It was a very long day, since the afternoon got an extra six hours tacked onto it by the time change. The boys were troopers. They were great on the train, in the airport, on the plane, waiting interminably in Immigration at Dulles, and in the car home.
The only rough patch was in Dulles, since the boys had crashed at the end of the flight home, and had to be awake enough to walk to the shuttle and then stand in the long line at Immigration.
It has been a little weird being home, and we still haven't fully adjusted our clocks. We went to bed at 8 p.m. last night and we've been up at 6 a.m. yesterday and today.
Truly the best vacation ever.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
European Vacation - Day 16 (Nuremberg 3)
The fairybook ending to perfect family vacation.
We're headed to bed since tomorrow is a full day of traveling via planes, trains and automobiles. When I next write, we'll be back in the United States at home.
Guten nacht.
We're headed to bed since tomorrow is a full day of traveling via planes, trains and automobiles. When I next write, we'll be back in the United States at home.
Guten nacht.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
European Vacation - Day 15 (Nueremberg 2 (Rothenberg ob der Tauber))
We awoke this morning to a light snowfall beginning to dust the streets and sidewalks. It completed the one missing element from the stereotypical perfect old country Christmas.
After a hearty breakfast, we took the train to Rothenberg ob der Tauber, the best preserved German medieval walled city. We had to change trains twice (with one 6 minute connection that was a little exciting), and the last train to Rothenberg only had three small cars. The trains were very clean, efficient and inexpensive, truly a model for at least California and the Eastern seaboard of the US with their high population densities.
When we got to Rothenberg, it was about 1 pm and we realized that most restaurants closed from 2 pm until at least 5:30 if not later. Since we wanted to start the 2 hour train ride back to Nuremberg by then, we decided to have a late lunch before we began exploring. The boys tried and loved schnitzel, and I got to have some spatzle, and Heather just loves all German food, so pretty much everyone was in heaven.
After lunch, we headed into the old town as the snowfall continued to get heavier. The boys were very interested in the walls and fortifications, and how they worked and why they were built. Heather loved the ornament and decoration shops.
The Christmas Market was laid out in three or four different platzs or squares, connected by alleyways. Each square held 8 to 12 stalls. When I stopped to count, one square had 11 stalls, 3 of which sold gluhwein and 2 of which sold grilled sausages. I like the priorities.
We actually got to tour the Kathe Wolfhart (pronounced "will fart") museum and shop in a three story Kathe Wolfhart store. I was thankful for the two gluhwein I had already had after my beer with lunch, and afterward, quickly searched out another gluhwein. Heather got to buy a few more ornaments and gifts.
We also found a store with personalized mugs that actually had "Erich" spelled correctly, so we got mugs for the family.
On the way back to the train station, the boys realized that the snow was perfect packing snow, so we had a snowball fight for about three blocks down the hill from the old town.
It goes without saying that the boys chased pigeons at each of the train stations and at the Christmas Market.
Tomorrow, we are planning to hike all the way up to the castle at the other end of old town Nuremberg, and spent a little more time at the Christmas Market before we pack everything carefully for the journey home.
After such an amazing trip with so many different experiences, it seems strange to be heading home at last, although we are excited to get our Christmas tree and decorate our house for Christmas, and we are looking forward to seeing our friends and family again.
Froehliche Weihnachten!
After a hearty breakfast, we took the train to Rothenberg ob der Tauber, the best preserved German medieval walled city. We had to change trains twice (with one 6 minute connection that was a little exciting), and the last train to Rothenberg only had three small cars. The trains were very clean, efficient and inexpensive, truly a model for at least California and the Eastern seaboard of the US with their high population densities.
When we got to Rothenberg, it was about 1 pm and we realized that most restaurants closed from 2 pm until at least 5:30 if not later. Since we wanted to start the 2 hour train ride back to Nuremberg by then, we decided to have a late lunch before we began exploring. The boys tried and loved schnitzel, and I got to have some spatzle, and Heather just loves all German food, so pretty much everyone was in heaven.
After lunch, we headed into the old town as the snowfall continued to get heavier. The boys were very interested in the walls and fortifications, and how they worked and why they were built. Heather loved the ornament and decoration shops.
The Christmas Market was laid out in three or four different platzs or squares, connected by alleyways. Each square held 8 to 12 stalls. When I stopped to count, one square had 11 stalls, 3 of which sold gluhwein and 2 of which sold grilled sausages. I like the priorities.
We actually got to tour the Kathe Wolfhart (pronounced "will fart") museum and shop in a three story Kathe Wolfhart store. I was thankful for the two gluhwein I had already had after my beer with lunch, and afterward, quickly searched out another gluhwein. Heather got to buy a few more ornaments and gifts.
We also found a store with personalized mugs that actually had "Erich" spelled correctly, so we got mugs for the family.
On the way back to the train station, the boys realized that the snow was perfect packing snow, so we had a snowball fight for about three blocks down the hill from the old town.
It goes without saying that the boys chased pigeons at each of the train stations and at the Christmas Market.
Tomorrow, we are planning to hike all the way up to the castle at the other end of old town Nuremberg, and spent a little more time at the Christmas Market before we pack everything carefully for the journey home.
After such an amazing trip with so many different experiences, it seems strange to be heading home at last, although we are excited to get our Christmas tree and decorate our house for Christmas, and we are looking forward to seeing our friends and family again.
Froehliche Weihnachten!
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
European Vacation - Day 14 (Nuremberg 1)
If yesterday was all about the train, today was all about the Christmas Market. Since Erich is still not feeling great, we got a nice slow start, and got over to the Old Town around 11 a.m. On the way we bought some postcard stamps at the Post Office, and Heather got some more practice with her German. She was a little rusty yesterday, coming up with Spanish or even French words before she could even start to figure out the German word, but today it is all coming back to her. It's a little freaky how quickly she's remembering not just the words, but also the accents and slang.
So the first thing you get to in the Old Town is the Craftsmen's Market, which was basically 6 tents of little crafts and 3 tents of gluhwein. On intot he old town, there were various tents with gluhwein, nurnberger bratwurst, spiced nuts, cookies, gluhwein, olives, nurnberger bratwurst, ornaments, nurnberger bratwurst, other crafts, and gluhwein. After a little while, you get to the children's Christmas Market. This is separate since it includes rides, which are forbidden in the Nuremberg Christmas Market. There are also crepes, Belgian waffles, cookies, spiced nuts, candies, and gluhwein.
A few hundred yards away is the main market square which holds the real Christmas Market. About 170 stalls with all kinds of traditional foods, crafts, nurnberger bratwurst, gluhwein, and some touristy trinkets. Just north of the main Christmas Market is a sister city market with many of Nuremberg's sister cities, including Shenzen and Atlanta. Each stall sells traditional goods from that country and city. Atlanta, for example, sold biscuit mix, Oreo cookies, Coke products and Obama for president hats. This market also sells gluhwein. No wonder all these people are so cheerful, they're drinking hot mulled wine all day!
After a few hours of freezing cold, we headed back to unload and rest, then headed out for a second go and dinner. We at a great little place just off the Christmas Market (nurnberger bratwurst for me, of course). Then more gluhwein for the walk home and off to bed. Fortunately, Erich seemed to perk up after dinner, so maybe he is through the worst of it and will be back in true form tomorrow.
Tomorrow, we hope to get to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the best preserved medieval town in Germany.
So the first thing you get to in the Old Town is the Craftsmen's Market, which was basically 6 tents of little crafts and 3 tents of gluhwein. On intot he old town, there were various tents with gluhwein, nurnberger bratwurst, spiced nuts, cookies, gluhwein, olives, nurnberger bratwurst, ornaments, nurnberger bratwurst, other crafts, and gluhwein. After a little while, you get to the children's Christmas Market. This is separate since it includes rides, which are forbidden in the Nuremberg Christmas Market. There are also crepes, Belgian waffles, cookies, spiced nuts, candies, and gluhwein.
A few hundred yards away is the main market square which holds the real Christmas Market. About 170 stalls with all kinds of traditional foods, crafts, nurnberger bratwurst, gluhwein, and some touristy trinkets. Just north of the main Christmas Market is a sister city market with many of Nuremberg's sister cities, including Shenzen and Atlanta. Each stall sells traditional goods from that country and city. Atlanta, for example, sold biscuit mix, Oreo cookies, Coke products and Obama for president hats. This market also sells gluhwein. No wonder all these people are so cheerful, they're drinking hot mulled wine all day!
After a few hours of freezing cold, we headed back to unload and rest, then headed out for a second go and dinner. We at a great little place just off the Christmas Market (nurnberger bratwurst for me, of course). Then more gluhwein for the walk home and off to bed. Fortunately, Erich seemed to perk up after dinner, so maybe he is through the worst of it and will be back in true form tomorrow.
Tomorrow, we hope to get to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the best preserved medieval town in Germany.
Monday, December 08, 2008
European Vacation - Day 13 (Paris to Nuremberg)
So today was pretty much all about the train.
We got up early, had breakfast and then got a ride to le Gare de l'Est for our journey to Nuremberg. After a close call on boarding (the train arriving from Nuremberg was 40 minutes delayed; the train to Nuremberg was right on time), we had a long ride to Stuttgart, killed an hour in the train station there, then had a shorter ride from Stuttgart to Nuremberg.
As I had mentioned before, we had all felt under the weather earlier in the week, so we had thought we were all over it and better. Unfortunately, we're now realizing that we all had different things, so more may yet be to come. I, for example, had a stomach bug that was very unpleasant, but not too long-lasted. Erich seemed to come down with that today. Fortunately, he made it to the bathroom every time, but it made the journey pretty low key.
Being in hotel rooms is very strange, after staying in flats for two weeks. Especially since we only booked a month or so out, and the only availability was at the DeutscheBahn-run hotels at the train station, the InterCity Hotel. The rooms are so small we had to get two rooms, which is also weird.
With Erich resting in bed, Heather made the dinner run. So brought back brotchen ("little bread") with grilled sausage and cookies, along with some sort of powdered sugar covered cookie wad called something that apparently in German means "snowball." And, of course, she stopped for postcards.
Speaking of consistency, the boys did chase the pigeons in the Gare de L'Est and the Stuttgart Hauptbanhof, despite the cold and Erich feeling so bad.
The brotchen and sausages were awesome. It really struck me how different the people are in London, Paris and Nuremberg, and how their foods are also so different.
When I went to download the camera to start writing the blog, we realized that we had taken no pictures all day, so Heather took a few quick shots of Matthew. She them made him hold a banana up to ear and pretend to call grandma. Clearly, we're getting loopy.
Tomorrow, the Christmas Market awaits!
We got up early, had breakfast and then got a ride to le Gare de l'Est for our journey to Nuremberg. After a close call on boarding (the train arriving from Nuremberg was 40 minutes delayed; the train to Nuremberg was right on time), we had a long ride to Stuttgart, killed an hour in the train station there, then had a shorter ride from Stuttgart to Nuremberg.
As I had mentioned before, we had all felt under the weather earlier in the week, so we had thought we were all over it and better. Unfortunately, we're now realizing that we all had different things, so more may yet be to come. I, for example, had a stomach bug that was very unpleasant, but not too long-lasted. Erich seemed to come down with that today. Fortunately, he made it to the bathroom every time, but it made the journey pretty low key.
Being in hotel rooms is very strange, after staying in flats for two weeks. Especially since we only booked a month or so out, and the only availability was at the DeutscheBahn-run hotels at the train station, the InterCity Hotel. The rooms are so small we had to get two rooms, which is also weird.
With Erich resting in bed, Heather made the dinner run. So brought back brotchen ("little bread") with grilled sausage and cookies, along with some sort of powdered sugar covered cookie wad called something that apparently in German means "snowball." And, of course, she stopped for postcards.
Speaking of consistency, the boys did chase the pigeons in the Gare de L'Est and the Stuttgart Hauptbanhof, despite the cold and Erich feeling so bad.
The brotchen and sausages were awesome. It really struck me how different the people are in London, Paris and Nuremberg, and how their foods are also so different.
When I went to download the camera to start writing the blog, we realized that we had taken no pictures all day, so Heather took a few quick shots of Matthew. She them made him hold a banana up to ear and pretend to call grandma. Clearly, we're getting loopy.
Tomorrow, the Christmas Market awaits!
Sunday, December 07, 2008
European Vacation - Day 12 (Paris 5)
Actually going to Sunday mass at Notre Dame, surrounded by people from all corners of the earth, with the priests celebrating the mass also from around the world, was incredible. The global character of the mass and its participants, which contrasted but did not conflict with the local parish announcements at the end of mass, truly made me reflect on the "catholic" aspect of the Roman Catholic faith. Catholics from all over the world say the same prayers and devotions, recite the same creeds, and sing the same hymns; and we all hear announcements about our local parish happenings at the end of mass as well. The multilingual exchanges of the sign of peace further deepened this awareness of the universality of the faith.
The physical aspects of the Cathedral also had a similar duality. The parishioners sat in the center pews, near the front, and the altar is on the same side of the nave as the parishioners. This meant that when you were focused on the mass, you felt like you were in a normal church, just with a lot of foreigners. When the organ burst forth or the choir raised its voice in song, or when you happened to glance up the hundreds of the feet to the transcendent stained glass windows, however, you realized that you were in one of the most beautiful and historic cathedrals in the world. This also made me reflect on the catholic nature of the Church - every Catholic church in the world, from St. Peter's Basilica to Notre Dame to my local church to a hidden room in a country where the faith is still persecuted are all, in their most basic sense, simply locations for the celebration of the liturgies of the word and the eucharist. Very moving.
Less moving were the hundreds of people who continued to push into the cathedral along the sides during mass and take flash photos while discussing architectural and historical trivia. And the photos were not just of the windows or the sculptures, but actually of the mass and the parishioners. It made me think about the times I have visited Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines and photographed and gawked at the practitioners of those faiths. Hopefully, this experience helps me be more respectful in the future.
After mass, we headed off the Ile de la Cite, the island in the Seine that is the home to Notre Dame and was the original home of the tribes that founded Paris so many years ago. Along the Seine were a number of stalls with souvenirs and booksellers, purporting to be selling, for example, second edition Jules Verne prints from the same year as the original edition. Tempting. After we finished loading up on trinkets, we had lunch in the coldest cafe ever. We were shivering with our coats on. We hadn't yet had French onion soup or escargot, so Heather and took the opportunity to rectify those oversights. As I expected, the snails were served in their shells, in which they had been roasted, and had a dollop of pesto at the opening of each shell. I slurped a few down, then shared one with Heather. Amazingly, after watching us and hearing a little salesmanship from me, the boys were each willing to try a piece of snail. Matthew said he liked it, and didn't immediately chug water, but Erich let his mind focus a little much and had to chug water and munch on bread. Either way, they both voluntarily ate snails!
At the end of lunch, our waiter introduced us to the little girl seated near us by herself. Kenza's mom worked in the cafe and her dad was getting ready for their vacation, so she had to hang out in the cafe. She was also seven, like Erich, but spoke excellent English (her mom was from California). She and Erich discussed Paris, school, and a host of other topics until we left. The thing they seemed to bond about the most, however, was losing teeth and what you do with the lost tooth. Apparently, in France, the tooth fairy is a little mouse ("petite souris") who is loaded, since it leaves 10 or more euros ($13+) for each tooth. Matthew just glanced askance at her and cracked up in embarrassed laughter the whole time.
After lunch we, of course, shopped for more souvenirs. Unable to find someone selling personalized berets, we settled for a couple that have "Paris" and the Eiffel Tower embroidered on them in multi-colored thread. (We are assuming that they will have fun with us at our expense in our dotage, so we might as well get our revenge in advance)
With it being much too cold and windy to take the Seine boat ride we had plnned, we decided to take advantage of the unplanned time to visit the Galleries Lafayette, a huge store in the middle of Paris. The real reason to visit is that one can go onto the roof of the Galleries and watch the sun set and Paris light up. Although it was too cloudy to see any kind of sunset, watching as the Arc de Triomphe and the other landmarks of Paris were lit up was a very cool experience.
One last Metro ride back to our neighborhood. One last walk along the rue Cler under the Christmas lights over glistening cobblestones as the street sweeper sweeps up the remains of a busy market day. One last selection of Asian delicacies to bring home to be heated and served in our beautiful penthouse apartment. One last walk along the Parc du Mars to the Eiffel Tower to watch as it sparkles in the night. One last family meal in Paris, talking about the day's adventures and planning for our adventures-to-be in Germany. One last bedtime story in French. And the end to a memorable day and the second stage of our wonderful European adventure.
Tomorrow, from Nuremberg.
Bon nuit, mes amis.
The physical aspects of the Cathedral also had a similar duality. The parishioners sat in the center pews, near the front, and the altar is on the same side of the nave as the parishioners. This meant that when you were focused on the mass, you felt like you were in a normal church, just with a lot of foreigners. When the organ burst forth or the choir raised its voice in song, or when you happened to glance up the hundreds of the feet to the transcendent stained glass windows, however, you realized that you were in one of the most beautiful and historic cathedrals in the world. This also made me reflect on the catholic nature of the Church - every Catholic church in the world, from St. Peter's Basilica to Notre Dame to my local church to a hidden room in a country where the faith is still persecuted are all, in their most basic sense, simply locations for the celebration of the liturgies of the word and the eucharist. Very moving.
Less moving were the hundreds of people who continued to push into the cathedral along the sides during mass and take flash photos while discussing architectural and historical trivia. And the photos were not just of the windows or the sculptures, but actually of the mass and the parishioners. It made me think about the times I have visited Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines and photographed and gawked at the practitioners of those faiths. Hopefully, this experience helps me be more respectful in the future.
After mass, we headed off the Ile de la Cite, the island in the Seine that is the home to Notre Dame and was the original home of the tribes that founded Paris so many years ago. Along the Seine were a number of stalls with souvenirs and booksellers, purporting to be selling, for example, second edition Jules Verne prints from the same year as the original edition. Tempting. After we finished loading up on trinkets, we had lunch in the coldest cafe ever. We were shivering with our coats on. We hadn't yet had French onion soup or escargot, so Heather and took the opportunity to rectify those oversights. As I expected, the snails were served in their shells, in which they had been roasted, and had a dollop of pesto at the opening of each shell. I slurped a few down, then shared one with Heather. Amazingly, after watching us and hearing a little salesmanship from me, the boys were each willing to try a piece of snail. Matthew said he liked it, and didn't immediately chug water, but Erich let his mind focus a little much and had to chug water and munch on bread. Either way, they both voluntarily ate snails!
At the end of lunch, our waiter introduced us to the little girl seated near us by herself. Kenza's mom worked in the cafe and her dad was getting ready for their vacation, so she had to hang out in the cafe. She was also seven, like Erich, but spoke excellent English (her mom was from California). She and Erich discussed Paris, school, and a host of other topics until we left. The thing they seemed to bond about the most, however, was losing teeth and what you do with the lost tooth. Apparently, in France, the tooth fairy is a little mouse ("petite souris") who is loaded, since it leaves 10 or more euros ($13+) for each tooth. Matthew just glanced askance at her and cracked up in embarrassed laughter the whole time.
After lunch we, of course, shopped for more souvenirs. Unable to find someone selling personalized berets, we settled for a couple that have "Paris" and the Eiffel Tower embroidered on them in multi-colored thread. (We are assuming that they will have fun with us at our expense in our dotage, so we might as well get our revenge in advance)
With it being much too cold and windy to take the Seine boat ride we had plnned, we decided to take advantage of the unplanned time to visit the Galleries Lafayette, a huge store in the middle of Paris. The real reason to visit is that one can go onto the roof of the Galleries and watch the sun set and Paris light up. Although it was too cloudy to see any kind of sunset, watching as the Arc de Triomphe and the other landmarks of Paris were lit up was a very cool experience.
One last Metro ride back to our neighborhood. One last walk along the rue Cler under the Christmas lights over glistening cobblestones as the street sweeper sweeps up the remains of a busy market day. One last selection of Asian delicacies to bring home to be heated and served in our beautiful penthouse apartment. One last walk along the Parc du Mars to the Eiffel Tower to watch as it sparkles in the night. One last family meal in Paris, talking about the day's adventures and planning for our adventures-to-be in Germany. One last bedtime story in French. And the end to a memorable day and the second stage of our wonderful European adventure.
Tomorrow, from Nuremberg.
Bon nuit, mes amis.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
European Vacation - Day 11 (Paris 4)
Today we got up relatively early, because we had a lot planned.
First we hit the Post Office for the mailing of the second box of stuff to be schlepped back to Virginia. It's nice to not have quite so much stuff with us, and to know that we'll have a ton of fun opening the boxes back in Virginia.
We then walked past l'Hotel des Invalides, since it is right here and we hadn't seen it yet (Check!) to the Rodin Museum. The boys sprinted to the sculpture of The Thinker, and immediately began mimicng on the steps to his pedestal. Hilarious. After a few minutes of contemplation of the Thinker, the boys proceeded to take full advantage of the fact that the sculptures are outside in a formal garden that is designed for children to play. There were even a couple of well-used sand-boxes surrounded by chaise lounges. After the exercise and the fresh air, we obviously needed a pain au chocolate for each boy (although Matthew also stole Mommy's Belgian waffle) and a cafe for Mommy and Daddy. On the way out, of course we hit the gift shop. There was some fixation on Freud, including a felt finger puppet with which Matthew immediately fell in love.
As we walked to the Metro, I explained that Freud helped people understand themselves and their problems, and that he usually started with people's parents and blamed most of their troubles on them. Matthew then whipped out his Freud finger puppet and announced in his puppet voice that "You are both fired as parents!" That kid is way to quick to put all this stuff together.
Anyway, still in firm parental control we jumped on the Metro over to the Pompidou Center, home of the Stravinsky Fountain and raved about by all the guidebooks for Paris with kids. We took a brief interlude for a ride on one of the carousels set up around Paris for the Christmas season and a visit to the exterminator with the rats in the window featured in "Ratatouille."
The Stravinsky Fountain was cool, and there a neat three room interactive light, color, and shadow exhibit, but there was absolutely nothing else child friendly. Lunch in the Restaurant Georges on the top floor of the Pompidou Center was pretty cool, however, and gave s a chance to relax and rest our feet. Our table was the one on the right in the back.
Off to the Metro again, this time a bit of a hike to the stop to avoid multiple train changes. Since the Scare Coeur is on the top of Montmartre, the highest point in Paris, there is no Metro stop anywhere near it, and you have to hike up to get to it. There is apparently some funicular train thing that only goes up the side of Montmartre, like to the Peak in Hong Kong or Pike's Peak in Colorado, but we were too tired to figure it out, so we just climbed. The view was amazing, and the church exterior was beautiful in the sunlight, but the "visitor" path through the church itself was crowded, noisy and pushy, so one really couldn't take in the sacredness of the church. The boys were very good, but kept getting pushed aside or stepped in front of, so weren't thrilled either.
The Sacre Coeur sits on Montmarte, a traditional home for artists such as Picasso, and is an artists village today. In addition to a plethora of art shops selling copies and posters of famous artworks, as well as original works of varying quality, there are dozens of sketch artists who wander Montmartre seeking lovers and parents willing to spring for a portrait. We at least were smart enough to pick an old guy who looked like he'd done a few before and convince him to do it in a nearby cafe so we could drink coffee and hot chocolate and sit comfortably during the creation of the masterpiece. The boys seemed to enjoy it and were very patient. Theodore Jordache, our artist, spoke excellent English. This turned out to not be too surprising as he had lived in the US for a few years in New York, Miami, and Southern California. It was pleasant to discuss his life story and the wisdom he had picked up over the years doing portraits around the world. The process took about an hour, and you can visit us at home to see the final work.
We missed the Moulin Rouge, which is also somewhere in that neighborhood, but decided to head home and grab some dinner to go from Lenotre, sort of a French version of the prepared foods section of Whole Foods. It was an excellent meal, and it was nice for it to be entirely smoke free.
Tomorrow, we go to mass at Notre Dame and then I think we may try to take a boat ride along the Seine for our last day in Paris.
We miss you all.
First we hit the Post Office for the mailing of the second box of stuff to be schlepped back to Virginia. It's nice to not have quite so much stuff with us, and to know that we'll have a ton of fun opening the boxes back in Virginia.
We then walked past l'Hotel des Invalides, since it is right here and we hadn't seen it yet (Check!) to the Rodin Museum. The boys sprinted to the sculpture of The Thinker, and immediately began mimicng on the steps to his pedestal. Hilarious. After a few minutes of contemplation of the Thinker, the boys proceeded to take full advantage of the fact that the sculptures are outside in a formal garden that is designed for children to play. There were even a couple of well-used sand-boxes surrounded by chaise lounges. After the exercise and the fresh air, we obviously needed a pain au chocolate for each boy (although Matthew also stole Mommy's Belgian waffle) and a cafe for Mommy and Daddy. On the way out, of course we hit the gift shop. There was some fixation on Freud, including a felt finger puppet with which Matthew immediately fell in love.
As we walked to the Metro, I explained that Freud helped people understand themselves and their problems, and that he usually started with people's parents and blamed most of their troubles on them. Matthew then whipped out his Freud finger puppet and announced in his puppet voice that "You are both fired as parents!" That kid is way to quick to put all this stuff together.
Anyway, still in firm parental control we jumped on the Metro over to the Pompidou Center, home of the Stravinsky Fountain and raved about by all the guidebooks for Paris with kids. We took a brief interlude for a ride on one of the carousels set up around Paris for the Christmas season and a visit to the exterminator with the rats in the window featured in "Ratatouille."
The Stravinsky Fountain was cool, and there a neat three room interactive light, color, and shadow exhibit, but there was absolutely nothing else child friendly. Lunch in the Restaurant Georges on the top floor of the Pompidou Center was pretty cool, however, and gave s a chance to relax and rest our feet. Our table was the one on the right in the back.
Off to the Metro again, this time a bit of a hike to the stop to avoid multiple train changes. Since the Scare Coeur is on the top of Montmartre, the highest point in Paris, there is no Metro stop anywhere near it, and you have to hike up to get to it. There is apparently some funicular train thing that only goes up the side of Montmartre, like to the Peak in Hong Kong or Pike's Peak in Colorado, but we were too tired to figure it out, so we just climbed. The view was amazing, and the church exterior was beautiful in the sunlight, but the "visitor" path through the church itself was crowded, noisy and pushy, so one really couldn't take in the sacredness of the church. The boys were very good, but kept getting pushed aside or stepped in front of, so weren't thrilled either.
The Sacre Coeur sits on Montmarte, a traditional home for artists such as Picasso, and is an artists village today. In addition to a plethora of art shops selling copies and posters of famous artworks, as well as original works of varying quality, there are dozens of sketch artists who wander Montmartre seeking lovers and parents willing to spring for a portrait. We at least were smart enough to pick an old guy who looked like he'd done a few before and convince him to do it in a nearby cafe so we could drink coffee and hot chocolate and sit comfortably during the creation of the masterpiece. The boys seemed to enjoy it and were very patient. Theodore Jordache, our artist, spoke excellent English. This turned out to not be too surprising as he had lived in the US for a few years in New York, Miami, and Southern California. It was pleasant to discuss his life story and the wisdom he had picked up over the years doing portraits around the world. The process took about an hour, and you can visit us at home to see the final work.
We missed the Moulin Rouge, which is also somewhere in that neighborhood, but decided to head home and grab some dinner to go from Lenotre, sort of a French version of the prepared foods section of Whole Foods. It was an excellent meal, and it was nice for it to be entirely smoke free.
Tomorrow, we go to mass at Notre Dame and then I think we may try to take a boat ride along the Seine for our last day in Paris.
We miss you all.
Friday, December 05, 2008
European Vacation - Day 10 (Paris 3)
Today we're back in full-on exploring mode.
First we shipped a package back home with our London maps and guides, as well as most of the souvenirs we picked up in London. While Heather and Erich were doing that, Jeff and Matthew bought the tickets to Nuremberg for Monday.
We met up back at the rue Cler and tried another cafe. Another great choice. It is incredible to be able to pick nearly any little cafe or bistro and find food about which the entire staff cares.
We then hopped on the metro to a spot along the Seine where we could see the miniature Statue of Liberty replica on the Ile de Cygne (Isle of swans). The took a double-decker RER train to the Musee d'Orsay. It has been great exploring these museums with the boys, since they have been so excited to see the paintings that we have been reading and talking about. They have even been remembering paintings from prior museums. Matthew, for example, saw the painting of van Gogh's bedroom and yelled "that's the yellow chair from London," since we had seen the yellow chair in London's National Gallery. It floors me how into the art they are, and how much they are remembering.
After the Orsay, we walked across the Seine to the Louvre. Heather and I spent about 6 hours in the Louvre the summer after we met about 18 years ago. Not much has changed, it's just a lot busier and the Mona Lisa has more viewing space. We had watched a 50's era French documentary about the Louvre before we left (rented from the library). Amazingly, the boys had watched it multiple times and remembered the architecture and a lot of pictures. We saw the holy trinity (Winged Victory, Mona Lisa, and Venus de Milo) with a lot of other great art thrown in for good measure.
At this point, although Matthew and Erich were still being patient, they clearly needed a change of pace, so we let them run through the garden between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde (chasing pigeons, of course).
In the Place de la Concorde, the have an enclosed Ferris wheel set up for the holiday season, so we rode that and got to watch the lights of Paris turn on as we rode.
Back home to Team Norton comfort food for dinner - - sushi. It was nowhere near as good as the place in London, but it was very simple and light. On the way home, we stopped for pastries (how could one not?). They were awesome.
Tonight's bedtime stories were about the Musee d'Orsay, and the boys loved pointing out the paintings they had seen today and remembering their favorites.
First we shipped a package back home with our London maps and guides, as well as most of the souvenirs we picked up in London. While Heather and Erich were doing that, Jeff and Matthew bought the tickets to Nuremberg for Monday.
We met up back at the rue Cler and tried another cafe. Another great choice. It is incredible to be able to pick nearly any little cafe or bistro and find food about which the entire staff cares.
We then hopped on the metro to a spot along the Seine where we could see the miniature Statue of Liberty replica on the Ile de Cygne (Isle of swans). The took a double-decker RER train to the Musee d'Orsay. It has been great exploring these museums with the boys, since they have been so excited to see the paintings that we have been reading and talking about. They have even been remembering paintings from prior museums. Matthew, for example, saw the painting of van Gogh's bedroom and yelled "that's the yellow chair from London," since we had seen the yellow chair in London's National Gallery. It floors me how into the art they are, and how much they are remembering.
After the Orsay, we walked across the Seine to the Louvre. Heather and I spent about 6 hours in the Louvre the summer after we met about 18 years ago. Not much has changed, it's just a lot busier and the Mona Lisa has more viewing space. We had watched a 50's era French documentary about the Louvre before we left (rented from the library). Amazingly, the boys had watched it multiple times and remembered the architecture and a lot of pictures. We saw the holy trinity (Winged Victory, Mona Lisa, and Venus de Milo) with a lot of other great art thrown in for good measure.
At this point, although Matthew and Erich were still being patient, they clearly needed a change of pace, so we let them run through the garden between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde (chasing pigeons, of course).
In the Place de la Concorde, the have an enclosed Ferris wheel set up for the holiday season, so we rode that and got to watch the lights of Paris turn on as we rode.
Back home to Team Norton comfort food for dinner - - sushi. It was nowhere near as good as the place in London, but it was very simple and light. On the way home, we stopped for pastries (how could one not?). They were awesome.
Tonight's bedtime stories were about the Musee d'Orsay, and the boys loved pointing out the paintings they had seen today and remembering their favorites.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
European Vacation - Day 9 (Paris 2)
So we started the day off a little bit hungover and tired, so we didn't really get started until about 2 pm. Pitiful, but a nice break from rushing.
The day started rainy, but cleared up by the time we headed out. We decided to seize the moment and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The lines were unbelievable (on a rainy Thursday in December!), so by the time we got to the top - one elevator change required - the sun was setting. Great views and a neat perspective.
By the time we headed down, the Tower was lit with the blue lights they are using this year (along with twelve huge yellow stars) to celebrate France holding the presidency of the European Union. I understand the thought, but I like the plain white lights better. Fortunately for me, the sparkly lights that go off every night for about 5 minutes every hour on the hour are still white.
Dinner was at the Cafe Central, across the street from the Cafe du Mars, and was excellent. Now we're on a roll. Having a great meal then walking home a couple of blocks to our apartment is truly civilized.
As we were getting ready for bed, Matthew turned off all the lights in the main room and climbed the stairs to a small balcony over the living room with a great view and waited for the twinkling lights on the Eiffel Tower to come on. He then summoned each of us from what we were doing to have a group hug at the top of the stairs and watch the light show. Wow.
Tomorrow, we start the museums. I expect that we'll get to the Louvre at least twice over the next few days, as well as the Orsay and a few of the others.
The day started rainy, but cleared up by the time we headed out. We decided to seize the moment and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The lines were unbelievable (on a rainy Thursday in December!), so by the time we got to the top - one elevator change required - the sun was setting. Great views and a neat perspective.
By the time we headed down, the Tower was lit with the blue lights they are using this year (along with twelve huge yellow stars) to celebrate France holding the presidency of the European Union. I understand the thought, but I like the plain white lights better. Fortunately for me, the sparkly lights that go off every night for about 5 minutes every hour on the hour are still white.
Dinner was at the Cafe Central, across the street from the Cafe du Mars, and was excellent. Now we're on a roll. Having a great meal then walking home a couple of blocks to our apartment is truly civilized.
As we were getting ready for bed, Matthew turned off all the lights in the main room and climbed the stairs to a small balcony over the living room with a great view and waited for the twinkling lights on the Eiffel Tower to come on. He then summoned each of us from what we were doing to have a group hug at the top of the stairs and watch the light show. Wow.
Tomorrow, we start the museums. I expect that we'll get to the Louvre at least twice over the next few days, as well as the Orsay and a few of the others.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
European Vacation - Day 8 (Paris 1)
Woohoo, we're actually here. We spend much of the morning just getting organized and sleep in a little after yesterday's long day. The boys were angels and occupied themselves well with the Leapsters, maps of Paris, books, etc.
When we finally got organized, we headed out in the rain to the Eiffel Tower to mail our postcards. We spent a lot of time taking pictures and running around chasing pigeons, but decided because of the clods and fog not to head up today. After a quick and unimpressive lunch (hmm, two in a row), we headed back to the flat to get ready for dinner and the Champs Elysee.
We took the Metro during rush hour again; we have amazing timing. But we finally made it to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysee. The lights along the Champs Elysee were spectacular. But before we walked down the Champs Elysee, we took the subway (what the Europeans call a pedestrian passage under the road) to the Arc de Triomphe and climbed the 284 stairs to the top. The Arc de Triomphe is built on a hill and many major roads branch out from it, so the views were, again, incredible. The boys enjoyed finding the other major Paris landmarks all lit up at night almost as much as they enjoyed running and jumping along the tiered terraces found at the top of the Arc.
After the Arc de Triomphe, we walked along the Champs Elysee and marveled at the decorations in the various flagship stores. It was clear that many of the "stores" were simply huge ads for the brands. It was still cool to experience. We stopped into the Swatch shop so Heather could reminisce about her youthful hoarding of Swatch watches, and we could pick up a couple of birthday present for each other.
When they finally threw us out of the Swatch store at 9:00 when they closed, we hiked the rest of the way down to le Relais de l'Entrecote, one of a small family of great restaurants in Paris with an unusual premise. The only item on the menu is grilled steak with Hotel de Paris Sauce, served with fries. When the server greets you, she only asks how you would like the steak cooked and what you want to drink. The meal starts off with a small salad with a basic dressing and walnuts. No variations are allowed. The lines are always out the door and no reservations are accepted. The meal was excellent and enjoyed by all. This reaffirmed my repeated mantra to the boys: the best food in the world is in Paris. There is a choice of desserts and Matthew chose profiteroles while Erich went with some decadent chocolate ice cream. The perfect finish to a perfect meal.
We then Metroed home around midnight and fell into bed.
When we finally got organized, we headed out in the rain to the Eiffel Tower to mail our postcards. We spent a lot of time taking pictures and running around chasing pigeons, but decided because of the clods and fog not to head up today. After a quick and unimpressive lunch (hmm, two in a row), we headed back to the flat to get ready for dinner and the Champs Elysee.
We took the Metro during rush hour again; we have amazing timing. But we finally made it to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysee. The lights along the Champs Elysee were spectacular. But before we walked down the Champs Elysee, we took the subway (what the Europeans call a pedestrian passage under the road) to the Arc de Triomphe and climbed the 284 stairs to the top. The Arc de Triomphe is built on a hill and many major roads branch out from it, so the views were, again, incredible. The boys enjoyed finding the other major Paris landmarks all lit up at night almost as much as they enjoyed running and jumping along the tiered terraces found at the top of the Arc.
After the Arc de Triomphe, we walked along the Champs Elysee and marveled at the decorations in the various flagship stores. It was clear that many of the "stores" were simply huge ads for the brands. It was still cool to experience. We stopped into the Swatch shop so Heather could reminisce about her youthful hoarding of Swatch watches, and we could pick up a couple of birthday present for each other.
When they finally threw us out of the Swatch store at 9:00 when they closed, we hiked the rest of the way down to le Relais de l'Entrecote, one of a small family of great restaurants in Paris with an unusual premise. The only item on the menu is grilled steak with Hotel de Paris Sauce, served with fries. When the server greets you, she only asks how you would like the steak cooked and what you want to drink. The meal starts off with a small salad with a basic dressing and walnuts. No variations are allowed. The lines are always out the door and no reservations are accepted. The meal was excellent and enjoyed by all. This reaffirmed my repeated mantra to the boys: the best food in the world is in Paris. There is a choice of desserts and Matthew chose profiteroles while Erich went with some decadent chocolate ice cream. The perfect finish to a perfect meal.
We then Metroed home around midnight and fell into bed.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
European Vacation - Day 7 (London to Paris)
It seems both that we have been in London for much more than a week, and also that the time has flown by and that we just arrived. We will not miss the flat, and will most assuredly never rent from that company again, but we did enjoy exploring London, trying new things, learning new terms and generally immersing ourselves in London.
The boys love using the English terms for french fries (chips), chips (crisps), the bathroom (the loo), mashed potatoes (mash), sausage (bangers), etc. They would correct us and each other if someone used the American term, and crack themselves up in the process.
This morning, we got up early to finish packing and meet the cab. (great cab company, Addison Lee, they were very polite, prompt, quoted the price ahead of time and even had a booster seat for Matthew) We got to St. Pancras in plenty of time, so grabbed some breakfast and relaxed in the departure area. Matthew led us in another game of charades. At Dulles airport, on the way out of town, when we had to wait so long because, ironically, we arrived early enough to avoid the major lines, we were trying to find ways to kill the three hours until the flight when Heather mentioned charades. The boys immediately leapt to it and we spent at least an hour playing that day, and have played while waiting for metro trains, dinner, the check, someone to be ready to leave or whenever we have thirty seconds. It has been a very fun and easy way to keep everyone entertained.
The train was great, and I had reserved four seat around a table, so we had plenty of room to spread out. Since much of the journey was spent in tunnels or behind noise berms, we didn't actually get many views of the English or French countryside. The boys spent most of the ride playing with their Leapsters, while Mommy and Daddy planned for Paris and took a few minutes to relax and read the paper. Lunch was included in the trip price, and was excellent food, which would have been perfectly fine in any cafe in Paris. The hot chocolate, in particular, was to die for, and the boys have decided that it must have just been melted chocolate bars.
When we arrived in Gare du Nord, we were met by a car since we had a lot of luggage and I had no idea where our apartment was. Our driver took us past the most famous sights of Paris on the way to the apartment, obviously not a direct route, but really neat nonetheless.
Our apartment is incredible. It is huge and nicely decorated. We can actually see the top of the Eiffel Tower out of our skylight. The contrast with the London flat is amazing, especially since the London flat cost the same amount. Even though Sam, our host, had purchased some staples for us, we headed out to pick up a few more things. We went to one of the tiny grocery stores that serve in Paris, as well as to a local boulangerie (bakery) and fromegerie (cheese shop), and walked by a number of others along the Rue Cler, our local market street. What a great neighborhood.
Dinner was at the Cafe du Mars, which is is highly touted in all the guidebooks, but unimpressive. The food was not up to American standards, let alone Paris standards, and all of the other patrons at 8 pm were Americans, apparently also having read the same guidebooks.
Even though it had begun to rain, we also had to trek the couple hundred yards from our apartment to the Parc du Mars which is the park that extends to the southeast of the Eiffel Tower. Wow, we're actually here.
The boys love using the English terms for french fries (chips), chips (crisps), the bathroom (the loo), mashed potatoes (mash), sausage (bangers), etc. They would correct us and each other if someone used the American term, and crack themselves up in the process.
This morning, we got up early to finish packing and meet the cab. (great cab company, Addison Lee, they were very polite, prompt, quoted the price ahead of time and even had a booster seat for Matthew) We got to St. Pancras in plenty of time, so grabbed some breakfast and relaxed in the departure area. Matthew led us in another game of charades. At Dulles airport, on the way out of town, when we had to wait so long because, ironically, we arrived early enough to avoid the major lines, we were trying to find ways to kill the three hours until the flight when Heather mentioned charades. The boys immediately leapt to it and we spent at least an hour playing that day, and have played while waiting for metro trains, dinner, the check, someone to be ready to leave or whenever we have thirty seconds. It has been a very fun and easy way to keep everyone entertained.
The train was great, and I had reserved four seat around a table, so we had plenty of room to spread out. Since much of the journey was spent in tunnels or behind noise berms, we didn't actually get many views of the English or French countryside. The boys spent most of the ride playing with their Leapsters, while Mommy and Daddy planned for Paris and took a few minutes to relax and read the paper. Lunch was included in the trip price, and was excellent food, which would have been perfectly fine in any cafe in Paris. The hot chocolate, in particular, was to die for, and the boys have decided that it must have just been melted chocolate bars.
When we arrived in Gare du Nord, we were met by a car since we had a lot of luggage and I had no idea where our apartment was. Our driver took us past the most famous sights of Paris on the way to the apartment, obviously not a direct route, but really neat nonetheless.
Our apartment is incredible. It is huge and nicely decorated. We can actually see the top of the Eiffel Tower out of our skylight. The contrast with the London flat is amazing, especially since the London flat cost the same amount. Even though Sam, our host, had purchased some staples for us, we headed out to pick up a few more things. We went to one of the tiny grocery stores that serve in Paris, as well as to a local boulangerie (bakery) and fromegerie (cheese shop), and walked by a number of others along the Rue Cler, our local market street. What a great neighborhood.
Dinner was at the Cafe du Mars, which is is highly touted in all the guidebooks, but unimpressive. The food was not up to American standards, let alone Paris standards, and all of the other patrons at 8 pm were Americans, apparently also having read the same guidebooks.
Even though it had begun to rain, we also had to trek the couple hundred yards from our apartment to the Parc du Mars which is the park that extends to the southeast of the Eiffel Tower. Wow, we're actually here.
Monday, December 01, 2008
European Vacation - Day 6 (London 6)
Our last day in London was clear and sunny, but cold and blustery. We started off relatively early (for us)in order to be able to walk around Green Park a little before the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.
Hyde Park, Green Park and Hyde Park Corner (where Hyde Park and Green Park touch corners) are all very beautiful oases of green grass and trees in the center of London. The boys burned off some of their seemingly limitless energy by running around Green Park terrorizing squirrels and pigeons.
We then headed over to Buckingham Palace about forty-five minutes early for the changing of the guards. Despite it being a bitter cold Monday in the off-season, the entire plaza in front of the Palace was packed when we arrived. Fortunately, a nice Bobby told us that after the first unit of guards marched in, everyone runs over to the gates facing the Palace, so we could get front row spots for the other guard unit and the Queen's Horse Guards. Her strategy worked like a charm, although some very bitter Italian tourists tried to shove their way back in front of us.
After we watched the guards march in to what sounded like traditional martial tunes, we put the boys on our shoulders so they could see the actual changing of the guard ceremony. The ceremony itself was pretty uneventful, so we headed off for the Science Museum. As we stopped for a final photo, we realized the guards' bands were playing "That's The Way (I Like It)" by KC and the Sunshine Band. Weird.
We walked back past Green Park and Hyde Park Corner to Hyde Park itself, so we could walk through the little Winter Wonderland carnival they have set up there for December (yet another faux Christmas Market . . . I can't wait to see the real thing, since these imitators are everywhere). Matthew either hates the paparazzi or loves them, and today he was running up to Santa statues and announcing that he was ready for his picture! Matthew cracked up seeing the children falling all over when we stopped to watch the ice skaters.
Hyde Park is huge, so we were all frozen and hungry by the time we got to the Science Museum. We started in one of the Museum's cafes, Deep Blue. The tables are lit up, and the walls are low with lots to see around you, so it was perfect for a family lunch. Thawed and fed, we then explored the Museum until closing time. There were a number of interactive sections, and the boys had to be dragged out of the Launchpad section as the staff herded us out.
As soon as we left, the boys who until five minutes before had been running, jumping, climbing, pouring, lifting, balancing, etc., were suddenly bereft of all energy. There were also severe delays on our Tube line due to an earlier signal failure, so the trip home was an exercise for Mommy and Daddy in motivation of two tired and hungry boys.
As we left our Tube station, we realized that we had no food, so after the success of last night's dinner, loaded up on frozen Indian entrees and headed home to the microwave. Fortunately, the boys were too hungry to decide that they no longer liked Indian food and everything was quickly scarfed down.
For dessert, we had some fruit and a broken up Milka bar. Each night, we have had some English or European dessert (treacle tart, pudding with fresh fruit) and most restaurant kids' meals include dessert, so Matthew now asks multiple times a day what we are having for dessert, ignoring entirely what other activities are going on or what might be for dinner.
A few other amusing Matthew-isms:
- Millwall FC's motto is "We fear no foe." Matthew has been repeating this phrase at various times since we watched the match, including while waving around his sword on the train. Very appropriate.
- The red phone booths are, unfortunately, often used as loos by the drunken youth on their way home from clubs. When the boys crowded into one for a photo-op, therefore, they crowded out just as fast yelling that it smelled like cow poop. Whenever Matthew now sees one of those phone booths he yells, loudly, that he wants to go into it so he can smell the cow poop.
- Another sword anecdote: As he was waving the sword around, Heather described the knighting ceremony, with the tapping of the tip of the blade on the knight's shoulders and head. Matthew proceeded to lean over to me, smack me on the forehead with the sword and announce "I pronounce you Sir Daddy!"
Hyde Park, Green Park and Hyde Park Corner (where Hyde Park and Green Park touch corners) are all very beautiful oases of green grass and trees in the center of London. The boys burned off some of their seemingly limitless energy by running around Green Park terrorizing squirrels and pigeons.
We then headed over to Buckingham Palace about forty-five minutes early for the changing of the guards. Despite it being a bitter cold Monday in the off-season, the entire plaza in front of the Palace was packed when we arrived. Fortunately, a nice Bobby told us that after the first unit of guards marched in, everyone runs over to the gates facing the Palace, so we could get front row spots for the other guard unit and the Queen's Horse Guards. Her strategy worked like a charm, although some very bitter Italian tourists tried to shove their way back in front of us.
After we watched the guards march in to what sounded like traditional martial tunes, we put the boys on our shoulders so they could see the actual changing of the guard ceremony. The ceremony itself was pretty uneventful, so we headed off for the Science Museum. As we stopped for a final photo, we realized the guards' bands were playing "That's The Way (I Like It)" by KC and the Sunshine Band. Weird.
We walked back past Green Park and Hyde Park Corner to Hyde Park itself, so we could walk through the little Winter Wonderland carnival they have set up there for December (yet another faux Christmas Market . . . I can't wait to see the real thing, since these imitators are everywhere). Matthew either hates the paparazzi or loves them, and today he was running up to Santa statues and announcing that he was ready for his picture! Matthew cracked up seeing the children falling all over when we stopped to watch the ice skaters.
Hyde Park is huge, so we were all frozen and hungry by the time we got to the Science Museum. We started in one of the Museum's cafes, Deep Blue. The tables are lit up, and the walls are low with lots to see around you, so it was perfect for a family lunch. Thawed and fed, we then explored the Museum until closing time. There were a number of interactive sections, and the boys had to be dragged out of the Launchpad section as the staff herded us out.
As soon as we left, the boys who until five minutes before had been running, jumping, climbing, pouring, lifting, balancing, etc., were suddenly bereft of all energy. There were also severe delays on our Tube line due to an earlier signal failure, so the trip home was an exercise for Mommy and Daddy in motivation of two tired and hungry boys.
As we left our Tube station, we realized that we had no food, so after the success of last night's dinner, loaded up on frozen Indian entrees and headed home to the microwave. Fortunately, the boys were too hungry to decide that they no longer liked Indian food and everything was quickly scarfed down.
For dessert, we had some fruit and a broken up Milka bar. Each night, we have had some English or European dessert (treacle tart, pudding with fresh fruit) and most restaurant kids' meals include dessert, so Matthew now asks multiple times a day what we are having for dessert, ignoring entirely what other activities are going on or what might be for dinner.
A few other amusing Matthew-isms:
- Millwall FC's motto is "We fear no foe." Matthew has been repeating this phrase at various times since we watched the match, including while waving around his sword on the train. Very appropriate.
- The red phone booths are, unfortunately, often used as loos by the drunken youth on their way home from clubs. When the boys crowded into one for a photo-op, therefore, they crowded out just as fast yelling that it smelled like cow poop. Whenever Matthew now sees one of those phone booths he yells, loudly, that he wants to go into it so he can smell the cow poop.
- Another sword anecdote: As he was waving the sword around, Heather described the knighting ceremony, with the tapping of the tip of the blade on the knight's shoulders and head. Matthew proceeded to lean over to me, smack me on the forehead with the sword and announce "I pronounce you Sir Daddy!"
Sunday, November 30, 2008
European Vacation - Day 5 (Windsor)
Today we visited Windsor Castle with Jane Taylor, a friend of ours who used to live down the street in Vienna but now lives outside London.
But first, we got all dressed up and headed out to Brompton Oratory, a Catholic Church just south of Hyde Park with a renowned boys' choir. Unfortunately, Daddy got turned around and was apparently too tired to read a map. After wandering for a good thirty minutes, and obviously missing most of the mass, we finally gave up and grabbed a snack before starting our journey to Windsor. As we waited in the South Kensington Station for the correct train, I realized that the Oratory was, in fact, northeast of the station, rather than southwest, and only about one hundred yards from where we finally gave up. (sigh)
To get to Windsor, we took the Tube to Paddington Station, where we switched to the First Great Western line. We had to change in Slough, but were to Windsor about forty minutes after we left South Kensington.
Jane met us at the station as we arrived, and took us to a great little Italian place for lunch. The excellent food and service in this very reasonably-priced establishment reminded me of one of the many reasons I love to travel to Europe and Japan in particular.
After lunch, we took the tour of the castle. The flag flying overhead indicated that the Queen was in residence, although there was no other sign of her presence. The castle itself is both huge and beautifully preserved/restored. The tour took us through the state apartments including various bedrooms, reception halls, antechambers, guard chambers and dining rooms. All were immaculately preserved from some period in history, but many are in use even today.
In the gift shop, we picked up a few trinkets and Jane bought Matthew a foam sword that he carried the rest of the day, and Erich a book of things to make and do about medieval English history which he read the entire train ride home. Thanks Jane!
Before we headed home, we stopped into a much larger grocery store than are found in Central London, a Waitrose, and picked up some ready made entrees for dinner. Chicken Tikki Masala, Chicken Curry and fried rice for all. The boys loved it and are now fans of Indian food as well.
Tomorrow is our last full day in London and will be focused on the Science Museum and Hyde Park. Hopefully, we will be also be able to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, but if not, we'll see it next time.
But first, we got all dressed up and headed out to Brompton Oratory, a Catholic Church just south of Hyde Park with a renowned boys' choir. Unfortunately, Daddy got turned around and was apparently too tired to read a map. After wandering for a good thirty minutes, and obviously missing most of the mass, we finally gave up and grabbed a snack before starting our journey to Windsor. As we waited in the South Kensington Station for the correct train, I realized that the Oratory was, in fact, northeast of the station, rather than southwest, and only about one hundred yards from where we finally gave up. (sigh)
To get to Windsor, we took the Tube to Paddington Station, where we switched to the First Great Western line. We had to change in Slough, but were to Windsor about forty minutes after we left South Kensington.
Jane met us at the station as we arrived, and took us to a great little Italian place for lunch. The excellent food and service in this very reasonably-priced establishment reminded me of one of the many reasons I love to travel to Europe and Japan in particular.
After lunch, we took the tour of the castle. The flag flying overhead indicated that the Queen was in residence, although there was no other sign of her presence. The castle itself is both huge and beautifully preserved/restored. The tour took us through the state apartments including various bedrooms, reception halls, antechambers, guard chambers and dining rooms. All were immaculately preserved from some period in history, but many are in use even today.
In the gift shop, we picked up a few trinkets and Jane bought Matthew a foam sword that he carried the rest of the day, and Erich a book of things to make and do about medieval English history which he read the entire train ride home. Thanks Jane!
Before we headed home, we stopped into a much larger grocery store than are found in Central London, a Waitrose, and picked up some ready made entrees for dinner. Chicken Tikki Masala, Chicken Curry and fried rice for all. The boys loved it and are now fans of Indian food as well.
Tomorrow is our last full day in London and will be focused on the Science Museum and Hyde Park. Hopefully, we will be also be able to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, but if not, we'll see it next time.
European Vacation - Day 4 quick hits
Running late for mass, so here's our itinerary:
- Write and mail postcards (note the cool postboxes)
- Eclairs for breakfast
- Tube to Charing Cross/Trafalgar Square
- Pictures in Trafalgar Square with the lion statues
- The National Gallery - Sunflowers, the Yellow Chair, various Monet & Renoir
- A Thames Clipper up the Thames (under London Bridge) to Greenwich
- The Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian
- Millwall FC beating Aldershot Town 3 - Nil in the second round of the FA Cup
- Fish and Chips (or, if you're 5 or 7 years old, just chips)
- Early to bed
- Write and mail postcards (note the cool postboxes)
- Eclairs for breakfast
- Tube to Charing Cross/Trafalgar Square
- Pictures in Trafalgar Square with the lion statues
- The National Gallery - Sunflowers, the Yellow Chair, various Monet & Renoir
- A Thames Clipper up the Thames (under London Bridge) to Greenwich
- The Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian
- Millwall FC beating Aldershot Town 3 - Nil in the second round of the FA Cup
- Fish and Chips (or, if you're 5 or 7 years old, just chips)
- Early to bed
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
European Vacation - Day 3 (London 3)
Right. It's 1:50ish in the a.m. and I'm a tired boy, so this will be short and sweet.
We took double-decker buses to the British Museum (bad call when it is raining, with condensation inside and the rain outside we saw very little out the windows).
The British Museum was very impressive (much like the the historical Smithsonians all smooshed together). We have been practicing French and German phrases, and discussing the origins of language with the boys, so they actually seemed to comprehend the import of the Rosetta Stone. From there we wandered the various exhibitions, with Heather and me trying to keep up with the boys' curiosity and questions, until we got to the Easter Island head. Right near the head (an odd juxtaposition) was a major exhibit on native Americans. Very neat for me was to be able to show the boys the section on the mound builders of southern Ohio, near where I grew up.
From there, we had to stop in one of the London souvenir shops, then on to Hamley's, the World's Greatest Toy Store. Te walk to Hamley's was quite long, so we took a quick Belgian waffle break, and popped into Marks and Spencer to get Daddy a scarf (and apparently some Christmas presents from Heather and the boys).
Hamley's was packed, but was also all that I remembered. The boys were enthralled as they moved from amazing display to interactive demo, to hands-on gadget and gizmo testing. We're now nearly done with Christmas shopping for Team Norton, and we're only a few days into the trip.
From Hamley's we rode a couple of packed Tubes home to Notting Hill. Rather than pick up something fro me to cook, we decided we needed Team Norton comfort food - sushi! We dined at Ukai Sushi on Portobello Road and had some of the freshest sushi and best miso soup any of us have had in a long time. At the end of the meal, Erich asked me for a piece of paper and a pen. He then proceeded to write a note to the chef, telling him he has very good cooking and very tasty sushi, and thanking him. I gave him a few pounds to send back with the note to the chefs, and Erich marched up to the waitstaff and asked them to give the note and tip to the chef.
After a very satisfying meal, we walked home to learn that the boiler was irreparably broken, that other safety issues also existed, and that we would need to pack up and move everything down three flights of stairs to the basement flat.
We took double-decker buses to the British Museum (bad call when it is raining, with condensation inside and the rain outside we saw very little out the windows).
The British Museum was very impressive (much like the the historical Smithsonians all smooshed together). We have been practicing French and German phrases, and discussing the origins of language with the boys, so they actually seemed to comprehend the import of the Rosetta Stone. From there we wandered the various exhibitions, with Heather and me trying to keep up with the boys' curiosity and questions, until we got to the Easter Island head. Right near the head (an odd juxtaposition) was a major exhibit on native Americans. Very neat for me was to be able to show the boys the section on the mound builders of southern Ohio, near where I grew up.
From there, we had to stop in one of the London souvenir shops, then on to Hamley's, the World's Greatest Toy Store. Te walk to Hamley's was quite long, so we took a quick Belgian waffle break, and popped into Marks and Spencer to get Daddy a scarf (and apparently some Christmas presents from Heather and the boys).
Hamley's was packed, but was also all that I remembered. The boys were enthralled as they moved from amazing display to interactive demo, to hands-on gadget and gizmo testing. We're now nearly done with Christmas shopping for Team Norton, and we're only a few days into the trip.
From Hamley's we rode a couple of packed Tubes home to Notting Hill. Rather than pick up something fro me to cook, we decided we needed Team Norton comfort food - sushi! We dined at Ukai Sushi on Portobello Road and had some of the freshest sushi and best miso soup any of us have had in a long time. At the end of the meal, Erich asked me for a piece of paper and a pen. He then proceeded to write a note to the chef, telling him he has very good cooking and very tasty sushi, and thanking him. I gave him a few pounds to send back with the note to the chefs, and Erich marched up to the waitstaff and asked them to give the note and tip to the chef.
After a very satisfying meal, we walked home to learn that the boiler was irreparably broken, that other safety issues also existed, and that we would need to pack up and move everything down three flights of stairs to the basement flat.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
European Vacation - Day 2 (London)
After the very late start (see the last post), we headed up to Ladbroke Grove Tube stop and were off to South Bank, home of the Globe Theater, OXO Tower, Queen's Walk, the Tate Modern, and the London Eye.
When we hopped off the Tube at Waterloo Station, and headed for the Thames. The boys were thirsty, so we stopped in for water and cupcakes at an excellent bakery, which were consumed once we got to the Queen's Walk along the Thames. As we walked along the Queen's Walk, we got to experience a faux Christmas Market (named the Cologne Market) as well as some impressive street performers posing as statues. The all silver guy still has Matthew convinced he's a robot or something, since he only moves when you toss a coin in his hat, and then only in the same exact motions.
The Eye was amazing and should definitely be an early daytime vacation stop when visiting London with kids, since so many of the sights can be seen, identified, and situated on the mental map. It was very nice that they didn't try to pack the cars, so we could easily walk around and take in the various views. As you can see from the photos, for the first 15 minutes or so Matthew stayed on the bench in the middle of the car. When we reached the top, however, he couldn't resist the views so moved to the floor along the windows. It was slightly overcast, but very bright, so was perfect viewing weather with no glare.
After riding the London Eye, we walked all the way along Queen's Walk to the Tate Modern. Since at the Tate Museums, along with many other museums in London, admission is free, we could duck in for a quick explore for as long as the boys could stand what we were willing to let them see (be very careful of the plethora of material not appropriate for young eyes). We then had a quick snack at the cafe on the top floor overlooking the north bank of the Thames, including St. Paul's Cathedral and Millennium Bridge.
After our snack, we walked across the Millennium Bridge and enjoyed a great view of London at night, lit beautifully. In particular, it was a great spot to see the Tower Bridge.
We stopped for a quick reminisce about the iconic scene in Mary Poppins, then took the Tube back to Notting Hill where we picked up some facsimile of a Thanksgiving dinner at the Grocer on Elgin.
After dinner (everyone was thankful for each other), we all blogged in our own ways, bathed in the flat upstairs (still no hot water) and headed off to bed. The boys didn't fall asleep until midnight - still excited from the day and with their body clocks not fully adjusted.
When we hopped off the Tube at Waterloo Station, and headed for the Thames. The boys were thirsty, so we stopped in for water and cupcakes at an excellent bakery, which were consumed once we got to the Queen's Walk along the Thames. As we walked along the Queen's Walk, we got to experience a faux Christmas Market (named the Cologne Market) as well as some impressive street performers posing as statues. The all silver guy still has Matthew convinced he's a robot or something, since he only moves when you toss a coin in his hat, and then only in the same exact motions.
The Eye was amazing and should definitely be an early daytime vacation stop when visiting London with kids, since so many of the sights can be seen, identified, and situated on the mental map. It was very nice that they didn't try to pack the cars, so we could easily walk around and take in the various views. As you can see from the photos, for the first 15 minutes or so Matthew stayed on the bench in the middle of the car. When we reached the top, however, he couldn't resist the views so moved to the floor along the windows. It was slightly overcast, but very bright, so was perfect viewing weather with no glare.
After riding the London Eye, we walked all the way along Queen's Walk to the Tate Modern. Since at the Tate Museums, along with many other museums in London, admission is free, we could duck in for a quick explore for as long as the boys could stand what we were willing to let them see (be very careful of the plethora of material not appropriate for young eyes). We then had a quick snack at the cafe on the top floor overlooking the north bank of the Thames, including St. Paul's Cathedral and Millennium Bridge.
After our snack, we walked across the Millennium Bridge and enjoyed a great view of London at night, lit beautifully. In particular, it was a great spot to see the Tower Bridge.
We stopped for a quick reminisce about the iconic scene in Mary Poppins, then took the Tube back to Notting Hill where we picked up some facsimile of a Thanksgiving dinner at the Grocer on Elgin.
After dinner (everyone was thankful for each other), we all blogged in our own ways, bathed in the flat upstairs (still no hot water) and headed off to bed. The boys didn't fall asleep until midnight - still excited from the day and with their body clocks not fully adjusted.
European Vacation - Day 2 begins
After a nice 17 hour nap, the boys awoke refreshed and ready to go.
Unfortunately, the boiler is not functioning so no heat and no hot water. Fortunately, the excitement has not yet worn off, so we take this setback in stride and after a quick breakfast (PB&J for Erich and cereal for Matthew), we're headed out for the London Eye and more London adventures.
Unfortunately, the boiler is not functioning so no heat and no hot water. Fortunately, the excitement has not yet worn off, so we take this setback in stride and after a quick breakfast (PB&J for Erich and cereal for Matthew), we're headed out for the London Eye and more London adventures.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
European Vacation - Travel and Day 1
Wooohooooo! We are finally off on our European Vacation! (or, as the British call it, "on holiday") After a last minute flurry of purchases, packing angst, raking and getting the house ready to be abandoned for 3 weeks, we finally had to acquiesce to time's inexorable march and pick the kids up from school and head to Grandma's (she's giving us a ride to the airport).
We bundle Grandma into the loaded mini-van (remember, this is before we even buy our first gift or souvenir) and head to Dulles.
Expecting the mad Thanksgiving rush to be layered on top of the normal mid-afternoon crazy business rush at the airport, we arrive nearly 4 hours before the flight is scheduled to leave. After a 10 minute check-in, we head to security, where there is NO LINE. After breezing through security, we head to the shuttle to D concourse. The shuttle driver actually holds the door for us as we nearly miss the shuttle and have to wait 15 to 20 minutes for the next shuttle to depart. We get to the gate area about 3 hours ahead of time . . . great on the one hand, but disaster from the bored kid perspective. Fortunately, we got invites to the Red Carpet Club right near our gate, so we head in, grab some snacks and a seat by the window and chill. The boys ask, and I try to answer, about a million questions about the airport, planes, baggage handling, tail numbering schemes, etc. Matthew also pulls out Pepper, a little stuffed black toy dog classroom mascot from his preschool, about whom Matthew will be keeping a journal (mainly pictorial).
Heather and the boys loved Business Class (I've got to burn through those frequent flier miles before they get devalued, again). I've spoiled them all forever on coach. Matthew loved the fact that he could stretch out flat on the seat. Erich's knees hurt him much of the night, so he spent most of the night watching TV and movies.
After we landed, we took the Heathrow Express train into Paddington Station, and from there cabbed it to our flat in Notting Hill. I had assumed that the boys would have crashed by this point, and would need to nap for a couple of hours before we did anything. I was completely wrong; the boys were pumped and ready to go. Some quick checking online revealed that there were tickets available for the 2:00 pm matinee of the Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre down in the the theatre district. After buying the tickets online (technology rules!), we jumped on the Tube to Covent Garden.
It was getting on toward lunchtime, so we stopped into a nice little cafe in Covent Garden Square and had a quick bite to eat. Not only did the boys order from the menu without whining and eat what they ordered, they were so well behaved that two different ladies dining separately near our table complemented me as we left on how well behaved the boys were. We then headed to the show. The seats were great and the show was amazing (I highly commend it to you with your children). The boys were on the edges of their seats, and clapping and cheering at appropriate points in the show. I think they'll remember their first real show for a long long time.
After the show, we headed back up to Covent Garden so Heather could stop into a couple of shops that had been highly recommended to her. The boys were holding hands with each other and skipping around the square.
Unfortunately, on the way home, the Tube stop, King's Cross/St. Pancras, where we were literally about to get on the train back to our flat, was evacuated for an undisclosed reason. Matthew had just succumbed to the heat and boredom of waiting for the train and fallen asleep in my arms. After hiking to the next Tube stop and realizing that it didn't connect at all reasonably with the line we needed, we hailed a black cab back to the flat.
All in all, it was a great trip over, and an unbelievable first day. A few highlights are in the slideshow below. Enjoy.
We bundle Grandma into the loaded mini-van (remember, this is before we even buy our first gift or souvenir) and head to Dulles.
Expecting the mad Thanksgiving rush to be layered on top of the normal mid-afternoon crazy business rush at the airport, we arrive nearly 4 hours before the flight is scheduled to leave. After a 10 minute check-in, we head to security, where there is NO LINE. After breezing through security, we head to the shuttle to D concourse. The shuttle driver actually holds the door for us as we nearly miss the shuttle and have to wait 15 to 20 minutes for the next shuttle to depart. We get to the gate area about 3 hours ahead of time . . . great on the one hand, but disaster from the bored kid perspective. Fortunately, we got invites to the Red Carpet Club right near our gate, so we head in, grab some snacks and a seat by the window and chill. The boys ask, and I try to answer, about a million questions about the airport, planes, baggage handling, tail numbering schemes, etc. Matthew also pulls out Pepper, a little stuffed black toy dog classroom mascot from his preschool, about whom Matthew will be keeping a journal (mainly pictorial).
Heather and the boys loved Business Class (I've got to burn through those frequent flier miles before they get devalued, again). I've spoiled them all forever on coach. Matthew loved the fact that he could stretch out flat on the seat. Erich's knees hurt him much of the night, so he spent most of the night watching TV and movies.
After we landed, we took the Heathrow Express train into Paddington Station, and from there cabbed it to our flat in Notting Hill. I had assumed that the boys would have crashed by this point, and would need to nap for a couple of hours before we did anything. I was completely wrong; the boys were pumped and ready to go. Some quick checking online revealed that there were tickets available for the 2:00 pm matinee of the Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre down in the the theatre district. After buying the tickets online (technology rules!), we jumped on the Tube to Covent Garden.
It was getting on toward lunchtime, so we stopped into a nice little cafe in Covent Garden Square and had a quick bite to eat. Not only did the boys order from the menu without whining and eat what they ordered, they were so well behaved that two different ladies dining separately near our table complemented me as we left on how well behaved the boys were. We then headed to the show. The seats were great and the show was amazing (I highly commend it to you with your children). The boys were on the edges of their seats, and clapping and cheering at appropriate points in the show. I think they'll remember their first real show for a long long time.
After the show, we headed back up to Covent Garden so Heather could stop into a couple of shops that had been highly recommended to her. The boys were holding hands with each other and skipping around the square.
Unfortunately, on the way home, the Tube stop, King's Cross/St. Pancras, where we were literally about to get on the train back to our flat, was evacuated for an undisclosed reason. Matthew had just succumbed to the heat and boredom of waiting for the train and fallen asleep in my arms. After hiking to the next Tube stop and realizing that it didn't connect at all reasonably with the line we needed, we hailed a black cab back to the flat.
All in all, it was a great trip over, and an unbelievable first day. A few highlights are in the slideshow below. Enjoy.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Friday, August 08, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Are you ready for some football?
And, amazingly, I'm not talking about the Buckeyes! I'm talking about our very own Erich Norton signing up to play in the Anklebiters division of the Vienna Youth, Inc. football league. At 7, this is the first year he can play and he is very excited.
. . . So we decided to suit him up and let him get into the concept by taking down the parents a few times.
. . . So we decided to suit him up and let him get into the concept by taking down the parents a few times.
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