Just Outside of Town

Brian left for the US of A this week for work and in his absence, I decided that I needed to plan some "out-of-town" adventures for the 5 of us.  

Our first stop was Windsor Castle- the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world!  We loved, loved, loved it!  The town of Windsor itself was so charming that we could have spent the day exploring and taking it in. After getting some tickets and our audio guides, we walked through the Norman gates of the castle, where a live tour was just beginning.  We were introduced to the Upper, Lower, and Middle Wards as well as the famous Round Tower.  Then, we went inside to Queen Mary's Dollhouse.  This is the largest and most famous dollhouse in the world.  Built with tiny real books, and actual running water and working elevators as well as real gold tiny place settings.  In a word, everything in the dollhouse is tiny, but very real.  Incredible.  From there, we went to the State Apartments, where pictures are forbidden.  The scope, majesty and grandeur of these rooms in beyond anything I've ever seen.  It really felt like a working, lived-in castle, but larger and more grand than any of the castles we have previously seen.  We slowly walked through the rooms, listening to our audio guides and trying to see it all.  Its definitely a place that you could walk through several times before you tire of it.

Outside of the castle in the lower ward, is St. George's Chapel , where you can visit the burial sites of many of England's kings and queens such as Henry VIII, Jane Seymour, Edward IV, Henry VI, Edward VII and Alexandra, and many more.  After leaving the castle grounds, we walked toward Eton College, a prestigious private school that has educated 19 of Britain's prime ministers.  The town of Eton was so picturesque...I could not stop taking pictures of it and wished Brian was here so the pictures could be decent.  ;)

We stayed close to home the next day, visiting the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden- which may have been a kid favorite.  They could climb on old buses and trams and even drove a simulated tube and played in kid-sized taxis.  I loved reading the history of transportation in London and how it literally shaped the area in and out of the city- prompting an urban sprawl as tubes became more popular and efficient.  Also, the Thames!  Boats used to be the main mode of transportation and without this river, London might not have been settled at all.

We had to walk through the shops at Covent Garden after the museum and, as usual, there was some sort of entertaining show that the kids insisted on watching.  City life! Then, we grabbed some delicious Ben's Cookies, sat on the curb and blissfully devoured the warm cookies before walking over to Trafalgar Square to check out the lions.  There was a string quartet playing in the square and it was so beautiful...we picked up their CD after listening for a while because I love the gorgeous sound of violins! Then, on to the main attraction.  The kids climbed on top of the lions and hung out for a bit before heading back home for the day on the bus.  

Ready for another short trip, we headed to Hampton Court Palace on Thursday.  Right on the River Thames, this huge palace conducts living tours- people dressed in period outfits and playing the parts of actual monarchs and their courtiers that lived in the palace long ago.    We learned about Henry VIII and explored his huge kitchens, saw how meals were prepared and where they were eaten.  Then, we saw the Tudor side of Hampton where King William and his wife, Mary, lived as well as their gorgeous Fountain Court and privy gardens.  Outside of the castle, is the famous Hampton Court Maze commissioned by William III and includes 1/3 of an acre of hedges that lead to a center (or the goal to be reached).  I told the kids that the first one to reach the center is the winner and they ran free.  Kate and Lauren stuck together and found it, Taylor got lost so Tessa and I eventually caught up to her, and we found the center altogether after getting lost a couple more times, which is the point, right?! Either way, it was a lot of fun and a definite first!  From there we walked for a bit along the Thames and then over to the carriages placed on the front lawn for kids (and adults!) to climb into and play on.  This is where I fell asleep in the sunshine on the grass.  It was lovely.  

Brian came home the next day with half of a suitcase full of American goods that I had requested. Our boat shipment (which includes most of our stuff from America) was supposed to arrive on July 5, but there was a problem with the shipment in the US and it was delayed three weeks. Because we still don't have any of it, we are running out of things that we need and have had trouble finding in the UK (Mucinex!).  Luckily, Brian heads back to the States about once/month and can stock up.  The kids thought they had died and gone to heaven when he pulled out Mambas and their favorite granola bars as well as some new wet brushes.  And, I got my Mucinex, because we have all been fighting a nasty cold for what seems like forever! 

We spent time walking through our favorite parts of Regents Park on Saturday and then headed over to Holland Park, where there was a ward get-together to say goodbye to a great family that is moving to Colorado this week.   

Around Town

The weekend after our Paris trip, we decided to stick around town and "take it easy".  So, we've heard great things about the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in Richmond.  We arrived just a couple of hours before closing, not nearly enough time to take in all 75 acres + Kew Palace.  But, we sure tried!  We explored the palace where George III and his Queen Charlotte spent much of their time, and also where Charlotte passed away (you can see the very chair she was sitting in at the time of her death). Their palace garden was amazing...there really is nothing like a true English garden.  We walked the Kew Garden grounds-through the Palm House, King William's Temple, the amazing Waterlily house, and topped it off with nutella crepes (Paris has us hooked!) and a walk on top of the trees at the Xstrata Treetop Walkway.

London is full of amazing museums and the best part is that the majority of them are free!  As a mom of four, it takes the pressure off of making sure you see everything the first time and dragging kids through hours of exhibits after they lose interest because you want to get your money's worth. But the very best part is, that you have access to amazing things and incredible learning opportunities for your kids at your fingertips.

Take the British Museum, for example.  On a Monday afternoon, its a short tube ride and all of the sudden you're standing in front of the Rosetta Stone at one of the most amazing museums in the world.  Slight right turn and you're looking at Egyptian statues that are over 3,000 years old! History is so amazing...its mind-boggling to imagine that people have been living and working on this earth for that long and to imagine what their lives must have been like. Down the hall and you can see actual pieces from the Roman Pantheon.  We weren't able to stay long because you know, kids.  But, Kate and I have big plans to return and spend hours scouring the different exhibits.  

On Tuesday, I wanted to get to the TKTS kiosk at Leicester Square to get a deal for a Wednesday West End matinee for the 5 of us.  I still haven't figured out the best way to do this when you have more than two people you're looking for, so I walked away empty-handed.  I totally get why this area is such a tourist hot-spot though.  So much energy in Piccadilly Circus and I'm in love with the gorgeous white stone buildings that wave through Regent Street, wrap around Piccadilly and through toTrafalgar.  

After a quick stop at Pret for the kids' favorite snack of mini-baguettes with butter and an almond croissant for mom, we bussed it to the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park for the Serpentine Pavilion exhibit.  The kids played hide-n-seek through the colorful, twisting tunnels for a while and then we walked through Kensington Gardens to the Peter Pan statue.  Across from the statue, is The Long Water (looks like a small river) where there were swans and other ducks swimming around.  The girls found a cute duck that had just had little duckling babies and mom was feeding them in the cutest way possible.  Taylor, my animal lover, said it was the best day of her life.  They were so cute.

The next day our digital piano arrived...and for a full day the kids looooved that they could play the piano.  ;) It was fantastic.  I also found a local gym that I could join so I could hopefully get back to teaching at some point.  But in the meantime, I'll settle for earning some endorphins without the pressure of learning choreography.  I took the kids down the road to Kilburn Grange Park so they could run around and be kids. Finally, that night, I met a couple of women from our Relief Society for dinner at a delicious Persian restaurant called Alounak. I love talking to people who have lived here for a while and can give me great tips and advice because I could really use all of it.  The women in my ward, and the people in London as well, have been so kind and welcoming and extremely helpful- its been so nice.  

On Thursday, it was going to be a hot (as in 85 degrees!) London day, so a group of moms from church decided to meet at the Serpentine Lido so the kids could play in the water.  Because the lido was closed, we settled for the nearby Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, which is like a lazy river about 6 inches deep.  The kids splashed and played while the moms sat and talked, which is what we each do best! ;) 

When the weekends roll around and Brian is around, we try to plan something special to do altogether.  So, this weekend, we decided to head to Dover Castle and their famous white cliffs, about a 2 1/2 hour train ride to the south-eastern English coastline.  Dover Castle (the "Key to England") is a 12th century medieval fortress that not only played a huge part as a defensive stronghold in many wars, but it is also the largest castle in England.  We walked through the secret wartime tunnels and explored the old church, Roman lighthouse, and the Great Tower filled with very colorful furniture and ornaments (colorful paint was more expensive than gold during the reign of Henry II so colorful furniture was a sign of extreme wealth and they had ALOT of very colorful pieces).  We then tried to hike to the white cliffs and realized, with a stroller in tow, this would be impossible because there is no path off of the main road leading to the cliffs, making the walk very dangerous...so bummed.  We tried to hire a taxi to take us, with no luck so, disappointed, we had to head home for the night.  We did catch some glimpses on the train ride back, but we hope to return and get some good photos and memories of the gorgeous sheer white cliffs.

On Sunday, we had our first visitors from Texas! The McKnights lived by us and were in our ward in McKinney, so it was so fun to see them.  They were in town for work and were so nice to come over that night and go on a gorgeous walk through Regents Park with us.  We love visitors!

I've realized that getting out of the house every day is often hard with four kids, but when I am out with my kids, I feel so full of gratitude for this amazing city that we get to live in- every corner and street has something different and interesting to see.  Sometimes, I think I may burst with gratitude for this opportunity.  This summer has been so special already for our family, we've learned, been pushed to grow, and seen some incredible things that we will never forget.  

Paris, Part II

It's always interesting to attend a new ward in a foreign country, so we woke up very early (especially considering our previous late night) to make it to the meetinghouse in Paris.  Because it was only about a half mile away from where we stayed, we walked, and halfway there met and helped a cute, lost Australian family find the building. There were two wards simultaneously meeting right across from one another, one for English-speakers and the other for French.  Of course we had to hear the French meeting, but not to worry, they had a translator and headsets for everyone who wanted them.  French is such a beautiful language...I loved trying to sing the familiar hymns (but not even coming close- its a tough language!) as we went through the sacrament meeting.

Because it was the first Sunday of the month, people were bearing their testimonies, so we really got to hear several locals speak and talk about things that they felt so strongly about.  The Spirit was very strong and I loved all of it.  After the close, we walked down the street to a French cafe/bakery to eat some breakfast...which was so yummy! Fresh-baked baguettes and croissants, with scrambled eggs and bacon- doesn't get much better than that.  

After breakfast, we walked back home so we could relax and change to get ready for our bike tour of the city.  We met our guide for Blue Bike Tours at the St. Michel Fountain, just a stone's throw from where we stayed. But it was raining...a little bummed that this might not only make it a little dangerous for the kids, but also put a damper on the tour, we stood under an umbrella and hoped that the weather would clear up.  Right as we were starting, the sun came out and it totally stopped raining, and even cooled off (the weather during our visit was unusually hot for Paris). We picked out our bikes and started the 4-hour journey through the city, with a promise to hit all of the most important spots.  Tessa was in a toddler seat on the back of my bike and Lauren had a trailer attachment on the back of Brian's, for which she promised to pull her own weight (haha!).  I love guided tours and hearing interesting information and historical facts from people who know their stuff, and getting to do it outside, on a bike, in perfect weather, in Paris. Oui Oui!! 

Our first stop was Notre Dame.  Our guide was awesome and told us facts that none of us had learned on our visit the day before.  For example, the zero point in Paris is located right in front of Notre Dame, and all points in the city are measured from this circular marker labeled "Point Zero Des Routes de France" (said in a perfect accent, of course).  From there, we biked across the street to the famous Love Lock Bridge.  Although locks can be found on just about every bridge in Paris, this one was completely and totally packed to the brim on both sides- which is why they are removing all of them in a couple of months...too much weight for one bridge to handle! We bought a lock from a nearby vendor (product placement, people!) and wrote all of our names and of course, we locked it on the bridge and tossed the keys in the River Seine below.  We stopped quickly at the Grand Palais, Musee d'Orsay, and the Musee des Invalides- where our guide explained 600 years of French history in under 10 minutes- so interesting...it made me want to study it all.  I love history. After a quick pit stop at an outdoor market where we picked up the necessary Nutella and banana crepes, we jumped back on the saddle and were on our way.

The trickiest part of the bike ride came next, as we wound our group through the busy, busy streets, over and down to the path that runs along the Seine- which until two years ago was a highway, now used solely for pedestrians...and bikes.  We stopped at a crucial point along the Seine, where to Brian's (and Tessa's) utter delight, was a public sparkling water fountain!  French people obviously take their sparkling water very seriously.  We had to keep moving, but we promised Brian we could return later, with refillable water bottles in hand. Down the Seine, then up again to see La Tour Eiffel in all its splendor.  It still hadn't lost its magic- seriously, I don't know how it could.  

Then, we biked along the lower tree-lined section of the Champs de Elysees to the Place de la Concorde, where you could see the famous Luxor obelisk and the Arc de Triomphe from a distance.  We then biked around the Tuileries Gardens and right onto the plaza of the Louvre narrowly missing death on a certain crosswalk (oops!).  

The four-hour tour flew by.  It was one of those moments where you are just so grateful and happy and trying to really live in and soak up each moment because you know after it passes that you are going to wish you could do it all over again.  We all loved every second.

Afterwards, we walked back to the sparkling water fountain, as promised, and then along the Seine footpath to an outdoor pizza cafe that was right on the river.  The pizza was so delicious that I had to recreate it when we got home- fresh mozzarella and tomato sauce, with a pile of arugula, topped off with shaved parmesan and a sprinkle of olive oil.  Too good.

At day's end, we came back to our flat, and had each of the girls give us their prepared presentation on their assigned landmark.  Tessa, feeling left out, also gave us a presentation that left us all laughing.

On Monday morning, we decided to get a better look at that little thing called the Arc de Triomphe.  But first, back to the Louvre! Elle taught us how to do the perfect jumping picture, so we were all jumping around together in front of the glass pyramid like a bunch of American idiots trying to get the perfect shot.  There were several tourists there who also have pictures of us from that morning (ha!).  Lauren ... so classic.

We walked through the adjoining Tuileries Garden, grabbed a breakfast of every delicious French carb you can think of (which my waistline is now thanking me for!) and ate in the park. Then, we walked along the famous Champs de Elysees because you just have to do that when you're in Paris.  Aaaand, we had promised Taylor her first macaron at Laduree- go big or go home, right? 

Oh, and isn't Elle such a fantastic photographer?...thanks for taking our family photo!

The Arc de Triomphe is another Paris sight that is so much bigger and better in person than you imagine it to be.  The traffic at the roundabout is mesmerizing in and of itself- its amazing that people live to tell about it- there are zero lanes and eleven possible exits with cars jamming themselves in at every possible point.  After crossing through an underground tunnel to get to the monument, seeing the tomb of the unknown soldier and admiring the arch, we decided to climb to the top (or ride the lift up...perks of having a stroller).  Rick Steves was right- this is the best view of Paris.  You can see every thing from every vantage point as you walk around the entire monument.  This is also where we made the last-minute fateful decision to go to Montmarte and the Sacre Coeur.  

We Uber'd a car to the hill above Paris called Montmarte.  I wish we could've had several hours to wander the seriously charming French streets of the area.  We started out with more of the necessary crepes and then onward to the Sacre Coeur, where you could once again look down on the city from high up above. A few of us walked inside the church, which is also when Brian (who stayed outside) realized that we were going to miss our return train to London if we didn't book it out of there.  

Rush hour traffic in a part of town where wi-fi is spotty at best, with seven people and ZERO taxis on a major time-crunch is certainly not the best combo. We waited for an uber that never showed (probably due to the non-existent wi-fi) and then decided to climb back up, over and down the other side of the massive hill to a better part of town.  Cue the running in the right direction, Tessa-holding, sweat fest up and down huge flights of stairs until our phones would get a signal so we could hopefully get to the train station before our train left.  We were able to get an uber van, but then seriously c r a w l e d back to our flat through the major traffic while watching our clocks with no hope of making the train.  Elle, Brian and I left our kids with the driver while we ran upstairs and grabbed our bags and flew out of there so fast.  We had to go back in the same direction to the station and time must have stood still because we all do not know how, but we made it to the check-in 5 minutes before our train departed.  They luckily stamped our tickets (saving us $1200 in change fees), but had given our seats away, so we we would have to ride stand-by on another train.  This was our last weekend and final night with Elle, so we didn't mind at all spending more quality time together (we aren't nearly as perturbed as we appear in this picture- just tired!).  Two hours later we said au revoir to Paris and were on our way back to good old Britain.  We didn't get in until midnight, but we were in a place that is feeling more and more like home.  

Paris, Part I

We took a speed train from London to Paris on Saturday morning. It takes just under 2 1/2 hours and the brilliant English Channel to get from one place to the other.  Being a group of 7 in a big city with a foreign language is quite formidable, but we somehow managed to figure out how to get from the very busy train station to our flat in St. Germain (our "Paris home" as Tessa calls it). 

We walked across the Seine River to Ponte de Neuf and grabbed a light dinner before exploring the city more. The architecture in Paris is unbelievable...you could walk around all day just looking at all of the interesting buildings and bridges.  

Paris is filled with sites that you've heard about and seen pictures of your entire life...so to walk up on an iconic structure is this larger-than-life feeling.  Everything we saw this weekend was much bigger and more grand than I had expected and anticipated.  Our first stop was Notre Dame Cathedral and wow!  It was huge! And gothic, full of gargoyles and intricate stone carvings covering every single inch as it reached skyward.  The courtyard in front was filled with people because, as we learned, this is the most visited tourist site in the world hosting 14 million people annually! Cue the "crazy French pigeon lady"...she was a show unto herself- both people and pigeon were flocking to this seed-throwing marvel of a woman.  She put a hat on Lauren (Is it bad that all I could think about was that I hope there was no lice on said hat) and some seeds so the pigeons landed on her head for a nibble.  Same thing happened to Taylor (minus the hat) and while Elle was capturing it on camera, a couple of pigeons landed on her head too.  She was trying to shoo them away, while snapping pics, laughing and then simultaneously getting pooped on!  Something she will never forget, for sure.  

We were able to get inside to have a look at the old and storied cathedral.  Its massive interior was understated stone with gorgeous stained-glass windows.  It is so amazing to me that this church was built over 8 centuries ago! Brian, Elle, Kate and Taylor went outside to join the line for a climb to the tippy top, while the younger girls and I sat and waited in the cathedral chairs.  We were there for their nightly Evensong, which sounded more like an opera than anything...so gorgeous and so lucky that we were able to witness that.

We left the cathedral and headed for some dessert on the neighboring Parisian island of Ile St. Louis (Notre Dame is on the island of Ile de la Cite).  We found a gelato cafe and bought a huge take-home carton with 4 amazing flavors, sat down on the street outside, and ate up every single delicious bite. Yes, it was perfect. 

Taylor has been talking/dreaming/planning our trip to Paris for months and of course, the Eiffel Tower was at the top of her list.  So, we decided to throw parenting caution (and normal bedtimes) to the wind and see it this same night.  We got a car and were dropped right in front of another incredibly iconic site.  No one can prepare you for how massive this structure is...its absolutely incredible.  Its hard to describe what it feels like to see the Eiffel Tower for the first time after hearing about and seeing pictures of it your entire life...it really is surreal.  I'm pretty sure all of our jaws were on the floor.  We walked across to the Trocadero so we could just sit and marvel at the tower for a while.  The kids ran around the empty fountains and rolled down the hills waiting for the sun to set on a night when the weather could not have been more perfect.  Finally, at 9:30 pm, we walked across to the other side of the Eiffel Tower to switch our view and waited for the famous sparkling of lights at sunset (10 PM).  20,000 bulbs went off at 10 and wow, wow, wow...it was so spectacular.  No words.

After the thrill of seeing the lights, we headed home.  It has been Tessa's habit lately to have an instant and urgent need to use the potty (like if you don't find something in 30 seconds) so we were on some dark street when the need hit with no toilet in sight.  Before we knew it, she was crying and letting it all go all over herself and the street.  She laughed it off pretty quick, we made it home and directly to the bath, but we will always remember the night Tessa left a little of herself on the streets of Paris! 

While Brian Was In Singapore

It appears his meetings went well:

Brian had to take a work trip to Singapore the week before we left for Paris .  His team took him out one night and he was able to get some cool pictures as well as some "local BBQ", which included stingray (pictured in the center dish above). While he was gone, we had a crazy week.  Elle finished up her last day of work on Tuesday so we were strategizing about what we just had to see before she left for home.  But, life had other plans!  On Tuesday morning, I woke up around 1:30 AM to severe stomach pain.  I'd never had anything like this before and I was nervous about what to do.  Insurance here is complicated- I could wait until morning and use my private insurance, or go into an ER and use the free NHS system (eek!).  I was thankfully able to talk with Brian over the phone due to the time difference and he told me that it sounded like appendicitis, so I felt like I needed to make a decision.  At 3 AM, I could no longer stand the pain, so I got dressed, gathered my things, and ubered a car to take me to the nearest ER thinking I was going in for surgery. (Side note: I ended up at St. Mary's hospital, where Princess Charlotte had been born a few weeks previous!!) As I was entering, there was a guy leaving with a bloodied shirt and shoulder bandages in addition to several inebriated old men fighting with each other and the on-call doc about their care.  Totally sketchy. I was so grateful when the doc said I had some sort of stomach infection (no surgery!) and sent me packing with some medicine right on the spot.  I went outside to uber a ride home, but couldn't get my phone to work, so I walked around for a half hour in the middle of the night in a less-than-ideal part of town trying to get service and talking to Brian on said phone.  Finally, I got service and was able to get home and fell into a peaceful, pain-free, drug-induced sleep.  I was totally wiped out the next day so we just relaxed at home.

Things kept getting more exciting though.  Wednesday morning we were supposed to meet up with some friends to go to a pool in Hyde Park because it was going to be hot!  We were getting ready, when Lauren came to me complaining of an itchy head.  I did a quick look of her hair and found my worst nightmare...lice! It was bad.  Of course I had to check the other kids...3 of my 4 kids were down for the count. Minor mom meltdown ensued as I texted my friend to cancel, she came to the (major!) rescue...brought me a lice comb and took two huge bags full of laundry to wash at her house. I ran to the pharmacy to grab a treatment and Elle and I got started on a full day of washing, combing and picking nits.  Elle was awesome, seeing as it was her first day off of work and she was treating kids for lice...future mom points right there.  I spent hours picking nits and doing laundry in my top-floor apartment with no A/C on the hottest day in London in 10 years...yes, it was 88 degrees in our house by the end of the day.  I would have lived in the freezer if I could have.  Miserable.  

Feeling better about the lice situation, Elle and I talked that night about going to Wimbledon on Thursday.  I wasn't sure so we went to bed without making a decision.  The next morning we decided to just go for it!  We heard that late afternoon was the best time to head out there, so we spent the morning/early afternoon checking more stuff off the bucket list.  Harrod's to see the famous Food Hall, a walk through their Toy Kingdom and a quick look at the perfect Laduree cafe, we boarded the tube (laden with Harrod's brownies, cupcakes and the most amazing pistachio creme croughnut you've ever tasted) to the one-and-only Wimbledon.  After a miraculously short wait in the famous #QUEUE, we got general admission tickets to the grounds.  We walked around, trying to find a match with room for 5 +1 in a stroller...it took a while. ;) We finally saw an open court with mens double match that started in about 30 minutes.  We rested our weary legs and waited on our front row bench.  The match began as the sun was setting and the feeling was so awesome.  It was an intense match (as it would be when you pair some of the greatest players in the world) and it was beyond thrilling to experience it from the front row.  Elle explained the game that she loves, and we were all totally mesmerized with every moment.  It was so perfect.  It was getting late and we were getting hungry, so we very reluctantly gave our seats away, grabbed dinner and then headed home filled with gratitude that we took the train to Wimbledon.  It will not be our last time.

Brian came home on Friday and we all took a last walk to Westminster and Big Ben.  Brian and I loved being there with our kids and remembering our March trip where we excitedly talked about nights just like this one and now they were happening right before our eyes.  Perfect weather, perfect company, perfect place.