I have been remiss!

If it's not one thing, it's another (or, Excuses, Excuses)

Traveling as a family takes some time to gel into a "traveling family unit." There's a certain dance to it, "I need quiet time"... "I'm going stir crazy"... "Why are you people following me around?".  Not to mention: "I get the laptop now"... "quit hogging the bandwidth"... etc.

London (and our lovely accommodation, Ripple at Eel Pie Island) was sort of the test drive.  Get over the jet lag, practice our skills at deciphering public transportation maps, see what sorts of sights that the kids want to see.

The kids were fascinated with some of the things they saw in the city, including several political protests.  In this one, people were protesting the G4 conference (protesters were in body bags, surrounded by the police.) Not long after that, we stopped by Westminster Abbey, and coincidentally, someone vandalized a portrait of the Queen that was housed inside Westminster Abbey, at the same time.  Watching the news at lunch, they were surprised at how close they were to newsworthy events (although quite a shame.)

Next up: Paris.  I have a confession to make.  I don't love Paris.  I WANT to love it. I like it (I've been three times) but after a day or two, I'm itching to leave town, every time.   Not really sure why it's the case.  Part of the problem THIS time were our accommodations.  I booked an apartment on HomeAway that was inaccurate in pinpointing the apartment location on the map. I'd be willing to walk THESE six flights of steps to be on the Seine near the Louvre.  In the Marais? Not so much.

We had a lovely guided walk by a volunteer with Paris Greeters (highly recommended) in the Latin Quarter on our first morning in Paris. We visited the Louvre in hopes that the Carrousel below (mall) might hold an electronics store with a power adapter for "someone"'s game system.  No luck there, but someone from the Apple store was able to provide the name of another chain which did have the required equipment.  In this case, the interested party (not naming names here) had to figure out the public transportation and get us to the correct location to collect the adapter.  Real world problem solving!

The teens weren't interested at all in visiting churches or museums, so we mainly wandered through neighborhoods and found ice cream shops.   One rainy day, the kids mutinied and demanded a day of leisure, so aside from a food run, we stayed put at the top of the stairs.

Incidentally, this is what kids in England and France wear on field trips.  

For now, we're in Bruges. What a lovely compact city... I tried to check in a couple of days early to our apartment, but unfortunately they were booked solid.  Only one full day here... can't wait to come back and stay longer. Belgium is worthy of more time.

Tomorrow we leave for Amsterdam.  4 nights on a houseboat.  Tighter quarters ... hope the internet is strong to appease the family!

Harry here!

Well, I've been in many countries,and even in Europe but this is my first go around in London for starters...Eel Pie is amazing...cottage on the river Thames..it's a front row seat to serenity..then you cross the bridge and real life happens..but it's all good...Then you become laced in with the tourists, locals and those like me who don't want to be labeled or regarded as tourists..(nice try)...then today's adventure began..or not so much..it seems overwhelming but the truth is millions do this everyday..so much for trying to travel cool....but we adjust with humor and wonder..trust the maps, trust the system, trust our ability to make timely decisions...it all went surprisingly well despite me being a goofball.  I managed to not put my family in more peril than the surroundings supplied constantly.

So we made our way into the heart of London on public transport via trains, tubes, subway, and feet pounded sore by uneven pavement...even though we moved gingerly and our climate was favorable..so much so we ventured without the use of maps...follow the flow...what we seek may be just ahead...

Amy fortunately had some good bearings on where to go...we went a cool food emporium (Fortnum & Mason) and drooled on ourselves wet with rapid bouts of whiplash (mmm air dried South African beef).....Trader Joe's on a Neiman Marcus slant.  

 We managed to get out with only some fairly medium damage...then off to explore the rest of the area...lots of tempting shops and stores, our shopping only curtailed by the reality of how much do I want to carry...I don't want to carry much these days...(yea!!!!).  We do now have our bearings for our further ventures into the heart of London...I still don't want to carry much though..let's see what day three has in store....(day one doesn't count, we were seriously tired.)

It's the little things

Family travel seems to be different from Harry-and-Amy travel.  Slower.  Lots of down time. The kids are not interested in bus tours or museums.

Our accommodations outside of London suit us right down to the ground.  Located on the only inhabited island in the Thames, Ripple is a delight.

Today we walked to the Twickenham Railway Station, just 10 minutes by foot from our lovely riverside chalet.  It seemed as though all the stars aligned for us.... we got our tickets just as a train was pulling in to the station.  After arriving at Waterloo train station in London, we made the fairly easy transition to the waiting Northern Line for Leicester Square.

We had lunch at the Porcupine, a pub in the Nicholson's family of pubs.  We arrived late, at 1:30, p.m., owing to our weird sleep schedules *cough* who slept late? oh yes that was ME.  Odd eating alone in the restaurant above the bar but the food was amazing.  Harry peri-peri chicken wings and pork belly; Katy a chicken sandwich. Shane had a bacon cheeseburger and Amy had a chicken-mushroom pie.  Amy's chicken pie won the best meal (because it's Amy who is writing!!)

Next up: Amy's happy journey to Fortnum & Mason.

Preferences

Departure: And We're Off!

This is our once-in-a-lifetime family trip to Europe. Shane graduated from high school and soon won't be able to join us for nearly a month way. Katy is immersed in high school band and drum line, and aspires to join a summertime drum and bugle corps. Harry was able to finagle three consecutive weeks of vacation (plus some floating holidays. This trip is our last forseeable shot at a 26 day adventure through Europe.

When planning our 10+ transatlantic flight, I kept in mind two things: 1) Harry has a problematic back, and 2) Shane will be exhausted from no sleep the previous night (grad night at Disneyland.) Therefore, I carefully weighed the choices and decided on Air New Zealand's premium economy seats for the trip to London.

There are drawbacks to this flight. In the event of an emergency (say Shane is accepted to a University which requires orientation while we are out of the country) there is no reasonable alternative but to cancel the tickets and rebook on another carrier.  We were surprised to learn that the carry on luggage is restricted to 15 (!!) pounds.

However! Premium economy seats are comfortable with plenty of leg room (for our height - challenged family.)

"It's fancy!" declared Katy, who was impressed with both the menu and the entertainment system.
(photos to be added shortly)