A4 Update - June 2015

Yeah, yeah, I'm a little behind.

Oldest Kiddo went on a three day school trip.  She was completely wiped out from canoeing, climbing, abseiling (rappelling down a rockface), mountain biking, and a whole lot of friend time.  

Holly happily finished working on the school summer fair; it was a full time job for a while.  The school community had fun, and there was plenty of Pimms all around.  

The kids had a day off from school, and we left the city limits to pick strawberries.  

Matt's sister and her husband visited The Manor for a week, and it was brilliant to have them here.  Oldest Kiddo was sick for some of their visit which hindered our ability to tour with them.

London experienced summer with a heatwave of above 85 degrees.  When you don't have air conditioning, it's awful.  Thankfully it only lasted a few days and then we went back to the low 70s.  

Let's see what July brings!

Seeing the Sights in Berlin - Touring Tuesday

The day my sister and nephew left London, we jetted off to Berlin for a few days.  Matt and I have been to Munich a few times, and we thought it would be great to see the north of the country.  Berlin is quite a different city than Munich, and it is full of history!

Train Stations - The best way to get to know a city is to walk it.  However, we took the train a few times as it's one of Youngest Kiddos favorite pastimes.  Riding the train in Berlin is much different that in London.  You validate your ticket upon first ride and then you don't need to bring it out again unless asked by an inspector.  Such a difference from London where we have to tap into and out of the train each time we ride.    

The Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche was bombed in November 1943, and the decision was made to not repair the building.  They felt leaving the church in its destroyed state would remind of the terrible repercussions of war.  The more modern chapel next door is now used as the worship space.  Its interior is starkly different from the traditional German church I think of.

Checkpoint Charlie, unfortunately, is an unfortunate tourist spectacle.  Men dressed in military gear (with no military status at all) stand at a replica of the original checkpoint to pose with tourists.  For all the history that occurred on that spot, it's a shame for what it turned into.  We preferred the visual panels across the street that outlined how people tried, with differing success, to get out of East Berlin.  

Remnants of and reference to the Berlin Wall is everywhere in Berlin.  Remaining panels are on display at the Berlin Wall exhibition across the street from Checkpoint Charlie.  I remember watching the Berlin Wall come down in 1989; my parents told me that I needed to watch the TV with them as it was a historical event.  Evidence of the wall is seen all over town.  Remembrance plates lay on the ground where the wall used to split sections of the city down the middle.  The East Side Gallery also displays sections of the wall that painted once the wall ceased to exist.  It is in a declining state, so we were happy to see it.  Panels of the wall were preserved and put on display all over the world.  I've seen a panel at the Ronald Reagan Library in Pomona, CA, which is fitting since he gave a speech urging the demolition of the wall, and at The Imperial War Museum in London.

The Brandenburg Gate was modeled after the Acropolis in Athens when it was built in the late 1700s.  It was the main gate separating West and East Berlin.  Former United States President Ronald Reagan gave a famous speech here in June of 1987 urging Mikhail Gorbachev take down the wall.  Two years later the wall came down in November 1989.  

The Ampelmann is a symbol seen all over town.  The logo was seen by Berliners on the communist side of the wall.  Today it is a symbol of the city, and a big hit with tourists as there are many bits of merchandise you can buy.  

Berliner Dom is a gorgeous cathedral on Museum Island.  It was originally built as Hohenzollern family's church until the early 1900s.  The crypt downstairs has the sarcophagi of many family members.  The main area of the church is ornately decorated with a heavy focus toward the family.  It's upon further study of the walls and art that you see typical religious symbols in muted colors.  

The Lustgarden is in front of the dom.  The square of earth has it's own significant history.  It was used as a military parade grounds under Wilhelm I & Napoleon.  Anti-Nazi demonstrations took place in 1933, but eventually Hitler addressed approximately one million people in this space.  Thankfully today it's a lovely spot to sit in the sun. 

There's a few more spots we visited to where just a few photos isn't allowed, that's a post for later.    

Food in Berlin - Touring Tuesday

Eating in Germany is all sorts of wonderful.  As a life-long carb lover, I had no problem finding good eats for the family.  Interestingly, our first meal in Berlin was a lovely Italian meal.  The restaurant was close to our hotel and it was just what we needed after a day of travel.  We had an interesting experience with the waitstaff.  They were Italians in a German city; what's the best way to communicate?  We switched between German & Italian cordials.  At the end of the meal we asked the waiter which language they preferred.  He chuckled when I asked, and he said that they spoke many languages and were happy to speak in any one!    

Why have only one pasta when you can have three?

Spätzle - The boy was not sure about spätzle, but he quickly realized how delicious a platter can be.  I was pleased to finish what he could not.  We actually had dinner here two times.  The specials were delicious.  Matt had the sauerbraten and I had the gulasch vom wildschwein (goulash with braised boar)

Currywurst - I refused to leave Berlin without consuming a currywurst.  It's quite a simple dish, but man was it good.  The German sausage is served with a zippy ketchup and a sprinkling of curry powder.  (For you baseball fans, the zippy ketchup reminded me of the special sauce at Miller Park in Milwaukee.)  We saw many outlets that served currywurst - from one-man band style server to full sit down restaurants.  We opted for a street-side stand to have a proper table, yet affordability.  My kids were not fans of the curry sauce, but a quick scrape of the fork quelled their dislike.  

Doner kebab - These are big business in Germany.  Some say it's due to a large Turkish population, which arrived in Germany to rebuild the country after World War II and stayed.  I have observed that many of the bloggers I follow tend to go to similar spots, and many of them went to Mustafa's Gemüse Kebap.  This stand alone hut on the sidewalk often has a huge queue.  On the day of our visit we probably waited about 20 minutes.  The food was good - a pita bread filled with lamb, fresh veg, and feta cheese.  I don't think I would go out of my way to go there again, if I was in the vicinity I might stop again.  But that's just me.  

Beer - self explanatory 

Proper German breakfast - All of the places we've stayed in Germany provide a proper breakfast, and our hotel was no different.  Our kids are well served by these breakfast spreads.  Youngest Kiddo loves salami, ham, and cheese for breakfast.  Oldest Kiddo can't get enough of the tiny pancakes and Nutella.  Matt and I are big fans of the endless coffee and bacon.  

Of course many pretzels were consumed along the way, but for some reason none of them hung around long enough for a photo.  All of my carb and red meat fantasies were fulfilled with each meal in Berlin.  

A4 Update - May 2015

The days are getting longer!

The Colosseum in Rome 

Our friends from America finished up their visit the first few days of the month.  We sure loved having them stay with us. 

Oldest Kiddo celebrated her birthday with her friends on a guided Harry Potter walk of the city.  The guide was phenomenal, and my girl was so happy to act out a scene from the movie with him.  The video takes place at Leadenhall Market which doubles as Diagon Alley.  They are acting the scene where Harry asks Hagrid how he is to obtain all of the supplies for Hogwarts.  Listen closely for her British accent, it's adorable.  

The kids continue to be busy at school.  Oldest Kiddo's grade took their standardized tests, and she's happy they've ended.  The British schools sure spend a lot of time revising (British for reviewing) for the tests. She's pumped for a two-night outdoor trip in a few weeks.  Youngest Kiddo's reading is taking off, and he is still in love with Legos.      

  

The kids had a week off for the half-term break, and we spent the week in Florence & Rome.  Posts on that gorgeous trip are on the way.  Now we need to start planning for summer, which does not start until the middle of July for the kids.  

Matt and I have returned to finding ways to keep the sun from waking us when it peeks in our windows at 4:30am.  We sure don't complain when the daylight sticks around until almost 10pm.

Bring on the summer!

Holborn - Perfect Day in London

I know you'll love today's Perfect Day in London.  It is another free day in this great city I call home. 

This perfect day starts at Holborn Station, which is on the Piccadilly & Central Lines.  The Holborn area of the city is one that I know very well.  Before we moved to London, this was usually our homebase when we visited because one of Matt's offices is not far from the station.  The apartment we lived in for a few weeks upon moving to London is just down the street as well.  Aside from that, it's just a cool area with a ton of history.    

Walk out the front of Holborn Station and turn left to follow Kingsway. Turn left a few blocks down onto Remnant Street.

You'll follow this until you come to a park called Lincoln's Inn Fields.  If the weather permits take some time to appreciate that this is the largest public square in London.  You'll see people exercising, playing tennis, or relaxing on the benches.  If you are lucky you might get to see some performers practice juggling bowling pins and cracking a whip.  You just never know what you'll see in London.  Also be sure to admire the houses that line the square.  

The next stop on this Perfect Day in London is in one of those houses back on Remant Street/Lincoln's Inn Field at the Sir John Soane Museum.  This free museum is Soane's former home and it is filled to the brim with more antiquities that you ever thought could be in a home.  The curators are quite passionate about the museum and tend to follow you around just to be sure you don't touch anything.  They don't bother you, per se, but there's certainly a sense of someone always watching.  Despite that, completely worth a visit.  If you visit soon, you can also book a tour of Soane's private apartments.    

When you leave the Soane manor, walk directly across the green space to the Royal College of Surgeons where you will find the Huntarian Museum (click link for my blog post).  The museum's namesake worked hard to collect medical specimens for study and preservation.  Don't be put off by the subject because this specimens in the museum are presented quite tastefully.  The building below does not quite look like a museum, but the nice people at the front desk will point you in the right direction.    

After seeing all of the body parts in jars, I bet you are starving for lunch.  You are in luck as there are many, many choices for lunch near Holborn Station.  Back on Kingsway across the street from Holborn Station is Wagamama Noodle Bar.  This restaurant is a chain, but they consistently make great food.  You'll sit at communal-style tables while you eat your ramen or curry.  If noodles aren't on your palate for today Kingsway has several grab & go/quick service places instead (EAT, Wasabi, Pret a Manger).  

If you are not yet hungry take the half-mile walk to Covent Garden.  This area of town has a lot of restaurants in the piazza and surrounding streets.      

After lunch take some time to explore Covent Garden.  The buskers begging for money are quite varied from the floating Yoda to a live magic show.  The streets surrounding the Piazza are fun to window shop, too.

As of May 2015, Covent Garden Underground station is exit only.  If the tube is your mode of transport today, you will need to find your way to another station.  Leicester Square, Tottenham Court Road, and Holborn stations are not far from Covent Garden.  

I hope you like this Perfect Day in London!  Let me know if you've visited any or all of these sites, I'd like to know what you thought.

Every day can be a Perfect Day in London as long as you are prepared.  Always have a collapsible umbrella in your bag.  No matter the weather, dress in layers.  The shade-filled streets, museums, and parks can be significantly cooler than the sunny sidewalks. 

Paris Times Deux - Touring Tuesday

Last fall I had the pleasure of going to Paris. 

Twice.

The two-hour Eurostar train ride from London's St. Pancras Station couldn't be easier.  If you book your ticket well in advance, you can get a round trip for £79 ($120).  Another bonus to the Eurostar is that when you disembark from the train at Gare du Nord Station, you are already in Paris and can get started with your touring immediately.  If you fly it can take well over an hour from Charles de Gaulle Airport to get into Paris via public transport.  No one has time for that on a short visit.

The first of my trips to Paris was with my mom.  She was planning to visit Paris with some of her friends, but unfortunately that trip fell through.  So Matt knew that she'd appreciate a short side trip when she came for a visit in September.  He booked us for one night at a hotel close by the Arc de Triomphe.  The goals of our trip consisted seeing as many iconic structures as our feet could handle and eat along the way.  We lucked out with gorgeous weather.  With our limited time we only went into the Musée d'Orsay, and I am so glad we did.  The museum is a beautiful old train station, and the art is gorgeous.  We liked the place so much we decided to have lunch in the cafe, and it was delicious.  

It may appear that a majority of our caloric intake was from sugar, but we did have four square meals while in Paris.  Breakfast in the hotel was standard European pastries, muesli, coffee, and fruit. One lunch was at a terrible cafe a few blocks off the Champs Élysées, but dinner completely made up for it.  We ate at a little place where we could see the chef cooking our meal and practically licked our plates. 

I can't share mom's trip to Paris without showing you this scary van.  Stay away children, stay away.

The second visit to Paris was with two mums (that's British for moms) from school.  This trip was planned for the first weekend in December.  It's not the most ideal time to go, but we were willing to take our chances with the weather.

The thing that was different about this trip........we went to Paris for the day.  

We left on the 6:30AM train and returned on the 10:30PM.  We did not tour any museums, but we sure saw a lot of beautiful spots.  Even though it was the first Friday in December, not all of the trees had dropped their leaves.

Notre Dame is a stunning building.  The bridges covered in locks are not as stunning.  I think the concept is a smidge overdone, but that's my opinion.  

The Christmas market was up and running along the Champs Élysées, and we made a pit stop for a glass of champagne.  It gave us enough buzz to keep walking to get to the  Eiffel Tower.  Once we made it to the spot in the photo above, our feet refused to move much further.  We hopped on the Metro in search of dinner.   

One of the moms talked to the French man sitting with us on the train to tell us where we should eat.  At first he thought she was joking, but when she wouldn't drop the subject he gave us a few places he liked.  It did not cross our minds that the places he recommended would not open until 8PM so that did not work for us to make our return train.  We stumbled across a restaurant that made us all happy, and our feet thanked us for the short respite.  

Our ride back to London was significantly quieter than our ride into Paris, but we made the most out of our few hours.    

Would I go back to Paris?  Oui.
Would I do a day trip again? Oui.

As if you needed another reason to why Europe is great.