Wednesday, August 31, 2011

An Afternoon in Bloomsbury

                                          The Great Court

                                          Chair constructed of guns
                                          The Egyptian exhibition

                                          The Lewis Chessmen
                                          Roman Statues

                                          My parents made me...

Yesterday we took the tube to Bloomsbury, to go to the British Museum. The walk there was fantastic- and we could actually enjoy it, unlike walking to the V&A, because we weren't sopping wet! We arrived at the museum, and entered the majestic Great Court. It is the "largest covered public square in Europe," and incredible to be in. The galleries we viewed were also impressive: we saw the Rosetta Stone (stone tablet that helped experts read hieroglyphs), the Lewis Chessmen (ancient chess pieces made of whale's teeth and walrus ivory), and Egyptian mummies. Other favorites included a chair constructed of guns in the African exhibit, the marble statues of Romans in Britain, the one-zillion Zimbabwe dollar, and the Egyptian artifacts and paintings. Unfortunately, the Reading Room is closed for the next two years, so we didn't get to see that. But we have all decided we'll be going back to the British Museum again: we only made it through one of four levels!

After the museum, we made our way to dinner. Mom had already found a place from our guidebook, Fodor's London: the Hare & Tortoise, a noodle restaurant. As Dad said, "We would have walked right by this place without giving it a chance, if the book didn't recommend it." But we were all glad we did- I had a fantastic tofu and veggie lo mein, while Franny and Dad had noodles with chicken and Mom had mixed veggie. We also had a side of vegetarian duck rolls, which were amazing! The food was great, the portions more than generous, and our meals came quickly. We had a great afternoon, and not even the completely crammed (and very, very stuffy) tube ride home could put a damper on our moods. A LoveFilm movie (our UK Netflix) finished off another fun day in London.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Museum Day at the V & A








Yesterday we spent hours wandering around the Victoria & Albert, one of my all-time favorite museums. We got soaked in the pouring rain on the way there, so went straight away to the Cafe for some sustainance and to dry off a bit before attempting the many galleries. Then we spent lots of time checking out the sculptures, as well as the ironwork, architecture, and modern exhibits. It is so luxurious to know that we can head back there at any time, we don't have to cram everything in to one visit, so it was leisurely and relaxed.

A bit later the sun came out and we sat in the courtyard by the fountain, people-watching and sipping our lattes/hot chocolates. There were so many different types, and it was such fun to check them all out and guess their stories. A group of American high schoolers kind of took over the wading pool, and it looked like a massive Tommy Hilfiger ad for a while. While on the other end of the pool, there were a few couples, 30-something wealthy Brits, dressed to the nines for a stroll through the V & A. The whole scene was most entertaining.

When we had tired of the museum, we walked around the Kensington/Chelsea area, in awe of the gorgeous houses and upscale shops. My find of the day was a pair of black wellies for 5 pounds at a charity shop, as well as a few trinkets and postcards from the V & A gift shop.



It was a great London day, and we must have walked for miles, which means that we could enjoy (guilt-free) the scrumptious strawberry rhubarb crumble that Steven and Greta made for dessert, a sweet ending indeed.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Highlights of Our Trip to the Countryside

                                              Devizes
                                            Devizes' cobblestone streets
                                              The walk to the town
                                              Hiking in Wales



                             Walking through the cow and sheep pastures
                                         



                                              Chester
                                              Chester Cathedral
                                             
                                              Race track

    We're back from the countryside! And, although I am happy to be back in London, it was so much fun visiting picturesque villages and running around our cousins' farm. Our trip lasted six days (Tuesday to Monday) with the first two nights in Wiltshire with Dad's grandmother, "GG," and four nights in Shropshire with dad's cousins Susan and Robert (who we are renting the house from) and their seven year old son, David. 

    Highlights:
    • Hiking in Wales- the first half of the hike was similar to a hike in Washington: a river, ferns, lots of green... But the route also took us straight through pastures of cows and sheep! 
    • Spending time with GG and visiting Devizes- we had a lot of fun playing games like Scrabble and Rummikub with GG, along with visiting Devizes (the city center is only about a fifteen minute walk from GG's house). The town along the canal is exactly what you picture an English village to look like, complete with a charming hat shop and plenty of cobblestone streets.
    • Visiting Chester- one day we drove to the Roman city of Chester. We walked along the ancient city wall, seeing ruins of castles and a modern-day horse race!

    • Just hanging out at the house with our cousins- it was so much fun to cozy up with a good book, to pick fruit and veg from the garden to make dinner with, to have a major dance competition on Wii... it was so relaxing, and a wonderful trip!

    The Week in Review



    Well, we definitely have lots to report, as we haven't posted in over a week; so I'll try to do a quick daily update. We've had such a nice time connecting with Steven's family, which is one of the big reasons that we're here in the UK, that this is feeling more and more like the right thing to be doing. If we could just get Greta's school finalized, I would really feel positive about it all.

    Last Sunday we met up with our old friend, Kevin, whom we met about 20 years ago through Alison. He came to stay with us in Montreal for the Jazz Festival, and we all had such fun and lots in common, that it was an easy friendship. Saw him a couple of times in the ensuing years, but lost touch for about the last 15. Never deterred by a long absence, I emailed him about our being in London, and we were thrilled to plan a day together in the city, reconnecting and renewing our friendship- it was great (and you all know that we could use a few friends in this town, since we're missing our dear ones back in Seattle).

    We met at the Embankment tube stop and walked around for a good two hours, talking about the changes in London's architecture, politics, pub scene, etc. We had a latte on the go, and kept walking and talking, and we're hoping to see more of Kevin over the year. Steven is planning to go to the PJ Harvey concert at the Royal Albert Hall with him in October, too. Thanks, Kevin, for being amenable to picking up a 20-year old friendship where we left off.

    That Sunday we also scored in that we bought bikes for Greta and Francesca, which we had been trying to do for weeks. I searched gumtree.com (similar to craigslist) every day, looking for used bicycles in our neighborhood (we had to be able to get there and walk the bikes home) for the kids, but there weren't many available and they were all rather pricey. Was thrilled to connect with a sweet Irish woman whose daughter had recently moved back to Ireland, and she had two bikes for sale. Steven and I took the tube to Clapham Common and went to get the bikes, then walked/rode them back towards Tooting. On our way, we stumbled upon a great little Farmer's Market, where we bought lots of fruit and veg to fill our backpacks, and where there was a Bike Doctor set up to do basic bike repairs for a modest fee. We got the new bikes in good working order and rode them home to our very pleased daughters. Monday then included a long bike ride through Tooting Bec Common, and we are thrilled to now all have our own bikes in London.



    Tuesday we rented a VW Golf TDi and hit the road. We printed out maps ahead of time and prepared ourselves for some stressful driving getting out of the city (different car, driving on a different side of the road, sitting on a different side, manual gear, you get the idea), but all went smoothly and we were soon on the English Motorway zooming west. We stopped for a pub lunch in Ludgershall (nothing to write home about), and then walked up the hill to check out the remains of Ludgershall Castle, which was Henry III's hunting Lodge. Seeing something so old is still quite surreal at times, and in fact, the pub where we had lunch was older than any standing building in Seattle. Walking through the ruins was most impressive.



    Then we continued on to Devizes, the historic market town where Steven's grandmother lives. We had a really nice visit with her, and were able to do some cooking and cleaning for her house, as well as some shopping, so that she'll be set for a while. Her health has been failing, so we're hoping that she'll be moved into a more suitable place by winter, as she can't manage the house she's in anymore. Her house is on the market, and the family is all really hoping that it sells soon, so that we can find a better situation for Grandma. It was great to spend time with her, playing games and talking. And we love walking by the canal behind her house into Devizes, which is a beautiful town.



    After a couple of nights there, we drove up to Shropshire to stay with Susan, Robert, and David (Steven's cousins on his dad's side). It is their London house that we're renting, and they were wonderful hosts to us in their country house in Whixall. It really felt like the city mice visiting their country mice cousins, and we had a wonderful time. Almost every meal was made with fresh vegetables from their garden, the eggs were collected from their hens, and we made crumbles with fruit from their trees. The girls loved foraging for their own snacks (apples, plums, and rasberries), and had a great time playing with David, their 7-year old second cousin.

    We did a gorgeous 6-mile hike up in Wales at the Vale of Clwyd to Lady Bagot's Drive. It included walking along a river, hiking through the forest, passing huge manor houses, and crossing fields full of sheep and cows- it was brilliant! And the people in Wales were some of the friendliest that we've met. When we went in to the Food Co-Operative to stock up on chocolate (always a necessity when hiking with kids), there was a woman of about 80 years who joked, "I've got a couple of friends here who all have walking sticks like mine, and we're not afraid to use them to get some sweets!" Then later we met a couple who had lived in Northern Wales all their lives, and they were telling us all about the beautiful walks in the area, repeating how lucky they were to live there, and inviting us to come back soon for another hike. When we got home, Robert was busy making us homemade pizzas in their outdoor pizza oven, which was excellent.




    Another day up north, we spent in the city of Chester, which was bustling with people for both the upscale shopping and the horse-racing at the beautiful track there. We walked all around the Roman Walls of the city, watched the revelers at the races for a while, and did a little bit of shopping, then got the kids some dinner. The adults saved our appetites for our fancy dinner out at The Combermere Arms later that night, which was just fantastic. Greta stayed home with the little guys, and we were able to enjoy a really nice dinner and some fine local ales.





    Our last day we spent relaxing at their comfy farmhouse, and enjoying more good cooking. We also went into Whitchurch to see the town, and hit a car boot sale, which was very successful: we scored two rubbish bins, a blender, hand-stitched napkins, a sugar jar, and some books, all for under 1o pounds. We were quite happy with those finds.

    We got back to London on Monday afternoon, and had time to do a few errands while we had the rental car. We did another massive trip to Sainsbury's and went to the "tip" to get rid of the old toilet that had been sitting in our front garden. Yes, we now have a new toilet in the upstairs bathroom and that room will be our next home improvement project; and the old toilet that the plumber refused to take with him is now happily out of our lives forever!

    That's the weekly update, and I should report that even after such a nice holiday up north, it felt really good to get "home." Our London house is feeling more and more cozy, and we were all happy to get back to it.

    Saturday, August 13, 2011

    It's the Little Things in Life.






    These are a few of the little things that I am grateful for this morning:

    • The riots seem to have stopped and people here are talking about what led up to them (obviously, this is not so little).
    • Our rented home is coming along nicely, thanks to my handy-man/artist husband.
    • We now get a weekly organic fruit and veg delivery from Abel & Cole; it's like opening up a Christmas parcel every Friday morning.
    • My girls are happy and healthy, and soaking up this experience.
    • Public library systems all over the world, which let us continue our reading pursuits absolutely free.
    • Speaking of free, the website freecycle, which lets you offer, find, trade items for free, thereby keeping more things out of the landfills. Just got Greta a lovely new desk here, and it was even delivered to us for free.
    • My new Brita water filter jug, because I just couldn't get used to the taste of the water here, and I was really thirsty.
    • My brilliant idea to put a spare duvet under the fitted sheet on our bed, creating a pillow-top effect to our otherwise painfully springy mattress- what a difference! Wish that I had thought of that 3 weeks ago.
    • Having internet access to be able to stay connected to friends and family back home.
    Sometimes I need to be reminded of how important the little things can be- duly noted, and I am most grateful.

    Thursday, August 11, 2011

    The City


                                              Postman's Park
                                           
                                                           Cutler's Hall
                                              The Old Bailey
                                              Churchyard
                                                           Hidden Pub
                                              St Etheldreda's crypt

                                       
                                              Dr Johnson's house
                                                    Dr Johnson's cat, Hodge
                                           


    Yesterday, while Franny and Mom had a mellow day at home, Dad and I decided to explore a new part of London. We found a walking route in our book, Secret London, which we followed religiously. The new part of the city we visited was, literally, the City. It is the oldest part of London, and although there were modern office buildings as well (very much a business area), the architecture was beautiful and exactly what I pictured "old London" to be. 

    Our walk began at the St. Paul's tube station (we took the Northern Line to Bank, and walked to St. Paul's) and  then through Postman's Park. Although small and fairly quiet, there is a wall in the park with tiles dedicated to normal people whose lives have been taken doing heroic deeds. Unfortunately, the idea never caught on, so most of the tiles date back to the late 1800s, but it was still really interesting. Dad and I then continued on until we reach the area with all of the major London courts, including the Old Bailey (Britain's most famous criminal court). Continuing on we pass more exquisite churches, buildings, and streets. We then turn down Ely Place, a street that is technically not in London. It is owned by the crown, has gates and a gatekeeper, and is "in" Cambrideshire. It houses a little-known church, St Etheldreda, with a crypt and chapel. According to Secret London, the crypt is "the oldest centre of Roman Catholic Worship in London." Also in Ely Place is Ely Court, the tiny street (more of an alleyway) barely wide enough for two people. But it does house one of the oldest and most hidden pubs in London, the Old Mitre. We continue to follow the book, seeing more sights such as Gresham College and Cutler's Hall. We head to Gough Square to visit Dr Johnson's house- the birthplace of the first-ever dictionary. We get coffees on Fleet Street, and walk through yet more almost deserted roads and houses. Everyone seems to know exactly where they're going and don't pause for a second to admire the tiny cafes, the beautiful courtyards, the hidden sights... everywhere we turned there was more to see, and that is something I never want to take for granted. Our day in the City was fantastic, and I'd go back again any day. Our book says it's a one and a half hour walk, yet it took Dad and me nearly four hours because we spent so much time looking in old churches and buildings: I think that says something about my new found love for the City!