the kids loved it so it was very important that we visit Paddington Station. There is a Paddington train station and a Paddington Tube stop, we saw both! Paddington is not exploited the way I am sure we would have here, but it looked like there was a new store opening but it was still under construction. We went into 3 gift shops before we finally haggled down to the right price. Brandon told the kids he could amazon prime them a bear and it would be waiting for them when we got home. That was not going to cut it, so we have original Paddington Bears (made in China). You should have seen the kids faces when we walked out of the first two shops with no bears. I told them to relax, that daddy knows what he is doing. Then I whispered to Brandon "next shop, we are buying bears, get it done!". We ate at a Pizza Express afterwards and recently Brandon and I saw the new Jason Bourne movie and a scene from the movie was filmed right in the area where we had pizza that night.
We had hoped to take a train to Windsor Castle and tour that area with our friends, but their little guy was still fighting a bug so we just trained back to Peterborough instead. We had a nice relaxing day and walked the Fens (think lovely English countryside walk) before dinner.
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| On the train home. A can of Pringles and a game of war. |
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| Walking the Fens |
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| The kids found a really big slug! |
The next day we toured the Belton House/Estate and adventure playground. Another amazing property, complete with grazing deer out front. The moms took a train ride with the kids while the dad secured lunch. The playground was enjoyed by all!
We had an adult night out to neighboring Stamford. We ate at a great Indian restaurant and then went to a wine bar. The rooftops in the moonlight looked like a scene from Mary Poppins. It was practically perfect in every way until Brandon's barstool chair broke underneath him and he fell causing the patio to go silent. Luckily he was OK and the table next to us offered him a chair. Kevin said the chair had a faulty weld and we probably should have got free drinks. Ten minutes later a man at a table behind us dropped his glass and it shattered and we decided that our corner was just jinxed!
Our next trip was to Brancaster Beach, which is along the North Sea. It was an overcast, chilly day, but no rain! The kids ran and played in the sand. Brandon flew his drone. I could have watched the dogs all day! And Kim taught me the best trick - baby powder removes sand! It was great to see some of the English coast line and even thought the drive took awhile I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery. We ended the night with a dance party at home. DJ Colin spun the tunes and Elizabeth danced. Grant had a little melt down, but eventually recovered. The dance party inspired our own disco ball purchase!
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| Lunch spot |
Our last day was open to be able to do whatever we wanted. Grant requested to visit Hills and Holes again. Hills and Holes is a park reservation area that is divided into quadrants and in the fall they rotate the sheep through to let the graze/manage the grass. The hills and holes were formed from when the limestone was dug out of the earth to erect the cathedral in Peterborough.
Elizabeth wanted to go to the playground by their house again. Check. check. B took the drone to Hills and Holes this time.
We still needed to see a church which is where the most amazing story of our trip happened.
The church in Peterborough a Church of England. It is in the city center and it is beautiful. I have toured many churches in my day (thanks Mom!) and this did not disappoint. Knowing that the stone had all been excavated near by and brought on barges up the river without any Cat equipment makes it all that more impressive. They were filming the US equivalent to Antique Road Show in the middle the church, so there were TV booths/stations set up everywhere. Brandon went to sign the visitor log and the volunteer that was manning the book looked at him said "Oh, you are American." My initial internal reaction was oh geez this probably isn't going anywhere good, but she continued and said "Thank you. You liberated my country". She then went onto explain that she is from the Netherlands and she was a little girl during WWII. She remembered being excited when the American soldiers came because they shared their food with them. She said her mother and friends gathered white sheets and linens to help camouflage the soldiers in the snow because the soldiers didn't have any cover. This part of the Netherlands bordered Germany. She also spoke of the Germans and you could hear the bitterness in her voice by the just the way she said "German". She spoke of the battle of the bulge and how many young men the US lost. Then she described a bridge that has lamps on it that are light every night in honor of the US soldiers who fought and died liberating her country. It was all very moving, but I wasn't sure we entirely following the whole story so when we got back I googled it. Here is the article from the NY Times: (
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/09/18/world/europe/a-dutch-town-honors-us-soldiers-wartime-bravery-at-germanys-edge.html)
A Dutch Town Honors U.S. Soldiers’ Wartime Bravery at Germany’s Edge
NIJMEGEN, the Netherlands — When Henny Meijer was 2 years old, his hometown was liberated by American soldiers. Hearing the commotion on the street, his 8-year-old brother ran to greet them with a neighbor — a woman who was handing the Americans orange flowers — when a soldier threw himself on the boy.
Only after the soldier got up did Mr. Meijer’s brother see why. The woman with flowers was dead, hit by shrapnel from an artillery shell. “You have to realize what a nasty time it was,” Mr. Meijer, now 72, recalled in an interview. “It was a world without any justice.”
His brother is no longer alive, but Mr. Meijer has devoted much of his own life to preserving the memory of that time, so that future generations will never repeat it. The role the Americans played holds a special place not only for him, but for the town itself, and it, too, has sought to commemorate their part in an equally special way.
Last year, Nijmegen completed a showpiece bridge connecting the old and new parts of the rapidly growing community, which today numbers about 170,000, straddling the Waal River, near the German border.
The elegant four-lane brick and steel structure, which was built at a cost of 141 million euros and designed to last at least a century, is named De Oversteek, Dutch for “the crossing,” in memory of the bold daylight crossing of the river by the Americans that day — Sept. 20, 1944 — 70 years ago when Mr. Meijer’s brother ran out to greet them.
The river crossing was a crucial flanking maneuver that ultimately gave the Americans the upper hand in the battle for Nijmegen. Of the 700 soldiers who took part, 104 never made it over the river, and 48 gave their lives in what is now the shadow of a newly constructed bridge.
During his private research, Mr. Meijer found that 12 American soldiers, including five who took part in the river crossing, had received the Netherlands’ highest honor for bravery for liberating Nijmegen — a remarkably high number, he said, given the town’s small size.
“When we commemorate the crossing later this month,” said Hubert Bruls, Nijmegen’s mayor, “it is not just about war, but remembering what the 70 years afterward brought us.”
The crossing will be commemorated with a re-enactment by current members of the 82nd Airborne Division, using foldable boats and paddles or rifle butts — not engines — to get across the mighty arm of the Rhine. At least one original member of the 82nd Airborne, Maj. T. Moffatt Burriss, 94, is scheduled to take part in the day’s events.
On the other 364 evenings of the year, the 48 fallen soldiers are honored by 48 street lamps spanning the bridge that light up in slow succession at dusk, roughly at the speed it would take a pedestrian to cross the bridge, said the bridge’s designer, Chris Poulissen.
“Every day at sunset, we will remember the Americans that were killed for the liberation of our country,” said Paul Depla, a former city alderman instrumental in securing funding for the bridge and ensuring its sophisticated design.
Our new Dutch friend was for real and she really liked Americans! It was such a heart warming story. Brandon, Kim, Elizabeth and I were the only ones that heard the story. Kevin was wrangling the boys and we went to him and said "Wait until you hear this story." Another thing to love about Europe, it is rich in history!
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| The town square and market area in Peterborough. It is hard to tell in the picture but on the building straight ahead was a large banner with Queen Elizabeth's picture in honor of her 90th birthday. |
We closed the evening with the opportunity to meet some of their friends and close neighbors, who were just delightful. I told them we were only letting them borrow our friends, they have to come home to us someday, but until then it is nice to know that they have wonderful people that care as much about them as what we do.
Early Sunday it was back to the airport and the journey home. It wasn't easy saying goodbye. No one really wanted to leave, but in my book that just means you had a really good time. At any rate, it was time to come home to Auggie, we missed her and she missed her naps! We are forever grateful and thankful to the Earle's for showing us such a good time and being the perfect hosts! Grant asks on a regular basis "When are we going back to Europe?" Give it time son, give it time!
Random Pictures:
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| Yes these are beverages. |
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| The church in their village, Glinton. |
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| B flying the drone in the neighborhood, which raised some questions! |
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| Friendly game of kickball. |
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| A real thatched roof |
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| Lunch in the park by Buckingham. |
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| The London Eye. The weather didn't cooperate enough to give us clear skies to make it worth it. |
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| Mind the gap boarding and disembarking from the train! |
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| Chocolate croissants...yes please! |
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| Didn't exactly know what I was ordering, but I wasn't tired all day! |
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| The game table at the hotel |
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| Tree house in the Earle's backyard. |
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| The door to their house. Brandon left a few layers of skin as he often forgot to duck enough! |
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| Our high school friend that we bumped into at the Dublin airport. Small world! |
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| Aboard the free boat ride that came with our double decker bus tour. I thought we should sit on top - it was not raining at the time. As soon as we left the dock, it started raining and pretty much didn't stop! |
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| The best trips are always exhausting too! |
