| Finally On Line |
[May. 25th, 2006|07:09 pm] |
( Read more... )
Shall I go into how my carefully researched and purchased European cell phone does not work? Maybe I will save that for another time.
With no map, we had a bit of a problem finding our apartment once we got off the tube. Caroline wasn't managing her luggage very well, but since my load was lighter, I carried her second bag. When we arrived at the apartments (Point West, Kensington) they had no record of our reservation from the letting agent. Thankfully, the apartment owner is a very nice man who immediately drove over to take care of us (thank you Patrick!!).
The apartment is perfect. It has a good size living-dining room (gernerous for London), a small bedroom, bathroom and a small kitchen with a washer/dryer. There is a Sainsbury's Grocery next door from which we lugged eight bags of groceries. Hopefully, they haven't spoiled during the six hours the fridge was off when Cameron mistakenly flipped the fuse switch. (I'm wondering how common that is in the UK, to have fuse switches on the wall like light switches?)
We wandered aimlessly around London after we unpacked. Being map-less, we lost our bearings quite a few times, but merely hopped on another bus or the tube until we found out way. In this way I can see where the London Travel Card is worth every penny and then some. I plan to ride the bus a lot while we are here, simply to sight see.
We went by Buckingham Palace where C & C got their first glimpse at a palace guard. We'll go back to watch the changing of the guard. We also went into Harrod's and it is impressive if only for its size and selection of high end things. However, the Dodi - Princess Diana "memorial" at the base of the escalator is beyond tacky. It literally made me shudder.
For lunch we grabbed salads and a sandwich at Tesco. I noticed many of the markets and corner drugstore type places (like Walgreens) have pre-packaged to go food of fairly good quality, so I plan to do this a lot, rather than spend a lot of $$ on restaurant lunch. I'd rather splurge on a special meal out than have mediocre lunches at $50 to $70 a pop (yes, that is the price of a lunch for three in central London).
I knew that London was a very international city, but have to admit that realization really hits when you hear different languages at every corner.
London seems to have this certain "vibe" that I really like, at least so far.
Cameron says her favorite part of the day was the fountain at Buckingham Palace, the piegons, seeing the London Eye, riding on the top of the double decker bus and all the escalators in Harrod's and other stores. |
|
|
| Ballerina |
[May. 21st, 2006|01:04 am] |
Caroline performed in a dance recital tonight - three numbers, ballet, jazz and tap. The make-up still gets to me. She looks too old. ::sniff::
 |
|
|
| Gay Pareeeeeeee |
[Mar. 28th, 2006|01:42 pm] |
I spent some time this weekend mapping out our location in Paris and its proximity to the metro, etc. I knew when I booked this apartment that it wasn't in a posh area, but neither was it in a "bad" area. Since I had been studying the maps of Paris, I knew exactly where they were talking about when the news referred to the protesters rallying at the Place de la Republique. Oh Joy. It's right around the corner from our apartment. I can only trust that the tear gas will be long put away by the time the kids and I arrive there on June 12th.
|
|
|
| More Things To Get Anxious Over |
[Mar. 17th, 2006|09:43 am] |
I can't imagine being in Paris with my children while this is going on -
PARIS, FRANCE -- Riot police fired rubber pellets and tear gas at youths who pelted them with stones and torched cars Thursday in the heart of Paris, a violent turn in nationwide protests against a new labor law ...
|
|
|
| OK, I'll Bite |
[Mar. 14th, 2006|11:15 am] |
| You Are Apple Green | 
You are almost super-humanly upbeat. You have a very positive energy that surrounds you.
And while you are happy go lucky, you're also charmingly assertive.
You get what you want, even if you have to persuade those against you to see things your way.
Reflective and thoughtful, you know yourself well - and you know that you want out of life. |
|
|
|
| What Have I Done? |
[Mar. 14th, 2006|01:36 am] |
Perhaps it is a case of nerves, but I found myself doubting whether or not I should have booked this trip. We're flying out of Chicago on May 22 and received a terrific deal on the flights ------- BUT -------
( Read more... ) |
|
|
| At the Beginning |
[Nov. 21st, 2005|11:06 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  contemplative | ] |
About a year or two ago, I began pondering those age old questions of middle age - i.e. what do I most want to do with the rest of my time here? And to give you the condensed version of the prequel, I knew what made me the most happy in the here and now was homeschooling and witnessing the unfolding personhood of my two youngest children. I knew that opportunity would not last forever. My older children taught me that. Time is of the essence. They'd eventually grow up - and grow on.
What did I decide that I wanted to do, both as a personal goal and something that incorporated my parenting goals? Take field trips. Extreme field trips. I wanted to stop wistfully thinking about all the places I wanted to see someday and take definite steps toward making it happen. I wanted to make the life I dreamed about with my kids - but was always to reluctant/scared/hesitant/unsure to do.
Will it unfold as planned? I don't know. But our first goal is a ten week camping tour of Europe. We opened the savings account last July with the goal of leaving the end of April in 2007. Some unfortunate events may have changed the timetable. My father passed away in October and with some of the money he left us, the option is available for 2006. Itineraries may be changed and switched around a bit. However, I thought it may be good to chronicle our journey both for ourselves, other parents and homeschoolers who dream of seeing the world with and through the eyes of their children.
All aboard. |
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| |
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=88.8){kind=small}
tamj's journal