Time's flying!

The National Portrait Gallery



An old Routemaster bus-- built in the 1950's. They have brought
a few back to run some of the "historical" routes. In the "old days,"
people would jump on and off while the bus was moving! Not today,
though. They even have a conductor to take your tickets! (The
modern buses have an electronic "ticket taker," which just reads
the credit card type card that contains your travel pass.)


The Irwins on Routemaster. Gray has wanted to
ride in one of these for a long time!
Having fun with the ads in Picadilly Circus.

More fun with the ad.... (How sneaky of McD's, to make sure that people
take photos of their ad!)

Rickshaws in the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Nelson's column in Trafalgar Square.

Big Ben from Trafalgar Square.

More of Trafalgar Square.


We have been in London 4 months, and blog posts are getting farther and farther apart! Sorry about that. I guess it means that life is in full swing. (Seems like I wrote that before...?)

I guess the most recent adventure was on Mother's Day-- 14 March here. Based on Mothering Sunday, it is set according to Lent and Easter. We went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival at Trafalgar Square. It was quite a small festival, with about a gazillion people, so we got on an old Routemaster bus, and rode through the city. Quite a trip, we got to see more how the city is laid out. Since we have used the Tube a lot (it's much faster than the buses), it's hard to imagine how things all fit together above ground.

We are getting ready to go to Italy! The boys are out of school for two weeks at Easter, and both Good Friday and Easter Monday are bank holidays, so we don't have to work. So, we're taking some of our very generous vacation time and going to Italy. (we get 27 days of vacation per year, and that is in addition to about 10 bank holidays (which does include things like Christmas, New Year's, etc.))

It has actually been challenging to book this trip. The flights were easy, and while they were pretty inexpensive compared to traveling a similar distance in the US, they were more expensive because it is a holiday. It was more challenging to find hotels. Typically, when going somewhere I don't know, I browse through hotels on travel sites, look at reviews, and book something. However, many of the reviews were in Italian! And, I had NO IDEA what the descriptions referred to in terms of "hotel is near this place, or that river." All Italian names, of course. So, I'm going back and forth between the travel sites, guide books and Google Translate! Don't know why I didn't just go to a travel agent...

Finally got hotels booked in Florence, Venice and Rome. Ran them by a friend who does know Italy (by email-- he was in the US at the time, or I would have planted myself on his couch with the computer). He approved of all but the place in Rome-- said it was too far outside the city. GRRRRRRR! Fortunately, I found one that is closer to the center. The deal is that these cities are all cities to walk around, and staying outside the city makes it more challenging to get back and forth (traffic is worse in Rome that you have EVER imagined!) One cool thing: the hotel in Venice is actually on a small island across the lagoon from central Venice. So, we will have to take a water bus (boat) into town each day. It's only about 10 or 15 minutes, and I think it's pretty cool! We will let you all know how it goes!

We also went to Dover one Saturday, a few weeks ago. This is a coastal city, and is the city that is the closest to France. (By boat, of course). We went to the castle there, which is nicely done-- they have several exhibits, including a live reenactment of the King holding court.

And, of course, there are the White Cliffs of Dover. We asked a taxi driver where we could enjoy the best view of the cliffs. He said by boat. So, we decided to take the ferry to Calais, France. Just a boat ride across the channel to France. We didn't even get off the boat, because it was late and most of the city was closed down. Also, we needed to get the train back to London. It was a cooky, cool thing to do, and we did it cuz we could. We watched the cars and trucks loading and unloading from the car deck below us. The boys thought that was pretty cool. How many semi-trucks can you fit on a boat? We counted 20! Plus all of the cars, which we did not count.

The boys are in school full swing now. Gray has 14 classes! Talk about block scheduling! He has maths (short for mathematics, you see), Language, history, science French, Phys Ed, art, geography, religion, music, computers, drama, foods, and dance . Some of those classes he has only once a week. It looks like he has a couple every other week. He has maths and language several times a week, PE and science twice a week. There are 5 class periods each day, with a 20 minute morning break, and a 55 minute lunch break. Then he has Registration/Tutor time (which I think is like home room) each day in the morning and afternoon. And, he is on some sort of two week rotation. I ask him how he remembers which class he's going to. He says he watches someone else in his tutor group and follows them! (There are groups of students, sorted into "tutor groups," and all of the students in each group have the same class schedule.) It's a very strange way to do school!

He is having a hard time adjusting to having to change clothes for PE. And, he joined school at the time when they are playing rugby in gym! He is built like a rugby player, but he has a social worker's heart, so he's not having a fun time in PE right now! Coincidentally, his ankle has hurt the last two times he has had PE.

Zane is adjusting very well. He has a couple of friends, Ashok and Sidak. Sidak invited him to his birthday party at the Royal Observatory last weekend. He had a great time, and was not ready to leave! The Royal Observatory is a very cool place. It is at the location of the prime meridian, and they also have some very cool technologically advanced exhibits teaching about the Earth, space, space study and travel and astronomy. I was mesmerized! Oh, and it's all FREE! So many of the big museums are free here. Pretty cool, eh?

The boys got bikes this weekend. They were very excited, and we have already sent Gray to the store for milk-- twice! We live in a very calm neighborhood, and the store is about a half mile away. How cool is that?!?! He will want to ride his bike to school, and will likely do so, as soon as we get it insured. (Bike theft is pretty common here.)

We are gearing up for company. Carla is visiting (and escorting our animals!) on April 16. She will be here 3 weeks! We are very excited to have company, and the rest of our family!

Then, in May, my friend Connie is coming with her two girls! They'll be here about 3 weeks also. Wooooo Hoooooo! It's one of the reasons we moved here-- so people would have a place to stay when they come visit!

Okay, gettttinnnnnnnnng verrry sleeeeeepppy. Will write again after Italy

No Kisses on Valentine's Day

(Guess we'll have to transcribe from what David wrote while we were in Germany.... )

Poor Shaunda became ill on the plane on the way to Munich on the 13th of February (sick, as in need a toilet nearby, SICK!) We went straight to the hotel so she could rest. I took the kids to the pool-- where we were asked to be quiet while playing-- as were the other guests with kids. Kids + swimming pool does not = quiet! Ever!

The next day, Valentine's Day, Shaunda was still ill. (thus the no kisses bit). We got the kids rousted from their bed early to get to the bus for Neuschwanstein Castle. As shaunda was ill, we inquired about coming another day, and were assured that we could. So, now-- plan B. I had the kids help figure out the train system. (Good for them, but also stalled for time so I could figure it out.) We git a bite of breakfast and proceeded through the Karlstor into Old Town. The Karlstor was part of the old city walls kept when the rest of the wall was demolished in 1791. We headed down Munich's largest shopping street toward the Marienplatz. Along the way, we stopped in Michaelskirche (the Church of St. Michael), where we heard Mass in German. The boys were impressed by the pipe organ in athe church, bu tnot so much by listening to a sermon in German. Two famous German kings, Ludwig II and Mazimillian I are buried there. After leaving the church, we found another church nearby with even taller towers. The Frauenkirche was built in teh years 1468 to 1488, and is the largest Gothic building in southern Germany. The towers are nearly 330 feet tall! We passed by the "New Town Hall" (1867 to 1909) and Glockenspiel on teh way to the U-Bahn train. After checking on Shaunda, we proceeded to the BMW factory. The BMW Welt (BMW World) has most of their new cars and lots of interactive displays for all ages of petrol heads regarding technologies they are using or developing. (They are working a lot on hydrogen. I hope we get some good alternatives to the gasoline engine soon!

Following that, Zane had had enough of cars for a while. We went outside and took some video of playing in the snow. We were on the grounds where the 1972 Olympics were held. the hills there were made from teh rubble removed from the city after WWII. Then, inside for some hot chocolate!

On to the BMW Museum. They have a shape-shifting car, which was the only one Zane wanted to see. Turns out, it is actually in London right now! We will have to see it before it returns home. After most of the museum, even Gray said he was ready to go!

Shaunda was a bit better after a day of rest, but still weary. So, we ate at the hotel "Burger bar."

Autobahn and Neuschwanstein

The next day, we made our own tour to Neuschwanstein Castle (since we couldn't take our scheduled tour the day before, due to Shaunda being ill.) Part of what Gray has wanted since he heard about going to Europe was to go fast on teh autobahn. (Autobahn is actually just a generic term for highway. Nevertheless, no speed limit at points! They have this in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.) I had not done enough preparation to get the kind of exotic car rental that Gray wanted. (He was thinking Maserati, Porche, Ferrari, American Muscle (Vette, 50's Cadillac). You get the idea...) We were able to locate a BMW rental place (yes, in Germany!) No M-series available, but a brand new 5 series sounded good to me! "Quite posh." It had talking GPS, a rear end camera so you could see what you are about to hit while backing up, along with warning "beeps" whenever any part of your car was getting too close. Heated seats front and back, along with electric seat adjustments, moon roof, STEREO, veeerrrryyyy smooooooooooth ride. After setting the navigation up for English, we proceeded toward Neuschwanstein Castle. After a late lunch, Zane and I climbed the mile up to the castle, while Shaunda and Gray chose to take the horse-drawn carriage ride. I have wanted to see this castle since I visited Munich for a few days in college. I wasn't able to do it then. The setting is spectacular, with the castle built into the Bavarian Alps, with mountains and Alpine forest all around. The inside is just as spectacular. The woodwork incredible, as are the paintings. The castle is actually only partially finished, as King Ludwig II died before it was completed. He was too fond of castle building and not attentive enough to the politics of the country. (He had 3 castles built, simultaneously!) The castle is illustrated throughout by schenes from Wagner's operas, as Wagner was a friend of the king.

Alas, I had to drive the BMW through all sorts of winding mountain roads afterwards. We went to Oberammergau for dinner. (There is a famous Passion Play put on here once a decade since the 1600's!) Then, back on the autobahn. I hit nearly 250 kilometers per hour on the way home (150+ mph...). What a day!

Munich photos

Neuschwanstein Castle

A cool view from Neuschwanstein Castle

Hohenschwangau Castle. Down the "hill" from Neuschwanstein Castle

One of the many huge cathedrals in Munich. The Frauenkirche.

Inside one of those huge cathedrals!

Driving down the street.....

As you can see, we went to Germany for the February half term break!

(David wrote a bunch of stuff in Word to post to the blog, as when we were in Germany, we had a slow internet connection. Now, I can't get the blog to accept the "cut and paste" version! I keep getting an error message. So, I must go to bed for now, and will try again tomorrow.)
SORRY!
It really was a great trip! More photos on Facebook if you want to go hunt them down...

My, how time flies...

I notice that blog posts are getting farther apart...
It means that life is in full swing!
Since we last posted, we have had our Appeal hearing with the school on 2 February. The good news is, We won! That means that Gray can attend the school closest to home. The bad news is, he has to have an "induction interview" with the Head of Year, and that person hasn't called us back. Then, she has been ill for the past few days. So, David went up there, and got, uh hem, assertive. Turns out, there is more than one person who can do this meeting. We meet tomorrow (Friday) at 12:15. Gray will be able to start school after the half term break, on 22 February.

The other frustrating thing about school: Uniforms required. Can only get them from the Uniform Shop at the school. It is open from 12:$5 to 1:45 on Monday and Thursday ONLY. David and Gray got there at 1:47, and could not get a uniform. (David had to skip out of court early to get there!) He did find someone who was able to "loan" Gray a blazer and tie. He will have to get the rest (including the "gym kit") when he starts school.
School is year round here, but kids attend school for about the same number of days. They have a one week break in the fall (sometime in October); 2 to 2.5 weeks off at Christmas; one week in February; 2 weeks at Easter; one week in June, and then out for the summer for about the last week in July until the beginning of September. Apparently, all of Europe has similar breaks, because travel fares increase for those weeks. Still, much cheaper than traveling in much of the US.

So, this Saturday, we head to Munich! Munich is where Hitler got his start; it's where the BMW factory is located; it is a couple of hours from Neuschwanstein Castle, which is the castle that is the model for most "fairy tale" castles, including the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disney World. We will be there five days, so hopefully will get a good feel for it. It's in the Bavarian Alps, so we will be in the mountains as well. David and Gray are still trying to figure out what car to rent so we can take a drive on the Autobahn. Do we rent American Muscle, or Exotic European? Whatever we rent, it's a stupid amount of money to rent a car, because we have to rent something worthy of driving on a road with no speed limit (so I'm told)..... We'll let you know...

As I'm going through my day, I see things that I think, "I need to post that on the blog." And then, I don't remember what they are. When it warms up, I will feel free to take my fingers out of my gloves to keep notes in the phone so I remember...
One thing that I've seen that amuses me: toddlers on scooters. Remember when your kids were ages 2 to 5 (ish), and they didn't want to be in the stroller, they were too heavy to carry around, but they were so slow to move on those short little legs? Well, in a city where everyone walks, parents have found a solution: Scooters. Those two or three wheel platforms with a handle that sticks up? I seen numerous kids scooting around on those! Many of them are accompanied by parents pushing a pram (stroller). Quite creative, I think! You gotta watch out for them, though. They don't all have great control and the ability to dodge or stop quickly.

The other day, I pulled out some sugar snap peas for lunch-- you know fresh ones? My co-workers were aghast that I was eating them raw! This from the people who eat mushy peas and Brussel's Sprouts! I also learned from co-workers that people don't have "mental retardation." (Even when they have an IQ of 55!) They have "learning disabilities. Well, you know what "learning disabilities" means in the US... it's NOT the same! I'm glad I learned that with a close co-worker. I could have really embarrassed myself!

Random stuff:

Gray has started going to the local Youth Center. They have these all over the place. They have organized activities, including a loosely structured "hang out" time for youth ages 10-16. We drug Gray there one Monday evening (which is when they have an open session for kids from 10-13), and he loves it! He gets to play football, pool, ping pong and just "hang out" with kids his age. He says people are always asking him to "talk." You know, he has that cool American accent... He will be attending school with these kids, so that's really good.

Gray has HUGE feet. Not only are they the same size as David's, but they are extra wide. We had trouble finding shoes for him in the US, but eventually did. It is IMPOSSIBLE here! We go into a shoe store and ask about extra wide trainers (tennis shoes), and they look at us like we're from another planet! I can't even find out how they designate wide width shoes. In the US, weuse letters (Gray is EEE.) The only thing we've found here is "extra wide." He's probably tried on 50 pairs of shoes! I may have found a pair for him. We'll see if they fit when they get here! (Risky to order from the internet, when we don't really know the true size, but we're desperate!) Fortunately, we did find a pair of shoes for school (can NOT be trainers!)

I tried a new flavor of crisp: sea salt and cracked black pepper. They were really good, but they sucked the moisture out of my lips and fingers! Haven't been brave enough to try any of the really weird flavors... I'm having a hard time wrapping my tongue around eating potato chips flavored like an entree! Maybe some day.

OH! We went to Kensington Palace a couple of Saturdays ago. It's more modern palace than the others we've visited, built in the 1600's. It's where Queen Victoria lived, as well as where Charles and Diana lived when they were married. It was really set up as a museum (the part they let us see), and they had an exhibit related to "The Last Debutant." I guess in 1958, debutantes quit being presented to the Queen in a formal ceremony. That wasn't really that exciting, especially for our boys. They did have some nice art and collections from former royalty. One of the Queens, (I can't remember who) collected Japanese and Chinese porcelain. A huge collection remains, and that was pretty cool to see. The gardens will be really gorgeous in the spring and summer.

That same day, we also found the place where I stayed when I was here in college! I walked through Kensington Park every day to get to and from school, so we were close. Everything has changed so much! (Except the palace, of course.) I had a really hard time figuring out where to go to find my old place. It is a hotel now, and they let us look around a bit. We may have to stay there some time, just for old times' sake. It is right next door to the prep school attended by the Princes when they were young. We watched Prince Charles and Princess Diana take them to school one morning!
We will have to go back when it is day light so we can get some decent photos.

Okay, it's time for bed now. Will try to post again soon!

Someone suggested it's time for an update to the Blog...

These photos are from the Tower of London. This fortress is where Kings and Queens lived for several hundred years. It started in about 1066, with several additions throughout the centuries. It is where King Henry VIII lived and reigned; where Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were executed and are buried. (Many other executions happened here, also.) TONS of history here!

This is from the outside of the Tower of London. Hopefully, you get an idea of how immense and huge this fortress is. It really was a self-sufficient town within the walls. The mint was even here at one point. We spent about 3.5 hours there, and saw only 2 of the buildings! We didn't even see the Crown Jewels on this trip. That's for the next trip.



This is our tour guide, a Yeoman Warder, or "Beefeater."


The next photo is the Tower Bridge. I love this bridge. It's so majestic, and it's the only draw bridge in London. We haven't been inside this yet, but it's definitely on our list!



Next is White Tower. This is the actual palace of the property. Inside, there was an exhibit of the armory of King Henry VIII. Much of it was original from his time, some were replicas. It's hard to imagine wearing such heavy armor and having to actually move and function in it! (Unfortunately, no photography allowed inside.)


Next is a trebuchet, a type of catapult used in the medieval times.


Finally, a building which is just across the river from the Tower. The old and the new, side by side. (No idea what this is. Probably an office building.)


This weekend, we were planning to go to Salisbury, to see the town, and then to take a bus to Stonehenge. However, it turns out that there are "engineering works" on the tracks going that direction, so it was going to take twice as long to get there (2.5 to 3 hours, instead of 90 minutes), so we decided to regroup and take another short trip.

We ended up in St. Albens. St. Albens is another very old town, most known for the early Roman ruins found there. They have uncovered what is believed to be a very early (AD200) Roman settlement. The museum there houses much of what they have found, including several complete and well preserved mosaics.





The Cathedral in St. Albens is very old and beautiful. (I don't remember exactly when it was built, but I'm thinking around the 1200-1300's... )



This was a worthwhile trip! Very "cute" little town. Though, I have to say, they could take some lessons from London in terms of bus maps and schedules.... It was a bit of a challenge to figure out how to get places on the buses! Many of the sights are within a 3-4 hour walk around the city, however, we got there late and didn't want to miss the primary sights. We will likely visit this area again, getting there a little earlier so we can take a more leisurely stroll.

Life in London

Zane finally started school a couple of weeks ago. He attends a school that is about 5-7 minute walk from the house. He said that the first few days, the girls were all over him. He said he had to devise a DEFCON system for himself! He talked about having a hard time on the spelling test, because he couldn't understand the words (speaking of the accent...). His teacher indicates that he is doing well.

Some differences he's noticed: What we call "recess," they call "break." Our "lunch" is their "dinner." "Math" is "maths." Almost all of the schools her have uniforms. Zane's uniform consists of: black or gray trousers, black shoes, a light blue polo shirt under a burgandy sweat shirt. This school is not particularly picky about the black shoes, they just cannot be "trainers," or tennis shoes. They have a "gym kit," clothes they wear for gym. For Zane, it's blue sport shorts with his light blue polo shirt, and black "plimsoll" shoes. These are the flimsy canvas tennis shoes...

School is year round here. But, they actually attend school for about the same number of days as in the US. Every term has a week long "half term" break, with a 2 week break at Easter, 2 weeks at Christmas. The "summer" break is basically from the end of July until the beginning of September.

We are still waiting to get Gray into school. We have filed an appeal against their decision to not allow him into the schools closest to our house. They have offered him a school that will take an hour by tube and bus, and an hour and a half by bus. I don't know about you, but, I will not put my 12 year old on the tube by himself, particularly during morning rush hour. And, I will not make him go to a school that will require him to spend 3 hours a day on buses! When I talk with school people and politicians (Yes, I called the Mayor) about this, they state that a 12 year old is expected to be able to use public transportation. They don't seem to care that he has NEVER used public transit in his life, or that it will take THREE HOURS to get to and from school. There is an Appeal Hearing on 2 February, where a panel will decide if the Admissions team was wrong in their decision.

Meanwhile, we are trying this home school thing. It really sucks! We haven't ever really considered this so we are learning and making it up as we go. Fortunately, I have many friends who home school, so they have offered a lot of resources and suggestions. The deal is, it is not meant to be a viable option for working parents. So, David and I each work from home one day a week, we are going in late or coming home early various days, and using university students when they are available to provide some guidance for Gray. On the days when neither of us is able to be home, it's a lot of "remote control" via phone. Also, my sister is often on line during the day, and she encourages him via Instant Messenger. Kind of a funny way of doing things, but it's what we have for now.

Unfortunately, on his best days, Gray is not a very motivated student, and it is often a real battle to get him to do some work. We try to come up with things that are interesting to him, but he does need to do some math practice, even though it's not interesting! He also doesn't like to write (though he actually can write pretty well), so getting him to do any written work is also a battle. We try to do oral discussions/reports, but it will be a shocking reality when he actually goes to school and has to write!

We are starting to get him involved in youth activities so he can meet people his age. The church youth group met at an American style diner the other night for milkshakes. He seemed to actually enjoy that. (Not sure if he enjoyed the people, or the milkshakes, but we'll take what we can get!)

We are trying to get the hang of grocery shopping via internet. I have to say, it's much better than hauling groceries through the streets, and on buses and tubes! And, even if we had a car, we would have to fight traffic to get there and back, and fight traffic to find a place in the "car park." But, it's hard to shop when you can't see things... We're getting better and better at it, though! What is interesting, is that if they don't have the specific item you request, they will provide a substitute. And, what they think is a viable substitute for something is often quite an interesting leap! Fortunately, they point out the substitutes when they arrive with the order, and you have an opportunity to send them back.

Well, I seem to have run out of things to write. Off to church! We are recording a new album and DVD today!

Would you like some crisps?

We have discovered that the English have some very inventive ideas about how to flavor potato chips:
Worcester Sauce
Canadian Ham
Flame Grilled Steak
Cream Cheese and Chives
Beefy
Roasted Ox
Roasted Chicken
Prawn Cocktail
Salt and Vinegar
Red Paprika
Streaky Bacon
Sweet Chili (or Thai Sweet Chili)
Red Thai Curry
Sea Salt and Balsalmic Vinegar
Tomato Ketchup
Buffalo Mozerella and Herb
Oven Roasted Chicken and Thyme
Oriental Red Curry
Spare Rib and 5 Spice
Sour Cream and Black Pepper
Honey Roast Ham
Tomato, Garlic and Basil
Gammon and Mustard Curls (gammon is ham)
Prawn Crackers (they actually flatten shrimp and deep fry them!)
Smokey Bacon

It's like the chip is the entree!

"Normal" flavors: Cheese and Onion, Lightly Salted. Haven't seen BBQ yet (have seen BBQ Beef raman noodles, though!), or Sour Cream and Onion.

I have tried Flame Grilled Steak (much better on beef); Thai Sweet Chili (nice, but has a bit of a "bite" at the end); Tomato Ketchup (gross!); Salt and Vinegar (okay, but wouldn't choose it first).

What do I miss?

Velveeta (though we do have some really good real cheese-- no artificial color or anything!)
Hidden Valley Ranch (they put way too much vinegar in their "ranch" dressing, but have nice vinegrettes.)
Lipton Onion soup mix (what can't you improve with this? I have used bullion and real onion in attempt to simulate the flavor. It's "okay.")
Taco shells (we can get them, but they have always been stale)
I was missing Kraft M&C, but have found it at Asda (Walmart's store over here)

What's good?
Fresh fruits and veggies. They aren't pretty, but they have a ton of flavor.
Like I mentioned earlier, really nice cheese
Meat also seems to have better flavor. There are a lot of butchers around, so it's easy to get good cuts of fresh meat. Our local butcher has been around a long time, and has a great reputation.
Fish and seafood are cheap and tasty.

Lots of different meat pies: steak pie, steak and mushroom, chicken/chicken and mushroom. Pretty much like a pot pie, but they're pretty good. (Well, most of them.)

Not a lot of preservatives used here, so food goes bad quicker. (Perhaps that's why the fridge is so small...) But, it's much better for you!

Snow in London

Time for a past due update!!

Photos: Red Bellied Piranha; Shark (Brown Shark, I think...); Rochester Castle; White Christmas Eve, Eve.... The city shuts down with this amount of snow! (about an inch...)

Since Mom flew home, Shaunda and I have taken turns home with the kids. Thankfully work has been understanding. Mom got home fine (and 13 pounds lighter!). I think it only took a week for her to feel rested and back on the Central time zone.
School update: We have continue to advocate to get our kids in school. We have been told to expect a letter for Zane to go to the nearby primary school, but have not received it to date. Gray, however, was offered a school that is not far away by Kansas standards, but difficult to get to here. Shortest option takes an hour and multiple transport changes!! We have written an appeal, which gives the school another 30 days to delay. Shaunda and I will alternate working from home and using a local university student to spend time with the kids.
Christmas: Shaunda got the flu prior to Christmas eve, so we warned the other new Americans that the planned dinner together might not be such a good idea. Zane also had the flu on Christmas. (ask us some time about the experience with socialized medicine). We spoiled the boys and relaxed. Shaunda fortunately recovered enough to cook a wonderful dinner.
A trip to Rochester in Kent was worked into the mix. This is a town that Charles Dickens really loved. Many of the sites here are the basis for some of the settings of his stories. (We saw "Satis House" from Great Expectations! We went through a castle that was started in 1066. Most of what we saw was from the 1400's.

We had Monday off as well to recognize Boxing Day. Lots of people go shopping, but we mostly stayed in and relaxed.

Shaunda and the boys went to Madame Tussaud's (where everyone else visiting London seemed to be!) We saw two one-man plays wherein we were told a couple of Dickens' stories ("Dr. Marigold," and "Mr. Chops.") Shaunda's former London roommate, Kimberly, joined us for that one.
New Years Eve: We had plans with Kimberly, but decided that taking the tube home afterwards might be a bit too "educational" for our boys. Lots of fireworks in London! Via the TV, we could tell that there was a fabulous fireworks display near Big Ben and the London Eye. Big Ben is now 150 years old and the London Eye is 10. We think we may have to stay at a hotel near there next year...

On New Year's Day, we planned to go to the Sea Life Aquarium, but arrived too late. So, we walked along the South Bank, and found a place to eat.

January 2 was Gray's birthday. We had planned to take him kart racing, but there wasn't a place that had racing for under 18's on Saturdays. One place has that option on Sundays-- we'll have to check that out. We made it to the Aquarium this day. Pretty cool place, but expensive! We also found a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Gray loves Mexican food, but it is quite rare here. And, we realize how spoiled we were living in KC! MUCH better Mexican food there!

We purchased annual passes that allow us entry into many sites and amusement parks in and near London through the year. It makes those "cool but expensive" places much more affordable. Zane is looking forward to going to Lego Land this spring/summer.