Cornwall, our last week in England

We stayed at another Holiday Park again this week.  It’s the same company and the name of this park is Perran Sands.  It is near the small town of Perranporth and 7 miles south of the larger town of Newquay.  This park is right at the beach.  Though I can’t hear the waves crashing because it is on top of cliffs.  I walked down to the beach on Sunday.  It was a long walk down but an even longer walk back.  The time that I went was during low tide.  The beach seemed to go on forever.  It was amazing to look back at the cliffs while standing at the waters edge.  There were cliffs all around.  This section of the coast has no land that goes directly to the water.  No I did not go swimming in the water but I did put my feet in.  This water is the Celtic Sea.  Here are some pictures of the beach at our park.

          

We had to go to the town of Newquay to get groceries.  It was about 15 minutes away.  This town was a surfer town.  There were so many people with surf boards.  I think the town is newer – at least the part we saw.  The colors of the buildings were more beachey colors.  There were not cliffs here to get to the water just a gradual slope.  This must be why more people surfed here than at our beach.  Sorry I didn’t get any pictures of this town.

On Monday we drove to Land’s End.  It’s a place not just a store!  It is called the first and last place in England.  It was only 30 miles from where we were staying but took an hour to drive there.  I am getting really good at the circles in the roads of England.  At Land’s End Katie wanted to do the  Arthur’s Quest exhibit.  It is a walk through exhibit with hologram figures telling the story of King Arthur.  I didn’t quite get how this related to Land’s End.  The holograms may have told us but they were a little hard to understand with the British accent.  Katie & Holly really enjoyed the first part.  It was maze but instead of walls there were mirrors.  You couldn’t really tell which way to go.

There is also an exhibit showing articles of people who have traveled from John O’Grady (northern Scotland) to Land’s End.  It is 774 miles.  There are lots of ways people have done this trip – mostly to raise money for charities.  One man rode a unicycle.  One man did it carrying a door – he wanted to do something no one else had done.  One man even did it naked except for his boots.  He was arrested a few times.  The youngest was 10 – he did the trip with his dad.  There was also a short video of a team traveling the 774 miles by car.  The camera was pointing out the window and it was sped up.  You could see the route by car without having to actually drive it.  I can’t believe how blue the water is here.  Kind of makes you feel like you are in the tropics.  Except for the temperature and no palm trees.

  

 

On Saturday we left early for the drive back to London.  We stopped at Stonehenge on the way.  But before we got there I had a little scare.  I purchased the pre-paid gas plan for the rental car so I didn’t have to fill up before returning it.  I had about 1/4 of a tank before we left.  On the way to Stonehenge the gas light came on and I wasn’t sure how far I could go before I ran out of gas.  We weren’t on a motorway so there were not service stations very often.  I got off at an exit that had local services.  There was no sign at the end of the exit pointing which way to get fuel.  At first I went the wrong way.  There were no close towns this way.  Then when I turned around and went through a town we could not find a gas station.  I was really getting worried.  I did not want to run out of gas.  I couldn’t call my dad to come get me.  So we got back on the road we were traveling and I told the girls to pray for a gas station.  God provided there was one in less than 5 minutes.  So I put 25 pounds of gas into the car and it made it the rest of the trip.

As we got closer to Stonehenge I told the girls the first person to see it from the car would get a candy bar.  Katie tried to cover Holly’s eyes but I told her that wasn’t fair.  And I told her she couldn’t do the same to me and I was playing too.  I was the first to see it.  We could not walk around inside of the stones but there was a path going around it to look and take pictures.  It’s pretty impressive to think of people putting these stones together like this without modern equipment.  I’m glad we got to see Stonehenge.  Here are some pictures.

    

Saturday night we stayed at a Premier Inn near Heathrow airport.  I was to drop the rental car off here.  We checked into the room and unloaded the car.  We will really need to pack well from now on.  We won’t have a car to put our stuff in to go from one place to another.  Only our suitcases.  The girls stayed at the hotel while I ventured out to return the car.  I plugged into Google Maps on my phone the location while I was at the hotel.  I lost the connection while driving but figured I had to go towards the airport.  I knew the direction to go.  Once at the airport there were signs directing to rental car returns.  I’m glad I rented a car in an English speaking country so that I could read the signs.  I don’t know what I would have done in France or Germany.  I guess get lost.  I found the right place and returned the keys.  It was not hard driving in England but I was glad to be done.

Sunday we took the hotel bus to Heathrow so we could catch the underground to St. Pancras Station.  We were taking the Eurostar back to Paris.  Everything went fine and we made it back to Paris.  Fabrice and Marie-line picked us up at Gare du Nord train station.  There was a marathon in Paris that day so traffic was very heavy.  We found each other (pretty good for not having a specific place to meet other than where we dropped you off on the street in front of the station) and then drove Manon back to her apartment in Paris.  She is going to the university in Paris studying to become a doctor.  She comes home on the weekends but is busy learning and studying during the week.

On Monday Fabrice dropped us off at the train station closer to their house (not in the city) so we could take the train into Paris.  I really wanted to go to the Louvre and see the Mona Lisa.  We did not have advance tickets so we had to stand in line to get into the museum.  The line looked really long and I thought it was going to take hours.  It took about 1 hour.  The weather was not too bad while we were waiting outside.  It was calling for rain but lucky for us it did not rain.  Once you get into the museum there are signs pointing the way to the Mona Lisa.  I guess it is the biggest attraction here at the Louvre.  The paintings are in a long gallery with smaller rooms leading off.  The Mona Lisa is in room 6.  It is quite comical because there are so many people crowded around this small painting and yet there are large pictures all around it in the room.  The Mona Lisa is roped off and has glass in front of it.  And they let you take pictures of the paintings in this museum.

 The Mona Lisa.  I wanted to point it out in case you weren’t sure.

  Here is another painting in the same room as the Mona Lisa.  Kind of makes you think the Mona Lisa is not so impressive compared to others.

    The Louvre from the outside

Tomorrow we are headed to Germany.  Our bags are repacked and we are ready to go.

 

 

 

Peak District, United Kingdom

Driving in the United Kingdom

I was worried about driving on the left while in England.  But it hasn’t been bad.  I haven’t made any mistakes yet driving on the right.  The hardest thing to get use to is the driver’s side is on the left rather than the right.  Back home Holly sits in the front most of the time.  Here she goes to the left a lot to get into the car.  Katie is quick to tell her she is wrong.  The mistake I’m making is reaching with my right hand to change gears.  It is on the left.  And I try to reach over my left shoulder to put on the seat belt but it is on my right.

Here is a picture I posted on Facebook last week.

 I wondered why there was a coffee cup on the speedometer.  I haven’t figured it out yet.

My problem with the English is that they don’t always have speed limit signs on the roads.  The major highways don’t have signs unless you have to slow down for construction.  So I finally remember to look it up on google.  The national speed limit depends on the type of the road.  If it is a single carriageway (2 way traffic) the maximum 60 MPH.  If it is a dual carriageway or motorway the maximum speed is 70 MPH.  Built up areas is 30 MPH.  It sure would be nice if they post these on the roads like we do in the US.  They do have signs saying speed cameras are in use.  I’m really hoping I don’t get a ticket in the mail.  Hey Dad, if you get it just go ahead and pay it for me.  They do have a cool system for their stop lights.  When the light is about to turn green it turns yellow for 1 second before.  That way you have an idea when you will get to go.

Here is another quirky sign I saw.

  So do they not have enough money to have full time signals.

Up to last Saturday driving in England was easy.  Well then I got close to our new place in the Peak District.  I drove the worst 10 miles I have ever driven in my life!  It was horrible.  It was a 2 lane road but really it was barely 1 1/2 lanes.  The speed limit was 30.  Yeah right!  There may have been times I got up to 30 but I slowed way down when a car was coming toward me.  I think the line of cars behind me were not so happy with me.  There were lots of curves and even a hill with a 25% incline.  Ughh!  But I haven’t had an accident yet.  Please continue to pray for me.  Here is the google map of the road.  http://goo.gl/maps/Mui7f

Even though the driving here is a little scary the Peak District of England is beautiful.  This is my favorite place so far.  It is not like any where I have ever been.  Absolutely beautiful.  I have some pictures that I took but unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate with us this week.  It was overcast and rained a good bit.  I think in 2 weeks the leaves will have changed and it will be even better.  If you ever get the chance to come to England I would recommend this area.

This week we stayed at Litton Mill.  It was built in 1782.  The mill owner Ellis Needham was one of the worst in child labor with his apprentices.  It is modern inside.  There is 3 bedrooms.  The bed in the master bedroom is so comfortable.  It will be so long before I sleep in my own bed again so getting a good bed every so often makes me happy.  Here is the link to the place.  http://litton.peakdistrictholidayhomes.com/.  It is down a 1 mile lane that is 2 way but really only wide enough for 1 car.  There are passing areas on it to pull over if something is coming.  About half way there is an area to rock climb.  The River Wye runs right along the building.  You can hear the river and the views out the windows are amazing.  We had a nice walk down this road on Sunday.  The weather was great.

Here are pictures of the place we stayed and the area around it.

 This is the road leading into the mill.  It is a little over 1 mile long and it is not wide enough for 2 cars.  They have passing areas for when 2 cars are coming at the same time.

 This is a picture of the mill.  This is the River Wye that runs along side the mill.  Here is another picture of the mill.  Along that 1 mile of road there is an area for rock climbing. Jackson would love this.

 Here is another picture of the River Wye   The most comfortable bed!

On Tuesday we drove to the town of Buxton.  I chose this area of England because of a book.  Buxton was listed as one of the most beautiful towns of England.  The architecture is wonderful.  Tyra would love this area.  We walked around the town and did a little shopping.

    

After Buxton we went to the town of Tideswell to eat at a real English Pub.  We had a late lunch at the Red Lion Pub.

Katie had fish and chips.  She said the fish was too greasy and it gave the greasy taste to the fries so she did not enjoy her lunch.  And it came with a bowl of mashed mint peas.  They serve that a lot as a side in England.  I tried them – yuck.  Holly had the Red Lion Burger.  It had bacon on it.  She also got fries, salad, and coleslaw with her meal.  Neither Holly or I enjoyed the coleslaw.  I got steak and kidney pie.  I don’t know why I thought it would be kidney beans.  No it was the organ kidney.  It was rather dry but did come with gravy.  I didn’t realize this until I ate about 1/3 of it and Holly had a bite too.  After we figured this out she lost her appetite and I didn’t eat any more of the pie.  I liked the cabbage that came with it.  I also got fries and boiled new potatoes which were served plain.  I guess the English put malt vinegar on them.  I did.  I have always been a fan of malt vinegar.  My kids not so much.  Here are pictures of our meal.

    

Another day we went to the town of Bakewell.  I think I enjoyed this town even more than Buxton.  I loved the buildings here.  We walked around a bit then headed to the Bakewell Pudding Factory Pudding Parlour and Shop.  This is where they serve the world famous Bakewell Pudding.  What you have never heard of this?  Well neither had I until I did some reading about Bakewell in the brochures at the apartment.  Since it was world famous I had to buy one.  I liked it.  It was like a custard but with cinnamon.  Holly tried it too but didn’t like it.  Katie didn’t give it a try.

 Jane Austen finished writing Pride and Prejudice at this hotel in 1813  It is the 200 year anniversary.

 Pictures of Bakewell   Pictures of Bakewell  This is where we bought the Bakewell Pudding   Bakewell Pudding

On Thursday we decided to ride the Monsal Trail.  It use to be a trail for Midland Railway.  It is now a path for walkers and bikers.  It is about 8.5 miles of mostly flat riding.  It goes through 3 tunnels that have recently been opened up for use.  (I’m not sure what they did before they were opened.)  The tunnels are fairly long and curved so they are lighted.  The lights do go out at dusk so they warn about being in there at that time without a torch (British word for flashlight).  We made it about 1/4 of the way and it started to rain.  It was not a nice day for riding bikes but it was the toward the end of our week and it was going to be just as bad on Friday.  We should have gone on Sunday on the nice day we had.  I would have loved to bike the whole trail.  I would have gotten some great photos.  But here are a few I did get.

 Along the Monsal Trail  Out of focus shot of a tunnel along the trail.  Another picture along the trail

The Peak District is absolutely beautiful.  I really enjoyed being here even with that terrifying drive.  I wish the weather would have been better.  The scenery was amazing.  If you ever get to England I would recommend this area.  My pictures can’t do it justice.  And the apartment we stayed was great.  Here are a couple of more pictures.

    

As we were leaving on Saturday morning we were stopped by cows.  A farmer was moving his cows from one field to another.  They use the roads to do this.  Some of the cows kept stopping to sniff the cars.

 

Northumberland

This week we are staying at Haggerston Castle Holiday Park.  It is a park with mostly caravans but a few spots for tents or campers.  I would describe a caravan as a trailer.  Here is a link to the park.  

http://www.haven.com/parks/northumberland/haggerston-castle/

We stayed in a 3 bedroom prestige caravan.  It was nice.  The ovens over here are different from what I am use to at home.  This place had a gas oven so instead of degrees there were numbers from 1/2 to 9.  I am so glad for google (it is my friend on this trip).  I was able to look up how many degrees Fahrenheit for each gas mark.

There is an Entertainment Complex that has a food court area with places to eat – Burger King, Papa Johns and a fish & chips place.  There is also a HUGE arcade.  We did not spend any money here but it could really cost a lot if you have kids that want to play the games.  There is also a Mash & Barrel restaurant that has an indoor and outdoor eating area.  This is where the wifi is located for the park.  Saturday night I got us a pizza (cheese & pineapple) for dinner.  To Katie’s dismay they did not have the cinnapizza.  Her favorite part of Papa Johns.  We did not eat at any of the other places in the park during the week.  I cook at our place – much cheaper than eating out.

Since it was late when we got to the park on Saturday we did not get groceries until the morning.  We went to Aldi’s.  Unfortunately they did not have the salsa Holly likes.  But they did have the chocolate Katie likes.  Aldi’s is nice but they don’t always have everything I need so we also had to go to Tesco.

The weather was nice enough on Sunday for me to open the windows.  The places we have been to so far do not have screens on the windows.  I had to chase 2 bees out of the windows.  I’m glad my kids didn’t see them because they don’t like bees.

On Monday  we went to Alnwick Castle.  It was another nice day.  Alnwick is about 30 miles south of Berwick.  The Duke of Northumberland and his family live in part of the castle.  The state rooms were open so we got to see part of the inside.  Sorry no pictures allowed.  It would be cool to stay in a castle but I don’t think I would want to live there.  Way to big.  And I probably wouldn’t have all the servants to help me like they do on Downton Abbey.

This castle was used for some of the courtyard scenes in the Harry Potter movies.  We arrived just as they were starting a broomstick training class.  There was a man giving “instructions” on how to ride broomsticks.  We each got a broomstick and joined in.  No we really didn’t fly but it was fun pretending.  Afterwards we walked around the grounds of the castle and I got so pictures.  Then we headed into the town of Alnwick.

Alnwick is considered a market town.  It has a tower on the road leading into the it.  We walked around a little bit and stopped at the information center.  We also had some Italian gelato ice cream.  Yup in North England.  I bet it will be better in Italy.

  Holly & Katie in front of the lane leading to Alnwick Castle   Holly getting her broomstick to come up to her (or maybe falling?  I’ll never tell)

  Alnwick Castle  Tower leading into the town of Alnwick  House near Alnwick Castle with a beautiful garden – for you Nicole 🙂

  Just a pretty flower I found

The next couple of days we stayed in the holiday park.  I decided we needed some relaxing days.  It was cloudy and rainy and I just didn’t feel like going anywhere.

Thursday we ventured out to Lindisfarne.  Lindisfarne is a tidal island meaning that during high tide the road covered by water.  You can only drive to it during low tide.  It is also called Holy Island.  In the 600s a monastery was established on the here.  During the early 700s the illustrated Lindisfarne gospels were made here. The priory is mostly gone but some of the stone walls still stand.  Also on the island is Lindisfarne Castle dating from the 16th century.

    roads leading into Lindisfarne

    Lindisfarne Castle

  house in Lindisfarne  remains of Lindisfarne Priory

We decided to have a spot of tea and scones while we were on the island.  We found a shop that had a garden walkway to get to it.  We shared a pot of darjeeling tea and had 2 scones and some cake.  I didn’t realize when I ordered the cake it had almonds on it – sorry Holly.  It was highly recommended by the customer before me.  I enjoyed it but I have had better.  We got clotted cream to go on our scones along with strawberry jam.  Clotted cream = yummy goodness.  Holly said it’s like butter but better.  Then later she said it reminds her of icing.  It’s kind of like whip cream, butter, sour cream mixed together.  The texture kind of reminds me of half frozen cool whip.  It is good.  Even though the name might scare you away if you ever get the chance give it a try.  Katie was not a fan but then what does she know she is only 11.

  

On Friday we drove around a bit to get some pictures of the country side.  We drove past Bamburgh Castle but decided against going into it.  It also was huge.

  Bamburg Castle

      

Overall we had a nice week in Northumberland.

 

2nd week in London

Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013

Today it was cold and windy.  We decided to stay in the apartment today.  I didn’t even walk to the Starbucks since I figured out how to work the coffee maker.  Luckily the wifi was working today.  It has been iffy and not always working.  After the tour yesterday I decided to reread the Harry Potter books.  Our library system has them so I can downloaded it onto my kindle (thanks Nick P. for letting me have your old one – I can still read books but I didn’t have to bring a bunch with me).  I made our normal Wednesday night meal for dinner tonight – butternut squash pasta – yummm.

Monday, Sept. 16, 2013

I spent a bunch of money today!  I bought a lot of tickets online for us to do things this week.  Today’s adventure is the London Eye.  But first we had to get there.  Our travel cards we got to use last week expired.  When I purchased the 6 day London Pass I also bought 7 day travel cards for each of us.  The cards allowed us to travel on the bus or tubes throughout all 6 zones in London as much as we wanted to travel.  This way I didn’t have to worry about buying tickets for each part of our travel.  The only bad part about these cards is somehow they got deactivated so whenever we went on the tube we had to show them to an attendant who would let us through.  On the London tube you have to put your ticket in the reader when you enter the station and again as you are leaving.  So don’t lose your ticket.  We didn’t.

Since the travel cards were no longer valid we walked to the North Greenwich tube station.  It’s about a 30 minute walk.  Just a little exercise before we started our day.  I bought an Oyster card for myself. There is a refundable 5 pound charge for the card.  Then I got a 7 day unlimited pass added to it.  The girls could not get Oyster cards because they were not adults and they do not issue them to non-UK citizens at the stations.  There is a picture on the kids oyster card.  I think you can order these ahead of time and mailed to your address but we didn’t do this.  So I was able to buy 1 day travel cards for the kids.  The non rush hour ones (couldn’t travel before 9:30 – as if we would) cost 3.40 pounds each.  Today I bought cards for the girls for today and tomorrow.  In total for my oyster card with 7 day unlimited usage and 4 one day travel cards for the girls it cost 49 pounds.

Now we were on our way.  We took the tube to the National Gallery, an art museum at Trafalgar Square.  It had lots of paintings from many periods.  Impressionists are my favorite kind.  My favorite artist is Cezanne.  They had some of his painting in the gallery but not my favorites.  Van Gogh’s Sunflower painting was on display.  And there were 2 of Monet’s painting of waterlilies and his bridge in Givereny.  Art paintings are not my kids favorite so we didn’t spend a long time walking around.  Plus we had more to do.  But as we were getting ready to leave the gallery it was raining hard.  So we got a spot to sit and wait it out.  It didn’t take too long for the rain to stop.  Then we were on our way to the London Eye.

The first thing to say about the London Eye is that it is tall!  I’m not a big fan of heights and neither is Katie but we decided to get on it anyway.  The wheel turns continuously.  It doesn’t stop unless someone needs help getting on it such as in a wheel chair.  There were about a dozen people in our pod. (is that what they call them?)  The weather had cleared up and there was some blue sky.  It wasn’t bad at first.  I could handle looking out and seeing the sights.  But this thing goes really high.  We weren’t even half way around and I was ready to get off.  By the time we were at the top I was not looking out anymore.  Eventually we were over the top and heading back down.  When we got about half way down I was OK to start looking again.  The whole ride took less than 30 minutes.  I’m glad we did it but I don’t think I would go again.  When I was a kid heights never bothered me but now I’m more cautious.  I would much rather use that word than scared.

 Holly & Katie in front of the London Eye

 Taken from the London Eye

 This thing was tall.  But look at the blue sky.

Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013

Today is Harry Potter day.  We went to the Warner Bros. Studio tour just outside of London.  The package I got included a bus ride to the studio and back.  Our bus was to leave at 11:00.  We took the tube to Victoria station and found the spot to get onto our bus.  We barely made it in time.  We were speed walking to the bus.  We probably should have left 15 minutes earlier but I’m never sure how long it will take on the buses and tubes to get places.  But we made it and that is all that counts.  The bus went through a part of London that I had not seen before so I liked looking out the windows at the sights of the city and it’s neighborhoods.

This studio is where many parts of the movies were filmed and it had a lot of the props used.  The tour began in the great hall.  It was a big room but on the movies it looks larger.  This is the actual room that is used for the feasts and the sorting into houses.  The rest of the building had different areas set up to represent the rooms used in the movies.  Harry & Ron’s bedroom, Hagrid’s hut, Dumbledor’s office, Griffindor’s common room, The Burrow.  There was an area outside that had the Weasley’s car, the Night Bus and 4 Privet Lane.  Then back inside to the area where they made a model of Hogwarts.  This was used to film aerial shots.  It was huge and took them 40 days to complete.

Of course after the tour you are let out into a gift shop.  Holly bought a hat and Katie a scarf.  They both got wands last year when we went to Universal Studios.  Katie still wants a robe but at 75 pounds she decided it cost too much.

The ride home on the bus took longer because of rush hour traffic.  A truck bumped the bus as it was trying to squeeze between us and a lamp post.  No damage was done to either.  I would not like to have to drive a double decker bus in traffic or anywhere.  We decided to get off at a stop before Victoria station.  There was a tube stop and we were able to take the tube back to Greenwich.  Much quicker than the cars above ground.

 This is the closet that Harry slept in at his Uncle and Aunt’s house

 Holly on the Night Bus

 This is the model of Hogwars built for aerial views

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013

I had to meet Rhonda at 4:30 to get our keys for our rental in Buxton in two weeks.  The owner was going to be on vacation and needed to mail me the keys.  She didn’t want to send them to the U.S. before we left or send them to France.  Luckily a friend from CBS has family that live in London.  I have been in contact with Rhonda asking her questions about London and she was kind enough to allow the keys to be mailed to her.  I just had to meet her at a tube station to get them.

We started the day by going to the Victoria & Albert Museum.  The plan was to go there then the Science Museum and finally Harrods.  We were at the V&A for only a little bit before Katie started to not feel well.  We decided to head back to the flat.  After getting the kids lunch I decided to venture out on my own and go to Harrods.  The girls stayed home.  It was nice not having to worry about making sure the kids got on the tube with me.  I only had to worry about myself.

Harrods is huge.  Harrods is to London as Macys is to New York City.  And both are expensive!  I am not much of a fashionista so I headed towards the food shop.  I love looking at different types of food.  I got a mini foccacia to nibble on for a snack.  Then I went to kitchen area.  I love cooking gadgets.  I didn’t buy much since I won’t have much room in my suitcase to get it home.

It took me about 30 minutes to get from Harrods to the tube stop where I was meeting Rhonda.  I got my keys then headed back to our flat.  Our wifi went out again as I was sending an email.  At least we have 3G.

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

It was calling for rain today.  But as we were pulling away from the bus stop I realized I left our umbrellas in the flat.  We all decided we would chance the rain and continue on.  We first went to Borough Market first.  We were there last Saturday and it was very crowded.  Today it was not nearly as bad.  It was neat to walk through and look at all the stuff they were selling.  Lots of desserts, cheeses, breads, vegetables, wines, beers, oils.  I did not buy anything but enjoyed browsing.

After the market we went to see Mamma Mia.  We’ve seen the movie but never the musical.  It was great!  We had a great time and I’m glad we got to see a play.

When the play was over it was raining a bit so we hopped on the first bus we saw.  I had no idea where it was going but I figured it would lead us to a tube stop eventually.  I guess I’m getting use to public transportation in London.  We did find a tube stop jumped off the bus and took the tube back to Greenwich.

Friday, Sept. 20, 2013

It was beautiful today.  Lots of blue sky and warmer.  I didn’t even have to wear a jacket.  We took the bus to the car rental place where I am picking up a car tomorrow.  Then we went to the Royal Observatory Greenwich.  It is where the Prime Meridian is located.  We got to stand on the line and take pictures.  We went to Greenwich Tavern for lunch.  Katie and I had the kids fish and chips.  Holly had a salad with chicken.  Katie and I should have gotten a regular one and split it.  The kids fish and chips were just fish sticks and they weren’t even that good.

We had not been to Platform 9 3/4 yet so we were off to try to get onto Hogwarts Express.  They created a space at Kings Cross Station where there is a sign that says Platform 9 3/4 and there is a trolley going into the brick wall.  We waited in line to get our pictures taken.  Holly said to get one without the sign because in the book it is not really there.

Our 2 weeks in London were great.  I’m so glad we got the opportunity to visit and that we went for 2 weeks.  To try to do everything in 1 week would have been overwhelming.  I really enjoyed staying in Greenwich and recommend it to anyone who visits.  Tomorrow it’s off to the north.

 We are on the Prime Merdian

   

 Pictures of us at Platform 9 3/4

Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013

I picked up the rental car.  The guy upgraded me to luxury car.  If you’ve seen my picture on Facebook it has a coffee/tea cup on the speedometer.  Why?  Not quite sure.  I didn’t take a turn that I was suppose to so I got slightly lost.  Google maps on smart phone is great.  No reason to pay extra for a GPS.  I plugged in our address (while at a stoplight) and it directed me to the flat.

Driving on the left side is not too bad.  I haven’t made a mistake yet.  I’m glad I got an automatic.  I keep trying to reach with my right hand to change gears.  We left London around 11:30 and got to Berwick-upon-Tweed at 6:45.  There was a car fire on the highway and it slowed us down some.  Then we stopped at a diner for lunch.

 

1st week of London

Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013

We had to leave the house by 8:00.  Fabrice and Marie-Line drove us to the train station, Paris Gare du Nord.  This time when we showed our passports to the UK agents we were asked more questions.  We had to wait at the station for a little over an hour before we boarded our train for England.  The Eurostar train was great way to travel from Paris to London.  I chose seats that were across each other with a small table in between.  The train ride took 2 hours 15 minutes.  We go into London St. Pancreas station at 12:30.  On Friday I arranged for a driver recommended by the agency I rented the flat from to pick us up at the train station.  I’m very glad I decided to do this since my suitcase was so heavy!  It took longer than usual to get to our flat because there were road closes from a demonstration.  The driver was very nice and I enjoyed the drive through London.

Our driver dropped us off at our flat.  We went through the back gate and tried to get into our flat.  Our number is 199.  We have the studio and there is also another 199 2 bedroom flat.  I went to the door labeled 199 in the back.  There was already a family staying there!  I tried to get a hold Julian, the man who I rented the flat from.  I kept getting his voice mail.  There was someone working in a shop on the street.  He didn’t know how to get in the flat but at least he knew Julian.  I have to admit that it worries me that maybe one of the rentals is a fake and I won’t have a place to stay.  But luckily I was able to get a hold of Julian and he directed me to the entrance of the studio.

This place is a studio with a separate kitchen that has a table in it and a bathroom.  The beds and living area are all one room.  There is a daybed with a trundle, a chair bed (basically a chair that unfolds into a bed) and a sofa bed.  Technically 5 people could sleep here but I think that would be too much.  The studio is on the ground floor with the 2 bedroom flat with the same number above it.  It appears as though this flat use to be a shop.  The whole front wall looking onto the street is a window.  About 5 feet back from the wall of windows is vertical blinds.  I could make a store front display in our flat.  Unfortunately we hear the traffic in front of the flat?  But I’m use to it now.  It is also lacking in kitchen supplies.

After getting settled in the flat we walked to Sainsbury’s.  The local grocery store  It is less than a 5 minute walk.  And there is a Starbucks there!  We bought a little too much for our first visit.  It was heavy carrying the food back.

Holly & Katie on the Eurostar.  Yes that is a coke!

Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013

Today we walked around in Greenwich.  A lot of the local businesses were closed.  After walking in Greenwich we walked to the O2.  It was built for the Olympics.  It has a bunch of restaurants and a movie theater.  The London Music Experience is also located here.  The girls got to try to play the guitar.  Then we had dinner at Spurs.  I really like Greenwich.  I like the location of our flat.  I think that if I ever come back to London I will probably stay in Greenwich.  It’s not too far from the center of the city.

 Lightning McQueen and Mater at the O2

Monday, Sept. 9, 2013

Today we got SIM cards for our iPhones.  For 15 pounds we got 300 minutes, 3000 texts and unlimited data for 30 days.  Better than my t-mobile plan back home.  But it does not include calls or texts to the US.  I think I can text people if I have the email linked to their phone.  So let me know what you use and I can text you.  Or download “kik” and I can send texts through this.  Holly & Katie are happy that they can use their phones to get on the internet.  We have wifi in our apartment but it has been sketchy and not always working.

Today we started our sight seeing by taking the bus then tube to the city.  Each of us had a 7 day travel card that allows us to go on any bus or tube in any of the 6 zones in London.  Unfortunately the cards are not working on their own.  We can still use them but I have to get an attendant to let us through the gate.  You have to use the card to go through the gate and when you exit the tube.  So make sure you know where you put your card when you get on the tube.  It was misting when we left so we brought our 2 umbrellas with us when we went out.

All of the city of London there are posts showing the buildings and sights near where you are located and the signs pointing in the direction to go.  We decided to start by going into the London Bridge Experience.  There were people dressed up outside that looked a little gory.  So I knew it would be scary.  The first part of the tour was kind of like a scary history of the bridge.  We were told that when someone was beheaded for treason their heads were put on stakes and attached to the bridge to deter others from doing the same thing.  Then they told about the fire of 1666 and also a bit about Jack the Ripper.

The next part of the tour were called the tombs and it really was just a haunted house.  We all decided to go ahead ad continue through.  And lucky me I somehow ended up in the front of our bunch of about 15 people.  People jumped out at us occasionally and of course I screamed.  There were 2 areas that you had to squeeze through a tight space.  It was kind of like a jump house but they were the walls with about 10 inches in between.  Katie did not like these areas but we made it through.

After we finished this it was raining but not a downpour.  We decided to continue on to tour through the HMS Belfast.  Both of the things we did today were part of the London Pass I purchased for us before we left the US.  I got us a 6 day pass and a lot of the sights that cost are included in the pass.  It’s nice not to have to pay extra.

On our way home we went to ASDA.  It is a company owned by Walmart.  This store sold more groceries than other things.  The ASDA is about another 10 minutes away from the Sainsbury but still within walking distance.  Tonight we had chicken nuggets and fries for dinner.  I miss my kitchen and of my Pampered Chef stuff to cook with.  The oven is a convection oven, I think.  I’ve never used one before.  The temperature is in Celsius and the markings are mostly rubbed off.  I can’t really read it and even if I could I don’t know what the symbols mean.

 HMS Belfast

Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013

Happy Birthday Dad!  The owner of the flat emailed me a manual for the oven and washer.  In the paperwork I got for the apartment it says the washer is also a dryer but unfortunately he had the wrong info.  It is only a washer.  So I have to hang the wet clothes up to dry.  So I miss my dryer too.  But I’m still happy to be here in London.  I can use the oven better now!

Today we visited The Monument.  It was built between 1671 and 1677 to commemorate the great fire of London in 1666.  It is a tall column with a viewing platform.  It reminds me of a lighthouse but not as wide.  There were 311 steps to reach the top.  Holly beat Katie and I to the top but we all made it!  My legs hurt.  My body is not in as good of shape as when I was doing Body & Soul twice a week.  But I’m walking a lot more now.

After The Monument we went to the Tower of London.  We got there at 1:15 and at 1:30 there was a Yeoman Warder tour.  It last about 1 hour.  He told us of the history of the Tower.  And he was very funny.  This has been our favorite thing in London so far.  After the tour we went to see the Crown Jewels.  We were not allowed to take pictures inside.  There were about 10 crowns (I think because I didn’t count them all).  What was cool and I think a lot more museums should do this there was a conveyor for you to stand on and it took you past the crowns.  This way there was not a long line to see the crowns and things went quick.  If you wanted to look again you could go back through.  There was also lots of items made of gold for the coronation parties.  And a huge punch bowl.  Next we went through White Tower.  This is the first part of the Tower that was built.  In the White Tower there were a lot of things used for wars.  Lots of knights armor.  Even armor for the horses.

After we finished at the Tower of London we went to St. Paul’s Cathedral.  It was beautiful inside but again I couldn’t take any pictures.  There were three different levels of the dome for viewing but only stairs to get to the top.  After the monument the kids didn’t want to walk up lots of stairs.

 The Monument

 Info about The Monument

 Katie took this picture looking up into The Monument.  So many stairs!

 This is the moat between the outer walls of the Tower of London

 The Yeoman Warder – funny guy

 There are ravens at the Tower.  A long time ago they were going to get rid of them but someone said it would be unlucky and the Tower would fall.  Now they clip the wings of ravens and they live at the Tower.  These are big birds if you have never seen a live one.

 This is the building the Crown Jewels are located.

 A Royal Guard outside the Crown Jewels

 Inside the White Tower

 A statue of a dragon made up of random metal pieces.  Just looked cool.

 St. Paul’s Cathedral

 Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013

Today we had a day at our flat.  We read a lot, Holly & Katie did some school work, and just rested.  At 2:00 we did go to the Odeon Theater and saw the second Percy Jackson movie.  Holly & Katie both read all of these books and we saw the first movie.  It was a nice relaxing day.

Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013

Today we took the tube to the Westminster stop.  When we got out the first thing I saw was Big Ben.  “Hey look kids there is Big Ben” – name the movie.  I’m glad we were not in a car and I didn’t see a circle right there in front for someone to go around and around.  We went into Westminster Abbey – again no pictures allowed.  There was a sheet for kids to fill out to learn about the Abbey – history check.

After the Abbey we decided to go to Foley’s bookstore.  It is one of the largest and I believe oldest bookstores in London.  4 floors of books.  I miss Border’s.  We looked around a while.  Before going into Foley’s we found a Chipotle across the street.  We went the whole way to London and ate at Chipotle.  After Foley’s we walked across Tower Bridge then went back to our flat.  When we were waiting for the bus Katie hoped it would be a double decker.  We haven’t rode on one yet.  She got her wish.

 Big Ben

  Outside Westminster Abbey

 Tower Bridge – picture taken from London Bridge

 Walking onto Tower Bridge.  You can walk across the bottom part but you have to pay to walk across the top part.

Friday, Sept. 13, 2013

Today we went back to the Tower Bridge to go through the exhibit this time.  I saw stairs leading up but luckily for us there was also an elevator!  We did take the stairs down.  There was a short video telling of how the bridge was made.  Then we went through the walk ways at the top.  One side had pictures of famous bridges around the world.  We also go to see the boiler room which had the mechanics for opening the bridge.  I don’t remember reading if the bridge is still opened now a days but I’m guessing not because of the amount of traffic going across.  When we finished with this it was raining pretty hard so we went back to our flat.  I like that we have 2 weeks in London.  I don’t feel like we have to rush to get to see everything.  We won’t get to see all of it but that just means I need to come back some day.

Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013

Today we went to Borough Market.  Don’t go there on a Saturday if you can.  It was so crowded.  The girls each go a dessert – Holly a piece of brownie cheesecake and Katie an eclair.  We stayed at the market for only about 15 minutes.  I want to go back next Thursday.  Hopefully it won’t be as busy since it is not the weekend.  Next we went on a Harry Potter on location in the City tour.  The guide took us to places that were used during the filming of the movie.  He also gave told us some history of the city too.  He asked questions through out the tour and gave out stickers.  Holly knew a few of the answers.  I think a year ago she would have known more of the answers.  She has read all of the books at least twice some of them more times.  She use to just open a book up to a random page and just start reading and knew exactly what was going on.  It made me want to read the books again.  Luckily I can get them from the library for the Kindle.

 This is one of the pedestrian alleys in London.  We saw a few of these during our Harry Potter tour.

 The tour guide said this may have been an inspiration to JK Rowling for Diagon Alley.  She may have used this alley to go from work to home during the 2 years she spent in London.

 The old Scotland Yard.  It has been moved but they still use this building for the stables.

 The night bus from Harry Potter were based on this bus.  Just add another level and paint it purple.

 Holly volunteered to go up front.  We counted to 3 and they threw something into the air.  It was a paper wand.

Random London pictures

 For Lilly

 See how nice they are in London.  They tell me which way to look before I cross the street.

 These giraffes remind me of the butterflies from home.

 Futuristic looking tube station.

 

First days in France

Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013

Our flight arrived about 30 minutes earlier than planned.  We got in at 11:00 a.m. Paris time.  We were tired but managed to grab all of our stuff from the plane.  After departing we had to go through customs (before we got our luggage).  There were only a few people in front of us.  When it was our turn we walked to the agent.  He looked at our passports, stamped them and we were on our way.  This was nothing like what you see on TV.  He didn’t ask us any questions!  Not at all what I thought it would be like.

Next we went to find our luggage.  Holly’s was first then mine right after that.  Poor Katie, was her luggage going to show up?  It did within a few minutes and our 4th bag too!  Yeah no lost luggage.  It was one of the reasons I choose to spend a little more and take a direct flight.  We grabbed a cart for our luggage and went to find Fabrice & Marie-Line.  We spotted them easily and after saying hello the french way – a kiss to both cheeks – we were on our way to their car.  It was about a half an hour drive from Charles de Gaulle to their house.

When we got to their house we took our heavy bags up stairs.  Holly & Katie slept in Manon’s bedroom and I slept in Gabriel’s bedroom.  Thanks Gabriel for giving up your room.  Manon stays at an apartment in Paris during the week to go to school but comes home on the weekends.  We had a lunch of melon, bread, pasta, and chorizo slices.  The melon is our cantaloupe and it was so sweet and good.  Katie doesn’t usually like cantaloupe but she liked this.  After lunch we went to our rooms and had a nap.

For dinner we had a favorite of Fabrice – diced potatoes, cheese & bacon.  It normally is served in the mountains and in winter.  It was good and rich.  After dinner we went to Fabrice’s shop in the village.  He sells and installs home media systems

.  

This is a set of speakers he has in his shop.  He says this pair cost $118,000!

We went to his shop because Marie-Line is part of a drama group and they were having their first reading of the play they will be performing starting at the end of March.  She has been part of this group for 10 years and had a big role.  She is the wife of the main character.  Unfortunately for me the play was being spoken in French so I didn’t understand anything.  Maybe I would understand it better if they were in costumes and actually performing the play.  Before they started we had some champagne to celebrate the beginning of the play.  Katie even had some but she didn’t like it.  Holly wouldn’t try it.  We got back to the house about 11:30 and I was tired.  But it took me a bit to fall asleep.  We were going to Paris in the morning.

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013

I slept until 10:45!  I got the girls up at 11:15.  Fabrice was coming for us at noon to drive us to the train station.  We took the RER train at the Parcs Disney station.  Marie-Line went with us to show us around.  She doesn’t like to come into Paris too much – she prefers the country.  When we got out of the metro I got my first view of the Eiffel Tower.  Wow!  I’m in Paris!

We walked through a garden/park.  The grass was roped off so you couldn’t walk on it.  The girls were hungry so I bought them a sandwich to share and something to drink.  We continued walking through the garden and came to the outside of the Louvre.  We didn’t go inside any of the museums or building today.  We just did a walking tour of Paris.  Next we walked along the Seine River to the Eiffel Tower.  We took some pictures then hopped on to the metro to Notre Dame.  It was hot in Paris at least 90 degrees!  Here is a good tip.  There are water fountains throughout Paris that you can use to fill up empty water bottles.  I figured this out after I threw the first one away.  Normally I don’t like to drink from water fountains but when you are hot and thirsty it is great.

Around 4:30 we walked to the garden where we were going to meet Fabrice for a picnic dinner.  We needed a rest after all that walking.  The 2 gardens we saw had metal chairs in them that people could move around and use.  It was nice to have them to sit on.  Ad they could be moved to the sun or shade whichever you prefer.  There were lots of people sitting in the sun tanning.  For my white skin that would not have ended well.  Dinner was ham sandwiches, apples, pretzels and these yummy snacks.

Manon met up with us and we went to the dock to take a cruise down the Seine River to see the monuments at night.  The Eiffel Tower lit up is amazing.  At times it also had sparkling lights shinning from it.  So many people sit along the Seine at night having a picnic and just talking.  I saw lots of bottles of wine!  At one spot there was even music playing and people dancing.  After the cruise we drove Manon back to her apartment and went home.  It was almost midnight when we got home.

Friday, Sept. 6, 2013

We spent the day at Fabrice & Marie-Line’s house.  I woke up at 8:00 and had breakfast with Fabrice & Marie-Line.  Finally a cup of coffee.  They only drink coffee in the morning and since I slept in yesterday I didn’t get any.  I drank my coffee black!  For those that know me this does not happen.  I don’t use sugar but I like my cream.  I guess if it is good coffee and made correctly black tastes good.  Fabrice and Marie-Line drank their coffee out of cereal bowls.  Marie-Line says this is how they drink coffee (you get more this way) and it is how her parents also drink coffee.  Usually it is only the younger generation trying to imitate Americans that use mugs.  And she would never think about drinking it in a cup while she is walking around.

After breakfast Marie-Line and I went to the supermarket and the bakery.  I got the girls up at 11:30.  They had not fallen asleep until 2:00 the night before.  They are not quite use to the time change yet.  During the afternoon I worked on our luggage.  I wanted to take only 3 bags to England.  We had taken four 25 inch bags, 1 carry on bag and 3 backpacks to Europe.  So I had to condense.  I didn’t bring all of my winter clothes with me to England.  I did manage to get everything into the 3 bags.  Mine was heavy!  In the afternoon Marie-Line had to go to a meeting at Gabriel’s school so we were alone for a few hours until Gabriel got home from school.  Everyone got there by 8:00 even Manon.  We had dinner of pasta, salad and bread.  I gave out the gifts I brought.  The peanut butter Oreo were a big hit!  Shortly after dinner we went to bed since we have to wake up earlier tomorrow.

Here are some more pictures we took in France.

  The Louvre

  A climbing wall beside the Seine River

  Holly & Katie in front of the Eiffel Tower

   All 3 of us by the Eiffel Tower

  Notre Dame

  The Eiffel Tower lit up at night.  It has its bling on!

  The garden in front of Fabrice & Marie-Line’s house

  Fabrice & Marie-Line’s house

 

We are in Europe

The flight went well and we are in France. It’s 8:57 US time and 2:57 French time.  Katie was a little nervous on the plane but remember the island on “Lost” moves so we were probably not going to over top of it and crash.  There was a little turbulence on the plan but not too much.  They tried to serve us dinner at 11:00.  We passed since it was pass my bed time and way pass dinner (which was at Chick-fil-a by the way – Thanks Mom & Dad!)  Katie slept some on the plane but Holly and I didn’t get much sleep.  We are Fabrice & Marie-Line’s house now – about 10 miles from EuroDisney.  And are going to lay down to get a little sleep.

 

At the airport

The hour is almost here. We are at the airport waiting to board. I think we have packed everything we need. Oh man, I forgot to put Jess in the suitcase. Or was she in it because it was heavy! I am excited and nervous. 9 months. If you ask my mom I think she will say it is 8 months too long. We get into Paris at 11:30 tomorrow morning. Please pray for a safe flight and that we can sleep some. Au revoir. Robin, Holly, and Katie.

 

4 Weeks until we leave!

I can’t believe we leave in just 28 days.  That’s not much time and I have so much to do!

This week I am the director of the Vacation Bible School at our church so nothing is happening with our trip.  Yesterday we had 93 kids there and we usually get some more added during the week.  It is a lot of fun and we have a great bunch of volunteers that make this week happen.  Plus now I have those catchy VBS songs constantly going through my head.

A friend will be staying in my house while we are gone.  Luckily she will be using my furniture so I will not have to move it but I will need to pack up all of our personal items.  I have my to do lists for each room.  I can’t leave her a dirty house so there is a long list of cleaning that must be done too.

I have started purchasing things that we will need for the trip.  My Mom gave the girls suitcases for Christmas last year and I bought myself a new one.  We each now have iPhones.  I have a box that I’ve been putting things into that we don’t need now but I want to take with me.  I will try to fit most of our things into 1 suitcase each.  Some things will not fit so we will take an additional 1 or 2 to France.  But when we get over there we will be doing a lot of train travel.  I would like to only take 1 suitcase and a backpack each and leave things we don’t need at our home base.

I’ve made a few changes and additions to our itinerary.  During the last week of November we will be going to Venice, Italy for 4 days over Katie’s birthday.  When I first started planning this trip she said the place she really wanted to go was Venice.  So on her birthday we will be riding on a gondola.  I’ve also have our rental for December.  We will be in Arles, France, a city in Provence.  In January we will be staying 4 weeks in Kenmare, Ireland and 2 weeks in Salthill.  Then we will go to Dublin on 2/15 and Northern Ireland for a week starting 2/22.  At the beginning of March we will spend 2 weeks in Glasgow, 1 week in Edinburgh, and 1 week near Inverness.  That takes us to March 29.  I have rentals for our trip through that date.  We will spend another week somewhere in England and come back to France on April 5th.  The time after that is still in the planning stages but we will probably visit Greece and then spend time in Italy.

I still can’t believe we will be leaving in just 4 weeks.  Only 28 more nights of sleeping in my bed using my pillow.  Only 28 more days of hearing mostly English spoken and understanding what is being asked of me.  Only 28 more days to see my family and friends.  This last part makes me sad.  But I will be back and what a story I will have to tell!

 

What 9 months! How are you going to do this?

I’ve been thinking about this trip for a long time at least 5 years.  I live in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US.  I’ve been to New York a few times and as far north as Maine once.  I lived in Hollywood, Florida for about a year back in 1995 but we’ve been to Florida many times to visit family.  When I was 12 my family visited Hawaii for 2 weeks and I was at LAX for a lay over.  I’ve been to Texas a few times to visit friends.  And a couple of years ago we went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  I’ve only been out of the country once to Cancun, Mexico.  But we have never been to Europe.

Back in 2009 we had the privilege of being a host family to a girl from France for 5 weeks.  Manon is a wonderful girl and it was great having her stay with us.  The next summer she came back on her own and in 2011 her family came for a 2 week visit.  Now we have a connection to Europe and we will make their home our base for our 9 months.

So where will we be going, you ask?  At the beginning of September we will be flying into Paris.

• 9/7/13 – 9/21/13 – London for 2 weeks
• 9/21 – 9/28 – Northumberland (northern England – close to the Scotland border)
• 9/28 – 10/5 – Peak District (middle England – near Manchester)
• 10/5 – 10/12 – Cornwall, UK
• 10/12 – 10/16 – back to our home base
• 10/16 – 10/26 – traveling through Bavaria Germany.  The cities we will be staying in are St. Goar, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Garmisch and Berchtsgaden
• 10/26 – 11/2 – Munich, Germany
• 11/2 – 11/23 – Colmar France
• 11/23 – 11/30 – back to our home base – visiting Paris
• 11/30 – 1/4/14 – the month of December we will be staying in Provence area of France
• 1/4 – 1/25 – Kenmare, Ireland
• 1/25 – 2/15 – Salthill, Ireland
• 2/15 – 2/22 – Northern Ireland
• 2/22 – 3/1 – Dublin, Ireland
• 3/1 – 3/29 – Scotland, probably around Glasgow
• 3/29 – 4/5 – Loch Ness (maybe we will see Nessy)
• 4/5 – 4/12 – back to our home base – I would like to go to Giverny to see Monet’s gardens)
• 4/12 – until we come home Italy

During this 9 months Holly & Katie will continue to be homeschooled – yes I am making them do some work while we travel.  And I will have them post to this blog giving their opinions about what we visit and life abroad.  Leading up to our departure I will post information about the “hows”, “whats”, “wheres”, “whens” and “whys” of our trip.