Cheerio England - The Sarcastic Version

Yes, the family is sad to leave London. There are so many great things to see, do, and eat in this city. As with good there is also bad, and there are a few things that we will not shed one tear for when we arrive back in America.  

Cheerio faucets that have one hot tap and one cold tap yet no way to make warm water. Do people really like to plug the sink in a public place to fill with hot and cold water to wash hands? I sure don't like it. Splashing the two extreme temperatures together cannot possibly be proper hygiene. I know taps that make warm water exist because I have several of them in my house! It irks me to no end when designers install this type of water delivery option in a new build. I'm all for retro decorating, but let's be sensible.

Cheerio bus that never comes - While we base our mornings on timings from the bus app, there are some mornings where it just doesn't show up for 20+ minutes. The delay could be for any number of things: traffic, lack of drivers, broken down bus, or even just a driver that drives really slow. A bus that doesn't arrive does not make for a happy start to the day. 

 

Cheerio fake nice nice talk - In Britain, chances are if someone says they'd like to go for coffee or have you over don't hold your breath.  It's all a piece of the social dance, and unless they are actually your friend, they don't really want to go with you. Full Stop.

Cheerio tiny fridge, oven, and cooktop - For real, the appliances in our house are so tiny.  Maybe it's because I brought my big American pots & pans, but it perplexes me how any large family functions with the minuscule appliances. 

Cheerio kids on scooters - It's a right of passage in the UK for little Alfie & Charlotte to get a scooter on their third birthdays. A lot of times the scooter is a help for mummy & daddy so they can pull their little darling down the high street instead of being held up by short legs. Once the cherubs develop the proper coordination, they are scooting off! Off through busy sidewalk traffic. Off into the street at a corner.  Off into the back of my legs.  Broad generalization here, but the kids are not taught proper scooting rules of the road.

In all truthfulness, these sometimes maddening situations made living in a different country worth it.  If everything was like America, there'd be no reason to leave.  So maybe a small tear will pool in the corner of our eyes.    

A4 Update - November 2015

Things are coming to an end in London.  While there is a lot going on behind the scenes, it really doesn't look like it in the month recap.

* Youngest Kiddo had a friend birthday party, 6 months late.  His birthday falls during a school break so we've just kept them a family affair.  However, when he sadly asked if he was ever going to have a party with his London friends I had to set something up.  The best part?  Another school mom was behind on her child's birthday too, so we threw a shared party.  

* The landlord listed our house with a realtor which means we have to deal with people traipsing through our house.  While I am not vested in whether or not it gets rented I still feel it's nice to make sure there are no embarrassing piles of dirty laundry hanging around.  Youngest Kiddo has a way of getting his dirties in the most random places.  

* The family took one last trip before the movers arrive.  We spent a long weekend in Oslo, Norway.  It was not as cold as we anticipated, but the exchange rate was way more expensive than we anticipated.  Good thing the beauty of the city took the sting off the Norwegian Kroner to US Dollar conversion.  

* We're trying to make the best of every last weekend.  Everyone has made a Before We Leave London Bucket List.  My list is pretty short since touring the city was my job for the last two years.  The rest of the family, however, has a lot to see.  Matt took Oldest Kiddo to the Churchill War Rooms and loved it. Youngest Kiddo wants to ride the Emirates Cable Car and take a Thames River Boat.  Oldest Kiddo wants to tour the HMS Belfast war ship that's docked near the Tower of London.  The rainy weekends have kept us from doing this, but we have a few more days to try.      

Renting A Vacation Apartment

In all the years Matt and I have traveled the world, we've rested our weary heads in some pretty cool places. Lately, we've taken to renting apartments for holidays instead of a hotel room. Yes, a hotel is nice since you can have fresh towels delivered and the beds made for you every day. Sometimes there's a rocking breakfast buffet as well.  

When you travel with kids, staying in a hotel is quite different. For us, it's four people sharing two beds in one room. Many nights we sat in the dark while we waited for the children to fall asleep. Not a whole lot of fun when it feels like a million years for the kids to finally stop arguing about who is making noise or hogging the covers.

Now, we prefer to stay in rental apartments for our longer holidays. Why?  The rentals can be anywhere in a city, not just on the tourist end of town in a big chain hotels. In Italy, for example, we craved a spot with a view of a lake and a pool. No hotel would give this view, or at least this view without two hundred other people around.  

Staying in an apartment allows you to experience a neighborhood in its natural state. Low numbers of tourists means the shops do business as usual (aka keep their prices at the normal level), and you benefit fully to see the locals in their natural habitat. Since the apartments never come with breakfast included, we are on the hook for a few meals. I don't mind since one of my favorite tourist activities in a new city is to visit the grocery store. The Google Translate app is a lifesaver when you are not quite sure of the ingredients of an item. We always have breakfast at the apartment, and I've been know to make a few dinners on holiday as well. This provides a substantial money savings on our trips.    

Another reason we love a holiday apartment is for the bedroom doors. We can put the kids to bed, close their doors, and continue our night on the couch with the lights on. A good night's sleep for the kids = happy touring the next day.

Not every apartment is the same, obviously; some come better equipped than others. The best apartment we rented was in Ranco, Italy. The kitchen was well stocked with several pots, pans, basic spices, oils, and dish soaps & towels. The owner of the apartment also provided us with some basic Italian provisions to get us by until we could get to the store. The bathroom had a large supply of shampoo, conditioner, body soaps, hair dryer, and towels. The washing machine even had a full bottle of detergent.

The apartment in Oslo, Norway was different. While the apartment was nice, the extra amenities were lacking. The kitchen had the standard dinnerware plus one pot, one pan, and a few knives. So when it was time to cook dinner, we had to choose our menu wisely so as to not need to purchase one off items like spices and oils that we could not take back home. I suppose that just challenged my cooking skills. The bathroom had towels, a bar of hand soap, and toilet paper.   

Rentals are pretty easy to find, but you need to be smart about which property you book.  We've used Airbnb and Booking.com in the past with good results; your results may vary. Always read the reviews left by previous renters as the owner's description does not always tell the whole story. Most of the apartment proprietors provide an email address so you can contact them directly if you are looking for a specific amenity.

If you don't choose to rent an apartment for your next holiday, at least take a gander at what's out there.