Amsterdam - The Bibliotheek - Touring Tuesday

On our walk back to Amsterdam Centraal from the NEMO Science Centre we came upon the Amsterdam Bibliotheek (library).  At first we were unsure if this was a library because the building was huge.  Upon walking inside it was assured this six-story building was, in fact, a library.

The first floor was the children’s department.  This is the point when we wished we could read Dutch.  What a treat for children to sit for stories in this library.  Along with more books that any child could read during their youth, it had a treehouse and an adorable dollhouse based on a series of books.

The rest of the library was equally as impressive.  The shelves were inviting with lit LED strips.

The top floor’s café patio was almost as impressive as the children’s section; it provided additional gorgeous views of Amsterdam.

The Bibliotheek is worth a stop when you're in Amsterdam.

When You Visit London.....Part 2 (Good Eats)

I'm glad that you've decided to travel to London based on my first set of tips.  Here's the second installment I've learned whilst living in London.  This is what we've experienced, and you may have other suggestions or experiences.  Please feel free to comment to add to the tips!     

Eating in London
If you are looking for a certain ethnic food, London has it.  Gone are the days of gravy on everything with a side of beans.  If you really want an English Breakfast, you can find it, but the culinary landscape is filled  with dishes from India, Ethiopia, South Africa, Vietnam, and even America.  As I have said many, many times before, the Brits are planners.  To avoid any hangry travel mates, you should book a table at the restaurant of your liking if it's the busy summer season or a gorgeous day.

Quick eats in London
This is an easy one.  Doner/Shawarma/Gyro and Fish & Chip shops are all over the place.  Our drive-through equivalent is the quick service options from Pret A Manger (yum!), Eat, and Greggs.  The local grocery stores (M&S, Waitrose, Tesco, and Sainsbury) also have grab and go meals with a sandwich/salads, chips, and drink for around £5.  For a little variety, Wasabi (yum!) and Itsu are good grab and go when you are hankering for Asian food.  If you are in a situation where you need to cook for yourself, the grocery stores also have great cook at home meal deals.  We prefer the meals from M&S and Waitrose as the choices are a bit more creative than I might make at home.  We usually partake in the Dinner for Two (which feeds our family of four) that includes a main dish, side dish, dessert, and a bottle of wine for £10 ($16).

The Pub
A truly English experience.  Every pub has it's own vibe.  Here's what you need to know for just about every pub you'll visit in the city.

• Seat yourself, remember your table number, then order at the bar
• You can pay for your vittles right then or open a tab
• Settle in at your spot and your curry/pot roast/fish & chips will be delivered shortly
• Don't feel rushed once your meal is finished, you can relax and chat with your dining companions about how my helpful touring tips have made your visit extraordinary.  
• One caveat, don't go to the pub and order one pint then proceed to sit for three hours, that's rude.
• Some pubs have gardens, and if it's a nice sunny day you may have to book a table.  This is especially true on Sundays when the pubs put on a roast dinner; you must make an effort to do Sunday roast.
• The pubs are family friendly!  You have to vacate the pub with your children around 7PM. 

Coffee
It's not hard to find a coffee shop in London.  The city has a nice mix of national/worldwide chains (Starbucks, Caffe Nero, Costa, and Pret A Manger) along with independent shops.  Expect to pay around £2.50ish for a regular latte.  We like Nero for national chains and Monmouth for local, but that's just us.  

No skinny lattes here, only delicious whole milk

Look at eating in London as part of the experience.  We are yet to sit down to a proper tea service but that should happen soon.  

Amsterdam - Finding Nemo - Touring Tuesday

Matt and I are great travel partners.  I plan out an itinerary, and he figures out how to get us there.  I have no idea how he does it, but the man can look at a map of a city and pretty much memorize the whole thing.  He also pays super close attention whilst walking for possible bathroom stops and restaurant possibilities.  Even in Amsterdam where the street names are fourteen consonants and seven letter o long, he gets us where we need to go.  His mad navigating skills were much appreciated on our journey.

Our first full day in Amsterdam started off slightly rocky.  First off the weather tried to keep us from seeing the city.  The blustery wind made Matt regret forgetting his gloves back in London.  Then it started to rain, but it was not a problem as I was prepared with three umbrellas.  That is when Youngest Kiddo had a meltdown.

"Where is my umbrella, mom?" he asked

"You are sharing an umbrella with me, big guy," I said enthusiastically to divert his pending disappointment.  

"I don't want to share mom!" he wailed as the rain poured down.  He then stomped his foot and pouted his lips in protest.  The rest of the family hunkered together in a doorway as sleet started to pelt our umbrellas and his head.

As I typically do in this situation, I picked him up and continued to walk down the street while holding an umbrella.  This ticked him off a bit more since he could not get out from under my umbrella.  We knew that he needed a chance to cool off, but we needed to get out of the rain.  

Matt spotted a chain hotel around the corner so we walked in and settled in the lobby.  Although he didn't like my rationale for only having three umbrellas, he calmed down.  Keeping in mind my rules for touring (when you see a clean toilet use it), we made a pit stop.  Sorry if this is too much information, but he decided to sit down to do his business this time.  However, when he pulled up his pants he was confused as to why they were wet.  

Poor kid did not pull his pants down far enough.  His bottom lip started to quiver when he realized what happened.  I allayed his sadness by saying we would fix the problem.  We are well past the point of needing to bring spare clothes along, so we needed Plan B.  After telling Matt of the situation, he paused to mentally remember our route to our stop at the hotel lobby.  He remembered seeing an H&M on our walk through the city center.  Youngest Kiddo was back in business in no time.  

With the rockiness over, it was time to get this vacation on the road.  

We meandered along the canals for a bit and admired the architecture.  We quickly realized that part of the charm in Amsterdam lies in the canal houses and the, let's call it, unplumbness of the homes.  Many of the houses lean into one another and even toward the canals.  Yes, toward the canals.  The weather precluded me from taking quality photos on our first day, but trust me, I have many more from the rest of the week.  

By this time we could tell the kids weren't in the mood to look at houses and canals much longer.  My super navigator husband saved the day by walking us to the NEMO science museum.

I am usually one to vote no for a science museum, but NEMO was completely worth the visit! Admission was a bit pricey at €15 ($82) for everyone over 4 years of age, but I got over it once we saw the exhibits.  It had plenty to entertain both kids and adults.  We explored exhibits with water energy, solar power, and played brain teaser games.  Near the end of our visit, the museum set off a huge Rube Goldberg that we all enjoyed watching.

The top floor of the NEMO has an outdoor terrace that provided a beautiful view of the city.  I can see this spot being highly popular in the summer.

We officially wore the kids' legs out on the first day.  They were happy that the NEMO Science Center was an easy walk from Amsterdam Centraal Station.  On our way back we got side tracked by one location that I will share with you next time.  Bibliophiles will not believe their eyes! 

What I'm Realizing

It's been five months. We have been gone from the only state and country we've ever known for five months.  A lot has been experienced in this time.  As I do when writing the A4 updates, I've realized a few things.....

• Our little family is happy. Sure the kids bicker about silly things. Matt and I squabble about whose turn it is to carry the laundry basket aaaaallllllll the way upstairs. I've missed some big family events back home, which was a real gut check about how being this far away can really suck. At the end of the day, we feel secure and happy in our abode. 

• We are branching out. Or better stated, people are recognizing our branches. I've met some wonderful parents at school, and I hope that as we get to know eachother more we will continue to strengthen the friendship bonds.  My attempts to compliment people on the street have turned into lengthy conversations on more than a few occasions. I met J from Australia when I complimented her Orla Kiely bag. She's lived in our borough for four years and initiated the names introduction by saying we might bump into one another again (in a total non-creepy way).  A little effort can produce a big gain.

Waiting for school to start

• I feel a sense of neighborhood (sort of).  Our next door neighbor is my go-to guy for information. He helped us get a key for our alley gate and tips on how to find the recycling bins when the trash man isn't paying attention when returning them. I took a big leap and attended the neighborhood association meeting on a Saturday morning. I knew no one at the meeting, but it was a first step.  My neighborhood seems to have a group of people interested in keeping it safe and looking nice.  If either of those are not in check they will work to make it so.  The renovation of the house across the street is almost complete so we have the chance to welcome the new residents to our street.  

• We are not the only ones not from here.  The number of countries represented on the school playground is amazing. Nothing like back in our old town.  I've met families from Ireland, France, Hungary, Poland, Crotaia, Japan, Somalia, and Brazil.  

• I have no idea what's going on with pop culture in the USA.  I occasionally see a blip in the UK papers, but other than Gwyneth & Chris Martin's uncoupling, I'm lost. I hardly listen to the radio; I don't have time whilst walking all over the city each month. What's the over-played song of the month?  I had no clue the Oscars were on until I saw the blip in the Monday morning paper.  In reality I'm ok without it.  It frees space in my mind for important things, like where to find the best pain au chocolate on the High Road.  

At the Keukenhof in Holland

• Thankfully the BBC does a nice job covering the heavy topics from back home, and I follow a Chicago network on Facebook for other local news.  We have access to American TV, and Matt is so happy to have baseball for the summer thanks to MLB.tv.

Wayne Messmer singing at Wrigley on Opening Day

• We are taking advantage of opportunities.  Our kids have several term breaks each school year, and we hope to not waste any of them.  For the April's Easter Break we flew to Amsterdam for a few days.  It was our first travel since arriving in London. We learned new travel tips and reinforced old tried and true ones: 1) Always have fifty or thirty cents on hand in the local currency for the public toilet or find the lobby bathroom of a chain hotel 2) Prebook tickets for the big attractions & museums, you'll be so happy you did. 3) Learn a few courtesy phrases, the locals will smile (maybe with delight or because you butchered the pronunciation).

• Finally, I am really loving this adventure; it's not something that gets offered to many people.  There have been lifestyle adjustments and some tears cried, but when I reflect back I wouldn't change a thing.

 I'll let a famous Chicagoan wrap this up for me....

1. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.    ~Ferris Beuller

Amsterdam - Getting Acquainted

Our family spent part of the kids' two-week Easter Break in Amsterdam.  For our first trip from London, we learned a lot.  When booking this trip, we only booked four weeks in advance.  That's really cutting it close by UK standards. (Lesson #1)

Matt still has a great stash of frequent flyer miles that he graciously used on the one hour flight.  

Since a majority of UK students have the same Easter break, finding accommodations was tricky.  It took Matt a while to find a hotel, and we ended up staying at a Hampton that had free breakfast.  The kids had freedom to choose what they wanted to eat, and Matt & I could linger over coffee (koffie) while they perused the spread.  By our last breakfast the kids and I were almost gorging on the tiny pancakes (poffertjes) that we dipped in Nutella.  Oh.my.goodness.

Could these pancakes be more cute?!

Our hotel was only a 15 minute train ride to the center of Amsterdam.  The local train station could not get any closer to our hotel.  Actually, our room could not get closer to the train station.  Thankfully the glass was very thick and we never heard a train (or the construction works in the front of the hotel).  

The view from our room

Our typical strategy when visiting a new city is to spend the first day exploring, figuring out public transportation, and getting lost along the way.  I think the trip to Amsterdam was the first where the needs of a four year old impacted our touring.  I suppose for previous trips he was young enough where he didn't have an opinion, or he was easily redirected when he had one.  

He certainly has an opinion now.  

As we walked the canals it seemed that his bladder had it's own ideas.  The kid had to pee every 45 minutes.  Finding a toilet in Amsterdam was not easy.  The canals are mainly lined with homes and private businesses, which quickly turns a stop in the loo into an emergency situation.  Remember the toilet is not always free in Europe; the going rate is .30-.50 in local currency and/or purchase in the establishment.  McDonald's was just .50, but coffee shops appreciated a purchase instead.  Thankfully Matt could always find a toilet just in time.  

Toward the end of our time in Amsterdam, I saw a man "in the position" and finally figured out what these are used for.....

A public urinal.  

I guess on our return trip we will know where he can go (ew!).

Mom.....Mommy.....

My college roommate & her husband (hi!) have two kids like us.  One time she told me that her kids said "Mom" so many times that she told them her name was now Felicia.  She would not answer them when they called mom.  I chuckled at this scenario because this did not happen with our two kiddos.

Fast forward to now.  

Youngest Kiddo cannot stop saying "mom."  At least that's what I thought.  So I began to wonder if he was really calling "mom" all the time or did it just feel like it?  He doesn't understand that he does not have to address me by name when it's only the two of us in the room.  Harkening back to my data collection days as a teacher, I needed to quantify my hunch with some good old fashioned tally marks.

The data doesn't lie:

Saturday 3:00pm to 4:00pm - 21 tally marks 

Sunday 11:15am to 12:15pm - 19 tally marks

Tuesday 4:30pm to 5:30pm - 21 tally marks (includes dinner time)

Wednesday 5:10 to 6:10 - 23 tally marks (includes dinner time)

Youngest Kiddo calls "mom" almost every three minutes of the tallied intervals.  I'm changing my name to Felicia. 

A4 Update - March 2014

Spring is certainly springing in London.  The flowers are blooming everywhere!  Here's the scoop with the fam.

The kids at the TfL Acton Depot

• Matt traveled back to the States (again) and got to see his parents and my parents.  He came back with a few USA rations.  
• Holly walked 102 miles (Wahoo!).  I think I need some new trainers (tennis shoes).
• Attended parent-teacher conferences and the kids are doing superb!
• Oldest Kiddo joined the school choir and helps supervise the little kids at recess one day a week.  
• Youngest Kiddo continues to prove that he is a klutz like his mother.  We received our third "your child fell on the playground and bumped his head" letter since starting school in January.
• Holly got roped into playing in a small Netball tournament at the kids' school.  It was a blast to play, and all cardio for the month was taken care of in that 90 minutes.
• We are making the rounds in our borough to "research" the best pubs with gardens.  We've found two lovely ones.  Next on the list is one with a garden and playground.  It sounds like nirvana if you ask me.  

You Go Girl!

I have a wonderful story to share that happened whilst waiting at the bank.  

We stopped into our local branch on a Saturday morning and found that we had a small wait.  Apparently they have less staff on Saturdays than the rest of the week.  If you have certain banking needs (outside of the usual deposit & withdraw) on a Saturday, you have to make an booking (appointment) so they can properly accommodate you.  

The family waited for our turn behind a man that was already annoyed.  The teller indicated to him that help he needed was not available at that moment as they did not have the proper staff available.  He obviously did not make a booking.  The tone of his voice became more agitated as he responded to her apologies, although we could not hear what he said.  

Apparently he said something derogatory about women, and the teller lost it.  It went something like this,

"Excuse me, sir, this is the United Kingdom and women have the same rights as men.  I do not appreciate your comments."

He made an additional comment to her (which we could not hear).

"Sir I need to see your banking book.  I am going to close your account right now.  Our bank does not need your business."

He did not return to the counter, and she repeated her intention to close his account.  He finally turned and left the bank.  I wanted to jump up and clap for the teller for not putting up with that man's ignorant comments, but I refrained.  We were the next customers and quietly congratulated her on how she reacted.  Her response was calm and cool.

It got me thinking.  How would this situation be handled in the United States?  I cannot see a bank teller saying that to a customer.  I'd expect severe repercussions to the employee if that happened.  Even though I think the teller was in the right, but that's just my opinion.   

Acton Train Depot Open Weekend - Touring Tuesday

Youngest Kiddo loves, loves, loves the transportation system in London.  I swear he's going to learn to read using the map on the Underground & termination destinations listed on the front of the busses.

"Mom!  That's the 272 bus to Shepherd's Bush!"
"Can we take the 94 to Oxford Street?"

"Are we going to take the District Line to Victoria today?"
"You took the National Rail to Slough today, Dad!"

If we are ever running late, all I have to tell him is that we're taking a train and he is ready in no time.

I was thrilled when my neighbor (yes we finally met some!) told me about the Train Depot Open Weekend.  Transport for London (TfL) has many artifacts stored at the Acton Depot, and a few times a year they open the gates and let the public come inside.  Adult tickets were £10 and the kids got in for free!  

As soon as Youngest Kiddo saw the building, there was not stopping him!

The vintage signage provided an interesting look into the past.  I am a huge proponent for hooliganism to return to daily vocabulary.

The depot also displayed some hulking pieces of machinery.  At on time this was part of an escalator.

 I think this used to control the trains but thankfully it's in the museum now.

It was a great way to spend a sunny Sunday in London.